Blog - Is the God of the Old Testament Meaner than the God of the New Testament?

Is the God of the Old Testament Meaner than the God of the New Testament?

by Mike Ingold on October 03, 2023

The question in the title begs another question: Does God change from the Old Testament to the New Testament? In other words, does God’s character, nature, and behavior change from one Testament to the other? Hebrews 13:8 says: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (NKJV) Jesus is God’s Son and is fully God. If Jesus does not change, then God does not change either. Malachi 3:6a says, “For I am the Lord, I do not change.”

Now, let’s look at the character and nature of God in the Old Testament and see if he is mean or not. Deuteronomy 23:5 talks about the curse of Balaam and why God would not curse Israel - “Nevertheless the Lord your God would not listen to Balaam, but the Lord your God turned the curse into a blessing for you because the Lord your God loves you.” Did you notice why God turned the curse into a blessing? Because God loves his people. God loved his people then, and he loves his people today.

God showed his nature when he spoke with Moses in Exodus 34:6-7, “And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and fourth generation.’” God is seen here as very merciful; he is forgiving, long-suffering, and gracious. God overflows with truth and goodness. That does not sound like a mean God. He is just and is willing to forgive us when we repent.

When we accuse God of being mean, we often are saying that his ways toward us are not fair. God addresses this in Ezekiel 18:25, "Yet you say, 'The way of the Lord is not fair.’ Hear now, O house of Israel, is it not my way which is fair, and your ways which are not fair?’” Ezekiel 18:32 states, “For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord God. “Therefore turn and live.” God’s ways are fair, and his desire is that we repent, turn from our evil ways, and experience life. That does not sound like a mean God.

The last half of Nehemiah 9:17 states, “But you are God, ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abundant in kindness, and did not forsake them.” God was caring for his people, Israel, even when they were rebellious in the wilderness. Three verses later, in verse 20, it reports, “You also gave your good Spirit to instruct them, and did not withhold your manna from their mouth, and gave them water for their thirst.” God has a good Spirit, not a mean one. Isaiah 43:4 gives God’s feelings toward us, “Since you were precious in my sight, you have been honored, and I have loved you; Therefore I will give men for you, and people for your life.” God loves us, thinks we are precious to him, and he honors us. That is the character and nature of the God of the Old Testament. He is not mean, and he does not change. God is consistent in both Testaments.

About the Author

Mike Ingold

Mike is our Prayer Ministry Director here at Petra! He oversees our Prayer Vision Team, our Altar Ministry Team, the Prayer Chain, our churchwide Prayer and Fasting week, and the incoming Prayer Requests both online and from the Pastors/Elders.

Mike accepted Christ at age 11, was water baptized at age 13, and was first baptized in the Spirit at age 20, which is when he remembers his relationship with Jesus really began to develop. Before his role here at Petra, Mike received his master’s in Elementary Education and was in the field for over 35 years. During that time, he also worked with individuals with intellectual disabilities at Friendship Community. Mike helped start 2 Christian schools in Indiana and Thailand and became the principal at 2 schools, one in Illinois and one in Puerto Rico.

Together, Mike and his wife have 4 kids and 7 grandkids. In his free time, he makes it a point to read through the Bible once a year. He also enjoys reading Christian Fiction, playing on a bowling team, watching sports, taking walks, and writing. He is the author of the book, “Overcoming Fears: A 365-Day Devotional.” Mike and his wife also serve on the Hopewell Asia Missions team.

He accepted his role here at Petra in 2022 with a passion for seeing people find joy, comfort, and peace in Jesus. He loves seeing how God answers people’s prayers and is excited to be a part of what God is doing in the lives of those he interacts with!

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