The Claims of the New Testament

"Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into." 1 Peter 1:12

If you are going to judge the truthfulness of the New Testament writings, it will be only fair to do so within the context of the claims that they make. Most, if not all, of the claims of the writers of the New Testament derive their authority from scriptures of the Old Testament. When, therefore, they wrote about the incarnation, they were, by the Spirit, unveiling truths that had been kept as mysteries to the prophets of old. Within what the Old Testament prophets wrote, which they didn't see, lay the truths that have now been revealed to the apostles and prophets of Jesus Christ.

When, for instance, they wrote about Christ being the express image of the invisible God, their claims were founded on truths not fully revealed to prophets of the Old Testament. For example, Isaiah's prophecy of the virgin birth revealed that the child to be born would be called Emmanuel, God with us. This was fulfilled in the Word becoming flesh, and dwelling among us. 

Every truth of the New Testament was concealed in the Old Testament, and those concealed truths have now been revealed in the New Testament. It is within the context of the Old Testament that the writings of the New Testament can be truthfully judged. 

Toni