Many Christians completely ignore the Old Testament. The common remark is, “That is the Law and Christ has set us free from the Law.” That Christ has set us free from the law is a wonderful truth, but there are at least two things that are missing in their overgeneralization. 1) Only a relatively small portion of the Old Testament is the Law. 2) Jesus said he did not come to destroy the law but to fulfill it.
Jesus was not against knowing the Law. He was against misusing it. Jesus told the Pharisees, "Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; the one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have set your hope. "For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote of Me. "But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?" (John 5:46-47).
Moses taught about the Messiah that was to come. We learn about God’s nature through the stories in the Old Testament. The entire Old Testament points to Christ. It teaches us our need for a Savior (Galatians 3:21-24). There was glory in the Law and greater glory in Christ (2 Cor 3:6-11). Knowing the Old Testament gives us a more complete understanding of the marvelous grace in which we now live.
