It’s my privilege to share the second of three posts written by Dr. Ingrid Faro, Associate Professor of Old Testament at Scandinavian School of Theology discussing the Old Testament view of God. (Click here to read Part 1.) If you’ve ever wondered if the God of the Old Testament is different than the One found in the pages of the New Testament, this post offers a helpful discussion that references ISIS, Job’s “comforters” and Mafia bosses as it explores the question of evil. I’m looking forward to continuing the lively discussion launched on the first post in the series in this space.
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Is God a Mafia Boss or Is God Good: Old Testament View of God, Part 2
by Dr. Ingrid Faro
The Bible does not give a simple defense of God’s goodness in the face of evil and suffering. There are many principles at work in the agency of good and evil portrayed in the Old Testament.
Part I focused primarily on the Principle of Action-Consequence, first provided in Genesis through the image of a Seed. The opening chapters of the Bible establish the principle that the seed of thought planted in the fertile ground of the mind produces corresponding actions, and these actions bear consequences. This principal of action-consequence is embedded within the Hebrew language of the Old Testament with ‘lexical precision.’ What is commonly viewed as ’divine retribution’ – the mafia boss or bullying concept of God – is most often, simply the Principle of Action-Consequence. We realize that actions have consequences, unless there is intervention to alter their outcome.
In this post, we will look at a second Principle: the Principle of Mercy and Grace. [Read more]