1.2.5.2 Jesus Christ–the centre of Scripture

According to Christian understanding, the principal aim of the Old Testament is to prepare the way for the arrival of the Messiah and to testify of Him. Jesus Himself emphasised this (John 5: 39; Luke 4: 17-21; 24: 27). He interpreted the Scriptures for His disciples in relationship to His activity. Concerning this He made the statement: "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me" (Luke 24: 44). Accordingly, the Old Testament must be interpreted on the basis of the Son of God. The old covenant is fulfilled in Christ. The incarnation of the Son of God is the most important self-revelation of God and is the centre of the entire history of salvation. This reality is brought to expression in the statement: "Jesus Christ is the centre of the Scripture."

The significance for faith and doctrine of any statements made in the individual books of the Old Testament–or in the later writings of the Old Testament–can be determined by the agreement of their contents with that which the gospel teaches.