***Lest our Catholic friends say that this was a heretical doctrine, Augustine specifically references Cyprian, the great Church leader, as leading him to this truth.
Amen! Thanks for clarifying that for me. I’m sure glad he lived long enough to be sanctified to that level. :) Praise God.***
You want to be held to everything that Cyprian said? Or Augustine for that matter? Try my tagline and see what you may.
***I guess Augustine was ahead of many modern day Apostolics (no reference to Mark) who tell us that God is mono-faceted, i.e. that God is only the human understanding of love and since he is nothing else He never kills in the OT, etc.***
The OT Jehovah did certain violence to the Earth. It is striking the comparison to Jesus. Look at the Two Commandments of Jesus to the 10 Commandments and Deuteronomy. Look at the Sermon on the Mount (and the Plain). Jesus comes to us with love.
God’s doctrines v. 1.0 versus 2.0.
We got a better theology from Him than the Jews did. And they are our elder brethren whom we MUST respect and revere. They are God’s chosen people.
Unfortunately, you only see part of the picture.
Luke 12:49 I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!
v.51 Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division.
Of course I don't want to be held to everything that Cyprian or Augustine said. In fact, as a Southern Baptist, I don't want to be held to everything that Calvin or Luther said either! :) None of these men were inspired, but they all have made good contributions to Christianity. Because of this, and out of the goodness of my Christian heart, I have allowed all of them to be wrong on certain issues. :)
The OT Jehovah did certain violence to the Earth. It is striking the comparison to Jesus. Look at the Two Commandments of Jesus to the 10 Commandments and Deuteronomy. Look at the Sermon on the Mount (and the Plain). Jesus comes to us with love.
It's all about purpose. God had His purpose for doing what He did in the OT. Jesus had a very different purpose on earth when He was here. When he gave us His Commandments, it was to show us our purpose in Him. The fact that they don't all match in result is not of concern. In addition, the Commandments (and their subparts) must be taken in the generalized way they were given. When Jesus said to turn the other cheek, He did not mean to let a mugger stab you in the heart if you had the means to stop him. Jesus was talking about a WAY of living for the Christian. He was not talking in hyper-technicalities, as the Pharisees thought.
God’s doctrines v. 1.0 versus 2.0.
That's an interesting way to put it, but I'm not sure I can agree. If I may be hyper-technical :), a 2.0 is always an improvement on the 1.0. I don't think God was improving, He was completing. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the OT God that needed fixing. The OT God is exactly the same as the NT God. We just get to see more and more of Him as we page through the Scriptures. So, we get more, not better.