Over the last four Sundays we have looked at a framework for understanding and explaining the gospel that is mostly from Romans 1-4 but also all over the Bible, and it was what you could call “The Gospel on the Ground.” In other words, it is the gospel up close and personal, viewing the gospel from the angle of how it applies to us directly.
But the Bible also gives the big picture of the gospel, which is what Matt Chandler calls “The Gospel in the Air.” The gospel is not just personal, it is also so big that we could say it is “cosmic,” meaning that it affects all of creation. Not just me personally, not just believers, not just unbelievers, not just the world even, but actually the whole universe.
Just as in a great symphony there are different movements that make up the entire masterpiece, in the Bible there are four great movements or themes that make up the whole: Creation – Fall – Cross – New Creation. Put together, these 4 themes can give us the big picture of the entire Bible and also the gospel.