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Does the Bible, the Word ofGod, approve of addressing

God as Allah?

We acknowledge that Allah has been used in Bahasa Malaysia/ IndonesiaBible for hundreds of years, but it does not mean that God approves of its usefor Him. Does the Word of God tell Gods people not to use Allah for God? Ofcourse you cannot find a single commandment in the Bible that says: Youshall not use Allah to address your God, but there are principles in the Word

of God that tell His people God cannot be addressed as Allah.

Principles in Gods precious Word make His Word relevant and applicabletoday. Before the principles are given, let it be known that the Bible states theLord Jesus Christ is God Who became flesh, and dwelt among us, (and webeheld His glory, the glory as of the only Begotten of the Father,) full of graceand truth. (Johns Gospel 1.14) Those who do not believe that He is Godmanifest in flesh (1Timothy 3.16) do not know God at all. The Lord answeredthose who doubted He is God, Ye neither know Me, nor My Father: if ye hadknown Me, ye should have known My Father also. (John 8.19) So the GodWho is mentioned in the Bible is not the God of other peoples religions orbeliefs, because they do not believe and receive the Lord Jesus Christ as theirGod and Saviour. This is an important distinction as seen in the principles thattell Gods people they cannot address Him as Allah or other names that people

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use for their gods and religions, such as Taoism, where the Taoists call their

gods or deities shen [], and this shen is also used in the Chinese Bible for

God. According to the Word of God, this is not right.

1. The principle of hallowing Gods NameGod does want His people to distinguish and differentiate Him from what otherpeople worship in their religions. The God and Lord Jesus Christ, wants His

people to hallow Gods Name as mentioned in the Prayer He gave to Hisdisciples: Hallowed be Thy Name. As defined by the well-known,authoritative Vines Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, the wordhallowed comes from the Greek hagiazomeaning to make holy (from hagios,holy), signifies to set apart for God, to sanctify, to make a person or thing theopposite of koinos, common; it is translated Hallowed, with reference to theName of God the Father in the Lords Prayer, Matthew 6.9; Luke11.2. TheTaoists pray to their Chinese gods and call them shen, why should those whocall themselves believers of God and Lord Jesus Christ do the same? Theyare not hallowing Him. They are making Him common or level with the

Chinese gods, thus making Him god! The Muslims consider Allah as thesupreme divine name which they consider as unique for their creator. It doesnot hallow Gods Name to use Allah for God in Bahasa Malaysia/IndonesiaBible. It should use, instead, another name, perhaps, the name Tuhan. Thosewho translated the Bahasa Malaysia/Indonesia Bible long ago did not know ofthis principle in the Word of God. Had they known, they would not have usedAllah for God.

2. The principle of sanctifying God

God does want His people to set Him apart, and distinguish Him from gods.Look at the following scriptures:

Thus will I magnify Myself, and sanctify Myself; and I will be known in the eyesof many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD. (Ezekiel 38.23)

Sanctify the LORD of hosts Himself; and let Him be your fear, and let Him beyour dread. (Isaiah 8:.13)

The word sanctify comes from the Hebrew kdhash and is equivalent to the

New Testament Greek verb hagiz. According to The International StandardBible Encyclopedia, kdhash has the underlying idea of the separateness ofholy nature or holy use, that is, the setting apart for God only. Where is theseparateness or setting God apart from Allah when the name is used byMuslims and by those who call themselves Christians?

3. God is profanedLet it be known the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ is neither theAllah in Islam nor the shen in Chinese religions. Let this distinction be made in

the Bible, in writing, singing, prayer and worship. Without this distinction, Godis profaned, common with other gods and religions. In the Hebrew OldTestament, profane comes from the Hebrew chalal, and has the sense of forcommon use (The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia). We can alsoapply this principle to pronouns for God. Note that when we write the pronouns

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for God (He, Him, His, Thy, etc) we begin the pronouns with a capital letter fordistinction to show they do not refer to man. And God is not man.

God says: And I will hallow My great Name, which was profaned among thenations, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the nations shallknow that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be hallowed in youbefore their eyes. (Ezekiel 36.23, Darby) Gods people today have profanedHim in the various Bible translations, in writing, prayer and worship, and nothallowing Him before the eyes of other people.

Email addressdrjohn.sclim@gmail.com

Websitehttp://comingworldevent.weebly.com