One Story that Leads to Jesus

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BibleProject | One Story That Leads to Jesus

Introducing "One Story that Leads to Jesus," our year-long trek through the Bible.

To join us in this adventure, first download the YouVersion App. After you have done so, click this link. It will take you directly to the appropriate plan. 

During the course of the year, we will send reflections on the section of scripture we'll be reading each week. Here is the first installment:  

An Epic Adventure

Think of the Bible as a four-act play, an epic drama describing God’s love affair with the world he created and the people he made. 

Yes, it is ancient. Yes, it is sometimes obscure. Yes, it can be baffling. But it is worth it, for it tells the true story of the world: why we are here; what has gone wrong; what God has done to fix it; and how the story ends. 

It is a story of beauty, of brokenness, of rescue and renewal.

Act One: Beautiful Creation (Genesis 1-2)

In the beautiful opening act of our story, we discover that creation is not a cosmic accident, but rather the result of God’s loving design. 

The first humans enjoyed harmony with God, with one another, within themselves, and with creation. We are God's image bearers with the divine mandate to lovingly care for creation, to enable it to thrive, to cultivate its plentiful resources, and to build a culture of love, harmony, and flourishing for all. 

This opening act is still is seared into our hearts. We know in our bones that this world is good, that people matter, and that there is a transcendent reality beyond the physical universe. 

As you read Genesis 1-2, you will notice the beautiful harmony that existed when the world was first made. 

Act Two: Broken Creation (Genesis 3-11)

However, the magnificent project of culture making which God gave his image-bearers was de-railed by the horrors of Act Two. 

Creation, beautiful though it is, has been broken.

While we desire harmony within, with others, with God and with creation, our more common experience is one of alienation and dissonance.

Rather than developing a culture which affirms both humanity and creation, we are more likely to use it to manipulate, to oppress, and to affirm our independence from God. 

Like the first humans, we crave independence from God. Like Adam, we blame Eve for our failures. Like Cain, we avoid responsibility for our brothers. Like Lamech, we seek vengeance instead of forgiveness. Like those who built Babel, we shape culture to "make a name for ourselves." 

As you read Genesis 3-11, notice how tragically little human culture has changed since those dark days. 

Act Three: Rescued Creation (Genesis 12 through the Gospels)

Despite our rebellion, the God who made us refused to let us destroy ourselves. He set in motion a plan rescue both humanity and creation from the results of our own poor choices.

The long third act began when God called a pagan named Abram to follow him, promising that he would bless the whole world through his family line. 

Over the course of two millennia, it chronicles his family adventures  --  from Babylon to Canaan to Egypt to Canaan, to Babylon and back again to Canaan. 

At long last, his rescue plan reached its glorious climax when God wrote himself into the human story in the person of Jesus, God walking among us. 

It is a story filled with twists and turns, failures and achievements. It comprise the rest of the Old Testament and bleeds into the New Testament itself. It is the incredible story of God’s love and faithfulness, and his unwavering desire to restore his wayward children to himself. 

We will only peek at Act Three in next week’s reading, but even at the first we will see how incredibly patient God has been with us. We see that the ultimate hero of this story is not any human being, but rather, God alone — who simply will not quit on us. 

Act Four: New Creation (Gospels to Revelation)

It will take months for us to get to the fourth act -- but it will certainly be worth the wait. For as we finally complete the New Testament Gospels, we will see that God's plan all along was to rescue humanity and creation by coming to earth himself -- in the person of Jesus. 

Yes, much to our surprise and delight, we discover that the entire Bible can be summarized like this: "One Story that Leads to Jesus." 

Jesus is the second Adam (some Scriptures call him that), who came to undo the effects of the first Adam’s disobedience, and to put God’s creation project back on track. He brings renewal in every phase of life: he restores our relationship with God, with one another, within ourselves, and with the world God created. 

Jesus inaugurated new creation through his death and resurrection. It will not be consummated until his return, but it is now being implemented by his Spirit’s work within us and through his church. 

Jesus has written the score; it is our privilege to play the tune as “living witnesses of God’s new creation” (to borrow a phrase from our church vision statement). And what fun it is to play our part! 

Beauty. Brokenness. Rescue. Renewal. As we work our way through the scriptures we will see this wonderful movements of this four-part symphony emerge. 

It will take a long time to see it fully unfold, but if we are patient, our hearts will warm to the God who made us, who loves us, and who never gives up on us. Let us not give up on ourselves.

God bless you as you read this life changing — and true! — story.

Readings for next week: 
Genesis 1-24
Psalms 1-7

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