Prior Book | Prior Chapter | Prior Verse | Next Verse | Next Chapter | Next Book | Viewing NASB and Amplified 2015 | |
NASB | John 3:16 ¶ "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | John 3:16 ¶ "For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His [One and] only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Savior] shall not perish, but have eternal life. |
Bible Question:
I am becoming increasingly baffled by God as He is portrayed in the O.T. Why did he condone slavery, polygamy, and war? If He is the God of love, why did He so ruthlessly destroy so many nations? Why did He want His holy temple to be a slaughterhouse? The number of animals sacrificed daily must have been mind-boggling. I love Jesus with deep gratitude and adoration, but I fear this God of the O.T. The more I study the O.T., the more wary I feel about God, and I know it shouldn't be that way. What am I doing wrong? Skip |
Bible Answer: You are not doing anything wrong when you seek Jesus as your Savior. Do you realize who you are in Christ Jesus? We are in the New Testament the New Covenant Blood bought by Jesus. The people you're describing were under the first covenant and their sins were forgiven by the blood of animal sacrifices but our lives were redeemed by the blood of Jesus, His sacrifice on the cross. The people of the OT didn't have the advantages of the Blood of Jesus that we have today. There were horrible things that happened then and the daily news headlines speak of horrible things happening now. Also, there are great and miraculous events that took place then and still happen now. You will never have to face the wrath of God the way the OT describes because God has promiced us that what Jesus did on the cross paid for your redemption. John called himself the diciple whom Jesus loved not in an arrogant, haughty ,self exalting way, but so that we could realize that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. Jesus' sacrifice on the cross didn't start the day He was hung but in Gen 4:15. When God said He shall bruise your head and you will bruise His heal. If you had been the only one to receive Jesus as Savior He still would have hung that day. He loves you that much! You say the OT stories scare you may I ask why? Do stories in world history books scare you too? There are some pretty graffic and horrible things in them also. I suggest that you study the NT and find out who you are in the Blood of Jesus. Then you will see that Jesus bought and paid for you and that you are righteous in Him, not because of anything you did, just because He is Love. When I first started studying the bible I felt the same way. I found parts confusing and scary, and some boring. Until one day I got this amazing revelation that I could find myself in the people written about like when Peter walked on the water and within arms reach of Jesus started to sink. Yet this was the man Jesus said would be the foundation of christianity. Then I saw Peter made mistakes but Jesus still loved him, and Jesus still loves me. And that God wasn't trying to send me to Hell but gave up Jesus to save me from Hell because that's where I was headed. I hope that I have opened your eyes to the fact that God doesn't want you in Hell either but in Heaven with Him. |