The Four Major Themes of the Bible

The Bible might be the most popular book of all time. Millions of copies are sold each year. Scholars continue to study it and translate it into new languages. It’s a beloved book with profound significance. Many of us can talk about our favorite Bible verses and stories and why they are special to us. We often read and study individual passages and books within the Bible, but it offers us a unique perspective to zoom out and reflect on the Bible as a whole. Join Groundwork for our series, “The Four Major Themes of the Bible,” as we step back and study the big picture of God’s story given to us in the Bible. Together, we’ll look at all the stories, prophecies, poems, and letters of the Bible to see how they give shape to the four major themes: creation, fall, redemption, and consummation. As we discuss each of the major themes, we’ll also talk about what these beliefs mean for how we live out our faith as God’s people today.

Is it okay to summarize the Bible? 

At its heart, the Bible is God’s Word. It’s God’s story, the story of his relationship with his people. Throughout Christian history, believers have studied and discussed the words passed down to us in the pages of the Bible. Individuals have dedicated their lives to understanding the Bible and what its stories and teachings mean for how we live. 

Studying the meaning of individual texts and the big-picture themes of the Bible is beneficial to our faith. They hone our skills and offer a system of checks and balances as we seek and grow our understanding of God and his Word. When we see resonances between detail-focused learning and the big-picture themes, we’re assured that our beliefs remain consistent and true. If something we think we learn is entirely contrary to what the rest of the Bible teaches, it provides a good opportunity to pause, dig deeper, and ask questions of fellow believers, pastors, and Bible scholars. 

How does one summarize or describe a book that is thousands of pages long and contains many genres of literature in its pages? It’s certainly easy to feel like you’re leaving something important out every time you try. Like a play has acts or a symphony has movements, believers and scholars from the Reformed branch of God’s family tree talk about the four significant themes of creation, fall, redemption, and consummation—sometimes also called restoration—in the Bible. Each theme draws from Scripture and helps us understand more about God, who he is, and his relationship with us. 

A Reformed Perspective on Christian Theology

There is a general forward movement from one theme to the next as you read the pages of the Bible chronologically, but there is significant overlap in the Old and New Testaments that support and contribute to each theme. For example, the creation theme is not only present in the creation stories of Genesis. We also discern about God's creation intent in terms of care for the physical creation, God's continued creation, and his ongoing interaction with his creation through many of the psalms, Jesus’ teachings, and Paul’s letters. Likewise, a large part of the Bible helps us comprehend the vast pervasiveness and impact of the fall. This theme encompasses the stories of the original sin, and how guilt and corruption have infected the human race ever since. 

We realize that not everyone who listens to Groundwork is part of the larger Reformed tradition, but no matter what church tradition you’re from, these are vital themes of almost all Christian theology.

A Panoramic View of God’s Story

There are many ways to engage a story. I invite you to reflect on the wide-angle, panoramic view of God’s story through our Groundwork series, “The Four Major Themes of the Bible”: 

• God Creates - Genesis 1, Revelation 21:22-24, Psalm 139:13-14, Hebrews 1:1-3, and Colossians 1:15-17
• Humanity Falls - Genesis 2-3, Romans 5:12, Romans 8:20-22, and Romans 3:9-23
• God Redeems - Genesis 12:1-5, Ephesians 1:3-11, Galatians 2:20-21, and Ephesians 2:1-5
• God Makes All Things New - Revelation 21:1-5, Matthew 19:28, Romans 8:18-21, and Ephesians 2:19-22

Together we’ll gain another perspective that invites us deeper into relationship with God and discuss the impact the four major themes of his story have on how we live out our beliefs each day.