The Old testament, New testament and God

1. The Old Testament, New Testament and God – 24rd March 2017
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly
lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”(James 1:17).
There is a fundamental misunderstanding by people about the Old and New Testaments in
reference to the nature of God. People say, “The God of the Old Testament is a God of wrath
while the God of the New Testament is a God of love.” Bible is God’s progressive revelation of
Himself to us through historical events and through His relationship with people and this
happened throughout history. This also might contribute to misconceptions about what God is
like in the Old Testament as compared to the New Testament. However, when one reads both
the Old and the New Testaments, it becomes evident that God is not different from one
testament to another and that God’s wrath and His love are revealed in both testaments.
For example, throughout the Old Testament, God is declared to be a “compassionate and
gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness,” as we can read in Exodus
34:6,“And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate
and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness…”In the New Testament,
God’s loving-kindness and mercy are manifested even more fully when we read John 3:16,“ For
God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall
not perish but have eternal life.” Throughout the Old Testament, we also see God dealing with
Israel the same way a loving father deals with a child. When they willfully sinned against Him
and began to worship idols, God would punish them. Yet, each time He would deliver them
once they had repented of their idolatry. This is much the same way God deals with Christians
in the New Testament. For example, we can learn from Hebrews 12:6 “…because the Lord
disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”
In a similar way, throughout the Old Testament we see God’s judgment and wrath poured out
on sin. Likewise, in the New Testament we see that the wrath of God is still “being revealed
from heaven as stated in Romans 1:18, “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven
against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their
wickedness…” So, clearly, God is no different in the Old Testament than He is in the New
Testament. God by His very nature is immutable (unchanging) as we can learn from Hebrews
6:17-18: “Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the
heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. 18 God did this so that, by two
unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie…” While we might see one aspect of
His nature revealed in certain passages of Scripture more than other aspects, God Himself does
not change.
As we study the Bible, it becomes clear that God is the same in the Old and New Testaments.
Even though the Bible is 66 individual books written on two (or possibly three) continents, in
three different languages, over a period of approximately 1500 years by more than 40 authors,

2. it remains one unified book from beginning to end without contradiction. In it we see how a
loving, merciful, and just God deals with sinful men in all kinds of situations. Truly, the Bible is
God’s love letter to mankind. Due to God’s love for His creation, especially for mankind, this is
evident when we study the bible. Throughout the Bible we see God lovingly and mercifully
calling people into a special relationship with Himself, not because we deserve it, but as stated
by the Psalmist that He is a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in loving-
kindness and truth: “But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger,
abounding in love and faithfulness.” (Psalm86:15)
Yet we also see a holy and righteous God who is the Judge of all those who disobey His Word
and refuse to have faith and worship Him. Instead they turn to worship other god(s) of their
own creation. But they will have to face a day of judgment! We can learn from Romans 1: 18-
19, “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and
wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be
known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.”
Because of God’s righteous and holy character, all sin—past, present, and future—must be
judged. Yet God in His infinite love has provided a payment for sin and a way of reconciliation
so that the lost and sinful man can escape His wrath. We see this wonderful truth in 1 John
4:10: “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning
sacrifice for our sins.” In the Old Testament, Jews had a a sacrificial systemwhereby atonement
could be made for sin through different sacrifices made in the Jewish temple. However, this
sacrificial systemwas only temporary and merely looked forward to the coming of a messiah,
whom we believe as Jesus Christ who would die on the cross to make a complete
substitutionary atonement for sin.
As Christians we believe that the Savior who was promised in the Old Testament is fully
revealed in the New Testament. Only envisioned in the Old Testament, the ultimate expression
of God’s love, the sending of His Son Jesus Christ, is revealed in all its glory in the New
Testament. Both the Old and the New Testaments were given “to make us wise unto salvation”
as we read from 2 Timothy 3:15 “… and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures,
which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” When we study the
Testaments closely, it is evident that God does not change: “Every good and perfect gift is from
above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting
shadows.”(James 1:17).