Finding an abundance of joy in generously sharing my extreme poverty.
The Message of the Bible – A brief attempt at a stark summary
The Bible as revelation is written such, that an uninitiated reader would come away with the following things as controlling concepts:
1. God created the world and everything in it.
2. Mankind as a race, was created in the image of God.
3. In love, God gave man every benefit, and a warning not to eat that which God had put off limits, or man would die.
4. Man was tempted by the serpent, and disobeyed God’s command.
5. Man hid in his shame.
6. Instead of man dieing right away, God showed mercy. He sought man out, covered his nakedness and promised to send the “Seed” of the woman who would bruise the serpent’s head – the tempter behind the Fall. The race was spared.
7. Man lost his access to the Tree of Life, and suffers the effects of this loss in physical corruption. All human misery is linked to this fall.
8. Man very quickly descended into envy, hatred and murder.
9. While man continued to digress, in love God continued to sustain him.
10. God repeatedly intervened in the affairs of mankind to prevent its total demise, displaying special grace to certain individuals, thus preserving the race while also letting it suffer the first pains of His just wrath.
11. Out of the mass of fallen men, God chose one man – Abraham – and in making a covenant with him (a promise confirmed by signs) set Abraham and his offspring apart to be the means of preserving the witness, worship and Word of the true God among men. Through this arrangement (Abraham was told), all of the nations of the earth would eventually be blessed.
12. For the most part, the rest of mankind outside of this new nation were given up to their sin, though through this nation (Israel) the testimony of God, His purposes and His Word were preserved and could be sought.
13. Irrespective of their repeated rebellion and sinfulness, in grace, God preserved the nation which came from Abraham, and the promised “Seed” eventually did come through them in the person of Jesus Christ.
14. This Jesus who was fully both God and man, was rejected as the “Seed” by the vast majority of the nation (Israel) God had preserved all along.
15. This Jesus announced that God loved not only the Jews, but the whole world. So much so that He (Jesus) had been sent so that whosoever – without qualification – would believe in Him, would be spared from the final wrath of God still due on their sin, and instead gain eternal life with Himself.
16. Dieing on the Cross at Calvary, and experiencing God’s wrath which is justly due to fallen mankind, Jesus arose from the dead on the third day, and commissioned those who believed in Him to make the good news of His death, burial and resurrection known to every living creature.
17. Those who believed God’s willingness to receive them if they believed, and demonstrated that belief in obeying His commands, would be saved. Those not believing would remain under God’s wrath and would finally be condemned.
18. His disciples engaged in telling this good news immediately, but still needed to be shown that this news was in fact to be made known to all men – not just the nation of Israel.
19. With supernatural signs attesting to it, this message began to be taken everywhere, and preached freely to everyone. “To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” (Acts 10:43)
20. God has demonstrated His love in sending His Son, so that if I believe – I can be saved too.
5 thoughts on “The Message of the Bible – A brief attempt at a stark summary”
Food for thought? Was it warning or was He alerting them they were ‘appointed once to die?
‘warning not to eat that which God had put off limits, or man would die.’
‘Make man in our image’…made Adam then Eve (now man is made but not yet in ‘our image.’ Tells them ‘in the day you eat thereof…you will die’….meanwhile,God and Adam/Eve has full spiritual and physical fellowship in Eden. There is no evil there since evil cannot dwell where God is. Since God is soveriegn over all things…no authority is above Him…nothing ‘can hinder’ His purposes. So the most subtle deceiver..fallen Lucifer would have needed an invitation to get in. He had to have permission to affect Job. He is proven by scripture tobe subservient to the Father. Yip…he was invited in to bring ‘appointed’..purposed by God spiritual death to man. Job shows the meaning of ‘appointed’ by showing God’s purposed structural plans even for the physical earth. Then the spirit of man is, as God said, appointed to be in the ‘image’ of God. So the the Tree…innocent and perfect Eve just simply believes what the serpent says. What does she know about evil? Nothing. At this point she knows only ‘good.’ She doesn’t know lust. She doesn’t know disobedience. She has absolutely no defense against the ‘most subtle’ creature which waited for her at the Tree that day. He was the completion or fulness of ‘make man in our image.’ After the event of ‘eating’…God said the following: Ge 3:22 And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
Now the “appointed death’ has happened. God purposed it so, He can’t let them have access to the Tree of Life or else the ‘appointed’ death would be voided. He had purposed ‘the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world’ as their redemption back to Eden. Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So flaming swords were placed to prevent their return until such time that their fellowship was restored with the Father.
Lu 3:16 John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:
Ac 2:3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
1co 3:13 Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.
Heb 12:29 For our God is a consuming fire .
1pe 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
Re 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. Whos! So man is still running around naked and ashamed? Yes..if they have not gone from appointed (purposed) spiritual death back to Life (God).
Mt 7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. WHOA! PASSAGE BACK THROUGH THE NARROW GATE AND THE FLAMING SWORDS AT EDEN…CAN ONLY BE DONE SUPERNATURALLY…..THROUGH SPIRITUAL MOVING FROM DEATH TO LIFE…IN CHRIST.
Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
1ti 2:14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.
1co 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive
EDEN NOW HAS A NEW NAME…NEW JERUSALEM.
Re 3:12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.
FINALE: Re 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
WHOE! THERE’S THE GATED ENTRANCE AGAIN…THE ‘DOOR’….THE ‘WAY’…HMMMMM..SOUNDS FAMILIAR. :SMILE: GOD BLESS YOU. I can tell from reading your blog that you have Godly ‘wisdom’…just happened across it today. The desire of my heart is for God’s will to be done with you.
