Trying to work on my Faith, but have some concerns. Need some real help here please=)

[WorkingOnFaith]

Hello All! My name is Mike, and I'm I guess what you would call a "Born-Again Christian."

I've recently had a ton of spiritual activity in my life, which kinda "shocked" me back into the faith. I've always had faith, but it's grown. Recently I was tasked with reading The Bible and I was immediately scared away. The reason I never fully got involved with "God" was because of a couple reasons. First, I always had prayed to him with no results. Maybe a 5% prayer return rate, which to me was enough to write it off as coincidence. And second, was because of the things I heard in The Bible that seemed evil to me. People had told me about them, but I never really took it in. When becoming closer to God again recently, and reading The Bible, I realized that these beliefs are INDEED TRUE! And I cannot go on with my faith, knowing that my God is a vengeful God.

When I think of "God," I tend to think more of Jesus. Jesus seems ever graceful, and God seems to give ultumatums.

So I've got some questions to see if "God" is really for me. But first a little about myself. I'm anti-violence, anti-revenge, anti-hatred, anti anything that hurts a human or animal, physically or mentally. I eat meat although I feel guilty when I do, because I think of the pain and suffering this causes the family of the dead animal, as well as the animal that died. If it weren't for my intense love for food and hope that my business will prosper/ex-fiancee will talk to me again, I probably would have forfeit my life a long time ago. I cannot STAND living in a world where I have to hurt others for my own personal gain. Animals, humans, everything.

In the Bible, you will notice a VERY different personality from God and Jesus. Jesus would look at a man who committed an act of evil and grace him. God would on the other hand, kill him, curse him..etc. I DO NOT SUPPORT THIS! I support Jesus! If a man were even to commit the ultimate evil of murdering me, I would wish he is forgiven and not convicted of a crime. This mercy would allow him to see the truth. Because this same mercy was shown to me to a lesser degree (like alcohol problems and such previously). Little backstory. I had a boss that knew of my addiction, and instead of punishing me, she showed me grace and gave me opportunity and helped me. If she were to fire me, I KNOW I would have just drank more. But because she graced me, I was able to move on and now I am SOBER! TODAY I AM SOBER! Because this act of grace reminded me of the wonderful people of this world.

So with that being said, here are the questions that I have -- and if these can be explained to me in a way that makes sense, I will forever be Christian. I am very analytical, so in order me to grasp the responses they will have to be very in depth. So an answer like "That cannot be answered, only God knows" or "Because he's God" will only lead me astray.

1 - Why does God approve of SLAVERY!? (Mentioned in The Bible, I can quote if necessary.)

2 - Why does God condemn homosexuality, when science has shown us that people cannot control this? I'm straight male btw.

3 - Why does God choose to GRACE some sinners, but KILL/TORTURE others? Or even, the snake that he "cursed."

4 - In Deuteronomy it mentions a few acts of torture (stoning) in response to some sexual acts. This is HORRIBLE! Jesus would NEVER allow this! Is it possible that this was misinterpreted, or is God truly evil himself?

5 - Why do people say "Jesus is Lord," but The Bible clearly demonstrates that Jesus ALWAYS acts with grace, even to the most evil of man? To me, this speaks that Jesus is righteous and God has some evil himself.

6 - Why do they say "God always forgives you" or "Repent and you shall be set free from your sins"..etc, when, in the Bible, God clearly doesn't forgive everybody. He sends them to hell for eternity with no chance to escape, he curses some sinners...etc. I don't want a man who commits ANY crime against me, my family, or my fellow man to be cursed! Because I know this will not lead him towards righteousness. It will only show to him, that our God is not always forgiving. Our prison systems have proven this. Look at the men who are shown mercy, a LOT of them go on to live productive lives because of this.

7 - They say the devil can attack at any time. Is it possible, that when writing The Bible, that the writers were influenced by the Devil, and that is why some of the text has God doing evil things? If the answer here is "Yes" then this answers all the other questions I asked. Because then it would ALL make sense!

Thank you for your time! And God Bless!

 

[David Roiel]

Hi Mike.

You're on to something! I just want to encourage you to ask the Spirit to reveal these things to you... ask God Himself. He will lead you, not me nor anybody else here. Jesus said "If anyone wants to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority." John 7:17... just ask Him.

1) Slavery - no. Paul speaks about this. You need to understand that just because godly people do horrible things doesn't justify it. The Bible often records things like that. As for the law... the Old Testament itself along with the book of Hebrews says that God "found fault" with it! You know the 10 commandments was given to the Israelites because they arrogantly said they were able to do everything He said?

2) I'm a scientist. Homosexuality is a sin just as any other sin. Let me say, the emotional (and spiritual) realm(s) can have a direct effect on the physical. A lot of homosexuality, I believe, is due to dysfunctional family life - in other words, there are psychological reasons that may cause people to drift into this type of sin - and any other sin for that matter. That being said let me end this point with this: God so loved the world... and thats including those who practice homosexuality!

3) I didn't understand you well. Let me say that all of the sin of mankind, past, present and future was punished on the cross. Jesus authoritatively forgave people... whether people receive that forgiveness or not is another matter entirely. All sins are forgiven, not all accept the gift.

4) "Jesus would NEVER allow this!" You're onto something buddy! Jesus is the prefect embodiment of the WILL of GOD! Can you think about that for a moment? I've responded to this a bit in pt. 1

5) I've answered this partially in point 3. But the consequence of sin and systems of human justice on earth can't be mixed with God's forgiveness. On the cross, Jesus took the punishment, that every man and woman, ever born or yet to be born, deserves for every sin we and they committed or will commit. Case closed, declared righteous - to all who receive that gift. But without human justice the world would be chaotic. There is a natural principle here and God speaks about this too... that of sowing and reaping. So those in prison, or those who've done wrong and have gotten away with it, are all forgiven by God etc... but suffer (or escape at least some of) the consequences.

7) I believe the Bible is inspired by God. When I was searching for God I asked Him to reveal Himself to me. I was an atheist at the time and He told me in my heart "Jesus is the Truth". I began to read the Bible as a historical book; good things inside, but it was the words of men, so I said. But the Holy Spirit witnessed to me about it; He told me it was my Father's words. Thats why I believe the Bible is God's word - not because of Christian apologetics or because it says so or anybody else says so. Now that being said I just want to throw this out at you: You see God the way you think He is... you can paint any picture with the colors you like it. Remember, Jesus is telling you always what God's will is.

Hope you were blessed and feel free to email me or anything if you want more.
Bye.
David

 

[Life2Christ]

In the Bible, you will notice a VERY different personality from God and Jesus. Jesus would look at a man who committed an act of evil and grace him. God would on the other hand, kill him, curse him..etc. I DO NOT SUPPORT THIS! I support Jesus!

I wish I had time to go through all your points but I'll briefly address this. The Old Testament God was full of wrath at times but also of love. Pre-Moses (before the law was written) God was dealing with a raw population (people with no sense of civility, ethics or morals). For example things like incest and inappropriate behavior with animals were running rampant among other things. So this era was about "taming" of the humans.

Moses was chosen to bring the law of the land to the people. Now we are getting down to business. Now people will see the miracle of God and change. Now we will start to love one another, now God doesn't have to bring the pain to those who defile others. Enter Israel, God's chosen.

Ok so did people follow the law? Some did (to the extreme!!!) and others didn't. The problem with laws is that while those follow them to the T they tend to think they are God himself. Others throw the law away. The law is still good and holy but the execution was still far off.

What is a God to do?

Enter Jesus Christ. God becomes man. The engineer of the course becomes a runner in the race. HE comes to tell us "hey, you know the law? Love fulfills the law." Jesus starts a mission to say hey, that wrathful God is still out there but I'm here to tell you what you need to succeed. I'm warning you to listen to me otherwise there will be hell to pay. He showed how love fulfills the law by healing the sick, performing miracles, befriending outcasts to prove that you don't need to be a self-righteous hooligan to impress God.

God and Jesus are one. Don't be fooled into thinking they are two separate entities.

 

[Inkachu]

I eat meat although I feel guilty when I do, because I think of the pain and suffering this causes the family of the dead animal, as well as the animal that died.

This threw me off... like, majorly... you really believe that cows and chickens and the like, live with their "families"? They don't.

I wish I had time to go through all your points but I'll briefly address this. The Old Testament God was full of wrath at times but also of love. Pre-Moses (before the law was written) God was dealing with a raw population (people with no sense of civility, ethics or morals). For example things like incest and inappropriate behavior with animals were running rampant among other things. So this era was about "taming" of the humans.

Moses was chosen to bring the law of the land to the people. Now we are getting down to business. Now people will see the miracle of God and change. Now we will start to love one another, now God doesn't have to bring the pain to those who defile others. Enter Israel, God's chosen.

Ok so did people follow the law? Some did (to the extreme!!!) and others didn't. The problem with laws is that while those follow them to the T they tend to think they are God himself. Others throw the law away. The law is still good and holy but the execution was still far off.

What is a God to do?

Enter Jesus Christ. God becomes man. The engineer of the course becomes a runner in the race. HE comes to tell us "hey, you know the law? Love fulfills the law." Jesus starts a mission to say hey, that wrathful God is still out there but I'm here to tell you what you need to succeed. I'm warning you to listen to me otherwise there will be hell to pay. He showed how love fulfills the law by healing the sick, performing miracles, befriending outcasts to prove that you don't need to a self-righteous hooligan to impress God.

God and Jesus are one. Don't be fooled into thinking they are two separate entities.

This is GREAT advice and wisdom. Read it a few times!

 

[aiki]

When becoming closer to God again recently, and reading The Bible, I realized that these beliefs are INDEED TRUE! And I cannot go on with my faith, knowing that my God is a vengeful God.

Upon what is God vengeful? Is He just irrationally and capriciously vengeful? Or is He pursuing some specific purpose through His vengeance?

Should we not punish a murderer or rapist? When we lock up a criminal in prison, are we not being vengeful? He is being punished for his crime, after all. But such vengeance is necessary, is it not? It is just and right. Without such vengeance rendered upon evil, society would quickly descend into chaos and destruction!

Could it be that God's vengeance serves a similar purpose?

In the Bible, you will notice a VERY different personality from God and Jesus. Jesus would look at a man who committed an act of evil and grace him. God would on the other hand, kill him, curse him..etc. I DO NOT SUPPORT THIS!

Um, I don't think you've read the Bible carefully. Jesus taught that we ought to love our enemies but he also called the Pharisees a "brood of vipers," "white-washed tombs full of dead men's bones," "hypocrites," and "sons of hell." God is a God of love, but He is also a God of justice and holiness. In fact, God's love is tempered and shaped by his holiness; for love without holiness becomes monstrous. In the Bible you see Jesus dying on the cross for our sins, but you also see him condemning wickedness and threatening eternal punishment upon unrepentant sinners. Love and holiness are in a necessary and perfect balance in the God-man.

God kills us all. He gives us life and He takes it. This is His right as God. Would you condemn God for doing what He pleases with what He has made?

1 - Why does God approve of SLAVERY!? (Mentioned in The Bible, I can quote if necessary.)

He doesn't. He allowed for indentured servitude in Israel, but God never condoned slavery. Slaves in Israel were not slaves of the sort we read of in stories of the Old South of America. They had rights and freedoms no slave of the South ever had! And they remained in servitude only for a maximum of six years. In fact, those in servitude in Israel could have servants of their own! The indentured servitude God allowed in Israel actually protected those who had become completely financially insolvent from destitution and starvation.

2 - Why does God condemn homosexuality, when science has shown us that people cannot control this? I'm straight male btw.

Two things:

1.) God condemns homosexuality because it is a perversion of His intended design for sexuality. God created sexuality; He gets to determine how it should be.
2.) Science has not proven that homosexuality is congenital. Twin studies, hormonal studies, brain studies - none of them have uncovered concrete evidence that homosexuality is determined at birth. In fact, the more research is done in the area of the origin of homosexuality, the more evidence is piling up that indicates that homosexuality is psycho-social in origin, not genetic.

3 - Why does God choose to GRACE some sinners, but KILL/TORTURE others? Or even, the snake that he "cursed."

God responds to our choices. If we choose Him as Heavenly Father, He meets us with love and grace. If we choose to defy Him and serve ourselves, He meets us as our wrathful Judge.

God punishes sin so harshly, not because He overreacts to sin, but because sin is so truly horrible it deserves eternal punishment in hell. We are comfortable with sin and so we wonder why God is so bent by it. But this is a problem with us, not with God.

4 - In Deuteronomy it mentions a few acts of torture (stoning) in response to some sexual acts. This is HORRIBLE! Jesus would NEVER allow this! Is it possible that this was misinterpreted, or is God truly evil himself?

Why is God evil when He decides how sin ought to be punished? Whose right is it to decide such things, if not God's? God isn't horrible for judging sin harshly; we are too easy with sin, too friendly with it to recognize that it deserves the punishment God gives it.

5 - Why do people say "Jesus is Lord," but The Bible clearly demonstrates that Jesus ALWAYS acts with grace, even to the most evil of man? To me, this speaks that Jesus is righteous and God has some evil himself.

I don't see how. Jesus said that he and God the Father were one. Whatever Jesus did, he did as God. You see an expression of God the Father in Jesus. This is why we say, "Jesus is Lord." He is. This is what the Bible clearly teaches.

In further answer to your question, consider what I shared with you above about Jesus' words to the Pharisees.

6 - Why do they say "God always forgives you" or "Repent and you shall be set free from your sins"..etc, when, in the Bible, God clearly doesn't forgive everybody. He sends them to hell for eternity with no chance to escape, he curses some sinners...etc.

Who is "they"? God does always forgive - when we confess and repent.

I don't want a man who commits ANY crime against me, my family, or my fellow man to be cursed! Because I know this will not lead him towards righteousness.

