WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.459 You might be thinking, are we really saying this 00:00:02.459 --> 00:00:06.419 whole big Bible is one connected story and not 00:00:06.419 --> 00:00:08.900 just lots of little religious pieces thrown together? 00:00:09.140 --> 00:00:12.000 That's exactly what I'm saying. From the first 00:00:12.000 --> 00:00:16.000 page to the last, Scripture is telling one unfolding 00:00:16.000 --> 00:00:20.539 story, God's story of creation, the fall, redemption, 00:00:20.839 --> 00:00:24.559 and final new creation. And the claim I want 00:00:24.559 --> 00:00:27.469 to make very clearly is this. You can't read 00:00:27.469 --> 00:00:30.589 any part of that story rightly unless you see 00:00:30.589 --> 00:00:33.570 how it connects to Jesus Christ. So let me walk 00:00:33.570 --> 00:00:36.210 us through that one question at a time. How does 00:00:36.210 --> 00:00:39.710 the story actually run from Eden to new creation? 00:00:40.350 --> 00:00:43.390 You might ask, all right, if this is one story, 00:00:43.509 --> 00:00:46.250 what are the main movements? How does it actually 00:00:46.250 --> 00:00:49.799 unfold? First, we start with creation. God speaks 00:00:49.799 --> 00:00:52.020 the world into existence. He makes everything 00:00:52.020 --> 00:00:55.079 good. He creates human beings in His image to 00:00:55.079 --> 00:00:58.840 know Him, reflect Him, and enjoy Him. Then comes 00:00:58.840 --> 00:01:02.079 the fall. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve 00:01:02.079 --> 00:01:05.540 disobey. Sin, death, and curse break into God's 00:01:05.540 --> 00:01:09.239 good world. But God does not walk away. In the 00:01:09.239 --> 00:01:11.760 middle of the judgment, God gives a promise. 00:01:12.040 --> 00:01:16.500 In Genesis 3, verse 15, he speaks of a child 00:01:16.500 --> 00:01:19.040 of the woman who will crush the serpent's head. 00:01:19.200 --> 00:01:22.239 That is like the first small beam of gospel light. 00:01:22.540 --> 00:01:25.239 From there, we move through the big covenant 00:01:25.239 --> 00:01:29.239 stages. With Noah, after the flood, God preserves 00:01:29.239 --> 00:01:32.540 the world and promises steady seasons so his 00:01:32.540 --> 00:01:36.290 plan can continue. With Abraham, in Genesis chapter 00:01:36.290 --> 00:01:40.090 12 verse 1 to 3 and beyond, God promises to bless 00:01:40.090 --> 00:01:42.709 him, give him a people and a land, and bless 00:01:42.709 --> 00:01:45.909 all the families of the earth through him. With 00:01:45.909 --> 00:01:49.269 Moses, God brings Israel out of slavery in Egypt, 00:01:49.430 --> 00:01:51.950 gives them his law, and lives among them as their 00:01:51.950 --> 00:01:55.000 God. With David, God promises a king from his 00:01:55.000 --> 00:01:57.540 line whose throne will last forever. Then the 00:01:57.540 --> 00:01:59.719 prophets come along and talk about a new covenant, 00:01:59.780 --> 00:02:02.760 a time when God will forgive sins and write his 00:02:02.760 --> 00:02:06.379 law on people's hearts, not just on stone. And 00:02:06.379 --> 00:02:09.340 where does all this lead? To Jesus Christ and 00:02:09.340 --> 00:02:12.740 the new creation. In Jesus' life, death, and 00:02:12.740 --> 00:02:16.659 resurrection, God's long plan comes to its climax. 