Happy Riches, Answer requested by Johan Llenas
Happy Riches, Answer requested by Johan Llenas
The question whether the teachings of Jesus are compatible with the Old Testament is one that many people have. For many it is difficult to understand how the Old and the New Testaments have continuity and compatibility.
Jesus is the Son of God through Whom all things exist and through Whom have come into being— that is everything except evil. Evil is the only thing that God has not created. Evil came as the result of entities having freewill and choosing blindly rather than wisely. Pride blinds and prejudices individuals so they cannot think rationally, even though they think they possess an excellent rationale upon which to base their decisions.
For instance, full of pride, atheists see themselves as possessing the answers that only someone with infinite knowledge could have, yet when it comes to infinity they are merely a speck of dust.
For instance, full of pride, atheists see themselves as possessing the answers that only someone with infinite knowledge could have, yet when it comes to infinity they are merely a speck of dust.
The Son of God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses. The Son of God gave to Moses the purpose for the plan to bring about his own death and resurrection, so that he could establish the eternal Kingdom at Pentecost. This also included the eschatology that is about to be ushered in. Yet so many people have no idea of what is really written in the Bible.
One thing that unenlightened people do not realize is that Israel was created as a nation so the people could demonstrate how righteousness wins the day. Unfortunately, the people rejected God’s way and delighted in the hedonistic highway of violating their relationship with God and each other. God’s name was blasphemed among the nations rather than honored.
Somehow, people violating covenants is seen as no reason for justice to be executed. Too many wimps say it is okay to violate people’s rights because they are afraid to show any integrity and speak up for the truth and demand justice. (This is why it is alright to bomb people in public and the media decide to send their investigative journalists to find out how mushrooms grow. No wonder they come back claiming they could not see anything worth reporting, like no ambulances sighted for 50 injured people at Orlando, June 12, 2016.)
God demands justice. And justice will be executed. For Jesus spoke of justice in the New Testament, stating that there will be a time when everybody will have to give an account of every careless word uttered, unless they repent. Just as Jesus, the Word of God, was instrumental in seeing that justice was carried out in the Old Testament, so too, in the New Testament He warns of justice coming. This will be a time when everyone will be called into account for what they say and do. A time when each person will receive their just deserts, be it an eternal reward or eternal punishment.
The love of God was shown in the Old Testament. Adam and Eve were clothed by God. If God did not love them, he would have killed them. From that point on the love of God has been evidenced throughout the Old Testament. Unfortunately for some people, they do not like justice and think that when it is executed, this is unfair. We can lay the blame for this upon corruption. Nevertheless, even though corruption is at the heart of the problem, we are also accountable for our own corrupt acts.
Corruption distorts people’s thinking. Instead of acknowledging the simple truths of life, the corrupt look for alternatives and come up with shades of darkness. In reality, one is either in the light or in the darkness. Tragically for the clever fella’s, twilight is not the same as being in the light. But do not tell that to a philosopher, or to an ideologist, or someone who thinks the Universe came about by chance. These finer points, seem too difficult for them to comprehend. Instead, these naysayers will insist that the obvious is superstition, whereas, on the other hand, their imagination works wonders.
The Bible is a complete unit. The sixty-six books of the Bible that consist of the Tanakh (thirty-nine books of the Old Testament) and twenty-seven books of the New Testament are predicted by typology that is found in the instructions given to Moses.
A New Testament quote from the Old Testament is found in the following instruction by the Apostle Paul to those who have encountered Lord Jesus Christ or who have begun to seek Him:
- Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord. (Romans 12:9)
As for compatibility, the Apostles taught out of the Old Testament. The Apostle Paul stated on a number of occasions that Christians were not to go beyond what was already written, always referring to the Old Testament. This is because the Old Testament consists of instructions for salvation and is profitable for teaching, for revealing what is evil, what is right and what is just, so those who love truth can understand the privileges that are rightfully theirs and live a meaningful life (2 Timothy 3:16-17) in this world, in preparation for that which is to come.
God has been very tolerant. But where is the justice, if people are permitted to harm one another, and the bully always gets to be the main dog. For those who do not believe in God, wild dogs ravaging one another is acceptable. For those who accept that human beings are created in the image of God and therefore are rational beings who have to give account of themselves, only justice will suffice.
Justice is the underlying thread that unifies the Old Testament and the New Testament. The justice of God to come, as revealed in the New Testament, is what is prophesied in the Old Testament. Often the compatibility is expressed in this way: The New Testament is the Old Testament fulfilled—only, in this sense, we are not necessarily talking about writings, but covenants.
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