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[QUOTE]Originally posted by HerbShrump: [QB] Never ever use quote when directly replying to the post above yours. Was it here that I was told that? LOL [QUOTE]Originally posted by Daniel Butler: [qb] Also, while I really don't make it a point to argue against other people's beliefs, I don't think it's accurate to say the Bible never contradicts itself. Here is at least one, which I noticed when I was a kid being raised a protestant: "I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy, but destroy." (Jer. 13:14) "Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not, but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling." "The Lord is very pitiful and of tender mercy." (James 5:11) "For his mercy endureth forever." (1 Chron. 16:34) "The Lord is good to all, and his tender mercies are over all his works." (Ps. 145:9) "God is love." (1 John 4:16) So...which is he, ferocious and destructive, or merciful and forgiving? I mean, the Old Testament God and the New Testament God (without trying to sound too Gnostic here) sort of seem a bit different in personality. [/qb][/QUOTE]Actually, the do harmonize. People just tend to ignore the vindictive and destructive portions of the New Testament. God's judgments and wrath have always been tempered by his love and mercy. Yes, there have been times when peoples and nations have been destroyed, such as the siting you made above (I think those are from two separate scriptures, btw). For example he sent Jonah to warn the people of Ninevah of their impending destruction. The Ninevites repented and God spared them. God's wrath has always been proceeded by a warning and people have been given ample opportunity to make amends. In the case of the Amalakites you mentioned, they were, in effect, relatives of the Israelites. Both nations were descendants of Abraham. As a result they should have had brotherly affection for the Israelites. Instead they were the first nation to launch an unprovoked attack against God's people. Because of their continued hostility, God called them to account and instructed Israel to strike them down. It was either that or watch the Amalkites wipe out the nation of Israel. The same thought is carried throughout the New Testament. [QUOTE][b]2 Thess 1:6-10[/b] 6God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you 7and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. 8He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power 10on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you. [b]2 Peter 3:9,10[/b] 9The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 10But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. [b]Romans 12:19[/b] 19Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay,"[a]says the Lord. [b]Pretty much all of Revelation[/b][/QUOTE]Sounds harsh, doesn't it? How can a God of Love do these things? Well, don't we humans have similar laws? Which is more loving - to allow someone free reign to abuse, molest and mistreat other individuals or to remove the offending individual after they refuse to change their ways? God's love for his children, all of humanity, moves him to remove the wicked ones instead of allowing them to wipe out the good. [QUOTE]Are you joking? You warn against "twisting" the words of the bible, but then, if someone finds a contradiction, you say "oh, just assume this bit here is a metaphor ; yay, it all works out now!"[/QUOTE]No, I'm saying that if you find a contradiction, ask someone and get the answer. Then check if that answer is in harmony with the rest of the Bible. Twisting the Scriptures to fit our own ideas can result in lasting harm. Two things can help us to understand the Bible correctly. First, consider the context (surrounding verses) of any statement. Next, compare texts with other statements in the Bible that deal with the same subject. In that way we are letting God�s own Word guide our thinking, and the interpretation is not ours but his. [/QB][/QUOTE]
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