Do christians believe in the old testament?

the old testament contains parts of the old covenant, but the new testament foretells the new covenant, and there are two covenants, one which was made at sinai - alluding to hagar and the final Prophet who would break down the idols, and would complete the new law:

I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
John 16:12-13

ask yourself - which book of law is totally memorized to the dot by it's reciters?

But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Jeremiah 31:33

This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;
Hebrews 10;16

now we are aware that the Quran is a book of law which mentions the covenant at the mount and tells the children of Israel to fulfil it:

63. And remember We took your covenant and We raised above you (The towering height) of The Mount (Sinai) :
(Saying): "Hold firmly to what We have given you and bring (ever) to remembrance what is therein: Perchance ye may fear Allah."
Quran 2:63

O Children of Israel! call to mind the (special) favour which I bestowed upon you,
and fulfil your covenant with Me as I fulfil My Covenant with you, and fear none but Me.
And believe in what I reveal, confirming the revelation which is with you, and be not the first to reject Faith therein, nor sell My Signs for a small price; and fear Me, and Me alone.
And cover not Truth with falsehood, nor conceal the Truth when ye know (what it is).
And be steadfast in prayer; practise regular charity; and bow down your heads with those who bow down (in worship).
Quran 2:40-43

For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. 23But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. 24Which things are an allegory:
for these are the two covenants;
the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.
25For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
26But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
27For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.
Galatians 4

it looks to me as if the part about the flesh and the spirit has been added, since the old testament clearly states that the children of Hagar would be blessed.

And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. 18Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation.
Genesis 21

this happened in the desolate valley of Makkah where Abraham (pbuh) left them, and the Muslims still run between safa and marwah where hajar (pbuh) ran seeking a sighting of water.

Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child:
for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD.
....For the LORD hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God.
7For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.
Isaiah 54.

and which Prophet brought a book of law after Moses? because it was foretold in Isaiah:

Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation: for a law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the people.
Isaiah 51

the REST? a new Law? do you know the Quran was revealed over 23 years in many different cities?

For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:
11For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.
12To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.
13But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, andthere a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.
14Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.
Isaiah 28

it is also clear that they were awaiting a new SPECIFIC long awaited Prophet even in Jesus (pbuh)'s time - and he was different from the Christ.

And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him,
Who art thou? 20And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.
21And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not.
Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.

if you go into the commentaries - you will find that "that Prophet" is the Prophet foretold in deuteronomy

Everyone have a heart, one of the reason to 'write divine laws' on heart is to affirm the simplicity of God and his desire to save every man. If it involves copying laws from stones/book, then it is not God saving, but man imposing his own ideology to the world. God does not need to copy while He is the original author. He 'writes' directly. The Holy Spirit is not a man who need secondary aides like book to transmit something to the heart. The Holy Spirit is God and He writes the Word/Truth (not words/ideologies) to the heart that's willing to receive the love of God. God has no need of syllables therefore, we should not even think of people memorizing the commands so they are written on their hearts and minds. When people do this, they are writting on their heart, but not the perfect Word of God, but the imperfect words of men. These imperfects words of men often turn hearts of men into stones.

When God changes hearts of stone into hearts of flesh, it is done. The heart of Flesh knows the Word of God by the very fact of being (and being pure), not as some addition as if the heart was made blank first and waiting for something to be written on it.

To say it very simply, the New Testament does not make sense without the Old Testament. Old Testament readings, especially the Psalms, are used regularly in our worship. That said, we do not relate to the Old Testament or interpret it in the same way Jews do. When God became man many hidden meanings of the Old Testament were unlocked. A very good example of a Christian reading of the Old Testament is Saint Gregory of Nyssa's The Life of Moses.

format_quote Originally Posted by Amigo

If it involves copying laws from stones/book, then it is not God saving, but man imposing his own ideology to the world. God does not need to copy while He is the original author.

format_quote Originally Posted by Amigo

God has no need of syllables therefore, we should not even think of people memorizing the commands so they are written on their hearts and minds.

that would be akin to saying that the guidance revealed to Prophets was vanity since God communicates only via direct inspiration to each individual - in the Quran - it is described as following the lusts of one's heart.

format_quote Originally Posted by Amigo

The Holy Spirit is not a man who need secondary aides like book to transmit something to the heart. The Holy Spirit is God and He writes the Word/Truth (not words/ideologies) to the heart that's willing to receive the love of God.

the Holy Spirit DEFINITELY came to the Prophets with inspiration and guidance which they wrote down (an example would be the Original Psalms of David and the other Prophecies).

i believe the holy spirit is definitely NOT a man - but it is also distinct from God,
i believe you mention it due to the above reference to the "spirit of truth",
it was not i who used this label to describe a man - it was the author of the gospel of John:

In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying,
If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
38He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
39(But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive:
for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
40Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said, Of a truth this is the Prophet.
41Others said, This is the Christ. But some said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee?
John 7

Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth:
for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak:
and he will shew you things to come.
John 16:13

this seems to be a clear explanation of the prophecy in deuteronomy:
I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth;
and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.
19And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.
20But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.
21And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken?
22When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.
Deuteronomy 18:18-22

Refer again to the above verse in John 16:13

now i will again make it clear to you that it is NOT i who am calling the Prophet (pbuh) the spirit proceeding from God, because the Quran AND hadith tell us that this was the Christ - the author of the book of John is doing this.
i will give you the biblical reference first - and then make this part clear - though it will cause more confusion due to the attribute.

