The standard Christian Bible is a collection of books divided into two main sections.
One section was written before the birth of Christ, called the Old Testament.
The New Testament was written during and after Christ's birth.
 

Authors who were inspired by God wrote these books to teach, educate, and provide a way of life that is respectful, healthy, moral, righteous, and honorable.
The writers were generally Israelites and most certainly believed in God.
Many of the authors were in close contact with God through dreams, prayer, and God's intervention in their lives.
 

God is revealed in the Bible.
God's likes and dislikes are exposed.
The books have stories of God's behavior and his interaction with the Israelites.
The Bible outlines God's commands and codes of behavior and conduct.
 

​The Bible is the guidebook for people to live by.
The books explain the purpose of life.
It gives a set of social rules to follow so that we all can live with one another.
The Bible provides examples of leading a safe and wholesome life.
The Bible has stories about those that followed God's rules and the demise of those that disobeyed his commands.
 

Life after death is revealed.
The books describe what happens at death and the eternal life that is available after death, depending on your belief in God.
The available options are going to a terrible place called Hell as a punishment or a wonderful place called Heaven as a reward.
Believers will live for an eternity after death in harmony.
 

The first main theme throughout the Bible is that  Earth is God's creation. 
The Old Testament books consistently reinforce this theme.
God created earth and all its inhabitants for his purpose or glorification.
The first humans were conceived as perfect persons and given a perfect paradise (the Garden of Eden) to live in.
However, God gave humans the ability to have free will and to choose their way of life however they wanted to.
Unfortunately, Adam and Eve, the first humans, chose a path of life that was not in line with God's wishes. People refer to this as the first sin.
Banished from their paradise, they forced themselves to live on their own, tainting their relationship with God.
All humans born, starting with Adam and Eve, have the natural instinct of this sinful nature.
As a result, God gave humans some rules and commands to live by and a method to make amends for their sin.
God made amends by the offering of live animal sacrifices.
 

The second main theme throughout the Bible is that God sent his son to Earth as a substitute sacrifice in place of the animal sacrifices.
God's son, Jesus, was sacrificed and died hanging on a wooden cross as payment for all the sins committed by all believers.
The New Testament books and the Old Testament prophesy both confirm this.
Believers no longer have to give animal sacrifices as a payment for their sins, as Jesus took the place for that.
Jesus offered a final sacrifice to atone for all humanity's sins.
 

The third main theme throughout the Bible is that there is life after death.
Life after death occurs for everyone, good or bad, believers and nonbelievers.
What a person believes and does determines whether they go to heaven or hell.
The first step to entering heaven is to believe that God exists.
Another step is to believe that God sent his son Jesus to Earth in human form as the ultimate sacrifice to pay for our sins.
It helps to believe in an unseen Divine Spirit that is part of the human makeup, giving us an internal path to God through prayer and the ability to know good from bad.
The path to heaven is secured when one becomes a believer in the above and prays to God for forgiveness of their sins and asks to be among those that are going to heaven.
The true test that shows he or she is a believer is to repent of these wrongdoings.
This simply means to stop sinning and do one's best to obey the rules and commands that God has shown us to follow in the Bible.