If you don't follow ALL of the Bible then what's the point?

Question

Most "Christians” I know like to pick-and-choose what they follow from the Bible. Most will say the Old Testament stuff doesn’t apply, etc...

And I feel that these people already know, on a deep level, the absurdity of many things the Bible tells them to do. I can't remember the last time I heard about people getting put to death for working on the sabbath day(Exodus 35:2) or a woman's hand getting cut off for grabbing a guy's nuts in an argument (Deut. 25:11).

So if God commanded these acts be done and hasn't told anyone to STOP doing them, then why aren't they still in practice? The Bible is the word of God and God knows what's best. Who is man to determine which things God "didn't mean" for us to do?

If you're going to follow the word of the Bible, you should follow ALL of it. If you say certain parts do not apply then you admit the Bible is wrong at times, and if you admit that you have to ask yourself:
What else could it be wrong about?
Gays?
Hell?
Dogma?
Even..God's existance?

"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. Think not that I am come to destroy the law. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." (Matthew 5:17)
So Jesus says that all the laws of the Old Testament still stand.

"And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your God: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings." (Leviticus 23:14)
So God tells Moses his laws are binding "forever" in regards to animal sacrifices, which is something else I haven't seen in a while.

All you people saying the OT was done away with are forgetting the parts where GOD HIMSELF said they would last forever.

You don't make any sense.

Answer 1

Ok...the Bible wasn't written by God. Period. The Bible was written by human beings. It is a collection of personal and historical accounts. King James revised it to suit his own personal agenda several hundred years ago. It had been compiled in beginning by ancient clerics who created much of the bible by committee. It was also written in a time when the laws of those ages still applied and some of those laws (by our current standards) were quite barbaric. God gave Moses 10 commandments. When Jesus came he added the 11th, which paraphased a bit says that we should do unto others as we would have them do unto us. That's it. 11 simple rules. Not that complicated. The Bible can't be followed per se, we are to learn from it, and learn from the life of Christ how to become better people. You are right to be wary of those who would use the Bible as a front for their own personal agendas. Be careful not to abuse it for yours.

Answer 2

I'm a Christian, and It's cool when somebody has the nerve to ask an answer for this kind of things, most of people just say "they're crazy" and don't wait for an answer.

This is a very long subject, but talkin in simple terms, there's something that could help to understand.

As you said, there's an "old testament" and a "new testament", and that's a big key. A testament is like a set of guides that defines the relationship between two parts...in this case: God and the people. In other words, a kind of pact.

When Jesus came, he said that there was a new pact, and later, Paul, who God picked to "explain deeper" the new pact to the now called Christians, said that the old pact was just a "shadow" of the new one. This explains it very well: Jesus said you should love God above all things, and your brother as yourself. If you love your brother as yourself, it is no necessary to say "don't steal", "don't kill", "don't lie", etc. That's to say, both pacts have the same mark, but the new one sets all those squared rules in a more sublime way.

Hope this helps. One more point is that Bible is not a simple book, its writer is alive and sees right thru the heart, and will help you to understand your sincere doubts if you ask Him. There's no doubt about that.

C u!

Answer 3

"If Jesus did not come to abolish the law, does that mean all the Old Testament laws still apply to us today? In the Old Testament, there were three categories of law: ceremonial, civil, and moral.

(1) The ceremonial law related specifically to Israel's worship. Its primary purpose was to point forward to Jesus Christ; these laws, therefore, were no longer necessary after Jesus' death and resurrection. While we are no longer bound by ceremonial law, the principles behind them - to worship and love a holy God - still apply. Jesus was often accused by the Pharisees of violating ceremonial law.

(2) The civil law applied to daily living in Israel. Because modern society and culture are so radically different from that time and setting, all of these guidelines cannot be followed specifically. But the principles behind the commands are timeless and should guide our conduct. Jesus demonstrated these principles by example.

(3) The moral law (such as the Ten Commandments) is the direct command of God, and it requires strict obedience. The moral law reveals the nature and will of God and it still applies today. Jesus obeyed the moral law completely."

