violence of God Archives - Page 3 of 14

My book is out! Yay! Read on to learn more about what the book is about. If you are too anxious, you can just go here to get the book on Amazon: It is available (#AmazonAdLink) on the Kindle or (#AmazonAdLink) in Paperback. Right now, it is not available on other websites.

Nothing but the Blood of Jesus Cover

In case you haven’t seen it yet, here is the cover for the book:

(#AmazonAdLink)

Description for Nothing But the Blood of Jesus

Last week I asked you for your input on the book description for the back cover.

If you provided input, thank you very much!

I gave two possible book descriptions, one from my wife and one from me. Mine was more cerebral, and hers was more emotional. If you know us, that fits us perfectly! In the end, I ended up combining both into one description … and the two shall become one!

Here is the description for Nothing but the Blood of Jesus:

Do you have difficulties reconciling God’s behavior in the Old Testament with that of Jesus in the New?

Do you find yourself trying to rationalize God’s violent demeanor in the Bible to unbelievers or even to yourself?

Does it seem disconcerting that God tells us not to kill others but He then takes part in some of the bloodiest wars and vindictive genocides in history?

The answer to all such questions is found in Jesus on the cross.

By focusing your eyes on Jesus Christ and Him crucified, you come to understand that God was never angry at human sinners, and that no blood sacrifice was ever needed to purchase God’s love, forgiveness, grace, and mercy.

In Nothing but the Blood of Jesus, J. D. Myers shows how the death of Jesus on the cross reveals the truth about the five concepts of sin, law, sacrifice, scapegoating, and bloodshed. After carefully defining each, this book shows how these definitions provide clarity on numerous biblical texts.

If you have ever wanted to see God in the light of Jesus, seek no further. J. D. Myers masterfully reveals the truth of who God is, as well as the missing pieces you have been searching for in order to truly understand what is written in the Bible. You will also gain insight into the true plight of humanity and what Jesus came to rescue and deliver us from.

Read this book. You will not be disappointed.

Table of Contents for Nothing But the Blood of Jesus

The table of contents below is much longer than the Table of Contents I put in the book. But I am including the longer one here just to show you the various Bible passages I explain in the book. There are 56 of them!

If you have questions about any of the 56 Scripture texts listed below, this book will help you understand them.

Chapter 1: How Precious Is the Flow?

Arguing with Myself
Criticizing Christians
Don’t Ask How It Works?
A Better Answer

Part I: Sin

Chapter 2: Defining Sin

What Sin Is (Not)
What Sin Is
The Beginning of Sin
Oh! The Inhumanity!
The Revelation of Sin

Chapter 3: Scriptures on Sin

Genesis 6:5, 11, 13
Matthew 1:21
Matthew 3:6 (cf. Mark 1:4; Luke 3:3)
John 16:8
Romans 5–7
1 Corinthians 15:56
2 Corinthians 5:21
Ephesians 2:1-3
1 Timothy 1:15
Hebrews 9:26
1 John 1:7-9
1 John 3:4
Sin is The Human Problem

Part II: Law

Chapter 4: Defining Law

Defining the Law
How we Divide the Law
The Origin of Law
Obeying the Law Can Lead to Sin
Jesus vs. the Religion of Law
So Why Did God Give the Law?

Chapter 5: Scriptures on Law

The Mosaic Law
The Prophets
Matthew 5:17
Matthew 5–7
Romans 7:11-13
Galatians 3:19
Law is Not the Solution to Sin

Part III: Sacrifice

Chapter 6: Defining Sacrifice

Three Purposes for Sacrifice
Sociological Sacrifice
Psychological Sacrifice
Spiritual Sacrifice
Questioning Sacrifice
Traditional Sacrificial Theology
The Bible Undermines Sacrifice
The Sacrifice of Jesus
The Sacrifice to End All Sacrifices

Chapter 7: Scriptures on Sacrifice

Genesis 1
Genesis 3:21
Genesis 4:4
Genesis 8:20-21
Genesis 9–11
Genesis 12–50
Genesis 22:1-14
Exodus–Deuteronomy
The Prophets
The Gospels
Romans 12:1
Hebrews 9:23–10:18
Sacrifices are Not the Solution to Sin

Part IV: Scapegoat

Chapter 8: Defining the Scapegoat

Defining Scapegoat
The Way of the Scapegoat
Imitation
Desire
Rivalry
Violence
The Scapegoat
Three Types of Scapegoats
Three Signs of Scapegoating
Scapegoating God
Three Ways Jesus Reveals Scapegoating
Jesus, the Lamb of God
Three Revelations about the Scapegoat

