The Bible was finished 2000 years ago.  Is there a main point?  If so, what is it?  Is that point relevant today?  Is this actually the place where real meaning and purpose in life begins - as so many attest?  This is a great opportunity to educate yourself and learn the central point of this perennial best seller!

Introduction
Every book has a main point.  Even poems and articles have a main theme.  There is always,Guest Posting "the moral to the story," right?  Well, the Bible has a main point too.  The Bible addresses many subjects that are of great importance.  But there is one subject that overshadows all others - our relationship and standing before God.  There are four parts to this message.  Each will be explored in order.  The first part is the bad news or man's condition before God.  The second part is the good news, explaining what God has done about this problem.  The third part concerns man's response to this good news.  And the fourth part addresses some of the results of a positive response to this good news message.
The Bad News - Man's Condition
Every person knows there is a Creator.  God declares that He has made this known within each person (Ro 1:18-20).  But a problem has arisen between the Creator and each person.  It's called sin.  The most simple definition for sin is, "all unrighteousness is sin" (I Jn 5:17).  But what constitutes unrighteousness?  Most people compare themselves to other people in assessing if they are basically "righteous" or not.  When we do this, the Bible says we are without understanding (II Cor 10:12).  God compares each individual to His standard of righteousness.  That's where The Mosaic Law enters the picture.  It is a written record - an objective standard - as to what He deems as righteous or unrighteous behavior.  This is what we are to measure ourselves against.  So, here is the bad news.  Everyone falls short of His expectations.  "There is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins" (Eccl 7:20).  "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" (Ro 3:23). "There is none righteous, not even one" (Ro 3:10).  The Mosaic Law, rightly understood, condemns every person.  That is why the New Testament states that "the Law is holy, righteous and just," but it is "the ministry of death" (Ro 7:12 and II Cor 3:7-11)!
This bad news carries many negative consequences.  For our purposes, we will look at sin's affect upon man's relationship with God.  Isaiah flatly states, "your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God and your sins have hid His face from you so that He does not hear" (Isa 59:1,2).  When the sky is completely overcast, you still know there is a sun even though it is hidden.  Sin is like that overcast of clouds.  Most people acknowledge "God," but can only guess as to who He is, what He's like, what He a course in miracles  , or what involvement He has (if any) in one's life or world affairs in general.  Sin creates an impregnable veil.  With this in view, it is understandable why some doubt if God even exists.
This barrier creates many current troubles ... but the bad news gets worse."It is appointed for man to die once and after this comes the Judgment" (Heb 9:27). Each individual will appear before God to account for his/her life (Ro 14:12).  Every action will be recounted, as well as each word, and even each thought (Rev 20:13, Mt 12:36 and Ro 2:16).
No person can endure this level of scrutiny and come forth innocent.  Even if we correct all of our actions, words, and thoughts from this moment on, our past will still damn us.  This day of reckoning is called, "the Day of Judgment" (Mt 12:36) or, "the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord" (Mal 4:5).  The consequences for coming forth guilty is "the second death" (Rev 20:11-15).  This is an eternal state of unending suffering (Heb 6:2 and Mt 25:46).  This is bad news - very bad news.
Fortunately, while the "bad news" is the foundation of the Central Message of the Bible, it is not the end of that message.  But until one is convinced this "bad news" is indeed true, there will be no genuine interest in the Bible's "good news."  People do not seek a remedy to a problem unless they perceive there is a problem that needs remedied.  That is why a proper understanding of "the bad news" is very important.  If you don't have that, don't proceed.
The Good News
Many errantly teach that the Ten Commandments, and all the Mosaic Law, have been given to us as a guideline for right living.  As seen earlier, the New Testament calls the Mosaic Law, "the ministry of death."  It is the "Old Covenant" that "fades away" (II Cor 3:14,11). "No one is justified (made right with God) by the Law" (Gal 3:11).  And the Law is not to be the guide for Christian living (Gal 3).  There is nothing wrong with the Law - the problem is with us.