Simply put, the Old Testament was written to show us why we need a Savior. The New Testament introduces us to the Savior, Jesus Christ. Let me help you see this a bit better from an overhead view.
In the first chapters of Genesis, we find why we need a Savior. After the story of creation, sin is introduced in the Garden with man’s disobedience (Rom. 5:12). It was then that God had to send man out of the Garden to prevent him from eating of the Tree of Life where he would live forever in his sin. If he had done this, man would never be able to have a relationship again with God because sin separates man from God. And God desired to regain the relationship He had with man in the Garden.
But it did not take long to show that man on his own could not regain that relationship back. Instead of moving away from sin, humanity grew deeper in sin. Cain killing Abel, the wickedness of humanity during the time of Noah, and the self-centered actions of humanity building a tower to heaven to make a name for themselves are all stories in the Old Testament that reveal the depth of man’s sinful nature.
But God still desired to have a relationship with us. So he called Abram out of Ur to be the father of a nation that would show the world who God is and why we need a Savior. For the remainder of the Old Testament, the stories reveal to us these truths.
The stories of the New Testament begin 400 years after the closing pages of the Old Testament. The first four books, called the Gospels, share the exciting news of Jesus’s birth and life. Through four different writers with four different perspectives, we as readers get to know the life and ministry of Jesus, our Savior. We learn about him turning water to wine, healing the sick, casting out demons, and even raising the dead. But more importantly the Gospels tell us about His love for humanity. He wanted all people to know His Father. His disciples knew He was from God but even they did not realize His ultimate plan for coming to earth, to die on the cross for our sins and be resurrected. It was not until after his ascension into Heaven that the disciples understood His real purpose.
At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came and explained the true meaning of the cross and the resurrection. It was then that the disciples made it their mission to tell the world of their Savior.
The remainder of the New Testament talks about the beginnings of the church and how the disciples and other followers of Christ, including Paul, shared with the world how to live the abundant life in Jesus Christ.
But there is still the question of what does all this mean to us? Should we still follow the law? Why aren’t we sacrificing animals for our sins? Join me in my Part 2: What is the Difference Between the Old Testament and the New Testament and How Do They Relate to Us in Today’s World blog for an exploration into these questions.