OT God vs NT God

by brotherdan 58 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  PSacramento

  I just find it interesting that so many people are willing to pick and choose what was real and what wasn't, even though the NT says that 'by faith' Noah and his family survived the flood and says that 'all scripture' is inspired of God...I'm not sure how it's possible to reconcile the two notions logically..

  Interpretation has always been about "picking and choosing".

  Interpreting history is about picking and choosing HOW to see things and from who's perspective.

  Attilla was a scourge for Europe and a great ruler for the Huns, the difference between great conquere and bloodthirsty genocidal maniac is who writes the books (see Alexander the Great).

  We interpret things all the time and so did the writers of the bible books and letters, it our job to interpret what they wrote to and NOT just take it to mean what we think or others want us to think, at face value.

  Pick and choose? sure, when do we NOT pick and choose??
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  brotherdan

  I agree with you alot more than I used to Psac. I've finished a course on the making of the new testament canon, and it is VERY eye opening on what was viewed as "scripture" and what was not in early Christianity. They DID pick and choose what they would accept and what they would not accept. And many times it was not based on what earlier scripture said but it was based on a defense against what they viewed as heretical. Some things that the early church viewed as heretical are now viewed as orthodox and vice versa.
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  PSacramento

  I agree with you alot more than I used to Psac. I've finished a course on the making of the new testament canon, and it is VERY eye opening on what was viewed as "scripture" and what was not in early Christianity. They DID pick and choose what they would accept and what they would not accept. And many times it was not based on what earlier scripture said but it was based on a defense against what they viewed as heretical. Some things that the early church viewed as heretical are now viewed as orthodox and vice versa.

  We are just voicing opinions, which doesn't mean we are right, just that we believe"A" because of these reasons and I am sure that was how it was done then and even before when the OT was being put together too.

  Sure people that are critical of the bible and its teachings like to point out the OPINIONS of others as if those opinions were facts, but we shoudl strive to be better than that.

  People always think that the bible being inspired by God HAS to mean that it MUSt be take literal and it is without error, but WHY they believe that, no one has been able to explain. Like I have said before, even IF the bible is inerrant, our interpreations ( by our I mean ALL that did NOT WRITE it) are NOT.

  We are humans, just like the Bible writers, they wrote what they believed and in a way that there TARGET audience would understand and WE were NOT their target audience.

  When the bible writer says that "all the land was flooded" he means they same thing as the hsitorical writing say that "alexander conquered the world and nothing was left to conquer", or tha "Rome ruled the world".
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  brotherdan

  I was agreeing with you, Psac...
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  PSacramento

  I know, I was just making a point that we MAY still be wrong, LOL !
  Too many times we voice an opinion as if it was "gospel", pardon the pun.
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  brotherdan

  That's why I'm finding it more and more true that true knowledge comes from knowing that you REALLY know nothing. Any type of certainty that we have that causes us to reject any other evidence is, IMO, ignorance. I've been guilty of that for a really long time...
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  Chalam

  leavingwt Yeah, that's the thing, isn't it? Those toddlers drowned in the Flood were guilty of horrendous sins. They were disgusting to God.

  Who says? Who says they aren't in heaven right now?

  God is just. I am sure everyone gets a chance.

  With regards to the thread question, God is immutable i.e. He cannot change! Hebrews 13:8, Malachi 3:6 If you are perfect then you cannot change.

  OK, why all the destruction and the judgement in the OT? Sure, it is pretty heavy. There is ONE reason for all this. To show the weight of judgement against sin under the law.

  You will find mercy in the OT, but that is not the overriding focus.

  Clearly in the NT mercy is freely available through Christ. He brings freedom from sin and the condemnation the sinner is under the holy law.

  Yes, there is judgement still in the NT (as LWT has pointed out) but mercy and grace is available to all. Death brings everlasting judgement or everlasting liberty.

  Daniel 12:2 (New International Version)

  2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.

  Matthew 25:46 (New International Version)

  46 "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

  Blessings,

  Stephen
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  leavingwt

  Who says? Who says they aren't in heaven right now?

  So God kills them so that they can be in Heaven with Him?
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  Chalam

  So God kills them so that they can be in Heaven with Him?

  You'd have to ask Him :)

  Whatever happens, we all have to go some time (unless Christ comes first)!

  Blessings,

  Stephen