About Jesus Steve Sweetman
The Old Testament Is Our Example
What I’m about to say in the next few chapters I’ve intentionally left to the end of this book. We’ll now turn our attention to the relationship between the Old and New Testaments. The question should be asked, "how do we interpret the Old Testament as New Testament Christians"?
This question is vital because how you interpret the Old Testament will determine much of your Christian belief system and subsequent lifestyle. For example, how you view the Sabbath laws will determine what you do or don’t do on the Sabbath. Or, how you interpret the tithing laws will influence your financial decisions.
I hope to shed some light on this matter because I believe it’s one of the most misunderstood and confusing issues in Christian circles. Some of what I say may be controversial to some people and maybe new for others, but take the time to hear me out. I’m not saying anything that is original to myself, but is an acceptable hermeneutical approach for many Christian scholars.
Some people ignore the Old Testament altogether because they think it doesn’t apply to post cross Christians. They say it was written to Jews, and they’re not Jews.
Others say everything that is written between its covers applies to us and so we better obey or else. These people say that God doesn’t change, and what He said back then still applies to us today.
Then there’s the vast majority of Christians that in my opinion simply pick and choose what they feel applies to them, almost as if it were a matter of personal preference. When it comes right down to it, they’re confused so they make arbitrary decisions concerning what applies and what doesn’t apply.
I think there’s a fundamental way to view the Old Testament that we can build our understanding on. In 1 Cor. 10:11 Paul says that what was written in the Old Testament was written for our example. So before we get thinking of what applies and what doesn’t, think of what is written in the Old Testament as examples for us to learn from.
Take Abraham for example. He’s an example of a man of faith for us to imitate. Then there’s Jonah who ran from God’s will. We don’t want to be swallowed by a big fish so we obey God. It’s as simple as that. If this is all the understanding you have about the Old Testament, then you’re on your way to good hermeneutics, but there are other things to consider that will help answer our question.