Was God Different in the Old and New Testament Eras? Understanding His Unchanging Love

One of the most common misunderstandings about the Bible is the belief that God in the Old Testament was harsh, strict and unloving, while the God of the New Testament suddenly became gentle, gracious and forgiving. Many assume that the God who judged nations, sent plagues and gave strict laws cannot be the same God who sent Jesus, preached forgiveness and embraced sinners. This idea, however, is based on selective reading and a lack of understanding of the cultural, historical and spiritual context of the Old Testament. Both respected Old Testament scholars like Walter Kaiser Jr., Gordon Wenham and Christopher Wright, and Christian apologists such as William Lane Craig and Paul Copan strongly argue that God has always been the same—loving, just, gracious and faithful. God has not changed; rather, our understanding of His actions becomes clearer when we read Scripture as one united story.

Misunderstanding God: The Problem Behind the Accusation

The accusation that the Old Testament portrays an unloving God usually comes from reading only the difficult stories—such as the flood, the judgment on Canaan or strict punishments in the Law. Without context these stories can seem harsh. A major part of the misunderstanding comes from reading these stories in isolation, without seeing the bigger picture of God’s long journey with humanity. Many people read a few verses of judgment but ignore the hundreds of verses showing God’s patience, mercy and heartfelt compassion. They forget that these stories happen within a broken world filled with deep evil, and God was working within real human history—not in an imaginary peaceful world.

But scholars explain that the ancient world was extremely violent, corrupt and filled with practices like child sacrifice, slavery, oppression of the weak and cruel warfare. God was not dealing with peaceful societies but with nations overflowing with evil. Walter Kaiser Jr. points out that God showed extraordinary patience, often waiting centuries before judging wickedness. For example, God waited over four hundred years before judging the Canaanites, as mentioned in Genesis 15. This shows that God is not quick to punish but slow and patient, always giving opportunities for repentance.

Another misunderstanding is assuming that love means tolerance of everything. Many think that if God truly loved, He would never judge. But the Bible teaches that God’s love and justice are never in conflict. His justice flows from His love. A loving God cannot ignore violence, cruelty or injustice. If He ignored evil, He would not be good. So when God judges, it is not because He is less loving but because He cares deeply about what sin does to people and to His world.

Part of the misunderstanding comes from not grasping the meaning of God’s holiness and justice. God’s holiness means that He cannot treat sin lightly, and His justice requires Him to confront evil. This is true in both Testaments. In fact, Jesus spoke more about final judgment than any Old Testament prophet, showing that the idea of God judging wickedness is not limited to the Old Testament. The God who judged sin in ancient times is the same God who warns the world through the teachings of Jesus and the writings of Paul and John.

In short, the issue is not that God changed, but that people often read the Bible with incomplete information. When we read fully, fairly and with context, we see a God whose heart is consistently loving and whose actions are always purposeful.

God’s Love and Kindness in the Old Testament

When we read the Old Testament carefully, a different picture emerges—a picture of a God overflowing with love, compassion and grace. Old Testament scholar Gordon Wenham reminds us that the most repeated description of God in the Old Testament comes from God Himself in Exodus 34:6–7. Here God describes His own character as “compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in love.” This description appears again and again throughout the Old Testament—in the Psalms, in the Prophets and in the writings of leaders like Moses and Nehemiah. It shows that God’s defining character in the Old Testament was not anger but overflowing love.

This love appears clearly in God’s commands to Israel. Long before Jesus told the crowds to “love your neighbour,” God had already given this command in Leviticus 19:18. The Israelites were told to care for the poor, treat foreigners kindly and show love to one another. God even commanded farmers not to harvest the edges of their fields so that the poor, widows, orphans and strangers could gather food freely. This was a beautiful welfare system rooted in compassion. This shows that God’s laws were not cold rules but expressions of His concern for justice, fairness and human dignity.

Another powerful example of God’s love is His compassion toward nations outside Israel. When God sent Jonah to Nineveh, He was sending him to a violent, brutal Assyrian city—an enemy of Israel. Jonah did not want them to be forgiven, but God asked him, “Should I not care about this great city?” This shows God’s heart for all people. He wanted even Israel’s enemies to repent and be saved. His mercy was wider than national boundaries; it reached across cultures and nations.

