The Story Helps us Interpret our Past, Present, and FutureThis week in our group discussion we highlighted the interpretive value of grasping the Big Story of “God’s gracious restorative interaction with his world.” Knowing this Story helps us understand aright our past, our present, and our future. For a reminder of this narrative, see the Mars Hills' summary here. For more resources on "Bible as Story" click here. Our HeritageRegarding our past, from the creation of the universe (some unimaginable 13.7 billion years ago!) to the creation of the early church (in the first century AD), the big picture of the Story helps us interpret the main events in the Bible. Without the Story in view, it can be difficult to put the pieces of the biblical puzzle together. In fact, the Story functions like the box top of a 1,000 piece puzzle. Having the box top in front of you helps you arrange the separate pieces into an integrated, intelligible whole. But imagine trying to arrange the pieces without it! Our Present ExperienceRegarding our present, knowing the Story is critical to figuring out who we are, how we and God are to relate, and what our role entails as his people for the sake of the world. Just from the opening chapters of the Story in Genesis we learned about the character of God, a Creator who is relational, good, brilliant, good, resourceful, good, generous, good, artistic, good, and cooperative. (The redundancy of the word “good” in this description of God parallels the repetition of the word in Genesis 1 in the description of God’s handiwork. If the creation itself is said over and over to be good, then the Creator must be the same, since he is the source of every good thing [see also James 1:17].) In watching the Lord interact with Adam and Eve we observe that he is a life-giving, love-pursuing, freedom-granting, and risk-taking God. We also discover our identity as his image-bearers (our discussion of that is here), the cracks of which are being repaired in part by our being conformed to the image of Christ, the best human reflector of God. We are called to walk with God and his people, and to work alongside him, as junior partners, first in the task of caring for the earth, then, as the story unfolds, in the task of caring for others. Our InheritanceRegarding our future, knowing where the Story is heading helps us direct our lives toward the consummation, when “all things, things in heaven and things on earth,” will be united in Christ (Ephesians 1:10). We “Christ followers” have a head-start on “all things,” since we already live in unity with the Messiah. Because “the reconciliation of all things” (Col 1:20) is certain, we are full of “confident expectation,” something the Bible describes using the word “hope.” Hope: Our Confident ExpectationPaul and Peter on HopeTo tease out how a clear view of our future in Christ is critical if we are to bring a kingdom perspective to our present circumstances, we read and discussed these three rich passages: (1) Romans 8:12-26; (2) 2 Corinthians 4:7-18; (3) 1 Peter 1:3-16. These are precious truths. Open your Bibles. These are worth reading again. They are wonderfully helpful. Linger long over these passages and you will find that his word is life-giving and perspective-shaping. Paul knows that without a view of the coming restoration that will attend the return of Jesus we could collapse in despair, or abandon the race altogether. So he not only explains again and again the glory, the joy, and the life that awaits the people of God (and the whole material creation), but he links to his teaching prayers that we would be filled with hope and directed by hope. (By the way, this combo of [1] explanation to people and [2] prayers to God is the only way our teaching makes an impact. Let’s remember this next time we’re discussing kingdom realities with friends, be they in the family of God or be they those whom Jesus misses most.) Listen to Paul’s “hope-ful” prayers: “…that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance” (Eph 1:18). Note the dual inheritance—we need to know about our coming inheritance, and we need to know that we, strangely, are God’s coming inheritance! Here’s another of Paul’s prayers for hope: “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit” (Rom 15:13). Spirit—fill us with hope! Did you know that when first-century pastors describe the essence of the Christian life they often include “hope” right at the heart of it? Paul says in 1 Corinthians that “three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love” (13:13). Paul sees the Spirit at work in the church at Thessalonica and sends a word of thanksgiving to the Father. What are the hallmarks of the Spirit’s transforming presence that he observes among them? Why, it’s faith, love, and hope: “We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly. As we pray to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and the enduring hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess 1:2-3). Only hope allows endurance. And wherever genuine faith and agape love are found, there you will find hope, as well. These “three sisters” cannot be separated. Later in this same letter Paul exhorts us to keep these three close at hand for our own protection: “But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confident hope of our salvation” (1 Thess 5:8). For more on this “triad,” see the discussion of 1 Thess 1:2-3 here.
Hebrews on Hope
To believe in God is to trust him. To trust that he will bring the beautiful future that he has promised is to have hope. In this sense, hope is what faith looks like when it directs its gaze to God’s trustworthiness regarding the future, the eschaton. The pastor of the “Hebrews” expresses this succinctly: “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot yet see” (Hebrews 11:1). Jesus, our model Eikon, exhibited this hope when facing the cross. In this way, he truly is the “pioneer,” the “trailblazer” who set his eye on the glory as a way to help him endure the shame. We are to follow in his footsteps. “Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up” (Hebrews 12:1-3). If Jesus needed hope, how much more do we! Cultivating HopeHow can we cultivate hope? Hope is confidence that God can be trusted to eventually right the world’s wrongs on “the last day.” So, to cultivate hope we can (1) grow in our grasp of God’s trustworthiness and (2) discover more about our “priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for us, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through our faith, God is protecting us by his power until we receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see” (1 Peter 1). Both of these can be enhanced by Scripture—reading it, mulling over it, learning to live by it, and hanging out with others on the same course. “Reading and studying Scripture has been seen as central to how we are to grow in the love of God; how we come to understand God and his truth more fully; and how we can develop the moral muscle to live in accordance with the gospel of Jesus even when everything seems to be pulling the other way.”- Tom Wright, The Last Word: Beyond the Bible Wars to a New Understanding of the Authority of Scripture (San Francisco: HarperOne, 2005). Prior essays on our future might also be helpful. For further reading, consider Tom Wright's book Surprised by Hope, as described on our resource page. |