What is the Christian's relationship to the Old Testament?

Answer 1

Person 1: The Bible says that Jesus came to fulfill the law, not to abolish it. According to Romans 11 and many other places throughout the Bible, it is stated that when one starts following God, they are grafted on to the Jewish nation, not literally in their bloodline, but spiritually. The covenant made to Abraham and his descendants is then applicable to all believers in God who have repented etc.

The two parts are definitely interlocked and without understanding one, it is impossible to understand the other.

However... Acts 10 is pretty much all about Peter "breaking" the law; Jesus himself "broke" the law by healing a man on the Sabbath; Acts 15 and Romans 2 are pretty explicit that circumcision (part of the law) is not required of believers.

Person 1: It is good you but "broke" in "" things, because he actually didn't. He never broke a single word of the law--He is perfect. No, Jesus did not break the law because it was just the Pharisees's dumb traditions that they made to be the law that one cannot heal on the Sabbath. It is perfectly fine to do that, if you read the Old Testament. In talking about circumcision he is reminding them that its not necessary for salvation, because lots of Jews were complaining to them that they weren't saved or something untrue like that. Also, circumcision is a sign for us to remember our relationship with God, not for salvation etc. In response to Acts 10: It is a common misinterpretation. Read the context! God is telling him that these people in this particular situation are not unclean to touch or whatever. He is basically saying,"Don't be racist." When he visits Cornelius, Cornelius "falls at his feet."...so Peter says I am only a man myself. In the Bible, it goes on to say...He(Peter) said to them, You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with a gentile or visit him. But God has shown me I should not call any man clean or unclean...." something like this...so God is telling him that PEOPLE are all clean, esp believers. Again, prob some dumb tradition of the pharisees that if this guy isnt jewish he shouldnt be befriended or such

This gives rise to many methods of interpreting the Old Testament. The most common, in practice if not explicitly stated, is "those laws we like are still valid, those we don't are outdated."

There are a few laws that are re-emphasized in the New Testament: the warnings against sexual immorality and against eating blood, for example, are specifically stated to apply to Gentile Christians as well, but most of the specific laws in the Pentateuch are tacitly implied to have been either to apply only to the descendants of Jacob/Israel.

One other interpretation is that all men are required to live by the "Noahide Law". These are based on an interpretation of Genesis 2:16 which prohibits idolatry, murder, theft, sexual immorality, blasphemy, and eating flesh taken from an animal while it was still alive. A seventh commandment, to establish courts of law, was given to Noah after the flood and is also considered to be part of the Noahide Law. Since, according to the Bible, everyone is descended from both Adam and Noah, commandments given to them are "inherited" by everyone, while the Mosaic Law (mostly in Leviticus and Deuteronomy) applies only to the descendants of those to whom it was given, all of whom are themselves descendants of Jacob.

Answer 2

The prophecies of the Old Testament are fulfilled in the New Testament, therefore a Christian has faith that both the Old Testament and the New Testament are the Word of God.