The Central Message of the Bible
<h1>The Central Message of the Bible</h1> <p align=right>by Robin Calamaio</p> <div align=justify>THE CENTRAL MESSAGE OF THE BIBLE<br /> <br /> Robin Calamaio<br /> <br /> Introduction<br /> <br /> Every book has a main point. Even poems and articles have a main theme. There is<br /> <br /> always, "the moral to the story," right? Well, the Bible has a main point too. The Bible<br /> <br /> addresses many subjects that are of great importance. But there is one subject that overshadows<br /> <br /> all others - our relationship and standing before God. There are four parts to this message. Each<br /> <br /> will be explored in order. The first part is the bad news or man's condition before God. The<br /> <br /> second part is the good news, explaining what God has done about this problem. The third part<br /> <br /> concerns man's response to this good news. And the fourth part addresses some of the results<br /> <br /> of a positive response to this good news message.<br /> <br /> The Bad News - Man's Condition<br /> <br /> Every person knows there is a Creator. God declares that He has made this known<br /> <br /> within each person (Ro 1:18-20). But a problem has arisen between the Creator and each<br /> <br /> person. It's called sin. The most simple definition for sin is, "all unrighteousness is sin" (I Jn<br /> <br /> 5:17). But what constitutes unrighteousness? Most people compare themselves to other people<br /> <br /> in assessing if they are basically "righteous" or not. When we do this, the Bible says we are<br /> <br /> without understanding (II Cor 10:12). God compares each individual to His standard of<br /> <br /> righteousness. That's where The Mosaic Law enters the picture. It is a written record - an<br /> <br /> objective standard - as to what He deems as righteous or unrighteous behavior. This is what<br /> <br /> we are to measure ourselves against. So, here is the bad news. Everyone falls short of His<br /> <br /> expectations. "There is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never<br /> <br /> sins" (Eccl 7:20). "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" (Ro 3:23). "There is<br /> <br /> none righteous, not even one" (Ro 3:10). The Mosaic Law, rightly understood, condemns<br /> <br /> every person. That is why the New Testament states that "the Law is holy, righteous and just,"<br /> <br /> but it is "the ministry of death" (Ro 7:12 and II Cor 3:7-11)! This bad news carries many<br /> <br /> negative consequences. For our purposes, we will look at sin's affect upon man's relationship<br /> <br /> with God. Isaiah flatly states, "your iniquities have made a separation between you and your<br /> <br /> God and your sins have hid His face from you so that He does not hear" (Isa 59:1,2). When the<br /> <br /> sky is completely overcast, you still know there is a sun even though it is hidden. Sin is like that<br /> <br /> overcast of clouds. Most people acknowledge "God," but can only guess as to who He is, what<br /> <br /> He's like, what He wants, or what involvement He has (if any) in one's life or world affairs in<br /> <br /> general. Sin creates an impregnable veil. With this in view, it is understandable why some<br /> <br /> doubt if God even exists. This barrier creates many current troubles ... but the bad news gets<br /> <br /> worse. "It is appointed for man to die once and after this comes the Judgement" (Heb 9:27).<br /> <br /> Each individual will appear before God to account for his/her life (Ro 14:12). Every action will<br /> <br /> be recounted, as well as each word, and even each thought (Rev 20:13, Mt 12:36 and Ro 2:16).<br /> <br /> No person can endure this level of scrutiny and come forth innocent. Even if we correct all of<br /> <br /> our actions, words, and thoughts from this moment on, our past will still damn us. This day of<br /> <br /> reckoning is called, "the Day of Judgement" (Mt 12:36) or, "the Great and Terrible Day of the<br /> <br /> Lord" (Mal 4:5). The consequences for coming forth guilty is "the second death" (Rev 20:11-<br /> <br /> 15). This is an eternal state of unending suffering (Heb 6:2 & Mt 25:46). This is bad news -<br /> <br /> very bad news. Fortunately, while the "bad news" is the foundation of the Central Message of<br /> <br /> the Bible, it is not the end of that message. But until one is convinced this "bad news" is indeed<br /> <br /> true, there will be no genuine interest in the Bible's "good news." People do not seek a remedy<br /> <br /> to a problem unless they perceive there is a problem that needs remedied. That is why a proper<br /> <br /> understanding of "the bad news" is very important. If you don't have that, don't proceed.<br /> <br /> The Good News<br /> <br /> Many errantly teach that the Ten Commandments, and all the Mosaic Law, have been<br /> <br /> given to us as a guideline for right living. As seen earlier, the New Testament calls the Mosaic<br /> <br /> Law, "the ministry of death." It is the "Old Covenant" that "fades away" (II Cor 3:14,11).