The Gospel as Fulfillment of the Old Testament

Pondering once again the words of Carl F. H. Henry, we see a number of places where he teases out the implications of the atoning work of Christ. In one section of God, Revelation, and Authority, Henry sets his attention on the work of the suffering servant as seen in Isaiah 53. From this and other passages, Henry adduces that Christ is the culminating reality of all the promises, patterns, and types to be found in the OT.

While we hear the realities of the content of the gospel quite often, it is good to be reminded in the nuanced categories of various authors. Henry’s prose here is helpful in awakening us as Christians to the realities of the gospel as fulfilling the OT and pointing us toward a counter-cultural, Spirit-filled life today. May we preach this gospel to ourselves everyday and recall that while Christ fulfilled the promises of the OT, the cross is also the narrative that shapes our very being today.

Christ models human nature resplendent with the very will and law of God (John 1:14; 2 Cor. 4:6). He alone truly keeps covenant, and in doing so fulfills God’s righteousness redemptively for contrite sinners whether Jew or Gentile. By his resurrection the crucified Jesus reverses the undeserved death of the cross; he is victor over the pretensions of self-assertive sinners and over the hollow authority of arbitrary rulers. By vindicating righteousness he validates all legitimate rights. Jesus Christ mediates the new and final covenant between God and man: once again human rights and responsibilities are seen to stem from the justice and justification of God who openly declares his will for humankind.

Jeremy Kimble (PhD, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary) is Assistant Professor of Theological Studies at Cedarville University. He is an editor for Credo Magazine as well as the author of That His Spirit May Be Saved: Church Discipline as a Means to Repentance and Perseverance and numerous book reviews. He is married to Rachel and has two children, Hannah and Jonathan.