8 Practical Tips for Finding Christ in All of Scripture

This article was first published in French at TPSG.

If you have read much of my writing, you may recall that I have a passion for Christocentric hermeneutics. What may surprise you is that I have only come to this conviction in the past few years, thanks to the influence of my husband Dan and of the Charles Simeon Trust. The text that most clearly points to the necessity of searching for Christ in every passage of Scripture is found in Luke 24, in which Jesus meets two discouraged disciples on the road to Emmaus. In response to their confusion about the surprising crucifixion of the One they had thought would redeem Israel, Jesus gives them a lesson they would never forget: “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” (Luke 24:27). 

Most of the churches I’ve served in did not espouse this approach, however, nor did the seminary where I studied. So, although I have become thoroughly convinced of its importance, I still find it challenging to find the road that leads to Christ in every passage of Scripture, especially when studying the Old Testament. 

Nancy Guthrie

One of the Bible teachers who has helped me the most in this regard has been Nancy Guthrie. She hosts the TGC podcast, Help Me Teach the Bible, in which she interviews a variety of scholars, pastors, and Bible teachers. Over the course of the past several years, she has recorded an episode covering every book of the Bible, and in each one host and guest have explored how to find Christ therein. She has also written a series of books entitled, “Seeing Jesus in the Old Testament,” with volumes covering Genesis, Exodus to Deuteronomy, the historical books, the Psalms and the Wisdom books, and the Prophets. For anyone who understands English, I can’t recommend her resources highly enough. 

I recently came across Nancy’s list of 8 ways that the Old Testament points to and prepares us for Christ. I hope these will prove as helpful to you as they are to me in my own study of God’s Word.

8 Tips for Finding Christ in All of Scripture

1. A problem that only Christ can solve (the curse, our inability to keep the law, our alienation from God)

2. A promise only Christ can fulfill (blessing, presence of God with us)

3. A need that only Christ can meet (salvation from judgment, life beyond death)

4. A pattern or theme that only comes to resolution in Christ (kingdom, rest)

5. A story that only comes to its conclusion through Christ (the people of God, creation/fall/redemption/consummation)

6. A person who prefigures an aspect of who Christ will be or what he will do by analogy and/or contrast (Joseph, Moses, David)

7. An event or symbol that pictures an aspect of who Christ will be or what he will do (ark, exodus, sacrifices)

8. A revelation of the pre-incarnate Christ (wrestling with Jacob, commander of the Lord’s army)