00:02:17.740 --> 00:02:21.400 In the end, Scripture shows us a renewed heaven 00:02:21.400 --> 00:02:24.939 and earth, where God lives with his people and 00:02:24.939 --> 00:02:28.680 wipes away every tear. Hebrews chapter 1 verse 00:02:28.680 --> 00:02:32.139 1 and 2 puts it beautifully. In the past, God 00:02:32.139 --> 00:02:35.439 spoke at many times and in many ways, but in 00:02:35.439 --> 00:02:38.819 these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son, 00:02:38.979 --> 00:02:42.960 one author, one storyline, many chapters, and 00:02:42.960 --> 00:02:47.039 Christ as the key. Why did God use so many people, 00:02:47.199 --> 00:02:51.030 offices, and writing styles? You might say, If 00:02:51.030 --> 00:02:54.610 this is one story, why does the Bible feel so 00:02:54.610 --> 00:02:57.830 diverse, different kinds of leaders, different 00:02:57.830 --> 00:03:01.610 kinds of writing? That's on purpose. God chose 00:03:01.610 --> 00:03:04.710 to unfold his one message through different offices, 00:03:05.150 --> 00:03:08.550 prophets, God's messengers, who said things like, 00:03:08.590 --> 00:03:11.310 this is what the Lord says, calling people back 00:03:11.310 --> 00:03:15.050 to him, priests, go -betweens, who offered sacrifices 00:03:15.050 --> 00:03:17.569 and prayed for the people, showing God's holiness 00:03:17.569 --> 00:03:21.610 and his mercy. Kings, rulers over God's people 00:03:21.610 --> 00:03:24.949 who were supposed to reflect God's justice and 00:03:24.949 --> 00:03:28.590 shepherding care. He also used different genres, 00:03:28.629 --> 00:03:32.490 different kinds of writing, law, commands and 00:03:32.490 --> 00:03:36.229 instructions about how to live as God's people. 00:03:36.610 --> 00:03:39.389 Narrative, stories that show what God has done 00:03:39.389 --> 00:03:43.310 in history. Poetry and psalms, songs and prayers 00:03:43.310 --> 00:03:47.090 that give voice to joy, sorrow, faith and repentance. 00:03:47.610 --> 00:03:50.530 Wisdom. short sayings and reflections that teach 00:03:50.530 --> 00:03:53.930 how to live under God's rule, prophecy, warnings 00:03:53.930 --> 00:03:56.889 of judgment, and promises of future restoration. 00:03:57.250 --> 00:04:00.169 All of that variety is like different instruments 00:04:00.169 --> 00:04:02.889 in one orchestra. Each has its own sound, but 00:04:02.889 --> 00:04:05.770 they play under one conductor. Each office and 00:04:05.770 --> 00:04:08.090 genre points beyond itself towards someone greater 00:04:08.090 --> 00:04:11.689 toward Christ. Why do I insist that Christ is 00:04:11.689 --> 00:04:14.909 the center of everything? At this point, you 00:04:14.909 --> 00:04:18.060 might say, All right, but is Jesus just one important 00:04:18.060 --> 00:04:21.519 part in the story or really the center? Jesus 00:04:21.519 --> 00:04:25.019 himself answers that for us. After his resurrection, 00:04:25.240 --> 00:04:28.019 when he is walking with the two disciples on 00:04:28.019 --> 00:04:31.120 the road to Emmaus, they are confused. Then he 00:04:31.120 --> 00:04:33.860 gently rebukes them and starts to teach. Luke 00:04:33.860 --> 00:04:36.860 chapter 24 verse 27 says that beginning with 00:04:36.860 --> 00:04:39.480 Moses and all the prophets, he explained to them 00:04:39.480 --> 00:04:41.939 what was said in all the scriptures concerning 00:04:41.939 --> 00:04:45.120 himself. Then later, with the larger group, he 00:04:45.120 --> 00:04:47.720 says that everything written about him in the 00:04:47.720 --> 00:04:51.199 Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms had 00:04:51.199 --> 00:04:54.300 to be fulfilled, and that the message of repentance 00:04:54.300 --> 00:04:57.420 and forgiveness of sins would be preached in 00:04:57.420 --> 00:05:01.120 his name to all nations. Luke chapter 24, verse 00:05:01.120 --> 00:05:06.000 44 to 47. In John chapter 5, verse 39, he tells 00:05:06.000 --> 00:05:08.500 the religious leaders, you search the scriptures 00:05:08.500 --> 00:05:11.680 because you think that in them you have eternal 00:05:11.680 --> 00:05:14.970 life. and it is they that bear witness about 00:05:14.970 --> 00:05:19.230 me. So Jesus is saying, in effect, if you read 00:05:19.230 --> 00:05:21.589 Moses, the prophets, and the Psalms, and you 00:05:21.589 --> 00:05:23.689 miss me, you haven't really understood them. 00:05:23.769 --> 00:05:27.769 And how does he stand at the center? As the great 00:05:27.769 --> 00:05:31.629 prophet, he is God's final, complete spokesman. 