The Grand Story of the Bible

Everyone has a story to live by. Questions we must ask ourselves include, “Which story tells the true story about God, our world, and life?” and “Does my story line up with the true story?” What constitutes a basic story line is much the same in novels, TV shows, movies, and plays. The story opens with things going well. The characters are introduced, and we get essential background information. Everything is good (or at least stable) to start with. Then a problem or crisis arises that threatens the characters and their future. Much of the story is taken up with solving this problem (i.e., conflict resolution). Usually during this period of resolution, there is a climax where the tension builds to a critical point. Here the heart of the problem is solved. Finally (and this may take a while), the resolution is worked out so that things are not just good but great. When there is no happy ending, we call this a tragedy. The phases of a grand story are summarized as follows:

The Bible claims to be God’s story for the whole world. In the Bible we find the one grand story (or metanarrative) that best explains reality. Here is how the Bible breaks down into a grand story:

To put the grand story of the Bible into a memorable format, consider the outline below that uses “c” sounds:

Creation—The story begins with the creation of the world and human beings.

Crisis—When tempted by Satan, humans choose to satisfy self and rebel (or sin) against God. They do this repeatedly. Sin brings disastrous and deadly consequences: pain, suffering, death, and separation from God.

Covenant—God begins to solve this problem of sin by choosing Abraham and establishing a covenant with him so that he might become the father of a people who will worship God. God wants to make Abraham into a great nation and to give him a land along with many descendants and blessings. Then God wants to bless all the nations of the world through Abraham, and to use this one nation to bring the rest of the world into a relationship with himself.

Calling Out—Genesis tells the story of the patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob (Israel), Joseph. Through a series of events they move to Egypt where this small group grows into a nation and experiences slavery. God uses Moses to deliver his people from slavery through the exodus event. God’s miraculous deliverance of his people from bondage in Egypt becomes a pattern that foreshadows God’s ultimate deliverance of his people from spiritual slavery.

Commandments—After God rescues his people, he enters into a covenant with them (the Mosaic covenant). He gives them the law (summed up in the Ten Commandments) and calls his people to holiness. God’s expectations for his covenant people are spelled out in the book of Deuteronomy.

Conquest—God uses Joshua to help his people take the Promised Land (Canaan).

Kingdom—God’s people acquire a king. Samuel becomes the link between the judges and the kings of Israel: Saul (the first king), David, Solomon.

Kingdom Divided—After Solomon there is a civil war that leads to the division of the kingdom: Israel = northern kingdom, Judah = southern kingdom. There are many kings, some good but most bad.

Captivity—Because God’s people have failed to worship him alone, they face terrible judgments, including the loss of the Promised Land. Their enemies take them captive. Israel is conquered by the Assyrians in 722 BC, while Judah is conquered and taken captive by the Babylonians in about 586 BC.

Coming Home—The people finally return from exile under Ezra and Nehemiah.

Christ (Climax to the Story)—About four hundred years later God sends his Son, Jesus the Christ, to save his people from their sins. Jesus announces the coming of God’s kingdom through his teachings and miracles. His death and resurrection forms the climax to the biblical story.

Church—Those who accept Jesus become part of the church—the people of God—comprising both Jews and gentiles. God continues to use his people to extend his offer of salvation to a sinful world.

Consummation—God closes history with a final victory over evil. Those who have rejected God will suffer judgment, while those who have accepted him will live with him in a new heaven and new earth. God’s promises are now fulfilled (see Rev. 21:1–4).

Because it is true, the grand story of the Bible provides the best answers to the basic questions of life:*

  1. Where are we? What kind of world do we live in? The grand story of Scripture says we are in a world created and sustained by God. There is more to this world than science or technology or progress or our own imaginations.
  2. Who are we? What does it mean to be a human being? The Bible says that we are human beings created in God’s image for the purpose of being in a loving relationship with God and with other human beings. We are not just autonomous selves in control of our own destiny or multiple selves depending on our environment.
  3. What’s wrong? What is the essential problem with us and the world? Scripture says that the problem is sin. We have chosen to rebel against our Creator, and sin has damaged our relationships. We can’t just blame outside circumstances.
  4. What’s the solution? What can fix the problem? The Bible says that only God can fix the problem. We do need saving and we can’t save ourselves, but God has come to our rescue in Jesus Christ, whose life, death, and resurrection provides a way to God.
  5. Where are we in the story? Where do we belong and how does the story affect our lives right now? What role do we play in the story? Each of us must answer these questions personally.

As you read and study specific sections of Scripture, keep in mind the larger picture. The Bible is a collection (a minilibrary) of sixty-six books, but it also functions as a single book. The grand story of the Bible answers the basic questions of life better than any other story. It’s true. You can count on it. When people come to faith in Christ, they are basically saying, “I want God’s story to become my story.” That’s what conversion is—embracing the grand story of Scripture as our personal story to make sense of life.



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*See Brian J. Walsh and J. Richard Middleton, The Transforming Vision: Shaping a Christian World View (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1984); N. T. Wright, Jesus and the Victory of God (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1997); and Craig Bartholomew and Michael Goheen, The Drama of Scripture: Finding Our Place in the Biblical Story (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2004).