The Old Testament is the story of God’s creation of this world and all that is in it, the history of early mankind, the flood, and the forming of the Nation of Israel, God’s chosen people. The subject of the Old Testament is the promised Messiah/ Deliverer who was to come and die for the sins of mankind that man might be reconciled (changed in his relationship) to God.

The first four books (Gospels) of the New Testament are the story of the virgin birth, sinless life, substitutionary death, burial, supernatural resurrection, and deity of the promised Messiah/Deliverer, Jesus Christ, which was a complete fulfillment of God’s Old Testament promise.

The next 22 books of the New Testament Epistles (letters) are the history and practices of the churches established and founded by the Lord Jesus Christ.

The last book of the New Testament (Revelation) is a literal prophecy of the end of this world and its system.

a. No other religious books or traditions are recognized as authoritative to the Christian.

 
b. The Bible is authoritative in any language into which it is translated, because God promised to preserve His Word for all generations and all peoples.

God: One God revealed in three Persons (a Tri-unity or Trinity), Father, Son (Jesus Christ) and Holy Spirit. Each member of the Trinity having the same essence (essential being), but each Member having different roles.
 

a. God approachable by man through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
 

b. A God of judgment on sin, but love toward sinners, proven by His coming to earth to die for sinful men.  God first loves man.

c. A God that is a Father who cares for His children.

 
Jesus Christ: The second Person of the Trinity (Son ["same as"] of God) who was born of a virgin, took on human form as a man (Son of man) and lived a sinless life among men so we could see what God was like. He who was sinless became sin for us, died on the cross, was buried, and resurrected the third day to prove that His death was sufficient payment for our sins and the sins of the world.

a. Jesus is God, so He could die for man’s sins.

b. Jesus was sinless, so He could be mans' sacrifice. He did not sin; He could not sin.

c. Jesus’ kingdom is built on voluntary conversion. Christians are peaceful because they strictly follow the teachings of Jesus Christ.


d. Jesus’ kingdom is a way of life because the Kingdom of God is within each believer.
 

e. Jesus died that sinners might be reconciled to God through His shed blood.

 

f. Jesus’ grave is empty because He was resurrected from the dead. He is now seated at the right hand of the Father in Heaven.

 

g. Jesus is returning to earth to judge the quick and the dead.
 

Holy Spirit: Third Person of the Trinity who convicts sinners of their need of salvation in Christ, draws them to repentance and faith, and Who guides the steps of believers (the Comforter).

Sin: Man is born a sinner because of the disobedience of Adam and Eve toward God in the Garden of Eden. That nature to sin (sin-nature) has been passed down to every person since Adam’s time. All men are held responsible by God for breaking His laws (sin).

Forgiveness of Sins: Found in the shed blood of Jesus Christ Who became the sacrifice for sin in order to satisfy the wrath of God on the behalf of sinners.

Salvation: Salvation is deliverance, by God, from the just penalty for your sins. It is accomplished by repentance toward God, and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ. It is trusting in Jesus’ death on the cross for the full payment of your sin debt. It is believing that Jesus died, was buried, and was resurrected from the grave.

a. It is voluntarily and personally receiving (putting your faith and trust in) Jesus Christ as your Saviour and Lord.
 

b. There is no hope of eternal life outside of receiving Jesus Christ as personal Saviour.

Those Outside the Grace of God: Guilty sinners who need a Saviour (Jesus Christ).

Christian: "Christ one" or one who is united to, and "in" Jesus Christ by repentance and faith.

 
Afterlife: Individuals live eternally in either Heaven or Hell.

 
 
Heaven: The eternal dwelling place of those who have trusted Jesus Christ as their Saviour.

a. A place of perfection centered around the Person of Jesus Christ and located in the third heaven.

 
Hell: The eternal dwelling place of those who reject the free offer of salvation in Jesus Christ. Now located in the center of the earth (Hell), but after the final judgment its occupants will be relocated to the Lake of Fire in outer space.

Founding: Founded by God before the foundation (beginning) of the world.

Mission: To take the message of God’s free gift of salvation, in Christ, to the uttermost parts of the earth.  Conversion to Christ is neither by force nor violence, but by the proclamation of the Gospel, and the work of the Holy Spirit.

