Zach’s Theological Musings

  I added an appendix entitled Categorized New Testament references to the Old Testament to my article New Testament Principles for Old Testament Interpretation. Here is the summary:

In particular, what comes through most clearly is the fact that [the authors of the New Testament] saw (or at least talked about) Jesus Christ, the gospel, the New Covenant, and other hints of distinctively Christian doctrine first and foremost, and only secondarily did they apply Old Testament moral lessons to their hearers/readers. In other words, they most frequently took an indirect course from OT through the fuller revelation in Christ and then to their readers, and less frequently took a course of application from OT direct to their readers. This shows there is validity to both uses of the OT (as also employed today), but that the emphasis of the apostles is perhaps the opposite of most Christian approaches to the OT in modern times.

Also, I added a link to a very helpful reference: the New Testament use of the Old Testament entry at theopedia.com.

  Was my last post too negative? Well, on the one hand I would say no. I don’t hesitate to say that the American church has left her first love. Sure we still have some love for God, and we still believe the gospel to a large extent. And so did the Ephesians. But the preeminence of love for Christ has waned in the American church just as surely as it did in Ephesus. If God threatened to remove the lampstand of His presence from the church in Ephesus, then we need to stop and take the implications for us very, very seriously.

  But as needed as a sharp-cutting diagnosis is, it is not enough. How can hearts be ignited, or reignited, with zeal for Jesus? One answer is found on the Emmaus road:

And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. … They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” - Luke 24:27, 32

The hearts of the disciples burned when they listened to Jesus interpreting to them the ultimate subject and focus of all the (Old Testament) Scriptures — “the things concerning Himself.”

  Therefore it is my hope and prayer that teachings like those at http://onelord.cn/Jesus/ will be a positive encouragement to help persuade my heart and yours that Jesus really is better. He is better than national security and financial security. Deep and genuine fellowship with Jesus is worth losing that multi-million dollar church building, that home in the suburbs, that summer vacation, and everything else.

  Lord Jesus, open our eyes to see more of you in the Scriptures. Cause our hearts to burn like the disciples on the road to Emmaus. Lead us to repentance, and take away any competing loves until we hate this life and everything in it compared to You.

  As mentioned in my (relatively) recent “Jesus” post, I believe that the point of all of the Old Testament, not just the explicit Messianic prophecies, is to prepare the way for Jesus and the gospel, that in Him God may be most fully known. God willing, I hope to write a lot more on that subject in terms of: 1) doing Christocentric Old Testament interpretation/teaching myself, and 2) showing why Biblically I believe that is a right way, and indeed the best way, to approach the Old Testament.

  So for a few reasons I decided to make a new, “Jesus only” blog rather than including those posts here. (I say “Jesus only” to refer to the content of the blog, not restrictions on its readership. But if it turns out that He is the only One who reads it, and if He is pleased, honored, and glorified, then that is wonderful.) One reason is that I hope, Lord willing, to welcome other brothers who would like to contribute Jesus-focused posts to be contributors there. There are a whole lot of jots and tittles in the Bible, all of which are for Jesus’ sake, and I can’t possibly comment on all of them. Another reason for making a new blog is that hopefully it can be a place where people can go when they say, “Just give me Jesus,” and they don’t want to be distracted by lesser things.

  Have a look: Jesus — In Him All Things Hold Together.

  When a Bible teacher wants to convince you of the importance of some particular word or concept in the Scriptures, one thing he’ll often do is go to a concordance and tally up the number of times that word occurs. Well, here are the results of a concordance search on two words, from Acts to Revelation, which I did the other day. Can you guess what the two words were? Answers below:

