CHRIST-CENTERED BIBLE STUDY
Lesson 5: Clarifying a Potential Misunderstanding
Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation, exposes our brokenness and points us to Christ and the gospel. This truth may raise a nagging question: “Am I suggesting that every passage of the Bible somehow proclaims Jesus?”
Are we talking about looking for Jesus in places where He cannot be found?
A young boy was once asked in Sunday school, “What is small, brown and furry and has a tail?”
The child thought for a minute and said, “It sounds like a squirrel, but I’ll say Jesus!” knowing “Jesus” was usually the right answer for all Sunday school questions.
This is not what we’re talking about.
Big Idea: We are not looking to find Jesus, Himself, in every passage of Scripture. We need to look at the original intent of each passage while using the tools of Christ-centered Bible study.
How Does the Old Testament Point to Jesus?
1. What we are talking about is reading all of Scripture as a witness ultimately pointing to Jesus.
Reveal“And He said to them, ‘O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into His glory?’ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.”
“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about Me.”
2. All the individual stories in the Bible tell a larger story that centers on the person and work of Christ.
3. We do not attempt to find Christ in every text but rather to discover how every text relates to Christ and His redemptive work.
Reflect
It leads to error, misunderstanding and wrong application.
You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you. Deuteronomy 4:2, ESV
I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. Revelation 22:18, ESV
Earlier, Jesus had explained that all of the Scriptures “bear witness” about Him (John 5:39, ESV). He wasn’t claiming that every verse of the Bible mentions Him, though many obviously do, but rather that all Scriptures coordinate their message to reveal the grace of God that culminates in Christ.
And so the way Scripture points us to Christ in Genesis differs significantly from the way Scripture points us to Christ in the Gospel of John.
Take a Step
RespondIn your own words, explain or define what Christ-centered Bible study is and what it is not.
What we’ve learned so far in this course is a vision for a Christ-centered, or gospel-centered, approach to reading Scripture.
What's Next:
In the next lesson, we will take all the tools we’ve collected so far and apply them to Ephesians 4:25-5:2.
