Old Testament God v. New Testament God?

Question

Many people in R & S have pointed out the drastic differences between the God of the New Testament and the God of the Old Testament. Like one person said, the God of the Old Testament is psychotic, vengeful, jealous, confused, murderous and evil, whereas the God of the New Testament is all about peace, love and forgiveness. This difference indicates that one of three things is true: 1) The Old Testament God is false and the New Testament describes the real God, 2) God changed between the time of the New Testament and the time of the Old Testament or 3) Both testaments are false. If possibility No. 1 is true, then Christians should never quote the Old Testament or refer to any stories from the Old Testament. Also, wouldn’t God make some kind of announcement to let us know that the god depicted in the Old Testament is not him? If possibility No. 2 is true, that would mean that, even if he changed, he is far from perfect. You would also think that he would speak to us in some way to let us know that he changed and why he was the way he was in the Old Testament. Shouldn’t he apologize? If possibility No. 3 is true, then it is all a moot topic. Your thoughts?

Sammy: I can really say the same about you. No matter what inconsistencies and contradictions myself and other non-Christians point out, you will find a way to make it all fit into your belief system. You will say that “I just have to know Jesus” or “I have to have faith.” You cannot provide any logical or reasonable response to the question presented.

Answer 1

Or there are two other options one is the Marsian theory, where he suggests that there are two Gods. This I agree many would call heresy.

The other that Islamic point of view is correct. That these scriptures are corruptted. The scribes trying to portray what they want.
" 'How can you say, "We are wise,
for we have the law of the LORD,"
when actually the lying pen of the scribes
has handled it falsely? (Jeremiah 8:8)

Answer 2

There is a 4th possibility. They are indeed the same God simply misunderstood and falsely characterized by unbelievers.

The 2 seem different not because they are different gods, but because they are different covenants. What did the old covenant promise? Gods blessing/protection physically. What did the new covenant promise? Spiritual grace and mercy!

For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. -John 1:17

Besides that Jesus confirmed the law and the prophets! So they couldnt possibly be 2 separate gods. That simply isnt what Scripture teaches at all.

Is God evil for punishing sin physically? No. Were people punished old testament style in the NT? YES!!

4Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God." 5When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. -Acts 5:4

Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died. -Acts 12:23

How about in Revelation when hes going to pour out the bowls of wrath on the earth? Is that loving and fuzzy? How about hell?

Many people just dont understand Scripture from the loud mouth blasphemer that says God is evil from the OT, to the peacenik hippie that says the NT is all about love and peace. God is who he is. Scripture accurately reveals him yet only true believers have faith enough to read and truly understand who God is and what hes going to do.

Answer 3

Most people think think they are different because the God of the old testament seems more vengeful and destructive. Even in the new testament God was vengeful. Just as in the Old Testament God is equally forgiving. New Testament Vengeance Acts 5 1 Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 2 With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet. 3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4 Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.” 5 When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. Forgiveness in the Old Testament Genesis 4 But the LORD said to him, "Not so; if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over." Then the LORD put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. Those who think God wants the death penalty should consider that he presided and announced judgement over the first murder. Brother killing Brother no less. God not only didn't kill Cain he put a mark of protection on him. And one of my favorite verses. Jeremiah 3 1They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man's, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the LORD. God called out to his people saying in spite of your idolatry and service to other gods return to me again. Comparing his hurt to a man who's wife betrayed him by being with other men. And God still said return to me again.

Answer 4

If you actually take the time to read the Bible, you will find no difference between the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament. Same person with the same personality.

The difference is that very little of the Bible is dictated word for word by God. Most of it comes through human authors who wrote by inspritation of God. Because every person is different, God speaks to them differently - in a way that they understand. Each book reflects the personality of the person writing the book. For exsample, as a military general, Joshua writes in terms of battles, wars, victories, etc. So of course his books will have a more violent tone to it. He was involved with the military. Compare that to the book of Ruth, which tells a tender love story of young widow who sacrifes her own comfort to care for her aged mother-in-law. God rewards her by bringing a rich, handsome man into her life as a new husband. Nothing "violent, jealous, or psychotic" in that Old Testament story.

Those who make the claim that the OT and NT God are so different do so by going through the book and picking and choosing incidences, taking them out of context, and aften deliberately misrepresenting them.

Just as they picking and choose the "violent" incidents from the OT (and ignore the gentle, loving ones) so they overlook the NT incidents such as the husband and wife in the book of Acts that were struck dead in the middle the temple by God for lying to the church. Or the incidence in which Paul causes a sorcerer who was opposing them to be blinded. Or when Paul learns of a man who is sleeping with his mother-in-law, he tells the Corinthian church to give the man over to satan for the destruction of his body. Funny how those are never mentioned by then say God is all "love and forgiveness" in the NT.

