The Old Testament is the first major division of the Christian Bible and the complete Scriptures of Israel.
It contains the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings — the sacred books that record God’s creation, covenant, and redemptive dealings with His people from the beginning until the time before Christ.
Jesus and the apostles received these books as the inspired Word of God and taught that they speak of Him and are fulfilled in Him.
The Old Testament is not a discarded preface but the essential foundation of the gospel and the unfinished story that finds its completion in the New Testament.
The Old Testament is the written revelation of God given through Moses, the prophets, and other inspired authors over many centuries. It begins with creation and the fall, moves through the promises to Abraham, the exodus, the giving of the Law, the life of Israel in the land, the rise and fall of the monarchy, the exile, and the return. Throughout its pages God reveals His character, His covenant, His holiness, His judgment on sin, and His steadfast purpose to redeem a people for Himself. Jesus affirmed the full authority of these Scriptures, declared that they cannot be broken, and showed that they concern Him. The apostles preached the gospel from the Old Testament and insisted that it is able to make one wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. The Old Testament therefore stands as Christian Scripture — preparatory, prophetic, and permanently valuable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness.
- The Old Testament is the inspired Word of God and remains authoritative Scripture for the church.
- It is traditionally divided into the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings.
- Jesus and the New Testament writers treated it as fully reliable and as pointing to Christ.
- The central themes include creation, covenant, sin, sacrifice, kingship, prophecy, and the hope of redemption.
- The Old Testament is incomplete without the New; the New Testament is unintelligible without the Old.
- Its sacrifices, priesthood, temple, and feasts find their fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus.
- It continues to instruct, warn, encourage, and reveal Christ to every generation of believers.
- Structure – Law (Torah), Prophets (Nevi’im), and Writings (Ketuvim); in Christian ordering often grouped as Law, Historical Books, Poetry/Wisdom, and Prophets.
- Time Span – From creation to the post-exilic period, covering thousands of years of God’s dealings with the world and with Israel.
- Covenant Focus – Centers on the covenants God made with Noah, Abraham, Israel at Sinai, and David, all looking forward to the new covenant.
- Messianic Hope – Contains promises, types, and prophecies that point to the coming Messiah and His saving work.
- Christological Fulfillment – Jesus is the goal of the Law, the fulfillment of the Prophets, and the One anticipated in the Writings.
- Permanent Value – Profitable for teaching and training in righteousness; written for our instruction.
- Unity with the New Testament – Together they form one coherent revelation of God’s redemptive plan.
- Luke 24:27, 44 – “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself… Everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”
- John 5:39 – “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me.”
- 2 Timothy 3:15-17 – “From childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness…”
- Romans 15:4 – “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”
- 1 Corinthians 10:11 – “Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.”
- Matthew 5:17-18 – “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them… not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.”
- John 10:35 – “Scripture cannot be broken.”
- Acts 28:23 – Paul convinced his hearers about Jesus “both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets.”
- Romans 1:1-2 – The gospel of God was “promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures.”
- Hebrews 1:1-2 – “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son…”
- Psalm 19:7-11 – The law of the Lord is perfect, sure, right, pure, true, and altogether righteous.
- Deuteronomy 31:9-13 – Moses wrote down the law and commanded that it be read regularly to the people.
- Nehemiah 8:1-8 – Ezra reads the Book of the Law to the assembled people, giving the sense so that they understand.
- 2 Peter 1:19-21 – The prophetic word is made more sure; men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
The Old Testament is the foundation on which the gospel stands. It is the Bible Jesus read, quoted, and fulfilled. It reveals the one true God, the depth of human sin, the necessity of sacrifice, the shape of covenant faithfulness, and the long-promised hope of a Redeemer. To neglect it is to impoverish the Christian faith; to read it in isolation from Christ is to miss its goal. The same Spirit who inspired Moses and the prophets inspired the apostles, and the same God speaks in both Testaments. Read the Old Testament with the light of the New, and read the New Testament with the depth of the Old. Together they form one living Word that is able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
Entry compiled for the JESUSaves.com Bible Glossary. Optimized for wiki.js Visual Editor.