Scripture to Read: Matthew 5:17
There are people today who say the Old Testament is irrelevant or no longer needed. The major problem with that type of thinking is that it undermines the entire gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. If there is no study of God’s Law in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, then we’ll never understand why Christ had to sacrifice His life for the full payment of sin. Without an understanding of the book of Genesis, we’ll never fully comprehend how God created us in His image, how sin entered this world, why sin results in death, that creation was six literal days, why the flood came, and so many other biblical truths. Without an understanding of the prophets, the Psalms, the book of Proverbs, and the rest of the Old Testament, we’ll never fully know why Christ is our wisdom (Colossians 2:3), all of the prophecies fulfilled by our Lord Jesus Christ, or all that Christ fulfilled for every human being by coming here and laying down His life for all. So, reading, studying, and memorizing the Old Testament is just as important as doing the same with the New Testament. Our Lord Jesus Christ is revealed throughout the Old Testament, and though the prophets of the Old Testament did not know when Christ would come in the flesh, they searched diligently to know. God shows us this in 1 Peter 1:10–12. God used the prophets to give us His Truth about Christ so we would know that Christ is the King of all kings and the Lord of all Lords.
Challenge & Application
· Why is it just as important to understand the fullness of the Old Testament as it is the New Testament?
· How had God used the Old Testament to teach you about the fullness of Christ?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!