Sometimes you hear people saying that Christians only need the New Testament. What do you think? Do we need the whole Bible? I just finished listening to the Old testament as part of my Lenten journey of reading through the whole Bible. And I am more convinced than ever that we need the Old testament to explain the New Testament.

You know, sending Jesus was not a spur of the moment idea. God had planned it all along. God had every detail of the whole salvation plan ready from the beginning. Without the Old Testament prophecies we would not know that God keeps his word. Every single detail of the prophecies came through. How fascinating is that. This is why we can trust God to also keep his word in the future. As we know from the Old Testament it took thousand of years to fulfill the prophecies. The same way God is not late this time, either. God’s time table just is different than ours. And, by the way, there are even more biblical prophecies on the second coming of Christ than prophecies on the first coming.

Here’s one of those examples of fulfilled Old Testament prophecies just in time for Palm Sunday:

Shout and cheer, Daughter Zion!
Raise the roof, Daughter Jerusalem!
Your king is coming!
    a good king who makes all things right,
    a humble king riding a donkey,
    a mere colt of a donkey.
I’ve had it with war—no more chariots in Ephraim,
no more war horses in Jerusalem,
no more swords and spears, bows and arrows.
He will offer peace to the nations,
    a peaceful rule worldwide,
    from the four winds to the seven seas.
(Zechariah ):9-10 MSG, emphasis added)

We truly need both the Old and the New Testament to guide us. Just as A.W. Tozer has said “Nothing less than a whole Bible can make a whole Christian”. We need the whole Bible to have a holistic picture of God and to teach us how to walk with God. We need the law and we need the gospel. We need the whole Bible to know God and to surrender to his care.

What would we do if we didn’t have Lamentations or those Psalms where people pour out their hearts to God in anguish and despair? What would we do without learning how truly God wants us to be holy? What would we do if we didn’t know the stories of Abraham, Ruth or Josiah? Would we dare to be bold enough to follow God’s guidance if we hadn’t all these saints gone before us? Would we know that God will always come through for his children? I don’t think so.

When I feel desolated I turn to the Bible.
When I feel elated I turn to the Bible.
When I feel clueless I turn to the Bile.
No matter what I turn to the Bible.

Because the help comes through the Word of God.
Because by reading the Bible I can be grounded in God.
Because through the Bible I can feel the pulse of God.

 

Gracious God,
Thank you for the Bible!
Thank you for speaking through the Word!
Thank you for being active in our lives!
Thank you for preparing for the second coming of Jesus!
Prepare our hearts and minds, Lord!
In Jesus’ name,
Amen

Q4U: What do you think? Do we need the whole Bible? How often do you read through the Bible?

Be blessed, my fellow pilgrim, as you explore the Bible and ponder on the Word of God!

Photo courtesy of Ron Loveday, design by Mari-Anna Stålnacke. Linking up today with Heart & Home, Unite the Bloggersphere, #tellhisstory and