Sunday, April 17, 2011

God bully or a friend

 One of the main arguments of atheist, or gnostics is that God is a bully. You can see their argument based on imposing fear, how the children of Israel were told to slay their enemies every last women and child. What a gruesome God this must be ,Yet in the book of psalms it it written he shows mercy unto even the undeserving are we talking about the same God in the bible? There is only one God , so what is it , has He not made up his mind, to be angry and jealous or to be Loving, giver of Hope and Forgiveness.
 God is viewed in time as being the sword and not the word, in early history. Even Jesus which often mystified me with some of his parables , he said he was the Word but another verse  brings  a sword. This is often misinterpreted as a real sword a knife or weapon. It would depict an angry Christ that would plow down his enemies with a sword. Often religion stumbles upon this and even use this to start wars , terror and crusades. Yet, perhaps the sword and the word are the same. Throughout the scripture it is referred to the word of God as being a sword.Hebr 4,12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 
 We have seen times where the plagues of Egypt were dealt upon the egyptians , yet God even offered his salvation to the pharoah and many of the people repented. What of frenzy killing of innocent children of the first born was this an action of the jews who were scorned and tortured in slavery a rebellion attributed to God. It is written as being actions that were commanded by God. Often someone does something wrong and says the devil made me do it , or God spoke to me. Was this the case here? God was jealous and it was said' even many jews were killed after they erected idols by the command of God. I do not know the answer to this, the God of the old testament and the new are the same God. I do think God under law is perceived differently by man than God under grace, so God did not change mans perception did.
 This I do know - that Jesus was sent as a new covenant to the human race. The truly forgiving God nature had to experience the nature of man to make the new covenant. It disturbs me that many think the old testament law , including the jew is more important than the nature of God. When he revealed to us his divine nature in Jesus Christ he created the new covenant. No one can keep the old testament  law but we can experience Gods divine nature Love, Hope and Forgiveness. God is a friend , he created us to communicate with Him and he loves us. Our whole purpose of being created was not to be a bully's punching bag but a friend. I borrowed this from a baptist minister as a confirmation, their is a requirement and that is obedience:
"I command you to love each other in the same way that I love you. And here is how to measure it -- the greatest love is shown when people lay down their lives for their friends. You are my friends if you obey me. I no longer call you servants because a master doesn't confide in his servants. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me" (John 15:12-15 NLT).A friend to spend eternity with , a forever friend. Do not be deceived to think otherwise , whosoever believes in the Son of God has everlasting life. Does that mean that the Son is greater than the Father, no it means accepting his covenant and knowing his divine nature we can be reconciled to the Father. There is only one God 
and Jesus himself declares no one is good but God. Jesus had the nature of God , so that we could know Him and defeat the power of sin.
 So when Jesus said, he did not come to replace the law , he actually was showing us that to know Gods divine nature is more important, that is the new covenant. His nature is Love, Hope and Forgiveness. Love your enemies, give Hope to the poor and needy, Forgive others as he forgives us.


http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/ode-to-mahalia/

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