Historically Christians have understood God’s purpose for the world through the lens of the bible. The Scriptures teach that history is not a meaningless cycle of events. It is a grand narrative with a beginning and an end.

The problem is we can know all the stories in bible, and even master Christian doctrine, and still not know this greater story of God’s overarching purpose for humanity and the world. Ed Clowney writes,

“There are great stories in the bible but it is possible to know bible stories yet miss the bible story. The bible has a storyline. It traces an unfolding drama. It traces the history of Israel but it does not begin there nor does it contain what you would expect in a national history. If we forget the story line we cut the heart out of the Bible.”

The reason it’s so important for us to know the unfolding story of God’s purpose for the world is because our understanding of universal history is what gives our lives meaning. The way people understand the meaning of their lives depends on how they see the big picture of the human story and where they see themselves fitting into it.

When we lose the bible’s true story about history, we lose the power to withstand other false stories that rob us of joy and meaning. There are different stories being told about the big picture today.

One teaches that the world and humanity came into being through a mysterious and random convergence of mass and energy over billions of years for no reason and for no apparent purpose.

The other story is about God’s good creation, the fall of humanity and the world, God’s redemption and restoration of what was lost in the fall, and of the coming consummation of his creation purposes when he will make all things new for eternity.

The greatest battle today is the battle for the minds and hearts of people. This battle can only be won by recovering the overarching, life-altering, culture-transforming, story of the bible–called the good news of the kingdom.

Although the Bible consists of a wide variety of literature, at its core it is one story that God means to so captivate us, that we are drawn into its plot to find our place and then align our purpose with God’s.

And the story of God’s mission is found throughout the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. John Stott writes,

“This mandate, this mission, it is to be found in the creation of God because of which all human beings are responsible to him, in the character of God as an outgoing, compassion, not willing that any should perish, desiring that all should all come to repentance in the promises of God. That all nations shall be blessed through Abraham's seed and will become the Messiah's inheritance in the Christ of God now exalted with universal authority to receive universal acclaim in the spirit of God who convicts of sin witnesses to Christ and impels the church to evangelize and in the church of God which is a multi-national community under orders to evangelize until Christ returns.”

The only way for us to make any ultimate sense out of our life stories is to understand how they fit into God’s story. But in order to find our place in God’s story, we must first know where the story began, where it is now, and where it’s ultimately going. It can be helpful to think of this as a five-act play:

In Act One we find the story of creation’s perfect harmony, the picture of ultimate happiness and wholeness in the world God created. Human beings had a perfect relationship with God and a perfect relationship with self, others, and creation.

In Act Two we find the story of how this perfect world and humanity are horribly ruined by the fall of man into sin. Things are no longer the way they’re supposed to be. All humanity and creation are now under God’s just curse.

In Act Three we find the story of how God graciously begins restoring his fallen creation through Israel and their promised king Jesus, who through his life, death and resurrection inaugurated God’s kingdom on earth to make all things new.

In Act Four we find the story of Jesus’ ascension and the subsequent outpouring of His Holy Spirit on his church for the ongoing advancement of God’s kingdom and will on the earth until he returns.

The good news that God’s creation, ruined by sin, is now being redeemed by Jesus Christ and renewed by his Holy Spirit into God’s kingdom.

In Act Five we find the return of Christ and the consummation of His Kingdom on earth where all things that were lost because of humanity’s fall into sin will be restored in the new heavens and the new earth for eternity.

The one story unfolding in all these acts is the gospel–the good news of the Kingdom.  The good news that God’s creation, ruined by sin, is now being redeemed by Jesus Christ and renewed by his Holy Spirit into God’s kingdom. God’s purpose for the world is not merely the rebirth of human souls but also the rebirth of all creation into a new heaven and a new earth.

Today we are living in Act Four, a unique period of time between the resurrection of Jesus and God’s restoration of all things through him when he returns. During this time, God calls us to find our joy and meaning in him and in carrying out his purposes for the sake of the world.