A Biblical Vision, Part I: Mastering the Old Testament Witness to Christ

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A B i b l i ca l Vi s i on, Par t I : Mas ter i ng the Ol d Tes tament Wi tnes s to Chr i s t

Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you , not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

4. They are connected to God’s redemptive work in Jesus Christ , 1 Cor. 5.7 – Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed .

5. They illumine the teaching of God on the matter (i.e., types reveal by picturing forth the truth in a richer, clearer, more concrete way), e.g., John 3.14-15.

E. Principles for using typology in biblical interpretation

1. Look for connections between the testaments: believe that the God who orders all events can create correspondences for us to behold and learn from.

2. Focus on Christ in drawing correspondences between types in the Old Testament and New Testament: Jesus’s own testimony suggests that correspondences of himself exist in the Old Testament (e.g., Luke 24.25-27, 44-48).

3. Concentrate on discovering the key links suggested by the types; don’t focus on every little detail.

4. Follow the trail of history . Remember that we can only appreciate the relevance of the type in light of the antitype (historical correspondence is critical to discovering types in the Old Testament in its witness to Christ).