Gospel in a Minute

Paul went on to show how the Bible predicted Christ’s resurrection.

And now we are here to bring you this Good News. The promise was made to our ancestors, 33  and God has now fulfilled it for us, their descendants, by raising Jesus. This is what the second psalm says about Jesus: ‘You are my Son. Today I have become your Father.’ 34  For God had promised to raise him from the dead, not leaving him to rot in the grave. He said, ‘I will give you the sacred blessings I promised to David.’ 35  Another psalm explains it more fully: ‘You will not allow your Holy One to rot in the grave.’ 36  This is not a reference to David, for after David had done the will of God in his own generation, he died and was buried with his ancestors, and his body decayed. 37  No, it was a reference to someone else—someone whom God raised and whose body did not decay. Acts 13:32-37 (NLT)  

Principle: The Gospel Shows How the Old Testament Points to Jesus

The Old Testament not only points to Jesus, it can only be properly understood in reference to him. Jesus the Messiah is the point of it all, the culmination of God’s interactions and promises made to the Adam and Eve in the garden and to Abraham and his descendants, even to the Gentiles.

Jesus’ resurrection caused verses that seemed mysterious or unclear to come into sudden bold relief, such as the ones quoted by Paul above. Once Paul’s eyes were open to Jesus’ true identity, the entire Bible came to life for him. When we share the gospel, we should point out how Jesus is the focus of the entire Bible.

So a time was set, and on that day a large number of people came to Paul’s lodging. He explained and testified about the Kingdom of God and tried to persuade them about Jesus from the Scriptures. Using the law of Moses and the books of the prophets, he spoke to them from morning until evening. Acts 28:23 (NLT)