For generations, many Christians were taught—often without realizing it—to approach Scripture as though it were a reference manual. The task of interpretation became collecting propositions, arranging doctrines, and constructing systems.

But the Bible itself does not arrive in our hands primarily as a list of propositions but as a story.

The opening words are not, “Here are the doctrines of God.” They are, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” The Bible begins with creation, moves through rebellion, covenant, exile, promise, incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, and ultimately new creation.

It is a narrative.

It asks us to read individual passages in light of the larger drama God is telling. Rather than immediately asking, “What proposition can I extract from this text?” narrative hermeneutics first asks, “Where are we in the story?”

Abraham is not merely an example of faith. He is part of God’s covenantal plan to bless the nations. David is not merely teaching leadership principles. He is a king whose story anticipates the greater Son of David. The Gospels are not simply collections of moral teachings. They are the climax of Israel’s story with the arrival of the Messiah.

Even doctrine takes its shape from the narrative. We know what salvation means because we know the story of humanity’s fall and God’s rescue. We know what kingdom means because we know the story of Israel and the reign of Christ. We know what hope means because the story ends with the renewal of all things.

The Bible certainly contains propositions. But those propositions live within a story. Scripture is less like an encyclopedia and more like a drama into which we have been invited. Christians are not merely students memorizing facts. We are participants learning to inhabit the story God is telling.

Maranatha,

Jordy