Is God different in the Old Testament than he is in the New Testament?
Have you heard some say, "the God of the Old Testament is a God of war (or wrath) and the God of the New Testament is a God of love? They are indicating that he has changed his standards of love and justice.
When you read both the Old Testament and the New Testament, it becomes evident that God is not different from one testament to another. Both wrath (or war) and love are revealed in both!
For example, throughout the Old Testament, God is referred to as a "compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness." At Exodus 34:6 it says "a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in loving-kindness and truth." Numbers 14:18 mentions again God's loving-kindness, "pardoning error and transgression" then is adds, "by no means will he give exemption from punishment." (also read: Deuteronomy 4:31, Nehemiah 9:17, Psalms 86:5,15, 108:4, 145:8 and Joel 2:13) In the New Testament, Gods loving-kindness and mercy are manifested even more fully through the fact that "God loved the world so much that he have his only begotten Son...." John 3:16.
The Bible is not only our history book, it's also a guidebook from God. He has given us many examples of how he has dealt with our ancient ancestors for our benefit. We learn what God hates, what he requires, and we learn from thier example how God dealt with disobedience and repentance. A great example of this is the Israelites, they willfully sinned against God by worshiping idols. God punished them, yet each time he would deliver them once they repented. God showed fatherly love towards them, just as you do when your child is disobedient and needs discipline. At Hebrews 12:6 we read that God disciplines those he loves.
What do you think, is God loving, compassionate and gracious throughout the Bible?
Sometimes when a question has been answerd it leads to more questions, like: What does God require of us? I offer a FREE BIBLE STUDY course that will answer these quesstions and others you may have. Please use the comment section below to request information.
