A: Introduction
1. Contemporary Illustration
● Dean Laidley (Kangaroos coach) called by his players “the Bible”. Why? Because “he is so difficult to read.”
2. Why is the Bible difficult to Read?
● difficulties with an ancient text: culture, language, concepts
● primary issue is spiritual i.e. our relationship with God
3. A Personal Illustration (JY’s)
● suffering question: “Why am I in this pain?”
● identity question: “Who am I/ Why am I here?”
● authority question: “Where do I turn to for help/answers?”
● Bible as the medium for God’s speech
● encounter with Jesus and the love of God i.e. conversion
● result-Bible reading, summary, tapes, cards
4. Crisis in the Church
● church = the people who love Jesus
● decline in Bible reading and understanding
● religion without the power of a transformed life (Matt 22:29; 2 Tim 3:5)
● what is the block/confusion?
5. Suggested Approaches
1. Reading the Bible Historically-Chronologically
● start to finish (oldest to most recent) i.e. like the story line of most books
● Genesis to Revelation
● useful overview but problems:
● get stuck on “irrelevant material” e.g. Leviticus
● books are not in chronological order e.g. Ezra-Nehemiah are in the Bible before the major prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel) but are centuries earlier
● the New Testament is not arranged in a chronological sequence
● what is missing is a key to hold the whole thing together cf. rail for coat hangers
2. Systematic-Thematic Approach
● follows themes throughout the Bible e.g. creation, salvation
● seeks logical coherence and patterns (scientific)
● helps people see the Bible is orderly, but has limitations:
● may ignore the development in biblical revelation e.g. Ecclesiastes 3:20-21 seems to teach death is the end; Psalm 137:9 upholds revenge
● example: internet article “the Good Book” (Dr B. Devlin) concludes with “Read it and weep.” (Focus on O.T. wrath/violence.)
3. Reading the Bible as the Supreme Authority
● sometimes this approach is called “fundamentalism”
● the Bible is objectively (literally?) true in whatever it says e.g. creation, end of world
● the Bible is a source book of true propositions and instructions, a guide book for life
● this approach encourages serious Bible study but has side-effects:
● tends to diminish the importance of personal relationships/community
● tends to elevate the mind and overlook the role of the Holy Spirit
● the Bible can drift to a central position, displacing Jesus
B: A Christ-Centred Approach to the Bible: The Bible is Jesus’ Story
1. Everyone Loves a Story (Narrative)
● we like to hear and tell stories, especially about ourselves
● stories give us a sense of identity about who we are as persons e.g. family stories at the dinner table
● we remember the stories within the Bible e.g. Noah’s ark, David and Goliath
● popular culture is full of stories e.g. talk-back radio, host shows’ “true confessions” (Oprah, Dr Phil), “soapies”, reality T.V.
● in a post-modern world all stories that are mega-stories (metanarratives) are suspicious e.g. fascism, communism, capitalism, Islam, Christianity
● this is partly because of their perceived failures and partly because they challenge the priority of “my story”
● this creates a cultural crisis in terms of values: “my rights” have supreme value, you can believe/do what you like as long as you don’t interfere with my self(ish)-expression
● what is the framework of meaning that validates one story rather than another or any story at all?
● if there is no big picture why not choose any story you like? e.g. the paedophile story
● in this cultural climate the question Christians must ask is: “Do I look to God, spirituality, church, Bible, to improve my happiness, prosperity etc?”
● crucial question of life: my story with a place for Jesus, or Jesus story with a place for me?
