Continuity, Fulfilment, and Why God Can Seem Different

Many readers of the Bible struggle with the relationship between the Old Testament and the New Testament. 

The Old Testament can feel harsh, legal, or distant, while the New Testament feels gracious, relational, and centred on love.

This leads to honest questions:

• Why does God seem different in the Old Testament

• Did Jesus change God

• Do Christians still need the Old Testament

• Is the Old Testament outdated or replaced

These are not new questions. 

They are important ones — and the Bible itself provides the answers.

1. One God, One Story

The Bible does not present two different Gods.

The same God who speaks in Genesis speaks in the Gospels. 

The God of Israel is the Father of Jesus Christ.

Scripture is clear that God does not change in His character:

“I the LORD do not change.” — Malachi 3:6

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” — Hebrews 13:8

What does change is how God reveals Himself over time and how He relates to humanity within different stages of His redemptive plan.

The Bible is not a collection of disconnected ideas. 

It is one unfolding story that moves toward fulfilment in Jesus.

2. Progressive Revelation: God Reveals Himself Over Time

God did not reveal everything about Himself all at once.

In the Old Testament:

God reveals His:

• holiness

• justice

• faithfulness

• patience

He forms a people through covenant. He teaches through:

• law

• sacrifice

• kingship

• prophecy

He prepares the world for the coming of the Messiah.

In the New Testament:

God reveals Himself fully in Jesus Christ:

“Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” — John 14:9

What was promised becomes visible. 

What was symbolic becomes personal. 

What was anticipated becomes fulfilled.

This is progressive revelation — not contradiction, but development.

3. Law and Grace: Not Opposites, but Stages

A common misunderstanding is that the Old Testament is about law and the New Testament is about grace.

In reality:

• Grace is present in the Old Testament

• Law still matters in the New Testament

Grace appears early:

“The LORD, the compassionate and gracious God…” — Exodus 34:6

And the New Testament affirms the law’s purpose:

“The law was our guardian until Christ came.” — Galatians 3:24

The law revealed:

• God’s holiness

• humanity’s sin

• our need for rescue

The law was never meant to save; it was meant to prepare.

Jesus does not abolish the law — He fulfils it:

“I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them.” — Matthew 5:17

He embodies its purpose and completes what it pointed toward.

4. Why Does God Seem Harsher in the Old Testament?

Several factors contribute to this impression:

a) Historical Context

The Old Testament records God working within ancient cultures marked by violence, injustice, and idolatry. 

God’s actions often restrain evil, not endorse it.

b) Covenant Context

Much of the Old Testament describes God’s covenant with a specific nation (Israel), including national consequences that differ from the New Testament church context.

c) Narrative Description

The Bible records events honestly — including human failure and divine judgment. 

Description is not endorsement.

d) Jesus Reveals God Fully

Jesus does not contradict the Old Testament God; He reveals Him most clearly:

“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being.” — Hebrews 1:3

The same God who judges sin also bears its cost on the cross.

5. The Cross Changes How Judgment Is Experienced

In the Old Testament, judgment often falls visibly and historically.

In the New Testament, judgment is focused on the cross:

• sin is taken seriously

• justice is not ignored

• mercy is extended through sacrifice

God’s justice and love meet in Jesus:

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross.” — 1 Peter 2:24

This does not mean God became kinder. 

It means God absorbed judgment Himself.

6. Fulfilment: How the Old Testament Points to Christ

The Old Testament prepares for Jesus through:

• Promises (a coming Saviour)

• Patterns (sacrifice, priesthood, kingship)

• Prophecies

• Themes (exile, restoration, covenant)

Jesus fulfils:

• the true sacrifice

• the perfect priest

• the faithful king

• the obedient Israel

• the new covenant

The New Testament constantly looks back and says:

“This is what it was always pointing toward.”

“Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained… what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” — Luke 24:27

7. Do Christians Still Need the Old Testament?

Yes — absolutely.

Without the Old Testament:

• Jesus is misunderstood

• the cross loses depth

• grace becomes vague

• God’s faithfulness is obscured

• the Bible becomes fragmented

The Old Testament teaches us:

• who God is

• why sin matters

• how redemption works

• what God has been faithful to fulfil

• how patient God is with His people

Jesus and the apostles constantly quoted and relied on the Old Testament.

8. How Christians Should Read the Old Testament Today

Christians should read the Old Testament:

• through the lens of Christ

• with awareness of covenant context

• as preparation, not replacement

• as Scripture that still teaches and shapes

Not every command applies directly, but every passage reveals something true about God.

Paul affirms its ongoing value:

“All Scripture is God‑breathed and useful…” — 2 Timothy 3:16

“All Scripture” includes the Old Testament.

9. Unity Without Confusion

The Old Testament is not obsolete. 

The New Testament is not disconnected. 

Jesus is not Plan B.

Christian faith stands on continuity and fulfilment — a God who keeps His promises, completes His purposes, and reveals Himself fully in Christ.

10. Final Encouragement

If the Old Testament feels difficult, you are not failing. 

It is meant to stretch us.

Read it patiently, humbly, and in light of Jesus.

The Bible tells one story: 

A faithful God redeeming a broken world — slowly, purposefully, and completely.