What you consider a conversion experience may not be centered in the Christ of the Bible.

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What you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you. [Acts 17:23b]

An understanding of the Old Testament is absolutely necessary to a full understanding of the person of Jesus Christ. Church culture breeds spurious “Christian” conversions because of its impoverished understanding of Scripture and its incessant appeal to emotions.

You may have had a conversion experience, but be careful: You might know very little about the real Jesus and his saving love. What you consider a conversion experience may not be centered in the Christ of the Bible. Some are converted into a group with a particular lifestyle, a dynamic spirit, or an acceptance they feel lacking from others. Some are converted to friends, not Jesus.

If you have read the entire New Testament but have never read the Old Testament, chances are that you know precious little of Jesus Christ. No matter how many times you approach the text asking the Holy Spirit to illumine your mind and heart—without studying the Old Testament, you cannot possibly understand the New Testament Jesus.

Jesus’ comes to us against the backdrop of the redemptive history of the Old Testament. Those events foreshadow the meaning of the events of Jesus’ life. God used the lives and roles of kings, prophets, judges, priests, and patriarchs to teach about the coming Christ. Their sinful efforts looked forward to the perfect that was displayed in the person of Jesus.

The Old Testament shows how God cultivated the world, making it ripe for Jesus to confront the mightiest humanistic empire the world had ever seen, showing himself to be not only the true Patriarch, Judge, and King, but also the true World Emperor. All the New Testament imagery used to describe Jesus is taken directly from the Old Testament.

No wonder the first converts from Judaism found delight in Christ’s fulfillment of all that had been spoken of him in the Old Testament Scriptures. Because they were thoroughly immersed in the Scriptures, their capacity to love and delight in him was enlarged. Ask God to produce a similar delight in you. How is Jesus like an Old Testament king? A priest? A patriarch? Record your answer where you can review it after you finish this book to see if your delight has been intensified.

Sproul, R.C., Before the Face of God: A Daily Guide for Living from the Old Testament, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books) 1994.

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