By: Micah Evans<\/p>\n
Like a puzzle without a complete picture, the Bible can be really hard to understand without an understanding of the big picture. The Bible is one unified story with several key pieces: Creation, Fall, Christ, Response, Reconciliation.<\/p>\n
Creation – The Bible\u2019s Beginning<\/strong> Fall – The Problem of Sin<\/strong> Redemption – The Work of Christ<\/strong> Response – Repentance and Faith<\/strong> Reconciliation\u00a0 – Present and Future Hope<\/strong> By: Micah Evans Like a puzzle without a complete picture, the Bible can be really hard to understand without an understanding of the big picture. The Bible is one unified story with several key pieces: Creation, Fall, Christ, Response, Reconciliation. Creation – The Bible\u2019s Beginning \u201cIn the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth … <\/p>\n
\n\u201cIn the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1). The Bible begins with God. Before anything else was, God was. The Bible\u2019s very opening lines shout of God\u2019s power, his creative beauty, and his incomprehensible glory. As the opening scene continues, it underscores that all of God\u2019s work is \u201cgood\u201d
\n(Gen 1:4; 1:10; 1:12; 1:21; 1:25).\u00a0 But the opening scenes of the Bible slow down to make obvious that human beings–man and woman–were created with unique dignity and worth. God made man and woman in his image (Gen 1:27). God imprinted his glory in each and every human being. He did this so that we could live joyfully in His presence, in humble submission to His gracious authority. The first man–Adam–and first woman–Eve–had an untarnished relationship with both God and each other…for a time.<\/p>\n
\nThey had complete freedom to live in friendship and trust in God, but they chose to rebel (Genesis 3:1-7).\u00a0 Because God designed Adam to represent all of\u00a0 humanity (Romans 5:12), his sin was catastrophic not only for him, but for the entire human race (Romans 5:18). Our rebellion has now brought upon us both
\nphysical death and God\u2019s righteous and eternal wrath. Apart from God\u2019s merciful intervention, eternal separation from God in hell awaits all of us.
\n(2 Thessalonians 1:8-9)\u00a0 Through Adam and Eve\u2019s sin, we all died spiritually (Romans 3:1-20; Ephesians 2:1-10) and all of God\u2019s world was affected. As a result, sin is a sickness of the heart that has universally infected all of us: \u201cfor all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God\u201d (Romans 3:23).\u00a0 The gravity of sin cannot be overstated. Sin is the reason why evil and sorrow abound in our world. The world is a messed-up place because sin destroys and devastates. The sin we see in the world \u201cout there\u201d shows up \u201cin here\u201d: in our very own hearts. Just like Adam and Eve–we also have chosen to determine good and evil–right and wrong–for ourselves. By doing so we rejected God\u2019s authority, rebelled against God himself, and declared war on the very Creator we were made to enjoy.\u00a0 Thankfully, God immediately initiated a rescue plan that would reverse the curse of sin (Gen 3:15). He sets in motion a plan to set his people free from sin and judgement. Though God delivers his people out of slavery, gives them His holy law, and leads them into a land of their own, the people continue to sin and rebel. By the end of the Old Testament storyline, the stage has been finally set for God\u2019s ultimate redemptive work.<\/p>\n
\nThen, \u201cat just the right time\u201d (Romans 5:6), when the \u201cset time had fully come\u201d (Galatians 4:4), \u201cwhile we were still sinners Christ died for us\u201d (Romans 5:8). Jesus, the eternal Son of God (John 1:1; Matthew 3:17) and greater Adam (Romans 5:15-17; 1 Corinthians 15:21-22), took on flesh and blood (John 1:14), lived a sinless life (Hebrews 4:15), and \u201cbore our sins in his body on the tree\u201d (1 Peter 1:24). At the cross, Jesus paid for sin–he \u201cwrote the check\u201d–for all of the sins of his people (Romans 3:24-25). And three days later, He resurrected from the dead; demonstrating to the world that the check had cleared. Jesus\u2019 resurrection gloriously thunders this truth: the enemies introduced to us in the garden–sin, death, and Satan–have been beheaded. It is for good reason then, that Revelation 5 simultaneously refers to Jesus as the humble Lamb who was slain for sin and the roaring Lion who has conquered sin.\u00a0 This is glorious news–the greatest news in all the universe–but it\u2019s not good news unless it is received. A letter containing a million-dollar check isn\u2019t much good if you don\u2019t open the letter. So how do you
\nreceive this salvation God has provided in Christ?<\/p>\n
\nJesus\u2019 first words of his public ministry call people everywhere to \u201crepent and believe the gospel\u201d (Mark 1:15). Repentance and faith aren\u2019t two separate commands–they are two sides of the same coin. Repentance is about what we turn from<\/em>,\u00a0 and faith is about what we turn to<\/em>. (Acts 20:21)\u00a0 Repenting from <\/em>our sin means “agreeing with God” about<\/em> out sin.\u00a0 It\u2019s confessing \u201cyou are right about my
\nsin God, and I am in the wrong\u201d. In repentance we confess our sins and wrongdoing (1 John 1:9). In repentance we own our sin and bring it before the Lord knowing only He can cover our guilt (Luke 18:9-14).\u00a0 In faith, we trust in<\/em> Jesus’ accomplished work and believe <\/em>that His is who He says He is. \u00a0(Romans 10:9-10;
\nMatthew 16:16) True faith according to the Bible is resting our confidence not on what we have done, but on what Jesus has done for us (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:4-6). All who turn from their sin and trust in Christ are a \u201cnew creation\u201d
\n(2 Corinthians 5:17) and no longer under condemnation (Romans 8:1).<\/p>\n
\nBy trusting in Christ, we are reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:18-19). We are now reconciled ambassadors for Christ; proclaiming the good news of his accomplished rescue mission to the world (2 Corinthians 5:20). We proclaim to the world the good news that there is a mediator–a representative–between God and man: the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5), and there is no other name by which we can be saved (Acts 4:12). Before he ascended into heaven, Jesus commissioned his people–the church–to take this glorious message to the world (Matthew 28:19-20) by the power of His Spirit (Acts 1:8).\u00a0 The Bible promises that Jesus will return to earth as the conquering King (Acts 1:11; Hebrews 9:28). We
\nwill live in his presence eternally in a world free from sin–in a better Eden–what the Bible calls a New Heavens and New Earth (Revelation 21-22). No more sin, sorrow, pain, injustice, suffering, hurt, or turmoil. Each and every heart longs for this very place. In fact, we were made for it.\u00a0 This is God\u2019s \u201cbig picture puzzle-piece\u201d; His glorious plan of salvation through Christ.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"