The Way of Jesus:
The Point of Scripture

You’ve probably noticed by now that every chapter of Disciple Path begins with a section called The Way of Jesus. That’s because we need to know his ways if we want to follow in his ways. In this chapter, we’re going to solidify our understanding of God’s story as told in Scripture, which begs the question: What did the Scriptures mean to Jesus?

Jesus did not have the Bible as we have it now for obvious reasons—the parts that talk about him were written after Jesus lived. However, Jesus did have what we call the Old Testament, which makes up the majority of the Bible. And it appears that Jesus knew the Old Testament exceedingly well, and that he used it to guide his life.

However, Jesus didn’t simply know the words of Scripture, he also knew the point of Scripture.

In a day where religious leaders often used the Bible to weigh people down with strict laws, Jesus recognized that the point of the Bible was to point to himself:

“You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life” (John 5:39-40).

If the point of Scripture is Jesus, then it is exceedingly important that we know and understand the story of the Bible.

It might be helpful to think of the story of Scripture as a great, still-unfolding drama with four acts. The Bible shows us the beginning of the story, and how the story will end, but God is still writing this drama. Today, we are living out the middle section. As followers of Jesus, Scripture to us is so much more than a book we read, study, or dissect. These are words that we must embody.

We must take upon ourselves this story, with all its twists and turns, because it is the story that we are living out today.

So how does this story go? Let’s dig into the four “acts” of the drama of Scripture.

Act 1 could be named “Creation.”

We read about this in Genesis 1-2. Our all-powerful, loving God forms the universe. He then places his image bearers inside the world to enjoy him and represent him, and he calls it “very good.” This is how the Bible describes our origins:

“Then God said, ‘Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.’

So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

Then God blessed them and said, ‘Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea and birds in the sky and all the animals that scurry along the ground’” (NLT).

The first thing we notice about how God made us is this: God created us as royalty. The text says that they will “reign.” In other words, we were not made to be slaves.

The second thing the text tells us is that God gave us responsibility. He told us to be fruitful and multiply, and to govern over the earth. As we read on in Scripture, we realize that this responsibility is even more than watching over fish, birds, and trees. We are called to represent God to the world. Our job is to extend his reign throughout all of creation.

Third, God invites us into relationship with him. As God’s image bearers, we are created to be in constant relationship with him. Author Mike Breen puts it this way:

“The word translated as ‘image’ also means ‘imprint.’ When God created us, he pressed the imprint of his presence on us.”

As we move further along in the Bible, the word used for relationship is the word “covenant.” A covenant is a binding promise between two people. It literally means, “to become one.” God enters into a covenant with his people because his desire is to be in a binding relationship with them.

So at creation, we learn that God created us as royalty, gave us responsibility and invites us into relationship. This is why we were made. These three truths are huge—big enough to change our lives. And this is only the beginning!

Act 2 is called “The Fall.”

This happens in Genesis 3, and it keeps getting worse, all the way through chapter 11. It’s where God’s people stop trying to reflect God and instead try to be God. The Bible calls this “sin.”

Our first encounter with human sin in the Bible comes when we meet Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. God gave Adam and Eve one simple command: they could eat from any tree but one. Eventually the enemy comes along and plants some lies in their minds. First, the serpent gets Eve to question God. He asks, “Did God really say you must not eat from any of the trees in the garden?” Eve responds that they may eat from any tree but one, or they will die.

Next, the serpent convinces Eve to try to take God’s place. He says, “You won’t die!” Instead, he claims that if they eat the fruit from the forbidden tree, they will actually be like God.

And so, Adam and Eve revolt against God and eat the fruit. Sin enters the world, and to their horror they realize that the peace they had was gone. Their perfect relationship with God was immediately changed. Now they were afraid.

The story of Adam and Eve is the story of all of us. We want to be like God. In fact, this is the heart of sin. Sin—at least in part—is where we try to take God’s place. But sin has terrible consequences.

First, sin makes us slaves. Remember that God created us to be royalty, but sin undoes that. The apostle Paul wrote,

“You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living” (Romans 6:16 NLT).

Sin doesn’t mean we’re no longer made in God’s image. Rather, because of sin, the light of that image has flickered out. We’ve been cut off from its power source.

Second, sin spreads chaos. After the fall, we read about a growing spiral of evil that infects all of humanity. It gets to the place where everything is in complete disorder. Originally, God gave us responsibility to represent him to the world. Instead, chaos was everywhere.

Finally, sin causes us to be alone. When Adam and Eve sinned, the intimacy they had with God and each other was suddenly gone. They were ashamed and afraid. We were made for relationship with God and others, but sin thoroughly wrecks those relationships.

