Another Foundational Verse, For Me At Least

Love these two verses.  Verse 7 gives us a good piece of advice and verse 8 is just pure bedrock to me.  It is one of THE verses that help me understand some of the apparent contradictions between Jesus and God.  Let's take a look and then I'll explain.

Hebrews 13:7-8(NKJV)

7Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct. 

8Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 

First the advice.  "Remember those who rule over you" is a bit of an old fashioned way to put it.  Here is my paraphrase.  Observe your spiritual leaders and see if their actions and outcomes match their words.

Now to the bedrock.

8Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 

 

As you read and compare the Old Testament and the New Testament, there are some who like to portray it as God is a mean old right winger and Jesus is a Kumbaya singing left winger.  That seems to be quite a contradiction. 

Here is why verse 8 is such bedrock to me.  When you combine this verse that tells us that Jesus is ALWAYS the same with the Scripture that tells us that God and Jesus are always in agreement; it tells me that any contradiction that I sense must have a different explanation.

As John Galt says, "there are no contradictions, if you think you have found one, check you premise."
 

As an example, there are some who paint Jesus as a total pacifist and yet God told Saul in one of his battles to kill every man, women, child, and beast.  How could Jesus ever have been in agreement with that? 
 

For me, using these bedrock concepts, I think the explanation runs along these lines.  Jesus is admonishing us to be more forgiving and slow to anger.  However, there are times when even He took physical, violent action.  Driving the money changers out of the Temple is what I am thinking of here. 

In the book of Luke, Jesus also told his disciples to arm themselves so He apparently believed in the concept of defending yourself.  The way I see it Jesus is saying be slow to anger but He is in agreement with God that if it comes to a fight, then take care of business.   Throughout the NT there are references to those who reject Christ as being the enemies of God. 

I believe that God and Jesus are in full agreement that it is morally right to fight God's enemies.