Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God........

[nadroj1985]

Have you ever wondered why God had emotions in the Old Testament? If God is truly unchangeable, then he cannot have emotions that are constantly changing, right?

I was wondering about this, and the answer I came up with was that the OT writers were just using the concepts that they had at the time. They couldn't really imagine unchangeability, and so described God as "angry" and "jealous."

What are your thoughts on this everybody?

 

[Silver_Ingrid]

God has always been given human characteristics by human writers. I think the thought of an All Powerful being with no flaws was just too much for them to handle.

 

[cbk]

Please show me the scriptural text that you are using to show that God is unchangeable in regards to his emotions. IN this way, I can get a better understanding of where you are coming from.

IMO, God is a righteous God who STORES UP his judgements for the time of his choosing.

If you believe that God, emotionally, does not change, then what, pray tell, do you believe his one emotion to be??? Is it LOVE? Hate? Eternal frown on face?

If it is just complete love, then all will be saved and Christ did not need to die. For all is saved.

If it is hate, then all will be lost.

So, where do you stand? Is God one emotion? Or more? If one, which?

I will say that God is 'set' in regards to the fact that he will be just to those who stand before the judgement seat. Equally, all will be treated justly in accordance to His law.

 

[nadroj1985]

Please show me the scriptural text that you are using to show that God is unchangeable in regards to his emotions. IN this way, I can get a better understanding of where you are coming from.

I don't have a particular scripture in mind. I'm just referring to the general belief that God is unchangeable. If he is not, then why would he be God? I would say it is part of God's infinite nature that he is unchangeable.

IMO, God is a righteous God who STORES UP his judgements for the time of his choosing.

OK.....that's fine I suppose, but doesn't seem to have much to do with his emotions. Is justice an emotion?

If you believe that God, emotionally, does not change, then what, pray tell, do you believe his one emotion to be??? Is it LOVE? Hate? Eternal frown on face?

You're still operating under the assumption that God is bound by emotions. IMHO, this seems to be attributing human aspects to God in order to understand him. I would say he is love, but I'm not sure love is an emotion....

If it is just complete love, then all will be saved and Christ did not need to die. For all is saved.

If it is hate, then all will be lost.

Again, these are operating under the assumption that love and hate are emotions. I'm not sure they are.....maybe just states of being.......

So, where do you stand? Is God one emotion? Or more? If one, which?

I'm saying that God is not bound by emotions.

I will say that God is 'set' in regards to the fact that he will be just to those who stand before the judgement seat. Equally, all will be treated justly in accordance to His law.

Fair enough, but once again doesn't answer the question of why God appears to have emotions in the OT. That he is just is something we can agree on

 

[cbk]

Well, describe for me, if you will, God. And please don't say Commander Data...

 

[nadroj1985]

Well, describe for me, if you will, God. And please don't say Commander Data...

God is infinite. This seems to imply that he is all-powerful, omniscient, and unchangeable. Of course, these terms are beyond human understanding, so describing them or what the nature of God is, really, seem to me to be fallible. The only thing I'm sure of is that God is not how I imagine him, because I am merely a human, who could not possibly comprehend God's nature.

With that said, I believe in this God because I have a sense of something other than myself- something that interacts with me, and leads me. I recognize what I think is the essence of this God--love--in the Gospels when I read them, so my religion is Christianity.

Therefore, to quote the Darkness, "I Believe in a Thing Called Love." This loving God (which is kinda redundant) doesn't seem to be bound by emotions of anger, jealousy, etc. This God seems to me boundless, infinite, and unchangeable. For this reason, I don't see how this God could be angry, jealous, etc.

Hope that makes things clearer for you

 

[cbk]

Well, I understand your feelings.

I see God as MYSELF minus SINFUL DESIRES plus POWER.

I see God as JESUS plus the willingness to SUBMIT TO ANOTHER. Don't take me wrong, for, I also believe that Jesus WAS God, who lowered himself to show us that it can be done. That we can submit.

 

[nadroj1985]

Well, I understand your feelings.

I see God as MYSELF minus SINFUL DESIRES plus POWER.

I see God as JESUS plus the willingness to SUBMIT TO ANOTHER. Don't take me wrong, for, I also believe that Jesus WAS God, who lowered himself to show us that it can be done. That we can submit.

Could you elaborate on this a bit? I'm not sure I fully understand you. Specifically, why do you think Jesus' purpose was to show us how to submit to God? And what does this submission mean to you?

 

[GreenPartyVoter]

What God is NOT: An angry old guy with a flowing white beard ready to toss a lightning bolt at our sorry, imperfect behinds every chance He gets.

 

[nadroj1985]

What God is NOT: An angry old guy with a flowing white beard ready to toss a lightning bolt at our sorry, imperfect behinds every chance He gets.

Exactly. This is, while a bit of an extreme example, the kind of concept of God I would like to get rid of. By giving God human characteristics, such as emotions, we run the risk of oversimplifying God.

 

[Fideist]

I don't have a particular scripture in mind.

About the only one I'm aware of that says this explicitly is Malachi 3:6, but you have to take it out of context, because it really refers to God's unchanging faithfulness. And, that God can change, seems to be amply demonstrated in the story of Jonah.

 

[cbk]

Could you elaborate on this a bit? I'm not sure I fully understand you. Specifically, why do you think Jesus' purpose was to show us how to submit to God? And what does this submission mean to you?

Quite simply, we are to submit to the Will of God. Not resist. Submit.
Submission requires obedience to the laws of God and his specific purpose for you, the individual. Submit -- by NOT sinning. Submit -- by doing as God directs you. Submit -- by listening to God and doing what he asks of you. Submit -- by praising his name and turning to him in times of need.

Christ Jesus was the ONLY person to 100% do this. Everyone else has fallen short. But, through God's grace and mercy, we can ride Jesus' coat tails, if you will, into the land of promise. This can be done by entering into a covenant relationship with God THROUGH Christ Jesus, the perfect one. This covenant relationship is shown to us through God's Holy Word.