Christ in the Scriptures

According to the New Testament, Adam is "a type of Him who was to come." (Romans 14). In other words, Adam's life in some ways points vividly to Jesus. Consider that both individuals entered the world through a special act of God, as sinless men. But while Adam is the head of the old creation, Christ is the head of a new creation.

Melchizedek (whose name literally means "king of righteousness") is a strange and shadowy figure who suddenly appears in Genesis 14. He is the king of Salem (which means "peace"); the Bible calls him "the priest of God Most High." Some scholars believe that this one who was, in the words of Hebrews 7:3, "made like the Son of God," was in fact Christ Himself. Christ, after all, is known as the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).

Joseph's character and experiences (chapters 39-50) foreshadow the coming of the Messiah in that both Joseph and Christ are objects of special love by their fathers, hated by their brothers, rejected as rulers over their brothers, conspired against and sold for silver, condemned though innocent, and raised from humiliation to glory by the power of God.

In numerous ways, Moses is a type of Christ (Deut. 18:15). Both Moses and Christ functioned as prophets, priest and King (although Moses was never officially made king, he functioned as the ruler of Israel). Both were endangered in infancy and hidden by their parents in order to escape death. Both acted as redeemers, saving the people whom they loved. Both voluntarily renounced power and wealth in order to associate with those they sought to save. Both were deliverers, law-givers, and mediators. Further, Christ is clearly seen in the celebration of the Jewish Passover that historic event (described in Exodus chapters 12 and 13) that required the blood of a pure, sacrificial lamb to be painted over the doorposts of the Hebrews homes to spare them from God's judgment and then usher them to freedom from slavery in Egypt. John 1:29, 36 and 1 Corinthians 5:7 make it clear that Christ is our Passover Lamb. It is His death - His blood applied, as it were, over the doorposts of our lives - that rescues us from divine judgment.