How Bible Types/Shadows Work

A type or “shadow” (Col 2:17) in the Bible is when an analogy/parallel is made between a physical thing in the Old Testament and a spiritual thing in the New Testament. It is not a type just because we see similarities between two things. It is only a type if God draws the parallel.

For example, the most prominent type in the Bible is taught by texts like John 1:29 – “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” The parallel being made is between Jesus and all the animal sacrifices in the Old Testament. The Old Testament lamb was sacrificed to take away sin, but only in type – Heb 10:4 says “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.” So the sacrifice of Christ is really the only effectual sacrifice, the final sacrifice; it takes the place of all those animal sacrifices.

Let’s now observe some other Bible types. In Gen 22, God asked Abraham to offer his son Isaac as a burnt sacrifice. But at the last minute Abraham offered a provided ram “in the stead of his son” (verse 13). The ram being an animal sacrifice would represent Jesus as a type – we’ve already established that. So if Isaac is a type in this story, he would represent us. The idea would be that Isaac was supposed to die that day, but the ram was offered instead of him. Likewise, we are supposed to die because of our sin but Jesus dies instead of us. See the parallel? To me the most beautiful thing about this whole analogy is found in verse 8. You will remember in verse 7 Isaac says “Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” In verse 8 Abraham replies “My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering.” Well, didn’t God provide a lamb/ram in Gen 22? He did; that ram wasn’t caught in the thicket by accident. But isn’t there a second meaning to the statement “God will provide himself a lamb”? We are lost because of our sin, on the way to spending eternity in a burning fire with the devil. And there is no way we can solve that problem (that we created) ourselves. God solves our problem for us by providing the lamb Jesus Christ. Because of His death, those that trust and obey have changed their destination, and are now on their way to spending eternity with God in paradise.

Another illustration of how a type works is found in the story of the institution of the Passover in Exodus 12. You’ll remember the story of the tenth and final plague – the death of the first born. The Israelites sacrificed a lamb (verse 3) and placed some of the blood on the posts of the door of their houses (verse 7). When the destroyer came through, he would “pass over” the houses that had the blood (verse 13). In this way, none of the Israelites lost their first born, but all of the Egyptians did – including Pharaoh himself (verse 29). I Corinthians 5:7 calls “Christ our passover.” What’s the parallel? In Exodus 12 when the destroyer saw the blood on the door, he passed over those houses and didn’t kill their first born. With Christ, when it comes time for God to hand out just retribution for our sins, he passes over those who trust and obey – because he sees Jesus’ blood.

The scapegoat is also a type of Christ even though it was not sacrificed. Leviticus 16:21-22 states “And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.” That passage sounds just like Isaiah 53 and the sacrifice of Jesus, doesn’t it? Compare the appropriate parts of Leviticus 16:21-22 to Isaiah 53:6c “and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all” and 11c “for he shall bear their iniquities.” The wording is almost identical, isn’t it? Isaiah 53 is quoting Leviticus 16 – three times. The scapegoat then is a type of Christ. In both the scapegoat type and the corresponding reality of Jesus, the people’s sins are placed on the one that then takes away their sin. In that sense both the scapegoat and Jesus bore the sins of the people.

Perhaps my favorite Bible analogy is found in John 3:14-15. In Num 21:4-9 the Israelites murmur against God. God sends poisonous snakes their way. Israelites are dying right and left, so they ask Moses to pray to the Lord for help. God has Moses put up a bronze statue of a snake on a pole. Whoever looks at the serpent on the pole would be healed of their snakebite. The parallel made by John 3:14-15 is that similarly Jesus will be put up on a pole (cross) and whoever believes in, looks to Him on that pole will be healed of their sin.

Now compare John’s analogy in John 3:14-15 with the many good analogies we can make between Naaman’s cleansing of leprosy when he dipped in the Jordan seven times in II King 4:9-14 and with our obedience to the gospel (II Thess 1:8).. I frequently talk about those parallels in my personal evangelism studies, but I always recognize those are my parallels, not divinely stated parallels. See what makes something a Bible type or shadow?

Col 2:11-13 supplies us with another interesting type or analogy. It reads “In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses.” The type is Old Testament circumcision, and the antitype is NOT baptism. This New Testament circumcision is made “without hands” and water baptism is done with hands. In the Old Testament the foreskin was cut off and the New Testament parallel is that our sins are cut (“put”) off (verse 11), i.e., our sins are “forgiven” (verse 12). Does that happen when a sinner is baptized? – yes verse 12, but baptism is not New Testament circumcision. The cutting off (forgiveness) of sins at baptism is. That is a very important distinction to make especially when debating infant baptism.

Consider James 2:24-25 – “Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?” Perhaps that is a type in that a parallel is made between something physical in the Old Testament and something spiritual in the New Testament. Read in Josh 2:3-4,6,12-15, 6:21-25 how Rahab was saved physically by her works. What is James’ point? Just as Rahab was justified physically by her works, we are justified spiritually by our works.

I Pet 3:20-21 says the salvation of Noah’s family through the waters of the flood is a “figure” (KJV) of our salvation through water baptism (which is the “antitype” – NKJV). The former is a figure of the latter in that both involve water and both involve a salvation. The first involves a physical salvation (from drowning Heb 11:7 – eight persons “were brought safely through the water” – NASB, ESV), while the second involves a spiritual salvation. Notice the latter part of verse 21 lets us know water baptism does not entail a physical cleansing (“not the putting away of the filth of the flesh”), but a spiritual cleansing (“through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” – NASB). As usual the type refers to something physical (saved from downing) in the Old Testament illustrating something spiritual (saved from sin) in the New Testament.

Again, something is not a Bible type unless the Bible draws the parallel. When we find our own parallel in the Bible, that is not a Bible type. Such is not necessarily bad if we identify these are our own parallels to make a teaching point. Similar to how the Bible tells us Paul had a “thorn in flesh” (II Corinthians 12:7), but it does not tell us what that thorn in the flesh was. No problem with guessing what that might have been as long as we identify our suggestion as speculation and not fact. Likewise there is a big difference in inspired parallels and uninspired parallels, parallels that God makes versus parallels that only humans make. I can draw a lot of parallels between Abraham Lincoln and Jesus, but that doesn’t mean President Lincoln is a type of Christ, or vice-versa. I could even talk about those parallels in a sermon, but if I claim it a Bible type/shadow, then I am not speaking as the oracles of God (I Pet 4:11).

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