BSM 2.2
Interpret Christologically
In order to interpret Christologically, we must realize that all of history is focused around Jesus Christ. This principle recognizes that Jesus Christ is the Creator of all things (John 1:1,3,14; Col 1:16-17), the Alpha and Omega - "the beginning and end" (Rev 1:8), the one and only God who became man (Php 2:6-8).
As we seek to understand God’s Word, we must determine how our interpretation of a given passage conforms to the Truth of the Lord Jesus Christ. One way to do this is to determine what each person, place, thing or event in Scripture teaches us about our Lord. We are encouraged to study and look for "the good things," the real truth, our Lord Jesus Christ; not just to look to the old Law, which was merely a "shadow" of these good things (Heb 10:1, Jn 14:6). All of the people, places and events in the Old Testament were placed there by God as examples to help us understand and learn about Him (1 Cor 10:1-6).
An example of a person teaching us about the Lord would be found in the prophet Jonah. As you may remember, Jonah did not want to go to the Assyrians as he had been commanded by God. Instead, he got on a ship and went in another direction. A storm occurred and Jonah was thrown overboard where he was swallowed by a great fish and three days later vomited up on an Assyrian beach where he then decided to comply with God’s commands. The three days and nights came to be the "sign of the prophet Jonah" (Matt 12:39-40) which spoke of the time that Jesus would be in the tomb.
A place can also teach us about the Lord. Jesus was to be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2) which means "house of bread." Jesus was indeed bread, that came down out of heaven and the Person who would sustain spiritual life (John 6:35).
There are many things which are directly designed to teach us about the Lord. The Tabernacle and Temple fall into this category. If we just consider the Holy Place where the Table of Shewbread, the Golden Lampstand, and the golden Altar of Incense were located, we can easily determine that they represent Jesus. Again, He is the Bread (John 6:35). He is also the "Light of the world" (John 8:12) and the One who hears our prayers (incense represents the prayers of the saints {Rev 8:3-4} and prayer is a "sacrifice" {Heb 13:15-16}).
Events like the offerings made by the Levitical priests also teach us about the Lord. All of the offerings (described in Lev 1-7) were designed to point us to Jesus as the "one offering for all time" (Heb 10:10-12). He indeed was the "lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world" (John 1:29).
The student can also look at the main themes of each book in the Bible and see that Jesus Christ is the main subject.
Genesis He is the Creator and Seed of the woman. (1:1; 3:15)
Exodus He is the Lamb of God slain for sinners. (Ch. 12)
Leviticus He is our High Priest. (entire book)
Numbers He is the Star out of Jacob. (24:17)
Deuteronomy He is the Prophet like unto Moses. (18:15)
Joshua He is the Captain of the Lord’s Hosts. (5:13-15)
Judges He is The Judge. (11:27)
Ruth He is our Kinsman Redeemer. (Ch. 3)
Samuel He is the Lord of Kings. (2 Sam 7:18-20)
Kings/Chronicles He is the Lord of Heaven and Earth. (Entire books)
Ezra He is the Restorer. (1:1)
Nehemiah He is Faithful. (9:32)
Esther He is our Mordecai. (Ch. 10)
Job He is our Risen and Returning Redeemer. (19:25)
Psalms He is the Blessed Man of 1.
He is the Son of God of 2.
He is the Crucified One of 22.
He is the Risen One of 23.
He is the Coming One of 24.
He is the Reigning One of 72.
He is the Leader of Praise of 150.
Proverbs He is our Wisdom. (Ch. 4)
Ecclesiastes He is the Forgotten Wise Man. (9:14-15)
Song of Solomon He is "my Beloved." (2:16)
Isaiah He is our Suffering Substitute. (53)
Jeremiah He is the Lord our Righteousness. (23:6)
Lamentations He is the Man of Sorrows. (1:12-18)
Ezekiel He is the Throne Sitter. (1:26)
Daniel He is the Smiting Stone. (2:34)
Hosea He is David’s Greater King. (3:5)
Joel He is the Lord of Bounty. (2:18-19)
Amos He is the Rescuer of Israel. (3:12)
Obadiah He is the Deliverer upon Mount Zion. (V17)
Jonah He is the Buried and Risen Savior. (Entire book)
Micah He is the Everlasting God. (5:2)
Nahum He is our Stronghold in the Day of Wrath. (1:7)
Habakkuk He is the Anchor of our Faith. (2:4)
Zephaniah He is in the Midst for Judgment and Cleansing. (3:5,15)
Haggai He is the Smiting Shepherd. (2:17)
Zechariah He is the Branch. (3:8)
Malachi He is the Sun of Righteousness. (4:2)
Matthew He is the King of the Jews. (2:1)
Mark He is the Servant of Jehovah. (Entire book)
Luke He is the Perfect Son of Man. (3:38; 4:1-13)
John He is the Son of God. (1:1)
Acts He is the Ascended Lord. (1:8-9)
Romans He is our Righteousness. (3:22)
1 Corinthians He is the First-Fruits from the dead. (15:20)
2 Corinthians He is made Sin for us. (5:21)
Galatians He is the End of the Law. (3:10,13)
Ephesians He is our Armor. (6:11-18)
Philippians He is the Supplier of Every Need. (4:19)
Colossians He is the Preeminent One. (1:18)
1 Thessalonians He is our Returning Lord. (4:15-18)
2 Thessalonians He is the World’s Returning Judge. (1:7-9)
1 Timothy He is the Mediator. (2:5)
2 Timothy He is the Bestower of Crowns. (4:8)
Titus He is our Great God and Savior. (2:13)
Philemon He is the Prisoner’s Partner. (1:9)
Hebrews He is the Rest of Faith and Fulfiller of Types. (9-11)
James He is Lord of Sabaoth. (5:4)
1 Peter He is the Theme of Old Testament Prophecy. (1:10-11)
2 Peter He is the Long Suffering Savior. (3:9)
1 John He is the Word of Life. (1:1)
2 John He is the Target of the Antichrist. (1:7)
3 John He is the Personification of Truth. (1:3-4)
Jude He is the Believer’s Security. (1:24-25)
Revelation He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. (19:11-16)
(The above adapted from R.T. Ketcham, DD; found in J. Edwin Hartill’s Principles of Biblical Hermeneutics)
FOR PERSONAL STUDY
# Read Psalm 22 and Matt 27:45-46. Describe how David represented Jesus Christ. (Person)
# Read Exodus 1 and Matt 2:13-20. Describe the significance of Egypt in the life of Christ. (Place)
# Read Exodus 26:31-35 and Hebrews 10:20. Describe how the veil of the Tabernacle represents Jesus. (Thing)
# Read Genesis 22 and Hebrews 11:17-19. Show the similarities between the sacrifice of Isaac and the sacrifice of Jesus. (Event).
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