Any practicing Catholic knows that Jesus Christ is the Lord and Savior of the world. To put it in a nutshell, the Old Testament prophesied the coming of the Messiah and provided the signs by which he could be identified, and the New Testament identified Jesus as the messiah and spoke of his life among the people and his disciples. They’re both books of the bible, but the way they teach Christians is completely different.
- In the Old Testament, we see the vengeful side of God as He seeks to deliver the people from evil. When they disobey his orders and worship idols, he teaches them a lesson and then gives them the Ten Commandments by which they should live. In the New Testament, Jesus seeks to make people change for the better by preaching non-violence and forgiveness.
- The Old Testament lists the laws and the rules that Christians have to observe. In the New Testament, Jesus practices these laws and rules as a way of setting an example for his followers.
- The Old Testament speaks of promises, the New Testament delivers on those promises that God made to Abraham – that a Messiah would be born to save the world and deliver his people from all evil.
- While the Old Testament details God’s interaction with his chosen people who he led out of bondage under the leadership of Moses, the New Testament records the fulfillment of the prophesy of a Messiah being born, and the life and teachings of this savior, Jesus Christ.
- For Catholics, the Old Testament prepares the people for the coming of Jesus Christ and the New Testament fulfills the prophesies that were written in the law of Moses and in the prophets and in the Psalms – that a savior would come and shed his blood for many for the remission of sins.
- The Old Testament shows God’s love for Israel and his anger when his chosen people take to the ways of sin. In the New Testament, God proves his continued love for his people by sending his only son to die for these sins.
In most ways, the New Testament offers a way of redemption for the sins committed by the chosen people of God. In his infinite wisdom, God knows that no matter his wrath, people will be sinners because that is their nature – after all, ever since Eve ate the forbidden apple, sin was a part of humankind. And this is why he decides to sacrifice his only son, Jesus Christ, as the only way to offer redemption to mankind. Every true Catholic knows and realizes this, and by believing in one true God and his son Jesus Christ, they allow themselves to be saved of all their sins.
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This guest post is contributed by Karen Anderson, she welcomes your comments at her email id : karen.anderson441@gmail.com
7 comment(s):
Hello Matthew,
+ Ave Maria Dolorissima!
May you have a blessed and grace-filled Sacred Triduum ahead!
Yours sincerely in the Crucified Lord
1- If you think God is wise, then why God sent prophets like Moses from the beginning instead of his Son directly?
2- In consideration of God ultimate wisdom, He can (but reasonably would not) change his mind, because he can foresee things, so why did he change from being vengeful in his teachings to a non-violent God according to Item 1. ? Dont you think this is not a perfect God then?
Thanks
It is vital to consider why God chose to play out the drama of the old testament for two reason. First, the message that no matter how well intentioned are our efforts to live a sinless life mankind cannot achieve this goal. God's Spirit cannot coexist with sin. Therefore, we as helpless sinners cannot have a relationship with God. Additionally, we were designed to function in concert with God's Spirit. Without which we are doomed to an un-fulfilling, hopeless life in which we are forced to seek worldly pleasures to compensate for our emptiness. This message of spiritual inadequacy is woven throughout the dramas recorded in the old testament.
Second, the prophecies and promises made in the old testament regarding the Messiah are essential to the future recognition of Jesus. But, you must also consider why Jesus came at 'just the right time's. The Jewish religion was on its last spiritual leg. The hierarchy (Pharisees) had morphed the Jewish practices in to a burdensome bondage of its members. All of God's threats and promises could not get the Israelites to behave. Jesus fulfilled the requirements of God's law for us. Further, he became the ultimate sacrifice in our stead. Never again would a sacrifice be needed to put us in right standing with God. This fix for our human inadequacy was fantastic news. Good News (Gospel).
It was a perfectly executed plan as the main ingredient required by us going forward is that we understand our choice; all we have to do is approach God with the understanding of the sacrifice the was made on our behalf and embrace the Holy Spirit that will dwell within us and bring us a new life with God through Christ. It is a wild and fulfilling ride.
Jesus, I believe some stories are written, seem to be confusing genesis 6:2 states, God sent his sons to earth, believe, referring to Angels to breed with women for his anger of the man became giants I do know God cleanse the earth, with the great flood there, Noah did the sacrifice his sons, that he sent to earth in genesis six if true, would that mean Jesus was not his only forgotten son, that he sacrificed respectfully of course they say we no longer use the old testament, but will there be proof that God had more than one son in genesis six , sometimes I wonder entering heaven as a child Jesus was around 31 years old, compared to his father trillions of years old do you think Jesus had the purity honesty of a child he spoke with no filter as a young child and believed in his father as a young child for we know he is the truth and this is how he felt his father in Matthew 14 relieve Jesus states when I come back, I will bring my father and my sword and we were treat those the way I was treated is he not saying he needs help so he’s bringing his father I love the fact in truth, what Jesus did for us The story of Saul did not one time did the Holy Spirit, Jesus, or god ever refer to him as Paul only Saul the reason was important man downsized as Enoch truth was the glory took away from God and the Holy Spirit and Jesus, in these two examples father, Lord, forgive me if my questions are unappropriate
For help understanding any Scripture verses, I recommend using the Haydock Scripture Commentary accessible online at https://www.ecatholic2000.com/haydock/title.shtml and in book at https://amzn.to/3JiebMn
Thank you. I now understand the importance of reading the Old Testament. I thought I only needed to pay attention to the New Testament....still, I prefer what Jesus said because it fills me with hope and possibilities. Is that wrong to think? I don't know the answer but I prefer New Testament....saying that John The Baptist. His story touches me deeply.
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