Chapter 2.2.
Main Message of the Bible
The Bible's Main Message can be summarized as "The Gospel"
1.The Central Character of the Bible
To understand this you need to know who is the Central Character of the Bible. Jesus is the central character in the Bible—the whole book is about Him. The Old Testament predicts His coming and sets the stage for His entrance into the world. The New Testament describes His coming and His work to bring salvation to our sinful world.
Jesus is more than a historical figure; in fact, He is more than a man. He is God in the flesh, and His coming was the most important event in the history of the world. God Himself became a man to give us a clear, understandable picture of who He is. What is God like? He is like Jesus; Jesus is God in human form (John 1:14, 14:9).
2. Where Jesus fits in the Bible as a whole.
A brief Summary of the Bible will be as follows:
1) Started from the beginning of the Old Testament, God created man and placed him in a perfect environment; however, man rebelled against God and fell from what God intended him to be. God placed the world under a curse because of sin but immediately set in motion a plan to restore humanity and all creation to its original glory.2) As part of His plan of redemption, God called Abraham out of Babylonia into Canaan (about 2000 B.C.). God promised Abraham, his son Isaac, and his grandson Jacob (also called Israel) that He would bless the world through a descendant of theirs. Israel’s family emigrated from Canaan to Egypt, where they grew to be a nation.
3) About 1400 B.C., God led Israel’s descendants out of Egypt under the direction of Moses and gave them the Promised Land, Canaan, as their own. Through Moses, God gave the people of Israel the Law and made a covenant (testament) with them. If they would remain faithful to God and not follow the idolatry of the surrounding nations, then they would prosper. If they forsook God and followed idols, then God would destroy their nation.
4) About 400 years later, during the reigns of David and his son Solomon, Israel was solidified into a great and powerful kingdom. God promised David and Solomon that a descendant of theirs would rule as an everlasting king.
5) After Solomon’s reign, the nation of Israel was divided. The ten tribes to the north were called “Israel,” and they lasted about 200 years before God judged them for their idolatry. Assyria took Israel captive about 721 B.C. The two tribes in the south were called “Judah,” and they lasted a little longer, but eventually they, too, turned from God. Babylon took them captive about 600 B.C.
6) About 70 years later, God graciously brought a remnant of the captives back into their own land. Jerusalem, the capital, was rebuilt about 444 B.C., and Israel once again established a national identity. Thus, the Old Testament closes.
7)The New Testament opens about 400 years later with the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem. Jesus was the descendant promised to Abraham and David, the One to fulfil God’s plan to redeem mankind and restore creation.
8)Jesus faithfully completed His work—He died for sin and rose from the dead. The death of Christ is the basis for a new covenant (testament) with the world. All who have faith in Jesus will be saved from sin and live eternally.
9)After His resurrection, Jesus sent His disciples to spread the news everywhere of His life and His power to save. Jesus’ disciples went in every direction spreading the good news of Jesus and salvation. They travelled through Asia Minor, Greece, and all the Roman Empire.
10)The New Testament closes with a prediction of Jesus’ return to judge the unbelieving world and free creation from the curse.
3. The main message of the Bible
From the above it is clear that the main message of the Bible is the wonderful presentation of salvation to humankind. That is why this Chapter opened with the statement:
The Bible's Main Message is "The Gospel".
The main message of the Bible is the wonderful presentation of salvation. The good news of salvation in Jesus Christ is the fundamental message of the Scripture.
Under this head there are many basic truths:
- God created a majestic universe and crowned it by forming the first man and woman in sinless perfection.
- Adam and Eve succumbed to temptation from Satan and fell into sin and shame. The consequences of sin are obvious, but people everywhere still love to rebel against God.
- Yet God did not abandon humanity on its course to destruction. He chose one people to demonstrate his special care and from them to provide a Saviour for the whole world.
- God sent his own son Jesus Christ to bear the awesome consequences of sin. God does not just blithely disregard sin, but he poured out all the terror of eternal condemnation on his son in those terrible hours of suffering and death on the cross.
- In the resurrection of Jesus, God demonstrates his victory over sin and calls people everywhere to identify with this victory by faith in Jesus Christ.
- In living in this salvation, we know that life is not meaningless, but we live surrounded by God’s love, and bound for eternity with him.
But the Bible addresses many more basic issues of life and death, of the present and the future, and so it is difficult to only select this one theme as the main one. Students of the Bible have generally grouped the leading topics treated in the Bible under two main heads.
Let’s look briefly also from a much unique perspective to a second school of thought for another important message of the Bible. All readers agree that salvation is certainly the most important, but it is only part of a much greater message. That bigger message goes far beyond the man-centred focus of salvation to embrace the purpose of all time and space. We may call this message the revelation of God’s plan and purpose for the universe.
Under this head there are also many basic truths:
- God in his dynamic and creative essence resolved to create the universe and delight in it.
- However, God is not the sole transcendent being. There is a rebellious and fallen being named Satan who opposes God and his plan. He deceives and undermines God’s purpose everywhere.
- This conflict marks all history and results in two kingdoms. Satan foments disorder and all that is bizarre and sinister. Quarrelling and dissension among God’s people is often his most horrid device.
- In sending his son Jesus Christ, God established the decisive hour in this conflict. In his servanthood, Jesus was the opposite of all the pomp, pride, greed, and egoism that Satan promotes.
- In Christ’s death, Satan declared victory over God, but the resurrection turned that seeming victory into actual defeat.
- Satan still prowls the world, but he realizes he cannot win. God’s people are now heralds of his present and coming kingdom. Gradually the contours of the final conflict emerge across the world.
- Eventually evil so captivates and enslaves humanity that the climactic end time of history arrives. Finally, Christ returns to earth as the victor and God’s kingdom is established for all eternity. The purpose of God’s creation and universal plan is achieved.
Both these majestic messages are found in the Bible. They are simply two perspectives on one majestic theme: God’s Plan for His People and His Cosmic Kingdom.
What is your heart’s response to his message?
- A Deeper look into the Gospel according to the Bible
Also look to Chapter 5.1.The Gospel of Jesus Christ
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