Chapter 9: Scriptures on the Scapegoat

Genesis 3:12
Genesis 4
Genesis 6–8
Leviticus 16–17
Joshua 7:10-26
Job
John 1:29, 36
Luke 11:49-51
John 11:49-53
Acts 5:1-11
Revelation 5:5-6
Scapegoating is Not the Solution to Sin

Part V: Blood

Chapter 10: Defining Blood

Bloody Sin
Bloody Law
Bloody Sacrifices
Bloody Scapegoating
The Way of Escape

Chapter 11: Scriptures on Blood

Genesis 4:7-10
Genesis 4:23-24
Genesis 9:4-6
Old Testament
Matthew 23:29-35
Matthew 26:28; Mark 14:24; Luke 22:20
The New Covenant
The Remission of Sins
The Book of Acts
Romans 3:20-26
Ephesians 1:7
Ephesians 2:13
Colossians 1:20
Hebrews 9:22
1 Peter 1:18-19
1 John 1:7
The Book of Revelation
The Blood of Jesus is the Solution to Sin

Chapter 12: The Precious Blood of Jesus

Buy Your Copy on Amazon Today

The book is 292 pages, and I am super excited to hear what you think about it. It is available for the Kindle or in Paperback on Amazon. Just choose which version you prefer to be taken to the appropriate page:

Nothing But the Blood of Jesus Paperback — Paperback Edition

Nothing but the Blood of Jesus Kindle — Kindle Version

Jonah 1:4 – Does God Send Storms?

By Jeremy Myers

4 Comments

In Jonah 1:4, God sends a storm upon Jonah and the ship that carries him to Tarshish. Is this how God normally behaves? It’s a practical question that all of us face in life from time to time.

My wife and I are experiencing some difficulties in life right now. Quite often, it feels like we are in a storm, being buffeted by wind and waves. We sometimes have trouble keeping our heads above water.

My wife mentioned our struggles to someone this week, and they sent an email to her saying that the reason we are facing this storm is because we are sinning. The person who wrote the email said that God sent these troubles upon us because our views about church and about the LGBT community were sinful. We have been deceived by Satan, the email said, and so this is why God is punishing us with the storms of life.

People read in the Bible that Jonah disobeys God and so God sends a storm. Then when people see others facing storms in life, they says, “Oh, well, it must be because you are disobeying God.”

Is that really how God works? Does God send storms into our lives to punish us? If you sin, will God send disasters into your life to punish you? Does God send sickness, disease, famines, floods, earthquakes, or the loss of jobs, income, health, or even the death of a family member? Is this what God does?

Well, lots of people think so, and it is because of verses in the Bible like Jonah 1:4 that they think so. This is the verse we are looking at today, and by doing so we will hope to answer some of these questions.

The Text of Jonah 1:4

But the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken up.

In this discussion of Jonah 1:4 we look at:

The description of the great storm in Jonah 1:4
Why some people think God sends storms upon sinners
Why Jesus reveals that God does not send storms to punish sinners
If God does not punish sin with storms of destruction, then what is going on in Jonah 1;4?
A brief preview and overview of the message in the book of Jonah

Resources:

While you wait for my book on the violence of God to come out, below are some additional resources that I have found helpful, and you might too…

Redeeming God Discipleship Area
Subscribe and Leave a Review on iTunes
Is God to Blame? by Greg Boyd
The Crucifixion of the Warrior God by Greg Boyd
Is God a Moral Monster? by Paul Copan
God’s Word in Human Words by Kenton Sparks
The Bible Made Impossible by Christian Smith
Disturbing Divine Behavior by Eric Seibert
The Human Faces of God by Thom Stark
Reading the Bible Again For the First Time by Markus Borg

Downloadable Podcast Resources

Those who are part of my online discipleship group may download the MP3 audio file for this podcast and view the podcast transcript below.

You must join a discipleship group or login to download the MP3 and view the transcript.

Thanks for visiting this page ... but this page is for Discipleship Group members.

If you are already part of a Faith, Hope, or Love Discipleship Group,
Login here.

If you are part of the free "Grace" Discipleship group, you will need to
Upgrade your Membership to one of the paid groups.

If you are not part of any group, you may learn about the various groups and their benefits here:
Join Us Today.

Do you like learning about the Bible online?

Do you like learning about Scripture and theology through my podcast? If so, then you will also love my online courses. They all have MP3 audio downloads, PDF transcripts, quizzes, and a comment section for questions and interaction with other students.

If you want to deepen your relationship with God and better understand Scripture, take one (or all) of these courses. They are great for personal study or for a small group Bible study.

