Grand Narrative of the Bible
How many of you have either never read or heard the full story of the Bible, cover to cover, or attempted to read the entire Bible and never could finish? For one reason or another, many haven’t. I’ve heard so many reasons why people either never start or simply can’t seem to finish the whole Bible -- it's overwhelming, or time-consuming or it can be hard to piece together how all these stories fit into the puzzle of a single narrative. The list can go on and on. And it can be very difficult to navigate when you don’t understand how the Bible is organized (it is not organized chronologically like most books) or have a good understanding of God’s overall plan He has given to us in the Bible.
There are countless studies out there that provide in-depth commentary on chapters of the Bible and even plans to take you through the Bible in a year or two. Those are all wonderful resources, and I highly recommend them. But to many people, those can all still be overwhelming. For those that may not see how it all fits together, these plans may be better suited for you once you’ve seen the overarching narrative of the Bible. For the person who is slammed every day with school, work, children, family, or countless other distractions, it can seem impossible to stop and sit down to read through the Bible cover to cover.
While there is a laundry list of reasons why people never start or can’t seem to finish the Bible, the truth is, an understanding of the grand narrative of the Bible is necessary. Timothy 3:16 says, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” The Bible is the owner’s manual for our life that God has given to us. To truly get everything out of the life that God intends for us and designed us for, we simply have to have a good understanding of His owner’s manual. We need to see how the story of God’s plan for our salvation has played out through history and how it will continue to unfold in the future. God desires to have a personal relationship with each of us, and a big part of that is brought about by reading his Word.
In my recently released podcast episode, “Grand Narrative of the Bible,” I’ll take you through the Bible, cover to cover, in about an hour and half (longer than my typical weekly podcast, but you can stop and pick up where you left off any time). We’ll start out by discussing one of the things that makes the Bible so difficult to read -- it is not organized chronologically -- and I will explain how it is organized. I will walk you through the overarching story that God has given us in the Bible, so that no matter where you begin your reading, you will always know where you are in the overall grand narrative.
We will start in Genesis and the creation of the world; go through the Old Testament, discussing the stories of Moses, David and many others; and even dive into the Covenant God made with Abraham and it’s importance.
We’ll also go through the New Testament -- discussing the four Gospels and how each writer told the story of Jesus through a different view, as well as the other books of the New Testament, and conclude with a review of the final book of the Bible (Revelation) to talk about the prophecy of what is to come for us and our world.
I hope you will walk with me as I navigate the Bible to show how every story fits into the grand narrative of God’s plan for our salvation and redemption. For new Christians, or those that have never heard the entire Bible grand narrative, or even those just looking for a refresher on the amazing overarching story of the Bible, this podcast is for you! It is my hope that this will help you in your further study and reading of the Bible in the years to come.
You can listen to my podcast for free by clicking the link.