by Erik Jones

Thomas Jefferson was famous for creating his “Jefferson Bible,” which was a version of the New Testament Gospels that included Jesus’ teachings and ethical actions, but excluded all His miracles and references to His divinity. Jefferson’s rationale was that He respected Jesus as a great teacher of morality, but he did not believe He was God in the flesh.

Jefferson was not alone in his desire to “pick and choose” parts of the Bible; many have ignored the parts they feel uncomfortable with.

The Bible is very clear that we are not to take this approach with its contents! Psalm 119:160 tells us “the entirety” of God’s Word is inspired truth. We are told specifically that “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2 Timothy 3:16). God did not include anything in the Bible that is irrelevant. Jesus Christ taught that “man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God” (Matthew 4:4, emphasis added).

Sadly, many profess belief in God and the Bible, but don’t study the Old Testament. The Old Testament contains vital truths, history and accounts that teach lessons. We cannot afford to ignore it! The apostle Paul wrote that the Old Testament accounts “were written for our admonition, on whom the ends of the ages have come” (1 Corinthians 10:11).

Perhaps it is time to study the Old Testament. A great place to start is our page on the Old Testament. In it you will find interesting overviews of each section and many of the books of the Old Testament. These will help you understand the main themes, purposes and characters of the Old Testament.

Tomorrow on the Daily Bible Verse Blog: “Two Keys to Peace With Others.”