Can We Pick & Choose?

We hear it all the time: "That doesn't matter, it's not relevant because it is from the Old Testament."
Yet, if something will be helpful to our argument or our situation, we will readily take and use truths from the Old Testament.

Some people think that the Old Testament is only made up of interesting stories that can teach children good morals in Sunday school, or that those 39 books are only there as proof that the people mentioned in the Bible were really alive. (This would be done through the genealogies).

We cannot escape the fact that the Old Testament is and always will be a part of the Bible - the infallible and perfect Word of God. We are the reason that God decided to write everything down! It is all there so that we can know how to live out our lives for Him. When the day of judgement comes, I hope no one will stand before God and say something like: "But God, I didn't know how!" or "But I didn't know what You wanted!" You know just how He'll answer that, don't you? He will pick up the Bible and say, "Um, I wrote it down for you!"

So if the Old Testament is a part of God's Word, and we are meant to use it, along with the New Testament, and apply all of it to how we live our lives, then how can we pick and choose what we will or won't use? The answer is simple - we can't.

If you are going to cut up the Old Testament and only take certain things as relevant to you, then you can't take anything from the Old Testament - it all goes in the trash. You simply cannot pick and choose what applies to you and what doesn't. It ALL applies! It is ALL relevant!

The number one thing I hear when people are doing this is: "Tithing is only for the Old Testament, not for the New." Now, I have something to confess here...I am guilty of this myself! I believed this for years, but I never felt truly right about it, and one day I decided to put it to the test. In Malachi 3:10, God says that we can test Him in this (tithing). I tithed for the first time in years. Right away, doors opened up for me that I thought were impossible, and some of them, I never would have thought to ask for! More importantly, I felt right again.

There are other issues that people like to pick and choose about in the Old Testament, and the same applies to these. If it is in the Bible, it is relevant, and it is meant for you!