How can we know what to take seriously in the old testament?

I hear a lot of people say because it's the old testament it doesn't count but the ten commandments still count and that God created the world.
I have an atheist friend who he shared verses that said things in the old testament I could not really follow so I am wondering how to reply without being hypocritical because I don't want to be wrong or atheist but what he says does make sense. But I don't make that decision just based on that because I am not really informed so I won't want to become an atheist as a teenager so easily just because my friend wants me to a lot you know. Thank you for help. The verses by the way say things like slaves should be loyal to abusive Masters and that girls on periods contaminate things they touch and that murdering rebellious son is ok if he doesn't listen. Please help Thanks !

You cannot believe anything in the Bible if you do not believe God exists..

If i understood correctly he is asking you why Christians today dont follow those regulations?

The short answer is: God made a covenant with the nation of Israel, and gave them those laws and regulations to obey. If they obeyed and lived holy, separated lives, they would receive blessings, if they disobeyed they would receive curses.

Today we are under the new covenant, in which we dont need to follow the mosaic covenant. We are to live by the law of Christ today, love God and love our neighbor.

Its not hypocritical because God works in covenants, there are more than two covenants, I know its not easily noticed because our bibles are divided into OT/NT. But for example: within the OT we got the covenant God made with Noah, it is STILL in effect, and applies to humanity. We got the covenant of Abraham, which is also still in effect, but then we have the Mosaic covenant, which is not applicable anymore. Jesus fulfilled the law. That is why today through faith in Jesus, the curse of the law isnt upon us.

One easy way to determine which laws from the OT are applicable is: Are they repeated in the New Testament? For example, the "thou shalt not steal" etc. are repeated by Paul in the NT, ALL OF THEM, except for one, Keep the sabbath.

Hope this helps, if you got any further questions i'd be glad to answer. Dont let atheists bully you or try to trip you up, often times they are just repeating what they've read on the internet. Stand strong in the faith, never back down.

Your profile says you're unsure about Christianity.

Have you ever thought about visiting a church, and maybe chatting with a pastor?

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When my faith was weaker than it is today I couldn’t make sense of some things in the Bible too. When I read it now everything makes sense. Our current culture and way of living is so far seperated from that time period that some of it seems odd. But even if you don’t agree with what has been written doesn’t make it any less true or correct. We do not make the rules. God does.

Simply, God loves you. Put all your dependency on God and Him alone.

There are bad people out there that twist God’s Word to control and manipulate people.

There are also good people out there that can help.

Pray and ask God to help you and direct you to good people and deliver you from any bad.

Listen, God is good, but it’s a long journey. 😍👍

Some of the greatest Scripture ever is the woman at the well talking to Yeshua. She said to Him we worship at this mountain but you Jews say we are suppose to worship at that mountain.... She was trying to get Him in a theological argument, and Yeshua just ignored it and pointed her to Himself.... IT WAS GREAT!!!!

Now I believe all 66 Books are the infallible, inerrant Word of G-d but I'm not to "argue" that with an atheist.... What I'm going to do is keep bringing them back to being a sinner in need of a Savior.

G-d defends Himself. I do not know how many people I have sat with and in just conversation quoted Scripture, without saying chapter and verse and have the Holy Spirit convict them.

If you have a bad boss do you still go to work.... since AIDS is transmitted thru blood and do you want to have sex with someone when you can get the whole package... bodily fluids and blood? Do we not cast out unrepentant sinners according to the New Testament? … Corinthians.

I'm following. I've wondered too. I read the stuff in both parts and trying to figure out what we should still follow. Sounds like just the NT like what my wife says?

It is the same God who breathed the scripture we call old and the scripture we call new, and God is eternal. That means that time is one of the senses we live with, but God is of a different dimension that does not have time. So the God of scripture is one God with set characteristics not affected by time.

We have two problems to overcome as we try to understand scripture. The world and people used to explain God in Genesis lived thousands of years ago and world conditions were different and the way people coped with them was different. Scripture needs to be read with a history book in one hand and the bible in the other to understand the people who are responding to God and the why and how of the interaction.

The other problem is the rituals. They were God given, from the Lord and served a purpose for the Israelites. That purpose they served is with us today but the Holy Spirit has taken over the place of the rituals. God's principles remain the same for God is eternal. We need to set ourselves apart and not take on pagan ways, we need to be sure everything that enters our mind and body is pure, and we need innocent blood shed for the forgiveness of our sins. We do not need special food, circumcision, or the blood of animals to lead us and remind us, we are to do these things without.