How do christians reconcile god's transformation... ie.. being a punishing god in the Old Testament to being a 'I love everyone' god in the New Testament.
2006-08-18 15:14:51 · 16 answers · asked by Jamal 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I honestly do not see a continuum in the two. I find it hard to believe the god of the old testament and the god of the new testament is the same person.
2006-08-18 15:20:12 · update #1
If this transformation was ushered in by Jesus.. that begs two question..
is the "WORD' in John 1:1 .. Jesus.. if so wasn't he around then.. to call some of the shots.
Isn't unfair that god is non echilon with people post jesus. I.e punishing those before jesus came and loving to those after jesus came.
2006-08-18 15:24:56 · update #2
Personally i believe god is both loving and wrathful.
Those who do good, believe in him...he loves them and those that do evil and so on he doesn't love them and to them he shows wrath.
2006-08-18 15:29:45 · update #3
Actually God was also a mercifil God in the Old Testament.
What about feeding the entire nation of Israel for 40 years in the wilderness everyday without fail? That seems pretty loving to me.
What about setting the Jews free from Bondage in Egypt? That seems pretty loving to me.
How about making the Red Sea open up so His people could cross on dry ground and save them from the Egyptian army? That seems pretty loving to me.
God has always been loving and will continue to be that way forever.
2006-08-18 15:22:16 · answer #1 · answered by divprod 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Jamal,
If you only looked at the judgements of the Old Testament, and the acts of love by Jesus in the New Testament, you would have a point. But God loved in the OT, and judged in the NT as well.
You see, there is a pattern to the way God reacts to things:
He rewards faith, and judges disbelief.
His wrath was poured out on Jesus, so that those that believe can escape it.
Those that were in the OT didn't have Christ, but only the types and shadows of things to come. Things that would clue them in on Jesus who would become the fulfillment of those types and shadows. I think that's why you see a difference.
2006-08-18 22:23:19 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The old testament is a record of God's dealing with a sinful human race that kept turning from him. How you make this a punishing God shows a lack of knowledge on your part.
Summarizing, the old testament shows that no law and no animal sacrifice can change the heart of mankind a more permant and better way was needed and that would through Jesus.
2006-08-18 22:24:05 · answer #3 · answered by Archer Christifori 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
He's actually "the same God, yesterday, today and forever". You have to understand that the story of the Old Testament spawns thousands of years (or a least a decade or two...) and the New Testament essentially starts two thousand years ago. God punished in a lot of ways back in the day, just like he does now: 9-11, Katrina, Aids, you name it. Of course if you say something like that, that automatically brands you as a freak or religious nut. But there you have it.
2006-08-18 22:22:40 · answer #4 · answered by rocken_heimer 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A new dispensation, ushered in by the fact that Jesus Christ made intercession for all humankind on the cross by shedding His Blood.
You may recall that God provision was that "there is no remission for sin without the shedding of blood." But the temporary sacrifices made by the priests in the Old Testament were just a temporary covering for the people's sins.
Jesus came to guarantee "a new covenant, built on better promsies."
2006-08-18 22:21:20 · answer #5 · answered by Trace Element 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think it all happened because of Jesus. God gave us a way to be forgiven through Jesus, and so even though He seemed punishing in the Old Testament, He still did love everybody, but Jesus made the difference.
2006-08-18 22:20:30 · answer #6 · answered by birdfreak 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
You're trying to define and infinate being. There's no reason an Omnipotent Creature couldn't be wrathful and benevolent at the same time, one of the perks of being able to do anything. By definition a mind with finite capacity cannot understand God.
2006-08-18 22:25:14 · answer #7 · answered by W0LF 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would say you can understand God/universe as much as God/universe wants you to be able to. I personaly feel like the universe respects/loves me so I do my best to give back. Jesus would agree with this teaching I think. Also I personaly believe that God is capable of learning and growing like we are. So it is possible that the God of the past was not as understanding as the God in present or will be in the future. just imo.
2006-08-18 22:38:03 · answer #8 · answered by magpiesmn 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Christians seem to think that around 2,000 years ago, God developed some kind of Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD), in which he manifested a hippie-like personality (Jesus... spent some time on earth... now can be eaten in the form of a cracker), and a Casper the Ghost-like character with pedophilic tendencies (suspected of having impregnated a 12 or 13 year-old virgin... and being venerated for it).
2006-08-18 22:20:59 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
if you had an open mind, and understanding, and know God, you wouldn't be asking question like this. it's OK if your sincere and want to learn, but there some here that curse God. I feel sorry for them. God protects the people that stand by Him, like me, I don't ask questions, cause I know, that god protects the one that love Him, and the one that were kill from God's people.... you don't know what kind of people they were, steal, lie, sin, rape, curse God.... they should be put out, perhaps God try to wipe out this bad trait before it spread, I don't think He want to flood the world again.
2006-08-18 22:29:29 · answer #10 · answered by inteleyes 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