Posted on 01/12/2010 1:24:04 PM PST by Gamecock
Full Title: Isn't it reading too much into the Old Testament to see references to Christ on every page?
The fact that the message of Christ crucified and exalted is whispered on every page of the Old Testament is argued for throughout the New Testament, and may be clearly discerned in how the first apostles interpreted and applied various Old Testament passages in their sermons and writings (e.g. Acts 2:22-36; 15:12-21; 1 Cor. 10:1-13, to name but a very few). A good exemplary passage would be Hebrews 8:5, which refers to the Old Testament tabernacle and priestly duties as “types and shadows”. Then, after expressing this hermeneutical principle of typology, the author goes on for several chapters to show how this part of the Old Testament finds its perfect fulfillment in Christ. And furthermore, he is not content to speak merely of the sacrificial system, but finds in historical persons, such as Melchizedek (Hebrews 7), in prophecies written to the House of Israel, such as Jeremiah 31:33 (Hebrews 8), and in various psalms, written in different times and contexts (e.g. Hebrews 1:5-14; 2:5-18; 10:5-10, etc.) clear references both to Christ, who fulfills everything written, and to the Church, for whom everything was fulfilled, and who is the true heir of all the Old Testament promises.
The fact that the New Testament authors, without exception, displayed this hermeneutic whenever they addressed the Old Testament, and that they did so in accordance with what Christ had taught them of himself, from all the Old Testament scriptures (Luke 24:44-48), gives us good and necessary warrant for reading the Old Testament in the same way: looking for types and shadows of the coming Christ, which were at first obscure, but which may be understood now that Jesus has suffered and entered his glory, in every feature of the Old Testament, including historical events, persons, places, prophecies, psalms, sacrificial laws, and so on. In short, not just every page, but every feature of the Old Testament text has things to teach us about Christ, which we may understand now that Christ has been glorified; and to refuse to see Christ in all these ways is to rob ourselves of the greatest treasures and truths of the bible.
The whole Bible points to Jesus as our savior, from beginning to end.
What a silly thesis!
Jesus is God incarnate and the OT and NT are God's word.
Of course he's on every page.
The whole POINT of the OT is to pave the way for His Coming to Earth. Everything about human life to that point is stepwise in God’s Plan — the timing, the political situation, the milieu.
Much of the OT (and the Torah) can be read in such a way to ignore the direct — and direct — references to Christ’s coming. But it takes a lot of work to actually PLACE one’s blind spot to blot out the truth (and The Truth).
IMHO.
r/the direct — and direct —/the direct — and INDIRECT —/a
*doh*
Jesus is the Word made flesh... why in the world did you think the Word written would be different?
Yes. Its reading too much into it if you see Christ on any OT page. I just wonder how come nobody seems to see him on the Dueteronomy 13 page.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
John 1:1-5
BTW, I am pleased to see a series of "positive" articles posted, in which the author explains his own theological POV, rather than trying to tear down another's. Eventually, no doubt, this will still lead to disagreement ... I would hope to see the eventual disagreement carried out without recrimination or misrepresentation.
Would you like to be more specific? To what passage in Deut.13 do you refer?
Numbers 21
The Bronze Snake
4 They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; 5 they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!"
6 Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. 7 The people came to Moses and said, "We sinned when we spoke against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take the snakes away from us." So Moses prayed for the people.
8 The LORD said to Moses, "Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live." 9 So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived.
Seriously?
Just a Point Here Exegesis is breaking down scripture. Isegesis is adding more to scripture. some pastors like to infer more into the Bible that is there. Christ is foreshadowed in the Old Testament of what is to come in the new testament.
Some utilize prooftexting - taking an entire concept out of a scripture verse that is truly not what is being said. Some scholars utilize this in manuscripts to erroroneously prooftext
Allow me to utilize an example by Stanley Horton Assemblies of God, As a professor and a scion of the Assemblies of God, Stanley Horton took a passage from Benjamin Breckenridge Warfield on Healing. Stanley Horton took a passage out of the context of Warfield denying that healing was a part of todays church. I read Warfield’s book and I requested as a student at Assemblies God Theological Seminary to remove the passage from his book as endorsed by the Assemblies of God. I was a youth minister in a Presbyterian Church in America church and instead of traveling to Jackson Mississippi I took one semester in Springfield, Missouri. That was a eye opening experience in that a harvard trained doctoral candidate in theolgy was erroneous in his scholarship - prooftexting.
Basically inference or isegesis is reading more into scripture. I took the example of a scholar whom used a book to make forth a proof that was actually contradicted by the original author intent.
I hope this helps others to see that to question others if a citation source is inaccurately quoted. Studying is great because the Lord desires mankind to grow in the relationship with his children
Take a look at earlier instalments, it has already lead to strawdummies.
I would hope to see the eventual disagreement carried out without recrimination or misrepresentation.
How about the disagreement be done without misrepresentation? That would be a positive step!
Probably the primary reason that Matthew and Luke wrote that the Nativity happened in Bethlehem.
I have no doubt. People who want to see trinitarian messianic prophecy in the OT see it. Kinda like those who want to see deficit reduction in the proposed health bill see it. :-)
An enormous leap for Freeperkind ... (whose time has long since come).
Seriously ... see my post to Gamecock. Shall we at least try to leave the nastiness behind, and discuss matters like rational adults?
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