OLD VERSUS NEW
by claribel santiago

I have heard it said many times that the "God of the Old Testament was a cruel, angry, vindictive God, and that in the New Testament He changed to a more "calm and loving God". I had even bought into this idea that God had been extremely harsh in the foundational days, that was until I did a review of the Old Testament. In my studies I found out, without a shadow of doubt, that The God of the Old and New Testaments is the same God. He was just as loving then, as He is today.

In chapter after chapter of the Old Testament, I read about God's loving kindness, concern, and patience with His children. So much so, that I was surprised at the enormity of their disobedience and the extent of His forgiveness. I don't believe that I could ever be that graceful. I think I would have bailed out somewhere in the beginning of Genesis.

When we assert that God was harsh, as in my case, it may come from a simple lack of information. God did hold His children to a standard. But, He endeavored to outline those standards through His personal relationship, through Moses (Commandments), religious leaders, and Prophets. In essence, God was saying over and over, "these are the rules guys, if you follow them you will have peace, if you don't destruction will come upon you." Although the latter seems like an ultimatum, it is really a warning.

"Thou shalt not"

Let's take for example: "Thou shalt not commit adultery" Exodus 20:14* Outside of the fact that we are breaking a commandment when we do this, we actually hurt ourselves. Many times, as a result of fornication, come unwanted pregnancies, some of which end in abortion, many which later cause such guilt that other emotional and physical problems arise. What about venereal diseases, the vast majority of which are painful, incurable, and embarrassing to say the least?

Recent studies indicate that teenagers who engage in regular sexual activities, have higher rates of unwanted pregnancies, STD's, admit to a loss of self-worth, and higher rates of suicidal thoughts. How is that for fun? If this is true, then we can conclude that this particular commandment was not God's way of "taking away our fun", but His way of protecting us. He loves us enough to desire to prevent the pain and suffering that come from ignoring His admonitions.

It can be compared to...

It is like a parent of a child who continually begs for candy. Though it seems harmless enough, the parent refuses to give into the child's demands. The child may see it as a way the parent withholds affection, or gratification, because the child lacks understanding. However, the parent in fact knows that the candy may cause weight gain, poor nutrition, and at the very least hyperactivity. The parent refuses the candy out of love for the child not a desire to hurt.

I still think God is mean...

Say you were in charge of a company. You have given your employees the company policies which include: "No stealing money or supplies, no lying to supervisors, no cheating, no selling company secrets to competitors, no comprimising company integrity, etc. As the CEO of this company, you are aware that all the above is going on, on a daily basis, and for several years. What is going to happen to that company if this continues? What would you do?

In the book of Exodus, you can read how God continued to instruct His children patiently, while fixing the mess they made because of their disregard for rules. When they complained they were slaves, God sent a redeemer. When they turned their backs on God to worship other gods, he sent Prophets. When they cried because of bitter water, God made it sweet. When they whined about the limited food choice, God added to the menu. When they stole, killed, cheated, lied, committed adultery, God waited for their repentance. Their actions were not just hurting them, they were a blatant disregard for God's loving provision. Still, God patiently gave time for their acknowlegement and repentance.

Who is God?

"God is love, God is patient, God is kind, God is longsuffering" (refer to 1 Corinthians 13:4-8). The Bible describes His patience further in 2 Peter 3:9, "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. "

But how do I know?

God provided instructions for us to know right from wrong. He has given us Commandments, the Word, Teachers, Prophets, Pastors, friends, family, strangers, television, radio, printed media, and a brain. All these just so we could understand truth. Unfortunately, with every truth there is countering deception. So many faiths out there, who knows what is truth?

Do you really want to know?

Have an open mind and heart. Ask God to reveal Himself. I challenge you to read about different faiths, see what they offer, then pick-up the Bible and read. Ask God to show you what is true and what is false. He can, and He will. When you honestly seek Him He promises: "And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:13. God wants you to know Him. He awaits with patience, love, and open arms.

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me." Revelation 3:20

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* Dictionary defines Adultery as: "Fornication, which is voluntary sexual intercourse between a man and woman who are not married to each other." Other references for this is the following verse in 1 Corinthians 6:18 "Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body."

Don't own a Bible? Check out this site for the entire Bible www.biblegateway.net. The following site www.thewayofthemaster.org is an excellent source of information. Please feel free to e-mail me with questions or concerns. I will do my best to answer within 24-hours. God bless you!