Atonement
Atonement is God's provision through which the guilt of sin is dealt with, reconciliation with Him is made possible, and His justice and mercy are upheld, ultimately accomplished through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ.
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Storyline Themes in Scripture
Trace storyline themes in Scripture and follow their gospel and church-formation significance.
Christology
Christology is the biblical revelation of the person and work of Jesus Christ, showing that He is the promised Messiah, the Son of God, the true King, the perfect Priest, the final sacrifice, and the one through whom God's redemptive purposes are fulfilled.
Covenant
Covenant is the binding relationship God establishes by His own authority through which He orders His relationship with humanity, governs His redemptive purposes, and carries His promises forward throughout the biblical storyline.
Creation and New Creation
Creation and new creation form the great opening and closing movements of the biblical storyline, revealing that God created the world good, that sin brought corruption and death into it, and that through Christ God is restoring and renewing creation so that His purposes are fulfilled forever.
Exile and Restoration
Exile and restoration is the biblical pattern that explains how human rebellion leads to separation from God's presence while God's saving purpose includes the promise and work of bringing His people back into renewed relationship with Him.
Faith and Obedience
Faith and obedience describe the covenant response God calls for from His people: trusting His promises and acting in faithful submission to His revealed will, a response ultimately made possible through His saving grace.
Glory of God
The glory of God refers to the visible and revealed manifestation of God's greatness, holiness, and majesty, displayed in His works, His presence among His people, and ultimately in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
Holiness
Holiness in Scripture describes God's absolute moral purity, uniqueness, and separation from sin, as well as the calling of His people to reflect His character through lives set apart for Him.
Image of God
The image of God is the biblical teaching that human beings were created to reflect God's character, represent His authority in creation, and live in relational fellowship with Him, a calling damaged by sin but ultimately restored through Jesus Christ.
Judgment and Mercy
Judgment and mercy describe the twin realities of God's righteous response to sin and His compassionate provision of forgiveness and restoration, revealing both His justice and His grace throughout the biblical storyline.
Kingdom of God
The kingdom of God is God's sovereign rule exercised over His creation, revealed throughout Scripture, opposed by human rebellion, advanced through His redemptive acts, and brought to its decisive fulfillment in Jesus Christ before reaching its full consummation in the new creation.
Law and Grace
Law and grace describe how God reveals His righteous standard for human life while also providing the mercy and power necessary to rescue sinners and transform them into people who live according to His will.
Mission
Mission is God's purposeful movement to reveal His glory, redeem sinners, gather a people from every nation, and restore creation, carried out through His covenant people and fulfilled through the saving work and authority of Jesus Christ.
People of God
The people of God are the community God forms, preserves, and claims as His own throughout the biblical storyline, beginning in His purpose for humanity, developed through Israel, fulfilled in Christ, and expanded through the church as a redeemed people gathered from every nation.
Presence of God
The presence of God is the biblical theme describing God's nearness to His creation and His people, expressed through His dwelling among them, guiding them, revealing Himself, and ultimately restoring full fellowship with humanity through Jesus Christ.
Priesthood
Priesthood is God's appointed means by which sinful humanity is brought into mediated relationship with Him through representation, sacrifice, intercession, and instruction, ultimately fulfilled in the perfect priesthood of Jesus Christ.
Redemption
Redemption is God's act of delivering people from bondage, guilt, and judgment by paying the necessary cost to restore them to Himself and to His purposes, ultimately accomplished through the saving work of Jesus Christ.
Remnant
The remnant is the recurring biblical pattern in which God preserves a faithful portion of His people through judgment, exile, and widespread unfaithfulness so that His covenant purposes and redemptive promises continue forward in history.
Resurrection and New Creation
Resurrection and new creation reveal God's final victory over sin, death, and corruption, bringing the biblical storyline to its completion as God raises the dead, restores creation, and establishes His eternal kingdom through Jesus Christ.
Sacrifice
Sacrifice is God's appointed means by which sin is addressed, worship is expressed, and reconciliation with God is symbolically and covenantally maintained, ultimately fulfilled in the once-for-all sacrificial death of Jesus Christ.
Sonship
Sonship is the biblical theme describing how God relates to His people as a Father and brings them into His family, a relationship fulfilled and secured through Jesus Christ, the true Son, and extended to believers through adoption.
Spirit and New Heart
The Spirit and new heart theme describes God's promise and work of inward transformation, where He renews His people by giving them a new heart and placing His Spirit within them so they can know Him, obey Him, and live as His covenant people.
Temple
The temple is the appointed place where God's presence dwells among His people, where worship and sacrifice occur, and where the relationship between God and His covenant people is visibly expressed, ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ and consummated in the new creation.
Wisdom
Wisdom in Scripture refers to living skillfully according to the fear of the Lord, understanding God's order for life, and walking in ways that reflect His truth, a pattern ultimately embodied and fulfilled in Jesus Christ.