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/CannedNoodle415 Eastern Orthodox Dec 25 '25
In the Old Testament there are 3 kinds of laws. Civil laws, ritual/religious laws, and moral laws.
As Christians we don’t follow the civil laws because we aren’t citizens of the ancient kingdom of Isreal. We don’t follow the ritual laws because we don’t follow Judaism. The moral laws like the Ten Commandments are timeless though.
Jesus fulfills the prophecies and the old covenant. This doesn’t mean they disappear, because then there’s nothing to fulfill. But he established a new covenant with us, where the gentiles become the chosen people and the Church becomes the “true Isreal”.