My View

From time to time, Christians question the use of the Old Testament, the Hebrew Scriptures or the Tanakh,^a in Christian life or worship. Some ask, “Since we have the New Testament, why bother with the Old?” “Can we use the Old Testament now that we have a New Covenant?” Some Christians are embarrassed by all the wars and killing in the Old Testament.

This is an old debate. As far back as the second century, Marcion, founder of an early Christian sect in Rome, eliminated the Old Testament and limited his scriptures to portions of the New Testament. The Church said Marcion was a heretic because the creator in Genesis is also the God of Jesus. But even today there are those who follow Marcion’s example and dismiss the Old Testament.