Discovering the Gospel in Every Book of the Bible with Tim Keller

Summary

This introductory video launches a unique series on 'Discovering the Gospel in Every Book of the Bible.' It aims to be concise and accessible to both teachers and readers of the Bible. The presenter highlights the importance of understanding the gospel as both a principle of salvation by grace through Jesus Christ and as a narrative of creation, fall, redemption, and restoration. The series will explore how each biblical story points to Jesus, emphasizing the transformative power of grace and the ultimate restoration of the world, fostering a deeper connection between scripture and worship.

Takeaways

• 🎥 The series aims to discover the gospel in every book of the Bible, offering a unique and useful approach to understanding scripture.
• 🕵️‍♂️ The content is designed to be concise, making it accessible for both teachers and readers of the Bible, not just for preaching or teaching purposes.
• 🔍 The series addresses a common issue where people tend to view the gospel either as a principle or a story, often neglecting one aspect over the other.
• 🛡️ The gospel as a principle emphasizes salvation by grace through Jesus Christ, not by good works or moral performance.
• 🌱 The principle also clarifies that saving faith is not alone but is accompanied by good works, illustrating a balance between faith and action.
• 📚 The gospel as a story encompasses the narrative of creation, fall, redemption, and restoration, providing a broader context for understanding scripture.
• 🌳 Recognizing the gospel's story helps to avoid overly simplistic views of life and the world, acknowledging both the goodness and the fallen state of creation.
• 👥 The storyline perspective also highlights the communal aspect of salvation, showing God's intent to create a community of believers, not just individual salvation.
• 🌟 The ultimate goal of the gospel story is the establishment of a new heaven and a new earth, a perfect world free from suffering, evil, and sin.
• 🔗 The key to understanding the gospel in every book of the Bible is through the person of Jesus Christ, who embodies both the principle and the story.
• 🕊️ The series encourages readers to see Jesus in every part of the Bible, as He is the fulfillment of all scripture and the central figure in both the principle and the story of the gospel.

Q & A

What is the main purpose of the series 'Discovering the Gospel in Every Book of the Bible'?

The main purpose of the series is to provide a concise and comprehensive exploration of the gospel message in every book of the Bible, aiming to be useful for both teachers and readers of the Bible.

Why are the videos in this series intended to be short?

The videos are kept short to make the content more accessible and digestible for viewers, ensuring that they can cover all the books of the Bible in a concise manner.

How does the speaker differentiate the approach of this series from other similar ones?

The series is differentiated by its focus on both the principle and the story of the gospel, addressing the tendency of people to focus on one aspect over the other.

What is the principle of the gospel as described in the script?

The principle of the gospel is that we are saved by the grace of God through Jesus Christ, not by our good works or moral performance, but by faith that produces good works.

What are the two categories people tend to fall into when discussing the gospel, according to the script?

People tend to discuss the gospel either as a principle mainly or as a story mainly, often downplaying the other side.

What is the storyline of the gospel as presented in the script?

The storyline of the gospel is the narrative of creation, fall, redemption, and restoration, showing God's plan from the beginning to the end of time.

What is the danger of focusing too much on the gospel as a story without considering the principle?

Focusing too much on the gospel as a story without the principle can lead to a misunderstanding of salvation, potentially falling back into a works-based mindset or a sense of individualism in salvation.

How does understanding the gospel as both a principle and a story help in avoiding theological errors?

Understanding the gospel as both a principle and a story helps to avoid extremes like legalism and antinomianism, and ensures a balanced view of salvation and the Christian life.

What is the significance of the David and Goliath story in the context of the gospel?

The David and Goliath story is significant because it points to Jesus Christ, the ultimate representative and champion who defeated the real giants of sin and death for us.

How does the speaker suggest we should read the Bible to better understand the gospel?

The speaker suggests that we should read the Bible with the understanding that everything points to Jesus Christ, as He explained to His disciples, to see the gospel in every part of Scripture.

What is the role of the person of Jesus Christ in connecting the principle and the story of the gospel?

Jesus Christ is the central figure that brings the principle and the story of the gospel together, as He is the embodiment of the grace that saves and the narrative of redemption and restoration.

