Troublesome Topic: IF BIBLICAL TRUTH WERE A HOUSE

Let’s suppose that the Old Testament and the New Testament together form a house of principles and examples that guide us to God. We can call it the house of truth.

How much of the structure would the Old Testament comprise and how much would the New Testament comprise?

I previously would have answered such a question by saying that the Old Testament with the Former Covenant it describes, was the foundation and the New Testament was the rest of the house that was built on that foundation.

I have been forced to change my thinking.

I now believe that the Old Testament/Former Covenant are the entire external structure, the foundation, the walls, the roof, the subflooring, and the doors (external and internal). The only parts of the external structure that were not included were the siding and the windows. The electrical system was in place, but there were no light bulbs in the sockets, and no appliances that relied on electricity. The electrical system was ready to function, but it had not been connected to a power source. The plumbing had been installed but there was no running water unless you ran to get it. By this I mean that the plumbing was capable of functioning, but it had not yet been connected to a water source. The ductwork for the HVAC system was in place but there was no furnace or AC system to make use of that duct work.

It was possible to live in the structure as it was, even before the coming of Jesus. It would provide protection from the weather, but it was not very comfortable.

When Jesus came, He did not need to build a structure, for it was already built. All He had to do was make it more functional.

He chose and installed a pleasing and attractive color of the siding. He installed proper windows because up until that time the window openings had only been covered in plastic which did not allow for good visibility from the outside or the inside. Those two changes made the outside of the structure look very different, even though it was the same structure.

He chose the type and pattern of the flooring, the color of the paint for the walls, He brought in the HVAC system, the appliances, and the furniture. He put in the lightbulbs. He also changed the doors because the ones that had been in the structure during its construction phase were hard to open, making movement from room to room a challenge. What’s more He connected the electrical systema and the plumbing system to sources of power and water respectively.

His purpose was not to make the house more comfortable, but rather to make the house more functional.

My point is that most of what we consider spiritual truth is communicated in the Old Testament. The New Testament is a continuation of most of Old Testament truths with a few changes. Very little needed to be changed when Jesus arrived. Obviously, the changes Jesus did make were important ones. But we should realize that it is important for us to study the Old Testament/Former Covenant because without it we don’t have much of a house.

The next lesson in the Full and Mid Length Series on Covenants is Why Study the Covenants?

The Next lesson in the Short Series on Covenants is What is a Covenant?