By David Phillips
“You’re the ones who don’t believe in the Old Testament, aren’t you?” How many times have you heard that unfortunate mischaracterization of the Lord’s church? Usually, the accusation arises whenever we try to teach the fact that the law God gave to His people through Moses is not the law for God’s people to follow today. The New Testament clearly states that the Mosaic covenant has been replaced by the Law of Christ, and even goes so far as to state in Colossians 2:14 that concerning the Mosaic law, Jesus … has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. But we all need to understand that there is far more in the Old Testament than just the Mosaic covenant, often referred to in summary fashion as “The Ten Commandments”. “But”, they say, “it is so old!” Sure, the Old Testament does reach far, far back in time, describing events, people and places that are sometimes strange and far removed from our modern times. So, is there really much value in studying the old volume?
Indeed, there is tremendous value in studying the Old Testament. Consider these brief points:
- The Old Testament introduces us to God. Granted, we learn some about God from the New Testament, but in the Old Testament we are given a view of the Creator that is far more basic. Not only do we learn things about God from stated facts that describe Him (check out Deut.32:4 or Ps.33:9), but we learn much about our Heavenly Father from the interactions between man and God as recorded in the Old Testament.
- The Old Testament furnishes the historical setting for the New Testament. Without question, the essential doctrine of the New Testament can be understood without a full knowledge of the background and setting. But such historical information in the Old Testament is very helpful toward getting a better grasp of the details of the biographical accounts of Jesus and His ministry in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Furthermore, a knowledge of the OT makes the New Testament book of Hebrews come alive!
- The Old Testament gives us timeless principles of righteousness. Not only do we learn these principles from reading about God’s dealings with His people, but much of the content of the OT books like Psalms and Proverbs contain principles of right conduct, wise behavior and morality that are just as valid today as ever.
So remember, there are some things that the Old Testament does not furnish to God’s people today. The Old Testament is not a source for information on how to become a Christian. It is not a guide for Christian worship, nor should it be used as a pattern for the church. We find all of those in the New Testament. But the Old Testament is filled with good things, is a part of the inspired word of God, and is intended by God to be handled accurately as the word of truth (2 Tim.2:15)