You don't know that, actually. It may have been the case with you, but this by no means guarantees it will be the case for everyone else.

I should like to know how you would respond if a man raped and murdered your wife and children before your eyes. Would you embrace him and say, "I love you!" Would this be the right thing to do? Where is justice in such a response? What about Hitler? He ordered the extermination of millions of people! What is the just thing to do in response to his staggering evil?

It will only show to him, that our God is not always forgiving.

He is always forgiving. But if we refuse to confess and repent of our sin, His forgiveness is not applied to us. And forgiveness doesn't always equate to escaping the consequences of our evil deeds. A man may be forgiven for killing, butchering and eating dozens of young men, but he will still justly and rightly be executed for doing so.

Our prison systems have proven this. Look at the men who are shown mercy, a LOT of them go on to live productive lives because of this.

And a lot of them don't.

7 - They say the devil can attack at any time.

Again, who is "they"? The Bible does not teach that the devil can attack at any time. See the story of Job.

Is it possible, that when writing The Bible, that the writers were influenced by the Devil, and that is why some of the text has God doing evil things?

Anything is possible; but that doesn't mean anything is probable. In reality, many possible things are quite improbable. The idea that the devil screwed up the writing of God's Word is one of those very improbable things.

If the answer here is "Yes" then this answers all the other questions I asked. Because then it would ALL make sense!

Well, it would certainly be a simplistic and convenient answer to your questions.

Selah.

 

[Dancing Mad]

Hello All! My name is Mike, and I'm I guess what you would call a "Born-Again Christian."

I've recently had a ton of spiritual activity in my life, which kinda "shocked" me back into the faith. I've always had faith, but it's grown. Recently I was tasked with reading The Bible and I was immediately scared away. The reason I never fully got involved with "God" was because of a couple reasons. First, I always had prayed to him with no results. Maybe a 5% prayer return rate, which to me was enough to write it off as coincidence. And second, was because of the things I heard in The Bible that seemed evil to me. People had told me about them, but I never really took it in. When becoming closer to God again recently, and reading The Bible, I realized that these beliefs are INDEED TRUE! And I cannot go on with my faith, knowing that my God is a vengeful God.

When I think of "God," I tend to think more of Jesus. Jesus seems ever graceful, and God seems to give ultumatums.

So I've got some questions to see if "God" is really for me. But first a little about myself. I'm anti-violence, anti-revenge, anti-hatred, anti anything that hurts a human or animal, physically or mentally. I eat meat although I feel guilty when I do, because I think of the pain and suffering this causes the family of the dead animal, as well as the animal that died. If it weren't for my intense love for food and hope that my business will prosper/ex-fiancee will talk to me again, I probably would have forfeit my life a long time ago. I cannot STAND living in a world where I have to hurt others for my own personal gain. Animals, humans, everything.

In the Bible, you will notice a VERY different personality from God and Jesus. Jesus would look at a man who committed an act of evil and grace him. God would on the other hand, kill him, curse him..etc. I DO NOT SUPPORT THIS! I support Jesus! If a man were even to commit the ultimate evil of murdering me, I would wish he is forgiven and not convicted of a crime. This mercy would allow him to see the truth. Because this same mercy was shown to me to a lesser degree (like alcohol problems and such previously). Little backstory. I had a boss that knew of my addiction, and instead of punishing me, she showed me grace and gave me opportunity and helped me. If she were to fire me, I KNOW I would have just drank more. But because she graced me, I was able to move on and now I am SOBER! TODAY I AM SOBER! Because this act of grace reminded me of the wonderful people of this world.

So with that being said, here are the questions that I have -- and if these can be explained to me in a way that makes sense, I will forever be Christian. I am very analytical, so in order me to grasp the responses they will have to be very in depth. So an answer like "That cannot be answered, only God knows" or "Because he's God" will only lead me astray.

1 - Why does God approve of SLAVERY!? (Mentioned in The Bible, I can quote if necessary.)

2 - Why does God condemn homosexuality, when science has shown us that people cannot control this? I'm straight male btw.

3 - Why does God choose to GRACE some sinners, but KILL/TORTURE others? Or even, the snake that he "cursed."

4 - In Deuteronomy it mentions a few acts of torture (stoning) in response to some sexual acts. This is HORRIBLE! Jesus would NEVER allow this! Is it possible that this was misinterpreted, or is God truly evil himself?

5 - Why do people say "Jesus is Lord," but The Bible clearly demonstrates that Jesus ALWAYS acts with grace, even to the most evil of man? To me, this speaks that Jesus is righteous and God has some evil himself.

6 - Why do they say "God always forgives you" or "Repent and you shall be set free from your sins"..etc, when, in the Bible, God clearly doesn't forgive everybody. He sends them to hell for eternity with no chance to escape, he curses some sinners...etc. I don't want a man who commits ANY crime against me, my family, or my fellow man to be cursed! Because I know this will not lead him towards righteousness. It will only show to him, that our God is not always forgiving. Our prison systems have proven this. Look at the men who are shown mercy, a LOT of them go on to live productive lives because of this.

7 - They say the devil can attack at any time. Is it possible, that when writing The Bible, that the writers were influenced by the Devil, and that is why some of the text has God doing evil things? If the answer here is "Yes" then this answers all the other questions I asked. Because then it would ALL make sense!

Thank you for your time! And God Bless!

Don't feel bad; I told my mother that God dwells in "thick darkness" as the bible says and her response was, "HUH????!! I thought God was Light." So I understand your confusion over these things.

You're not the first person to notice these things and I highly doubt you will be the last either. So it goes.

You are right, James and Jesus said to only bless, not curse their enemies. Jesus even advocated praying for (not against) one's enemies. A stark contrast between what the Hebrew bible says to do to one's enemies.

Now, to try and answer your questions, here goes:

1. Slavery was beneficial to the Jews, so they practiced it. What's better, killing war criminals or making them your slaves? You were forbidden from killing your slaves, though beating them was acceptable. If you knocked out an eye or tooth, they got to go free (but why would you do that to a slave that is working for you anyway?)

2. God condemns many normal things, including straight lust. Humans are born damned anyhow, because of original sin and Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit, seeking knowledge. They got knowledge, but it came at a heavy price. Even though people may be influenced by genetics to be gay, it's still a sin. Is it fair? We are not to question.

3. God is free to do whatever he wishes, Psalm 115:3. If he wants to raise up some and punish others, or harden people, like he did to Pharaoh, he is sovereign to do so. Read Job.

4. Stoning is a capital offense for many crimes in the old testament, including picking up sticks on Saturday and for mouthing back to your parents. Remember that, next time you want to question authority!

5. I don't get your question here. Jesus is Lord is attesting to his divinity, it has nothing to do with the rest of your question. Can you ask this in a better way?

6. God's ways are not man's ways. God is sovereign and chooses to curse some to show off his might and power. As he did with Pharaoh. Romans 9 explains this better.

