Jesus is the Central Character of the Bible

*The following is an excerpt from a recording of the radio ministry Showers of Blessing. This sermon by Russell V. DeLong was aired on that show in 1965.

DeLong served as president of Northwest Nazarene College and Pasadena College. He was a district superintendent of the Northwest Indiana District and was founding dean at Nazarene Theological Seminary.

If Christ were to be subtracted from Christianity, you would have nothing left. What he is, Christianity is. And what Christianity is, he is.

Jesus is the central character of the Bible.

The Old Testament prophesies his coming; the New Testament reveals it. In the Old Testament Jesus is symbolized; in the New Testament he is actualized. The Old Testament is the foundation, the New Testament the superstructure of Christianity. Every book of the Old Testament points forward to Christ, while every book of the New Testament points back to Christ on the cross.

In Genesis, Jesus is described as the seed of the woman that will bruise the serpent’s head.

In Exodus, he is the Paschal Lamb.

In Leviticus, Jesus is the Great High Priest.

In Numbers, he is the pillar of cloud and fire leading the children of Israel to the promised land.

In Deuteronomy, Jesus is likened to the prophet Moses.

In Joshua, he is the man with the drawn sword.

In Judges, he is the just and supreme Judge.

In the book of Ruth, Jesus is pictured as the mortal Husband.

In the two books of Samuel, he is the perfect Seer; in the books of Kings, the faultless King.

In the books of Chronicles, Jesus is the dependable Sovereign; in Ezra, the mortal Preacher.

In Nehemiah, the Restorer of the waste places.

In the book of Esther, Jesus is the Deliverer of the nations.

In Job, he is the resurrected Conqueror of death.

In the Psalms, Jesus is the Good Shepherd, the Mighty Fortress, and the Strong Tower.

In Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, he is the Fountainhead of Wisdom.

Isaiah described Jesus as the Son given, the Prince of Peace, the Wonderful Counselor, and the Suffering Savior.

In Jeremiah, he is the balm of Gilead and the Great Physician.

Jesus is the only Hope in the book of Lamentations, the Restorer of Life to the dry bones in Ezekiel, and the stone cut out of the mountain in the book of Daniel.

In the minor prophets, Jesus is the Redeemer in Hosea, the outpourer of the Holy Spirit in Joel, the giver of abundant harvest in Amos, the enlarger of Israel’s inheritance in Obadiah, the merciful ruler in Jonah, the gatherer of the nations to Zion in Micah, the healer of bruises in Nahum, the sure supplier when crops fail in Habakkuk, the author of Israel’s song in Zephaniah, the opener of the cleansing fountain in Zechariah, the beautifier of the new temple in Haggai, and the purifier of the sons of Levi in Malachi.

In the New Testament, the writers of the gospels portray Jesus as the Messiah in Matthew, the world-worker in Mark, the Son of Man in Luke, and the Son of God in John.

In Acts, Jesus is the outpourer of the Holy Spirit; in Romans, the author of the Law of Life; in Corinthians, the head of the Church; in Galatians, the dispenser of free salvation.

In Ephesians, he is the eternal author of holiness; in Philippians, the supreme blueprint for living.

In Colossians, Jesus is the end-all dwelling Christ.

In the two books of Thessalonians, he is the One to return the second time.

In Timothy, he is the incomparable teacher and mortal parent.

In Titus, he is the ideal pastor, and in Philemon, the wise counselor.

In the book of Hebrews, Jesus is the fulfillment of all the sacrifices of the Old Testament.

In James, Jesus is the example for practical living.

In the two epistles of Peter, he is the just Judge and true Prophet.

In the three epistles of John, Jesus is the personification of love, and in Jude, he is Executioner of Justice.

In the final book of the Bible, Revelation, Jesus is the Beginning and the End, the Alpha and the Omega.

Yes, Jesus is the leading character, the hero of every one of the 66 books of the Bible.