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P1A-00: The Grand Narrative of the Bible

1. Creation

Discussion Question: Is there a purpose for the world and for me?

● Purpose implies intent, and intent implies design.
● God, who is without a beginning or end, all-knowing, not limited by anything, and perfect in every way – made and designed everything through His word out of nothing.
● God created humans to be set apart from other creations to represent Him – His character and His authority over all creations - by being His image bearer.
God designed a special place on earth where He could be with His image bearers and allow them to be fruitful and multiply (human flourishing) as they steward His creation.
● God created humans with freedom to choose – which is central to His purpose – for men were created to love God by their free will and be loved by God.
● God put a boundary on Adam and Eve regarding the eating of the Tree of Knowledge, giving them a choice between life and death – the consequences of whether he will submit themselves to His rule or otherwise.

2. Fall/Rebellion

Discussion Questions: What is sin? How extensive is the effect of man’s fall/rebellion?

● Deceived by the devil who would do everything to ruin God’s plan and destroy what God loves, man chose to control how he would define good and evil rather than trust God and submit to His standards.
● The perversion of good had fatal consequences - fear, shame and blame entered man’s reality.
● Sin is not just an act against God. The Bible defines sin as “missing the mark”. The “mark” is God’s way, and when we miss it, we are sinning.
● Sin is also described as a power that influences people to rebel against God’s authority. Through Adam, this deadly power or propensity to sin spread to the whole of human race (Romans 5:12).
● Separation from God is the most threatening consequence of sin. This separation tragically extends to eternity – a tragic ending to what could have been a wonderful story.

3. Redemption

Discussion Question: What does it mean to be saved by God’s grace through faith?

● God promised that there will be a “deliverer” and defeater of evil who would come as the seed of the woman (Genesis 3:15, Romans 16:20) – a redemption plan that God had already orchestrated by His foreknowledge of the fall.
● The Deliverer will one day free the world from Satan, sin, and death. In the Bible, He is also known as the Christ and the Messiah.
● In order for God to accomplish His purposes through the promised Messiah, God allowed nations to be formed through the family of Noah who survived the Flood. The beginning of nations set the stage for a special group of people who descended from Abraham, his son Isaac and from Isaac’s son Jacob. The preservation of Isaac and later Jacob’s descendants - the nation of Israel – was essential for the fulfillment of God’s promise of a Redeemer.
● God gave the Israelites the Law – a standard He knew they could not live up to. But the Law represented that God is just.
● God instructed the Israelites to offer sacrifices for the atonement of sin – a practice that allows the blood of innocent animal to cover for their sins.
● While animal offerings “covered” sin, they did not take away the sin (Hebrews 10:4). But they offered a temporary solution for the problem of sin until that time when the promised Deliverer would take away sin forever (John 1:29). These sacrificial offerings allowed the Hebrew people to continue living in a right relationship with God – an essential part of His redemption plan.
● The Deliverer had to fulfill the Law in order to be the mediator and reconciler between God and man. In order to fulfill the Law, He had to be without sin.
● The promised Deliverer is 100% God who came to the world as 100% man in the person of Jesus Christ. Through the virgin birth, God protected Jesus from being polluted with the sinful nature that infected mankind through Adam.
● The fact that the Passover lamb had to be unblemished (Exodus 12:5) foreshadowed the fact that the Deliverer would be unblemished by sin (1 Peter 1:19).
● At the cross, Jesus took our sin upon Himself. He paid the penalty for our sin. He became our substitute who absorbed the wrath of God so that he could fulfill our redemption once and for all.
● God promised eternal life for those who trust Jesus Christ alone.

4. Restoration

Discussion Questions: In what ways do we see God transforming us as His redeemed people? How will God finally restore His redeemed creation?

● Our salvation unfolds in three phases:
1. Justification: We have been saved from the penalty of sin.
2. Sanctification: We are being saved from the power of sin.
3. Glorification: We will be saved from the presence of sin. These phases help us understand the full beauty of God’s redeeming work in Christ.
● Those who live by faith and receive eternal life by God’s grace are no longer slaves to sin, but the battle against sin continues throughout earthly life.
● The goal of sanctification, as Romans 8:29 teaches, is for believers to be conformed to the image of Jesus.
● Sanctification is both God’s work in us and our active response through obedience and surrender. Even now, believers are being transformed “from one degree of glory to another” (2 Corinthians 3:18).
● Glorification is the future completion of salvation when believers are fully transformed with resurrected and glorified bodies and forever freed from sin. We will no longer battle temptation, corruption, sickness, pain, or death. Glorification means perfect holiness and unhindered fellowship with God.
● Our future hope is described in the Bible where God dwells with His people in the new heaven and new earth – a totally renewed creation for everlasting existence filled with God’s presence.