Do you ever wonder why God included a specific book in the Bible? Ever struggle to understand the point of a passage or why it’s relevant in God’s Word?
Some Bible study beginners think of the Bible’s 66 books as a library curated by God—a collection of individual books, each valuable in its own way. However, reading the Bible as a complete story can transform our understanding of who God is and who we are.
The Message of the Whole Bible
God ordained each book of the Bible as an integral part of his story, revealing crucial details about himself, the true Author, and conveying one overarching message to humanity.
What is the message of the Bible? What’s the Bible all about? In short, the Bible tells God’s story of redemption. It conveys the message that God is holy and humans are sinners. But because of his love and grace, Jesus reconciled us to God through his life, death, and resurrection and offers salvation from sin and eternal life to all who repent and believe in him. It’s good news.
The Bible is About God
Parts of the Bible are clearly about God; other parts are less obvious. For example, God’s name is never even mentioned in the Book of Esther!
But an accurate understanding of the Bible starts with God. Psalm 19 tells us that God reveals himself to us through his creation and through his Word. We must approach the Bible with our primary focus on knowing God—who he is, what he’s done, what he plans to do, what he promises, and what he offers us through his Word. Only then will our Bible study fulfill our desires for true wisdom and unwavering hope. As our knowledge of God grows, our hearts and minds are renewed, and our lives are transformed according to his will and for his glory.
From Genesis to Revelation, God reveals himself. The books of the law reveal a God of promise, power, and preparation. The wisdom literature highlights his purpose, prudence, and passion. The historical books show God’s work in guiding and redeeming his people, and the prophets declare his glory, sovereignty, and compassion. In the New Testament, we see God’s righteousness, holiness, and love more fully revealed through Christ, and the epistles explain how we are to live in light of who God is and what he’s done. Finally, Revelation points us to the ultimate fulfillment of God’s plan, when he will reign in eternity.[1]
The Bible is About Humanity
The Bible provides the history of humanity. Through God’s story, we learn who we are as humans—designed in God’s image, male and female, each with a crucial purpose and role in God’s plan. In other words, we can discover our true identity on the pages of God’s Word.
The psalms and other passages beautifully express the emotions all humans experience—from the deepest depression to uncontainable joy. We learn how we are to live as followers of Jesus Christ, and we also learn what can happen when we live our own way.
The helpless condition of humanity is graphically portrayed throughout Scripture’s historical accounts and the honest portraits of real men and women. The frank acknowledgment of the sinfulness of Christianity’s “heroes” sets our faith apart from the world’s religions. The depravity of mankind must be addressed to fully understand the good news of the Bible’s message.
The Bible is About the Gospel of Jesus Christ
God created us because he desires a relationship with us. The problem is that we’re sinners. He taught us what righteousness looks like through the Law. His holiness requires atonement for sin—payment through sacrifice. But we’re incapable of paying enough to cover our sins.
The good news is that God loves us. Because of his love, he sent his Son, Jesus, to pay the price for us. Jesus Christ became our atoning sacrifice when he died on the cross. Then, he rose again three days later, conquering sin and death and offering eternal life with God to anyone who believes in him. When we receive his gracious gift by repenting of our sins and trusting in Jesus alone for our salvation, we are redeemed—bought back from certain death and eternal separation from God—and sealed with the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. We get to live in his presence now and for eternity.
This is the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ, and it’s the overarching message of the Bible.
Connecting All of Scripture to God’s Good News
You may be wondering, as I once did, how the entire Bible can possibly connect to the gospel. How is Leviticus good news? How do the accounts of corrupt judges, Job’s outspoken friends, or obscure characters like the widow of Zarepath in 2 Kings 4 relate to God’s redemption story? What do lists like genealogies, census results, or tabernacle inventories have to do with knowing God? Some passages make identifying the Bible’s gospel theme more difficult, but this skill improves with practice.
I used to enjoy the book of Exodus for its spectacular drama, full of conflict, danger, and impossible victory. Indeed, the account of God delivering the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt is a fascinating historical record.
We see how God guided and provided for his people through the wilderness and established his law, detailing how they were to live and worship. The people committed to obey everything God had commanded but promptly rebelled in an egregious display of idol worship (Exodus 32). Their flagrant defiance is shocking, and God’s intention to destroy the sinful people seems extreme. Yet, on the basis of his holiness and the covenant he had just established, his response is completely justified. But Moses interceded, appealing to God’s grace, glory, and goodness. And God mercifully relented.
Upon first reading this, my natural desire for justice was unsatisfied. It felt like the Israelites “got away with it”. But as I reread Exodus 32:1–14 in light of the Bible’s overall message, I now see a grander narrative. I recognize the gospel connection—God’s mercy toward his people was because of who he is, not because of anything they may have done to deserve it. They definitely didn’t deserve it; they deserved judgment, punishment, death. But because God is merciful, he forgave them. And as Moses interceded for an undeserving people, Jesus is our Advocate before God. Because Jesus offered himself on our behalf, God pardons our sins even though we don’t deserve it.
Recognizing how Exodus relates to the message of the whole Bible deepened my understanding of the book and stirred my heart to worship, grateful for God’s mercy. Now, Exodus is more than a captivating story to me; it’s a reminder of the life-changing gift of God’s grace to me through Jesus Christ.
How to Read the Bible With a Gospel Focus
We can view any Bible passage through “gospel glasses”[2] by asking these three questions:
1. What does this teach about God?
One practical way to train ourselves to recognize God in all of Scripture is to highlight or mark references to him, including:
- His name(s), including all three Persons of the Trinity—i.e., God, Lord, Jesus, Spirit, Father, Savior, etc.
- Descriptions of his character
- Actions he performs or will perform (Notice verbs attributed to him.)
- His words, including his promises
2. What does this teach about humanity?
Does it provide historical context about God’s people? What does it say about our identity—as humans or as children of God? Is there a command for me to act on or a sin I need to repent of?
3. What does this teach about the gospel?
How does this passage point to the good news of Jesus Christ? Does it highlight our need of a savior? Does it reveal something about the Messiah? How does it provide hope for those who trust in Jesus?
Respond to the Bible’s Gospel Message
God gave us his Word for more than information. Responding to his glorious message leads to transformation—deepening our relationship with him and becoming more like him.
Even after identifying how a Bible passage relates to God’s gospel message, we can take it a step further with one more question: What is an appropriate response to the passage you read? Perhaps what you learned about God prompts a response of heartfelt worship. Maybe you recognize some beliefs, thoughts, or actions in your own life that need adjustment to align with God’s Word. Sometimes, the best response is to share what you’ve gleaned with someone else.
Ultimately, every part of Scripture is pointing us toward Jesus—his life, death, resurrection, and his coming return. As we study the Bible with this gospel focus, we’ll not only grow in knowledge but also deepen our love for Christ.
[1] https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/every-book-of-the-bible-in-one-word/
[2] I first encountered the term “gospel glasses” in material written by Nancie Guthrie.
