What is the essence of the Bible?

[Elijah John]

What brief passage best encapsulates the essence of the Bible?

Are some parts of the Bible more essential than others?

[shnarkle]

What brief passage best encapsulates the essence of the Bible?

Are some parts of the Bible more essential than others?

I think there are two phrases that encapsulate the essence of the bible. "in the beginning God created..."; and "In the beginning was the word". Without a comprehensive awareness of what these phrases mean, or are pointing to, the rest is going to be full of misinterpreted meanings and endless frustration.

[Elijah John]

What brief passage best encapsulates the essence of the Bible?

Are some parts of the Bible more essential than others?

Nope...

Jesus would probably disagree with you. Consider:

29 “The most important one,� answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.[a] 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[c] There is no commandment greater than these.�

[shnarkle]

Paul's uncharacteristic bit of self-awareness in 1 Corinthians 15:16-19 (ESV):

For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

Great example! Especially when one considers that self awareness is an awareness of nothing more than an idea; and all ideas die with those who hold them. Paul and Christ both point out that this idea needs to die so that one may be free to live in reality rather the world of ideas.

It really isn't uncharacteristic of Paul either. He admits this issue repeatedly in his letters.

[brianbbs67]

If I had to encapsulate the whole Bible to one thing, it would be , be good , do good, and trust God.

[PinSeeker]

If I had to encapsulate the whole Bible to one thing, it would be , be good , do good, and trust God.

So, you're thinking you can merit salvation by your own works? Because, with all due respect to you, that's entirely and completely antithetical to the Bible.

Rather than the basis for our salvation -- which is 1. because of God's sovereign choice, 2. made possible by Jesus's work of atonement on the cross, and 3. made effectual by the Holy Spirit's quickening -- our good works are the natural result of the gift of salvation and faith.

• He says to Moses, “I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION.â€� So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH.â€� So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires. Romans 9:15-18
  
  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory. In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation--having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, Who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory. Ephesians 2:3-14
  
  ...join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel... 2 Timothy 1:8-10
  
  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead... 1 Peter 1:3
  
  Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit. John 3:5-8
  
  We love because He first loved us. 1 John 4:19

Again, our works are the result of the gift of faith, which is given by God Himself. Faith is perfected (by God) through our works, but faith itself, again given by God, comes first:

• Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.â€� You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?... For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead. James 2:14-25
  
  So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Philippians 2:12-13

Grace and peace to you.

[shnarkle]

If I had to encapsulate the whole Bible to one thing, it would be , be good , do good, and trust God.

So, you're thinking you can merit salvation by your own works? Because, with all due respect to you, that's entirely and completely antithetical to the Bible.

Anyone who has spent even the slightest amount of time reading brianbbs67's posts knows he doesn't believe in works by salvation. I can see how people are eager to debate an issue can be overzealous, but pretending someone has taken a position they clearly haven't is a bit much.

[PinSeeker]

If I had to encapsulate the whole Bible to one thing, it would be , be good , do good, and trust God.

So, you're thinking you can merit salvation by your own works? Because, with all due respect to you, that's entirely and completely antithetical to the Bible.

Anyone who has spent even the slightest amount of time reading brianbbs67's posts knows he doesn't believe in works by salvation. I can see how people are eager to debate an issue can be overzealous, but pretending someone has taken a position they clearly haven't is a bit much.

No offense, but your post here seems to make my point. If he doesn't believe in "works by salvation," as you say, then by definition that means he doesn't believe in works being our natural response to the salvation we have received by grace. Brianbbs667's post, on the other hand, is screaming "salvation by works," which means we "deserve" salvation because of what we ourselves have done -- if we've "done good, been good, and trusted God" -- and that's precisely what I was responding to.

Did you mean to say "he doesn't believe in salvation by works"? Because then, that would make sense; that would be a good thing. But like I said, his post says the opposite.

Grace and peace to you.

[shnarkle]

[Replying to post 17 by PinSeeker]

Did you mean to say "he doesn't believe in salvation by works"?

Yep

[PinSeeker]

[Replying to post 17 by PinSeeker]

Did you mean to say "he doesn't believe in salvation by works"?

Yep

Okay, well, fine. His most recent post seems to go directly against your claim. But it's not worth arguing about.

[shnarkle]

[Replying to post 19 by PinSeeker]

At first I thought he was arguing for a works based salvation as well, but he clarified that this wasn't the case. It is quite common for people to post something other than what they understand. I did it in my previous post as well. You caught my blunder. You caught his as well, but I think you'll find that he is in agreement that we can't work our way into the kingdom.