Bible Story Overview

Study Notes

• The Bible is a collection of many books written over a long period of time, telling one unified story.

• The story begins with God, the author of all reality, creating order and beauty in the world and appointing humans to rule on His behalf.

• Humans, made in God's image, are commissioned to harness the world's potential and create even more beauty and order.

• Humans face a choice between partnering with God and defining good and evil on their own terms, which God warns will lead to death.

• The first humans, Adam and Eve, seize power and knowledge, leading to fractured relationships, violent power grabs, and a corrupted human project.

• God scatters the corrupted human project and promises a new people, a nation, that will have another chance to make the right choice through Abraham and Sarah.

• The story of the Bible follows Abraham's family, but they also give in to the temptation to redefine good and evil on their own terms apart from God.

• Despite God's personal guidance, Israel fails, and prophets warn that their choices will lead them back to Babylon as conquered captives.

• The prophets promise a new leader who will cover Israel's failures and transform the people's hearts and minds.

• The Old Testament ends with these promises left hanging, and the story continues in the New Testament with Jesus of Nazareth, who claims to bring all these promises to completion.

• Jesus confronts evil, resists its power, and announces that God has arrived to rule the world through himself, teaching that real power is serving others.

• Jesus takes the consequences of humanity's evil into himself, and his sacrificial love proves more powerful than death itself.

• Humanity is presented with a new choice: stick with the old way of being human or venture into the new way of Jesus, and those who choose Jesus find themselves energized by God's power.

• The Jesus movement spreads throughout the world, forming new communities, but faces persecution and internal conflicts.

• The movement's leaders, called apostles, write letters to comfort and challenge these communities to stay faithful to the difficult way of Jesus.

• The Bible ends by pointing to the future day when all wrongs are made right, evil is eradicated, and humanity can rule the world together in the love and power of God.

Description

This quiz covers the overall story of the Bible, from creation to the promises of Jesus. It explores humanity's choices, God's guidance, and the ultimate redemption. Understand the unified story of the Bible and its themes of good, evil, and salvation.