● how we answer this question (in our hearts) will decide how we relate to the Bible
2. The Bible is the Story of Jesus
● this is not only saying that the Bible is a story about Jesus
● it is also saying that the Bible is Jesus telling us his story
● the Bible is important to Christians because it is important to Jesus and we love him
● imagine not paying attention to someone who was trying with all their heart and love to tell you their life story and how you were a part of it! e.g. as preparation for a marriage proposal
● the way Jesus relates to the Bible (treats it) reveals how the Bible relates to Jesus
● Jesus quotes from the Bible of his day (Old Testament) e.g. Matthew 19:4-5 = Genesis 1:27; 2:24
● he uses the words of scripture as a final authority e.g. in his conflict with the devil “it is written” (Matt 4:4,6,10)
● he saw the words of the Bible as binding: “the scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35)
● he saw all the writings of the old covenant (i.e. the law, prophets, writings) as finding their fulfilment in him (Matt 5:17; 13:14-15; Mark 14:49; Luke 4:21; 18:34; 22:37; John 17:12; 19:28)
● Jesus understands himself through the Bible: “You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that testify on my behalf.” (John 5:39)
● Jesus explains himself in terms of the Bible: “Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets he explained to them the things concerning himself in all the scriptures…that everything about me in the law of Moses and the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” (Luke 24:27, 44)
● the Bible was a spiritual mirror in which Jesus saw himself
● therefore the Bible is a spiritual mirror in which we see Jesus and so our relationship with him
● this means we go to the Bible with one purpose: to find Jesus
● the Bible is “Christ’s swaddling clothes and the manger” (Luther)
● I do not read the Bible to improve my happiness, prosperity etc. but to share in the joy, sorrow, peace, and so on, of Jesus
● the events recorded in the Bible are not for Jesus ancient and past historical realities, they are part of his story and relationship with humanity, as such they are living truths
● to explain the nature of the Bible it is necessary to consider the framework which makes the Bible possible, this is the nature of God himself (Father, Son and Holy Spirit)
C: Why is there a Jesus Story?
● the fact of a Jesus’ story is tied to his identity as God’s eternal Word (John1:1)
● this means not only that Jesus is God but contains within his identity as God’s Word a story to be told, for the main function of words is to share a story
● as the Word of God (Rev 19:13) Jesus whole identity is expressed in telling the story of God
● this is essentially the story of Jesus’ relationship with his Father (John 1:1, “the Word was with God”, means “the Word was in the presence of God”)
● in broadest terms, the Father and Son had “glory” together with one another in eternity (John17:5)
● this means that the Father shared everything he had with Jesus in love (John 17:24)
● just as parents “plan a family” and look forward to the birth, growth and maturity of their family, so God planned to have a family from eternity
● when God decided to create, he did so to share his eternal glory with humans (Isaiah 43:7) in the same way as he had always shared it with his Son
● this involved a choice to have a loving relationship with people through Christ that was decided upon before the creation of the world (Eph 1:4; 2 Tim 1:9)
● this meant everything would be made through Jesus and for Jesus (Colossians 1:16)
● being beyond time, God knows and has planned the whole course of history (Isaiah 46:10; Romans 11:36; Ephesians 1:11; 3:11)
● the centre of Jesus eternal identity for history is that he would be the suffering Lamb of God who would die for the sins of the world (John 1:29; 1 Pet 1:18-20; Rev13:8)
● the Son can only bring children to the Father through his suffering (Hebrews 2:10)
● corresponding to this, the Father’s promise to the Son is an eternal kingdom (Gen 49:10; Psalm 2:7-8; 110:1; Matt 25:34; Eph 1:10; Rev 11:15)
● from a “God’s eye view”, the revelation in the contents of the Bible involves the communication of a dialogue between the Father and the Son in the power of the Spirit over how the eternal plan, that Jesus’ story becomes our story, may be achieved
● there are 4 main chapters in God’s story with humanity: creation, fall, redemption, consummation
D: What is the Story of Jesus?
