God is like Jesus
"God is like Jesus. God has always been like Jesus. There has never been a time when God was not like Jesus. We haven't always known this. But now we do." - Brian Zahnd There are many important keys to reading the Bible well, but to me this is the best place to start. Ever since Marcion, Christianity's OG heretic, we've been tempted to see a stark contrast between the God of the Old Testament and the Jesus of the New Testament. In simplest terms, it's like a good-cop/bad-cop situation. Jesus is nice, gentle, and loving. God is angry, violent, and vindictive. Jesus wants to help us, God is out to get us. Jesus rescues us from hell, God wants to put us there. God's holiness is the reason we humans are doomed, but Jesus steps in and takes the divine beating we deserve. This completely misses the point of the incarnation. Again, Brian Zahnd: "Jesus does not save us from God: Jesus reveals God as Savior." Of course, John the Beloved said b...