Are we under the Old Testament today?
Are we required to offer burnt animal sacrifices as David was required?
In Psalms 66:15 we read, “I will offer you burnt sacrifices of fat
animals, with the sweet aroma of rams, I will offer bulls with goats.”
Are we today to offer the burnt animal sacrifices as is specified here
in the book of Psalms? No. The Old
Testament has been taken out of the way when Christ died on the cross.
We read in Colossians 2:14, “Having wiped out the handwriting of
requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us.
And He has taken it out of the way, nailing it to His cross.”
In speaking of the New Testament we read in Hebrews 9:16, “For where
there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the
testator.” So after Christ died
the Old Testament was taken out of the way and His testament, the New
Testament, took effect for us today.
We are no longer under the Old Testament.
The Old Testament was then replaced for us today with the New
Testament. The Old Testament is
still useful for us today, because without the Old Testament the New Testament
would be difficult to understand. There
are also many good lessons in the Old Testament.
But today we do not go to the Old Testament to learn what to do to be
saved and how to worship God.
In speaking of Christ and His New Testament we read in Hebrews 8:6-7,
“But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also
Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.
For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have
been sought for the second.” So
we see here the New Testament is a better covenant with better promises. And
then in Galatians 3:24-25, "Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us
to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith is come, we
are no longer under a tutor." We
are no longer under the Old Testament.
Then in speaking of the Old Testament law in Romans 7:6 we read, “But
now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by,
so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of
the letter.” Since we have been
delivered from the Old Testament law we should not try to serve God by its
regulations. Why?
In speaking of the Old Testament law we read in Galatians 5:4,
“Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by
the law; you are fallen from grace.” If
we try to justify ourselves by the Old Testament we will fall from grace and
will be lost.