1. Creation
a. The Creation of the Cosmos
● Jesus is the reason why anything exists
● Jesus is the “first and the last”, “the beginning and the end” (Rev 1:17; 22:13)
● this means the Jesus story has no beginning and no end
● “In the beginning God created…” (Gen 1:1) is the first line of the Bible, but the foundation for the beginning of the world is Jesus
● John 1:1 literally says; “Before the beginning began the Word already was”
● creation is only the first page of our story with Jesus; Jesus does not fit into creation, but creation fits into Jesus (Col 1:16)
b. The Creation of Humanity
● humanity as male-and-female is made in the image of God with a calling to reproduce, fill and rule the world (Gen 1:26-28)
● in this way, the image of God, or God’s presence and glory, would have filled the earth
● a clue to the meaning of the image of God is given by the description of Adam as “the son of God” (Luke 3:38)
● if Adam had obeyed God and freely refused to eat from the tree of knowledge he would have been a faithful son of God and able to fulfil God’s purposes for his life on the earth (Gen 2:15-17)
● in this way humans would be full members of the family of God
2. Fall
● the temptation of the devil to Adam and Eve was that they could “be like God knowing good and evil” (Gen 3:5)
● they would not need to depend on God as their Father and would be able to rule the world on their own behalf; they could create their own story apart from God
● if however they had obeyed God’s spoken Word a new phase of the human story would have begun; human beings would have authority over all evil and nothing could separate them from the love of God
● sin and death would have been unknown to human experience and Satan would have been cast out of the earth
● this would have been a state of true sonship and a radical jump in likeness to Jesus
● instead, Adam and Eve’s disobedience attempted to reverse the Father’s will for their lives
● since they were already like God (especially like Jesus) in their call to depend on him and rule with him, their attempt to live without God (Eph 2:12) led to the deepest possible identity confusion
● instead of casting out evil they sinned and were cast out the presence of God (Gen 3:22-24)
● when God looked at the first couple he could still see his handiwork as Creator, but they had created within a world of rebellion and pain
● sin brings painful shame and guilt (Gen 3:7-10); these are moral states that tell us that something is wrong at the core of our being
● this is the state of death as a judgement that God warned about in the beginning (Gen 2:17)
● having rejected our part in God’s story we must make up a story for ourselves; the meaning of life is now transferred into pursuits other than the truth about God – these may be pleasure, power, money, family, culture, nation, religion etc.
● this is idolatry, and humanity in idolatry is under the judgement of God (Rom 1:18-32)
● the state of humanity in sin is a condition of experienced Fatherlessness
3. Redemption
a. The Overall Plan
● God always destined us to come to know him through Jesus; this means that the progress of the biblical story from Genesis 3 (the fall) to Revelation 22 is not an emergency back up or second best
● it is not that God’s purposes had failed in some ultimate way in Eden (Romans 8:28; Ephesians 1:11)
● according to Paul, Adam was only a pattern or a type of Jesus (Rom 5:12), who is the last Adam (1 Cor 15:45)
● God’s goal in creating Adam was to begin the path to the coming of Jesus, who as the Son of God (Mark 1:1; John 1:18; Heb 1:2 etc.) is the image of God (2 Cor 4:4; Col 1:15; Heb 1:3)
● the ultimate spiritual meaning of the creation story is not the relationship between God, Adam and Eve ruling the physical world, but the Father, Jesus and the church in the kingdom of God
● the Father’s plan was always that his Son rule the world as King through the message of the kingdom of God (Mark 1:15; Matt 28:17-20)
● the plan was that through the Word of the gospel (Acts 2:41; 4:4; 1 Thess 2:13 etc.) men and women come into submission to Jesus’ lordship (Acts16:33) and so become members of his bride, the church (Eph 5:25 – 32)
● his plan to have a family spread across the face of the earth who reveal his character will be fulfilled in this way
● however, until Jesus came, the inner meaning of his plan for creation could not be revealed, these things remained “hidden in God” (Romans 16:25-27; Ephesians 3:5, 9; Colossians 1:26)
● the aim of the story remains to have a fully faithful human being (S/son) who will share his reign and fill the earth with the family of God
● there are three phases in reaching this goal: the Old Testament, the life of Jesus, the church
b. Phase 1: The Old Testament
● the Old Testament was never intended to be read as a finished work, it is a story without an ending
● at the centre of the Old Testament story is the life of Israel
● the call of Abraham comes after the disaster of the flood (Genesis 6-9)and humanity’s attempt at Babel to resist God’s command to fill the earth (Genesis 11:1-9)
● God chose (elected) Israel to be in a special covenant relationship with himself (Gen 12:1-3; Exodus 19:5-6; Deuteronomy 4:37; 7:6-7)
● this meant he was the Father and God of the children of Israel (Gen 17:7-8; 18:19; Exod 1:1,7; Isaiah 43:6; 63:16; Hosea 1:10; 11:1)
● unlike other nations, Israel has no history apart from the promises and plan of God
● the way to experience the benefits of this relationship with God was to be faithful to his commands and promises (Exodus 19: 5-6; Deut 28 etc.)
● God never anticipated that the nation as a whole would be faithful to his call and be the means to fulfil his plan (Leviticus 26:14-39; Deuteronomy 30:15-20; 32; Ezekiel 16)
● the people refused to be a holy nation and a royal priesthood and consistently turned to idols (Exodus 32; Judges 2:12; Psalm 106:34-39; Isaiah 2:8; 44:9; Ezekiel 6:4-13 etc.)