But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father,
even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father,
he shall testify of me:
27And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.
John 15:26-27

does he testify?

The Prophet (pbuh) is reported to have said:
“Whoever bears witness that there is none worthy of worship except God, and with no partners,
that Muhammad is His messenger,
that Jesus is the servant and messenger of God;
His Word which He bestowed upon Mary
and a spirit proceeding from Him,
and that Paradise and Hell are true, shall be received by God into Paradise.”


10. Allah sets forth, for an example to the Disbelievers, the wife of Noah and the wife of Lot:
they were (respectively) under two of our righteous servants, but they were false to their (husbands), and they profited nothing before Allah on their account,
but were told: "Enter ye the Fire along with (others) that enter!"
11. And Allah sets forth, as an example to those who believe the wife of Pharaoh:
Behold she said: "O my Lord! Build for me, in nearness to Thee, a mansion in the Garden, and save me from Pharaoh and his doings, and save me from those that do wrong";
12. And Mary the daughter of 'Imran, who guarded her chastity;

and We breathed into (her body) of Our spirit;

and she testified to the truth of the words of her Lord and of His Revelations, and was of the devout (servants).
(Quran 66-12)

Peace

format_quote Originally Posted by abz2000

that would be akin to saying that the guidance revealed to Prophets was vanity since God communicates only via direct inspiration to each individual - in the Quran - it is described as following the lusts of one's heart.

Of all the prophets that I recognize as true, none ever meant a writting to replace him or God while they are not around... The prophets replaced/completed each other in ministry, no one was replaced by a book. So yes, God communicated to them directly, for they did not need to read books or tablets to be necessarly qualified or approved. God is always present, because of this, his ministers have to be always present beings. Prophets by definition are the 'ministers of the presence of God'. They witness to the perpetual presence of God in the world. For this reason, they can never mean books to replace their ministry. Books are always meant for conserving memories. They naturally belong to men who die not to God who is ever alive and ever present.

format_quote Originally Posted by abz2000

the Holy Spirit DEFINITELY came to the Prophets with inspiration and guidance which they wrote down (an example would be the Original Psalms of David and the other Prophecies).

copying from the heart to a book is not the same as trying to copy from a book to the heart.
Those who copy from heart to book are sharing with others what is overflowing in their heart. But what is written in the books is not meant to be copied to the heart, for no matter how wonderful they may look, they can never be as perfect as the original inspiration that came from the heart of the one who received the inspiration to begin with. They only help to guide and recognize similar inspirations when other persons receive the same in their own hearts. God is in touch with every heart and a heart that has been touched by God knows that no book can describe perfectly what is revealed in the heart. Even those who write their inspiration into books often affirm that they are trying but they can't perfectly express what they 'feel/saw/received' in their heart.

Of all the prophets that I recognize as true, none ever meant a writting to replace him or God while they are not around.

Is this not a writing which replaces their presence?

And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations,

there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me,

lest I should be exalted above measure.
8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee:
for my strength is made perfect in weakness........
.......And lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed.
This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.
2 I told you before, and foretell you, as if I were present, the second time;
and being absent now I write to them which heretofore have sinned, and to all other, that, if I come again, I will not spare:
2 Corinthians 12 & 13

some even ignore the new testament and focus on paul - and that guy was WAAAAYYYYY off from the teachings and practices of Christ (pbuh)
and unfortunately for many of those who choose to follow the teachings of Paul rather than Christ (pbuh), the Old Testament is the antithesis of what Paul taught.

still - he somehow got hold of some prophecies and passed them on to us - probably when he was torturing all those believers.
then he decided The Messiah was not only not an imposter - but God!

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Matthew 7:21-23

format_quote Originally Posted by abz2000

Is this not a writing which replaces their presence?

And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations,

there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me,

lest I should be exalted above measure.
8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee:
for my strength is made perfect in weakness........
.......And lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed.
This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.
2 I told you before, and foretell you, as if I were present, the second time;
and being absent now I write to them which heretofore have sinned, and to all other, that, if I come again, I will not spare:
2 Corinthians 12 & 13

This is not a case where you can't go to the author and confirm with him whether he is the author of the writting. Here, if the Corinthians were not sure about the meaning of his letter, they could have gone to him and have him clarify what he was saying.

format_quote Originally Posted by King of Nines

Even when I was a Christian, I asked other Christians about this. I asked them why they just ignore the OT and concentrated solely on the NT. None of them really had a good answer for me.

Who are the Christians who ignore the OT?
I have never seen one. I actually find many denominatins have a tendancy to focus on the OT than the NT. For this reason they tend to think and reason like jews and muslims.