Reading the Bible daily has long been a habit of mine, and as a minister, I spend a lot of time in deeper study as well. Over the years, I have picked up several threads that seem to run through the Bible consistently. But is there one single grand central theme? I think there is.

I have posed this question to several different people over the last several months, and have come up with a variety of answers. Some have suggested that each book of the Bible has a distinct and independent theme. I can’t argue with that, although I feel that it is an incomplete answer. Others have been more vague, and said that the theme that runs through the entire Bible is simply Jesus. That, too, is correct, although it is overly simplistic, in my opinion.

So is there a central theme? And if there is, what is it?

The Bible is a very interesting and complex piece of literature. Comprised of sixty-six different books, and more than forty different authors, it has been compiled over a time span of centuries, from the earliest books written until the final pieces were completed shortly after the lives of Jesus, the apostles, and their contemporaries. With such a span of time and people, how can there possibly be a consistent theme?

The answer to that is simple. While the involvement of several human components stretched over time, the inspiration of it all was one source: the Holy Spirit. God was intimately involved in the writing of Scripture, so much so that one could say that, ultimately, the author of all Scripture is God himself.

Over the years, I have read several books that seem to identify this central theme. In fact, I am using one such book right now as a supplement to my devotional reading. It is called God’s Glory In Salvation Through Judgment: A Biblical Theology, by James M. Hamilton (if you are interested in it, you can find it here). It has been very interesting and incredibly enlightening, as I have paired it with the passages I have read through the pages of Scripture over the last several months. However, I feel that he has been too restrictive in his assessment.

Hamilton’s approach has been that the central theme of all of Scripture is God’s glory, as revealed in salvation through judgment. I would agree that all three of those ingredients are central tenets of Scripture, I think that it can be simplified just a bit. God’s plan for mankind has been salvation since the very beginning. Also, judgment for those who reject him has been evident from the very start as well. So to say that God’s glory, in salvation, through judgment, is just a bit complex.

In my opinion, the central theme that runs through every page of Scripture, from the earliest books, such as Genesis or Job, all the way through to the final books added, some of Paul’s letters and Revelation, is simply God’s glory.

Everything is intended for his glory. Creation was accomplished for the purpose of bringing glory to God. God’s acts through history, such as the Exodus, the prophets, even the exiles to foreign nations, were all intended to bring glory to his name. Our salvation was effected to display his glory, and God’s judgment also displays his glory for all to see, especially those who reject him.

Granted, salvation and judgment are two sides of the same coin. On the one hand, those who accept him as Lord see the benefits of salvation, and those who reject him will see the judgment to come. But both of those draw our complete attention, or will eventually, to God, bringing him glory.

The pages of each and every book in the Bible drip with expressions of God’s glory, if we have the eyes to see it. The natural creation, and the handiwork of God in the lives of those around us also draws our hearts and eyes to the glory of God, but nothing as clearly as the inspired Word of God, pointing the way to the source of it all.

So as you read the Bible, pay attention to what you are reading, and see how it points to the glory of God. And as you read, may you be drawn to give him glory yourself as well.

Question: What do you think are some of the important themes that run through the totality of Scripture? What do you think is the central theme? You can leave a comment by clicking here.