I CORINTHIANS 15:22–GREAT–I CORINTHIANS 13 TELLS THE ENTIRE STORY—IN LOVE, DAVID
I guess I would want to know how you think that tells the entire story. If you are speaking of resurrection in general, yes, all will rise. But not all will rise to “life”, some will rise to judgment.
Reid
I’d like to know how 10 relates to 17, namely
10. God repeatedly intervened in the affairs of mankind to prevent its total demise, displaying special grace to certain individuals, thus preserving the race while also letting it suffer the first pains of His just wrath.
17. Those who believed God’s willingness to receive them if they believed, and demonstrated that belief in obeying His commands, would be saved. Those not believing would remain under God’s wrath and would finally be condemned.
My question is: Does God, in the New Testament also bestow a special grace (saving grace) to certain individuals to enable them to be willing to believe in Jesus (and, of course, follow his commandments)? See Ephesians 2:1-10.
Thanks for stopping and commenting “Bog”. The short answer to your question is: Yes. While there is a common grace which blesses all mankind in ways, we also know that while the revelation of God in creation is sufficient for all to know they are guilty – it is not sufficient for them to know salvation. With that, I believe the Scripture demonstrates that people do not WANT God unless there is a change inwardly by virtue of the Spirit’s work in drawing them to Christ.
ResponsiveReiding 
Food for thought? Was it warning or was He alerting them they were ‘appointed once to die?
‘warning not to eat that which God had put off limits, or man would die.’
‘Make man in our image’…made Adam then Eve (now man is made but not yet in ‘our image.’ Tells them ‘in the day you eat thereof…you will die’….meanwhile,God and Adam/Eve has full spiritual and physical fellowship in Eden. There is no evil there since evil cannot dwell where God is. Since God is soveriegn over all things…no authority is above Him…nothing ‘can hinder’ His purposes. So the most subtle deceiver..fallen Lucifer would have needed an invitation to get in. He had to have permission to affect Job. He is proven by scripture tobe subservient to the Father. Yip…he was invited in to bring ‘appointed’..purposed by God spiritual death to man. Job shows the meaning of ‘appointed’ by showing God’s purposed structural plans even for the physical earth. Then the spirit of man is, as God said, appointed to be in the ‘image’ of God. So the the Tree…innocent and perfect Eve just simply believes what the serpent says. What does she know about evil? Nothing. At this point she knows only ‘good.’ She doesn’t know lust. She doesn’t know disobedience. She has absolutely no defense against the ‘most subtle’ creature which waited for her at the Tree that day. He was the completion or fulness of ‘make man in our image.’ After the event of ‘eating’…God said the following: Ge 3:22 And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
Now the “appointed death’ has happened. God purposed it so, He can’t let them have access to the Tree of Life or else the ‘appointed’ death would be voided. He had purposed ‘the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world’ as their redemption back to Eden. Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So flaming swords were placed to prevent their return until such time that their fellowship was restored with the Father.
Lu 3:16 John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:
Ac 2:3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
1co 3:13 Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.
Heb 12:29 For our God is a consuming fire .
1pe 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
Re 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. Whos! So man is still running around naked and ashamed? Yes..if they have not gone from appointed (purposed) spiritual death back to Life (God).
Mt 7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. WHOA! PASSAGE BACK THROUGH THE NARROW GATE AND THE FLAMING SWORDS AT EDEN…CAN ONLY BE DONE SUPERNATURALLY…..THROUGH SPIRITUAL MOVING FROM DEATH TO LIFE…IN CHRIST.
Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
1ti 2:14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.
1co 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive
EDEN NOW HAS A NEW NAME…NEW JERUSALEM.
Re 3:12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.
FINALE: Re 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
WHOE! THERE’S THE GATED ENTRANCE AGAIN…THE ‘DOOR’….THE ‘WAY’…HMMMMM..SOUNDS FAMILIAR. :SMILE: GOD BLESS YOU. I can tell from reading your blog that you have Godly ‘wisdom’…just happened across it today. The desire of my heart is for God’s will to be done with you.
I CORINTHIANS 15:22–GREAT–I CORINTHIANS 13 TELLS THE ENTIRE STORY—IN LOVE, DAVID
I guess I would want to know how you think that tells the entire story. If you are speaking of resurrection in general, yes, all will rise. But not all will rise to “life”, some will rise to judgment.
Reid
I’d like to know how 10 relates to 17, namely
10. God repeatedly intervened in the affairs of mankind to prevent its total demise, displaying special grace to certain individuals, thus preserving the race while also letting it suffer the first pains of His just wrath.
17. Those who believed God’s willingness to receive them if they believed, and demonstrated that belief in obeying His commands, would be saved. Those not believing would remain under God’s wrath and would finally be condemned.
My question is: Does God, in the New Testament also bestow a special grace (saving grace) to certain individuals to enable them to be willing to believe in Jesus (and, of course, follow his commandments)? See Ephesians 2:1-10.
Thanks for stopping and commenting “Bog”. The short answer to your question is: Yes. While there is a common grace which blesses all mankind in ways, we also know that while the revelation of God in creation is sufficient for all to know they are guilty – it is not sufficient for them to know salvation. With that, I believe the Scripture demonstrates that people do not WANT God unless there is a change inwardly by virtue of the Spirit’s work in drawing them to Christ.