Introducing …Bible Mesh: One God. One Book. One Story.
“Bible Mesh is a multimedia tool to help teach the grand sweep of redemptive history from Genesis to Revelation…”
With topics introduced by Tim Keller, “
Bible Mesh” is an interactive Biblical story course developed to help people put all the facts of the Bible into one coherent story as it was meant to be received and understood.
Their promo video continues:
“There is much confusion over the message and details of the Bible and this is a great tool to understand the grand sweep of redemptive history from Genesis to Revelation.”
“Bible Mesh ties it all together. It’s not just the trees, it’s the forest. And it’s about Christ from beginning to end.”
“It’s the first comprehensive linking together of Old Testament and New Testament in a way that is very accessible.”
“In Bible Mesh we try to show how it all points to Jesus Christ. It gives the whole of Scripture from start to finish giving God’s great plan of salvation right through from Genesis to Revelation.”
“How does Jesus fit into the story of Adam, Abraham and Moses? This is a story in which we participate. This isn’t just a story about Adam, Abraham or Moses… it’s a story about us; of you and me.”
“It’s for the person whose been sitting in the pew for 40 years and gotten bits and pieces of the Bible but has missed the big story that gives significance to every little bit.”
“It tells a single story. The greatest story ever told: Creation, fall and then God’s plan to redeem humanity, to bring them back to Himself.
In our article on how the Church itself is
presently supporting and teaching Christian Universalism we have noted how Biblical-storying has been one of the profound ways in which the Church has been walking into a more inclusive Gospel. This is the natural discovery when we look at the Bible holistically as one Story by one God who has one purpose. Just note again that last quote from the promo video: “It tells a single story. The greatest story ever told: Creation, fall and then God’s plan to redeem humanity, to bring them back to Himself.” This what they have concluded as “the grand sweep.”
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But a Story where God loses most of humanity is not the greatest story ever told.
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And if God’s ultimate purpose is for some to cycle sin, death and punishment forever (
D. A. Carson) while others are restored to worship Him then God no longer has one purpose but two. It no longer “tells a single story.” In other words when John Piper said, “God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in Him” he meant only the ‘elect’ and that God has another plan for being glorified by the rest of humanity: eternal conscious torment. According to Piper’s theology God is glorified by fulfilling
two purposes: one, to cause a small band of followers to love and worship Him forever while simultaneously leaving billions to live eternally in a state of
self-worship as they sin and rebel against Him …forever.
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This leaves the question of,
what is the nature of the “bowing” and “confessing that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father?” (Phil 2) Is it simply forced obeisance and therefore not any deeper than what a political leader such as
Napoleon could elicit? But empty worship is something that God has explicitly said He hates and so that is impossible. This tension is leading us to a more coherent story-line with which to interpret the “bits and pieces” that remain unresolved without “the big story that gives significance to every little bit.”
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And what has Bible Mesh concluded is “the big story”?
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According to the scholars, pastors and evangelical leaders who created Bible Mesh it is this:
“Creation, fall and then God’s plan to redeem humanity, to bring them back to Himself.”
Can you see how this focus on Biblical-storying is leading Christians (
even Calvinists like Tim Keller) to say things they aren’t supposed to believe? Why did they conclude the main point of the Story as “God planning to redeem humanity to bring them back to Himself”? Do they really mean that? If not then why do they fail to qualify that statement? They would need to explain how either just a tiny representation of humanity will be saved by sovereign election (Calvinists) or that God is willing and trying to save all but is clearly not powerful enough to bring back to Himself those He has redeemed (Arminians). Why have they not given us the truth about their doctrine here as they advertise
Bible Mesh? Is it because neither fit the description of “the greatest story ever told”?
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What would you say is “the greatest story ever told” and “the good news” of the gospel?
1. A story where a small number of mankind are elected unto salvation while billions remain lost to eternal conscious torment?
2. A story where God has done everything to redeem and save mankind but sadly most continue to reject Him and He never proves to be beautiful or loving enough to win the hearts of most of those He died for?
3. OR “The greatest story ever told: Creation, fall and then God’s plan to redeem humanity, to bring them back to Himself.”
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Thank you creators of Bible Mesh for indeed giving us “the grand sweep” of the glory and majesty of God’s ultimate plan and provision to bring all humanity back to Himself”!
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For ordering the course or more information, click
HERE We believe it is a GREAT VALUE:
Online Old and New Testament survey courses for credit can cost you up to $300 per hour. With 212 videos; 354 articles; and 202 charts/maps/images, “The Biblical Story” course is your own one-year Scripture survey course for a fraction of the cost – for only $39.99! (From their website)
Note: We ordered the individual course for ourselves and look forward to using Bible Mesh for our Bible study in 2013!
The Gospel Coalition has provided more info on
Bible Mesh as well as other materials on Christ-centered teaching/preaching
HERE
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