Acts 1:1 Acts 1:11 Acts 1:14 Acts 1:16 Acts 1:21 Acts 1:22 Acts 2:22 Acts 2:31 Acts 2:32 Acts 2:36 Acts 2:38 Acts 3:6 Acts 3:13 Acts 3:16 Acts 3:18 Acts 3:20 Acts 4:2 Acts 4:10 Acts 4:13 Acts 4:18 Acts 4:27 Acts 4:30 Acts 4:33 Acts 5:30 Acts 5:40 Acts 5:42 Acts 6:14 Acts 7:55 Acts 7:59 Acts 8:5 Acts 8:12 Acts 8:16 Acts 8:35 Acts 9:6 Acts 9:17 Acts 9:20 Acts 9:22 Acts 9:27 Acts 9:34 Acts 10:36 Acts 10:38 Acts 10:48 Acts 11:17 Acts 11:20 Acts 13:6 Acts 13:23 Acts 13:24 Acts 13:27 Acts 13:33 Acts 13:38 Acts 15:11 Acts 15:26 Acts 16:7 Acts 16:18 Acts 16:31 Acts 17:3 Acts 17:7 Acts 17:18 Acts 18:5 Acts 18:25 Acts 18:28 Acts 19:4 Acts 19:5 Acts 19:13 Acts 19:15 Acts 19:17 Acts 20:21 Acts 20:24 Acts 20:35 Acts 21:13 Acts 22:9 Acts 24:24 Acts 25:19 Acts 26:9 Acts 26:16 Acts 26:23 Acts 28:23 Acts 28:31 Romans 1:1 Romans 1:4 Romans 1:6 Romans 1:7 Romans 1:8 Romans 2:16 Romans 3:22 Romans 3:24 Romans 3:26 Romans 4:24 Romans 5:1 Romans 5:6 Romans 5:8 Romans 5:11 Romans 5:12 Romans 5:15 Romans 5:17 Romans 5:21 Romans 6:1 Romans 6:3 Romans 6:4 Romans 6:8 Romans 6:9 Romans 6:11 Romans 6:23 Romans 7:4 Romans 7:25 Romans 8:1 Romans 8:2 Romans 8:9 Romans 8:10 Romans 8:11 Romans 8:17 Romans 8:34 Romans 8:35 Romans 8:39 Romans 9:1 Romans 9:3 Romans 9:5 Romans 10:4 Romans 10:6 Romans 10:7 Romans 10:9 Romans 10:17 Romans 12:5 Romans 13:14 Romans 14:9 Romans 14:14 Romans 14:15 Romans 14:18 Romans 15:3 Romans 15:5 Romans 15:6 Romans 15:7 Romans 15:8 Romans 15:16 Romans 15:17 Romans 15:18 Romans 15:19 Romans 15:20 Romans 15:29 Romans 15:30 Romans 16:3 Romans 16:5 Romans 16:7 Romans 16:9 Romans 16:10 Romans 16:16 Romans 16:18 Romans 16:20 Romans 16:25 Romans 16:27 1 Corinthians 1:1 1 Corinthians 1:2 1 Corinthians 1:3 1 Corinthians 1:4 1 Corinthians 1:6 1 Corinthians 1:7 1 Corinthians 1:8 1 Corinthians 1:9 1 Corinthians 1:10 1 Corinthians 1:12 1 Corinthians 1:13 1 Corinthians 1:17 1 Corinthians 1:18 1 Corinthians 1:23 1 Corinthians 1:24 1 Corinthians 1:30 1 Corinthians 2:2 1 Corinthians 2:16 1 Corinthians 3:1 1 Corinthians 3:11 1 Corinthians 3:23 1 Corinthians 4:1 1 Corinthians 4:10 1 Corinthians 4:15 1 Corinthians 4:17 1 Corinthians 5:4 1 Corinthians 5:7 1 Corinthians 6:11 1 Corinthians 6:15 1 Corinthians 8:6 1 Corinthians 8:11 1 Corinthians 8:12 1 Corinthians 9:1 1 Corinthians 9:13 1 Corinthians 10:4 1 Corinthians 10:16 1 Corinthians 11:1 1 Corinthians 11:3 1 Corinthians 11:23 1 Corinthians 12:3 1 Corinthians 12:12 1 Corinthians 12:27 1 Corinthians 15:1 1 Corinthians 15:3 1 Corinthians 15:12 1 Corinthians 15:13 1 Corinthians 15:14 1 Corinthians 15:15 1 Corinthians 15:16 1 Corinthians 15:17 1 Corinthians 15:18 1 Corinthians 15:19 1 Corinthians 15:20 1 Corinthians 15:22 1 Corinthians 15:23 1 Corinthians 15:27 1 Corinthians 15:31 1 Corinthians 15:57 1 Corinthians 16:23 1 Corinthians 16:24 2 Corinthians 