Why Should We Study the Old Testament?
Christians should study the Old Testament because it is essential for understanding the gospel, the identity of Jesus, the mission of the Church, and the entire storyline of Scripture. Historically, the Church has always treated the Old Testament as Scripture (2 Timothy 3:15–16) and as the theological foundation upon which the New Testament stands. The gospel announced in the New Testament cannot be understood without the covenant promises, sacrificial system, prophetic hope, and kingdom expectations presented in the Old Testament. To ignore the Old Testament is to lose the context necessary to interpret Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. Yet many Christians today functionally neglect it, reducing it to morality stories or bypassing it for the New Testament alone. This “functional Marcionism” weakens discipleship, distorts theology, and impoverishes Christian worship.
1. The Old Testament Is Scripture, Inspired by God and Authoritative
Christians must study the Old Testament because Scripture itself declares its divine authority. Paul teaches that the “sacred writings,” referring primarily to the Old Testament, are able to make a person “wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:15). He further insists that “all Scripture” is inspired and profitable (2 Timothy 3:16). Jesus likewise affirms the authority of the Law, Prophets, and Psalms (Luke 24:44). The Old Testament is not optional background material but God-breathed revelation essential to Christian faith and practice. To reject or ignore the Old Testament is to disregard Scripture that Jesus himself received, quoted, obeyed, and fulfilled (Matthew 5:17–18).
2. The Old Testament Provides the Framework for Understanding the New Testament
Very little in the New Testament can be understood apart from the Old Testament. The New Testament assumes:
the story of creation and fall (Genesis 1–3)
the promises made to Abraham (Genesis 12:1–3)
the exodus and the covenant (Exodus 19–20)
the sacrificial system (Leviticus 16)
the Davidic king (2 Samuel 7:12–16)
the prophetic expectation of a new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31–34)
the hope of resurrection and new creation (Isaiah 25:8; Isaiah 65:17)
Rejecting the Old Testament when reading the New renders the gospel unintelligible. The apostles preached Christ from the Old Testament (Acts 17:2–3; Acts 28:23), and the early church saw the entire story of Scripture culminating in Jesus. Without the Old Testament, Christians cannot grasp the problem of sin, the purpose of sacrifice, the meaning of covenant, or the nature of God’s kingdom.
3. The Old Testament Reveals Christ and His Work
Jesus teaches that the Old Testament is ultimately about him. On the road to Emmaus, he interprets “the Scriptures” concerning himself (Luke 24:27). He tells the Pharisees that Moses wrote about him (John 5:46). The sacrificial system foreshadows Christ’s atoning death (Leviticus 17:11; Hebrews 9:22). Passover anticipates the Lamb of God (Exodus 12; John 1:29). The priesthood points to Christ as the eternal high priest (Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 7). The Davidic promises prepare for the Messiah-King (2 Samuel 7:12–13; Luke 1:32–33). The prophetic hope looks toward Christ’s kingdom and the renewal of creation (Isaiah 9:6–7). The Old Testament is therefore indispensable for understanding who Jesus is and why he came.
4. The Old Testament Shows Why Christ Had to Die
Studying the Old Testament is essential for understanding the necessity of Christ’s crucifixion. The entire sacrificial system—sin offerings, guilt offerings, the Day of Atonement—reveals that forgiveness requires substitution and shedding of blood (Leviticus 16; Hebrews 9:22). Christ’s death fulfills and surpasses these sacrifices (Hebrews 10:1–14). Without the Old Testament background, Christians cannot understand the meaning of atonement, ransom, covenant renewal, or the gravity of sin. The cross only makes sense when seen through the lens of the Old Testament, where God repeatedly shows that sin brings death and must be dealt with through God’s appointed substitute (Genesis 2:17; Leviticus 17:11).
5. The Old Testament Tells the Story Jesus Came to Complete
The Old Testament is the narrative of God’s kingdom, human rebellion, divine promise, and covenant redemption. The New Testament is the climax of that story, not its replacement. Christians study the Old Testament because it:
defines the problem Christ came to solve (Genesis 3)
sets the stage for God’s plan of redemption (Genesis 12:1–3)
reveals God’s faithfulness across generations (Exodus 34:6–7)
shows the tragedy of human unfaithfulness (Judges 2:10–19)
develops the longing for a righteous king (Psalm 72)
builds the hope of restoration and new creation (Isaiah 65:17–25)
To understand the mission of Jesus, Christians need the entire story leading up to him. The Old Testament is not merely background; it is the storyline of which Jesus is the fulfillment (Matthew 5:17).
6. The Old Testament Guards the Church Against Heresy and Shallow Faith
Ignoring the Old Testament produces weak theology. Historically, outright rejection of the Old Testament has been treated as heresy—most famously by Marcion, who insisted that Christians abandon it entirely. Today, a subtler form of this error persists when Christ’s people neglect or minimize the Old Testament. Without the Old Testament:
God’s character is flattened
the fear of the Lord is diminished (Proverbs 1:7)
discipleship lacks depth
evangelism loses its biblical foundation
Christian ethics becomes disconnected from God’s revealed law
The Church cannot preach the gospel effectively if it ignores the Scriptures Jesus and the apostles loved, taught, and fulfilled.
7. The Old Testament Is Christian Scripture and Must Shape Christian Life
The Old Testament is essential for worship (Psalms), wisdom (Proverbs), understanding the fear of the Lord (Ecclesiastes), learning endurance (Job), and cultivating hope in God’s promises. Paul writes that “whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction” so that Christians might have endurance and hope (Romans 15:4). The Old Testament feeds faith, forms character, and reveals the God who keeps covenant and shows steadfast love (Exodus 34:6).
Conclusion
Christians should study the Old Testament because it is Scripture, because it forms the foundation for understanding the New Testament, because it reveals Jesus, because it explains why Christ had to die, because it tells the story Jesus came to fulfill, and because its neglect leads to shallow faith. The Old Testament is Christian Scripture. It is the Word of God. Without it, the Church cannot preach the gospel, teach disciples, or know the God who has spoken from the beginning.
Bible Verses About Studying the Old Testament
2 Timothy 3:15–16, “From childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings… All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable.”
Luke 24:27, “Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.”
Romans 15:4, “Whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction.”
Matthew 5:17, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets.”
Psalm 119:97, “Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.”
Deuteronomy 6:4–5, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one… You shall love the Lord your God.”
Psalm 1:2, “His delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.”
John 5:46, “If you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me.”
Isaiah 53:5, “He was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities.”
Acts 17:2–3, “He reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead.”
