The Authority of the Old Testament

 

The question of Old Testament authority is important because this will determine how we study the OT and what attitude we bring to it.

It’s also important to begin with this question because the authority of the OT has been challenged throughout church history.

As early as the 2^nd century A.D. a heretic named Marcion advocated the removal of the OT from the Christian Bible, saying that it no longer applies to the church. Ever since then, there have been people who, in the spirit of Marcion, have challenged the authority of the OT.

This is especially true since the so called “Enlightenment” in the 18^th century, when human reason, rather than divine revelation, was elevated as the source of truth. At that time there was a revolution in Biblical studies that began in Germany and spread through Europe and on to America, bearing the idea that the Bible should be studied like any other book, and be subject to scholarly criticism like any other human writing. The first portion of the Bible to come under this attack was the OT, specifically the Pentateuch. This challenge to the historicity and reliability of the OT culminated in the 19^th century in what became known as The Documentary Hypothesis, which says that various unknown authors wrote the Pentateuch much later than Moses, and that much of the OT as we know it was not written or compiled until after the Babylonian exile in the 6^th century B.C. Since then, critical scholarship of the OT in the academic world has operated on this assumption.

 

Even in evangelical churches where the doctrine of Dispensationalism has taken root, the OT is not attributed its proper authority. Dispensationalism makes a radical division between the OT and NT, even saying that the doctrine of salvation between the testaments has changed, and that the OT was for Israel but the NT is for the church. Consequently, the OT is not as highly valued or as often used as the NT in Dispensational churches.

All of this adds up to something of a crisis in the realm of OT theology. One author, Bernhard Anderson, put it very bluntly when he said, “The very meaning of the Christian faith hangs on the question of the authority of the OT.” This may sound like an overstatement, but in one sense it is right. The differences between liberalism, Dispensationalism, and Reformed theology can be traced back to our view of the authority of Scripture, and indeed, the authority of the OT.

So, we must defend the authority of the OT as the Word of God.

What do we say, in particular, to the liberal critics who view the OT as merely a human writing that is subject to human errors? How can we respond so confidently that we know the OT is the Word of God?

 

There are, of course, many reasons to believe that the ancient Hebrew Scriptures are inspired by God and have divine authority.

· Subject matter: the glorious doctrine of the living and true God, the creator of heaven and earth; the fall of mankind into sin; and the wondrous plan of redemption. These exalted subjects, related with such clarity and authority, have no parallel in human writing.

· The bold claims of divine inspiration.

· The doctrinal agreement and overall unity of the OT.

· The astounding preservation of the OT over thousands of years, and the historical witness of the church, and the thousands of martyrs who chose to die rather than repudiate its claims.

· Our knowledge of the ancient world through history and archaeology provides much testimony to the truthfulness of the Bible.

· These and other things testify to the OT as the Word of God, but the full persuasion and assurance that it is the Word of God comes from the work of the Holy Spirit bearing witness to the Word in our hearts by the grace of God. (Spiritual things are spiritually discerned).

So, ultimately, we approach the Bible by faith, believing that it is the Word of God. That is our presupposition, and we must acknowledge it plainly, without excuse and without apology. The unbelieving critics of the Bible may claim to be objective and scientific in their criticism of the OT, but they also begin with presuppositions: there is no God, thus the Bible cannot be His word, and therefore the OT is a collection of fallible human writings. If that is their agenda, then they are no more objective or credible than those who approach the Bible as the Word of God by faith. Everyone approaches the Bible from some standpoint, either with faith or without it. There is no use trying to hide this fact; we must state clearly and plainly that we approach the Bible with faith in the God who is revealed by the Bible.

But, how do we answer those who would say that the OT, while useful for ancient Israel, is not as authoritative as the NT for the church today? This theology, known as Dispensationalism, claims that Christianity is a NT phenomenon, and that the OT is superseded by the NT in Christian faith and life.

We may even find this tendency to devalue the OT in our churches and in our own faith. Many pastors find it easier to teach and preach from books like Philippians and Romans rather than Leviticus and Numbers. And, to be honest, most of us in our daily devotions do not gravitate toward books like Nahum and Chronicles. The OT holds its interpretive difficulties, and perhaps this makes us tend to shy away from it.

So, it is important that affirm the place and importance of the OT in Christian faith and life.

Certainly the testimony of Christ Himself reminds us of the weight of the OT.

· Luke 24:44 (Law, Prophets, Psalms testify to Him)

· Luke 16:17 (Heaven/earth pass away before Law)

· Matt 5:17 (Not destroy but fulfill)

· Heb 1:1,2; I Pe 1:10-11; II Pe 1:21

Consider II Tim. 3:16-17 – “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

• “All Scripture” = OT. (in context that is the main referent Paul had immediately in mind)
• Theopneustos – a predicate adjective – “God breathed”
• Ophelimos – “profitable” 4 things:

· Doctrine. OT exclusively expresses some cardinal doctrines.

· Reproof – elegmos – has in view a divine appeal to sinful man to turn from sin to the Savior. The gospel is in view; see also vs. 15 “wise for salvation”

· Correction – epanorthosin – set straight, correct, perfect. Idea of sanctification is in view.

· Instruction (paidea) in righteousness – pais is “child” and paidea has in view “bringing to maturity.”

· Purpose – complete (artios/shalom), equip for every good work.

• II Tim. 3:16 is in context of effective ministry; OT is an essential part.
• Authority of OT is literal (God-breathed) and practical (salvation/sanctification).
• It is foundational for all that we believe; we may think of it as the firstfruits of God’s revelation, and the necessary basis for understanding the gospel of salvation in Christ.
• So, the OT is not “old” in the sense of being outdated, or being of lesser importance than the NT. In fact, the term “Old Testament” is somewhat a misnomer. The church father Origen first popularly used this term to describe what had been know simply as the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings, and we have been using the term “Old Testament” ever since. However, it is not “old” in the sense of being obsolete or less essential; it is the living and powerful Word of God that constitutes over three quarters of divine revelation. Perhaps we should call it the “Older Testament.”

However, once we have embraced the OT as the Word of God, we have also embraced a challenge as modern Christians. There is much in the OT that is challenging to understand in the NT age, such as ceremonial laws and imprecatory psalms. The difficulty of these passages does not give us the right to pass over them or ignore them; the entire OT is still the Word of God. We must strive to understand how the difficult portions of the OT continue in their power, relevance, and authority in the NT age. This is our serious task as Christians and as ministers of the gospel – to preach and live by the whole counsel of God, including the most ancient and perhaps most difficult portions of God’s Word from the OT. We must regard the OT as our entrustment from God, to know and to do for His glory.

So, as for the authority of the OT we conclude these things:

1. It is the Word of God, and we must approach it as such, or else we will never truly understand its message.

2. We should not fear the OT criticism of unbelievers, because the wisdom of the world begins from the standpoint of unbelief.

3. The OT, as part of the whole counsel of God, is just as essential as the NT for our salvation, sanctification, and our witness to Jesus Christ.