Why do Christians quote/read/listen to the Old Testament?

Question

Okay, so it predicted that Christ was coming, and leads up to the arrival of the Messiah, but it was orginally the Jewish scripture, no? And didn't Jesus come to say that the Jewish religion was over, or old news, and that those teachings were only there because they needed strict rules? And didn't Jesus say that the only way to God was through him? And weren't the only two rules Jesus had to tell people were to love God with all your heart, mind and strength, and to love your neighbour as you love yourself? So why do so many Christians use quotations from the OT to justify actions that Jesus' two rules wouldn't allow? Such as death penatly, anti homosexuality, etc? Aren't they all completely missing the point?

Jesus disagreed with many of the laws the Jews did, such as eye for an eye, the not being able to heal the sick on the sabbath etc. In fact, the curtain of the temple was ripped apart when Jesus died, symbolising the end of the Temple, and thebeginning of the way to God through Jesus and his teachings.

Answer 1

Jesus makes it plain that He added intent to the law's scope so that it is now stricter under the New Covenant (Matthew 5:17-48)!

Certainly, the Bible never calls the Old Testament "the Jewish Testament." Paul calls it "the Holy Scriptures" in II Timothy 3:15. Jesus calls it "the Law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms" in Luke 24:44. In many places, the writers simply refer to it as "the word [of God or of the Lord]" or "the Scripture(s)." The only hint that the Old Testament "belongs" to the Jews is a misinterpretation of Romans 3:2, "to them were committed the oracles of God." This means only that the Jews are responsible for their accurate transmission throughout history, not that they apply only to Jews or that Jews exclusively possess them in some way.

No, this all stems from the mistaken idea that the Old Testament is the Old Covenant, "becoming obsolete and growing old . . . ready to vanish away" (Hebrews 8:13), while the New Testament is the New Covenant. Thus, to a "Christian" under the New Covenant, anything that appears in the Old Testament is of lesser value than what appears in the New Testament. This error has led to countless misunderstandings and misinterpretations of the message Jesus brought to mankind.

In fact, the New Testament cannot be understood without the foundation of the Old Testament—and not just in historical terms. Paul is not overstating things when he says the church is "built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ being the chief cornerstone" (Ephesians 2:20). After His resurrection, Jesus "beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, . . . expounded to [the disciples] in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself" (Luke 24:27). Later, "He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures" (verse 45). Which Scriptures? The Old Testament, of course, the only ones written at the time!

Just these few verses say that we New Covenant Christians cannot understand Jesus Christ, His doctrine, His church, and God's plan without the Old Testament. We can see this by how frequently the apostles quote from the writings of Moses, David, and the prophets to support and fill out their doctrinal teachings. There is hardly a page in the New Testament that does not have a quotation or allusion to the Old Testament on it. It is a vital part of New Covenant—New Testament—Christianity!

Lack of space does not permit an explanation of the differences between the Old Covenant and the New. However, let it suffice to say that the major problem in the Old Covenant was the people with whom God made it (see Hebrews 8:7-12; Romans 8:3). The New Covenant is modeled after the Old with its basic law, the Ten Commandments, retained in all its force and wisdom. In fact,
In the end, we must conclude that the Bible is a whole with two parts, which came as a result of the ministry of Jesus Christ and the languages in which the two parts were penned. The theology and the goal of the instruction in the two are the same. The same God who never changes rules, acts, and speaks in both. Those who believed and lived by faith in both eras will receive the same gift of eternal life (I Thessalonians 4:14-17; Hebrews 11:40).

Please be aware of this false notion of the Old Testament's inferiority to the New, as it colors a great deal of "Christian" biblical commentary. The Word of God is God's Word, whether spoken in 1400 BC or AD 60. Above all, remember our Savior's instruction, quoting from Deuteronomy 8:3, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4).

Answer 2

Yes, they are missing the point, but that's no reason not to read the Old Testament. There is still much to be gained there. Jesus didn't come to say the Jewish relgion was over, but he came to redefine it back to what it was supposed to be. The Jewish religion was based on salvation through the sacrifice of the Lamb. The sacrificial system that was in place point forwards to the sacrifice of Jesus, the Lamb of God. Most Jews however had gotten/fallen away from that idea after they were exiled and became very legalistic and "built a fence around the law" to make sure that they wouldn't break it, and then lost the spirit of the law. Jesus came to fulfill the law, not to abolish it. And btw, the word for new in the description of New Testament is more accurately renewed. think about that one for a while.

Answer 3

I would say that most Christians are missing the point, yes, however, reading and listening to the Old Testament is always a good thing. Misquoting or quoting out of context to justify questionable actions is not a good thing.
I would like to clear up a misconception, Jesus did not come to say that the Jewish religion was over or old news or even that their teachings existed for the sole reason that they needed strict rules. Jesus wanted the Jews (God's chosen people) to remember that while following the rules is good, what is more important is to love everyone, because if you truly love everyone then you will end up following all of the rules anyway.
Think about it, if you love your neighbor, you're not going to steal from him/her or murder him/her or do anything that would hurt him/her.
That's what Jesus came to say, and the problem here is that this important part is what some have not listened to, and most Christians have forgotten.

