Connecting a Text to Christ, Part I

Once we have been convinced that the Scriptures demonstrate an expectation that every part of the Bible should be understood in relation to Christ, we must yet be careful in how we go about doing this. It can be easy to simply look for things in the text that trigger some thought of Christ or the gospel, but which are not closely tied to the primary message of the text. The presence of some “gospel” word like “mercy,” “sacrifice,” or “iniquity” can seem to provide a convenient place from which to launch an appeal to receive Christ. Or it could be that some portion of the text we are preaching is referenced in the New Testament in some way which gives a good foothold in the New Testament context. However, the presence of “gospel” words, or a citation in the New Testament may not necessarily be significant in the central message of the text. The last thing we want people to think is that the message of Christ is merely being added in because we feel we must include it. Instead, we desire them to see that the central things discussed in the text should lead them to Christ and His work in some way. We want our sermon to reveal that connection in a way that is natural and consistent with the purpose of the passage.

As we train leaders in different parts of the world, we often compare this process of connecting the text to Christ to reading a road map. We know Christ is the destination, but how do we get to Christ and the gospel from our starting position — the text we are preaching? In some cases (as in Isaiah 53) the road to the gospel will sit before us like a major thoroughfare. It will be so clearly connected to Christ that nearly anyone who reads the text will be able to see it. In other cases, our path to Christ will not be as obvious, and the route will not be as direct. We may be forced to first walk a footpath until we come upon a dirt road that will connect to a more familiar street which eventually feeds into a gospel highway. It will require some thought and prayer.

Although no one (apart from Christ Himself) has ever possessed a detailed roadmap that reveals the link between every text and Christ, there are some things we can do to help us with this work. The first step is to broaden our understanding of the fullness of the gospel of Christ. If our concept of Christ and His work is like a small village, mainly limited to His death for our sins and His resurrection for our life, it may be difficult for us see how the surrounding “geography” of some passages can be related to it. If, however, our meditations on Christ and the ramifications of His identity and mission have been rich and thorough, then the gospel will be to us more like a kingdom than a village. It will fill a vast region of the horizon, and the glow of its glory will help us to know the direction in which we must head, even when we do not yet see how all the roads connect.

The second step is to utilize some questions that help us evaluate the message of the text we are studying. If we understand well the message of the text, then these questions will help us contemplate how that message connects to Christ. Such questions may take many forms, but I often present them with six words beginning with the letter “P” so they can be easily remembered (these words frequently retain this advantage in other Latin-based languages).

Is there a prophecy that Christ fulfills?

Is there a pattern that Christ perfects?

Is there a problem that Christ resolves?

Is there a purpose/plan that Christ restores?

Is there a promise that Christ completes?

Is there a principle that Christ culminates?

In the next article, we will look more closely at each of these questions to unpack what is meant by each, but a precise, technical understanding of them is not terribly important. In fact, certain questions will sometimes seem to have significant overlap when considering how a biblical truth from the text might be categorized. The important thing is that these questions can both stimulate and give structure to our gospel meditations within a text. If we ask these questions from the principal message we have seen in a passage, they can be like the dirt roads that get us started on our journey to a main, gospel highway. In this way we will not only be presenting Christ in the sermon; we will be demonstrating how the text itself, in its fullest intent and purpose, exalts Christ and leads us to embrace the gospel.