Old Testament ?

edited December 1969 in Faith Issues
This question has been haunting me for quite some time now... & I can't seem to find an answer.

Why is it that in the Old Testament there are so many rules and laws layed down by God that were later diminished in the New Testament ? What happened to God never changing ?

How could God allow the taking of one anothers lives.. or the torture and death of sinners. Aren't they the ones that need the most help ? And what about the Sabath and all that stuff ... ?

Answers with EVIDENCE please. :) .

Comments

  • The evidence is simple, and comes from Jesus Christ. Did you notice how God was so hard on the jews and not to anyone who wasnt a jew.. example, the bible says nothing about Gods relationship with the egyptians because for one, they worships idols. God was hard on the jews because he was preparing the way for his son. You cant have God entering into a human body which came from sinners, which is why he was conceived not only by Mary because she was a virgin, but Mary also had no sins, although she was concieved with the nature of sin inherited from adam because she is still human, but Jesus was concieved by the holy spirit and therefore the sin of adam did not enter. We are talking about God here, you cant have God being born from a long line of sinners. This is why God was so strict in the old testament. In the New testament there is no need for all of these strict laws, Jesus has already come and the mission was complete, all that is left now is for people to believe in his name, and if you trully believe in Jesus YOU yourself will choose to stay away from sin.
  • I'm not talking about the strictness.. well perhaps I am but that's not the issue.

    In the Old Testament God told the Jews to punish sinners, in many cases, by death. This is the same God that then came down and taught us not to judge others and love our neighbours ? I don't understand how that works.
  • Thats what im saying Hizz_child, the Lord had to be harsh, the race of the Jews had to be clean, the Law put on them was very strict, that way there wouldnt be sinners in the Jewish race because the son of God was to become a Jew. After Jesus came and his mission was complete, the law become much lighter. You werent going to get killed for commiting adultury. This wasnt the case before Jesus came, it was NOT about freewill and not punishing others by death, it was about getting rid of all the evil within the jewish community because they were the chosen of God, meaning God shall become one of them and live with them physically. Once this mission was accomplished there was no need to be harsh and kill people because the lord has already come and the judgement shall not come by man but by God when they die and see him in heaven.

    The lord coming down is not something simple, this is the king of kings your talking about. When a king is coming to visit your house, dont you clean it up before he comes? This is basically what God did, he prepared the way of his son.
  • I guess that makes sence...
    is there any evidence behind what you're saying Meena_Ameen ?
  • I disagree with you Meena_Ameen. Have you ever read Matthew 1? Christ in fact does come from a line of a few prostitutes... that is just to prove the fact that he choses the low to put to shame the wise.

    Hizz_chiild,
    Sinners were put to death in the OT because people's hearts were hard. They wouldn't listen to the word of God unless there was a punishment if they didn't, and if that punishment wasn't executed then half the people would be sinners, if not all...

    For example, when you feed a newborn, do you give him milk to drink or a piece of bread to eat? He would die if you gave him the bread because he is still too young for that. First you have to give him the milk then, when he is grown and strong you can give him the bread. In the same way, God gave the Isrealites the Law of Moses in the Old Testament, and with the incarnation of his son completed all righteoussness, something that no human was able to do before. Because of that, the old Covenant was abolished and a new one made, one of the blood of our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ.
  • people's hearts were hard

    not that it has become any softer after Jesus came
    Everyone will not stop sinning unless there was a punishment...an instant punishment that is so there is really no point in making it easier on us by having no punishment
  • Well now there is more of a reward than a punishment.. heaven . I guess thats meant to motivate us to do the right thing.

    But then aggain didnt the Jews know that when Jesus came they'd be able to reach eternal life with Him ? So it's kind of like now... ?

    I dunno I'm confusing myself..

    does anyone know any passages or books by our Holy fathers to prove this ?
  • there is an untangible reward and no punishment...so at the end we still sinning eventhough there is a punishment but it's untangible...I guess everyone needs a tangible punishment to learn a lesson therefore a tangible punishment to stop sinning.
  • That swhat our parents are for.. right ?
  • 6 So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”
    7 They said to Him, “Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?”
    8 He said to them, “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.

    God intended for the Israelites to do many things that they ended up not doing because of the hardness of their hearts. Consider, this same hardness resulted in their lack of belief in Christ, and utterly their eternal damnation. I think it's pretty difficult to speculate as to why God "allowed" certain behaviors but it's clear that He allowed things that He didn't acually intend.
    Christ4Life, Question: Where do u see that their were prostitutes in Christ's Geneaology? Clearly there were sinners, but I dont get the prostitute part.
    Peace & Grace to all.





  • thanks forgiven one. :D:D

    I didn't hear about the prostitute thing either...

    Matthew 1


    The Genealogy of Jesus Christ
    1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:
    2 Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers. 3 Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram. 4 Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon. 5 Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, 6 and Jesse begot David the king.

    David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife[a] of Uriah. 7 Solomon begot Rehoboam, Rehoboam begot Abijah, and Abijah begot Asa.[b] 8 Asa begot Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat begot Joram, and Joram begot Uzziah. 9 Uzziah begot Jotham, Jotham begot Ahaz, and Ahaz begot Hezekiah. 10 Hezekiah begot Manasseh, Manasseh begot Amon,[c] and Amon begot Josiah. 11 Josiah begot Jeconiah and his brothers about the time they were carried away to Babylon.
    12 And after they were brought to Babylon, Jeconiah begot Shealtiel, and Shealtiel begot Zerubbabel. 13 Zerubbabel begot Abiud, Abiud begot Eliakim, and Eliakim begot Azor. 14 Azor begot Zadok, Zadok begot Achim, and Achim begot Eliud. 15 Eliud begot Eleazar, Eleazar begot Matthan, and Matthan begot Jacob. 16 And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ.
    17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations.

    Who exactly was a prostitute ?

    I didn't notice this before.. but that's actually the genealogy of Joseph not Mary.. why is this ? Jesus was not conceived by Joseph...
Sign In or Register to comment.