Old or New Testament

8/14/2019 Old or New Testament

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Preached:

LR

Old or New Testament?

(Christianity 101: Lesson 4)

Introduction1. Two weeks ago, we took the time to cement in our minds that the Bible is

from God; it is divinely inspired.

2. There are 66 books in the Bible, all comprising a singular story of love and

redemption.

3. However, even those who know very little about the Bible will notice a

distinct change when they turn from the book of Malachi to the book of

Matthew. Nearly every copy of the Bible contains some type of notation that

there is a break between those books. Some have a page with words such

as, The New Testament or The New Testament of the Lord Jesus Christ

before the book of Matthew.

4. Obviously, that makes the previous 39 books what is called the Old

Testament. Found in those 39 books are some of the most famous and

endearing words of the Bible. For example, in the Old Testament,

a. You will read the Creation account of Genesis 1.

b. You will read of the global flood and Noahs ark.

c. You will read such moving passages as the 23rd Psalm, which begins with

the immortal words, The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.

d. You will read of the conquering battles lead by kings such as David and

Solomon.

e. You will read of the sin of Gods people and the captivity into which they

were led because of that sin.f. You will read of spiritual giants such as Ezra and Nehemiah who led the

people back to Jerusalem and helped them revive spiritually.

g. You will read great prophets like Isaiah, Amos, Habakkuk, Jeremiah, and

Malachi.

h. And on and on we could go.

5. To say the least, there is a treasure trove of information in the Old Testament.

It is, most assuredly, divinely inspired and has, over the centuries, provided

much help to the readers of the books.

6. BUT, are we to follow the Old Testament? In other words, how are we to treat

the 39 books of the Biblethe OT? There are a few ideas:a. Some basically carry the idea that we dont need to worry about it at all.

In other words, we are under the New Testament; the New Covenant, so

the OT carries no weight at all.

b. Others say that both the Old and New Testaments are inspired,therefore

they carry the same weight. We are to follow both.


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c. Additionally, some say that we are at liberty to choose which we are to

follow. We may choose to follow Jesus and the NT, or we may choose to

follow the Old Testament Mosaic Law.

d. Finally, there are those who believe in a more balanced approach. This is

where I think we should be. This morning, I want to share this balanced

approach with you as we seek to answer the question: What are we to dowith the OT?

Body

I. First, lets notice some of what the New Testament says about the

Old Testament.

A. It is quite obvious when we turn to the New Testament that we are not

to completely ignore the Old. We can notice this in several ways:

1. First, we can note how often the OT is quoted or alluded to in the

NT.

a. There are approximately 250 direct quotations from the OT in

the NT, and over 800 more allusions or partial quotations.

b. As a side note, it is interesting to think of these times when

there are allusions to the OT. I think that gives us some idea as

to how seriously the NT writers took the OT. It was basically a

part of their everyday writing!

2. Next, we can also look at how much of the NT we would not

understand without the OT.

a. In addition to all the quotations, there are also numerous

references to people, places, events and items from the OT

sprinkled throughout the books of Matthew through Revelation.

b. Nowhere is that more evident than in the book of Hebrews.Without at least an elementary understanding of the OT, we

would not have any idea what Hebrews was about! In that one

book, you will find references to Moses, the Mosaic Law, Aaron

and the priesthood, Melchizedek, and literally dozens of other

things from the OT. If we take the position that the OT does not

matter at all, then we will fail to see the wonderfully rich and

deep meanings of so many things in Hebrews, Romans,

Revelation, Jude and other NT books that borrow heavily from

the OT.

3. Briefly, notice in the third place that we need to look at this from astrictly literary side. If we completely ignore the OT, we are taking

the NT out of its intended context. We are starting our reading and

study of the greatest piece of literature ever produced right in the

middle instead of at the beginning.

4. Finally, it is worth a mention, too, that God preserved the OT for us

through His providence, so He must have meant for it to be of some

value to us.


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B. Now, I want us to turn to one passage that shows us how we should

treat the OT from a NT perspective. Turn to Romans 15. Id like to read

verses 1-6 for the immediate context of our focus verse, thentake

some time to look more closely at verse 4. Verses 1-6:

Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of

those without strength and not just please ourselves.Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his

edification. For even Christ did not please Himself; but as

it is written, The reproaches of those who reproached

you fell on me. For whatever was written in earlier times

was written for our instruction, so that through

perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures

we might have hope. Now may the God who gives

perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the

same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus, so

that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the

God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

II. Now well turn our attention to verse 4 of that reading. There are four

things that verse teaches us about the OT and our relationship to it.

