Does God in the Old Testament seem different than in the New Testament?

Jaxxi · Feb 24, 2021

Old Testament

Therefore thus saith the Lord God: Behold, Mine anger and My fury shall be poured out upon this place — upon man and upon beast, and upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of the ground; and it shall burn and shall not be quenched. Jeremiah 7:20

The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms; and He shall thrust out the enemy from before thee, and shall say, ‘Destroy them.’ Deuteronomy 33:27

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to Me. Seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. Hosea 4:6

New Testament

He that loveth not, knoweth not God, for God is love. John 4:8

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. John 1:9

Therefore, holy and beloved, as the elect of God, put on hearts of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering, Colossians 3:12

Did the Coming of Christ give God a change of heart towards mankind? Whereas He seemed so ready to destroy and be angry and have fury, suddenly God so loved the world that He gave us Jesus.

But like with any parent, when our children are mocked and bullied, and excluded and forgotten, or taken for granted and rejected we get angry. When people make our children cry we get angry. So we can only imagine that after what He did for us, the coming rejection of our Lord and the betrayal of mankind towards His Son is going to make Him VERY angry.

So does He change from one book to the next? Or will the world see the God from the Old Testament soon enough?

Carl Emerson · Feb 24, 2021

This is an understandable question.

I think it is common to struggle with this issue.

However the story does not stop with the Gospels.

In Revelation we see again how a Holy God cannot tolerate sin and the consequences for rejecting Gods love are severe.

So God has not changed, but the grace through Jesus is immense and we are being blessed while undeserving.

Norbert L · Feb 24, 2021

Not so much when factoring in the event of Ananias and Sapphira.

Carl Emerson · Feb 24, 2021

Norbert L said:
Not so much when factoring in the event of Ananias and Sapphira.

Exactly - and we also see similar serious judgement on sin in Pauls ministry.

Sophrosyne · Feb 24, 2021

Via Dolorosa

NomNomPizza · Feb 24, 2021

Jaxxi said:
Old Testament

Therefore thus saith the Lord God: Behold, Mine anger and My fury shall be poured out upon this place — upon man and upon beast, and upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of the ground; and it shall burn and shall not be quenched. Jeremiah 7:20

The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms; and He shall thrust out the enemy from before thee, and shall say, ‘Destroy them.’ Deuteronomy 33:27

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to Me. Seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. Hosea 4:6

New Testament

He that loveth not, knoweth not God, for God is love. John 4:8

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. John 1:9

Therefore, holy and beloved, as the elect of God, put on hearts of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering, Colossians 3:12

Did the Coming of Christ give God a change of heart towards mankind? Whereas He seemed so ready to destroy and be angry and have fury, suddenly God so loved the world that He gave us Jesus.

But like with any parent, when our children are mocked and bullied, and excluded and forgotten, or taken for granted and rejected we get angry. When people make our children cry we get angry. So we can only imagine that after what He did for us, the coming rejection of our Lord and the betrayal of mankind towards His Son is going to make Him VERY angry.

So does He change from one book to the next? Or will the world see the God from the Old Testament soon enough?

I don't think so , just because God showed grace once people think it will continue but when Christ returns his coat is soaked in blood of his enemies from all the slaughtering of them just for your information.

Paul also wrote things like 2 Corinthians 5:11 , in KJV the word used here is Terror

Ceallaigh · Feb 24, 2021

Jesus said more about people being cast into hell more than anyone else in the Bible. He expressed the same wrath of God that's expressed in the OT. Sometimes he did so while quoting the OT.

Sophrosyne · Feb 24, 2021

MMXX said:
Jesus talked about people being cast into hell more than anyone else in the Bible. He expressed the same wrath of God that's expressed in the OT. Sometimes he did so while quoting the OT.

he also said things like better to have a millstone hung around your neck and tossed into the water than harm a child and when the two lied to the Holy Spirit they were struck dead.

Ceallaigh · Feb 24, 2021

Sophrosyne said:
he also said things like better to have a millstone hung around your neck and tossed into the water than harm a child and when the two lied to the Holy Spirit they were struck dead.

Right. And then there's Revalation which is brimming with God's wrath.

I agree with the OP that it seems like there's more angry God in the OT and more nice God in the NT. But when I dug into it more, I found that God is consistent throughout.

Sophrosyne · Feb 24, 2021

MMXX said:
Right. And then there's Revalation which is brimming with God's wrath.

