Box 5 – ALL NATIONS – CHILDREN OF GOD

All Religions may be Righteous in God’s Eyes, but not all Equal

All who hold themselves to any God-honouring religion will be righteous in God’s eyes, but not necessarily assured of salvation. Those who die in the anointing of the Messiah/ the Christ - whereby God is intimately united with His Creation and with His creature, will be assured of salvation as those who live and die “in Christ”.

“And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 1Thes.4:17

Not every Christian lives in intimate union with God, so ‘in Christ’, and similarly not every Muslim lives a life submitted to God.

“So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot or cold, I will spit you out of my mouth” Rev.3:16

(Islam means submission, and a Muslim is ‘one who is submitted’ to God)

The word ‘Christ’ is not Jesus’ surname, but His title -  ‘Christ’ is the Greek version of the Hebrew: ‘Messiah’ – meaning ‘anointed one’.  It was an acknowledgement of this universal nature of God’s union with His creation, modelled in the Word of God becoming flesh in the man Jesus, that caused the Christian church to use the title ‘Catholic’ meaning ‘Universal’ in the 3^rd Century. The Roman Catholic Church may have overlooked this universality since that time.

The Qur’an also teaches that all the Divinely revealed books are to be honoured: the Tawrah, Zabur and Injil, and the book before the Qur’an – the Bible - not only the Qur’an.

All books or not a believer

Tawrah, zabur and injil

M if don’t understand anything, ask those who study Bible

Those who follow Isa will be the greatest

In 2007 following the initiative ‘A Common Word’ Muslims are now permitted to read the Bible, which the Qur’an referred to, and was written to supplement. For 1400 years Muslims were not allowed to read the Bible, so referred to the Hadith, stories of Muhammad as a guide.

Now that the Bible is again available for Muslims to refer to, we may wonder when the Divinely inspired Bible will be used authoritatively, instead of the anecdotal stories of historical Bedouin life in the Hadith, collected 100-200 years after the death of Muhammad?

The context for all the Religions in the world, and all people wondering ‘Why do I exist?”, can be understood in the original story of Creation and the Fall of Man – and the journey back to God since that time.

Adam and Eve were created to be individual personalities, who live in intimate union with the Will of God. But when they disobeyed God’s instruction, they broke the connection with God and His Divine Will. All their offspring since inherited that state of separation.

Since that time then, God has particularly noticed any of His children who obey what they believe to be God’s Will, and not their selfish will … even amongst people of different Religions or none, because that is exactly what caused the separation between God and man in the first place.

God established a Divine Principle in His relationship with Abraham, which is detailed in Romans chapter 4, and relates exactly to this time in history:

Because Abraham believed and trusted God, he was reckoned to be justified (aka righteous) in God’s eyes and cleansed from all his sins.

This ‘Romans 4 Principle’ causes us to look around at every person who holds themselves to a God-centred religion of some kind, honouring and believing God in whatever form they understand to be true … that those people of that ‘other Religion’ than yours, are reckoned by God to be righteous and without any sin.

In support of this understanding, we recall God’s Commandment to honour your mother and father. Such a Commandment from God will inevitably cause all children to adopt their parents’ system of belief in God, and whatever their Religion happens to be.

Therefore, to be brought up with Christian or Muslim parents, and to then be a good Christian or good Muslim, will be reckoned to be righteous and sinless in God’s eyes… and obeying His Divine Will, as it is understood to be.

This Romans 4 Principle, demonstrated by Abraham in the Torah, is a prophetic insight which should make every child of Abraham, every Jew, Christian and Muslim look at each other with new respect. If they stand blameless and righteous before God, what man will accuse them?

Abraham was not a Christian Catholic or Protestant; a Muslim Sunni or Shiah, nor a Jew Orthodox or secular, he just obeyed God with faithful obedience – he did what God asked of him and was reckoned sinless in God’s eyes.

