The events of the Old Testament can sometimes feel strange and foreign to modern readers, said Sunday School General President Paul V. Johnson. But the purpose of all gospel study is to deepen conversion to Jesus Christ, and this is no different when reading the Old Testament.
“As we go into the Old Testament, if we realize the gospel of Jesus Christ and a knowledge of Him has been had from the very beginning, from Adam, it changes the way you view some of your reading in the Old Testament to realize it’s there,” President Johnson said.
President Johnson and his counselors, Brother Chad H Webb and Brother Gabriel W. Reid, recently spoke with Church News about why people should study the Old Testament and how they can better recognize Jesus Christ in its pages.
Each year, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints study individually, in families and as wards and branches one book of scripture. This focus this year, 2026, is on the Old Testament.
Seeing His hand
Brother Webb, first counselor, said the Old Testament is a witness of Jesus Christ’s premortal role, His role as Jehovah in the Old Testament and His role as the coming Messiah and beyond.
“I think if that’s our primary purpose for studying the Old Testament, we’ll find the Savior there and deepen our conversion to Him and our faith in Him,” Brother Webb said.
Brother Reid, second counselor, added that Christ is present in Old Testament stories even if He isn’t named. For instance, a Sunday School class in Brother Reid’s ward recently discussed how Noah’s ark is a type of Christ — individuals find safety from the floods of life as they build a relationship with Him.
“Sometimes it takes a little bit of effort, but [Christ] is there,” Brother Reid said.
Brother Webb said readers can see the Savior in types and shadows of the Old Testament, and in prophecies of the Messiah’s coming.
“In fact, if you understand the prophecies of the Old Testament prophets, you actually see in the New Testament Jesus … being very overt about the fulfilling of these prophecies, vindicating the words of His prophets in the Old Testament,” Brother Webb said.
Brother Reid said the Old Testament gives him a greater understanding of God’s covenants and more appreciation for the Book of Mormon.
He also noted that “covenants” and “deliverance” are repeated themes throughout the Old Testament.
“That’s something that’s very comforting for me personally,” Brother Reid said.
President Johnson said God’s hand is visible in stories of individual lives and in stories of the world.
“It’s just incredible that He is so consistent over the generations and so loving,” President Johnson said. “I love that even when the children of Israel were backsliding, His arms were stretched out still and He could redeem them.”
Principles for learning
President Johnson also counseled learners to keep in mind that the people in the Old Testament lived thousands of years ago — and they’d probably be just as shocked about modern life as people living today sometimes are about ancient life.
He referred to Doctrine and Covenants 46:15, which states that Lord gives His mercies “according to the conditions of the children of men.”
“[The Lord] dealt with them according to the conditions that they were in,“ President Johnson said of people in the Old Testament. ”He deals with us according to the conditions we’re in. And I think if we can open up our hearts a little and say, ‘Yeah, you lived in a whole different world’ and not be so judgmental about those people that we read about, I think it’ll help us as we’re reading there."
Brother Webb suggested three principles from “Teaching in the Savior’s Way” for both personal study and for teaching:
He also encouraged readers to ask themselves what the story teaches about Jesus Christ. “What does this teach me about Him, who He is, His example, the principles I’m studying, the promises, what He offers me as I strive to follow the teachings that I’m finding here in the Old Testament?”
Brother Reid added that learning about the Jehovah of the Old Testament brings him closer to the Savior.
“I have a great love and a greater appreciation for our Savior, for His role, for His Atonement and His promise to deliver us in time of need. And He’s showing it over and over again,” Brother Reid said.
