A unified story that leads to Jesus

The Bible is a collection of books, all of which emerged from the history of ancient Israel. It is the most influential book in the history of Western and much of Eastern civilization. People have a lot of opinions about the Bible’s message, but let’s just start with what it is. In this video, you’ll get a condensed history of how the Bible came into existence and the different forms of the Bible in the Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant Christian traditions.

We’ll also look at what the Bible says about the Bible. In 2 Timothy 3:15-17, the author Paul describes the entirety of Scripture (which, at the time of writing, would have referred to the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible) as being “breathed out by God” (verse 16). Your translation may say “inspired by God.” The Greek word used here is theopneustos, which literally means “God-breathed.” This is how the biblical authors viewed the Hebrew Scriptures—as God-breathed. And the apostle Paul believed that within this divinely-inspired literature, we can find the salvation that comes through Jesus (verse 15).

Though the Bible includes many different books, it is one unified story. The Hebrew Bible tells one story that leads to Jesus (Luke 24:27), and the New Testament continues that story and describes Jesus and his followers advancing his Kingdom on Earth. And this compelling story has transformed the lives of millions of people, transcending time, age, gender, and culture.

So what is this story? We’ll take a look at that next!

“In the beginning, God…” (Genesis 1:1)

Both the prelude and beginning to the story of the Bible begin with God.

The God portrayed in the Bible isn’t always easy to understand. No matter how good it might sound, there isn’t an analogy that works perfectly. (Sorry, “sun,” “water,” and “three-leaf clovers”!) But what if we could better understand what it is that we can’t understand?

In this video, we will explore the complex identity of the God of the Bible and see how it all leads to Jesus.

In this reading, you’ll look at several different verses in the Bible describing God (the Father), Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.

The story of the Bible begins with God creating the Heavens and the Earth (Genesis 1:1).

What comes to your mind when you think about Heaven? Clouds, angels, eternal singing, and pearly gates? Maybe a place where all of your dreams come true or you live in a mansion on a street paved with gold?

What comes to our minds when we think about Heaven is oftentimes largely influenced by culture and the popular imagination. But what does the Bible actually teach about Heaven? And what is Heaven’s relationship to Earth? Understanding the biblical view of Heaven and Earth is incredibly important in grasping the story of the Bible.

In this video, we explore the surprising biblical view that Heaven and Earth are meant to overlap and see how Jesus is on a mission to bring them together once and for all.

As we continue in the story of the Bible, an important theme shows up on the first page. The Bible teaches that humanity was created in the “image of God” (Genesis 1:26-27). But what does that mean?

This video on the image of God traces the idea of humans as co-rulers alongside God, commissioned to develop the world and its resources. How has this human vocation been compromised by our selfishness and evil, and how did Jesus open up a new way of being human through his life, death, and resurrection?

Let’s take a look!

Humanity was created in the image of God, and God tasked humanity with using their own creative power and imagination to spread order and beauty into all of creation. But they rebelled against God and chose to define good and bad for themselves, spreading chaos and disorder throughout creation.

But there is hope. In chapter 3 of Genesis, we read about a mysterious promise of a future deliverer who would one day come to confront evil and rescue humanity.

The story continues, and in this video on the Messiah, we trace this promised “snake-crusher” (Genesis 3:15) through the family of Abraham, the messianic lineage of David, and ultimately to Jesus, the Messiah who defeated evil by first letting it defeat him.

At last the story reaches its climax. And in his Gospel account, Matthew introduces Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah—the “snake-crusher” promised in the early pages of the story.

But Jesus wasn’t what the people were expecting.

In this video, we trace the origins of the word “gospel” and see how it ties the story of the Hebrew Bible together with Jesus and his announcement of God’s Kingdom. The Gospel is the declaration of a new kind of king who has come to usher in God’s Kingdom rule on Earth. Jesus brought God’s rule and reign to the world in a very upside-down way, which is the best news humanity could ask for.

As part of the Scripture references, you’ll find Matthew chapter 5. This chapter is part of what is commonly known as the “Sermon on the Mount.” In Jesus’ most famous sermon, he speaks about life in his upside-down Kingdom. As you read, consider the ways Jesus’ Kingdom is different from the kingdoms of this world.

In what might seem like a surprising twist in the story, Jesus is killed. (Spoiler alert: he comes back to life!)

But why did Jesus have to die? God is on a mission to remove evil from his good world, along with all of its corrosive effects. And he wants to do it in a way that does not involve removing humans.

In this video, we’ll explore the theme of sacrifice and atonement. We’ll look at how God “covers” over human evil through animal sacrifices and see how that ancient ritual ultimately points to Jesus and his death and resurrection.

In the Scripture References below, you’ll read through several passages written by New Testament authors about the meaning of Jesus’ death.

As the biblical story continues, the book of Acts tells the story of the earliest followers of Jesus. Throughout the book, we see the Spirit of God guiding and directing Jesus’ followers.

But remember, this is not the first time God’s Spirit appears in the Bible.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.” (Genesis 1:1-2)

Throughout the Bible, the Spirit of God is described as animating, sustaining, empowering, and transforming.
In this video, we’ll explore the original meaning of the biblical concept of “spirit” and what it means for God’s Spirit to be personally present in all of creation.

Ultimately, the Holy Spirit was revealed through Jesus and sent out into the lives of his followers to bring about the new creation. And when the biblical authors look forward to the fulfillment of God’s promises in the new creation, they envision a world permeated with the Spirit of God.

At the beginning of the story, humans are presented as creatures of Earth and of Heaven. God makes humanity from the dirt, but then he exhales his divine breath (Spirit) to bring the creatures to life (Genesis 2:7). God also appoints humanity to rule over all creation as his image (Genesis 1:26-28) and even invites them to share in his eternal life by eating from the tree of life (Genesis 2:16).

But of course, that’s not what happens. Humanity joins in a cosmic rebellion and forfeits their access to eternal life (Genesis 3), and they become corrupt and violent (Genesis 4, 6, 11). So the biblical story doesn’t begin with humanity falling from perfection. Rather, it begins with a lost opportunity, or as the apostle Paul puts it, “humanity falls short of the glorious status God purposed for them” (Romans 1:23 and 3:23).

From this angle, the rest of the biblical story is about God raising up a new human who will be his eternally faithful partner in ruling the world. And this is fulfilled in Jesus. This is why the apostle Paul calls Jesus the true “image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4) and “the last Adam” (1 Corinthians 15:45). His death and resurrection established him as “the new humanity” who rules with God over Heaven and Earth (Ephesians 1:19-21).

And those who trust in Jesus are invited to share in his new humanity through the Spirit that he is breathing upon his people still today (Romans 8:9-11). This is what it means to live as followers of Jesus in the world today: advancing the upside-down Kingdom and spreading the new creation throughout the world through the power of the Spirit.

And our hope is in the future day when the new humanity will join Jesus in the new creation and God’s ultimate purposes for creation will be fulfilled.

The end of the story is only the beginning.