The Bible: ExplainedНамуна

How do the Old Testament and New Testament relate to each other? 

You might still have a lot of questions about the Bible, and that’s okay! Maybe you’ve tried to read the Bible from cover to cover, but you stopped near Leviticus because things started getting weird. Or maybe you’ve heard a lot of people make arguments on Facebook using verses in the Bible that left you feeling confused and unsure if the Bible is reliable and trustworthy. 

The Bible is one story about God that leads to Jesus. Think about it like watching a movie. If you don’t know the ending and someone just talks about one scene in the middle, you might feel confused or unresolved. Similarly, that’s what can happen when we take only pieces of the Bible and try to understand the whole plot of the Bible. 

A lot of people have this perception that God was angry and mean in the Old Testament and had a radical 180 in the New Testament. Not the case. God’s character never changes. Hold on and we’ll digest that.

A covenant is basically a legal agreement—kind of like a marriage. What does that have to do with anything? 

Well, if we go back to the beginning, we see God created the world and the first man and woman. He created them to be His partners in ruling the world, but Adam and Eve messed up and committed the first sin. 

God is holy, so He can’t be associated with sin. But He has always wanted to redeem us and be close to us. Fast-forward a bit in the Old Testament, and we see God making a promise to a man named Abraham that he will have a lot of descendants—one of whom will be the Savior of the world (Jesus). 

Abraham and his descendants were still stuck in sin, and they were all a part of God’s chosen people—Israel. The Israelites were supposed to be holy—set apart—to share God’s glory with the whole world. But they kept sinning and becoming just like the world around them—not unlike what we’re often tempted to do today. 

So God made a covenant with Israel that said if they upheld the Law, which is made up of more than 600 laws, He would be faithful to protect them, provide them, and save the world through them. Of course the people couldn’t uphold all those laws. But God is merciful and always makes a way for us to be close with Him. 

When the people messed up, the High Priest would sacrifice an animal on their behalf, and the animal’s blood would make the people right with God. Sounds weird, but remember, the Bible was written in a context different from our own. These laws were revolutionary for their time and still influence many of the laws we have today. 

In New Testament times, God fulfilled His covenant with Israel by sending Jesus to die for us on a cross. That’s not the end of the story. Three days later, God raised Jesus from the dead so that any of us could choose to have a relationship with God. Jesus became our new High Priest, fulfilled the Old Testament covenant, and established a new covenant to love one another the same way He loves us. 

It’s not easier than following all those laws; it’s just less complicated. God has always been loving, and from the beginning of time He has been orchestrating a plan to bring us into a relationship with Him. We’ll keep exploring this concept over the next few days, but know that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever—that promise should lead us to a place of worship.