Old vs New Testament: Paul’s Position Will Surprise You

Have you ever wondered why so many Christians act like there’s an Old VS New Testament battle going on when they read the Bible? Megachurch pastor, Andy Stanley, went so far as to suggest that churches should “unhitch” from the Old Testament. This idea isn’t new. It’s been around pretty much since the Day of Pentecost. And it’s all because most Christians have spent 2,000 years with their biblical paradigm upside-down. This is a big no-no, and I’ll prove it to you in less than 10 minutes.

Where Did Everything Go Wrong?

Do you know what the last written words of the Apostle Peter are?

“…count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.” (2 Peter 3:14-18 ESV)

In a lot of ways, this is pretty funny to think about. Peter and Paul didn’t really get along all that well. It’s more than just the fact that Paul’s story started out with trying to kill a bunch of Christians – although I’m sure that didn’t help. It’s bigger than that.

The Apostle Paul had a radical interpretation of the Gospel. It was a Gospel for all nations; not just the Jews. It went against the religious traditions of the day. And it caused a LOT of problems for the early Christians.

Paul even confronted Peter over this early in his ministry, when Peter was setting a really bad example for some Jewish Christians in Galatia. These two stubborn dudes butt heads on more than one occasion.

And yet, at the end of his life, Peter came to Paul’s side. They each understood their roles in the movement, and worked together to fulfill them.

But that doesn’t mean Peter didn’t see a problem happening. There were some within the Church who were twisting Paul’s words to mean something he never meant. It was important enough to Peter, that the final letter we have from him ends with a warning about this.

It’s a warning that most Christians have ignored ever since.

The Old VS New Testament Fallacy

I was born on Palm Sunday and in the church nursery by Easter (no joke). There was NEVER a good reason to miss church when I was growing up. My education was from Christian schools and colleges. I was licensed and ordained in the Southern Baptist Convention. My experience with the Bible and Christian teaching is pretty extensive.

But in 2008, I went on a tour of Israel for two weeks. Something pretty amazing happened to me during that trip. And I came back with a renewed passion for understanding the Bible in its context.

Here’s one of the very first things I learned during all of this: most Christian theology begins with a doctrinal position already in mind. Christians have passed down those positions from generation to generation over the last 1600+ years. Christians then use the letters of Apostle Paul to confirm what they’ve already been told about the Bible. After that, it’s all about making the rest of the Bible fit.

If he was alive today, the Apostle Paul would be appalled at this.

What I’m going to say next, might come as a shock to a lot of you: at the time Paul wrote his letters, he didn’t believe they were the immutable, infallible, divinely inspired Word of God.

If you’re still reading, I’ll explain.

The Apostle Paul never needed to deal with an “Old VS New Testament” battle, because there WASN’T an Old or a New Testament. There were only the Hebrew Scriptures. And THOSE Scriptures were the inspired Word of God:

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV)

Paul didn’t write Scripture; he wrote letters to churches. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John didn’t write gospels; they wrote narratives. No one reading the documents we now call the “New Testament” had the audacity to claim or even believe that their words were the “inspired Word of God.”

The Second Principle of Good Bible Study: The Old Testament Matters

The Bible used by Paul and the rest of the Church Fathers was what we call the “Old Testament.” And it is MORE than enough.

Please understand: I’m not at all suggesting that the 27 books of the New Testament aren’t inspired, or that they don’t belong in the canon. The New Testament is a beautiful book that uses the Old Testament to show that God is the Creator of the Universe; that He is actively working to restore His Creation to what it once was. And that begins and ends with redeeming all of humanity through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

But the Old VS New Testament conflict only happens when we put a greater priority on the second major section of the Bible, while acting like the first doesn’t matter.

The New Testament is the continuation of the story told in the first 39 books of the Old Testament – the Hebrew Scriptures. To “unhitch” our faith and practice from it, creates insane doctrines that bring shame on the Name of Jesus Christ. Peter knew it. Paul knew it. It’s time we understand it, too.