00:05:32.060 --> 00:05:35.259 As the great priest, he offers himself as the 00:05:35.259 --> 00:05:39.399 once -for -all sacrifice and goes on interceding 00:05:39.399 --> 00:05:42.800 for his people. As the great king, he rules in 00:05:42.800 --> 00:05:45.959 perfect righteousness and will return to renew 00:05:45.959 --> 00:05:49.639 all things. If you try to read the Bible with 00:05:49.639 --> 00:05:52.920 something other than Christ at the center morality, 00:05:53.319 --> 00:05:57.319 self -help, politics, even Israel by itself, 00:05:57.500 --> 00:06:01.560 the story falls apart. Laws float without fulfillment. 00:06:02.660 --> 00:06:06.379 Sacrifices point to no final lamb. Promises hang 00:06:06.379 --> 00:06:09.839 in the air. But when Christ takes his rightful 00:06:09.839 --> 00:06:13.740 place at the center, every piece begins to fit. 00:06:13.959 --> 00:06:17.879 How do God's acts in history and his words in 00:06:17.879 --> 00:06:21.509 scripture fit together? Another question I want 00:06:21.509 --> 00:06:25.129 to raise is, does God just do things and leave 00:06:25.129 --> 00:06:28.709 us to interpret them on our own? Or does he also 00:06:28.709 --> 00:06:32.550 tell us what his actions mean? In scripture, 00:06:32.810 --> 00:06:36.529 God always joins mighty deeds and faithful words. 00:06:36.649 --> 00:06:39.470 Think about the Exodus. God doesn't just rescue 00:06:39.470 --> 00:06:42.910 Israel from Egypt and then walk away. He brings 00:06:42.910 --> 00:06:46.430 them out with signs and wonders. Then he speaks. 00:06:46.610 --> 00:06:50.230 In Exodus chapter 20 verse 2, he says, I am the 00:06:50.230 --> 00:06:53.730 Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt, out 00:06:53.730 --> 00:06:56.370 of the land of slavery. And then he gives the 00:06:56.370 --> 00:06:59.550 Ten Commandments. He ties his commands to his 00:06:59.550 --> 00:07:03.290 past act and explains. who he is and what he 00:07:03.290 --> 00:07:06.670 has done. The same pattern shows up in the death 00:07:06.670 --> 00:07:10.129 and resurrection of Jesus. God acts in the cross 00:07:10.129 --> 00:07:13.389 and the empty tomb. Then he gives us his own 00:07:13.389 --> 00:07:16.910 interpretation. In Acts chapter 2, Peter stands 00:07:16.910 --> 00:07:20.589 up and says that Jesus was handed over according 00:07:20.589 --> 00:07:24.709 to God's plan, crucified, raised, and made both 00:07:24.709 --> 00:07:29.110 Lord and Messiah. In Romans chapter 3 verse 21 00:07:29.110 --> 00:07:33.350 to 26, Paul explains that at the cross, God shows 00:07:33.350 --> 00:07:36.949 himself to be just and the one who justifies 00:07:36.949 --> 00:07:40.750 the sinner who has faith in Jesus. So the Bible 00:07:40.750 --> 00:07:43.110 is not a collection of human guesses about what 00:07:43.110 --> 00:07:45.670 might be going on. It is God's own explanation 00:07:45.670 --> 00:07:48.589 of his actions. He tells us what his deeds mean. 00:07:48.850 --> 00:07:51.850 That is why I keep saying the Bible is God's 00:07:51.850 --> 00:07:54.680 interpretation of God's works. We are called 00:07:54.680 --> 00:07:57.459 to think his thoughts after him, not to sit in 00:07:57.459 --> 00:08:00.439 judgment over his story and rewrite it. Now, 00:08:00.480 --> 00:08:03.600 let me anticipate some objections that might 00:08:03.600 --> 00:08:06.339 come to your mind, or that you may hear from 00:08:06.339 --> 00:08:10.680 others, and then answer them one by one. If God 00:08:10.680 --> 00:08:13.160 has worked through councils and liturgy, isn't 00:08:13.160 --> 00:08:16.120 scripture just one part of a bigger holy tradition? 