Someone asked me if I new the difference between the old testament and the new testament on a different forum. I said this (remember I don't know crap)



I got a PM that said "totally wrong."

So what's the actual difference?

This post has been edited by afriendlyatheist: Oct 18 2009, 10:29 PM

I'd more or less agree with what you said.

The only reason we have the "Old" and "New" testament is because church father Origen was confused.

I hate the terms testaments because people get into so many stupid thought processes, rejecting prophesies and things from Isaiah just because "That's the Old Testament!" which doesn't even mean anything apart from that it's before the time of Christ.

It's best said that Christ came to fulfill the laws of the Pentateuch, which is really what He did. All the next 34 books of the OT are all historical, poetical, and prophetical and have no relevance to anything regarding Covenant Theology.

My answer:
A 400 year gap of silence between Malachi and Matthew.
Otherwise, they are all a library of books compiled for one singular purpose. And that purpose is fulfilled. We just have a dividing rod in the middle for quicker reference.

This is my understanding and there may be something or many things missing but:

The Old Testament was written before Christ. It is filled with prophecy that points to Him. The covenant it holds is God's covenant with Israel, covenant meaning promise that He will provide them with a Messiah.
The sacrificial law in the Old Testament, in addition to the ceremonial laws involving festivals, are all filled with symbolism regarding the Son of Man, his coming, and how He will atone for our sins. The Old Testament covenant does not expect man to follow all the laws, as long as they complete an annual sacrifice (and other various sacrifices) that represent acceptance of Christ's death.

In the New Testament, Christ comes to fulfill the Law and the Prophets. He says so, and says that nothing will change about His law, referring to his timeless moral law. He does not do away with the moral law, He does however do away with the necessity for the sacrifices and various ceremonial laws. IMHO, the civil laws were of that particular time and i don't think we should be stoning people today The New Testament also lays out the foundation for the way we as Christians should treat each other in accordance with the moral laws, helps us understand the Holy Spriit, and gives more information regarding the last days when Christ will return.

In Christ's death, we were saved. and by death I don't mean just the first death, of the flesh, but the second death, of the spirit and soul, the ultimate result of the separation from God. Exactly how? I think that very question will be asked throughout eternity, and we will devote a great amount of time in Heaven to studying Him, learning about Him, and understanding His plan of salvation which is revealed to us in both testaments.

For balance, I'd also say that was a pretty good way of putting it.

However, to add to Jake, I believe the deuterocanonical books are inspired, and they fell in that supposed silence of 400 years between Malachi and Matthew.

Ok. Thanks for the help guys. and jake.

I don't get the whole "I'm a female" joke.

Which is vaguely humorous that he was confused over such a simple matter. And honestly, it's probably caused more confusion than it has helped.



It's irritating. Very difficult to persuade them to change their perspective, too. :/



But remember it's our hearts God is after. He was rather vexed by burnt offerings without any repentance from sins. Even good works can be abominable in the sight of God if not done with the proper intentions.

Me neither.

Then why do you continue to insist on it?

I thought you would love it.

right!
didn't emphasize that enough. what i meant to emphasize though was that God didn't expect perfect obedience as long as there was repentance, contrary to what was said earlier somewhere about the old testament being filled with laws that were impossible to keep implying certain condemnation. Yeah the laws were impossible to keep, but there was a way to forgiveness, that pointed to Christ.

Noboyd can successfully keep the 10 commandments their entire life. It's not about perfect obedience. If we tried to earn our own salvation we'd all die. Only Christ has that power.

The Old Testament is before Jesus' birth. The New Testament is after his death. Oh, and let's not forget the fact that they are in different times zones. There are approximately 400 years between the date of the last book of the Old Testament (Malachi) and the date of the first book of the New Testament (Matthew).