One Biblical Principle

Q: Is there one theme that runs consistently through the Bible? I mean is there one Biblical principle that is so fundamental as to rise above all the rest?

A: There are several - which means that the answer to your question is probably no. Someone once asked Jesus if there were one commandment that would be greater than all the others. Jesus said, "Love the Lord with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it. Love your neighbor as you would love yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." (Matthew 22:37-40)

What did Jesus mean? He meant that everything God requires of us is built on these two key principles. Love God and put Him first in our loves. Then love others the way we ourselves would like to be loved. Literally everything else that God requires of His people ride on these foundations.

Beyond this, I can think of one other key principle that is core to everything the Bible has to say. Simply put, "Do not fear." Almost every single book in the Bible has at least one verse that instructs us to, "Fear not." It starts in Genesis 15:1 and continues through Revelation 1:17.

Invariably the message is that God's people are not to be ruled by or make decisions according to their human emotions. Being fearful in the face of intimidating circumstances is a human response. God calls His people to rise above that and move through intimidating experiences with a firm trust in Him to be with us, be our provider, etc.