Is It Profitable to Study the Old Testament?
October 10, 2024 | by: Dale Thiele | 0 Comments
Posted in: Pastoral Encouragement
As we study our way through the book of Genesis on Sunday mornings at Oak Hills, I am addressing some common questions here in the Touchpoint. Last week I addressed the question about the historicity of Genesis and the Old Testament. In a nutshell, we considered what Jesus said and believed about the Old Testament. Jesus accepted that the Old Testament was historically true, inspired by God, and authoritative.
Today, let’s address the question of the profitability of studying the Old Testament. There are Christians, even prominent Christian leaders, who have said followers of Christ do not need the Old Testament today. Underneath this claim is bad theology. Those who ignore the Old Testament believe that the God of the Old Testament is different than the God of the New Testament or that God dealt with people in a very different manner in the OT versus the NT. They would believe that Jesus initiated a new era of God’s work and everything prior to Jesus has become irrelevant.
Let me start with the apostle Paul’s statement about the Old Testament. He says in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” Keep in mind that when Paul wrote this letter in the mid 60s, the New Testament was not complete, nor had it been collected together into a single document. Paul’s letters were brought together and circulated by the end of the 1st century, but in his lifetime there was no such thing as a “New Testament.” So, when Paul says, “All Scripture…” he is speaking about the known Scriptures of the time, which we call the Old Testament. Paul says the OT is profitable and needed to equip each of us for every good work. In the prior verse, Paul says the OT is able to make one “wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (v. 15). We would be foolish to dismiss Paul’s affirmation of the Old Testament.
Elsewhere, Paul says the Old Testament was written for our instruction (1 Cor. 10:11) and we gain hope through the encouragement of the OT (Rom. 15:4). Even Jesus says that the Old Testament Scriptures speak about him (Luke 24:27, 44). And I don’t have the space here to highlight all of the times the New Testament writers use the Old Testament Scriptures to explain God, his work, and the salvation achieved through Christ. The New Testament authors would be shocked and appalled to hear so-called followers of Christ say that we do not need the Old Testament.
Taking a cue from Jesus and the New Testament writers, what can we say is the value of studying the Old Testament?
- We see more fully the character and nature of God. John says, “God is love” (1 Jn. 4:8). God already revealed the depth of his character to Moses in Exodus 34:6, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.”
- We learn more fully how to live by faith alone. Hebrews 11 highlights Old Testament saint after Old Testament saint for their lives of faith. Habakkuk 2:4, “The righteous shall live by his faith,” was a foundational truth that sparked the Reformation. Therefore, we do not read the OT looking for examples of great moral strength, but we read the OT looking for examples of weak, sinful people clinging to God and his promises in faith.
- We learn more fully God’s plans. Jesus was not born of a woman on a whim. Paul says in Galatians 4:4 that it was in the “fullness of time” Jesus was born. This speaks about God’s perfect timing and plan for the birth of Jesus. With the help of the Old Testament, we can gain a deeper understanding of the work of Christ.
- With Genesis specifically, we learn of the God’s intended purposes for creation and covenant. God is the creator of all things. God’s design is for the flourishing of his creation. It is our sin and rebellion against his designs that lead into shame and misery. Despite human sin, God covenants to redeem a people from their sin. All of this is established in Genesis and helps us understand humanity, the human fallen condition, and our only hope of rescue.
God’s word is a blessing for God’s people. This includes the Old Testament. Let’s be people who are diligent in our study of the whole counsel of God. “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4).
