The Bible is about Jesus. The apostle Paul highlighted this fact, saying, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist” (Col. 1:15-17, NKJV).

According to the online Collins Dictionary, “A theme in a piece of writing, a talk, or a discussion is an important idea or subject that runs through it…A theme in an artist’s work or in a work of literature is an idea in it that the artist or writer develops or repeats” (CollinsDictionary.com).

Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, is the central theme of the entire Bible. Please notice how the entire message of Scripture, from beginning to end, is centered on the Savior:

1. The Savior is coming. The main message of the Old Testament is that someone is coming to solve the problem of sin and its consequences. Immediately following the first sin in the Garden, God spoke to the serpent, saying, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel” (Gen. 3:15). This One who would enter the world as the “Seed” of the woman would serve as the One through whom “all the nations of the earth shall be blessed,” as God promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (22:18; cf. 12:3; 26:4; 28:14). Moses would later identify Him, saying, “The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear” (Deut. 18:15). He would come into the world through the royal line of King David and God would “establish the throne of his kingdom forever” (2 Sam. 7:12-13). Yet, He would also suffer as the Servant of God who takes away man’s sins and would serve as “an offering for sin” (Isa. 53:10-11). The Old Testament is filled with the foretelling of the entrance of Jesus Christ into the world.

2. The Savior has come. The New Testament focuses on the fact that the Christ has come into the world to save mankind from sin. Matthew’s Gospel begins by introducing, “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham” (Matt. 1:1). The events surrounding His birth and childhood fulfilled that which had been spoken by the prophets (cf. Matt. 1:22; 2:15, 17, 23). His preaching, miracles, and deeds fulfilled the prophecies which had been recorded in the Old Testament (cf. Matt. 4:13-14; 8:16-17; 21:4; Lk. 4:21; Jn. 12:37-41). Even His death on the cross fulfilled what was spoken by the prophets (cf. Matt. 26:56; 27:9, 35; Jn. 19:24; Lk. 24:44), as did His resurrection from the dead (Acts 2:25-32; cf. Psa. 16:9-10). Following His resurrection He spoke to His disciples, saying, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me” (Lk. 24:44). The apostle Paul writes, “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief” (1 Tim. 1:15). The New Testament constantly makes the point that the Savior of mankind has already come.

3. The Savior is coming again. While the Old Testament foretold His coming and the New Testament announces the fact that He has come, the New Testament also affirms that He is coming again. As the writer of Hebrews puts it, “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation” (Heb. 9:27-28). As soon as He ascended to heaven following His resurrection, the disciples were informed that He would come a second time. The Bible says, “And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven’” (Acts 1:10-11). His coming will bring eternal joy to the saved and endless sorrow to guilty sinners. Paul writes that He will come “in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed” (2 Thess. 1:8-10). Paul also points out that, when He comes, “Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet” (1 Cor. 15:24-25). The New Testament continually points to the victorious second coming of the Savior as the final culmination of the history of the world.

Conclusion: Jesus Christ, the great Lamb of God, is truly the theme of the Bible. The message of Scripture, from beginning to end, may well be summarized from the points of view that the Savior is coming, the Savior has come, and the Savior will come again. “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing!” (Rev. 5:12).