A. First, there is the Education. For our learning.

1. There is absolutely no way we could make a list this morning of

everything we learn from the OT.

2. There are basic things like names of people and places, and there

are many things we learn about the Jewish religion. All those are

important,

3. But we also need to note the fact that we learn so much about God

Himself from the OT.4. Just note that we are introduced in the OT to Gods love, Gods care,

Gods judgment, Gods power, Gods omniscience, Gods concern,

Godsorganization, Gods hatred of sin, Gods providence, and Gods

timelessness. You could add to that list, but those are just a few of

the things we learn in the OT about God. And thats just one

subject!

5. We need to turn to the OT often to learn many things that we need

to know about God, prophecy, history, faithfulness, sin, praise,

providence, miracles, sacrifice and a host of other topics and

themes.B. Next, there is the Endurance. Patience

1. Paul wrote that we can gain patience or perseverance from the

Scriptureseven the OT Scriptures.

2. How do we gain patience from the OT? There are a few ways, but

let me just make mention of this one: we read about those faithful

people of God who were faithful.


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3. We read of Abraham who was patient enough to travel for a long

time not even knowing where he was going.

4. We read of the prophets, such as Isaiah and Elijah, who went time

after time before Gods people and the kings and told them to

repent, only to have their message scorned and forgotten.

5. Of course, we read of Jobthe most famous man of patience in theBible. The man who endured more than I can imagine, but, as the

book tells us, did not curse God with his lips.

6. While there are some people in the NT who served God faithfully

among difficult circumstances, there are far more of these

biographical accounts in the OT of people who were willing to

endure for Gods cause.

7. In addition to these, we also find passages in the Psalms and

Proverbs that provide us with some of the words we need to endure.

C. Third, there is the Encouragement. Comfort

1. When I think of this part of Romans 15:4, I think of many of the

Psalms, which have provided comfort to countless people through

the years.

2. I also think again of some of the biographies we can read in the OT

of people who went through difficulties much like we do, yet made

it through with Gods help. Knowing that others have been through

difficulties as have we will provide us with comfort when we face

trials.

D. Finally, there is the Expectation. Hope

1. In the OT, there was the hope of the Messiah. We also very often

read of the hope that people had in what God could and would do in

their behalf.2. Even when we read passages such as the prophets, they are often

seen saying difficult and even harsh things, but they did so with the

good of the people and the coming of the Messiah in mind.

3. We gain from the OT a sense of the hope of Jesus coming, and we

can then transfer that hope to our hope of the return of Jesus at the

end of time.

*Now, thats one passage, but it gives us a great attitude to have when we turn to

the OT. There is value in the OT. But, for the next few moments, lets answer a

related question:

III. Is the OT Authoritative?

A. In other words, when we turn to the OT, are those the Law and the

precepts we are to follow?

B. There are many who say, Yes. Just for one example that we will look

at in a later lesson, keep in mind that many use the OT to say that

instrumental music in worship is acceptable. The argument usually is

something along these lines: David played a harp in worship to God,


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so that makes instruments okay. That is just one example of many

that people use from the OT. But are we to follow the OT?

C. Id like to take you to a passage in the book of Colossians. Colossians

2:8-15 contains a verse that speaks to this subject very well. Notice

what those verses say, but key in on verse 14 (beginning with verse 8):

8(A)See to it that no one takes you captive through (B)philosophyand empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according tothe (C)elementary principles of the world, rather than according toChrist. 9For in Him all the (D)fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,10and in Him you have been (E)made complete, and (F)He is the head

over all (G)rule and authority; 11and in Him (H)you were also circumcisedwith a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of(I)the bodyof the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; 12having been (J)buried withHim in baptism, in which you were also (K)raised up with Him throughfaith in the working of God, who (L)raised Him from the dead. 13Whenyou were (M)dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of yourflesh, He (N)made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all

our transgressions, 14having canceled out (O)the certificate of debtconsisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and (P)He hastaken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15When He had(Q)disarmed the (R)rulers and authorities, He (S)made a public display ofthem, having (T)triumphed over them through Him.

