Where is Jesus Christ found in Genesis?

The events recorded in Genesis took place thousands of years before the birth of Jesus Christ. Yet Jesus taught that these stories ultimately point to Him. In a conversation with the Pharisees, referring to the Old Testament, He said, “These are the very Scriptures that testify about me” (John 5:39). This means the accounts of people such as Adam, Abraham, Jacob, and Joseph in Genesis all point to Jesus. These testimonies take the form of prophecy, typology, and Christophanies.

The Bible’s first prophecy, recorded in just its third chapter, is about Jesus’ victory over Satan. Scholars call it the “protoevangelium,” meaning “first gospel.” When God judged the serpent for deceiving Adam and Eve, He foretold its defeat: “He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel” (Genesis 3:15). This means the woman’s offspring—the Messiah—would inflict a fatal blow on the serpent, while suffering only a temporary wound himself. This prophecy looks forward to Jesus’ final victory over Satan (Romans 16:20), which he secured at the cross (Hebrews 2:14).

The first man, Adam, is a type of Christ. A type is a person, place, or event in the Old Testament that foreshadows a future part of God’s plan. The New Testament helps readers identify and understand types. Paul referred to Adam as “a type of Him who was to come” (Romans 5:14, NASB). Just as Adam acted on behalf of humanity when he sinned, Jesus acted on behalf of people when he died. Adam’s disobedience brought sin and death to those he represented, while Jesus’ obedience brought righteousness and life to those who put their trust in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Abraham’s story in Genesis testifies to Jesus in several ways. The first is a prophecy about his offspring (Genesis 17:7–8). Paul says this promise looked forward to a single person “who is Christ” (Galatians 3:16). In Jesus, God fulfilled His promise that “all peoples on earth will be blessed through” Abraham (Genesis 12:3). The promised blessing comes through the gospel, which Jesus proclaimed to people of all nations (Matthew 28:19–20; Revelation 7:9).

The story of Abraham also contains a type of Christ in the person of Melchizedek, a righteous priest and king. The New Testament teaches that Jesus is also a righteous king and priest. Moreover, like Melchizedek’s gift of bread and wine to Abraham, Jesus offers bread and wine as symbols of His body and blood to those who believe in Him (Genesis 14:18; Hebrews 7:1–17). Another way Melchizedek points to Jesus is that his priesthood is presented without a recorded genealogy. This foreshadows Jesus’ priesthood, which is based on God's plan rather than hereditary descent (Hebrews 7:3, 13–17).

Another way Genesis points to Jesus is through Christophanies—physical appearances of Jesus centuries before His birth. One of the three men who appeared to Abraham at Mamre is called “LORD”—YHWH in Hebrew. Yet, the passage also refers to him as a man, even though He speaks as God (Genesis 18:1–2, 20). This visitor was a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ, meaning an appearance of Him before His birth as a man.

The story of Abraham’s near sacrifice of Isaac also contains two important types. Like Jesus, Isaac was a son whom His father loved (Genesis 22:2; John 3:16). Just before Abraham almost killed Isaac, God stopped him. According to the New Testament, Abraham receiving Isaac back from death was “a type” (Hebrews 11:19, NASB). Thus, Isaac’s figurative resurrection foreshadowed Jesus’ literal resurrection (Matthew 28:1–10; 1 Corinthians 15:20–22). Abraham then sacrificed a ram as a substitute for Isaac, which typified Jesus’ death in place of sinners (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Another type appears later in Genesis in Jacob’s prophecy about his sons: “The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet” (Genesis 49:10). The scepter and staff convey royal authority. Jesus, a descendant of Judah, fulfills this prophecy as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Matthew 1:1–3; Revelation 19:16). John also depicts Jesus reigning from His throne and calls Him “the Lion of the Tribe of Judah” (Revelation 1:1; 5:5).

Although key prophecies about Jesus have been discussed, Genesis contains other types and Christophanies. Noah’s ark, which rescued God’s people from judgment (Genesis 6—8), is a type of Christ. Likewise, Jacob’s stairway, which connected heaven and earth (Genesis 28:12; John 1:51), is a type of Christ. Joseph, who was rejected, exalted, and saved his people, is too (Genesis 37—50; Isaiah 52:13–15; 53:10–12). Other Christophanies also occur, some involving the Angel of the Lord, who speaks from heaven, swears by Himself, and blesses Abraham (Genesis 22:15–19). Another Christophany happened when Jacob wrestled a mysterious man, later saying he had seen “God face to face” (Genesis 32:30).

Although Genesis teaches on important topics like humanity, sin, and Israel, its ultimate message is about Jesus. After His resurrection, Jesus told his disciples: “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms” (Luke 24:44). Genesis, the first book of the Law of Moses, anticipates the day when the Creator revealed in Genesis 1-2 entered His own creation in the person of Jesus to seek and save the lost (John 1:14; Luke 19:10).