Scripture: “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;” – 1 Corinthians 15:3
Examination: Paul explains the gospel and the validity of it. He explains the reason for the hope that we have in Christ. This chapter of the Bible has often been called “the gospel in a nutshell”.
Application: When I taught creative writing to my students, we often used a plot diagram. This method had 5 steps: the setting, rising action, climax, falling action, and conclusion. Using this format, students could write a story that flowed and led to a complete narration. The Bible also has a glorious narrative woven throughout its pages. Here’s the synopsis of the most beautiful story ever told… the story of God’s love.
The Setting – This is where the majority of the story is set. The setting to God’s love story is stated in Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” Brought into existence by Him, the world is perfect in every aspect… from the majestic mountains and vast seas to the stunning plants and flowers. From the incredible creatures that roam the planet to the culminating masterpiece of His creation… man and woman. Genesis 1:31 records God’s thoughts regarding His completed creation. “And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.” God’s love story is primarily set in the land we know as Israel, beginning in a beautiful location called the Garden of Eden. Biblical scholars, both Christian and Jewish, place the Garden of Eden in the same location as the city of Jerusalem.
The Rising Action – These are the events that expose the major problem or conflict of the story. In God’s love story, Satan lays a trap for Adam and Eve, and sin is introduced to the beautiful world that the Lord created. Because of sin, the relationship between God and His creation is severed. No longer will the Lord commune personally with mankind. Sin has created a barrier between the Creator and His creation. God is grieved, yet promises future restoration in a Saviour. Genesis 3:15 is the first promise. “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”
For the next 4,000 years of the story, sin runs rampant in the world, and the people repeatedly rebel against God. Romans 5:12 states, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:” Nations rise and fall. Kings come and go. Lessons are learned, while others are ignored. Judgments from God, such as the great flood and the Babylonian captivity, are pronounced and then carried out as Romans 1:18 explains, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;”, Sadly, His people stubbornly continue to sin. This part of God’s love story reveals the problem as sin and its devastating consequences. However, throughout this part of the story, there is a remnant who remember God’s promises and cling to the hope of His salvation.
Climax – This section of a story is the resolution to the problem as well as the immediate events surrounding it. In God’s love story, the resolution is found in the coming of the promised Saviour, Jesus Christ, God’s beloved Son. The fulfilled prophecy of the coming Messiah is the remedy for a sin-sick world, yet Israel refuses to recognize Him as such. John 1:10-11 speaks to this, “He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not.” Jesus ministers in the land for 3 years, but the people reject Him. Only a few followers accept Him for who He says He is, the One foretold by the prophets, and accept Him as the Messiah promised in Genesis. At the culmination of His ministry, Jesus is crucified as prophesied to pay for the sins of the world. He rises from the grave three days later proving His claims are true, and He is the Saviour of the world. John writes, “And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.” (1 John 4:14). The climax of God’s love story is the gospel… the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus!
Falling Action – These are the events that follow the solution to the problem. 40 days after His resurrection, Jesus ascends to heaven. Before departing, He gives His followers their last assignments. Matthew 28:19 records His words, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:” His last recorded words just prior to His ascension are found in Acts 1:8, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” This “great commission” has continued from then to now through churches, missionary work, and individuals sharing the gospel with family, friends, co-workers and even social media platforms.
There are a few more events in this section that are yet to come before this story ends. The next event will be the rapture of the Church, the time when all who have accepted Christ as Saviour will be “caught up” to be with Jesus forever. Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” Following the rapture, there will be a period of great tribulation for the world as it faces the judgment of God for their rejection of His Son. Matthew 24:21 states, “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” After this 7-year period, Jesus will return to the earth to physically rule and reign from Jerusalem for 1,000 years, and then the final destruction comes for Satan and his evil angels. We are currently living in this part of God’s love story just prior to the rapture of Jesus’ true church.
Conclusion – This part of the story brings everything together to its logical ending. God’s conclusive ending is two-fold. For Satan, the antagonist in the Lord’s love story, he and those who have chosen to align themselves with the devil by denying God and His Son, will be banished from the presence of God to an eternity of darkness and suffering. The second ending of the divine story is reserved for all who have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus shed on the cross; those who have accepted Him as their Lord and Saviour. All who belong to Christ will live with Him in heaven forever. It will be a time where sin is no longer present, and there will be no sadness or tears. We will dwell in peace and joy in the presence of God eternally. John 3:16 affirms this, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” This is the glorious ending… or perhaps, it should be relabeled as the glorious “unending” of God’s beautiful love story!
Memory Verse: “He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.” – Psalm 107:20
I love to tell the story of unseen things above,
Of Jesus and His glory, of Jesus and His love.
I love to tell the story because I know it's true.
It satisfies my longings as nothing else can do.
I love to tell the story! 'Twill be my theme in glory
To tell the old, old story of Jesus and His love.
(from “I Love to Tell the Story” by Kate Hankey & William G. Fischer)