This month we are thinking about the value of the Old Testament for us as disciples of Jesus.
Often, we think of the Bible as a two-part book with the emphasis very much on the second part for us, because Jesus has come into the world, died on the cross for our sins and risen again in power and majesty. Why do we still need the 39 books of the Old Testament today?
The answer becomes clearer when we stop thinking about two testaments and concentrate on one Bible. Because there is only one living God, whose nature is unchanging and whose purposes are being fulfilled throughout human history, there is a fundamental unity which binds the whole of the Scriptures together, as one over-arching story. What God promised in the Old Testament we see wonderfully fulfilled in the New. But we need the former Scriptures to teach us so many truths, which then act as keys to a proper understanding of what came later.
