"God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?" Numbers 23:19
Many people have difficulty reconciling the God in the Old Testament and the New Testament. The wrath-filled rule giver compared to the merciful grace giver seems rather bi-polar, and has caused many to question His nature. Albeit this is a superficial view of God's behavior in the Old Testament; as, His love and grace are illustrated throughout the Word. Marcion of Sinope in AD 144 went so far as to form a heresy claiming that the God of the Old Testament and of the New were separate beings. Marcion also dissected the scripture and reorganized a revised version of the Bible that fit his theory. Interestingly, the existence of heresy historically has caused the Church to be cautious and crystallize it's doctrine all the more. The imprecatory Psalms are another instance of seeming contradiction in scripture. The word imprecatory is derived from the Latin word imprecatus, and it means "to curse." Psalm 55:15 is an example, "Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell: for wickedness is in their dwellings, and among them" (KJV). This is the antithesis of Jesus directing his disciples to, ". . . Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you" (KJV). There is a seeming chasm between what The Old Testament and The New Testament teach. What is the truth that bridges this apparent gap? The cross! Jesus' sacrifice spans the gap and brings us to the place in which we are given the opportunity to step into His imputed righteousness and out of the sin nature we inherited from Adam. God's first intention was a loving fellowship relationship with man which was marred by sin. There is no confliction between God's nature in The Old and New Testaments, only the saving grace of Christ's sacrifice.
Patti
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Many people have difficulty reconciling the God in the Old Testament and the New Testament. The wrath-filled rule giver compared to the merciful grace giver seems rather bi-polar, and has caused many to question His nature. Albeit this is a superficial view of God's behavior in the Old Testament; as, His love and grace are illustrated throughout the Word. Marcion of Sinope in AD 144 went so far as to form a heresy claiming that the God of the Old Testament and of the New were separate beings. Marcion also dissected the scripture and reorganized a revised version of the Bible that fit his theory. Interestingly, the existence of heresy historically has caused the Church to be cautious and crystallize it's doctrine all the more. The imprecatory Psalms are another instance of seeming contradiction in scripture. The word imprecatory is derived from the Latin word imprecatus, and it means "to curse." Psalm 55:15 is an example, "Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell: for wickedness is in their dwellings, and among them" (KJV). This is the antithesis of Jesus directing his disciples to, ". . . Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you" (KJV). There is a seeming chasm between what The Old Testament and The New Testament teach. What is the truth that bridges this apparent gap? The cross! Jesus' sacrifice spans the gap and brings us to the place in which we are given the opportunity to step into His imputed righteousness and out of the sin nature we inherited from Adam. God's first intention was a loving fellowship relationship with man which was marred by sin. There is no confliction between God's nature in The Old and New Testaments, only the saving grace of Christ's sacrifice.
Patti
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