Old Testament

Our last discussion on the Old Testament centered on the fact that it is a type of things to come.  The Old Testament is full of types and symbols pointing to what was to come, namely, the Lord Jesus Christ.

The main reference scripture was John 5:39-40.  While speaking to the Jews of the time, Jesus said, “ye search the scriptures; for in them ye think you have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.  And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.”  The only scripture they had in Jesus time was the Old Testament.  He said they, the Old Testament, spoke of him.  That is why to this day, the Jews are still looking for Messiah, they refused to enter into the New Covenant, Jesus Christ the Messiah, and receive life.  The Old Testament is but a portrait of Jesus, but Jesus is found in the New Testament.

The New Testament is where your life is.  Jesus is your life.  If you live in the Old Testament you are living under the law. “You who have been trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ.  You have fallen away from Grace.” (Galatians 5:4)   Law = Old Testament and Grace = New Testament.  The Old Testament provides the letter of intellectual awareness, but the power of God through the New Testament enables us to partake of the benefits of being one with God.

Hebrew 10:1, “For the law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming – not the realities themselves.  For this reason it (the law) can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect (mature) those who draw near to worship.”  Verse 3, “But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins…”  The Old Testament is a constant reminder that we need a savior.  If we belong to Christ, we should be establishing a close relationship with the Savior, by getting to know him.  The whole purpose of the Law was to show us that we are not capable of keeping it.  If we could keep it, then we would not need a Savior.  Without the Law there would be no sin.  Without sin there is no sinner.  Without sinners there is no need for deliverance.  If there is no need for deliverance there would be no need for Jesus to die for you and me.

The New Testament teaches us how to access the Grace of God.  It teaches us how to live, as those who are no longer under the law but under grace.  The law will always be relevant but we are to be led by the Spirit (New Testament) and not be driven by the law (Old Testament).  Yes, sin drives, and until we develop a relationship with Jesus we can never be led by His Spirit.  The purpose of this short study is to encourage my brothers and sisters to desire to grow in grace.  You can only grow in grace by becoming like Christ.  To become like Christ you need to study the New Testament.

The men, who walked with Jesus and learned how to live spiritually, wrote letters to us, the church.  The letters are to help us to grow up (mature) in Christ.  It is the New Testament truths that transform us.  So it is essential to read those letters and glean the truths that are there, and allow ourselves to be taught by the Holy Spirit.

In Ephesians, Paul emphasizes the unity of the church.  Jew and gentiles are now one body.  Paul explains that the church is like a body with Christ as the head; the church is like a building with Christ as the cornerstone; the church is like a wife with Christ as the husband.  The main thought of Philippians is the all-sufficiency of Christ in any circumstance, good or bad.  Christ is the very meaning of life and death.(1:20-21)  In Colossians, Paul stresses that spirituality is not achieved by self-centered efforts to control the passions, but by putting on Christ, setting one’s affections on Him, and so stripping off all that is contrary to His will (2:20).  These are things that we need to know and understand in order to become like our Lord and Savior.

Shalom!

Rosita