Should the Old Testament be relevant in today's Christianity? Please consider these verses when answering.

Question

"It is easier for Heaven and Earth to pass away than for the smallest part of the letter of the law to become invalid." (Luke 16:17) Doesn't this mean that the Old Testament is still in effect?

"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." (2 Peter 20-21) Doesn't this mean that the scriptures are not to be interpreted as laws that do not apply to us today?

“For the law was given by Moses,..." (John 1:17) Doesn't this mean that we still should follow the laws that were described in the Torah (the first 5 books which were written by Moses)? Or do you think it only refers to the 10 Commandments?

“...the scripture cannot be broken.” --Jesus Christ, John 10:35. I am not sure how this explains that the OT is no longer in effect. In fact, it seems to be saying the opposite.

Answer 1

Yeshua never started a new religion, he simply brought the ancient and true one to its fulness. The Torah should be read every seventh-day Shabbat (if not Daily) and should be ever in our hearts. Yeshua himself is the embodyment of the Torah, and in order for us to be like him, we must know the Word and act accordingly upon it.

We must also remember that when we accept Yeshua as Messiah and place our faith in YHWH the Father, that we become grafted (adopted) into the True Israel. Hence, we are not part of some religion, but part of a diverse and ancient nation set apart for holiness and love.

Answer 2

William has a very intelligent answer. To it I would add that the OT is relevent to modern Christians in the following way,

1) It establishes God's Power. Before humans could believe in Him, we had to see his power demonstrated through the ways we could actually understand it (military might etc.). He demonstrates this power so that he can when the time is right, turn the definition of power on its very head!

2) It establishes for modern Christians that God is very involved with our world He's not just some distant policeman or judge waiting to "get" us. He cares for us and he guides our path.

3) It sets up the changing meme of Power. Without the OT, Jesus in the NT would not have the same meaning. Jesus turns the notion of power on its head, power is now love and Christian service. Power (God's power) is demonstrated through people giving up their own selfish desires and serving others. Becoming less to be more. But we would not have been primed to understand that power, if God hadn't demonstrated power in the ways that we usually understood it in the NT.

Answer 3

Jesus and the Mosaic Law


Many Christians are perplexed when they confront the issue of the Mosaic Law. How binding is the Law on the Christian? Some have said that Jesus abolished the Law of Moses. I would have to disagree, based on the following passage spoken by Jesus Himself:

Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. (Matthew 5:17)
Some have suggested that by "fulfil," Jesus meant "abolish." Indeed, "abolish" is one meaning of "fulfil," but it is also the only meaning of "destroy." So if He had meant "abolish," He might as well have said, "I am not come to abolish, but to abolish." We can assume, therefore, that Jesus meant, "to develop the full potentialities of" when He said "fulfil."

So why then do Christians not observe the Mosaic Law? The answer is that they do observe parts, but not all of it. Some parts of the Law were meant to be temporary, while others were intended to be permanent. This is seen in the fact that before Moses, the ancient Jews were not bound to the ritual commands (except circumcision). If the Mosaic Law was not meant to be temporary, then either God changes or the God of the righteous men and women before Moses was a different god. But this is absurd. We know that the God of Abraham was the God of Moses, and that He is our God today. The coming of Christ made parts of the Mosaic law unnecessary.


In order to understand this, we must realize that the Law is made up of three parts: ceremonial, civil, and moral.


The ceremonial law related specifically to Israel's worship. Since its primary purpose was to point to the coming Savior, Jesus made it unnecessary. He did not abolish it, in the sense of destroying it; He fulfilled it. Nowhere do we read that Jesus thought that the ceremonial law was wrong. The principles behind the ceremonial law are still applicable to us today, that is, the principles of worshipping and serving a holy God.


The civil law prescribed rules for the Israelites' daily living. These laws separated the Jews from the Gentiles, and gave the Gentiles the example of how a holy people should live. Since much was given to the Jews, much was expected. But God gave a new covenant in Christ, and there is now no distinction to be made between Jew and Gentile. We are still to follow the requirements of this law as God's people, but the punishments are not for any nation to impose on its people, because we are no longer separated by nations but by God's grace (Christians and non-Christians).


The moral law is basically the Ten Commandments. We are still bound by these laws, not for salvation, but to live a holy life. Jesus not only desired that His followers adhere to these commandments, He wished that they would go above and beyond them. He said, "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: but I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment..." He desired not only an outward observance of these laws, but an inward observance as well.


So we see that the parts of the Law that have been rendered obsolete are those that contain ordinances. An ordinance is either a memorial of something that has already passed or a type of something in the future. The Old Testament laws containing ordinances were not meant to be permanent. There are no ordinances in the Ten Commandment Law.


Now, we must remember that following rules and regulations will not get us into heaven. It is only through the blood of Jesus that we can see heaven. But if we love Him, we will keep His commandments.

Answer 4

God's Word is always valid.

Answer 5

Yes, it's about before and after.

How do you know where you're going if you don't know where you came from!