A Note from Our Pastor:

“Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;”

Ephesians 3:5

Good Morning Dearly Beloved,

At least among Primitive Baptist we at times use the phrase “types and shadows” to refer to things of the Old Testament. For instance, we might say that Abraham taking Isaac to the mount was showing the Lord’s future sacrifice in types and in shadows.

This is not a term we use on a regular basis. You are not likely to run into an old friend at the grocery store and hear them use the phrase “types and shadows”. As such, it bears further explanation and the Apostle points to that explanation in this verse.

The Apostle here says that the mysteries of God, the story of our salvation, was not revealed unto mankind in the same way it has been revealed unto the Apostles and therefore handed down to us. Certainly, there were aspects that were pointed to in the Old Testament. Adam hears a bit about it right after the fall, Moses learns of it, and with Isaiah the prophecy takes more shape. However, throughout the Old Testament the full story of salvation is not set forth like it is in the New Testament.

It is that very fact that we mean by “types and shadows”. By types we mean that there were ceremonies or customs that pointed to the work of Salvation. For instance, the passover and the day of atonement both pointed to the blood of Christ and how it would save his people from their sins. But it did so by a picture or a type and not with a clear revelation.

By shadows, we mean that when Isaiah prophesied in the ninth chapter of Isaiah he told about the coming Messiah, but without all of the light necessary to fully see the picture. Thus, his prophecy was just a shadow of things to come. It held the form, but not the detail of the truth.

Today we are blessed to not learn in “type and shadow”. The full truth of the salvation of God has been revealed unto us. We see it in the full light and detail of its truth.

How blessed are we to know the revealed truth of our Salvation.

Our Prayers are with you daily,

Jeremiah