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Understanding the Bible 04: The Exodus

October 18, 2013March 7, 2014Kirk WinslowLeave a comment

The promise of salvation is not merely a promise to deliver souls to a blissful afterlife, but rather the rescue of every aspect of creation from the curse of sin.

Salvation is about restoring this world (unto eternity). And thus the Project of Salvation begins not with images of harps and clouds, but of God redeeming his people from bondage.

The story of the Exodus is salvation in microcosm: Israel – as humanity’s representative – is living out the process of restoration. Though she begins in hardship and suffering, God is attentive to her needs and – hearing her cries – steps into history to be her Savior.

Understanding the Bible 03: The Covenant with Abraham

October 7, 2013March 7, 2014Kirk WinslowLeave a comment

What will become of this broken world in light of the curse of sin??? – that is the driving question of the biblical story. Will creation unravel entirely, like a cloth that has been torn inexorably apart? Is the cosmos destined to a fate of death and dissolution? Or can thing yet be set back to rights?

The short answer is: YES! Salvation is coming! And the rest of the Bible is, in the words of the great 20th century theologian Geogle Ladd, “the story of God setting right what went wrong in the Garden of Eden.”

As we move towards the solution, we note that the primordial history of Genesis (chapters 1-11) ends with humanity’s last, best attempt at restoration by our own efforts (the Tower of Babel) – a project that comes to ruin, and with it humanity’s hope at engineering our own solution to sin.

But the God of love, unwilling to abandon his beloved to our fate, makes the pledge to which we still cling: that by his own efforts he will make all things new. And it is with this pledge – this promise to one man, Abraham – that the Salvation Project begins.

Understanding the Bible 02: Sin in the Garden of Eden

October 7, 2013December 31, 2014Kirk Winslow3 Comments

Central to the biblical story is the conviction that something has gone terribly wrong. The world as we experience it is not the world as God intended.

In this episode we turn to the biblical explanation why – how humanity moved from the Garden of Eden to a cosmos in which “thorns and thistles” are part of our daily reality.

This story of “the Fall” is told in highly symbolic language and revolves largely around two trees: The Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. By understanding these images, we come to a much clearer understanding of both biblical theology and basic plot of the Bible. Along the way we will construct a basic definition of sin and get glimpse at what “salvation” will require.