THE DRAMA OF SCRIPTURE

In order to make sense of our lives we depend on some story. It provides the broader framework of meaning for every part of our lives. Our lives – the questions and events and decisions and relationships that fill it – take their meaning from within some narrative.

IS THERE A TRUE STORY OF THE WHOLE WORLD IN WHICH I AM CALLED TO LIVE MY LIFE?

Christians believe that there is one, true story: the story told in the Bible. It begins with God’s creation and human rebellion and runs through the history of Israel to Jesus and on through the church, moving to the coming kingdom of God. At the very center of this story is the man called Jesus in whom God has revealed his fullest purpose and meaning for the world.  Only in this one narrative can we discover the meaning of human history – and thus the meaning of your life and mine.

The Bible can be seen as a drama with a six-act structure. . . .

ACT 1: God Establishes His Kingdom: Creation

ACT 2: Rebellion in the Kingdom: Fall

ACT 3: The King Chooses Israel: Redemption Initiated

ACT 4: The Coming of the King: Redemption Accomplished

ACT 5: Spreading the News of the King: The Mission of the Church

ACT 6: The Return of the King: Redemption Completed

The Bible narrates the story of God’s redemptive work in the world. If our lives are to be shaped by the story of the Bible, we need to understand two things: (1) the biblical story is the account of God acting in history for the salvation of the world and (2) each of us has a place within that story.