Jesus in the Old Testament Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Jesus in the Old Testament - Research Paper Example This paper will not pretend to argue these positions thoroughly, but is written with the intention of presenting these three positions for the reader’s information and consideration. The first position is that as God was in the Old Testament, therefore Jesus was also there, since God the Father and Jesus, the Son, are both one God, along with the Holy Spirit, together comprising the Trinity. The second position is that Jesus is in the Old Testament, as his coming was foretold by the prophets. The third position is that Jesus was in the Old Testament and that the standard chronology of the historical Christ is inaccurate, and that the New Testament, with disciple accounts, refer to spiritual relationship with Jesus and not to physical co-existence. The foundation for the Gospel positioning of Jesus is that He became both God and human to live and die for our salvation (Luke 24:44), and this happened because God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoe ver believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16). This was made possible because the God of the Old Testament, Jesus of the New Testament, and the Holy Spirit are all one, three manifestations of one God. Jesus is god in the human form and we are made in his image. Jesus is lord and the lord is and was with us always, in the Old Testament times, in the New Testament time, and today, in these times. When the Old Testament speaks of God, it is primarily God the Father that is being spoken of. When the Old Testament speaks of God being manifest in physical form for our salvation, then that is Jesus the Son being spoken of. Both of these presentations of God are revealed in the Old Testament, quite clearly. God did not suddenly spin off a new aspect, just in time for the New Testament to be inspired. In fact, in the first chapter of John, we are told: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. The same was in the beginnin g with God. All things were made by Him and without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men (John 1, KJV). In the Old Testament, the book of Genesis, we are told, â€Å"In the beginning God created the Heaven and the Earth† (Genesis 1:1, KJV). From these passages, we understand that Jesus was present in the very beginning. He was the Logos. He was the creative Word which gave life. He was not there as an assistant to God, or a relative of God’s, but rather He was in fact God. The Old Testament starts with the story of the beginning, creation, a time in which everything was void. Clearly Jesus was there and active as God, from the very first verse of the very first book of the Old Testament. The second position about the presence of Jesus in the Old Testament is that the prophets knew of him and spoke of him. The coming of Jesus was foretold by the prophets, in the Old Testament. God spoke through Nathan and told David : And when thy days be fulfilled and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever (II Samuel 7:12,13, KJV). Jesus’ birth was foretold: Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign;