In celebration of the 500th anniversary of the inauguration of the Protestant Reformation, Bethlehem College & Seminary recently had a conference focused on biblical interpretation titled Eureka! Discovering Gold in God’s Word. Drs. John Piper, Andy Naselli, and myself all presented messages related to our three recent books. My message, related to my How to Understand and Apply the Old Testament: Twelve Steps from Exegesis to Theology, argued (1) that the Old Testament is Christian Scripture, (2) that God originally gave the Old Testament to instruct Christians, (3) that the Old Testament authors had some sense that their words would be more meaningful for those living this side of the cross than for those living before it, and (4) that Jesus supplies both needed light and lens for properly grasping the Old Testament’s message, enlivening us to read the Old Testament and to receive what is there (light) and guiding us to know how to read it in a way that ultimately points to him (lens).
Video/Audio/PowerPoint: Jason DeRouchie, “For Our Instruction: Jesus’s Bible as Christian Scripture”
The major sections of the presentation are as follows:
- New Testament reflections on the main audience of Old Testament instruction (10:30)
- Old Testament reflections on the main audience of Old Testament instruction (22:07)
- New Testament reflections on the rebels’ inability to understand the Old Testament (41:34)
- New Testament reflections on the remnant’s inability to fully understand the Old Testament (44:17)
- New Testament reflections on the Old Testament’s mystery revealed (49:00)
- The centrality of Christ for interpreting the Old Testament (53:48)
- There is both organic unity and progressive development between the Testaments.
- Christ’s appearing supplies believers with the necessary light to see what has been in the Old Testament all along (the lifting of the veil).
- Christ’s coming also supplies believers with a lens that influences and guides our reading (an answer key).
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