Introduction
Faith and religion are very personal concerns that could be treated in different ways depending on what a person wants to see, understand, and believe in. That is why there have always been vigorous debates related to the understanding of the basics of faith. The ground for these discussions altered because of the peculiarities of the society and values appreciated by it. Yet, at the moment, the question whether Jesus teaching about the kingdom and himself was in agreement with the Old Testament or not becomes topical and widely discussed. However, when analyzing the given concern, it is possible to conclude that Jesus teachings did not refute the Old Testament and were created to help people improve their understanding of faith.
Sermon on the Mount
There are several facts that should be used to prove the given statement. First, when cogitating about the nature of Jesus teaching about the kingdom, it is possible to mention the Sermon on the Mount, when he emphasized the importance of moral and other aspects of peoples lives. Being one of the longest teachings, it still was created not to replace the existing ones, but to improve them. “I did not come to destroy, but to fulfill” (The Bible. The American King James version, Matthew 5-17). For this reasons, it is a serious mistake to assume that Jesus departed from the teachings of the Old Testament.
Erroneous understanding of the Old Testament
Therefore, Jesus disagreed with religious leaders, and it might be considered the attempt to create some new approach and reduce the importance of the old one. Yet, he did not say words against the Old Testament Scriptures which were still taken as important and significant enough to impact peoples lives. However, people were not able to understand the nature of these scriptures and adhered to the erroneous patterns (United Church of God par. 5). That is why the reason for The Sermon on the Mounts statements was to show that Pharisees and Sadducees teachings were contradictory to the Old Testament as they distorted the basic ideas presented in the given book (United Church of God par. 9). In this regard, Jesus disapproved wrong ideas that were formed under the impact of unclear treatment of the Old Testament and suggested his own declarations about the law.
Continuance of the law
According to these declarations, Jesus did not want to destroy the law. He even emphasized its continuance to the permanence of heaven and earth (United Church of God par. 7). In other words, he proclaimed that it was immutable, unchangeable, and eternal (“The Parables of Jesus” par. 3). That is why the adherence to the law is one of the ways to guarantee the further existence of our universe and its beneficial evolution. Finally, there are numerous Gospels that could also prove the given statement. Jesus saw his main mission in reinforcing and cultivating the law to make it more powerful and guarantee its further existence. He also proclaimed that all his servants must keep the law and try to understand the Old Testament in the right way to guarantee the further development of religion (“The Parables of Jesus” par. 5).
Conclusion
Altogether, the statement that Jesus has altered the law and that his teachings about the kingdom were not in agreement with the Old Testament is erroneous. On the contrary, he wanted to show people the real nature the law and ideas provided in these scriptures. Realizing the fact that the mistaken understanding of some basic assumptions might have the great negative impact on religion and peoples faith, Jesus made the famous Sermon on the Mount in which he explained his basic ideas.
Works Cited
The Bible. The American King James version, New York, 2010.
“The Parables of Jesus.” Christian Bible Reference Cite, n.d., Web.
United Church of God. “Jesus’ Teaching on God’s Law.” UCG, 2011, Web.