The relationship between the Christian and the Law of Moses or, more broadly the Old Testament, has been a subject of confusion and controversy since the church began. The letters of Romans and Galatians deal extensively with the question while various other passages also touch on the subject.
To be clear, the writer of Hebrews says emphatically, “When He said, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear” (8:13). Please note that the Covenant through Moses with Israel, made at Mount Sinai, was good for the purpose for which God designed it (Rom. 7:12). What it was not designed to do was to take away the problem of sin, permanently, and create a basis for a new relationship with God. Of course, this new basis of a relationship, through the blood of Jesus Christ, is open and available to all people, of all time, everywhere. That necessitated the abrogation of the Law of Moses.
But, we still come back to the question – What should we do with the Old Testament? Our first point of emphasis is that the Old Testament is still the word of God. As such, it is still living and active (Hebrews 4:12). It would be outrageous to tear 2/3 of the text out of our Bibles! God still speaks.
Secondly, the New Testament writers clearly believed the Old Testament still had binding authority, yes even for Christians, as they quoted the OT around 300 times and alluded to the OT nearly 1,000 times! If the Old Testament provides collaborating testimony to a New Testament principle, then it is still relevant today.
When the Old Testament speaks about the nature of God, it speaks the truth. Its theology is still binding.
When the Old Testament speaks about the nature of man, it speaks the truth. Its anthropology is still binding.
When the Old Testament speaks about the plan of salvation, it speaks the truth. Its soteriology is still binding.
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When the Old Testament speaks about the nature of sin and its consequences, it speaks the truth. Its hamartiology is still binding.
When the Old Testament speaks about the coming Kingdom, it speaks the truth. Its ecclesiology is still binding.
When the Old Testament points us to the coming Messiah, it speaks the truth. Its Christology is still binding.
Of course, the Old Testament is full of examples of faithful men and women who lived righteous (albeit imperfect) lives and they encourage and instruct us as well. The Old Law shows us the unfolding of God’s plan to redeem man: The salvation of man through Jesus Christ to the glory of God. The Old Law shows us that time is not cyclical. It is linear, moving toward a culminating point, not just to Jesus but the clock is now winding down. The plan is moving toward consummation.
Yet, to reemphasize the point – we are under a new covenant, based on the once-and-for-all sacrifice of Jesus Christ. It is He that we must follow and obey today, in order to be saved.
–Paul Holland
