The Bible is not a collection of disconnected stories or religious ideas. It tells one great story and at the centre of that story stands one person: the Lord Jesus Christ.
From Genesis to Revelation the whole of Scripture moves toward Him and finds its fulfilment in Him. The Apostles understood this clearly, which is why their message was simple and direct: they preached Christ and Him crucified.
No person in Scripture rises to the level of Jesus Christ. No subject surpasses Him. He stands at the centre of both the Old and the New Testaments. The whole of God’s revelation ultimately points to Him.
If we are to know Christ in the fullness of His majesty, we must pursue everything that Scripture reveals about Him. The Apostle Paul expressed this longing in Philippians 3:10 when he wrote, “…that I may know Him…” This was not a casual remark but the deep desire of his heart.
Paul told the Colossians that “in Him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,” and that in Him “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Christ is not merely important; He is everything. Writing to the Ephesians, Paul declares Christ is exalted above all rule and authority and has been given as head over the church.
The goal of the Christian life is therefore clear: we are to know Christ in His glory, His beauty and His fullness.
The Passion to Know Christ
The life of the Apostle Paul shows us what this pursuit looks like. To know Christ led him to love Christ. To love Christ led him to obey Christ and proclaim Christ.
If anyone embodied the command to love the Lord with all the heart, soul and strength, it was Paul. Christ held his affection, commanded his attention and filled his message. His Lord was the focus of his life and ministry.
This is the pattern for every believer. The Christian life is not merely learning doctrines or collecting information. It is the lifelong pursuit of the person of Jesus Christ.
Knowing Christ and Sanctification
Knowing Christ is also the key to sanctification. Paul explains in 2 Corinthians 3:18 that as we behold the glory of the Lord, we are transformed from one degree of glory to another by the Spirit of God.
The more clearly we see Christ, the more we become like Him.
A shallow knowledge of Christ inevitably produces a shallow Christian life. When the heart does not hunger to know Him, it will struggle to obey Him. Limited understanding leads to limited love, and limited love leads to limited obedience.
No clever message or technique can overcome a small view of Christ. To know Him only slightly is to be changed only slightly.
How Scripture Reveals Christ
Scripture reveals Christ in several ways.
Historically,in the Gospels we see the life of the incarnate Son of God. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John present the history of Jesus Christ.
Theologically, in Acts and the Epistles we learn the meaning of His life, death, resurrection and ascension. These books explain the saving work of Christ.
Eschatologically, in the book of Revelation we see His future glory as the triumphant King who will rule over all.
But there is another essential way we must know Him.
Prophetically, for this we turn to the Old Testament. There we see Christ in promise, pattern and prophecy. The Old Testament reveals dimensions of His glory that we would not otherwise see.
Christ in the Whole Bible
The Bible is one book with two parts and one great theme: the Lord Jesus Christ.
This does not mean that Christ appears in every verse or that we force Him into every passage. Yet the whole story of Scripture moves toward Him and finds its fulfilment in Him.
Saint Augustine expressed this truth well when he wrote, “The New Testament is concealed in the Old, and the Old Testament is revealed in the New.”
The apostle Paul echoes the same thought in 2 Corinthians 3:14, explaining that when Christ is seen, the veil over the reading of the Old Testament is removed.
The Great Pursuit
To know Christ historically, theologically, prophetically and eschatologically is the great pursuit of the Christian life. As we see Him more clearly in Scripture, we love Him more deeply, obey Him more faithfully and proclaim Him more boldly.
The great need of the church is not clever ideas or new methods, but a deeper and clearer vision of Jesus Christ. When believers truly see Him, everything else begins to fall into its proper place.