Dismissing the “Old” Testament – Part 1
Dear Phil,
Where do we get the belief that the Old Testament is ‘old’? Why do people quickly state, ‘That’s Old Testament,’ and dismiss what it says? Correct me if I’m wrong, but the early New Testament church read and studied scripture...which would have been the Old Testament, right?
Tom
Where do we get the belief that the Old Testament is ‘old’? Why do people quickly state, ‘That’s Old Testament,’ and dismiss what it says? Correct me if I’m wrong, but the early New Testament church read and studied scripture...which would have been the Old Testament, right?
Tom
Dear Tom,
The language of “old” covenant comes from Hebrews 8. The author of Hebrews quotes Jeremiah 31:31–34 (the classic passage in which God promises to make a new covenant with his people) and then says, “In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away” (Heb 8:13). The key here is that the “old” covenant isn’t the same thing as the Old Testament. More on that later.
There are at least five common reasons people say “that’s Old Testament”: (1) they have been wrongly taught that what the Old Testament says only applies to us if the New Testament repeats it, (2) they don’t notice the ways the New Testament writers interpreted and applied texts from the Old Testament to New Covenant believers, (3) they don’t know the difference between Torah, law, and covenant/testament, (4) they take Romans 6:14, “You are not under law but under grace,” out of context and apply it to the whole Old Testament, and (5) they misunderstand the meaning of the word “fulfill” in Matthew 5:17. When all five are true, that adds up to a lot of misunderstanding!
First, search the New Testament from Matthew to Revelation, and you will not find a single verse that says anything like the idea that what the Old Testament says only applies to us if the New Testament repeats it. You will find just the opposite: “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” (2 Tim 3:16–17). “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction” (Rom 15:4). “Now these things [in Exodus and Numbers]…were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come” (1 Cor 10:11). “But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing” (James 1:25). And that’s not all (see Rom 3:31; 7:7, 12, 14, 16; 1 Tim 1:8; Heb 3:7–13)!
Second, the authors of the NT directly apply OT passages to New Covenant believers, without caveat or explanation. For example, Ephesians 6:2–3 applies the fifth commandment to believers (Deut 5:16). Romans 13:8–9 applies commandments 6–10 (Exod 20:13–17) as well as the command to love others (Lev 19:18) to believers. In 2 Corinthians 13:1 and 1 Timothy 5:19, Paul requires every testimony to be confirmed by 2 or 3 witnesses on the basis of Deuteronomy 19:15. In 1 Corinthians 9:9 and 1 Timothy 5:18, Paul instructs believers to provide for the material needs of their spiritual teachers on the basis of Deuteronomy 25:4. In Romans 12:19, Paul forbids revenge on the basis of Deuteronomy 32:35. In Hebrews 12:5–6, the author quotes Proverbs 3:11–12 as a direct admonition to NT believers. In Hebrews 13:5, the author quotes Yahweh’s promise in Deuteronomy 31:6 never to leave or forsake His people. In Ephesians 4:26, “Be angry and sin not” directly applies Psalm 4:4 as instruction to NT believers. Peter uses Leviticus 19:2ff to command NT believers, “Be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy’” (1 Pet 1:15–16). And I could keep going.
So, yes, Tom, you’re correct. The NT church read, studied, preached, and applied the OT to their lives. What's even more interesting is that most of the examples I just gave come from OT laws given to Israel in the context of the Mosaic covenant, the very covenant the author of Hebrews said was becoming obsolete and growing old. So, what about the OT is becoming obsolete? I’ll try to explain that along with the relation between Torah, law, and covenant, as well as Romans 6:14 and Matthew 5:17, in future columns.
Blessings,
Phil
The language of “old” covenant comes from Hebrews 8. The author of Hebrews quotes Jeremiah 31:31–34 (the classic passage in which God promises to make a new covenant with his people) and then says, “In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away” (Heb 8:13). The key here is that the “old” covenant isn’t the same thing as the Old Testament. More on that later.
There are at least five common reasons people say “that’s Old Testament”: (1) they have been wrongly taught that what the Old Testament says only applies to us if the New Testament repeats it, (2) they don’t notice the ways the New Testament writers interpreted and applied texts from the Old Testament to New Covenant believers, (3) they don’t know the difference between Torah, law, and covenant/testament, (4) they take Romans 6:14, “You are not under law but under grace,” out of context and apply it to the whole Old Testament, and (5) they misunderstand the meaning of the word “fulfill” in Matthew 5:17. When all five are true, that adds up to a lot of misunderstanding!
First, search the New Testament from Matthew to Revelation, and you will not find a single verse that says anything like the idea that what the Old Testament says only applies to us if the New Testament repeats it. You will find just the opposite: “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” (2 Tim 3:16–17). “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction” (Rom 15:4). “Now these things [in Exodus and Numbers]…were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come” (1 Cor 10:11). “But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing” (James 1:25). And that’s not all (see Rom 3:31; 7:7, 12, 14, 16; 1 Tim 1:8; Heb 3:7–13)!
Second, the authors of the NT directly apply OT passages to New Covenant believers, without caveat or explanation. For example, Ephesians 6:2–3 applies the fifth commandment to believers (Deut 5:16). Romans 13:8–9 applies commandments 6–10 (Exod 20:13–17) as well as the command to love others (Lev 19:18) to believers. In 2 Corinthians 13:1 and 1 Timothy 5:19, Paul requires every testimony to be confirmed by 2 or 3 witnesses on the basis of Deuteronomy 19:15. In 1 Corinthians 9:9 and 1 Timothy 5:18, Paul instructs believers to provide for the material needs of their spiritual teachers on the basis of Deuteronomy 25:4. In Romans 12:19, Paul forbids revenge on the basis of Deuteronomy 32:35. In Hebrews 12:5–6, the author quotes Proverbs 3:11–12 as a direct admonition to NT believers. In Hebrews 13:5, the author quotes Yahweh’s promise in Deuteronomy 31:6 never to leave or forsake His people. In Ephesians 4:26, “Be angry and sin not” directly applies Psalm 4:4 as instruction to NT believers. Peter uses Leviticus 19:2ff to command NT believers, “Be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy’” (1 Pet 1:15–16). And I could keep going.
So, yes, Tom, you’re correct. The NT church read, studied, preached, and applied the OT to their lives. What's even more interesting is that most of the examples I just gave come from OT laws given to Israel in the context of the Mosaic covenant, the very covenant the author of Hebrews said was becoming obsolete and growing old. So, what about the OT is becoming obsolete? I’ll try to explain that along with the relation between Torah, law, and covenant, as well as Romans 6:14 and Matthew 5:17, in future columns.
Blessings,
Phil