1:1 2 Corinthians 1:2 2 Corinthians 1:3 2 Corinthians 1:5 2 Corinthians 1:14 2 Corinthians 1:19 2 Corinthians 1:20 2 Corinthians 1:21 2 Corinthians 2:10 2 Corinthians 2:12 2 Corinthians 2:14 2 Corinthians 2:15 2 Corinthians 2:17 2 Corinthians 3:3 2 Corinthians 3:4 2 Corinthians 3:14 2 Corinthians 4:4 2 Corinthians 4:5 2 Corinthians 4:6 2 Corinthians 4:10 2 Corinthians 4:11 2 Corinthians 4:14 2 Corinthians 5:10 2 Corinthians 5:16 2 Corinthians 5:17 2 Corinthians 5:18 2 Corinthians 5:19 2 Corinthians 6:15 2 Corinthians 8:9 2 Corinthians 8:23 2 Corinthians 9:13 2 Corinthians 10:1 2 Corinthians 10:5 2 Corinthians 10:7 2 Corinthians 10:14 2 Corinthians 11:2 2 Corinthians 11:3 2 Corinthians 11:4 2 Corinthians 11:10 2 Corinthians 11:13 2 Corinthians 11:23 2 Corinthians 11:31 2 Corinthians 12:2 2 Corinthians 12:19 2 Corinthians 13:3 2 Corinthians 13:5 2 Corinthians 13:14 Galatians 1:1 Galatians 1:3 Galatians 1:6 Galatians 1:7 Galatians 1:10 Galatians 1:12 Galatians 1:22 Galatians 2:4 Galatians 2:16 Galatians 2:17 Galatians 2:20 Galatians 2:21 Galatians 3:1 Galatians 3:13 Galatians 3:14 Galatians 3:16 Galatians 3:22 Galatians 3:24 Galatians 3:26 Galatians 3:27 Galatians 3:28 Galatians 3:29 Galatians 4:14 Galatians 4:19 Galatians 5:1 Galatians 5:2 Galatians 5:4 Galatians 5:6 Galatians 5:24 Galatians 6:2 Galatians 6:12 Galatians 6:14 Galatians 6:17 Galatians 6:18 Ephesians 1:1 Ephesians 1:2 Ephesians 1:3 Ephesians 1:5 Ephesians 1:9 Ephesians 1:10 Ephesians 1:12 Ephesians 1:13 Ephesians 1:15 Ephesians 1:17 Ephesians 1:20 Ephesians 2:1 Ephesians 2:5 Ephesians 2:6 Ephesians 2:7 Ephesians 2:10 Ephesians 2:11 Ephesians 2:12 Ephesians 2:13 Ephesians 2:20 Ephesians 3:1 Ephesians 3:4 Ephesians 3:6 Ephesians 3:8 Ephesians 3:11 Ephesians 3:17 Ephesians 3:18 Ephesians 3:21 Ephesians 4:1 Ephesians 4:7 Ephesians 4:12 Ephesians 4:13 Ephesians 4:15 Ephesians 4:20 Ephesians 4:21 Ephesians 4:32 Ephesians 5:2 Ephesians 5:5 Ephesians 5:14 Ephesians 5:20 Ephesians 5:21 Ephesians 5:23 Ephesians 5:24 Ephesians 5:25 Ephesians 5:29 Ephesians 5:32 Ephesians 6:5 Ephesians 6:6 Ephesians 6:23 Ephesians 6:24 Philippians 1:1 Philippians 1:2 Philippians 1:6 Philippians 1:8 Philippians 1:10 Philippians 1:11 Philippians 1:13 Philippians 1:15 Philippians 1:17 Philippians 1:18 Philippians 1:19 Philippians 1:20 Philippians 1:21 Philippians 1:23 Philippians 1:26 Philippians 1:27 Philippians 1:29 Philippians 2:1 Philippians 2:5 Philippians 2:10 Philippians 2:11 Philippians 2:16 Philippians 2:19 Philippians 2:21 Philippians 2:30 Philippians 3:3 Philippians 3:7 Philippians 3:8 Philippians 3:9 Philippians 3:10 Philippians 3:12 Philippians 3:14 Philippians 3:18 Philippians 3:20 Philippians 4:7 Philippians 4:19 Philippians 4:21 Philippians 4:23 Colossians 1:1 Colossians 1:2 Colossians 1:3 Colossians 1:4 Colossians 1:7 