A theism part 1 preface part 2

'Our next appointment was once again in Deventer, in a park near to the IJssel. I was a sunny day and there where many people around. Because this park isn't directly laying next to the IJssel there where a little less people than next to the IJssel, many people like to sit next to the water on warm days like these. On a small bench we started to talk. "You appear to have some arguments against the fact that Jesus cannot be God." Henry asked me to tell him why. "Indeed I disagree with this and I do so because it appears wrongly to me." Henry: "Why?" I had an answer for this. "Jeremia 17,5 teaches us that he who trusts on a human is cursed. When we claim that Jesus is a man out of men we bring ourselves under this curse by our denial that Jesus is truly God." Though this was the first argument that I brought up Henry thought that this was my only argument. "It tells me a lot about your faith that you use the old testament to deny the gospel." "Henry," I replied, "without the old testament the new testament has not a single foundation."

Almost all the things that Jesus said are from the old testament our directly connected to it. Dozens prophecies in the old testament are fullfiled in Jesus and the new testament. Often hundreds are mentioned. Even if it would be only fifty. Even than I believe it cannot be claimed that the new testament could excist without the old. Certainly, looking to the many times the old testament is cited in the new testament prooves to me that they are a strong unity.

Besides that, The fact that there is a new covenant prooves that there has been a old covenant. The old covenant tells us a lot about the new covenant. Looking at the length of the old testament, the Tanakh, makes me believe this part is a crucial part of the bible. This makes clear to me that the unity between the old and the new coventant cannot be broken. "Also the old testament is true," was the opinion of Henry, "but the new testament came as a substitution for the old, which was obsolete. That is why we must not focus to much on the old testament but aim our attention to the words that Jesus said." I believe myself that the new testament explains the meaning of the old and can both testament not live without each other. That is why I do not believe that we would have to keep the Torah entirely, law for law and stealing the joy that came with the law by doing so. But in our argument about the Godness of Jesus the prophecies and the history can be a remarkable help for us to understand the bible. Not so much the law itself. On the contrary Jesus claims to be the fullfilling of the law. The law learns us some about this subject too. I believe that with the fullfilling of the law Jesus thought also about the prophecies. Jesus himself talks about the law when he cites a psalm (Psalm 82,6, John 10,34). I believe that the entire Tanakh wil be prophetical and directs us to the new. That is why I would like to first investigate the old testament and ground the ideas that are availeble in it with the new testament. I told Henry about my plans and he agreed. Then I started my explanation.

A Theism part 1 Preface

This study started a while ago with doubt. This doubt was not found in a lack of knowledge, but in uncertainty about the right interpretation. This doubt was growing as some ignorant people where proclaiming that I was denying the gospel. It is this gospel that I do love so much. When I write these things here I find it important that the things which I write are looked after carefully, because I think of myself being honest and trustworthy and not spreading dogmatic error but truth. Henry now rejected me and my viewpoint even before he knew it’s content. He was proclaiming that Jesus cannot be God. Nevertheless he proclaimed also that we should honour and worship Jesus. This appeared to me to be a strange viewpoint. Shortly I had read Jeremiah 17,5: ‘Thus says Yahweh: Cursed is the man who trusts in man, and makes flesh his arm, and whose heart departs from Yahweh.’ I cited this passage before him. According to Henry it is telling a lot about my faith that I use the old testament to deny the gospel. Once again there was doubt. However, I had really been seeking the truth and I was assuming that I had gotten close towards the truth. Now I wasn’t so sure that I did not deny the gospel. So I was hoping to learn some from Henry. But he refused me.

I do believe. Also do I believe in the power of the gospel. Not because the gospel has been forced this power upon, but because it is the truth. The truth is out and from God, the God of the Tanakh, the God who has sends His word out to create the heavens and the earth. The God also of Jesus. In this sense I find out that the old and the new covenant are in fact a unity. A unity that’s been confirmed in the numerous prophecies in the old testament that are being confirmed in the new testament. Those are more than two hundred.

The teachings of the old covenant are far longer than those of the new covenant. The time it excists is also much longer. As Jesus already has said no jot nor tittle of the law will be passed before the end of this world (Matthew 5:18). In the next dialogue you will learn that the old covenant, the Tanakh (which is the entire old testament) will show us most about whether Jesus is a God or not. Even though I have redactionaly adapted the words they have the same content as the dialogue that I've had back then.

It was calm that day along the rivershore of the IJssel, next to Deventer. On many summernights many people are sitting next to this river, even until late. Not today. It had been raining and the gras was wet. I did not care. For me it was a great opportunity to seek contemplation and to be alone. I was studying there for a little while. Then a young man walked by. After a polite salute he walked further. When I was walking towards the station I met him once again. Once again I saluted and for some reason we started to talk. He told me that he had a website on which he explained the gospel. I promissed him to look after it. The same night I looked up the website. The websites design seemed pretty simple to me, but the content was very interesting. What did strike me was that Henry, which appeared to be his name, told that Jesus on no occasion could be God, but we do have to honor him. We made an appointment to talk about this any further later on. On this moment we had already discussed Jeremiah 17,5. Though I was hurt by his words, when he accused me of denying the gospel I was happy that I got the opportunity to explain my motives and my study.