In Defense of the Entire Bible

The other day I saw a clip of a popular evangelist with a very large following of young people giving a message that Christians should completely disavow the Old Testament and focus only on the Gospel of Christ.  His justification was that there are elements of the Old Testament that are too difficult for Christians to defend or reconcile with modern science, so rather than expend any further effort, they should just abandon the majority of the Bible.  His logic is that by freeing Christians from doctrines that are at odds with the secular world, they will have more credibility when attempting to share the Gospel.  He could not be more wrong.
 
For starters, how many aspects of the Gospel can be reconciled with the secular world’s perception of modern science?  Are we to abandon Genesis because we find it difficult to defend a 6-day creation and yet cling to a story of a man rising from the dead?  Are we to ignore the Great Flood and Noah’s deliverance because we find it hard to explain how all those animals fit in the ark and yet effectively articulate a tale of a man who turned water into wine, walked on water, and feed the masses with two fish and five loaves of bread?
 
Or will this wise teacher next tell us to abandon the outlandish miracles of Jesus and just focus on his parables and the wisdom of his teaching?  I don’t mean to single this individual out, and it is for that reason that I am not naming him, for I am sure he is well-intentioned in his desire to spread the Gospel.  But his message is dangerously misguided, and he is not the only one spreading it.
 
It is true that Christianity represents a New Covenant with God that replaces the Levitical doctrine of the Old Testament.  Jesus came as the ultimate sacrifice to wash away the sins of the world, replacing the old order of animal sacrifice, that at best could only cover sin, not take it away completely.  It is correct for Christians to focus on the message of salvation through Jesus.  But that message begins in the Old Testament, not in the New Testament.
 
The coming of Jesus was prophesized repeatedly in the Old Testament.  It is the knowledge of these prophesies that allowed him to gain a following.  The people were looking for a savior because the Old Testament scriptures told them to expect one.  There would have been no forum for Jesus’s ministry without the set-up that took place in the Old Testament scriptures.  Indeed, Jesus referred to the words of the prophet Isaiah when the followers of John the Baptist asked if he was the Messiah:
                “Jesus answered and said to them, Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.”
                Matthew 11:4-5
 
Jesus is referring to the following prophecy from Isaiah:
                “In that day the deaf shall hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness.”
                Isaiah 29:18
 
Do you think the Old Testament laws are too restrictive and need to be amended for our modern world to accept things like homosexuality, transgenderism, or sex outside of marriage?  Do you think Old Testament prophesies are just a bunch of nonsense not worth trying to understand or explain?  Consider what Jesus said:
 
                “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.  I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.  For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.  Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
                Matthew 5:17-19
 
Jesus repeatedly refers to people, laws, and events from the Old Testament.  Does that mean we should edit the New Testament to remove those references for fear of getting drawn into uncomfortable debates with non-believers?
 
Without the laws of the Old Testament there is no need for salvation and therefore, the entire Gospel would be meaningless.  The life events and teachings of Jesus are profound, but they are ultimately meaningless in a world that denies the Old Testament.  Without Old Testament prophesies, he is just another child born in Bethlehem.  Without Old Testament prophesies, he is just another wise teacher speaking clever parables.  Without Old Testament prophesies, he is just another rebel crucified by the Romans (if he even gains enough of a following to rise to that level).
 
The problem when you start twisting scripture or blocking it out to fit modern “norms” is that everything then becomes up for grabs.  In the end, you will never win through such compromise.  Your faith will keep getting chipped away, little by little, until you are clinging to a belief that is entirely hollow and unrecognizable.
 
The answer in the face of scriptures that are difficult to understand and explain is to first trust in their truth and then dig in and do the hard work of understanding them so that you can properly defend them when challenged.  Up until recently I was guilty of denying the literal 6-day creation and trying to reconcile scientific claims of an earth that is billions of years old with the Genesis account of creation.  But the more research you do, the more doubt is cast on the accuracy of scientific methods for setting dates.  I would encourage you to check out Ken Ham and Answers in Genesis on YouTube to gain a sound Biblical understanding of creation.
 
In my next post I will begin a series focusing on some of the aspects of scripture that are difficult to explain.
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