The God of sweetness and happiness?

Postby **Pastor Gary** » April 29th, 2009, 12:05 am

Does the Bible really support the view of a God who is all sweetness? Have you ever traced the thread of imprecatory psalms?

God's people had enemies, and they prayed God's wrath and judgment upon them. :shock:

Tracy · Postby **Tracy** » April 29th, 2009, 12:42 am

Pastor Gary wrote:Does the Bible really support the view of a God who is all sweetness?

Absolutely not. That would be a different god--one from the imagination of men.

Brian · Postby **Brian** » April 29th, 2009, 5:18 am

Pastor Gary wrote:Does the Bible really support the view of a God who is all sweetness? Have you ever traced the thread of imprecatory psalms?

God's people had enemies, and they prayed God's wrath and judgment upon them.

True enough. But is it not also true that Jesus is God, and His character that is laid out in the scriptures is in fact one of love, peace, kindness, and tenderness? Thats not to be confused with weekness or the acceptness of rebellion against His Father without just repercussions. God IS just and that justice requires action, sometimes swift destructive action. But God as manifest in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is the embodiment of a love that saves the world.

DeWayneTN · Postby **DeWayneTN** » April 29th, 2009, 5:21 am

Jesus was not all peace, love and tenderness. He was driven to compassion by strangers and rebuked the devil out of his friends and even said he didn't come to bring peace but a sword. Like Phillip Yancey has said, we make him out to be a cross between Mr. Rogers and Mr. Spock but neither of those two would have generated enough heat or controversy to be the target of a death plot.

Brian · Postby **Brian** » April 29th, 2009, 5:29 am

DeWayneTN wrote:Jesus was not all peace, love and tenderness.

I agree DeWayne. If you notice where I said "Thats not to be confused with weekness or the acceptness of rebellion against His Father without just repercussions. God IS just and that justice requires action, sometimes swift destructive action."

DeWayneTN · Postby **DeWayneTN** » April 29th, 2009, 5:36 am

I thought you were saying that God requires justice but the personality of Christ when He walked on the earth was that of a man of peace. I guess I misunderstood your response and was supporting Gary's comments.

Brian · Postby **Brian** » April 29th, 2009, 6:05 am

DeWayneTN wrote:I thought you were saying that God requires justice but the personality of Christ when He walked on the earth was that of a man of peace. I guess I misunderstood your response and was supporting Gary's comments.

You haven't misunderstaood Dewayne, I did in fact elude to Jesus' time on earth as being a time of love, peace, kindness, etc. But I didn't say He "only" was about those things. :wink:

I read and agree with the scriptures(all of them) that reveal Jesus' strong stance against the evils of man and the trickry and deciet brought on by the enemies of God. But I also read where Jesus said to love your enimies. To do good to those who do wrong to you. To not repay evil with evil. That if someone seals from you one thing to give them another. To live by the sword is to die by the sword.

DeWayne, I cannot put God in a box and limit His definition to only one set of ideals. He is bigger than that, He is bigger than me.

God bless you friend.

Jude 2