I’m teaching a course at Bethlehem College & Seminary this fall to second-year seminary students called “New Testament Background and Message.” We are systematically working through the NT, and prior to each time we meet for class the students must summarize the theological message of a NT book in one clear, concise sentence. Then they must briefly unpack that sentence by showing how the book’s themes support that message. (And it takes a lot of work to do that well!)

It frustrates me when books and articles discuss the “theology” of a Bible book by presenting a bucket list of parallel motifs but without showing how they integrate as one coherent theological message. So I was delighted to see that the new NIV Proclamation Bible (ed. Lee Gatiss; cf. publisher page and 40-second video) includes a one-sentence summary of the message of every book of the Bible.

I disagree with many of these one-sentence summaries (which are rather uneven), but it’s still helpful to consider how others articulate the messages. These are from the introduction to each book of the Bible:

1. Genesis. The Creator God is faithful to his covenant promises and redeems humanity through the promised line, despite their sin and rebellion. (Seulgi Byun)

2. Exodus. Trust, obey and worship the redeeming, covenant-making God who is with us. (Douglas Stuart)

3. Leviticus. The holy God makes his people holy, calls them to be holy, and provides atonement through blood when they are not. (Robin Weekes)

4. Numbers. God has saved us and, as we travel through the wilderness of this world, we need to go on exercising faith to enter the inheritance Christ has secured for us. (Adrian Reynolds)
5. Deuteronomy. God’s people are called to respond to God’s salvation with love and loyalty, worshipping the one true God in the midst of surrounding cultural idolatries and living in the midst of the nations as a community shaped at every level of life by God’s character of grace, justice, purity, compassion and generosity. (Chris Wright)
6. Joshua. God gave the Land he promised and Israel took it (11:23; 21:43-45). (Liam Goligher)

7. Judges. The book of Judges demonstrates that if the Israelites survive the dark days of Canaanisation under the judges it is entirely to the Lord’s credit. (Daniel I. Block)

