Romans 15:4 “For
whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that
through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have
hope.”
I’ve heard certain people
say that the Old Testament is not necessary to read and study; that the new
Testament is all that they need, even though the Lord Jesus and the Epistles
quote directly from the Old Testament Word of God. I read where early in its
history, the church confronted a heretic named Marcion of Sinope (85 – 160
A.D.), who believed, among other things, that the God revealed in the Old
Testament is not the same deity who sent Christ to save us from our sins. As a
consequence of that belief, Marcion also denied that the Old Testament is
Christian Scripture, and he even cut out the references to the Old Testament
found in those New Testament books that he did accept. Few professing Christians
today would so blatantly deny the Old Testament as God’s Word to His people. Nevertheless,
certain Marcionite tendencies remain alive and well in the covenant community. After
all, many believers treat most, if not all, of Genesis–Malachi as an
afterthought and less worthy of our study than the New Testament.
Whatever the reasons for
this neglect of the Old Testament, such attitudes find no justification in the
teaching of the New Testament itself. Old Testament allusions and direct quotations
of the Law, Prophets, and Psalms are part of the underlying structure, base or
foundation of the New Testament. In fact, the Apostles tell us directly that
the old covenant Scriptures continue to have value for those who live under the
administration of the new covenant.
Psalm 69:12-19 “I am
the talk of those who sit in the gate, and the drunkards make songs
about me. But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord. At an
acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me
in your saving faithfulness. Deliver me from sinking in the mire;
let me be delivered from my enemies and from the deep waters. Let
not the flood sweep over me, or the deep swallow me up, or the
pit close its mouth over me. Answer me, O Lord, for your steadfast
love is good; according to your abundant mercy, turn to me. Hide
not your face from your servant, for I am in distress; make haste to
answer me. Draw near to my soul, redeem me; ransom me because of my
enemies! You know my reproach, and my shame and my dishonor; my
foes are all known to you.”
The lesson stated that the
Apostle Paul quoted Psalm 69 to support his point that since Christ bore the
insults of others as He suffered for our salvation, we should willingly endure
the lighter suffering we undergo as we put up with the inconvenience of not
exercising the fullness of our Christian freedom in front of immature
believers. Psalm 69 and the rest of the Old Testament, Paul tells us, give us
the encouragement we need to have hope. In seeing that the writings of the old
covenant prophets are fulfilled in Jesus, we find assurance that Christ is who
He says He is and that our hope of salvation in Him is secure. Moreover, the
Old Testament Scriptures remind Gentiles especially that before Christ, we were
people without hope in the world. Now that Jesus has come and fulfilled the
prophetic hope that the Gentiles would serve the only true God — Yahweh, the
covenant Lord of Israel. Those who are not Israelites according to the flesh
are now full members of God’s covenant people in Christ. Thus, we possess all
the rights and privileges our heavenly Father gives to His children.
John 1:9-13 “The
true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He
was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did
not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did
not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his
name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were
born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of
man, but of God.”
In conclusion, certain books
and passages of Scripture have played greater roles in the history of theology
than others; thus, it’s no surprise that some portions of the Bible are read
more often than others. However, we must not make the mistake of thinking that
there is any unimportant part of Scripture. The is a common thread of Christ that runs through every page of Holy Scripture. The Holy Spirit inspired it all,
and it is all given for our edification. Let us therefore study the whole
counsel of God and not just isolated portions of it.
Blessings
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