There is no difference between the God of the OT and the God of the NT. But there are differences in way that God speaks to different people, in different situation, with different personalities. There are those he had to hit with a two by four to get their attentionand then read them the riot act to get any kind of a change. There were others to whom he only had to speak a soft word of love, and they were repentent and obedient.

Because there are all kinds of different people in the world, you will find God dealing with them in all kinds of different ways. But God himself is the same through all of it. It is the people and the situation that are different.

Answer 5

Or number 4.....

The god from the old testament is true and being the prick (Lewis Black's words) that god is, allows us to think that he is a kind god now because he saw that you can get more flies with honey than with vinegaer.

Answer 6

In the OT there was no forgiveness through the blood of Christ. People had to "fear" the Lord in order to obey Him. Really no matter what reason I give, you will find an argument to not acknowledge God. So why do we do this, go back and forth? It is my understanding that in the old test. you had to give blood sacrifices b/c sin demands it. Once Christ came people did not have to sacrifice animals b/c the ultimate blood sacrifice was given. You may not understand this but if you knew Christ and wanted to follow Him, you would.

Answer 7

How about:

4) you don't understand scripture

"the God of the Old Testament SEEMS BY HUMANS WITH FINITE KNOWLEDGE AND SINFUL MINDS psychotic, vengeful, jealous, confused, murderous and evil,"

Fixed. :)

Answer 8

The God of the Old Testament had to monitor all the events leading up to Christ so his attitude would be slightly different to ensure all the objectives had to be met. His goal in the Old Testament was ensuring that Christ was born.

Answer 9

God hasn't changed. The only thing that has changed is the dispensation - from law to grace. But the days of grace will also come to an end.

Answer 10

Question: "Why is God so different in the Old Testament than He is in the New Testament?"

Answer: At the very heart of this question lies a fundamental misunderstanding of what both the Old and New Testaments reveal about the nature of God. Another way of expressing this same basic thought is when 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.” The fact that the Bible is God’s progressive revelation of Himself to us through historical events and through His relationship with people throughout history might contribute to people’s 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 quickly 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 “merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in loving-kindness and truth” (Exodus 34:6; Numbers 14:18; Deuteronomy 4:31; Nehemiah 9:17; Psalm 86:5; Psalm 86:15; Psalm 108:4; Psalm 145:8; Joel 2:13). Yet in the New Testament, God’s loving-kindness and mercy are manifested even more fully through the fact that “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Throughout the Old Testament, we also see God dealing with Israel much the same way a loving father deals with a child. When they willfully sinned against Him and began to worship idols, God would chastise them, yet each and every time He would deliver them once they had repented of their idolatry. This is much the same way that we see God dealing with Christians in the New Testament. For example, Hebrews 12:6 tells us that “For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives."

In a similar way, throughout the Old Testament we see God’s judgment and wrath poured out on unrepentant sinners. Likewise, in the New Testament, we see that the wrath of God is still “revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (Romans 1:18). Even with just a quick reading of the New Testament, it quickly becomes evident that Jesus talks more about hell than He does heaven. So, clearly, God is not any different in the Old Testament than He is in the New Testament. God by His very nature is immutable (unchanging). While we might see one aspect of His nature revealed in certain passages of Scripture more than other aspects, He Himself does not change.

When one really begins to read and study the Bible, it becomes clear that God is not any different from the Old Testament to the New Testament. Even though the Bible is really sixty-six individual books, written on two (or possibly three) continents, in three different languages, over a period of approximately 1500 years, by more that 40 authors (who came from many walks of life), 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. God’s love for His creation, especially for mankind, is evident all through Scripture. Throughout the Bible we see God lovingly and mercifully calling people into a special relationship with Himself, not because they deserve it but because He is a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in loving-kindness and truth. Yet we also see a holy and righteous God Who is the judge of all those who disobey His word and refuse to worship Him, instead turning to worship gods of their own creation, worshiping idols and other gods instead of worshiping the one and only true God (Romans 1).

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 sinful man can escape His wrath. We see this wonderful truth in verses like 1 John 4:10 “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” In the Old Testament, God provided a sacrificial system whereby atonement could be made for sin, but this sacrificial system was only temporary and merely looked forward to the coming of Jesus Christ who would die on the cross to make a real substitutionary atonement for sin. The Savior that was promised in the Old Testament is more fully revealed in the New Testament, and the ultimate expression of God’s love, the sending of His son Jesus Christ, is revealed in all its glory. Both the Old and the New Testaments were given "to make us wise unto salvation" (2 Timothy 3:15). When we study them more closely, it really is evident that God is no different in the New Testament than He was in the Old Testament.