How to Connect Old and New Testament Passages Faithfully

One Bible, One Story

Many new believers feel unsure when they try to connect Old and New Testament passages. One moment we’re reading about the laws of Moses, and the next we’re hearing Jesus teach about grace. The tone, context, and culture can feel worlds apart. But the Bible is not two disconnected books—it is one unified story, revealing God’s plan through time.

When we understand how to connect Old and New Testament passages, we begin to see the full picture. God’s Word, from Genesis to Revelation, holds together with remarkable consistency. Jesus did not ignore the Old Testament. He fulfilled it. The apostles did not set the Hebrew Scriptures aside. They preached from them. And today, our understanding of Christ deepens when we read the whole Bible the way it was meant to be read.

In this how-to guide, we will walk step by step through several tools to help us read Scripture as a unified whole. We’ll focus on reading the Old Testament through the lens of Christ and learning how the New Testament builds upon, fulfills, and sometimes reinterprets the earlier texts. As we connect the Old and New Testament faithfully, we’ll see how God’s Word speaks with one voice.

God’s Covenant Plan Links the Whole Bible

The Bible opens with creation, but it quickly moves into covenant. God forms a relationship with humanity, beginning with Adam, then continuing through Noah, Abraham, Israel, and finally fulfilled in Christ. The word testament means covenant. So, when we speak of the Old and New Testaments, we’re talking about the old covenant and the new covenant.

God told Jeremiah, “Behold, the days are coming… when I will make a new covenant” (Jeremiah 31:31, ESV). Jesus later declared, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood” (Luke 22:20, ESV). These covenant promises form a bridge between the Testaments.

To connect Old and New Testament passages, we begin by identifying the covenant context. Did God make a promise? Did He give a law, a warning, or a blessing? Once we recognize that, we can ask: How does the New Testament fulfill or respond to that covenant?

For example, God promised Abraham, “In your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 22:18, ESV). Paul later wrote, “Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring… who is Christ” (Galatians 3:16, ESV). Paul did not invent that connection. He recognized how God’s covenant with Abraham pointed ahead to Christ. This is how the Scriptures fit together.

Jesus Fulfills, Not Replaces, the Old Testament

Jesus made it clear that He came to fulfill the Old Testament, not to cancel it. In the Sermon on the Mount, He said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17, ESV). That single verse helps us approach the Old Testament with new eyes.

When we read the Old Testament, we often find laws, festivals, sacrifices, and priestly regulations that no longer apply to Christians in the same way. But those practices still matter. They pointed forward to Christ. The book of Hebrews shows this again and again.

Hebrews says, “It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4, ESV). Then the writer explains how Jesus, as our perfect high priest and sacrifice, fulfilled the law’s demands. This teaches us that Old Testament sacrifices were shadows of the real work Jesus came to do.

So, when we connect an Old Testament passage to the New Testament, we ask: How does Jesus fulfill this? Sometimes the New Testament answers that question directly. Other times, we need to read prayerfully and carefully, always checking context and purpose. But we can trust that Jesus is at the center of it all.

Prophecy and Promise Find Their Meaning in Christ

Another way we connect the Old and New Testament passages is through prophecy. God spoke through the prophets, declaring things that would come to pass. Some of those prophecies had immediate fulfillment. Others pointed forward to the Messiah.

Isaiah wrote, “He was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities” (Isaiah 53:5, ESV). The New Testament connects this to the suffering of Jesus (see 1 Peter 2:24). Matthew quoted Isaiah 7:14, “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,” and declared, “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet” (Matthew 1:22–23, ESV).

When we read a prophetic promise in the Old Testament, we ask: Was this fulfilled in the New Testament? Did Jesus or one of the apostles quote this passage? How did they interpret it? This helps us avoid guesswork.

