The message of the Bible is to help humanity trust God and work with him in partnership to restore God’s Edenic vision for humanity through faith in Jesus.

It begins, when we see God “CREATING EDEN” and the beauty of a world where humans and all of creation are flourishing. Sadly, though, our own mistrust of God’s promise and disobedience of his commands brought death and destruction. However, by making various covenants with individuals and families representative of humanity, God has provided guidance through his commands, decrees, and laws for the restoration of God’s Edenic vision for us. We choose life and flourishing when we choose to trust and follow him. We choose death and destruction when choose to follow our own ways.

In the Old Testament, we see the establishment of that guidance progressively through covenants with Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David. In each covenant, God assures “THE PROMISE” of his blessings if the people of Israel would trust and obey him. By keeping his commands, the Israelites would become “THE PEOPLE OF GOD”—God’s holy nation chosen to be his priesthood on the earth representing him to humanity and humanity to him. These commands were, as the Lord says in Deuteronomy 30:11, “not too difficult for you or beyond your reach.” However, they rebelled against God over and over, leading to God placing them in “THE EXILE” under Babylonian captivity. It was during this exile that they needed to learn the lessons of humility, trust, and obedience even when it didn’t benefit their selves. Moreover, they would need to learn the lesson of trust and obedience even when it benefits their enemies. For that is the only way humanity would flourish again.
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In the New Testament, we see that “JESUS” fulfills the role of the promised Messiah, who would show us the way of restoring Eden on Earth, bringing the new Kingdom of God through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in our hearts as God promised in Jeremiah 31:33, “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts.” Jesus exemplified God’s intent for our humanity through his ministry of love and healing. He provided guidance for our flourishing through his teachings and commands. He also provided the final, everlasting means of atonement for our past sins by suffering on the cross so that by his blood we could be cleansed of our sins, reconciled to God, and given the opportunity to start over in our quest for restoring God’s blessings of Edenic human flourishing—simply by believing in him. In addition to the miracles he performed, “THE RESURRECTION” demonstrates his power and authority as the Son of God to conquer sin, death, and destruction in our lives, empowering us with his Spirit to live victorious, abundant lives—again, by trusting him.

All the teachings and commands of Jesus, and the subsequent teachings of his Apostles, direct us toward a way of living as “THE NEW PEOPLE OF GOD” that will ensure human flourishing. Our challenge is to trust God and his partnership with us by following Jesus, who is the Way the Truth and the Life. We must trust and follow him even when we don’t immediately experience the blessings of that trust ourselves. As we come to the closing of the scriptures in the book of Revelation, God encourages us to be faithful to God’s Edenic vision for us even in the face of persecution. If we don’t overcome the temptation to drift from our trust in God and rebel against him, we will be subject to judgment more awful than anything we’ve experienced in this life. Those who do overcome will eventually experience the joy of God’s blessing in human flourishment when, one day, heaven and earth become one again, God’s dwelling place can be found among humanity again, and we see the trusting partnership between God and humanity finally “RESTORING EDEN”.

If we only read the Bible from Genesis 3 (the Fall) to Revelation 20 (the Final Judgement), we will only see God’s mission as saving sinners from the fires of hell. This is, of course, thankfully true. When we look at Jesus, we recognize our own sin and need for forgiveness. And the blood that Jesus sheds on the cross cleanses that sin from us when we put our faith in Jesus.

However, when we read the Bible from Genesis 1 and 2 (Creating Eden) all the way to Revelation 22 (Restoring Eden), we will see that the redemption of humanity through the atonement of Christ was to forgive and release us from our sin SO THAT we could be reconciled to God and then trust and follow Jesus who is the Way and the Truth of restoring us and our world to the abundant Life of Eden itself.

An easy way to summarize this message in three movements is …

CREATING EDEN > LOSING EDEN > RESTORING EDEN

God’s active mission in the world through the redemptive work and restorative teaching of Jesus as lived out in the humble service of the people of God is restoring this vision and making all things right. This is the heart of the Good News of the Gospel and why Christians seek to share it with others. And it is the basis for pursuing personal holiness and living out the whole mission of the church, exercising compassion, demonstrating mercy, and advocating for justice in all areas of life and society. Cover to Cover is designed to help us discover this message, learn and turn from sin and destruction, and reestablish our partnership with God through faith in Jesus by following him and keeping his commands, so that one day, God’s Edenic vision for humanity would be restored on Earth.

MAIN VIDEOS

Watch these four videos to get the big picture story in 30 minutes.

That’s it! You’re ready to dive in, starting with Genesis. Each of the next eight parts include reading a 5-minute overview, watching a few short videos like the ones you’ve already watched and seven key bible passages. If you’re doing this alone, take your time and work through them at your own pace. If you’re doing this with a group, dedicate some time at the beginning of the week to do overview and videos, about 10 minutes each day to read the bible passages, then meet with your group to go over the discussion questions together.