What’s the message of the Bible in one sentence?
Recently on his blog, Dane Ortlund asked this (rather daring) question to several pastors and Bible scholars. He received numerous responses, and posted them online. Here’s a sampling:
Mark Dever:
God has made promises to bring His people to Himself and He is fulfilling them all through Christ.
Kevin DeYoung (who will also be speaking at Next 2011):
A holy God sends his righteous Son to die for unrighteous sinners so we can be holy and live happily with God forever.
John Frame:
God glorifies himself in the redemption of sinners.
Grant Osborne:
God created mankind in order to love them, but we all rejected his love, so God sent His Son to bear our sins on the cross in order that by believing in His sacrificial atonement, we might have life.
Leland Ryken:
The message of the Bible is twofold: to show how people can be saved from their sins through faith in Christ’s atonement AND how to live all of life as a follower of God.
Tom Schreiner:
God reigns over all things for his glory, but we will only enjoy his saving reign in the new heavens and the new earth if we repent and believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ, who is the crucified and risen Lord and who gave himself on the cross for our salvation.
Ray Ortlund’s response makes sense in light of his book God’s Unfaithful Wife:
The Lover of our souls won’t let the romance die, but is rekindling it forever.
So there you have it: the message of the Bible in 6 minutes, 240 words, 240 pages, and 1 sentence.
[What is the message of the Bible in 6 minutes, 240 words, 240 pages, and 1 sentence.]