What's up with NT only, gentle Jesus thinking?
 

Why do some attempt to discount the OT in deciding what is and isn't appropriate behavior for Christians living by grace?

How is such a teaching justified? The spiritual principles in the OT and in the law are still valid, as God does not change.

How does one persuade such a thinker of the validity of OT principles, or even of simple common sense things that are only hinted at in the bible, if they react by running straight to ground and begin to ask things such as whether you wear blended fiber clothing?

What is the arbiter of things disallowed in the OT now allowed, and things allowed in the OT now disallowed?

How does a sincere and moderate seeker of truth explain the relevance of the OT to the all-or-nothing crowd?

Carl

One must read the OT. in order to understand the NT.Because the NT. church had no NT.We must see how the early church understood the OT. in light of the new covenant.

You will find in the Gospels that Jesus quoted the Old Testament many times.

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God..."

Not just the NT.

Those who want to throw out silly questions like the blended fiber clothing line reveal their lack of good Biblical understanding.

Do we throw out the 10 Commandments?

The wisdom of Poverbs?

The comfort of Psalm 23?

The handwriting of ordinances, the ceremonial observances, the animal scarifices, all these were nailed to the Cross.

But things in the Old Testament that reflect God's unchanging moral nature are still binding today.

Indeed. The civil law was nailed to the cross...that is the handwriting of ordinances that were against us. But God's moral rectitude has not nor will it change...ever...regardless of dispensation. He does however, reveal his commandments in a greater light than then.

There were only ten words, but David, as a prophet saw so much in those ten words that he said that he meditated upon them day and night. Paul saw so much in them that he called them "the spiritual law" because there are far more than ten "thou shalt and shalt nots."

What God saw as morally right for human conduct and what he saw that was morally wrong for human conduct has never changed for God does NOT change. People change as does dispensations and so does depth of understand, but God is IMMUTABLE.

The New Testament saints did not have Matthew, Mark, Luke and John together with the book of Acts. They had the scriptures to make one WISE. They found the will of God in the scriptures even while Paul was still a Jewish Zealot.

If youi can find the will of God according to a principle in the Old Testament, you can be certain that will has NOT changed. What has changed, God has opened up a new and a living way, a new covenant with man, wile the old covenant that he had with Israel has passed away. It is no longer binding.

Is it silly to ask whether killing Uzzah for touching the ark reflects God's unchanging moral nature? Does His killing of children and infants to demonstrate his power say anything about His everlasting mercies?

My lack of good Biblical understanding is showing, yet again! Enlighten me!

The irony though is that they themselves rarely are meek and humble in how they deal with those that don't believe like they do about Jesus...ignoring the very characteristic they claim their master has...

I think, as others have stated, that there are moral principles to be gleaned from the OT. But the old covenant was a school master to bring us to Christ. It was never meant to be the finished product. We are under a new covenant. One writer calls it a new and living way that we are able to enter in to the holiest of all by. We do not throw out the old as meaningless, but we should be able to look back through spiritual eye's and see the principles and precepts that are present there, and apply them by faith and obedience to our lives.

The New Testament is to me simply the completion of the Old Testament. In it we find the revealing and unveiling of the mysteries of God that were hidden in the OT. But ALL scripture is given for instruction, and doctrine, and correction, and reproof.

God has a much bigger picture, physical life in this world is not as important to Him as it is to mankind, He is working His ultimate purpose.

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God..." This includes the Old Testament which is a shadow of things that were revealed to us in the NT.

I love the OT and read it lots. One of my favorite books is Isaiah. I love Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Judges, etc., etc. Can't imagine a Bible without the OT.

I think it's fairly easy to explain why a lot of the laws (not talking about the moral law of course) written in the OT are no longer applicable today.