The
Bible is comprised of sixty-six books. It was written by approximately forty
different authors over the span of 1500 plus years. The diversity of the
authors ranges from shepherds to kings, all from different tribes and nations.
There is over 2,000 miles between some of the locations in which the books were
written. Despite all these factors, the
Bible offers a unified and coherent message throughout the entirety of
scripture. It focuses on one theme: That there is a God and that He has
provided redemption for His creation, ultimately through the death of Jesus
Christ. Regardless of writer, location, time or topic, the Bible offers a
consistent viewpoint throughout its various phases. For example, when
considering the will and mercy of God, one can examine scripture and find these
topics revealed throughout His creation, within His grace for fallen man, in
His provided redemption, and His ultimate goal for our restoration.
The
very first words found in the Bible are “In the beginning God created.” (Gen
1:1) Etzel and Small remind us in their book, Everyday Theology that, “the word of
God—his voice—is powerful enough to create everything that you can see, hear,
and touch.” The fact that there is a God,
who is the creator of the universe, is presupposed from the very first verse to
the very last, regardless of the author that wrote it. Millard J. Erickson
explains, “The whole of what exists was
begun by God’s act of bringing it into existence- he did not fashion and adapt
something that already existed independently of him.” Furthermore, God’s creation -specifically man,
whom He awarded dominion, sinned and fell short of His intended glory. This
irreversible separation from God’s will required a sacrifice to amend, one that
humanity was not capable of producing. So, the Lord sent himself as a source of
redemption for His fallen creation. He sacrificed himself so that humanity
could be saved and will one day restore His creation back to His original
intention.
The
will of God can be seen throughout the Bible within creation, the fall,
redemption, and final restoration. Consider an infinite being, forever
existing, in the vastness of nothing... sounds lonely right? Now consider
creating something before anything ever existed, simply out of love. Something
that was created solely to love and be loved by, something to attend to and be
attended by. It is hard to imagine such power, or even such intention, but that
is precisely what God did. His will has always been, and still is, to live in
harmony with His creation. He created man uniquely, in His own image, with the
attributes of His character so that man can have dominion over His creation and
glorify His name. Humanity is intended to represent God on earth. When Adam
sinned against God and ate the forbidden fruit God’s will for His creation did
not change- His creation did. Adams sin forever separated humanity from
righteousness, which just so happens to be a requirement of God’s will.
Considering that everything was created by Him, God could have just as easily
snapped His fingers and created something more compatible than man, simply by starting
over. However, God did not do this. Instead, He reveals His will by allowing
humanity to go on. He enforces this will consistently throughout scripture. For
example, God makes a covenant to Abraham that all nations will be blessed
through him. (Gen. 22:18) Signifying that there was still hope for humanity. He
also delivers the Israelites from bondage and guides them into the holy land,
allowing them to become an independent, holy nation. (Exodus 12) Again, an
opportunity for the representation of God within creation to be present. Again, humanity fails. Israel strays from God
for the pursuit of power, riches and false deities. Finally, despite the shortcomings of man, God
sends His creation a final solution for the problem of sin -preserving His will. He provides an
opportunity to redeem humanity through the death of Jesus Christ so that we may
someday be reunited in perfect harmony with Him. The Bible says that, “but God shows His love for us in that while
we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) One day, according
to scripture God will return and rebuild His perfect world according to His
holy desire and His perfect will. He will restore His creation back to its
original design and purpose. Ultimately residing with His creation, as
originally intended, for eternity- the will of God. Humanities relationship
with God is entirely dependent on the will of God. Humanity cannot escape God’s
will, nor can any individual. Because humanity is created by God, it will
forever be subjected to God’s will. Luckily, we were created by a Holy God who
works all things for His glory. His will works toward maintaining and building
His relationship with man rather than destroying it. “Not only is God in control, but He is also directing matters according
to the goodness and graciousness of His character” – Millard J. Erickson.
Similarly,
the mercy of God is also an attribute consistent throughout the four phases of
scripture. Gods shows His mercy during creation when He created mercy as a
characteristic of man. By making man in His image, reflecting His character,
one can conclude that man is merciful, because God is merciful. However,
nothing can truly compare to the mercy of the Lord. He shows His mercy during
the fall by not destroying Adam and Eve after they had sinned. (Gen 3) He shows
his mercy to Noah, when He spares his family from the flood. (Gen 6) He shows
His mercy on Abraham, and spares Isaac. (Gen 22) He shows mercy on Israel and delivers
their nation from bondage. (Exodus) He continues to show His mercy in the New
Testament through the life and death of Jesus Christ. He will again show His
mercy on humanity by restoring creation and allowing man’s redemption-
something undeserved by all. (Rev. 21) Humanities relationship with God
directly corresponds with Gods mercy. Without the mercy of God, man would be
incapable of ever maintaining a relationship with our Holy creator. Humanity
has sinned and therefore deserve to be separated from holiness. It is through
God’s mercy that humanity has the opportunity to obtain salvation. Gods mercy
is ultimately found in Christ, for without Christ’s death, humanities
relationship with the Holy Creator would be founded in death- the payment for
sin. It is through God’s mercy and the hope found in Christ, (an example of
God’s mercy) that humanity has a chance to live. “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe
in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
In
conclusion, there is no other book as coherent and consistent than the Holy
Bible. Despite the differences in time, authorship, location, and class, the
Bible never contradicts itself and offers consistency throughout, regardless of
the doctrine that you choose to examine. The Bible’s message is unified and
never redirects its overall view- which is that there is a God who loves and
created the world and despite humanities inadequacies, offers us redemption
through Christ. The attributes and examples of His character have been recorded
in detail, in this holy, consistent, unified, and perfect book- The Holy
Bible.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version.
(2001). Minneapolis, MN.: Crossway.
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