The Bible Notebook

To some Christians a study of the Old Testament seems largely irrelevant. They mistakenly believe that Jesus has in some way declared the Old Testament null and void. What they fail to recognize is that God is the divine author of both the Old and New Testaments and He is unchanging. Reading what God did in the Old Testament will give meaning to what He has done in the New. The two parts of the Bible are not at odds, but rather they are in fact complimentary.

Rather than nullifying the Old Testament, Jesus claimed to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17). Numerous times throughout His earthly ministry He often quoted from the Old Testament various prophecies concerning Himself and other things. Having an understanding of what was prophesied concerning the Messiah gives a Christian a fuller grasp of what Jesus has done and His significance to the Jews and Gentiles. For instance, both Jesus’ death and resurrection were prophesied long in advance. Knowing this gives added depth to the power of what Jesus has done. In addition to many prophecies, many of the titles ascribed to Christ originate in the Old Testament (i.e. King of kings, Lord of lords, Prince of Peace, the great High Priest, etc.).

In summary, the full meaning of the New Testament cannot be grasped without a solid foundation in the Old. To neglect reading the Old Testament, is almost like neglecting to lay down a solid foundation when building a house. In both cases, without a solid foundation, the house (or the reader’s interpretation of the New Testament) will be crumbling and swaying from time to time.