Why do Christians use the Old Testament?

Question

The Bible is made up of the Old and New Testaments. I am a Christian, and from my point of view I find that the Old Testament is only used in bits and pieces and not taken as a whole, mainly because it can be contradictory and/or impose unneccesary laws, such as not eating pork. Why do we still use it when it only seems to cause problems? I mean, I don't remember anything in the NT about having to obey the Old Testament. I know that we tout the Ten Commandments as being important, but I would like to know where Jesus says for us to obey them. The only times that I remember Jesus saying laws was Love God with all your heart, mind, and body and love your neighbor as yourself. In a way, this sums up the Ten Commandments. Anyone's thoughts on this would be appreciated because I think "throwing out" the OT would help us in many ways.

You all are doing a great job! Keep it up, I really like and understand where you are coming from. I guess my point of contention is people that point to the OT to say what is right for salvation when salvation is in the NT, Jesus Christ himself. I definately accept and understand the historical significance of the OT with its amazing stories of faith, but I guess I would say that for me, it is not the basis of my faith, but rather extra material from God to guide us.

Answer 1

In the Old Testament, God selected the nation of Israel to be His "special" people. As such, they were to be "holy"—separate from the unbelieving nations around them and God's own possession. This was to be expressed by their obedience to the laws God gave them to direct their life as a nation. There were civil laws, ritual laws, and moral laws. By the time of Jesus, the Jews thought that the law was a way to earn salvation—something God had never intended. The Bible stresses, "Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, 'The righteous will live by faith'" (Galatians 3:11).

The New Testament says that the Old Testament law was intended "to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith" (Galatians 3:24). The ritual laws of sacrifice teach us that "without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness" (Hebrews 9:22) and point us to Jesus on the cross. The moral laws—those against lying, stealing, immorality, etc.—show us how far we fall short of God's will and how badly we need salvation as a free gift, earned by Jesus' death on the cross (Galatians 3:24).

Once we accept God's free gift of eternal life through repentance from sin and faith in Jesus, the moral law becomes a guide for how we live out our new life in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:16-26). The civil laws of Israel have passed away, since the church is not a nation. The ritual laws of sacrifice, priesthood, and temple have been fulfilled in Jesus, and are no longer applicable to the church (see the book of Hebrews). However, the basic moral law of the Old Testament is clearly reflected in the New Testament guidelines for the Christian life (e.g. Colossians, chapter 3) and is summarized by Jesus in Matthew 22:37-40.

Many people feel they can win God's favor and have eternal life by following the old civil and ritual laws, and do enough good deeds so that they balance out their bad deeds. But this is a misunderstanding. You cannot save yourself—but Christ can, and He will as you commit your life to Him by faith.
Yes, some parts of the Old Testament may seem confusing when we first read them, although those same passages can often point us to some very profound truths about God once we understand them.

The Old Testament is God's Word just as much as the New Testament, and God wants us to use it to teach and encourage us. Through it, for example, we learn that God made the world—including you and me. We also learn how sin came into the world and why Jesus Christ had to die on the cross to purchase our salvation.

Many parts of the Old Testament also help us understand how we should live, especially as we study the lives of its main characters (including not only the good things they did, but also their failures). The Bible says, "These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come" (1 Corinthians 10:11).

Don't worry about the parts you can't understand—ask God instead to help you learn from the parts you can understand. I often suggest people begin reading in the Psalms (which is the "hymn book" of the Old Testament). For many years, I read five Psalms a day plus one chapter from Proverbs (which gives practical guidance for life). Thank God for all the Bible, and "let the word of Christ dwell in you richly" (Colossians 3:16).
The dietary laws for Israel recorded in Leviticus, chapter 11, which include, for example, a prohibition against eating pork, were given for specific religious and, perhaps, health reasons. The New Testament, however, makes it clear that observation of these Old Testament food laws for religious reasons is no longer required in the New Testament era. Jesus Himself declared that all foods were "clean" (Mark 7:17-23). In Acts 10:9-16, Peter was informed by God through a vision that he was not to reject the use of certain animals for food on a religious basis. The apostle Paul also writes, "For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer" (1 Timothy 4:4).

The Bible makes it clear that "the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17). There is no saving grace in either eating or not eating certain foods. We are saved by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; see Ephesians 2:8-10. This, of course, does not mean that all animals we use for food are of equal value from a health standpoint
The whole Bible is God's Word, and every chapter in it has something to teach us about God and His will for our lives. The Bible says, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16).

At the same time, many people who are reading this have probably had the same experience you did: They started reading the Bible from the beginning—and soon gave up. I can't blame them for starting at the beginning; after all, isn't this the way we're supposed to read a book?

But the Bible is something of an exception. Rather than starting at the beginning, I often suggest instead that people begin at the center—and the "center" of the Bible is Jesus Christ, as He is found in the pages of the New Testament. Once you understand who He is and what He has done for you, then the Old Testament will begin to make sense to you. It tells us how God prepared the world for the coming of His Son.

