You’re working to help your students develop the mind of Christ. You want to help your students connect what they study and the Bible. You’ve helped your student connect what they study and specific Biblical principles. And you want to make sure that your students connect what they study with the big picture of what God is doing.

Question: What’s the big picture?

Answer: God’s story of creation-fall-redemption-restoration.

Here’s the short version of God’s story:

1. Creation: God created a good world (Gen. 1.31, Ps. 19.1-4).
2. Fall: Humans sinned, and our sin affected relationships with God, others, ourselves, and creation (Gen. 3:1-19, Is. 53.6, Rom. 1.21-23, Rom. 1:28-32, Gal. 5.19-21).
3. Redemption: Jesus came, died for our sins, and rose from the dead (Gen. 3.15, Luke 1.31-35, John 1.1-14, John 3.16, Luke 4.18-19, Rom. 5.12-21, Matt. 28.1-10, 1 Cor. 15.20-28, 1 Tim. 2:5, Matt. 28.18).
4. Restoration: As redeemed people, we join God in His work of restoring all things (2 Cor. 5.15-17, Matt. 28.18-20, Gen. 1.28-31, Mic. 6.8, Matt. 5.9) and await Christ’s return (Rev. 22.7).

Here’s a "question” version of God’s story:

1. Creation: What’s God’s purpose?
2. Fall: What’s wrong?
3. Redemption: What difference does Jesus make?
4. Restoration: What will you do?

And here are 2 applications of creation-fall-redemption-restoration:

• Teacher
• Student

Want to learn more? If so, do some further reading (Our World Belongs to God and Christian Framework). You can also reflect on the questions below:

Creation

1. How does God relate to everything that exists?
2. Out of what did God creati everything that exists?
3. How does creation continue to relate to God now that it has been created?
4. For what purpose did God create everything that exists?
5. How does God want the different parts of creation to relate to each other?

Fall

1. How did the fall begin?
2. How does the fallen world compare to the originally created world?
3. What is the core of sin?
4. How does sin relate to us?
5. What are the effects of the fall?

Redemption

1. What is the situation that we need to be rescued/redeemed from?
2. What’s the solution to that situation?
3. How does God join us in our situation?
4. How does God defeat the force that’s holding us hostage?
5. How do we benefit from God’s victory?
6. How does God’s rescue of us matter for the rest of creation?

Restoration

1. What is God’s goal in restoring fallen creation?
2. How does God restore fallen creation?
3. How does the Holy Spirit make restoration happen?
4. What is the Church’s role in restoration?
5. What are the signs of restoration beginning?
6. When will restoration be complete?

*Additional resources:

1. Video: Have your students connect 3 things
2. Tutorial: Help your students connect what they study and creation-fall-redemption-restoration
3. Blog entries: Target Biblical Perspective, Use Questions, Use Assessment, Meet Student Learning Needs
4. Visual Valet (or download)