Furthermore, the Book of Romans also explains that people of no Religion, who set themselves a code of moral conduct (guided by their Conscience) and adhere to their own law of Natural Justice, will also be reckoned by God to be righteous and sinless.

Those who God condemns, are the lukewarm who know the Law of Love, yet ignore it; and those who give themselves no law of conduct or morality, but are lawless rebels.

All Religions try to relate to the Creator as they understand Him, and honour Him in different ways with respective Religions in particular Countries, depending on the history of the Country.

The Qur’an makes a valid observation:

“And if Allah had willed, He could have made you of one religion, but He causes to stray whom He wills and guides whom He wills. And you will surely be questioned about what you used to do. (Surah An-Hahl 93) (16:93)

When we look, God has indeed allowed numerous religions in the world, each with a different revelation of God.

Thought …

Submission to God = Islam

Muslim – one who is submitted to God (not submitted to Muhammad)

Word of God made man – My disciples by their love

Romans 4 Principle – justified and sinless if believe God’s Word (faithful obedience)

If listen to written WOG – justified and sinless

Abraham listened to Voice of God only > justified and sinless (no written documents)

Written Books need interpreting by man – Listen to God directly – Conscience and God Who Speaks with Flame of Love

Commandments (Torah) Honour your Mother and Father – adopt their religion – cannot be damned for that…!!!

Logical justice –

No one can be saved except by Jesus

Resurrection of the just (Lk. 14:14)

Can they all be true – is God equally pleased by them all…?

Well to a certain extent yes.

The Romans 4 Principle states that when Abraham ‘believed God’ with faithful obedience, God declared him to be justified or righteous in God’s eyes and sinless.

These will not necessarily enter Heaven, but will be judged before the White Throne and the resurrection of the just ??????

We may expect them all to be judged according to how much they loved others and were kind.

[When Prophet Bob Jones had a Near Death Encounter, he Jesus at the front of a conveyor belt of people asking everyone at His Judgement Seat, just one question to enter Heaven: Did you learn to love?[

Unfortunately, the Religions of the world have become proud and intolerant of each other, even intentionally misrepresenting exaggerated differences between each other – causing greater intolerance and division. History has seen Christians fighting Christians, Muslims fighting Muslims, and so on, with routine contempt for other religions, or even variations within religious observance.

When all Religions and Nations realise that God is gracious and speaking to everyone, also those in other Religions, then who are we to hate and attack those people, when God Himself is kind and benevolent to them?

The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want.

In green pastures he makes me lie down,

To still waters he leads me;

He restores my soul.

He guides me along right paths for the sake of his name.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil, for you are with me;

And your rod and staff comfort me.

You set a table before me in front of my enemies;

You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Indeed, goodness and mercy will pursue me

All the days of my life.

I will dwell in the house of the Lord for endless days.

Psalm 23

The Psalm (Zabur) written 1000 years before Jesus and 1600 years before Muhammad, says that God is benevolent to David, reckoned by God to be a just or righteous man – not a Christian, Muslim or Jew…

“The Lord dealt with me [David] according to my righteousness; according to the cleanliness of my hands he rewarded me. For I have kept the ways of the Lord and have not wickedly departed from my God “ (2Sam.22:21,22)

All One Family Before God

Recognising that God cares for, shepherds and guides His children – all people of the world - with both their Conscience and other guidance, brings us all universally to a potential Formational Theology, realising God’s guidance and formation of those who listen to His Voice, instead of an Interpretational Theology – comparing and interpreting their different sacred books, and attacking everyone who differs with us.

When asked to teach his followers a formal prayer, the Word of God made man (Jesus/ Isa), taught us to pray: “Our Father ….”

And Father God, who created every soul as being unique and special, calls us all ‘My son, or daughter’

 – How can we believe then, that we are doing God’s work, by attacking His children, who stand blameless and sinless before Him – just as Abraham demonstrated earlier with God’s Romans 4 Principle?