Seeing the Big Picture
The Bible is a beautiful book. It weaves together thematically and carries a unifying theme of redemption. Written by 40 different authors over a period of 1,500 years, the corroboration of the texts is miraculous. It has been preserved impeccably, standing up to the rigors of historical documentation better than any other historical book. The fulfillment of many of it's prophecies are so perfect that many critics had claimed that some Old Testament prophecies were written after their fulfillment. The discovery and dating of the Dead Sea Scrolls debunked that theory, showing the writings of Old Testament prophecies to indeed be old and written before their fulfillments. It is the best selling book in history. It gives the account of God's plan for the universe and His love for the people in it. We owe it to God and to ourselves to have an understanding of it's contents. So, we are setting out teach it to anyone willing to hear.
A couple of our Discipleship Groups are doing overviews of the Bible, to see the big picture of God's revelation to us. As much as possible, we will be posting the main points here or on Instagram for your benefit.
Last week, the men's group discussed Genesis 1-3. Here are the main points:
- God created everything out of nothing (Genesis 1).
- God made man in His image (Genesis 1:26-27).
- Humans sinned, separating us from God and bringing death into the world (Genesis 3).
- Restoration was coming (Romans 5:12-21).
The brokenness of this world can be traced back to man's sin (disobedience to God's command). As the great theologian, John Douglas Morrison would say, that one act of disobedience was like a rock dropped in the center of a pond. The ripples have brought every evil, every sickness, every rape, every lie, every death into this world. At times, the world seems hopeless. But, in the same way one man (Adam) brought evil in the world, so one man (Jesus) is like a Rock dropped into that same pond. The ripples of His redemption are putting right what evil put wrong. Jesus is making all things new (Revelation 21:5).
Join us as we follow His restoration story (Genesis to Revelation).