Friday, July 12, 2013
What Is the Central Message of the Bible?
The Bible is a collection of 66 books spanning more than 14 centuries of writers. Not surprisingly, it contains stories about numerous people and addresses a variety of topics. But is there a central message in the Bible that runs through all 66 books? D. A. Carson answers:
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And at the very heart of the central message of the Bible is God's intention to vindicate/restore His Name...
ReplyDelete“You have exalted above all things your name and your word.” Psalm 138: 2
...honour and glory.
“Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord GOD: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned.” Ezekiel 36:22
Any doctrine that downplays or removes sin and redemption from the heart of the gospel is defiling the name and honour of God.
“It is not for your sake that I will act, says the Lord GOD; let that be known to you” Ezekiel 36:32
God is redeeming His people in order to restore the honour that is due to Him, and which we have defiled through our sin. The “big picture” of Christianity is that when we sin we do far more than just condemn ourselves to death. When we sin, we dishonour God, and not only do we dishonour God, but we defile His creation. When we sin, not only do we go down, but we bring God’s name down with us, and we bring God’s creation down with us as well.
The good news, however, is that when God redeems us, He not only redeems us but He also redeems His own honour and glory and He redeems the whole creation along with us (Rom. 8: 18– 21; Rev. 21: 1– 5).
It is not only God’s honour that resides in His Word — His glory does, too. Jesus said in John 15: 7– 8
“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples.”
When the word of God is believed and obeyed, God is glorified. In Isaiah 55: 11, God says,
“My word . . . that goes forth from my mouth . . . shall not return to me empty . . . it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”
When God fulfils His Word, His honour is vindicated and His name is glorified! In Revelation 4– 5 we are given a picture of what is going on in heaven. The heavenly host worship and praise God for three things — first, for His eternal being; second, for His work of creation; and third, for the Lamb’s work of redemption. The four living creatures surrounding the throne sing without ceasing:
“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” (Rev. 4: 8).
This is the eternal being of God, the great “I am.” God is eternally self-existent and He is worshiped unceasingly for this great fact.
Excerpt from: Dismantling the Big Bang [Theory]. Hartnett, John ; Williams, Alex (2005-07-01). Master Books.(Appendix B)
Hello, I love your writing.I just say that Jesus Christ and the salvation that is in Him is the fundamental message in the Bible. This vital truth has been lost to a lot of people in the process of time. Officially in the time of Jesus, the Pharisees searched for legitimization for their own honorability in the expressions of the Scriptures. In Luther's chance the Catholic Church saw the Bible in the light of her convention of salvation through confidence and acts of kindness. Today, the peril of dismissing the Bible's message lies in man's reasonable methodology. On one hand, some radical researchers have dismisses the awesome measurement of the Bible and methodology it as the result of human outline. Then again, some approach the Bible from the inverse end of the range, disregarding the chronicled perspective and utilizing an entirely exacting understanding. Both routines darken the perspective of salvation history.Happy Holidays!
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