Week 1 – Why Every Christian Needs the Old Testament
Proto-Tabernacle Series – Intro.
It may sound obvious to some and surprising to others: reading only the final quarter of Scripture can quietly dim our grasp of the whole. The New Testament isn’t a standalone story or a new religion it is the divinely crafted conclusion to the epic that opens in Genesis 1:1. Yet in much of today’s teaching and reading, the first three-quarters have been allowed to recede into the background. A return to those foundations isn’t just helpful; it’s essential for seeing Jesus in His full light.
The Old Testament, known as the Law and the Prophets, deserves a red-letter edition, for the eternal Christ echoes through every page.
Here are seven reasons the Old Testament remains vital for believers today:
Jesus said the entire Old Testament is about Him Luke 24:27 – After the resurrection, Jesus walked with two discouraged disciples and “beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” If the risen Lord drew from 39 books to reveal who He is, we do well to follow His lead.
The New Testament quotes or alludes to the Old Testament on almost every page Over 300 direct quotations and thousands of echoes fill its pages. When Paul calls Jesus “our Passover lamb” (1 Cor 5:7), he assumes knowledge of Exodus 12. When Hebrews describes Jesus as “a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek,” it points back to Genesis 14 and Psalm 110.
Every major doctrine about Jesus rests on Old Testament foundations
The suffering Servant who bears our sins? Isaiah 53.
The Son of Man who receives everlasting dominion? Daniel 7.
The pierced One whom they will look on and mourn? Zechariah 12:10.
The resurrection of the dead? Ezekiel 37, Daniel 12, Job 19:25–27. Remove the Old Testament, and the platform on which Jesus stands crumbles.
The Old Testament is the dictionary that defines New Testament words Terms like “covenant,” “blood atonement,” “kingdom,” “priest,” “sacrifice,” “redemption,” “righteousness,” and “the Name” receive their primary meaning in the Old Testament. Skip the dictionary, and the rest of the book is misread.
It guards against faulty teaching When claims arise that Jesus abolished the Law entirely or that the God of the Old Testament differs from the God of the New, Scripture provides the answer: Jesus Himself declares, “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” (Matt 5:17–18), and “Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58).
It keeps worship from becoming shallow Revelation overflows with imagery drawn from Exodus, Leviticus, and Ezekiel. Without familiarity with the earthly tabernacle and its patterns, the throne-room visions in Revelation can feel like disconnected special effects rather than the grand climax of the biblical story.
It reveals the God who has always been drawing near The same divine Person who walked in the Garden, clothed Adam and Eve with skins, spoke from the burning bush, and declared to Moses “I AM WHO I AM” later stood among us saying, “Before Abraham was, I am.” We cannot know Him fully if we bypass the first three-quarters of His self-revelation.
The Old Testament is not an outdated covenant that was simply cancelled. It is the firm foundation on which the new covenant stands. Remove the foundation, and the house cannot stand.
In the weeks ahead, we will trace one unbroken scarlet thread from Genesis 3 to Revelation 22; the thread the apostles and earliest believers never ceased proclaiming.
Stay with this journey, and the Old Testament will cease feeling like a dusty museum. It will become the front door to everything we love about Jesus.
Blessings,
William
Next Saturday we’ll begin our journey and let the Old Testament speak on its own terms.
See you on the ancient paths.
© 2026 Galilee Publications Just reading what’s written. Walk with us on the ancient paths.
Follow this Link for Weekly Note Bonus - Extra context & deeper dives: