Tonight I discovered a fascinating parallel between the Old Testament and the New Testament. I was thinking about Exodus 34:6-7 where God reveals his character to Moses at Sinai. It dawned on me that most of the attributes of God in Exodus are also attributes the Holy Spirit produces in believers as fruit. In Galatians 5:22-23 we get that, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control." Here's how the fruit relate to the attributes in Exodus:

• Love/Steadfast Love: The fruit includes "love" while Exodus emphasizes God "abounding in steadfast love" (hesed).

• Patience/Slow to Anger: The Spirit's "patience" corresponds to God being "slow to anger."

• Kindness/Mercy: "Kindness" in the fruit aligns with God being "merciful and gracious."

• Goodness/Forgiveness: The fruit's "goodness" connects to God "forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin."

• Faithfulness: This appears explicitly in both lists, with God "abounding in faithfulness."

Here's where things get interesting. Skeptics and progressives often try to drive a wedge between the Old Testament and the New Testament. But this suggests a connection between the two. The Holy Spirit transforms believers so that they reflect God's own character as revealed in the Old Testament. The attributes that define God in Exodus 34:6-7 become manifest in Christians through the Spirit's work. This creates a beautiful connection between the testaments and supports the unity of God's nature and purpose throughout scripture.

This also has relevance to the Trinity. It suggests that the Holy Spirit, as the third person of the Trinity, produces in believers the character of God as revealed to Moses. This reinforces the understanding that while the Trinity becomes more explicitly developed in the New Testament, the groundwork and nature of God remain consistent throughout scripture.

Have you found similar connections between other OT and NT passages?