The Story of Redemption

Act One: Creation

Act One: Creation
The great drama begins with God’s creation of the world...a “very good” world at that.  The Bible paints a picturesque portrayal of original creation by telling of a colorful garden full of trees bearing luscious fruit that was good for eating and fresh streams that give water to all living creatures.  The relationships inside of this garden were nothing short of true peace.  Lions laid down with lambs, and all creatures lived in harmony.  Not only were creatures in harmony with each other, but man was in harmony with his Creator as well.  God would walk with man and allow man to experience a fulfilling and meaningful relationship with Him.  
This beginning, like any good story, captures the reader’s attention right away.  Such a perfect scene captures our attention because it is for this world that humanity was created.  In our purest form, we were created for “Eden”, and our hearts know it.  God began the story of the Bible by not only telling us who created us and has rightful place as God in our lives but also for what He created us.  We were to live in peaceful and fulfilling relationship with Him while trusting the kindness of His provision.  
Act Two: The Fall
If humanity was made for such a place as Eden, why are we not there? Or more precisely, why is it not here?  As stated above, our attention is captured by such a scene as Genesis 1-2 because we are made for it, but maybe even more so because we long for it.  All creation is longing for Eden again.  So the reader is confronted right away with life’s great dilemma: we are not living in the perfect harmonious environment for which were made but instead in a place where life is very imperfect and the “fruit” we are given to eat many times seems anything but good.
Genesis quickly addresses the origin of this dilemma and confronts the reader with the cause of this terrible dilemma.  The account of original creation is one with which all sinners can relate: man refuses to live his life under the kind and good rulership of God but chooses instead to decide for himself what is “good and evil.”  This demand for autonomy is not only the origin of man’s sinfulness but it is the cause of the world’s great dilemma.  Anxiety, unrest, hunger, war, sickness, and greed cloud this world like a terrible desert dust storm that has been blown in by fierce wind of man’s pride.  In rebellious sin, humanity walked away from the their Creator King who offered them complete acceptance and satisfaction as well as all the life, light, provision, and harmony that His Kingdom contains. 
Like many curses in our life, man’s greatest curse was ironically only the result of his own rebellious demand.  Autonomy was demanded, and therefore autonomy was given.  No longer would Eden be man’s haven of God’s rest and provision but instead we were sent out into this dry and parched place we find ourselves now.  A land full of unmet needs and unquenchable desires.  The sinful fruit of this “man ruled” world promises everything Eden offered but never delivers it or truly satisfies.  Because of his fall, man is enslaved to the curse of autonomy and cut off from his Creator and therefore at tension with all of creation. Act One: Creation

The great drama begins with God’s creation of the world...a “very good” world at that.  The Bible paints a picturesque portrayal of original creation by telling of a colorful garden full of trees bearing luscious fruit that was good for eating and fresh streams that give water to all living creatures. The relationships inside of this garden were nothing short of true peace.  Lions laid down with lambs, and all creatures lived in harmony.  Not only were creatures in harmony with each other, but man was in harmony with his Creator as well.  God would walk with man and allow man to experience a fulfilling and meaningful relationship with Him. 

This beginning, like any good story, captures the reader’s attention right away.  Such a perfect scene captures our attention because it is for this world that humanity was created.  In our purest form, we were created for “Eden”, and our hearts know it.  God began the story of the Bible by not only telling us who created us and has rightful place as God in our lives but also for what He created us.  We were to live in peaceful and fulfilling relationship with Him while trusting the kindness of His provision.

Act Two: The Fall

If humanity was made for such a place as Eden, why are we not there? Or more precisely, why is it not here?  As stated above, our attention is captured by such a scene as Genesis 1-2 because we are made for it, but maybe even more so because we long for it.  All creation is longing for Eden again.  So the reader is confronted right away with life’s great dilemma: we are not living in the perfect harmonious environment for which were made but instead in a place where life is very imperfect and the “fruit” we are given to eat many times seems anything but good.

Genesis quickly addresses the origin of this dilemma and confronts the reader with the cause of this terrible dilemma.  The account of original creation is one with which all sinners can relate: man refuses to live his life under the kind and good rulership of God but chooses instead to decide for himself what is “good and evil.”  This demand for autonomy is not only the origin of man’s sinfulness but it is the cause of the world’s great dilemma.  Anxiety, unrest, hunger, war, sickness, and greed cloud this world like a terrible desert dust storm that has been blown in by fierce wind of man’s pride.  In rebellious sin, humanity walked away from the their Creator King who offered them complete acceptance and satisfaction as well as all the life, light, provision, and harmony that His Kingdom contains.

Like many curses in our life, man’s greatest curse was ironically only the result of his own rebellious demand.  Autonomy was demanded, and therefore autonomy was given.  No longer would Eden be man’s haven of God’s rest and provision but instead we were sent out into this dry and parched place we find ourselves now.  A land full of unmet needs and unquenchable desires.  The sinful fruit of this “man ruled” world promises everything Eden offered but never delivers it or truly satisfies.  Because of his fall, man is enslaved to the curse of autonomy and cut off from his Creator and therefore at tension with all of creation.

