Developing A Biblical World View

A MASTER KEY

The Bible is composed of 66 separate books. Every book in the Bible contains a "key" verse. We call it a "key" verse because it works like a key in the natural world. Just as a natural key unlocks a door, a key verse unlocks the door to understanding the theme and contents of a particular book of the Bible.

The Bible as a whole also has a master key, a special passage which unlocks the meaning to all the Word of God. This master key permits us to understand the theme and contents of the entire Bible. It enables us to see the world as God sees it. Here is the master key to the Bible:

Then opened He their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures,

And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day;

And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. (Luke 24:45-47)

Note the words "Then opened He their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures." This means Jesus was giving His disciples a master key--two basic facts, which would help them understand all of God's Word. If you do not understand these two facts, you will not truly understand the Word of God. Here are the keys:

FIRST: "It behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead."

It "behooved" Jesus to suffer. This means it was necessary for Him to suffer to reconcile sinful man with a righteous God. This is a key truth behind the message of the entire Bible.

God said the wages of sin were physical, spiritual, and eternal death:

But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die. (Genesis 2:17)

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

Jesus Christ was made flesh and came into the world to die in the place of sinful mankind:

For as by one man's disobedience [Adam] many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one [Jesus] shall many be made righteous. (Romans 5:19)

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)