The Big Story Understanding the Christian Worldview as a Great Drama and the Role We Were Created to Play in It THE COSMIC DRAMA Our Need for Context The individual stories of our lives are lived within the context of a transcendent allencompassing story or metanarrative ID: 267744
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Slide1
Created for SO MUCH MORE!
The Big StorySlide2
Understanding the Christian Worldview as a Great Drama, and the Role We Were Created to Play in It
THE COSMIC DRAMASlide3
Our Need for Context
The individual stories of our lives are lived within the context of a transcendent all-encompassing story or meta-narrative.
God has revealed that “meta-narrative” through creation, through Scripture, and through Jesus Christ.Slide4
IN THE BEGINNING, GOD
The true story of God, man and the universe.
A COSMIC DRAMA IN FOUR ACTS
BY
YAHWEH
ACT 1: The Creation
ACT 2: The Fall
ACT 3: Redemption and Renewal
ACT 4: GlorificationSlide5
THE WRITER
God’s Essential Attributes –
Belonging to Him Only
A Personal Being (Exodus 3:14)
Invisible/Spirit (John 4:24)
Eternal (Isaiah 26:4)
Immutable (Malachi 3:6)
Infinite (Psalm 147:5; 18:30)Slide6
THE WRITER
God’s Essential Attributes –
Belonging to Him Only
Omnipotent (Luke 1:37)
Omniscient (Psalm 139:1-8)
Omnipresent (Jeremiah 23:24)
Transcendent (2 Chronicles 6:18)
Absolute Truth (Isaiah 45:19)
One God in Three Persons (2 Corinthians 13:14)Slide7
THE WRITER
God’s Moral Attributes –
Belonging to Him and Reflected in His Image-Bearers
Perfect Love (1 John 4:8)
Perfect Righteousness (Deuteronomy 32:4)
Perfect Holiness (Leviticus 19:2)
Perfect Faithfulness (1 Corinthians 1:9; 10:13)Slide8
THE SCRIPT
Truth revealed by the only true and living God –
“I am the Lord, and there is no other… I the Lord speak the truth; I declare what is right.” Isaiah 45:18-19
The General Revelation of Truth through Nature (Psalm 19:1)
The General Revelation of Truth through Conscience (Romans 2:15)
The Special Revelation of Truth through Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16)
The Special Revelation of Truth through Christ (Hebrews 1:1-2)Slide9
Act 1
A creation of perfect harmony with:
God
Self
Others
The earth
The CreationSlide10
Revelation 4:11
“Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they existed and were created.”Slide11
The fixed intent, nature, order, unity, harmony, and diversity of all aspects of creation
The Structure of CreationSlide12
HUMANITY
Our Origin
Created by God (Genesis 1:26-28)Slide13
HUMANITY
Our Nature
Image Bearers of God (Genesis 1:26-31)
Spiritual (1 Corinthians 2:11)
Rational
(Isaiah 55:8-9)
Emotional (Psalm 42:1-5)
Moral (Romans 2:14-15
)
Volitional (Genesis 2:15-17)
Creative (Exodus 35:30-33)
Relational (Genesis 1:28; 1 John 1:3)
Crowned with Glory and Honor (Psalm 8:5)
Finite & Dependent (John 15:5; Acts 17:25, 28)Slide14
HUMANITY
Our Relational Purposes
To live in a relationship of harmonious fellowship with God (Ephesians 1:4-5; 1 John 1:3)
To live for the service, praise and glory of God (Ephesians 1:6-12)
To Live in a trusting, dependent relationship with God (John 15:5; Acts 17:25-28)Slide15
HUMANITY
Our Relational Purposes
To live in a harmonious relationship with SELF by bearing and reflecting the perfect image of God (Genesis 1:26-31; Psalm 103:14; 2 Corinthians 3:18)Slide16
HUMANITY
Our Relational Purposes
To live in a harmonious relationship with OTHERS by serving them in love within the institutions of the family, the nation and the Church (Genesis 2:18; Acts 17:26; Ephesians 2:14-16; 9-20)Slide17
HUMANITY
Our Relational Purposes
To Live in a harmonious relationship with THE EARTH as God’s stewards by filling, subduing, caring for, and ruling over it (Genesis 1:28; 2:15)Slide18
HUMANITY
Our Destiny
To glorify God eternally on the new earth (Revelation 4:21)
To serve and rule with God eternally over the new creation (Revelation 22:3-5)Slide19
THE EARTH/UNIVERSE
Its Origin
Created by God (Genesis 1:1; Ephesians 3:9)Slide20
THE EARTH/UNIVERSE
Its Nature
Reflects the order and character of God (Genesis 8:22; Romans 1:20)
Very Good (Genesis 1:31)
Comprehensible (Genesis 1:26-28)
Sustained by God (Hebrews 1:3; Colossians 1:17)
Under man’s dominion (Genesis 1:26-28; Psalm 115:16)Slide21
THE EARTH/UNIVERSE
Its Purpose
For God’s glory and pleasure (Psalm 19:1; Revelation 4:11)
For habitation of life (Genesis 1; Psalm 115:16)Slide22
THE EARTH/UNIVERSE
