It is a popular and persistent assumption that the Old Testament reveals the wrath of God, while the New Testament reveals the grace of God. This is a most inaccurate portrayal of biblical teaching. It is the Old Testament that says the Lord’s mercy endures forever, and it is the New Testament that says it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

The true biblical teaching is that both wrath and grace belong to God’s nature. Paul writes, “Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you” (Romans 11:22, ESV). Thus he shows wrath toward some men and shows grace toward others. The distinction is based on his decision, without regard to the conditions found in men, for he is the one who creates all conditions found in men in the first place.* Election is not based on foreseen faith, since faith itself is a gift from God, and an effect of election. In fact, Paul writes that God creates some men as vessels of wrath and some as vessels for mercy, some to suffer damnation and some to enjoy salvation (Romans 9:21).

This is elementary. Indeed, the doctrine of predestination is one of the clearest, simplest, and least mysterious doctrines in all of Scripture. The whole doctrine is this: God creates, sustains, and controls all things. All additional expositions serve only to assure people that the doctrine means what it says. A retarded child can understand it. But even some of the most well-regarded theologians refuse to believe it, or to believe all of it, and to admit to the directness and fullness of God’s power over all things, including human thoughts and decisions.

Thus, although few doctrines are more simple, misrepresentations remain common, and it is necessary to teach it again and again. Let us never become weary of basic doctrines, especially this chief of doctrines, that God is God. It is to be asserted, not with inordinate prudence and care, but with the bluntness by which it is presented throughout the Scripture.

The original point is that God is not one way in the Old Testament and another way in the New Testament. He has always been a God who damns and who saves, damning sinners and saving believers. Our passage is first directed to professors of faith, so that those who claim to believe in Christ will hold firm to their allegiance.

Now, the Bible teaches that God converts those whom he has chosen for salvation, and then he preserves their faith, so that not one true believer is ever lost. Surely he exercises a direct and hidden power in the souls of his chosen ones, so that they remain faithful to him. But in addition to this, he also uses various means by which he maintains their faith and encourages them to increase in the life of Jesus Christ. One of these means is the verbal warnings in Scripture concerning the unreasonableness and the consequences of abandoning this true religion. He preserves his chosen ones by issuing warnings and by causing them to heed these warnings. Reprobates and false Christians will not heed them. They do not reverence the words of God, and he does not cause them to heed these words. Rather, he hardens their hearts against them.

Although the first audience consists of professors of the faith, the argument hinges not on the identity of the audience, but on the superiority of Christ over Moses. The principle is universal regardless of the audience addressed. Therefore, the passage is readily adaptable to broader applications, so that it can be directed not only to professing Christians, but also to non-Christians. And the upshot is that the message of Jesus Christ sets forth an even greater threat against non-Christians than the message of Moses.

This destroys any notion that there is a disparity between Moses and Jesus Christ, as if Moses preached punishment while Christ proclaimed salvation. Rather, both preached damnation for sinners, unbelievers, non-Christians, and the threat of punishment is even more clear and acute in the Christian message. And both proclaimed one way to salvation: If we will look outside of ourselves for salvation, but rather look to Jesus Christ to save us, then we are manifested as God’s vessels of mercy, as chosen recipients of his grace, so that God has already punished our sins in Christ. He is faithful and just to pardon all our transgressions, to impute the righteousness of Christ to our account, and to receive us as sons and daughters of the Most High.

* Here “condition” refers to “a mode or state of being.” This is the first definition of the word in a number of major dictionaries. In this context, the word is interchangeable with “anything.” This explanation seems unnecessary for those who have attained an infant’s level of reading comprehension, but some people have twisted the statement’s meaning in a desperate attempt to slander, as they can never score honest points on any topic against me.