The
Big Story by Justin Buzzard
How does the Bible relate to life and why does it
matter to us? These questions are at the
heart of Pastor Justin Buzzard’s mind as he takes us the world of the bible and
its story. Divided into five acts and
eight chapters, The Big Story takes
us into the larger narrative at work in the Bible starting with Jesus and ending
with Life. The five acts that Justin
describes follow this order: God, Creation, Rebellion, Rescue, and Home. Using insights from biblical and systematic
theology, culture, and his own life, Justin weaves together a powerful case for
the overarching story of the Bible centered upon Jesus and how God is making
all things new.
Writing from a Silicon Valley context where work is
king and ideas are bandied about, Justin gets to the heart of the issues pretty
quick. In thinking about belief in God
by writing, “But if you don’t believe in the God of the Bible, the Trinitarian,
happy God, then you have to believe in something else that requires just as
much (if not more) faith.” (30) Often,
it takes more faith to believe in systems such as atheism or eastern philosophy
because they ask you to give up your quest for answering truth by sticking to a
concrete system of answers devoid of mystery.
Justin commends a view of God as happy and not needing our existence to
complete his being but offering his perfect love to us by creating us. Furthermore, “Becoming a Christian, choosing
to believe the Big Story, is simply a matter of getting serious about the
pursuit of happiness. It’s a matter of
ditching the cheap pleasures that never satisfied in order to experience the
happiness that we are designed to enjoy.” (33)
Happiness in fellowship God is what we’re after, not a happiness dependent
upon our bank accounts or life’s circumstances.
Justin has a wonderful way of describing grace that
will help Christians from all backgrounds better imbibe the gospel. He writes, “This reminds us that followers of
Jesus, those who know the reality of His grace, are called to go into the world
and help these people know that same grace, to know Jesus. Followers of Jesus should be a community that
is like the party from this parable – a celebration of grace that draws people
in with joy, hope, and gladness.” (106) Grace
is not a one-time event we experience and then put in our hip pockets, but an
overflowing abundant gift we share with others out of the sheer grace that we
have received. We are all prodigals and
the Lord has called each believer to himself by grace, and oh are we thankful
for this!! The ending section of the
chapter on Rescue is important because it asks the question, “What kind of
stories do people tell about how to fix their brokenness?” I think this question is important because
quick fixes are inevitable in our culture, even when they cause devastating
results. Secondly, the gospel is no
quick fix but a message to let down your striving and receive God’s glorious
grace. Too many times we make people are
amazed that they don’t have to offer up anything for God’s grace but empty
hands.
I really enjoyed this book and hope you will enjoy
it also. Further chapters focus on the
resurrection, God making all things new, and how we are supposed to live now
that we know the Big Story. With keen
insights and biblically faithful encouragement, Justin blazes a clear path to understand
God’s story.
Thanks to Moody Publishers for the copy of this book
in exchange for an honest review.
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