“Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, [Jesus] explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” Luke 24:27 (NIV)
Only God could have put the Bible together. The Bible contains 66 books written over 1,600 years by 40 authors—and it has one theme.
Having a single, unified theme is one of the reasons you can know that the Bible is God’s Word. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible is all about God redeeming humanity. Jesus is its star.
The fact that the Bible has only one theme is nothing short of a miracle. It would be one thing if the Bible had been written by just one person. The Koran was written by one person, Mohammed. The Analects of Confucius were written by Confucius. The writings of Buddha were written by Buddha. Because they were written by one person, you’d expect them to be uniform.
The Bible, on the other hand, was written by 40 different people—of different ages and stages of life—on three continents. And they all wrote the same story: Jesus’ story. Prophets and poets, fishermen and kings, shepherds and scribes all had the same story. Some wrote in homes, others in prisons, and others on ships. You couldn’t have put together a more diverse group of authors.
Yet the story is the same.
Imagine I gave 50 people each a piece of paper, and I told them to tear their pieces of paper into different shapes—but I never said how I was going to use them. What’s the likelihood I’d be able to take those pieces of paper and make a map of the United States out of them? Those odds would be astronomically low. If I did that, most people would think it was a trick.
That’s the miracle of how the Bible was put together.
We tend to think that the New Testament is about Jesus and the Old Testament is about Israel. But that’s not true. The Bible says in Luke 24:27, “Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, [Jesus] explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself” (NIV). When Jesus explained what the Scriptures said about him, those Scriptures were from the Old Testament. The New Testament wasn’t even written yet!
The Bible’s pictures, metaphors, analogies, and prophecies—from beginning to end—are about God’s plan to redeem people and build a family for eternity. It all began with Jesus. You can see him in every book.
PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick
Talk It Over
The Bible’s cohesiveness is a miracle! How does that fact make you appreciate it more?
If you had to sum up the Bible in one sentence in your own words, what would you say
Where in the Old Testament do you see Jesus
The Bible points to Jesus. Will you follow him today?
The Bible says you can only get to heaven by trusting in God through his Son, Jesus Christ. You cannot earn your way into heaven: “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV)
If you’re ready to commit your life to Jesus, start with this prayer:
“Dear God, you have promised that if I believe in your Son, Jesus Christ, everything I’ve ever done wrong will be forgiven, I will learn the purpose of my life, and you will accept me into your eternal home in heaven one day.
"I confess I have sinned, and I ask for your forgiveness. I believe that Jesus died to take away my sins and that you raised him to life. I want to trust Jesus as my Savior and follow him as Lord from this day forward. Guide my life and help me to do your will. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen."
If you just prayed to accept Jesus, please email me at Rick@PastorRick.com and let me know about it. I’d like to send you some free materials to help you start your journey with Jesus.
This devotional © 2023 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
The Bible contains 66 books written over 1,600 years by 40 authors—and it has one theme. Only God could have put that together! Learn more about how the whole Bible points you to Jesus in today’s #Daily Hope devotional.
Rick Warren Bio
Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church, one of America’s largest and most influential churches. Pastor Rick is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Purpose Driven Life. His book The Purpose Driven Church was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th century. Pastor Rick created The PEACE Plan to address the five global giants—spiritual emptiness, self-serving leadership, poverty, disease, and illiteracy—through the power of ordinary people in the local church. His Daily Hope broadcast and daily devotionals are offered around the world. You can listen to the broadcast or sign up for the free devotionals at PastorRick.com.
Tags
40 Days in the Word – 2023, God’s Word, Bible Study, Spiritual Maturity, Trust, Jesus, Knowing God, Luke 2
Broadcast Series: 40 Days in the Word – 2023
Sermon Series: 40 Days in the Word (2012)
Sermon: 023602_Why Can I Trust the Bible
