The Main Character

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God…And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.  John 1:1,2,14

Most often I’ve heard the Bible described two ways: a manual for living and a love letter from God to a dying world.  Honestly, I’ve believed both based on the understanding I had at the time.

Yesterday, the Lord talked with me about the Bible the way I talk to my children about any book they read.  My first question is always, “who’s the main character?”  The main character is who the book is about and is often from whose perspective the book is written.

Many people approach the Bible; build doctrines and churches based on aspects of the Bible that “speak to them.”  For some it’s the teaching in the books of Moses, others the books of wisdom or the prophetic books.  Some emphasize the servant qualities seen in the Gospels.  I understand why some think do’s and don’ts (Old Testament law), order and deliverance (the Prophets), and serving others (the Gospels) are the keys to right living.  But we miss the point when we do that.  In John 1, the Apostle John clearly states that Jesus is the Word of God and therefore the main character of the Bible.  All the books in The Book point to Him; the grace of God made manifest to man.

When He and His finished work are preached, people learn true holiness.   When Jesus is preached, people change their minds (repent), trust in Him, and experience deliverance; their crooked places made straight.  When Jesus is preached, people see the cross, His ultimate act of service, and they serve likewise.

The Bible is not a manual or a love letter, it’s an autobiography written by the Godhead.  It’s the Father telling the world about His awesome Son, witnessed by the Holy Spirit.  The Law and the Prophets serve to point us to the necessity of Jesus Christ’s coming in the likeness of sinful man to do a work the Law and the Prophets could not do.  It’s time we stop relegating Jesus to praise and worship and the altar call.  He is the meat of the sandwich and the sermon ought to be about Him too!  He didn’t just come to save us from hell; He came to save us from ourselves.  It’s hearing about Him that truly transforms.  I’ve said it before and I say it again…”just give me Jesus”.   He is the best the Father had to give to me and He still is!

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SOUL FOOD (Scripture References)

Titus 2:11-12; Romans 2:4; 2 Corinthians 3:18

 © Vanessa A. Harris and The Legacy of Faith, 2013.