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From: ken@qantel.UUCP (Ken Nichols@ex6193)
Newsgroups: net.religion
Subject: Re: More on Nichols (reply to DuBois)
Message-ID: <298@qantel.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 8-Nov-84 12:29:46 EST
Article-I.D.: qantel.298
Posted: Thu Nov  8 12:29:46 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 10-Nov-84 07:49:14 EST
References: <196@hhb.UUCP>
Organization: MDS Qantel, Hayward, CA
Lines: 36

> The whole New Testament attests to a change in God's
> relationship with Man.  The vengeful God of the Old Testament
> is no more, and it is the Compassionate God of the New Testament
> who should be celebrated by modern Christians.
> 
> rob

There is a change in God's relationship to man, I agree.  Through the New
Covenant in Christ's blood we can have a deeper, more personal relationship
than the believers in the Old Testament had.  

However, God did not change His personality in the middle of the Bible.  God's
attributes did not change just because He sent His Son.  The truths about God's
character in the Old Testament are just as true now as they were then.  Do you
mean to say that God was not compassionate in the Old Testament?  I think David
(the Psalmist) would disagree with you.  Is God not vengefull in the New 
Testament?  Tell that to Elymus (sp?) the Magician in Acts, who God, through 
Paul, struck with blindness for trying to buy the Holy Spirit's power.  Read
the book of Revelation, and tell me that God is not wrathfull anymore.  I just
don't agree.

God's love is more evident in the New Testament because of Jesus' life.  At 
this time in history, God was expressing the greatest act of love in history.
This does not mean that He changed His character.  He still cannot fellowship
with sin in an intimate way.  God, as the man Jesus, fellowshiped with sinners,
true.  But why did He so this?  To show the world that they were deserving of 
God's love, and His sacrificial gift.  Not to commune with them in their sin.

We cannot throw out half of God's character just because Jesus came to the 
earth.

Well, that's all for now.
--
"...holding forth the                         Ken Nichols
 word of life..." Phil. 2:16                  ...!ucbvax!dual!qantel!ken
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