Okay, so these discussion questions are the direct result of me having WAY more material than I could possibly get through on Sunday, so here is some more of it… Let’s get right into it.
It seems that the Old Testament God is all about anger and judgment. Fire and brimstone and all that. The New Testament God seems all about mercy and grace. Open arms and lost sheep.
Is God schizophrenic? Does he somehow go on medication between testaments so he can be all nice for when Jesus arrives?
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23 NLT
I would like us to take a few minutes and examine who God truly is, and for just a minute, try to put down our caricatures of Him, seeing Him for who he really is all the way through the whole story, and I would like to start at the beginning…
God’s Character at Creation
After God’s incredible, miraculous acts of creation, including creating humans in His own image, we arrive in Genesis 3, where man’s rebellion against God happens. Ashamed, they cover themselves with sewn together fig leaves.
God confronts them in their sin, and even though the wages of sin is death, God shows grace, doesn’t he? He does not kill them immediately. He spares their lives.
The humans had attempted a cover-up… They tried to cover themselves with leaves, which proved to be very inadequate. Instead of giving them what they had earned, God Himself covered them. This time using animal skins.
What had to happen before Adam and Eve could receive God’s covering? (What must happen for forgiveness to take place?)
Here, God must be teaching the most foundational message about Himself. What is that message?
God Describes Himself to His People
A little later in the Old Testament, one of God’s very own early descriptions of Himself is that He is patient and graceful first.
Yahweh! The Lord!
Exodus 34:6-7 NLT
The God of compassion and mercy!
I am slow to anger
and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.
7 I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations.
I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin.
But I do not excuse the guilty.
I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren;
the entire family is affected— even children in the third and fourth generations.
Here, God is clearly showing that He is, in fact, a complex being! There are multiple facets to His personality. Which part comes first?
What is God saying about His character, His nature?
King David Got It
Later in the Old Testament, David appeals to this very idea that God himself had instilled into his people…
O Lord, I give my life to you.
Psalm 25:1-10 NLT
2 I trust in you, my God!
Do not let me be disgraced,
or let my enemies rejoice in my defeat.
3 No one who trusts in you will ever be disgraced,
but disgrace comes to those who try to deceive others.
4 Show me the right path, O Lord;
point out the road for me to follow.
5 Lead me by your truth and teach me,
for you are the God who saves me.
All day long I put my hope in you.
6 Remember, O Lord, your compassion and unfailing love,
which you have shown from long ages past.
7 Do not remember the rebellious sins of my youth.
Remember me in the light of your unfailing love,
for you are merciful, O Lord.
8 The Lord is good and does what is right;
he shows the proper path to those who go astray.
9 He leads the humble in doing right,
teaching them his way.
10 The Lord leads with unfailing love and faithfulness
all who keep his covenant and obey his demands.
If we come to God by grace, if we know him by His grace, if we have a relationship with him due to His grace, how important are verses 2 and 3 for us?
David appeals to God’s own description of Himself in verse 6. How does David see God and his grace in the next few verses?
Jonah Got It And Was Mad
Even later, Jonah was sent to preach to the evil people of Nineveh, calling them to repent, or to face God’s judgment.
You probably know at least part of the story. Jonah initially refused to go preach to these bad people, but after a sequence of absolutely bizarre events, God convinces him to give in and to obey.
Jonah preaches and calls the people to repentance, and guess what… The people actually repent!! (Man, I wish I was a good preacher like that!) But Jonah only got mad at God for this! There is this scene where Jonah fights with God:
“Didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this, Lord? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people. 3 Just kill me now, Lord! I’d rather be dead than alive if what I predicted will not happen.”
Jonah 4:1-4 NLT
4 The Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry about this?”
I LOVE that Jonah is mad because he KNEW that God was a patient, merciful God… Jonah was counting his coins, not wanting the Ninevites to receive mercy, but God opened the treasure chest for them. How is Jonah like us good church people today?
I LOVE God’s response to Jonah’s argument! What did you think about God asking that question?
There is so much more here, but I think the picture is well-drawn, and it is drawn by God Himself. He is JUST, punishing sin, but he is also MERCY FIRST. He loves to show grace and mercy, rather than judgment.
Does this paint a MORE CONSISTENT picture of God than we first started out with today? How does this change your view of Him?