Freedom: Muslims from Islamic countries are free to practice their religion in Western Societies.
 

Women: As Jesus Christ was co-equal with God, yet submitted to Him, wives are co-equal with their husbands, yet are to submit to them. Where Biblical Christianity is practiced, women are elevated. Husbands are commanded to sacrificially love their wives.

Pillars of the Faith:
1. Repentance toward God, and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ.
2. Public identification with the Lord Jesus Christ through scriptural baptism.
3. Serving Christ through one of His churches.
4. Communication with God by reading His Word, by prayer, and by attendance at teaching/preaching of His Word.
5. Sharing your faith with those without Christ.

How to become a Christian, have your sins (past, present, future) forgiven, and spend eternity in Heaven:

a. By faith (trust in what the Bible teaches), believing that Jesus Christ shed His blood (died), was buried, and rose again from the grave in full payment for your sins.

b. Trust that Jesus Christ’s payment for your sins was sufficient to satisfy the wrath of God on your behalf.

c. Repent (change your mind) about who God is (holy and righteous), and confess (agree with God) how evil (vile and wicked) your sins (the breaking of God’s laws) truly are.

d. Realize that you deserve Hell for offending the demands of the holy God.

e. Accept the free offer of full forgiveness of your sins in Jesus Christ.

f. Pray, "God be merciful to me a sinner. I now repent of my sins, and place my faith and trust in the shed blood of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of my sins. I now trust Him and Him alone to provide the way to Heaven when I die. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen."

"For whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved." (Romans 10:13)

Do it now while you still have time to repent!

Muhammad claimed to have purified the previous messages given by God (including the Bible) from adulteration, and to have completed the Message of God for all humanity. 

The Koran is divided into 114 "sura’s" or chapters and contains many references to the Bible. Muslim’s teach that translations of the Koran are the work of men and are not to be relied upon.

The Koran is considered Allah’s final message to Muslims, Christians, Jews, and the rest of mankind, and "is an exact word-for-word copy of God's words inscribed on tablets that have always existed in heaven" (Qur'an 85:21-22).  "Muslims see the Qur'an not as contradicting the Old and New Testaments, but rather as fulfilling them.  So the Old and New Testaments are seen to be divinely given but humanly corrupted."

a. Other books that are recognized as authoritative by Muslims include the Hadith (collections of the sayings), which contains the oral traditions, and the Sunnah (collection of the examples), Islam’s elaborate, fixed rules for living and worship.  These books serve as instruction to the Muslims. 

b. The Koran is only authoritative in Arabic, and only in Muhammad’s dialect. 

 
God: One God (Qur’an 2:163), Allah. Muhammad rejected the truth of the Trinity as blasphemous (Qur’an 5:73; 4:171). Muhammad taught that Allah was the only God, but originally Allah was one of the 360 idol-gods worshipped by the various Arab tribes.

a. God unapproachable by sinful man. He has only communicated with mankind through a progression of angels and prophets.

b. A God of wrath and judgment, who hates sinners (Qur'an 2:190).  Man must first love Allah for Allah to love him (Qur'an 3:31)

c. A God that cannot be called "father" for that would mean Allah would have had a wife and children, and therefore would not be God (Qur'an 19:88-92).

 Jesus Christ: A prophet in the line of prophets of Allah, superseded by Muhammad who was the last and greatest prophet of Allah. Islam claims that Jesus prophesied the coming of Muhammad as the "comforter." Islam teaches that Jesus was sinless, but was not crucified (Qur’an 4:156-159), and yet was taken bodily into Heaven by Allah.
 

a. Islam teaches that Jesus was only a man, not God’s Son (Qur’an 19:34-35) or God (Qur’an 5:116-117). Muhammad was only a man.

b. No claim that Muhammad was sinless. To the contrary He had 13 wives, over his lifetime, 12 at one time. His 3rd wife, Aishah, was 6 when he betrothed her, and 9 years old when he consummated the marriage.  He financed his cause by plundering/looting all caravans any-where within his reach. He took the Arabian Peninsula by war, bloodshed and pillage.

