STORY OF GOD
The Bible tells one story about one Savior.
From Genesis to Revelation the Scriptures tell one Story fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Even before the foundations of the world we were chosen in him, that we might be holy and blameless before him (Ephesians 1:4). Jesus also told the Jews that the Scriptures testified about him (John 5:39). Which means as we read the Old Testament, the Story longs for and bears witness to the arrival of Christ, God in the flesh, to dwell with man and defeat Satan, sin, death.
Within this Story, God reveals his unwavering commitment to break the power of sin and dwell with mankind for all eternity.
The Bible's Story is also our story because it reveals our condition and the reality of sin and death in our lives. It reveals that we are born into a world that we would make for our home, and that instead of life we would choose death – but in Christ a new life, a new kingdom, and a new world is offered to us.
The Story of History
By understanding the whole Story, we better understand each part of the Story and how it all fits together.
GOD IS THE STORYTELLER
When God reveals himself he does so in creation, in time and space and history. The Story of the Bible takes us from creation, to Abraham sojourning throughout his life, and even into the halls of power of the great empires of history in Egypt, Babylon, and Assyria. God orchestrates history for the sake of his Son and the benefit of his people.
HOW DOES IT ALL FIT TOGETHER?
God reveals more of himself as history progresses. So how then do the books of the Bible fit together? When was the Exodus? When was the exile and return to the Promised Land? How do Esther or Nehemiah or the minor prophets contribute to the overarching Story and reveal what God is doing?
Understanding the whole Story arc of the Bible helps us see these are not random, separate stories, but rather each contributes to showing us more of who God is and who we are.
GOD’S REVELATION
If God has spoken to us, then the most logical question we could ask is:
"What does God want to talk about?"
GOD MOVES TOWARDS US
God reveals himself because of his grace. Apart from God's willingness to be known, mankind has no hope in and of himself to find God or do that which is pleasing and acceptable to him (Romans 3:9–18; 12:1–2). When God speaks he comes down to our level and speaks in a way that we might understand and know him. God reveals himself and his will through visions, dreams, signs, wonders, the prophets, and by speaking, and ultimately, he is perfectly revealed in Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1:1–4). God enters into covenant with mankind to further his redemptive purposes fulfilled in Jesus.
WE THEN MUST MOVE TOWARDS GOD
We also must see that when God speaks and reveals himself, it involves a radical call to follow him. God doesn't speak in a vacuum – he pushes back against the lies of the world and the deception of Satan by revealing Truth and inviting us to live in light of that Truth. God's revelation is Light breaking into a world of darkness.
From Abraham being called out of Ur of the Chaldeans to a land that God would show him, to Jesus saying, "Follow me," God's revelation is not simply for knowledge sake, but a calling to live in light of who he is and what he is doing in the world. We aren't simply saved from sin and death, but for a new life of devotion and worship as God's beloved children.