A: I
assume that you are referring to the Old and New Testaments and I will
answer your question with this thought. If this is not what you meant,
please let me know.
The two great divisions of the Bible are the Old Testament and the New
Testament. In order to help you understand them better, I will compare
them in several ways.
AS TO ORDER:
The Old Testament comes first and is followed by the New Testament.
AS TO SIZE:
In length alone, the Old Testament is approximately 3 times as large
as
the New Testament. That is, the Old Testament makes up about
three-fourth's of the entire Bible and the New Testament makes up about
one-fourth of the entire Bible. The Old Testament is made up of 39 books
containing a total of 929 chapters. The New Testament is made up of 27
books containing a total of 260 chapters.
AS TO TIME WRITTEN:
The Old Testament is much older and was written over a longer period
of
time. The Old Testament was probably written between 1500BC and 400BC,
a
time of over 1,000 years. The New Testament was probably written between
40AD and 100AD, a time capable of being spanned by one person's lifetime.
The two Testaments are also placed before and after a crucial event in
the history of mankind. The Old Testament was all written before the
coming of Jesus Christ. The New Testament was written after Jesus had
already come.
AS TO AUDIENCE AND PURPOSE:
Most of the Old Testament was written to the Jewish people and was
written to instruct and guide the Jewish people in their obedience to
the
law and their life as a nation especially chosen by God. The New
Testament is written to present Jesus Christ to all people. However,
much
of it is written to believers of Christ and to the churches as
instruction and guidance in the Christian life.
AS TO TESTAMENTS:
The names of these two divisions are very important. They are both called
testaments. A covenant is a special kind of covenant or agreement. A
testament is an agreement about what will happen when someone or
something dies. It is related to the idea of a last will and testament.
Hebrews 9:16-17 refers to this: “For where a testament is, there must
also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of
force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while
the
testator liveth.”
The Old Testament is based on the sacrificial death of animals and is
dependent on these sacrifices for the temporary forgiveness of sins. The
New Testament is based on the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ for our
sins. Through His shed blood, Jesus became “the mediator of the new
testament” (Heb.9:15).
AS TO CONNECTION:
With all these differences, you may wonder why Christians accept both
the
Old and New Testaments as scripture. We believe that they are both of
God
and are both absolutely true. God did choose Israel as a special nation.
Through the sacrifices and ceremonies given to them, He shows us much
about Himself. In the teaching and preaching of the Old Testament, the
human heart is revealed for what it is.
However, it is in the New Testament that the Old is fulfilled. The types
and pictures of the Old Testament point to the coming of Jesus Christ
and
His offer of Himself as the Saviour of the world. That which is in the
Old concealed is clearly in the New revealed. The two go together in
complete harmony. The New completes the Old. They are part of the
absolute plan of God.
Thank you for the question. I hope this is what you were looking for.
May
the Lord bless you.
Till He comes,
Pastor David Reagan