The Story Of God By Matthew Corbi

Part I – What is The Story of God?

A few years ago I studied a series called Progress of Redemption by Buck Hatch that completely changed how I would see the Bible. In his series, he would take you on a journey that would show you the unity of the entire Bible and what God is doing and saying. Much like the broken diagrams seen in Crossing Cultures with Jesus, Progress of Redemption breaks the Bible down into several acts, beginning with creation, followed by the fall, then redemption which comprises the longest act. Both the broken diagrams and Progress of Redemption make one thing clear, and that is Jesus Christ is the central character of both.

Before I speak about creation, fall, redemption, and the new creation through the broken Diagrams, it is essential to understand that what God is doing in all 66 books of the Bible is restoring His creation (redeeming) back into a right relationship what was broken through the work of His son Jesus Christ. The broken diagrams ( page 2) have been added to help clarify what God is doing and how He is bringing redemption about.

If we look at the world right now with disease, war, disasters, and the like, we can see that we are in frame 1 of the broken diagrams. When we look around we see broken relationships everywhere. When God created everything in the beginning, this is not what He intended. Relationships were supposed to be satisfying because God was our supreme affection. ( Frame 2). C.S. Lewis hit the nail on the head when he said “ If you find within yourself a longing that nothing in this world can satisfy, chances are you were made for eternity.” Humans are somewhere living between frame 2 and frame 6 right now. We want to experience peace and what it means to be completely satisfied and have no pain. This leads us to frame 3 where sin

Entered the picture when Adam and Eve dishonored and disobeyed God. Sin is a heart problem and is really rebelling against God. This is why we are broken (frame 1) and desire life (frame 2). From the creation and after the fall, God is telling a story through the rest of the books of the Bible about redemption. Everything is leading up to God’s plan to bring creation back into perfect fellowship through His son Jesus. In frame 4, Jesus made a way to take all our shame guilt, and fear and nailed it to the cross in the single most crucial moment in history. He became the propitiation for our sins, but things didn’t stop there. Jesus didn’t remain dead, He was resurrected and now sits at the right hand of the father ruling.

Right now God offers us life through His son Jesus. Frame 5 is Jesus saying, I am the truth, and the way, and the life. Nobody comes to the father except through me. The cross is the bridge between us and God. There is only one way back to God and that is through His son. The entire creation is groaning now and seeks true happiness. Everyone in some way is trying to obtain frame 6, but we are not there yet. God promises that one day He will make everything new.

Part II- How My Story Intersects With The Story Of God

Where my story really began to intersect with God’s story was sometime after I graduated high school. Before meeting my best friend in high school who shared the Gospel and lead me to Christ, I was truly lost, and let me explain what I mean by this. Before truly surrendering and accepting Jesus, I was spiritually blind. All of these truths in the scripture didn’t mean anything and I couldn’t even begin to understand what sin was. I would have said twenty years ago that I was a good person. However, now I have to sit at the foot of the cross and humbly even wonder how I am saved. In other words, God has opened my eyes and ears to so many realities and truths that I know are real, that I am amazed. To a person who is carnal-minded and not in Christ, they won’t understand anything I am saying. Of course, I have days where the enemy steals my joy and makes me feel unworthy, and that nothing God says is true. When applying Ephesians 6 ( The Armor of God) I convinced myself to the point where I would die for my faith before denying it. When God opens your eyes and ear to His word and makes it become real to you, it changes everything. Currently, spiritually I am in the midst of a fierce battle that is very ugly. Seven years ago I could not see or feel this because I wasn’t as close to God, but the more I seek Him through His word, prayer, and fellowship. The battle spiritually gets intense. The enemy doesn’t want me to feel joy and peace, and certainly not to share the good news. This is why I have to remain strong.