As we navigate within the Christian arenas today, we hear much talk about the Old Testament of the Bible and how it relates to us today. There are many opinions being vocalized by well known and loved individuals. The range of opinions varies greatly. We may have heard, “We should tear the Old Testament out of our Bible because we are no longer under the Old Covenant. We are now under the New Testament!” We may have heard, “We should follow the Old Testament and the Laws of God.” Of course those are the opposite ends of the stick. There are many variables to the degree of importance of the Old Testament being presented today within the body of Christ, which is the church.
Is the Old Testament relevant to us today? Let’s examine this question from more than one angle. First let’s examine some statements by Jesus. When we examine the prayer that Jesus prayed to His Father in John 17, we see a statement that sheds some understanding. (BYW John 17 is a “must” study!)
John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.
19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
When Jesus spoke this prayer to the Father, what word was Jesus referring to? It is important to note that Jesus defines this word as truth? Jesus was speaking about the Old Testament! Jesus said that the Old Testament is the word of God and the Old Testament is truth. Of course we know that to be the case because the New Testament had not been written at that time.
Again, let’s look at how Jesus used the scriptures to explain Himself, as the promised Messiah, to a couple of disciples on the way to Emmaus. (This whole encounter is also a “must” study.)
Luke 24:25 Then he (Jesus) said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:
26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?
27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning him.
It is interesting to see that Jesus named all the prophets and started with Moses and included all the scriptures while giving this seven-mile Bible study. One of them should have taken notes! Since the New Testament did not exist at that time Jesus was using the Old Testament scriptures to explain the promise of Messiah to the Jews. Of course Jesus, Himself is the promised Messiah!
Of course both the above incidents took place before the New Testament was written. Believers should be able to take the Old Testament and show an unbeliever a solid case for Jesus being the promised Messiah and the only way and the truth and the life that leads to our Heavenly Father.
One might ask the question, “Then what is the purpose of the New Testament?” It is important to note that even though our Bibles states New Testament at the beginning of Matthew, The New Testament did not begin until the day of Pentecost in Acts chapter 2. Jesus was born, lived and died under the Old Covenant.
There is more than one purpose of the New Testament. One is to reveal Jesus as the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies pertaining to the promised Messiah in order for Him to be clearly recognized and validated as the prophesied Messiah by the afore written prophecies.
Another purpose is proving Jesus to be the fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham, which was the beginning of the “dispensation of promise.” After Jesus rose from the dead, a new dispensation began known as the “dispensation of grace.” We also refer to this time as the church age.
The church age has several unique points pertaining to its makeup and functionality. These points are called “mysteries” and were hidden from the Old Testament writers. The “mysteries” were revealed after the day of Pentecost and written by the Apostles of the New Testament. In Gal 3:1-5, Paul states that he was made a minister and charged with revealing the “mysteries” to the church.
We know from Galatians that the Law of Moses was added to the covenant of promise made with Abraham 430 years after the promise was made to Abraham. In Luke 16, Jesus declares he would fulfill every jot and title of the Law. Galatians teaches us that Jesus took the ordinances contained in commandments and nailed them to His cross taking them out of the way.
Here is a big nugget for the proper use of the Old Testament! The writers of the New Testament often refer to the Old Testament and fully expected their readers to be full well aware of their subject matter and have a good understanding of that subject matter from study of the Old Testament scriptures. The writers do not rewrite the text again but expected the reader to know the context and already have established familiarity with the topic from the Old Testament scriptures.
We can find a very good example of this in the writing of Jude. Jude is explaining about the apostates, who have entered into the church and likens them to Cain, Balaam and Core.
Jude 1:10 But these (apostates) speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.
11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.
If we as a New Testament believer should read this book and we don’t know the way of Cain or error of Balaam or the gainsaying of Core, then we have no clue of that which Jude is teaching. We are totally in the dark and the only way we can gain understanding of the writing of Jude is to get into the Old Testament and study Cain, Balaam and Core because it is not rewritten in the New Testament!
When we study the book of Hebrews, we find it has some 405 verses and contains over 800 references to the Old Testament. That should tell us something of how important knowing and understanding the Old Testament is to a modern day believer.
When Jesus was crucified, the New Testament does not rewrite and explain the Old Testament types and shadows. Some examples could be as follows.
Why Jesus had to die on the particular day He died.
Why they had to get Him off the cross before sundown.
Why did Jesus say, “Father into you hands do I commend my Spirit,”
Why did Jesus become a curse on the cross?
Why was Jesus crucified and not stoned as per Jewish Law of the day?
Why did Jesus take the stripes on His back?
Along with so many other fulfillments of prophecy, which we can only understand from studying and gaining understanding from the Old Testament scriptures.