God’s forgiveness toward Israel also reveals His loving heart. Throughout the Old Testament, Israel repeatedly strayed from God, followed idols and ignored His commandments. Yet God continued to call them back with tenderness. In Hosea, God is described as a loving husband pursuing an unfaithful wife. In Isaiah, He is portrayed as a gentle shepherd carrying His lambs. In Jeremiah, He is the Father longing for His wandering children to return home. None of these images fit the picture of an unloving God. Instead, they show a relational, patient Father whose love never runs out. These emotional pictures reveal that God is not distant but deeply involved with His people, feeling their pain and longing for their return.

The Same God in the New Testament

When Jesus appeared in the New Testament, He did not introduce a new God. He revealed, in human form, the same God who had shown love throughout the Old Testament. Jesus repeatedly quoted the Old Testament, especially the command to love God and to love one’s neighbor. He healed the sick, welcomed the rejected and forgave sinners, perfectly mirroring the compassionate God described in Exodus 34.

At the same time, Jesus affirmed God’s justice. He warned of final judgment, spoke about hell and taught that every person will give an account of their life. The apostle Paul taught that God’s wrath is a necessary expression of His love, because a loving God must oppose evil. The book of Revelation describes a final, decisive judgment in terms as strong as any Old Testament passage. This shows that God’s character did not soften or change; instead, His plan moved forward to its next stage. As D. A. Carson notes, “There is no difference between the God of the Old Testament and the God revealed in Jesus; there is only a difference in the stage of His plan.”

Understanding Difficult Stories: Love and Justice Working Together

Many people struggle with stories of judgment in the Old Testament, but when read in context, these stories reveal a God who is both loving and just. The flood, for example, came after generations of violence and extreme corruption. Noah warned the people, giving them a chance to repent, and God protected Noah’s family, proving that He always preserves life.

The judgment on the Canaanites is frequently misunderstood. Scholars like John Walton, Walter Kaiser Jr., and apologists such as Paul Copan emphasize that the biblical language often uses hyperbole and culturally expressive expressions of total destruction, common in ancient Near Eastern literature, rather than literal instructions to kill every person. Most of the “cities” were military strongholds, not peaceful towns. The Canaanites practiced child sacrifice, severe violence and corruption, and God had given them centuries to repent. When the Israelites were commanded to “destroy” the inhabitants, it was often an expression of decisive military victory over extreme evil, not a call for indiscriminate massacre. Even during this judgment, God spared individuals who turned to Him, such as Rahab and her family. This reveals that mercy was always available.

These stories show that God’s justice is never blind anger. It is always controlled, patient and mixed with mercy. God does not delight in judgment; He delays it, warns people and provides a way out.

God Has Always Been the Same: Loving, Just and Faithful

From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible presents one God with one character—consistent, faithful and unchanging. His love did not begin in the New Testament. His justice did not end there. His compassion is seen in the laws of Moses, in the warnings of the prophets, in the tears of Jeremiah, in the open invitation to Nineveh and in the forgiveness of Israel. His holiness is seen in His opposition to sin, His patience in delaying judgment and His mercy in always offering a way back.

Modern scholars and apologists agree that the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament are one and the same. The God who commanded Israel to care for the stranger is the same God who welcomed sinners through Jesus. The God who judged wicked nations is the same God who will judge the world through Christ. The storyline of Scripture is not a tale of two gods but a unified story of one God’s relentless love and His commitment to justice.

Conclusion: A God of Consistent Love

When we read the Old Testament with understanding, we see a God who is far more compassionate, patient and loving than many assume. The God who protected Hagar, who comforted Elijah, who forgave David, who wept over Israel through the prophets and who saved Nineveh is the same God who embraced children, forgave sinners and died on the cross. God has always been loving, gracious and kind. His justice shows His seriousness about evil, and His mercy shows His deep desire to save. His actions, whether in judgment or mercy, flow from the same unchanging character. The Old and New Testaments do not reveal different Gods—they reveal one God with one heart, a heart overflowing with love for all people.

Liba Hopeson