What Scripture says
Many people think of the Old Testament God as angry and the New Testament God as loving. Scripture presents the same God in both, with both mercy and judgment:
Mercy in the Old Testament:
- God describes himself: “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness” (Exodus 34:6, ESV). This is the most quoted description of God in the Old Testament, repeated in Numbers 14:18, Nehemiah 9:17, Psalm 86:15, Joel 2:13 and Jonah 4:2.
- “As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live” (Ezekiel 33:11).
- God spares Nineveh, Israel’s enemy, when it repents (Jonah 3–4).
- The law commands love for neighbours and foreigners (Leviticus 19:18, 34).
Judgment in the New Testament:
- Jesus speaks more about hell than anyone else in the Bible (Matthew 10:28, 25:41–46).
- Ananias and Sapphira die for lying to God (Acts 5:1–11).
- “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31).
- Revelation describes Christ judging the nations (Revelation 19:11–16).
Jesus said, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9), and “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). Hebrews says God “spoke to our fathers by the prophets” and now “has spoken to us by his Son” (Hebrews 1:1–2): the same God, speaking more fully.
What the evidence says
History
Marcion
The idea of two different gods is old. Around AD 140, Marcion of Sinope taught that the God of the Old Testament was a lesser, harsh creator god, and the God revealed by Jesus was a higher, loving God. He rejected the Old Testament entirely and accepted only an edited version of Luke and ten of Paul’s letters. The church rejected his teaching as heresy, and his challenge helped prompt the church to define its canon (see 3.1).
Interpretation
Why the difference seems so strong
- Different genres. Much of the Old Testament is the history of a nation, including its wars and legal system. The New Testament mostly covers a few decades of one man’s life and the early church.
- Different covenants. The Old Testament law governed Israel as a nation with civil penalties (see 5.6). The New Testament addresses a church spread among many nations.
- Progressive revelation. God reveals himself gradually, with the fullest revelation in Jesus (Hebrews 1:1–3). Israel’s understanding grew over time.
- Selective reading. People often compare the harshest parts of the Old Testament with the gentlest parts of the New, ignoring the rest.
The same story
The two testaments tell one story: God creates, humans rebel, God chooses Abraham to bless all nations (Genesis 12:3), forms Israel, promises a Messiah, and fulfils those promises in Jesus. The New Testament writers quote the Old Testament hundreds of times, and Jesus said the Scriptures “bear witness about me” (John 5:39).
| Theme | Old Testament | New Testament |
|---|---|---|
| God’s love | “I have loved you with an everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3) | “God is love” (1 John 4:8) |
| God’s judgment | The flood, the exile | Hell, the final judgment |
| Love for enemies | Help your enemy’s donkey (Exodus 23:4–5) | “Love your enemies” (Matthew 5:44) |
| God’s grace | Israel chosen not for its merit (Deuteronomy 7:7–8) | Saved by grace (Ephesians 2:8–9) |
Philosophy
The hard passages
Some Old Testament passages, such as the conquest of Canaan (see 5.4), remain genuinely hard. Christians don’t resolve them by splitting God in two, but by reading them in context and in light of the whole story, in which the same God who judges also bears judgment himself on the cross (see 8.3).
Where they meet
The God of the Old and New Testaments is the same God, merciful and just, revealing himself more fully over time and supremely in Jesus.
What’s still open
How to understand particular hard passages (see 5.4, 5.6).
Bottom line
No. The Old Testament is full of mercy (Exodus 34:6) and the New Testament includes judgment (Revelation 19). It is the same God, with an unfolding plan. This is rated Settled.