Old Testament Explained and Applied: An Overview of the First 39 Books of the Bible

The importance of the Old Testament for present-day Christians cannot be overstated. From the earliest days of the Christian era these thirty-nine books have held a vital place. The new Christian converts on the Day of Pentecost, once baptized, committed themselves with great enthusiasm to the apostles' doctrine, fellowship with other believers, the breaking of bread and united prayer. The teaching of the apostles was composed of a number of elements: relating the teaching they received directly from the Lord Jesus Christ, bearing witness to the things concerning the Lord which they had seen and heard for themselves, and interpreting and applying the Old Testament Scriptures with specific reference to the Lord Jesus Christ. The apostles were at great pains to relate everything that Jesus said and did to the thirty-nine books of the Old Testament. The Scriptures, as composed at that time, were the firm foundation for understanding and explaining the ministry, life, suffering, death, resurrection, ascension and glorification of the Lord Jesus Christ. This was the doctrine, the teaching, of the apostles.