The OT is full of horrible acts of aggression. Most Chistians concede this but insist that "all changed when Jesus came" with his message of love etc.
If you hold that Jesus and God is one and the same, can you not ONLY conclude that the OT CANNOT be for 100% the LITERAL word of God?? (and stop insisting on the literal version of the Creation story in Genesis, for example?)
2006-12-18 21:54:07 · 14 answers · asked by Thou Shalt Not Think 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Hi there.
Unfortunately, it is a myth perpetuated even among professing Christians that the "God of the Old Testament" is all judgement & wrath and the "God of the New Testament" is all grace & mercy, etc. This kind of inaccurate perception is based upon a superficial reading of God's word.
Regarding the character of God, the Bible says "For I am the Lord, I do not change" (Malachi 3:6), "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8) and "...the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning" (James 1:17). Christian commentators use the term "immutability" to refer to the creator's unchanging nature.
There are various aspects of God's immutable character which, to human reasoning, might seem contradictory. For example, all of those "horrible acts of aggression" which you claim the OT is full of. At first glance, it can be difficult for someone who has not spent time in regular study of the Bible to reconcile such events with the statement that "God is love" in 1 John 4:16. However, such incidents recorded in the OT must be understood in their proper context. For instance, if we see the slaughter and conquering of various peoples by Israel on the command of God in light of the fact that such nations were engaged in despicable practices such as child - sacrifice to idols, the creator's judgement seems considerably less harsh than we may have at first thought.
It is important to keep in mind that not every "horrible act" committed in the Old Testament was carried out by God either directly or indirectly. There are various accounts of rape, incest & murder recorded in the OT which cannot be attributed to God at all. Read the gruesome account of the Levite and his concubine in Judges chapter 19. There is absolutely no indication that God instigated or condoned any of the actions which took place.
The Bible is a "warts and all" account of God's dealings with corrupt and sinful human beings throughout history. He is the same God in the New Testament as he is in the Old. God's grace & mercy can be just as clearly seen in the OT by His deliverance of Israel from Egypt, the repeated "second chances" given to them by Him in spite of their persitent disobedience to His laws, His forgiveness of King David following his adultery with Bathsheba & subsequent murder of her husband,etc. as His wrath & judgement can be viewed in the NT through the record of the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5, for example.
Where in the OT can you find such explicit descriptions of Hell as you can in Revelation 20 ? How about the Lord Jesus' righteous anger displayed in the cleansing of the Jewish Temple in Matthew 21 ? Or His words concerning His judgement & condemnation to Hell of unrepentant sinners in chapter 25 of the same book ?
My point is that the idea that the NT God is all cuddly and sweet and the OT pictures a God who lacks grace & mercy is incorrect. God is love. He sent His Son to die to pay the penalty for our sins that through faith in Jesus we could be forgiven and have eternal life. God is also a holy, righteous God of justice who by His very nature, must judge & punish sin - hence the brutal sacrifice of His sinless Son. His characteristics of love & judgement exist alongside each other and this is consistently revealed throughout the entire Bible. There is no contradiction.
Hope this helps. May God bless you.
2006-12-18 22:44:50 · answer #1 · answered by Carlito 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Why do you ask our opinons and then tell us what we can and cannot say?
I believe the Old and New Testaments are the word of God.
Neither contradicts the other. These horrible acts of agression were by people (not God). God punished people for their disobediance.....He's allowed to do it....He's allowed to do whatever He wants.
The main difference b/t the OT and the NT is that Jesus took away the need for man to atton for sins (ie: animal sacrificing, kosher meal prep., etc) because Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice.
2006-12-18 22:06:43 · answer #2 · answered by D.W. 6 · 4⤊ 0⤋
The first part of your question is that the old testament is full of horrible acts of aggression. Since God is not a criminal, he cannot be the aggresor.
There are acts of violence described in the old testament, but when Jesus came, that did NOT change. People still commit violence. Jesus, being God, still spoke of vengeance. A God who would not commit violence to rescue his people?
Would you kill to save the life of someone you love? Answer: Yes, you would.
If you had to teach a loved one how to kill for their own safety, would you do it?
Answer: Yes, you would.
As to the literal version of the creation story, I wasn't there when it happened. I'm not a witness to the creation of life. I didn't witness any event that took place before I was born. I could disbelieve all of what is written in books about them.
I often have.
The message of Jesus has often prevented people from committing violence. That message of love could possibly reverse more of that violence if it were not being re-worded and censored as much as it is.