00:08:16.439 --> 00:08:19.920 Someone might say, If God reveals himself over 00:08:19.920 --> 00:08:23.899 time and uses the church, its councils, its liturgy, 00:08:24.019 --> 00:08:26.779 and its doctrinal statements, doesn't that mean 00:08:26.779 --> 00:08:29.800 scripture is just one piece of a much larger 00:08:29.800 --> 00:08:33.460 holy tradition where all the parts, Bible, councils, 00:08:33.740 --> 00:08:37.139 liturgy carry equal authority in this one big 00:08:37.139 --> 00:08:40.940 story? Here's how I would respond. First, I want 00:08:40.940 --> 00:08:43.659 to agree with part of that. God has worked in 00:08:43.659 --> 00:08:47.039 history through the church. He has used creeds, 00:08:47.039 --> 00:08:50.240 confessions, preaching, and worship to defend 00:08:50.240 --> 00:08:53.259 and pass on the message of scripture. We should 00:08:53.259 --> 00:08:56.340 not despise that. But then I want to ask, what 00:08:56.340 --> 00:08:58.779 does the Bible itself say? about the written 00:08:58.779 --> 00:09:03.200 scriptures. 2 Timothy chapter 3 verse 16 and 00:09:03.200 --> 00:09:07.740 17 tells us that all scripture is God -breathed 00:09:07.740 --> 00:09:11.919 and equips us for every good work. 2 Peter chapter 00:09:11.919 --> 00:09:16.460 1 verse 19 to 21 says we have the prophetic word 00:09:16.460 --> 00:09:20.039 made more certain. and that the writers spoke 00:09:20.039 --> 00:09:23.159 from god as they were carried along by the holy 00:09:23.159 --> 00:09:26.399 spirit that is strong language about the uniqueness 00:09:26.399 --> 00:09:30.769 of the written text Jesus and the Apostles constantly 00:09:30.769 --> 00:09:34.409 appeal back to what is written. In Matthew chapter 00:09:34.409 --> 00:09:38.429 22 verse 29, he tells the Sadducees, you are 00:09:38.429 --> 00:09:41.169 in error because you do not know the scriptures 00:09:41.169 --> 00:09:45.009 or the power of God. In Mark chapter 7 verse 00:09:45.009 --> 00:09:49.409 6 to 13, he criticizes traditions that cancel 00:09:49.409 --> 00:09:53.110 out God's word. In Acts chapter 17 verse 11, 00:09:53.389 --> 00:09:56.789 the Bereans are called noble for testing Paul's 00:09:56.789 --> 00:10:00.259 teaching by examining the scriptures. Historically, 00:10:00.279 --> 00:10:03.159 when major councils met, they defended doctrine 00:10:03.159 --> 00:10:06.299 by reasoning from scripture. Their weight came 00:10:06.299 --> 00:10:09.159 from how faithfully they echoed the biblical 00:10:09.159 --> 00:10:12.600 story, not from some claim to be new sources 00:10:12.600 --> 00:10:16.159 of revelation equal to scripture. So here is 00:10:16.159 --> 00:10:19.440 the issue. If we treat later tradition As an 00:10:19.440 --> 00:10:22.659 equal or even higher authority than scripture, 00:10:23.039 --> 00:10:26.940 we are allowing later voices to reshape the meaning 00:10:26.940 --> 00:10:30.860 of the story God already told. That does not 00:10:30.860 --> 00:10:33.620 fit with the idea of one divine author whose 00:10:33.620 --> 00:10:36.799 own written words are the standard. The story 00:10:36.799 --> 00:10:39.419 God tells in scripture must be the measuring 00:10:39.419 --> 00:10:42.840 line. Tradition is