There is a group of people I deal with that seems to gravitate toward the Old Testament and not so much toward the New.  And they’re very sincere in their beliefs, and adhere to them.  So today I’d like to just scratch the surface of “old versus new”.  You can’t cover a lot in just a few pages, nor do I intend to, but just enough to show you a difference between how God was
“then”, and how He is “now”.  And before you say “God never changes”, like that particular group says, then maybe we’d better reconsider that.  Or, HAS He changed?

In the Old testament, we can get a very accurate picture of how God operated with Abram, who God later named Abraham.  God called him His friend, from whom He hid nothing, because He knew Abraham would keep all His ways and teach them to his children, which he did.  God was not a hard-hearted harsh God with a whip in His hand to flog His kids, but rather a tender, loving Father who was always looking to bless His kids and move them up in the world.  I especially like the part where the LORD commanded Abram to leave his land, his family, and move to where HE would lead them.  Why? To uproot Abram and leave him desolate and broke?  No, to lead him into a BETTER land with BETTER promises.  And the New testament is based on BETTER promises.  Did God change in the New Testament from the Old?  So far it sounds like “NO”.

In Genesis 15:1-15, it is written,

 After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.

 2  And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?

 3  And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.

 4  And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.

 5  And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.

 6  And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

 7  And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.

 8  And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?

 9  And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.

 10  And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not.

 11  And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away.

 12  And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.

 13  And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;

 14  And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.

 15  And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.

Later we read in Genesis how Abram lied about his wife Sarai to keep from getting himself killed. Isn’t that just like our flesh?  And yet God didn’t zap Abram for lying.  He lost Sarai for a while, twice, because of his lies, yet God returned her to him untouched, and WITH A BLESSING!

Later on we read of Moses, how God used him to move Israel into a promised land, and even though Moses had some temper problems, apparently to the point that God didn’t allow him to go into the Promised Land, but only get to see it from the mountain top on which he died.  And we read how God had to discipline Israel repeatedly for their repeated disobediences, like an earthly parent must do with an unruly brat.  But yet God didn’t forsake them.  God had to go from being a “friend”, like He was to Abraham, to a “parent” with deceitful Israel. Nobody likes getting spanked, but sometimes it’s necessary to maintain order.

Much of the Old Testament is built on fear and punishment, commandments and laws,  yet that isn’t the relationship God wanted with the people of the Old covenant.  But human nature being polluted by sin, is what it is, and you can’t grow peaches on a thorn bush, and Israel was certainly a thorn bush.  Humans are still to this day a thorn bush.  We’re incurable and hopeless in our present state, so God saw the need for a New covenant, with new and better promises.

So with the New testament ushered in by Christ Jesus, with Himself being the sacrifice for our sins, didn’t change our fallen human nature, just the way God the Father deals with it.  Hebrews chapter 8 says it better than I possible can, so let’s have a look-see:

 Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;

 2  A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. 

 3  For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer.

 4  For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law: 

 5  Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.

 6  But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. 

 7  For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.

 8  For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:

 9  Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.

 10  For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:  

 11  And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.

 12  For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

 13  In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.

            Now, starting to deal with “GOD CHANGES NOT”, you see, God hasn’t really changed here: He’s the same loving Father as always, but He had to make a different way to deal with our sins, else NONE of us could ever inherit everlasting life.  You need to continue reading the rest of the Book of Hebrews .  God had a plan, a GOOD plan, with BETTER PROMISES!

And right in there in Hebrews 13:8, it says, Jesus Christ the same yesterday, to day, and forever.  So, we see, God didn’t change His nature, His plan, or His love.  Just the way He deals with our sins.  Do we still sin? Not if we receive His Holy Spirit, for it is written in 1 John 3:1-11,

 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

 2  Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

 3  And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

 4  Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

 5  And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.

 6  Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.

 7  Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.

 8  He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

 9  Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

 10  In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

 11  For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 

            So, what is the sum of this?  If you don’t know Christ Jesus of Nazareth as your Lord and Savior right now, you need to make a change in that status, RIGHT NOW!

It is written in Romans 10:4-13,

 4  For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

 5  For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.

 6  But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above🙂

 7  Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)

 8  But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

 9  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

 10  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

 11  For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

 12  For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.

 13  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

            You’ll find in our heavenly Father, not just a FRIEND, but a PARENT, who zealously looks after the good of His kids.  He really hasn’t changed from what He has always been, He just knew in our fallen state that we could never come up to Him, so He came down to us in the form of Christ Jesus.  Same loving God, but manifested in the flesh so we could learn to love Him, even as He loves us.  So what’s the difference between the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament?  NONE!  He loved mankind then, and He loves mankind now.  Only NOW, when our earthly life is over, we can spend eternity with Him.  Couldn’t do that under the Old Testament.  Like I said, BETTER covenant now with BETTER promises!  And I like that, how about YOU?