Jensens survey of the old testament adam 339
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7. What wind orientation controls
Palestine’s weather?
8. What is Jerusalem’s average weather
around the time of Passover (late part of
April)?
9. Describe the setting of a typical house
and family in a small town of Galilee during
the adolescent days of Jesus.
10. What was the average education of
Hebrew children?
IV. HOW TO APPROACH THE NEW TESTAMENT
It is very helpful in New Testament
studies to be acquainted with the setting,
which has been discussed in the preceding
pages. It is also helpful and even necessary
to have the right approach in studying the
New Testament. Without the right approach
and clear guideposts, valuable time can be
lost when studying the testament’s many
historical facts, theological doctrines, and
end-time prophecies. Also, one might
become discouraged and confused over
di cult or obscure portions of the text. But
those pitfalls can be avoided in various
ways, some of which are discussed below. As
guideposts, they help the Bible student keep
on track whenever he makes detailed,
analytical studies of the Bible text. Those
guideposts will reappear in the later survey
studies of the individual books of the New
Testament.
A. VIEW THE NEW TESTAMENT AS THE
FULFILLMENT AND INTERPRETER OF
THE OLD TESTAMENT
The Old Testament pointed forward to the
New Testament, and so when passages in the
latter look “Old” (e.g., lamb sacri ce,
Sabbath, Temple), it should not surprise or
confuse us. Every New Testament reference
to the Old is natural, sound, and necessary.
If you are convinced of that, you will feel at
home in all passages that refer back to the
pre-Christian era. Such passages include (1)
prophesied events of Christ’s life and His
ministries; (2) applications of the Old
Testament’s doctrines of sin and salvation
(e.g., in the book of Hebrews); and (3)
prophesied events of end-times (e.g., about
Israel).
This approach to the New Testament rests
on the foundation that both testaments are
the one Book, the Bible. In that Book is the
story of God revealing more and more of
Himself and His redemptive work to men.
Norman Geisler writes of this:
Christ at once sums up in Himself
the
perfection
of
the
Old
Testament precepts, the substance
of Old Testament shadows, and
types, and the ful llment of Old
Testament forecasts. Those truths
about Him which bud forth in the
Old Testament come into full
bloom in the New Testament; the
ashlight of prophetic truth turns
into the
oodlight of divine
revelation.40
Such an approach supports the principle
that a knowledge of the Old Testament is
one of the best preparations for a study of
the New Testament.
How does the accompanying diagram
illustrate the relationship of the New
Testament to the Old?
B. SURVEY THE NEW TESTAMENT
