I’m big on context. Properly understanding any and all communication requires that we know the context within which the communication is being made.

Today’s Gospel Game Chager is –

Proper understanding of the Bible requires we read it through the lense of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. All of the Bible is about Him and we’ll miss the point if we make it all about us.

After His resurrection, Jesus was walking with some men on the road to Emmaus, but they did not recognize it was Jesus. The Bible records, “Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” (Luke‬ ‭24:27‬)

Jesus showed them how the Old Testament was all about Him. Too often Old Testament stories are taught like “how to” stories and we’re told to go be like the Old Testament character. Of course, we gloss over all the jacked up things the Old Testament characters did – and conveniently are not encouraged to imitate those portions of the story.

Can you see the problem? We’re told to attempt to imitate what they got right and we ignore what they got wrong. As if somehow we can do better at pulling off just getting it all right – not going to happen.

However, if we look at the lives of these characters as shadows of a better One to come, in the Person and life of Jesus, we can allow the flaws to be seen and allow them to teach us we’re not going to be perfect either and that’s why we need Jesus.

Tim Keller does a great job of showing us this in this short video – True and Better .

The same is true of the New Testament teachings. If we teach the New Testament as you need to “go live this way” by sheer will power, we are setting ourselves up for absolute failure. However, if we recognize that what Jesus has come to do is to live His life through us, then we will begin to see transformations take place that we could never pull off on our own.

Today’s Good News is the Bible is not a manual on better living. It’s not a rule book and it’s not intended to create morality police. It’s a collection of books all about the coming, arriving, and coming again of the Messiah (the One who saves us from ourselves). It’s purpose is to show our desperate need for a Savior and to reveal the Savior – from beginning to end.

So, grab your Bible, gather some friends together, and discover the incredible freeing story about a God who is crazy about you. See the story as it reveals not just our need for salvation, but the Way (Jesus – who is our salvation). You won’t be disappointed once you know the proper context of what this story is all about – and that’s Good News.

 
#EverydayGospel

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