Is the God of the Old Testament different to the God of the New Testament?

You might have heard or seen examples of how God is wrathful in the Old Testament and loving in the New Testament. Well, I believe that God is also loving in the Old Testament, not to mention also wrathful in the New Testament. You might think that love and wrath are incompatible, but it is actually God’s love that causes Him to be angry with everything that harms those He loves.

The God of Love in the Old Testament

In the New Testament, Jesus lists the two greatest commandments, to love God and love your neighbor (Matthew 22:37-38). It might surprise you to find out that these commandments actually come from the Old Testament law (Leviticus 19:18; Deuteronomy 6:4-5). More than simply expecting His people to love Him and each other, though, God expresses His own deep love for His people. Deuteronomy 7:7-9 shows God choosing His people, not because they were the greatest, but because He loved them. Now, while God was clearly wrathful when the people disobeyed Him, it is clear that His love did not change.  When Israel was deep in idolatry and wickedness, God could still tell them, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.” (Jeremiah 31:3). God was clear that He would punish wickedness, but also that He would much prefer that people would turn from wickedness and receive mercy (Ezekiel 33:11). You might be tempted to think this love was limited to Israel, but the love clearly extends to foreigners (Leviticus 19:34; Deuteronomy 10:18-19). 

When I was working with a Bible school in Sweden, I saw this revelation in one of my students. We studied the whole Bible, starting with the New Testament. When we started going through the Old Testament, she was apprehensive, but by the time we finished, she said that she could now say that she truly loves God, because she saw His heart and His love, over and over.

The God of wrath in the New Testament

Romans 1:18 and 2:5 describe the wrath of God in the past and future, with no distinction made. Romans 2:8 reveals who will be receiving this wrath: the self-seeking and the disobedient. John 3:16 is the most well-known description of God’s love, but if you keep reading, John 3:18 indicates that those who do not believe are condemned already. The chapter ends with those who do not obey Jesus not seeing life, but having the wrath of God remain on them (John 3:36). Those who do not accept Jesus as their Saviour will face His wrath in the great day of judgement (2 Thessalonians 1:7-8; Revelation 19:11-16). In all of this, the offer of salvation is made clear, but also the consequences of rejecting Jesus. I hope you can see how God is presented as both wrathful and loving in both testaments, and that these characteristics are not mutually exclusive.