By Ben McEachenFriday 2 Aug 2024Hope MorningsFaithReading Time: 2 minutes
If the New Testament part of the Bible is all about Jesus, do we need the Old Testament?
Key Points
- There cannot be any “New Testament Christians”.
- The New Testament is underpinned by the Old.
- Hear the full conversation in the listener above.
“Yes,” said Daniel Valle Gracia, pastor at Beit Shalom in St Ives, Sydney.
Beit Shalom is a Messianic Congregation, a community of Christians anchored in “scriptural Jewish heritage”.
Perhaps you have met someone who described themselves as a “New Testament Christian”.
Someone who sees little to no relevance in exploring the Old Testament’s effect upon their Christian faith.
Daniel told Hope Mornings that there cannot be any “New Testament Christians”.
There cannot be any “New Testament Christians”.
“You can think you are a ‘New Testament Christian’, [but] I don’t think it is possible,” Daniel said.
“Whether you know it or not, the New Testament is underpinned by the Old.
“Everywhere you go in the New Testament, all the quotes you read, the messages, the speeches — they are all based upon or grounded in the Old Testament.”
“The Old Testament is in the New Testament.
“If you read the New Testament only, you already are reading the Old.”
The New Testament is underpinned by the Old.
Daniel encouraged Christians to consider how Jesus viewed what we now consider to be the “Old Testament”.
He also provided examples of where the Old Testament explains or outlines important aspects of who Jesus is, such as God’s desire to dwell intimately with his people.
“How do we live today in a way that is consistent with the Old Testament?” Daniel said.
“In every single thing there is a principle of who God is, that we can take.”
Listen to the full interview with Daniel Valle Gracia in the player above.
Feature image: Photo by CanvaPro