8. Ruth.The Lord is committed to his people even in the darkest days, and will preserve his plan of salvation through a godly king, for both Jews and Gentiles. (Daniel I. Block)
9. 1–2 Samuel. Even the best human leaders fail us, but God is faithful to his people and promised a king who would be powerful, wise, righteous and faithful. (John Woodhouse)
10. 1–2 Kings. Ruling justly and wisely depends on obeying God’s Word, and disobeying has serious consequences. (Bob Fyall)
11. 1–2 Chronicles. Restore the people, raise up the king and renew the temple; then God will pour out his blessings. (Richard L. Pratt, Jr)
12. Ezra-Nehemiah. In response to God fulfilling his promises, his people should repent, reform and ‘follow the Law of God’, or literally, ‘walk in the Law of God’ (Neh. 10:29). (Peter Adam)
13. Esther. God fulfills his redemptive promises through his divine providence. (Karen H. Jobes)
14. Job. The obedient suffering of a believer brings glory to God. (Christopher Ash)
15. Psalms. Praise the Lord: meditate on his circumstance-defying covenant love in the Messiah! (James Hely Hutchinson)
16. Proverbs. Proverbs recognizes the difficulties of living in God’s complex world and offers wise words to live by. (Simon Vibert)
17. Ecclesiastes. Death and judgment are the only fixed realities in life, and everything else is uncertain and often subject to frustration and sorrow. (David Gibson)
18. Song of Songs. Desire wisdom, desire your husband or wife, and above all desire Christ. (Ros Clarke)
19. Isaiah. God will rescue and renew a faithful, obedient people for himself, out of the ashes of Israel’s failure and exile, through the coming of his Servant King (the Messiah). (David Jackman)
20. Jeremiah. ‘Therefore that he may raise, the Lord throws down.’ –John Donne (Andrew Shead)
21. Lamentations. ‘In your righteous wrath, O LORD, remember mercy!’ (Mervyn Eloff)
22. Ezekiel. Align yourselves with the God who has acted in judgment on Judah, and with the Israel which God is restoring. (James Robson)
23. Daniel. God always remains the true God, so stay faithful to him despite pressure to compromise. (Graham Beynon)
24. Hosea. ‘Go, show your love to your wife again, through she is loved by another man and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, through the turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.’ (3:1) (Canon David Gibb)
25. Joel. Judgment day is approaching, so sincerely repent, call on the name of the Lord, and you will be blessed. (Paul Williamson)
26. Amos. The sovereign Lord will not tolerate a proud and complacent people, but will judge all human evil with perfect justice so that his kingdom may come. (Andrew Shead)
27. Obadiah. Divine sovereignty is the audacious theme of Obadiah, seen in the impending role reversal of Edom and Judah on the day of the Lord. (Jonathan Gibson)
28. Jonah. ‘Salvation comes from the LORD’ (2:9), who is the Creator and Lord of the nations. (Bob Fyall)
29. Micah. ‘He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.’ (6:8) (Myrto Theocharous)
30. Nahum. The Lord will bring inescapable and deserved judgment on mighty Assyria, and this is good news for God’s people, Judah. (Justin Mote)
31. Habakkuk. Be joyful and secure in an unjust world, by trusting in the God who promises to deliver his people and defeat evil. (Paul Darlington)
32. Zephaniah. God will judge the sin and rebellion of the world, but there is hope because of the character and promises of God. (Simon Austen)
33. Haggai. The rebuilding of the Lord’s temple will bring about an even greater glory. (Seulgi Byun)
34. Zechariah. In a time of economic and spiritual crisis, the prophet Zechariah challenged a new generation to become participants, not spectators, in the plans the Lord Almighty has for the restoration of temple, city and society, and to welcome the Lord, the King of Jerusalem and King of the whole earth. (Wolter Rose)
35. Malachi. ‘“I have loved you,” says the LORD.’ (1:2) (Peter Adam)
36. Matthew. Become disciples of Jesus, so that you may participate in the kingdom of the heavens, and make further disciples in all the nations. (Ben Cooper)
37. Mark. Jesus, God’s Son, King and Servant, has come, died and risen that we may know, confess and serve him. (R.C. Lucas)
38. Luke. You can be confident that Jesus, in his life, death, resurrection and ascension, heralds the fulfilment of all God’s promises in the Old Testament. (Matthew Sleeman)
39. John. Believe that Jesus is the Son who came from the Father to reveal him, and has returned to the Father to open up the way to life for his people. (Gavin Perkins)
40. Acts. The ascended Lord Jesus continues to draw people from every nation to himself, growing his church through the preaching of the word and the ministry of the Spirit. (David Peterson)
41. Romans. God is glorified in a united missionary Church humbled together under grace. (Christopher Ash)
42. 1 Corinthians. All believers in Christ are God’s holy temple and should live in keeping with that holy status by becoming unified, shunning pagan vices and glorifying God under the lordship of Jesus. (Brian Rosner)
43. 2 Corinthians. Be confident in the “weak” but authentic ministry of gospel proclamation. (William Taylor)
44. Galatians. The grace of God in the gospel and the promised Spirit are sufficient both for salvation and the Christian life. (Simon Gathercole)
45. Ephesians. You are one in Christ now, so be united and stand firm in him. (Lee Gatiss)
46. Philippians. Live joyfully as citizens of God’s kingdom in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. (Matthew Harmon)
47. Colossians. “Just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him.” (2:6) (John Woodhouse)
48. 1 Thessalonians. Be reassured in the truth of gospel and press on in living it out, despite opposition, until Jesus returns. (Graham Beynon)
49. 2 Thessalonians. While waiting expectantly for Christ’s glorious return, live lives of faithful perseverance, patient vigilance and obedient service. (Mark O’Donoghue)
50. 1 Timothy. Local churches need gospel-driven leaders to guard their conformity to gospel truth. (Julian Hardyman)
51. 2 Timothy. Guard for future generations the precious deposit of God’s glorious, life-giving gospel, despite opposition. (Sophie de Witt)
52. Titus. Change in belief by the power of the gospel leads to changed lives, so straighten out those deceived by false teachers. (Melvin Tinker)
53. Philemon. The gospel is powerful to reconcile deeply (and understandably) estranged people. (Mark Maynell)
54. Hebrews. Because Jesus is utterly supreme, Christians should stick with him alone whatever happens. (Peter O’Brien)
55. James. Christians need to be entirely focused on God in all that they do. (Douglas Moo)
56. 1 Peter. God’s chosen people should live God-glorifying, Christlike lives amidst suffering and persecution, assured of ultimate glory themselves. (Angus MacLeay)
57. 2 Peter. Those who are truly known by God, and know him in Christ, are those who resist the theological and moral laxities of godless preachers and remain robustly tied to the apostolic message. (David Helm)
58. 1 John. You can know you are Christians because you believe Jesus is the Christ, you recognize your sin and you love fellow Christians. (Moore Casement)
59. 2 John. The one who knows the truth loves God, through obeying his commands, loving his people and not being hospitable to the false teacher. (Jane Tooher)
60. 3 John. The one who walks in the truth will be in partnership with Christians, and not reject them. (Jane Tooher)
61. Jude. Contend for the faith in the face of godless denial and immorality. (Nat Schluter)
62. Revelation. Willingness to suffer for faith in and worship of the sovereign God and his Christ is the path to ultimate victory and the triune God’s glory in the new creation. (G.K. Beale)

Update:

1. 2/13/2014: My OT colleague Jason DeRouchie and I attempt to present the Old Testament and New Testament in 10 minutes.
2. 3/30/2017: The most updated version of my one-sentence summaries is “What Is the Theological Message of Each Book in the New Testament?”—pages 191–93 in this book.