In answer to the first part of the question “Why do we print New Testaments today.” I would say we print New Testaments today because for the believer / evangelist who hopes to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with people that they come across who are open to hearing the gospel. It is very handy to have a light, strong and portable version of the New Testament scriptures from which to share supporting verses from God’s word.
In recent times bibles have become very light and quite small and it is possible to have a complete bible the same size as New Testaments of yesteryear. There can be issues with font type and clarity today that weren’t such and issue in the past but if you look around it should be possible to get a small but fit for purpose copy of the Bible to assist you in your Christian outreach. So there may not be the demand for New Testaments that there was, perhaps, fifty years ago
This brings us to the second part of the question. Why do some Christians only read the New Testament? There are a few different reasons that people reject reading the Old Testament. One is that with the advent of Darwinism in the Nineteenth Century. Christianity in the New Testament was seen as a natural evolution of the thought of mankind and therefore the Old Testament was considered not to meet the ethical and moral standards of the New Testament.
These opinions tend to pervade Christian thinking to some extent even today although I’m not certain that some of those who hold them completely understand why they adhere to them. In some circumstances there is a tendency to hold them because someone else taught them that this was the truth and they haven’t really thought to challenge the ideas behind them. By this I mean is it really true to say that the Old Testament is pre Christian and sub Christian and therefore we should not read it? Personally I would disagree with that statement. I don’t believe that the age of a text makes it less valid and I don’t think that we can dismiss a text as being sub Christian based on our evaluation of the ethical and moral values of the people who wrote it. There may be very good reasons for those people to have acted in the way that is described in the Old Testament.
Another reason Christians become centred on the New Testament is that they feel the gospel is based on faith, grace and God’s love. Such that, the emphasis is on the life of Jesus of Nazareth and his death burial and resurrection. The New Testament is written to Christians and for the benefit of the Church. Israel and the Law of Moses are not longer the focus of God’s work and Jews are saved through the gospel and are part of the Church. The solution to this equation is that the Old Testament is no longer relevant and has no meaning to the modern Christian.
The final part of the question “Is the Old Testament still relevant?” can be approached through two perspectives. The first states that God’s work and promises to the nation of Israel are everlasting. Genesis chapter seventeen says “4 As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, And you will be the father of a multitude of nations. 5 “No longer shall your name be called Abram, But your name shall be Abraham; For I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. 6“I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will come forth from you. 7“I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you. 8“I will give to you and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.” So the covenant with Abraham and his descendants is an everlasting one and the Old Testament is still relevant to all believers because of this.
The second perspective is that the Law of Moses is also eternal and although we are saved through grace in Jesus Christ. The sin we are set free from is defined in the Law. Hence we need to read and understand the Old Testament to understand what the Messiah set us free from and how Jehovah achieved our Salvation. Remember Jesus said of the Law “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” Matthew 5:17-18 KJV
So the Old Testament is not just relevant to the believer today it is essential to read and understand the books of the Old Testament to gain an understanding of the events it describes. Everything from the Creation, the Fall of Man, The Flood, The dispensations God made to mankind including Grace and the reign of Jesus Christ in the Millennium and beyond to eternity. Also included are the books of Psalms, Proverbs and Lamentations and the Word of God through the Prophets and the accounts of the many Old Testament Saints in the book of Judges, Samuel, Chronicles, and the Kings. Not to mention the Captivity described in Daniel, Jeremiah and Isaiah and the return to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple and the Wall of the City in the time of Nehemiah and the Prophecies relating to the Messiah and the End of the Age of Grace.
Why wouldn’t you read the Old Testament?
Reference List
Goldsworthy G. Why Read the Old Testament. https://www.monergism.com/why-read-old-testament 06.01.19
All Scriptures http://www.biblehub.com King James Version. 06.01.19
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