D. What is Paul talking about? To put it in simple terms, he is writing,especially in verse 14, that Jesus nailed the law of Moses to the cross,and took it out of the way.

1. Brother Owen Olbrichtwrote, The New Testament is consistent inteaching that the Law has been taken out of the way. Some JewishChristians who were seeking to impose the Law on Gentile

Christians said, It is necessary to circumcise them and to directthem to observe the Law of Moses (Acts 15:5). The response of theapostles and elders in Jerusalem was we gave no instruction (Acts15:24). Evidently, they meant that they had given no instructionfor Gentile Christians to circumcise their children or to keep theLaw. (Colossians and Philemon, Truth for Today Commentary, page242).

2. And, by the way, if you think that passage in Colossians is confusingby itself, there are several other New Testament passages that shedlight on it. All of them teach us that we are to follow the NT and notthe Old.

a. (Just reading the phrases that directly deal with this subject, youwill find):

b. Romans 6:14, You are not under law.

c. Romans 6:15, You are not under law.

d. Romans 7:4, You also were made to die to the Law.

e. Romans 7:6, We have been released from the Law, having diedto that by which we were bound.


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f. Second Corinthians 3:7-13 speaks of the covenant engraved instones, and says that is fades away.

g. Paul said in Galatians 2:19 that, I died to the Law.

h. Galatians 3:25, We are no longer under a tutor.

i. In a section dealing with the covenant given on Mount Sinai, Paulwrote that we are not children of a bondwoman (Galatians4:31).

j. Ephesians 2:14-15, Christ broke down the barrier of the dividingwall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law ofcommandments contained in ordinances. For your own study,take note of the fact that the original word translatedordinances in Ephesians 2:15 is the word dogmata (from whichwe get the words dogmatic and dogmatism), and is thesame word that is translated decrees in Colossians 2:14.

k. Hebrews 7:18-19: There is a setting aside of [the Law].

l. In Hebrews 8, there is a discussion of the covenants and thewriter says, He has made the first obsolete in verse 13.

m. Also in Hebrews 10:9, we are told, He takes away the first[covenant].

3. Such harmony in the fact that the first covenant, or the Law ofMoses was taken away. It is clear, then, that we are not under it.Again, the words of Olbricht:

Paul made three statements to show that the Law hadbeen abolished. He stated that is was cancelled,takenout of the way, and nailedto the cross. All ofthese words express the same truth. Cancelled means

wiped out, erased. Taken it out of the way meansto take away, remove, or seize control withoutsuggestion of lifting updestroy. It means completeremoval. Nailed to the cross implies the death of theLaw. These three statements stress the fact that the Law,no longer a living document, had been erased or setaside. Paul wanted the Colossians to know that, throughChrist,they had been made free and would continue to befree from the Law. That is why he told them that all thetreasures of wisdom and knowledge are in Christ (2:3),not in the Law. They were to follow Jesus without feelingobligated to keep the Law. (pages 244-246)

E. So, are we to live under the laws of the OT? No. But are we to read,study, respect, and learn from the OT? Absolutely. God has preservedthese accounts, psalms, proverbs, historical records, prophecies, andbiographies for us to learn from.

Conclusion


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1. To conclude, Id like to share with you part of an article penned by JasonJackson several years ago. The full article was entitled, The Value of OldTestament Study.

2. Here are his words:

Why, then, study the OT? Let us consider a number of reasons.

1. Lifes basic questions are answered. What is the origin of man and theuniverse? By inspiration, Moses began Genesis, In the beginning, Godcreated the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1 is completely harmonious withthe laws of science. The popular evolutionary theory, palmed off as fact,contradicts both science and scripture.

2. Mans relationship to his God is detailed. Man was created as a moralbeing with free will, accountable to his Creator (cf. Gen. 1:27; 2:16-17; Rom.2:14-15). When we choose to sin, such separates us from fellowship with God(Isa. 59:1-2; Eph. 2:1).

3. The law magnified sin. This is done in two ways, First, it showed sin to heexceeding sinful (Rom. 7:13). Sin was defined, described, and denounced.Second, it also proved that man cannot keep a law-system perfectly(Rom.3:10,23; Gal. 3:10).

