How can we summarize the Bible? The Bible often known as the Word of God is a book about redemption. It is the world’s most popular book in print. It is now available for everyone through the use of Bible Apps for our cell phones. To understand the Bible we must first understand the Author.
While God did not physically write the Bible, He definitely inspired it. This means that He used people to write what was on His heart. We see many things recorded in the Bible, history, genealogies, stories, sins, great accomplishments, and even songs. The Bible has many genres.
I believe it is best to summarize the Bible into nine different puzzle pieces. The nine parts of the Bible are: the Pentateuch, the history of Israel, poetry, major prophets, minor prophets, the Gospels, the beginning of the Church, the letters of Paul, and then the book of Revelation. Each give us a glimpse into the heart of who God is. While many use the term, “We need to take the Bible literally” it is not something we should always do. For instance, we see many mistakes and sins that take place in the Bible. Jesus even gave metaphors, so to properly understand the Bible we must seek to understand the author’s intended meaning, this is also called exegesis.
The Bible is really a picture of God’s redemptive work. He created this world and made much good. Sin came into the world and corrupted the good. Destruction and death followed after sin. Yet God raised up many men who would take a stand for God. They can be seen in the book of Hebrews through what is called the Hall of Faith. We know the Hall of Fame, but this Hall of Faith record the many men who followed after God. God used these men to prepare the way for Jesus. Here Jesus is born and lives a perfect life, He gives His life on the cross and dies for us. All of our sin was on Jesus. He is raised from the dead and the sin is removed. Now we can today be like those great men of faith. When we believe and trust in the Lord, we will be saved from eternal death. We can now live our life on purpose to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
God’s story of redemption is a timeless message. It summarized in this, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” If you are wanting to understand the Bible as a whole, I encourage you to read: Genesis, Exodus, Joshua, 1 Samuel, John, and Acts. This will give you all of the major books and stories of the Bible.
Courage With Grace Ministries 