Themes Of The Bible Essay, Research Paper

Christian Bibles all have the same themes running through

them; besides that fact, most of them say basically the same

things. Compare passages among three or four different

translations and the student will observe that in many case there

are only a few words that are changed. The substance is the same.

The most prevalent themes in the Bible are very simple: believe

in God, follow the Word of God, this is the way to eternal

salvation, to the Kingdom of God or Heaven. The Old Testament is

filled with prophecies, deeds, misdeeds, punishments and rewards,

promises and recriminations while the New Testament is filled

with the words and deeds of Jesus and his Apostles and Disciples.

The three thematic aspects selected to discuss in this essay are:

obedience, the commandments and salvation. There are dozens to

hundreds of references for each of these themes found in the

Bible; only a few supporting each category will be cited and

discussed.

The most critical theme in the Bible is to obey God and

there are hundreds of references to this beginning in Deuteronomy

and following through to the Gospel of John. Obeying God is most

often referenced in Deuteronomy than in any other Book although

the other Books give this advice in different ways. Since

Deuteronomy is the book of laws and was intended as a

confirmation of the covenant between God and His chosen people,

it is reasonable that there would be numerous references in this

text regarding obeying God’s laws.

In many cases two or even all three aspects of the same

theme are offered in the same verses, for example in Deuteronomy

8:1, “All the commandment which I command you this day you shall

be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and

possess he land which the Lord swore to give to your fathers.” Or

Deuteronomy 9:13, “And if you will obey my commandments which I

command you this day, to love the Lord your God, and to serve him

with all your heart and with all your soul, he will give the rain

for your land in its season, ….”

Obedience

In Joshua, the people become more active in their pledge to

obey God and His laws: “And the people said to Joshua, ‘The Lord

our God we will serve and his voice we will obey” (24:24).

Jeremiah, upon being threatened with death tells the princes and

all the people in Judah that the Lord sent him to prophesy to

them and that the Lord has said, “Now therefore amend your ways

and your doings, and obey the voice of the Lord your God, and the

Lord will repent of the evil which he has pronounced against you”

(26:13).

The Lord also spoke to Zechariah, “And those who are far off

shall come and help to build the temple of the Lord; and you

shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. And this

shall come to pass, if you will diligently obey the voice of the

Lord, your God” (6:15).

In the Old Testament, references to obeying God were often

in two specific kinds of contexts: when people had done wrong and

God told them they would suffer for not obeying Him and when God

was making promises to people who obeyed Him. In the New

Testament, these same kinds of contexts are also seen but more

often it is in a more positive lights, such as in Acts when Peter

and the Apostles are discussing their faith with a high priest

who has reminded them that the law says they may not preach: “We

must obey God rather than men” (5:29). “And we are witnesses to

these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to

those who obey him” (5:32). Paul is even stronger in 2

Corinthians: “We destroy arguments and every obstacle to the

knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ”

(10:5).

Keeping the Commandments

Reference to the commandments that must be obeyed for

salvation is made often throughout the Books in the Bible: “So

you shall keep my commandments and do them. I am the Lord”

(Leviticus 22:31). Still, with this area there are continuing

threats and references to changing one’s ways: “If you walk in my

statutes and observe my commandments and do them, then I will

give you your rains in their season” (Leviticus 26:3). On the

other hand, the people were warned that if they did not follow

the commandments: “I will do this to you: I will anoint over you

a sudden terror, consumption, and fever that waste the eyes and

cause life to pine away” (Leviticus 26:16). The Lord in the Old

Testament is painted as One who is jealous, demanding of absolute

obedience and vengeful but He always forgives; He is always

willing to accept the sinners back into His arms when they repent

their evil ways.

All four Gospels talk mention the commandments. “Whoever

then relaxes one of the lest of these commandments and teaches

men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he

who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the

kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:19). “You know the commandments”

(Mark 10:19). “And they were both righteous before God, walking

in al the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless”

(Luke 1:6). “If you love me you will keep my commandments” (John

14:15). “He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who

loves me; and he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I

will love him and manifest my self to him” (John 14:21).

Being Saved

The belief that the Lord will save or has saved self or

others is prevalent throughout the text. Among the most often

quoted verses are those said or sung by David: “The Lord is my

rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom

I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my

stronghold and my refuge, my savior; thou savest me from

violence” (2 Samuel 22:2 – 3). True, in this hymn of praise,

David is referring to a victory over an enemy but other kinds of

references to salvation are also numerous in the text of this

Bible. In Matthew, the Lord promises eternal salvation for those

who are faithful: “But he who endures will be saved” (10:22).

This statement was in reference to retaining one’s faith

regardless of the persecution one experienced from nonbelievers.

Several references to the commandments are made in 1 John:

“And by this way be sure that we know him, if we keep his

commandments. H who says ‘I know him’ but disobeys his

commandments is a liar, and the truth is to in him; but whoever

keeps his word, in him truly love for God is perfected” (2:3-5).

The themes are repeated over and over again although they

are offered to the reader in the form of tales, stories,

parables, songs, hymns, poetry and even riddles. The symbolism in

the Bible is paramount to its interpretation and understanding

but the messages are clear: one must obey God’s commandments to

be saved, to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The themes run from the

first Book in the Old Testament to the lst Book in the New

Testament. As mentioned before, many of the messages are in a

negative form: if you don’t do this these horrible things will

happen to you; other are in the form of promises; and still

others act as confirmations of the covenant between God and

Israel.