Did God have a mid life crisis

MoJo · Posted: Sat Sep 25, 2004 6:40 pm Post subject:

ditto, timmer. welcome aboard. Very Happy

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matt 6: 34 "Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."

ebla949 · Newbie Alert Joined: 27 Oct 2004 Posts: 3

It is true that God is very different in the Old Testament and the New testament. It does sometimes contradict itself. The problem comes when you try to mix the Old and New testaments and try to make them into one book of rules. The Old t. and New T. are very different. . Old testament deals with the penalty for sin which is death. In the O.T. God always leads from a distance (cloud, star, pillar of fire,etc.) this is because the people are unclean. He also leaves themand turns his back at times until they repent. He loves his people but they are not abiding in his covenant fully by falling short and cannot fully fellowship with them. This is why the O.T seems so harsh, because it is harsh , it is the law. The law requires justice and a penalty. If there is no penalty then the law loses its bite and becomes meaningless. For example, if I get a speeding ticket and there is no fine than I will not fear the 65 mile an hour sign. The power of the law is in the penalty! The penalty for sinning in the O.T is death!
Thank God we are not under the Old Covenant /Testament we are under a New Covenant/ Testament. The New covenant was brought by Christ's death/blood. "The wages of sin is death (O.T) but the gift of God is eternal life(N.T.)" The New covenant is not like the Old. It is life centered not death centered. God himself promises us that he will live IN US and NEVER LEAVE US. He will not lead from a distance like the O.T. . He wants to live in our hearts and be as close as possible to us. This is possible because the penalty of sin which is death was paid in full by Christ. God has no more anger toward us because he took his anger out on Christ, so now we can draw near to him. It is not so much that God changed from O.T to N.T. but he made a new way for us to be acceptable to him thru faith.We were seperated from him and actually we were called his enemies because of our sin. Under the New Testament he has brought us near and he calls us his children. His wrath has been satisfied. Halleluiah! Hope this helps!

Nobby · Posted: Fri Oct 29, 2004 10:19 pm Post subject: Welcome

ebla949, Welcome to our board. Glad to see you made it so quick I activated your membership earler this evening. Very Happy

Got any questions ask one of the moderators or myself
enjoy yourself,
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Robbo · Posted: Sat Oct 30, 2004 12:57 am Post subject:

God now is exactly the same as God in the old testament, and God before time, and God when the heaven and earth are joined. He acts the same way the whole way through time.

What came first salvation or the law?

Salvation, he saved his people from egypt. He also put them there so that they could survive the famine the land would go through. God is not angry, he is jealous. God is Jealous of the earthly things we put before him. This isn't jealousy that most humans feel, its righteous jealousy:

Exodus 20:5
You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me.

Exodus 34:14
Do not worship any other god, for the LORD , whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.

Deuteronomy 4:24
For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.

Deuteronomy 32:16
They made him jealous with their foreign gods and angered him with their detestable idols.

This is why he punishes, this is why he judges. The wrath poured out in the old testament is done for two reasons. To fulfill his promises and to judge the nation of Isreal for turning from him. However no matter how many times this happened he would save them, he would bring them back to him. The people who remained loyal were saved from the judgment of God, they were sheltered and provided for. These people who didn't turn away from God were saved even though they had sinned. They made themselves right with God by faith. This is shown in Galations 3:1-14:

1 You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. 2 I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? 3 Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? 4 Have you suffered so much for nothing--if it really was for nothing? 5 Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?
6 Consider Abraham: "He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." 7 Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham. 8 The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: "All nations will be blessed through you." 9 So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
10 All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law." 11 Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, "The righteous will live by faith." 12 The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, "The man who does these things will live by them." 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree." 14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

Not one man was saved by the law, all by the faith thay placed in God. Thats the same as it is now.

John 14:6
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Now the law put down in the old testament has been abolished Jesus is how we approach God, by no other can we be made right.

When the final day comes you will be judged accordingly. I pray that you will all be with God.

ebla949 · Newbie Alert Joined: 27 Oct 2004 Posts: 3

I am sorry but God does seem very different from O.t to N.t. Yes it is true that the underlying theme of saved by faith is there and yet He responds very differently to sin from O.T. to NT. I know the bible too and the verses you are quoting from Galations prove my point. This book is written to people who were mixing Old Covenant and New Covenant. Jesus said you cannot put New wine into Old wine skins. Meaning you cannot mix the Old covenant and New covenant because it waters them both down. It robs the horror and fear of the law and it steals the love and mercy from grace in the N.T.

Star · Posted: Sat Oct 30, 2004 8:55 am Post subject:

I can see where both of you are coming from here and think you both are correct. God is the same God yesterday to Day and Forever, He changes not, so we have to recconcile that thought in our hearts as truth because the scriptures cannot be broken as Jesus said.

But within the Old Testament is the righteousness without the law to which itself testifies to the New Covenant He makes with us through Christ.

