Old Testament Christians

My pocket New Testament is missing something.

I remember thinking at one point how handy it would be for a pocket New Testament to contain the book of Genesis as well, since the creation account, the fall of man, and the life of Abraham are foundational to New Testament teaching. I later thought that it would be equally useful to go ahead and include the first five books of the Bible, since Moses, the Israelites, and the Exodus are referred to quite often. But there is still something missing.

It would be also equally useful to include the book of Isaiah, since the New Testament writers refer back to those prophecies so much. In fact, much of the New Testament actually refers to various Old Testament prophecies, so perhaps this new "mini-Bible" should contain at least all the prophets as well.

Since the Psalms are there already we may as well toss in Proverbs too if it is not there already. Lastly, most examples of faithful living are found in the Old Testament, and so perhaps those examples should be included too (Rom. 15:4; 1 Cor. 10:11). My "mini-Bible" now contains the same 66 books as the original!

Indeed, the Old and New Testaments go together like a hand and glove, or rather, a man and His shadow (Col. 2:17; Heb. 10:1).

1. We often use the phrase "New Testament Christians" to describe that a true follower of Christ conducts his or her life, and worships God, according to what has been revealed in the New Testament. The laws of the Old Testament are not to be practiced by Christians today (Eph. 2:15; Col. 2:14; Heb. 8:13).
2. At the same time, "New Testament Christians" acknowledge that there are things written for our learning (Rom. 15:4) and example (1 Cor. 10:11; Heb. 11), and that we should not just throw out the Old Testament.
3. Read 2 Tim. 3:14-15. Paul told Timothy that the Scriptures that he had known from childhood (Old Testament) were able to make him wise for salvation, and that those same Scriptures were not only inspired by God, but profitable to make the man of God "complete" (2 Tim. 3:16-17). The Old Testament is important!
4. One of the most important things in the Old Testament is prophecy that has been fulfilled in the New Testament.
   • Consider how Christ and the apostles made heavy use of the Old Testament to prove the things they were teaching (Matt. 21:42; 22:29; Lk. 24:44-47; Acts 18:28; 1 Cor. 15:3).
   • The impact of the New Testament on our lives will be magnified as we learn more about how it fulfills Old. The Old is the New concealed and the New is the Old revealed (Rom. 16:25-26).
5. With these things in mind, I would like to consider that while we need to be "New Testament Christians" as far as what we practice, we need to also be "Old Testament Christians" as well.
6. The Old Testament says a great deal about the Savior, but what does it say about the saved? What does it mean to be an "Old Testament Christian"?

1. Knowledgeable

   1. "They all shall know Me" (Jer. 31:34; Heb. 8:11-12)
      1. We must know God before becoming Christians (Rom. 10:17; Jer. 31:34; Heb. 8:11)
         1. The Jews were part of the old covenant at birth, without any knowledge of God (Ex. 12:48)
         2. A Christian must first know God (cf. Joel 3:17) and be born again (Jn. 3:3-5)
         3. We do not have to know everything, otherwise nobody would be a Christian
            1. Example: Timothy was a Christian (Acts 16:1; 1 Tim. 1:2), but did not know everything (1 Tim. 3:15)
            2. Example: The Colossians were Christians (Col. 1:2), but Paul prayed that they be filled with more knowledge (Col. 1:9)
            3. Example: 3000 on Pentecost heard and obeyed the same day (Acts 2)
         4. What do we need to know?
            1. You have sinned: God exists (Rom. 1:20), He has revealed how He wants you to live (2 Pet. 1:3; Mic. 6:8), you have sinned against Him (Rom. 3:23; 1 Jn. 3:4), your sin severs your relationship with Him (Isa. 59:2; Rom. 6:23), and will be punished (Matt. 25:46; Rev. 20:14)
            2. How to be forgiven: Jesus is the way to reconciliation (Jn. 3:16; 8:24; 14:6; Rom. 5:6-10), so do what He says (Heb. 5:9; Jn. 3:3-5)
               1. Believe and be baptized (Mk. 16:16)
               2. Repent and be baptized (Acts 2:37-38)
               3. Confess and be baptized (Acts 8:36-38)
            3. Born again = new life (Rom. 6:4) = obeying truth (Spirit) leading to baptism (water) for forgiveness of sins (1 Pet. 1:22-23) = member of the church (Acts 2:47; cf. 1 Cor. 12:13; Eph. 1:22-23; Col. 1:18)
      2. Do the best we can with the knowledge we have (1 Jn. 1:7)
         1. Born again and then do our best to grow up (2 Pet. 3:18; Eph. 5:17; Jn. 7:17; Matt. 5:6).
         2. "I will put My law in their minds" (Jer. 31:33; Heb. 8:10; 2 Cor. 3:2-3; Jas. 1:21). Study (2 Tim. 2:15).
         3. Have Bible reasons for what you believe and why (Rom. 10:17; 1 Pet. 3:15).
   2. If a person is not knowledgeable about the Lord, then they are not the like the people foretold in the Old Testament.

