God has a Plan. Part 1

I want to introduce what we plan to do here over a series of blogs entitled “God has a Plan. "

In studying the Qur’an I find key concepts which point to what I believe are the core of God’s message. I will extract those gems and tie them to the same concepts in the Towrah, Zabur and Injeel. I want to look at: God’s plan for us, 2. What separates us from Him, 3. Can we save ourselves in this world? 4. The bridge to life with God and a few more key principles. This will take several blogs to get through all our findings, but should prove exciting and provide concepts for dialogue. I hope you will find this enlightening and review each concept carefully from your own understanding. Much is to be gained if God truly is speaking to us.

I am a submitter and I want to submit to the one true God even more as I learn more. For Muslims, I am not presenting anything that should turn you away from the one true God, rather to fulfill you as God wants you to be fulfilled.

There are at least seven principles or concepts that need to be explored to get the full meaning of what God is saying to mankind.

I know that you desire meaning and purpose in your life and the good news it that God desires that for you as well. He has a plan for your life. What do you think is God's purpose in creating Us? (Pause)

God is love. He love us and desires the we love Him and respond to His love. Though He created plants and animals, they cannot love Him. God wants people, whom he gave the capacity, to respond to His love in a way that is meaningful to Him.

God created man in His image and gave him everything he needed.

From the Qur'an the story of the Fall in Cow 2:30-39 and Battlements 7:18-25 show us what happened to man in the beginning—right after creation.

Cow 2:30 - 39

2:30 And when your Lord said to the angels, I am going to place in the earth a khalif, they said: What! wilt Thou place in it such as shall make mischief in it and shed blood, and we celebrate Thy praise and extol Thy holiness? He said: Surely I know what you do not know.
2:31 And He taught Adam all the names, then presented them to the angels; then He said: Tell me the names of those if you are right.
2:32 They said: Glory be to Thee! we have no knowledge but that which Thou hast taught us; surely Thou art the Knowing, the Wise.
2:33 He said: O Adam! inform them of their names. Then when he had informed them of their names, He said: Did I not say to you that I surely know what is ghaib in the heavens and the earth and (that) I know what you manifest and what you hide?
2:34 And when We said to the angels: Make obeisance to Adam they did obeisance, but Iblis (did it not). He refused and he was proud, and he was one of the unbelievers.
2:35 And We said: O Adam! Dwell you and your wife in the garden and eat from it a plenteous (food) wherever you wish and do not approach this tree, for then you will be of the unjust.
2:36 But the Shaitan made them both fall from it, and caused them to depart from that (state) in which they were; and We said: Get forth, some of you being the enemies of others, and there is for you in the earth an abode and a provision for a time.
2:37 Then Adam received (some) words from his Lord, so He turned to him mercifully; surely He is Oft-returning (to mercy), the Merciful.
2:38 We said: Go forth from this (state) all; so surely there will come to you a guidance from Me, then whoever follows My guidance, no fear shall come upon them, nor shall they grieve.
2:39 And (as to) those who disbelieve in and reject My communications, they are the inmates of the fire, in it they shall abide.
Shakir Translation


Battlements 7:18
18 He said: Go forth from hence, degraded, banished. As for such of them as follow thee, surely I will fill hell with all of you.
7:19 And (unto man): O Adam! Dwell thou and thy wife in the Garden and eat from whence ye will, but come not nigh this tree lest ye become wrong-doers.
7:20 Then Satan whispered to them that he might manifest unto them that which was hidden from them of their shame, and he said: Your Lord forbade you from this tree only lest ye should become angels or become of the immortals.
7:21 And he swore unto them (saying): Lo! I am a sincere adviser unto you.
7:22 Thus did he lead them on with guile. And when they tasted of the tree their shame was manifest to them and they began to hide (by heaping) on themselves some of the leaves of the Garden. And their Lord called them, (saying): Did I not forbid you from that tree and tell you: Lo! Satan is an open enemy to you ?
7:23 They said: Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves. If thou forgive us not and have not mercy on us, surely we are of the lost!
7:24 He said: Go down (from hence), one of you a foe unto the other. There will be for you on earth a habitation and provision for a while.
7:25 He said: There shall ye live, and there shall ye die, and thence shall ye be brought forth.
Pickthal Translation


From the Towrah, Genesis 1: 26 – 27, 28 - 31
26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth." 29 And God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food." And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
The Qur’an calls man that God created His “khalifah”, meaning representative. The Bible describes his as created “in the image of God” (Genesis 1:26-27).

What do these things mean to you?

“Surely I know what you do not know” implies that God has a great plan than we are aware. I believe we were created in God’s image and once we submit to God we are then enabled by him to be his representative. He has had the greater messengers in the earth, the prophets and apostles who also are His representatives.

Also see Genesis 3:1 - 24

To be continued.

Introduction to the God Has a Plan for You video series

Video God has a Plan for you -- Part 1