7. No, the devil only works for God and is his right hand man, nothing more. He can only do what God allows, as we read in the book of Job. In the Bible, God even admits that he is the only God and that he creates both good and evil, light and darkness (Isaiah 45:7). God is sovereign over all.

I hope this helps.

 

[Johnnz]

Hello All! My name is Mike, and I'm I guess what you would call a "Born-Again Christian."

I've recently had a ton of spiritual activity in my life, which kinda "shocked" me back into the faith. I've always had faith, but it's grown. Recently I was tasked with reading The Bible and I was immediately scared away. The reason I never fully got involved with "God" was because of a couple reasons. First, I always had prayed to him with no results. Maybe a 5% prayer return rate, which to me was enough to write it off as coincidence. And second, was because of the things I heard in The Bible that seemed evil to me. People had told me about them, but I never really took it in. When becoming closer to God again recently, and reading The Bible, I realized that these beliefs are INDEED TRUE! And I cannot go on with my faith, knowing that my God is a vengeful God.

When I think of "God," I tend to think more of Jesus. Jesus seems ever graceful, and God seems to give ultumatums.

Jesus reveals God to us. "If you have seen me you have seen the Father." The relationship between Father and Son is at the core of the Gospel and we are invited to share in it.

So I've got some questions to see if "God" is really for me. But first a little about myself. I'm anti-violence, anti-revenge, anti-hatred, anti anything that hurts a human or animal, physically or mentally. I eat meat although I feel guilty when I do, because I think of the pain and suffering this causes the family of the dead animal, as well as the animal that died. If it weren't for my intense love for food and hope that my business will prosper/ex-fiancee will talk to me again, I probably would have forfeit my life a long time ago. I cannot STAND living in a world where I have to hurt others for my own personal gain. Animals, humans, everything.

We live in a fallen world that one day wil be changed. Meantime this is where we live.

In the Bible, you will notice a VERY different personality from God and Jesus. Jesus would look at a man who committed an act of evil and grace him. God would on the other hand, kill him, curse him..etc. I DO NOT SUPPORT THIS! I support Jesus! If a man were even to commit the ultimate evil of murdering me, I would wish he is forgiven and not convicted of a crime. This mercy would allow him to see the truth. Because this same mercy was shown to me to a lesser degree (like alcohol problems and such previously). Little backstory. I had a boss that knew of my addiction, and instead of punishing me, she showed me grace and gave me opportunity and helped me. If she were to fire me, I KNOW I would have just drank more. But because she graced me, I was able to move on and now I am SOBER! TODAY I AM SOBER! Because this act of grace reminded me of the wonderful people of this world.

You will find God's amazing mercy throughout the OT if you read it carefully.

So with that being said, here are the questions that I have -- and if these can be explained to me in a way that makes sense, I will forever be Christian. I am very analytical, so in order me to grasp the responses they will have to be very in depth. So an answer like "That cannot be answered, only God knows" or "Because he's God" will only lead me astray.

1 - Why does God approve of SLAVERY!? (Mentioned in The Bible, I can quote if necessary.)

God does not approve of slavery. Christians opposed and eventually slavery was declared illegal by Rome. God comes to humanity within our historical and cultural seetings. God would regulate for some things, but ancient cultures were not modern industrialised democracies.

2 - Why does God condemn homosexuality, when science has shown us that people cannot control this? I'm straight male btw.

God created humans as sexual beings. As such he wanted the optimum for us. Sex was designed for mutual intimacy in a heterosexual binding relationship where children would be raised safely and well. Anything less departs from that ideal.

3 - Why does God choose to GRACE some sinners, but KILL/TORTURE others? Or even, the snake that he "cursed."

You are not suggesting that evil is left alone are you? Justice is not a vaporous concept.

4 - In Deuteronomy it mentions a few acts of torture (stoning) in response to some sexual acts. This is HORRIBLE! Jesus would NEVER allow this! Is it possible that this was misinterpreted, or is God truly evil himself?

God saw some things as being very destructive of people. Unrestrained sexuality is one such thing. In the ancient world it most often lead to demeaning women and even child sacrifice.

5 - Why do people say "Jesus is Lord," but The Bible clearly demonstrates that Jesus ALWAYS acts with grace, even to the most evil of man? To me, this speaks that Jesus is righteous and God has some evil himself.

You cannot divide God and Jesus like that. They are one. There is no terrifying, judgmental God behind a loving Jesus - "God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself" states scripture.

6 - Why do they say "God always forgives you" or "Repent and you shall be set free from your sins"..etc, when, in the Bible, God clearly doesn't forgive everybody. He sends them to hell for eternity with no chance to escape, he curses some sinners...etc. I don't want a man who commits ANY crime against me, my family, or my fellow man to be cursed! Because I know this will not lead him towards righteousness. It will only show to him, that our God is not always forgiving. Our prison systems have proven this. Look at the men who are shown mercy, a LOT of them go on to live productive lives because of this.

God's offer is there for everyone, but He gives each person the option of accepting or rejecting it. Some theologies are more restrictive though, but I do not accept the adequacy of their biblical exegesis.

7 - They say the devil can attack at any time. Is it possible, that when writing The Bible, that the writers were influenced by the Devil, and that is why some of the text has God doing evil things? If the answer here is "Yes" then this answers all the other questions I asked. Because then it would ALL make sense!

Some seem over concerned with the devil and evil in general. Rather who God is and what Jesus has accomplished and is inviting us to share in should be our emphasis. Jesus came to give us life, not some prospects of getting mugged by some evil power unless we are extra careful.

Thank you for your time! And God Bless!

Hope this stimulates your thinking a bit. You do need some far healthier teaching it seems.

Bless you
John
NZ

 

[Pal Handy]

God is love...

In the Old Testament God showed His love by making laws that if
obeyed would cause His people to live in love, peace and harmony with each other and with Him as their God.

If you look at the law you will see that the bulk of it is about how we treat each other and if followed will ensure that life will not be lived
in fear or in sorrow but wil produce godly harmony between those He loves
which is all people.

So what good is the law if there is no consequences for breaking it?

Same with our own laws such as speeding, stealing, perjury, armed robbery,
child abuse, domestic violence or murder.

We have laws that if broken, a punishment will be imposed by a judge.

God is greater than men and so He has the right to impose punishment
upon those who break His laws and yet we would say that He is cruel
when He carries out His righteous judgment against those who sinned
against others and harmed them and brought destruction into the lives of the innocent.

God judged nations because when He warned them to stop their
sacrifice of their child by burning them alive to demon gods and
they refused to heed His warnings, God imposed His punishment upon them.

God has the right to judge us as He is greater than us so when we accuse
Him of being morally deficeint while we insist that we are morally superior to God,
we have through our pride and arrogance, exalted ourselves above God and make ourselves His judge.

God did not single out homosexuality above all other sexual sin.
God has declared that all sex outside of marriage between one man and one woman is sin.

God has a right to tell us how He has ordained our relationships with each other to be.

God has made us and He knows what is best for us and so when He reserves sex for marriage alone,
it is for our good, to promote stable families in which a man and a woman will bring a balance and
harmony into the lives of our children so that they will grow up in God's best plan for their lives.