<br /> <br /> "No one is justified (made right with God) by the Law" (Gal 3:11). And the Law is not to be the<br /> <br /> guide for Christian living (Gal 3). There is nothing wrong with the Law - the problem is with us.<br /> <br /> But there is a right use for the Law today. It is "a tutor to lead us to Christ" (Gal 3:24). The<br /> <br /> Law, used rightly, points us away from itself and points us to Christ. Listen to this explanation<br /> <br /> carefully. The Law consists of two primary tracks. The first is the revealing of a moral code<br /> <br /> that God requires of each person. The second is a sacrificial system in which the blood of<br /> <br /> animals is used to pay for sins. Concerning this first track, no one has, or ever will, keep the<br /> <br /> Law perfectly (with one exception as will be seen shortly). The penalty for this failure is death.<br /> <br /> That is why death reigns over the entire human race. No one escapes this verdict. Concerning<br /> <br /> the second track, God demands life for sin. He declares "the life of the flesh is in the blood"<br /> <br /> (Lev 17:11,14), and "without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness" (Heb 9:22). In the<br /> <br /> Old Testament, those with spiritual insight knew two things. First, no one continually kept the<br /> <br /> Law (Eccl 7:20 - thus failed the first track) and second, the blood of sacrificial bulls and goats<br /> <br /> could not pay for human sin (Heb 10:4 - thus an inadequate remedy for the second track).<br /> <br /> Therefore, they were looking for what was to be the real solution for man's moral failure. Here<br /> <br /> is where "the good news" begins.<br /> <br /> God decided to do something for us in reference to both of these tracks of the Law.<br /> <br /> Concerning the first track, He decided to enter the human race and completely fulfill all the<br /> <br /> requirements of the Mosaic Law. In other words, He came here and practiced what He had<br /> <br /> preached! This is who Jesus is. Concerning the second track, Jesus is called "the Lamb of<br /> <br /> God" (Jn 1:29). When Jesus was framed and murdered by His enemies, God the Father, took<br /> <br /> advantage of that unjust action. While on the cross, the Father made Him who had committed<br /> <br /> no sin "to be sin on our behalf" (II Cor 5:21). He "bore our sins in His body" and "was<br /> <br /> crushed for our iniquities" (I Pet 2:24 and Isa 53:5). Jesus "presented Himself as a guilt<br /> <br /> offering" making His own blood (life) available as payment for our sins (Isa 53:10 and Heb<br /> <br /> 9:12). Christ "died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order that He<br /> <br /> might bring us to God" (I Pet 3:18). This is why people say, "Jesus died for me." He died to<br /> <br /> pay for my sins.<br /> <br /> Because Jesus Himself had no personal sin, death had no eternal claim on Him. The<br /> <br /> moment He died, all the sins that had been placed upon Him were paid for. So, there He stood<br /> <br /> on the other side of death's door, with no sin. Death only has jurisdiction when sin is present.<br /> <br /> Jesus had to rise from the dead. And this is exactly the record we find in the New Testament.<br /> <br /> Three days after His burial, the writers of the New Testament declare Jesus physically walked<br /> <br /> out of the grave. They claim they ate with Him, drank with Him, and talked with Him. (Note:<br /> <br /> The authority for this entire "Good News" message hinges on the resurrection claim. It is either<br /> <br /> an actual event or a myth. If true, this message is given unparalleled authority. If myth, "Let us<br /> <br /> eat and drink, for tomorrow we die [I Cor 15:32]).<br /> <br /> The "good news" is that God has provided a solution for our sin problem. The blood of<br /> <br /> Jesus is powerful enough to pay for any sin we have committed - or will commit. If you are<br /> <br /> reading this right now, there is no sin you have ever committed that is more powerful than His<br /> <br /> blood. Indeed, it is an affront to God for you to believe your sin is more powerful than the blood<br /> <br /> of the Son. But in addition to this sin payment, God has made something else available that is of<br /> <br /> equal value. It is the righteousness of Christ. Jesus fulfilled all the Law's moral demands and<br /> <br /> that can now be credited to us. This is referred to as "the gift of righteousness" (Ro 5:17).<br /> <br /> This is good news. This is very good news. This is phenomenally great news! In Christ, both<br /> <br /> tracks of the Law's demands have been satisfied for us. What then must be done to acquire the<br /> <br /> blood and the righteousness of Christ? Let us proceed to man's response.<br /> <br /> Man's Response<br /> <br /> If a cure for cancer is developed, it must still be secured if death is to be avoided. So it is<br /> <br /> with our sin/righteousness problem. God has provided the remedy, but it is of no value unless<br /> <br /> secured. So how does one secure this remedy? Because of the great importance of getting the<br /> <br /> correct answer to this question, I will first present the Bible statements relating directly to this<br /> <br /> inquiry. I will then add my own observations.