You may be asking why we emphasize the whole Bible. What value could the Old Testiment have for us today? Christ said, ‘It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.’ Matthew 4:4 and Luke 4:4 David wrote, ‘Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. Psalms 119:105.In Proverbs 30:5 we read, ‘Every word of God [is] pure: he [is] a shield unto them that put their trust in him.’

Some say that they take the whole Bible but they then begin to discard most of it and say that it doesn’t apply to them. They may say that the Old Testiment is just for the Jews. Some go so far as to say that you can only believe what Christ said after his resurrection. Others say that only the writings of Paul are of value. Some only believe half of a text while disregarding the other half. But was Christ telling a falsehood in the above quote? Few realize that Christ was quoting Moses in Deuteronomy 8:3. He did not say, ‘What has been written up until now is for the Jews and later the rest of man will get what they need for salvation.’ No Christ rather refered to the writings of the Old Testimant and quoted it frequently. On the road to Emmaus what did He teach the two deciples from? The Old Testimant! Read about it in Luke 24:27, ‘And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.’ The New Testiment hadn’t been written yet. Notice, He made this statement after His resurrection. Christ didn’t say, ‘Some of what God has said is important.’ No He said that Every Word of God was important. If Pauls writings are only of value then how does one handle his many references to the writings of Moses and the other Old Testiment writers? Paul wrote this of himself, ‘But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets:’ Acts 24:14. And what did Paul say in Acts 26:22, ‘Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come:’ I have yet to read Paul saying this, ‘What I have written to you is truth and it is for all man, but everything else is reserved for the Jews.’ No he never discredited the Old Testiment. But rather he refered to it and taught from it.

Some say that the God of the Old Testiment was different from the God of the New but God Himself says, ‘For I am the Lord, I change not.’ (Malachi 3:6). The God of the Old Testiment was also a God of mercy. Here are what some of the Old Testiment people said about God: In 1 Chronicles 16:34 we find David quoted in this text: ‘O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever. In Deuteronomy 7:9 we read: ‘Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;’ ‘And Solomon said unto God, Thou hast showed great mercy unto David my father, and hast made me to reign in his stead.’ 2 Chronicles 1:8. David wrote in Psalms, ‘Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.’106:1 He repeated this thought thru out the Psalms, see also, 107:1, 118:1, 118:29 and 136:1. David wrote, ‘Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!’ Psalms 107:8, 15, 21 & 31. Joel wrote, ‘And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.’ Joel 2:13. Jonah said, ‘I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil. Jonah 4:2. In the book of Jonah we find that God was forgiving and gracious toward the city of Nineveh. Though they were a wicked city God knew their hearts and when his servant, Jonah went and preached to them they repented and God forgave them. In the book of Joshua we find that Rahab, a harlot was saved by Gods grace. Before there ever was an Israelite we are told of people that God cared for. Noah and his family were saved and they were not Jews. Abraham and his brother Lot were Gods friends.

If the Old Testiment were just for the Jews then we would miss the comfort and blessings found in the Psalms as well as all of the Old Testiment. We would miss the wisdom of Solomon found in Proverbs. We would not have an understanding of how the world was formed as we find in Genesis. We would not have the prophecies that fortold of the coming of Christ. Without the Old Testiment how would we know that Jesus was the Christ? It is thru the fact that he fulfilled the prophecies about the Messiah that we know that He is the one. Gods love and tender mercy is in the Old as well as the New Testiment. He is described as our shepherd in Psalms 23. In Psalms 36:7 it says, ‘How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.’ There is no distinction of race or creed here. What about this text, ‘For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men. Lamentations 3:33. Ezekiel wrote, ‘Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?’ Ezekiel 33:11 and this, ‘But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.’Ezekiel 18:21. Does that agree with what Christ said? Yes, He said, ‘If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. John 15:10 and He said, ‘If ye love me, keep my commandments. John 14:15