A Puritan Theology: Doctrine for Life in a Year:
A major principle of interpretation used by the Puritans was the idea, firmly rooted in Scripture, that all of God’s Word points to Christ. As John Owen argued, anyone reading Scripture must always keep in mind this fundamental principle, namely:
“that the revelation and doctrine of the person of Christ and his office, is the foundation whereon all other instructions of the prophets and apostles for the edification of the church are built, and whereinto they are resolved….There are, therefore, such revelations of the person and glory of Christ treasured up in the Scripture, from the beginning unto the end of it, as may exercise the faith and contemplation of believers in this world, and shall never, during this life, be fully discovered or understood.”
Since Christ is not merely here or there in the Scriptures, but found on every page, Owen declares that believers will never fully understand in their lives on earth everything in the Bible concerning His person and work. But they must certainly try their best.
(A Puritan Theology, p. 31)