Jesus Christ came and made peace between God and man.
God no longer brings judgment as He once did but has reserved
the right to judge all men at the end of the world.

We all live in a time of God's grace and mercy as God has refrained from
judgment for a period of time so that as many as will receive His son Jesus Christ,
will be pardoned and given eternal life.

God has always been about love, even when He judged those nations
who sacrificed their child alive to be burned to death to their demon gods,
that incited them to hate the Jewish people and to war against them in
an effort to wipe them off the earth so that the promise of Christ would not come to pass.

God had promised that the Christ would come through the Jewish people
so satan incited those that worshipped him, to make war and destroy
God's people and so destroy God's promise of the Messiah that would come.

God's love was in His judgments.

If God had not warned those nations and then judged them when
they would not repent of their following satan, God's promised
Messiah would not have come because these nations would have
destroyed God's people.

Yes God works with people...
Yes God promised His Mesiah would come through those who willingly
surrendered their lives to Him and put themsevles in God hands
and His will for themselves and for the Jewish nation.

Hope some of this helps you...

If you have any questions, let me know...

 

[thatforumguy77]

If you study the Bible, not as separate books and passages, but one big whole, you see this repeated - of the plan to reconcile God's merciful nature and God' just nature. God is Love, yes, but God can also be moved to Anger, to Sorrow, to Joy. God has emotions beyond what is being painted of Him as pure judgement.

Through Adam's disobedience, Sin entered the world. Through disobedience, we have become born naturally sinful by inheritance, meaning naturally selfish, thus less capable of understanding God. Through disobedience, we have become flawed creations and thus, cannot enter a perfect Eden, cannot be justified with a Perfect God, for to do so will be unjust. After all, Sin's penalty is death. The entire Bible is a way to defeat the hold of that Sin in the Man he loves so much. LifetoChrist has pretty much summarized this process... from Adam, to the Law of Moses, to the pride and condemnation found in the Law, and finally, to the redemption in Christ. For Christ, God himself, died for our sins - and the bloodprice for our sins are now fully paid to overflowing that we can finally be saved and justified in front of a just God.

God has authority to do this things because He is God. And while I know it's not the answer you seek - this must be said - because it's less about our own perspectives on this matter, and more on God's perspective. Our moral view of the world is tainted by our selfish, sinful nature, and thus imperfect. No matter how much we try we cannot be morally perfect. How then can we assume to judge?

But since you have many other questions, let's tackle them one by one:

1 - Slavery in the Bible
Paul addresses slavery, and how slaves should be obedient, and also how masters should be loving to their slaves. He does not condone rebellion, which is violent, and not according to the fruits of the Spirit - kindness, gentleness, long patience (for rebelling against slavery would lead to this... Spartacus died violently trying to supress it, Lincoln had to wage a long bloody war for liberating people) So, Paul addressed this, the peaceful solution. Through this, Paul still preaches the Gospel of love (love of others), not the opposite.

2 - Homosexuality and Science
Science looks at their physical facts and assumes that is everything that a human being is. For science, man is a biological machine, thats why it assumes this. But Humans have a Spiritual side. Thus, science studies only the "Natural" man, and not the "Spiritual" man, which is one of the main conflicts Christianity is about. Science says you cannot control it (physical impulses, genetics), but the Bible says you can (It is impossible for Man, but all things are possible for God) - what then will you believe in?

3 - Grace vs. Punishment
Old Testament demands death to sinners. New testament has allowed sinners to be saved. The snake is the Enemy. The Gospel of Grace is extended to those who are heirs to the father, not everyone. Grace is an inheritance we receive the moment we are adopted from the family of the Enemy. What about God's mercy, then, does this prove that He is unmerciful to some and not to others. Think about a father - will a father be merciful for those who swear harm to his children, who constantly tempt them away from his good house? In the same way is the Enemy doomed once judgement comes.

4 - Stoning, Mosaic Law, and the New Covenant
This was according to Mosaic Law, stoning is less about pain and death to an individual, but a means to "stone" and "obliterate" the seed that has so tainted Israel's line. It is a means to keep pure the line of Abraham and David. If the line is tainted, then they may also inherit the sin - like the sin of Adam - and thus be unworthy of God. This violent act spawns self-righteousness and hatred, which is not according to God's commandments. It is of the old testament because the Lamb has yet to clean the sinners forevermore from such sin and such death and pain. The people of the Old testament has not seen the promise, because the promise is yet to be enacted through the prophecy of the Messiah, thus giving birth to a new gospel, a new testament, a new covenant, and thus a new family of God - no longer bound to the flawed and imperfect line of Abraham which also comes from the line of Adam who sinned, but one from Christ himself, continuing the line, but also giving it new birth through the perfection found in his godly nature. From the Adam family are we adopted to Christ's family, and thus saved.

5 - Jesus and God, one?
They are one and the same. In the beginning is the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Christ comes bearing God's own words, in fact, God gave Christ his everything, thus Christ now has the authority to judge. Read the Book of Hosea (a precursor to the New Testament) before you speak of such things about God the Father! Remember even Christ was driven to anger for those who defiled his Father's temple!

6 - God forgives all?
Yes, look at the Prison system. Some are renewed, but some aren't. In the same way, God separates the chaff from the wheat in judgement day. Not all have the capacity to understand the good Gospel, because some are planted not by God, but by the Enemy - some are too worldly, while some are spiritual. Whatever the case, all have sinned, all are condemned. But God gave us Christ, "God with Us," so that He can represent us in front of God, becoming the mediator. Christ is our lawyer, so to speak, in that day that we all give an account of ourselves. But first you must believe in Him and allow Him to represent us.

7 - The Bible's authenticity
How can you doubt the Bible? This is our faith. Study the Bible - it is historical. But more than that, it is God-breathed and inspired by the Spirit. It is flawless. There is no contradiction to the Bible (for the casual observer, they may say otherwise, but for the serious scholar of historical and social norms of the time, they will know its flawless accuracy.) Also study the virtues and principles, and you will find the unified thread from beginning to end. Understand the historical jounrey from Old to New testament, the old and new covenants, the journey from Law to Grace, all unified in one book that chronicles, and advices, and teaches, and exhorts at the same time. Don't make sense of things by omission. If you want the Bible to make sense, study it seriously, make detailed studies, look at commentaries, make deep readings of each passage, do this every day and not jump into judgments - if you do this, the Bible will speak and it "will make sense."

 

[WorkingOnFaith]

Slavery, Stoning, Vengeance, Violence, Hatred. These are very scary words and all supported by God, AND the Devil. I have been further pushed away. This is very scary to see.

"to "stone" and "obliterate" the seed that has so tainted Israel's line"

Has this worked? Or does sin still exist today? We know today that it has NOT worked, and sin still exists. Let's look at FACTS here. If the "goal" here is to purge the evil, then let's take a look at how this "purging" does not work.

