Why was God so mean?
Why so much blood?
Why kill animals?
Why did God command the Israelites to wipe out whole communities?
The view many christians hold is that they like Jesus but hate the Old Testament.
The result: We avoid the Old Testament altogether.
What most people don't realize is that this kind of thinking creates more conflicts than resolve.
We like or even love Jesus but hate the Old Testament.
What we need to remember is that the Old Testament was Jesus' Bible. He loved it. He memorized it. He quoted it. He said things like:
Don't think that I have come to abolish the Law or the prophets. I did not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. Matthew 5:17
The Law was the meat of the Old Testament. Jesus was honoring it by making it complete.
So ask yourself these questions:
Most people would agree that they are not better, or wiser, or even more loving than Jesus. So, if that is case and we respect Jesus then it is vital to our own faith that we embrace the Old Testament just as Jesus did. The important question then becomes:
What most people don't realize is that this kind of thinking creates more conflicts than resolve.
We like or even love Jesus but hate the Old Testament.
What we need to remember is that the Old Testament was Jesus' Bible. He loved it. He memorized it. He quoted it. He said things like:
Don't think that I have come to abolish the Law or the prophets. I did not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. Matthew 5:17
The Law was the meat of the Old Testament. Jesus was honoring it by making it complete.
So ask yourself these questions:
"If Jesus loved the Old Testament then what guage inside me allows me to think differently of Hebrew scripture?"
"Do I have some greater knowledge than Jesus that gives me a more informed and sophisticated perspective?"
"Do I have some greater knowledge than Jesus that gives me a more informed and sophisticated perspective?"
Most people would agree that they are not better, or wiser, or even more loving than Jesus. So, if that is case and we respect Jesus then it is vital to our own faith that we embrace the Old Testament just as Jesus did. The important question then becomes:
How do I see the bloody Old Testament from Jesus' perspective?
It starts with your posture towards scripture. If you stand over and above scripture it is easy to feel superior to it. But if you treat as God's Word then it begins to form you. This approach requires a great deal of humility. When we don't understand a story or message that the Bible is trying to communicate our simple prayer should be:
It starts with your posture towards scripture. If you stand over and above scripture it is easy to feel superior to it. But if you treat as God's Word then it begins to form you. This approach requires a great deal of humility. When we don't understand a story or message that the Bible is trying to communicate our simple prayer should be:
"Lord, help me understand your Word, I am struggling and this passage disturbs me. Please help me understand what I am missing!"
Sometimes it takes persistence and study. Sometimes you won't ever know a satisfying answer. But more often than not, you will be rewarded with understanding that transforms your worldview.
My point is this:
Seek to see the Old Testament through Jesus' eyes and you will be pleasantly surprised. Seek it on your own and you will always be limited in what you see.
Join us on Monday night at 7:00 for WUD Theology 101.
Now for something fun. Here is another fake Jesus video from Vintage21. Remember it is not about the rules. Jesus wants to go beyond the rules to change our hearts!
My point is this:
Seek to see the Old Testament through Jesus' eyes and you will be pleasantly surprised. Seek it on your own and you will always be limited in what you see.
Join us on Monday night at 7:00 for WUD Theology 101.
Now for something fun. Here is another fake Jesus video from Vintage21. Remember it is not about the rules. Jesus wants to go beyond the rules to change our hearts!
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