valuable only as it serves 00:10:42.840 --> 00:10:46.159 that story, not as it corrects or competes with 00:10:46.159 --> 00:10:50.360 it. If the Bible is one unfolding story, why 00:10:50.360 --> 00:10:54.279 can't God add new, equally inspired chapters 00:10:54.279 --> 00:10:58.399 later? Another person might ask, if God has been 00:10:58.399 --> 00:11:01.860 telling a story all along, why can't He keep 00:11:01.860 --> 00:11:05.299 adding new, inspired books like the Book of Mormon 00:11:05.299 --> 00:11:08.500 or other latter -day scriptures as new chapters 00:11:08.500 --> 00:11:11.220 with the same level of authority? This sounds 00:11:11.220 --> 00:11:14.139 reasonable at first, but scripture itself points 00:11:14.139 --> 00:11:17.190 in a different direction. Hebrews chapter 1 verse 00:11:17.190 --> 00:11:20.809 1 and 2 says that in these last days, God has 00:11:20.809 --> 00:11:24.490 spoken to us by his Son. Ephesians chapter 2 00:11:24.490 --> 00:11:27.919 verse 20. says the church is built on the foundation 00:11:27.919 --> 00:11:31.059 of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus 00:11:31.059 --> 00:11:35.519 himself as the cornerstone. Jude verse 3 says 00:11:35.519 --> 00:11:39.139 we are to contend for the faith that was once 00:11:39.139 --> 00:11:43.120 for all entrusted to the saints. Those are foundation 00:11:43.120 --> 00:11:47.120 and once for all words. The apostles did not 00:11:47.120 --> 00:11:50.940 act like men writing the middle chapters, waiting 00:11:50.940 --> 00:11:54.059 for others centuries later to finish the book. 00:11:54.799 --> 00:11:58.259 saw themselves as laying the foundation centering 00:11:58.259 --> 00:12:01.379 on Christ, on which the church would be built. 00:12:02.000 --> 00:12:04.879 Historically, the early church quickly recognized 00:12:04.879 --> 00:12:08.019 a specific group of apostolic writings as the 00:12:08.019 --> 00:12:11.259 norm for faith and life. Other writings could 00:12:11.259 --> 00:12:14.399 be helpful or edifying, but not on the same level 00:12:14.399 --> 00:12:17.700 of authority. So, if later books can rewrite 00:12:17.700 --> 00:12:20.139 or overturn the earlier chapters of the story, 00:12:20.240 --> 00:12:23.000 then the story never settles. There is no final 00:12:23.000 --> 00:12:25.570 word of God. Everything is provisional waiting 00:12:25.570 --> 00:12:28.549 for the next update. But the Bible presents Christ 00:12:28.549 --> 00:12:31.350 as the final word and the apostolic testimony 00:12:31.350 --> 00:12:34.470 as the completed foundation of that one story. 00:12:34.690 --> 00:12:37.750 Is Christ really the center if we still need 00:12:37.750 --> 00:12:41.669 a later tradition as the lens to see him? Someone 00:12:41.669 --> 00:12:44.549 from an Eastern Orthodox type background might 00:12:44.549 --> 00:12:47.779 say, We agree that Christ is the center of the 00:12:47.779 --> 00:12:51.100 story, but we believe only holy tradition icons, 00:12:51.460 --> 00:12:54.379 the fathers, the liturgy, really shows us how 00:12:54.379 --> 00:12:57.299 to see Christ in scripture correctly. Isn't the 00:12:57.299 --> 00:13:00.919 story incomplete without that lens? Let me respond 00:13:00.919 --> 00:13:04.600 carefully. I will gladly say we need the church. 00:13:04.799 --> 00:13:07.899 We need teachers, and we should listen respectfully 00:13:07.899 --> 00:13:11.899 to how the early fathers read scripture. None 00:13:11.899 --> 00:13:15.049 of us reads the Bible in a vacuum. But listen 00:13:15.049 --> 00:13:19.330 to how the New Testament describes its own writings. 