For the Christian religion, the Old and New Testaments form a whole upon which its belief system is based. The transition between the Old and New Testaments resides in the person of Christ, who came to earth as the fulfillment of the Old Testament Messianic prophesy. This transition then occurs not only through the ultimate sacrifice of Christ at his death and resurrection, but also in his ministry during his lifetime. Christ uses the Old Testament in various ways in order both to establish the new order of the New Testament, but also to validate the authority of the Old.

             As the son of God, Christ shows his relationship to the Father through his respect for the validity and authority of the Old Testament. He does this in various ways, of which one is his acceptance of the history of the Old Testament. Jesus refers to various persons of the Old Testament, confirming that he believes in their existence, and in the literal truth of the history as described by the Old Testament. He for example refers to persons such as Abel, Noah, Abraham and Lot in both his conversations and teachings. Christ's literal acceptance of Old Testament authority however goes deeper than only an acceptance of its historical narrative.

             This becomes clear in the numerous controversies involving Jesus and the religious leaders of Israel during his time on earth. Jesus interprets the ethical and legal teachings of the Old Testament literally, like the Pharisees and Sadducees. However, conflict arises when Christ combines these teachings with a general loving humanity. In this way he demonstrates to the leaders of his community the intended meaning of the laws given by God, which is to obey and teach them with a loving spirit. Exposing the inherent love behind the laws of God is one of the functions of Christ's ministry. .

             In Matthew 9 and 12 for example, Jesus uses Hosea 6:6, where God says "I desire mercy and not sacrifice," to demonstrate this point.