Even when a prophecy does not mention Jesus by name, the New Testament often makes the connection clear. For example, the Exodus journey becomes a pattern for salvation. Matthew quotes Hosea 11:1—“Out of Egypt I called my son”—to describe Jesus’ return from Egypt as a child (Matthew 2:15). Hosea spoke about Israel, but Matthew sees Jesus as the true Son who completes Israel’s story.

This is not forced interpretation. It reflects the deeper unity of Scripture, where Christ stands at the center of God’s plan.

Typology Helps Us See Patterns of Redemption

One of the most powerful tools for connecting Old and New Testament passages is typology. A type is a person, event, or object in the Old Testament that points forward to a greater reality in Christ. Types are not random symbols; they are real historical events that God used to reveal His plan in layers.

Consider the Passover lamb. God told Moses to instruct the Israelites to kill a spotless lamb and apply the blood to their doorposts (Exodus 12:5–7). This act saved them from judgment. In the New Testament, Paul writes, “For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed” (1 Corinthians 5:7, ESV).

Likewise, the bronze serpent in the wilderness became a type. When the people sinned, God sent serpents among them. Then He told Moses to lift a bronze serpent on a pole so the people could look and live (Numbers 21:9). Jesus later said, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up” (John 3:14, ESV).

Typology shows us how God uses historical moments to reveal eternal truths. When we learn to trace these patterns, we grow in our understanding of Christ’s mission and character.

Apostolic Teaching Models How to Read the Old Testament

One of our best guides for connecting the Old and New Testaments is the apostles themselves. Throughout the book of Acts and the epistles, the apostles preached Christ using the Hebrew Scriptures. They didn’t ignore the Old Testament. They leaned on it.

Peter’s sermon at Pentecost quotes Psalm 16 and applies it to Jesus’ resurrection: “You will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption” (Acts 2:27, quoting Psalm 16:10, ESV). Peter explains, “David… foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ” (Acts 2:31, ESV).

Paul does the same. In Romans 4, he uses the story of Abraham to show that faith, not law, brings righteousness. He writes, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness” (Romans 4:3, ESV, quoting Genesis 15:6). Then Paul adds, “The words ‘it was counted to him’ were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also” (Romans 4:23–24, ESV).

The apostles believed that the Old Testament was written not just for Israel’s past, but for the church’s faith. That means we can study their sermons and letters to learn how to read Scripture with the same mindset.

Christ Is the Key to Every Connection

Above all, Jesus Christ unlocks the unity between Old and New. On the road to Emmaus, He met two disciples and opened their eyes to the truth. “Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:27, ESV). Later, He told the larger group, “Everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled” (Luke 24:44, ESV).

That moment tells us something crucial. The entire Old Testament testifies about Jesus. The New Testament does not replace the old. It fulfills it. And Jesus Himself shows us how to read the Bible as one story with one Savior.

When we read Scripture with Christ at the center, we begin to see the beauty of God’s plan unfold across centuries. The sacrifices, the kings, the exiles, the prophecies—they all build toward Jesus. And once we grasp that, we are better equipped to study Scripture faithfully and fruitfully.

Connect the Old and New Testament: One Story, One Savior

When we connect Old and New Testament passages faithfully, we gain a deeper love for God’s Word. This is not just about cross-references or clever insights. It’s about seeing how God’s eternal plan unfolded through history. From creation to the cross, and from the law to the gospel, the Bible tells one story.

We’ve seen how God’s covenant promises run through both Testaments. We’ve explored how Jesus fulfills the law and the prophets. We’ve studied how the apostles interpreted Old Testament texts in light of Christ. And we’ve discovered how typology, prophecy, and covenant all point to the same Savior.

Let’s remember that the same God who spoke at Sinai also walked the shores of Galilee. The same Spirit who filled the tabernacle now fills the church. And the same Scripture that fed Israel in the wilderness still nourishes us today.

As we continue our Bible study journey, may we always seek to connect the old and new Testaments with care, clarity, and faith. Because when we do, we see Jesus more clearly—and that changes everything.