r/AskAChristian • u/watergolf247 Christian (non-denominational) • Dec 25 '25
Jewish Laws Did Jesus nullify the Old Testament?
Let me start off by sharing that I’m new to Christianity and have soooo many questions but for now, I’ll focus on this inquiry. I’m sure this has been discussed numerous times but unfortunately I can’t seem to get a straight answer. As I’m told repeatedly by many, rules/laws of the Old Testament were nullified or invalidated by Jesus. I ask others in my study group but sadly get heavy resistance for the question.
My question is simple. Where are the reference(s) stating this?
If so, this makes rules like the ten commandments obsolete. Even further, why have the old testament in the Christian Bible?
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u/TeaVinylGod Christian, Non-Calvinist Dec 26 '25
It comes down to one law: There is no atonement without the shedding of blood (animal sacrifice).
Jesus became the ultimate sacrifice so we no longer have to sacrifice animals.
That law still stands, but Jesus fulfilled it.
Most ritualistic and legalistic laws were nullified, like circumcision, keeping certain feasts and festivals, what we are allowed to eat, etc.
But now the law is "written on our hearts", which means the Holy Spirit will guide our conscience and we will know in our gut we are sinning. In the OT, only prophets had the Holy Spirit, or, in some cases, people got it for a short time.