What is the difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament in Christian belief?

What is the difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament in Christian belief?

• A. The Old Testament contains New Prophecies; the New Testament repeats them
• B. The Old Testament and New Testament cover the same events in different order
• C. The Old Testament equals New Testament
• D. The Old Testament contains Hebrew scriptures and prophecies prior to Jesus; the New Testament records Jesus's life, death, resurrection, and the early church

Answer: (D)

The difference lies in time, content, and purpose. The Old Testament is a collection of Hebrew scriptures written before Jesus, containing history, law, poetry, and prophecies that speak about God’s relationship with Israel and anticipate a coming Messiah. The New Testament, meanwhile, records Jesus’s life, his death and resurrection, and the early church’s experience and teachings. In Christian belief, the New Testament presents Jesus as the fulfillment of the Old Testament promises and describes the beginnings of the Christian church under the new covenant. This is why the option describing the Old Testament as containing Hebrew scriptures and prophecies prior to Jesus, and the New Testament as recording Jesus’s life, death, resurrection, and the early church, is the best fit. The other ideas suggest things that don’t match the distinct timing and purposes of the two sections—for example, claiming repeated or identical content, or claiming the two are the same.

The difference lies in time, content, and purpose. The Old Testament is a collection of Hebrew scriptures written before Jesus, containing history, law, poetry, and prophecies that speak about God’s relationship with Israel and anticipate a coming Messiah. The New Testament, meanwhile, records Jesus’s life, his death and resurrection, and the early church’s experience and teachings. In Christian belief, the New Testament presents Jesus as the fulfillment of the Old Testament promises and describes the beginnings of the Christian church under the new covenant.

This is why the option describing the Old Testament as containing Hebrew scriptures and prophecies prior to Jesus, and the New Testament as recording Jesus’s life, death, resurrection, and the early church, is the best fit. The other ideas suggest things that don’t match the distinct timing and purposes of the two sections—for example, claiming repeated or identical content, or claiming the two are the same.