HOW CAN YOU SEE GOD?

“No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.” John 1:18

As Christians, we believe Jesus is the ultimate revelation of God. But long before Jesus came God had been revealing himself to humanity and especially to the descendants of Abraham. Thousands of years of history, religion and revelation led up to the coming of Jesus the Messiah. We must learn to read these ancient texts in the light of Jesus.

When Jesus was traveling incognito with two of his disciples after the resurrection, he asked them about what had happened to their master. Then he said, “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained
to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. (Luke 24:26-27) Jesus is the key to understanding the whole story.

How do we interpret what we see in Scripture?

The Bible comes to us in the form of ancient literature written in a foreign language over the course of over 1000 years by many different authors. It includes all sorts of genres: poetry, sayings, history, fiction, songs, jokes, dreams, letters and more. To say we interpret the Bible literally is too simplistic. We must interpret according to the historical and literary context in light of the larger message of God’s unfolding promise fulfilled in Christ.

To start, ask these questions of any text you see:

1. What did this mean to the original author?
2. How does it relate to what Jesus said & did?
3. What difference does it make for my life now?

Download the free Study Guide for personal and small group use HERE. Then join me Sunday as we look at how to see the Bible as a unified story that leads to Jesus.