● the nation never matured; even at the height of the united kingdom under the kingship of David and Solomon there was sin and idolatry (2 Samuel 11; 1 Kings 11:1-8)
● the history of Israel is one of cycles of repeated disobedience, divine punishment, confession of sin and restoration e.g. Judges, 1-2 Kings
● the prophets therefore begin to speak of a new phase in the history of Israel: with a new captivity and exodus (Isaiah 40:3-4; 41:17-20; 42:7; Jeremiah 16:14-15 etc.), new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34); new nation (Isaiah 10:20-22; 46:3-4; Jer 23:3; 31:7; Ezekiel 36:25-28) and new temple (Ezekiel 40-48)
● under the leadership of a new David (later identified as Messiah), God will perfectly shepherd his people (Isaiah 11:1; Jeremiah 23:5-8; 33:14-26; Ezekiel 34:11-13, 23-25; 37:24-28)
● at this time all the nations of the earth will gather to the glory of a new Jerusalem (Isaiah 2:2-4; Micah 4:1-4; Zechariah 8:20-23)
● this will constitute a new creation (Isaiah 11:1-9; 65:17-21; Amos 9:10 – 14)
● looked at from this framework the pattern of redemption in the Old Testament was God’s “holding operation” until the coming of the one true Israelite and Son of God
● the structures of salvation in the Old Testament are what the New Testament comes to call a foreshadow or pattern of the reality which is to come in Christ (Col 2:17; Heb 8:5; 9:9; 10:1)
● lacking power to transform human nature they were a preparation for the coming of Jesus by preserving a people for God who were conscious of their sin (Gal 3:19, 23-25)
● Christians therefore do not read the Old Testament as an end in itself, but to seek pointers to Christ who is the fulfilment of all its major themes
● all the major Old Testament themes of redemption find their meaning and fulfilment in Jesus
● these major themes include election, covenant, descendants, land, captivity, exodus, sonship, law, Sabbath, temple, sacrifice, prophet, priest, king, kingdom of God, Son of David, Son of Man, Anointed one (Messiah), Shepherd, wisdom, knowledge (for details see Appendix 1)
c. Phase 2: The Life of Jesus
● the Gospel writers are familiar with the fact that Jesus was God before he became human (John 1:1-3)
● the focus however falls on the human dimensions of the history of Jesus
● the Gospels tell us what we need to know of the formation of the earthly life of the Son of God
● this involve the story of a fully human life from birth to death in which God’s great purpose of being able to fully express his love for humanity would be realised
● this is the same love which God the Father always had for his Son in eternity (John 17:5)
● Jesus earthly story commences with his conception by the power of the Holy Spirit (Matt 1:20; Luke 1:34; John 1:14)
● the next phase is his physical and spiritual growth as a child (Luke 2:40-52)
● the greatest attention is focussed on the three years of his ministry because this is what is most important for our salvation
● the integrating theme of the first three Gospels is the coming of the kingdom of God in Jesus
● Jesus is the preacher of the good news of the kingdom of God (Matt 4:23; 9:35; Mark 1:15)
● Jesus is the teacher of the mysteries of God’s kingdom told by commandment, story and in parables (Matt 5-7; 13; 18:21 – 34; 20:1-15 etc.)
● Jesus miracles and deliverances from evil are powerful works revealing that the kingdom of God has come in him (Matt 10:1-15; 11:2-6; 12:28 etc.)
● this means that in every way Jesus is sharing God’s rule over the world, just as had been planned from the beginning
● the most intense expression of Jesus teaching is his prophetic declarations that the must be crucified and raised from the dead (Matt 16:21; 17:22-23; 20:18-19)
● Jesus is willing to suffer for the sake of the kingdom of God in order that others may share in God’s rule
● the integrating theme of the Gospel of John is Jesus Sonship, his relationship with God as his Father
● the glory of God, the fullness of who God is, dwells permanently in Jesus (John 1:14; 2:11; 11:4, 40)
● this glory intensifies through the cross, resurrection and ascension of Jesus (John 12:28; 13:32; 16:14; 17:1, 5)
● the goal of Jesus death, resurrection and return to the Father is that he may be able to share his glory with the disciples (John 7:37-39; 17:22-24)
● the sacrificial blood shed by Jesus on the cross gathers up into itself all the Old Testament themes of redemption and means the creation of a new covenant relationship in Jesus between God and humanity (Matt 26:28; Heb 8:6-10:18; 12:24; 13:20)
● the resurrection is the complete enactment of the power of God in the person of Jesus (Rom 1:4; 1 Cor 15:43; Eph 1:20)
● it establishes Jesus as King/Lord and Christ and in him the full presence of the kingdom of God (John 20:25; Acts 2:36; 13:32-34; 17:7; 1 Tim 6:15 etc.)
