THE BIG PICTURE: God at the Center

To the Praise of His Glory In From Eden to Eternity, we stepped back and looked at the whole biblical story from a distance. We traced its four great movements: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and New Creation. Then we began moving closer. In Created for Him, we saw Creation through the lens of God's glory. Everything came from Him, belonged to Him, and existed for Him. Creation declared His glory, and worship was the proper response of the creature to the Creator. Then came the

When Humanity Questioned the Creator Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7 When we last saw Creation, everything was as God intended it to be. God had created the heavens and the earth, formed humanity in His image, provided for them, and declared all that He had made “very good” (Genesis 1:31). Creation belonged to Him and existed for Him. Humanity lived under the authority and provision of their Creator. And God had spoken. Let’s begin by reading Genesis 2:15-17 and 3:1-7. As you read, pa

In the previous blog, From Eden to Eternity, we stepped back to see God's larger story through Creation, Fall, Redemption, and New Creation. Now we begin moving closer, continuing to ask the question that guides this series: What does this reveal about God? As I studied for this post, I kept coming back to the same truth: God's glory. God's glory is not a side theme running quietly alongside the biblical story. Scripture continually directs our attention toward the glory of t

The Bible is unparalleled in its richness and depth and is unlike any other book. It is made up of sixty-six individual books, written by different authors across many centuries. It contains history and law, poetry and wisdom literature, prophecy and letters. Each was written within a particular time and place and to a particular audience, and each has its own context and purpose. Much can be gleaned from studying the context and content of each part of Scripture, and we shou

Download a printable PDF version of the Blog. “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God” (Psalm 90:2). Before time existed and before light broke through darkness, God already was. Not lonely. Not incomplete. Not waiting for creation to fulfill Him. This is the foundation of everything that follows in Scripture. God has always existed and depends on nothing outside Himself for His exis

The Big Picture: God at the Center from Genesis to Revelation is about learning to see Scripture as one unfolding story and, above all, learning to see God at its center. Throughout the series, one question will guide us: What does this reveal about God? Rather than beginning in Genesis and making one long journey straight through to Revelation, we are going to approach Scripture in several passes. We'll travel from Genesis to Revelation more than once, looking at something d

We often open Scripture asking questions like, “What does this mean for me?” “What am I supposed to do?” or “How does this apply to my life?” Those are important questions, but I’m becoming convinced that they shouldn’t be our first questions. Before we ask what the Bible says about us, we need to ask a much bigger question: What does this reveal about God? The Bible begins with four simple words: “In the beginning, God…” (Genesis 1:1). And when we reach the final chapters of