Dear Cornerstone Family,
I remember when I was a new believer. I knew a few things: I was a sinner who deserved judgment, but because of God’s grace, he sent Jesus to live and die for me that I might be saved. As I began reading more of the Bible, I learned about God’s mighty works and his love. But in my mind, the Bible was just 66 books that were perhaps loosely connected.
Everything changed in college when I discovered God’s redemptive plan—what we call in Sweden a “röd tråd” (red thread/unifying theme)—running through all 66 books. This unifying theme of God’s redemptive plan transformed how I read Scripture.
Then in seminary, I encountered another crucial teaching: the significance of the Old Testament for the New Testament. On the road to Emmaus, Jesus showed the disciples that all of the Old Testament ultimately points to him. Throughout the New Testament, we see authors quoting and alluding to the Old to reveal Jesus’ divinity, show fulfilled prophecy, and demonstrate how God’s Word remains true and applicatory today.
We just wrapped up our summer Sunday school series on this very topic: “The New Testament use of the Old Testament.” My hopes for the class were simple:
· To show why knowing the Old Testament helps us understand the New.
· To share practical tools for seeing these connections ourselves.
· To spark wonder at God’s Word that leads to worship.
If this has piqued your interest, there’s a wonderful book coming this fall: the CSB Connecting Scripture New Testament. It highlights NT quotes and allusions to the OT and explains why the New Testament authors chose those specific passages—an excellent resource to aid you in your study of Scripture.
May the Lord use your study of his word to help you “comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Eph 3:18-19).
Yours in Christ,
Sebastian