What about the “Testaments”?
Once we are used to the idea that there may be a God and He could inspire people to write, we begin looking at the Bible and wonder all sorts of things about it.
For instance, what about the two main “halves” of it, the Old and the New Testaments?
The Old Testament contains 39 books written from the time of Moses to about 400 BC, and tells of the old covenant, the old contract God made with man. It contains lots of history, rules, and explanations of God and His purposes and our relationship to Him, among other ideas.
Jesus quoted many times from the Old Testament. After all, He wrote it through His prophets.
While much about the Old Testament may seem too long, boring, or confusing to some readers, those who have devoted their lives to studying the Bible can readily show how EVERY word in it has life-giving meaning.
The 27 books of the New Testament, however, open for us the covenant or contract that Jesus established with His own Blood, and takes precedent over the Old Testament. It tells the story of Jesus’ life on this earth, explains how love fulfills all God’s laws, and shows us how to be in right relationship with God.
“When you were dead in your sins [ . . . ] God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us: he took it away, nailing it to the cross.” Colossians 2:13-14
Jesus established the New Testament (covenant) when He said “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” Matthew 26:28
When we trust in Jesus’ atonement (his blood) we are saved. Then the Old Testament is not binding on us but remains a wonderful schoolmaster, as we already saw in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 – “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
When we don’t know WHAT to do, what God might want, the Old Testament is a good place to start. When we don’t know HOW we will manage ever to do anything right, the New Testament is the go-to section.
But it’s all good! More than one preacher has said, “If you only read the New Testament, you’ve got your hand on your sword handle—but your blade is missing!”
The Old Testament is full of glorious history of people who could hear God:
- Noah spent a hundred years building a huge boat on dry land, while trying to talk folks into joining him in it.
- Abraham left a wealthy existence to wander around looking for a place his family could live without distraction and interruption, close to God.
- Joseph saved all of Egypt and much of the surrounding world from a huge famine.
- Moses, almost single handedly, rescued an entire people group from slavery.
- Young David killed an enormous man with only a slingshot and grew up to become king of God’s people.
- His son, Solomon, built the gold-appointed temple.
As God’s people began turning from Him (amazing, I know) His true believers still existed, still did the miraculous with His help, healing the diseased, calling down fire from heaven, making the sun stand still, etc.
As I said, full of glorious history.
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