In order to know what the kernel of the Bible is, we need to consider Ephesians 1:9. This verse says, “Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself.” This verse speaks of the mystery of God’s will. God’s eternal will has a mystery. A mystery is something that cannot be understood, for anything that is easy to understand is not mysterious. If you were to ask the angels what the mystery of God’s will is, they would answer that they do not know. They are simply our servants, and they do not know what the will of God is, much less the mystery of God’s will. Since the angels do not know what the mystery of God’s will is, we must consult Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians. In chapter one of this Epistle Paul indicates that if we would know the mystery of God’s will, we need a spirit of revelation (Eph. 1:17). The mystery of God’s will is revealed to our spirit. Therefore, instead of overly exercising your mentality in this matter, you should exercise your spirit to pray and ask the Lord to show you the mystery of God’s will. We all need to say, “O Lord, show me the mystery of Your will. For this, I need a spirit of revelation. Lord, I don’t just want to know—I want to see. I thank You that You have given me a good mind, but my mind is not adequate to know the mystery of Your will. O Lord, reveal this matter to me.” If you pray like this, the Lord will surely answer your prayer.
In Greek, Ephesians 3:9-11 speaks of the mystery of God’s economy. This word “economy” is rather troublesome, for its meaning in the Bible is different from its meaning in present usage. The economy in the Bible is not a matter of finance; it is a matter of God’s administration, God’s arrangement, and God’s dispensation. This economy of God also has a mystery. Furthermore, God’s economy is related to His eternal purpose. Hence, it is important to know three things: the mystery of God’s will, the mystery of God’s economy, and God’s eternal purpose. If we know these three matters, then we shall know what the kernel of the Bible is. The kernel of the Bible is the mystery of God’s will, the mystery of God’s economy, and the eternal purpose of God.
Ephesians 5:32 reveals that the kernel of the Bible is Christ and the church. According to this verse, Christ and the church are a great mystery. This great mystery is the kernel of the Bible. Taking Christ and the church out of the Bible would be like removing a man’s heart from his body. However, although Christ and the church are so crucial, this kernel is very hidden.
In the first three chapters of Genesis, Jesus Christ is not mentioned by name. Apparently, there is no reference to Christ in this portion of the Word. However, actually Christ is found in these chapters. The light in Genesis 1 denotes Christ, but this is not the crucial aspect of Christ hidden in this chapter. There is something hidden in this chapter referring to Christ, and that is the image of God spoken of in verse 26. In this verse God says, “Let us make man in our image.” Verse 27 says, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him.” Verse 26 speaks of “our image,” and verse 27, of “his own image.” In whose image was man created, and who is the image of God? Colossians 1:15 says that Christ is “the image of the invisible God,” and 2 Corinthians 4:4 speaks of “Christ, who is the image of God.” Although the word Christ is not found in Genesis 1, we do have the word image. If we have the revelation, we can see that the image of God mentioned in Genesis 1:26 is Christ. Man was made in the image of God, and the fact that the image of God is Christ indicates that man was made according to Christ.
Man was made in the image of Christ just as a glove is made in the image of a hand. A glove is made in the image of the hand for the purpose of containing the hand. In like manner, man was made according to Christ for the purpose of containing Christ. Thus, we see a hidden aspect of Christ in Genesis 1:26. Writing the word Christ above the word image in this chapter will help you realize that man was made in the form of Christ and according to Christ. However, this image is merely the outward form; we have not yet come to the matter of inward life.
The inward life is found in Genesis 2, where we see the word “life” (v. 9). After God created man, He placed him in a garden. In the center of this garden there was the tree of life. God’s intention in putting man before the tree of life was that man would receive the divine life. Who is this divine life? The answer is in Colossians 3:4, which says that Christ is our life. Therefore, Christ is both God’s image and our life. We were made according to Christ that we might contain Christ, and Christ is destined to be our life. If we do not have Christ, we do not have the divine life (1 John 5:11-12). Although we may have the outward form of the image of God, without Christ we do not have the inward life. Therefore, we need Christ to be our inward life.