I agree with the OP that it seem like more angry God in the OT and more nice in the NT. But when I dug into it more, I found that God is consistent throughout.

exactly but most people consider it sort of separate from the new testament era as it hasn't happened yet.

Ceallaigh · Feb 24, 2021

Sophrosyne said:
exactly but most people consider it sort of separate from the new testament era as it hasn't happened yet.

The letters to the seven churches was contemporary to the time it was written.

Also there are Christian scholars who believe a lot of what was prophesied was about the destruction of Jerusalem that took place in 70 AD.

HTacianas · Feb 24, 2021

Jaxxi said:
Old Testament

Therefore thus saith the Lord God: Behold, Mine anger and My fury shall be poured out upon this place — upon man and upon beast, and upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of the ground; and it shall burn and shall not be quenched. Jeremiah 7:20

The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms; and He shall thrust out the enemy from before thee, and shall say, ‘Destroy them.’ Deuteronomy 33:27

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to Me. Seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. Hosea 4:6

New Testament

He that loveth not, knoweth not God, for God is love. John 4:8

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. John 1:9

Therefore, holy and beloved, as the elect of God, put on hearts of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering, Colossians 3:12

Did the Coming of Christ give God a change of heart towards mankind? Whereas He seemed so ready to destroy and be angry and have fury, suddenly God so loved the world that He gave us Jesus.

But like with any parent, when our children are mocked and bullied, and excluded and forgotten, or taken for granted and rejected we get angry. When people make our children cry we get angry. So we can only imagine that after what He did for us, the coming rejection of our Lord and the betrayal of mankind towards His Son is going to make Him VERY angry.

So does He change from one book to the next? Or will the world see the God from the Old Testament soon enough?

There is no difference in the nature of God between the old and new testaments. Compare the love of God in the gospels to the Proverbs and Psalms. They are the same. Or the wrath of God in the old testament to Olivet Discourse or the Revelation. Compare 2 Kings 6:28-29 to Luke 21:23. They are also the same. Both the mercy of God and the anger of God are revealed equally in both testaments.

Jaxxi · Feb 24, 2021

HTacianas said:
There is no difference in the nature of God between the old and new testaments. Compare the love of God in the gospels to the Proverbs and Psalms. They are the same. Or the wrath of God in the old testament to Olivet Discourse or the Revelation. Compare 2 Kings 6:28-29 to Luke 21:23. They are also the same. Both the mercy of God and the anger of God are revealed equally in both testaments.

They just look different I guess. Maybe God was frustrated with people for not understanding what awaited them and having no way to change it until Jesus came.

Jaxxi · Feb 24, 2021

HTacianas said:
There is no difference in the nature of God between the old and new testaments. Compare the love of God in the gospels to the Proverbs and Psalms. They are the same. Or the wrath of God in the old testament to Olivet Discourse or the Revelation. Compare 2 Kings 6:28-29 to Luke 21:23. They are also the same. Both the mercy of God and the anger of God are revealed equally in both testaments.

I am not the first person to have noticed this though. Many others have wondered the same thing. He just reads somewhat different. Maybe because the Old Testament quotes God directly. We hear His Authority, with phrases like " Thus saith the Lord". Or

And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram and said unto him, “I am the Almighty God. Walk before Me, and be thou perfect." Genesis 17:1

We hear His commands first hand and He is frightening. When Jesus comes, after the Old Testament 400 years have passed and Jesus talks about His Father. Maybe associating and addressing Him as a Father makes Him seem kinder or more Loving when in fact He is the same- jealous, slow to anger, wrathful, loving, patient, regretful, grieved, repenting, laughing, blessing, good and just. He is certainly mysterious!

Beanieboy · Sep 8, 2021

At this point, I don't think it is God who has changed, but our understanding of God. When bad things happened, everyone assumed God was punishing you. Even today, In 80s, Falwell is quoted saying that AIDS is God's punishment to homosexuals. I, on the other hand, in following Christ, think of the goats and sheep, so, I am to care for the sick, have empathy.

But I found that everyone seems to have either Angry Sky God or Peace, Love And Let it Be Jesus.

The people drawn to Angry Sky God want to punish people, drool over the idea of casting the first stone because the are full of murder, and righteousness. What they believe is the only truth. One teen posting to me would quite Romans 12:9 Let you love be without hypocrisy. Cling to what is goid; abhor what is evil.
I'm gay, therefore, evil, so you see, she has to hate me, because it is commanded by God.
So, I read Romans 12. The passage is about loving one another, says to bless those who curse you, and pray for your enemies.
But she would tell me that one day she would bathe her robe in my blood.