<br /> <br /> * "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right (the authority) to become the<br /> <br /> children of God" (Jn. 1:12).<br /> <br /> * "If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord' and believe in your heart that God raised<br /> <br /> Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Ro 10:9).<br /> <br /> * "Whoever calls upon the Name of the Lord will be saved" (Ro 10:13).<br /> <br /> * "Whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away" (II Cor 3:16).<br /> <br /> * "Everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him acquires eternal life" (Jn 6:40).<br /> <br /> * Peter told one crowd, "Repent (change your mind), and let each of you be baptized in the<br /> <br /> name of Jesus Christ as a result of the forgiveness of your sins" (Acts 2:38).<br /> <br /> * Paul wrote, "after listening to the message of the truth, the good news of your salvation,<br /> <br /> (and) after having believed, you were sealed in the Holy Spirit" (Eph 1:13).<br /> <br /> This is basically all the Scripture dealing with what one must do to acquire God's remedy<br /> <br /> for our sin problem. The Bible talks of receiving Christ, turning to Christ, confessing He is<br /> <br /> Lord, believing in Christ, believing in His resurrection, calling upon Him, repenting<br /> <br /> (literally, "change your mind"), and believing after hearing the good news message.<br /> <br /> Many salvation formulas have been developed from these statements. Often, an<br /> <br /> interpretation of a passage gets welded to the passage. For example, Peter did not say,<br /> <br /> "Repent of your sins ...." In fact, the word "repent" means "to change the mind." In this<br /> <br /> context, Peter was calling the Jews to change their mind about who they believed Jesus was.<br /> <br /> Similarly, when Paul said "confess with your mouth 'Jesus is Lord,'" he did not add,<br /> <br /> "publically" or "by means of an altar call." In fact, in the original language, the verse calls for<br /> <br /> a continuing confession of Jesus as Lord, and not just a one time act in a salvation formula (Mt<br /> <br /> 10:32 also). It is a disservice, if not a great travesty, to add interpretive statements and practices<br /> <br /> to these passages without a clear explanation of the addition. "Good intentions" cannot be<br /> <br /> validated when dealing with such a critical subject. Those unfamiliar with these salvation<br /> <br /> passages cannot be expected to distinguish between the actual verse and an interpretation<br /> <br /> added to the verse. They need exposure to uncluttered passages. But there is another important<br /> <br /> thrust behind these salvation passages that is usually neglected. Please listen to this next part<br /> <br /> very carefully.<br /> <br /> There are two main issues in responding positively to the "good news" message. The<br /> <br /> first deals with the need for right knowledge. We must come to God on His terms. The<br /> <br /> foregoing material is directed toward this need. Indeed, this entire article is directed toward this<br /> <br /> need. But knowledge is only one part of the equation. The second part deals with the need for a<br /> <br /> right attitude. Most Christian circles are very intense on the knowledge part, but neglect the<br /> <br /> attitude issue. That is why many can go through a salvation formula - but it doesn't "take." The<br /> <br /> problem is the attitude. A right attitude is as important as right knowledge. Both dynamics must<br /> <br /> be present and intricately interwoven for a genuine, positive response to occur to the "good<br /> <br /> news" message. So what is the right attitude?<br /> <br /> Jesus told a tremendous story about two men who had gone to The Temple to pray. It<br /> <br /> turns out that one was a self righteous man, but the other man approached God in an entirely<br /> <br /> different manner. He "was unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast,<br /> <br /> saying, 'God, be merciful to me, the sinner!'" Jesus declared this man went back to his house<br /> <br /> "justified" - right with God - rather than the other man. The key to this successful transaction<br /> <br /> centered on genuine humility before God (Lk 18:9-14). Humility includes honesty and<br /> <br /> earnestness. Jesus said the Father is seeking worshipers who worship "in spirit and truth" (Jn<br /> <br /> 4:23,24). He is seeking honesty - even if it might be brutal or off-centered (Isa 41:21 and Isa<br /> <br /> 43:26). Concerning earnestness, He says, "you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for<br /> <br /> Me with all your heart" (Jer 29:13). These matters are dealing with attitude. I suspect the<br /> <br /> reason this attitude issue is neglected is because it is so subjective. Who can know the genuine<br /> <br /> sincerity of another? Often, we even fool our own selves. God says, "the heart is more deceitful<br /> <br /> than all else and is desperately sick. Who can know it?" (Jer 17:9). We can't. It is easy to<br /> <br /> degrade "Man's Response" to simple steps that only require mental assent. But that is only half<br /> <br /> the picture. It is "with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness" (Ro 10:10). This will<br /> <br /> become more clear as we look at the Bible material on "Results of a Positive Response."