The Grand Story of The Bible
Understanding God’s Meta-Narrative in Themes
The Bible is like a map. There are many different countries and continents that are represented on the map, there are different bodies of water, and you can even look deeper into the territories of each continent and find their capital. However, the most important feature of a map is showing you what the whole continental world looks like when put together.
The Bible functions in the same way. It is a book comprised of many books, but they all tell one story. There are books that tell awesome stories of God walking with his people like the book of Exodus, and there are songs and poems like those found in the Psalms or the Proverbs. There are books of history as well, like the book of Acts, which tells the story of the Church’s beginnings, but all of them point to one main story.
The main story of the Bible is this: God, the Creator of the Universe and Father of all men has chosen for his people, who rebelled against his law, to be brought back into a good relationship with him as his children through the redeeming sacrifice of the life of his Son, Jesus Christ. This is known as the Gospel, which is from a Greek word meaning “good news”.
Creation: Genesis 1–2, John 1:1–5
The Bible starts with the first book of the Old Testament which is known as Genesis. The first two chapters of Genesis account for God’s creation of the world, which he did by speaking things into existence when there was nothing there, and he formed humanity out of the dust, shaping them into his image and breathing life into them. The world was perfect without any mistake; but, unfortunately, evil was looming on the horizon, an evil that causes humanity to make a terrible choice that would lead to the destruction of creations intended goodness. Thankfully, God is God, and his plan always comes to fruition. Where the old creation fails, a new creation is being birthed…
Fall: Genesis 3, Romans 1:18–32, 3:23
Eve, the wife of Adam, is approached by a serpent with some pretty dark intentions. He calls into question God’s commands for her, and she replies with an answer that is not exactly what God told her to do. The serpent proposes the idea that will plague humanity from this point in history onward. The serpent, in essence, says that what God says isn’t really true, and that he is just holding out on you what is good for your life, and that he does not have your best interest.
Adam and Eve gave into this lie and took part in breaking God’s one and only command for them. This rebellious act is known as sin, and it’s what led to our exile from God’s presence not just in the Garden of Eden, but for eternity unless we were saved.
Sin wasn’t just a one-time thing either, but rather it has become our natural disposition as people from Adam’s lineage. Just like in the garden, we look to the creation, rather than the creator, to find a place for our desires and affections to rest, but they never afford us what it is we truly need, which is the presence of God…There is no way in our own effort, that we could rescue ourselves or earn God’s favor back. That’s how much God hates sin.
Sinners and Savior: Psalm 2, John 1:9–18, Romans 5:1–11
The Fall of Creation was absolutely tragic. Humanity is in the constant rebellion of God’s purposes for their lives, rather than seeking a relationship with him. If that’s all there was to the story, then we as a people are no more than justly condemned sinners left for dead, apart from the presence. However, that’s not what the God of the Bible had in store for his people. As humanity’s rebellion begins, so does the plan for humanity’s reconciliation with the heavenly Father.
God decides that he needs to make a personal appearance in the midst of humanity’s chaos (he has made a lot of those, but this one really takes the cake here). He sends Jesus, who was told about to the people of Israel in the OT Scriptures, known to them as the Messiah. All the different prophecies about a coming King are fulfilled when Jesus steps on the scene. He is a better and more authoritative teacher than Moses (who wrote the law), he is a kind and merciful king (not a ruthless and tyrannical kings as Israel has been enslaved to in past years), and he is a perfect sacrifice for all sin in all time (not just a temporary one sufficient only for a year according to the Levitical practices in the OT). Jesus is the Son of God, not as in biological son from birth, but rather this is his role in the Holy Trinity, as one who carries out the will of the Father.
He lives life as was intended for humanity, making him the only true and blameless man to walk the earth and be in the presence of God after Adam. He is also fully God, so to take the sin humanity upon himself, be killed and then resurrect from the dead is only a burden he could shoulder, and he did.
Church: Luke 24: 45–49, Acts 1:1–11, 2:42–47
All who believe in this good news have eternal life, reconciliation with the Father, and are filled with a new kind of breath. The Holy Spirit (who is the third member of the Trinity) fills the believer, sealing their salvation and identifying them as children of God to the Father and the world. They are set apart to proclaim the good news about who Jesus is and what he has done throughout the whole world as they go about their lives, giving glory to their Father who is in heaven.
Restoration: Romans 8, 1 Cor. 15:35–49, Revelation 19
God doesn’t leave things the way they are, as we have seen so far in the story. This world, even though Jesus has purchased redemption for us, is not all there is. There is a new creation on the horizon. God will show and complete his mission for his people, and they will join life as it was meant to be in heaven. There will be no more sin, death, shame, or brokenness; only life everlasting, and full worship of the living God by his people.
