Ask the Pastor with J.D. Greear Is the Old Testament Still Relevant?
Pastor J.D. speaks to the recent claim that Christians should unhitch their faith from the Old Testament and explains why doing so is unwise and untrue to the nature of Scripture.
A glimpse inside this episode:
True: Wrong use of the Old Testament has been a major obstacle to faith.
- Paul in Galatians: Obligating yourself to one part obligates you to all of the law.
- “Some would like to subjugate us to certain parts of the Mosaic Law. But this is not to be permitted under any circumstances. If we permit Moses to rule over us in one thing, we must obey him in all things.” -Martin Luther
- Andy Stanley talks about the problem of mismatching which I agree with.
Throughout history, Christians have found two uses of Old Testament Law:
- Mirror – Reveals where we are sinful
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- 1 Corinthians 7
- Galatians 3
- Awakenings are always built on preaching of the 10 Commandments
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- Guide – After being saved, shows us how to live pleasing to God.
- Jen Wilkin, “When you are an unbeliever, the Law points to your need for grace. When you are a believer, grace points to your need for the Law.”
But should we unhitch from the Old Testament altogether?
- The sacrificial death of Jesus makes very little sense without the history of the sacrificial system.
- Ephesians 6:1
- Stanley says Jesus released into the world a new law: love
- But what does love look like in action?
- Jesus came to fulfill the law not abolish the law.
- 2 Timothy 3:16
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- “All Scripture (referring specifically to the Old Covenant) is breathed out by God and profitable for doctrine (understanding what love really is), for reproof (understanding what it is not), for correction and for training in righteousness (understanding how to live it out), that the man of God may be complete, not lacking in anything.”
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The real problem that “de-converts” have:
- Skeptics’ main objection to Christian faith, in my experience, is not why Christians today borrow from the Old Testament, but how we could ever believe God had said in it the things that he said.
- Plus, they are just as skeptical of the New Testament as the Old (Hello Romans 1!).
- Old Testament and how it pointed to Jesus saved my faith. Same for disciples in Luke 24
And so much more!
What happens when the Bible and humanity collide? Not what you’d expect. Living & Effective, a podcast collaboration between Christianity Today and the Christian Standard Bible, journeys through history, current events, theology, and the human condition to uncover surprising ways the Bible accomplishes God’s plan in the world.”