If you study the ghettos, the justice system, the acts of vengeance carried out, slavery..etc. We see that these have in fact only created MORE evil, NOT LESS. I'd mention all the facts here, but you are free to look up the unbiased studies yourself. If God intends these acts as a means of purging evil, but facts show us that they have only created more -- then doesn't this mean that God supports evil?

How much longer will this attempt to "purge" go on? God is omnipotent, omnipresent, is he not? If he sees that these acts are working against him, why does it continue to go on?

 

[WorkingOnFaith]

"to "stone" and "obliterate" the seed that has so tainted Israel's line"

I'd like to add even more to this. First, if that is the purpose, then why not give at a minimum, a more peaceful death? Second, if we take a look at the big picture, we see many people, such as myself posting here, whom are SCARED AWAY from God because of these reasons. Which proves, by factual evidence, that this is counterproductive.

If we take a look at individual punishment, one might see this as "one less evil in this world." But, if we ask ourselves to look at the big picture here, the same picture God would see if he is omnipresent, we see that today there are MORE evils. There is addictions to even more drugs not mentioned in the bible, AND more "crimes" that weren't mentioned either. Now if you say that I am looking at this worldly, let's take a look at it spiritually. Imagine you are the eye in the sky. Able to see everything. You see that people are being pushed away from God due to these fears. And thus, the Kingdom of God is not growing at the rate God would want it to.

Keep in mind that I registered this account, and am posting here with my debates, so that I can get an answer and get closer to God. My intentions are to learn, as I DO know there is a spiritual presence out there. I WANT to know God, more and more.

 

[thatforumguy77]

Obviously, the stoning did not work, that was Jewish law, and this law that tries to stop sin by obedience, further leads man to sin, (Paul spoke of this) thus it is this very reason the New Covenant is made. Because the old law cannot be performed by man that is imperfect. Thus God, who is moved by his people's cries, has decided to stop punishing them for their sins, and enacted a new covenant of Grace, where he will allure the sinner from their wilderness and into the safety found in Him. This decision of God to change the rules were found even in the Old Testament, but fulfilled in the body of Christ.

Look to Christ, God himself - what was his response to the people who want to stone the adulterous woman? That the first without sin should step forward and cast the first stone. It was a rebuke that those who were about to stone a woman were themselves sinful and had no right to do this violent act. And we must understand that Christ, being sinless, had every authority to do so, but he did not, and instead forgave her her sins even before she asked for it. This is the merciful God fulfilled, shouldering all sin into himself and dying in the cross for it. Thus paying all blood price. because yes, we all deserve to die, but through Him, we are allowed life. Sin still exists, it will continue to exist until judgement day, but the power of sin is destroyed for the ones who are reborn "from above," born again.

The modern-day "purging" you speak of is man-made, and not sanctified by God. It is tempting to blame God for everything when it is actually Sin and Man's flawed nature that is at work. Remember, the Prince of this World is the Enemy, and he is the tempter, who would lead many away from the Gospel. God does not tempt, no evil abides in him. The reason you see things that way, is you only see the physical, and not the spiritual. When you imagine spiritual, do you imagine looking at things from the clouds and seeing still the physical pain? That's a physical representation of "spiritual."

Now look at the spiritual things at work: perseverance, faith, love, endurance... the apostles and the early disciples of Christ were similarly struck by the same tortures yet God sees their spirit amidst the physical. The things in this world is passing, justice is corrupt in this world, and any type of human wisdom is flawed. Ecclesiastes says this much, that everything is meaningless. But it ends in the spirit, which is the only one that matters. Does man cease to live when they die here? No, there is life after death. This world is merely the battlefield where the armies of good and evil clash for the souls of the believers, and only through Christ can there be salvation. Only through Christ is there meaning through all these because it is through Him we find meaning. Not only in the salvation enacted, but the promise of what is yet to come. With such goal, life no longer becomes unjust, but becomes a battlefield to prove ourselves true to his calling.

 

[WorkingOnFaith]

Obviously, the stoning did not work, that was Jewish law...

This is the best answer I have received, EVER, to this question. Thank you. I'll chew on this for a bit.

I have a few more questions.

1 - You mention that God was moved by the people's cries. Does this mean that man, to some extent, has the power to influence God, at all times? What are the conditions of which this can happen? And is this Biblical? If so, which verse?

2 - You mention that the justice IS corrupt and is by Man, not by God. Does this mean that the government truly does NOT believe in God, but is influenced by the devil? As we see falsely accused men and women, overpunishment, and special treatment to some individuals (based on what?)...

3 - If #2 is true, what is the Christian Kingdom doing to change this?

4 - If #2 is true - I personally agree with government on most things, but I do see some corruption which I disagree with. God says to move by faith not by fear (right? or something like that?) Does this mean that I should not fear to stand up to the government, and try to influence them?

5 - If "yes" to #4 - then I ask - worldly we see that simply voting is not accomplishing our goals and is actually in a lot of cases working against us. I am sure many are praying for movement, but we see that it is not enough. What should I personally do, that will not offend the government, but will be more effective than simply voting, if I wish to help carry out God's mission in the political world?

 

[thatforumguy77]

1. Yes! God's will was changed because he heard Israel's cries in Egypt. God's covenant was changed because he heard the cries of pain of Israel. God's will changed when he spared Nineveh from destruction. He can be influenced because he is a feeling God, and like a father he can be influenced by the cries of a child. Like a powerful warrior can be touched by the cry of an infant child, we too can cry out and still God's hand.

2. God's justice is perfect (that's why Adam's disobedience made a domino effect of epic proportions) but man's justice is very flawed and can itself be used by the Enemy to lead the world to sin. When Christ left us to ascension, he said, that when he leaves, the Prince of this world will be unleashed, and everyone will be under his mercy. This is the Enemy. But he gives us consolation: that he will leave to us the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, who will guide us through this difficult time - making clear all lessons and parables that he had hidden from our understanding during his stay here. It is through the Spirit that we come closer to God's truth, and the grace that he provides us so that the world no longer has a hold on us.

3. The judgment day is the day that all things will find completion, and thus all things solved. It's scary for some people, because Revelation uses such scary imagery - but like birth pains, these are the things that must come before the birth of a perfect Kingdom of God. Some say that these injustices enacted by Man are signs that the kingdom is near - me, honestly, I don't know, but we should be always ready in case it does, because the world does seem to go on a rapid downward spiral nowadays.

4. The Apostles in the past were punished and executed for speaking out against the norm. Paul however tells us not to go against governments, not to rebel, but instead to focus our duty to the kingdom above. If, however, the government punishes us for speaking out according to our faith, we must simply persevere. Throughout the Bible, none of the saints enacted a single act of rebellion. (Not even David! For he respected Saul's sancitification as king.) Macabees, which some Catholic bibles include, has a rebellion, which I believe should not be in the bible at all since its contrary to the teachings found therein. That said, peaceful influence is biblical. By all means, run for office or something and introduce the Word to the governing bodies. Some saints rose to be kings, or advisors of pharoahs. Most prophets spoke to Kings, rebuked them openly sometimes, or encouraged them, but never did they raise arms against governments.

