Apologetics Session 12: Old Testament argument for the New Testament

Establish the need: If someone Jewish or others say they don’t think there is a need for the New Testament as long as you have the Old Testament, what do you say?

Purpose: We will consider six reasons based upon the Old Testament to argue for the need of the New Testament.

1. Deuteronomy 18 anticipate the Prophet like Moses who will give more Word of God
2. The Pattern of Redemption followed by Revelation
3. Isaiah anticipate the Messiah will give more Word of God
4. 1-2 Chronicles leaves us with a cliff hanger
5. Malachi leaves us with a cliff hanger
6. The Pattern of a New Covenant followed by Revelation

Deuteronomy 18 anticipate the Prophet like Moses who will give more Word of God

In Deuteronomy 18:15 Moses tells us that there will be a Prophet in the future that will be like Moses: “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen; to him you shall listen”

1. The phrase “you shall listen” in the Greek translation of the verse is what is stated by God the Father to listeners during the Baptism of Jesus in Matthew 17:5.[1] So Jesus is identified by God as the Prophet.
2. Of course “you shall listen” presupposes the Prophet will speak God’s Word, and if it is God’s Word written down it is Scripture.

In Deuteronomy 18:18 Moses tells us that there will be a Prophet in the future that will be like Moses: “I will raise up for them a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them everything that I command him.”

1. Early Christians believe this verse was fulfilled by Jesus.[2]
2. Note how this verse explicitly mentioned words from God will be given= “and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them everything that I command him.” If those Words are recorded then that is Scripture.

The Pattern of Redemption followed by Revelation

1. There is a pattern in the Old Testament of God’s Redemption is followd by God’s Revelation.
2. Example: God redeems Hebrews from slavery, then the Law of Moses
3. Example: God redeems Israel from Exodus then the Post-Exile Prophets were written and Post-Exile historical books.
4. So we should not be surprised that there when God saves people through Jesus that Scripture would be written.[3]
5. Keep in mind Christ dying on the Cross to save sinners would be the Climatic fulfillment of history’s most important moment; why wouldn’t God have Scripture to tell us about it?

Isaiah anticipate the Messiah will give more Word of God

“Now it will come about that In the last days The mountain of the house of the Lord Will be established as the chief of the mountains, And will be raised above the hills; And all the nations will stream to it. 3 And many peoples will come and say, “Come, let’s go up to the mountain of the Lord, To the house of the God of Jacob; So that He may teach us about His ways, And that we may walk in His paths.” For the law will go out from Zion And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” (Isaiah 2:2-3)

1. Note here how the Word of God will go forward in another era of the Temple after the First Temple was destroyed; during the era of the Second Temple is when the New Testament was written and that has gone forth to the nations!
2. Early Christians believe this verse was fulfilled with the Gospel going forward with apostolic missions.[4]

“Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch from his roots will bear fruit. 2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. 3 And He will delight in the fear of the Lord, And He will not judge by what His eyes see, Nor make decisions by what His ears hear; 4 But with righteousness He will judge the poor, And decide with fairness for the humble of the earth; And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked.” (Isaiah 11:1-4)

1. This is about the Messiah; note the Messianic title of “Branch” in verse 1 and the Messiah from the line of Jesse (David’s Father).
2. Note the clear allusion to that Messiah will speak God’s Word in verse 4 that is the basis of His judgment of the nations.[5]

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, Because the Lord anointed me To bring good news to the humble; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim release to captives And freedom to prisoners; 2 To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn,” (Isaiah 61:1-2)

1. This prophecy is about the Messiah.
2. Notice the frequency of the verbs for proclamation for the Good News.[6]
3. Thus the Messiah would involve God’s Word of Good News. The New Testament contain that Good News and is God’s Word.

1-2 Chronicles leaves us with a cliff hanger

1. 1-2 Chronicles was seen by the Jews as one book.
2. There is a focus on David’s genealogy in 1 Chronicles 3:1-24.
   1. But we don’t get the Messiah from David’s Line in the book.
   2. So in that sense it is anticlimactic and anticipate God to later give more information about who is the Messiah. We should thus not be surprise that the New Testament open with the Genealogy of Jesus that demonstrate and signal that He is the Messiah!
3. Anti-climatic ending
4. 1. 2 Chronicles 36:22-23 tells us that the Temple will be rebuild.
   2. Still there’s many unanswered questions: Did the Temple have the same glory or less than the first Temple? Did the Messiah arrive?
   3. This anti-climax beg for the New Testament to come along since there’s a sense 2 Chronicles end as an “unfinished symphony.”[7]

Malachi leaves us with a cliff hanger

Malachi is last book of the Old Testament in Christian Bibles which follows the Greek Septuagint.[8]

The last two verses: “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. 6 He will turn the hearts of the fathers back to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and strike the land with complete destruction.”” (Malachi 4:5-6)

1. Ending of Old Testament with the book of Malachi anticipate future coming of New Elijah: so who is he? [9]
2. Luke 1:17 quotes this as John the Baptist. The New Testament

The Pattern of a New Covenant followed by Revelation

1. Every Covenant has a Lord to Covenant keeper.
2. There’s also a relationship between Covenant and written text.[10]
3. There’s also the stipulation of law to obey within the Covenant.
4. Example: Noahic Covenant in Genesis 9.
5. Example: Mosaic Covenant.
6. The New Testament also talk about an upcoming New Covenant in Jeremiah 31:27 and Jeremiah 31:31.
7. So we should expect with the New Covenant there be a New Testament as Scripture.

[1] Iain Duguid, Jesus in the Old Testament, (Phillipsburg, New Jersey: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing, 2013), 24.

[2] Michael Kruger, The Question of Canon, (Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 2013), 54-55.

[3] Michael Kruger, The Question of Canon, (Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 2013), 53.

[4] Michael Kruger, The Question of Canon, (Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 2013), 56.

[5] Michael Kruger, The Question of Canon, (Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 2013), 56.

[6] Michael Kruger, The Question of Canon, (Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 2013), 55.

[7] Iain Duguid, Jesus in the Old Testament, (Phillipsburg, New Jersey: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing, 2013), 19.

[8] Iain Duguid, Jesus in the Old Testament, (Phillipsburg, New Jersey: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing, 2013), 21.

[9] Iain Duguid, Jesus in the Old Testament, (Phillipsburg, New Jersey: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing, 2013), 20-21.

[10] Michael Kruger, The Question of Canon, (Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 2013), 59.

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