Q: What does the Bible primarily teach?

A: The Bible primarily teaches what man must believe about God and what God requires of man.

Read the following Scriptures

The Bible teaches the Gospel. What God requires of us is that we repent and believe the Gospel.

Can you live a right life while holding a wrong faith? The Christian life with wrong doctrine?

No! Since right living is completely based on faith, you could not have a life right with God if your faith was not right. Apart from faith it is impossible to please God. I’m not talking about minor doctrines here. I’m talking about the big ones. You must understand who God is (Christ). You must understand your need for a savior, and the good news of the Gospel. Beyond that, the more Biblically faithful your doctrine, the more pleasing to God your practice will be.

Must obedience follow faith? Can a person be justified and not sanctified?

No! Faith without works is dead and does not save. (James 2)

There is no such thing as true faith unless it also results in right practice.

What is the Gospel?

God is the holy creator of the universe. All men have disobeyed him and are guilty and deserving of death. Jesus is the Son of God and came to earth, lived the perfect life we should have lived, died the death we should have died, appeased the wrath of a holy God, making a way for us to be reconciled to God, through Jesus alone.

What kind of thing is the Gospel?

According to John Piper, the Gospel is six things.

1. A plan (God’s plan from all eternity)
2. An event in history (the death of Jesus on the cross)
3. An accomplishment (the paying of the debt owed because of sin, on the cross, by Jesus)
4. A free offer (of forgiveness of sins)
5. Application (of the achievement to me, justification)
6. The means of bringing us to God (which is the entire purpose)