Many people, when reading the Old Testament, come across passages of judgment, wars, and lessons, and end up forming the idea that the “God of the Old Testament” is severe or even “evil.”
This perception most often comes from fragmented readings without understanding the biblical context. When we look at the Bible as a whole, we realize that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and that His justice, love, and mercy have always walked together from Genesis to Revelation.
Righteous and Holy
“He is the Rock, His works are perfect, and all His ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is He.”
Deuteronomy 32:4
In the Old Testament, we find moments when God judges entire nations, such as in the flood (Genesis 6) or the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19). At first glance, these episodes may seem harsh, but they reflect His holiness and intolerance toward sin—not the sinner.
God is just in acting against the evil that destroys life and creation, that hurts His children and distances them from Him. This is not punishment—it is care and love.
His justice is not like ours, limited and flawed. If God were not just, He could not be God. The holiness of God demands that sin be treated seriously, and the Old Testament shows how destructive sin truly is.
Even in His justice, God always offers an opportunity for repentance. Before the flood, Noah preached for years, calling the people to repent (2 Peter 2:5). This reveals that even when He executes judgment, God’s heart is always inclined toward mercy.
Love from the Beginning
“And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, ‘The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness’.”
Exodus 34:6
The idea that the God of the Old Testament is only severe ignores the countless demonstrations of His love. Since Eden, when man sinned, God provided clothing for Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:21), showing care and provision even after disobedience.
He also reveals Himself as a patient God. The description in Exodus 34:6 is no different from the God revealed in Jesus in the New Testament, because He is the same God.
The covenants God made with Noah, Abraham, Moses, David—all of them show His intention to restore and bless, not destroy. The entire Old Testament points to Christ, the greatest expression of His love, as declared in the famous verse John 3:16.
The Same God
“I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.”
Malachi 3:6
Some people see a “God of love” in the New Testament and a “God of wrath” in the Old Testament, but this division is mistaken. Jesus, in the New Testament, also spoke about judgment (Matthew 25) and warned about sin. Likewise, the Old Testament is full of examples of grace and restoration.
The character of God is the same throughout all of Scripture. What changes is the moment within the plan of salvation in which each part of the Bible takes place. In the Old Testament, we see the preparation, the revelation of the Law, and the announcement of the Messiah. In the New, we see the fulfillment of that promise in Christ.
Understanding the historical and spiritual context of each passage helps us see that God is not evil but deeply committed to justice, love, and the plan of redemption. The God who judged and forgave sin in Genesis is the same God who forgives and saves by grace in Jesus Christ.
