How come the Old Testament and the New Testament are so radically different. The Old Testament is filled with a God who commits genocide, murder, allows rape and slavery, then all of a sudden God has a change of mind and the New Testament has a God who suddenly loves all men, not just his chosen people, and is willing to accept them all...?
2007-03-12 15:35:21 · 11 answers · asked by Ashton 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Wow Creation Guy thanks for the whole heap of information that you gave me, please keep being so useful to this debate....If you have a point please back it up with some more evidence, I'm not scared of bible quotes...its just that if God was Omnipotent and Omniscient, wouldn't he have planned things from the start, knowing all possible things that could happen and moving before they could even happen. And if that were the case then surely he must have had a plan from the very beginning...
2007-03-12 15:44:43 · update #1
Read Noah's story in Genesis...I think its 6: 5-9
God changes his mind in that story alone.
2007-03-12 15:40:09 · answer #1 · answered by theFo0t 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I seem to be reading a different Old Testament than you are. I'm reading a book filled with the experiences of people who have had personal relationships with God. The book I'm reading is an account of God working through people to provide salvation. I see laws against rape and murder. I see prophets condemning the things you say are God's orders. I see people who are lifted up by God because they want a personal relationship with Him.
The I read the New Testament and it's filled with people having personal relationships with God. I see the words of prophets being fulfilled. I see a God who loves so much He provides a covenant that man can not break so they can receive salvation.
Seems to me, it's the same God.
2007-03-12 16:49:00 · answer #2 · answered by kaehya2003 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you want to know what God has always had in mind for man, you must read the first two chapters of Genesis. There we see God in a loving relationship with a man & woman created in His image to share all that he has. In Gen 3:1 Satan convinces Adam to betray God and sell out to him. Everything in the Bible that happens after that is God restoring what man lost. God has never turned his back on humanity, it is consistently we who have run from Him. As to the so-called genocides, etc in the Old Testament I have the following observations to offer. If you look at the entire bible, you will see that Gods Wrath is a Judcial Anger at injustice (it is the same drive that makes all people want to see good triumph and evil judged), not a personal anger that He has been slighted. God doesn't need us to praise him for His sake. He knows who and what he is. He wants us to obey him for our good. Second, God is perfect love and perfect justice perfectly joined. He cannot deny either side of himself. Everything he does must satisfy both his love and his justice. That is why God never brings judgement upon any person or nation without first giving them fair warning (Amos 3:7) and ample time to repent (2 pet 3:8-10). He gave all mankind 120 years to repent before finally bringing the flood on the earth and so great is his mercy that he allowed humanity to get to such a state that there were only eight people on earth who cared anything about him at all. Because God is perfect justice, He cannot and will not leave sin unpunished forever. Like it or not that is the reality of the world we live in and one day all will know that without a doubt. Because God is perfect love, he himself has provided and is the price to redeem us from having broken his laws (if you study the bible very carefully you will realize that the LORD God of the OT and Jesus Christ of the NT are one and the same-the same person of the trinity). In the fall we had lost all knowlege we had of the Father and the Holy Spirit. One of the reasons Jesus came was to reveal the Father. Mal 3:16 Says the Lord changes not, Heb 13:8 says Jesus Christ the same yesterday and today and forever. God only has two ways to react toward anyone- out of love or out of justice. If you reject Gods love, ultimately you will face his Justice, but that in no way nullifies his love for you. How many of us who are parents have told our children, just because I love you don't think you can get away with murder. How hypocritical of us to deny God options we exercise without a second thought.
2007-03-12 17:39:28 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think God can and does change his mind for instance there was a king in the old testament who was told he was going to die but he asked God for more time and he was given another 15 years to live. I don't think he changes who he is and how he feels about anything. The reason why God stopped killing so many people and pouring out his wrath on earth is because Jesus took all that wrath on himself when he hung on the cross. God himself hasn't changed but he took it all out on Jesus while he was on the cross. God always loved everyone but he has always hated sin too and now he doesn't have to be angry about sin as much because Jesus has dealth with it. We just have to do what Jesus says to never have God's wrath on us again.
2007-03-12 16:44:14 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm not sure, but it could have something to do with Christ's sacrifice. Once he had shed his blood then God's Covenent was fulfilled. Now instead of smiting people all the time to prove his point, God only has to deal with people who haven't been saved. (Jesus saved everyone who agrees with him)...I din't say it made any sense!!
2007-03-12 15:41:57 · answer #5 · answered by yutu34 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Read Genesis 6:6 I think he had changed his mind right about
there!
2007-03-12 15:49:17 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
oh puhleeze, are u saying he NEVER loved His people before? and He never accepted them in the OT. Prove it. Your taking things in your own context and making generalizations. You're not fooling anyone.
2007-03-12 15:44:10 · answer #7 · answered by Angie 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
"A foolish consistancy is the hobgoblin of little minds." Everyone's entitled to change their mind if it's the right thing to do.
2007-03-12 15:42:34 · answer #8 · answered by Dirk Johnson 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Did you even read the Bible all the way through?
Well did you?
2007-03-12 15:38:53 · answer #9 · answered by Chris 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
That is an excellent question. You are sure to get many justifications and excuses for that one!
2007-03-12 15:39:43 · answer #10 · answered by Daaang! 3 · 3⤊ 1⤋