● the return of Jesus to heaven (ascension) is described in end – times (apocalyptic) terms drawn from the Old Testament (Daniel 7:13 – 14; Luke 24:50 – 53; Acts 1:9-10)
● it means a return for Jesus in human form to the glory he had with the Father in eternity
● this reveals that God’s eternal goal of sharing all that he has with human beings has finally been accomplished
d. Phase 3: The Christian Life
● the dominant theme of the book of Acts, the letters of the New Testament and the book of Revelation is how God is transforming lives in that part of Jesus’ history between his return to heaven and second coming
● this is the story of how Jesus shares with us what the Father accomplished through his earthly life
● the passion of Jesus is that he not be alone but bring to the Father a family of children in glory (John 20:17; Hebrews 2:10 – 13)
● the gospel offer of forgiveness and acceptance by God (justification) means the removal of judgement and so shame and guilt (Acts 2:38; 13:38; 26:18; Romans 5:1; 8:1; Eph 1:7; Col 1:14 etc.)
● Christians begin their spiritual life through Word and Spirit; the power of God means a new spiritual creation (“born again”), (Galatians 6:15;1 Peter 1:3,23; Titus 3:1-7)
● through the gift of the Spirit and forgiveness (Acts 2:36-38) a believer enters into the kingdom of God
● we have been united with Christ by sharing in his death, resurrection and ascension (Romans 6:3-11; 1 Corinthians 15:22; Galatians 2:19-20; Ephesians 2:6; Colossians 2:12,20)
● this means the adoption of sonship, God is our Father “in Christ” (Romans 8:14-16; Galatians 4:4-6)
● to accept Jesus as King means to confess him as Lord and ruler of your life (Acts 16:33; Romans 10:9; 1 Cor 12:3)
● since Jesus is the reality of the presence of God’s kingdom Christians are called to rule with Jesus (Rom 5:17)
● first of all this involves conflict with evil spiritual powers (Ephesians 6:10-17; James 4:7; 1 Peter 5:8-9) and the evil tendencies that remain in us (Romans 8:5-14;13:11-14; Galatians 5:16-24; Colossians 3:3-5 etc.)
● Jesus continues to develop his likeness in us on a daily basis as we depend upon his Spirit, read his Word and pray (Romans 8:29; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Colossians 3:10)
● Jesus shares his life with us by the gift of the Spirit and through his Word and prayer
● it is by these means that the life of Jesus is internalised (what is true for us becomes true in us)
● this finds expression in doing the works of God and speaking the Word of God just as Jesus did (John 14:12; Ephesians 2:10; 1 Peter 3:15; 2 Timothy 4:2)
● in this way we are witnesses to Jesus in the same way that Jesus was a witness to his Father (John 15:27; Acts 1:8)
● this is only possible to the degree that we live on earth as Jesus lived (“walk as he walked” 1 John 2:6), in love with God and neighbour (Matthew 22:37; Romans 12:9-10; 13:8; Galatians 5:13-14; Ephesians 5:2; 1 Peter 1:8; 1 John 4:21 etc.)
