What do I mean by reading the Bible with a Gospel lens? The Gospel can be summarized as the love of God revealed in Jesus Christ & Him crucified for our salvation and the establishment of His Kingdom on earth. The entire Bible is its epic, unfolding story. In light of this Gospel lens, I’m personally inviting you to Enter the Story that daily leads you to Jesus by reading, meditating and journaling through Scripture. Like a movie, this story unfolds in a series of 7 scenes called
Pre-Creation, Creation, Fall, Promise, Messiah, Kingdom & Re-Creation.
Below is a brief summary of the story…
PRE-CREATION
God existing in an eternal friendship of 3 co-equal Persons characterized by pure other-centered love.
CREATION
Out of this uncontainable love, God creates the universe to exist and thrive under His reign of love, with humanity perfectly reflecting His image of love on earth as His crowning act of creation.
FALL
The angel, Lucifer, rebels against God's character and reign of love and brings the rebellion to earth. When humanity fell by his deception, he thus usurped God's reign through humanity, on earth, and claimed earth as his dominion.
PROMISE
God makes the promise to redeem humanity, restore us back into His image and reestablish His reign of love on earth through the Messiah by making a series of unfolding covenant promises which humanity and Abraham's descendants failed to keep.
MESSIAH
Jesus arrives as the fulfillment of the covenant promises and the King who will reestablish God's reign of love on earth through His life, death & resurrection. He returns to Heaven to reign with the Father and minister His saving blood as our High Priest.
KINGDOM
After Christ's ascension and through the Holy Spirit, His revolutionary disciple making movement continues to expand His Kingdom on earth. It was Formed by Jesus, Deformed by middle ages Papal Christianity, Reformed by the Protestant movement and is presently being Restored until the return of the King.
RE-CREATION
Ushered in by the 2nd coming of Jesus and the 1st resurrection, all who received the Gospel of the Kingdom are taken to Heaven to reign with Christ for 1000 years as His bride. During this time Satan and the other fallen angels are bound to the earth in desolate misery and the redeemed are invited to evaluate God's character in His dealings with lost humanity. This period is concluded by the 2nd resurrection, the ending of all evil and the renewing or re-creating of the earth fully under God's reign of love forever.