Is the Old Testament still relevant? I’ll try to make this post as short as possible. Actually, what we refer to as the Old Testament Bible is the Hebrew Bible. The Jews who graciuosly gave us this religion categorize the so-called Old Testament Bible into three parts: the Torah (The 5 books of Moses), the Nevi’im (The books of or about the prophets from Joshua to Malachi), and the Ketuvim (Poetry like Psalms, Job, Proverbs, Lamentations, etc.). These three classifications give us the acronym TNK; this is why the Jews refer to the entire Old Testament as the Tanakh (TNK). The Bible our Lord Jesus Christ and the apostles read is actually the Tanakh or the so-called Old Testament. When Paul told Timothy that all scripture is given by inspiration of God, he was first and foremost referring to the Old Testament.
The New Testament is of equal importance as the Tanakh because it was also written by Jews who were filled with the spirit of God at the time of the special outpouring of the holy spirit gifts in the first century. This New Testament teaches us about the Messiah Jesus and how the church of all nations should be administered. It also contains a brand new revelation from God, especially in the Book of Revelation. While the Old Testament can stand on its own and Jesus can be preached to anyone from it, the New Testament is completely dependent on the so-called Old Testament. A lack of understanding of the God of Israel and the promises made to the fathers is why Christendom today believes that God is trinity, worship fraudlent humans and images, and also believes in replacement theology and heaven going.
However, in the New Testament, we are clearly told that the believers are no longer under the Law of the old covenant. Many Christians think that this must mean that the Hebrew bible is no longer relevant. This is why some publishers only print the New Testament Bible. What the New Testament is actually saying is that we are no longer under the 613 laws of Moses as written in the Torah. These laws are good because they are of God, but if we break them, we are no longer under its curse. We are now saved by the grace of Jesus; therefore, we are liberated from the bondage of the Torah. At best, this Torah is here for us to learn of Jesus Christ through its sacrifices and offerings, but not for us to go back to practicing those things as if we would be made righteous by keeping them.
This means that the other books of the Old Testament are still very much relevant today. The writings like Psalms, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes are still relevant for meditations and guidance. The books of the Prophets are also still living and relevant today as many of their prophecies are about Jesus Christ and the kingdom of God to come which are yet to be fulfilled. As you can see, the Old Testament Bible is still relevant today, and without it, you cannot understand the New Testament. If you have not paid attention to the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament, your Christianity is faulty even without you realizing it. You may want to correct this fault by simply asking yourself: 1. Who is the God of Hebrew Bible? 2. What did the Old testament say about Jesus and his ministry? How does the New Testament cite and explain these prophecies?
Click to complete our free preparing for baptism lessons on the gospel here and we will personally keep in touch with you as you grow in faith.