Outlines

00:00

📖 Introducing the Gospel Series

The video script introduces a new series titled 'Discovering the Gospel in Every Book of the Bible.' The speaker emphasizes the uniqueness of this series, highlighting its concise nature with short videos covering the entirety of the Bible. The series is designed for both teachers and readers of the Bible, aiming to be useful for those who preach and teach as well as for individuals seeking to understand and be transformed by the Bible. The speaker also addresses the common tendency to view the gospel either as a principle or a story, often neglecting one aspect for the other. The principle of salvation by grace through Jesus Christ is contrasted with the danger of legalism and antinomianism. The gospel as a story is described through the narrative of creation, fall, redemption, and restoration, emphasizing the importance of understanding both the principle and the story to grasp the full message of the gospel.

05:01

🕊 The Gospel: Principle and Story Unified in Christ

This paragraph delves deeper into the necessity of understanding both the principle and the story of the gospel. It warns of the pitfalls of focusing too much on the gospel as a story, which might lead to a misunderstanding of salvation by works, or too much on the principle, which could result in missing the transformative narrative of God's redemption. The speaker illustrates how interpreting the story of David and Goliath through the lens of the gospel's storyline points to Jesus Christ as the ultimate representative and savior. The paragraph concludes by emphasizing that Jesus himself instructed his disciples to see all of scripture as pointing to him, as evidenced in Luke 24. The speaker's wife, Kathy, provides a personal testimony of how focusing on Jesus in sermons transforms the atmosphere from a lecture to a worship service, touching hearts and prompting a deeper spiritual connection. The series promises to guide viewers in understanding the Bible's message by highlighting Jesus Christ as the central figure in both the principle and the story of the gospel.

Keywords

💡Gospel

The term 'Gospel' refers to the message of the Christian faith, which includes the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the video, the speaker emphasizes that the Gospel is both a principle and a story. As a principle, it signifies salvation through grace, not works, while as a story, it encompasses the narrative of creation, fall, redemption, and restoration. The Gospel is central to understanding the Bible and its teachings.

💡Grace

Grace is a fundamental Christian concept that denotes unmerited favor or divine assistance. In the video, the speaker explains that salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, not by works. However, true saving faith will result in good works, illustrating the balance between the principle of grace and the practical implications of faith in daily life.

💡Legalism

Legalism is the belief that adherence to religious laws or moral codes is necessary for salvation. The speaker contrasts legalism with the Gospel principle, warning against the error of thinking that good works alone can secure salvation. This concept is used to emphasize the importance of grace in the Gospel message.

💡Antinomianism

Antinomianism is the view that Christians are not bound by moral laws, often leading to a disregard for ethical behavior. The speaker uses this term to caution against the opposite extreme of legalism, where the Gospel is misunderstood to mean that faith in Christ negates the need for moral conduct.

💡Creation

Creation refers to the biblical account of God's act of bringing the universe into existence. The speaker mentions creation as part of the Gospel story, highlighting that everything was initially created good by God, setting the stage for the narrative of the fall and redemption.

💡Fall

The Fall is the biblical concept of humanity's first sin, resulting in the corruption of the world. In the video, the speaker discusses the Fall as a pivotal event in the Gospel story, leading to the need for redemption and restoration.

💡Redemption

Redemption is the act of rescuing or saving from sin and its consequences. The speaker explains that God is in the process of redeeming humanity and the world through Jesus Christ, which is a central theme in the Gospel story.

💡Restoration

Restoration in the video refers to the ultimate goal of God's redemptive work, where the world will be reestablished as a perfect creation, free from sin and suffering. This concept is part of the Gospel story, illustrating the hope and future promised by the Christian faith.

💡David and Goliath

The story of David and Goliath is used as an example in the video to illustrate how biblical narratives can be understood in the context of the Gospel. The speaker suggests that David's victory over Goliath points to Jesus Christ, the ultimate 'David,' who defeats the greater enemies of sin and death.

💡Imputed

Imputed in this context refers to the theological concept that the righteousness of Christ is credited to believers, making them righteous in God's sight. The speaker uses the example of David and Goliath to explain how David's victory was imputed to the Israelites, paralleling how Christ's victory over sin and death is imputed to believers.