Its Destiny
The renewal and eternal existence as the home of God and His redeemed image-bearers (2 Peter 3:10-13)Slide23
Act 2
DISharmony
with:
God
Self
Others
The earth
The FallSlide24
Romans 5:12
“Therefore
, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all
sinned.”Slide25
The deviation from God’s creational structure caused by sin
The Direction of CreationSlide26
HUMANITY
Our Nature
Fallen, Sinful and Marred (Genesis 3; Isaiah 53:6; Romans 3:23; 5:12)
Still Crowned with Glory and Honor (Psalm 8:5)
Finite and Dependent (John 15:5; Acts 17:25, 28)Slide27
HUMANITY
Our Relationships
Separated from and in Disharmony with God (Genesis 3:8; Isaiah 59:2)Slide28
HUMANITY
Our Relationships
Separated
from and in Disharmony with Self (Genesis 3:10; Ezra 9:6; Psalm 38:4, 18; 69:5
)Slide29
HUMANITY
Our Relationships
Separated
from and in Disharmony with Others (Genesis 3:12; Proverbs 11:9; Jeremiah 9:5; James 3:16; 4:1-2
)Slide30
HUMANITY
Our Relationships
Separated
from and in Disharmony with Creation (Genesis 3:17-19; Romans 8:20-21)Slide31
THE EARTH/UNIVERSE
Its Nature
Good (Genesis 1:3)Slide32
THE EARTH/UNIVERSE
Its Nature
Cursed and Subject to Decay because of the Fall (Genesis 3:17-19; Romans 8:20-21)Slide33
THE EARTH/UNIVERSE
Its Nature
Responds Reluctantly to the Stewardship of Fallen Humanity (Genesis 3:17-19; Romans 3:23; 5:12)Slide34
Phil Larson and Brian Smith; “Biblical Integration at BJU Press” April 10, 2007
“The brokenness of the natural order is all around us, and it is part of every academic discipline. Because it is all we have known, it is easy for us to ignore it (or to assume that the natural order has always been as it is now). Because we desire to shelter our children from the tragedies of human existence, it is easy for us to skip those aspects of the academics that deal with God’s curse on the world. But we must confront our children with the fact that this world is not as it should be. Part of being educated is knowing what is broken and why it is broken. Life is tragic, and it is tragic because God is speaking to us about our sin.”Slide35
Act 3
RESTORED harmony with:
God
Self
Others
The earth
Redemption and RenewalSlide36
Colossians 1:19-20
For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,
20
and
through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.Slide37
The
redemption and
restoration toward God’s creational structure
The NEW Direction of CreationSlide38
HUMANITY
Our Nature
Justified or Guiltless (Romans 5:1; Galatians 3:24)
Forgiven and Righteous (Colossians 2:13-14; Romans 4:18-25)
New Creation and Adopted Child (2 Corinthians 5:17; John 1:12-13)
Sanctified but still subject to decay and death (2 Corinthians 4:16)Slide39
HUMANITY
Our Relationships
Restored in Harmony and Fellowship with God (Romans 5:8-11; 1 John 1:3)
Restored Harmony with Self
(Jeremiah 31:13; Romans
5:11; 15:13; Galatians 5:22-23)
Being Conformed to the Glory and Image of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18)Slide40
HUMANITY
Our Relationships
Restored in Harmony with Others as Members of God’s Family, the Church (Acts 2:42-47; Ephesians 2:19; 4:1-6, 25-32; 1 Peter 2:9)
Stewards of Creation still in Disharmony due to the Fall (Genesis 3:17-19; Romans 8:20-21)Slide41
THE EARTH/UNIVERSE
Its Nature
Good (Genesis 1:31)
Cursed and Subject to Decay
(Romans
8:20-21)
Groans in Frustration awaiting it Liberation from Decay (Romans 8:20-23)
Still responds reluctantly to the imperfect stewardship of fallen and redeemed mankind (Romans 3:23; 5:12)Slide42
Act 4
Perfected Eternal harmony with:
God
Self
Others
The earth
GlorificationSlide43
Colossians 1:19-20
For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,
20
and
through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.Slide44
The completed redemptive restoration of God’s creational structure
The PERFECTED Direction of CreationSlide45
HUMANITY
Our Nature
Glorified, conformed perfectly to the same image of Christ.(Romans 8:18, 30; 2 Corinthians 3:18; 1 John 3:2)
Eternal New Physical Body (1 Corinthians 15:35-49; Philippians 3:20-21)Slide46
HUMANITY
Our Relationships
Perfect Harmony with God (Revelation 21:3-4)
Perfect Harmony with Self (Revelation 21:4)
Perfect Harmony with Others (Revelation 21:9-27)
Perfect Harmony with the Earth (2 Peter 3:13)Slide47
THE EARTH/UNIVERSE
Its Nature and Destiny
Renewed for Eternity as the Home of God and His Children (Revelation
21:1-5)