We all carry lenses for understanding how to study the Bible.
Whether we know it or not, every time we open the Bible, we’re seeing through a framework ..a lens that shapes how we understand, apply, and live out the words in its pages, especially when considering how to study the Bible effectively.
So the question isn’t “Should we have a lens?”
The real question is “Which lens should we be using?”
Understanding how to study the Bible through a proper lens is essential for meaningful understanding.
And for followers of Jesus, the answer isn’t just a theological guess or denominational tradition. It’s not even a matter of preference.
It’s something God Himself made unmistakably clear.
A Moment on the Mountain Changed Everything
There was a moment, tucked away in the Gospels, where heaven touched earth and the veil between the old and the new was pulled back.
It wasn’t at the cross.
It wasn’t even at the resurrection.
It was on a mountain.
Jesus took Peter, James, and John up with Him. There, He was transfigured. His face shone like the sun. His clothes became as white as light. And then, something wild happened.
Moses appeared, representing the Law.
Elijah stood there too, symbolizing the Prophets.
The whole story of Israel was present in that moment. The Law. The Prophets. And the One they were always pointing to.
Peter, trying to make sense of the wonder, offered an idea that probably felt right in the moment:
“Lord, it is good for us to be here. If You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
— Matthew 17:4,
Sounds good, right? Equal honor for all three. A shared platform. Voices side by side.
But God had other plans.
“This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!”
Matthew 17:5,
Not Moses. Not Elijah.
Him.
The divine voice from heaven didn’t mix words. He didn’t say “Listen to them.” He said “Listen to Him.” This wasn’t a subtle shift. It was a declaration. A change in the center of authority. A passing of the torch from shadow to substance. From preparation to fulfillment.
Pull Quote:
“This is My beloved Son… Hear Him.” – God, from the cloud on the mountain
And Then, A Promise Was Made
Before Jesus left, He didn’t leave His disciples guessing.
He gave them instructions, simple, clear, and powerful: Wait.
Wait for the promise.
Wait for the Spirit.
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”
— John 14:26,
“However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority… He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.”
— John 16:13–14,
What Jesus was doing here wasn’t just comfort. It was commissioning. He was handing the revelation of His life, death, and resurrection to the apostles, not as independent thinkers or personal interpreters, but as those who would be taught and led by the very Spirit of God.
That’s why we read Paul, Peter, John, James, not just as first-century voices, but as men speaking through divine guidance, bearing witness to Jesus in fullness.
But Didn’t the Old Testament See This Coming?
It did. And that’s the beauty of it all.
What happened on the Mount of Transfiguration, what Jesus promised about the Holy Spirit, none of it came out of thin air. The Law and the Prophets saw it coming. In fact, they pointed to it all along.
Let’s go back to Moses.
“The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto Him ye shall hearken… And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto My words which He shall speak in My name, I will require it of him.”
— Deuteronomy 18:15, 19
Peter later confirmed in Acts 3:22–23 that this Prophet was Jesus. Moses, the very embodiment of the Law, told Israel to look forward to a greater voice and warned of consequences for ignoring Him.
The Psalms echo this truth:
“Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and ye perish from the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him.”
— Psalm 2:12,
The Son is the one to be trusted. The one to be feared. The one to be honored above kings and rulers.
Isaiah saw it too:
“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder… Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end…”
— Isaiah 9:6–7,
And Daniel?
“And there was given Him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve Him…”
— Daniel 7:14,
It’s all there.
The Law said: A Prophet is coming.
The Psalms said: The Son is to be honored.
The Prophets said: His rule will never end.
The Old Testament isn’t set aside. It’s fulfilled. But its final act is to point away from itself and toward Jesus.
So Why Do We Read the Bible This Way?
Because God told us to.
Because Jesus confirmed it.
Because the Spirit empowered it.
Because the Law and the Prophets expected it.
We honor the entire Bible, but we interpret it through the one voice the Father told us to listen to: His Son. And we trust the ones to whom Jesus gave His Spirit to reveal, explain, and carry His truth.
That’s not just theology. That’s obedience.
That’s not innovation. That’s revelation.
We don’t discard Moses or Elijah. We thank them for leading us to the mountain. But once we’re there, and the cloud descends, and the voice speaks?
We listen to Jesus.
