I have told you about my friend, Don Barkley, who serves at Search, a ministry to those who have questions about Christianity. On a monthly basis, I receive emails from him entitled, “A Recent Conversation” and I thought this was a good one to share. Hope that it helps you in your walk with Jesus.

Why did we need a New Testament?

What was wrong with the old one?

“Don, I have a question. Why did we need a New Testament? What was wrong with the old one?”

“You mean, like when someone gets a new refrigerator, it’s because the old one broke? Is that why a New Testament was needed?”

“Uh-huh. That’s a good way of saying it.”

“What do you know about the Old and New Testament?”

“Nothing. I’ve just been hearing people talking about the New Testament and Old Testament, and I guess I don’t know anything about them.”

“I think I can help a little. You’re right…the Bible is in two parts. The Old Testament is the first part, and it’s about 3/4 of the whole Bible. The New Testament is the last fourth of the Bible. Did you know that the Old Testament is the same as the Jewish Bible?”

“Is that the Torah?”

“Sometimes the whole Old Testament is called the Torah, but the official name for the whole Jewish Bible (the Old Testament) is ‘The Tanakh’”. 

“So the New Testament was not Jewish?’”

“No. Actually the opposite…the New Testament—at least most of it—was written by Jews. And in large part, it was written to Jews. The cool thing is that it was also written to non-Jews and for the whole world.”

“What was wrong with their Bible…the Jews’ Bible?”

“Nothing. In fact they wrote the New Testament, not because they rejected the Old Testament, but because they accepted it. It was written because it completed the story that was started in the Old Testament. You see, the Bible is a story with two parts. The New Testament was written as a completion of the story begun in the Old Testament. I know you like J.R.R. Tolkiens’s Lord of the Rings books…and movies, right?”

“Yes, they are my favorite…”

“Well, the Old Testament is sort of like The Hobbit, Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers… and the New Testament is The Return of the King.”

“Ohh. I didn’t know that. You mean it’s one story?”

“Right.”

“What does the New Testament add to the story?”

“A couple of things. One thing: The Old Testament It predicts the coming of a Prophet and King who will bring peace to the Jews and to the world, something which the Jewish Law, the Jewish kings and religious leaders couldn’t do.”

“It says that in the Old Testament?”

“Yes. For instance, Isaiah 9 says that a descendent of King David who has divine attributes will be the Prince of Peace who will rule an eternal kingdom. In Second Samuel, God promises to David ‘I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.’ I think that will be fulfilled in Jesus’ second coming…which hasn’t happened yet.”

“Wow!”

“And I wanted to say too that the New Testament does something that the Old Testament couldn’t do. Well, I mean, it tells about Jesus, Who already did what the Old Testament—the Law of Moses—couldn’t do. The Old Testament law—the old covenant or contract from God—can’t make a person right before a perfect—a holy—God. No one can perfectly meet the requirements of the Law, and everyone deserves to pay the just penalty, which is death and separation from God. But Jesus was perfect and fulfilled the Law of God and came to bear the penalty for our sins himself. Those who put their faith in Jesus can know that they are forgiven by God and can stand before Him with the perfect reputation of Jesus! So, the Old Testament Law prepared the Jews to watch for a Savior who would be the perfect sacrifice for sin. Check out Isaiah 53, written 700 years before Christ. It is so clear in repeating over and over that someone will take all of our sins and pay for them by dying in our place. That’s in the Old Testament. Only Jesus in the New Testament fulfilled that description.” 

“This is really good. Thank you, Don. That really helps.”

Every week, Karyn and I have the privilege of watching our grandson Joey while his mom and dad are working.

We love being able to spend time with him, to feed him, play with him, change a diaper (or two) and put him down for a nap. It truly is a joy to do it, and I love it when he comes into the house and “lights up” with a big smile when he sees us.

It also is good to interact with him and teach him how to act and behave.

We have two dogs at our house and when Joey interacts with the dogs, we make sure that he is gentle and kind when he pets them. We model it for him, showing him how to be gentle, and we praise and encourage him when he does it correctly. It is one of the ways that he learns.

That is what Peter is doing as he writes his letter to the churches in Turkey. He is giving instructions on how to act as a Christ-follower and when they act in a Christ-like way, it will influence the people they interact with. It will make a difference.

Our actions have a remarkable way of speaking. They show others our true selves and what our core values are.

It is just like when we model being kind to Joey to our dogs. We model kindness and then in turn, Joey is kind. So, it is in our lives. When we are kind to others, it has a way of speaking, and kindness spreads.

All it takes is one person choosing to show up with kindness and compassion. That single act can change a life — and inspire someone else to do the same.

The world needs more kindness. It needs to see Christ followers acting in Christ-like ways.

May you be an instrument of God’s kindness to those that you interact with.