Posts Tagged ‘Old Testament’
The Gospels and the Covenants
by Roger Blackwelder It has been observed that the traditional divisions we use to describe the Bible are inaccurate. Genesis through Malachi are called the Old Testament or Old Covenant. Matthew through Revelation are called the New Testament or New Covenant. The titles are problematic for at least two reasons: 1) The covenant between God…
Read MoreWhy do you quote from the Old Law?
Question: I read Why We Don’t Follow the Old Testament and saw your point of view on the matter, but you do quote laws from Leviticus to justify positions. Aren’t all those laws thrown out, along with all other laws from the Old Testament? I’m not debating homosexuality here, but you do quote: Leviticus 18:22…
Read MoreThe Scriptures and Context
by Ethan R. Longhenry “Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness. That the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work” (II Timothy 3:16-17). As Christians seeking to serve Jesus Christ according to His will (cf. Colossians 3:17),…
Read MoreWhy should Christians learn the Old Testament?
Question: Why is it important for Christians today to understand the Jewish scriptures of the Old Testament? Answer: Try for a moment to pretend that you know nothing of the Old Testament. You sit down and read about the destruction of Jerusalem in Luke 17: “In that day, he who is on the housetop, and…
Read MoreThe Apocrypha
I. When addressing what books are accepted into the Old Testament canon, you will run into a set of writings known as the Apocrypha A. “Apocrypha” means “doubtful writings” B. There are 15 books or writings which fall under this heading C. The Roman Catholic church accepts 12 of these books and calls them “deutero-canonical” books D. See chart for…
Read MoreThe Canon of the Old Testament – Part 2
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2006/10/CanonOfTheOldTestament2.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I. In our prior lesson, we established the acceptance of the writings of Moses by a large number of people over a wide range of history. A. The writings were not accepted because of some decree or because the documents were old, but because they were recognized as the works of Moses…
Read MoreWhere does the Bible state that Moses stoned a woman who committed adultery?
Question: In the new movie the Ten Commandments. Moses throws the first stone at a woman that committed adultery. Where is this stated in the book of Exodus? Answer: While I’m glad that Hollywood every once in a while decides to make a movie about decent subjects, I personally hate to watch them because I…
Read MoreHow were the Patriarchs saved?
Question: How are those in the patriarch times saved if there was no hope for them? Was it because of Jesus’ death that all (who tried to live good unto God) were saved before Moses and the Ten Commandments? Please explain. Answer: “And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by…
Read MoreJustifying Divorce and Remarriage by Claiming Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are Old Testament Books
Question: What a tragedy! There are actually some members in the church that teach that Christians need to divorce their present mate because of having been previously involved in a divorce. Wow! This is an absolutely and pitifully deceptive teaching! And these sorts of doctrines need to be settled and denounced immediately, once and for…
Read MoreHow Do They Do That? (Sermon)
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I. We have discussed a doctrine in the past which has been advocated which declares the gospel accounts: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, are Old Testament books. A. It is not hard to refute the belief, but I want to use an article written by one of its proponents as an illustration…
Read MoreWhat were the evils of King Ahab and his wife Jezebel?
Question: What were the evils of King Ahab and his wife Jezebel? What steps did God take to deal with them? Answer: Sounds to me like someone is looking for a shortcut to getting his Bible lesson done. A summary is given in I Kings 16:30-34. “Now Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the…
Read MoreWhat was the Sea of Bronze?
Question: What is the Sea Of Bronze? Answer: One of the furnishings in the tabernacle and the temple was a laver to hold water so that God’s requirements for the priests to wash before doing certain ceremonies could be done. “You shall also make a laver of bronze, with its base also of bronze, for…
Read MoreThe Words of Jesus
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I. I continue to be amazed at the lengths people will go to justify a belief. A. We all know the story of Martin Luther’s decision that James 2 did not belong in the sacred text because of one small phrase in James 2:24. 1. It contradicted everything that Martin Luther had come to…
Read MoreThe Book of Lamentations
by Philip North This book, believed to be written by the prophet Jeremiah between 586 and 585 B.C., is centered around the aftermath of the first destruction of Jerusalem, due to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. Jeremiah had prophesied of Jerusalem’s destruction for forty years before it finally took place. Since Jeremiah is known as “the…
Read MoreWhen is Passover?
Question: When is Passover? Answer: “On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the LORD’S Passover” (Leviticus 23:5). While the answer is straight forward, mapping this day to our calendar is more challenging because Israel used lunar months. As a result, most years had 12 months but periodically they had a leap-month…
Read MoreWere all Levitical Priests left-handed?
Question: Is it true that all Levite Priest were left-handed? If so, why? Answer: In Israel, left-handedness was rare enough that it received mention at times. Ehud was left-handed (Judges 3:15). This allowed Ehud to smuggle in a sword to assassinate King Eglon by strapping the sword to his right thigh (the guards only thought…
Read MoreCould masters under the Old Testament law beat or kill their slaves?
Question: I know what the Scriptures teach about how we Christians today are to treat our fellow man and that it is a serious sin to murder, that being so, Is it true that during the Old Testament age the slave masters had the right to severely beat or to even kill their slaves? Answer: The slave laws…
Read MoreWho were the judges and kings of Israel?
