The Story of Christ begins in the Old Testament

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The story of Christianity, the story of Jesus Christ, begins in the Old Testament. As the ancient church father Augustine has said, “The New Testament is in the Old concealed; the Old is by the New revealed.” We can only understand the Old Testament references to Christ when we read what is revealed to us about Christ in the New Testament.

Genesis tells of the Sacred Promise. In Genesis 3 we find the first hint of the coming Redeemer, the Sacred Promise. The story begins with the serpent (representing Satan) tempting Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit. Eve tells the serpent that God has said, “You shall not eat from it or touch it, lest you die.”  The serpent replies that Eve certainly would not die, and if she eats it, she will be like God. Eve eats of the fruit and so does her husband.

God gave punishment to Adam and Eve, including that they (and their posterity) would now have a body which would die, but God also gave a hint of a promised Redeemer who would eventually reverse the curse by bringing life to man. The seed of the woman would bruise the head of the serpent, but would be bruised in the heel. This verse in Genesis 3:15 is called the “protoevangelium” meaning “first gospel”.

Prophecy cannot be fully understood until it happens. When Christ came, as the promised Redeemer, he brought life, reversing the curse. Jesus said “I am the resurrection and the life; the one who believes in me will live, even if he dies (John 11:25).

We all fear death. What can be more wonderful than to have that fear mitigated by believing in Jesus Christ?  This is Christianity–so simple, but so marvelous!

You can purchase Sacred Strands, the Story of a Redeemer Woven through History  here.