Properly Preaching Christ from the Old Testament

TDuguid Clowney Hom Diagramechnical Alert: My target audience for my blog is our church family. Whenever I consider writing a post I ask, “Would this benefit our flock?” This post is a little more technical than I would normally write. But it’s important as we go into the Job series – – and whenever I preach from the Old Testament.

One of the most important questions that any preacher must consider is how Christ is properly preached from the Old Testament. There can be no question that we should do so. After all, Jesus himself set this example:

And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. Luke 24:27

And Paul encouraged the Corinthians that:

For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. 2 Corinthians 1:20

Yet this doesn’t always mean that Christ has been responsibly preached from the Old Testament. There are far too many examples of preachers making creative claims such as arguing that the tent pegs of the Tabernacle represented the nails of the cross (Duguid, 16).

I’ve recently spent time reading a very helpful booklet by Iaian M. Duguid, Is Jesus in the Old Testament?, in which he lays out principles for preaching Christ from the Old Testament. I have found the above diagram, adapted from Edmund Clowney, to be very helpful.

You have to study the diagram for a bit to see it. Yet, it is very helpful in identifying the proper path to preaching Christ – – and in avoiding errors that have so often been made.

  1. The preacher should start in the bottom left corner with the OT Text. He should avoid the shortcuts of either allegorical moralism or allegory and continue to identify the timeless truth of the Old Testament text.
  2. From the upper left corner – – the OT Truth, the preacher should then move right and consider this text within the context of the history of redemption (see Biblical Theology for a long answer – – or this video for a short one).
  3. Once we see how the Old Testament passage is fulfilled in Christ, the significance of the text for the contemporary audience can be considered.

Preach Christ!

Published by Chris