Elohim or Yahweh?

As Christians, we have attempted to worship God as portrayed in the Old Testament (a god of wrath, judgment and punishment) and also the God of the New Testament revealed by Jesus as Father and by Paul as Christ, the Father who judges no man John 5:22, the God who has mercy upon all, Romans 11:32, the Christ in whom there is no condemnation John 8:11; Romans 8:1

It has required a lot of mental gymnastics to reconcile what seems to be two different Gods. Perhaps that is because they are indeed not one and the same. Perhaps the God we meet in Genesis 1 who said, Let there be light and there was light v 3, who saw that that light (not sunlight or moonlight) was good and who divided the light from the darkness v 4 is the same God revealed by the apostle John as he was referring to the message brought by Jesus: that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all 1John 1:5.

Perhaps this God of Genesis 1 who created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them v 27, blessed them v 28 and gave them dominion over all the rest of creation v 28 that was already seen by God to be good v 25, the God who told them that they could eat of every tree and every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth v 29——

Perhaps this is not the same god we meet in Genesis 2:8ff who formed man out of the dust of the ground v 7, commanded him not to eat of one of the trees v 17, took out one of his ribs to make a woman v 22, cursed the woman with pain in childbirth and the dominion of her husband ch 4, v 16, and cursed the man with hard labor and also cursed the ground, telling Adam that he was taken from dust and would return to dust vv 17-19.

Perhaps this God of Genesis 1 (ʾelohiym, el-o-heem´) is not the Lord God of Genesis 2 (YHWH translated Yahweh). Perhaps Yahweh, the Law God we continue to meet throughout the Old Testament, is but a concept of God formed in the mind of man once he entertained the notion that he was a being separate from God who, in order to become like God (though he was already created in God’s image and likeness) had to DO something (law making its first appearance in the mind of man) to become like God—in this instance eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (man’s first believing in a universe of two powers, one good and the other evil rather than in one Power that is Omnipotent (all powerful) and only good—light, love, life).

Of course we can do word studies and attempt to interpret Scripture literally rather than as a parable (as in the story of the prodigal son) of man’s departing from God (in his mind) and finding his way back through Jesus (God Himself descending to man’s level)—we can thereby disprove anything we don’t think is true and prove anything that we do.

But if we have the courage to allow the Holy Spirit to become our teacher, bringing to our remembrance whatever we have forgotten since our descent from the Paradise of God to this world that Jesus overcame John 16:33, if we allow the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth John 16:13, speaking to us in that still, small voice 1Kings 19:12 from within (the belly), we shall come to know the truth that will set us free.

John 7:38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

I can only share what I believe has been revealed to me by the Spirit that dwells in me. Until I was able to distinguish between the God from whom I was begotten James 1:18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, the God who doesn’t keep a record of my wrong doing in order to judge me 1Corinthians 13:5 (NIV), the God from whose love I cannot be separated Romans 8:39 and who doesn’t remember my sins Hebrews 8:12—

Until I could distinguish this God who is love 1John 4:8 from the concept of God I was taught to believe in—the God whom I could never please no matter how hard I tried, who would judge me and punish me if I didn’t get it right, the God who created billions of people, knowing that most of them wouldn’t get it right and would end up in everlasting punishment and who gave me the impossible task of getting all those people saved,—

Until I could make this distinction, I was always in torment and could never find a place of peace. I had to choose which God I would serve. Perhaps everyone does.