[DaveMSmith]

When I meditate on God, I think about Jesus. He commanded '...take up your cross daily and follow Me'. He showed compassion and mercy to all -- especially sinners to the disdain of the Jewish powers that be -- without exception. Read Luke. He taught and healed all -- never turning anyone away. God cannot hate if He loves all.

When I look to the Old Testament, I see a literal sense and a spiritual sense. The spiritual sense tells of the Lord's glorification and our regeneration, His church as it exists here and in heaven. The stories of an angry, vengeful and vindictive God are exteriors for the real spiritual meaning which is consistent from Genesis through Revelation. This is what is meant when Jesus opened the Scriptures to the disciples after His resurrection for them to understand.

Finally, I have enough to worry about with my own defects to judge someone else's.

[PeterPrinciple]

Finally, I have enough to worry about with my own defects to judge someone else’s.

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Part of our problem is we have confused judgment and correction. If we do not correct others according to Gods word nor are willing to be correcting according to that standard, the system falls apart. Thus explaining where we are. It is hard thankless work to correct others.

The other thought is that by holding others accountable, we have to hold our selves to the same standard. It is part of working out our own defects, we don't do it in isolation. When I ask others in church what they read in the Bible this past week, I make sure I can answer that question.

[PeterPrinciple]

Read Luke. He taught and healed all — never turning anyone away. God cannot hate if He loves all.

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May I ask a question. Is there a time when God removes his grace and love? (death, at that point it is over, no second chances) What is the consequences for many when his grace is removed? God may not hate but he will apply perfect/hard justice.

Define love. It is NOT the emotional and “you poor thing” our world teaches. If you love someone you will speak the hard truth to them and God speaks it to us.

He taught and healed all? He came to divide, not to bring peace. Truth was/is offered to all, most decline it. Never turning anyone away? If they didn’t want to hear the truth, he did not chase them, he was always testing and knowing hearts.

I do not mean to offend you, I may have taken things out of context, not knowing your heart. Yes God is graceful and loves us but he is also a just God, that has not gone away and we need to speak that truth as well.