For 'Forgiven'...on fear vs. love
Submitted by Jules on January 26 2000 at 19:01:13
|
Hey my brother Forgiven, We haven't heard from you for a few weeks now. Are you still listening? You did suggest we could exchange email. I have prayed for you just now. You said way back on Boxing Day (Cute argument - bad theology) that there was a live issue in your church, and it sounded to be about law and grace and the difference between OT and NT. I meant to reply before, but better late than never. My impression of the Old Testament is different from yours. Through my studies, I have in recent months come to see much more of love in it. God creates people and places them in a paradise. Yes, there is a law, but it is given in a context of loving provision. God chooses Abraham to bless him, and then gives him circumcision as a sign of that. God brings the Israelites out of oppression in Egypt, and then gives them the law as a sign of their identity as a nation. The true Israelite was always supposed to obey the law out of loving gratitude to God, not fear of punishment. The whole metaphor of 'covenant' in the OT comes from the idea of a benevolent king graciously allowing another people group to live in his land, and then giving them the rules for their tenancy. The 'fear' of God is the respect naturally expected in this sort of arrangement. Grace comes before law. Let me know what you think. With love, Jules |