Blog #1 - THE BIG PICTURE: God at the Center from Genesis to Revelation

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 Revelation, after the entire story of Scripture has unfolded, we find God once again at the center:

“Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man.” (Revelation 21:3)

From the opening pages of Genesis, where God creates humanity to live in relationship with Him, to the closing pages of Revelation, where God dwells forever with His redeemed people in a restored creation, the Bible is His story.

Everything in between tells us how we get from one to the other.

God is the Creator who speaks all things into existence. He is the holy God against whom humanity rebels. He is the faithful God who makes and keeps His promises. He is the Redeemer who rescues His people. He is the covenant-making God who desires to dwell among them. He is the righteous King who judges sin. He is the gracious and merciful God who provides salvation. He reveals Himself fully in Jesus Christ, gives His Spirit to His people, and is ultimately making all things new.

We are certainly part of that story. In fact, the incredible truth of Scripture is that God created us in His image, loves us, calls us to Himself, redeems us through Christ, and invites us to participate in His work.

But we are not the main character of the Bible. God is.

That realization has made me want to step back from individual stories and passages for a while and look at Scripture from a much wider perspective.

What is the big picture of the Bible?

What is God doing from Genesis to Revelation?

Why creation? Why Abraham? Why Israel? Why the Exodus? Why the Law? Why sacrifice? Why the tabernacle and temple? Why kings and prophets? Why exile? How do all of those things lead us to Christ? What is God doing through His Church now? And where is the entire story going?

Even more importantly, what does all of it reveal about who God is?

Over the coming weeks, I’m beginning a new series called:

THE BIG PICTURE:

God at the Center from Genesis to Revelation

We’re going to begin by stepping far enough back to see the whole picture of Scripture. Then, little by little, we’ll move closer, tracing the major movements, promises, covenants, and theological threads that run throughout the Bible.

We’ll follow themes such as redemption, covenant, kingdom, sacrifice, God's presence, the temple, the promised Messiah, the Holy Spirit, and new creation. And as we do, we’ll see how passages written centuries apart belong to one unfolding story.

But one question will remain at the center of everything we study:

What does this reveal about God?

Because the Bible is not ultimately a collection of disconnected stories about Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Peter, Paul, or even us.

It is one unfolding story of the God who created, the God who speaks, the God who judges, the God who saves, the God who keeps His promises, the God who came to dwell among us, and the God who will one day make all things new.

He is the main character.

I’ll admit, though, that the thought of taking on a project this big is a little overwhelming. Scripture is vast, its theology is deep, and there is so much that I still have to learn. I’m not sure that, with my limited knowledge and understanding, I can fully do justice to something of this size. But I feel convicted to try.

I can’t promise a specific timeline for this series. I don’t want to rush through Scripture simply to meet a schedule or publish something by a certain date. I want to take the time to study carefully, pray, wrestle with difficult passages, and follow where God’s Word leads. Some parts may take longer than I expect, and that’s okay. I would rather move slowly and faithfully than quickly for the sake of a deadline. This is a journey I want to take in God’s time, not mine.

So, please pray for me as I begin. Pray that I will handle God’s Word faithfully and carefully, that I will remain teachable, that He will give me wisdom and understanding as I study, and above all, that I will keep the focus where it belongs: on Him.

And I welcome your insight along the way. If you see something I’ve missed, have a question worth exploring, or recognize a connection in Scripture that deserves a closer look, please share it. I don’t want this simply to be something I write and you read. I’d love for us to open our Bibles, ask questions, search the Scriptures, and discover the big picture together.

Will you join me?

My prayer is that when we reach the end, we won’t simply know the Bible better.

We will know its Author better.