The overarching theme of the Bible is the Father/Son relationship. In fact, the entire Bible is a full description of this relationship between Father and Son, as God wants to see it in us. We know this because of the testimony of the best authority in the Bible - Jesus himself, the eternal Son of God. The reason he came was to gather a Family together and make them one with himself, in his image, so that they might become Sons of God.
We first see this relationship of the Father/Son with the creation of man, who was made "in God's image." That means man was made after the pattern of the Father and Son in Heaven, and was to enjoy the special privileges and responsibilities that a son has with his Father as he lived in this physical world. This world, in other words, mirrored the one in Heaven.
When man turned to sin and death, God made a new plan to restore the relationship between him and mankind, but on a higher level than Creation was - now man is going to enter into the Heavenly relationship itself. The first step was the Covenant with Abraham: based on the Father/Son pattern, God started a new Family in which men will be the heirs of God and receive the inheritance of Heaven as his sons.
The rest of the Old Testament tells about the methods that God devised to create sons who will live with him in Heaven. This process involves seven phases in which the sons of God are prepared and trained to live in God's spiritual world. Each of these steps is essential to give man the things that he will need for this special life with the Father.
The Creator - The Father gives life to his Son
The Covenant - The Father makes his Son his Heir
Deliverance & Law - The Father makes his Son holy
The Temple - The Father gives full access to his Son
The Kingdom - The Father seats his Son beside him on the throne
Wisdom - The Father teaches his Son
The Prophet - The Father reveals himself through his Son
In the New Testament we learn about the mystery - that God will change sinners into sons and bring them into the life of the Trinity. They will become one with the eternal Son of God by the power of the Spirit, and share his life with the Father as a Bride with her Husband. This transformation will prepare us for the spiritual demands of that new world, and the responsibilities and privileges we will have there. Being made one with Christ, we will know the Father as he does, through him, and will enjoy and make use of the inheritance of the Son as Jesus does, to God's full glory.
VOLUME 1:
The Bible as universal truth
The Message of the Bible
The Theology of the Old Testament
www.Ravenbrook.org
(Note: Biblical Studies is not like many other "straightforward" subjects. There is war within the camp: some believe whatever the Bible says, and others do not. It's a moral issue. Those who do not believe it work hard at "proving" that the Bible is inadequate as it stands and that we need more than what God said plainly in the Bible; even academics in the field are busy giving 15 reasons -- historical, literary, archaeological, etc. -- why "responsible" students should not take seriously the written Truth. For the record, Ravenbrook Publishers follows the old Reformation maxim: "Sola Scriptura." There was a deep theological need for that stand. Christians need only the Bible to understand God and their faith.)
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