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Relationship Between the Old and New Testaments
[Bible]The relationship between the Old and New Testaments concerns how the two parts of the Christian Bible are connected to and distinguished from each other. It is commonly described as a relationship of promise and fulfillment, and denominations differ in whether they place greater emphasis on continuity or on distinction.
New Testament Quotations of the Old Testament
[Bible]The practice by which New Testament writers reproduce or borrow the words of the Old Testament to explain Jesus Christ and the church, and the passages in which they do so. These quotations are treated as a key resource for understanding the relationship between the Old and New Testaments.
Righteousness
[Bible]Righteousness is a central biblical concept referring to the character and acts of God and to a right relationship between God and human beings. In the New Testament, especially in the Pauline epistles, it develops into the teaching of righteousness received by faith, that is, justification.
Revelation 21:12–14
[Bible Verses]A vision in which the names of the twelve tribes of Israel are written on the twelve gates of the New Jerusalem and the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb on its twelve foundations. The passage is frequently discussed for what it shows about the relationship between the Old Testament people of God and the New Testament church.
Jeremiah 31:31–33
[Bible Verses]God's promise to make a new covenant with Israel and Judah and to write his law on their hearts. It is the principal Old Testament passage in which the phrase "new covenant" appears. The New Testament presents this promise as fulfilled in Christ, and the passage stands at the center of debates among theological systems over the relationship between the church and Israel.
2 Corinthians 3:17
[Bible Verses]In this verse, set within his contrast between the old covenant and the new, Paul says that "the Lord is that Spirit" and that "where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." The verse is frequently cited and discussed in treatments of the relationship between Christ and the Holy Spirit and of the meaning of Christian liberty.
Matthew 5:17–18
[Bible Verses]In this saying Jesus declares that he came not to destroy the law or the prophets but to fulfill them. The passage is a starting point from which different denominations reach different conclusions about the relationship between Christians and the Old Testament law.
Betrothal
[Bible]In the Bible, betrothal (espousal) is the stage before marriage in which a man and a woman become legally bound to each other. It appears in Old Testament law and in the account of Mary and Joseph, and it also serves as an image of the relationship between God and his people and between Christ and the church.
Peace
[Bible]Peace is a biblical term translating the Hebrew shalom and the Greek eirene. Beyond the absence of conflict, it denotes wholeness, well-being, and a right relationship between God and humanity.
Christianity and the Arts
[Doctrine & Theology]The relationship between the Christian faith and the arts, such as painting, music, architecture, and literature, together with the theological understanding of that relationship. In a narrower sense, works created for worship and devotion are sometimes called "Christian art."
Parable of the Unforgiving Servant
[Bible]A parable that Jesus tells in Matthew 18 in answer to Peter's question about forgiveness. A king forgives a servant a debt of ten thousand talents, but the servant refuses to forgive a fellow servant's debt of a hundred denarii and is punished. The parable teaches the relationship between the forgiveness received from God and the forgiveness extended to one's neighbor.
John 10:30
[Bible Verses]John 10:30 records the words Jesus spoke to the Jews at the Feast of Dedication: "I and my Father are one." Because the verse speaks directly of the relationship between the Father and the Son, it is frequently cited both to explain and to refute the doctrine of the Trinity, and its interpretation has long been debated.
Bride of Christ
[Doctrine & Theology]The Bride of Christ is a biblical image that likens the church to a bride united with Jesus Christ in a marriage covenant. It expresses the love between Christ and the church, the church's purity, and the eschatological consummation of their relationship.
Genesis 15:6
[Bible Verses]Genesis 15:6 reads, "And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness." Paul cited the verse as a central basis for the doctrine of justification by faith, and the Epistle of James also quotes it, placing it at the center of debates over the relationship between faith and works.
Luke 11:2-4
[Bible Verses]The form of the Lord's Prayer recorded in the Gospel of Luke, given by Jesus in answer to a disciple's request that he teach them to pray. Because it is shorter than the form in Matthew, discussion often centers on the relationship between the two texts, manuscript variants, and the meaning of "lead us not into temptation."
Philippians 3:3
[Bible Verses]In this verse Paul warns against those who insist on circumcision and declares that believers who worship by the Spirit, glory in Christ, and put no confidence in the flesh are the true circumcision. It is frequently cited in discussions of the law and justification and of the relationship between the church and Israel.
Matthew 22:21
[Bible Verses]Jesus' reply, "Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's." It is the verse most commonly cited in discussions of the relationship between the state and faith, and between the church and politics.
Galatians 6:16
[Bible Verses]Galatians 6:16 is the benediction with which Paul closes the Epistle to the Galatians, invoking peace and mercy on those who walk according to "this rule" and upon "the Israel of God." Interpreters disagree over whether "the Israel of God" refers to the whole church or to Jewish believers, and the verse is frequently cited in discussions of the relationship between the church and Israel.
Romans 10:17
[Bible Verses]A verse stating that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ (KJV: "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God"). It is widely cited to support the importance of preaching and evangelism and has served as a starting point for various theological accounts of the relationship between the Word and faith.
Galatians 5:22–23
[Bible Verses]This passage names love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance as "the fruit of the Spirit." It is a key text on Christian character and is often discussed alongside questions about the relationship between spiritual gifts and the fruit and about how sanctification takes place.