General Old Testament vs. New Testament God

[Lori Jane]

Video shared by @Paul

• Christians can reconcile these differences by understanding that God's moral character remains consistent, but His approach can vary based on the circumstances and the state of humanity at different times, similar to how an educator adjusts their teaching methods to match the students' learning stages.
• Critics focus on depicting the Old Testament God in a negative light, using terms like "jealous" and "bloodthirsty," which raises questions regarding the consistency of God's character from the Old Testament to the New Testament.
• Revelation is depicted as a gradual process where moral insights are revealed incrementally, culminating in profound understandings that connect as part of a larger narrative.
• Audience support is crucial for content creators, enabling them to continue producing material. Viewers can contribute through donations or community involvement, fostering a collaborative dynamic.

Old Testament vs. New Testament God​

The Perception of God in the Old Testament​

"Whenever polemicists want to take a swipe at Christianity or the Bible, passages from the Old Testament are a favorite focal point."

• Critics often target the Old Testament to critique Christianity, citing various troubling narratives and traits attributed to God. Figures like Richard Dawkins exemplify this by labeling the God of the Old Testament with harsh descriptors such as "jealous," "petty," and "bloodthirsty." This critical view raises challenging questions for believers regarding the nature of God as depicted across the texts.
• This leads individuals, especially new converts, to feel apprehensive when reading these passages, creating a sense of cognitive dissonance when trying to reconcile the harshness of the Old Testament with the loving nature of God that Jesus reveals in the New Testament.

Reconciling the Old and New Testament Views of God​

"It's obvious enough that we want to create a cohesive understanding of who God is and how he is represented and reveals himself through salvation history."

• The challenge for Christians is to forge a coherent understanding of God that harmonizes both the stern Old Testament narratives and the more forgiving New Testament teachings. This difficulty stems from the perception that God's treatment of humanity appears inconsistent—enacting strict laws and punishment in the Old Testament while promoting love and mercy in the New Testament.
• Some may question if the Old Testament and New Testament portray two separate Gods, one lesser and the other supreme. However, it is emphasized that a consistent moral character can act differently based on circumstances; similarly, God's approach can vary to meet the needs of people at different points in history.

Contextualizing God's Actions in the Old Testament​

"The Bible explicitly says that humanity had become dramatically corrupted by an estrangement from God stemming from the betrayal of the first humans."

• The Old Testament illustrates a time when humanity was perceived as corrupted and in rebellion against God. God’s harsh measures can be interpreted as necessary actions to instill moral truth in a populace that required clear guidance on right and wrong.
• Using analogies like a strict educator or a prison guard, the video suggests that God had to approach these people in a manner suitable for their overall moral and spiritual state. Just as an instructor adjusts his methods as a student progresses, God’s different approaches in the Old Testament compared to the New Testament are contextual, highlighting humanity's need for formation and understanding over time.

Learning and Evolving Understanding of Morality​

"The important takeaway from the Old Testament and from these stories is that humanity was severely estranged from God."

• The progression of God’s revelation of moral truth through the Old Testament to the New Testament correlates to an educational model. Initially, God provided a strict system to help people recognize and adhere to moral laws.
• As individuals learn and grow, their understanding transforms; similarly, humanity, through divine guidance and the incarnation of Jesus, advances from primitive lessons to a richer comprehension of love, forgiveness, and moral principles, emphasizing the evolving nature of God's engagement with humanity.

The Nature of Revelation​

"Revelation comes at the end of a very long sequence of him slowly revealing greater moral knowledge to his people."

• Revelation is presented as a culmination of a lengthy process where deeper moral insights are gradually unveiled. It emphasizes that understanding is built over time rather than instantaneously.
• Extracting a single lesson from the full sequence of revelations may appear odd or out of place without recognizing its broader context. This suggests that lessons should be appreciated as part of a larger narrative or philosophy.
• The idea of contextual knowledge reinforces that every stage contributes to a greater whole, making the end revelations coherent and meaningful when viewed in their entirety.

Support for Creators​

"The reason I can continue making content like this is because of the generous support of my viewers."

• The speaker highlights the importance of viewer support in sustaining their creative endeavors. This reliance on audience generosity underscores a communal relationship between content creators and their audience.
• Options for supporting include donations through a personal website and joining an online community, emphasizing engagement beyond mere viewership.
• Encouragement to like and subscribe serves as a reminder of the interactive nature of online content and the impact of audience participation on creators' success.

 

[Lori Jane]

And here is another related one shared by @Paul

• The Old Testament often highlights God's judgment and righteousness, depicting Him as strict and sometimes wrathful. In contrast, the New Testament emphasizes love, forgiveness, and a personal relationship with Jesus, yet also includes serious themes of judgment and accountability.
• Some misunderstandings arise from viewing the Old and New Testaments as entirely separate, leading to the belief that God changes from being angry to being loving. This reading neglects the complexity within both Testaments, where themes of love and justice coexist and are intensified across the narrative.

