All of that was great, and I am so thankful and blessed for my upbringing, but the Old Testament was always a disconnect for me to the Gospel and the New testament. I wasn’t ever taught false doctrine but I believe that the emphasis was put in the wrong place. As far as I knew, Jesus’ life was just another story of the Bible among others like Daniel, Abraham, David, Esther, etc. You get the idea.

My friend recently described it as if you were given a box full of parts and told to assemble them not knowing that you were supposed to be building a motorcycle.

I think that this comes from an over emphasis on “Bible Study.”  I am not saying that there is anything wrong with Bible study or having a good hermeneutical foundation. Obviously, these are important for context so we don’t miss the original meaning and message. We correctly exegete the word and do not perform the big no no of eisegesis.

When Paul the Apostle refers to the Gospel or sometimes even “the Mystery” he isn’t just talking about the “The Romans Road” or some easy steps to understanding salvation. When Paul uses these terms he is talking big picture; he is looking at the whole story of historical redemption. He is thinking of Creation to New Creation and everything in between. This is where a proper understanding of the Old testament fits in. All the stories, and historical events of the Old Testament are pointing forward to something greater – to some one greater! Jesus himself said to the religious leaders and students of his day:

You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.

- John 5:39-40

You see Jesus himself is the great theme and story of the Bible; all other stories point to him! I want to share seven ways to get to Christ from the Old Testament. Hopefully these will help you avoid the mistake that I (and others) have made as you study the scriptures.

Vaya Con Dios

1.  Redemptive-Historical progression

• Redemptive-historical progression trace God’s history with the world from his good creation (Gen 1), to the human fall into sin and God’s plan of redemption through the seed of the woman (Gen 3:15), to a long history of God continuing the line of the seed of the woman (Gen 3- Malachi), to Christ (the Gospels), the Church (Acts and the New Testament Letters), and finally to the new creation (Rev 22).
• In other words, in the bible we can trace a continuous redemptive history which centers in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who then ascends to rule his church from heaven until he comes again. Creation to New Creation.

2.  Promise Fulfillment

• If the text contains a promise of the coming Messiah, then you can easily move to the New Testament to show the ultimate fulfillment of the promise in Jesus Christ.
• Example: “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and the obedience of the peoples is his.” – Gen 49:10
• Show the fulfillment in Matthew 1:1-17 Jesus Christ, the king of kings born of the tribe of Judah and the House of David.

3. Typology

• Old Testament events, persons, or institutions can function as types which foreshadow the great Antitype – the person and work of Jesus Christ.
• Examples: The fall of adam and eve adam is the human race’s representative, he prefigures Christ the Second Adam, who also is a representative of a New human race.
• The ark, the tabernacle, the rock in the wilderness, Joshua, King David…etc

4. Analogy

• Analogy exposes parallels between what God taught israel and what Christ promises the Church; what God demanded of Israel (the Law) and what Christ demands of his Church.
• Example: Genesis 12:1-9 Israel must claim Canaan for the Glory of God; in the New Testament Jesus mandates his Church to claim all nations for God (Matt 28:18-20)

5. Longitudinal Themes

• Although similar to redemptive-historical progression in some ways, it is distinct in focusing on the development of theological ideas rather than development in redemptive history. Longitudinal themes refers to themes that can be traced through the scriptures from the Old Testament to the New – Themes such as God’s coming kingdom, God’s covenant, God’s redemption, God’s presence, God’s love, God’s faithfulness, God’s grace, God’s judgment, God’s providence.
• Every major Old Testament theme leads to Christ

6. New Testament Reference

• The New Testament reference makes a direct bridge to Christ.
• Example: God created his good creation by his powerful “word”; John in his gospel tells us that that “Word” is Jesus Christ (John 1:1,3)

7. Contrast

• Because of the coming of Christ the text’s message for the contemporary Church may be quite different from the original message for Israel. So we preach by contrast.
• Example: circumcision was a commanded by God for every Jew; but for us we know that Christ is our circumcision and circumcision is a heart issue. Circumcision was the outward sign of the Old covenant, but in Christ baptism is the sign of the New Covenant- which is an outward expression that we have died with Christ and have been raised with him to new life.. So we contrast the the Old and the New.

He was not rushing to the cross or running away from it, but willingly submitting to the Father’s ultimate timing.

