I would like to make a confession to you. When I was first approached by our former president and asked to consider teaching at SCC, I was given the option of what department I wanted to teach in and pursue my Masters degree in. My initial thought and personal choice, apart from seeking the Lord in prayer, was the New Testament. After all, we live under the New Covenant. Jesus’ life, His teachings, and the history of the early Church, with its instructions, are all found in the New Testament. Furthermore, we don’t live under the Old Covenant, many things in the Old Testament can be difficult to understand, and let’s not forget that it contains names we can’t pronounce, of people living in places we have never heard of. In short I had an unspoken belief that the New Testament contains all the “good stuff” while the Old Testament was, well, OLD and therefore in some way less important and to an extent irrelevant to the Christian. Then, as I prayerfully considered what area I was going to commit to study and teach here at SCC, it became clear in my spirit that despite my personal inclination to lean toward the New Testament, I was going to study the Old Testament.

Since I began my studies in the Old Testament Scriptures, God has blessed me and grown me beyond my expectations! I see that the New Testament was never intended to replace the Old Testament as literature, but together they make up the Word of God to us. The New Testament writings make it clear that the Old Testament was also meant for the Christian’s instruction and edification1 as Paul states, “For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” (Ro 15:4)

Maybe the greatest benefit I have received by studying the Old Testament is that my understanding of the New Testament Scriptures has also grown. I am now convinced that without a proper understanding of the Old Testament Scriptures you will not be able to grow in depth of knowledge of the New. For example, when the New Testament writers expound on the great doctrine of faith, which is often spoken of as an entirely New Testament teaching, they depend on the Old Testament to illustrate and give understanding to what faith is. When Paul teaches on this great subject in Romans and Galatians he uses Abraham as an example of what it means to be justified by faith. He does this by quoting from Genesis. In both letters he also quotes from the prophet Habakkuk 2:4 to demonstrate that the righteous will live by faith. James also speaks of Abraham and includes an illustration from Rahab’s life found in the Old Testament history book Joshua. The writer of Hebrews also quotes Habakkuk (Heb. 10:38) and then goes on to illustrate the faith that leads “to the preserving of the soul” (10:39) in chapter 11 by listing the deeds of great men and women who lived by faith throughout Old Testament history.

There are some New Testament writings that are so heavily dependent on Old Testament Scriptures that it would be impossible to understand their teachings apart from an understanding of the history and theology of the Old Testament. These include the books of Romans, Hebrews, and Revelation. A quick glance through Romans and Hebrews will reveal the fact that they contain many quotes from, and allusions to, the Old Testament. A conservative estimate is that there are more than five hundred allusions to the Old Testament in the book of Revelation.2 It is very important to remember that these New Testament authors are not calling our attention to the Old Testament as some sort of proof text, or a convenient peg to hang their arguments on. There are principles and ideas that are derived from the Old Testament context that must be applied and considered along with the context of the New Testament. If we fail to do this, we fail to understand the New Testament authors intended meaning.

I have also learned that an understanding of the teachings of Jesus will be enhanced by a careful study of the Old Testament. Such metaphors as the vineyard, the cup, the shepherd, living water, and the bread of heaven (along with many others) all find their roots in the Old Testament. In fact, the life and ministry of Jesus Christ would be an enigma without the Old Testament.

From all that has been said so far it is easy to see that a careful study of the Old Testament will also shed much needed light on many teachings that Christians are in disagreement about; including such things as the end times, Israel, the Church, faith, works, election and covenant just to name a few.

Through my studies I have developed a love for the Old Testament, an awareness of the necessity of studying it for a correct understanding of the New Testament, and a realization of the impact that it is meant to have on the Christian’s life. I pray that I will be able to impart these things to the students God has entrusted to us, so that they will not have an incorrect view of the Old Testament as I once had.

1 See also 1 Cor. 10:6, 11; 1 Peter 1 :12, 2:2; 2 Tim 3:15-17 and 1 Co. 15 1-4

2 Robert Lowery, Revelation’s Rhapsody : Listening to the Lyrics of the Lamb : How to Read the Book of Revelation (Joplin, Mo.: College Press Pub. Co., 2006). 88.