Also because folks assume that the OT belongs to the Jews just as the NT belongs to the Christians.
Another reason is the falsehood that EVERYTHING was nailed to the cross. A more thorough reading of teachings in the new testament in the Greek would be very beneficial. In the old testament see the Hebrew words for “throughout your generations” and “forever” in reference to how long we are
To keep Yahovah God’s commandments.
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I agree with almost all of this article. I also like Ligonier Ministries and R. C. Sproul. However, I think the attempt to blame Dispensationalism is misplaced. Dispensationalists see the study of Biblical history as an adjunct to learning about God and the various ways He has dealt with man.
Instead, I would point the finger at replacement theology which sidelines the Jews and teaches that the Church replaces the Jews in all of God’s promises.
“The New Testament lies hidden in the Old and the Old is unveiled in the New” (St. Augustine)
I agree with this article very much.
Growing up my Mother’s Bible had a middle column that tied almost every contextual verse back to its meaning or “reflection” within the Old Testament. I called it a “preacher’s” Bible at the time LOL.
Now I contemplate that old Bible, well over 60 years old and handed down to her grandchild, as an amazing Bible full of the Wisdom and contextual truths.
Too many Christians today like to live in snippets, blurbs, and single of half-line quotes and think they are living in The Word, when in reality they are living in only half the truth. Not so much here on FR, but in the real world and the heresy spouted from the mouths of politicians and liberals one often finds Satan’s misguidance. A few days ago I bumped into a liberal online as we discussed the forced redistribution of wealth through taxation verses Biblical Charity and how one is stealing and the other is Biblically moral.
They threw Proverbs 6:30 at me as proof we are not to punish a poor man who steals, but the verse ends with a semicolon. If one reads Proverbs 6:30-31 one realizes it is actually an admonishment to the poor man, NOT to steal from the rich. Which simply tails back to Thou shalt not covet as a starting point. There the conversation ended as I then was called the holier than thou woman.
So yes in our modern day world of progressive socialism, Pelosi Catholicism, and Islamic christianity it is of true vital importance to not only know the New Covenant, but also the Old Covenant, for within the Old we became renewed by the New. God’s wisdom didn’t die on the Cross, His Wisdom was renewed by the Cross(note the capitalization there).
Dispensationalism tends to highlight OT studies, rather than cause their neglect. Many of the same errors experienced by believers in other dispensations are repeated in this Church Age.
31"Behold, days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, 32not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them," declares the LORD.…
The Old Testament should not be ignored, but if it is to be considered the current "Law of the Land", then Jesus need not have walked the Earth and died for our sins. The prophets need not have prophesied, and we should all be held accountable for being deserving of Salvation by our own merits. Can't have it both ways.
Old school retribution. The Old Testament is dripping with it. It’s a reminder of the price to pay should they disregard the words of the New Testament.
Without the promise to Abraham there would be no sound scriptural basis for gentile Christians.
Matthew 19:17
“Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”
Romans 3:31
“Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.”
It seems to be of opinion of the Christian’s deified rabbi and his student Paul for Christians the Torah (the five books of Moses) was a decent thing to pursue.
Psalm 119:160 “All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal.”
Deuteronomy 4:2 “Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the LORD your God that I give you.”
Deuteronomy 12:32 “See that you do all I command you; do not add to it or take away from it.”
There are a few things that might need to be “re-aligned”, for lack of a better term.
1. You have to get rid of those teaching Dominionism, which is all that ‘new Jerusalem’ stuff. (D’ey’s only duh one and only!)
2. There is the fallacy, even taught among Pentecostals, that there is no need for the OT, except ‘to show where we came from, until the cross’.
3. There is the fallacy, even among Pentecostals, that the Jews have no chance of redemption, but when you look at the OT, and to ‘the letters’, it is written: ‘To the Jew FIRST, and then to the Gentile’.
4. There are too many churches that teach, (sorry) “Christ, yo’ buddy”. (How d’at to be, iffen dah woids ‘Lawd a lawds is d’ere?)
As a child I thought (mistakenly) that the Old Testament God was a cruel and angry God, and that the New Testament portrayed a kind a loving God.
Little did I know at that time how much the Gospel writers and Jesus used the Old Testament in their teachings. Especially Matthew. But all have some quotes.
“4. Dispensationalism: Although unintended, the dispensational division of Scripture into different eras tends to relegate the Old Testament to a minor role in the life of the Church, and of the individual Christian.”
Dispensational theology simply teaches that all the a scripture is for us, but it isn’t all about us.
The best verse-by-verse exposition of the OT I’ve ever heard is from dispensationalists.
The first Bible Study I taught was Exodus. It seemed easy because there was so much history in it.
When it came to teaching Isaiah, though, I had to do a lot more studying and preparation.
Genesis was fairly easy.
So were the Psalms — a two part series.
Women of the Old Testament opened my mind to life in those days.
In other words, I have learned so much from the Old Testament.
I would like to teach Ezekiel and Daniel for I think they tie into the Book of Revelation, which I have taught.
Jesus didn’t have the New Testament. He lived the Old Testament. I also wonder about His ruling of the world as King of Kings, which laws will be enacted. The Old Testament law is the Father’s love for His children. My favorite book- Leviticus. Can’t read the New without the Old. Maybe we should change the name “Old.” The Word is living and timeless.
All my would-be Christian life was unsatisfactory until I visited synagogue and learned Torah and other Jewish literature over the year I spent there.
Thank God.
I’d recommend the experience to any committed Christian.
Catholics have an old testament reading every mass.
And in pre Vatican II days we were told the g rated version of the stories. Given the fact that some of those stories were r rated, that might explain why some churches avoid parts of the OT
Great stuff. I am grateful for pastors, Sunday school teachers & Bible Study Fellowship who taught the Old as much as the New Testament all my life.
I see so much error that could be avoided. One example. People look at just the 4 years of Jesus’ earthly preaching & think the sins most offensive to Him are legalism & hypocrisy. (Or worse. I was once told while visiting a Methodist church that Jesus’ primary message was nonviolence. My head about exploded.)
But the context is Israel had suffered so horrifically due to God’s punishment for their sin of idolatry, they were trying to “build a fence around” the possibility of that ever happening again, which led to the legalism, which led to the hypocrisy. Yes, that was the wrong reaction, but when you know the back story it helps.