Question: What were the names of the kings of Israel? How many judges were there that ruled over Israel? Answer: The judges of Israel were: Othniel Ehud Shamgar Deborah Gideon Abimelech (Not a true judge. He was merely a corrupt ruler during the period of the Judges. Judges 9:22) Tola Jair Jephthah Ibzan Elon Abdon Samson…
Read MoreWhy did God command circumcision?
Question: Why did God command Abraham to cut off the foreskin? Answer: Many of the commands that God gave man early on appeared to be meaningless at the time it was given. Only later did God reveal the meaning of the practice. As an example, God commanded that the Israelites offer up incense during the…
Read MoreExploring the Nature of God in the Old Testament
Text: Deuteronomy 6:1-6 I. The nature of God is admittedly both a large subject and a difficult one A. Large because the God who holds the universe in his hand would be greater than mortal man bound to a single world – Isaiah 40:12-17 B. Difficult because all we know of God is what God has chosen…
Read MoreHow long were the priests’ breeches?
Question: In one of your articles, you mentioned that Exodus 28:42 means from the waist to and including the thighs. What is your source for this interpretation? Answer: “And you shall make for them linen trousers to cover their nakedness; they shall reach from the waist to the thighs” (Exodus 28:42). This verse was discussed in the…
Read MoreHow can the Sabbath be moved when Christ said he did not come to destroy the law?
Question: Christ did not come to destroy the law but to magnify it. He magnified the law from the letter of the law to the spirit of the law by saying to lust after a woman in one’s mind is equivalent to adultery. But in magnifying the law how can the Sabbath be moved from…
Read MoreSince Christians are spiritual Israel, shouldn’t they be following the Ten Commandments?
Question: In the current age, Christians are spiritual Israel. Hence, the Ten Commandments would still apply to us just as they did to physical Israel. Answer: This point alludes to Romans 2:23-29: “You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law? For “the name of God is blasphemed among…
Read MoreSince Jesus said to keep the commandments, shouldn’t we keep the Sabbath?
Question: Christ was asked in the Bible, “Lord, what must I do to enter the kingdom of Heaven?” Christ replied, “keep the commandments” and named a few of them. Since keeping the Sabbath was one of them, shouldn’t we keep the Sabbath today? Answer: You are referring to the question asked by the rich young…
Read MoreHow important is the Sabbath day?
Question: How important is the Sabbath day (Saturday)? Is it something that we have to do? Thanks for the help. Answer: Ever since the covenant changed with the death of Jesus, the observance of the Sabbath has ceased to be a requirement. The law brought down from Mt. Sinai by Moses, which included the laws…
Read MoreAbraham wasn’t baptized, so why should we need it?
Question: In Romans chapter 4 it talks about Abraham being saved by belief. “For what saith the Scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness” (Romans 4:3). Did they baptize in the Old Testament? Nowhere that I have read. Now you might say that baptism wasn’t required in Old Testament days,…
Read MoreDid the apostle Paul keep the laws found in the Torah?
Question: Did the apostle Paul keep the laws found in the Torah? If so, why do people reject them today? Answer: “For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might…
Read MoreWas the Sermon on the Mount Nailed to the Cross?
by Terry W. Benton There has not been a more fundamental question about how to rightly divide the word of truth and how to apply the scriptures than this one. At first, you might think this question is preposterous, but bear with me. There are brethren lurking in churches today who would affirm that Jesus’…
Read MoreObserving the Sabbath
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton The first mention of the Sabbath day appears in Exodus 16. It is true that God rested on the seventh day after creating the world in six days. However, in the nearly 3,000-year record which was given in Genesis, there is no mention of mankind observing a Sabbath day. In fact,…
Read MoreDo Jews and Christians both follow the teachings of the Old Testament?
Question: Do Jews and Christians both follow the teachings of the Old Testament? Answer: The Old Testament was given solely to the nation of Israel. “And Moses called all Israel, and said to them: “Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your hearing today, that you may learn them and be…
Read MoreWere only the sacrificial ordinances abolished from the Law?
Question: It is my understanding that the law remains, and only the sacrificial ordinances were abolished because Christ shed his blood for us once and for all. Answer: The difficulty in declaring that only a portion of the Mosaical Law was ended by Christ is in determining where to draw the line. One of the…
Read MoreIs the covenant different from the Law?
Question: I have just read your article on the Old Testament versus the New Testament. I find two major difficulties in your argument: You confuse a covenant with the Law. This is a major mistake. The Law is God’s legislation for all of creation. It was given to the children of Israel for their instruction.…
Read MoreWhy We Don’t Follow the Old Testament
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Our Bibles are composed of two major parts, an Old Testament and a New Testament. Why were these names selected? A testament is a will or a covenant. We still use the word today when we speak of a person’s “last will and testament.” These names indicate that the Bible is…
Read MoreThe “Jesus Came To Israel Only” Argument
by Terry W. Benton The Argument Stated: “MMLJ — before the cross — was taught only to the Jews of Israel.” I keep seeing the argument expressed that Jesus spoke only to the lost sheep of Israel, or only to Israel. The conclusion drawn from that fact is that “therefore” whatever He said to Israel…
Read MoreWhy We Don’t Follow The Old Testament
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Romans 7:1-6 I. Our Bibles are composed of two major parts: an Old Testament and a New Testament A. Why are they called “testaments”? 1. A testament is a legal document declaring a person’s wishes. 2. Thus, calling the Bible a testament is to say these are the commands (the legal requirements) that…
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