the storyline of scripture, pt 8 (or In Summary...)

God created the world and placed man in His creation to enjoy it and rule over it. The created order was in a state of peace and order. Man had the opportunity to choose continued life, goodness, beauty, and harmony. Or, he could choose to rebel against life. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve chose death, evil, ugliness, and painful separation.

Though death is an inevitable consequence of rejecting life, God was gracious. Death did not come immediately. God delayed the consequences of rebellion and promised to send One who would deliver not only the race of man, but the whole creation, from the fallen state in which it had entered.

The chosen One of God, the Christ, was promised, but it was years before He came. Yet, even in those years redemption was given to those who looked forward in faith to the promised deliverer.

When Jesus condescended from the heavens He fulfilled the promises of God. He was the chosen and promised One. He came as man and as God to take upon Himself the death, evil, ugliness, and painful separation that man had chosen in the Garden of Eden. In doing so, He took the pain and the curse belonging to the old race of man, and the old creation, upon Himself.

When He was resurrected three days later, He was resurrected to a human existence of life, goodness, beauty, and harmony. Redemption had come and He proved what He had claimed all along. “The old is passing away, and the new has come.”

Those who are “in Christ” are born again by the Spirit of God and belong to the new created order. The new race of man is charged with the task of spreading the good news (Gospel) of the Redeemer to those who are still choosing death that they might turn and be redeemed.

There is a coming day when the old creation and the old race of man shall burn up. In that day, the new heavens and the new earth will be joined together in a state where there is nothing but life, goodness, beauty, and harmony in the presence of God.

This is the Gospel and the storyline of Scripture.