Answer 4

Because over 90% of the NT is directly quoted from the OT. Christianity is the culmination of Judaism; only the ceremonial law that dealt with sacrifices, food and drink offerings, and yearly sabbaths (not the weekly one) ended at the cross. Since Jesus was the "Lamb that takes away the sins of the world", it was no longer necessary to sacrifice animals at the temple. The curtain in front of the Most Holy Place was ripped in two by God Himself, letting the Jews know in no uncertain terms that the oblation had ceased.
When Paul talked about the fact that we are no longer "under the law", this meant that we were no longer under the penalty for breaking the law, i.e., stoning people for adultery today. Christ paid that penalty. However, some people translate this to mean that they are no longer required to obey the 10 Commandments! God's Moral Law, the 10 Commandments, are eternal and did not end at the cross. They are still binding today. Only the laws of Moses ended at the cross.
Jesus' two commandments, "To love God with all your heart, mind and strength" and to "love your neighbor as yourselves" are actually a summary of the 10 Commandments! "Love God with all your heart, mind and strength" sums up the first 4 Commandments. "Love your neighbor as yourself" sums up the last 6 Commandments. Most people miss this little known fact, but it's only something you'd discover through Bible study.
As far as homosexuality goes, it violates the 7th commandment, which we are still obliged to keep today. You may not be punished by the US Government for being gay, but you will be punished by God (unless you repent and turn from your sins) because you have violated one of His Laws and you have not asked Christ to take the punishment for you.

Answer 5

the 2 rules of Love are the Greatest commandments, not listed in the ten original commandments, btw, Jesus did come to Fulfill the commandments he did not come to Put them AWAY. there are some practices that are done until Jesus returns and then they will be re-instituted into religion. Animal sacrifice will be offered again in the millenium.
The death penalty was never removed only society has come to believe both opposite sides of the controversy. The whole point of the life and mission of Jesus christ was to get people to recognize that Evil exists and that if men believed in righteousness they should repent and believe in forsaking All evil.

the reason to keep the old testament is have to teach what faith and righteousness is, to show the works of those prophets and kings that followed God or were disobedient as doctrines of corrections from men who were inspired by God. therefore it is written that ALL scripture is inspired of God and good for instruction in righteousness.

Answer 6

Jesus was a Jew and followed all Jewish laws and traditions. He said to render unto Ceaser what is Ceaser's and render to God what is God. His teachings taught us to obey the law and follow the "Old testament Law" When Jesus died, he died for our sins and removed the need for sacrificial offerings. The traditions of man that take presedent over time are not the laws of God. He taught to us to look for the difference. Eating fish on Friday is not a law of God but a Catholic canon rule made by the diocese to have parishioners fast and also to increase the poor fishing industry. God's rules where directly told to Adam and Eve and Moses and other individuals and those records were kept in the old testament documents.

Answer 7

Why do you study history? Because we are interested in the roots of our faith. The OT was all fulfilled in Jesus, and Thank God we don't have all those laws. I think to make blanket statements that all Christians want the death penalty or hate gays, isn't accurate. I bet there are plenty of folks who are not Christian who feel for or against those issues. Yes, you are right Jesus did say to love God and love our fellow man, if you do those you pretty well are living a Godly life. Sometimes we do miss the point, but learning to follow God is a lifetime journey.

Answer 8

Matthew 5:17-" Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill." Genesis 9:6-" Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed; For in the image of God he made man." Leviticus 18:22-" You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination." New Testament-Matthew 5:21-" You have heard that it was said to those of old,'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.'22-"But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment."Romans 1:26-"For this reason God gave them up to vile passions.For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.27-" Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another,men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due." The Law of the Old Testament is echoed and affirmed in the New Testament. That's the point.

Answer 9

Actually Christ taught not one jot or tittle will pass away...The law is as valid today as it ever was. Christ fulfilled the law he didn't destroy it. The point being Christians are not under the penalty of the law but are changed. If a man continues to live in sin he is not a new creature but a sinner living under the law and will be judged accordingly. Romans 6...Galations 3....and Colosians 2 will help explain.

Answer 10

indeed.

i think the cancellation of the old law is apparent when jesus said something like
'it has been said an eye for an eye, but now i tell you, when someone stikes you on the cheek, turn the other toward them'

hmm seems like Jesus is saying to not follow the old law.

i guess the reason is that they feel that at one point God felt this way, then it still must be true; in which case i should whip out my awls to pierce the ears of the slaves that wish to remain my slaves.