2. Committed

   1. "Many people shall come and say 'Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord'" (Isa. 2:3; cf. Psalm 122:1)
   2. "Your people shall be volunteers" (Psalm 110:3)
      1. Christians want to serve God (Jn. 7:17; Matt. 5:6)
      2. Nobody is forced to obey God (Rev. 3:20)
      3. If God does not force us to obey Him, we should be careful about forcing others
         1. We should encourage others and try to convince them of the truth (2 Tim. 4:2; Jas. 5:20), but know when to let them go.
         2. "Shake the dust off our feet" in the case of a non-Christian (cf. Matt. 10:14; Acts 13:51)
         3. Exercise discipline in the case of the Christian (Matt. 18:15-17; Rom. 16:17; 1 Cor. 5; 2 Thes. 3:14-15).
         4. Trying to force someone to believe what we do can make us discouraged and cause more harm than good.
   3. Christianity is a personal commitment
      1. Sin is between the individual and God (Isa. 59:2), therefore so is salvation (Phi. 2:12), no riding coattails
      2. All Christians have equal access to God
      3. No special clergy to speak to God on our behalf. All are priests (Isa. 66:21; 1 Pet. 2:5, 9; Rev. 1:6; 5:10; 20:6)
      4. Personal sacrifice and diligence is required (Rom. 12:1; 2 Tim. 2:15; Heb. 4:11; cf. Heb. 11:6)
   4. We need to commit to working out our relationship with God and our fellow man (Matt. 22:37-40; Rom. 12:18).
   5. If a person is not committed to the Lord, then they are not like the people foretold in the Old Testament.

3. Peaceful

   1. "Neither shall they learn war anymore" (Isa. 2:4; Mic. 4:3-4; cf. Hos. 2:18)
      1. Christians use what they have to pursue peace (Rom. 12:18)
      2. "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God" (Matt. 5:9; Jas. 3:18)
   2. "The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb" (Isa. 11:6-9; 65:17-25)
      1. In the church, natural enemies dwell in peace.
         1. We see this first hand in the New Testament with Jews and Gentiles (Eph. 2:15), but also all around us today.
         2. Christians come from all walks of life, and are as different as wolves and lambs.
         3. If it were not for the church, many of us would never have associated with each other under any other circumstance.
      2. This does not mean there are not some difficulties
         1. In the midst of difficulty, Christians work together toward peaceful solutions (Rom. 8:6; 14:19; Heb. 12:14; 1 Pet. 3:11)
         2. Peaceful solutions are found in the Word of God (Rom. 15:33; 1 Cor. 14:33; cf. Gal. 6:16)
         3. We do not throw truth out the window in the name of peace, but rather let the truth guide us toward peace (Jn. 8:31-32; 1 Cor. 1:10; Eph. 4:3; Jn. 16:13; 1 Cor. 2:10-13; e.g., Matt. 7:1-5; 18:15-17; Rom. 14)
         4. The ability to work toward peace hinges on knowledge and commitment.
      3. Only the true religion of God can bring peace to the world (cf. Isa. 9:6)
         1. Unfortunately, the world rebels against God, and therefore peace does not come (Matt. 10:34)
         2. The church is to be distinct from the world (1 Pet. 2:9)
         3. We do not see peace in the world, so we ought to see it in the church (Jn. 16:33)
   3. If all the church does is argue and complain, then they are not the people foretold in the Old Testament, nor are they those described in the New.

Conclusion

When the Old Testament prophesies of God's people, is it talking about you? These are the ones God forgives (Jer. 31:33-34).

Are you peaceful? Are you committed to serving God? Are you knowledgeable? You don't have to be a scholar, but are you striving to know more about God each and every day?

If you're not yet a Christian, have you heard enough of the Word of God to develop a faith that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (Rom. 10:17; Jn. 3:16)? Are you willing to repent of your sins and commit your life to Him? Are you willing to confess your faith right now, and be immersed in water for the forgiveness of sins, and be "born again"? (Acts 2:38)