Back to series
God’s Grace in the Old Testament
Click here to open a Print - Friendly PDF
Though we may deny the commonly held opposition between the wrathful, judging God of the Old Testament and the gracious, loving God of the New Testament, we may still be guilty of propagating it by neglecting the Old Testament’s own witness to God’s character, and especially to his grace. Too often, preaching from the Old Testament (if we hear it at all) either presents the relationships its characters have with God as a foil for the one now offered in Christ, or focuses merely on the moral example of those heroes of the faith (“Dare to be a Daniel”). Recently I heard a student say that growing up, he knew that Noah had built an ark and Jonah had been swallowed by a fish, but he did not know who God was. The central figure of the entire Bible is God, and we must be attentive to the many ways he has revealed himself.
To attend to God’s character in the Old Testament, we should start with his self-description, a description which emphasizes his grace:
The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love [hesed] and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love [hesed] for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.
(Exod. 34:6–7) . . .
Will Kynes
ProfessorWill Kynes, is the Associate Professor at Howard College of Arts and Sciences’ Biblical and Religious Studies program, Samford University. He received his Masters in literature at the University of St. Andrews, his Ph.D. at the University of Cambridge, and taught at the University of Oxford. He has an M.Div. from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has authored books including My Psalm Has Turned into Weeping: Job’s Dialogue with the Psalms and An Obituary for “Wisdom Literature”: The Birth, Death, and Intertextual Reintegration of a Biblical Corpus. He has also edited several collections of essays, including The Oxford Handbook of Wisdom and Wisdom Literature, and published a number of scholarly articles and essays.
COPYRIGHT: This publication is published by C.S. Lewis Institute; 8001 Braddock Road, Suite 301; Springfield, VA 22151. Portions of the publication may be reproduced for noncommercial, local church or ministry use without prior permission. Electronic copies of the PDF files may be duplicated and transmitted via e-mail for personal and church use. Articles may not be modified without prior written permission of the Institute. For questions, contact the Institute: 703.914.5602 or email us.
-
Recent Podcasts
The Side B Stories – Adam Terry’s Story
by Adam Terry, Jana Harmon on April 26, 2024Adam Terry experienced an intellectual crisis of faith....Read More
-
A Welcome Change in Apologetics
by Randy Newman, Aimee Riegert on April 19, 2024
-
Questions That Matter Podcast – Samuel James and Digital Liturgies
by Samuel James, Randy Newman on April 19, 2024
-
Recent Publications
Isn’t Morality Relative?
by Christopher L. Reese on April 1, 2024It is widely accepted in the Western world...Read More
-
Do Muslims and Christians Worship the Same God?
by Andy Bannister on March 1, 2024
-
Artificial Intelligence and Its Impacts on Humanity
by John Lennox on February 13, 2024
0
All Booked
0.00
All Booked
0.00
All Booked
22140
GLOBAL EVENT: Keeping the Faith From One Generation To Another with Stuart McAllister and Cameron McAllister, 8:00PM ET
https://www.cslewisinstitute.org/?event=global-event-keeping-the-faith-from-one-generation-to-another-with-stuart-mcallister-and-cameron-mcallister-800pm-et&event_date=2024-05-17®=1
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr
2024-05-17
Next coming event
Days
Hours
Minutes
Seconds
GLOBAL EVENT: Keeping the Faith From One Generation To Another with Stuart McAllister and Cameron McAllister, 8:00PM ET
On May 17, 2024 at 8:00 pmSpeakers
Will Kynes
Professor
Team Members
Will Kynes
ProfessorWill Kynes, is the Associate Professor at Howard College of Arts and Sciences’ Biblical and Religious Studies program, Samford University. He received his Masters in literature at the University of St. Andrews, his Ph.D. at the University of Cambridge, and taught at the University of Oxford. He has an M.Div. from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has authored books including My Psalm Has Turned into Weeping: Job’s Dialogue with the Psalms and An Obituary for “Wisdom Literature”: The Birth, Death, and Intertextual Reintegration of a Biblical Corpus. He has also edited several collections of essays, including The Oxford Handbook of Wisdom and Wisdom Literature, and published a number of scholarly articles and essays.