God created the world. When He did so, He called it “good”. Humans (male and female), He called “very good” and described them as the image of God. Adam and Eve did not trust that God had their best interests at heart and followed the serpent’s council and disobeyed. When they did, God’s creation was damaged, leaving the humans God created and all of creation in the condition we find it today. Every human (with the exception of Jesus) has sinned. Every evil thought, word, or deed (sin) puts us at enmity with God, and as a result, we justly deserve eternity in hell.
God is not satisfied with this outcome to His creation, and He has continually acted to restore people to Himself. The Bible (Old and New Testaments) is a record of God at work to bring people back to Himself.
The Law (Torah) describes God’s work in setting apart a people for Himself. First, He called Abraham into covenant with Himself, and then He rescued Israel out of Egypt. God gave this people a new homeland, and He gave them instructions. These instructions (or law) describe what it would look like to be obedient and live by God’s standards. According to Jesus, they can be summed up in two principles: 1) Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength; and 2) Love your neighbor as yourself.
Much of the rest of the Old Testament shows how incapable Israel was at living by God’s standards, as well as demonstrating God’s refusal to give up on them. Later, recorded in the prophets, God promised to establish a new covenant with Israel and to re-establish the kingdom under a Messiah.
This Messiah (anointed one or king) is revealed in the New Testament to be Jesus of Nazareth. Not only is he the Messiah, he is also God. While in the flesh, Jesus taught even more about what it would look like to live by God’s standards. He also worked many miracles by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus was opposed by several powerful factions in Judea and Galilee, and was eventually killed by crucifixion. After three days, he rose from the dead and appeared to his apostles and many others.
This was all according to God’s plan for redeeming His people from their just punishment due to sin. Jesus’ death was completely undeserved, as he was without sin. At the first Pentecost (Festival of Weeks) after Jesus’ resurrection, the Holy Spirit made a dramatic appearance to the apostles and the crowds of people there for the festival. Peter (an apostle) made a speech explaining the events, linking them to Jesus’ death and resurrection, and proclaiming Jesus as Messiah (or king).
When the crowd asked how to respond this revelation, Peter told them that they should repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus, and that they would receive forgiveness of their sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Much of the New Testament consists of letters, written by an apostle to individuals or groups of Jesus’ followers. These letters address a variety of issues within these groups of followers (or churches), and they are instructions for how to think and how to live in this new kingdom that Jesus had established.
We too have the opportunity to respond to the good news of Jesus’ kingdom, just like the first followers of Jesus did. The promises made to them apply to us as well. We may receive salvation from sin and its penalty (death) through faith in Jesus. Trusting Jesus involves acknowledging him as Messiah (or king), recognizing our sin and turning away from it, and joining Jesus in his death and resurrection (by being baptized). We should not think that this salvation is a transaction with God; the work of salvation is done entirely by God. We are saved by grace (or God’s favorable disposition toward us). Freedom from sin and its penalty is a gift.
As Peter promised at the Pentecost speech, those who respond positively to Jesus’ offer of salvation from sin are given the Holy Spirit. He works in believers to give them the power to turn away from sin. As we submit to the Holy Spirit, we grow in our desire and ability to live by God’s standards (loving God and loving others).
Jesus promised his followers that he would someday return and completely establish his kingdom, removing every evil thing from the earth. In this way, God’s good creation will be restored to its original state. This promise is also for those who die before Jesus’ return, as they will be raised from the dead to participate in this eternal kingdom.