All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly 
equipped for every good work. II Timothy 3:16,17
 
Fellow Believers,

Have you ever wondered why God has allotted fully three-quarters of the Bible to the Old Testament, which describes primarily His dealings with ancient Israel?

For one thing, of course, we can't really understand the New Testament without having some knowledge of the Old Testament. And we won't recognize our need for a Savior in Christ without knowing what the law of God demands.

But the Bible also tells us in Romans 15:4, "For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."

Did you know that? We often think that the Old Testament is mainly for the Jews. Not so, it says here. Everything that was written there was put there to teach us New Testament believers how to live victoriously!

The fact is, most Israelites didn't understand the scriptures. They had eyes that couldn't see and ears that couldn't hear, the Bible says. Thankfully, God has revealed to New Testament believers many "mysteries" that were hidden in ages past, and He has given us the Holy Spirit to teach us the things of God.

Moreover, God says in I Corinthians 10, "Now these things occurred as examples, to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did" (v. 6); and "These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come" (v. 11).

It is on the New Testament church, you see, that the fulfillment of the ages has come. We are the main feature of God's salvation program. But lest we take God's grace for granted, He has recorded for us in the Old Testament how severely He judged the apostate Israel to warn us against following their examples.

So, as we approach the end of time, when more and more churches are turning away from the word of God, it behooves us to remember that while the love of God for His people is beyond measure, His wrath remains on the wickedthat is, on all those who are not covered by the blood of Christ. The latter includes everyone who calls on the name of the Lord, but refuses to do the will of God.
 
 

Tom Holt, Editor
Second Quarter, 1992

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