About the Book
Though essential to the Christian faith, the Old Testament remains an enigma to many. Some view it as disjointed and difficult to understand, or as nothing more than a collection of archaic documents that are irrelevant for Christians today. In clear and concise language, Tremper Longman addresses three questions to help resolve this problem:
What are the keys to understanding the Old Testament?
Is the God of the Old Testament also the God of the New Testament?
How is the Christian to apply the Old Testament to life?
Christians often face a number of obstacles to their understanding of the Old Testament, including differences in culture, world views, traditions, language, and geography. Longman provides practical principles for achieving a fuller understanding of what the Old Testament says.
Throughout the history of the church there has been much debate concerning the differences between how God related to humans in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. The author points out false stereotypes Christians may have, then demonstrates that the presentation of God is consistent in both testaments.
Of the three questions addressed, the third is perhaps the most practical. Longman looks at each section of the Old Testamentlaw, history, poetry, wisdom, and prophecyand explains the issues involved in applying that section to Christian life today. Scripture and subject indexes are included.