Did God Change Or Did Our Understanding of Him Change?
One of the biggest stumbling blocks for believers today is this question:
“If God never changes (Malachi 3:6), why does He seem different in the New Testament?”
Some movements teach that God is primarily a destroyer, angry, violent, and eager to burn nations. Others point to Jesus and see radical love, mercy, forgiveness, and life.
So which is true?
The short answer is this: God did not change, revelation did.
And Jesus is the full and final revelation of God’s heart.
“I the Lord Do Not Change” What Malachi Actually Means
Malachi 3:6 says:
“For I am the Lord, I do not change.”
This verse speaks about God’s nature and character, not His methods or covenants.
God’s holiness, faithfulness, and love are constant but how He reveals Himself to humanity develops as humanity is able to receive it.
If God never adapted His approach, no covenant would ever change yet Scripture clearly shows progression:
- From Law to Grace
- From Shadow to Substance
- From Servants to Sons
God did not change His heart He revealed it more clearly over time.
Hezekiah and Nineveh: God’s Heart Was Always Mercy
Hezekiah (2 Kings 20)
God told Hezekiah he would die. Hezekiah prayed and God added 15 years to his life.
Did God change?
No. Prayer activated mercy that was already in God’s heart.
Nineveh (Jonah 3)
God warned Nineveh of destruction. They repented. God spared them.
Jonah was angry not because God was unjust, but because God was merciful.
Jonah 4:2 “I knew that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness.”
This proves something important:
Mercy was never new. It was always there.
Jesus Did Not Change God Jesus Revealed God
Hebrews 1:1 – 3 tells us that God spoke in many ways before,
but in these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son.
Jesus is not a softer version of God.
Jesus is the exact image of God.
If your picture of God contradicts Jesus, then your picture is wrong.
Jesus Explicitly Corrected the “Destroyer God” Image
Luke 9:54–55 Fire from Heaven?
When James and John wanted to burn the Samaritans:
“Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven?”
Jesus rebuked them and said:
“You do not know what manner of spirit you are of.
For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.”
This is massive.
Jesus didn’t say, “Wrong timing.”
He said, “Wrong spirit.”
Matthew 10:34 Not a Literal Sword
Jesus said:
“I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.”
This verse is often abused.
Jesus was not promoting violence He was describing division caused by truth.
The sword is spiritual discernment, not physical warfare.
Love expels hatred. Light expels darkness. Truth divides hearts.
This aligns perfectly with:
Matthew 5:44 “Love your enemies.”
Jesus does not contradict Himself.
God’s True Enemy Is Revealed in John 10:10
Jesus makes it unmistakably clear:
“The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy.
I have come that they may have life, and have it more abundantly.”
Jesus does not attribute stealing, killing, and destroying to God,
He attributes it to the enemy.
This alone dismantles the idea of God as a destroyer.
Why the New Covenant Feels So Different
Because the Old Covenant revealed God through Law,
but the New Covenant reveals God through a Person.
Jesus didn’t lower God’s standard He revealed God’s heart.
John 1:17 “The law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”
Final Truth: God Did Not Become Loving He Was Always Loving
The Bible does not say God learned love.
It says:
“God is love.” (1 John 4:8)
Jesus didn’t convince God to love us.
Jesus showed us that God already did.
Those who preach a God obsessed with destruction are not preaching biblical balance
they are preaching partial revelation without Christ at the center.
Conclusion
God did not change from angry to loving.
Humanity changed from misunderstanding Him to seeing Him clearly.
And the clearest picture of God is not a storm, fire, or sword
it is Jesus Christ with open arms, saying:
“I have come to give life.”
That is the God of the New Testament.
And He has always been that way.
“Did God Change Or Did Our Understanding of Him Change?”