I often think of how Jesus must have felt during His earthly years and ministry. Did He desire to be back with the Father? Did He do His ministry and work at the appropriate time or was He distracted by getting to the cross? The answer is no. We see Him constantly telling His disciples and followers not to fully declare who He is until the appointed time. In these instance, Jesus is being obedient to the time and place in which the Spirit was leading Him according to the Father’s will. He was not rushing to the cross or running away from it, but willingly submitting to the Father’s ultimate timing.

I am not saying either that you should and will be in complete bliss in every season of your life. Every place the Lord moves you will never be perfect and will often not feel right. As Christians we are wanderers, which means your life will be uncomfortable if you call Jesus Lord. Every memory I have of past trips, travels, or wanderings it is consistently uncomfortable after a certain point in time. Home is desired and uncomfortableness can really set in. I imagine Jesus was very uncomfortable during his earthly ministry, but He did it anyway to make a relationship with us possible.

I would encourage you to be motivated by Jesus’ actions. To be present in your situation, place, life, and city. Just as Jesus was present with his disciples, followers, and ministry. The Father’s timing in your life is purposeful, which means you are exactly where He wants you right now. Do not be apathetic and look ahead when you can do great things for Jesus now. Jesus did not come and die for you so you can passively look for and hope in a better season in your life. Your hope should be fully on Jesus and His return, and doing everything you can now to grow His kingdom and usher His return.

Paul says if Christ is not risen, Our preaching is in vain, your faith is in vain, we are misrepresenting God, we are still in our sins, those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished, and we are of all men the most pitiful.

The resurrection is an essential part of the Gospel. Many people today object to the resurrection… Dead men don’t rise they say. This doctrine is under attack in among the so called higher criticism camp. It is so important that we know what the Bible says about the resurrection, what secular history affirms about the resurrection, and what Jesus’ resurrection means.

1. What do we mean by resurrection?

a. When we talk about resurrection we aren’t simply talking about revivification. Revivification occurs when somebody comes back to life again only to die again.

b. Resurrection is a new life after death, a life with an eternal quality.

2. Isn’t resurrection an idea taken from Greek, Egyptian and Babylonian worship?

a. Many people nowadays make the claim that Christianity borrowed the death and resurrection of their God from the surrounding pagan cultures.

i. The idea of resurrection is denied in ancient paganism from Homer to Aeschylus, who wrote, “Once a man has died, and the dust has soaked up his blood, there is no resurrection.”

ii. N.T Wright who is a master on the subject says, “Christianity was born into a world where it’s central claim was known to be false. Many believed that the dead were non-existent; outside Judaism, nobody believed in resurrection.”

iii. Again N.T. Wright sums up the teachings of Cicero who was a roman philosopher. “Cicero is quite clear, and completely in the mainstream of greco-roman thought: the body is a prison-house. A necessary one for the moment; but nobody in their right mind, having got rid of it, would want it or something like it back again. At no point in the spectrum of options about life after death did the ancient pagan world envisage that the denials of Homer, Aeschylus and the rest would be overthrown. Resurrection was not an option. Those who followed Plato or Cicero did not want a body again; those who followed Homer knew they would not get one.”

iv. Although a great majority of ancients believed in life after death: outside of Judaism and Christianity nobody believed in resurrection.

v. Accounts of different deities rising from the dead in other religions were based on the vegetation cycle, or if there was after life it was spiritual and physical. Judaism and Christianity stand alone in regards to resurrection until after the second century. It is believed that many of the mystery religions then borrowed the resurrection idea from Christianity.

vi. Edwin Yamachuai says, “There is no possibility that the idea of a resurrection was borrowed (by Christianity) because there is no definitive evidence for the teaching of a deity resurrection in any of the mystery religions prior to the second century.” What is found in pagan religions is accounts of gods reviving or living on in the underworld – but there is nothing of actual bodily resurrection.

3. The Biblical Evidence of Jesus Resurrection

a. The scriptures foretold it. – Isaiah 53; Psalm 16

i. After Isaiah speaks of the suffering and death of the Servant of Jehovah he says this, “Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong.”

ii. Likewise psalm 16:11 “Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

b. Jesus foretold his death, burial and resurrection:

i. Mark 8:31-32 “And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 And he said this plainly.”

ii. Mark 9:30-31“They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he did not want anyone to know, 31 for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.”

iii. Mark 10:33-34 “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. 34 And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise.”

c. Jesus died on the cross: Fact!

i. No swooning. No possibility of reviving.

