Lesson 7: Christ as the Key
What the Bible Demands
The previous step discussed how the whole Bible grounds its call to read with Christ as the key. In this step, let’s gather around Scripture to see where and how the Bible specifically makes this demand.
What the Bible says about the OT
It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven.
1 Peter 1:12 NIV
The Bible demands that we interpret the OT with Christ as the key.
The OT declares that it is one part of an unfinished story. We see this in texts like Deuteronomy 18:15, where Moses calls Israel to look for the promised Prophet, whom the Lord would raise up. We see this in texts like Ruth 4:18–22, where a genealogy of promise leave us waiting for the final promised Son to be born. We see this in texts like Psalm 130, where the Spirit calls Israel to wait for the Lord to “redeem Israel from all his iniquities” (Psalm 130:8).
The OT promises what it does not fully supply, prophesies what it does not finally fulfill, and foreshadows what it does not ultimately realize. Thus, the OT anticipates and requires Christ as the culmination of its story.¹ In that very anticipation, it calls us to interpret it with Christ as the key.
The NT testifies about the OT in this way as well. Jesus condemned the Pharisees for not believing Moses because he wrote about Jesus (John 5:45–47). He also rebuked his disciples for being slow to believe what the whole OT testified about him (Lk 24:25–27, 44–49). Peter revealed that David was prophesying about Christ’s resurrection in Psalm 16 (Acts 2:22–36) and taught that the OT authors were serving the church by writing about Christ and his gospel (1 Pet 1:10–12). Paul declared that the OT’s laws and institutions were always intended to foreshadow Jesus (Col 2:17) as did the author of Hebrews (Heb 9:11–14, 23–28). Paul also declared that the OT is “able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim 3:16–17).
Look up and comment further on three Bible texts that call us to read the OT with Christ as the key. You may use passages referenced above or others.
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What the Bible says about the NT
But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
John 20:31 NIV
The Bible demands that we interpret the NT with Christ as the key.
From its opening words to its closing words, the NT identifies itself as a book that reveals Christ (Matt 1:1; Rev 1:1, 22:20–21). Indeed, we could apply what John stated as the purpose for his own Gospel to the whole NT: “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (Jn 20:31 NIV).² The apostles taught and wrote as authorized representatives of Jesus Christ, whom Jesus himself called to reveal and to represent him to God’s people.³ They saw their own teachings and writings as uniquely and authoritatively given by God to reveal Christ (Col 1:24-27; 1 Pet 1:22-25).⁴ They expected God’s people to receive their writings as the trustworthy, authoritative, and life-giving word of Christ (Matt 28:16-20; 2 Tim 1:11-14).⁵ Thus, we see that the NT itself demands that we interpret it with Christ as the key.
The OT also calls us to interpret the NT with Christ as the key. As mentioned above, the OT prophesied that God would raise up a new and greater Moses (Deut 18:15), who would come to authoritatively and uniquely reveal God’s own words to the people (Deut 18:17–20). The OT also looked forward to a new covenant and expected a new, authoritative, written testimony about Christ as the covenant head and mediator to accompany that new covenant (Jer 31:31–34; Ezek 16:60; 37:24–28).⁶ This is what we have in our NT.
How the Bible models reading with Christ as the key
The Bible does not merely call us to interpret with Christ as the key. The Bible interprets itself with Christ as the key! All four Gospels portray God acting in Jesus to fulfill the OT, and Jesus consciously saw his own life and ministry as fulfilling what the OT anticipated.⁷ In Acts, the apostles preach Christ as the culmination of the OT (Acts 2:36; 18:5, 28). But they do not stop with the OT. His person and work are the content of their entire apostolic message (Acts 2:36; 5:42; 8:5). Just consider the sermons recorded in the book of Acts! We ought to read them and reflect on whether Christ fills our own interpretation and teaching as he does theirs.⁸ In fact, let’s do that now.
“Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead, and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm, “‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you.’ And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way, “‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’ Therefore he says also in another psalm, “‘You will not let your Holy One see corruption.’ For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, but he whom God raised up did not see corruption. Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. —Acts 13:26–39
How does Paul interpret the OT with Christ as the key?
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The apostles even interpret their own lives and ministries as continuing Christ’s (Acts 13:46-48; 26:15-18) and call us to view our own lives similarly (Rom 14:8–9; Heb 12:1-3; )!⁹ Indeed, Paul himself summarizes his message with one word: “Christ” (1 Cor 1:23; Phil 1:18; Col 1:28). He summarizes his life and ministry similarly: “for me to live is Christ.” (Phil 1:21)
The Bible models interpreting with Christ as the key in many ways. We will explore four of these ways in the next step.