To be a real Christian VIII

October 6, 9:44 AMAtlanta Protestant ExaminerRonald Thibeault

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In the second century there arose a man named Marcion. This man believing the world was evil, felt led to believe the creator of this world was also evil. According to him, this creator God, Jehovah, could not be the same God of Jesus. The god of the Old Testament could not possibly be the God of the New Testament. As a result he composed a canon of selected scriptures that eliminated the Old Testament.

Today, there are a few believers, albeit, churches who hold to the same ideology. Looking at the Old Testament scriptures they find too much legalism for their tastes. They scream we do not want to serve such a vengeful, blood thirsty, judging deity. We will not be bound by the tyranny of legalism and fundamentalism of the Hebrew Scriptures. "We are New Testament believers! We are no longer in bondage to the Old Testament!"

Christ tells us contrary to what these believers say,

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 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. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:17-20

Christ in speaking to the disciples confirms to them that the Hebrew scriptures were not made obsolete by his presence. In fact, Christ came to fulfill the teachings of the Old Testament. This man, Jesus, had filled the position of the promised Messiah, spoken of in the Old Testament. Jesus actually uses the term "yot and tittle" in speaking to his disciples. These were the two smallest characters of the Hebrew alphabet. He uses this to point out that not the smallest dot or dash would disappear from the Law.

As believers, our attitude towards scripture needs to be of whole-hearted respect. We need to honor the entirety of the Word of God. There are not two separate gods. There is one true God. The Old Testament teaches of the need for a deliverer and foretells the Messiah’s advent. The New Testament proclaims the good news of the arrival of this Messiah and encourages us to live according to his teachings. Let us develop within us an attitude of admiration for the Bible.