Christians, does the New Testament supersedes the Old Testament?

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Permalink Reply by Rod Askew on October 22, 2010 at 6:52pm

Blessings Yael,

Have a look at this discussion from a couple of months ago.
The topic was covered in quite good detail.

http://www.allaboutgod.net/forum/topics/what-parts-of-the-old

Blessings
In His love
Rod

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Permalink Reply by Carla on October 22, 2010 at 9:17pm

Hi Yael,

Here is an article which may be of help to you from www.gotquestions.org.

Question: "Old Testament vs. New Testament - What are the differences?"
Answer: The Old Testament lays the foundation for the teachings and events found in the New Testament. 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. In the same way, the New Testament is only completely understood when it is seen as a fulfillment of the events, characters, laws, sacrificial system, covenants, and promises of the Old Testament.

If we only had the New Testament, we would come to the gospels and not know why the Jews were looking for a Messiah (a Savior King). Without the Old Testament, we would not understand why this Messiah was coming (see Isaiah 53), and 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 birthplace (Micah 5:2); His manner of death (Psalm 22, especially vv. 1, 7-8, 14-18; Psalm 69:21), His resurrection (Psalm 16:10), and many more details of His ministry (Isaiah 52:19, 9:2).

Without the Old Testament, we would not understand the Jewish customs that are mentioned in passing in the New Testament. We would not understand the perversions that the Pharisees had made to God's law as they added their traditions to it. We would not understand why Jesus was so upset as He cleansed the temple courtyard. We would not understand that we can make use of the same wisdom that Christ used in His many replies to His adversaries.

The New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the apostles record many of the fulfillments of prophecies that were recorded hundreds of years earlier in the Old Testament. In the circumstances of Jesus' birth, life, miracles, death, and resurrection as found in the Gospels, we find the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies that relate to the Messiah's first coming. It is these details that validate Jesus' claim to be the promised Christ. And even the prophecies in the New Testament (many of which are in the book of Revelation) are built upon earlier prophecies found in Old Testament books. These New Testament prophecies relate to events surrounding the second coming of Christ. Roughly two out of three verses in Revelation are based on or related to Old Testament verses.

Also, because the revelation in Scripture is progressive, the New Testament brings into focus teachings that were only alluded to in the Old Testament. The book of Hebrews describes how Jesus is the true High Priest and how His one sacrifice replaces all of the previous sacrifices, which were mere portrayals. The Old Testament gives the Law, which has two parts: the commandments and the blessing/curse that comes from obedience or disobedience to those commands. The New Testament clarifies that God gave those commandments to show men their need of salvation; they were never intended to be a means of salvation (Romans 3:19).

The Old Testament describes the sacrificial system God gave the Israelites to temporarily cover their sins. The New Testament clarifies that this system alluded to the sacrifice of Christ through whom alone salvation is found (Acts 4:12; Hebrews 10:4-10). The Old Testament saw paradise lost; the New Testament shows how paradise was regained for mankind through the second Adam (Christ) and how it will one day be restored. The Old Testament declares that man was separated from God through sin (Genesis chapter 3), and the New Testament declares that man can now be restored in his relationship to God (Romans chapters 3–6). The Old Testament predicted the Messiah's life. The Gospels primarily record Jesus' life, and the Epistles interpret His life and how we are to respond to all He has done.

Without the Old Testament we would not understand the promises God will yet fulfill to the Jewish nation. As a result, we would not properly see that the tribulation period is a seven-year period in which He will specifically be working with the Jewish nation who rejected His first coming but who will receive Him at His second coming. We would not understand how Christ's future 1000-year reign fits in with His promises to the Jews, or how Gentiles will fit in. Nor would we see how the end of the Bible ties up the loose ends that were unraveled in the beginning of the Bible, restoring the paradise that God originally created this world to be.

In summary, the Old Testament lays the foundation for, and was meant to prepare the Israelites for, the coming of the Messiah who would sacrifice Himself for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2). The New Testament shares the life of Jesus Christ and then looks back on what He did and how we are to respond to His gift of eternal life and live our lives in gratitude for all He has done for us (Romans 12). Both testaments reveal the same holy, merciful, and righteous God who must condemn sin but who desires to bring to Himself a fallen human race of sinners through the forgiveness only possible through Christ's atoning sacrifice. In both testaments, God reveals Himself to us and how we are to come to Him through Jesus Christ. In both testaments, we find all we need for eternal life and godly living (2 Timothy 3:15-17).

Recommended Resource: The Quest Study Bible.

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Permalink Reply by RoyW on October 23, 2010 at 1:26am

Yael,

Carla has given an excellent response. Does this answer your question? Testament refers to "Covenant." The New Testament or New Covenant does supersede the "Old." That is why we call it "old." Notice:

Heb 8:13 By calling this covenant "new," he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear. NIV

To put this verse in context:

Heb 8:7 For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. NIV

Carla said: The New Testament clarifies that God gave those commandments to show men their need of salvation; they were never intended to be a means of salvation (Romans 3:19).

Ro 3:19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.

Verse 20 goes on to say: 20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. NIV

Carla's response does not need clarifying and I am not doing so. I am adding my support to that response.

Blessed be our Lord,
Roy

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Permalink Reply by Yael Levi-Bénédict on October 24, 2010 at 2:23pm

Hi Roy,

Yes, Carla cleared my questions, but I am not still fully convinced...

I dont get "Ro 3:19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God".

Is this saying the Jews who believe only in the OC are not Saved?

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Permalink Reply by David Velasquez on October 24, 2010 at 8:39pm

Yael,

The first thing to keep in mind is that words like: Law, Faith, World, Love, have multiple meanings and each time we see them we must use the context or other verses to determine their meaning in a particular scripture.

those who are under the law,

Every unredeemed human is under the law. Jews received the written law through Moses Romans 3:2, and the Gentiles have the works of the law written on their hearts Romans 2:15, so that both groups are accountable to God. There is no defense against the guilty verdict God pronounces on the entire human race. Doing perfectly what the moral law requires is impossible, so that every person is curse by their inability and our only way out is the perfect obedience of Christ. His perfect walk death and resurrection are placed on our account when we repent and believe He is Lord and savior.

I am very glad you are here asking, please fire away we love questions. The following is not to discourage you or to put you down in anyway, but the word of God says the following: The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 1 Corinthians 2:14

Your ability to understand the word of God is limited until the Spirit of God resides in you. I am in no way saying a born again Christian is better than another human, but that is how God has designed it to be.

I know you are here because God wants you to be here and again I am blessed that you are.

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." Matthew 7:7

Blessings

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Permalink Reply by Yael Levi-Bénédict on October 24, 2010 at 2:16pm

Thanks Carla, that clears it for me!

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Permalink Reply by RoyW on October 23, 2010 at 5:44am

Raj,

You have said that quite well. We are now God's temple - very good point.

Roy

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Permalink Reply by Yael Levi-Bénédict on October 24, 2010 at 2:18pm

So Raj, Jesus is the sacrifice, correct?

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Permalink Reply by Yael Levi-Bénédict on October 24, 2010 at 2:20pm

Raj, I don't have a wife, but I might soon have a husband...lol. Thanks for your gracious words!

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