By Christof Spies
Same God, same people?
A brief glance over time tempts me to wonder if God is ever-changing, or at least if he changes his rules of worship for his people. The Old Testament is full of blood, sacrifices and a strict legal system that intended to keep the Israelites on a worshipful path of obedience. God seems to delight in this and punishes (very harshly, one would think) those who wander from this way.
The New Testament and the coming of Jesus seems to paint a picture of love and grace for all who have faith in God. Priority is given to humanistic virtues like faith, love, patience and goodwill to all, over and above a legal system of punishment for wrongdoing and reward for obedience.
Today, a glance at various church movements sows even more confusion. Catholics worship God through patron saints acting as intermediaries, traditional protestant churches seem stuck on grappling with traditional theological struggles over the nature of God and his people, while many charismatics seem to abandon the mind in a wild surge of "Spirit"-filled egocentric song.What are we to make
out of all of this? Has God changed over time? Or does he expect something different from us today than he did 2000 years ago?
The Bible claims to be God-breathed (1 Tim 3:16) revelation of himself through human agents, so if indeed there is some stabilising truth to be found, this is where we can expect it. Comprising some 66 different books in various literary genres, our challenge is to spot the common thread – the BIG picture – throughout the work as a whole, if indeed there is such a thing.
In the Old Testament, the Israelites are selected by God as a chosen people, a treasured possession Deuteronomy 7:6) without any deserving merit (v.7) in order to reveal himself to this people through a covenant of provision and blessing for faithful worship, and punishment for disobedience (v.10).
"Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a a thousand generations." (v.9) God intended for Israel to be a light, a witness to all the nations, so that the testimony of God's generosity towards his chosen people would attract all other peoples to come into this sphere of light also (see Isaiah 60).
History has it that Israel did not keep their side of the deal and God's punishment was to send them into exile to Babylon and Assyria. However, God does not abandon his covenant with his people. Through the prophet Jeremiah, a renewed covenant is prophesied whereby God will not only instruct, but also enable his law to be followed by his chosen people:
"I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts.
And I will be their God, and they shall be my people … for they shall all
know me, for I will forgive their iniquity and I will remember their sin no more"
(Jeremiah 31:33-34)
And I will be their God, and they shall be my people … for they shall all
know me, for I will forgive their iniquity and I will remember their sin no more"
(Jeremiah 31:33-34)
This prophecy is fulfilled in the New Testament. God sends his son Jesus to be the light of the world (John 8:12) and to pay the penalty for the sins of all people, making forgiveness available to all who take hold of this offer. This opens up a new way of relating to God, not as sinners under judgement, but again as his chosen, loved people.
"God made him to be sin who knew no sin [i.e. Jesus], so that in him [Jesus]
we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:21)
With the sin-separation out of the way, the working of the Holy Spirit enables those who take hold of this offer to to draw closer to God with divine help, further fulfilling Jeremiah's prophecy. God bends our hearts towards him as we look to him, free from the veil of sin and the Mosaic Law:
"And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being
transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For
this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:18).
Paul also understood that all of this furthers God's original goal – to reconcile the World to himself
"In Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses
against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are
ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us." (2 Corinthians 5:19-20)
Where does that leave us today? God's plan has not changed, and the role of his people has not either. Through Jesus, God has accommodated our inability to fulfill the original terms of the covenant, but God's side of the deal is still valid! God still wants to reconcile all people to himself. He wants to gather us all into a people that knows Him and lives under his covenential favour and forgiveness.
Our role still is to be a light in the darkness (Isaiah 60), ambassadors of the new covenant (1 Corinthians 5). God has called each of us to know Him, to be a part of his chosen people, and to be ambassadors of his Kingdom. Knowing God today means following Jesus, who reconciles us to God by paying the penalty for our sins. Being a part of his chosen people means understanding our place as a Citizen (not a foreigner) of God's beloved people. And being an ambassador translates into a lifestyle that is driven by the purpose of reflecting God to the world. God has not changed his plans for the world. The better question to ask is if our identity, belonging and purpose aligns with His plans, or not?
