Wow, I can't wait to read this book!!! I wish you had invited us to read it along with you.
Anybody want to do this one with me?
I always saw the Bible as being divided into The Law (Old Testament) and Grace (The New Testament). It was as if I thought He suddenly added Grace to His character in the New Testament.
Look at Cain? The Lord actually reached out to Cain. He spoke to him and urged him to do the right thing. Grace. I believe the Lord saw the intent to kill Abel in his heart.
Even after he killed his brother the Lord set a mark on him that no man would kill him and vowed to take vengeance on anyone who did! Grace.
Look at Abraham?
God saw, of all people, AN IDOL MAKER and told him:
1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. What did Abram do to deserve such a great blessing? Nothing. This was Grace.
Not only that, but what did God ask of Abram? Nothing. Grace doesn't add requirements because if you have to
earn it it's no longer Grace.
I used to think that following The Law as closely as possible was God's requirement for the Children of Israel to have a relationship with Him, but that isn't true. The Law was simply to preserve the integrity of a pre-existing relationship, NOT a requirement to have one!
The relationship had already been established with Abraham.
I have a daughter. I have rules I want her to follow. Whether or not she follows those rules does NOT change the fact that she is my daughter. It would be crazy for me to require her to follow my rules before she's born.
Obedience doesn't determine ownership.Abraham was a coward and a liar. Jacob was a deceiver. David, the man after God's heart, was a lustful, murdering adulterer. Yet time and time again God's love and Grace was extended to them. Jonah was rebellious and HATED the gracious aspect of God's character, though God's Grace was shown to him time and time again.
Look at Rahab? A Canaanite prostitute who was grafted into the Israelite family and became the great-great-grandmother of David (which makes her an ancestor of Christ!).
And don't get me STARTED on the knowledge he's dropping in the New Testament. There's so much I'm missing, but it's really life-changing stuff.
