Old Testament

So I had this little moment at work the other week- a co-worker was saying how hypocritical and violent the Old Testament was, especially compared to the peaceful Jesus of the New Testament- I was not involved in the conversation but it got me thinking…

I was aware of the differences between the Old and New Testaments but for some reason had never really put it to great lengths of thought.  This juxtaposition is so cool! What I realized is how God uses both Testaments to show the fullness of His love.  The Old without the New, and the New without the Old are incomplete.  God uses the Old Testament to show us his attitude towards sin- how He hates it and how in his presence not even the smallest amount of sin can be tolerated and how we need to deal with sin (annihilating entire towns, etc.).  He uses the New Testament not to contradict the Old, but to complete it.  God’s attitude towards sin does not change in the New Testament- he still feels the same exact way, however Jesus has paid the penalty through the sacrifice of his life.  Upon accepting Jesus’ sacrifice God no longer sees our sin upon us.

To look at the Testaments as separate entities can distort the full message.  Without understanding God’s attitude towards sin as seen in his response in the Old Testament diminishes Christ’s sacrifice in the New Testament…  To look at the New Testament and only focus on Christ’s love for us puts blinders on us to the full reality and weight of our sin as seen in the Old Testament.   I think this is part of the reason Jesus says, “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead,” in Luke 16:31. Directly referring to Lazarus rising from the dead, but ultimately to himself rising from the dead, Jesus is making the point that people won’t believe and be saved by Him without understanding who God is and why his own sacrifice was needed (as shown by Moses and the Old Testament prophets).