OT & NT Distinctions
Modern American Christians are often quite ignorant of the Old Testament. One symptom of this ignorance is the belief that the character of God changes between the testaments. Some view the Old Testament God as primarily judgmental and the New Testament God as primarily merciful.
Psalm 9 tells us that “the Lord sits enthroned forever; he has established his throne for judgment. And he judges the world with righteousness; he executes judgment on the nations with fairness.” But Jesus, while he is indeed our counselor and friend, is also our judge. Peter proclaims in Acts 10: “He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that [Christ] is the one appointed by God to be the judge of the living and the dead.”
We are familiar with New Testament passages about God’s mercy, such as Ephesians 2: “God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace!” Yet God has always been merciful. The psalmist writes in Psalm 116: “I love the Lord because he has heard my appeal for mercy.”
Along similar lines, some view the Old Testament God as primarily wrathful and the New Testament God as primarily loving.
Psalm 7:11 says that “God is a righteous judge and a God who shows his wrath every day.” But Jesus is clearly full of wrath in Matthew 23 when he proclaims, “‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to make one convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a child of hell as you are!’”
Jesus tells his disciples in John 15, “‘As the Father has loved me, I have also loved you. Remain in my love.’” Yet the entirety of Psalm 136 praises God’s love. Verse 26 says, “Give thanks to the God of heaven! His faithful love endures forever.”
God has appeared to man in different ways throughout history. But the contrast between the Old and New Testaments is not justice vs. mercy, or wrath vs. love. Rather, the Old Testament draws special attention to the immense power of God, while the New Testament draws special attention to the sacrificial humility of God.
This is demonstrated by the fact that nearly every time someone encounters God in the Old Testament, God appears in an overwhelmingly supernatural way. Whereas, in the New Testament, the primary way people encountered God was through Jesus Christ, the Son of God who took upon himself the weaknesses of human nature.
Many stories in the Old Testament clearly show God’s magnificent power. When God speaks to the Israelites on Mount Sinai, he appears as smoke, fire, and thunder:
“On the third day, when morning came, there was thunder and lightning, a thick cloud on the mountain, and a very loud blast from a ram’s horn, so that all the people in the camp shuddered. Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was completely enveloped in smoke because the Lord came down on it in fire. Its smoke went up like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain shook violently. As the sound of the ram’s horn grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and God answered him in the thunder.”
When God responds to Job, he appears as a terrifying whirlwind:
“The Lord answered Job:
Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him?
Let him who argues with God give an answer.
Then Job answered the Lord:
I am so insignificant. How can I answer you?
I place my hand over my mouth.
I have spoken once, and I will not reply;
twice, but now I can add nothing.
Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind:
Get ready to answer me like a man;
When I question you, you will inform me.
Would you really challenge my justice?
Would you declare me guilty to justify yourself?
Do you have an arm like God’s?
Can you thunder with a voice like his?”
When God calls Isaiah, he appears as a majestic, holy king:
“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, and the hem of his robe filled the temple. Seraphim were standing above him; they each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. And one called to another:
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Armies;
his glory fills the whole earth.
The foundations of the doorways shook at the sound of their voices, and the temple was filled with smoke.
Then I said:
Woe is me for I am ruined
because I am a man of unclean lips
and live among a people of unclean lips,
and because my eyes have seen the King,
the Lord of Armies.”
In contrast, several passages in the New Testament describe Christ’s humility, and his setting aside of divine glory. Jesus describes himself as lowly and humble:
“Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Paul describes Jesus as humble, servile, and obedient in his letter to the Philippians:
“Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus,
who, existing in the form of God,
did not consider equality with God
as something to be exploited.
Instead he emptied himself
by assuming the form of a servant,
taking on the likeness of humanity.
And when he had come as a man,
he humbled himself by becoming obedient
to the point of death—
even to death on a cross.”
Peter describes Jesus as one who suffered and entrusted himself to God the Father:
“For you were called to this, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. He did not commit sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth; when he was insulted, he did not insult in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten but entrusted himself to the one who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree; so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but you have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”
