3 Statements That Don't Sum Up The Message Of The Bible

By pjsports7j

I heard a pastor of a large church say the following, “I’m going to give you the cliff notes version of the Bible:

-Love God
-Love One Another
-Love Your Neighbor as Yourself”

This might sound pretty good to the average congregant, but it presents some serious problems. Let’s examine these three statements one by one and see what we’re left with.

Love God

We are to love God, there is no doubt. Isn’t that the very thing we have failed to do since Adam and Eve in the Garden? 1 John 5:3 seems to make it clear that if we love God we will keep his commandments. It seems the Bible is filled with man’s failure to do exactly that. Israel never heard of a command they didn’t want to break. What’s ironic is that the Bible didn’t give them enough rules to break so they made up there own so they could break those too. This isn’t true only in the Old Testament, it is true in the New as well. Peter denied Christ, Judas, Paul persecuted the church, the seven churches in Revelation 1-3, etc…all of them have failed at loving God. This is true in our own experience as well. If we take an honest picture or our own lives we will see our own failures to love God. This failure does not mean we should not continue to run the race, press on, or pursue perfection. It does mean that we are in a lot of trouble because we have failed at what Moses and Jesus said was the most important commandment in all of Scripture…Love God.

Love one Another

Again Scripture is filled with failures to do this very thing. Cain and Able, Joseph and his brothers, Hosea and Gomer, the Pharisees, Paul, etc… Again if we look at ourselves honestly we will find many moments when we have failed to love one another.

Love Your Neighbor

According to Moses and Jesus this is the second greatest commandment. It is so similar to the previous statement that it doesn’t warrant any further explanation of how mankind and each of us individually have failed to live up to this command.

These three statements are good in and of themselves. We should seek to obey them with all of our fiber, with every ounce or our energy, but they do not sum up the message of the Bible. If they did sum up the message of the Bible we are left as failures before a just and holy God.

All three of these statements represent the law given to us. We are to obey the law but the Bible and our experience clearly reminds us that because of sin we will fail to be obedient to the law and that is where the gospel and Jesus come into the picture. The Bible can be summed up in three verses and they are these:

Romans 3:23 All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God
1 John 4:10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
1 Corinthians 15:22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.

There are other verses that could be used to tell the story of the Bible but the these do the job pretty well. Any summary of the Bible must include the law which shows us our sin, the atonement found in the cross, and the resurrection which is life with God eternally.

As pastors, parents, and leaders we must get this right. Christianity does teach good morals, but without Grace, without the atonement, without redemption love is just another law we fail to do.

Romans 5:8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us

John Byrne's Bio

John Byrne has been involved in youth ministry for more then 15 years. His ability to engage, challenge, and speak relevantly to his audience has led to speaking opportunities nationwide including camps, seminars, conferences, and training events. He has also written for Group Magazine, Youthworker Journal, and contributed to Youth Ministry Lemonade: turning “sour” experiences into leadership success. To see more of his writing check out the YM Theology blog.

John knew he wanted to be a youth pastor at the early age of 13. While attending Oak Hills Bible College he met the woman of his dreams and convinced her to marry him. After a two year honeymoon in the great state of Colorado he returned to his home state of Minnesota to finish his Biblical Studies degree from Northwestern Bible College.

John’s passion is living out the great mission (commission) in his life and helping others do the same. He does this through writing and speaking as well as missional living in his own neighborhood and community.

John is currently the Student Ministries Pastor at The Rock of Southwest, a church in Littleton, Colorado. He lives in Littleton with his wife Christa, daughter Catrina 11, and son Joash 4.

Comments

Totally agree. When I worked

On Sep 9, 2011, Joey Espinosa said:

Totally agree. When I worked in children's ministry, I was leery of curriculum that gave the main points as "Love God," "Be a good friend," and "Make the wise choice." These are man-centered.

The main message of the Bible MUST be Christ-centered. What has He done, who is He, what is He like. That is what we need to be teaching the next generation.

I wrote about that in: http://differentway4kids.blogspot.com/2010/11/how-churches-can-fall-shor...

Hello there, Well... I am a

On Sep 10, 2011, Muhammad Talha said:

Hello there,

Well... I am a muslim and I have always known that Chirstianity and Islam are pretty much similar.

I want to say that though your points are good, don't you think that loving God is the premise on which all the rest of all our good deeds are based?

In my opinion - Christianity, Judaism and Islam are all religion's of the same God... and God wants us to acknowledge his supremacy over all others, his Oneness, Omnipotence and Mercy... messengers of God (Jesus, Moses and Muhammad (peace be upon them all)) delivered this very message and I believe this is the basis of faith.

Would you like to be loved for someone else or for yourself...? Similarly, I think God wants us to love Him and out of that love abide by His teachings.

