Major Biblical Themes

There are certain major biblical themes with which persons serving in ministry are expected to be familiar. These themes are listed below.

a. Creation

God's creation of the heavens and the earth is how the bible begins, and the theme of creation, or of God as creator, recurs throughout both the Old and New Testaments.

b. Fall

The entrance of sin, evil, and death into the world occurs in Genesis 3, and the consequences of the fall resounds throughout the bible.

c. Covenant

God initiates covenants with humans throughout scripture--in creation, after the flood, with Abraham, with Moses, with David, and, finally, the New Covenant in and through Jesus Christ.

d. People of God

God makes covenants with humans, and seeks to establish a people for the purpose of worship and mission. This is seen in relationships with Adam and Eve, Noah and his descendants, significantly with Abraham and his descendants, Moses and the people delivered from slavery in Egypt, David and the kingdom of Israel, and, finally, the people of God gathered by the Spirit in the church, meant to anticipate the renewed heavens and earth as they worship and serve.

e. Exodus

In the Exodus God delivered the people from slavery and brought them into freedom, thus constituting a people. The theme of exodus is found through the Old Testament, reminding God's people that they were saved from slavery in Egypt. Jesus' death and resurrection is understood as a new exodus and a new passover, delivering God's people from the slavery of sin and death.

f. Law

The giving of the Law on Mt. Sinai is a pivotal event in the life of God's people, intended to mark them out as God's people for the sake of inviting the nations to worship and serve the true God. The giving of the Law, and the people's failure to keep the Law, is a story that is told consistently through scripture. Jesus criticized the Pharisees for misunderstanding the Law, and Paul describes the Law as a burden, from which the believer in Jesus is freed by Jesus' death and resurrection, with the accompanying gift of the Holy Spirit.

g. Atonement

From the time of animals being killed for skins to cover Adam and Eve, there has been death in order to "cover" the sin of the guilty before God. The Levitical system in the temple was provided to deal with the sins of the people, which culminated in Jesus, the "Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world," dying as both priest and victim. Jesus as sacrifice for sin is a theme that consistently recurs in Paul, the Johannine epistles and in the letter to the Hebrews.

h. Kingdom

As the monarchy began the people of Israel were reminded that YHWH was their king, and the promise to David, and the anticipation throughout the Psalms and Prophets, was a kingdom ruled by YHWH. Jesus came announcing the coming of the kingdom of God, Paul speaks of inheriting the kingdom, and the book of Revelation ends with the announcement that "the kingdoms of the world have become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ."

i. Exile

The Babylonian conquest and destruction of Jerusalem, followed by the exile of the people to Babylon, is a pivotal event in the history of God's people. Described by the prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel, and lamenting in many psalms, the sense of God's absence remains even as the exiles return. The ministry of Jesus, culminating in his death and resurrection, can be seen in the light of exile and return.

j. New Creation

The resurrection narratives in the gospels echo the creation narrative of Genesis 1 and 2. Paul writes that if anyone is in Christ, "there is a new creation!" (2 Corinthians 5:17, NRSV), and that, "neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation" (Galatians 6:15). In Revelation 21:5, Jesus says, "See, I am making all things new."

k. Eschatology

The theme of future hope recurs through the bible, beginning with the promises to Noah, through the promises to Abraham, Moses, and David. The words of the prophets, especially Isaiah and Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, are filled with hope for a renewed future. The ministry of Jesus can be understood as "God's future in the present," and his works of healing and deliverance can be understood as prolepses, pointing forward to a future in which "all things are made new." Paul outlines this future hope in Romans 8, the entire book of Revelation is meant to fill the believer with a vision of a future gathered around the "Lamb that was slain" in the renewed heavens and earth.

Recommended Reading

D.A. Carson and Douglas J. Moo “An Introduction to the New Testament,” Tremper Longman III and Raymond B. Dillard “An Introduction to the Old Testament,” Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart, "How to Read the Bible for all it's Worth"; Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart, "How to Read the Bible Book by Book"

Resources

IVP's "New Dictionary of Biblical Theology" gives an overview of major biblical themes.

Canonical Areas

Content of Scripture

a. Books of the Bible & Category b. Major Biblical Figures c. Major Biblical Themes

Context of Scripture

a. Historical Context b. Canonical Context c. Literary Genre d. Transmission / Translation

Interpretive Methods

a. Patristic Interpretive Methods b. Medieval Interpretative Methods c. Reformation Interpretative Methods d. Modern Interpretive Methods