You can see the list of available courses here, and if you join the Discipleship group, you can take all the courses at no additional cost. Go here to learn more and join now.

[#46] Genesis 3:16a – God Does Not Abuse Women

By Jeremy Myers

5 Comments

Have you ever heard a woman use Genesis 3:16 to say that the reason women experience pain in childbearing is because God cursed Eve? In other words, have you ever heard someone blame God for the pain that women experience in giving birth?

These are the sorts of questions we are looking at in this episode of the One Verse Podcast.

The Text of Genesis 3:16

To the woman He said: “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you.”

In this discussion of Genesis 3:16 we look at:

The words used for childbearing in Genesis 3:16
The word used for pain in Genesis 3:16
The question of whether or not God inflicts pain on women
The truth that God does not curse or hurt women

Resources:

Downloadable Podcast Resources

Those who are part of my online discipleship group may download the MP3 audio file for this podcast and view the podcast transcript below.

You must join a discipleship group or login to download the MP3 and view the transcript.

Thanks for visiting this page ... but this page is for Discipleship Group members.

If you are already part of a Faith, Hope, or Love Discipleship Group,
Login here.

If you are part of the free "Grace" Discipleship group, you will need to
Upgrade your Membership to one of the paid groups.

If you are not part of any group, you may learn about the various groups and their benefits here:
Join Us Today.

Do you like learning about the Bible online?

If you want to deepen your relationship with God and better understand Scripture, take one (or all) of these courses. They are great for personal study or for a small group Bible study.

You can see the list of available courses here, and if you join the Discipleship group, you can take all the courses at no additional cost. Go here to learn more and join now.

Is God a wife beater?

By Jeremy Myers

9 Comments

Here’s a question for you:

Is God a wife beater?

The God that is often portrayed by many pastors and many Christian books is a God who wants to inflict pain on you for your sin.

His wrath is terrible. His vengeance fierce. His anger is poured out upon sinners.

And so when you sin, you better watch out, because God is going to get you!

When we remember that the church is referred to as the “Bride of Christ” and we recognize that Jesus represents God, this whole angry-God imagery makes people think of God as a wife beater.

And do you want to know where this imagery of God begins? It begins in the very beginning, when God sets out to inflict pain on Eve because she ate the wrong piece of fruit (Genesis 3:16).

Imagine you are walking through the park one day and you hear a man saying this to his wife:

I can’t believe you ate my pear! When we get home, are you ever going to get it! That was MY pear! I told you not to eat it! When we get home I am going to beat you so hard! I am going to pound you into a pulp. You have never have known such pain! I will inflict pain on you such as you have never imagined! And you know what? I’m going to beat our daughters too. They need to learn to mind me and obey me. They need to learn to do what I say. So I’m going to whip you good and then whip our daughters.

I believe if you heard this, you would call the police immediately. At least, I hope you would.

And yet, in Genesis 3:16, here is what God says to Eve:

I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children.

Why does God say He is going to “bring the pain”? Because Eve ate a piece of fruit she wasn’t supposed to. Yes, yes, I know there was more to it than this, but even still ….

It just doesn’t seem right for God to inflict pain on Eve for what happened, and not only on Eve, but on all women who follow after her as well.

The traditional way of reading Genesis 3:16 has God inflicting pain on Eve and all her daughters because Eve ate fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

Does this sound much like a God you want to love, honor, and serve?

Well…

I’m going to try to resolve most of these issues in an upcoming podcast episode. This episode was supposed to be done this Thursday, but I’ll be honest … Genesis 3:16 “brought the pain” to me as well. So far, in the last two weeks, I have logged over 20 hours just studying this one single verse. Actually, I spent this time on just the first half of the verse, the part I quoted above.

I think I have a pretty good solution to the problem of God inflicting pain on women, which I will present in my podcast when it comes out, but I am not yet ready to record it. Hopefully by next week.

But guess what? There is still plenty you can listen to between now and then! I was recently interviewed by two different podcasts, and here the links so you can go listen to them. The “Life Uncut” podcast will have a “Part 2” later, so I will include it then. Make sure you subscribe to both of the podcasts as well, since both are fantastic.

Holy Soup Podcast

Thom Shultz, CEO of Group Publishing, Interviews me about Biblical Illiteracy (and why I don’t think it is a crisis in the church).

Listen and subscribe Here

Life Uncut Podcast

A Discussion with Tom Walter and Jeremy Myers. This is only Part 1, and I imagine that Part 2 will be out next week.

Listen and Subscribe Here

Does Jesus condone the death sentence for children in Mark 7:10?

By Jeremy Myers

11 Comments

A reader recently sent in this question about Mark 7:10.

