What About the Old Testament?—No. 6

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            If people who have lived since the crucifixion of Christ are no longer under the Law of Moses (Cor. 2:14; Heb. 9:15–17, etc.), what profit is there in its continued study? Unfortunately, when the Bible doctrine is stressed that the Law of Moses is no longer in effect, some people jump to the unwarranted conclusion that we are teaching that it is of no profit to us anymore. Nothing could be further from the truth! There are several reasons why Old Testament studies will always be needed.

1. Its record of God’s dealing with men from the very beginning is indispensable. Think how deprived we would be if we did not have the account of creation, the story of Noah and his ark, the faith of Abraham, the record of the giving of the Law on Sinai and all the subsequent history of the Israelites!
2. It is a “tutor” to bring us unto Christ (Gal. 3:24). Through reading and understanding the Old Testament, we come to understand all the intricate plans God made to bring His Son into the world to be its Redeemer. Without this knowledge, our faith in both God and Christ would be less than it could be and ought to be.
3. It increases our faith and confidence in God. The many prophecies that it contains, which are fulfilled in detail, some of them hundreds of years after they were spoken, served as weighty evidence of God’s existence and His care for mankind.
4. It is from the same source as the New Testament—the Holy Spirit (2 Pet. 1:21). The fact that God provided the Old Testament record through His spokesman of the past gives that record an intrinsic value above any other kind of literature. It is as much God’s inspired Word as is the New Testament, although we are not under its authority. Much of the New Testament could not be understood if we did not have the Old Testament.

Let us study the Old Testament for these and other good reasons., all the while remembering we do not live under its terms and will not be judged by it.

[Note: I wrote this article for, and it was published in the “Bible Thoughts” Column for the Hood County News, Granbury, Texas, November 27, 1977.]

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