No part of the Bible is dispensable. But if I was forced to pick only 40 of the most important parts of the Bible, here is where I would direct readers. These passages highlight the point of the Bible, which is the gospel: God created the world good, and mankind went astray. The payment for our wrongdoing is eternal death. Yet God the Son took on flesh as the man Jesus Christ, to be the only one to live a righteous life, and to die on the cross as a payment for sin. By doing so he is both just (to punish sin) as well as the justifier (of all who place their faith in Him for salvation). Jesus rose to life again, so that all who trust in Him would also have bodily resurrection and eternal life. This is the good news.
| – | Bible Passage | Subject | Main Idea |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Genesis 1-2 | Creation | God in His grace created a good world |
| 2 | Genesis 3 | The Fall (Adam and Eve) | Adam and Eve had longings that they tried to fulfill outside of God’s design |
| 3 | Genesis 6 | Noah and the Flood | God flooded the world but Noah and his family found favor with God |
| 4 | Genesis 11 | The Tower of Babel | Mankind tried to glorify themselves with a tower but God dispersed them throughout the earth |
| 5 | Genesis 15 | Abraham | God promised Abraham would father many nations; Abraham believed and obeyed |
| 6 | Genesis 50 | Joseph | God rescued Joseph from his murderous brothers, and in return, through Joseph, God saved his brothers from famine |
| 7 | Exodus 1 | Slavery in Egypt | Over time, Israel became enslaved in Egypt and longed for freedom |
| 8 | Exodus 3 | Moses and the Burning Bush | God saved Moses’ life and called him to lead the Israelites |
| 9 | Exodus 9-12 | Rescued from Egypt | God parted the Red Sea and rescued Israel from Egypt |
| 10 | Exodus 20 | Ten Commandments | God gave the Ten Commandments |
| 11 | Joshua 1 | The Promised Land | The land of Canaan was again promised to Joshua as an inheritance |
| 12 | Judges 2 | Judges | The Lord provided Israel with Judges, to satisfy their longing for security from their enemies, but Israel did not listen to their Judges |
| 13 | 1 Samuel 8 | Kings | The Israelites asked God for a king, which God said is a rejection of Him |
| 14 | 1 Samuel 9 | Saul | God raised up Saul to be king, and he failed to seek God |
| 15 | 2 Samuel 5 | David | David was anointed as king to replace Saul which eventually led to the division of Israel. |
| 16 | 1 Kings 1 | Solomon | David’s son Solomon was anointed king and built the temple |
| 17 | 1 Kings 12 | Divided Kingdoms | Israel was divided between the north and south |
| 18 | 2 Kings 25 | Exile | The cities of both Samaria in the North and Jerusalem in the south fell, and the people of Israel were exiled |
| 19 | Ezra 6 | Temple | The temple was rebuilt but without its original grandeur |
| 20 | Malachi 3 | Waiting | An impatient Israel was told by God through Malachi to wait for a messenger, and 400 years of “silence” passed, where no messenger of God spoke. |
| 21 | Matthew 1 | The Birth of Jesus | Fulfilling our longing for redemption, Jesus, God the Son, was born a man |
| 22 | Mark 1 | Baptism of Jesus | Jesus was baptized by John “to fulfill all righteousness.” |
| 23 | Luke 4 | Temptation of Jesus | Jesus was tempted in the wilderness |
| 24 | Matthew 7 | Sermon on the Mount | Jesus preached one of his many sermons on the side of a mountain that we have come to know as the “Sermon on the Mount” |
| 25 | Mark 9 | The Transfiguration | Jesus’ was transfigured and announced by the Father to be His Son |
| 26 | John 12 | The Triumphal Entry | Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey as a king in what is known as The Triumphal Entry |
| 27 | John 13 | The Last Supper and Betrayal | Jesus ate his last supper before being betrayed by Judas |
| 28 | Luke 23 | Jesus’ Trial and Crucifixion | Jesus was crucified on the cross |
| 29 | Luke 24 | The Resurrection | Jesus walked and ate with his disciples |
| 30 | Acts 2 | The Holy Spirit is Given | The Holy Spirit came as promised, to dwell inside all believers in Christ |
| 31 | Acts 7 | Stephen is Martyred | Stephen was the first person recorded to give his life for speaking the good news of Jesus |
| 32 | Acts 8 | Saul | Saul Persecuted the Church |
| 33 | Acts 9 | Sauls Conversion | Jesus appeared to Saul and ordered him to preach the good news of Jesus to all |
| 34 | Acts 10-11 | Peters Ministry | Peter began his ministry |
| 35 | Acts 12-14 | The First Missionary Journey | Paul and Barnabus set out on what has been called the First Missionary Journey |
| 36 | Galatians 6 | The New Testament Writings Begin | God began inspiring the The New Testament writings of the Bible |
| 37 | Acts 15-18 | The Second Missionary Journey | Paul, Silas and Timothy set out on the Second Missionary Journey |
| 38 | Acts 19-21 | The Third Missionary Journey | Paul set out on the Third Missionary Journey |
| 39 | Acts 26-28 | Rome | Paul ministered to the Roman government and people of Rome |
| 40 | Revelation 1 | The Return of Christ | Jesus disclosed to John that He will return in glory and final victory |
Click here for the Bible study I planned based on these 40 passages, The Answers to Your Deepest Longings: 40 Days Through The Bible
Adorn the Gospel 