Why do Christians read the Old Testament if the New Testament voids all of the laws and covenants?

Question

I mean no disrespect. I am reading the New Testament (NIV) right now. It seems to me that when a poster on this site calls up something from the Old Testament, Christians claim that the rules have been changed because of Jesus...or fulfilled. I just tripped over one question that said slavery was endorsed in Exodus 21:2-6. One poster claimed that Jesus set us free from such laws.

Answer 1

Neither the Hebrew Scriptures (commonly referred to as the Old Testament) nor the Christian Greek Scriptures (commonly referred to as the New Testament) voids the other. Moreover, at Romans 15:4, we read: “All the things that were written aforetime were written for our instruction, that through our endurance and through the comfort from the Scriptures we might have hope.” Time and again Jesus and the writers of the Christian Greek Scriptures quoted from the Hebrew Scriptures. This alone testifies to the validity of the Hebrew Scriptures.

Answer 2

I have wondered and asked this my self

personally nothing would make me happier if Christianity dropped the OT, but that is just a dream.

The only answer I got to this question is that the OT prophesies about the coming of Jesus as the messiah.

Regardless of whether this is true or not it still dose not explain why they did not just make a few books of highlights of these prophecies and drop all the laws in the first five books.

Basically the only answer is historical. The first generation of Christians were Jews that held the OT as a holy document. Even after Paul took over and made the Church mostly gentile by 100 AD the OT stuck as part of the Christian Bible and that's why you have it today.

Answer 3

That's weird, isn't it?

Actually, Jesus DID come to destroy the Law and the Prophets, fulfilling another OT prophesy about a false prophet. The Jews were instructed that when this false prophet appeared, they should kill him so he could not poison them. Which is what the Pharisees did.

Of course, the whole OT was a pack of lies created by a jealous half-god. Christ was sent to set us free from the ignorance, just as the Serpent was sent to Eden.

Anyone who tries to follow both the Old and New Testaments at the same time is just asking for trouble. Which explains a lot about Christianity today.

Answer 4

The New Testament fulfills the Old Testament. God had many important laws in the old and just because Jesus came to die so we can live doesn't mean the Old Testament is obsolete. The whole Bible points to Jesus, the prophesies. Even the book of Ruth talking about our "kinsman redeemer" THAT is fulfilled by the Lord Jesus. Plus the whole lineage of Jesus is very interesting.

Answer 5

By the way, there was no New Testament until the Council of Nicea in 323 AD. The early Christians were considered an offshoot of Judaism. A radical faction. A lot of Jewish Law was followed by Peter, especially, and the other Apostles. It's very interesting reading as to what they would try to persuade the Gentiles to follow.

Answer 6

There is a good saying that the old contains the new and the new explains the old. A book like Hebrews and Revelation are much easier to understand when we know the Old. The old also brings out a lot of the spiritual realities of the new in its stories and history. God was wise in giving both and treasures are to be found in both.
Also the moral law remains the same in both and God remains the same.

Answer 7

I Don't Know What True Christian Would Do That!....Are You 100% Convinced That They Are Christians, Because A "Christian" Is a Follower Of GOD'S WORD And Will Not VOID Any Laws Of His Commandments!

Answer 8

The old testament is a chronicle of mans weakness and failings(even Gods chosen)and Gods continued effort to reach us.There is much more in both books than simple stories,the more you read the more you understand.

Answer 9

To read the profesying of Jesus' coming, the things God has taught his people that we can learn from, there's lots of wise sayings....
What do you mean by "void"?

Answer 10

"I have not come to destroy the law, I have come to fuffil it". the OT is mistranslated, may be corrupted, but there are still some good parts of it (ten commandments)