By Craig A. Smith
Third, it gives the congregation a deeper appreciation of the Old Testament and its relevance for their lives. In the second century AD, Marcion of Sinope distinguished between the Old Testament and New Testament as the works of two Gods. He rejected the Old Testament as the work of the “Just God, the Creator, harsh judge of men” but accepted the New Testament as the work of the “Good God.” Sadly, today, the church often views scripture in these categories. But by preaching the Old Testament from an Old Testament perspective, the listener can begin to gain a new familiarity with the Old Testament and to appreciate that the same God is the ultimate source author behind both testaments.
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I have tried to emphasize the importance of preaching the Old Testament texts which are found in the New Testament from the perspective of their original Old Testament context. Equally I have tried to encourage preachers to avoid the tendency to see these Old Testament texts through Christocentric lenses. I have done this only to remove what I see as an unbalanced approach to preaching these texts.
In no way do I want to deny the need to see these texts through the eschatological kingdom of God and the person and work of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the telos (goal and end) of the Law. The Law and the Prophets testify about Him. But I think even Jesus wouldn’t mind if we tried to preach these texts from their original Old Testament context before we saw them in light of Him to whom all glory belongs.
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Craig A. Smith is a lecturer in New Testament at Trinity College in Bristol, England.
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NOTES:
1. See Gordon D. Fee and Stuart Douglas, How to Read the Bible for All its Worth (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1982), p. 150.