In Acts 15, a crisis enveloped the early church. False teachers infiltrated the church in Antioch and wrongly required Gentiles to submit to the Law of Moses by being circumcised. After Paul and Barnabas confronted these false teachers, the church in Antioch sent Paul and others to Jerusalem to gather with the apostles and Jerusalem elders. Both Peter and Paul spoke at this first church council to defend the true gospel, with Peter proclaiming: “But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.” (Acts 15:11) Eventually James rose to propose a judgment on the matter. To support his judgment, he used a prophetic promise from the book of Amos:
And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written,
“‘After this I will return,
and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen;
I will rebuild its ruins,
and I will restore it,
that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord,
and all the Gentiles who are called by my name,
says the Lord, who makes these things known from of old.’
Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood.
—Acts 15:15–20
James used this OT promise to support his judgment that the Gentiles need not be circumcised to follow Christ. Can we use OT promises and prophetic literature similarly? Before answering, let’s look more closely at another biblical model to guide us in the right use of OT promises and prophetic literature.
A Biblical Model for the Right Use of OT Prophecy - 1 Peter 2
In 1 Peter 2, the apostle set forth the church’s new identity and calling in Christ. This new identity includes a distinct ethic. To develop his argument, Peter used a series of quotations from the OT. Let’s take a closer look at Peter’s use of OT promises and prophetic literature in 1 Peter 2:4–10:
As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture:
“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,
a cornerstone chosen and precious,
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,
“The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,”
and
“A stone of stumbling,
and a rock of offense.”
They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
—1 Peter 2:4–10
Note at least three ways that Peter used OT prophecies in these verses. (For example, Peter uses the prophetic promise in Isaiah 28:16 as referring to Christ and as a promise to encourage these Christians).
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The Right Use of OT Prophecy
How does the Bible’s own use of OT promises and prophetic literature guide us in its right use?
The Bible’s example calls us to use OT promises and prophecies as trustworthy revelation that reveals God, is fulfilled in and by Christ, and encourages and warns the church.
Trustworthy Revelation
The Bible always treats OT prophetic literature and promises as true and trustworthy. Even though these promises are often poetic and use colorful images and metaphors (like buildings, stones, and tents in the examples above), the Bible always uses them as trustworthy revelations of what God has done or will do for his people in Christ. In our own use of OT prophetic literature and promises, we should use them as true and trustworthy revelations of what God has done or will do in Christ.
Reveals God
The OT prophets revealed the LORD by proclaiming his word. They revealed God’s perspective on the present and his plan for the future. In doing this, they also revealed who God is, how he acts, and what he values. We see this in Acts 15. By quoting from Amos, James not only recounts God’s promised plan but also reflects on God’s heart to save the nations through Israel’s restoration in Christ. Similarly, by quoting from Isaiah and Psalms, Peter not only declares that Christ fulfilled these prophetic promises but also demonstrates that God rejects those who pridefully reject Christ and his gospel.
Fulfilled in and by Christ
Christ fulfills OT promises and prophecies in various ways. We need to read carefully to understand how Christ fulfills specific OT prophecies. But we cannot lose sight of what the Bible boldly declares about its own promises: “For all the promises of God find their Yes in [Christ]. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.” (2 Cor 1:20)
We see this in our two examples above. In Acts 15, James saw Christ fulfilling what Amos prophesied by bringing Gentiles to faith in him. Peter too, in the text above, taught that Christ fulfilled the prophetic promises from Isaiah and Psalms. Jesus Christ is the promised Messiah of the OT, and through his person and work God fulfills all that he promised through the OT prophets.
As we use OT promises and prophetic texts, we must carefully consider how God fulfilled or will fulfill such promises in Christ.¹
Encourages and Warns the Church
As Christ fulfills OT promises and prophecies, they come to the church through him. The Bible clearly uses OT promises and prophecies to encourage and to warn God’s people in Christ. In Acts 15, James used Amos’ prophetic promises to support his judgment that Gentiles enter God’s people by faith alone in Christ alone. In 1 Peter 2:4–10, Peter used prophetic promises from Isaiah and the Psalms to develop and to support the distinct identity and calling of God’s new covenant people.
We too should faithfully and carefully use OT promises and prophecies as they come to us in Christ to encourage and to warn God’s people.
The Misuse of OT Promises
One modern movement that twists and misuses the Scriptures to deceive God’s people is the prosperity gospel movement. Pastor John Piper help us understand one way that this movement misuses the promises of Scripture: