Relationship Between the Old and New Testaments

Biblical Basis

Several passages in the New Testament directly address its relationship to the Old Testament. In Matthew 5:17, Jesus says that he came not to destroy the law or the prophets but to fulfill them. In Luke 24:44, he says that all things written concerning him in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled. The new covenant promise of Jeremiah 31:31-34 is quoted at length in Hebrews 8:6-13. In 2 Corinthians 3:6 and 14, Paul contrasts the "new testament" with the "old testament," and in Galatians 3:24 he calls the law "our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ."

Meaning of the Names

In the names "Old Testament" and "New Testament," the word "testament" refers to a covenant, that is, a promise established between God and his people. The Greek word used in the New Testament, diathēkē, means "covenant" or "last will." It was rendered in Latin as testamentum, from which the English word "Testament" derives. The terms "old covenant" and "new covenant" originally referred to the relationship between God and his people, but they later came to be used as names for the two collections of books. The Old Testament was written mostly in Hebrew, with some portions in Aramaic, while the New Testament was written in Greek.

Significance Within the Whole Bible

Christianity has traditionally read the two Testaments as the revelation of one God and has described their relationship in terms of promise and fulfillment. The New Testament authors frequently quote the Old Testament, and many of these quotations follow the Septuagint (see New Testament quotations of the Old Testament). A representative example is Acts 8:32-35, in which Philip explains the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53 as referring to Jesus. The interpretive approach that sees persons, events, and institutions in the Old Testament as foreshadowing Christ is called typology; one example is the way Hebrews connects the high priest and the sacrifices to the work of Christ. The saying "The New is in the Old concealed; the Old is in the New revealed" is traditionally attributed to Augustine.

Interpretations and Issues

• Emphasis on continuity: The covenant theology of the Presbyterian and Reformed traditions views the two Testaments as different administrations of a single covenant of grace (Westminster Confession of Faith, chapter 7). The understanding that links circumcision with infant baptism also belongs to this line of thought.
• Emphasis on distinction: Dispensationalism distinguishes between Israel and the church and holds that some Old Testament promises will be fulfilled for Israel in the future. This interpretation has influenced American fundamentalism and some Baptist and independent churches.
• Law and gospel: The Lutheran tradition emphasizes the distinction between law and gospel. This does not, however, mean assigning the Old Testament to law and the New Testament to gospel; rather, both Testaments are understood to contain law and gospel alike.
• Application of the law: Many Protestant traditions understand the Old Testament law as divided into moral, ceremonial, and judicial law (Westminster Confession of Faith, chapter 19). On this view, the moral law remains in force, while the ceremonial law has been fulfilled in Christ. The question of the Sabbath and the Lord's Day and the tithing debate are closely related to this issue.
• Extent of the canon: Protestants recognize 39 books in the Old Testament. The Catholic Church accepts 46, adding seven books such as Tobit, and the Orthodox canon differs somewhat again (see canon).
• Views not supported by the text: In the second century, Marcion argued that the Old Testament should be discarded, and the church rejected this view (see Marcionism). A contrast between "the God of wrath in the Old Testament and the God of love in the New Testament" is often repeated, but the Bible itself does not state it. Exodus 34:6 presents God as "merciful and gracious," and the New Testament continues to contain warnings of judgment.

In the Korean Church

Korean Protestantism accepts 66 books as Scripture: 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. Sunday schools commonly have students memorize the names of the 66 books in order. Churches also sometimes adopt whole-Bible reading plans for reading through both Testaments over the course of a year. Whether and how an Old Testament text should be connected to Christ when preaching from it is a topic of ongoing discussion among preachers.