Dear New Hope
I just listened to a powerful clip: “The Bible is not a series of disconnected stories; it is a single narrative in which every story, every character points beyond itself to One who is greater…that points to One Person: Jesus.”
The Bible is comprised of 66 books, written by dozens of authors, straddling several thousand years of human history. Have you ever stopped to consider: “How do I communicate the storyline of the Bible in a way that is brief & understandable?”
Let’s try:
Creation. The story begins in Genesis 1-2 with a “Heaven & Earth world”. God creates the universe, including the earth which abounds with universal flourishing. He creates humans, who are described as “image-bearers.” Remarkably, the God who fills the heavens walks among His people. Here in Genesis, the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of men are one. There is no death and no separation between God and men.
Fall. The story of humanity swerves off a curve and hits a tree head on in Genesis 3. Sin enters the world as universal flourishing gives way to decay and pain. Humanity is separated from a Holy God. The beauty of a “Heaven & Earth world” is torn apart as humanity is banished from the presence of God to experience the full weight of sins’ curse. But even in the midst of the Genesis 3 tearing, there is a word of grace – a foreshadow – a hint toward a future date when God would crush the head of the serpent, restore the fabric of torn relationship, and redeem that which was lost.
Tabernacle & Temple. Both the tabernacle & temple was God’s dwelling place among men. It was the place where God’s glory would reside, where sacrifices would happen, where sin would be atoned for, and where God would speak to His people. It was “Heaven on Earth.” The big story throughout the Old Testament was that God had not abandoned his people to a hopeless existence, but offered a way to enter into a relationship with Him. Albeit, the tabernacle was never intended to be a permanent dwelling. It was a temporary shadow of what would later come to fullness through Christ.
Incarnation. John writes: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we have seen his glory!” God has not abandoned His creation. He who created the world, now invades His creation by sending His Son, born of a virgin. Jesus is the fullness of God’s glory. He is the tabernacle: God dwelling among men. He is the true & better Adam who resists sin, crushes the head of the serpent, redeems that which is lost, and inaugurates a new covenant. The King of Creation is put to death by the hands of wicked men, but then reverses the decay process by standing up again after the grave. This defeat of death assures humanity that we have full assurance and future hope through the resurrection from the dead.
New Heavens & New Earth. The last 2 chapters of the Bible (Revelation 21 & 22) ends with a “Heaven & Earth world”. It does not end with us “going up to heaven” but with “heaven coming down to earth.” It ends with the Heavenly Jerusalem making its dwelling among men. It ends with the King of Creation walking in the midst of His people once again. In other words, the biblical story ends where Genesis 1 & 2 began: with universal flourishing as the Kingdom of God and the domain of men are united once and for all, with Jesus at the head!
So what is the storyline of the Bible? Let me try it in one sentence:
The Bible is a story of redemption (where God rescues humanity bysending His Son), a story of resurrection (where God gives hope beyond the grave) and a story of restoration (where God recreates a “Heaven & Earth world”).
Until then, we live in a broken world; a world of chaos and conundrums; a world of Ecclesiastes where things are crooked and cannot be straightened. We live in a world where dogs die, where disease causes suffering, where couples divorce, where governments topple, and where evil is applauded. But behind this painful storyline is the truth that “This is our Father’s world!”
“This is my Father’s world. O let me ne’er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the ruler yet.
This is my Father’s world: the battle is not done:
Jesus Who died shall be satisfied,
And earth and Heav’n be one.”
You are loved,
Craig Trierweiler
