Sometimes people watch the news, see wars, hear offensive statements about Jesus Christ, and become confused. Not long ago, a leader compared Jesus to a conqueror like Genghis Khan, which caused a strong reaction. Beyond any clarification, those kinds of comments touch something very sensitive: the deep difference between human power and the way of Christ.
And that’s where a real question begins: if Israel was the people of the Old Testament, if today much of Judaism does not recognize Jesus as the Messiah, and if in Islam Jesus is seen as a prophet but not the Son of God, then what are we supposed to understand? Are we looking at two different ways of knowing God? A God of judgment in the Old Testament and a God of love in the New? The biblical answer, when properly understood, is no. The God of the Bible is the same; what changes is not His character, but the clarity with which He reveals Himself—and for us, that revelation reaches its fullness in Christ.
Here is the mistake many people make: thinking that the Old Testament presents a violent God and the New Testament presents a loving God. But if you read carefully, that’s not true. In the Old Testament there is also mercy, patience, forgiveness, and constant calls to repentance. And in the New Testament there is also holiness, justice, warning, and judgment. So we are not talking about two different gods. We are talking about the same God—holy and merciful—guiding humanity step by step until revealing His heart perfectly in Christ.
The Old Testament shows us something that today is often avoided: God takes evil seriously. He doesn’t minimize it. He doesn’t soften it. He doesn’t rename it. When violence, idolatry, wickedness, and corruption filled entire societies, God intervened. Sometimes with patience. Sometimes with warnings. Sometimes with judgment. That doesn’t mean God took pleasure in destruction. It means He is not indifferent to sin. The flood, Sodom, the judgments on nations, and the prophets calling for repentance do not reveal a cruel God, but a holy God who sees what humanity does and refuses to call destructive behavior “normal.”
But then comes the big question: what changes with Jesus Christ?
What changes is not God. What changes is that in Jesus Christ we begin to understand more deeply what God had always intended to do. In the Old Testament, God showed that sin deserves judgment. In the New Testament, God shows that He is willing to take that judgment upon Himself to open a way of salvation. The cross does not cancel God’s justice—it fulfills it. The cross does not say that sin no longer matters—it shows that it matters so much that Christ died for it. The cross does not present a softer God—it reveals a deeper God than we ever imagined.
That is why Jesus did not come just to “speak nicely” about love. He came to solve the problem that the Old Testament had been revealing for centuries: the human heart is broken. Without God, man becomes religious, violent, proud, driven by power, ambitious, cruel, or hypocritical—even while appearing faithful. And this happened in biblical times, in the days of Jesus, and it continues today in governments, religions, systems, and ideologies.
It’s important to clarify something here, because this is where many of us get confused: we cannot say that nations today are “living under the Old Testament,” as if they were still walking within that covenant God made with Israel. What is really happening is something else. Many people, societies, and systems continue to live without submitting to the full revelation of God in Christ. Some reject Him. Others see Him only as a teacher. Others accept Him as a prophet. And some use Him as a cultural symbol. But one thing is talking about Jesus… and a completely different thing is surrendering to Him as Lord.
And this also applies to Israel. As a modern nation, Israel cannot automatically be equated with biblical Israel in every spiritual sense. That confusion has caused a lot of misunderstanding. One thing is the people of biblical history; another is the modern state; and another is personal faith in Jesus Christ. Having biblical roots does not mean a nation is walking in obedience to the Messiah. And this is not only true for Israel. It applies to any country that claims Christian values but lives in pride, injustice, or violence.
The same is true of other religions and powerful nations. There are places where Jesus is respected, but not worshiped as the Son of God. There are places where His name is mentioned, but His authority is rejected. There are places where religious tradition remains, but there is no surrender of the heart. And that is one of the great tragedies of the modern world: people can talk a lot about God while living very far from Him.
That is why wars continue. Because the deepest problem of humanity has never been merely political, military, or territorial. The problem is spiritual. Humanity seeks power without truth, justice without repentance, peace without surrender, religion without obedience, and blessing without the cross. And that path always ends the same way: pride, division, and death.
Jesus came to break that pattern. While many expected a political Messiah, He came as a Servant. While many wanted visible power, He spoke of the kingdom of God within the heart. While the world still believes that salvation comes through control and domination, Christ taught that true victory comes through humility, repentance, truth, and sacrificial love.
That is why it is so painful when someone compares Jesus Christ to a conqueror like Genghis Khan. Because Christ does not belong to the category of powerful men who dominate by force. He did not come to crush nations to display power. He came to defeat sin, death, and hell by giving Himself on the cross. That is the eternal difference between the kingdom of this world and the kingdom of God.
So what should we say to people who are confused today?
We must say clearly that the God of the Old Testament and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ are the same God. There is no contradiction between them. What we see is a story of revelation. In the Old Testament we see God’s holiness confronting sin. In the New Testament we see that same holiness united with overwhelming grace in the person of Jesus Christ. Before, judgment fell upon rebellious nations; on the cross, we see the Son carrying the judgment we deserved. Before, it was clear that evil could not go unpunished; in Christ, we see that God did not leave evil unpunished, but He also did not leave us without hope.
And we must also say something more, with love but with clarity: recognizing Jesus as a prophet, teacher, historical figure, or moral symbol is not the same as knowing Him as Lord and Savior. The heart of the gospel is not to admire Jesus. It is to believe in Him, surrender to Him, obey Him, and be born again in Him.
So when we see wars, religious tension, and leaders speaking from pride, we should not conclude that Christ has failed. Instead, we should recognize that humanity continues to show how much it needs Christ. The chaos of the world does not contradict the gospel—it confirms it. It reminds us that without the true King, humanity will keep fighting for thrones it cannot sustain.
Let me leave you with this to reflect on quietly: the God who in the Old Testament showed that sin brings death is the same God who in Jesus Christ showed that His love brings life. He did not change His holiness. He did not lower His justice. He did not ignore evil. He confronted it in the deepest way possible—by offering His own Son to save the sinner. That is why the message of Christianity is not “before judgment, now love.” The true message is this: there has always been holiness, there has always been mercy, and in Christ both shine in their fullest expression.
I invite you to join me in this prayer:
Lord, in the midst of so much confusion, help us to know You as You truly are. Free us from incomplete ideas about You. Show us that Your justice does not contradict Your love, and that Your love does not cancel Your holiness. Teach us to see Jesus Christ not just as someone to admire, but as the Son of God, our Lord and Savior. And in a world full of wars, pride, and deception, keep our hearts grounded in Your truth. Amen.
Somos Cristianos, connecting hearts with Christ.
