The Testimony of the New Testament to the Old Testament
Let us now take a brief glance at the books of the New Testament, and ascertain what testimony there is to the inspiration of the Old Testament. We shall only take a few examples out of many.
In Matthew 1:22, we read, “Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of Jehovah, by the prophet.” Observe, it is not merely that the prophet’s saying was “fulfilled,” thus to show how divinely true it was, but that it was “spoken of Jehovah.” Is it possible that anything can show more clearly that the prophet Isaiah uttered it by inspiration? In the next chapter we find the same expression (Matt. 2:15); “that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of Jehovah by the prophet” – the prophet Hosea. In Matthew 5, our Lord so authenticated the testimony of the Old Testament that He said, “Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law till all be fulfilled.” “The law” is sometimes used to include all the ancient scriptures.
Mark’s gospel begins with quotations from the prophets Malachi and Isaiah, and in Mark 7, our Lord said to the Pharisees, “Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoreth Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me,” and charges them with rejecting “the commandment of God,” as in Exodus and Leviticus, and setting up instead, “commandments of men.” “Thus,” added our Lord, “making the word of God of none effect through your tradition.” Here our Lord calls the writings of Moses the word of God (Mark 7:6-13). In Mark 12, our Lord declares that David wrote Psalm 90, “by the Holy Ghost” (Mark 12:36). Again, we ask, Is it possible to have clearer proofs of divine inspiration?
In Luke 1, we see a man full of the Holy Spirit; his testimony, therefore, must be very important; we find him saying that “He (the Lord God of Israel) spake by the mouth of His holy prophets which have been since the world began” (Luke 1:70). In Luke 3, we have the testimony of one who was full of the Holy Spirit from his birth, of whom our Lord said, “Among them that are born of women, there has not risen a greater than John the Baptist.” Well, what about him? We read that at a certain time “the word of God came unto John.” What word of God? “As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet,” etc (Luke 3:2,4). In Luke 4, the Lord reads in the synagogue part of Isaiah 61, and stops in the middle of a sentence, and closed the hook and sat down, saying, “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.” What scripture? “The acceptable year of the Lord.” How? Because He came to call sinners to repentance (Luke 4:18-21).
In Luke 16, the Lord again most authoritatively enforces the authenticity of the writings of Moses and the prophets. He says, “They have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them .... If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead” (Luke 16:29-31). Is it possible that such language could be applied to any writings that were not given by God?
In John’s gospel it is recorded that our Lord recognized certain writings which He called “scriptures,” which testified of Himself. He also especially taught that Moses wrote of Him. But more than that; He so recognized that Moses wrote them not by his own will, but by the Holy Spirit, that He ranked Moses’ writings as of equal authority with His own words, when He said, “If ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe My words?” (John 5:47) In John 10, our Lord declared that “the scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35), as He also said elsewhere “the scripture must be fulfilled.”
In Acts 1, the apostles are in a different state as to the truth, because our Lord after His resurrection had “opened their understanding that they might understand the scriptures.” Many men in our day think themselves quite competent to understand scripture by natural ability aided by education; but it is a great mistake, for “the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Cor. 2:14). Did people believe this, how anxious they would be that God would reveal His truth to them by the Holy Spirit’s power!
Well, Peter, the apostle, in Acts 1, gathered from Psalm 41 and Psalm 109, that another should be chosen (“ordained” is not in the Greek) to take the place of Judas the betrayer. His words show that he regarded the Psalms as inspired. He said to the others, “This scripture must needs have been fulfilled which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David, spake before concerning Judas” (Acts 1:16). It was Peter who after this wrote, “We have also a more sure word of prophecy, whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place.... for the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man; but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Peter 1:19, 21).
In Acts 2, Peter and the others have very much advanced spiritually. Why is this? The Holy Spirit had come down and taken up His abode in them, so that they were “filled” with the Holy Spirit, and had a power in ministry, and received gifts which were never known before. Peter stands up to preach! Now, what is it about? He first quotes from the prophet Joel, to explain that it was the coming of the Holy Spirit which had produced all this joy and power in them. He then goes to Psalm 16, 132 and 110, to show that the death, resurrection, ascension, and glorification of Christ was a fulfillment of what had been written concerning Him many hundreds of years before; and we know what vast blessing accompanied this ministry. Observe here, that these Old Testament writings were given by the Holy Spirit and expounded by one full of the Holy Spirit.
In Acts 3, Peter declares to the Jews that even then if they repent, turn to God, and have forgiveness of sins, Jesus will be sent down from heaven, and bring in millennial blessing as their true Messiah – “the restitution of all things which God hath spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.” Here, again, it is “God hath spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets.” What could more plainly show us that these men were inspired by God to write? (Acts 3:19-22).
In Acts 4:24-25 “God” is said to utter the second psalm by the mouth of His servant David.
(To be continued.)