Does the New Testament begin a completely new religion from the Old Testament?
No. The New Testament does not suddenly start something totally different; it continues the Old Testament. Matthew 1:1 links Jesus Christ to David and Abraham, showing continuity rather than a wall between the Testaments. Scripture's overall theme runs from Genesis through Revelation.
Les explains that contrary to what perhaps 90 percent of church members and Bible readers think, the New Testament does not suddenly start something totally different. Many imagine a great big wall between the Old Testament and the New Testament, and some even feel the Old Testament can be cut out as having nothing to do with us, but Les says nothing could be further from the truth. Matthew 1:1 immediately shows this continuity: "the book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham." That genealogy stops at Abraham; it does not go back before Abraham or to Adam. Luke chapter 3, by contrast, traces the genealogy all the way to Adam, who was created of God. Matthew depicts Christ as the King, which is why the terminology "Kingdom of Heaven" is so often used in Matthew and is unique to that book.