Paul argued for the value of the law, though he had been freed from it (seeRom. 7:7). For example, the law forbade coveting. Therefore, one could knowspecifically what was forbidden by God, and thus know positively about hispersonal sin. As Jack Cottrell expressed it, When I read in Gods law thatcertain behavior is wrong, and when I see that very behavior in my life, I havea personal consciousness of the fact that I am a sinner; I have a sense ofpersonal sinfulness before God (p. 433).

But freedom from the law was not antinomianism (i.e., against lawaltogether) or liberation from all restraint (cf. Gal. 5:13,19-21), as someassumed (see Rom. 6:1). The law condemned the transgressor, but it wasimpotent to save in any complete sense (cf. Rom. 3:21-28; Heb. 10:4). Thegospel plan is Gods power to save (Rom. 1:16). Grace, rather than facilitatingimpenitence, ought to motivate one to bring his life into conformity to the lawof Christ, the law of the Spirit of life in Christ (Gal. 6:2; Rom. 8:2).

4. The magnification of sin led man to the irresistible conclusion thatonly God can provide a way of salvation. The Law of Moses was theschoolmaster which led men to Christ (Gal. 3:23-25). The sacrifices of the OTeconomy were a repetitive reminder of the need for divine pardon (Heb.10:3). Jesus became the all-sufficient sacrifice once for all; he is the Author

of eternal salvation to all who obey him (Heb. 5:8-9; 10:12).5. The OT provides an example of how God holds man accountable to a

divine standard. The ancient record encourages the righteous and warnsthe wicked. While today men are accountable to the New Testament as thesacred standard (Jn. 12:48), yet the OT still teaches the principle that God hasalways demanded conformity to His will, whatever the age (Heb. 11:4-40).

Therefore, the OT dealings of God with man are a general model for today;


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Gods will must be taken seriously (1 Cor. 10:6,11; Heb. 4:1-11; Jude 7; Rom.15:4).

6. The nature and attributes of God are seen throughout the OT. God isomniscient (Prov. 5:21; 15:3; Isa. 46:10). God is omnipotent (Gen. 1; Job.42:2). God is omnipresent (Ps. 139:7-12; Jer 23:23-24). God is eternal and

immutable (Ps. 90:2; Mal. 3:6). God is holy (Isa. 6:1-3; 57:15). God is just (Ps.145:17; Isa. 45:21). God is love (Ex. 34:6; Ps. 103:8; Jon. 4:2; Isa. 55:7).

7. The OT has immeasurable evidential value. The OT contains predictiveprophecy. The nature of OT prophecy is threefold. First, prophecy containsspecific details, not vague assertions. Second, prophecy involves adequatetiming. Predictions were uttered sometimes centuries before their fulfillment.

This fact excludes the notion that the prophets made educated guesses byobserving events on the current scene. Third, biblical prophecy is fulfilledexactly. Prophetic statements do not merely resemble their historicalfulfillment. Rather, fulfillments occurred in exact detail, corresponding to thespecific prophetic declarations (cf Isa. 44:24-45:3). These phenomena ofScripture are proofs of its divine origin.

Liberal critics of the Bible choke on predictive prophecy. Theirantisupernatural suppositions prevent them from considering the evidence.And so, biblical prediction goes through a modernistic metamorphosis andturns into mere history. For example, modernistic critics argue that thepredictions of Daniel could not have been written by the prophet. Since theyare so specific, they must he mere history! Concerning this kind ofmishandling of scripture, Dr. Oswald T. Allis remarked:

Is it any wonder that massive volumes have to be written and oceansof ink spilled in the attempt to make the Bible say exactly the oppositeof what it does say? Is it any wonder that the critics find it difficult to

find a satisfactory and edifying explanation for what they believe tohave been a deliberate falsification of history, a pious fraud (p. 6).

8. The OT furnishes the background for much of the NT. For one example,much of the imagery in the book of Revelation has roots in the apocalypticliterature of the OT. Understanding the nature of the OT language furnishedthe key for the early Christians to discern the signs of Revelation.

In conclusion, the Old Testament is worthy of our time and study. Although it held adistinct place in redemptive history, which it no longer holds, it still has timelesstruths to be learned and applied. Through it, we might have hope (Rom. 15:4).

*The OT brought us to the New, and the New is where we are introduced to Jesus,

our Savior. Is He your Savior?

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