Shadow and Substance

In Colossians 2:16–17, Paul provides a helpful key for interpreting the Bible. He writes,“Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.”

Here, Paul lays a foundation that helps us read and interpret the Old Testament. According to Paul, certain people, events, institutions, and objects were designed by God to function as shadows that pointed forward to Christ, who is the true substance. There are other places in Scripture that reinforce this idea. Hebrews 10:1 says,“For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never…make perfect those who draw near.”

The point the author of Hebrews is making is that the sacrificial system of the old covenant anticipated Christ. It helps us understand the nature and meaning of sacrifice, but it could never accomplish what Christ would accomplish—actually cleansing us through His sacrifice and crediting His righteousness to us.

Other passages (e.g., Hebrews 8:5; 9:23–24; Romans 5:14; 1 Corinthians 10:1–4) build upon this shadow/substance idea by describing certain elements of the old covenant as copies, patterns, and types of the person and work of Christ. In the New Testament we also see this principle in the way Jesus Himself interpreted Scripture. After His resurrection, Jesus met two disciples on the road to Emmaus and explained the Scriptures to them: “Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” (Luke 24:27)

So how does all of this inform the way we read and interpret the Old Testament?

First, it helps to think carefully about what a shadow or copy is. A shadow exists because something greater stands behind it. A shadow tells us something about the object casting it. It reveals the outline of the object, but it is not the object itself. A copy functions in a similar way. A copy is a reproduction that resembles the original and reflects its design, but it is not the original itself.

In the same way, many elements of the Old Testament functioned as copies and shadows that pointed forward to Christ, who brings their ultimate fulfillment. Consider a few examples:

The sacrificial system pointed to Christ’s atoning death. Animals were repeatedly offered for sin, but those sacrifices could never fully remove guilt. They anticipated the day when Christ would offer Himself once for all.

The priesthood pointed to Christ’s mediation. Israel’s priests stood between God and the people, offering sacrifices and prayers on their behalf. Christ is the true and final High Priest who perfectly represents His people before the Father.

The temple pointed to God dwelling with His people. In the Old Testament, God’s presence was symbolically located in the temple. In the New Testament we learn that Christ Himself is the true temple, and through Him God dwells among His people by the Spirit.

The festivals and ceremonial laws also pointed forward. Passover foreshadowed redemption through Christ. The Day of Atonement anticipated the cleansing of sin through His blood. Even the food laws and ritual purity laws taught Israel about holiness and separation—realities ultimately fulfilled in Christ’s saving work.

When Paul says in Colossians 2:17 that “the substance belongs to Christ,” he means that Christ is the reality casting the shadow. Using the examples above, the sacrifices pointed to the cross. The priesthood pointed to Christ’s mediation as our High Priest. The temple pointed to His presence with His people. The festivals pointed to His redemption.

This is what Christ was explaining to the disciples on the road to Emmaus. Christ is not merely present in the New Testament—He is the fulfillment of the entire story of Scripture. So how does this help us read and interpret our Bibles?

It protects us from two common mistakes.

First, it keeps us from treating the Old Testament as irrelevant. The shadows still matter because they help us understand the person and work of Christ more deeply. Second, it keeps us from returning to the shadows as if they were the final reality. That is the issue Paul was addressing in Colossians.

When we read Scripture, we should ask questions like these:

- How does this passage prepare for Christ?

- What aspect of Christ’s work does it foreshadow?

- How does the New Testament show its fulfillment?

When we read the Old Testament this way, the entire Bible begins to open up. The sacrifices make sense. The temple makes sense. The priesthood makes sense. The festivals make sense. All of them lead us to the same place. They lead us to Christ, who is the substance to which every shadow pointed.