1. He had no sleep the night prior to his death, He was beaten multiple times, Roman scourging – which often killed a man, beaten again, a crown of thorns pressed into his skull, nailed to the cross by a professional executioner, a spear pierced his side and into his heart – outflowed blood and water, he was wrapped in over a hundred pounds of spices and linens, and laid in a tomb with no medical attention. Jesus died.

d. Buried in a well known tomb:

i. If he didn’t really rise people could have checked it out… The body was gone, the tomb was empty.

e. Jesus was seen alive by many witnesses:

i. 1 Corinthians 15 declares that Jesus Christ was seen alive from the dead by Peter, and the twelve (apostles, including Matthias) to over 500 brothers at one time, he appeared to James, then to all the Apostles, then Paul says that he appeared to him as well.

f. He was declared to be alive from the dead and “The Lord” by his family and skeptics.

i. Jesus’s brothers James and Jude, as well as his mother Mary worshipped Him as God. Formally they thought He was out of His mind, but not after they saw Him risen from the dead.

ii. Finally Paul the Apostle was the most unlikely convert. He persecuted the church, he caused people to blaspheme the name of Jesus, and thought that he was working for God in persecuting Jesus name. What happened to this man that Changed Him so much???? He saw Jesus Christ alive from the dead.

g. These are only a few facts we find in the Bible for Jesus resurrection.

4. Historical evidence of Jesus resurrection:

a. Josephus – “Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews, and many of the Gentiles. He was the Christ; and when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him, for he appeared to them alive again the third day, as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him; and the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct to this day.”

b. Suetonius – refers to the persecutions under Nero and indirectly refers to the resurrection. “punishment was inflicted on the christians, a class of men given to a new and mischievous superstition (the resurrection).

c. Pliny the Younger – “I have never been present at an examination of Christians. Consequently, I do not know the nature of the extent of the punishments usually meted out to them, nor the grounds for starting an investigation and how far it should be pressed… They also declared that the sum total of their guilt or error amounted to no more than this: they had met regularly before dawn on a fixed day (Sunday in remembrance of Jesus’ resurrection) to chant verses alternately amongst themselves in honor of Christ as if to a god.”

i. The Christians are recorded as meeting on Sunday- the day Jesus rose from the dead.

d. Jewish Opponents: claimed that the body of Jesus was stolen, thus admitting the fact of the empty tomb. This explanation is unsupported for the following reasons:

i. The tomb was closed with an enormous rock and sealed by the government, and there is no explanation for how the rock was moved while being guarded by armed roman soldiers.

ii. If the body had been stolen a large ransom could have been offered the thieves, and they could have been coerced to produce the body. Or if it had been taken by the disciples, then the torture and death they suffered should have been sufficient to return the body.

iii. Even if the body was stolen, how are we to account for the fact that jesus appeared to multiple crowds of people, proving that he was alive? The theft of the body is unlikely and still does not account for Jesus returning back to life.

e. These are secular sources that stand in agreement with what the scripture confirms.

5. The Resurrection Affirms:

a. If Jesus in fact rose from the dead: it carries huge implications.

i. Romans 1:3-4 says, “concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, 4 and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. – the resurrection affirms Christ deity.

b. If Jesus in fact rose from the dead: it is proof that He is God, therefore, he should be feared worshipped and obeyed….

c. If Jesus Christ rose from the dead: then he is not to be compared with the other great men of earth. Jesus is unique. He is not on an equal playing field with, Mohammed, Vishnu, Buddha or any other icon or religious leader, because He alone has risen from the dead!

d. Jesus didn’t just come back from the dead: The bible states that Jesus went through death, defeated it, and came out the other side victorious! He did not rise from the dead to die again, but rose to never die again. Also Christ rose not with his same body but a glorified body; walking through doors and walls, disappearing and reappearing, and then finally ascending into the heavens in a cloud.

Conclusion: There are other theories we could consider like the swoon theory or the twin theory or the hallucination by the disciples theory but these are absurd in the face of so much evidence. “Anyone who denies this explanation is rationally obligated to produce a more plausible cause Jesus’ resurrection and to explain how it happened.” -William Lane Craig.

Vaya con Dios!

The Bible makes it clear, but we often do not like the answer. We often desire a list of actions.  Putting them into a nice list and daily taking stock, checking off actions we feel are completing our role as part of the Church. Unfortunately, thinking like that is unbiblical. What then is Jesus’ work and ministry if it is not a list of actions to accomplish? Jesus’ work and ministry was to simply preach the good news of the Kingdom of God (Matt. 4:17, Mk. 1:15, Lk. 5:43). That’s it. It appears general and that’s because it is. Often when things are defined generally it is difficult to get traction and start going in the right direction. Most of us become frustrated and give up all together. This is big though. This is what Jesus’ work and ministry was about and we are supposed to emulate it, so it cannot be tossed aside.

