In the course of my Biblical research for this project, I was impacted by my study in many ways. For example, it has enabled me to see the hopelessness of other worldviews that are not based on the Bible. The future hopes of enlightenment philosophy, materialism, the sexual revolution, and other secular viewpoints extend only to this lifetime, and cannot even be realized in one single lifetime. It would take forever to gain enough knowledge, technological advancement, possessions, or indulgence to attain permanent satisfaction, and most of us only have about seventy or eighty years. Then what happens? A Biblical worldview offers hope not only for this lifetime, but for the life to come. After all, we will be dead for a lot longer than we will be alive, so what’s the point of only focusing on improving our brief lives if there is truly an afterlife?
I have also come to realize the importance of recognizing the unity and continuity of the Bible’s storyline. The Bible is not a jumbled collection of disconnected writings; rather, it is the entirety of God’s revelation to us. All its parts work together to display God’s glory and reveal His plan for humanity, and I now am better able to read it with this focus in view. The Bible will not seem truly glorious if its God-breathed nature is not recognized, and even Christians can read parts of the Bible without seeing the point of what they are reading. However, I realize that faith is essential for reading God’s word properly. We do not always understand the purpose of every book or chapter of the Bible, but we can trust that God has given us every word because we need to hear it. God seems even more glorious to me in light of the fact that all His words are connected and have an ultimate purpose.
I do have some questions still as to exactly how the Bible’s books of Wisdom (from Job through Song of Solomon) work together with the rest of Scripture to show us Christ. I may decide to look into this topic further and possibly do a more in-depth study of these books to unearth their connections to the person and work of Jesus.
I am confident that my new understanding of the Bible’s storyline will impact my future life in some wonderful ways. I feel that I am now better able to encourage nonbelievers to read the Bible because I am no longer as afraid that they will hit a difficult passage and decide to quit. Since I know now that every part of the Bible works together in an amazing way, I can point this truth out to them and help them to better understand the Bible’s overall message.
- Abigail DeMelo