The Old Testament Versus The New Testament

I was discussing with a fella a few years back, the Old Testament versus the New Testament. You see he believed that the Old Testament was greater than the New Testament. He saw God as much stricter and he liked the rules God gave us back then. He thought the New Testament was too soft on people.

The New Testament is a fulfillment of the Old Testament. It has been said that the Old Testament is the New Testament concealed and the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed.

We see this in the first chapter of Matthew where Jesus' genealogy is listed. To anyone just coming in this just looks like a list of people but to those who've studied the Old Testament you see the type of people that God allowed to be apart of His Son's earthly family. 

Matthew 1:1-17

The Genealogy of Jesus

 1 A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham:

2 Abraham was the father of Isaac,

   Isaac the father of Jacob,

   Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,
 3 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar,

   Perez the father of Hezron,

   Hezron the father of Ram,
 4 Ram the father of Amminadab,

   Amminadab the father of Nahshon,

   Nahshon the father of Salmon,
 5 Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,

   Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,

   Obed the father of Jesse,
 6 and Jesse the father of King David.

  

 David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife,
 7 Solomon the father of Rehoboam,

   Rehoboam the father of Abijah,

   Abijah the father of Asa,
 8 Asa the father of Jehoshaphat,

   Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram,

   Jehoram the father of Uzziah,
 9 Uzziah the father of Jotham,

   Jotham the father of Ahaz,

   Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,
 10 Hezekiah the father of Manasseh,

   Manasseh the father of Amon,

   Amon the father of Josiah,
 11 and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.

12 After the exile to Babylon:

   Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel,

   Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
 13 Zerubbabel the father of Abiud,

   Abiud the father of Eliakim,

   Eliakim the father of Azor,
 14 Azor the father of Zadok,

   Zadok the father of Akim,

   Akim the father of Eliud,
 15 Eliud the father of Eleazar,

   Eleazar the father of Matthan,

   Matthan the father of Jacob,
 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

   17 Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Christ.

Verse 2 -Abraham: He was blessed by God with a son at the age of 100 by his wife, Sara, who was in her late 90s and had been barren. He and his wife also did not wait for God's timing when God promised Abraham a son but went ahead and bore a son with one of Sarah's servants, Hagar. This first son was named Ishmael who is now known to be the father of the Arab nations whom are mostly Muslim. (You see what sin does?)

Verse 2 -Jacob: He took advantage of his brother's weakness and took his brother, Esau's birthright. Jacob also stole Esau's blessing from their father, Issac.

Verse 3 -Judah: He schemed with his other brothers to kill their younger brother, Joseph and he came up with the idea to sell Joseph into slavery for a profit. 

Verse 5 -Rahab: The mother of Boaz was the prostitute who hid Israelites when they came in the power of God to knock down Jericho by marching around the city seven times and on the seventh day blow trumpets and shout. 

Verse 5 -Ruth: The mother of Obed and wife of Boaz stayed with her mother-in-law after her first husband passed away and so redeemed her mother-in-law's family through her marriage to Boaz.

Verse 6 -David: Described as man after God's own heart, David accomplished many great things relying on the Lord. One of his greatest sins; however, was in his relations with Uriah's wife. With her he committed adultery and to cover it up he murdered Uriah. Because of this God took his first son with Uriah's wife away from him. Later they conceived Solomon, who followed the Lord like his father and was blessed to become one of the greatest men in the world.

I'm going to stop here but there is so much more as you can see. Side note: Christ's lineage is made up of people who were not perfect but God can use anybody. "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.'[a] For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." - Matthew 9:10-13

Now about the New Testament being too soft... When we think of the Old Testament most will remember the 10 Commandments as one of the great things written in it. So much so that many in the world have taken this as a moral measuring stick for their life even if they don't believe in God. So let's look at the 10 commandments:

Exodus 20

The Ten Commandments

 1 And God spoke all these words:

 2 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

 3 “You shall have no other gods before me.

 4 “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

 7 “You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

 8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

 12 “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.

 13 “You shall not murder.

 14 “You shall not commit adultery.

 15 “You shall not steal.

 16 “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

 17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

The fellow I spoke to thought highly of the 10 Commandments and so I showed him Matthew chapters 5 and 6 which is located in the New Testament. Matthew chapter 5 and 6 takes the 10 commandments a step even further dealing with your attitudes. The New Testament deals with the origin of sins which starts in our hearts. Not to say that those from the Old Testament time did not worship and obey the Lord whole heartedly but (using the guy I was talking to) it was more of rituals and rules dealing more with their actions. Jesus addresses some of the commandments and gives out even more commands in Matthew 5 through 7.

