The Sole Focus of Scripture

“Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.”

(1Peter 1:10-12 ESV)

There’s a mistake we tend to make when it comes to the Bible. Even though we believe that the God of the Old Testament is also the God of the New Testament, we tend to think that these two parts of the Bible have a different focus. We tend to think that the focus of the Old Testament is law and that of the New Testament is gospel.

We also make the mistake of thinking that, although we are saved by the grace of God through faith, believers of Old Testament times were saved by their obedience. We don’t seem to grasp the fact that, just as we’re unable to keep God’s law, just as we’re unable to save ourselves, the same was also true of them. We don’t seem to grasp the fact that they too were saved by grace through faith.

The focus of Scripture from beginning to end is one. This is what Peter is pointing out to us in the above passage. He’s telling us that the prophets who spoke in the Old Testament were testifying about Jesus. God gave to them his promises of the coming Savior.

This is why Jesus was able to point back to the Old Testament as he explained his purpose.  We see an example of this in Luke 24, as Jesus appeared to two of his followers on the road to Emmaus after his resurrection. They were trying to make sense of everything that had taken place.  Then, in verse 27, we read: “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.”

This doesn’t mean that the prophets or the people of Old Testament times had a complete understanding of Jesus. This is why, we’re told, they inquired carefully what person or time was being indicated. God was revealing to them about the salvation that was to come, and they wanted to know more. They longed to understand the details of his coming.

In this sense, the Old Testament prophets were serving us. By their message, they were revealing to us the Savior who’s been born into the world. They were pointing us to Jesus, who came into the world that he might provide for us salvation.

For this reason, my challenge to you is this: As you read the Bible, from beginning to end, look for Jesus. He is the sole focus of Scripture. From Genesis to Revelation, God is revealing to us his Son, who came into the world to save us from sin and death.