There is such a difference between the God of the Old Testament and 'the God as revealed by Jesus Christ in the New Testament' that some people
a) theorize they are two different gods
b) believe Jesus' crucifixion changed God into a more mellow Person
c) postulate that the OT prophets and writers got it wrong and part of Jesus' mission was to fix that
d) read only the New Testament and Psalms
For most Evangelicals, none of the above are palatable options. God's wrath breaks out with depressing regularity against His children and they suffer all kinds of horrific fates, plagues and deaths. It is hard to see the One who is Love in the Old Testament. It is hard even to see the One described by Mr. Beaver as not safe but good.
We handle this God by believing
a) all those people in the bible deserve whatever befell them and
b) thank God this will never happen to us because we are saved.
What if we stripped off this mind numbing cocoon and searched for Love in these stories?
I believe that loving someone means desiring the best for that person and Love has a steel backbone. C. Baxter Kruger said God's wrath is His NO! to a world turning away from Him and choosing to create darkness and chaos. Wrath is Love experienced when we're in the midst of rebellion. Wrath is Love in zealous pursuit when we try to scuttle away like cockroaches from light. Wrath is Love's grief over what we have done to ourselves and to our brothers.
King David was a man after God's own heart; Israel's psalmist really knew what God is like. Once he was given a choice of punishment: three years of famine, three months of fleeing from his enemies or three days of plague. He replied, "Let us fall into the hands of the LORD, for his mercy is great; but do not let me fall into the hands of men."
a) theorize they are two different gods
b) believe Jesus' crucifixion changed God into a more mellow Person
c) postulate that the OT prophets and writers got it wrong and part of Jesus' mission was to fix that
d) read only the New Testament and Psalms
For most Evangelicals, none of the above are palatable options. God's wrath breaks out with depressing regularity against His children and they suffer all kinds of horrific fates, plagues and deaths. It is hard to see the One who is Love in the Old Testament. It is hard even to see the One described by Mr. Beaver as not safe but good.
We handle this God by believing
a) all those people in the bible deserve whatever befell them and
b) thank God this will never happen to us because we are saved.
What if we stripped off this mind numbing cocoon and searched for Love in these stories?
I believe that loving someone means desiring the best for that person and Love has a steel backbone. C. Baxter Kruger said God's wrath is His NO! to a world turning away from Him and choosing to create darkness and chaos. Wrath is Love experienced when we're in the midst of rebellion. Wrath is Love in zealous pursuit when we try to scuttle away like cockroaches from light. Wrath is Love's grief over what we have done to ourselves and to our brothers.
King David was a man after God's own heart; Israel's psalmist really knew what God is like. Once he was given a choice of punishment: three years of famine, three months of fleeing from his enemies or three days of plague. He replied, "Let us fall into the hands of the LORD, for his mercy is great; but do not let me fall into the hands of men."
Comments