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The Bible in 17 Words
My wife once declared, “I can summarize the entire Bible in 20 words or less!”
“No way,” I quickly responded. “C’mon, 66 books, 40 different authors, spanning several thousand years of history—more than ¾ of a million words? And you’re going to summarize it in less than 20? How can you make such a ludicrous statement?”
“Well, just listen and consider this:
Old Testament: God is God, and you are not. [7 words]
New Testament: Jesus loves you. He died for you. Believe, and live. [10 words]
There—17 words; tell me what’s missing!”
Hard to believe at the time but, as I thought about it, I realized she was right. Certainly many details are left out of her summary, but it perfectly contains the essence of the Bible in its entirety.
Let’s explore briefly why that is so.
As for the Old Testament, its single consistent theme is the person of God. The implicit questions, “Who is God? What does He do? How and why does He do it?” are seen on virtually every page.
Sure, it recounts the important historical events from the beginning—the creation—to the period prior to the coming of Messiah Jesus, and encompasses the patriarchs, the Exodus, the establishment of the Law and Kingdom, His Covenant with the Israelites, the prophets, and the exile. It reveals God’s expectations of His people, the punishments associated with failing to meet them, and the blessings associated with meeting them. And, despite those instructions, it shows the depraved sinfulness of His people. However, it also points to the coming Messiah as our only hope for meeting the righteous requirements of the Law and spending eternity with Him.
It reads much like a modern-day soap opera, but in the midst of the often-compelling narrative, God’s nature is clearly revealed in one cohesive message—He remains steadfast, loving, and forgiving as He pursues His people with incredible love.
Consistently seen throughout this lengthy tome is that God is God, and we are not.
How about the New Testament? For the follower of Christ, it is a logical follow-on and fulfillment of the prophecies contained in the Old Testament. It introduces Messiah Jesus, His life and teaching, and ushers in the New Covenant of grace between God and man through that same Jesus. As the only One who fully satisfied the righteous requirements of the Law, He became our propitiation for sin by dying on a cross for us. That’s how much He loved us—He lived the life we couldn’t live and died the death we deserved.
How about that? We see that Jesus loves us; He died for us; it’s ours to believe, and live!
How simple!
Just as my wife simplified almost a million words of the Bible down to a mere 17 words, we can easily simplify our role in salvation in much the same way. The world has a way of making that role difficult through works and immense human effort, and many miss it altogether, feeling as though they must do something to achieve it.
But consider the jailer in the book of Acts, who asked Paul and Silas, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” Acts 16:30-31
That was it—acceptance by God is entirely His doing. There is no amount of money that can buy His favor. There is nothing we can do to earn it. Our only responsibility is to believe.
A dear friend once wisely said, “Our job is to trust God; His job is everything else.”
Sometimes, less is more. Sometimes, simple is more sensible than complex.
There you have it—17 words, an incredibly simple path to eternal life.
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