How can we reconcile the Old Testament God and the New Testament God?​

Contrasting Old and New Testament Portrayals of God​

"Many think that the portrayal of God in the Old Testament cannot be squared with the portrayal of God in the New."

• The misconception that the Old Testament depicts a strict, temperamental God while the New Testament portrays a gentle and loving Jesus represents a simplified view. This perspective mistakenly suggests that the two Testaments reflect two separate religions.
• In reality, the Old Testament contains elements of both judgment and profound love. For instance, God is frequently described as "slow to anger" and "abounding in love and faithfulness." Such descriptions reflect a nurturing side, akin to a father's pity for his children.
• The prophetic imagery in the Old Testament, particularly in the work of Hosea, conveys a deeply emotional representation of God, who experiences pain over humanity's spiritual infidelity. He implores, "Turn! Turn! Why will you die? The Lord has no pleasure in the death of the wicked."

Themes of Judgment and Love in the New Testament​

"The God of the New Testament is likewise depicted as a God of judgment and justice, who will finally hold people to account."

• While the New Testament emphasizes love, forgiveness, and forbearance, it also contains numerous references to judgment, particularly concerning Hell. Jesus provides some of the most graphic and horrifying depictions of Hell, showcasing a continuity of the theme of accountability found in the Old Testament.
• The belief that God’s portrayal shifts from anger in the Old Testament to love in the New Testament simplifies the message, as both Testaments intensify the representations of God’s loving nature and His righteous judgment.
• Rather than viewing these themes as disconnected, the two parts of the Bible reflect a deepening understanding of God's character, with love and righteousness culminating at the cross, which embodies both concepts.

The Cross as the Resolution of Judgment and Love​

"If you want to see what judgment looks like, go to the cross. If you want to see what love looks like, go to the cross."

• The greatest images of God’s love are realized through Christ, while images of wrath and judgment reach their climax in understanding the significance of the cross.
• This interpretation aims to connect the dots between both Testaments, suggesting that the seeming disparity in God's characteristics is reconciled in the ultimate sacrifice and love demonstrated through Jesus’ crucifixion.

 

[Lori Jane]

And here is an article shared by @Paul on same topic

The Cruel God of the Hebrew Bible

Faith, Science, Christianity and Transhumanism

www.micahredding.com

Here's a summary of the article "The Cruel God of the Hebrew Bible" by Micah Redding:


Redding argues that the Hebrew scriptures, while containing violence, are a profound and nuanced collection of literature that ultimately indicts violence and corruption. Rather than glorifying violence, the authors of the Hebrew Bible, often writing from positions of marginalization, used their stories to expose the truth of a violent world and encourage empathy. Key examples include the story of Abraham and Isaac, which Redding interprets as a rejection of human sacrifice, and the unflinching portrayal of the flaws and crimes of Jewish leaders like Moses, Solomon, and David. Redding suggests the Hebrew Bible aims to show the horror of violence, not to condone it, and that it envisions a world where humanity is meant to live in peace. This perspective, he argues, is the basis for the loving God of the New Testament and influenced Jesus' rejection of violence. The author concludes that the violence in the Hebrew Bible is intended to provoke horror in the reader, leading to a change in mentality and the generation of empathy and compassion.

 

[Outcast]

In our current human mentality, we view Yahweh as "cruel" instead of Just. He made man, and He made the laws. When He made man, it was with the freedom to choose. We speak of justice, but then we are upset when we see it. Yahweh is still the same, and He informed us of a time when people could choose a better way. We believe it means all of us since birth. The truth has turned out to be all who became suitable to be approved by Yahweh and called to His Son. We skip over the part where becoming suitable depends greatly on how their parents raised them and what they taught to their children. Parenting is immensely important to this plan - but man has done a horrible job of it.

There is a price to be paid for our choices. We read about the accounting for our violations in the O.T. and think that Yahweh is cruel. Our sensibilities don't permit a fair and just God. We have been taught that God is love, but we really don't understand that love requires the willingness to punish and correct. Tough love was true way back then, but our undisciplined mentality sees it incorrectly. (and even now we are all upset as a nation because of how "unfair" it is to reject those who entered our nation illegally and how much corruption has existed in our government)

Thank God for His new covenant and His plan where He provided us a way to be redeemed and be permitted to be His children. The Bible is the story of that pathway and God's working to correct the sin of Adam and bring justice to the world. If we are upset with Yahweh, we are focused on the wrong person. Yahweh did not sin - man did.

Well, to me, that is how I see our scriptures and the overall story.

 

[LeeB]

Whatever we sow we reap. Ezekiel 18:1-32 may help explain this principle.