What is a Redemptive Historical Understanding of the Bible? | ask Theocast

The First Gospel in Genesis 3:15

Hi, this is John, and I'm answering the question, what is the redemptive historic understanding of the Bible? It's really the way in which we interpret God's word. How does it flow, or what's the overarching purpose of God's word?

If you start in Genesis 3 .15, you have the fall, right? Adam and Eve have tried to be like God, and what's the first promise that's given to them? The glorious promise, the introduction to the gospel, really, is what we call the first gospel, is that God is going to provide a seed through Eve, and he's going to come and crush the head of Satan and his heel will be bruised.

What is being said is that he's going to take on the punishment and make right what Adam and Eve had made wrong. And from that moment forward, it is the fulfillment of this promise, and it's just clarified.

The Promise to Abraham, the Mosaic Law, and David

It goes to Abraham, and we learn that it's through Abraham that all the nations will be blessed, and then it's through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Then we have the Mosaic law that's given. It's a further explanation of our need of the gospel, but also it is Jesus Christ who ends up fulfilling the Mosaic law, or obeying it, that we learn who the Messiah is, then we learn it's through David.

And so as we continue to walk through scripture, we see the unfolding plan of redemption. God promised to Adam and Eve that he'd redeem them, and it's clarified through every chapter of God's word through history.

Reading the Bible as One Unfolding Story of Redemption

So we read the history of the nation of Israel. We read the history of God interacting with humanity, and we see that it's a redemption unfolding through history. So the redemptive historic understanding of God's word.

So that's what we'd say the overarching understanding of God's word. So as you read every section of your Bible, it's not disconnected from the main theme and the main purpose of God's word. Often we disconnect what's going on, and we can individualize books where we read the story of Daniel, or read the story of David and Nehemiah, and we try and learn from them how we should live a better life, or how we should interact with God.

But those stories are not disconnected from what God is doing. Those stories are part of the main theme, which is redemption. God is fulfilling his plan as it unfolds through Adam and Eve, and to Abraham, and to the people of Israel, and then through the kingdom of David, and David's kingdom, and through—it keeps unfolding until you get to Matthew.

So you can't disconnect these stories, including Proverbs, or Song of Solomon, or Ruth—all of these are still within the greater narrative of redemption. So as we are interpreting them, and as we're reading them, we have to see that each book is pushing along God's promise to his people that he's going to redeem them through Jesus Christ.

The New Covenant in Jesus Christ

Then, of course, once we get to the New Testament, it's very obvious that we see a redeemed people who are now living in this new covenant reality of being in Jesus Christ, being in union with Jesus Christ.

And then we see the full culmination of redemption, where God is restoring all things as we get to the end of Revelation, that what we lost in the garden, God's going to restore to us. And so he is not only redeeming people, but he's also redeeming creation, back back to its original intention, where we can live with God in peace and harmony.

The Confessional Reformed View of Covenant Progression

So the story of the Bible is what we would say is redemptive, historic understanding, and this is what we'd say a confessional reformed understanding, a very historic—oh, this isn't new to Theocats. It's a very historic understanding of scripture, where God unfolds through redemption, these covenants, through history.

And as we read each covenant, we can see that God is progressing the redemption of his people through these covenants, through the unfolding of history. Hopefully this is helpful for you.