Foundations In Biblical Studies And Theological Tones: Old And New Testament Analysis

Introduction

As a first year student at Isaiah University pursuing a Bachelor in Biblical Studies and having read the course material which includes the Old and New Testament and the prescribed materials which form the core syllabus of the course, in this paper the writer will summarise her key learnings from these materials which led her to the conclusion that there is a theme to the entire bible and that theme is at the centre of the healing covenant, God’s grace, his gift of repentance to mankind and ultimately the defeat of Satan. The Collins English dictionary defines a theme in a piece of writing as, a talk, or a discussion in an important idea or subject that runs through it. The writer will pull the ‘thread’ running through the five categories of the bible i.e. the law, history, poetry, prophecy, epistles and the four courses studied namely Satan today, Healing covenant, Repentance and Grace which is Christ, the theme of the bible, its doctrines and teachings.

Christ, the Theme of the Bible

Bible make up

The bible’s makeup of the Law, history, poetry, prophecy and epistles provoked the writer’s curiosity to seek to understand the purpose of these bible categories and find the common thread running through them and how these relate to Christ.

The Law

The Law which is made up of the five Hebrew books making the Torah namely Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy laid the foundation for Christ. Genesis the book of beginnings shows that God laid a foundation for Christ by choosing a people from whom the saviour would come and His plan of redeeming mankind would unfold.

In Exodus God’s redemptive plan was unveiled as the Passover lamb’s blood was put on the door posts as a sign to the angel of death to pass. This foreshadowed Christ as the Passover lamb 1 Corinthians 5:7(b). In Numbers where Israel wondered in the wilderness, Christ is foreshadowed as the lifted up serpent, the smitten rock, pillar of cloud and fire, the daily manna that is bread from heaven which Christ himself admitted to being in John 6: 35. In Deuteronomy 18:15, Moses is seen as a type of Christ i.e. a prophet, a Priest and ruler just like what Jesus is.

History

Christ is foreshadowed in the twelve Old Testament historical books of the bible which were preparations for the manifestation of the Messiah. In Joshua he is seen as a Leader of the righteous, in Judges he is their Deliverer, in Ruth their Kinsman Redeemer. In 1 Samuel Christ is shown as the Anointed One, in 2 Samuel He is the Son of David. In 1 and 2 Kings Christ is seen in His future state as the Glorious King, in 1 and 2 Chronicles Christ is seen as the godly or Priestly King, in Ezra He is the Restorer of the temple, in Nehemiah Christ is portrayed as the Restorer of the nation of Israel and in Esther He is seen as the Protector of the righteous.

The five historical books of the New Testament i.e. the 4 gospels and the book of Acts, speak of the birth, life death, resurrection of Christ and ministry of the Apostle’s in the early church spreading the gospel with the central message that Christ is risen. The four gospels reveal the person of Jesus Christ as the Messiah of the Old Testament. In Matthew he is the King of the Jews, in Mark he is the servant of the Lord, in Luke he is the son of Man, in John he is the eternal son of God and in Acts he is the risen Lord.

Poetry

The five poetical books of the bible reveal the need for Christ in the hearts of men and also encourage a life of fulfilment only in Christ. In the book of Job Christ is seen as the Mediator between God and mortals, in Psalms Christ is seen as the all in all as communion with him brings hope and comfort in all situations of human life. In Proverbs wisdom is seen as having come in the flesh in the person of Christ providing wisdom for daily living through his precepts. In Ecclesiastes the teacher calls all pursuits of things outside of Christ vanity. In this book is evidence that man’s aspiration to significance & satisfaction is found only in Christ as he is the only one who is good. In the last poetical book, Song of Solomon, Christ is seen as the Lover of man’s soul in a metaphor of joy through the union of a bride and a groom.