Peace guys,

Let me know wht you think about my comment here.

Regards,

Talha

Talha, Thanks for your

On Sep 16, 2011, John Byrne said:

Talha, Thanks for your comments, let me clarify a couple of things. Good deeds are important and the Bible certainly does teach that we should do good things that flow out of our love for God. The point of my post and the point of the Christian message is not to do good works, but to receive the gift of salvation found in the person of Jesus of Christ.

There is a fundamental difference between Christianity and other religions like Islam and Judaism. That difference is found in places like Romans 3 which quotes from the Old Testament when it points out that we cannot be good enough to please God. We all fall short of God's standards. Since God is a God of Justice there must be payment for our sin, and we are not capable of paying for that sin because it requires a sinless sacrifice. That payment was Jesus. Just as he took our sin upon himself his righteousness is imputed to those who put their trust in him.

This grace and mercy is the central message of the Bible. Love God, Love others is what we are suppose to do, but when we fall short of that, grace is required.

Those are some good thoughts,

On Sep 10, 2011, Joey Espinosa said:

Those are some good thoughts, and I agree that God's primary desire is that we would worship Him, and out of that flows resulting attitudes and behaviors.

We must be careful that we don't let behaviors drive our attitudes. That is, God looks at the heart not the actions. "Good deeds" done with the wrong motives are worthless in God's sight.

Even more, our BEST deeds are as "filthy rags" in God's sight. Nothing we do can earn favor with Him. What He is looking for is a heart that responds to His revealed truth.

While Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have similarities on the surface, at the core they are different. Most importantly (from the Christian perspective) is that Jesus was not just a man or a prophet, but that He was God. He lived, died, and was resurrected on the third day.

It is the resurrection of Jesus that Christianity is based on. Without that, there is no faith (I Corinthians 15). Basically, Christianity is based on a deed by one man (Jesus), not deeds done by followers of Him.

That may be too general of a statement, but I think it gives an overview.

What are your thoughts?

Hello guys, Its great to hear

On Sep 16, 2011, Muhammad Talha said:

Hello guys,

Its great to hear your responses on my comment.

The way I understand it, from your comments above (John and Joey), you mean to say that no matter how good we are, we can never please God. He is too perfect and we, being humans after all, are imperfect. Thus, Jesus (whom I have learned is believed to be God's son) gave the ultimate sacrifice - he tolerated unimaginable pains on the cross and his blood was shed to pay for our sins.

Guys, look, please do not mind anything I say because it is purely for the sake of the learned discussion we are making here.

My first question is - Do Christians believe that Jesus was the 'begotten' son of God? (Islam is very clear about it, for us he was a messenger, not the begotten son of God because God is above such human work and desire. He is the ONE & ONLY GOD and shares his throne with NO-ONE.

Secondly - if God is perfect and perfectly just... then where is the justice in this equation - pain of 1 person = freedom from sin of millions? In my opinion, God will only be just IF my reward and punishment will be calculated according to my sin. Why should anyone else have to bear my burden ... I think that is more just than the what you guys have explained.

Finally, I really really really need you guys to give me 1 - just ONE- unequivocal (and I mean unequivocal) statement in any version of the Bible... where Jesus himself said that he is God. Remember, I need to know if Jesus himself proclaimed that he is God.

None the less... here are some verses from the Quran which mention Jesus... just wanted to clarify that we keep Jesus in the greatest honor, believe that he was born without a father, believe that he gave life to the dead, gave sight to the blind, spoke when he was totally new born... without believing in Jesus I cannot be a muslim. But I need to know if according to the Bible - is there ONE instance where he himself has said - "I am God" or "Worship me"

SOME INSTANCES OF THE QURAN ON JESUS

3:45
Behold! the angels said: "O Mary! Allah giveth thee glad tidings of a Word from Him: his name will be Christ jesus, the son of Mary, held in honour in this world and the Hereafter and of (the company of) those nearest to Allah.

3:55
Behold! Allah said: "O jesus! I will take thee and raise thee to Myself and clear thee (of the falsehoods) of those who blaspheme; I will make those who follow thee superior to those who reject faith, to the Day of Resurrection: Then shall ye all return unto me, and I will judge between you of the matters wherein ye dispute.

4:157
That they said (in boast), "We killed Christ jesus the son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah.;- but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no (certain) knowledge, but only conjecture to follow, for of a surety they killed him not:

5:110
Then will Allah say: "O jesus the son of Mary! Recount My favour to thee and to thy mother. Behold! I strengthened thee with the holy spirit, so that thou didst speak to the people in childhood and in maturity. Behold! I taught thee the Book and Wisdom, the Law and the Gospel and behold! thou makest out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, by My leave, and thou breathest into it and it becometh a bird by My leave, and thou healest those born blind, and the lepers, by My leave. And behold! thou bringest forth the dead by My leave. And behold! I did restrain the Children of Israel from (violence to) thee when thou didst show them the clear Signs, and the unbelievers among them said: 'This is nothing but evident magic.'

