WHY TWO TESTAMENTS

Is it really necessary to understand the whole bible? What is really required? Do you really need both testaments? Or better still, since we have the New Testament, why do we need the Old Testament?

The answer to these questions is that it is not required that we understand the whole bible to be saved, but only to belong to the Lord. The terms "saved" and "belonging to the Lord" are synonymous. What is required is that you, being chosen of God, accept the Messiah, Jesus, as savior. Period. This of course means that you receive Him by faith, repent or turn from your sin, realizing that you are a sinner and your helplessness in saving yourself, and rely totally on Him to do it -- in other words, let him do it.

If that is all we need, why then do we have the rest of scripture, and why is it so complicated. The answer is found in ITIM4:8 where we are told that all scripture is given for our edification, building up, teaching and to help us in leading a profitable life for the Lord. If we really want to know who God is and how He works, then we need to look into the scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, at both the historical and personal accounts, given to us by the Spirit of God, who is the author of the book.

If you want to know how God is going to work in your life, then look at the examples He has given throughout scripture. How He dealt with individuals then is the same way he will deal with you. Their lives and experiences were given for us to learn and profit by -- for instance the story of how Abraham learned to finally trust God and stopped trying to help Him out. This is how Ishmael came to be, by Abraham and Sarah trying to produce themselves what God said He would make happen. We learn from this that when God says He is going to do a work, He means it, and that He also expects to get the credit for it as well. When Sarah finally did become pregnant, there was no other way it could have happened than to be a work of God Himself.

So, mainly in the Old Testament, we have both historical and personal accounts to examine and learn from to gain a gleaming of how the Lord works. He has woven together in both contexts guides for individuals, countries, and especially for believers. Here He has described for us in great detail how He created the universe, established man, and His great plan for us, from beginning to end. For the skeptics He even established prophecies to foretell future events, and fulfilled them, to establish His credibility among the peoples and nations. The idea you get is that He is in control. He is able to raise up men and nations, cause events to happen, and even works in the lives of individuals like you and me on a personal level.

In the Old Testament, God has also revealed a great deal about His nature and His characteristics. We learn that He indeed exists in three distinct personalities, that He predates our entire universe, and will be here long after it is gone. We have literally no other vehicle in which to learn about our God than through this testament. So yes, we need the Old Testament in order to learn about God, to understand how he works, and to put Him in the proper perspective in our lives. In this testament you will find literally every instruction given to us in the New Testament.

So why do we need to understand the Jewishness of the testaments, and is it necessary? Well, God chose Israel to be His example of His people for the rest of the world to see Him reflected in them and their customs, and to lead the world to Him. Much of what is written was set down in a Jewish cultural context, which we need to understand to fully comprehend what God is trying to communicate to us. It is interesting to note that the Jews did not create the need for a Messiah, but were the chosen vehicle that God used to give Him to us. The story of their troubles and rejection of the Messiah is paralleled in many of our lives today, even as individuals. You see, most of the world, not just most of Israel, has rejected Jesus, the Messiah. In this, especially, there is no difference between Jew and Gentile. In studying the scripture you learn that in Israel God’s love and perseverance will be demonstrated in that He will preserve Israel to the end, and then save a remnant of each tribe.

And for the Jewish people who are believers, the secular culture is, of course, important. This is where they came from. They are a part of a people set apart and are special to the Lord. Gentiles are to love the Jewish people, not love just the Messianic Jewish Believers, because God loves them. This is not to say that there is any particular advantage in being a Jew with regard to belonging to the Body of Messiah -- there certainly is not. But the Jewish nation and people are special to God, and must therefore be special to us as believers.

As for the Messianic Believers’ religious customs, these go with being Jewish, and worshipping in a Jewish context. Have you been to a Black or Spanish church lately? Talk about context. Now they really have it! The gentiles have a culture too. And it is just as valid in the Body as is the Jewish culture. We have to recognize that, as they do.

So why the New Testament? In this set of books, God revealed Christ the Messiah as a person. He established his Church, set down its principles of operation, gave guidelines, identified it, specified it, and instructed us in how to live and operate as a body of believers, and showed us how not to be part of the world even though we are in it. It was here that the Messiah identified Himself as God, and fulfilled the prophecies He made about Himself, and made the way to salvation known, removing any doubts about what he meant. He lifted the veil, pushed away the vagueness left in the Old Testament about His purpose, and gave us His final revelation about Himself. And, if you see anything more anywhere else, don’t believe it.

So do we need both? You Bet!! If you want to really understand this God you serve, and as a Believer understand why you have difficulty in your life, understand what is means to trust and obey, learn about God’s character, get His advice on virtually every aspect of life, then you certainly need the Old Testament. To really see Christ, the Messiah, to see how you should be behaving as a Believer, and to understand the work and purpose of His Church, you need the New Testament. It is after all, all one book. It was intended that way. You should use it as such.