Um, Wow. So, when I would ask, what about loving your neighbor as yourself, hating me was loving me? and discourage me out homosexuality. Isn't that literally one call what is evil good and good evil?

I have love, mercy and kindness in my heart. I don't lije being judged so I don't judge others. That is the Christ in my heart.

But speaking this, you hear Archie Bunker's voice saying, "Oh, you like Mamby Pamby Jesus." They liked Rambo Jesus - Jesus who used "pearls before swine" and convince themselves namecalling is following Jesus, turning over the tables at the tabernacle, not seeing how out of character it was or why.

Even within Churches, you will have members who focus on love, Christians who focus on sin, Christians who focus on the sin of others, and the people like Steven Anderson that uses Christianity to hide his anger and hatred.

Makes you wonder if Christians worship the same God.

Bill Fishlore · Jul 13, 2022

Jaxxi said:
Old Testament

Therefore thus saith the Lord God: Behold, Mine anger and My fury shall be poured out upon this place — upon man and upon beast, and upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of the ground; and it shall burn and shall not be quenched. Jeremiah 7:20

The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms; and He shall thrust out the enemy from before thee, and shall say, ‘Destroy them.’ Deuteronomy 33:27

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to Me. Seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. Hosea 4:6

New Testament

He that loveth not, knoweth not God, for God is love. John 4:8

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. John 1:9

Therefore, holy and beloved, as the elect of God, put on hearts of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering, Colossians 3:12

Did the Coming of Christ give God a change of heart towards mankind? Whereas He seemed so ready to destroy and be angry and have fury, suddenly God so loved the world that He gave us Jesus.

But like with any parent, when our children are mocked and bullied, and excluded and forgotten, or taken for granted and rejected we get angry. When people make our children cry we get angry. So we can only imagine that after what He did for us, the coming rejection of our Lord and the betrayal of mankind towards His Son is going to make Him VERY angry.

So does He change from one book to the next? Or will the world see the God from the Old Testament soon enough?

Bill Fishlore · Jul 13, 2022

The obvious differences between the depiction of God in the Old Testament and the depiction of God in the New Testament was the basis of one of the first and most sharply divisive beliefs in the Early Church. The ida, condemned as a heresy, was proposed by the theologian Marcion who believed that the gods of the two testaments were different deities. The NT God and his Son, Jesus were, Marcion said, the true Gds of creation whereas the god of the Old Testament was supernatural being, like Satan and other such deities. The Bible is the history of the attacks by a hostile deity and the subsequent salvation of the planet and its human habitants by God the Father and his divine Son.

Aaron112 · Jan 6, 2023

A hostile deity ?
God IS a consuming fire - and it is a fearful thing to fall into His Hands.
He is the same yesterday, today, and forever, unchanging, faithful, jealous, merciful, and a righteous judge able to destroy both body and soul.

returntosender · Jan 6, 2023

Jaxxi said:
Old Testament

Therefore thus saith the Lord God: Behold, Mine anger and My fury shall be poured out upon this place — upon man and upon beast, and upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of the ground; and it shall burn and shall not be quenched. Jeremiah 7:20

The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms; and He shall thrust out the enemy from before thee, and shall say, ‘Destroy them.’ Deuteronomy 33:27

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to Me. Seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. Hosea 4:6

New Testament

He that loveth not, knoweth not God, for God is love. John 4:8

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. John 1:9

Therefore, holy and beloved, as the elect of God, put on hearts of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering, Colossians 3:12

Did the Coming of Christ give God a change of heart towards mankind? Whereas He seemed so ready to destroy and be angry and have fury, suddenly God so loved the world that He gave us Jesus.

But like with any parent, when our children are mocked and bullied, and excluded and forgotten, or taken for granted and rejected we get angry. When people make our children cry we get angry. So we can only imagine that after what He did for us, the coming rejection of our Lord and the betrayal of mankind towards His Son is going to make Him VERY angry.

So does He change from one book to the next? Or will the world see the God from the Old Testament soon enough?

Yes, that's why i always wonder about people that say God never changes.

FireDragon76 · Feb 21, 2023

The Bible is made of different religious perspectives, so yeah, there is a difference. The New Testament is about the religious movement that formed around Jesus, whose teachings reinterpreted the Judaism of his day.

Does God in the Old Testament seem different than in the New Testament?

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