By Krista Tripodi
The purpose of all scripture is to testify of Jesus Christ, and the Old Testament is no exception.
That was the message delivered by Elder John M. Madsen of the First Quorum of the Seventy on Wednesday, Oct. 3, at the BYU Conference Center.
As a preview to the 30th Annual Sidney B. Sperry Symposium, sponsored by the College of Religious Education, Elder Madsen spoke about what a precious and powerful witness of Jesus Christ the Old Testament is.
Although referred to by several different names, the great Jehovah of the Old Testament was in fact Jesus Christ, Elder Madsen said.
'All prophets from Adam to Noah understood the plan of salvation -- the gospel.
'They knew the name and the role of Jesus Christ,' he said. 'We all knew it.'
The central and fundamental message of the Old Testament and all other scripture is the gospel, or the good news, Elder Madsen said.
'The Atonement of Jesus Christ is not part of the gospel -- it is the gospel,' he said.
Elder Madsen read several passages from the Old Testament, placing the words 'Jesus Christ' after every reference to the word 'Lord.'
This helped some students to understand the scriptures better.
'A lot of the time I don''t realize if the Old Testament scriptures are talking about God or Jesus Christ,' said Janae Kraus, 23, a senior from Smithfield, Cache County, majoring in dietetics.
'It was helpful to learn the other names Christ is known by,' she said.
Elder Madsen''s talk will be broadcast as part of the Sperry Symposium on Oct. 26 at 7:30 p.m. in 455 MARB.