<br /> <br /> Results of a Positive Response<br /> <br /> Jesus declared we must be "born again" (Jn 3:3). Our mind is to be "renewed" and we<br /> <br /> are to "put on the new self" (Eph 4:23,24 and Col 3:10). Paul stated this change in this way: "if<br /> <br /> any man is in Christ - a new creature! Old things have passed away. Behold! New things have<br /> <br /> come" (II Cor 5:18)! Conversion to Christ results in a changed person. So, what are these "old<br /> <br /> things" and "new things?" While there are many, here are a few of the most important.<br /> <br /> 1. The Bible becomes a "new thing." One truly converted has a great desire for Bible<br /> <br /> information. It compares itself to food - milk and solid food (I Pet 2:2 and Heb 5:12-14). The<br /> <br /> Bible is the primary ingredient for a Christian's growth and development.<br /> <br /> 2. Another "new thing" is prayer. Real prayer. Also, there is an instinctive, relational<br /> <br /> knowledge that God the Father truly is our very own Father and He wants us communicating<br /> <br /> with Him (Ro 8:15).<br /> <br /> 3. Behavior changes occur. New behaviors and activities develop while old agendas and<br /> <br /> behaviors are challenged, altered - and oftentimes demolished. Sometimes the changes are quite<br /> <br /> dramatic; other times quite subtle. God uses many tools to make the Christian more Christlike.<br /> <br /> 4. New life purposes become a "new thing." We are "created in Christ Jesus for good works,<br /> <br /> which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" (Eph 2:10). A person becomes<br /> <br /> interested in God's agenda and His desire for his/her life. God's purposes and priorities become<br /> <br /> more and more dominant in the true believer's life. The more obedient a child is, the more that<br /> <br /> child can learn from his/her parents. Our relationship with God works the same way.<br /> <br /> This is all just the tip of the iceberg.<br /> <br /> Conclusion<br /> <br /> When a person responds positively to the "good news," the clouds of that overcast day are<br /> <br /> totally removed. Our sins are paid for and removed "as far as the east is from the west" (Ps<br /> <br /> 103:12). Justice is not negated or ignored - but dealt with in the cross. "When you were dead in<br /> <br /> your transgressions, He (the Father) made you alive together with Him (Christ) having forgiven<br /> <br /> us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees<br /> <br /> against us which were hostile to us and He (the Father) has taken it out of the way having nailed<br /> <br /> it to the cross" (Col 2:13). God, for His own reasons, is interested in having a relationship with<br /> <br /> us. It is my hope that everyone who reads this will search this matter out and take advantage of<br /> <br /> the pardon that is found in Christ. Do this for yourself - for your own well being and future.<br /> <br /> May God grant you the power, wisdom, insight and ability to come to Him, respond to Him,<br /> <br /> learn from Him, know Him - indeed, to be right with Him. This is the central message of the<br /> <br /> Bible. Lord bless you!<br /> <br /> Copyright 1999</div> <p align=center>Article source: <a href="http://www.ArticlePros.com/society_and_culture/religion/article-86038.html">ArticlePros.com</a></p> <table align=center width=550 cellspacing=1 bgcolor=silver cellpadding=5> <tr bgcolor=antiquewhite> <td> <p align=center><b>About the author</b></p> <p align=justify>Christian since 1977. <br /> <br /> *B.A., Bus. Admin. (Milligan College '90),<br /> *Associate of Divinity (Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary '86), and<br /> *Master of Divinity (Emmanuel School of Religion '92).<br /> <br /> Major writings include:<br /> "No Tithe for the Christian,"<br /> "Love and the Bible,"<br /> "Death and the Bible,"<br /> "Abortion: How (and Why) Abortion Resides in the Weakest Form of Human Thought and Valuation."<br /> "Capital Punishment and the Bible," and<br /> "Evolution and Homosexuality."<br /> <br /> These, and many other unique, original articles, are freely available at http://www.freelygive-n.com . He considers it a privilege to share his work with you.</p> <p align=left><a href="http://www.freelygive-n.com" target="_blank" title="will open in new window" class=blue>http://www.freelygive-n.com</a></p> <p align=center><input type=button class=asubm value="Other articles by Robin Calamaio" onclick="document.location='http://www.ArticlePros.com/author.php?Robin Calamaio'" style="height:20px;cursor:hand"></p> </td> </tr> </table>
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