These are not mutually exclusive. He does not need to lead by example, as a father does not need to lead by example for his offspring to listen ( that actually is somewhere in the Bible).
Well, in my opinion this is where the "written by men" part comes into play. I don't think God is a vindictive God. The Old Testament is full of pretty awful sounding stuff. I believe that regardless of how the word of God has been twisted by men. It's true intention is best learned through the teachings of Jesus. And Jesus taught Love and Respect for all people and creatures.
I always look at the phrase "God is love" sideways because of verses like these. You either can say this God changed or we have to accept some disagreement between father and son and if you don't have direct ancestry with the ancient Isrealites then you'd best not count on him.
Given the miracles He performed and the documentation given by the inspired authors of the Gospels, I'm betting that any apparent discrepancies in ancestry are on the human side. :o)
These are not mutually exclusive. He does not need to lead by example, as a father does not need to lead by example for his offspring to listen ( that actually is somewhere in the Bible).
I disagree. I think that Jesus did lead by example, and we should do our best to do the same.
Well, in my opinion this is where the "written by men" part comes into play. I don't think God is a vindictive God. The Old Testament is full of pretty awful sounding stuff. I believe that regardless of how the word of God has been twisted by men. It's true intention is best learned through the teachings of Jesus. And Jesus taught Love and Respect for all people and creatures.
I always look at the phrase "God is love" sideways because of verses like these. You either can say this God changed or we have to accept some disagreement between father and son and if you don't have direct ancestry with the ancient Isrealites then you'd best not count on him.
Given the miracles He performed and the documentation given by the inspired authors of the Gospels, I'm betting that any apparent discrepancies in ancestry are on the human side. :o)