4:171
O People of the Book! Commit no excesses in your religion: Nor say of Allah aught but the truth. Christ jesus the son of Mary was (no more than) an apostle of Allah, and His Word, which He bestowed on Mary, and a spirit proceeding from Him: so believe in Allah and His apostles. Say not "Trinity" : desist: it will be better for you: for Allah is one Allah. Glory be to Him: (far exalted is He) above having a son. To Him belong all things in the heavens and on earth. And enough is Allah as a Disposer of affairs.

BEST REGARDS,

Talha
Your brother in Islam.

Talha, Yes, the Bible teaches

On Sep 16, 2011, John Byrne said:

Talha,
Yes, the Bible teaches and Jesus claims that he is God in some pretty plain way. John 10:22-30 is very clear, Jesus says, "I and the Father are one".

God is just, but He is not ONLY just, He is also merciful. If God were to judge all of us strictly according to our deeds we would all deserve punishment. That is where the grace comes in, but God cannot deny justice so a price must be paid. That is what the OT sacrificial system is all about.

No offense, but yo do not get to define justice and determine how it is applied. That is up to God and what he sees as fair and just matters more than what you see as fair and just. None of us get to redefine God in our own image, but simply to try and discover who He already is.

Believing Jesus is a great guy doesn't matter much. If He wasn't God then all of us are on the same ground and will be judged according to our works. If that is the case it doesn't matter what religion we are, we will all face judgment and ultimately eternal punishment.

Hello guys, again thankyou

On Sep 17, 2011, Muhammad Talha said:

Hello guys,

again thankyou for your response.

Now, I know we should not prolong the discussion too much... but the verse you quoted from John 10:22-30 "I and the Father are one" is, sorry to say, not that clear. We are one - could mean we belong to the same group, we believe in the same thing, we were born together etc etc. This is personal but I often tell my wife - "You and me are one..." So, please give me 1 UNEQUIVOCAL statement where Jesus says..."I am God" OR "Worship me"

And in the first place, if someone was born - how can he be God. God was always there, he created everything and he was not created. I think this is one point which we should not be arguing about... someone was created, he wasn't there and then he was born and he was there... how can that someone be God. What God is created and bleeds and dies???

About justice... brother, it is not about my definition of justice or anyone else's definition of it... its just about common sense. You must agree that true justice would at least seem just to us all... I mean, what kind of justice would not make sense? You do agree that God will not do something that is totally beyond common sense and ask us to believe in it or be condemned to hell? If that was so, it would be outrageous and not 'just' at all... do you agree?

God is merciful... indeed... in fact, there are more than 117 unique verses in the Quran where God says that He is OFT FORGIVING, MOST MERCIFUL. Every time God mentions a punishment in the Quran the immediate next verse tells us that he is most forgiving, most merciful.
So what muslims believe is that no matter how evil they are, they can still repent and trust that Allah has promised that if they are true in their hearts and truly intend to become better human beings - they will be forgiven. God still has power over all things and can forgive everything... repentance however is what makes us eligible to God's mercy. Doesn't that sound perfect to you.

If I was to believe that someone has already paid for my sins and I will be forgiven no matter what i did... why would I do anything good? The society would utterly collapse my brothers. I am sure you are a good human being, so are thousands others. But you know there are people like Osama Bin Laden and Hitler and Genghis Khan, rapists, thieves, terrorists, adulteraters and all kinds of people doing all kinds of evil... telling them its no problem, Jesus has already paid for your sins is like what,,, you tell me!

I agree that if we agree that Jesus is a prophet, a messenger and not God then we are all on the same ground and will be judged according to our deeds. But I do not agree that it makes no difference what religion we believe in. Why? Because there is one sin that God will not forgive and that is joining partners with him.
4:48
"Allah forgiveth not that partners should be set up with Him; but He forgiveth anything else, to whom He pleaseth; to set up partners with Allah is to devise a sin Most heinous indeed."

According to us, all messengers from Adam to Jesus and finally Muhammad (peace on them all) came with the same message... the message on God's ONENESS. If you believe that is the ONE and ONLY GOD then indeed you are as much eligible to enter heaven as anyone else. There would have been no need of Islam and Muhammad and the Quran had Jesus's teachings had remained unchanged. The very fact that there are hundreds of different versions of the Bibles with hundreds of differences between them creates the question - "What IS the right message if there are so many contradictions". You would also know that the Quran has not changed... it is a miracle.. it has been 1400+ years but the Quran has remained unchanged. There are differences in translation,s but the Arabic Quran has not changed!!!

