The Old Testament and Jesus

Mature Christians neither ignore nor discount the Old Testament. True, we are not living under the Law of Moses, but living by grace through the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. But that doesn't mean that we reject what God has chosen to be recorded as the accounts of how He interacted with the children of Israel. As Christ's followers, we are pointed by Jesus himself back into the Old Testament to see that he was promised to the world through the people of Israel. The Old Testament stories are part of the story of Christ. Thus they are part of our story. There was a time in our life when we were ignorant of the Old Testament. It was boring and irrelevant to us. But that changed as we draw near to Christ. We learned from him that the Old Testament law, prophets and writings point ahead to him. Eventually we come to know the ways in which God made Himself known throughout the Old Testament. We see connections between the Old and New Testaments. We see that God never changes. We see grace and love and judgment throughout the Scripture, not just in parts. As a result, we are more fully equipped to make disciples and help others come to know and love Christ. We are able to talk about the whole of Scripture because we know all of it, not just some favorite select parts and pieces.

Growth towards Christian maturity

The Old Testament is Irrelevant

Apart from Christ, without the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, the Old Testament makes no sense to us. Perhaps we have heard some of the stories, but we see no connection between them and Christ. We cannot see how they point to Jesus and find their fulfillment in him. We have no interest or knowledge of the larger story of God's redemption and human sin. We see the Old Testament as outdated, boring, and irrelevant. But that is because we have not looked at them in light of Jesus Christ. We have not encountered Christ in them. We are blind to the truth that it reveals about God. The prophecies that it contains are neither understood nor believed.

From Jesus' Own Lips

For those who go on towards maturity in Christ, there is a point in which we begin learning about Jesus. Eventually we move from learning about Jesus to following him and learning from him. In reading through the New Testament we find references to passages from the Old Testament that the early church claims refer to Jesus. At first we may not grasp the significance of these references. We don't make a connection between Jesus and what the prophets said which his disciples drew from. But as we spend time with him we hear him referencing the law and the prophets. We hear him say that all of them point to him. He tells those who heard him during his day, and us in our day, that the reason people reject him is because they don't believe the prophets. They don't believe Moses. Thus, they don't believe God, for He is the one who has spoken through them and promised the Christ. It is Jesus himself who points us to the Old Testament and encourages us to see him within the unfolding history of God's people.

Intrigued to Explore

Embracing the Connections

Finding Jesus in the Old Testament

Grasping God's Whole Story

Our growing in the knowledge and love of Christ leads to our seeking to discover for ourselves the ways in which the Old Testament points to Jesus. As his disciples we want to understand the Scriptures that specifically point to him. Exploring the Old Testament also helps us see how God demonstrated His love for the world through the people of Israel. The greater awareness we gain comes as the Holy Spirit enables us to see Jesus in these Scriptures. As we grow in our knowledge of the Old Testament, our knowledge and love of God increases. By encountering Jesus in the Old Testament, the New Testament makes even more sense to us. We recognize that the view that some people have of God being different between the Old and New Testaments is completely false. He is the same God. He expresses His love to those who believe Him and wrath on those who reject Him throughout the whole of Scripture. We grow in our knowledge and love of God and are better able to communicate the truth of Christ. As we study the Scriptures to show ourselves approved, the Holy Spirit reveals more insights and we make connections that we didn't see before. As a result, we encounter the glory of God and see more of His majesty. We are better equipped to disciple others, helping them come to know Christ and to grow in faith. We recognize that the whole of Scripture is God's story. Now we can draw from His entire story to help people see the reality of humanity's fallen condition and our need for Christ. Thus, being a mature Christian includes seeing Jesus in both the Old and New Testaments. It involves our being able to pass on the truth revealed through all of the Bible to those whom would also be his disciples.