Why the Old Testament is still useful

July 31, 2022

4.6 min readCategories: Knowing The Kingdom

By Pst Akinrinlola Olumide

Every chapter of the Bible is important and no one can remove from it or add to it. Of truth, we are not bonded by the law anymore because we are under the dispensation of grace. As Christians, we have moved away from the practice of the Old Testament but I dare say that we cannot abolish the use of the Old Testament in teaching the word of God as erroneously believed by many end-time preachers.

If you are a true Christian and spirit-filled, you should know that all chapters of the Bible have their importance, relevance, and spiritual value. So, it is pure heresy when your pastor tells you that the Old Testament is useless to us as Christians under the dispensation of grace. It is a lack of knowledge when someone says you should abolish the Old Testament in its entirety.

This is because all the books of the Old Testament are not Mosaic Laws or books of Law. It is only four chapters of the old testament that are books of law. Others are not. For example, Genesis to Deuteronomy are books of laws. But Joshua to Esther are books of History. Job to Songs of Solomon are books of poetry. Isaiah to Daniel are books of Major Prophets while Joel to Malachi is books of Minor Prophets.

The Old Testament contains the books of history. How can anyone tell u to erase history? How can any pastor say you should stop reading the book of Psalm or Proverbs? Why should Christians stop reading the book of poetry?

It is a fact there are a lot of imperfections in the Old Testament. It was because of these imperfections God gave us the New Testament through Christ, His only begotten Son. But if we abolish the practices of the Old Testament due to its imperfections, can we also abolish the Old Testament in our communications, teachings, and sermons? The answer is capital No.

The Holy Spirit I carry hasn’t taught me to delete the Old Testament from my memory. On several occasions, I have been led to the Old Testament in the course of my sermons by the spirit of God to background some of my teachings and use the history in the Old Testament for my references.

Paul was a Christian Apostle who didn’t abolish the use of the Old Testament. He used the Old Testament often in his teaching of the new covenant to communicate his teaching/messages to the Peoples.

First, Paul made use of the book of history in the Old Testament to give the example of Abraham’s two sons, Ishmael and Isaac, to show that even though Ishmael was chronologically the firstborn, the blessings went to Isaac because of a promise made to Sarah (see Romans 9:7, 9; Genesis 21:12; 18:14).

This allegory was carried further in Galatians when Paul talked about these two sons being born of different mothers—Hagar, representing Mount Sinai and the law given there, and Sarah, the mother of us all, representing Jerusalem and freedom (see Galatians 4:27, 30; Isaiah 54:1; Genesis 21:10).

Similarly, Rebecca was told that Jacob would be elected over his elder brother Esau (see Romans 9:12–13; Genesis 25:23; Malachi 1:2–3). Thus, God will choose whom He will choose (see Romans 9:15, 17; Exodus 33:19; 9:16). He will even call the Gentiles His people (see Romans 9:25–26; Hosea 2:23; 1:10). But He will save a remnant from among Israel that will be accepted with the elect if they have faith in Christ (see Romans 9:27, 29; Isaiah 10:22–23; 1:9).

Another major issue that Paul addressed, and consequently used some twenty-three Old Testament excerpts to prove, was the question of salvation through faith in Christ or the works of the law. This argument and the accompanying quotations are found in Romans and Galatians, particularly in Galatians.

Paul tried to show that individuals such as Abraham received promises and blessings from covenants with God even before the law of Moses was given.

Therefore, Christians could receive promises and blessings through faith in Christ and covenants with God without practising the law of Moses. Abraham was the great exemplar of receiving promises and blessings to himself and his seed as a result of faith in God, not works of the law (see Galatians 3:6, 8; 16; Genesis 15:6; 12:3, 7. U can compare Romans 4:3, 9, 22; and Genesis 15:6.

We have read how Jesus, Paul, and others often quoted from the Old Testament scripture in their sermons and letters throughout the New Testament. Another area in which Paul applied Old Testament scripture was in defence of his preaching of the gospel of Christ and of his calling as an Apostle.

In his first letter to the Corinthians, according to Jared W. Ludlow in one of his articles, Paul stated that the Saints preach the gospel of Christ crucified, which is foolishness to the unbelievers but the power of God to those being saved. Thus, the wisdom of the world would be frustrated through their preaching (see 1 Corinthians 1:19; Isaiah 29:14). But though their word had great power, the teacher should not boast of himself (see 1 Corinthians 1:31; 2 Corinthians 10:17; Jeremiah 9:23 [two times]).

Paul also used an Old Testament citation while stating that he did not receive temporal support from his preaching but sought only spiritual blessings (see 1 Corinthians 9:9; Deuteronomy 25:4).

So, I conclude, it is heresy to tell people to abolish the use of the Old Testament. While we abolish the practice of the Old Testament, the uses of the Old Testament cannot be abolished especially in teaching the word of God. It is still very useful. The body of Christ should be guided.

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