God’s Big Picture: Tracing the Storyline of the Bible by Vaughan Roberts reveals the Bible’s overarching story. Roberts is the rector (a.k.a. pastor) of an evangelical Anglican Church in Oxford, called St. Ebbe’s. He studied theology in England.
The story’s theme—the Kingdom of God— is clearly visible and progressively revealed. Roberts defines the Kingdom of God as “God’s people in God’s place under God’s rule and blessing.”
The author explains the Bible’s revelation of the Kingdom of God. Here are examples:
- The pattern of God’s kingdom is shown in the Bible’s first book, Genesis.
- The perished kingdom of God is first seen in the fall of man in Genesis 3.
- The promised kingdom is first seen in the book of Genesis, in the life of Abraham, and is revealed through the Bible; it begins with the arrival of Jesus Christ.
Well, so what? Why does knowing this matter? Knowing the Bible’s story helps one make sense of the Bible’s texts, God’s good news, and our stories. In its light, we can make sense of what God wants us to know about what he has done, is doing, and will do, and how we should live.
Roberts quotes Psalm 95:3-7, in which, in poetic form, we learn that the Ultimate Being is both creator and King, and that man’s highest purpose and peace are found in devotion to Him.
“For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.”
If you read the book, let me know what interested you the most and why.