Colossians 1:15 Colossians 1:27 Colossians 1:28 Colossians 2:2 Colossians 2:5 Colossians 2:6 Colossians 2:8 Colossians 2:9 Colossians 2:10 Colossians 2:11 Colossians 2:13 Colossians 2:17 Colossians 2:20 Colossians 3:1 Colossians 3:3 Colossians 3:4 Colossians 3:11 Colossians 3:15 Colossians 3:16 Colossians 3:17 Colossians 3:24 Colossians 4:3 Colossians 4:11 Colossians 4:12 1 Thessalonians 1:1 1 Thessalonians 1:3 1 Thessalonians 1:10 1 Thessalonians 2:7 1 Thessalonians 2:14 1 Thessalonians 2:15 1 Thessalonians 2:19 1 Thessalonians 3:2 1 Thessalonians 3:11 1 Thessalonians 3:13 1 Thessalonians 4:1 1 Thessalonians 4:2 1 Thessalonians 4:14 1 Thessalonians 4:16 1 Thessalonians 5:9 1 Thessalonians 5:18 1 Thessalonians 5:23 1 Thessalonians 5:28 2 Thessalonians 1:1 2 Thessalonians 1:2 2 Thessalonians 1:7 2 Thessalonians 1:8 2 Thessalonians 1:12 2 Thessalonians 2:1 2 Thessalonians 2:8 2 Thessalonians 2:14 2 Thessalonians 2:16 2 Thessalonians 3:6 2 Thessalonians 3:12 2 Thessalonians 3:18 1 Timothy 1:1 1 Timothy 1:2 1 Timothy 1:12 1 Timothy 1:14 1 Timothy 1:15 1 Timothy 1:16 1 Timothy 2:5 1 Timothy 3:13 1 Timothy 4:6 1 Timothy 5:11 1 Timothy 5:21 1 Timothy 6:3 1 Timothy 6:13 1 Timothy 6:14 2 Timothy 1:1 2 Timothy 1:2 2 Timothy 1:9 2 Timothy 1:10 2 Timothy 1:13 2 Timothy 2:1 2 Timothy 2:3 2 Timothy 2:8 2 Timothy 2:10 2 Timothy 3:12 2 Timothy 3:15 2 Timothy 4:1 Titus 1:1 Titus 1:4 Titus 2:13 Titus 3:6 Philemon 1:1 Philemon 1:3 Philemon 1:5 Philemon 1:6 Philemon 1:8 Philemon 1:9 Philemon 1:20 Philemon 1:23 Philemon 1:25 Hebrews 2:5 Hebrews 2:9 Hebrews 2:11 Hebrews 3:1 Hebrews 3:3 Hebrews 3:6 Hebrews 3:14 Hebrews 4:14 Hebrews 5:5 Hebrews 5:7 Hebrews 6:1 Hebrews 6:20 Hebrews 7:11 Hebrews 7:22 Hebrews 7:24 Hebrews 8:6 Hebrews 9:11 Hebrews 9:14 Hebrews 9:15 Hebrews 9:24 Hebrews 9:26 Hebrews 9:28 Hebrews 10:5 Hebrews 10:10 Hebrews 10:19 Hebrews 11:26 Hebrews 12:2 Hebrews 12:24 Hebrews 13:8 Hebrews 13:12 Hebrews 13:15 Hebrews 13:20 Hebrews 13:21 James 1:1 James 2:1 1 Peter 1:1 1 Peter 1:2 1 Peter 1:3 1 Peter 1:7 1 Peter 1:11 1 Peter 1:13 1 Peter 1:19 1 Peter 2:5 1 Peter 2:21 1 Peter 3:15 1 Peter 3:16 1 Peter 3:18 1 Peter 3:21 1 Peter 4:1 1 Peter 4:11 1 Peter 4:13 1 Peter 4:14 1 Peter 5:10 1 Peter 5:14 2 Peter 1:1 2 Peter 1:2 2 Peter 1:8 2 Peter 1:11 2 Peter 1:14 2 Peter 1:16 2 Peter 2:20 2 Peter 3:18 1 John 1:3 1 John 1:7 1 John 2:1 1 John 2:6 1 John 2:22 1 John 3:16 1 John 3:23 1 John 4:2 1 John 4:3 1 John 4:15 1 John 5:1 1 John 5:5 1 John 5:6 1 John 5:20 2 John 1:3 2 John 1:7 2 John 1:9 Jude 1:1 Jude 1:4 Jude 1:17 Jude 1:21 Jude 1:25 Revelation 1:1 Revelation 1:2 Revelation 1:5 Revelation 1:9 Revelation 11:15 Revelation 12:10 Revelation 12:17 Revelation 14:12 Revelation 17:6 Revelation 19:10 Revelation 20:4 Revelation 20:6 Revelation 22:7 Revelation 22:16 Revelation 22:20 Revelation 22:21