Act Three: Redemption

Man is fascinated by the story of the Bible not only because it is essentially his own story, but because of the message of hope threaded throughout it.  God’s promise of a Redeemer goes as far back as humanity’s need for one:

I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel. --Genesis 3.15

The Old Testament is a captivating arrangement of stories that are all tied together with the overarching question, “Who will be the fulfillment of God’s promised redeemer?”  The longing reader is taken on a journey of hope and heartbreak as character after character is introduced but each fail to fully fulfill such an enormous expectation.  Cain is the firstborn son—but turns out to be a murderer.  Noah is the “new Adam” that saves the world from God’s judgment—but this “new race” proves to be no different than the last.  Abraham is the unlikely father a new nation through whom God promises to bless the world—but the new promised nation finds itself in bondage to the enemy.  Moses is called to lead the people out of this bondage and into their own Eden-like land that God said was “full of milk and honey”—but his self-glorying kept him from even entering the promised land himself.  Judges were called out to be God’s ruling providence over Israel—but eventually each did what was right in their own eyes just like Adam and Eve.  David was anointed as King and ruled the throne with great valor and success—but he fell into becoming a murdering adulterer, failed to rule his own house well and his kingdom fell apart within two generations.  

The hope of God’s promised savior grew stronger with each human failure.  The New Testament opens with an unexpected twist in the story--the Savior God promised was none other than God Himself!  Jesus, the Son of God and second Person of the Trinity, willingly and lovingly gave up His heavenly dwelling and became human.  Now there was finally a human who lived his life how the Creator designed humanity to live, in full subjection to and perfect relationship with God.  Finally the Redeemer was here!

The story takes another unexpected twist when the long-awaited Messiah is rejected and crucified as an impostor.  The story looks ruined and all hope appears lost until the entire story climaxes with the resurrection of Jesus.  “Truly this man was the Son of God” [Mark 15.39] and truly He was the fulfillment of God’s promise to humanity.  

Although none of the figures before Jesus succeeded to redeem humanity and restore creation to God’s original design, each played major roles in the divine drama by pointing to the Savior that God would eventually send.  With a fresh look at the Old Testament, one can see that it was through Jesus’ death and resurrection that God planned to bring redemption to humanity and renewal to creation.  Jesus is the new and better “firstborn” than Cain [Rom. 8.9]; Jesus is the new and better Noah that will save God’s people from the ultimate judgement [1 Cor. 15.54; cf.  Rom. 5.14]; Jesus is the promised seed of Abraham who is blessing all nations [Gal. 3.14-16; cf. Gen 12.?]; Jesus is the new and better Moses who will lead His people out of ultimate bondage [Matt. 1-5; Gal. 5.1]; Jesus is the ultimate Judge whose judgement will be true and bring ultimate justice [2 Tim. 4.1, 8; Heb. 10.30; 1 Pet. 5.7; Rev. 6.10]; Jesus is the King of all kings whose Kingdom is full of righteousness, peace, and joy [Rom. 14.17; 1 Tim. 1.17; Rev. 17.14].

Act Four: New Creation

The long-standing human dilemma of sin brought a deserved punishment that could not be avoided, and Jesus absorbed the entirety of that punishment through his work on the cross.  “For our sake [God] made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” [2 Cor. 5.21]  His death was the propitiation for our deserved death and his resurrection is the power of our renewed life.  All of history awaited this God-man, Jesus, and it is through his death and resurrection all the plan of God was fulfilled.

 

"And he who sat upon the throne said, 'Behold I make all things new'"--Rev. 21.2

From the very first sin, man has been groaning along with the rest of creation for things to be put back into place, for restoration.  Jesus’ resurrection is the dawn of this restoration because through the power of his new life all things will be made new.  Though this new creation has already dawned through the indwelling Spirit, one day the great drama of Scripture will end when Jesus returns to defeat all evil and death.  Jesus will defeat all the kingdom of darkness and only His Kingdom of Light will remain.  At that time, all things will be filled with the revitalizing life of Jesus’ resurrection, and it will truly be a new creation.  This new creation will end the present groaning of creation by bringing the entire world back into perfect harmony and fellowship with its Creator.  The divine drama of creation is the ultimate showcase for God’s power and wisdom.  He is the Author, the Director, and the Hero of the greatest story ever lived.

The divine story of the Bible is much more than an intriguing cosmic narrative, it is a vital message that calls all sinners to let go of their lives and grasp the good news of Jesus.  The gospel calls all to step back under the wise reign of God and no longer decide for themselves what is “good and evil.”  All who submit to the gospel of Jesus through faith and repentance will receive Jesus’ indwelling Spirit and be wrapped up in His new life and one day experience the full pleasures of the new creation.

Teaching: Overview of the Bible