Jump to content
JesusWalk Bible Study Forum

Q3. The Loving God


Recommended Posts

Q3. How does God's steadfast love in the Old Testament relate to his mission of love in John 3:16?

In the Old Testament, God's steadfast love gave the children of Isreal a way of forgiveness for their sins, by the sacrifice of animals. Jesus' mission of love was a continuance of that steadfast love, his death on the cross took care of the sins of man once and for all. Now man has only to ask and be forgiven.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 6 months later...
  • 2 months later...

The whole Old Testament points to Jesus, the Messiah. As my pastor often says, "The Eastern concept of prophecy is one of repetition, not at all like our Western view of fulfilment." Old Testament Jews, as well as Jewish/Eastern people of Jesus' time and on, would understand this method. They understood that the Old Testament was an intricately woven foreshadowing of the coming Messiah. Many of the customs and traditions established in the time where animal sacrifice was expected give us today beautiful pictures of redemption. From things as basic as the sacrifice of a lamb foretelling the sacrifice of the Lamb of God, to more subtle things like Jewish wedding traditions and how they relate to us being Christ's bride. From the beginning of time, God has been calling us to himself.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 months later...

Q3. How does God's steadfast love in the Old Testament relate to his mission of love in John 3:16?

God has always provided grace and love to humanity. God revealed His grace and love in providing the Torah/Law to Israel. God didn't have to tell mankind what sin was and how to remedy it. God didn't have to tell humanity how to have a relationship with me. God didn't have to reveal to humanity His prophetic word. He did it out of love.

From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible records God's constant invitation to individuals to come and join Him in what He is doing on this planet.

Being in Genesis 3:15, God told the serpent, satan as well as Adam and Eve, that He could remedy sin and destroy the father of sin. Out of His love for mankind, God has given us hope from the beginning. It all came to fruition in the Messiah -- Jesus Christ.

The bottom line -- salvation is proclaimed throughout the Old Testament and fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 6 months later...
Q3. How does God's steadfast love in the Old Testament relate to his mission of love in John 3:16?

God's steadfast love in the Old Testament has not changed at all in the New Testament. The same redemptive call that was in the Old Testament is still real in the New Testament. It still works for the world today. God's love has not changed. To show His love for the New Testament people He sent His Son to die for us. To bridge the gap of fellowship that the Old Testament people did not have. He wants us to have His unconditional love.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Q3. How does God's steadfast love in the Old Testament relate to his mission of love in John 3:16?

God is the same yesterday, today and forever....He's immutable...never changing. His steadfast love is new every morning...old Testament or New Testament. His constant activity has always been and always will be the rescue of those trapped in a pit, unable to get out on their own....I'm so thankful that He rescued and redeemed my life and He's been doing that for centuries....He redeemed those O.T. saints as they looked forward to the cross, and when He sent His Son to the cross, He redeems N.T. believers as we look back at the cross.....Redemption is His love reaching...reaching....always reaching....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 months later...
Q3. How does God's steadfast love in the Old Testament relate to his mission of love in John 3:16?

God's love is unchangeable. He was faithful in His love toward the Old Testament Saints but for us in this new dispensation, He sent His Son to die for us to express His great love in a different and unique way

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 10 months later...
  • 4 months later...
  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

Q3.

How does God's steadfast love in the Old Testament relate to his mission of love in John 3:16?

In OT times the act of offering sacrifices to God had become a mechanical deed, it was done without any remorse or a broken heart - their inward lives were still sinful and corrupt. If the person

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Q3. How does God's steadfast love in the Old Testament relate to his mission of love in John 3:16?

God's love has never changed, from before he formed the world, until Jesus comes back, God's love is the same. In the Old Testament, man had to scarifice an animal for their sins, in the New Testament God sent His only Son to be sacrificed for our sins. Jesus said, "no greater love is there, then a man would give up his life for a friend." Jesus gave up His life for us, he became the lamb, for our sins. God's love is unmeasureable, it is so great. How could He love such sinful people as we? His love is just amazing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 months later...

Q3. How does God's steadfast love in the Old Testament relate to his mission of love in John 3:16?

God decided to send His Son as a living sacrifice for the sin of the world because He is a just God and Sin requires justice. He chose the Israelites as the nation from which Jesus would be born, they were a small and insignificant nation and He wanted the world to see that He is a Loving King and that He cared for them. They often turned away and followed other gods, but God always showed love and mercy towards them and forgave them when they repented. In their sacrifices the world should see that one day there would be the perfect sacrifice and when Jesus came, He declare the love of the Father and said that He is the lamb that would be slain. God's love never faltered and He kept His promise of a Redeemer so that not just the Jews, but anybody can get eternal life if they just accept Jesus.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...

Q3. How does God's steadfast love in the Old Testament relate to his mission of love in John 3:16?

