Why Don’t Christians Follow The Old Testament?

Answer: Thank you for the question Kevin.

Unfortunately, some people will always make an excuse for sin. The ancient Israelites did the same thing, and they continually turned away from God. Today is no different.

The sin of homosexuality does not even compare to the sin of divorce. Moreover, the laws of the Old Testament are essentially broken down into three categories. We will discuss that, and explain why much of it was fulfilled through Jesus Christ.

The Old Testament At A Glance

The laws of the Old Testament basically break down into three separate categories.

• Ceremonial Law regulating;
  • Sacrifices
  • Festivals (feast days)
  • The Tabernacle
• Civil Law regulating;
  • Marriage
  • Divorce
  • Crime
  • Contracts
  • Property rights/damage
• Moral Law regulating;
  • How we are to treat God.
  • How we are to treat our neighbors.

Now, are Christians supposed to follow all of these laws today?

Not quite.

We certainly do not perform ceremonial blood sacrifice, as Jesus replaced those ordinances, (Colossians 2:14). As for Civil Law, that was addressed to the Israelite nation, (Deuteronomy 12:1). Today, our nations have their own laws that we, as Christians, must comply with.

Lastly, we have the Moral Law that we certainly should adhere to.

Let’s talk about this in more detail.

Don’t Make Excuses For Sin

In the Old Testament, we are specifically told homosexuality is a sin worthy of death. In the New Testament, homosexuality is still a sin, and those who commit homosexual acts will not have a part in God’s Kingdom, rather, the Lake of Fire.

On the other hand, God never said divorce was worthy of death. Interestingly enough, it was God who “divorced” the ancient Israelites for their continuous sin, (Isaiah 50:1, Hosea 2:2). So there are reasons for divorce, however, there are no reasons for homosexuality.

Anyone attempting to compare homosexuality to divorce is not only making an excuse for sin, but attempting to justify homosexuality. That’s not going to fly with God.

We should remember, God destroyed Sodom, Gomorrah and the surrounding cities due to their sin. Yes, their homosexual sin infiltrated even the youth of the time, (Genesis 19:4). Today, when we look at Western society, we see many similarities to Sodom.

I must say, if our nations implemented some of God’s Civil Laws, we would be much better off.

Apparently, we forgot this warning…

2 Peter 2:6
And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;

Christians should ensure they never make an excuse to support sin. Once we support a sin, we become a part of it, and we support something that God hates, (2 John 1:10-11). We cannot love God and the world, it’s one or the other, (1 John 2:15).

All right, now let’s talk about the second portion of your question.

The Old Testament

When you get right down to it, the Old Testament is about the trials, tribulations and wanderings of Adam and his descendants. Being the Hebrews, who later became known as the Israelites.

Those were the people God called to be holy to Himself, (Deuteronomy 7:6). Rarely did they ever listen to God and follow His direction. Instead, the Israelites were typically a rebellious people who God continually punished.

This is such a great example for us today.

In the past, the Israelites would credit false gods for their victories and successes. Today, mankind embraces doctrines like evolution to explain our existence. Quickly repeating, the same mistakes of the distant past.

While there is much to learn from the Old Testament, we do not adhere to everything contained within it. The Old Testament never brought anyone salvation, that only came through Jesus Christ. Now that does not mean the Old Testament is void, as Jesus often quoted from it.

However, we must realize and understand that Jesus did fulfill much of it, (Matthew 5:17).

For example, much of the Old Testament has to do with animal sacrifice. The point of those sacrifices was to remind the Israelites of their sin, so they didn’t repeat them.

However, Christians do not perform blood sacrifices today.

Why?

Jesus Christ fulfilled those portions of the Old Testament, by becoming our sacrifice, (Colossians 2:14).

The Israelites were also to observe the sabbath day, which is even one of the Ten Commandments. However, in the New Testament, we see that even Jesus Christ did not observe the sabbath day, (Mark 2:23-28).

Instead, He asked the religious leaders of the time,

“Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill?”

Mark 3:4

This is not to say we do not honor the sabbath at all. Instead, we should recognize that Jesus Christ became our sabbath, (Matthew 12:8). So we take our rest in Him. Simply meaning, we take spiritual rest in Jesus Christ by setting time aside to focus on Him and the Bible.

As Jesus said, “The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath,” (Mark 2:27).

Unfortunately, some Christians become so religious, they condemn others to death through the Old Testament if they do not observe the sabbath day. Then, there are others who will condemn you for observing on Sunday, instead of Saturday.

Christians like that are citing Old Testament laws, but salvation comes through our belief in Jesus Christ, (John 3:16, Romans 10:9). Observing the sabbath or not, no matter the day, will not change that.

So always ensure you place everything in perspective.

Christians do not need to wear certain fabrics as God instructed the Israelites, (Leviticus 19:19, Deuteronomy 22:11). God required that (no doubt) to set the Israelites apart from the people of the land. Neither do Christians stone adulteresses, Jesus taught us that, (John 8:5-11).

Moreover, anyone can share God’s Word today, not just Levites, (Numbers 18:1-7).

So remember, the Old Testament was addressed to the Israelites. That covenant was replaced with the New Testament of Jesus Christ. A covenant that teaches, whosoever believes in Jesus, will one day live with Him forever.

Summary

Again, none of this means that we cast aside the Old Testament either. There are many valuable lessons within it. We are told about creation, common sense laws, and prophecy that has and will be fulfilled.

In fact,

Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

1 Corinthians 10:11

All the accounts in the Old Testament were written for our benefit.

So never throw out the book, but don’t over analyze it, always remember what Jesus did for us, He fulfilled much of the Old Testament. So it’s still valid and good for us today, but that does not mean everything applies to us either.

As we conclude, I want you to think about something.

When we consider the entire Bible, what is the overall message?

That God is our Creator and we are His children. It’s about God setting out a plan to reunify His family. Yet, we often treat the Bible as a book of punishment.

Yes, there is that.

However, I see the Bible as a doorway from this cruel world without God’s physical presence. This doorway leads to eternal life. This doorway, should you walk through it, will lead you into Paradise, where you will live with God forever.