5. Since voting isn't doing it for you anymore - I suggest simply going beyond praying and acting upon our salvation. Some Christians are content with simply praying, but this isn't enough. We are called to bear good fruit. Billy Graham is known to be a pastor who influenced presidents greatly. I'm not a fan of Rick Warren (I think he lacks empathy) but what he does also influences the government to promote faith within the closed doors of the White House. If it is within your power, you could also lend support to known Christian candidates. I know a governor who was able to save his entire crew because he used his speeches to preach God's promises instead of simply focusing on vain promises. We all have our own small battlefield, and it may not bear much fruit in the beginning, but that's why the Kingdom of God is depicted in parables as either seed or flour, because it starts small, but will expand beyond its own proportions when persevered upon. Give it time and faith and it will bear great fruit.

 

[WorkingOnFaith]

1. Yes! God's will was changed because he heard Israel's cries in Egypt...

All great answers again! I don't know what it is about your words, but it's kind of bringing things together for me here.

I have a couple more questions, if you don't mind. These are things I am not comfortable asking without privacy. Would you mind if I sent you a PM or E-Mail to continue our conversation. I'm also new here so I don't know if I'm allowed to PM. Let me know. It would really help me. Thank you!

 

[thatforumguy77]

Glad to help. It's a blessing to see someone so curious about how our Lord works. But let not what I say be substitute to a good study of the Word, and while I am certain what I speak is biblical, God may reveal mysteries to you personally when you study His Words yourself and communicate wholeheartedly with his provided revelations. God be with you. Feel free to pm me, for certain!

 

[theophilus40]

1 - Why does God approve of SLAVERY!? (Mentioned in The Bible, I can quote if necessary.)

God doesn't approve of the kind of slavery in which a person is considered someone else's property. Under the Mosaic law a debtor could be compelled to work for someone to pay off his debts but he wasn't considered property and couldn't be mistreated. The people in the New Testament lived in an empire where slavery was practiced but that slavery wasn't commanded or condoned by God. The church had no power to abolish this slavery; all they could do was persuade masters to teat their slaves well.

2 - Why does God condemn homosexuality, when science has shown us that people cannot control this? I'm straight male btw.

What do you mean by homosexuality? The word has two different meanings; it can mean two people of the same sex engaging in sexual activity or it can mean the condition of being sexually attracted to members of the same sex. These are two entirely different things and should be discussed separately.

God started the human race by creating a man and a woman. He established marriage as a union between a man and a woman and prohibited any sexual activity outside of marriage. That is why all homosexual acts are wrong.

Some people experience an attraction toward others of the same sex. In some cases it might be the result of a genetic defect. Researchers trying to find a genetic cause of same sex attraction usually look for a gene that makes people gay; perhaps they should be looking for a defect in the genes that make us straight. People can't help feeling same sex attraction; they can choose whether or not to act on that attraction.

Here is more information about this subject:

Born that way? | clydeherrin

Welcome to TfT | True freedom Trust

Washed and Waiting: the story of a gay Christian | clydeherrin

7 - They say the devil can attack at any time. Is it possible, that when writing The Bible, that the writers were influenced by the Devil, and that is why some of the text has God doing evil things? If the answer here is "Yes" then this answers all the other questions I asked. Because then it would ALL make sense!

I am certain he tried to influence the writing of the Bible but he is powerless to oppose God. Have you read the book of Job? Satan couldn't do anything to Job without God's permission. I think we can be sure that God kept him from interfering with the writing of the Bible.

In your first sentence you said, "I'm I guess what you would call a "Born-Again Christian."" Is it possible that you have guessed wrong? If you have that would explain the problems you are having with the Bible.

The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
(1 Corinthians 2:14 ESV)
​

The Bible was inspired by the Holy Spirit and only the Holy Spirit can help us to understand it. If you are really born again you have the Holy Spirit in you to help you understand; if you aren't born again you don't have the Spirit helping you. You need to examine yourself and your relationship with God to find out whether or not you really are saved. Here is a good site that can help you with this:

Answers for Seekers | Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry

 

[WOOD81]

the problem is that you believe you are god. and you are interviewing the God of the bible to see if he can fulfill your expectations and desires. you are ultimately judging God because he does not live up to your standard of approval. i was in your shoes about 2 years ago before i met jesus. its very common in this age of consumerism where we the "customer" is always right. we want it our way, right away or else we will find us another place to shop.so maybe you will shop another religion. One that is less declaring of the truth, a little more tolerant of our sins, or maybbe one that is just ok with whatever you want to do. that is satans goal anyways.

your disposition towards God is probably why prayer does not work for you. prayer is not as much to move the hand of God but to move us into alignment of Gods will.

Jesus and God are the same dude so if you dont like one then you dont like the other.

you said that you dont approve of gods vengence. vengence is different than justice. lets just quickly illustrate. lets say you walk in your house and u notice that your dogs head has been smashed in with a boot heel. you hear a noise in the other room you walk in and your mom is beaten and stabbed and tied up but still barely concious so that she could watch a man laughing while he is violently raping and beating your 10 year old sister. your mom and sister will surely die from their wounds and you look to your left and see a machete on the night stand. you arent going invite that guy for a cup of coffe and say. "um excuse me... can we talk about why you are doing this?" you would hack him up. at least i would. it would not be vengeful to stop this man it would be justice. God is JUST because God is LOVE. if he didnt love us he wouldnt care what we did. our sin is even more vile and offensive to God.

right now you have a high view of man and a low view of God. what you need is a high view of God and a low view of man. once you realize how bad we are and how good God is, the bible starts making alot more sense. and that makes the grace that God gives us even more special

when the bible tells you that this is wrong and this is right, dont test that with your will or against your heart. the bible tells us that our heart is decelitful above all things and is desperately sick (jer17.9) also it tells us that Jesus is a truth teller and says trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding (prov3.5)

start there. pray for wisdom and try ending each prayer just like jesus did "Your will be done"

 

[malckiah]

Hello All! My name is Mike, and I'm I guess what you would call a "Born-Again Christian."

I've recently had a ton of spiritual activity in my life, which kinda "shocked" me back into the faith. I've always had faith, but it's grown. Recently I was tasked with reading The Bible and I was immediately scared away. The reason I never fully got involved with "God" was because of a couple reasons. First, I always had prayed to him with no results. Maybe a 5% prayer return rate, which to me was enough to write it off as coincidence.

God listens to your every prayer and answers every prayer (in His own way and perfect time)... Some prayers that seem not to be answered may be prayers that are not spirit driven or would go against what God knows is really best for you. We also learn in Daniel that prayers can actually start spiritual wars and so we must be vigilant and fervent in prayer and also patient. God does things at the perfect time....not before or after. Many time we are far to impatient for our own good.

And second, was because of the things I heard in The Bible that seemed evil to me. People had told me about them, but I never really took it in. When becoming closer to God again recently, and reading The Bible, I realized that these beliefs are INDEED TRUE! And I cannot go on with my faith, knowing that my God is a vengeful God.

