The Biblical story, as I have pointed out in previous articles, is organized as a meta-narrative. It has a beginning, a middle and an end. It has a problem (sin) which needs to be solved. It has adventures and great heroes (Abraham, Moses, David among them). It has a savior (Jesus of Nazareth) who rescues humanity and begins reclaiming them for God. And it has a conclusion which describes the restoration of God's good creation (the book of Revelation). The issue with scripture however, is that it is very easy to miss this overarching story. Readers can easily find themselves bogged down in the details of the Temple, the list of Kings, the minutia of the Law of Moses or the theology of the Apostle Paul in his letters. In order to help people understand the meta-narrative, our staff developed the Five Part Story.
Part One is that God loves the world. This is the foundational belief upon which entire story rests; that God as creator desires that creation fulfill its potential to be a place of peace, justice and love. Part Two is that we wandered far from God. Human beings wandered away from the life giving ways God set before them and chose instead to follow ways that led to death and destruction. Part Three is that Jesus is the way to God. In the life, death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth a path is opened which makes it possible for human beings to once again live into the life giving ways of God. Part Four is that the Spirit leads us to God. The Holy Spirit takes the potential of living into the life giving ways of God and makes that potential a reality. The final part of the story is that we follow the Way of God's Love.
This final part of the story may come as a surprise to many Christians. I say this because the end of the story for many Christians is heaven. In other words the end results of God's love, Christ's death and the Spirit's work all lead to a final end…eternity with God in heaven. That would indeed make for a nice neat conclusion but, as was noted above, that is not the ending the scriptures offer us. The end for scripture is a new heaven and earth on which men, women and children live fully, and eternally, into lives which demonstrate love of God and neighbor. Thus the end of the story is that we are to follow the way of God's love such that we demonstrate the fullness of being God's children.
This ultimate end to the story then helps to determine how we live in the interim as we head for the completion of God's work. We are to live in the interim as those doing our best to follow the way of God's love as shown to us by Jesus of Nazareth. Stories such as the Jesus eating with sinners and tax collectors (Luke 5:27-32), the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:29-37) and the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) offer us glimpses of what this Jesus-like life ought to look like. In the Gospel of John (15:12) Jesus tells his disciples that "This is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you." This same idea (loving one another) is continued in the letters of John. (1 John 2:7-12; 4:7-12)
Paul addresses this in the "ethics" portion of Romans (12:1-2) where he writes, "I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters,
by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual
worship. Do not be conformed to this world,
but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect." He continues in 12:9-13. "Let love be genuine; hate what is evil; hold fast to what is good;
love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord.
Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.
Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers." For the Apostle the outcome of all of Christ's work is that we become capable of and willing to let the love of God shine through us in what we say and do.
You and I are part of this Five Part Story; the greatest story ever told. The challenge for us is to be intentional about following the way of God's love in response to all that God has done for us.
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