The hard truth of the story is that sin makes us slaves, spreads chaos, and causes us to be alone. But this is not the end of the story.

Act 3 of the story is “Redemption.”

It starts in Genesis 12, where God begins to put his rescue plan into action. Here is where the story takes a turn, and we begin to read some good news.

There’s a word you hear a lot around churches, and it’s the word gospel. This word simply means good news. Sometimes people forget that the gospel is good news, and just try to make it into good advice. “Here’s how you can have peace in life,” or “Here’s how you can go to heaven.” The fact is, many people today are searching for personal fulfillment, and there are many popular gospels promising those things.

But the good news is not just good advice. The good news is something that truly happened. Jesus Christ lived, died, and rose again.

One of the things we should notice about this definition is that it all hinges on Jesus. The gospel is the good news of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection—which means that God sets us free, renews all things, and adopts us as his children.

Sin makes us slaves. But the good news doesn’t simply mean forgiveness for sin, as wonderful as that is. The gospel means freedom from sin’s power. God offers us more than forgiveness; he wants to set us free as well. We are forgiven and free!

What’s more, God is in the business of renewing all things. Sin spreads chaos, but redemption means that God’s original plans will come true. Through Jesus, everything that was broken in the fall is being made new.

Finally, God restores our relationships. Whereas sin causes us to be alone, the gospel means that we are adopted into God’s family, never to be alone again.

There is much more to be said about the gospel. A few pages can’t possibly sum up all that God has done. But the beauty of it is that we get to live out this good news, embodying the words of God’s amazing story, until we come to the final act.

The last act of the story is called “Completion.”

We read about this in the book of Revelation. It’s where God will one day make all things right again, and we will live with him, and nothing will get in the way. Revelation 21:3-5 (NLT) says,

“I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, ‘Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things will be gone forever.’ And the one sitting on the throne will say, ‘Look, I am making everything new!’”

These last words are spoken by Jesus, and it gives us a glimpse of what it will be like someday. We all agree that the world we live in now has plenty of sorrow, crying, and pain. However, as Christians we look forward to the day when Jesus will return to earth and set up the heavenly kingdom.

When that day comes, all things will be made new. God will finish what he started.

If these promises will happen in the future, then what about today? Should we just try to hang on and hope that we can make it through life until the end? Is there hope or meaning for today?

Hundreds of years before Christ, the prophet Joel wrote about a day when God would pour out his spirit on everyone. This would be a sign that God’s renewing work had begun.

Then, in Acts 2, we read about Pentecost—which is where the Holy Spirit is poured out on God’s people. On Pentecost, the apostle Peter stands up and quotes Joel, saying that the moment that Joel had looked forward to was happening. God’s renewal had begun!

Because this world—right now—does matter to God, he does not leave us to muddle through on our own. He is working to make all things new right now, and that include us.

In fact, God is so committed to finishing what he started that he even dwells within us. The Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit is God in us—restoring us, renewing us, and empowering us to join him.

This means that today we can look in the face of pain and sorrow and say with confidence, “you lose.” Jesus is alive, the Holy Spirit indwells us, and God’s renewing mission guides us. The great awakening has begun, and God is finishing what he started.

God is making everything new. And that includes you.

Which calls us to remember that we are still living out Act 3. God’s mission of redemption is still taking place. We are completing the story with Jesus as he brings redemption to the whole world!

Action Step

Review the four “acts” of Scripture until you can articulate the story naturally in simple language. Be prepared to do this when you meet with your group.

Daily Scripture

In this chapter, we will begin reading though one of the gospels over the next several weeks. Read each day’s Scripture passage and journal your responses.

Luke 1 | Luke 2 | Luke 3 | Luke 4 | Luke 5

What to do when you meet
with your group:

Begin with a short prayer.

Ask God to open your eyes to his perspective on things. Take turns each week.

Questions.

Begin by discussing how you are loving others.

What opportunities has God given you to love other people through serving, speaking truth in love, or pointing them towards Christ since we last met? How did you respond?

Talk about what God has been stirring in you through your time in the Word.

Share about one of your quiet times in God’s Word. What has God been teaching you and how did you respond?

Questions about section 1.

Why is it important for Jesus followers to have a solid understanding of the story of Scripture? Have you ever had the chance to share the gospel story with someone else?

Take some time to share what you’ve prepared from your Action Step.

Now that you’ve practiced with each other, your leader is going to ask you to practice with someone else this week.

End your time by praying for each other.

Pray for an opportunity to share God’s story and the words to use as you share. Pray for the people in your lives who don’t know Jesus yet.