Unity and Typology
A. WE ARE TO BE READY TO GIVE AN ANSWER FOR WHAT WE BELIEVE.
B. IT IS ONLY REASONABLE THAT GOD, HAVING CREATED US, REVEAL
HIMSELF TO US SOMEHOW.
C. WE BELIEVE THE BIBLE, INSPIRED OF GOD, IS THAT REVELATION.
D. THIS LESSON THE BIBLE’S UNITY AS A REASON FOR BELIEVING THAT.
A. A COMMON THREAD.
1. 66 books written by about 40 men over 1500 years. Different backgrounds, several
languages, from different areas, yet their writings made a complete and harmonious
whole. There are links or threads of evidence that tie all of these books together and
prove that they all stemmed from one mind, the mind of God. There is one
underlying theme of the Bible. That theme is of man’s reconciliation to God through
Christ.
2. Follow the thread (Gen. 3:15; 12:1-3 – Gal. 3:8-9; 2 Sam 7:12-13;
Isa. 52:13 – 53; Psa. 110:1, 4; Zech. 6:12-13).
B BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD (1 Pet. 1:18-20; Acts 2:22-23).
1. Jesus is the center of OT and NT teaching (Eph. 1:9-10).
2. The union is such that the OT can be used to teach the NT gospel (Rom. 3:21-22;
Acts 8:32-33; 17:1-3; 26:22-23; John 5:39-40, 46)
A. DEFINING THE WORD “TYPE.”
1. Greek: tupos, from tupto, to strike. a. A stroke, or a blow. … e. In printing it
means that which makes the impress or mark. f. In a theological sense it is simply a
shadow of things to come and generally of good things to come ( see Col. 2:16-17;
Heb. 10:1; Heb. 8:5; 9:23).
2. Most of the religious rites of the O T were mere shadows relating to Christianity as
their substance.
3. The word "antitype" denotes the substance, or that which is prefigured by the type.
e. g., The Passover lamb is the type of which Christ is the antitype.
4. Some implications of these definitions:
a. There is always some resemblance or analogy existing between type and antitype.
b. The likeness is but partial - Adam was a type of Christ (Heb. 10:1).
c. The points of resemblance were designed and preordained. e. g., The Passover
lamb was to be without blemish, no bones were to be broken, offered on the
Passover, etc.
d. Every type is a sort of prophecy - the sacrifices all pointed to Christ, but when
Jesus was offered, they were abolished.
5. From all this it is obvious that the design of types is two-fold:
a. To give a pictorial and outline representation of something in the future,
and especially of the Scheme of Redemption.
b. The second object of God in giving to his ancient people such typical a system
was in order that the type might serve as a proof and demonstration of the Divine
origin of the antitype( see Heb. 3:5-6 ).
- the types must have been designed by one who perfectly understood
the antitype. Only God could have this knowledge.
- We see that the Jews were all their lives engaged in setting up types
and printing documents that they themselves could neither read nor understand,
hence they could never have invented their own religion; and hence,
moreover, the Bible is all of God.
B. ILLUSTRATIONS
1. The Day of Atonement (Lev. 16).
2. The Sabbath a type of the rest we have in Christ: ( Heb. 3:6 – 4:1l ).
3. The Passover Lamb typical of Christ ( 1 Cor. 5:7-8 ).
4. The Tabernacle a type of the Church (Heb. 8:2, 5).
5. The priesthood typical of our service as priests (1 Pet. 2:5, 9)
6. Aaron as a type of Christ (Heb. 5:4-5).
7. Melchizedek as a type of Christ (Heb. 5:6; 7).
Jesus said, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my word shall never pass away"( Mark 13:31 ). We believe the word of God is in our possession right now. We believe it is complete( 2 Tim. 3:16-17 ). We believe it is indeed what it claims to be( 1 Thes. 2:13 ). We believe it to be verbally inspired( 1 Cor. 2:13, 16 ).
THE BIBLE IS GOD’S COMMUNICATION, HIS REVELATION TO MAN.