I was able to pre-order your book [The Atonement of God] and I can’t stop readingaF it! I am now on my third time around. It truly has continued to redeem my thought about our loving God, just like your blog. Thank you so much for blessing us with such a profound book.

Could you please help me with a passage I am having trouble understanding? Maybe you have written about it before, it’s Mark 7:10 where Jesus seems to agree with Moses “For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’” I love the way you have taught us to understand the Old Testament, but here it seems like Jesus is agreeing with Moses about “God’s law” to put someone to death if they do not honor father or mother. I now know God is not violent, so what am I missing?

Thank you so much for considering my question.

Here is an expanded version of how I responded to him:

What I wrote on page 195 in the book helps explain Mark 7:9-11. On that page, I explain that according to the book of Hebrews, one reason Jesus came was to redeem sin, and especially a certain kind of sin, the parabainō type of sin. This type of sin is the sin of misusing the law. This was using the law in a way that allowed people to sin and in so doing, legally do the exact opposite of the spirit of the law.

In Mark 7:9-14 The religious leaders had found a way to obey the letter of the law while completely ignoring its intent. People were dishonoring their parents (and in a way, even cursing them to death), but were not being “put to death” in response. Quite to the contrary, the religious leaders were saying that it was okay for children to not honor their parents and provide for them if the money that would normally be used to do so was given to the temple.

Those who focus intently on the law almost always find loopholes in the law so that they can obey the letter of the law while completely ignoring it’s intent.

This is a parabainō sin, a transgression of the law, and was the main type of sin Jesus was concerned with in His ministry. The “sins” that most of us Christians are concerned with today were never really on Jesus’ radar. He was only concerned with the religiously approved sins which turned the law on its head so that people could “obey the law” while completely disregarding its intent.

So when Jesus quotes the law in Mark 7:10 about putting children to death for cursing their parents, He is not necessarily quoting it with approval, but is instead pointing out how the religious leaders were using the law to do the exact opposite of what the law said. These adult children were dedicating their money to the temple so that they didn’t have to support their parents in their old age. And the way the Corban law worked, they could keep their money until they died.

In effect, these adult children were cursing their parents to death, which was the exact opposite of what the law said they should do.

Jesus responds to this situation by saying that if the religious leaders were really going to obey the law, these children who essentially curse their parents to death should themselves be stoned to death.

But then does this mean that Jesus agrees with what the law says on this point? Does Jesus condone the death penalty for children?

Well, first of all, it is the adult children of elderly parents who are in view.

Even still, I don’t think Jesus was saying that people should be put to death if they fail to take care of their parents. He doesn’t seem to be quoting that particular law from Exodus 21:17 favorably.

Instead, I think Jesus was simply pointing out that the religious leaders were not following the law at all, but were instead misusing the law in a way that allowed them to dishonor their parents, which was the exact opposite intention of the law (see 7:13).

What then would be the proper use of the law in these situations? What was the spirit of the law?

The law was focused on life. The goal of the law is life. The law didn’t want either children or their parents to die.

So the spirit of the law in this case would be that the children who had the money would not be allowed to dedicate it to the temple, but would be required by the temple and the priesthood to use the money to support their parents.

“Oh, but then how would the priests pay for the temple?” Maybe they wouldn’t. What’s more important, a building or your parents?

“Are you saying that people shouldn’t give to God?” No. What I’m saying is that giving to a temple is not the same thing as giving to God, and that God Himself seems to prefer that we use our money to support our family than for supporting the “work of the Lord” as the priestly class defines it. In other words, according to God, supporting your family IS the work of the Lord (cf. 1 Tim 5:4, 8).

Children “give to God” by supporting their parents; not by supporting a priesthood.

Anyway, those are my thoughts. What are yours? Provide your input in the comment section below.

My new book is now available on Amazon!

Nothing but the Blood of Jesus Cover

Description for Nothing But the Blood of Jesus

Table of Contents for Nothing But the Blood of Jesus

Buy Your Copy on Amazon Today

Jonah 1:4 – Does God Send Storms?

The Text of Jonah 1:4

In this discussion of Jonah 1:4 we look at:

Resources:

Downloadable Podcast Resources

Do you like learning about the Bible online?

[#46] Genesis 3:16a – God Does Not Abuse Women

The Text of Genesis 3:16

In this discussion of Genesis 3:16 we look at:

Resources:

Downloadable Podcast Resources

Do you like learning about the Bible online?

Is God a wife beater?

Is God a wife beater?

Holy Soup Podcast

Life Uncut Podcast

Does Jesus condone the death sentence for children in Mark 7:10?

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