The Theme of Scripture
Acts 8:35
“Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him.”
The Theme of Scripture
Any good book that you read or any major motion picture you watch usually has a main character. The book or movie is centered on this primary character. The person is usually a hero who figured out how to save a life, family or the entire civilization under a huge amount of excitement. The Scriptures are no different in the fact that they are centered on one person, the Lord Jesus Christ. From the Scriptures we learn that Jesus is the theme of all things.
J.I. Packer is quoted as saying, “God the Father is the giver of Holy Scripture; God the Son is the theme of Holy Scripture; and God the Spirit is the author, authenticator, and interpreter of Holy Scripture.” God the Son is the theme of Holy Scripture. A theme of a story is what the author is trying to convey. God the Father is doing just that by the power of God the Spirit to convey the theme of God the Son in the Gospel.
The New Testament apostles and evangelists preached Jesus Christ from the Scriptures. Acts 8:35 is a great example as Philip the evangelist utilized the book of Isaiah to teach about Jesus. An Ethiopian eunuch was on his way to Jerusalem to worship. He just so happened to have a copy of the book of Isaiah in which he was reading. We now know the section he was reading as the great 53rd chapter. Philip was able to assist the eunuch in understanding who Jesus was and what He did through the book of Isaiah.
Jesus confirmed that the Scriptures were about Him. “And He said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! “Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?” Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.” These verses come from Luke 24:25-27. Jesus Himself was reasoning with the two men who were on their way to Emmaus about Himself through the Scriptures.
John 5:39 reads, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me.” The theme of Scripture is Jesus Christ but Scripture is only a tool used to point us to the reality of Jesus. We are in a good place when we can translate what is written in the Bible into a living reality.
If the Gospel we have in our hearts and that we share is not centered on Christ then it is not the Gospel. As followers of Christ we grow in thinking, saying, and doing in Christ likeness by centering our vision on the person and work of Jesus Christ found in the Bible. Basically, Gods Adoption Process is the Lord Jesus Christ. In the next few weeks we are going to explore the person and works of Jesus. May your hearts be encouraged and that you would grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord through these devotions!
