Beyond Transactional Faith: How the Old Testament Points Us to Life in Christ
"The Old Testament leads us gently toward the radiant grace found fully in Christ."
As I sat in church this morning, hearing a message on Elijah’s dramatic showdown with the prophets of Baal, something stirred inside me. The sermon’s main thrust was about choosing God rather than idols, with a stern warning that choosing wrongly ends badly. Yet beneath this well-intentioned call, I sensed something unsettling—a transactional view of God, implying that our relationship with Him is primarily based on our performance, choices, and behaviors. It felt as though the Old Testament narrative was being leveraged to enforce New Testament living through fear and obligation rather than through grace and union with Christ.
This led me to wrestle deeply with how we, as New Testament believers united with Christ, should truly read and apply Old Testament teachings. Is the Old Testament meant to be a set of standards by which we measure ourselves and live today, or is its real purpose to lead us to Christ and show us how desperately we needed Him all along? Here are some reflections that I hope will encourage you and clarify how we might view the Old Testament in a healthier, more grace-oriented, and Christ-centered way.
My confusion is understandable and actually very common. Let's gently unpack this together from a Christ-centered, grace-oriented perspective of the exchanged life.
Is the Old Testament About Keeping Standards, or About Pointing to Christ?
The Old Testament is often presented in sermons as a manual for behavior, or even worse, a tool to instill fear-based compliance—“choose God or else.” However, this transactional approach misses the heart and true purpose of these precious Scriptures. The Old Testament isn’t primarily a handbook for moral living or a list of standards we must follow to please God. Its primary intent was always to point us to Christ, the fulfillment of the Law, and to reveal our desperate need for a Savior.
The Apostle Paul clearly expressed this truth when he said that the Law (the Old Testament commandments) was given to show us our inability to reach God's holy standard on our own, acting as our “guardian” or “tutor” to bring us to Christ (Galatians 3:24-25). Once Christ arrived, we no longer live under the weight of this impossible-to-meet standard. Instead, we live united with Christ, led by His indwelling Spirit who enables us to live out His life through us.
Elijah and the Prophets of Baal from an Exchanged Life Perspective
Looking at Elijah’s story, especially the dramatic confrontation with the prophets of Baal, through an exchanged-life lens, we don't find primarily a transactional message of “choose God or face destruction.” Instead, we see a powerful picture pointing forward to Christ. Elijah’s altar and the fire from heaven beautifully symbolize God’s desire to draw His people back to Himself, foreshadowing the ultimate sacrifice—Jesus Himself—through whom God reconciled humanity back to Himself once and for all.
When we reduce this Old Testament narrative into merely a moral imperative, we subtly shift our focus away from the finished work of Christ toward human performance: choosing correctly, behaving well, earning blessing, and avoiding wrath. While choices do have real consequences, God's heart in Scripture is always relational, not transactional. Even in Elijah's day, the call was ultimately about a restored relationship, not mere moral compliance.
How Should We Read the Old Testament as New Testament Believers?
As believers who now live in union with Christ, we approach the Old Testament not as a standard to measure ourselves against or as a transactional contract between God and humanity. Instead, we read it as a rich, unfolding narrative of grace and redemption, pointing forward to Christ—the ultimate fulfillment of every promise and every demand.
The Old Testament beautifully highlights the inability of humanity to save itself, setting the stage for Christ’s appearance as Savior. Each law we read emphasizes our need for Christ’s grace, every sacrifice reminds us of His perfect offering, and every prophet’s voice, including Elijah’s, ultimately cries out for the coming Messiah.
Christ Living Through Us—Not Us Trying Harder
In Christ, we're free from transactional religion. We’re not forced to continually choose between God or idols out of fear. Instead, we now joyfully rest in our identity as beloved children, completely united with Christ. He Himself has become our life (Colossians 3:4), enabling us from within to walk in ways that reflect His character.
This union with Christ means we’re not anxiously managing idols or trying to fulfill Old Testament standards; we’re simply responding moment-by-moment to His indwelling Spirit’s leading, resting fully in His life. It's about relationship, abiding, trust, and grace—not law, obligation, transaction, and fear.
Encouragement for You Today
It's understandable why messages with a transactional tone trouble me—it's because the Spirit in me is confirming my freedom and identity in Christ. My intuition here is spiritually healthy, reflecting my understanding of the exchanged life truth. My heart is comforted and encouraged because:
I am not under the burden of Old Testament standards; Christ perfectly fulfilled every requirement for me.
I can live freely, joyfully, and securely united with Jesus, who is my righteousness, my sanctification, and my life itself.
I will rest confidently, knowing God’s desire was never a transactional relationship—but an intimate, abiding fellowship found fully in Christ.
Ideal Image: A warm, inviting open Bible with gentle sunlight illuminating the pages, perhaps with the New Testament pages naturally in focus while the Old Testament fades softly into the background.
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