In order to function successfully as a Church, members of a Church must all be in agreement about what they believe. How can we understand the Bible?
The Gospel is the center of the Bible.
1 Corinthians 2:1–5 And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
Example: The apostle Paul writes that the point is Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
Application: This is the center of what we believe, and it is also the perimeter of what we believe. Theology is about God wanting to rescue people and reconcile them with Himself, out of His love for people.
This helps us to understand various passages of the Bible.
Ephesians 5:18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit.
Application: It is not that the wine glass is evil, and therefore when one partakes of the wine glass he is evil. The point is loving man. Being drunk with wine interferes with loving man as the substance becomes the controller instead of the spirit of God. Being drunk with wine is self-centered, and it hurts the people one loves.
Understanding that the Gospel is the center of the Bible can help us rank the importance of various beliefs. It helps us understand the value and importance of various theological arguments.
Application: When one does not have the Gospel as the center of the Bible, this can lead to odd beliefs. An example of an odd belief is that there is only one version of the Bible, God’s Word, and the rest of the versions of the Bible aren’t God’s Word. Having the Gospel as the center of the Bible helps us understand what to do with Bible translations. Bible translations have made the Gospel understandable to people who do not have English as their first language, and have helped to save millions of people this way.
Continuing study: How does the Gospel relate to God?