Category The God of the Old Testament Compared to Jesus in the New Testament

Did Jesus Say Harsh-Sounding Things During His Ministry?

Jesus spent approximately three and a half years travelling about Judea and Galilee, calling men to God, teaching them the truth about God, and demonstrating His jurisdiction through miracles and knowledge that He could not have apart from God:

John 10:37-38  If I do not the works of my Father, believe Me not. But if I do, though you believe not Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me and I in Him.’”

John 14:11  Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me; or else believe Me for the very works’ sake.’”

He gave them no room to repudiate His ministry or His message, by performing the works that no one else could do.[1] As with God’s interaction with Israel – and the pagan na...

What is Jesus’ Message in the New Testament

Jesus’ first words recorded after His baptism, recognized as the “official” beginning of His ministry as the Messiah of Israel and Saviour of the world, and His retreat into the desert where Satan tempted Him with fame and power, were, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Mt :17; Mk 1:15) μετανοέω metanoeo, translated as “repent”, means a change of mind, or of perception, opinion, ideas. Jesus’ first call to the people was “change”; they were to change the way they thought. His reason: the kingdom of God was at hand. Mark added that He had told the people to “believe the gospel”, which means “good news”. What was that good news? That the “kingdom of God” or the “kingdom of heaven” was “at hand”; it was upon them...

Why Is Death the Appropriate and Necessary Consequence to Sin?

The English word “sin” is translated from the Hebrew word חַטָּאָה‎ chatta’ah (khat-taw-aw’), and the Greek word ἁμαρτία hamartia (ham-ar-tee’-ah), both of which have the sense of having missed a mark, goal, or path, of falling short; to err or be mistaken, wandered away from what is right or good. The missing necessitates a discernible target to miss. Paul’s letter to the Romans makes a critical point:

Romans 4:15   “for the Law works indignation; for where no Law is, neither is transgression.”

Romans 5:13   “For until law, sin was in the world, but not imputed there being no law.”

Paying attention to what Paul wrote, not once but twice, we learn that “sin”, which is ‘transgression”, ...

Implications of the Possession of the Image of God in Humans For Adam’s Choice to Disobey God in the Garden

God gave Adam and Eve everything they required for a happy, healthy, and upright life.

God gave Adam the necessary knowledge and abilities to pursue that happy, healthy, and upright life.

God maintained a close relationship with Adam, so that Adam would always know God, have no reason to forget either Who God was or what God had done and provided for him.

God provided a world and life completely free of corruption, and insulated from corrupting influences, as well as a warning against considering the engagement with a corrupting desire, should it arise. “Do not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for in the day that you shall eat of it, dying you shall die.”

Th...

The Image of God in Humanity

God has no physical aspect, therefore Adam and Eve were not created to “look like” God in the flesh. (As Hebrews explains, when Christ came, God entered into a body “prepared for Me” that was created after the image of man. (Phil 2:6-8; Jn 1:14; Heb 2:17-18) Prior to Christ’s incarnation, God had no physical aspect whatsoever.)

Moreover, the writer stated: “So God created humankind in His own image; in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.” Genesis 1:27. God created humanity as an whole, in the image of God. Male and female humanity is created in the image of God; the entirety of the species, in the maleness and femaleness as an whole, is created “in the image of God”, making a physical context of that image impossible...

According to Jesus, Who is Jesus?

Isaiah 44:6  Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and His Redeemer the LORD of hosts; ‘I am the first, and I am the last; and beside Me there is no God.’

Malachi 3:6  For I am the LORD, I change not ….

John 8:56-58  ‘Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.’

Then said the Jews unto him, ‘You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?’

Jesus said unto them, ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was, I am.’”

Revelation 1:5-19:

5       And from Jesus Christ, Who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the Prince of the kings of the earth. To Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood,

6       And has made us kings and priests to...

What characteristics do you see in God as the creation account unfolds?

Attributes of God revealed in the Creation Account in Genesis

God pre-exists all material things: “In the beginning, God created…”

The universe did not exist; it had a beginning. “The heaven” refers to sky, outer space and beyond. “The earth” refers to the world.

The universe consists of all time, space, matter, and natural energy. All of these elements had a beginning; they did not and are unable to, exist eternally. They necessarily “came into being” at some point in past history.

God is necessarily personal. God necessarily thinks, feels, desires, knows, has abilities, values, plans, purposes, foresight, understanding, etc.

God is necessarily external to (outside of) the universe.

Therefore, God do...

Why is the God of the Old Testament so Different From the Message of Jesus in the New Testament?

Study texts:

Genesis 1 – 6

References to Jesus’ speaking about hell and about judgment, in their respective contexts

The letter to the Hebrews

Revelation 1 – 3; 11; 15-16; 19-20; 22 (read the whole book, but pay attention to the relevant content of these chapters vis a vis the proposition.)

References to Jesus speaking about hell:

Mt 5:22    But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

Mt 5:29    And if thy right eye off...

Study Question:      Why is the God of the OT so different from the “message of Jesus” in the New?

“Why is the God of the OT so different than Jesus’ message in the NT? Is Jesus’ father the God of the OT? With all the revenge and blood sacrifice stuff?”

What is the main premise?

The God of the Old Testament is different from Jesus’ message in the New Testament.

What is the conflict driving the premise?

That the God of the Old Testament is guilty of revenge and requiring of blood sacrifice, which are implied to be unrighteous in some manner.

What questions must be answered in order to answer the question above?

1. Is God in the Old Testament different from Jesus’ message in the New?
2. Who is God and what is God’s nature...