The Bible: Fake News or Good News?Sample

What Is the Story of the Bible?

The Bible is a story that leads to Jesus, and invites us to become like Jesus. We touched on some of the key aspects of that story yesterday, but today we’re going to look at it more thoroughly. 

What is the story of the Bible? It’s the story of God’s redemptive plan to rescue humanity and restore creation. 

This story takes place over six major acts: 

Creation—Fall—Israel—Jesus—The Church—New Creation

Act 1, Creation: This is the beginning of God’s story. He creates everything, and He calls it good. Then He creates human beings in His image. Don’t miss this: On page one of the Bible, we are created with dignity, value, and purpose. 

We were created to live in relationship with God and partner with Him in ruling over His creation. This part of the story ends with the beautiful truth that the first human relationships were defined by complete vulnerability and there was no shame. 

Act 2, Fall: This part of the story is where everything goes wrong. Humans are tempted in the garden and give in to their desires. God wanted to partner with us, but we wanted to rule over Him. 

This moment of rebellion ravages God’s good creation as sin invades, infecting everything. Heaven and earth are ripped apart. The destructive power of sin is put on full display. 

Act 3, Israel: The rest of the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament) is the story of God establishing a kingdom of human partners who work with Him to bring peace back into the world. This starts with a man named Abraham, whom God uses to build a family, and a nation. 

As the story unfolds, we see the fallout of our rebellion against God. Every time things appear to be going really well, sin rears its ugly head and we turn our backs on God. 

But God never turns His back on us. He remains faithful. God continues to remind His people that there will come a day when sin is defeated, peace is restored, and all the nations become a part of God’s family. But the question remains: When will these promises come true? 

Act 4, Jesus: God’s promises are fulfilled when Jesus, the God of heaven and earth, enters history in human form. And He brings good news: The kingdom of God is near! 

That good news is what we call the gospel—the announcement that through Jesus, our God has once again become King, His Kingdom is coming on earth as it is in heaven, and everyone has an invitation into this kingdom.

This is the heart of the biblical story: Jesus lived, died, and rose again. As a result, everything is different—sin, death, and hell have been disarmed. Because of Jesus, we have been brought back to God and we get to partner with Him in His efforts to bring the rest of the world back to Him. 

Act 5, The Church: Before Jesus ascended to heaven, He charged His followers to continue what He started: partnering with God to rescue humanity from sin. On the cross, Jesus won the battle against sin, death, and hell, but there is still work to be done. God’s kingdom is here in part, but not yet in full. And so, as we await the day Jesus returns to finish what He started, we play our part by serving faithfully as God’s people.

Our role is to present a preview of what’s to come—when heaven and earth are one. When this happens, God will make all things new, evil will be eradicated, and the cancer of sin will finally be removed. 

Act 6, New Creation: The end of the biblical story is not God throwing out the old and bringing in the new. Instead, it’s God making all things new. 

The story ends where it began—with a garden called Eden where heaven and earth are one, and God dwells with His people. Only this time, Eden isn’t just a garden. This time, Eden will be a city that people from every tongue, tribe, and nation will call home. 

The end is just the beginning. The new creation will be free from the corruptive power of sin and filled instead with the worship of God—biblical authors tell us that it will be so good that no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no heart has imagined the things that God has in store for those who love Him. 

The story of the Bible is the story of God’s redemptive plan to rescue humanity from sin and restore creation. It’s a story that starts and ends in Eden. It’s the story of God, us, and the world. It’s a story that all of us are a part of. And it’s a story in which all of us have a part to play.