You are no doubt referring to The Old Testament. As we learn in The New Testament the old testament was as a tutor until the time of Christ. As well that certain things were done because of the hardness of their hearts (Jesus mentions this in regards to The Old Testament allowing divorce). We also must take into consideration that God goes far beyond our ability to put words to Him, so when we say things like God is this or God is that, those are ways that we have come to translate as close to possible what God is....but He is beyond our ability to fully define. God truly reveals himself in The Person of Jesus Christ in The New Testament and so if you want to know God look to Him.

When I think of "God," I tend to think more of Jesus. Jesus seems ever graceful, and God seems to give ultumatums.

The Bible makes it VERY clear on several occasions that Jesus is God. Though we all see Jesus as a soft comforter (and He is), He also hates sin and will pass judgement on those who choose not to accept His free gift. He turned over the tables at the temple as well in his anger towards sin (example).

So I've got some questions to see if "God" is really for me. But first a little about myself. I'm anti-violence, anti-revenge, anti-hatred, anti anything that hurts a human or animal, physically or mentally. I eat meat although I feel guilty when I do, because I think of the pain and suffering this causes the family of the dead animal, as well as the animal that died. If it weren't for my intense love for food and hope that my business will prosper/ex-fiancee will talk to me again, I probably would have forfeit my life a long time ago. I cannot STAND living in a world where I have to hurt others for my own personal gain. Animals, humans, everything.

God is for everyone. The things that you post like being anti violence and anti hatred are very good and follow in line with Jesus teaching such as turn the other cheek and pray for those who hurt you etc etc.

In the Bible, you will notice a VERY different personality from God and Jesus. Jesus would look at a man who committed an act of evil and grace him. God would on the other hand, kill him, curse him..etc. I DO NOT SUPPORT THIS! I support Jesus! If a man were even to commit the ultimate evil of murdering me, I would wish he is forgiven and not convicted of a crime. This mercy would allow him to see the truth. Because this same mercy was shown to me to a lesser degree (like alcohol problems and such previously). Little backstory. I had a boss that knew of my addiction, and instead of punishing me, she showed me grace and gave me opportunity and helped me. If she were to fire me, I KNOW I would have just drank more. But because she graced me, I was able to move on and now I am SOBER! TODAY I AM SOBER! Because this act of grace reminded me of the wonderful people of this world.

Again God and Jesus are one in the same. You must understand that God hates sin as He see's and knows the damage it does in the world. What you see in Jesus is God showing His Mercy toward our sin. I would suggest that you focus on The New testament until someday you are ready to go into the Old and understand its reasoning and why those things took place. As The New testament states we are no longer under the old covenant, now that Christ has come and we have partaken of His Spirit we are under the new Testament.

So with that being said, here are the questions that I have -- and if these can be explained to me in a way that makes sense, I will forever be Christian. I am very analytical, so in order me to grasp the responses they will have to be very in depth. So an answer like "That cannot be answered, only God knows" or "Because he's God" will only lead me astray.

1 - Why does God approve of SLAVERY!? (Mentioned in The Bible, I can quote if necessary.)

Well you need to look outside the box on this one. Consider that someone who works at McDonalds is a slave to McDonalds when they are at work. Also keep in mind that during The old Testament times The Spirit wasn't freely given yet to believers and things and people were handled in a much different way than they are now.

2 - Why does God condemn homosexuality, when science has shown us that people cannot control this? I'm straight male btw.

Homosexuality is sin. Its that simple. God in His perfectness declared it to be so and He is the only one who can. And science has definitely not shown that people cannot control this.... that would be impossible for science to show. Science does not have a way to measure willpower and the like. Some people have homosexual tendencies just the same as all of us have tendencies to do any sin.....sin is sin. You shouldn't separate homosexuality from other sin ...God has called it sin, so it is sin. Just like all sin in our lives, if someone is struggling with homosexuality in their life it should be handled the same as any other sin and avoided. Using the power of The Holy Spirit to overcome. Making every effort to not sin.

3 - Why does God choose to GRACE some sinners, but KILL/TORTURE others? Or even, the snake that he "cursed."

That snake you are referring to being Satan....not human by the way. The Angels who dwelt with God had understanding that we as humans do not. Only humans are offered the free gift of Salvation.

4 - In Deuteronomy it mentions a few acts of torture (stoning) in response to some sexual acts. This is HORRIBLE! Jesus would NEVER allow this! Is it possible that this was misinterpreted, or is God truly evil himself?

Again...Jesus is God. As well remember The Old Testament was a tutor until Christ came. Things were handled differently as people did not have The Holy Spirit yet.

5 - Why do people say "Jesus is Lord," but The Bible clearly demonstrates that Jesus ALWAYS acts with grace, even to the most evil of man? To me, this speaks that Jesus is righteous and God has some evil himself.

Already addressed above

6 - Why do they say "God always forgives you" or "Repent and you shall be set free from your sins"..etc, when, in the Bible, God clearly doesn't forgive everybody. He sends them to hell for eternity with no chance to escape, he curses some sinners...etc. I don't want a man who commits ANY crime against me, my family, or my fellow man to be cursed! Because I know this will not lead him towards righteousness. It will only show to him, that our God is not always forgiving. Our prison systems have proven this. Look at the men who are shown mercy, a LOT of them go on to live productive lives because of this.

God forgives everyone who TRULY repents and believes in the finished work that Jesus did for them on the cross. God knows the heart and knows when someone is truly repentant or not.

7 - They say the devil can attack at any time. Is it possible, that when writing The Bible, that the writers were influenced by the Devil, and that is why some of the text has God doing evil things? If the answer here is "Yes" then this answers all the other questions I asked. Because then it would ALL make sense!
No, God has said that "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness..."... there are many other areas of The Bible that it is made clear that His Word can be fully trusted and is not tarnished by the works of satan. Jesus Himself referred to scripture several times showing its trustworthiness and power. Also, what you are seeing as evil is not evil. God has an understanding that is far beyond ours. Anything He does is always the best whether we think so or not.

Thank you for your time! And God Bless!

My answers are typed above within your post.

 

[Emmy]

Dear WorkingOnFaith. You had quite a few replies. God-Father, God-Son, and God-Holy-Spirit, One Holy Trinity. God is Love, and Wrath and other unloving deeds, are not from God.
Galatians 6: 7-10: mentions God`s eternal Law of Justice. " God is not MOCKED, whatever a man soweth, he will also reap.
Jesus told us in Matthew 22: 35-40: " The first and great Commandment is:
Love God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. The second
is like it: Love thy neighbour as thyself." Then Jesus points out: On these two Commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets. Then in Luke 10: 25-28:
Jesus told a Lawyer: " You know the two Commandments to Love: DO THESE
And You Will Live." Also in 1) Corinthians 13: verse 13: Paul tells us: and now abideth Faith, Hope, and Love, these three, but the greatest of these is LOVE.
I hope this helps. I say it with love. Greetings from Emmy, your sister in Christ.