(December 12, 2012 at 1:36 am)Stimbo Wrote: Quick question, if I may - if the OT is so out of kilter with xtian NT beliefs, why not scrap it altogether? It's a bit like running Windows 7 and Windows 95 at the same time; there's bound to be conflicts.
The OT was designed to produce a nation that displayed God's character, to keep the knowledge of God alive. Strong laws were enforced to try to prevent regression back to the pagan customs that were prevalent, including sexual passion, child blood sacrifice, and the like. Prophets of God were sent to warn people if they were moving away from God's idea of society, and if they replaced God with idols God would destroy the idol worship and repopulate the land. He purified the land. The whole of the blood sacrifice was a visual picture of the fact God required a sacrifice, the sacrifice was his own son, God came in the flesh, took upon himself our sin, and was punished for it in our place. Now as a Christian it is not Gods desire to maintain the sacrifices any more, the need for a nation to preserve the knowledge of God is no more needed. The bible is preserved, God now has expended salvation to all men. Not that he has ever kept me from faith, but salvation used to be by becoming a Jew and obeying the law. But as I said the law was only designed to build society, Christianity is not a country. It is not wrong to use the OT to know how God wants us to live our lives but it is wrong to try inflict judgment on the every day person.
Jesus said one thing regarding the law, he said "God wants mercy, not sacrifice", God is a god of mercy, if you start hearing too much judgment, even from me, too much hell fire, too much you are all sinners, that is not mercy it is judgment. God is merciful. The bible says Joh 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. To understand Gods character you need to understand the NT, Jesus, and the apostles, the OT is still used, but not the laws.
Hey I love God he is awsome.
