2 Corinthians 2:7-11

7 Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, transitory though it was, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? 9 If the ministry that brought condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! 10 For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. 11 And if what was transitory came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts! -2 Corinthians 2:7-11

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The Bible has two parts: The Old Testament (39 books) and The New Testament (27 books).  What’s the difference between the two parts?  Bible scholars say that in the Old Testament, God gave us rules to show us how deep inside of our hearts we are all born with this sin that compels us to rebel from those rules.  

I know this is true just by looking at my 1 year old niece Taylor.  She’s so cute, but I can see how she is always trying to do things that her parents don’t want her to do.  The more you try to stop her, the more she wants to do them.  That’s the sinful nature the Old Testament is trying to point out.  Because the Old Testament points to how messed up we are, the Apostle Paul who wrote this called it “the ministry that brought death.”

Now the New Testament builds off of the Old Testament.  Now that we know we’re messed up, we need help.  The New Testament teaches us that help comes in the form of Jesus Christ, who died on the Cross for our sins.  Paul calls this the “ministry of the Spirit” and it is even BETTER than “the ministry that brought death,” because it doesn’t just tell us that we’re messed up, it saves us from our messed-up-ness.

Hope that helps you to appreciate the Bible a bit more and the relationship between The Old Testament and The New Testament.  Both are important.