Sum up the Bible in 200 words...

[panta dokimazete]

This was the challenge on the Internet Infidels BB, given by someone I consider very intelligent, but doctrinally immature.

As you can imagine, the responses were less than glorifying to God...

He responded to my post that while he could understand the other posters, my summary was less clear...

Since I consider many on this board to be some of the most doctrinally mature folk I have ever had the pleasure of reading, I would like to submit this summary for your review and refinement, if you feel so inclined.

Net effect: In light of the Doctrines of Grace, does this make sense?

Remember, the challenge was 200 words...

.........................................................................................

God creates the Universe and places Free Will Mankind within to teach the terrible consequences of not trusting and acknowledging His sovereign Lordship, with a prepared merciful plan to delay final judgment so as to teach this object lesson over and over in Time to Man, according to His Will.

In Time, He became Free Will Man in the person of His Son, born through Mankind to keep the knowledge of good and evil, but not of Mankind to remain untainted by the consequences of Man´s trustless disobedience, slavery to sin.

Jesus Christ obeyed the moral Law of the Lord perfectly and acknowledged the sovereignty of His Father, even unto Death, to allow those elect, whom He foreknew before Time would recognize this lesson, a gift to escape sin slavery and return to Eternal communion with Him. He then returned from Death, the final object lesson.

Those with the knowledge of good and evil and won´t acknowledge His inward call by the Holy Spirit and outward display through Creation will be justly judged according to the merits of their life and deeds.

God moved Man to record this object lesson and compile a book of faith and practice, the Bible.

- pax vobiscum -

-JD

[Edited on 5-24-2005 by jdlongmire]

 

[ReformedWretch]

Eph 2:1-10

1And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience-- 3among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body[a] and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved-- 6and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

 

[RamistThomist]

covenant

 

[JonathanHunt]

That's one word, and that's cheating...

 

[WrittenFromUtopia]

Psalm 2:1 Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers take counsel together,
against the Lord and against his anointed, saying,
3 "œLet us burst their bonds apart
and cast away their cords from us."

4 He who sits in the heavens laughs;
the Lord holds them in derision.
5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath,
and terrify them in his fury, saying,
6 "œAs for me, I have set my King
on Zion, my holy hill."

7 I will tell of the decree:
The Lord said to me, "œYou are my Son;
today I have begotten you.
8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
and the ends of the earth your possession.
9 You shall break them with a rod of iron
and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel."

10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
be warned, O rulers of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with fear,
and rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss the Son,
lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,
for his wrath is quickly kindled.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

 

[Robin]

"A Kingdom is Coming" via Covenant

Robin

 

[Rich Barcellos]

The glory of God revealed in creation, fall, and redemption through His covenantal dealings with man mediated by the Lord of glory Himself, our Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible takes us from the garden destroyed by sin to the garden restored by Christ, and all for God's glory. Creation is, after all, the theatre of His glory; and redemtpion the His primary means through which He is glorifed. All of this is a result of His pretemporal, comprehensive decree of all things - whatsoever comes to pass. Rom. 11:36, "For of Him [source] and through Him [sustainer] and to Him [goal/end] are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen."

 

[Joseph Ringling]

Originally posted by Rich Barcellos
The glory of God revealed in creation, fall, and redemption through His covenantal dealings with man mediated by the Lord of glory Himself, our Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible takes us from the garden destroyed by sin to the garden restored by Christ, and all for God's glory. Creation is, after all, the theatre of His glory; and redemtpion the His primary means through which He is glorifed. All of this is a result of His pretemporal, comprehensive decree of all things - whatsoever comes to pass. Rom. 11:36, "For of Him [source] and through Him [sustainer] and to Him [goal/end] are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen."

 

[RamistThomist]

The Bible is about Dragon-killing (Genesis 3:15)

 

[Peters]

Christ X 200

 

[larryjf]

Jesus

 

[Scott]

Q. 3. What do the scriptures principally teach?
A. The scriptures principally teach what man is to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires of man.

 

[C. Matthew McMahon]

The Bible's primary message:

- the manifold expressions of God's self-glorification in and through Jesus Christ.

[Edited on 6-3-2005 by webmaster]