When Backward is Forward
To avoid reading the Old Testament is to miss out on both rich theology and the infectious excitement of discovering the details of the merciful Master plan for our salvation. I often long to share important elements of Old Testament Scripture with Christians who routinely consider its contents to be little more a “history lesson” and turn exclusively to the New Testament for “in-depth” or “serious” Bible study. Without a doubt, we are free of the responsibility to eat food, purify ourselves and offer animal sacrifices for our sin today because Christ fulfilled those Old Testament laws for us through His death and resurrection; however, we remain bound to the underlying principles set forth in them. Author and Bible scholar Grant Osborne drives this point home by reminding us that “we need holiness and a proper relationship with God as much as [Old Testament Israel] did. The legal regulations properly understood help us center on those critical areas of [principle] in our Christian life.”
No Comments