Why are there such things as "New Testament" Christians?

Question

On here, I have seen many people say to unbelievers and to other believers..."You need to read the Bible, especially the New Testament" or "Read the New Testament, you'll find God"

How can someone cut out the Old Testament? When Jesus was teaching and when his apostles taught, they used the Old Testament. Yes they taught things about what Jesus did as well, but before Jesus received the Holy Spirit when he was Baptized, how do you think he learned of God? He constantly made references to the Old Testament. There wasn’t a New Testament for them to use yet, Jesus couldn’t say … “remember in Romans…” Even on the cross, he made reference to Psalm 22 to show that it was being fulfilled.

Can a follower of Christ really say there is no need for the Old Testament, the Bible Jesus used and the scripture he used in a lot of his teachings?

Now I know there are many people who don’t have time for religion…in the religion section, this question is for “New Testament” Christians :)

Answer 1

All Christians are "New Testament" Christians.  When we say we are "New Testament" Christians all this means is that we are under a new covenant and that we are part of the body of Christ described in the New Testament.

The Old Testament is not "cut out" at all!  The Old Testament is very important and vital for our understanding of WHO God, HOW God acts, and WHAT God expects of us as His people.

***UPDATE***

   A Christian is both a "follower of Christ" and a member of the "body of Christ."

Answer 2

I am not a new testament Christian but I know a lot of Christians that don't go by the OT.  I feel like this - how can you understand the new testament without knowing the old testament?  How can you call yourself any kind of Christian and only pay attention to the things you choose to pay attention to in the bible.  Many of them may not understand the OT.

Answer 3

There shouldn't be New Testament-only christians.  Jesus was a Jew and it formed the foundation of his and his followers faith.  

Whether people believe the Old Testament represents stories that were passed down through generations before being written down during the 1st temple, or believe the Old Testament verbatim, Christians simply need to look to the various beliefs of Jewish people that struggle with the exact same questions.

Answer 4

Why are there such things as Christians period?  Long ago people realized religions like those practiced by the Greeks and Egyptian were ridiculous... so why do people still follow a religion that is closely based on those two?

Dionysus, a god born of a virgin human woman with Zues the father... check

Tammuz, a god born of a virgin human woman, killed by a wound in the side, rose from the dead after 3 days... check

Mithras, a god born in a cave and tended to by shepherd who brought him gifts, offered his followers an immortal birth (born again if you will) and whose followers celebrated him on the winter solstice... check

Hillel, Jewish pharacee, first coined the golden rule and other teachings of Jesus 100 years before Jesus... check

Incorporation of pagan traditions and holidays, Easter and what is now Christmas, ritual sacrafice, eating of the body... check

You would have at least thought the authors of Christianity would have introduced a substantial amount of new ideas in their religion... but then it would be hard to get people to convert.

Answer 5

The Old Testament is important, but the New Testament is just that... the NEW testament...it is God's "new deal", his current promise to us TODAY....the OT can be used as references and such to God's Characte, His ways and Jewish history, but the New Testament holds the info we need for current salvation.

Answer 6

Ya the OT ones who don't believe the NT are called Jews..

Answer 7

AMEN!

I have posted on so many questions about the relevance of the OT to Christians today and always get a string of thumbs down for saying that the OT is still relevant for us today.

You are right, Jesus only had the OT and he quoted from it liberally. Paul, Peter, John, James likewise.

Whilst we are saved by grace and do not keep the law because we think it can save us (it only revealed that it couldn't). The law is still good, holy, righteous and true. That never changed and Paul who advocated for the cessation of the ordinances of the law affirmed this very thing in his letter to the Romans (7:12).

Sure the ordinances and sacrifices no longer continue for a Christian because Jesus fulfilled this aspect of the law and we trust in him. However the OT still reveals to us what it means to love, to be holy, to forgive and to be perfect as He is perfect.

The NT is filled with hope whilst echoing the OTs call for holiness. The two work together in perfect harmony.

Answer 8

I know you said this question is for New Testament Christians, but I feel compelled to offer my opinion. Obviously this has affected you and it shouldn't. As long as YOU understand that in order to know where you're going, you have to know where you've been. In order to have the Present, there has to be a Past. Historians, Stock Brokers, Realtors...etc. All study the past in order to deal with the present. The New Testament could not exist without the Old Testament. Let me tell you what I've discovered through life experiences and seeing so many different denominations now a days. At the end of the day, All that matters is how You conduct Yourself in the sight of God. So that when that trumpet blows and you have to give an account of your actions, God will say,"Job well done my child". So be of good cheer and continue to walk in Light and Truth. I won't be surprised if this opens the eyes of a  few NTC(new testament christians) May God Bless you !!!!

