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Why bother to teach the Old Testament?

Christians naturally gravitate toward the New Testament. It is natural because it is in the New Testament that we find the accounts of Jesus’ life and ministry. It is the New Testament which explicitly defines what the followers of Christ should believe and how they should act. It is the New Testament which tells us about the first disciples and the early church.

The New Testament not only provides the basis for our faith and practice, it also supersedes the Old Covenant. The reason it supersedes it is that Jesus has fulfilled the Old Covenant. The Mosaic Law which defined the terms of the Old Covenant is no longer in force – not because it was annulled or abrogated, but because Jesus fulfilled it. (Yes, that even includes the ‘10 Commandments’!) The New Covenant is based on an entirely different principle – not that of Law, but on a changed personality. That’s what the ‘new birth’ or being ‘born again’ is all about. We do what is right, not because a law tells us to but because, in Christ, we have become a new creature and doing right is the natural thing for that new nature to do. An inherent part of the new creation is a natural desire to do what is right. We are in the process of becoming like Christ, and the more we become like Him, the more natural it is avoid sin and live as God wants us to live.

In view of this fundamental change, many Christians and congregations tend to ignore the Old Testament. While no Christian would say that the Old Testament is unimportant, they often treat it that way in practice. At best they will use a few of the more dramatic incidents to entertain the children in Sunday School.

Others will selectively use a few portions of the Old Testament – typically the first few chapters of Genesis, Proverbs, a few of the Psalms and Isaiah’s prophecies of the coming of the Messiah. They will skim over the rest or overlook it entirely.

However, we tend to forget that the Old Testament was the only Bible the first Christians knew. At first they did not have the gospel accounts in written form. Luke had not yet written his history of the early church. Paul and the other Apostles had not yet written their inspired letters. The Revelation had not yet been given to John.

Not only did the first Christians not have the New Testament, their view of the Old Testament writings was very different than ours often is. Time after time the New Testament writers appealed to the Old to substantiate what they were saying. Not only that, they saw the Old Testament as immanently practical. It could not only lead someone to salvation in Christ, but was also a help in the dilemmas of daily living for God. Paul wrote to Timothy, “...from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:15-17 NIV)

In the middle of his argument that Jesus is superior to Moses, and the New Covenant supersedes the Old, the writer of Hebrews says, “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)

I have found this true in my own experience. Though Christ has fulfilled the Law and it is no longer in force, the Old Testament is still God’s Word and it still lives. While studying the Old Testament I have been amazed at how practical and applicable it is. I have been amazed at the insights we can gain from it. For example, the book of Jonah radically changed my understanding of God’s character and the lengths to which He will go in order to redeem people.

In each of the following lessons, I have tried to point out at least one practical application or lesson we can apply to our lives today. I hope you will be as blessed by these notes as I was in preparing them.