Response to Letter to a Christian Girlfriend

After reading the long letter, I shall answer some issues raised to the best of my capacity.

Question: God ask you to put to death people who believe in other gods

Since God saved the Hebrews aka Israelites from Egypt, God promised favour on them with some conditions. They are never to follow other deities. To further enforce that, death is the punishment, so whoever Israelite serve other gods at that time will be put to death. So if one is allowed to go astray in their faith, there will be dire consequences! Since the Israelites themselves have experienced that great rescue, they should known it.

But now we are living in the age of truth, no longer bound to the law. Idolatary is of course still a sin. But didn't Jesus commissioned us to tell others about our faith? So, those who have yet to come to Christ, we welcome them and let themselves choose to renounce their old religious practices. If you know the goodness of God, would you leave? Certainly not.

Question: Moses ordered all Midianite women and children be killed.

I read the part of the Bible that mentioned Moses ordered the killing of all Midianite women and children. When I don't understand what's happening, or why the prophets said that, I read the parts preceding it. What went on was that the Midianites lured some Israelites into idolatary. God asked Moses to attack the Midianites and completely destroy them.

Bible verses are not to be read in isolation. It's a continuous prose.

Question: Since God is all merciful and powerful, why not God forgive man outright for their sins?

God will judge, but He also loves. But don't you realize judgment and love are very hard to come together? That's why the Son of God descended onto earth to take our punishments in our place. Don't you realize God came down on earth and allowed Himself to die in the hands of man, the very thing He created? In the old days the Jews had to sacrifice an animal to atone for one's sin. The wage of sin is death, God's standard has not changed until now. When Jesus was crucified, every pain inflicted onto his body shows God's anger at sin.