What is the story of the Bible?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

While Scripture has many stories, there is one overarching story: its “meta-narrative.” That story starts in Genesis with the creation of the earth (Genesis 1) and men and women without sin (Genesis 1:26–27, 31). They rebelled against God (Genesis 3), bringing sin and death to humanity (Romans 5:12) and creation (Romans 8:20–22). Genesis also opens with hope for a Redeemer (Genesis 3:15) and Scripture promises of a righteous line through Abraham (Genesis 12:1–3), Israel (Genesis 49:10), and David (2 Samuel 7:12–13). The rest of the Old Testament shows Israel, though God’s people (Exodus 19:5–6), were sinful (Isaiah 53:6) and needed forgiveness through blood sacrifices (Leviticus 17:11). However, their repeated sacrifices show that the blood of animals doesn’t bring eternal forgiveness (Hebrews 10:1–4). The New Testament presents Jesus as the promised Savior (Luke 2:11) in the line of Abraham and David (Matthew 1:1). As the sinless God-man, Jesus died sacrificially for sinners (Romans 3:25) so that all who believe in Him are saved from God’s wrath (Romans 5:9). It also points to Jesus’ future return, when He will reign as King (Revelation 19:16), punish the wicked (Revelation 20:11–15), restore creation (Revelation 21:1–2), and live eternally with those saved by His blood (Revelation 21:3–4). The story of the Bible is centered on Jesus, to whom all Scripture was leading and about whom all Scripture was written, so that if you believe in His name, you will be saved. The Bible is more than a story—read it and see the greatest story ever told, discover your place in it, and meet the Savior at its center.

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• The Bible is a meta-narrative that shows God’s redemptive plan. The Old Testament effectively sets the background for why Jesus came: humanity’s sin and inability to do righteousness on their own.
• It opens by showing that God created the world (Genesis 1). This establishes God’s authority over creation. Everything in the rest of Scripture is based on His authority and rights over His creation.
• When He created, He also created men and women in His image to rule His creation on His behalf (Genesis 1:26–27). This places humans in a category distinct from the rest of creation, with a distinct responsibility and moral culpability.
• Though God created humanity and all creation “very good” (Genesis 1:31), the first humans, Adam and Eve, disobeyed God (Genesis 3:1–7). The punishment God inflicted on them and their children was corruption and death (Genesis 3:16–19; cf. Romans 5:12). From that point until now, all people are grossly wicked (Jeremiah 17:9) with no one righteous or seeking God (Psalm 14:2–3).
• However, even as He cursed humanity, God mercifully promised a Redeemer in Genesis 3:15. That passage says there would be a seed in the line of a woman who would defeat the seed of the serpent; a reference to a righteous line that would ultimately overcome unrighteous humanity. Additionally, because God created humans to rule over creation, creation was also corrupted and broken (cf. Romans 8:20–22).
• The rest of Genesis traces those lines, first through Abraham, saying that all the nations would be blessed through him (Genesis 12:1–3) and then into Israel and, specifically, Judah (Genesis 49:10). Genesis, then, explains two truths: humanity is evil at heart, and God is sending a Redeemer.
• The rest of the Old Testament recounts Israel's history and how, despite being God’s chosen people (Exodus 19:5–6), they were just as rebellious as the rest of humanity (e.g., Isaiah 53:6). This revealed the need for something beyond humanity’s ability to save itself.
• God foreshadowed Jesus by instituting a sacrificial system for Israel, whereby an animal blood sacrifice would bring limited reconciliation with God after sin (Leviticus 17:11). However, because the blood of animals cannot completely remove guilt from sin (cf. Hebrews 10:4), Israel needed to offer sacrifices daily (cf. Hebrews 10:11).
• Later in Israel’s life, God gave them a king to rule, with the second king being David (2 Samuel 5:3). Though sinful, David was considered righteous because of his faith in God (cf. Romans 4:6–8), and thus God promised the Savior would come through his royal line, being a king (2 Samuel 7:12–13).
• The Old Testament and Israel’s history thus set the expectation of a Savior who would accomplish what the sacrificial system could not (Isaiah 53:4–6, 10–11), be in the line of David, and bring salvation to all humanity, not just Israel (cf. Isaiah 49:6).

