OT in NT (6a): Continuity of God’s people

Thirdly (see the first and second points), this interpretation of eschatology is (again) not out of line with Scripture. The believing community are in continuity with and are part of the one Israel. Reminders of Israel’s past (e.g. Acts 7:5, 40), warnings (e.g. 1 Cor 10, although not dealt with here), and exhortations (e.g. 1 Cor 5:13) all imply positive correspondence rather than antithesis between Israel and the church.^[1] The past experience and present reality are co-ordinated in the writings of the New Testament.

Interestingly, this correspondence does not necessarily imply that the source text was concerned with the referent of the target text. The exegetical tradition of employing texts to refer to whole passages and themes was a common part of Jesus’ teaching, and was carried on by his disciples.^[2] The circumstances of Judas’ death for example, related in Acts 1:20, are not taken to be the subject matter of the Psalm itself. Peter’s application of the Psalm to him is, however, in continuity with the original context, as Judas was the one who betrayed the eschatological Son of David and received a form of divine retribution. Such careful reading of OT texts in their original contexts before attempting a Christian application can, says Peterson, be a valid form of biblical reading today.^[3] The example of the inspired preachers and authors of the NT show us that the church stands in the history of God’s faithful dealings with his people.

[2] David G. Peterson, The Acts of the Apostles (Pillar New Testament Commentary Series; Nottingham: Apollos, 2009), 125. ↩

[3] Peterson, The Acts of the Apostles, 125–26 ↩