The understanding of so many New Testament writings can only be gained through a working knowledge of the Old Testament scriptures. A writer of the New Testament may just throw out a scripture, just as in the Jude account, with a, “I’m sure ya’ll are all up to speed on that, aren’t you?”
In order to understand the fullness of the New Testament Truth, we must go into the Old Testament and gain the understanding of the prophecies, which were fulfilled by the coming of Jesus the Messiah. The same is true with the principals and nature of God, which never change.
Apart from the Law of Moses, which Jesus fulfilled, the Old Testament establishes and records the nature of God and the Principals of God, which are the same yesterday, today and forever.
The writers of the New Testament expected believers to understand their writings, because they were referencing Old Testament principals or referencing the nature of God. Let’s take an example of the ungodly and the unrighteous. Here we are not talking about our friends and coworkers who have not been saved as of yet but function very well in natural life on the earth with other human beings and are actually decent citizens. Here we are talking about the Psalms 2 people, who have made a calculated decision to oppose and war against God, Jesus, His followers and war against the Holy Scriptures
Ps 2:1 Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed,
When Paul was writing his great masterpiece of the book of Romans, he includes the class of people we find in Psalms 2, and makes the following statement.
Rom 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men (Ps 2 people), who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them.
Paul just throws out there the statement that the wrath of God is being revealed against these people out there like, “Ya’ll remember how God deals with His enemies don’t you?”
Paul fully expected his readers to be well versed with full understanding of Psalms 2, 7, 11, 110 and 149 and all the Old Testament scriptures, which deal with how God deal with His enemies.
Well, the big problem is that most believers in the body of Christ today think that when sweet little Jesus was born in a manger, somehow the nature of God changed and He no longer releases His wrath against anyone. Sometimes we must be reminded that God is the same yesterday, today and forever, Old Testament and New Testament. Jesus said that the Word is Truth and cannot be broken.
Mal 3:5 And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false sweaters, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts.
6 For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
Mal 3:6 is the Old Testament statement about the nature of the LORD God and the same is echoed in the New Testament
Heb 13:7 Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.
8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and forever.
Let’s look at the mindset of the modern believer. We have our favorite scriptures, which we all like quote at church. Take this example, which we all love and we should all love because this is the Word of Truth and cannot be broken. These verses apply to those who choose to be the children of God and are seeking to be in the will of God.
Jer 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
However, if we continue to the next chapter, many believers will think, “Well this is no longer applies to us today in the New Testament.” However, notice that this is the LORD God speaking through His same prophet here and in the very next chapter.
Jer 30:20 Their children also shall be as aforetime, and their congregation shall be established before me, and I will punish all that oppress them.
Jer 30:22 And ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.
23 Behold, the whirlwind of the LORD goeth forth with fury, a continuing whirlwind: it shall fall with pain upon the head of the wicked.
24 The fierce anger of the LORD shall not return, until he has done it, and until he has performed the intents of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it.
We as believers in the church must examine our self as to how and who has led us to the point that we now pick and choose, which scriptures are Truth and cannot be broken and which scriptures we can just ignore! Psalms 119:160 states that the sum of the Word is truth.
Ps 119:160 Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endures forever.
Jesus said that if the blind lead the blind they both go into the ditch. We should believe the whole counsel of God and rightly divide the Word of Truth! The Law, which was added to the Covenant of Promise, was contrary to us because no one could keep the Law. Jesus was the only one who ever kept the Law fulfilling it and took out of the way by nailing it to His cross.
Col 2:13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
Remember the #8 rule of extracting true counsel and understanding from the Word of God.
#8. God speaks totally different to His enemies that He speaks to His family.
When we find New Testament scriptures pertaining to the “wrath of God” being revealed today, we should know that the writers are not going to rewrite the Old Testament concerning the wrath of God against His enemies. The writers expect us to have a good working knowledge of the Old Testament scriptures.
Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
Eph 5:6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
7 Be not ye therefore partakers with them.
Col 3:6 For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
We all quote the Old Testament scripture Deut 19:15 “in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall a matter be established.” Here are there witnesses in the New Testament pertaining to the “wrath of God” operating in this dispensation of grace against the wicked children of disobedience. However, is it possible for us to move above our churchology and believe the scriptures? It is a must that we do just that. It is necessary for believers to study the following classes of individuals contained in the scriptures in order for the body of Christ to rule and reign with Him and to make His enemies His footstool and to occupy until He comes! Jesus is expecting His ekklesia, the church, to accomplish these tasks!
The wicked.
The workers of iniquity.
Evil doers.
The transgressors.
Bloody men and violent men.
A Strongs Concordance will yield a great amount of scriptures to study pertaining to the above.
Grace and Peace multiplied in the name of Jesus.
Compiled by Jerry Thomas 02/10/24.
All scripture references are (KJV) unless otherwise denoted.
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