Prophecy

The Old Testament books clearly show that Christ was anticipated by both the Major and Minor prophets alike for different reasons as inspired by the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament, three Minor Prophets expected the coming of the Messiah to restore the nation of Israel. Two prophets including Isaiah a major prophet predicted the salvation of the gentile nations of the world through Christ the Messiah. Five Minor Prophets warned of God’s retribution on the nations which they expected that the Holy God and avenger would fulfil or save in His mercy if people repented. The major Prophet Jeremiah expected the Messiah, Christ the man of sorrows to reaffirm the covenant God had made with Israel. Daniel a Major Prophet predicted that Christ the rock cut without human hands (Daniel 2:34); would politically restore the nation of Israel to her ultimate destiny. Two of the three post Babylonian captivity prophets prophesied of the religious reconstruction of Israel. Malachi the third post Babylonian captivity prophet, predicted the coming of the messenger who would clear the way for Christ the Messiah (Malachi 3:1).

In the book of Revelations, the only prophetic book in the New Testament, John the revelator wrote of things yet to come. He wrote of the expected second coming of Christ who is returning as King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Revelations 19:16)

Doctrines and Teachings

Satan Today

According to Ezekiel Satan is an angelic being of great beauty with power to deceive, was thrown out of heaven onto the earth because of iniquity found in him. He has come to steal to kill and destroy but Christ has come to give believers life in abundance. Believers in Christ have been delivered from the power of Satan however to avoid the deception and subtlety of the devil they must know and understand the word of God which is the roadmap and a light in the path of the righteous Psalm 119:105. Christ has given believers authority over all the power of the enemy, John 10:19 hence the plan of the enemy to cause them to stumble will not succeed if they remain in the word. Believers must always remember that Christ has won the victory over the devil, he is defeated and everyone that is a child of God has overcome him by the blood of Jesus.

Healing Covenant

Healing is part of God’s plan for his children. When Jesus healed many that were sick during his earthly ministry, Matthew 8:17 records that this was in fulfilment of the prophecy given by Isaiah which shows that it was God’s plan to bring healing and wholeness to men through Christ and man accesses that healing only through faith. The healing covenant has been accomplished, believers need only to just walk in it by faith. When Christ saves a person that salvation does not only save the man’s soul but also his body. There are many examples of healing in the Old and New Testament demonstrating that God intended healing to be the bread of the children, i.e. a basic commodity for everyday enjoyment.

Repentance

Jeremiah laments at the extent of wickedness of man’s heart (Jeremiah17:9) which leads man to violate God’s divine commands. According to Romans 3:23 all humanity has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God therefore; only true repentance can reconcile man back to God. When man confesses and forsakes his sin, God is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse him from every unrighteousness (1John:1:9). If man is to escape the wrath of God and the consequences of their sin, repentance must be a lifestyle to maintain holiness as no one is without sin (1John 1:8). The incorruptible blood of Jesus is the perfect sacrifice that when applied to the heart of man atones for man’s sins and makes him right with God again.

Grace

Jerry Bridges defines Grace as “God’s free and unmerited favour shown to guilty sinners who deserve only judgment. It is the love of God shown to the unlovely. It is God reaching downward to people who are in rebellion against Him”. [1] This definition causes one to appreciate to some degree, the depth of God’s goodness and his love for humanity. God’s grace is free which means no works can earn his favour, no holiness without it and without his grace we cannot be saved, grow nor live a holy life. This understanding is liberating in that it makes one realise how much one needs God who enables us by his grace to do that which we were born for on the earth and to overcome. All man needs to do is to humble himself before this holy God. [1: Bridges, Jerry. Transforming Grace (p. 9). The Navigators. Kindle Edition.]

Works cited

1. Bridges, Jerry. Transforming Grace (p. 9). The Navigators. Kindle Edition.
2. Ryrie, Charles Caldwell. Ryrie Study Bible: New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update. Moody Press, 1995.
3. Myers, Rick. E-Sword: the Sword of the Lord with an Electronic Edge. E-Sword Net, 2011.