God Isn’t Trapped Within Old Testament Walls - Jesus didn’t come to reinvent God. He came to reveal Him.

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Have you ever heard someone say that they don’t believe in my God, because He’s judgmental and cruel? I’m sure most people have. I have for sure. Many times.

Thing is, I didn’t know how to effectively respond.

How do you square the God of plagues and punishments with the God who tells us to love our enemies?

But the older I get, the more I realize I was missing the bigger picture. I was caught up in soundbites and skipping the story.

Here’s the truth I’ve come to believe without flinching: God is not trapped in the Old Testament. He’s not stuck in the past. The God I read about in Genesis is the same God who walked the earth in Jesus. And that changed how I saw everything.

Looking Back With Clearer Eyes

When I was younger, I skimmed past a lot of the Old Testament. You know what I’m talking about, don’t you? I wanted the “Jesus parts” — grace, kindness, healing, forgiveness.

But eventually I went back and started reading with fresh eyes. Not hunting for verses to defend my faith. Just reading to understand.

And what I saw surprised me.

Yes, there’s judgment. God deals seriously with sin. But I also saw a God who is incredibly patient. Who keeps giving second chances, and third, and fourth. Who rescues people over and over again, even when they keep running away.

God defends the poor, the foreigner, the outcast. And I realized I’d bought into a cartoon or Hollywood version of the Old Testament — a version that skipped the compassion, the faithfulness, and the love.

When God introduces Himself to Moses, He doesn’t start with threats. He says:

“The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.” (Exodus 34:6)

That’s not the God of a horror story. That’s a God who sticks with people when they don’t deserve it.

Judgment Isn’t Hatred

One thing I’ve had to unlearn is the idea that judgment equals hatred. That it’s always punitive rather than redemptive. That’s not what I see anymore.

When God brings judgment in the Old Testament — on Egypt, on Canaan, even on Israel — it’s never random. It’s always about justice.

We’re talking about child sacrifice, slavery, rampant injustice.

God doesn’t look the other way, and I’m glad He doesn’t. I wouldn’t want to follow a God who lets the powerful crush the weak and just shrugs.

God’s judgment is hard — but it’s not heartless. Over and over, He warns people. He sends prophets, not armies. He pleads before He punishes. And when judgment comes, it’s not out of spite. It’s because love without justice isn’t love at all.

God Hasn’t Changed

For a long time, I treated the Old and New Testaments like two seasons of a show with a total reboot halfway through. Season One: fire and laws. Season Two: grace and sandals. But that’s not what the Bible actually shows.

Jesus didn’t show up to reinvent God. He came to reveal Him.

When I read the Gospels, I see Jesus calling out religious hypocrisy with the same fire I saw in the prophets. I see Him flipping tables, warning about judgment, talking about sin.

But I also see Him eating with outcasts, healing the broken, forgiving the guilty. He isn’t less intense than the Old Testament God — He’s just as fierce, but His fierceness is full of purpose.

He fights for people, not against them.

Jesus didn’t tone God down. He showed us what God looks like in skin and bone.

“I and the Father are one,” He said (John 10:30). That’s not metaphor. That’s a mirror.

The Whole Story Matters

Once I stopped splitting the Bible in two, it started to make more sense. The Old Testament isn’t some outdated mess we have to explain away.

• It’s the foundation.

• It’s the setup for the rescue mission.

• It shows the promises, the failures, the long wait for a Savior.

• And it shows just how much people need grace.

  
  

It’s not just history — it’s a mirror. I see myself in those pages. I see my stubbornness in Israel’s rebellion. I see my selfishness in their idols. And I see God’s mercy right in the middle of it all.

What This Means for Me Now

Now when someone brings up the “Old Testament God,” I don’t dodge the question. I tell them what I’ve come to know: God is just as holy now as He was then. Just as full of love. Just as serious about sin. And just as committed to redemption.

We don’t need to edit the Bible to make God more appealing.

He’s not a brand. He’s not up for re-election. He’s the same God today as He was in Eden, in Egypt, in exile, and on the cross.

I want a God I can trust. That means a God who doesn’t change with the wind. The God who thundered from Sinai is the same God who whispered forgiveness to the woman at the well. The same God who judged injustice then still sees every injustice now. And the same God who promised a Savior followed through.

That’s not a contradiction. That’s consistency.

I’ve Stopped Apologizing for God

I’m not embarrassed by the Old Testament anymore. I used to try to explain it away, or soften it. Now I let it speak. I see the full story — creation, fall, covenant, rescue. A God who refuses to give up on people, even when they deserve it. A God who moves through history, not trapped in the past.

So no, God isn’t stuck in some ancient book. He’s not locked in judgment mode, waiting to upgrade to grace. He’s always been both just and merciful. Always holy. Always loving. Always pursuing His people.

The Old Testament doesn’t show a different God — it shows how far He’s willing to go to make things right.

And that’s the kind of God I can follow — Old Testament, New Testament, today, and forever.

© Gary L Ellis