Is Christ Interactive in the Old Testament?

Throughout the traditional Christian community today there is a perspective that promotes the notion that the God of the Old Testament is this very stern-faced Father God and the God of the New Testament is a softer, milder Son, Jesus the Christ. This theological concept is an outgrowth of the idea that the Old Testament has an emphasis on obedience to the law of God, while the New Testament is understood to emphasize forgiveness, mercy, and grace.

But this is fundamentally problematic due to the obvious conflict this concept promotes between the Father’s first-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, and Himself. Comparably, this presents an obvious conundrum when specific scriptures clearly state that Christ claimed He and the Father are one, that He came to do the will of the Father, and that without the Father He was powerless because the Father was greater than He. The harmony and perfect agreement between Father and Son are such that Jesus could proclaim, “Believe you not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwells in me, he does the works” (John 14:10). How can the Father and Son be in such perfect agreement if they are in conflict with each other in matters concerning obedience and mercy? Obviously, this is a contradiction—so something is dreadfully wrong with the notion that the Old and New Testaments are polar opposites.

Another enigma is the fact that Jesus emphatically stated, “No man has seen God at any time...” (John 1:18). And furthermore, Jesus mentions that we “have neither heard his voice at any time nor seen his shape” (John 5:37). How can this be when there are multiple Old Testament scriptures documenting the actual appearance to men like Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and Solomon, and so many of the prophets down through history? If it wasn’t the Father, then who was it that actually appeared?

In this web-chat session, Wayne and Bill attempt to “unpack” this apparent mystery and wade through a handful of scriptures proving it wasn’t the Father, but instead, was none other than Jesus Christ Himself, in His pre-incarnate form, who appeared to the patriarchs and prophets. Take a moment and listen in as they explore and explain the scriptural proof of this revealing truth!