The Strand Study Bible

JOHN

JOHN

1726

Islam believes in salvation by “works.” Ergun and Emir Caner in Unveiling Islam notes:

There is no security for the believer of Islam. One is left wanting and waiting for the will of Allah to be accomplished. Good works can only give one hope for heaven, but never the guarantee of such. Since God is removed from the equation, the question of whether one is admitted to heaven is left unanswered until the Day of Judgment. For the Christian, judgment came on the cross, an event rejected by Muhammad and Islam. 10 According to Bruce Bickel & Stan Jantz, in World Religions & Cults 101 , Islam is the second largest religion in the world with a current membership of over 1 billion followers. 5 Islam, like Judaism , believes in a literal Hell; they just don’t believe it’s always eternal ( Rev 20:10b ) Eastern Orthodoxy broke away from Catholicism in AD 1054. Most do bow down to God as a Trinity and most serve God’s great interest by teaching salvation by “grace.” Eastern Orthodox folks, for the most part, believe in a literal eternal Hell. Martin Luther, a Catholic priest, broke away from Catholicism and started the Lutheran movement in Germany in the 1500’s. Most Lutherans do bow down to God as a Trinity and most serve God’s great interest by teaching salvation by “grace.” Lutherans, for the most part, believe in a literal eternal Hell. Zwingli and Calvin, protestant reformers, broke away from Catholicism and started the Reformed movement in France in the 1500’s. Most Reform churches do bow down to God as a Trinity and most serve God’s great interest by teaching salvation by “grace.” The Reformed Church, for the most part, believes in a literal eternal Hell.

Eastern Orthodoxy (c. AD 1054) - God “ working ” to save men (Jn 3:16)

AD 1529 – REFORMATION (From the REFORMATION came “the protest,” i.e., Protestantism ) Lutherans (Martin Luther) - God “ working ” to save men (Jn 3:16)

Reformed church (Zwingli and Calvin) - God “ working ” to save men (Jn 3:16)

Anglicans ( Church of England and Episcopalian ) - Men “ working ” to save themselves

Although many Anglicans do bow down to God as a Trinity, most don’t serve God’s great interest by teaching salvation by grace. For the most part, Anglicans believe in salvation by “works.” Anglicans, like Catholics, do believe in a literal Hell, but have added Purgatory to its teachings on biblical judgment ( I Cor 3:13 a ).

Anabaptists ( Mennonites ) - God “ working ” to save men (Jn 3:16)

Most Anabaptist churches do bow down to God as a Trinity and most serve God’s great interest by teaching salvation by “grace.” The Mennonite church has a current membership of over one million members. Anabaptists (Mennonites and Baptists), for the most part, believe in a literal eternal Hell.

AD 1600’s – THE PURITAN REVOLUTION (From the Anglican Church came the following denominations) Congregationalists (D.L. Moody) - God “ working ” to save men (Jn 3:16)

Most Congregational churches do bow down to God as a Trinity and most serve God’s great interest by teaching salvation by grace. Congregationalists, for the most part, believe in a literal eternal Hell.

Baptists - God “ working ” to save men (Jn 3:16) Most Baptist churches, which originated from the Anabaptists ( Mennonites ), do bow down to God as a Trinity and

most serve God’s great interest by teaching salvation by “grace.” Baptists, for the most part, believe in a literal eternal Hell.

Quakers - God “ working ” to save men (Jn 3:16) George Fox’s (Quaker founder 1624-1691) aim was to inspire believers to get back to the original and pure form of Christianity. Like so many Christian groups, Quakers never intended to form a new denomination, but they did. Most Quaker churches do bow down to God as a Trinity and most serve God’s great interest by teaching salvation by “grace.” Quakers, for the most part, believe in a literal eternal Hell. Unitarians of America - Men “ working ” to save themselves Unitarians neither bow down to God as a Trinity nor serve God’s great interest by teaching salvation by grace. Unitarians believe in salvation by “works.” Presbyterians - God “ working ” to save men Presbyterians came from the Reformed Church within Zurich and Geneva. Most Presbyterian churches do bow down to God as a Trinity and most serve God’s great interest by teaching salvation by “grace.” Presbyterians, for the most part, believe in a literal eternal Hell. AD 1637 –The Age of Enlightenment (Rene Descartes – a French Philosopher and mathematician who proposed mind- body interaction and the doctrine of innate ideas, publishes A Discourse on Method .) Masonry (started c. AD 1700’s in America) - Men “ working ” to better mankind ( Num 9:3 )