Don't ignore the Old Testament. I suggest you begin with Psalms, the "hymn book" of the Bible; its prayers and songs will speak to your heart. Then branch out to other sections of the Old Testament—for example, studying some of its main characters and how God worked in their lives. You will find Proverbs valuable also, which gives us practical wisdom for daily living.

Answer 2

the Old Testament is the New Testament concealed, the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed.
One goes with the other. They go hand in hand.
Read and pray over Isaiah - it reveals a bunch.
That being said, Old testement rules were put in place to assist God's people to remain as close to God as possible, however when the curtain was torn from top to bottom (when Jesus died on the cross), Old Testement rule is finished (i.e. "It is finished"). Jesus is the Lamb, the ultimate sacrifice. there is no longer a need to atone for sins by sacrifice (old testament) because Jesus did it all. There's alot more but this is the jist and I'm sure lots of others will elaborate on points I've missed.
hope that's helpful

Answer 3

Another Bible "expert". You cannot do without the Old Testament. The Creation, Adam and Eve, and what happened in the Garden of Eden are absolutely crucial to the New Testament. Read the Old Testament with understanding, and you will see that the New Testament cannot make sense without the Old Testament. Find out why it's called the Old and New Testaments. There are free Bible studies available on the net by the dozen. Go well, and God Bless!

Answer 4

Fist off, ALL scripture is God breathed, so to throw out the Old Testament would be like completely ignoring half of what God tells us and personally, I think that we could use every bit of what God tells us. Secondly, half of the New Testament quotes scripture from the Old Testament. It's full of prophesies that are all fulfilled in the New Testament. Thirdly, the "books of wisdom," Psalm, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes are all in the Old Testament. Finally, you can't move ahead without understanding the past. Alot of the New Testament wouldn't make sense without the Old Testament. The Old Testament is alot more important than you think!

Answer 5

The New Testament is in the Old Testament contained, and
the Old Testament is in the New Testament explained. In other words, they work hand in hand to clarify and illuminate the message that God has for us. Get a reference Bible and look at how many times it refers back to an OT scripture to clarify a NT scripture.

Answer 6

I used to feel the same way. Then I began to understand dispensations, pictures, and symbols. The OT is a picture book of the NT. yes, it has a lot of history and jewish law. However, it does not contridict the NT. We have to divide the word as 2Timothy 2:15 tells us. There are things in the OT and the NT that do not apply to gentiles. However, that does not mean we throw any of it away. It is all Jesus. Jesus is the Word.

Answer 7

I think the old testament is VERY important. The old testament is filled with these hidden messages of the Lord's devotion. They are hidden in the hardest moments, the moments where it seemed like everything was over, God sweeps in and delivers his people over and over again. Even after they have hurt him, he continues to love them. The Old testament is our history. It's our roots. You can't cut the roots off of a tree just because the tree has reached maturity. Those roots support and guide the tree, just as the old testament guides us. I know that at times it is a little strange, but read the whole thing and you will see a vivid painting of God's faithfulness with us even when we have refused to be faithful to him.

May God Bless and Keep you, Always!

Answer 8

I think the OT was basically God's written words to the jewish nation. Jesus death and resurrection opened a new and more personal way for anyone to worship God. I also think there are valueable lessons to be learned from the OT, plus there is such beauty in the book of Psalms and the book of Proverbs. I think the bible would be incomplete without it.

Answer 9

The OT is the framework for the NT. The priests sacrificed animals in order to cleanse sins...when Jesus came, he was the final sacrifice to cleanse sins. It's more historical for a lot of it, but in the same, it's also poetry and proverbs. The OT laws were written for the Children of Israel, and it's important to know this because of how it plays a role into the NT.

Answer 10

Wrong, you cannot throw out the OT

Matthew 5:18-19 “For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass the law until all is accomplished. Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
------------Clearly the Old Testament is to be abided by until the end of human existence itself. None other then Jesus said so.

Luke 16:17 "It is easier for Heaven and Earth to pass away than for the smallest part of the letter of the law to become invalid."
-------------All of the vicious Old Testament laws will be binding forever.

Matthew 5:17 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest part or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place."
---------------Jesus strongly approves of the law and the prophets. He hasn’t the slightest objection to the cruelties of the Old Testament.

Timothy 3:16 "All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness..."

Peter 20-21 "Know this first of all, that there is no prophecy of scripture that is a matter of personal interpretation, for no prophecy ever came through human will; but rather human beings moved by the holy Spirit spoke under the influence of God."

FINALLY
John 10:35 “...the scripture cannot be broken.” --Jesus Christ

The old testament and the Mitzvot (613 laws) still stand to this day.

Answer 11

A whole lot of what later happened in the New Testament is prophesied in the Old Testament. Also, if you buy a study Bible (NIV Study Bible, published by Zondervan is what I use), the footnotes will direct you to things in the Old Testament that relate to New Testament scripture.

Its a good question. But as you take the time to study scripture more, you will begin to see the interrelationships.