There are passages in the Old Testament in which God commands the Israelite Army to utterly destroy certain Canaanite cities in the land that God promised to Abraham and his descendants. This sermon addresses hard questions: Is God a genocidal, malevolent bully? Is the God of the Old Testament the same God we read about in the New Testament? Pastor Nate gives three responses. One, God brings judgment upon a generationally wicked Canaanite culture. Two, God desired to stop the spiritual poison (of the Canaanites) from spreading to the Israelites and the nations. Three, God was exceedingly patient with the Canaanites. In the New Testament, God displays both His judgment and His love through the sacrifice of Christ. Christians are now agents of God's love, reconciliation and peace - not God's judgment.
This series seeks to provide intellectually, emotionally and culturally reasonable responses to some of our culture's most skeptical questions about faith. While we will not have all the answers and proofs, we will seek to respond in a respectful and winsome way.