One Major Function of the Word of God: To Testify Concerning the Lord Jesus Christ

In previous posts, we saw that the Spirit is the essence of the Word of God, Christ Himself is its content, and God is its origin. Additionally, we discussed six major functions of the Word of God. The Bible testifies concerning Christ, makes people wise unto salvation, causes people to be regenerated, nourishes believers as spiritual milk, feeds believers as the bread of life, and makes believers complete.

In this post, we’ll use verses and notes from the New Testament Recovery Version to focus on one of those functions of God’s Word in more detail: to testify concerning the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scriptures testify concerning Jesus Christ

Luke 24 tells us that after His crucifixion and resurrection, the Lord Jesus met two of His disciples as they were walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus. In verse 44, He said to them:

“These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all the things written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and Psalms concerning Me must be fulfilled.”

Jesus didn’t tell His disciples these books were written for them to learn to live a moral life, know interesting stories from the past, or anything else. He told them that they were written concerning Him, the living Christ.

Jesus spoke something similar before His crucifixion to some Jewish people who knew the Scriptures. John 5:39 says:

“You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that testify concerning Me.”

These Jews not only knew the Scriptures, they even searched them to find eternal life. Yet these “Scripture searchers” didn’t realize that the Scriptures testified of a wonderful Person, Jesus, who was standing right before them. And only He could give them eternal life. 

In verse 40, Jesus continued:

“Yet you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.”

These knowledgeable Jews refused to come to the Lord Jesus because they didn’t make the connection between Him and the Scriptures they searched. Note 1 on verse 39 in the New Testament Recovery Version says:

“To ‘search the Scriptures’ may be separated from ‘come to Me’ (v. 40). The Jewish religionists searched the Scriptures but were not willing to come to the Lord. These two should go together; because the Scriptures testify concerning the Lord, they should not be separated from the Lord. We may contact the Scriptures, yet not contact the Lord. Only the Lord can give life.”

What does this mean for us today?

Understanding that the Word of God testifies concerning Jesus Christ will revolutionize our Bible reading. When we come to the Word, we’ll focus on and enjoy Christ.

The apostle Paul surely realized that the entire Old Testament testifies concerning Christ. In 1 Corinthians 5:7-8, he referred to the children of Israel’s experience of the Passover and related it to Christ. He wrote:

“Purge out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, even as you are unleavened; for our Passover, Christ, also has been sacrificed. So then let us keep the feast.”

These two verses open the account of the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread to us in a new way. Note 2 on Passover in verse 7 in the Recovery Version explains:

“This indicates that the apostle considered the believers God’s chosen people, who have had their Passover, as typified by the one in Exo. 12. In this Passover, Christ is not only the Passover lamb but also the entire Passover. To be our Passover, He was sacrificed on the cross that we might be redeemed and reconciled to God. Thus, we may enjoy Him as a feast before God. In this feast no leaven is allowed to be present. Sin and the redeeming Christ cannot go together.”

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And note 1 on feast in verse 8 reveals even more:

“The feast here refers to the Feast of Unleavened Bread as the continuation of the Passover (Exo. 12:15-20). It lasted for seven days, a period of completion, signifying the entire period of our Christian life, from the day of our conversion to the day of rapture. This is a long feast, which we must keep not with the sin of our old nature, the old leaven, but with unleavened bread, which is the Christ of our new nature as our nourishment and enjoyment. Only He is the life supply of sincerity and truth, absolutely pure, without mixture, and full of reality. The feast is a time for the enjoyment of the banquet. The entire Christian life should be such a feast, such an enjoyment of Christ as our banquet, the rich supply of life.”

These verses and notes help us see that when we read about the Passover in Exodus 12, we’re not just reading an interesting story or a historical account. Actually, Jesus is the fulfillment of this entire scene in Exodus. He’s the unblemished Lamb of God, the One who was slain for us and shed His precious blood to redeem us. Through believing in Him, we’re spared from God’s righteous judgment. And He’s also the reality of the unleavened bread to be our life supply. This detailed account in Exodus reveals so many aspects of Christ!

The Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread in Exodus 12 are just two examples that show the Old Testament testifying of Christ. Actually, Christ is the fulfillment of every positive item in the Old Testament. Realizing this fact will increase our experience and enjoyment of Him in many ways. Seeing Christ testified throughout the Old Testament will uplift and enrich our appreciation of Him when we read the New Testament.

So whenever we open our Bibles, let’s come to the Lord Jesus and focus on Him to see Him revealed throughout God’s Word.

To see more of Christ revealed in the Old Testament, we recommend reading The All-inclusive Christ, a book you can download for free from anywhere in the world. If you live in the United States, you can order a free copy of the New Testament Recovery Version here to read all the notes on the New Testament verses referenced in this post.