OT Jews; NT Christians

Blogger went and changed its layout. Why are things on the internet always doing that??? Do they not understand that people USE their stuff because they LIKE IT the way it is?

That's not my topic, though I could probably go on about it for a while.

Here are some thoughts from Lalaith. And here are my corresponding thoughts. :)

First, some differences between Islam and Christianity - Islam kills people. Christianity does not. Islam says, "Convert, or I'll kill you." Christianity says, "You're already dying; convert." Did Israel kill a lot of people? Yes. Do Christians today kill people? Not generally. I can't say never, but generally speaking, people who actually believe the Bible don't go around killing people. Islam still does.

No one in the OT (or the NT, or any other time) is killed SIMPLY because they're not a Jew. This is quite clear from Romans 3:23, 6:23, and, you know, all those other verses that declare that EVERY person is sinful and DESERVES death. No one died for not being a Jew. People die because of sin. If Gentiles had no sin, they would not die. Sin is a prerequisite of death - being a Gentile is not. Not believing in the right God is more than enough reason that we die - it's sin.

The Jews and the taking of the Promised Land: God made the earth, therefore, God owns it. God allowed the Canaanites to live in Canaan for many years AFTER He'd promised it to Abraham. Whether or not they all knew about it, they COULD have known about it. And they certainly SHOULD have known once the Israelites were coming to take it. They stayed and fought anyway. Moses came 430 years after Joseph. That's over 500 years from the time that God told Abraham that He would give him the land and when Moses and Joshua brought the Israelites out of Egypt and into the land of Canaan. That's a long time for the news to get around. Whether or not they listened or dismissed it is on them, but I don't know how anyone can possibly know that they for sure didn't know that God had given the land to Israel. God actually sent hornets in to drive out some of the Canaanites, rather than having them slaughtered.

Also, it wasn't that the Jews wanted the land. It's that God gave them the land. In fact, they got lazy and didn't bother taking it all - that's how much they "wanted" it. God had to TELL them to take it. He cursed an entire generation of Jews to die in the wilderness because they "wanted" it so much that when they saw it, they didn't want to go fight for it because they were afraid. No, many of the Jews who came out of Egypt did NOT want Canaan - they wanted Egypt. They disobeyed - like Adam and Eve - and they died.

As for the part about Bible survey classes - they're CALLED "survey." I'm not exactly sure what Lalaith was expecting, but I think that class would have to be something like eight hours long in order to get through the ENTIRE Bible with any depth in only the space of two semesters. (I took those same classes, by the way, so I know exactly what she's talking about.)

During the OT, yes, God's focus was on the Jews. Why? Because they're His people. Growing up, my focus was on my family - my siblings, my parents. Now, I'm married and going to have a baby - my focus is on my family - my husband, my child. OT; NT. God is ALWAYS about His family. In the OT, God's family consisted primarily of Jews (though there are instances of non-Jews being saved and pulled into the family - Rahab and Ruth for example). In the NT, Christ opened up the doors for everyone. God expanded His family because the people He'd chosen had rejected Him. However, His focus is always and ever His family.

About the "change of ideology:" God used the nation of Israel to deal out judgment to other nations. Again and again, that was the reason He gave for the Israelites to destroy other nations. He also used other nations for that same purpose. In fact, later on, He used Assyria to destroy Israel and Babylon to destroy Judah for their sin. God uses nations to judge other nations. That is a theme throughout the entire Bible. The Jews were not to mingle with other nations. Why? The same reason that Christians are not supposed to marry non-Christians. "Be not deceived: evil communication corrupt good manners." That means that evil living corrupts good living. God knew that if the Jews did not put up defenses against their wicked neighbors, they would fall into the same sins as their neighbors. This is EXACTLY what happened to Solomon. He married a bunch of women who were not Israelites and they turned his heart away from God to worship THEIR gods.

However, God placed Israel in a very important spot of the Middle East for a reason. Israel is in the exact spot where the trade routes have to go connecting the East with Africa. Israel was placed there for a reason - to have an impact on the world around them. Like Christians, they were in the world, but they were not supposed to be OF the world.

As for Lalaith's point about making converts by love or force, sadly, she has a point. Again, this reminds me of the movie, "The Kingdom of Heaven" in which "Christians" took up the "holy crusade" for Jerusalem. In which you can hear a man repeating again and again, "It is not murder to kill an infidel; it is the path to heaven." Sadly, these teachings were associated with Christianity, but they are not Christian. Part of the problem is that the umbrella of "Christianity" includes so many religions. Mormonism, Jehovah's Witness, Catholicism - these all, though VERY different, are branches of that massive religious tree that is Christianity. But are they really? Well, no. The Bible teaches that Christ IS God, not that Christ was created (as both Mormons and JW's teach). The Bible only teaches that we are to pray to God, not Mary nor any saint, a staple teaching of Catholicism. It is important that we not assume that because a person claims to be a Christian that they are actually FOLLOWING Christ, which is what the name once meant.

While I believe that John Calvin was a Christian and he was certainly used of God, he was a man and a sinful one, as are we all. Like Luther and any other big name a person could throw out there - they are fallen people and wicked and they sin. And sometimes, they are even sins as destructive as murder. They should not be excused for these wrongs; but neither can all the good they did be thrown out because of it.

For Lalaith's example, I have stated before what I believe regarding Christians praying for the deaths of others and how there is not a single NT example of a Christian taking such an approach, but rather quite the opposite with Stephen and our Lord Jesus both praying for their murderers while being killed.

In her closing, Lalaith has a very good point. FORCED Christianity  is not real Christianity. You will not get anywhere trying to force things on people. You may make "converts" but you will not make Christians - you CANNOT make Christians. Only God can. This is a large reason why I started my own blog, rather than posting comments on theirs. I did NOT want to force my beliefs on them, or continuously be throwing them in their face. As an example, when a girl gets engaged, she doesn't have to shove her ring in people's faces. They see the sparkle and they want a closer look. And then, it does not serve you well STILL to shove it in their face. Rather, you hold up your hand and let them look at it at the closeness they can best see it, turning it to this side and that as they wish.