● to the degree that we trust Jesus we will experience life as he does (John 14:27; 15:11; 16:33; 17:13; 1 Peter 1:8)
e. Phase 4. The Future Consummation
(A personal testimony: Acts 3:17-21)
● the remaining phase of the history of Jesus is future and heavenly
● the book of Revelation especially is “The Revelation of Jesus Christ” because it records the unfolding revelation of the true identity of the heavenly Jesus (Revelation 1:1)
● it is not however speculative or imaginative (unlike say the “Left Behind” series) because it is written by apostles who had seen a vision of Christ’s eternal glory on earth or in heaven (2 Corinthians 12:1-4; 2 Peter 1:16-18; Revelation 1:12-18; 4:1-2)
● it is Jesus sharing with us what the Father has given him to know about his own destiny yet to come
● Jesus has this future because he was faithful to the purposes of God (Revelation 1:5; 3:14; 19:11)
● it is Jesus giving us insight into what he has in store for us so that we may live faithful lives in the present (2 Peter 3:11; 1 John 3:3; Revelation 2:10; 14:12; 17:14)
● if we do not understand the glory of the future that awaits us we will become faithless and idolatrous like the rest of humanity and share in their judgements (1Thessalonians 1:10; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-9; Revelation 6; 8:7-20; 16-18)
● if believers are faithful through suffering and persecution they will share in the rewards Jesus inherited from his Father (Revelation 2:7, 10, 17, 26-28; 3:5, 12, 21)
● the revelation of the future unfolds in a series of steps:
● it is the return of Jesus bringing the eternal glory of God to the earth that will trigger this universal transformation (Mark 13:26;14:62; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-16; 2 Thessalonians 1:7; Revelation 1:7; 19:11-16)
● only when Jesus visibly returns will we be able to “see him” and be “like him” (1 John 3:2)
● this is why the second coming is one of the most important teachings of the Bible
● the first step in the “restoration of all things” (Matthew 17:10; Acts 3:21) is the general resurrection of the dead
● all people, alive or dead, will receive a body of the same sort as that in which Jesus came back to life (Daniel 12:2; John 5:28; Acts 24:15; 1 Corinthians 15:20)
● this resurrection body will share the glory that Jesus received when he was raised from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:42-57; Philippians 3:21)
● the resurrection introduces the next phase of the last things: the last judgement
● those who receive a body like that of Jesus but do not have him living in them cannot personally share in the rest of his story
● this means an eternal separation, some have the eternal life of Jesus, others go off to the eternal punishment of being outside God’s pleasure in Christ, this is hell (Matthew 25:46; John 5:29; Revelation 20:11-15)
● at the very end of the story there is a “new heavens and a new earth” (Revelation 21:1, 5)
● in this new universe there can be no trace of the knowledge of good and evil and the suffering it has produced (Isaiah 65:17; 2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:4)
● God reigns over a world in perfect peace and harmony (Isaiah 9:7)
● this is the reality of the relationship that Jesus has with his Father and it now fills all things (Ephesians1:23; 1 Corinthians 15:28; Revelation 21:7)
● at the centre of the new cosmos is the new Jerusalem, a place where God lives with his people (Ezekiel 37:27; 2 Corinthians 6:16; Hebrews 12:22-24; Revelation 7:15; 21:3)
● this city and the people of God are one (Revelation 3:12; 21:2)
● there is no physical temple because the temple is the person of Jesus who indwells the church (Ephesians 2:19-22; 1 Peter 2:4-5; Revelation 21:22)
● just as God planned in the beginning, there is a vast multitude of people fully and forever sharing life with him through his Son (Revelation 5:9-10; 7:9-17; 14:1-5)
● all heaven and earth is now completely filled with the glory of God (Isaiah 11:9; Habakkuk 2:14; Revelation 21:11, 23), for the glory of the nations and the glory of God are now one (Isaiah 60:1-5; Revelation 21:24,26)
E: Sharing in the Story of Jesus
● it is possible to read and study the Bible without actually sharing in the story of Jesus
● this is because the story of Jesus is only open to those who have shared their story with him
● there are many ways to misuse the Bible so that it does not impact our inner lives
● we can use the Bible like the devil, to reinforce a self – centred lifestyle (Matthew 4:3, 6)
● we can subtly use it to try to prove that they we are in the right and Jesus’ demands are wrong (Matthew 22:23-29)
● the key to properly using the Bible is to use it like Jesus, to “have the mind of Christ” (1 Cor 2:16)
● the mind of Jesus involves sharing Jesus’ own set of priorities; this means unselfishness and a willingness to suffer, and, if necessary, die for the sake of God’s and his kingdom (Phil 2:5-11)
● only disciples who follow Jesus as Lord in the way of the cross can expect to understand the scripture as a living reality (Luke 9:23; 14:27; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; Heb 4:12; 1 Peter 1:23)
● a Jesus shaped life is one of daily death to self and rising again in the power of the resurrection (2 Corinthians 4:10; Phil 3:10)
● only in this way is the whole Bible experienced today as the story of Jesus: past, present and future
● this is a story that challenges the idolatry that is at the heart of every other story: ideologies, races, nations, families and our own
● this returns us to the crucial question of life: my story with a place for Jesus, or Jesus story with a place for me?
