Story of the Bible

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THE STORY OF THE BIBLE

God created a wonderful world
That world was ruined and enslaved by evil
God wants to rescue his world through us
God has acted in Jesus to defeat evil and death
God’s people are now announcing and demonstrating what Jesus has done
Jesus will come again to finally banish evil
God’s wonderful world will be made new

1. GOD CREATED A WONDERFUL WORLD

God created a wonderful world, a world full of life, beauty, creativity, hope, diversity, freedom and love. He showered his creation with love and goodness and gave us the job of ruling with him in his world. We enjoyed an intimate, loving friendship with God and with each other, and as we ruled with him we shared in his life, his purposes and his heart. This was God’s wonderful world as he intended it to be.

2. THAT WORLD WAS RUINED AND ENSLAVED BY EVIL

Humanity chose to trust and embrace evil rather than God. We pushed God away, ripping our life out of the context of our creator. We made ourselves the centre of our world and became enslaved to evil and death. God’s wonderful world was ruined. So now alongside the life, beauty, creativity, hope, diversity, freedom and love, we see our shame, guilt, fear, hatred, violence, alienation, decay and death. We are alienated from our creator. This is God’s wonderful, broken world.

3. GOD WANTS TO RESCUE HIS WORLD THROUGH US

God loves his creation and he loves us. He wants to rescue his world and to do so through people. However, we’re infected with the same evil that has ruined the world. The story of Israel in the first half of the Bible shows us how we need to be rescued from evil and death and what it means to live as God’s people with him at the centre of our lives. If God is to rescue the world through us he must first rescue us.

4. GOD HAS ACTED IN JESUS TO DEFEAT EVIL AND DEATH

In Jesus, God stepped into human time and space. If we want to know what God is like the answer is to look at Jesus. In his life he demonstrated and taught what it meant to live as God intended us to live. In his death he took on himself the punishment that our wickedness deserved. In his resurrection he overcame evil and death, fulfilling the story of Israel, showing himself to be the true king of the world and demonstrating what he will one day do for the whole world, raising it from decay and death. Through his death and resurrection Jesus offers us forgiveness, new life and a welcome into the people of God.

5. GOD'S PEOPLE ARE NOW ANNOUNCING AND DEMONSTRATING WHAT JESUS HAS DONE

Jesus offers us the free gift of forgiveness and new life made possible through his death and resurrection. He asks us to abandon living our lives without reference to him, to trust him to forgive us and remake us and to give him the first place in our lives. If we do he will forgive us and we can then enter into the friendship with him for which he created us. We become a part of his people who announce to the world and demonstrate in their lives and communities what Jesus has done and will do.

6. JESUS WILL COME AGAIN TO FINALLY BANISH EVIL

One day Jesus will come again to finally banish evil and death from his creation. Judgement is not God getting even with people who have dented his ego, it’s him acting decisively against evil to rescue his world. However, as part of a race that embraced evil we’re part of the problem. Jesus offers us forgiveness and new life so that when he comes to banish evil from his world we will not be banished with it. We now have a choice as to whether we will embrace that offer or whether we will remain alienated from God and be banished with evil when he returns.

7. GOD'S WONDERFUL WORLD WILL BE MADE NEW

When Jesus has returned and finally banished evil, everything will be made new. Shame, guilt, fear, hatred, violence, alienation, decay and death will be swallowed up by life, beauty, creativity, hope, diversity, freedom and love. God’s wonderful world will be restored to the purposes for which he made it. Followers of Jesus