I believe this should answer every aspect of your question.. The Bible is perfect and just as it was meant to be. Trying to discredit it will not do you or anyone else any good..

Answer 4

It is true that we need to observe ALL that is taught in the Bible. However, most of the laws were either ceremonial or civil. The ceremonial laws were put in place to have a way of understanding the plan of salvation. The Israelites did not see the SAVIOR until. They needed a way toward redemption through animal sacrifices. The civil laws were put in place to keep law and order. There were penalties for breaking these laws. The Ten Commandments, however, are different. They are universal laws that have no ceremonial application and the civil application, usually, resulted in death.

More can be said.

GOD bless

Answer 5

The Law in the Old Testament, or the Law of Moses, still another name is the Mosaic Law, it has been fulfilled. How? IT was a preparatory law to prepare for the advent of Christ. Everything about it was to be a type, or symbol of Christ's mission upon the earth. Animal sacrifice, Abraham's attempted sacrifice of his son Isaac, was a similitude of Christ's sacrificing his life for all of mankind.

Now that Christ has come, this Mosaic Law has been fulfilled and it no longer has place. The Law of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is now at hand and all of his teachings are those that will continue to help us reach exaltation is his kingdom, in worlds to come.

Granted, not all Christians live all of the law completely. It is a growing and progressive process where we all hope to completely live all God's laws totally and completely.

The same process can be said of secular laws. Do you live all traffic laws totally and completely? Or do you just follow those that are convenient? Hopefully, as we all follow all the traffic laws completely, the progression of traffic, etc would flow smoothly.

Likewise, all life, all mankind would live happily and completely if we all followed God's law to the max.

My 2 cents.

Answer 6

You, then, don't know that the Mosaic Law, of which you speak of was "done away with" with the death of Jesus.
The Mosaic Law (613 laws including the 10 Commandments) was a "tutor leading to Christ".

"He kindly forgave us all our trespasses 14 and blotted out the handwritten document against us, which consisted of decrees and which was in opposition to us; and He has taken it out of the way by nailing it to the torture stake." -Colossians 2:13-14

"Brothers, the goodwill of my heart and my supplication to God for them are, indeed, for their salvation. 2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God; but not according to accurate knowledge; 3 for, because of not knowing the righteousness of God but seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. 4 For Christ is the end* of the Law, so that everyone exercising faith may have righteousness." -Romans 10:1-4

footnote: *Or, “the accomplished (completed) end.” Gr., te′los.

"However, before the faith arrived, we were being guarded under law, being delivered up together into custody, looking to the faith that was destined to be revealed. 24 Consequently the Law has become our tutor leading to Christ, that we might be declared righteous due to faith. 25 But now that the faith has arrived, we are no longer under a tutor." -Galatians 3:23-25

Now, don't get me wrong. There are many who "pick and choose" what they will "keep" and what they will "throw away". We can see that right in so-called organized religion.
However, that doesn't mean that the Bible was not inspired and is not beneficial.
Mere prophecy alone proves that the Scriptures are from a supernatural source that pronounces the future in advance.

Again, although not a "Science Textbook" where it does touch on science it is completely accurate.

Answer 7

I agree. Either all of the bible is the absolute truth or none of it is. I believe it is the truth. A lot of things in the old testament were purely from Moses and not from God like divorce. Jesus corrected all these old testament things like when he stopped the people from stoning the woman caught in adultery. He said ignore that eye for an eye saying and to turn the other cheek if someone slaps you.

Answer 8

Well in my Catholic faith Jesus changed everything when he died on the cross, the old testament was pretty much scrapped. Not eveything but a lot of the crazy rules and such. When he left he left the church in control of the Pope who at the time was St. Peter. The Pope made the rules of the church
This pretty much leads up to the Second Vatican Council in 1963.
read about it here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Vatican_Council

Answer 9

Protestants follow the Bible alone. That was the error started by Martin Luther. Christian truth also comes from sacred oral tradition. That is why you have to follow the Church.

Answer 10

The term Christians means " to be like Christ ". not " Follower of book "