Some years ago I was sharing with a brother-in-Christ about Christians having a dim view of the Old Testament to the point of discrediting the Old Testament. I was also concerned about Christians blasphemously denouncing God in the Old Testament as a God that lacked Mercy, Grace and Love; His response was that in the Old Testament, God was a God who was the “Letter of the Law,” but in the New Testament it is about a God who is Mercy, Grace and Love and ended with,” “I can serve a God like that.”

First of all, I don’t know anyone who would have been as gracious, merciful, loving, kind and long-suffering as our Heavenly Father was in the Old Testament. Did God condone evil in Man? No. Did He still love mankind? Yes. Does He now condone evil in Man? No. Does He still love mankind? Yes. Malachi 3:6,7; James 1:16,17

After what Adam and Eve did in the Garden of Eden, there wouldn’t have been an Old Testament if any of us were God.

I told this brother-in-Christ that the Old Testament is the spring board for the New Testament and that if we would read it from Genesis to Malachi, we would see how wicked mankind had become, and how much God so loved us that He made a Way for us through Jesus Christ, His Son. John 3:16. I summed it up with, “There is no New Testament without the Old Testament. The Old Testament is our history to learn from and more importantly it is His Story.” Romans 15:4; 1Corinthians 10:11; 2 Timothy 3:16,17. The response I got was, ” I don’t agree with the Old Testament being History or being His Story.” To say that I was stunned was an understatement. I was also fearful, fearful for his soul.

SINCE WHEN DOES MAN’S OPINIONS ECLIPSE THE WORD OF GOD?

Believe me, when I hear someone start off with: “In my opinion” or “My thought is” or “It seems to me” and the list goes on, I want to fall on my face before God. They think that they can debate the Word of God. The Bible is not a theory. Our God is not a theory. What Jesus did on Calvary is not a theory. IT IS FACT. IT IS TRUTH.

Theory is an idea or concept, a guess or conjecture that is not substantiated in fact or truth. Can you say, Darwin’s theory of evolution?

Truth on the other hand is confirmed with fact or reality. It is actuality and is verified. It cannot be disputed.

NOTE: Just because a person disputes the Truth does not make the Truth less truthful. It makes the person disputing the Truth a fool that should be more pitied than scorned. We should pray for God to open their eyes.

Have you ever seen cartoons where one of the characters says, “If I’m lying may I be struck by…” and before the character can say, “lightning” you hear thunder and the character begins to back peddle? Where did we get the idea that our ideas and/or opinions were more important than the Word of God or had more merit than the Word of God? When did we start trying to verify our erroneous ideas by other men or books by other men? My knee-jerk-reaction is to say, “Wait a minute,” put as much distance between them and me, and then say, “As you were saying.”

All scripture passages are from NKJV:

Psalm 1:1-6 says the following: “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the paths of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper. The ungodly are not so, but are like chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgement, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For God knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.”

Isaiah 55:8,9: “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thought than your thoughts.” I suggest you read verses 10 and 11 also.

Matthew 5:17-20: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter; not the least stroke of a pen will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called the least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teach these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. Exodus 20:1-17; Deuteronomy 5:6-21; Matthew 22:36-40; Mark 12:28-34; Romans 1:18-32; 2 Timothy2:14-22; 3:1-5.

Why do I continue “to beat a dead horse” or “try to squeeze blood out of a turnip”? Because of the days we are in. Because of the false preachers, teachers and prophets who are masquerading as wolves in sheep’s clothing. Matthew 7:15. We need to know and understand the word of God. I do not claim to know all that I should about God’s word, but what I do know, I will diligently uphold.

2 Timothy 2:23-26: “But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition; if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.