There seems to be a great contradiction between the Old and New Testaments, specifically relating to justice. Consider what you know from the Old Testament about justice and the law. Leviticus contains a lot of information about legal practices passed down from God to Moses. In its laws, I find retribution deeply rooted, with ideas such as the death penalty being put forth as the ideal law.
Fast forward to the New Testament, and Jesus is directly refuting the Old Testament law, and he tells us to love our neighbor, and to not resist evil acts, specifically citing the “eye for an eye” line as something we should not be doing.
How should we reconcile the stark contrast between these two conceptions of justice? It’s the same God in the Old and New Testaments, yet they proclaim opposing beliefs of what is right. I have tried to find a satisfying answer for this, and so far I have read that Jesus transcends or fulfills this Old Testament doctrine. That doesn’t really make sense to me. How can you fulfill something while also directly contradicting it? Maybe I have not done nearly enough research. Hopefully I can provide you with a better answer next week. Until then, have a nice seven days.
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