Lesson 3 | The Big Context
Find the gospel, don't force it
The Book of Christ's redemption
The Bible is a book about Christ. So says Jesus.
You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me...
Jesus (John 5:39)
Furthermore, the center of Jesus' purpose in coming to us is redemption. Again, he tells us this himself. Slow down and take in this reality as you read over these familiar texts.
For the Son of Man [i.e. Jesus] came to seek and to save the lost. —Jesus (Luke 19:10)
For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. —Jesus (John 6:38-40)
Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit... Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. —Jesus (John 12:24-27)
I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. —Jesus, (John 12:46)
So, the Bible is about Jesus, with special focus on the redemption found in him. And we might add that it is ultimately a singular, unified book from God. Thus, our aim in studying the scriptures ought to be seeing how the passage at hand fits in and contributes to the grand story of the Book. Graeme Goldsworthy says it really well.
Biblical theology is nothing more nor less than allowing the Bible to speak as a whole: as the one word of the one God about the one way of salvation. —Graeme Goldsworthy
Preaching the Whole Bible as Christian Scriptureby Graeme Goldsworthy
An excellent book unpacking many of the ideas of this lesson step.
Prophesies, shadows, types, doctrine, need and God
If the grand message of the Bible must never be forgotten in our teachings, then our teachings ought to be Christ-centered and redemption-centered, since these are the center. But at the same time, forcing the gospel message upon our text is not the aim. Such an approach actually suggests that the gospel is not there, and that we are to paste something foreign on the passage.
But the gospel is there—in every book of the Bible, in every corner. To be sure, we will often not find a full gospel message in a specific text, but each text is contributing to that full gospel message. And so when you are not seeing gospel elements in a text, the answer is not to slap a cheap gospel sticker upon it. The answer is to look harder!
Practically speaking, the scriptures themselves demonstrate for us how to look for Jesus in a text. We are to look for prophesies, shadows, types, doctrine, need and God himself.
Prophesies present us with a promise of the One to come—the Messiah of Israel. These are perhaps easiest for us to see since their presentation is often direct and explicit. At the same time, keep your eye open for the common situation where a prophesy's fulfillment is found in not one, but two different people or times.
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 'Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel.' —Matthew 1:22-23 (quoting Isaiah 7:14)
Shadows are those things which are good, glorious and beautiful, and yet not ultimate. They arouse our hopes and desires, but are not able to completely fulfill them. This is because they are mere shadows which give us a rough outline of the shape of the real thing.
These [festivals, Sabbaths] are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. —Colossians 2:17
Types can be very similar, but connect to Christ more particularly through a likeness to him. Unlike shadows, types may be negative and yet bear contrasting resemblance to Jesus (think Adam and Jonah). Other times a shadow could be characterized as a type and vice versa.
Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. —Romans 5:12-15 (referencing Genesis 3)
Doctrine that we find throughout all the scriptures depends upon Jesus. Abraham can only be justified by faith because Jesus died for him. Daniel can only tell us that some will be raised to everlasting life because of the gospel. And so all doctrine finds its foundation in Christ.
[all] are justified by [God's] grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, ...just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: ‘Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.’ —Romans 3:24; 4:6-8 (quoting Psalm 32:1-2)
Need is an incredibly important and common way that the Bible points to Christ and the gospel. As our guardian, the law and biblical pronouncements of judgment show us our desperation as sinners and in this way lead us to the Savior.
But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith —Galatians 3:22-24
God himself also leads us to Jesus, the God-Man. This is because what we learn of God throughout the Bible finds its most glorious manifestation in the Cross. Is God creator? Through Jesus, he makes us new creations. Is God judge? On the Cross he pours out his full judgment. Is God wise? Such wisdom is seen nowhere like it is in the mystery of the gospel. And so on, through all of who God is.
Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen. —Romans 16:25-27
Demonstration
Let's give this some practice by wrapping up a study of Hosea 6:4-11, looking to place it in the grand mosaic of the word of God and see the gospel within it.
Homework from JesusHosea 6:4-11
"Go and learn what this means, 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.'" Have you done your homework?