1 - OUR RELATIONSHIP TO THE OLD TESTAMENT
July 11, 1962
Pastor Henry F. Kulp
Romans 15: 4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
Here we have Paul giving instruction to the church at Rome, concerning their relationship to the Old Testament. This is something that baffles many people—they fail to comprehend dispensationalism—they claim that the true dispensationalist just throw out certain parts of the Bible. How often have you heard people say—just give me a knife and let me cut that portion out and throw it out because it is not to us.
1/ It is true that the whole Bible is for us, but the whole Bible is not to us. You must remember that the Bible even records lies when it quotes certain people—we cannot take these lies and make them applicable to ourselves. We must recognize who is speaking. For example, Job 2: 4 And Satan answered the Lord, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.
Many folks will say, that's true—a man will give anything he has to remain alive physically, but that is not a true statement. There are many men who will not bow the knee to principle just to stay alive. I think of Patrick Henry who said, "Give me liberty or give me death”—he certainly did not fit into Job 2: 4.
When we look at the context we see that Satan said these words. They are not true words—Satan was talking to God and attacking Job, and he brought an accusation against Job—one that is not true. Job later on proved the folly of Satan’s statement. So we must be careful to notice the context of this Scripture. Not all Scripture is to us.
2/ The Old Testament was not written directly to the Believer. It was written to the Jew—the nation Israel. And it is about an earthly kingdom and a king. Not about the Church which is Christ’s body. None of the Old Testament writers ever knew about the Church and this age. This truth was entirely hidden from them.
3/ But how can we use the Old Testament if it is not written directly to us? Does it have a relationship to us? Or do we just forget about it?
4/ Hebrews 5: 13, 14 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
Here we are told that some believers are new-born babes, desiring the milk of the Word, and everyone that uses the milk of the Word, is unskillful in the Word. In other words, he is not strong in the Word, and he knows little about it. I think you will agree with me, most believers are in this category—unskillful in the Word—they never seem to get beyond a milk diet.
5/ What a pity and a shame that this condition is true. Not because the average believer is stupid, and he cannot understand the Word, but because he is lazy and indifferent, and many times prejudiced.
6/ Let me show you how unskillful the average believer is in the Word.
When did the Old Testament start? I am sure the average believer cannot tell you the answer to this question. Most have an erroneous idea that the Old Testament started with Adam in Genesis—but that is not the truth. Before we can find out the relationship of the Old Testament to us, we must understand the Old Testament.
7/ II Corinthians 3: 6, 7 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:
In this portion of Scripture Paul talks about the Old and the New Testament. He said he had made us able ministers of the New Testament, and he says the Old Testament is the ministration of death, and he says this old ministration is the Law. And then in Verse 14 he said that when the Jews read the Old Testament, their minds are blinded, they do not find Christ in the Old Testament. What is the Old Testament—it is the law since Moses. In other words, the Law Covenant means the Old Testament.
8/ Hebrews 8: 9, 13 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. . . . In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.
You will notice in Verse 9, we have when the Old Testament started. God made it first of all when He took the fathers by the hand and led them out of Egypt, led them to Mount Sini and gave them the law—that Law Covenant is the Old Testament. Then in Verse 13 it tells us when this covenant became an Old Covenant or Old Testament. Then in Verse 13 it tells us when this covenant became the Old Testament, a new covenant has made the old covenant old. It wasn’t old to start with, but the new covenant made it old. We must remember however, that this covenant that Jehovah made with Israel was not old when it was in force, and it was in force for more than 1,500 years.
9/ When God took Israel by the hand and led them out of the house of bondage, out of Egypt, he put them under the Old Testament. But it was about 2,500 years after Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden until the Old Testament was in force. So the Old Testament was not in effect during the book of Genesis—even the beginning of the nation, even during the time of Abraham.
10/ The book of Genesis from Adam to Joseph covers about 1,700 years and there are quite a few covenants or testaments in the book of Genesis, but none of them are what is commonly called the Old Testament. So it is incorrect to call Adam, Abel, Seth, Enoch, Noah, Shem, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph Old Testament saints, because they never did fit into this category. They lived and died before the Old Testament was started.
11/ Romans 5: 13, 14 (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.
Here, God definitely marks out a period of time when there was no law, when there was no Old Testament from Adam to Moses there was no Old Testament—not for 2,500 years. Moses himself was 80 years old when he received the Law testament or the Law covenant—and Moses died at the age of 120. So his life was divided into two parts, 80 years not under the Law, and 40 years under the Law. So for 80 years, Moses was not an Old Testament Saint, but for 40 years he was.
12/ What about the covenant of the Old Testament or the Law? If it is not to us, what do we do about it? What part does it play in our Christian experience?
Romans 15: 4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
Here we have the answer. The Church at Rome was made up of two groups—those with a Jewish background, and those who had come out of paganism. These two groups were having trouble, there was a conflict between them—there was disputing. The one knew about the Old Testament and its observances, its rites and rituals, and the other knew nothing whatsoever about it and cared less—they said, we are under grace and grace alone—they knew only the Gospel that Paul preached. As you know the book of Romans is the grace of God apart from the Law. Paul, up to this point, had very laboriously pointed out that salvation was apart from the Law—not by any deeds of the flesh. Now he is speaking primarily to the Gentile believers who have come out of paganism and knew nothing of the Law, or what the Old Testament should mean to them. The Old Testament was to have value in their lives, for we are told these things that were written in the Old Testament were for their learning and our learning and through patience and comfort of these Scriptures, we might have hope.
AMEN
7/11/1962 / 1 - OUR RELATIONSHIP TO THE OLD TESTAMENT / 11/9/2025
