Did you ever wonder why you want your life to count for something significant? Why it is that human beings everywhere always want to make a difference? This is true of both religious and non-religious people. When most people die they want to somehow leave the world a better place.

We learn from Scripture that’s because human beings are created in the image of God. You are designed by God in his image to make a difference in the world. From the earliest chapters of Genesis, we learn that humans, as image-bearers, are created by God to multiply, to fill the earth, and to rule over it in a way that carries out God’s perfect will on the earth. 

 There is a great cosmic story that is now unfolding in human history. And what’s frightening is that you can know all the stories in the Bible very well and you can even master a knowledge of Christian doctrine and still not know what has been called “The Story in the Stories”—the one greater, unfolding story of God’s overarching purpose for the world. 

Now the way people understand the purpose and meaning of their lives depends on how they see the big picture of the human story and where they see themselves fitting into it.  In our culture there are only two very different human stories being told about the big picture":

One is the story that 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 purpose.

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

It’s been said that the biblical story has four unique chapters: Genesis 1–2 and Revelation 21–22. And they should be seen as the Bible’s bookends. Now what’s unique about these 2 chapters at the beginning and the end of the Bible is that there is no sin present in these parts of the biblical story.

In Genesis 1-2 we see a picture of what the world looked like before sin. In Revelation 21-22 we see a picture of what the world will look like after God has redeemed and restored fallen humanity and the world from all the effects of sin—as far as the curse is found.[1]

In between these bookends is the greatest story ever told. And this one story is not primarily about what the people are doing in all these smaller stories. It’s primarily one big story about one big God and the amazing things he has done and he is doing throughout real history to redeem and restore a sinful people and a fallen world.

The story in the stories is all about God. In this chapter on Vision we’re going to learn from Scripture how the purpose of the human race and the world is all about God’s glory, God’s kingdom, God’s church, and God’s Gospel.

We’re going to learn how God takes great pleasure in displaying his glory by making his invisible kingdom visible on earth through his church, by the power of his gospel.

Historically, Christians have understood the purpose of the human race and the world through the lens of the Bible, especially through understanding the Gospel as the good news that God, through the person and work of Jesus, is now restoring all things that were lost in creation because of the fall of humanity into sin.

It’s the good news that there is an infinite, personal God who exists and who created and rules over all things. And his rule, his kingdom, has uniquely entered the world through the person and work of Jesus, by his Spirit, to make all things new—especially our broken relationships with him, with ourselves, with others, and the world.

Historically Christians have understood the purpose of the human race and the world through the lens of the Bible. Through Jesus’ birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension, God gave him the authority to give all who receive and follow him in repentance and faith, a new standing from God, a new heart and life from God, a new community from God, and a promised new world from God-when Jesus returns to make all things new.

The Protestant missionary movement is rooted in a handful of people who were deeply stirred by this great vision for: God’s glory, God’s kingdom, God’s church and God’s Gospel. William Carey, the father of the modern missionary movement, was an ordinary man, a shoemaker by trade, who dared to believe God could do extraordinary things through his life—not for his sake but for God’s glory, God’s kingdom, God’s church and God’s Gospel among all the nations.

The Protestant missionary movement is rooted in a handful of people who were deeply stirred by this great vision for: God’s glory, God’s kingdom, God’s church and God’s Gospel.

And God poured out his blessing on both his life and ministry. And it was out of Carey’s biblical vision for the world that came his famous challenge: “Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God.”

[1] Craig Van Gelder, The Essence of the Church (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2000), 89-90.