087 | Reading the Old Testament with the New Testament in Mind (Dr. Tim Geddert)

If we're honest, many of us don't really know what to do with the Old Testament. We know it's important, but some of the stories are hard for us to understand in our modern American evangelical context. 

In this week's episode, we talk with Dr. Tim Geddert about his new book "The Beginning of the Story: Understanding the Old Testament in the Story of Scripture." Tim taught New Testament courses at Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary for 37 years. Although Tim has focused on the New Testament in his career, his new book tackles common questions and misconceptions that Christians have about the Old Testament. 

He says properly understanding the Old Testament is crucial for understanding the New Testament and Jesus' teachings. Tim discusses several challenging aspects of the Old Testament, such as violence and war, Old Testament law, and the reward/punishment narrative. He emphasizes the importance of reading the Old Testament through the lens of Jesus and the New Testament writers. 

We hope today's episode and Tim's book will be helpful tools to better understand the Old Testament as an essential part of the biblical story.