Bible Study Tools: The Old Testament Came Before the New

“Well, that’s something I didn’t know,” says every Bible reader (sarcastically, of course). I’m not trying to insult your intelligence, but sometimes every Bible reader and student of Scripture needs this reminder. The average person that sits in the pew on Sunday has been taught to associate the Bible with Jesus or the Gospels. Want to test this theory? Ask 100 church members (from another church) the question: “what is the Bible all about?” Most answers will probably sound like you asked them a question about only the New Testament. Let me be careful to say, I am extremely and eternally grateful for the New Testament and I am in no way being critical of it. What I am saying, however, is that three-quarters of the Bible is the Old Testament, and only one-quarter makes up the New Testament. Why is it then that most of the teaching from the pulpits all over the world come mainly from the New Testament?

Ignorance of the Old Testament is the best way to completely miss the meaning of the New Testament. Since the Old Testament came before the New Testament, it was the Bible of the Apostles, Jesus, and early Christians. Since the Old Testament came before the New Testament, every New Testament doctrine has its roots in the Old Testament. Since the Old Testament came before the New Testament, the Old Testament is used to interpret the New (not the other way around). In one way or another, every New Testament page refers back to the Old Testament. The Old Testament is the context for the New Testament! I hope you’re getting my point.

In a nutshell, without a basic understanding of the purpose and theology of the Old Testament, the New Testament will be fuzzy at best. It’s like reading the second half of a book; it might make a little bit of sense, but you know that something big is missing from the storyline. When you begin to grasp the purpose and theology of the Old Testament (even in a child-like fashion), the New Testament will be clear and coherent, not fuzzy and faded. Remember, sometimes the most important keys for Bible reading and Bible study are hidden in plain sight.