💡Emmaus

Emmaus is mentioned in the video as a reference to a biblical event where Jesus appeared to his disciples after his resurrection and explained the Scriptures concerning himself. This event underscores the idea that all of Scripture points to Jesus and is part of the Gospel message.

Highlights

Starting a new series called 'Discovering the Gospel in Every Book of the Bible'.

The series aims to be concise with short videos covering all books of the Bible.

The content is designed for both teachers and readers of the Bible.

The approach to the gospel is unique, focusing on both principle and story.

The gospel as a principle emphasizes salvation by grace through Jesus Christ, not by works.

Saving faith is not alone but always results in good works.

The gospel as a story involves creation, fall, redemption, and restoration.

Understanding the gospel story prevents overly simplistic views of life.

The gospel story corrects individualistic views of salvation by showing God's community.

God's plan includes not just salvation but the creation of a new heaven and a new earth.

Missing the gospel as a story or principle leads to incomplete understanding.

The person of Jesus Christ unites the gospel's principle and story.

Reading David and Goliath as a metaphor for Jesus' victory over sin and death.

Jesus instructed his disciples to see all scriptures as pointing to him.

Focusing on Jesus in the scriptures transforms a lecture into worship.

The series aims to help viewers' hearts be touched by seeing Jesus in the Bible.

Transcripts

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life we're starting a new series that we

