I argued a few weeks ago that we can trust the Bible because Jesus trusted it. In fact, the degree of trust he put in the reliability and authority of the Old Testament ought to astonish us.
“But what about the barbaric genocide?” some might protest.
“And the Old Testament’s low view of women?”
“And its scientific inaccuracy?”
When you talk about the value of the Old Testament, it doesn’t take long for such objections to begin rolling in.
Matthew H. Patton has a wonderful piece at Tabletalk Magazine entitled “Cherishing and Defending the Old Testament,” where he briefly addresses these objections and more.
When you invite folks to dinner, there are certain rooms you hope they won’t see because there wasn’t enough time to clean everywhere. Similarly, for many Christians, the Old Testament is not a gem to show off but a closet of problems that we hope our unbelieving friends won’t see or ask us about. But what if the Old Testament is actually one of our greatest treasures? What if some of its most problematic parts are actually part of its glory? In this article, we will step through several objections to the Old Testament and show how these issues actually point us to the glory of Christ.
Patton’s brief article is well worth your time, so you don’t have to feel ashamed of this book as you might an untidy room in the house. Cherish this aged wisdom which leads us to Christ.