c. Muhammad’s kingdom is built on compulsion (forced conversion) or death. (Qur’an 4:56; 22:19-22; 8:12; 58:5; 9:29; 9:123; 9:25). Muslims that are peaceful are those that do not strictly follow the teachings of Muhammad.

d. Muhammad’s kingdom is a way of life that is external to the Muslim, and includes the political, economic, social, and religious aspects of life.

e. Muhammad died for himself and his cause. (Islam teaches that Jesus did not die on the cross nor atone for man’s sins (Qur’an 4:155,157)).  Sacrificial blood is unimportant to Allah (Qur'an 22:34-37).

f. Muhammad’s grave contains Muhammad’s remains. He died in 632 and was buried at his home in Medina. But later Muslim tradition teaches that Muhammad went to Jerusalem on a white horse, and ascended into heaven from the Dome of the Rock.

g. Muhammad will not be the judge of the quick and the dead. (Islam teaches that Jesus will not be returning to earth.)

 
Holy Spirit: Does not exist in Islam. Muhammad is called the "comforter."
 
 
Sin: Man is born pure (free of sin) (Qur’an 30:30; 2:36-38). It is after the age of puberty, and after individuals commit sins that they are charged for their mistakes (Qur'an 17:13).
 

 
Forgiveness of Sins: No provision for the forgiveness of sins, but a yearly (during Ramadan) atonement (covering) of sins.

 
Salvation: Salvation is based on an individual’s good works outweighing their bad works (Qur’an 4:125; 41:33). Salvation is a reward for a life of relative piety and righteousness, but is no assurance of attaining "paradise" (Allah’s heaven).
 

a. It is reciting the Muslim creed, "There is no God but Allah and Muhammed is his prophet," with sincerity and conviction. Islam offers two choices: the Koran (conversion) or the sword (death) (Hadith 9:57). Persuasion or force. Conquest for Allah is a religious duty.

b. There is no hope for a person except as a Muslim (Qur’an 2:193; 3:85), but even then there is no absolute security.

Those Outside the Religion of Islam: Infidels who deserve to die for not submitting to Allah (Qur’an 58:5; 9:5; 5:51). "It is the work of Islam to kill both body and soul--the bodies of those who refused to accept it, and the souls of those who embrace it" (Seiss). 
"When ye encounter the unbelievers, strike off their heads, until ye have made a great slaughter among them...  As for the infidels, let them perish." (Qur’an 47)

Muslim: Name given to one who adheres to, follows the religion of Islam. It means "one who submits." A Muslim is to submit to the will of Allah as revealed by Muhammad.

Afterlife: Individuals will be raised from the dead after the destruction of this world to stand before Allah (Qur’an 34:3-5; 28:61), who will determine their destiny.

Paradise: Is assured only by dying in a jihad (holy war) (Qur’an 4:74; 3:142, 157-158; 9:20-21).

a. A type of desert oasis where Muslims will recline on soft couches, drinking wine handed to them by virgins, of whom each man may marry as many as he pleases.

Hell: The eternal dwelling place of those whose "scales were light" (lack of good works). A place of fire and punishment (Qur’an 23:99-104).

 
Founding: Founded by Muhammad in 622 A.D. in the Arabian city of Mecca.

Mission: To bring the world under the dominion of Allah by force or by conversion.  It is the Muslim duty to bring world peace via the sword.  Muslims, violent and nonviolent, both quote the Koran, both worship Allah and the prophet Mohammed, and both are out to "conquer America."  "Non-violence" does not change their mission.

Freedom: Christians from Western Societies must conform to Muslim philosophies and practices. Convert, conform, or be consumed (Qur’an 5:5; 2:191; 9:123; 9:5; 8:65; 9:29).

Woman: Considered inferior to men (Qur’an 2:228) and can be scourged (Qur’an 4:34). Disobedience to a husband results in eternity in hell (Qur’an 66:10). Muhammad said that a woman goes to Paradise because she satisfies her husband sexually.
 

Pillars of the Faith:
1. Recite the Muslim creed.

2. Pray 5 prescribed prayers a day toward the holy city of Mecca.
3. Give alms to the poor (25% of income)

4. Fast during entire month of Ramadan in atonement for their sins over the previous year.
5. Make a pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca at least once in a lifetime.