Is God Different in the Old and New Testament?

John 8:58

I do not know how many times I have heard people say that Jesus is different than the God of the Old Testament. That is actually a very common thought in churches today. People tend to view the God of the Old Testament as angry, harsh, and judgmental. This is contrasted with Jesus in the New Testament who they view as kind, gentle, compassionate, forgiving, and all accepting. This begs the question, why are they so different... or are they? That is the question we want to dive into today.

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Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”

John 8:58

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Preachers will teach this passage, and they get all excited when they talk about Jesus saying that He is THE "I AM". Let's be honest, if we honestly believe that Jesus is God, then we absolutely should get excited about Jesus saying that He is God. I am not making light of that. When we see and hear the excitement of the pastor, we share in their excitement. Jesus said He is the God of the Old Testament! Don't miss that, JESUS SAID HE IS THE GOD OF THE OLD TESTAMENT! So, if Jesus is the God of the Old Testament, then how do we think they are different?

As we saw previously, Jesus said that He did not come to destroy the law, but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17). What does that mean? It means that NONE of God's standards in the Old Testament were done away with. The moral law was not thrown away. The ceremonial law was not abolished. The only thing that has changed is which side of the cross we are on. There is no longer a need for sacrifices and the ceremonies that were carried out in the tabernacle/Temple because they pointed to the work that Jesus would do. That work is done, so now we look at Christ, not the object lessons that taught what He would do.

Some may say that the Old Testament was so harsh with all of its laws and judgments, which Jesus taught about forgiveness and grace. There are a few things I would point out:

1. The law points to God's standard of righteousness and the consequences if it is violated. Remember that it is Romans that says the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).

2. The Old Testament is filled with grace and forgiveness.

Grace: Forgiveness

Genesis 6:8 Genesis 50:17

Exodus 33:12 Exodus 32:32

Ezra 9:8 Exodus 34:7

Psalm 45:2 Leviticus 4:20

Psalm 84:11 Numbers 15:26

Jeremiah 31:2 II Chronicles 7:14

(These are just to name a few)

3. Jesus talked about Hell....a lot!

Matthew 10:28

Matthew 13:42

Matthew 25:30

Mark 9:43, 48

Luke 16:19-31

4. Jesus is the main focus of Revelation, and He will JUDGE all of humanity, Satan and his angels, death, and hell.

Speaking of the grace and mercy of God, the prophet Malachi wrote, "For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed" (Malachi 3:6). God does not change. He said this in the Old Testament, and God does not lie. Therefore, Jesus is the same from Genesis to Revelation. Sin will be judged. The only difference in those who will be in Heaven and those who will be in Hell is the cross. Those in heaven had their judgment carried out on Jesus at Calvary. Those who rejected Him as Lord will have their judgment carried out on them in Hell. God does not change, but He does want to change us.

God thank You for not changing. You do not change who You are, and You do not change Your plans. We do not have to keep up with moos, or evolution. You are the same yesterday, today, and for all of eternity. There is so much assurance in that fact if we simply trust You.