Master the Bible: How to Get and Keep the Big Picture of the Bible's Story

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Mas ter the B i b l e : How to Get and Keep the B i g P i c ture of the B i b l e ’ s Stor y

If I really believed this, how would I both read and study the Scriptures differently than I do today?

• What does it mean to say that “God is sovereign over all history, doing whatever he pleases,” and “His counsels and plans stand forever, to all generations?” Do I live as if God is in control of all the various circumstances and situations I encounter each day? • How clear to me is it that the Scripture’s primary theme is to speak of God’s saving acts in the person of Jesus Christ? Have I been reading the OT stories and prophecies through the lens of how they shed light on the person of Jesus Christ and what God did and is doing through him to bring creation back under his reign? Explain. • Right now, how well do I know the Bible Story spoken of in this chapter? Could I recite the story from beginning to end, and even quote some Scriptures with the outline to support my knowledge of it? What is the greatest obstacle I face in learning and living out the Story of God in my life today? Conclusion The inspired Scriptures tell a single narrative of God’s love and his commitment to restore creation through the promise of sending his Son to redeem it. If we desire to master the Bible’s content and message, we must begin to interpret the many stories of the Bible as a single Story of God’s salvation and redeeming work in Jesus Christ. Stretching from before time to beyond time, it is the story of God’s cosmic drama to destroy evil and restore the universe through Jesus’ incarnation, death, resurrection, and soon return. Let us read the Bible with this storyline in mind. Looking Ahead The Church is a messianic community, and the person and work of Jesus is the theme of the Bible, which testifies of him (John 5.39-40). In our next chapter, we will explore how a mastery of the major events of Christ’s life can enrich our communal worship of God, ground us in a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures, and enrich every dimension of our spiritual formation. In his light, we see the light!