We still need the old testament though.
The Old Testament scriptures didn’t become the first part of the Christian Bible, first. Early Jesus followers, ‘not’ the Jews themselves, saw that they pointed to the Messiah, who they recognized and believed to be Jesus. But Jesus’ followers are NOT required to follow the Old Covenant. Those Law keepers thought they were living holy lives if they just obeyed all 630 something rules in the Law. Jesus Himself disagreed, and pointed out that those Law keepers found enough loopholes to obey all those rules in the Law and ‘still’ be wicked and greedy (Matthew 23:23-28). He stressed that obedience to God involved intentions and attitudes (‘the heart’) rather than strict adherence to the rituals and rules in the Law. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, and Romans ‘all’ said that Jesus fulfilled the Law...His sacrifice on the cross ended forever the Old Covenant. Peter, James (Jesus’ brother), Barnabas, and Paul...at the Council of Jerusalem...all agreed that NOTHING was required of Gentile followers of Jesus except faith in Him, and they were NOT bound by the Law. Jesus’ own teachings, along with the Council of Jerusalem, and other teachings in the New Testament scriptures make it crystal clear that Jesus’ followers are NOT required to follow the Old Covenant.
There are those to this day that ‘still’ insist, and would have you believe, that salvation is obtained by keeping the Law, and good works...rather than by God’s grace.