In the Old are hidden a foreknowledge of Christ in shadows, visions and similitudes and Christ spoke in parables which open up to us the dark sayings of old. He came not to abolish but fulfill the law and the Law itself testifies to Him. Now we seek not to be justified by the Law but completely by the Faith of Christ which is testified to in Gods hidden foreknowledge, so Christ opens up our minds and gives us understanding to the things written concerning Him. Without Doubt He IS Our Righteousness. These were all types patterns and shadows of the good things already present and were written down for our instruction Paul said.

So when He fulfilled the Law of the Old through His blood as seen in a Will which can only distribute its wealth until the one whose death comes to pass. The Blood inacted the promise and the change of Law. That which made nothing perfect verses the Faith of Christ through His Blood/Life (Testified of in the Old) brought us near to God as the sacrifice Holy and pleasing to Him ushering us in to the New covenant through His blood. Now we are justified by Faith through the one (Christ) who God did speak concerning (written of and hidden in Gods foreknowledge=The Old Testament). Christ is thus "The manifestation" or The Truth of ALL God has written and the Testimony of Jesus Christ is the Spirit of prophesy.

So the Old is good IF handled correctly to bring out the New to which it speaks. But mixing the Old covenant Law with the New covenant according to justification and Grace of God given through Christ severs the power of Christ from working in us. Mixing old wine with New. But this too is something we learn. He never leaves us or forsakes us. Many of the righteous shall fall but only to be purified or refined and taught of God who is able to make us stand by Faith alone.

The fear of the Lord is only the begining of Wisdom (as we work out our salvation with fear and trembling) but perfect Love casts out fear. God fulfilled the law law through Christ He also establishes The Truth (Christ) IN US. He thus is the Begining and the End. The Author of our faith and the Finisher of it. Establishing in us LOVE the goal of our Faith. So that AS HE IS So ALSO are WE in this World. Christ in us our HOPE of Glory. Glorified in us a Great Cloud of Witnesses and the expression of the love of God made perfect in us Through the workings of Faith in us making us Complete and One with the Father through the blood of Christ.

In Him

Star

Robbo · Posted: Sat Oct 30, 2004 9:24 pm Post subject: Re: Old Covenant & New Covenant

ebla949 · Newbie Alert Joined: 27 Oct 2004 Posts: 3

Old testament God deals with us in judgement condemnation and death. He would bless them when they followed the rules and curse them when they broke the rules.God would be close when they were doing right and then leave them when they did wrong. God was behind a viel in the temple only to be experienced by the High Priest.
New testament God has poured out his wrath on Christ and now there is NO CONDEMNATION FOR THOSE THAT ARE IN CHRIST. We have been adopted as sons. In the N.T. Jesus says he will never leave us or forsake us. God is no longer vieled he says all will know him and he can live inside of YOU and you are his temple instead of a temple made of stone. BIG DIFFERENCES

shepreach · Cobra Joined: 08 Nov 2003 Posts: 493 Location: ga

just my 2 cents. the OT shows me that neither i nor anyone else can live up to God's standards. God certainly gave His people enough chances. most of the time they couldn't tell the difference between relationship and ritual, so they just went through the motions. God didn't change. the sacrifice did. in The NT God himself sacrifices Jesus--the perfect sacrifice for sin. now we have a way into relationship with God that requires no ritual. it only requires trusting God enough to give ourselves to Him completely.
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christina · Cobra Joined: 01 Nov 2004 Posts: 456

"But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?" john 5:45

"The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. Matthew23:2

I think we are suppost to listen to the laws given to us because they are from God, But we are not suppost to Judge as they did. Giving the law and enforcing is the diffrence.
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Christina

Star · Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2004 8:21 pm Post subject:

I hear what your saying Christina. You made an excellent point. They sit in Moses Seat as Judge. they put their trust in man.

If you note in Genesis God would not strive "with man" forever and that He numbered His years to 120 years, Moses was exactly that age when He died and God buried Him.

The law of Moses was a Yoke (as shown in acts) its that Yoke God breaks off (releases us from) and imparts faith to take upon us the light yoke of Christ, to learn of Him.

The law made nothing perfect. Through it comes only the knowledge of Sin not the knowledge of God. It empowers sin and brings one to their knees, "Who will save me from this BODY of DEATH" ?Its the prepared body for the glory of the Lord in His timing.

I get lost in my explanation of it, because I knew when I came to Christ it was "finished" but it seemed to me I went the wrong direction at first, I think we might all do it but I'm not sure. I struggled under the law until I gave up on it, it was only then that a change in me started taking place. Faith was sent into my heart, I had a "belief" but true faith is a gift from Him. This was my release from that prison, at that time I was prime for saying, "I can't do it" I don't have it in me to.I thought, "your law is just, good and holy, I feel like a wretch".

I think thats where He brings us to and this tutor leads us to Christ in a very real and living way. I have an awe of the processs but not a complete understanding of it. I'm only glad I'm not there anymore.

The Royal law of Love is what God teaches us, on Love for God and others hang all the law and the prophets. May He perfect His love in us.

Praise His name

In Him

Star