Big pictures in little packages

Eddie Arthur has written an outstanding little post on the big picture of the Bible:

The Bible is not a book of religious ideas or rules and regulations (though it does have some of those). Quite simply, it is a story; a love story told by God himself. In the Bible we read how God reaches out to fallen humanity calling men and women back to himself to share in the peace, shalom, which is part of his own nature. It tells how, ultimately, God steps into the world in human form to reveal himself and to die on the cross to open a way for humanity to be reconciled to him and then rises again in triumph defeating death and ushering in God’s reign over creation.

Amen. I heartily recommend reading all of Eddie's essay.

Along similar lines, Dave Bish has posted a fine little essay giving the big picture of God's grace. Here's a sample: "The storyline of the Bible is one that seeks to get Humanity and God walking together again."