Is it fair to say that Christians regard the New Testament as more important than the Old?

Answer 1

Mixed feelings on this one. I would not say it is fair, no.
You need the Old Testament in order to have the Gospel. You need the Gospedl to get the New Testament. You cannot just learn one, as you will be missing the whole point.

It's like saying that multiplication is more important than addition.

Answer 2

I don't know about all Christians, but I know I do. The Old Testament is like a history or background information for the New Testament. Besides that, there are many prophecies mentioned in the Old Testament that we see full filled through Jesus Christ in the New Testament. However, the New Testament is the actual story and contains the teachings for faith in Jesus. It provides the council we need to understand our faith and relationship with God.

Answer 3

It is not a matter of importance, it is a matter of which laws of God need to be followed.

The Old Testament (Old Laws) were given to the nation of Israel after they left Egyptian slavery (Deuteronomy 4:13; 9:9,10). Moses said: "The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. The Lord did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us, those who are here today, all of us who are alive" (Deuteronomy 5:2,3). This was a new law God had given. It had not been given to their ancestors. It was given only to the children of Israel!

When was the Old Law taken away and the New Law given? It happened when Jesus shed His blood on the cross: "And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives" (Hebrews 9:15-17).

What was the purpose of the Old Law which was given to Israel at Mount Sinai? Paul answers: “What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hands of a mediator" (Galatians 3:19). The Seed is Christ (Galatians 3:16). The Old Law, which contained the Ten Commandments, was given to keep Israel under control until Christ came. Since Christ has come and has fulfilled this Law, He has taken it out of the way. He has given us a New Law (covenant or testament). We must go to this New Law to learn how God wants us to serve Him today!

Answer 4

The Old Testament is the foundation to the New Testament. To say the OT is not important is like the guy who said he doesn't care if the foundation of his apartment building was crumbling because he lives on the 8th floor. It matters alright.

Answer 5

It depends in large part on the denomination of the christian and their beliefs... A great many do see the NT as grace and think Jesus over-rode much of the OT.

All this does though is allow christians to cherry pick passages they like. They can use the leviticus passage to hate homosexuals, but ignore the part 3 verses above where it says to kill disobedient children or the part 5 verses or so after where it says that if a man has sex with a woman on her period both should be deported.

Answer 6

First of all, the scriptures have been wrongly divided (violating 2 Tim. 3:16-17,and 2 Tim. 2:15). Apparently, many 'Christians' have not 'corrected' it.
The scriptural old testament is not Genesis-Malachi, but the law of Moses. So scriptures such as Genesis is just as important for us to learn from today as Acts or Galatians.

Answer 7

Sure. Because most of the Old Testament laws are irrelevant to us. The OT may talk about thievery being a crime, which is still would be in God's sight, but the punishment it lists no longer applies. We are all judged through Christ, if one is found with sin they are self-condemned, but if one goes before Christ and seeks atonement they will be redeemed. It is not in our hands to punish each other for each others sins. It is only up to the secular courts to carry out the law until the Almighty Lawgiver replaces them.

Answer 8

No. In The Old Testament are many Prophets who speak about what will happen in the future- in The New Testament, it is a prof
of the Plan of God for mankind.

Answer 9

I think "more important" is a very bad way to describe it. I would have to say the NT is more relevant and a priority being that it teaches the Gospel and information relevant to the everyday life of believers today. We are living in the age of the church, not the law. But the OT is very valuable in many ways and cannot be counted out.

Answer 10

I believe that some Christians do. But we need to follow the Bible teachings in its entirety. There is more then just history in the Old Testament.