Of late, the question whether the term "Allah" could be also used to refer to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as well as it is commonly understood to refer to the god of the Muslim, had been a topic of hot debate, after the Civil Court of Appeal in Malaysia ruled that it's exclusive use by Muslims only.
As a side issue is also the use of "Kinoingan (which means Name above all names)" or 'Kinorohingan - the Ancient or Elderly One" to refer to YHVH ELOHIM (Lord God)- a unique name for the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of the Christian bible.
A local writer, Raymond Tombung, a young born-again believer, had written in the local media, expressing his own version that Kinoringan (lotud version) (Kinoingan - Tangaa spelling) that it refers to a pagan diety, connected with another diety called Huminodun and Suminundu, who lived on the top of Mt. Kinabalu. Of course, he is partly correct but he had not taken into consideration, or is just to prejudiced to acknowledge, that the Kadazan Bobohizan/Bobolian original intention was to seek the presence of Creator God (Kinoingan Minamangun) to atone for the sins of the Kadazans through blood sacrifice, but lacking the written Word of God, had through the ages been deceived to instead offer them to demons and evil spirits to appease them instead. Based on some bible commentators, when God thundered His laws to Moses and the Israelite on Mt. Sinai 3,500 years ago, the whole world comprising of 70 nations at that time heard it. One of these 70 nations is the grandparents of the Kadazan.
In another article, produced below, God revealed Himself in 4 primary ways, two of which are through His creation and Conscience given to man.
Four Ways God Has
Revealed Himself
Lecture notes by Charlie Campbell
Director of The Always Be Ready Apologetics Ministry
Twitter: @CharlieABReady
God has revealed Himself to mankind in a variety of ways.
Here, in a concise manner, are four of the main ways:
1. CREATION
Psalm 19:1-4
"The heavens tell of the glory of God. The skies display His marvelous craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make Him known. They speak without a sound or a word; their voice is silent in the skies; yet their message has gone out to all the earth, and their words to all the world..."
Romans 1:20
"For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse."
Have you ever stopped to think about this? Verse 20 says that God's invisible attributes, and divine nature, have been clearly seen (v.20)." The Bible says that man, by simply contemplating creation itself, can come to an understanding of certain aspects of God's personality or attributes! In fact, His attributes are clearly seen.
Q. What are some of the attributes of God that you think are clearly seen (apart from the Scriptural revelation) just by looking at creation? I think it is safe to conclude (even apart from the Scriptures) that God must be...
A. POWERFUL
When one considers the vast oceans, the majestic mountain peaks, the enormity of the earth and the incomprehensible size of the stars and the billions of galaxies, it is easy to discern that God must be incredibly powerful.
B. INTELLIGENT
When one examines the intricate design and harmony all around us or the irreducibly complex interior of a cell or the code embedded in the DNA, it is easy to conclude that God must be incredibly intelligent.
C. CREATIVE
Think of the millions of kinds of animals, and reptiles, bugs, fish. There are at least 10 million species of insects (The U.S. Natural Museum).
D. PERSONAL
If we can communicate, if we can hear and see, then surely our Creator who made the ear and the eye can hear and see also.
Psalm 94:8-9
"Understand, you senseless among the people; And you fools, when will you be wise? He who planted the ear, shall He not hear? He who formed the eye, shall He not see? (NKJV)
'Can't you discern,' he says, 'that if you can hear and see, that the God who made you must also be able to do so?'
E. KIND and GRACIOUS
In Acts 14:17, Paul said that God....
"...did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good and gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness."
F. RIGHTEOUS
Our conscience (which is something that Paul brings up in Romans 2) and the convicting work of the Holy Spirit, reveals to us that God is righteous. My conscience tells me that God is right, and I am guilty when I've sinned against His laws. The Holy Spirit convicts of sin, and righteousness, and judgment.
Secondly, God has revealed Himself, to some degree, through and in man's:
2. CONSCIENCE
Romans 2:14-15
"For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, 15 in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness, and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them..."
God has programmed every individual to know that certain things are right and certain things are wrong regardless of whether the laws are put into legislation by human governments.
The existence of these moral laws points man to a Moral Lawgiver that transcends (or is over and above) human governments and man made laws.
Both testimony of creation and conscience fall under the heading of: General Revelation. General revelation refers to God's revelation that reaches all people, of all times, in every culture.
God has also revealed Himself to man through:
3. CHRIST
The Bible teaches that Jesus was God incarnate (e.g., John 1:1, 5:18, 8:58).
Hebrews 1:1-2
"God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by [What?] His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds..."
John 1:18
"The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him." (or as the NIV says, made Him known.)
John 14:9
"If you have seen me you have seen the Father."
God has also, fourthly, revealed Himself to man through:
4. THE CANON OF SCRIPTURE
The word, canon means standard. By canon then I am referring to the standard collection of 66 books that make up the Bible, God's holy Word. The Scriptures reveal to us that God exists, what He is like, what His will is for us, and even some of His dealings with people in the past.
John said, "But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name" (John 20:31).
And the Bible not only claims to be the Word of God but it demonstrates itself to be the Word of God with its numerous fulfilled prophecies, amazing unity, and scientific accuracy and foresight
