The God-breathed Scriptures are profitable for doctrine (teaching), reproof (exposing our errors—mental and moral), correction (restoring to an upright position), and instruction in righteousness. This last phrase is particularly interesting. The word Paul uses, usually translated as “instruction” or “training,” literally means “child training”—referring to the patient, repetitive, and illustrative manner in which children learn. How do you instruct believers to live righteously? In part, tell them stories over and over again and apply them to their lives.

I’ll never forget a particular sermon during my Bible college days. The young preacher (and fellow student) had just finished opening up a narrative portion of the Old Testament when he paused and said, in his distinct Australian accent, “So what?” (I must admit, I was originally struck just by how he pronounced those words.)

This narrative is saying something to us. It applies to us. Though he didn’t quote Paul in 1 Corinthians 10, he was being true to the spirit of Paul’s understanding of the importance of applying Old Testament narrative.

First Corinthians 10:11 sums up the reason Paul has been applying the wilderness narrative to new covenant believers in Corinth. He has warned them about their many sins committed against the backdrop of redemptive privilege and gift. Don’t let the lessons of Israel’s past be lost on you, Paul says. In proving this, he gives an axiom regarding the believer’s (and the preacher’s) use of Old Testament narrative: “Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come” (1 Cor. 10:11).

This use of the Old Testament is certainly in keeping with Paul’s view of inspiration and the use of Scripture: “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16–17).

The God-breathed Scriptures are profitable for doctrine (teaching), reproof (exposing our errors—mental and moral), correction (restoring to an upright position), and instruction in righteousness. This last phrase is particularly interesting. The word Paul uses, usually translated as “instruction” or “training,” literally means “child training”—referring to the patient, repetitive, and illustrative manner in which children learn. How do you instruct believers to live righteously? In part, tell them stories over and over again and apply them to their lives.

There was a day when such an assertion was neither unusual nor controversial. To be sure, there have been abuses with what I’m encouraging. It’s possible to misuse and misapply Old Testament narrative apart from the main redemptive, Christ-centered theme of the whole Bible.

Remember Lot’s Wife

Paul makes his Spirit-inspired application of the Old Testament to “the man of God.” The Scriptures have made Timothy wise unto salvation by faith in Jesus Christ. Thankfully, this gospel-centered note is sounded increasingly in our day, but it has led some to shy away from other uses of the Old Testament in preaching. Though Christ is, to be sure, the grand theme of the Old Testament, he doesn’t present himself as the exclusive application of every text. After all, Jesus warned people to “remember Lot’s wife” (Luke 17:32). And Jesus paralleled the behavior of his disciples (accused of breaking the Sabbath) to David and his men eating the showbread (see Matt. 12:1ff, 1 Sam. 21:3–6).

How does the preacher, teacher, or student of the Word remain faithful to the apostolic teaching and the examples of Jesus and Paul, without falling into mere moralism?

It’s important to distinguish between “moralism” and “morality.” One is anti-gospel, the other is a byproduct of the gospel. Moralism focuses on outward behavior and is generally encouraged for personal profit and reputation. Moral transformation and conformity to the will of God is rooted in the fear of God, the pleasure of God, and is demonstrably tied to the Word of God.

Preaching Christ’s person and work without moral imperatives denies the goals Jesus died to obtain for his people—“that we should be holy and blameless before him” (Eph. 1:4b). Thankfully, demonstrating this reality from the New Testament is pretty simple: Peter, John, James, and Paul make the applications for us. They teach the doctrine, then tell us in one way or another what it means for our lives.

More is required of the preacher working through large swaths of historical narrative, however. Sometimes God’s Word describes things, and no application or moral comment is made. For instance, we read of the horrific offer and compromise that Lot makes to the wicked men of Sodom who want to rape the angelic visitors. Lot offers his daughters to satisfy the mob’s lust. Should the preacher make comment on the sexual ethics of this man, his low view of women, and his shocking lack of love as a father?

Should he draw lessons from David’s fall into sin and the failure to make no provision for the flesh?

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