Why Are Types & Antitypes Important?

The Holy Spirit Expressing Spiritual Ideas with Spiritual Words – 1 Corinthians 2:10-16

Lately, in preparation for our future class on the book of Hebrews, we have been exploring the concept of types & antitypes. The idea came as a result of looking at Adam (referred to by Paul as a “type of” Christ) & Jesus in Romans 5:12-21, baptism and the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, in Romans 6:1-11, and Peter, when talking about the flood, mentions that the “antitype” (of the flood), namely baptism, now saves us, 1 Peter 3:20,21. We learned that types & antitypes are for making comparisons. You can hold the type up closely against the antitype for contrasting effect (juxtapose). This is what the Bible does in Romans 5, 6 and 1 Peter 3, as mentioned above.

Last Sunday night, in the PM sermon, we looked at Ephesians 5:21-33, where Paul makes the comparison between the husband, wife relationship and the relationship Christ has with His church. Paul used this comparison to instruct us on how we ought to behave in our marriage relationships, emphasizing that this contrast was intended for us to make the comparison.

In fact, he says, “Therefore,” and states the law of marriage. Then says,

Ephesians 5:32

“This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.”

In other words, the marriage relationship, AS a type of Christ and His church, IS THE reason marriage exists! Marriage is the ONLY authorized relationship for sexual union because God designed it (marriage) to show the relationship of Christ and His church. That is why all other sexual unions are wrong. Not because of some “phobia” we may be accused of having.

Further, Jesus connects the dots for us when He was asked what was proper behavior regarding marriage. He says,

Matthew 19:3-6

“Have you not read that He who created them FROM THE BEGINNING (predating Moses) made them male and female, and said, ‘THEREFORE,‘ ”

and He states the law of marriage. THE REASON why God made us male and female is to be married and our marriage was DESIGNED to show the relationship of Christ and His church.

– Scott R (The power of the type and antitype)