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Imagine that we’re playing a word association game and I ask you to say the first thing that comes into your mind when I say, “God in the Old Testament.” Now, how about, “God in the New Testament”? Chances are most people would answer the first prompt with words like “angry,” “judgment,” and “wrath.” But with the second prompt, people are more likely to use words like “loving,” “merciful,” and “forgiving.” Many people struggle to read the Old Testament for that very reason. Even more troubling, people can disconnect from the Old Testament altogether and give the impression that it must be speaking of a completely different deity. That’s strange because Jesus constantly quoted from the Old Testament (Matthew 4:4, 7, 10), rebuked the religious leaders for not paying attention to the Old Testament (Matthew 19:4; Matthew 12:3), and said that the Old Testament pointed to Him (John 5:39; Luke 24:25-27). Paul agreed, saying that “all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Are we reading the Old Testament the way they did? I think that there are at least three things that can help us reconcile the depictions of God in the Old and New Testaments.

1. The difference between God’s anger and mercy in the Old and New Testaments is usually overstated

It’s true that there is more weight given to God’s judgment in the Old Testament than the New. But because we see something somewhere, we can be tempted to assume that it’s everywhere. What I mean is that we often miss how much mercy God displays in the Old Testament and how much wrath He shows in the New. Starting with Adam and Eve, and continuing throughout the Old Testament, there are repeated examples of God holding back the punishment people deserve for their sins and, instead, providing for their forgiveness. David, who was himself guilty of murder and adultery, marveled at God’s grace in His life, saying, “Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity” (Psalms 32:1-2). On the other hand, the New Testament speaks more of hell and God’s anger than we often admit. Jesus warned people to “flee from the wrath to come” (Matthew 3:7) and spoke regularly of “eternal punishment” (Matthew 25:46) and the “eternal fire” of hell (Matthew 18:8-9).

2. Understanding the context of the writings helps explain how God acts

If I were to randomly record some scenes of your life and asked people to make evaluations of the kind of person you are based on those scenes, you’d probably want to explain what was going and why you responded the way you did. We don’t often give God that courtesy. A lot of the passages in the Old Testament where people describe God as angry and severe are written at times when His people had grossly departed from His will and commands. The prophets Amos, Hosea, and Micah describe God when He’s trying to warn Israel as it was on the verge of exile into Assyria. The prophets Isaiah, Zephaniah, Habakkuk, Ezekiel, and Jeremiah foreshadow the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile to Babylon. It’s like you’re reading the intervention of a parent trying to rescue a teenage child who could die from an overdose. The warnings are severe and for good reason. By contrast, the New Testament is largely written in the wake of the birth of the church. The scenes are more reminiscent of a beaming couple coming home from the hospital and the early years of parenthood.

3. Understanding the kind of sin being addressed helps explain God’s response to it

People wrongly assume that God mercilessly judged people’s sins in the Old Testament and indiscriminately forgives people’s sins in the New Testament. Neither of those statements is true. In both the Old and New Testaments, God warns and eventually judges unrepentant sinners. He also forgives the sins of those who are truly repentant, whether in the Old Testament or New. When God warns of hell, it’s not because He’s in a bad mood, it’s because the person’s unwillingness to admit or turn from their sins demonstrates a heart that is fundamentally in rebellion against Him. To all who turn from their sins and look to Him for salvation, God keeps providing forgiveness and cleansing for their sins.

How long has it been since you’ve read the Old Testament for yourself? Look for the mercy and love that God expresses in it. Look at the context and be aware of when you might find yourself in an intervention scene. Look at the heart and attitude of the person being warned or assured. And, finally, look for how it points to Jesus. That’s how it was meant to be read.

In awe of Him,

Paul