00:13:19.690 --> 00:13:23.350 John chapter 20 verse 31 says, These are written 00:13:23.350 --> 00:13:26.990 that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, 00:13:27.350 --> 00:13:30.870 the Son of God, and that by believing you may 00:13:30.870 --> 00:13:35.210 have life in his name. Luke chapter 24 shows 00:13:35.210 --> 00:13:38.610 Jesus himself opening the scriptures and helping 00:13:38.610 --> 00:13:43.149 his disciples see him as their center. The apostolic 00:13:43.149 --> 00:13:46.450 writings claim to be sufficient to reveal Christ 00:13:46.450 --> 00:13:50.429 and call us to faith. The Holy Spirit's role 00:13:50.429 --> 00:13:53.870 in passages like John chapter 16 verse 13 to 00:13:53.870 --> 00:13:57.409 15 is to guide the apostles into all the truth 00:13:57.409 --> 00:14:00.830 and to glorify Christ by taking what belongs 00:14:00.830 --> 00:14:04.509 to him and declaring it not to create another 00:14:04.509 --> 00:14:09.419 separate unwritten stream of revelation. Historically, 00:14:09.500 --> 00:14:12.440 many church fathers warn about traditions that 00:14:12.440 --> 00:14:15.820 drift away from scripture. When they argued for 00:14:15.820 --> 00:14:19.000 key doctrines, they argued from the Bible as 00:14:19.000 --> 00:14:22.440 the norm. So if we say that only one particular 00:14:22.440 --> 00:14:26.529 later tradition can truly unlock the Bible, then 00:14:26.529 --> 00:14:29.470 in practice we are saying the Bible by itself 00:14:29.470 --> 00:14:33.210 is not clear enough or sufficient enough to reveal 00:14:33.210 --> 00:14:36.529 its own center. That undermines the very thing 00:14:36.529 --> 00:14:39.389 scripture claims about itself as God's clear 00:14:39.389 --> 00:14:42.850 Christ -centered story. Isn't the Bible just 00:14:42.850 --> 00:14:45.970 a patchwork of clashing theologies instead of 00:14:45.970 --> 00:14:49.809 one coherent story? Someone from a more liberal 00:14:49.809 --> 00:14:53.470 or pluralist or purely critical perspective might 00:14:53.470 --> 00:14:57.159 say, Come on, when you actually read the Bible, 00:14:57.299 --> 00:14:59.899 it looks like a patchwork of different voices 00:14:59.899 --> 00:15:04.240 and theologies. Isn't it more honest to say it's 00:15:04.240 --> 00:15:07.240 a collection of conflicting views rather than 00:15:07.240 --> 00:15:11.200 one unified story? I want to answer that by starting 00:15:11.200 --> 00:15:14.259 inside the Bible itself. Ephesians chapter 1 00:15:14.259 --> 00:15:17.740 verse 9 and 10 says, God made known to us the 00:15:17.740 --> 00:15:21.580 mystery of his will to bring all things in heaven 00:15:21.580 --> 00:15:25.820 and on earth together under Christ. That is one 00:15:25.820 --> 00:15:30.159 plan, one center. Acts chapter 3 verse 18 and 00:15:30.159 --> 00:15:33.620 following says, God fulfilled what he foretold 00:15:33.620 --> 00:15:36.820 through all the prophets that the Messiah would 00:15:36.820 --> 00:15:40.460 suffer. Romans chapter 15 verse 4 says everything 00:15:40.460 --> 00:15:44.039 written in the past was written to teach us and 00:15:44.039 --> 00:15:47.759 give us hope. Then look at how promises and fulfillments 00:15:47.759 --> 00:15:51.299 connect across the testaments. God promises Abraham 00:15:51.299 --> 00:15:54.860 in Genesis chapter 12 verse 3 that all families 00:15:54.860 --> 00:15:57.799 of the earth will be blessed through him. In 00:15:57.799 --> 00:16:00.620 Galatians chapter 3 Paul says that scripture 00:16:01.210 --> 00:16:04.669 announced the gospel in advance to Abraham and 00:16:04.669 --> 00:16:07.789 that the blessing comes to the nations through 00:16:07.789 --> 00:16:12.350 Christ. God promises David a son whose throne 00:16:12.350 --> 