The facts...
Many books → many writers → many centuries → different kinds of writing → one unfolding story → one Saviour.
The story...
Creation → Brokenness → Rescue → Restoration → God's kingdom and glory.
The [[Old Testament]] follows God's relationship with Israel through its laws, judges, kings and prophets. It records their faithfulness and failure, exile and return, and the promises of a coming Saviour.
The [[New Testament]] announces that the Redeemer has come: the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the birth of His church, and the sure hope of His return.
The story moves in four great movements.
Creation. In the beginning God made all things — time, space, and matter — and made them good: the heavens, the earth, every living thing, and man and woman in His own image. The world was not an accident; it was a gift, and its crown was a people who could know their Maker.
Brokenness. Our first parents rebelled against God (We call this 'sin' ). Our sin broke everything: our relationship with God, with one another, and with the creation itself. Death entered, and every human heart since has been turned away from God.
Rescue. From the very first promise, that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (the serpent is Satan) — "... and her seed; it shall bruise thy head," Genesis 3:15 — God began His plan to rescue people and restore what had been broken.. He called Abraham, gave His law through Moses, raised up kings and prophets — all these promises point forward to Jesus Christ, who came to save His people from their sins.
Restoration. The Bible ends not with a whimper but with a new heaven and a new earth: "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away," Revelation 21:4. The story that began in a garden ends in a city.
It was written in three languages — Hebrew and Aramaic for the Old Testament, Greek for the New — and its books are arranged with a purpose: the Old Testament prepares, the New Testament fulfils. When we read a psalm, we are reading the song of God's people. Paul's letters were written to real churches and people facing real questions and problems. If the Bible were written today, these would be Paul's emails or YouTube vlogs. The translation used in these notes is the King James Version [KJV], which shaped the English-speaking world, its laws, and culture, and inspired some of the world's finest music, architecture and art.
So what is the Bible really about?"
The central point is not a set of rules, nor a collection of good examples, nor a history of an ancient people — though it contains all of these.
The central point is God: who He is, what He has done, and what He is doing. Everything in the book presses towards one question: what has God done, through Jesus Christ, to rescue those who have rebelled against Him, and to restore His creation? The answer is what the Bible calls the gospel. (Gospel is the Greek word that means good news) The gospel is the whole point of the Bible; there is Good News.
What does the Bible say about...
The Bible - the word of God
"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:" 2Tim 3:16 KJV
"Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word." Ps 119:9 KJV
"But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name." John 20:31 KJV
"For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." 2Pet 1:21 KJV
"Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me." John 5:39 KJV
Jesus himself explained that the Scriptures, beginning with Moses and the prophets, were pointing towards Him. The promises, sacrifices, kings and prophets all form part of the story that leads to Christ. The New Testament tells us that Jesus is the Son of God who came into the world, died for our sins, rose again and will come again.
"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:" — 2 Timothy 3:16 KJV
"For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." — 2 Peter 1:21 KJV
God is holy, utterly set apart from sin. He is just, and will not let the guilty go unpunished. (Not good news for you or me, but there is good news. That is what the Gospel is. Good news to those who need it) He is loving, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He is sovereign, working all things after the counsel of His own will. He is faithful and keeps His promises. The God of the Bible is not made in our image; we are made in His, and the whole book is His self-disclosure.
The Bible is not simply a collection of ancient writings.
The Bible is meant to change the way we see God, ourselves and the world.
It challenges us, encourages us, corrects us and gives us hope.
It asks us not only to understand what God has said, but to consider how we should respond.