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• The New Testament opens by showing that Jesus was in the line of Abraham and David (Matthew 1:1) and came to be the Savior (Luke 2:11; Matthew 1:21).
• It explained that though He was the Son of God, and thus fully divine (John 1:1), He also took on flesh to be fully human (John 1:14; Philippians 2:6–7). As fully human, He was thus like humans in every way (Hebrews 2:14–15), yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15).
• As sinless, Jesus did not have to die, as that was the curse upon sinful humanity (Romans 6:23). However, He chose to do so to die as a propitiation, a blood sacrifice that appeased the wrath of God (Romans 3:25). Because He was human, His sacrificial death was thus superior in every way to animal sacrifice, achieving the eternal forgiveness which the OT could only hint at in its sacrificial system (Hebrews 10:1–14).
• However, Jesus’ death is not credited to all sinners. To be covered by Jesus’ blood, one must repent of his or her sin and trust in Jesus. Justification is being counted righteous because of Jesus’ blood sacrifice and His righteousness (Romans 4:5; 5:1). All those who believe in Jesus are justified and saved from God’s wrath against sin (Romans 5:9).
• Jesus did not stay dead, but was resurrected on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:4) and is now living at the right hand of God (Hebrews 1:3). The story of salvation is nearly complete, but there is still more to come. Jesus will return as reigning king (Revelation 19:16), raise His people back to life (1 Thessalonians 4:16), destroy those who remain God’s enemies (Revelation 20:11–15), restore corrupted creation back to its state of goodness (Revelation 21:1–2), and live with His people forevermore (Revelation 21:3–4).

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

Jesus is the center of the Bible. Everything in Scripture before Him pointed to His arrival, and everything after points to His return. Jesus is the story. He’s the story of how God, who is holy (Isaiah 6:3), who hates sin (Psalm 5:4–5), and who will only tolerate sinners for a while (Romans 2:4–6), provided Jesus to die as payment for sin (1 Peter 2:24).

Jesus is the story because He was not an afterthought. Before God created, He planned to send His Son to bring salvation (Ephesians 1:4–5). From Genesis 1 onward, Jesus was in God’s plan in every account. From the promise of a righteous seed (Genesis 3:15), to Judah’s eternal scepter (Genesis 49:10), to David’s son’s eternal kingdom (2 Samuel 7:12–16), everything moved towards Jesus.

Now that Jesus has come, the story is nearly complete. While those in the Old Testament did not have a complete understanding of God’s plan, being saved by trusting Him based on what had been revealed to that point, you have His plan in full in your hands: the Bible. Read it today and come to know Jesus as your Savior. He died so you don’t have to die eternally for your sin, opening a way of escape from God’s wrath. Right now, the Father is delaying His wrath, which gives you time to repent (2 Peter 3:9). However, one day—any day—Jesus will return. He will not come back as a meek sacrifice but as the roaring lion to destroy His enemies (Revelation 19:11–16, 19–21) and establish His eternal rule (Revelation 22:3–5).

Right now, the story continues as the gospel goes out and sinners are saved. But when the story is complete, no one else will be saved. Please read the Story, repent, and be saved!

UNDERSTAND

• The Bible tells one unified story: Creation → Fall → Redemption → Restoration.
• Jesus is the center of the story of Scripture: The Old Testament points forward to Jesus, and the New Testament reveals Him as the promised Savior who died and rose for sinners.
• The story isn’t over: Jesus will return as King, judge evil, restore creation, and live forever with those who belong to Him.

REFLECT

• How does seeing Scripture as one unified story challenge or encourage the way you read and understand Scripture?
• How do you respond to God, knowing that He promised a Redeemer immediately after the fall, even before the effect of the curse fully materialized?
• How does knowing that the story of the Bible is not yet complete change the way you live now and what you are hoping for?

ENGAGE

• How can we use the metanarrative of Scripture to help people understand the gospel?
• What does understanding the story of Scripture reveal about the way God works through history?
• How can we help people see that the Bible is more than a story, but that it contains the most incredible story ever told?