Apr 4, 2018

Eight Words Summarize the Bible’s BIG Story

Categories: Good Soil Seminar Content Series

This article is part of the series Good Soil Basic Seminar - Overview Series.

Pastor Ron Berrus was mowing his lawn—a “mindless task,” he called it—when his mind began to focus on a sermon series he wanted to preach. “How few words could be used to summarize the overall redemptive story of the Bible?” That was the question that occupied Ron as he pushed the mower back and forth around his lawn. Before he finished the lawn, a sequence of eight words formed in his mind—each of which became the basis for one sermon in a series of sermons that summarized the BIG Story of the Bible, the Bible’s metanarrative, from Genesis One through the end of the Book of Revelation.

God—Man—Sin—Death—Christ—Cross—Faith—Life

Later, through a series of Divinely providential circumstances, these eight words were adapted into what Good Soil Evangelism and Discipleship calls “The Chronological Bridge to Life,” or more simply, “The ChronoBridge.”

Pastor Ron was a member of the initial group that developed Good Soil E&D. So when the group began to ponder how to train missionaries to present God’s story of redemption to unbelievers, this sequence of eight words emerged again. But this time these eight essential gospel concepts emerged as a gospel presentation, not as a sermon series. And the visual concept of a bridge from eternal death to eternal life provided an appropriate structure for formatting the presentation.

“But why is it called a ‘Chronological Bridge,’” some have asked. The answer: These eight gospel concepts are arranged in the chronological order in which they appear in the Bible’s redemptive story. First, we learn about God. Then, we learn about man (“mankind”). Then, we learn about sin. And, etc. So, these eight concepts, arranged chronologically, become a method for telling and teaching the central Bible story—the BIG Story into which all of the other stories of the Bible are interwoven.

Using the ChronoBridge, the Bible’s story of God, creation, sin, and redemption can be told in-depth, over several hours, or conveyed briefly in just a few minutes.

One valuable feature of the ChronoBridge is its flexibility, not only time-wise but also in how you can improvise to visualize it. You can draw it on a white board or chalk board, sketch it on a napkin, or create in with a stick in a bare spot of dirt.

The ChronoBridge has become an integral part of Good Soil E&D. We have embedded it in several of our evangelism and discipleship resources, such as the resources seen below.