by Keith Bassham
Genesis 1-3 – In the beginning …
Three chapters comprise the beginning of the Bible story. Here you find the creation of all things, the creation of mankind, the subsequent sin and separation of man from God, and the first echoes of God’s plan to restore all things as they should be through a redeemer.
Genesis 12 – Abraham and a people of God
Here we understand that God’s plan to restore all things involves Abraham and his descendants, thus God can say to him “Through you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”
Exodus 20 – The Ten Commandments
Though these commandments are often misunderstood — obeying them is not all that God requires — they are enough to show us how we have lost our way and the futility of being moral without God.
Isaiah 53 – The prophecy of the “suffering servant”
In this passage, God is filling in the picture for us to show how He intends to restore all things and bless all the families of the earth by the death of His son: “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities … All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”
Psalm 23 – The Lord is my shepherd
It is tempting to include the entire book of Psalms as a key passage, but one or two will have to do for now. Perhaps the best known of all the Psalms, the Shepherd Psalm, is the go-to for times of trouble, when loved ones pass, or for merely expressing appreciation for God’s goodness and guidance.
Psalm 51 – The penitent’s prayer
As a reminder that children of God are also children of Adam, Psalm 51 relates what it is like to be truly sorry for sin committed, and how one can find his or her way back into a right relationship with the Creator: “Have mercy upon me, O God … Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” Even here in the Psalms, God speaks of the restoration promise given at the beginning.
Luke 2 – Joy to the world, the Lord is come
The promise of the Coming Redeemer is fulfilled in the story of the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. As the angels told the shepherds, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.”
John 17 – The prayer of Jesus in Gethsemane
The night before his crucifixion, Jesus went to a garden to pray, and the content of that prayer is recorded in this chapter. Here we learn more about the Savior’s mission, his relationship with the Father, and his want-list for those who would follow him: “ … that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.”
Matthew 28 – The Great Commission
After the resurrection and before ascending to heaven, Jesus instructed us to spread the Good News: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations.”
Acts 2 – The Day of Pentecost
Seven weeks after the resurrection (50 days, which is the meaning of Pentecost) the Holy Spirit fell upon the believers with power, and the worldwide spread of the promise of God began with a massive number of people believing in Jerusalem.
Romans 5 – Theological center
A point-by-point comparison of Adam and Jesus Christ: whereas Adam’s actions brought about the fall into sin, the actions of Jesus brought about salvation and fulfillment of God’s promise: “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.”
1 Corinthians 15 — Resurrection
The actual physical resurrection of Jesus is the guarantee that all those whose faith is placed in him will themselves be resurrected from the dead: “But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Galatians 3 – The faith of Abraham
God’s people today are participating in the promises God gave to Abraham centuries ago: “And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.”
Hebrews 11 – By faith …
People who come to faith today are following in a long line of others who expressed faith in God and His promises centuries ago. This passage is a recounting of some of those “heroes of the faith.”
Revelation 22 – The culmination of the Bible story
The promises are fulfilled in their entirety, and we are invited to join God and His son: “And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb … And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”