From B.C. to A.D.

From B.C. to A.D.: How Our View of God Has Shifted—And Why It Matters

There’s a tension many people of faith feel but rarely name out loud:
The God of the Old Testament doesn’t always feel like the God of Jesus.

Some live in that tension quietly. Others try to resolve it by explaining away the differences. Still others simply avoid the Old Testament altogether, hoping Jesus will do the heavy lifting of love and mercy.

But maybe the invitation isn’t to pick sides—it’s to ask a deeper question:

Did God change? Or did our understanding deepen?

A Shift in Perception, Not in God’s Character

The idea that the “God of B.C.” is different from the “God of A.D.” can be misleading if we’re not careful. It’s not that God evolved—but that we did. The shift from B.C. to A.D. is the shift from projection to revelation, from trying to survive with an image of God to finally seeing God in human form.

Jesus doesn’t contradict the Old Testament. He reinterprets it.
He doesn’t replace the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
He reveals what that God has always been like.

As Keith Giles writes (paraphrased from Jesus Unforsaken):

“Jesus didn’t come to change God’s mind about us—He came to change our minds about who God has always been.”

God of B.C.: Power, Law, and Distance

Much of the Old Testament presents God through a tribal, covenantal lens:

• God blesses the obedient, curses the disobedient.

• God’s holiness is dangerous—get too close, and you die.

• Justice often looks like violent retribution.

• God is intimately tied to the fate of one nation, Israel.

This view emerged in times of trauma: slavery, wilderness, exile, occupation. The people writing these texts were trying to make sense of survival, identity, and divine presence. Their stories carry divine truth—but also human fear, longing, and limitation.

God of A.D.: Flesh, Grace, and Proximity

Then comes Jesus.
Not a prophet issuing warnings, but God in flesh—Emmanuel, God with us.
And suddenly, the rules shift.

• God eats with sinners.

• He touches the unclean.

• He forgives enemies.

• He weeps over cities and washes feet.

Jesus doesn’t come as a detached deity or distant king. He comes as a servant, a suffering redeemer, love in motion.

What changes in A.D. is not God’s character—but our ability to see it clearly.

From Transaction to Transformation

The old lens said:

“Obey, and you’ll be accepted.”
The new lens says:
“You are accepted—now come live in that truth.”

Jesus reframes justice from punishment to restoration.
He redefines holiness as compassion, not separation.
And he demonstrates that power is found not in control—but in self-giving love.

God of B.C. (as perceived)

• Distant, holy, and feared

• Law-based covenant

• Justice = wrath

• Defined by national identity

• Obedience earns approval

God of A.D. (as revealed in Christ)

• Present, humble, and near

• Love-based relationship

• Justice = healing

• Embraces all people universally

• Belovedness is the starting point

Why This Matters

Because the God you believe in shapes the person you become.

If you still live in a B.C. view of God:

• You’ll use religion to police, exclude, or shame.

• You’ll mistake fear for reverence.

• You’ll serve out of duty, not love.

But if you live in the A.D. light of Christ:

• You’ll stop performing and start trusting.

• You’ll be quick to restore, slow to punish.

• You’ll follow Jesus not to escape hell, but to embody heaven—here and now.

God Hasn’t Changed. We’re Just Finally Seeing Clearly.

Jesus doesn’t water down God.
He doesn’t rescue us from some angry Father.
He is the full expression of God’s love.

He shows us the God who was always there but misunderstood, mistranslated but never absent.

So, let’s not go back to the shadows.
Let’s stop surviving a God who only wanted to walk with us all along.

Let’s Reflect Together.
What part of this article challenged or affirmed your own understanding of God?
Your story matters—leave a comment, share with someone who’s ready for a new view of faith, or take a moment to reflect privately.

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