"Old Testament vs. New Testament - What are the differences?"

First of all the Old Testament (OT) lays the foundation for the teachings and events found in the New Testament. The Bible is a progressive revelation. If you skip the first half of any good book and try to finish it; you will have a hard time understanding the characters, the plot, and the ending. Even so, the New Testament is only completely understood when it is seen as being built upon the foundation of the events, characters, laws, sacrificial system, covenants, and promises of the Old Testament (OT).


If we only had the New Testament (NT), we would come to the gospels and not know why the Jews were looking for a Messiah (a Savior King). Without the OT, we would not understand why this Messiah was coming (see Isaiah 53); we would not have been able to identify Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah through the many detailed prophecies that were given concerning Him (e.g.., His birth place (Micah 5:2); His manner of death (Psalm 22, especially vv. 1,7-8, 14-18; Psalm 69:21, etc.), His resurrection (Psalm 16:10), and many more details of His ministry (Isaiah 52:19f.; 9:2, etc.)).


Without the OT, we would not understand the Jewish customs that are mentioned in passing in the NT. We would not understand the perversions that the Pharisees had made to God's law as they added their tradition to it. We would not understand why He was so upset as He cleansed the temple courtyard. We would not understand that we can make use of the same wisdom that Christ used in His many replies to His adversaries (both human and demonic); (when I first read through the OT, having already read the gospels a couple of times, I was repeatedly surprised that saying that I thought were new with Jesus, were actually Him quoting God's previous revelation in OT verses).


In a similar fashion, the New Testament Gospels and Acts of the Apostles record many of the fulfillments of prophecies that were recorded hundreds of years earlier in the Old Testament. Many of these relate to first coming of the Messiah. In the circumstances of Jesus' birth, life, miracles, death, and resurrection as found in the Gospels we find the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies that relate to the Messiah's first coming. It is these details that validate Jesus' claim to be the promised Christ. And even the prophecies in the New Testament (many of which are in the Book of Revelation) are built upon earlier prophecies found in Old Testament books. These NT prophecies relate to events surrounding the second coming of Christ. Roughly two out of three verses in Revelation are based on OT verses.


Both the OT and the NT contain numerous lessons for us through the lives of its many fallible characters (who contained the same nature as we do today). By observing their lives we can be encouraged to trust God no matter what (Daniel 3). To not compromise in the little things (Daniel 1) so that we will be faithful later in the big things (Daniel 6). We can learn that it is best to confess sin early and sincerely instead of blame-shifting (1 Samuel 15). We can learn not to play with sin, it will find us out and its bite is deadly (See Judges 13-16).


We can learn that we need to trust (and thus obey) God if we expect to experience His "promised land" living in this life and His paradise in the next (Numbers 13). We learn that if we contemplate sin, we are only setting ourselves up for committing it (Genesis 3; Joshua 6-7). We learn that our sin has consequences not only for ourselves but for our loved ones around us and conversely that our good behavior has reward not only for us but for those who are around us as well (Genesis 3; Exodus 20:5-6). In the NT, we have the example of Peter to learn from...that we dare not trust upon our own strength or we WILL fail (Mt. 26:33-41). In the words of the thief on the cross we see that it is through simple, sincere faith that we are saved from our sin (Luke 23:39-43). We also see what a vital New Testament church should look like (Acts 2:41-47; 13:1-3, etc.).


Also, because the revelation in Scripture is progressive, the NT brings into focus teachings that were merely alluded to in the Old Testament. The Book of Hebrews describes how Jesus is the true High Priest and His one sacrifice replaces all of the sacrifices that were mere portrayals of that sacrifice. The Old Testament gives the Law which has two parts: the commandments and the blessing/curse that comes from obedience/disobedience to those commands. The New Testament clarifies that God gave those commandments to show men their need of salvation and were never intended to be a means of salvation (Romans 3:19).


The Old Testament gives the sacrificial system that God gave the Israelites to temporarily "take care of" their sins. The New Testament clarifies that this system was an allusion to the sacrifice of Christ through whom alone salvation is found (Acts 4:12; Hebrews 10:4-10). The Old Testament saw paradise lost, the New Testament shows how paradise was regained for mankind through the second Adam (Christ) and how it will one day be restored. The Old Testament declared how man was separated from God through sin (Genesis 3) and the New Testament declares how man can now be restored in his relationship to God (Romans 3-6). The Old Testament predicted the Messiah's life. The Gospels primarily record Jesus' life, and the Epistles interpret His life and how we are to respond to all He has done and will do.


Again, while the New Testament is the "clear" picture, the OT is nonetheless important. Besides laying the foundation for the New Testament, without the OT we would not have a basis for standing against the error of the politically correct perversions of our society in which evolution is seen to be the creator of all of the species over millions of years (instead of them being the result of special creation by God in a literal six days). We would buy the lie that marriages and the family unit are an evolving structure that should continue to change as society changes (instead of being seen as a design by God for the purpose of raising up godly children and for the protection of those who would otherwise be used and abused (most often women and children)).


Likewise, without the OT we would not understand the promises He will yet fulfill to the Jewish nation. As a result, we will not properly see that the Tribulation period is a seven year period in which He will specifically be working with the Jewish nation who rejected His first coming but who will receive Him at His second coming. We will not understand how Christ's future 1,000-year reign fits in with His promises to the Jews, nor how we as Gentiles (assuming you are a Gentile (non-Jew) as I am) will fit in. Nor will we see how the end of the Bible ties up the loose ends that were unraveled in the beginning of the Bible, restoring the paradise that God originally created this world to be in which we would enjoy close companionship with Him on a personal basis...as in the Garden of Eden.


In summary, the Old Testament lays the foundation for and was meant to prepare the Israelites for the coming of the Messiah who would sacrifice Himself for their sins (and for the sins of the world as well.) The New Testament shares the life of the Jesus Christ and then looks back on what He did and how we are to respond to His gift of eternal life and live our lives in gratitude for all He has done for us (Romans 12). Both testaments reveal the same holy, merciful, and righteous God who must condemn sin but desires to bring unto Himself a fallen human race of sinners through the forgiveness possible through Christ's atoning sacrifice as payment for sin. In both testaments God reveals Himself to us and how we are to come to Him through Jesus Christ. And in both testaments we find all we need for eternal life and godly living (2 Timothy 3:15-17).

Recommended Resource: The Quest Study Bible.

http://www.gotquestions.org/differen...estaments.html