Whenever the Israelites commit sin they show repentance through renting of their clothes, putting ashes on their face, fasting, animal sacrifices and they receive forgiveness through God's love. In order to continually show His steadfast love to all, God sent Jesus Christ His only son to the world to bring us forgiveness by the shedding of His blood for us on the cross. Through this we conquer sin and death, all we need do is believe in Jesus. We don't have to shed animal's blood for the remission of our sin again. Christ has come and done this for us once and for all. Thank God for His love and Grace towards us.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 months later...
  • 2 years later...

Q3. How does God's steadfast love in the Old Testament relate to his mission of love in John 3:16?

 

Even under the Old Covenant God was compassionate. "All day long I held out my hands to a stubborn rebellios people".

God did permit and indeed cause calamities to befall Israel in ancient times. But in all that He always kept a remnant faithful to Him. No sooner did God provide comfort and security to Israel than they rebelled and went after other gods with more zeal than they had ever shown to their own God! No wonder He wanted to wipe them out! And yet He didn't.

God's timetable is such that the things He's purposed to happen will happen when He's good and ready for them to happen. It may be that He's allowing people to have their fill of sin before providing them with salvation.

An old girlfriend of mine wanted to give up smoking. After quite a few attempts, including taking prescription medication designed to aid that and failing, she eventually was able to give up completely when the time was right. She actually didn't have that hard a time of it. It was the right time.

In the same way, God allowed everything that happened in the Old Testament to happen. He could have sent Jesus to die in the Garden of Eden. But He didn't. Mankind had to complete the quota, so to speak, of sins against God and at the appointed time God sent Jesus. If we look at the background of Jesus' time we see the Pharisees, who had actually achieved what they believed to be a sinless state by rigidly observing every minute letter of the Law of Moses. But against whom did Jesus rail the most? The Pharisees of course! Their hearts weren't right with God despite their piety. They had no love at all for their fellow man.

Jesus came to show us how to love each other as God loves us. But thanks to the new Covenant in His blood we have forgiveness for our sins simply by asking for it from God. The love of God that was hampered by the lack of a suitable sacrifice that would take away sins and the record of sins in the Old Testament is now made manifest in our time because of Jesus's death and resurrection. Now God is free to love us as He wishes without the barrier of sin, which He can't look at because He is holy, from getting in His way. Jesus's blood became the means of removing the barrier of sin.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 years later...

Q3. How does God's steadfast love in the Old Testament relate to his mission of love in John 3:16?

He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He never changes. His character and nature described in Exodus 34:5-7 is of the same God, whether it be in the Old Testament or in the New Testament. We, on human terms, prefer to describe creation in detail, but the Bible describes creation in a few words or verses, but how God was involved in redemption of man fills up the entire scriptures. He bent over backwards to see that man will not have to go to hell. It was all because of His steadfast love towards us. And this love is described in a nutshell in John 3:16. And it was this love that stretched forth His arms to humanity for their redemption, and hence we the redeemed will always rejoice in the Lord.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

His steadfast love in the Old Testament forgave sins based on the future suffering and death of His Son, Jesus Christ on the cross. He was looking forward to that day when the sins of the whole world, past, present, and future would be laid on Jesus. Because the blood sacrifices could never really atone for sins; only Jesus could do that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
On 3/8/2006 at 10:05 PM, Pastor Ralph said:

Q3. How does God's steadfast love in the Old Testament relate to his mission of love in John 3:16?

Because of God's steadfast love in the Old Testament, He embarked on a mission of love revealed in  John 3: 16, which resulted in the redemption and salvation of man.  In 1 John 4 the apostle states that God is love, not that God has love, but that He is love. Love is one of the characteristics of God.  It is like His immutability, He cannot change, and so He cannot not love. And so, because He is love, He always demonstrates that love in His dealing with His creation.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 6 months later...

Based on Micah 7:19, we can have confidence in God.   Not just an intellectual confidence but a heartfelt love for God.  Church father Origen wrote so beautifully aabout this condidence; so did St Bernard and St John of the Cross. The prolific founder of the Quaker movement, George Fox, preached and wrote about the confidence that we have in God as we quietly pray and study the Holy Scriptures.

God performs the truth and mercy that He swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Micah 7:20). It was at the Cross that God's wrath was poured out on His Son so His love and forgiveness could be lavished on us. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

God's love never changes. He was the same God in the old testament as he is in the new testament. Even in the old testament God was so merciful he kept giving chance after chance because he wish for none to perish. God loved his creation back then so he already had a plan for our salvation. In his perfect wisdom, God sent his son so we could be with him forevermore. It is perfect love. Love beyond love.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

How does God's steadfast love in the Old Testament relate to his mission of love in John 3:16?
In the Old Testament they were required to sacrifice animals in atonement of the sins they committed. God knew we needed someone that could completely take on our sins, sickness and disease. I believe that God knew that we would never be able to fulfill the law that was required in the Old Testament. You'd have to have been perfect and we know the only perfect man without sin is Yahshua. God came in the form of man, Yahshua and took sin away for all man kind by the shedding of His blood. In John 3:16 it shows Gods steadfast love for the past sins, present sins and future sins. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...