Is the God of the Old Testament Different from the God of the New Testament?

A common critique of Christianity, sometimes whispered in doubt and other times shouted in frustration, is that the God of the Old Testament seems harsh, angry, and violent, while the God of the New Testament, revealed through Jesus, comes across as loving, kind, and merciful. People struggle to reconcile the God who sends floods and fire with the one who heals the sick and eats with sinners. But is this a fair reading of Scripture?

The short answer is no. This idea comes from a shallow understanding of the Bible and a limited view of God’s character. When you take the Bible as a whole, you’ll find that God’s justice and His love are not in competition with each other. They are both constant themes from Genesis to Revelation. Far from being two different deities, the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament are one and the same.

Love and justice work together

Let’s begin with how God describes Himself in the Old Testament. In Exodus 34:6–7, one of the most foundational passages in all of Scripture, God proclaims His name to Moses:

“The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty…”

This is how God introduces himself to us, and it’s an interesting glimpse into God’s mind. This is a God who is deeply loving, patient, and kind. However, He is also just. He doesn’t overlook evil, and He doesn’t pretend sin doesn’t matter. What we see here is a God who cares deeply about right and wrong and who holds people accountable, not because He is harsh, but because He is holy.

Throughout the Old Testament, this combination of love and justice appears again and again. In Hosea 11, God speaks of Israel’s disobedience with the heartbreak of a parent whose child has walked away. He says:

“How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is aroused.”

That is not the voice of an angry tyrant. That is the voice of a grieving Father who loves deeply and longs to restore His people. Even in judgment, God is always working toward redemption. Imagine a father who is deeply worried and troubled about the path his son is going down. He feels it and he wants something different for them.

Yes, the Old Testament contains scenes of judgment and wrath, but they are not outbursts of divine cruelty. They are responses to deep injustice, oppression, idolatry, and sin. God’s actions are never random. He is always pursuing righteousness, always working to bring His people back to Himself.

Love that tells the truth. Jesus in the New Testament

Now fast-forward to the New Testament and meet Jesus. He is the embodiment of God’s love. He touches lepers, welcomes children, forgives sinners, and offers rest to the weary. He reveals God’s heart in intimate and personal ways. However, this same Jesus also confronts hypocrisy, warns about hell, and speaks clearly about judgment.

In Matthew 25, Jesus talks about a future day when people will be separated into two groups. Some will inherit the kingdom, and others will face eternal punishment. In Luke 13:3, He says, “Unless you repent, you too will all perish.”

Jesus, full of grace and truth, does not downplay the seriousness of sin. He doesn’t say, “God used to care about holiness, but now He just wants everyone to feel good.” Instead, He calls people to turn from their sin, to take up their cross, and to follow Him.

This is what real love looks like. It isn’t sentimental, it’s sacrificial. Jesus doesn’t cancel God’s justice; rather, He fulfils it. He steps into the place of judgment and takes it on Himself so that we can be made right with God.

Justice and love are our partners.

One of the biggest misconceptions people have is that love and justice are opposites. But in the Bible, they are actually inseparable. If God were only loving and not just, then evil would go unchecked. There would be no accountability, no protection for the vulnerable, no hope for the oppressed. On the other hand, if God were only just and not loving, none of us would stand a chance. The good news is that God is both.

At the cross, we see love and justice come together perfectly. Sin is not brushed aside. It is dealt with. But instead of punishing us, God takes the punishment on Himself. That is the very heart of the gospel. Jesus doesn’t soften the Old Testament God. He reveals Him in full clarity.

There are no easy answers when it comes to the harder parts of the Old Testament. Stories like the flood, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, or the conquest of Canaan can be challenging to read. But these passages can’t be divorced from the rest of the biblical story. They must be understood in the context of God’s plan to deal with sin and bring restoration to a broken world.

Rather than ignoring or avoiding them, we’re invited to wrestle with them. More importantly, we are called to trust that God is not reacting on a whim. He is patient, wise, and more loving than we can fully comprehend. We must also remember that God’s justice is never disconnected from His covenant love. Even His judgments are designed to lead people back to Him.

One God, One Story

So is the God of the Old Testament different from the God of the New Testament? I don’t believe so.

God is consistent. He is unchanging. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. His justice and His love are both central to who He is, and they are revealed throughout the entire story of Scripture.

The God who calls Israel out of slavery is the same God who says, “Come to me, all who are weary.” The God who gives the law on Mount Sinai is the same God who speaks blessings from the mountains of Galilee. The God who judged Egypt is the same God who wept at Lazarus’s tomb.

If you only see the judgment in the Old Testament, you’re missing God’s love. And if you only see the compassion in the New Testament, you’re missing God’s justice. You need both to truly understand who He is.

The Bible is not a story of two gods, but of one God working patiently and powerfully across history to rescue, redeem, and restore.

So the next time you hear someone say the God of the Old Testament is angry and the God of the New Testament is kind, remember this: God is always just, and God is always loving. That was true at the beginning, and it’s still true today.