[BTW: I didn’t spend an hour making all of these into links. If any of you blog using WordPress, note that there are a couple of different plugins available which will hyperlink Scripture references for you. I use Scripturizer. All I had to do was cut and paste the references.] 

  OK, I know. The title of this post gave it away. The two words I searched for were JESUS and CHRIST. And these are only the passages that explicitly use those two words (go ahead, click and see!). We’re not even counting the neighboring passages that simply use the pronouns He, Him, and His to refer to Jesus, or the passages where He is referred to with other titles (especially in Revelation) such as The Lord, Lamb, Word, or The Son (of God). Of course, I left off the four gospels since it is already completely obvious that they are 100% Jesus.

  Hallelujah! So (Biblical) Christianity really is all about Christ, isn’t it? Oh sure, there are countless implications that flow from knowing Jesus which are important and worth talking about. Justification, sanctification, morals, values, social action, evangelism, missions, prayer, money, war, peace, on and on. Important stuff. But check it out. The inspired apostles couldn’t talk about any subject for very long without bringing it back to the Person of Jesus Himself. He IS the Way, He IS the Truth, He IS the Life.

  Oh, but that’s just the New Testament! Well guess what? The Old Testament is just as much all about Jesus as the New Testament is! Really, that’s no exaggeration. The record of Sarah’s death in Genesis 23, that’s about Jesus. The Prayer of Jabez? Jesus! Elihu’s speech in Job 32-37: Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. Oh, and let’s not even get started on Leviticus, that’s too easy. I hope, God willing, to have the chance to write on the Old Testament soon and convince you, if you’re not already convinced, that the Old Testament is a book about Jesus. And if you are already convinced of that, then great, we can open up the ancient scrolls and enjoy looking at Jesus together. Amen to that.

UPDATE: See the Jesus blog!