Great Themes of the Bible

The Bible is unified by profound themes running through it. Although it contains a number of major themes, here are three of the most important:

Jesus Christ. Not only does the New Testament give us the life and teachings of the Son of God, much of the Old Testament includes prophecies of His first and second comings (Luke 24:44). The greatest event of the past was Christ's first coming to earth as God made flesh. The greatest event in the future will be His second coming as glorified God in power and majesty. Although few understand this, Jesus Christ was the Creator and God in the Old Testament, acting on behalf of the Father (see John 1:1-14; Hebrews 1:1-2; Colossians 1:13-16; 1 Corinthians 10:4). To fully understand, you will want to read the booklet Jesus Christ: The Real Story.

Love. "God is love" (1 John 4:8, 16). The two "great commandments" are love for God and love for neighbor (Matthew 22:35-40). The Ten Commandments and God's other laws show us how to love God and how to love other people. The Bible is a love story—God's love for the whole world and how all people must learn to love God and others in turn (John 3:16; 1 John 3:16; 5:3).

Salvation . "Jesus" means "God Is Salvation," and He came to "save His people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21). The greatest set of miracles related in the Old Testament was the deliverance of Israel out of Egyptian slavery. That and all the other times that God rescued His people are symbolic of the miraculous spiritual liberation, conversion and transformation of those whom God calls out of their spiritual Egypt "into the glorious liberty of the children of God" (Romans 8:21). This is only possible because of the supreme sacrifice Christ made for us so our sins can be forgiven and we can be saved by His grace (Ephesians 2:8).