Consider that life in the real world sucks an awful lot.
Many promises from God in the old testament are ones I need to have happen, promises of blessing that I desire for my loved ones. I've asked for quite a few of them, and have yet to see them happen.
It's easy to discount things like that when you don't need them.
Besides, Darwin can't give me those things. He believed what he got out of books, too.
A good friend of mine is an atheist. Without heaven, I lose that friend of mine for ever, along with every one else I care about, my wife and my son.
I'd rather take my chances with him that made the blind to see, the deaf to hear, and the lame to walk.
I know it's an emotional argument. But if one of my loved ones were in danger, I would want God to fight for them.
2006-12-18 22:29:09 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
The old testament is the history of the earth from it's beginning and setting up of peoples, races, etc. It is word of God and the things that happened were often terrible, but God was trying to set up his kingdom and establish his peoples. He sent Jesus to allow the Gentiles to have a way to Him as well as the Jews since Old testament laws were given specifically to the Jews as his chosen ones. Once Jesus came and was sacrificed, the law was completed as His was the last sacrifice needed for the forgiveness of mankind. That is why many of the laws seem to be no longer in effect. We still are bound to the 10 Commandments, and are to lead Godly lives, we are simply not held to the dietary laws and mosaic laws, but to faith in Jesus and acceptance of his gift of grace.
2006-12-18 22:01:18 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Jesus is God, and both Old Testament and New are the Word of God. Both happened, and it isn't our place to explain to you all the reasons why. No one could ever do that to your satisfaction. These are things you must seek to understand yourself, by first, seeking the Living God, whose Holy Spirit will give you wisdom and "guide you into all truth" once you have come to Him through Jesus Christ. Don't let Old Testament acts of aggression that you don't understand prevent you from coming to the Savior who loved you enough to give His life for you!
2006-12-18 22:56:23 · answer #5 · answered by JD 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, it is impossible for you to make that assumption.
The entire bible is the literal inerrant word of God. What don't you understand about that?
God is wrathful and jealous as well as loving and merciful. Are you one-sided? Does one characteristic encompass your entire being? Don't you too have many characteristics? Or are you just unintelligent and we should all put you in that box? Or how about blinded? Should we label you as blinded and incapable of truth? I'm sure that is not the case for you, why then do you attempt to put God into a convenient box or your own design? Jesus and God are One and the same....that is truth.
2006-12-18 22:19:55 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
The Old Testament is God's word and it was God dealing with the Jewish Church mainly. This church walked a carnal road and they were involved in physical agressions and all sort of things like coming out of Egypt. This was the Natural Church walking a Natural journey. However the NT is God dealing mainly with the Gentile Church which is the Church Spiritual. The Gentile Church walks a spiritual journey, no physically coming out of Egypt and fights against principalities and powers.
2006-12-18 22:06:54 · answer #7 · answered by Gre2000 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I don't believe that Jesus was God, He was the Son of God, & I don't believe there is 3 seperated persons in the Godhead, God & the Holy Ghost is not person but a spirit & the same spirit only in a different office work, But I don't see where that has anything to do With Genesis. I am 100% sure about Genesis, & Creation.
2006-12-18 22:01:55 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 3⤋
Yes I agree that not all is the word of God in the O.T the stories of conquest seem to be like a diary of events that are strictly human events,but I do believe that there is a strong vein of Gods truth running thru the O.T as well,I think you need to separate fact from fiction in the recorded history of the Jews.
2006-12-18 21:59:33 · answer #9 · answered by Sentinel 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
costly chum, The previous testomony and New testomony are woven jointly....as one. we won't be able to have one without the different. The previous testomony paved the way for the advent of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. The God of the previous testomony is an analogous God of the recent testomony.
2016-10-05 12:11:10 · answer #10 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I find it interesting that so many people see these "horrible acts of agression" in the OT to be so horrible and all that.
yet think nothing of the invention of Eternal hell in the NT, as being ok.
think about this... death to an unspecified afterlife (assumably God is in charge and can be trusted with giving an appropriate afterlife situation)
its not pleasant, but its not really all that terrible. death is part of life, and if anyone has a place to say when it comes, its God.
or giving ETERNAL, INFINITE PUNISHMENT to the vast majority of people, for "crimes" which could very reasonably said that GOD set them up for. that is.... being PUNISHED for being as God made them. (this varies slightly between sections of christianity. some actually do seem to belive that God made us in such a way that we would receive infinite torture...
sorry, the God that would have eternal torment is the nasty one.
2006-12-18 22:07:10 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