New Believer's Question ........

[meBNme]

Well, for one, the new testament was when the dispensation of grace started, and everything changed, including salvation.

we are all now given the chance to become Gods chosen.

In the OT everyone else were just outsiders. God defends his own, in the OT, and even now.

I've asked all these questions before, all that ever comes back is you have to have faith and pray about it... no one seems to have any real answers for any hard questions.

For example, given the scenarios presented above, do the non-Jews in the OT have souls? If so, are they all burning in hell without ever having been given instruction on how to be saved? And if that is the case, how can God be just?

[Trouvere]

Sister the thing about the Old Testament is that God had never come in flesh before.Now He has and now He knows what its like to be a man with all of the feelings of our infirmaties etc the bible says.Remember that they could not enter into His presense without dying unless they were covered in blood
on the day of atonement.Sin could not enter into Gods presence.That is why
Adam and Eve were cast out.Sin cannot live in the light of Gods presence.Its why we need a Savior.This is a good thing that this young man is asking this.We serve the same God who created the world.He is not a man that He can lie.Its a good discussion with a new christian.He is trying to reconcile the God of creation with the God of Salvation.It can open up a great door for the revelation of who Jesus is.

[MissBrattified]

Originally Posted by freeatlast

Incoming message from MissBratfield....soon we'll know the answer

LOL. No, I started to type an answer and then decided mine wasn't very good either. I'm still mulling it over.

[Neck]

Originally Posted by Felicity

We have a Chinese student living with us and tonight he asked me a question that I'm a little hard pressed to answer so hoping for a little help from some of you who I know are able to give a good answer.

He's reading through the OT and today was reading some scripture where David was praying and asking God for victory in battle and the victory was promised him.

Eric wants to know why if God loves everybody He would allow those outside of the chosen nation to be murdered and killed by His own people? He feels that the wars and battles fought in the OT and approved and in fact directed by God Himself are in sharp contrast with the teaching of the NT.

How would you answer Eric?

My answer to him would be did not "God" raise such a people of multi-color?

The United States of America to defeat the greatest Jew killer of all-time.
Adolf Hitler.

God made a promise to Abraham that his seed would be the chosen.

It came out of the relationship he had with God.

If any nation would humble itself and turn towards the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

He would heal their people and their land.

In the old and new testement it came down to a relationship with God.

Not sure if it is an answer he can accept but is my thoughts.

[Neck]

Originally Posted by Sheltiedad

I've asked all these questions before, all that ever comes back is you have to have faith and pray about it... no one seems to have any real answers for any hard questions.

For example, given the scenarios presented above, do the non-Jews in the OT have souls? If so, are they all burning in hell without ever having been given instruction on how to be saved? And if that is the case, how can God be just?

Did not those people see the access of the true God. The God of Israel the mighty power to defeat them?

They had a decision and choose to worship idles.

They all had a form of religion.

They did not however understand that the God of Israel was the almighty.

As they went into battle against Israel they soon found out.

Then when Israel moved away from God from king to king.

Did they not also suffer defeat.

Add up the years they were in bondage and ask yourself was God always on their side?

It is about a realtionship with God on a daily basis.

Not even about being chosen.

it is about where you are in Christ on a daily basis...

Originally Posted by Felicity

We have a Chinese student living with us and tonight he asked me a question that I'm a little hard pressed to answer so hoping for a little help from some of you who I know are able to give a good answer.

He's reading through the OT and today was reading some scripture where David was praying and asking God for victory in battle and the victory was promised him.

Eric wants to know why if God loves everybody He would allow those outside of the chosen nation to be murdered and killed by His own people? He feels that the wars and battles fought in the OT and approved and in fact directed by God Himself are in sharp contrast with the teaching of the NT.

How would you answer Eric?

I wish I could answer that...

[vrblackwell]

The fact is, God is a jealous God who will judge. He does judge in fairness.

Before one can understand what seems to us to be meanness from God in the Old Testament, one must first understand the worthlessness and sinfulness of man that deserves such judgment.

Th focus should be Christ, our advocate. He is loving, compassionate, and merciful even though we don't deserve it.

He must understand that God is true to his Word. He only responded to the bad choices of men. He was however, kind enough to send us His Son as an advocate.

The other element is faith, we walk by faith and not by sight. We can never really understand all of this, we must simply except it. One day we will understand it.

[nathan_slatter]

Originally Posted by Sheltiedad

I've asked all these questions before, all that ever comes back is you have to have faith and pray about it... no one seems to have any real answers for any hard questions.

For example, given the scenarios presented above, do the non-Jews in the OT have souls? If so, are they all burning in hell without ever having been given instruction on how to be saved? And if that is the case, how can God be just?

Or one that I've pondered recently: If there is a hell, how just could that be? Eternal punishment for life lived in at most a century? How is that just?

Originally Posted by Neckstadt

Did not those people see the access of the true God. The God of Israel the mighty power to defeat them?

They had a decision and choose to worship idles.

They all had a form of religion.

They did not however understand that the God of Israel was the almighty.

As they went into battle against Israel they soon found out.

Then when Israel moved away from God from king to king.

Did they not also suffer defeat.

Add up the years they were in bondage and ask yourself was God always on their side?

It is about a realtionship with God on a daily basis.

Not even about being chosen.

it is about where you are in Christ on a daily basis...

I respect you but you didn't answer my question... I personally believe it is unanswerable and was posting it as an example. Even in your post above, the Jews had a choice on an individual level whether to serve God or not. The other people didn't... and to say that those people would recognize the true God after his people had slaughtered them and taken their women and children to be used as slaves, well, I'm not so sure.