00:16:16.250 will last forever. The gospels present Jesus 00:16:16.250 --> 00:16:20.129 as that son of David whose kingdom will never 00:16:20.129 --> 00:16:23.769 end. Historically, early Christians were very 00:16:23.769 --> 00:16:27.029 aware of the Bible's diversity different authors, 00:16:27.570 --> 00:16:31.929 times, styles. but they also saw a deep unity 00:16:31.929 --> 00:16:35.330 in the message. That is why they spoke of one 00:16:35.330 --> 00:16:39.269 rule of faith and read the Old and New Testaments 00:16:39.269 --> 00:16:42.889 together. At the presuppositional level, if you 00:16:42.889 --> 00:16:46.509 start out assuming there cannot be a single divine 00:16:46.509 --> 00:16:50.350 author, then you will naturally see only fragments. 00:16:51.000 --> 00:16:54.419 But that assumption itself does not explain why 00:16:54.419 --> 00:16:57.460 this set of writings from different centuries 00:16:57.460 --> 00:17:01.360 and cultures holds together around one God, one 00:17:01.360 --> 00:17:05.380 human problem, one unfolding plan of grace, and 00:17:05.380 --> 00:17:08.519 one Christ. How should this change the way we 00:17:08.519 --> 00:17:12.359 read and live? Let me close by asking, so what? 00:17:12.559 --> 00:17:14.839 What difference does this make tomorrow morning 00:17:14.839 --> 00:17:18.269 when you open your Bible? First, read every passage 00:17:18.269 --> 00:17:21.450 as part of one story. When you are in Genesis, 00:17:21.650 --> 00:17:24.730 Isaiah, a Psalm, or one of Paul's letters, ask, 00:17:24.930 --> 00:17:27.769 where am I in the big movement from creation 00:17:27.769 --> 00:17:31.609 through fall to redemption in Christ and on to 00:17:31.609 --> 00:17:35.250 new creation? Don't treat chapters as loose inspirational 00:17:35.250 --> 00:17:39.089 quotes. See their place in the drama. Second, 00:17:39.250 --> 00:17:42.109 keep Christ at the center of your reading and 00:17:42.109 --> 00:17:45.269 teaching. Because Jesus says all scripture points 00:17:45.269 --> 00:17:48.569 to him, we should always be asking, how does 00:17:48.569 --> 00:17:52.789 this text in its own context point me to Christ, 00:17:52.950 --> 00:17:57.349 his person, his work, his kingdom? That doesn't 00:17:57.349 --> 00:18:00.569 mean forcing Jesus into every verse in a clumsy 00:18:00.569 --> 00:18:03.470 way. It means honoring the direction the whole 00:18:03.470 --> 00:18:07.410 story is heading. Third, let the big story protect 00:18:07.410 --> 00:18:11.099 you. When you know the storyline and the center, 00:18:11.299 --> 00:18:14.880 you are less likely to twist verses to fit your 00:18:14.880 --> 00:18:18.140 agenda and less likely to be captured by man 00:18:18.140 --> 00:18:22.019 -made traditions or new revelations that do not 00:18:22.019 --> 00:18:25.380 fit the plot. The one story with Christ at the 00:18:25.380 --> 00:18:28.220 heart becomes like a map that shows you when 00:18:28.220 --> 00:18:31.240 something is off. And finally, remember this. 00:18:31.380 --> 00:18:34.740 You are not simply a spectator of this story. 00:18:34.980 --> 00:18:38.809 If you belong to Christ, You are inside it. The 00:18:38.809 --> 00:18:41.809 same God who wrote Genesis and Revelation has 00:18:41.809 --> 00:18:46.049 written your name into the story by grace. You 00:18:46.049 --> 00:18:49.769 were created by him, fallen in Adam, pursued 00:18:49.769 --> 00:18:53.289 by his word, redeemed by his son, and headed 00:18:53.289 --> 00:18:56.309 for the new creation he has promised. That's 00:18:56.309 --> 00:18:58.670 the story we're living in. And that's how we 00:18:58.670 --> 00:19:00.849 must read every page of scripture.