Studying Islam

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[quote][size=2]Sorry that it's taken me a while to get to this, but here I am.

First off, it should be understood that as Christians, we are to believe in the whole of revelation that God has given to mankind.  There is something called [i]General Revelation[/i] and also [i]Special Revelation[/i].

With "general revelation", this refers to the evidence that is easily perceived by any and all people on the earth.  We can see within creation evidence that there is a God.... One God.  All people have, also, a "moral conscience". Some way, some how... people all over the world, regardless of their culture or upbringing, have a built-in understanding of the difference between right and wrong.  Whether or not they choose to suppress this knowledge is another matter.

Now, while what we can observe in nature and within ourselves is a type or revelation of God, it is not enough to bring us to full relationship with God.  Only through "special revelation" - God revealing truths about Himself - to mankind, we would be lost; it would be impossible to truly know Him.

God has revealed Himself through many vehicles and avenues.  He has:
1) Spoken directly to men (i.e., Adam and Eve in the garden).
2) Spoken directly to the prophets of the OT and the apostles of the New Testament.
3) Written down laws (i.e., the 10 Commandments)
4) Appearances in various manifestations (i.e., the Burning Bush in the OT; the "Angel of the Lord" in the OT).
5) So forth and so on...

God's revelation has taken place since the beginning of humankind and continued throughout time, progressively revealing more and more of Himself and of His plan for man's salvation and redemption.

Christians believe, know and accept that God is [B]ONE[/B].  That is evident in the Bible.  The final revelation of God, however, through Jesus Christ reveals to us that God is a TRI-UNITY.  Jesus said that He was ONE with God, that no man had ever seen "the Father" but that He [JESUS] was making Him known.

This does not mean that we believe in 3 separate gods all controlling and running the earth separately.

The Bible says that God made man in His own image.  That could refer to our intellect or reasoning; it could refer to our emotions, etc.  I believe it also refers to our very nature and make-up.

Men (and women, of course) are made up of 1) a physical body, 2) a soul (our minds, our wills and emotions), and 3) a spirit (that eternal part of us, the inner person).

I am 1 person and yet have these 3 distinct areas that make up who I am.

This is only an analogy; I am speaking in human terms, I realize this.

In any case, we believe in ONE GOD.  That is simple.... easy.  Jesus said that even the demon spirits know that there is one God; that is nothing to brag about, but is the most basic thing that a person can grasp.

As Christians, though, we understand that God's FULL nature is this Tri-Unity.
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