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Reconciling the God of the Old Testament with the God of the New Testament

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Reconciling the God of the Old Testament with the God of the New Testament Brigham Young University BYU ScholarsArchive Theses and Dissertations 2006-06-22 To Know the One True God: Reconciling the God of the Old Testament with the God of the New Testament Kelly D. Newman Brigham Young University - Provo Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd Part of the Biblical Studies Commons, and the Other Religion Commons BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Newman, Kelly D., "To Know the One True God: Reconciling the God of the Old Testament with the God of the New Testament" (2006). Theses and Dissertations. 471. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/471 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. TO KNOW THE ONLY TRUE GOD: RECONCILING THE GOD OF THE OLD TESTAMENT WITH THE GOD OF THE NEW TESTAMENT by Kelly D. Newman A thesis submitted to the faculty of Brigham Young University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Arts in Religious Education Department of Religious Education Brigham Young University June 2006 Copyright © 2006 Kelly D. Newman All Rights Reserved BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY GRADUATE COMMITTEE APPROVAL of a thesis submitted by Kelly D. Newman This thesis has been read by each member of the following graduate committee and by majority vote has been found to be satisfactory. _____________________ ____________________________________ Date Richard D. Draper, Chair _____________________ ____________________________________ Date Arnold K. Garr _____________________ ____________________________________ Date Paul H. Peterson BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY As chair of the candidate’s graduate committee, I have read the thesis of Kelly D. Newman in its final form and have found that (1) its format, citations and bibliographical style are consistent and acceptable and fulfill university and department style requirements; (2) its illustrative materials including figures, tables, and charts are in place; and (3) the final manuscript is satisfactory to the graduate committee and is ready for submission to the university library. ________________________ _____________________________________ Date Richard D. Draper Chair, Graduate Committee Accepted for the Department _________________________ _____________________________________ Date Clyde J. Williams Graduate Coordinator Accepted for the College ________________________ _____________________________________ Date Terry B. Ball Dean, Religious Education ABSTRACT TO KNOW THE ONLY TRUE GOD: RECONCILING THE GOD OF THE OLD TESTAMENT WITH THE GOD OF THE NEW TESTAMENT Kelly D. Newman Department of Religious Education Masters of Arts in Religious Education There is a popular misconception in the world that Jehovah is too severe on occasion while Jesus Christ is always kind and merciful. The Latter-day Saint belief that Jehovah and Jesus are the same person presents a supposed conflict. There has not been much written on this subject by either non-Latter-day Saints or Latter-day Saints, thus, this thesis represents a unique contribution to a common perception prevalent in many Christian circles. The research of this thesis shows that the misconception is based on three problems: first, a misinterpretation of biblical stories in both the Old and New Testament; second, a lack of understanding biblical context and culture; and third, a lack of applying modern revelation to this subject. The research of this thesis focuses on these three areas in an effort to resolve this false perception. This thesis takes a deeper look into the acts of Jehovah and Jesus Christ as found in the Old and New Testaments respectively. Next, it looks as several doctrines related to this subject that have been revealed through latter-day prophets and incorporates them into the Old Testament. This analysis paints a broader picture of the Lord and illustrates that He was, indeed, merciful in the Old Testament but, at times, severe in the New Testament. Lastly, this thesis takes four of the most difficult Old Testament stories that seem to represent Jehovah as harsh, capricious, and unyielding, and puts them in their cultural setting. Though not every act can be completely explained, there is a high degree of similarity between Jehovah and Jesus. The study concludes, therefore, that much of the problem lies with perception and not with reality. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I acknowledge that the views expressed in this thesis are mine and do not necessarily represent the position of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or of Brigham Young University. I would like to thank Professor Richard D. Draper for his extensive help in finishing this project. His ideas and counsel have added greatly to this thesis. I would also like to thank Professors Arnold K. Garr and Paul H. Peterson for their quick and encouraging responses to each chapter. They have made this process smooth and enjoyable. I would like to thank my wonderful wife Cherish for her ideas, support, and sacrifice on this thesis. She has put many hours in editing and discussing the topic with me. She has contributed greatly to my success. I would like to thank the Lord who is so kind to me. I have often prayed for help in writing this thesis about Him. I have often felt His inspiration and direction. TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1 The Justice of Jehovah Versus the Mercy of the Messiah.................................................1 Introduction .................................................................................................................1 Explanation of Thesis ..................................................................................................3 Thesis Overview..........................................................................................................5 Chapter 2 Background and Literature Review..................................................................................8 Introduction .................................................................................................................8 Background and History ..............................................................................................8 Literature Review ......................................................................................................10 Current Christian Literature (non LDS)..................................................................10 Latter-day Saint Literature .....................................................................................18 The Unique Contribution of This Thesis ....................................................................22 Chapter 3 The Mercy of Jehovah and the Justice of Christ .............................................................23 The Mercy of Jehovah ...............................................................................................23 The Justice of Christ ..................................................................................................27 Chapter 4 The Effect of Modern Revelation on the Percieved Contrast Between Jehovah and Jesus Christ ...............................................................................................34 The Characteristics and Attributes of Jehovah............................................................35 The Justice of Jehovah ...........................................................................................36 The Wrath of Jehovah............................................................................................37 The Jealousy of Jehovah ........................................................................................40 The Mercy of Jehovah............................................................................................41 The Longsuffering of Jehovah................................................................................43 The Omniscience of Jehovah .................................................................................45 Jehovah Gives Ample Warning Before Meting Out Consequences.............................47 The Joseph Smith Translation: A Different Perspective of Jehovah............................49 The Book of Mormon’s Insights on the Descendents of Israel and the Law of Moses.54 The Descendents of Israel ......................................................................................55 The Law of Moses .................................................................................................58 Modern Revelation Concerning Mankind’s Salvation ................................................60 Conclusion.................................................................................................................63 Chapter 5 Four Case Studies..........................................................................................................65 The Flood in Noah’s Day (Genesis 6-8).....................................................................67 Introduction ...........................................................................................................67 Discussion .............................................................................................................67 Resolution..............................................................................................................69 viii The Man Stoned for Picking Up Sticks on the Sabbath (Numbers 15:32-36)..............77 Introduction
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