Matthew 5:21-24 Murder

Murder

    21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,[c]’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.

   23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.

Matthew 5:27-32 Adultery

Adultery

    27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

Divorce

    31 “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.

Matthew 6:19-24 Idolatry

Treasures in Heaven

    19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

   22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

   24 “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

Matthew 5:17-20

The Fulfillment of the Law

    17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19 Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

There are actually two ways into heaven but we only talk of one because the first is impossible for us as human beings being born into sin. You can either be perfect, having no sin in you and committing no sinful act, you can win your way into heaven by your own righteousness. But that's impossible because when Adam sinned that messed it up for everybody. Or you can admit that you're a sinner and in need of Christ's gift of salvation, repent of your sins, admit Christ as Lord and accept his gift of love, grace and mercy. Because Christ died for our sins in place of us as the perfect sacrifice He gave everyone a chance to live with Him in Heaven, making the impossible possible.

The Old Testament serves a shadow, a vague reflection of what the Lord is going to do and has done. The New Testament shows God dealing with our sin, giving us a way to Him. The things that God said He will do in the Old Testament, He fulfilled a lot of it (some are still yet to pass) in the New Testament and the promises and prophesies He's revealed in the New Testament are yet to come. Hebrews 8 and 10 talks of Jesus Christ being our High Priest bring in the new order, a new covenant. The New Covenant created the need for a New Testament.

Hebrews 8

The High Priest of a New Covenant

 1 The point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, 2 and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by man.

 3 Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer. 4 If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already men who offer the gifts prescribed by the law. 5 They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”[a] 6 But the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, and it is founded on better promises.

 7 For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. 8 But God found fault with the people and said[b]:

   “The time is coming, declares the Lord,
   when I will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel
   and with the house of Judah.
9 It will not be like the covenant
   I made with their forefathers
when I took them by the hand
   to lead them out of Egypt,
because they did not remain faithful to my covenant,
   and I turned away from them,
            declares the Lord.
10 This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel
   after that time, declares the Lord.
I will put my laws in their minds
   and write them on their hearts.
I will be their God,
   and they will be my people.
11 No longer will a man teach his neighbor,
   or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know me,
   from the least of them to the greatest.
12 For I will forgive their wickedness
   and will remember their sins no more.”[c]

 13 By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.

The Old Testament taught the way of the old covenant, that we must sacrifice animals on an altar usually with a priest interceding for us because we were too sinful to be in the presence of the Lord and His Holy Temple. Like Hebrews 8 tells us the old covenant was done away with when Jesus died on the cross being the perfect sacrificial Lamb wiping clean our sin forever and doing away with the need for any priest besides Himself. Now He personally intercedes on our behalf to God.

Hebrews 10

Christ’s Sacrifice Once for All

 1 The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. 2 If it could, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. 3 But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, 4 because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

 5 Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said:

   “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
   but a body you prepared for me;
6 with burnt offerings and sin offerings
   you were not pleased.
7 Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll—
   I have come to do your will, O God.’”[a]

 8 First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them” (although the law required them to be made). 9 Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. 10 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

 11 Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. 13 Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, 14 because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

 15 The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says:

 16 “This is the covenant I will make with them
   after that time, says the Lord.
I will put my laws in their hearts,
   and I will write them on their minds.”[b]

 17 Then he adds:

   “Their sins and lawless acts
   I will remember no more.”[c]

 18 And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin.

A Call to Persevere

 19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

 26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. 28 Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”[d] and again, “The Lord will judge his people.”[e] 31 It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

 32 Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. 33 Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. 34 You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.

 35 So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. 36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. 37 For in just a very little while,

   “He who is coming will come and will not delay.
 38 But my righteous one[f] will live by faith.
And if he shrinks back,
   I will not be pleased with him.”[g]

 39 But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.

The Old Testament and the New Testament are both guides on how to find and be like Christ for believers and those seeking Christ on this earth. One day both will pass away when we meet God face to face. There is no need for a guide when you're at your destination. Whether you are His child or His enemy you will meet God on the day of judgement. Don't harden your heart to His call and gift of salvation.

So that you will know the people of the Old Testament who believed in God prior to Christ's arrival are in heaven read Hebrews chapter 11.

This was a long one. Love ya,

Temp