Now, think about the vastness of God, and then think about the kingdom that God would rule over. It would be big. The Kingdom of God is a big enough playing field for His followers to play well. It is by the grace of God the Father that the Kingdom of God is large enough for his followers to respond to the wide grace shown to us by King Jesus. If you want a wide and big enough view of the Kingdom of God then get to know King Jesus whose sacrifice and love for you is wide and big. Then we as a Church can begin to play in the general, big, and wide Kingdom of God. Just as Jesus did.

Last post we discussed how often our views of the Gospel are narrow, and how they should be widened to a fuller understanding because the Gospel is vast and deep. We touched on the Gospel being the entire Bible or the story of God not just Jesus’ life & ministry. What we want to do now is move into Gospel implications.

What are Gospel implications? Gospel implications are seeing Gospel truths and allowing them to affect your heart. Gospel implications are a process not necessarily a thing. Jonathan Edwards called them religious affections, which today John Piper, Tim Keller, and Jonathan Dodson tip their hat to Edwards by incorporating them into much of their theology. Gospel implications are one of three steps in what I call the Gospel journey. As Christians, we encounter Gospel truths (step 1), Gospel implications (step 2), and Gospel actions (step 3). The order is key and unfortunately most Christians do a great job with Gospel truth, but fail with Gospel implications. The scary part is many Christians do not realize that misunderstanding Gospel implications voids Gospel actions. Let me explain.

In Luke 6:45, Jesus says the heart is the primary source of motivation, which will eventually become known from one’s actions. In the Bible, the heart encompasses the mind, emotion, and will of a person not the internal organ. Ultimately, the heart is the motivational center of human action. When Gospel truth does not reach the heart, the motivational center of human action, it voids Gospel action, or even worse, distorts it. Gospel actions require Gospel implications.  Otherwise the actions have no power because there is no heart motivation. We call this legalism or moralism. Doing actions because of fear, tradition, or easiness. In the life of Jesus both the Pharisees and even his disciples were prone to act in this legalistic manner.

This is why at times you do not feel close to God. Jesus is not a delight to you. Jesus is not an appetite you crave. Jesus is not the one you trust fully and consider His counsel before anyone else. This is not what Jesus wants. Jesus desires to be intimate and close with you, not distant and foreign. You need to allow Gospel truths to really affect and motivate you from your heart by letting the story of God penetrate your emotions, will, and mind. You need to be an individual who is controlled by Gospel motivations, so you do not fall into the sin of the Pharisees. How do we allow Gospel truths to affect our heart and then motivate us to Gospel action? That is for the next post.

The resurrection and the life of Jesus is what creates the Church. It is the rock in which we Christians have to stand on and without it we are to be pitied. Unfortunately, the Church is seldom motivated and affected by the resurrection on a daily basis. Do you make everyday choices based on the fact that Jesus is alive and reigning? Do you get out of your car, walk into work, and ask yourself how can I work today in such a way that will demonstrate that Jesus rose from the dead? When you engage in conversation with a fellow student, do you speak to them in a such away that proclaims Jesus as alive. You may celebrate Jesus’ resurrection on Sunday, but do you, like the Apostles make it a daily practice?

Far too often, we the Church, do not act like Jesus is alive. We make Jesus into any other great sage, leader, or political figure in history. The only conclusion by the watching world is confusion; They see a God who is only worshipped on Sunday and is no different the other great men of history. But, Jesus is different because He did rise from the dead. Let’s not make once a year or even once a week dictate our expression of Jesus resurrected. The remembrance of the resurrection should be daily and should give purpose to our lives as well as give hope to a world that desperately needs it.

My first response Is always, “Have these people ever read the Gospels?”. If you read the gospel accounts you will find that Jesus is actually the most egotistical teacher to ever live. Jesus was constantly talking about himself and truly did make exclusive claims to being THE WAY to everlasting life. The amazing paradox of Jesus was that while being egotistical in his teaching he was absolutely altruistic (selfless) in his practice.

Listen to these statements:

“For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” Luke 9:24-26

“But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man (Jesus) came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:43-45

“I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” John 6:35

“I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” John 6:51

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” John 6:53-54

Although Paul and the other writers of the New Testament did teach that Jesus was the only way to God and forgiveness of sins came through his death, they were not the first ones. These truths were first taught in the law and the prophets which Christ then taught himself. The apostles and writers of the New Testament simply repeated what they were taught and what they believed.

Vaya con Dios!