Here we are in a New Year and this is always a good time to review and remember what 'the big picture' is all about. What's the big picture of our Christian faith all about?
In order to answer the question about the big picture of faith, I believe we need to first ask ourselves what the big picture of God is all about? We all know that God exists whether we are willing to admit it or not. That's because God reveals Himself to everyone through creation and the conscience, and we all seek meaning and purpose.
In addition to knowing that God exists and that we seek meaning and purpose, we can see that the Bible also teaches that God exists and we have meaning and purpose. The Bible is a really good book, and it confirms basic truths we already know. And we can summarize the Bible in five major categories to help us get 'the big picture' of what its teachings are all about.
The five major categories I first understood as four categories, but I believe there is a fifth. And, I believe it was from Francis Schaeffer's teachings, (but it's been so long that I can't remember for certain), that I first learned the categories of - Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Glorification. The additional category that I believe is in Scripture is - Restoration, which comes right after Redemption. And Schaeffer may have very well believed this too.
CREATION - we see from Genesis 1:27, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them."
FALL - we see from Genesis 3:6, "So ... she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate."
REDEMPTION - we see from John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."
RESTORATION - we learn from Romans 12:2, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."
GLORIFICATION - we can see this in Philippians 2:9, "Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
When we see that the Christian calling is to the transformation and restoration of our spiritual lives in Christ, we discover a key part of the Christian faith. We are called to live our lives for Christ and his teachings, to be restored to the image in which God has created us, for His own glory. We are called to Christ and to live for the glory of God.
FAITH TODAY: 2 Corinthians 3:18, "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit."
