The Lord in His grace gave me the opportunity to visit my brothers in the jungle and to teach them about the central theme of the Bible: the gospel.
I’ve written below something of a summary of the Scriptures that I taught to them, in question-and-answer form.
Question: What is the central theme of the Bible?
Answer: The gospel.
I directed them to a number of passages that support it:
- “Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.” (Luke 24:27)
- “Now He said to them, ‘These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.’” (Luke 24:44)
- “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me…” (John 5:39)
I then showed them how this is the case from the earliest pages of the Bible:
- In Genesis 1, the Lord created the heavens and the earth, and everything was perfect.
- In Genesis 2, we read a detailed description of how the Lord created man in His own image and likeness and gave him a helper, Eve.
- In Genesis 3, Eve was tempted and fell into that temptation and ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and then she gave that fruit to her husband and he ate.
There we read of the curse the Lord pronounced on the serpent, and yet in his judgment He also gives the first promise of the gospel:
- “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.” (Genesis 3:15)
The Lord promised a son that would crush the head of the serpent. Here, we also see that the seed of the serpent will be looking for every opportunity to destroy this plan of the Lord.
Question: Who were the first children of Adam and Eve?
Answer: Cain and Abel.
I explained to them that Satain was looking for the opportunity to destroy Abel, thinking that he was the promised son. He used Cain to kill what he supposed was the promised son.
Question: Who took Abel’s place as a substitute when he was killed?
Answer: Seth
- “Adam had relations with his wife again; and she gave birth to a son, and named him Seth, for, she said, ‘God has appointed me another offspring in place of Abel, for Cain killed him.’” (Genesis 4:25)
- “To Seth, to him also a son was born; and he called his name Enosh. Then men began to call upon the name of the Lord.” (Genesis 4:26)
Then sin began to spread because of the sin of the first man, Adam.
- “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned…” (Romans 5:12)
The result of this disobedience we find in all the Scriptures. We begin seeing the effects in the life of Cain, but we find it expressed even more fully in Genesis 6.
- “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.’ (Genesis 6:5)
Question: Did God choose to save Noah because Noah was good?
Answer: No, all men have sinned.
I explained that the Lord saw evil in all men, including Noah.
- “…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…”Romans 3:23)
Question: Why did the Lord save Noah?
Answer: By grace.
- “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.” (Genesis 6:8)
Salvation was, and always is, by grace. (The brothers said, “Amen!”)
Question: For what purpose did the Lord save Noah?
Answer: So that the promised Son could be born.
Then I reminded them, “Remember, brothers, there was already a promise from the beginning.”
- “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.” (Genesis 3:15)
The Lord is faithful, sovereign, all-powerful, and He will complete His promises. There is a promised Son, and in order for this promised Son to be born into the world, Noah’s family needed to be preserved.
The Lord then instructs them to be fruitful and fill the land:
- “And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.’” (Genesis 9:1)
But we find that they were not obedient to this command, and instead they wanted to build a tall tower that would reach the heavens.
- “They said, ‘Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.’” (Genesis 11:4)
The Lord burst the pride of man like a balloon, confusing their language.
- “So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of the whole earth; and they stopped building the city.” (Genesis 11:8)
Question: Can anyway stop the plans of the Lord?”
Answer: No one can prevent Him from accomplishing His plan.
There is a promise and no one will ever be able to prevent Him from accomplishing it. The promise continued with Abraham.
- “And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” (Genesis 12:3)
So, this is how I showed the brothers what the the central theme is of the Book we love so much: the Bible! In February I will visit these brothers again.