are calling discovering the gospel in

every book of the Bible

and you may have seen other books or

series that sound similar but I like to

make a case here in this introductory

um video that this is going to be

somewhat unique and we hope very very

useful

why number one because it's going to be

concise these are going to be very short

videos

and we are going to try to cover all the

books of the Bible God willing

number two though this is not just for

teachers of the Bible but readers of the

Bible and not just for readers of the

Bible but for teachers of the Bible so

we're not only going to be useful I

think for people who preach and teach

but we're also I believe going to be

giving you things that you who are just

simply reading the Bible and just

seeking to have understand it and have a

change your your life that you will be

able to be helped too but the third

reason why I think this will be somewhat

uniquely helpful is that when people

talk about the gospel today

they tend to fall into one of two

categories

they either talk about the gospel as a

principle mainly

or as a story mainly

they and they tend to downplay the other

side so for example

how is the gospel a principle well the

principle is that we are saved not by

our good works and by our moral

performance but by the grace

of God through Jesus Christ we're saved

by Christ's work not our work

but even though we're saved by faith

alone and not by our good works

we are not by saved by a faith that

remains alone that is to say that though

we're not saved by Good Works real

saving Faith always issues in and causes

good work so there's a sense in which if

you're talking about the principle of

the Gospel you can imagine it as a kind

of mountain at the top here we have the

belief that you're saved by grace alone

but a Grace that changes your life down

this side of the mountain is legalism

where they say uh you know you really

saved by your good works down this side

is antinomianism this is well God loves

you and it doesn't really change your

life you can live any way you want and

the gospel is we are saved by grace

alone but by a Grace that changes your

life and that's the principle

on the other hand the gospel is also a

story

and the story is

creation fall Redemption restoration now

you see when we talk about the story

we're reading along the you might say

the storyline of the Bible from Genesis

to revelation

and we see that the Bible says that the

world was created good and all things

were created

um to be enjoyed and they were they were

good God's good creation but because we

turned away from God human beings did

everything is Fallen everything is uh

that the harmony is gone everything is

to some degree corrupted

and yet God will judge sin and yet God

is in a process of redeeming us from sin

and Redeeming the entire world from sin

through Jesus Christ

and their fight for at the very end of

time he is going to re-establish the

world as a perfect world the way he

wanted it it's going to be a material

Universe a new Heaven's A New Earth and

we're into wealth righteousness there

will be no suffering there'll be no evil

or sin and so creation

fall Redemption restoration it's a it's

a story line now if you don't know that

storyline

that though all things are good

in because they're created by God and

yet all things are fallen so there's

some to some degree corrupted

and yet God is

actually redeeming us

and going to make the world a better

place a perfect place again if you don't

know that there's a lot of things you

miss one is you miss the fact that

everything is good and yet Fallen

and you can fall into a view that says

these things are demonic and these

things are wonderful and you can fall

into a kind of overly uh simplistic

understanding of Life secondly if you

don't look at the storyline you may be

very individualistic in the way you

think of Salvation like it's just me and

God and I go to heaven whereas you take

a look at the storyline you'll see God

is creating a people

first out of the children of Abraham

then out of the Believers in Jesus he's

creating a body a community and lastly

if you don't see the storyline you don't

recognize the fact that God is not just

going to take us to heaven but he's

really going to create a new Heaven A

New Earth and so if you've missed the

gospel as a story

or you miss the gospel as a principle

you're in trouble

because it's possible to so stress the

gospel as a story

that you miss the fact that you're

actually saved only by grace alone and

you can fall back into a kind of General

sense that I've got to save the world

and I've got to come to God and I have

to give myself to him and be part of his

saving program you miss the concept of

Grace but if you only have the principle

and you don't see the story you have you

miss all the things we just talked about

that come from the story so how can you

actually talk about the gospel in every

book of the Bible

and equally talk about the principle as

well as the story and the answer is the

what brings the principle and the story

together is the person

the gospel person Jesus Christ himself

so for example

you could read David and Goliath

and you could read David and Goliath

um like this

you could say okay David he stands forth

and he fights Goliath and he even though

Goliath is huge and David is small he

fights him and he defeats them and so

what's the moral of the story

tomorrow the story is the bigger they

come the harder they fall and that if

you really work very hard and trust God

you can defeat the Giants in your life

whether they whether it's suffering or

illness or whatever okay well that's a

very moralistic reading of

David and Goliath in fact what that

means is it's it's really you've missed

the principle completely but what if you

put David and Goliath into the storyline

of the whole Bible by asking yourself

who does David actually point us to

so for example David was not just

fighting Goliath he was fighting Goliath

as a substitute representative of his

army of the Israelites so that if he won

the Israelites one even though they

hadn't lifted a finger and if he lost

the Israelites lost

and so his victory or defeat was imputed

to them

who does that sound like see David

risked his life

to be the substitute champion

to save his people but Jesus Christ at

the cost of his life

was the substitute our substitute

Champion so that his his uh Victory is

imputed to us but here's the thing it's

not just that Jesus died but he fought

the real giants sin and death

because if I know that my savior Jesus

Christ has defeated the big giants in my

life evil in sin and death that I can

handle I can have the faith to Faith to

fight the the smaller Giants now what

have I just done

I put David and Goliath into the

storyline but also I pointed us toward

Jesus now should we do that yes because

Jesus says so at the very end of his

life after well like not the end of his

life right after his resurrection the

beginning of his new life he gets with

the disciples on the way to Emmaus and

he says how slow of heart to believe all

the prophets have spoken and beginning

with Moses and all the prophets he

explained to them what was said in all

the scriptures concerning himself

and then just a little later with his

disciples he said this is what I told

you while I was still with you that

everything that was written about me in

the law of Moses the prophets and the

Psalms must be fulfilled then he opened

their mind so they could understand the

scriptures this is Luke 24.

and what this means is this Jesus says

you should read everything in the Bible

as pointing to him

and that's the first reason we should do

and here's the last reason we should do

it not just what Jesus says but what

Kathy says now Kathy is my wife

what Kathy used to always say to me is

she said you know what's interesting in

your sermons

is the first part of your sermons were

good they're like a lecture you're very

good you're very professorial lots of

information and so we sit there taking

notes as if it's a lecture and it it it

it it felt great it felt like I was

learning things but she says when you

turn to Jesus

when you say this isn't just about David

this is about the ultimate David the

final David the true David Jesus Christ

she says suddenly everybody would put

their pens down

and it wasn't a classroom anymore it was

a worship service

suddenly we weren't talking at this

level but suddenly we sensed something

and this in other words their hearts

she's saying we're touched the only way

to have your heart changed is not just

to look at the principles

but to see Jesus not just look at the

story but to see Jesus and that's

exactly what we're going to be doing in

this series

so thank you for staying with us on this

series I'm looking forward to talking to

you again

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