There are many people today (some of them claiming to be Christian) who talk about irreconcilable differences they see between the Old and New Testaments. They argue that the Old Testament is outdated and out of touch with the realities of modern life. Some go so far as to say that Christians should unhitch from the Old Testament and just focus on the message of the New. However, the New Testament wouldn’t even be possible without the Old Testament. Because one of the ways it reveals the person and work of Christ is by showing how he fulfills all the promises made by God in the Old Testament: Promises that were made for both Jews and Gentiles alike. Scholars say that the New Testament’s authors quote or allude to the Old Testament at least 900 times. That is why together these two Testaments demonstrate a unified message that progressively reveals God’s plan of redemption.

This truth is made clear for us through Jesus’ words after His resurrection when He was talking to two of his disciples on the road to Emmaus: “Wasn’t it clearly predicted that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering his glory?” 27 Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:26-27) In these verses, Luke powerfully captures for us the way that Jesus interpreted the Old Testament: He did not read it as an outdated book written for Israel alone. He read it as a unified testimony pointing to Himself. That is why it is important for us to take the time necessary to study the whole Bible, learning how the foundations laid by the Old Testament Law and Prophets provide a solid building block for the Gospel message of hope in the New Testament.

In His Service,

Pastor Steve