Evaluation of the Torah in view of the New Testament

This study will focus on an evaluation of the Torah in view of the New Testament. It will examine the role of Torah in theological study, and more specifically, it will attempt to show how the message of the Torah is the foundation of the New Testament. It is important to note that the Torah is the foundation of the rest of the Scriptures. This study is very short, and because of this, it will examine five broad categories of the message of the Torah, which is also found in the New Testament.

• Worship of one true God

The worship of one true God is called Monotheism. Murphy and Murphy (2007) in page 86 states that when God delivered Israel from Egypt, he began to teach them to worship the one true God. God commanded that Israel was not to have any other gods beside him. This can be found in this text in Exodus 20v. 3:

“You shall have no other gods before me."

The message of Monotheism is a cornerstone in the foundation of New Testament theology. Jesus preached the doctrine of Monotheism as can be seen in this text in Mark 12v. 29:

“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.

• A covenant with conditions

God made a covenant with Israel at Mt. Sinai based on Exodus 19-20. In Deuteronomy, the covenant was renewed before the new generation crossed over to Canaan. The regulations given by God were the conditions of the covenant. As long as Israel kept the law, God kept blessing them. Compellingtruth.org (2019) states that Mosaic covenant was bilateral or conditional meaning both parties were responsible to fulfill a duty to the other. It was to make Israel aware of their inability that they may recognize they need Jesus when he finally came based on Galatians 3vv. 24-25. Jesus later came, and made a New Covenant with his people, and redeemed them from their sins and curse of the law based on Galatians 3v. 13. Majority of theologians claim that the new covenant has no conditions because of grace, but the condition is that whoever believes in Jesus shall be saved and not perish based on John 3v. 16. Whoever does not has already been condemned.

• Justice and morality

In the Torah, God expected his people be morally upright and to be just. In Exodus 20vv. 13-17, God forbids murder, adultery, theft, false testimony, and coveting neighbor’s wife and property. This is a message of justice and morality in the society, and the same has been passed over to the New Testament. A good example is Matthew 19v. 9 where Jesus forbids adultery in his teaching. Gotquestions.org (2019) states that moral law encompasses regulations on justice, respect, and sexual conduct, and includes the ten commandments given in Exodus 19-20. Paul in 1 Corinthians 5vv. 11-13 preaches against immorality, theft, and other evils.

• Messiah

After the fall of mankind, God promised that the seed of the woman would crush the head of the serpent. This is found in Genesis 3v. 15 which states:

And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel. 

Jackson (n.d) speaking on the seed of the woman states that the seed promise of this entire book finds its complete fulfillment in the savior, who in the fullness of time, was “born of a woman” based on Galatians 4v. 4. The Message about the Messiah began in the Torah, and continued till the New Testament when Jesus finally came, was born of a woman, and died on a cross, where he crushed the head of the serpent, and saved God’s people. God, from the beginning, had a plan to bring a Messiah to save his people.

• Eschatology

Eschatology refers to the study of the future or last things. A good example is the study of the second coming of Jesus. Biblegateway.com (n.d) states that the hope of God’s people is the fundamental strand of Old Testament teaching regarding the future. The promise made to Abraham 12v. 3 will ultimately be fulfilled. The Torah speaks about all families of the earth being blessed through Abraham, and this message is found in the New Testament. Galatians 3v. 29 states:

If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. 

The theology of the end times contained in the gospels as well as Pauline Epistles is founded on the message of the Torah.
The Christians are Abraham’s seed and shall inherit God’s promise to Abraham. The theology of the end times contained in the whole book of Revelation is founded on the message of the Torah also. Jesus, the seed of the woman, will come again as a King, to reign with his people. Unfortunately, there has been a great deal of heretic teachings about the second coming of Jesus, with some purporting to use mathematics to calculate the day Jesus will take away his church. Jesus himself said that no one knows the day except the Father. The Torah lays the foundation, and teaches about future events, but does not purport to fix days in everything. The Torah does not contradict the New Testament theology in any manner.

References

Eschatology (n.d). Retrieved March 20, 2019 from biblegateway.com/resources/encyclopedia-of-the-bible/Eschatology

Jackson, Wayne (n.d). Crushing the Serpent’s Head: The Meaning of Genesis 3:15. Retrieved March 20, 2019 from Christiancourier.com/articles/1571-crushing-the-serpents-head-the-meaning-of-genesis-3-15

Murphy, J & Murphy, C. S. (2007). Prophets & Prophecy in Today’s Church. Blue Jay, CA: Hundredfold Press, 2007

The Mosaic Covenant – what is it? (n.d). Retrieved March 20, 2019 from compellingtruth.org/mosaic-covenant

What is the difference between the Ceremonial law, the Moral law, and the Judicial law in the Old Testament. (n.d). Retrieved March 20, 2019 from gotquestions.org/ceremonial-law