I have a challenge for you. I probably have stated this challenge before, and if I have, forgive me. Go and read Genesis - Malachi, and read it without any eisegesis. That is, any teaching or "this is what I think it says" or anything of the like. Just read it for what it says. Don't go and try to force something in there that isn't (we all do this more than we think we do.)

SPOILER ALERT - If you are stopping to go do the challenge, stop here. Come back when you are ready.

What did you find? I find there is a theme to every book there: God wants people to obey His Law.

Gen-Deut - God is training people to obey, directly at first, then through Moses.
The historical books - We see the people start slowly moving away from obeying and the curses that end up following.
The poetry books - All centered around how great the Law is, that we should be following it, or lamenting the fact that people aren't.
The prophetic books - God stating over and over, He is angry that His Law is not being obeyed and judgement will come. But there is hope if people turn from their ways and start following.

With that context, we can then go into the Gospels. Then Acts. Then the letters. Is there a shift of that message? A twist as my comic is referencing?

To most that grew up in a "New Testament Church" and haven't read much of the OT without church-tradition lenses, they would say that there is a twist. "The Law is no longer needed! Jesus did it all so we don't have to!"

However, if we have the context of the OT, and remember that when most of the NT books are speaking about Scripture, they are only referring to the OT books, we can see that this stance isn't correct. That the Bible is one continuous plea from God for everyone to choose Him and obey His Law.

Some verses to consider:

Numbers 23:19 - God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should repent [i.e. change the direction He is going or change His mind as most translations put it]

Malachi 3:6a - For I, Yahweh, don't change;

Psalm 19:7 - The Law of the LORD is perfect.

Now, questions for you to consider if you still feel like the narrative has changed from OT to NT:

If God does not change, nor changes his mind, why would He change His mind once He sent His son to die for us? Didn't Jesus even say that His words weren't His own, but His Father's? And in all Jesus' teachings it was all pointing back to the Father?

If the Law is perfect, wouldn't changing it make it imperfect?

And some I have posted before:

If God is our source for good, and He defines what is good and evil through the Law (Deut. 30:15), and now not following the Law, which is defined as evil in Deuteronomy 30, is now good, doesn't that make a contradiction with the Bible as a whole? And fly in the face of Isaiah 5:20?

If good can change, and God is our source of good, because only God is good (Mark 10:18), then God changes and Malachi 3:6 is wrong?

If God can change, or change how we are to approach Him (which is another common "get-a-around" to say it isn't God changing, but how we interact with him), then how can we be certain He isn't going to change how we interact with Him tomorrow? or the next day? Who is to say that there isn't another Messiah coming that we are to believe in instead of Jesus? Or some other way to come to God?

ANOTHER SPOILER - To answer these questions is simple: God doesn't change, the story of the Bible doesn't shift or twist, the Law is perfect and good and still applicable to the believer today just as much as when it was given. This is how we know what is expected of us, how we know Jesus is our Savior and there will be no other, and know what good is.

https://thestraightandnarrow.cfw.me/comics/809

#bible #bibleverse #bibleverseimages #biblestudy #biblestudynotes #church #christian #webcomic #webcomicseries #cartoon