Appendix 1: Old Testament Types Fulfilled in Christ
| Theme | Old Testament | New Testament |
| election | Gen 12:1-2; Deut 7:7-8 | Eph 1:4; 1 Peter 1:20 |
| covenant | Gen 15:17; Ex 19:5-6; 2 Sam 7:14; Isa 42:6; 49:8; Jer 31:31-34 | Matt 26:26-28; Heb 12:24; 13:20 |
| descendants | Gen 12:2; 13:16; 15:5; 16:10; 18:18 | Matt 1:1; Acts 3:25-26; Gal 3:16; Heb 2:10; Rev 5:9-10 |
| land | Gen 12:7; 13:14-15; 15:18-21; 17-8 | Heb 11:16; Rev 21:1-5 |
| exodus | Ex 12-15; Ps 78; Isa 40:3-4; Jer 16:14-15 | Luke 9:31; 1 Cor 5:7; Col 1:13 |
| Israel/sonship | Ex 4:22-23; Isa 43:6; Hos 11:1 | Matt 2:15; Mark 1:1; John 1:18; Luke 3:22-38 |
| law | Ex 20; Lev ; Deut 5; Ps 1; 19 | Matt 5:17-18; Rom 10:4 |
| sabbath | Gen 2:2; Ex 20:8-11; Deut 5:12-15 | Mk 2:28; Rev 1:10 |
| temple | Ex 25-31; 1 Ki 5-8 | John 1:14; 2:19-21 |
| sacrifice | Gen 4:2-4; Ex 12; 29-30; Lev 16; 1 Sam 5:22; Ps 50:5 | John 1:29; Rom 8:3; 1 Cor 5:7; Heb 9-10; Rev 5:6-10 |
| prophet | Gen 20:7; Deut 18:15-19; Amos 3:7; 7:14-15 | Luke 4:16-21, 24; 13:33; John 4:19; Acts 3:22-23 |
| priest | Lev 1:7-17; 13 – 14; Num 1:47-54 | Mark 10:45; John 10:11; Rom 8:34; Heb 2:17; 3:1; 4:14-15; 7 |
| king | 1 Sam 8:4-18; 2 Sam 7:14-16; Ps 89; 132; Isa 9:6-7; Ezek 34:20-24 | John 1:49; Mark 15:32; Acts 2:29-33; 13:23, 32-34 ; 1 Cor 15:24-28; Rev 19:16 |
| kingdom of God | Ps 22:28; 24; Dan 2:44; 4:3; 7:13-14; | Mark 1:15; Acts 14:22; 28:31; Rom 14:17; Col 1:13 |
| Son of David | 2 Sam 7:14 | Matt 1:17-20; 20:29-31; Luke 1:30-33; Rom 1:3 |
| Son of Man | Ezek 2:1; Dan 7:13-14 | Mark 7:38; 8:31; 13:26-27; 14:62; Acts 7:56 |
| Anointed one (Messiah) | Ps 2:2; Isa 61:1; Dan 9:26-27 | Matt 16:16; Mark 1:1; Acts 10:38 |
| Shepherd | Ps 23:1; Isa 40:11; Ezek 34:23 | John 10:11; 1 Pet 2:25; 5:4; Heb 13:20 |
| wisdom | 1 Ki 3:6-9; 4:20 – 34; Isa 9:6; 11:2 | Luke 2:46-52; 11:31; 1 Cor 1:20 – 2:16; Col 2:2-3 |
| knowledge | Prov 1:7; Isa 11:2 | 1 Cor 2:16; Col 2:2-3 |
| captivity/exile | Gen 15:13; Jer 1:15-16; 20:4-6; Micah 4:10 | John 1:14; Rom 8:3; 2 Cor 8:9 |
| restoration | Isa 1:26; 49:6; Jer 30:18; Ezek 36:35; Amos 9:14 | Matt 19:28; Acts 3:21 |