why keep the old testament?

Question

why does the christian bible even include the old testament? so many times, whenever people give examples of how cruel and unloving god is they use verses from the old testament. christians often site the obvious that this is old testament, and that the new law in the new testament doesn't apply to that. i've even heard some christians' theories that the god in the old testament is actually satan. i don't know if i could make my imagination stretch that far. so we'll just leave it as what seems to be the popular opinion. which brings me back to my question. why is the old testament still used as a means to tell people how to live if everytime someone's gonna use it to point out something wrong with the bible, the usual response is "that's old law, we don't use that anymore."? would the bible not have as much credibility without it?

Answer 1

I think they keep it so they can pull a few select scriptures from it for the things they don't like. Homosexuality, etc.

Answer 2

The Bible is a progressive revelation. If you skip the first half of any good book and try to finish it; you will have a hard time understanding the characters, the plot, and the ending. Even so, the New Testament is only completely understood when it is seen as being built upon the foundation of the events, characters, laws, sacrificial system, covenants, and promises of the Old Testament (OT). If we only had the New Testament (NT), we would come to the gospels and not know why the Jews were looking for a Messiah (a Savior King). Without the OT, we would not understand why this Messiah was coming (see Isaiah 53); we would not have been able to identify Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah through the many detailed prophecies that were given concerning Him (e.g.., His birth place (Micah 5:2); His manner of death (Psalm 22, especially vv. 1,7-8, 14-18; Psalm 69:21, etc.), His resurrection (Psalm 16:10), and many more details of His ministry (Isaiah 52:13f.; 9:2, etc.).

Answer 3

Because the New Testament will not have anything to hold on if they decide to remove the Old. They wanted to show that New have made the Old obsolete and would like to show what have been changed. In fact, the credibility will be rendered useless or meaningless should the Old be taken away.
The Old Testament claims that God will make New changes and the changes will not be like in the Old times. He will put His laws into the minds and hearts of His people. By then no one will ever tell you to know your God because He will be there in each and everyone of them. Those words were written in Book of Jeremiah. To tell you frankly, the New Testament means it is not really new because it only says about the life of Christ and there are still a lot preachers teaching His works.
Jesus himself said that he did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it. He even said further that not even "the least stroke of a pen" shall be by any means removed from the law. So, what basis do Christians have to declare the Old Book as obsolete?
You heard someone said that the Old Book was Satan's work? Let us see, how was and eye for eye presented to you? Is it by doing what is done to you like, if someone hits you, hit him back? or is it to use your eyes to see the eye of justice in what had been done and then purge the evil? Dont; the priest consult the assembly before they throw stone at the offfender? Did they tell the one aggrieved to stand up and do what he did while they hold the offender so he cannot run or fight back?
Look at what Jesus did, he said if someone slaps you in the right cheek, give the other side. If an enemy tells you to walk a mile, walk even farther and love your enemies?
What was the result? To have more criminals being fed in the penitentiary from our taxes with some rightist movement chanting "thou shall not kill" even if he has committed heinous crime? Whose side is Jesus now? God or Satan?
In the Old Testament one of the laws says Honor you father and mother. What did Jesus say about that? Search it yourself in the New Testament about how one can be a disciple of Christ in realtion to the parents or brothers.

Answer 4

The Old Testament covers much more than just the old laws which we are not required to follow today. The OT is really a historical account of many important events in man's early days, the creation, the flood, the prophets, etc. Many New Testament verses reference certain parts of the Old Testament as example of prophesies coming true, including the coming of Christ.

Though we do not follow the laws of the OT, the Bible would not be a complete book without them. The OT books were inspired words of God just as the NT. God promised to preserve all of his words, both in the Old and New Testaments.

Answer 5

The Old Testament is mostly a covenant between Israel and Jehovah. The importance of the Tonakh for the New Testament is because of prophecy. Almost all of the Tonakh is prophetic--especially regarding the Messiah (and how to recognize Him when He comes).
http://www.schneblin.com/studies/pdfs/keeping_the_commandments.pdf

Basically, the Tonakh was a prophetic model of the Meshiach and His mission, fulfilled by Yeshua with 100% accuracy.
http://www.schneblin.com/studies/pdfs/in_the_volume_of_the_book.pdf

As for the God of the Old Testament being different than the God of the New Testament, I can show you incredible acts of mercy in the old testament. Have you even READ Revelations? He's the same God in both testaments.

Old Testament
God forgive Manasseh, the second worst king (next to his father Ahab) to ever rule. Manasseh repented, and God forgave Him.
God forgave David after he repented of his murder of Uriah.
God forgave the entire city of Nineveh when they repented of their evil.
God interceded for Abimilech when he almost sinned with Abraham's wife, Sarah.

New Testament
God struck down Ananias and Sephira for cheating the Holy Spirit.
God killed King Herod and had him eaten by worms.
God sends Egypt-styled plagues in Revelation.

There's way to this question, and I have tried to give you a taste of the answer. But like trying to empty the ocean, I could only do one bucket at a time.

Answer 6

Marcion (and others) sought to eradicate the Jewish Scriptures and remove them from Christianity altogether. He believed the God of the Old Testament to be evil and have nothing in common with the "loving" Jesus of the New Testament. Although his teaching flourished for many centuries, his heresy was eventually stamped out. All that remains is the anti-Semitism he created, which was a great influence on the early Church.

Answer 7

The Bible includes the Old Testament because it comprises the part about Creation, offers some models (Job and Ruth for example) and includes the prophesies about Jesus. Some of the people you heard talking about it were definitely not Christians.

Answer 8

ALL scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching reproof and training in righteousness.

The Old Testament is quoted all through the New.

There is one central message of the bible- Salvation through Jesus. Starting in Genesis 3:15 right on through Revelation.

The whole bible is relevant, study and read it in context. The Old Testament looks forward to the Messiah, The New Testament is the fulfillment of that Messianic prophecy showing Jesus as Messiah.

Answer 9

remember that the OT has mostly traditions & history of the people on that particular time & culture. to take away the history and setting of what will later become a big time-marker, the NT, makes the NT kind of like a fairy tale.. you don't know why things happened as such, what's the background, if it supports anything ever prophesied... it goes on. If only the NT is shown, and we tell people to accept Jesus for salvation, they will ask, salvation from what? Knowing the OT makes us aware of how God is a just & wrathful God because of how men have turned their backs on Him, and still compassionate and ever forgiving, to even give us the privilege of being saved through His Son Jesus Christ.

Answer 10

Christ was God of the old testament. He created the earth and all in it. He was the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob. He fulfilled the Law of Moses and elivated it to a higher law (Sermon on the Mount) thou shalt's and shall not's were just as binding in the old as in the new. Grade school is not wrong but college is much better. You can't put a grade schooler in college until he is ready.

Answer 11

I, personally, think that Jesus was sent to us by God to straighten us out in our misconceptions of God, what He wants from us, and how much He loves us.

Here are the scriptural reasons for my belief in this...
"For I, Yahueh--I change not; therefore you sons of Jacob are not consumed." Mal. 3:6

"Long ago you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you endure; they will all wear out like a garment. You change them like clothing, and they pass away; but you are the same, and your years have no end." Psa. 102:25-27

"Then Peter began to speak to them: "I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him." Acts 10:34,35

"Jesus Christ (Yahushua Messiah): the same yesterday, and today, and forever." Heb. 13:8

Now, if God has never changed, then that also means His attitude, His judgement, and His laws, just to name a few things, have never changed.

Once it was said, An eye for an eye," but then it is "Forgive as you would be forgiven."

Either that law, and the God who made it, changed, or the OT just didn't have it quite right.

I believe the latter.