Nancy Guthrie examines nine themes or nine stories of the Bible illustrating that what God has planned for us is even better than Eden. She writes, "Christ came to accomplish what was necessary to open the way for us, not just back into the garden of Eden, but into a home that will be even better than Eden and a life that will be even better than the life Adam and Eve enjoyed there."
The nine stories are as follows: the story of the wilderness, the story of the tree, the story of his image, the story of clothing, the story of the bridegroom, the story of sabbath, the story of the offspring, the story of a dwelling place, and the story of the city.
Guthrie traces each story throughout Scripture often beginning in Genesis and concluding in Revelation. She never pushes too far trying to weave each and every book of the Bible into each story. Some stories might pull more from the history books of the Old Testament, others might pull more from the Old Testament prophets. But all nine stories include illustrations from the Old Testament and the New Testament. Most--if not all--have a beginning, middle, and end. The end being the future glory, the future fulfillment or consummation of God's promises.
There is purpose, intentionality in the Bible and how it unfolds. It can--and should--shape us, shape how we see ourselves, shape how we see others, shape how we see the world, shape how we see God, shape how we live, think, act, speak. Guthrie wants you to be excited about being a citizen of heaven; she wants you to look forward to a new heaven and a new earth--to be eager for the kingdom of God.
I love how each chapter relates to the here and now but also builds anticipation and longing for the future. To those perhaps unfamiliar with how the Bible unfolds it might create an interest--or might be used by the Spirit to spark an interest a curiosity to read and see for yourself, to delight in God's Word. To those familiar with the Bible it might be a good reminder of why the good news is the good news.
Guthrie's book is a great read.
From chapter one:
"Have you ever thought about the emptiness you feel in this light? Do you think, perhaps, that God has let you hunger for whatever it is you are so hungry for so that you might become more desperate for him, more convinced that he is the source of what will fill you up? Do you think he might want to retrain your appetites, redirecting them away from this world, this life, even this age, so that your anticipation of the age to come might begin to shape your perspective on whatever it is you lack?"From chapter two:
"The tree of life is not simply a thing of the past. It’s a promise for our future."From chapter three:
"So how are we meant to see ourselves? And how can finding a solid source of identity keep us from floundering with a fragile or distorted sense of self?"From chapter four:
"As we bring ourselves naked and exposed before the Word of God, this living and active Word goes to work in the interior of our lives, discerning our impure thoughts and ugly intentions of the heart so that we can confess, repent, and truly change (Heb. 4:12–13). The Spirit does his work of transformation so that we are increasingly wrapped in the robes of the righteousness of Christ—not simply in a judicial sense, but in the reality of our lives."From chapter five:
"It makes sense that the Bible would begin with this poetic exclamation of love because the Bible is a love story from beginning to end. It’s the story of God choosing, gathering, and beautifying a bride for his Son. She’s not necessarily the prettiest or the most loving in return. In fact, as we read the story of the bride, we’re a little shocked at times that God would chose her. We see that she often has a hard heart; she’s often resistant to his affections and wholly dismissive of his gifts. Yet the Father is relentless in his pursuit and preparation of this bride for his Son. So far, it’s proving to be an unexpectedly long engagement. The Father has set a date for the wedding, and the invitations have been sent out. Of course, as much as we anticipate that day, the wedding will be only the beginning. It is the eternal marriage, the one in which we’ll never have to say “till death do us part,” that we anticipate most—a marriage that will be even better than the marriage Adam and Eve enjoyed in Eden."From chapter six:
"This life was never meant to be an aimless existence; it has always been headed somewhere, somewhere better than Eden. The destination out in front of us should shape how we live day by day, week by week, and year by year. “Let us therefore strive to enter that rest.” How? By resting in Christ’s finished work and by spending a day, every week, anticipating the rest that is ahead for us because of it. The day is coming when we will rise from sleep to an eternal day of rest that will never end. Wouldn’t it be nice, in the restlessness of this world, to just spend a day, every week, in anticipation of that day?"From chapter seven:
"Though God ordained a world in which evil and rebellion were possible, he didn’t create them. He is, however, clearly sovereign over them. Just as his word has the power to bless, so his word has the power to curse. He made clear that the days of this Evil One are numbered. One day a baby would be born, a descendant of the woman Satan had just deceived and so cruelly harmed. Her offspring would do the job Adam should have done. One day her offspring would crush the head of evil for good."From chapter eight:
"Many of us would have to admit that our relationship with God is not nearly as passionate as we might wish, and our desire to be with him isn’t as strong as it ought to be. We sometimes find that we want to keep God at a safe distance."From chapter nine:
"The story of the Bible is the story of two cities—the city of man and the city of God."
"We’re called to live in the tension of being in the world but not of it. Do you feel that tension?"
© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible
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