I. INTRODUCTION
A. Are we Christians? Do we want to follow Jesus and do what He
says, go where He leads, follow His example and enter the life
He has to offer? (EBH, p.37)
B. How can I be a true follower of Christ? By reading the Bible
and discovering what He would have me to know and do.
1. First I find out that He claims to be deity and the only true
earthly connection between man and God.
2. Second I learn that He is the culmination of centuries of God's
revelation through the Old Testament.
C. In seeking the authority of Jesus, I am led to accepting the
authority of the Bible.
D. We cannot literally go back in time to be on-the-scene eyewitnesses
of the life and times of Jesus Christ. Secular historians of the
time do not give a full indication (and many times not even a
true indication) of who Jesus really was. To find the revelation
of Christ we must turn to the New Testament.
E. Jesus intended for us to come to Him through a written record
of His words and the words of His authorized and inspired NT writers.
The NT church was founded on the teaching of these inspired agents
and if we wish to restore and be members of that church we must
turn to their teachings as well. (Read: 1 Jn. 1:1-4)
II. DISCUSSION
A. The Bible of Jesus - The Old Testament
* The writers of the Bible in general and the NT specifically
were "guided unto all truth by the Holy Spirit." (Jn
14:26; 15:26; 16:13-15)
* If we accept the authority of Jesus and His designated, inspired
by the Holy Spirit NT writers, then we are obligated to accept
the Old Testament as well. If God's own Son accepted the OT as
scripture, can we do any less?
1. Teaching -
a. Mt. 5:17,18; Jn. 10:35; Lk. 24:44.
b. Jesus used some of His harshest words for those who perverted
the OT by means of their human traditions (Mk. 7:1-13)
2. Appeal - Note the constant appeal to the OT by Jesus. (Mt.
12:3-7; 21:16; 22:32,44). Jesus used the OT as authority in settling
arguments whether with men or the devil Himself! In His final
agony on the cross, it was words from the OT that passed His lips.
(Mt. 4:4,7,10; Mk. 15:34; Lk. 23:46 quoting from the Psalms)
3. Quotations - It is while teaching His disciples that Jesus
most frequently quotes and refers to the OT. See Mt. 24:29-31.
These three verses draw words from at least seven OT passages
including Isaiah (3), Daniel (1), Zechariah (2), and Deuteronomy
(1). [Isa. 13:10; 34:4; 27:13; Dan. 7:13; Zech. 12:12; 2:6; Deut.
30:4]
4. Fulfillment -
a. But, Jesus' use of the OT goes beyond using the language -
it involves the content. His central ethical rules mirror those
of the OT. His difference of opinion with the scribes and Pharisees
was a result their false interpretation of the OT and their reliance
on their traditions rather than any disagreement with the OT itself.
(Mt. 19:18-19; 22:37-40; Lev. 19:18; see also the Sermon on the
Mount, Mt. 5-7)
b. His own role in God's plan is to fulfill the OT. He made this
point very clear to His disciples after His resurrection (Lk.
24:27).
c. His fulfillment of these OT prophecies was not accidental or
happenstance, but a plan foreordained by the Godhood from before
the beginning of earth-time. See 1 Pet. 1:20,21. (Mt. 26:54; Mk.
9:12-13; 14:21,27; Lk. 4:21; 18:31; 22:37; 24:44-47)
d. For the Christian then, then OT is the unqualified authoritative
word of God. Jesus believed, endorsed, obeyed, and fulfilled the
OT. We as His followers must never be guilty of taking these scriptures
lightly or ignoring them to our own detriment.
B. The New Testament Endorses the Old
1. When Paul told Timothy, "All scripture is inspired of
God," that scripture included the OT. It was God who spoke
through the prophets, the holy men of God who spoke as they were
moved by God; therefore the OT is the message of God. (Heb. 1:1;
2 Pet. 1:21; 2 Tim. 3:16; Rom. 3:2)
2. The NT does not distinguish between what God says and Scripture.
"When we as Christians set our own ways and our inherited
traditions above the OT and NT scriptures we part company with
the Lord and the apostles, and cut ourselves off from the one
source of the knowledge of God." [EHB, p.41, Richard France]
III. CONCLUSION - Dealing With Problems
A. The interpretation and application of Bible teaching poses problems. Where we as Christians differ as to interpretation, our aim must be to resolve those differences with the Bible, using careful and rigorous study. We must find out what the relevant passages really mean and if they apply to us today. Then we must accept God's word for what it is and obey it.
B. Are we convinced in our own minds that the Bible is God's authority for us today? Are we willing to hold our lives up beside it as the scriptural, authoritative, measuring stick?
C. In our systematic Bible study set for the years 2002-2004 we will spend 18 months studying the OT. Are we willing to give that much time and effort to a Testament that many Christians feel says nothing to us today? We are, if we realize what we can glean from it is indeed God's Word. To think that any of God's word is not a subject for worthwhile study should cause one to pause - then think again!
[Adapted from "Jesus Christ and the Bible" by Richard France, Eerdmans' Bible Handbook, pp. 37-41.]