I humbly request you to read the Quran. Here is 1 link for you
http://www.islamicity.com/quransearch. Look for any topic including Jihad and Women. Islam is light ... so is Christianity. And Look, our religions have differences, indeed they do, but let us now talk about SIMILARITIES. Shall we?

Guys... let us all sincerely look for the truth... I think I have said enough today. I sincerely hope I did not hurt any feelings and that at least you have become curious to know what the Quran actually preaches.

BEst regards,

Talha

Tahla, Thank you for sharing

On Sep 17, 2011, Jon Sewald said:

Tahla,
Thank you for sharing with us. I wanted to take a moment and clarify a few things that both John and Joey glossed over, that, if you didn't already know, it may help you understand Christianity a little better.
The first is in regards to Jesus and God sharing the same throne. This is a hard to grasp topic even for Christians. God is three entities. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three entities always existed. In Genesis 1:26, when God is about to create man, he says, "Let US make him in OUR image." We know trinity always existed. The harder part to grasp is that while all these entities are distinct, they are all God. Jesus was not half man, half God, he was 100% man and 100% God maintaining every aspect of both.
John 14:6-14
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”

9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. 12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

Here, we not only see Jesus claiming to be God, but Him also claiming to be salvation. As many good deeds as we do, none of them get us anywhere unless done through name of Jesus as our Savior.
Romans 6:23 tells us the "The punishment of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life."
Sin separates us from God. No matter how hard we try, there is nothing we can do on our own accord. Without forgiveness, we deserve eternal life in Hell, separated from the God who loves us.
In the old testament, before Jesus death, people often used a blood sacrifice of an unblemished lamb to atone from their sins. Since Jesus came and became our spotless lamb, he atoned for all our sins. It was God's gift to us because he loved. Salvation is nothing we've earned, nothing we deserve, it is a gift given to us by a loving and merciful God.

When you look at the context

On Sep 17, 2011, Joey Espinosa said:

When you look at the context of when Jesus said "I and the Father are one," and when He answered Pilate in Mark 15:2 -- that the audience understood that He meant He was equivalent to God. We have to be careful not to read our own intentions into the eyewitness testimonies, spread and written within a generation of His life and death. Jesus over and over made statements (very intentionally) that the Jewish leaders understood to mean that He was equivalent to God. That was the blasphemy (in their eyes) that they wanted to kill him for.

A bigger issue that Jesus saying that He was God is whether it is true. Anyone can say it. The central issue with Christianity is that Jesus died and was resurrection. As I said above, the Resurrection is the number 1 point about Christianity, that separates it from all other religions.

I think you are confusing the definitions of "justice" and "fairness." God is just by executing His judgment on sin. From our perspective, it may not seem "fair" to Jesus, but that is where God's mercy comes in. He is merciful on us by carrying out justice on His Son.

We have to be careful that we don't equate our level of "common sense" to God's wisdom. Wouldn't it make sense that there are things about God that we cannot reason out? If I could figure God out completely, He wouldn't be all that special of a God.

I would debate that there are 100's of different versions of the Bibles. I think what you refer to are translations. That will come in whenever you translate. But when you look at the historicity of the original documents (including the date of the earliest manuscripts), the Bible has no parallel compared to other ancient documents.

The point about doing good is a good point. WHY is exactly the question. The Bible teaches that good deeds are the result of a life that has been changed by faith in Him. Jesus (and other writers of the Bible) make it clear that a follower of Jesus would live a life that reflects His teachings.

Also, it is not just the death of Jesus that gives us access to God. Faith is required. Jesus death / atonement doesn't automatically give everyone access to God and eternal life. Faith is required (Romans 10:9-10).

Joey, I don't disagree with

On Sep 17, 2011, John Byrne said:

Joey, I don't disagree with your assessment of the context in John 10, however when you consider the fact that the Jews understood that there is only one God, any claim to be equal to God was a claim to be God.

Tahla, this is not the place to enter into a full length treatment of some of the questions you are asking, but let me say this. Jesus accepted worship in Luke's telling of the triumphal entry, He regularly forgives sins which God only has the power to do, He makes claims about being eternal "Before Abraham was, I am", the verses Jon and Joey have given, and many more show these claims. I fear your standard of "Unequivocal" may be too specific. Instead ask the question, as Joey did, how did the hearers of Jesus' message understand Him? This is a decent treatment of Jesus claims: http://www.christianity.com/Christian%20Foundations/Christianity%20Main/...

I have read significant portions of the Koran. It is interesting, the question i have is this: Why should I put any stock in what the Koran says? The same question should be asked of the Bible, here is the answer: http://bible.org/seriespage/bible-trustworthy-part-1

Great questions and a great conversation!!