Answer 9

In Matthew 28:18-20 God tells us that all authority has now been given to Christ who sits on the right hand of God and His authority is in Heaven and on earth.  We are under a new law.  Christ had to live under the old law because it was impossible to follow without sinning.  That is what makes Christ so unique because no one could bring against him even one sin.  That is what makes His sacrifice of giving His life for you so important.  

Now, we are under a new law, a new covenant, a new testament.  The old testament was written for our understanding, but one could become a Christian and have the rewards of Heaven by simply following the New Testament and doing as the first Christians did in repenting, being baptized for the removal of sins and then living faithful until death.

Answer 10

You have to be lenient on people. Not everyone is cut out to be a Bible scholar. If they have a simple trust in God by the New Testament, then let them be. They are saved. And that's what starts it all.

Hopefully their pastor will say something to spur an interest in the Old Testament, but some people are fine with a simple faith.

Answer 11

I know of no Christians who do not accept the Old Testament, although there are so many sects these days, nothing is 100%. But the Old Testament contains a lot of prophecies about Jesus, like he would be born to a Virgin, etc. I think the only way many Christians I know would not accept something in  the Old Testament is they do not "Keep Kosher" or things like that, not following all of the rules in Leviticus or whatever. But the 10 Commandments, etc are very important to any Christians, from Catholics on through Evangelicals, etc. as are the prophets and the psalms, etc.

I recently did hear of somebody joining a sect that followed the dietary laws in the Old Testament but were not Jewish, but Christian. This was in the South somewhere.

But Jesus fulfilled the prophesies of the old Testament. He was who the prophesies were about, so in many ways, knowing what Jesus said, is to know what  the Old Testament says. But no Christians I know of would throw the Old Testament 'out'.

Answer 12

The Old Testament was a pre-cursor and a shadow of things to come.  Jesus is the fulfillment, and while He is "hinted" at in the Old Testament, He is totally revealed in the New Testament.

When someone says "Read the New Testament", it's like telling them to cut to the chase.  A person who needs salvation may not have time to read through the entire Old Testament.  Who knows when they will have to stand before their Creator and Judge?

Read the Old Testament, true, but if your loved one's life was on the line, and you needed to use some emergency medical equipment, do you want to read the entire user's manual, or just cut to the chase and read enough to use the equipment properly?  If your loved one manages to survive the emergency that required this emergency medical equipment, you can always go back and read the rest of the details later.  But when a life is on the line, ...  well, you get the idea.  (I hope!)

Answer 13

There are also one-legged people, and one-armed people.

Answer 14

Sometimes the New Testament is a good place to start, especially for a new believer. After all it takes a long time to get from Genesis to Matthew if you go page by page...sometimes years.

But I agree, it is all equally important. Jesus said...

Matthew 5:18

I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.

Also, once one reads the New Testament, they are often better able to understand the Old Testament...which has such profound and hidden wisdom - all of which points to Christ!

Answer 15

No. Just because we are saved by Grace does not mean we throw our the Law.

Answer 16

The 10 Commandments are in the OT, so Christians can't just dismiss it.

But remember that the Jews had the OT when Jesus came -- according to the myth, of course. He only had a handful of followers in his lifetime, according to the Bible. The earliest gospels date from generations after the time he is supposed to have lived. As the myth amplified and touched more people several centuries later, those who adopted the gospels were already followers of the OT. The OT called for a messiah and all of a sudden, Jesus was it. So they put the 2 together. Seems retarded 2000 later because the OT is just barbaric, but again, the 10 Commandments are in it, so you can't just discard it.

Answer 17

i guess some Christians don't believe we need the Old Testament anymore. The Catholic Church believes in both the Old and New Testaments

Answer 18

Because that is the only part of the bible that justifies their existence.

Answer 19

We don't ignore the old covenant...............but grace is what saves us now...........not the Law. And this just in:

There were no Old Testament Christians. We became known as Christians in the first century (see the book of Acts)

Answer 20

I'm with whitehorse, new believers should start in the NT, there is alot of hard to understand stuff in the OT. Once you get a good solid foundation, then go back to the OT. We as believers need the WHOLE council of God.