How the Bible Comes to Us
The Bible comes to us in two ways, from God through human authors, and over time as a unified story.Over time in the form of a unified story.
I just wrote about the Bible having many writers and one Originator, and this same idea of many and one applies to the main story of the Bible as well. Although each book or section of the Bible was written down by a different person and may have different themes or stories, an overarching narrative encompasses the whole of the Bible. This comes from the fact that there is only one Author, one main Person from who the entire Bible was created.From God via human authors.
The Bible is both a divine book and a human book; this means that both God and man had their part in writing down the words. So, an obvious question arises: “Who is the author of the Bible?” However, we first need to define our terms, what does “author” really mean? I like this definition from Merriam Webster Dictionary: “1. the writer of a literary work (such as a book).” Just looking at that definition we can conclude that humans are the author of the Bible, right? Well, not exactly, “2. a. one that originates or creates something,” this sense of the definition describes God’s role in the creation of the Bible, and in fact, the next definition is: “2. b. capitalized : GOD.” I think Merriam Webster has the perfect definition of author. It shows that both the physical writer and the originator have a part in being the author, but ultimately, it is God who authored the Bible in its fullness. “All Scripture is God-breathed…” (2 Timothy 3:16) and therefore, the Bible’s words are God’s words, they come from Him through the hands of His chosen scribes. The Bible isn’t some history book with a bunch of authors; it’s a book with one Author (Originator) and many penmen (writers).Over time in the form of a unified story.
I just wrote about the Bible having many writers and one Originator, and this same idea of many and one applies to the main story of the Bible as well. Although each book or section of the Bible was written down by a different person and may have different themes or stories, an overarching narrative encompasses the whole of the Bible. This comes from the fact that there is only one Author, one main Person from who the entire Bible was created.What is the central unifying theme of the Bible storyline?
In Luke 24 and John 5, Jesus describes how everything written in the Old Testament witnesses of Him and how He has come to fulfill all the prophecies. And in His fulfillment, Jesus will also bring the law to its intended goal (Matthew 5). Not only does Jesus declare this in the Sermon on the Mount, but Peter preaches this in the past tense on the day of Pentecost. Peter tells the crowd how Jesus had fulfilled all that was spoken of Him, pointing to Joel and Psalms specifically. These passages highlight the connection between the Old and the New Testaments: Jesus. From the Fall and the need for Jesus to Revelation and the returning of Jesus the Bible points to a need for a Savior, the Savior.What are some ways we can trace the Bible storyline from beginning to end?
A. The Bible storyline and the two testaments
In the Old Testament the story for the rest of the Bible is set up: the need for a Savior and the prophesy of Him (as stated in the previous question). The New Testament is the fulfilling of what the Old Testament prophesied of and the promise of a time where we will be with Christ. From Adam being a type of Christ, to the Passover being a representation of Him, Christ is throughout the Bible in places that aren’t as obvious as prophesy or the Gospels. Christ’s coming is the climax of the story, dividing the Biblical account into two parts, anticipation and expounding (CBE 50-51).B. The Bible storyline and its four major plot movements
The four major plot movements are Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration. Creation is God’s perfect world where we were made to love, serve, and glorify Him. However, we as humans sinned, breaking a relationship with God and creating the need for Christ. Redemption is God’s saving of our broken relationship with Him and addressing our sin through Christ’s death and resurrection. Finally, restoration is when God recreates that perfect world where we love, serve, and glorify Him, but for eternity in heaven and on a new creation.C. The Bible storyline and the six major covenants
There are six covenants in the Bible also help set up the Biblical storyline, but what is a covenant? A covenant is like a contract between God and another party, but with an additional emphasis on a relationship between the two. The first is the Adamic covenant in Genesis 3:15, where Jesus is promised as the seed of Adam and Eve who will crush human sin and reconnect our relationship with God. The next is the Noahic in Genesis 6-9, showing the depravity of the human condition, and the need the Savior mentioned in the Adamic covenant. It also promised that God would never slaughter the whole world with a flood again. The third is the Abrahamic throughout Genesis 12-22, where God promises Abraham to make his children uncountable, turn them into a great nation for His glory, and bless the nations through them. The Mosaic covenant in Exodus 19 builds directly upon the Abrahamic, setting up laws to set Israel apart from other nations and protecting them as God’s chosen people. The Davidic covenant in 2 Samuel 7 sets up the lineage of the spoken Savior in the Adamic, picking the ruler over Israel and promising that The Seed would come through him. Finally, the New Covenant prophesied in Jeremiah 31:31 wraps up the covenants by mending our relationship to God by sending a Savior to come, suffer, and take the punishment for our sin on His shoulders to save us.D. The Bible storyline and the 66 books in 8 major sections
There are 8 major sections to the Bible: the Pentateuch, Historical Books, Wisdom Literature, Prophetic Books, Gospels, Acts, Letters, and Revelation. The Pentateuch focuses on God’s creation of the universe, our need for a savior, and the start of God’s plan to redeem His people. The Historical Books give a storyline of God’s chosen people as they turn against God Himself, showing our need for a Someone to save us from our sins. The Wisdom Literature is a contrast to Israel’s sin, showing us how to live a godly lifestyle. The Prophetic Books tell of Someone who can live that godly lifestyle perfectly, Someone who can mend our broken relationship with God. The Gospels are the books describing Jesus’s life and ministry on earth, written as historical records and directed to different people groups. Acts describes the ministry and the people of the early church as the Gospel spread to the nations, and the Letters were written to the churches of the world as they spread. Revelation is the final book and the conclusion of both the prophesies of Christ and the destruction of sin, death, and destruction. You can click here to view a full chart of the books of the Bible that talks about main chapters, characters, events, and themes.How does the Bible storyline relate to a Biblical worldview?
A worldview is the way that you interpret and comprehend the world around you. A biblical worldview is interpreting and comprehending the world through the lens of the Bible and then applying its principles to the way that you live. As you understand the overarching story of the Bible, you learn how to apply it to your daily life. When problems arise you learn to look to the Bible to understand what to do, and how to glorify God through it all.Creation
The Bible starts by describing how all things, immaterial and material, come from the direct act of God speaking them into existence (Gen. 1). He created rules about how the world works called creational norms, establishing patterns into the very nature of creation. Because God created all things, He also created humans, but more specifically, He created humans in the image of Himself (Gen. 1:27). We, therefore, must be mirrors of the One who created us, reflecting God in all we do.Fall
However, we aren’t perfect, and there are times where we aren’t reflecting who God is in His perfection. One of these many times is called the Fall (Gen. 3:1-7), the first time when humanity sinned, cursing all who will come after (Gen 3:16-19). The effects of the Fall alter how we view the world drastically. Because humans are cursed, we now deal with suffering (v19a), pain (v16), and death (v19b). But God also made a promise to us (v15): that He would provide a Savior to bring us back into a loving relationship with Him.Redemption
This promise of a Seed who will save us from our sins is fulfilled through Christ when He died on the cross. The wrath of God was taken upon Him, covering the cost of the penalty for our sins and giving us a divine grace that we don’t deserve. Through His son, He is now able to bring us back into a relationship with Him, where we can glorify and praise Him forever.Restoration
Now that He has redeemed the world, He can now restore the world to its former glory, and its glorification of Him. The old order of the world will give way for God’s new creation, where we can reflect God for who He truly is. A perfect creation where there is once again no suffering, no pain, and no death. A world where we live in harmony with Him and with others for eternity.What does it look like to apply a biblical worldview?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7QDGEF-DN0Title: The Man Who Killed Halloween
Creator: Brew
(This video is a documentary of what happened around the infamous story of “The Candy Man”)