When You’re Tempted to Hate People, Part 3: Compassion
Read the series.
In his primary description of himself, God includes a list of related attributes (Ex 34.6-7):
As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
Read the series.
In his primary description of himself, God includes a list of related attributes (Ex 34.6-7):
As we’ve noted, even Jonah the bigot knew that God had revealed himself as a God of compassion, who extends mercy even to the most wicked, upon their repentance—and who seeks that repentance from them.
When and where did God reveal this?
It begins with Moses.
We’re polarized.
Yep.
And each side sees the other as the Ultimate Personification of Evil.
They’re bad people, you see. They want to destroy us and all that we hold dear.
No tactic is out of bounds in our desire to destroy them.
It’s war.
Bring it.
There were situations like this in biblical times: existential crises, where God’s people, and all they held dear—or should have held dear—was under assault by those who hated what they stood for, because they hated the God who had chosen them for himself.
“there’s a difference between gloating, that is, rejoicing at the misfortune of others, and rejoicing at God overcoming evil.” - TGC
“We’re all for ethics, all for kindness, all for grace, when we’re the potential victim. But when grace is called for from us, we want to live by the loopholes. In this instance, you see, it’s different. No. It’s not.” - Olinger
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