Questions 2017, Part II

Is God in the New Testament different than God in the Old Testament? Does God change?

My friend and Pastor Emeritus here at St. Paul's, Dr. Ron Hoellein, says that a key question in understanding our faith is to come to grips with how we view the nature of God. Do believe God is a heaven-borne, vengeful and judgmental deity who gave humanity rules to follow and then waits to harshly judge us as to how well we've kept them? Or do you believe in a loving, grace-giving God who forgives and loves, despite our faults? There are those who would see the former as the "Old Testament" God, and the later as the "New Testament God."

Scripture, when studied and interpreted with consistency, integrity, and in an informed manner, bears witness to a just and loving God who wants the best for God's people, and who desires that we can grow, as humans, to a point where we can "dwell together in unity." Part of an honest interpretation of scripture is allowing it to have its "human" side. All scripture, while "inspired by God," is filtered through the experience of the human community, and then redacted over the centuries by it. I can say, personally, that when viewed through my own "filters," God can sometimes appear to be in judgment of me when I do something ill-advised or sinful, and at other times, I can feel like God is celebrating life right beside me. These perceptions are more my perceptions, and are more my personal feelings, which I, as a person of faith, project upon God in these moments, sort of like the little angel on one shoulder and the little devil on the other from our Saturday morning cartoon days. In this same way, human communities have written in the Bible about a harsh and retributive God who holds them accountable for their actions, while other scriptural authors and communities have penned praises and a view of God as "Abba," or our "daddy" who art in heaven!

Our view of God may change as our circumstances change, but the ultimate issue is what we believe about the nature of God. We know most fully the scriptural view of the nature of God, in my opinion, from John 3:16: For God so loved the world that God sent the only Son into the world that whosoever believes in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. God, like a great heavenly parent, loves us so much that God has gone to great sacrifice to see that the people of God can have an abundant life, and that we can "dwell together in unity." There is not one "nasty" God and one really "nice" God. God is God, and God continues to reveal Godself to the world. God's ultimate aim is redemption, reconciliation, and loving, according to the scriptural witness, and according to the witness of the Holy Spirit in the church.

Does God change? I think so. I believe God continues to be affected by the experiences, suffering, and joy of God's people. I believe this is what the cross was all about. The idea that God is "unchanging" is more Greek philosophy than biblical theology. When the scriptures say "Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8), it is not speaking about the nature of God, but the aim of God's presence and action among us. Jesus will always be love. Jesus will always reveal God to us. Jesus will always offer grace and forgiveness. These things will never change. However, I believe God so identifies with us, as God's children, that God "grows" to love us more and care about our welfare and the welfare of the world, with a bias toward "the least of these." What loving parent doesn't change and grow to meet her or his child's needs? What parent doesn't listen to and learn from their own children, even as they teach them the family values and set boundaries to keep them safe? What parent doesn't alter these boundaries and empower their child more as they grow and mature? I believe God, as our heavenly parent, does all of these things, too.