Have you ever wondered if the God in the Old Testament, who gave rules and sometimes punished people, is different from the God in the New Testament, who sent Jesus to show love and kindness? It might feel like they’re two different Gods, but the truth is they’re the same!
God doesn’t change—He’s always good, loving, and just. Let’s break this down into 12 simple truths to understand how God’s plan has stayed the same from the beginning to the end of the Bible.
God Does Not Change
He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. God is permanent in a world where pretty much everything appears to shift and change. His love, goodness, and righteousness are as sure and reliable as the rising of the morning sun.
Whether we read about Him parting the Red Sea for Moses or Jesus calming the storm for His disciples, we are reading about one and the same God in operation. His unchanging nature reassures us that He is faithful in whatever situations we find ourselves in.
God Placed Rules for the Protection of Human Life
In the Old Testament, God gave His people regulations, such as the Ten Commandments. None of these were random or cruel but more like directional signs, revealing the safest direction to travel.
Take a modern highway and remove all its signs; it resembles a free-for-all with much danger involved. In a similar way, God’s regulations were to keep His people from harm and on a path that was pleasing to Him. They kept His people near to Him and in harmony with each other.
God Showed Mercy Even in the Old Testament
Some people think the Old Testament is full of God’s judgments, but that is simply not true. God’s mercy covers its pages. Take, for instance, Jonah and the people of Nineveh. God sent Jonah to warn them about their sins, and they repented; God forgave them. Over and over again, time after time, His people turned away from Him, yet He continued to love and show patience. God’s heart was always full of mercy.
God’s Love Never Stopped
God’s love has never wavered from the beginning. He showed it to Adam and Eve after they had sinned by clothing them and promising a Savior. He showed it to Moses as he led the Israelites across the wilderness. His most miraculous act of love was sending Jesus to save the world. Every story in the Bible points back to God’s endless love for His people.
God Always Planned to Save Us
Even when humanity turned away from God, He had a rescue plan. The Old Testament gives us glimpses of this plan, with promises of a Savior who would come to take away our sins. When Jesus arrived in the New Testament, it fulfilled God’s plan—a plan He had from the very beginning. This shows that God always thinks of ways to bring us back to Him.
Jesus Shows Us God’s Love in an Intimate Way
Jesus was and is a full representation of God’s love. Through the New Testament, we see Jesus raise the sick into health, feed the hungry, and even forgive those who would hurt Him. He spent time with those who felt forgotten and instilled hope in them. And the greatest example of His love? He died on the cross to take away our sins. Jesus showed us through each deed how much God loves each of us.
God is Always Just
God shows Himself to be just throughout both the Old and New Testaments. He cannot allow sin to go unreprimanded because sin hurts man and separates him from God. Whatever justice God displays is always fair on His part. He does not punish out of anger but to bring man back to Him.
God’s Regulations Lead Us to Jesus
The rules God gave in the Old Testament weren’t meant to be the final solution—they were meant to show people how much they needed a Savior. These rules, like sacrifices for sin, were temporary, pointing forward to Jesus. When Jesus came, He kept all of God’s rules perfectly and became the ultimate sacrifice. Now, we can be close to God through faith in Jesus.
God Forgives Again and Again
Throughout the Bible, we see people making mistakes, but God never gives up on them. He continually forgave the Israelites over and over again throughout the Old Testament for their turns towards idols.
During the New Testament, Jesus extends forgiveness to those who doubted Him, those who betrayed Him, and those who crucified Him. God’s forgiveness is limitless. No matter how many times we mess up, He’s still ready to open His arms when we ask for forgiveness.
God’s Promise Never Breaks
When God speaks, God fulfills. He had promised Abraham that through his seed, the whole world would be blessed; well, it was fulfilled by Jesus. He promised to send a Savior; and through Jesus, salvation came. God’s promises are unshakable, and we can trust Him to keep every one of them. His faithfulness gives us hope and confidence in every season of life.
The Bible Is One Big Story About God’s Love
The Old and New Testaments are not two different stories but one brilliant story of how God loves us. It starts with creation, where everything was perfect, and takes us right to the cross, where Jesus will make a way for us to be close to God again. And it concludes with the promise of a perfect forever with God. Every part of the Bible tells us how much He loves and cares for us.
God Wants Us to Know Him Today
Whether it is in the Old Testament, reading about Moses, or Jesus in the New Testament, God wants one thing from us: to know Him and trust Him. He’s not a distant God—He’s close and personal, wanting to be our friend daily.
God Is Always the Same, and He Loves You
So, is God in the Old Testament different from God in the New Testament? Not at all!
He is the same God who loved His people all this time and wanted the best for them. In the Old Testament, we see His justice and unfolding plan; in the New Testament, His love is in action through Jesus. God does not change; His love towards you will never end or waiver. You can trust Him today because He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Amen.
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Susan is a mother of four beautiful babies and a born-again Christian. She took over Hope No Matter What in 2024 and enjoys sharing her knowledge of the goodness and faithfulness of God. Her passion is to bring hope and encouragement to others, and she prays that by sharing her knowledge and personal story, she can inspire others to find enlightenment in God's word.