Christ at the Center

I know this isn't pointed out very often, but you should know that Christ fulfills the central role in biblical theology. As Graeme Goldsworthy, author of  According to Plan, says, “Jesus Christ in his life, death, and resurrection is the fixed point of reference for the understanding of the whole of reality.” He is the central figure at the heart of all truth – including understanding of God and His Word.

Biblical theology in this context refers to “the study of the unity of the message of the Bible.” (Goldsworthy 20) Therefore, to say that Christ is central to a biblical theology is to say that He acts a “lynchpin” revelation on behalf of the Father – unifying the message of the Old and New Testaments. Having said that, it becomes clear that the entirety of Scripture was written about the revelation of God through the person of Jesus of Nazareth, just as he claimed in John 5:39-40; thus in order to understand God’s Word in the form of Scripture, we must come know God’s Word in the form of Christ. All Scripture points to Him and, since He is the incarnation of God’s Word (John 1:1), one must know Him to truly grasp what is written.  Once one comes to know the truth as manifested in Jesus (John 14:6), truth can then be found in the Scriptures written about him. Revelation and understanding begins with the unifying theme of the Messiah, and moves backward and forward into the different testaments. (Goldsworthy 76)

Three Old Testament characters in particular illustrate the principle that Christ fulfills the central role of biblical theology. Abraham, David, and the Prophets (specifically Isaiah for the sake of this exposition) point toward Christ as the main work of God amongst man. These three persons and their accompanying stories do not provide revelation of Christ, but do point to revelation that was to come in Christ.

For example, Christ was foreshadowed in Abraham as God established an everlasting covenant with him – promising “All the families on earth will be blessed through you [Abraham]” (Genesis 12:3). The assurance that Abraham’s descendants would become a great nation and bless the rest of the world foreshadows the fact that the Messiah would be born in the line of Abraham (which, of course, is not fully understood without a proper understanding of God’s revelation in Jesus Christ)! Therefore, Christ stands at the center of the Abrahamic Covenant – connecting the Old Testament to the New.

The same thing appears in the story of King David. Again, the Lord establishes an everlasting covenant as he tells the king that “when you die and join your ancestors, I will raise up one of your descendants, one of your sons, and I will make his kingdom strong... And I will secure his throne forever… I will confirm him as king over my house and my kingdom for all time, and his throne will be secure forever.” (1 Chronicles 7:11-14) In promising this everlasting dynasty in David (descendant of Abraham), God again indicates the coming of the Messiah. Of course, Jesus does fulfill this role! After Matthew clarifies Christ’s decent from David in Matthew 1:1, he goes on to explain the fact that Jesus has ushered in the Kingdom of God (Matthew 4:17, 11:2-6). As the Father promised, Jesus Christ is the eternal King of Kings (Revelation 19:16) that maintains the never-ending dynasty of David. Once again, Christ stands at the center of God’s work and unifies the story of both Testaments.

Even the prophets focused on the coming revelation of God through the Messiah. The prophecies of Isaiah are a perfect example of the fact that Christ stands at the center of biblical theology. As Mark 1:1-2 says, “This is the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, It began just as the prophet Isaiah had written….” Isaiah prophesied concerning the birth of the Messiah, his death, his eternal reign, and much more; his work illustrates the point that Christ is coming – and yet again places him in a central position.

Jesus Christ is the fixed point of reference for the understanding of reality – including that of biblical unity. He unifies, brings meaning, and fulfills the entirety of Scripture! As illustrated by characters throughout the Old Testament, centrality of Christ is key – and cannot be overlooked in a proper biblical theology. Like Paul says in the book of Colossians, “Christ is all” (especially within the context of biblical theology)!


Photo Credit: Dennis Goedegebuure / Foter.com / CC BY-ND