Redemptive history may best be defined as God the Father’s purposed and determined direction for history, as it is summed up in the redeeming work of Christ in the world, with the ultimate goal of history being the new heavens and new earth.   Richard Lints says this about redemptive history,

 “A fundamental fact about the Scriptures is that they constitute a text with a developing story.  It is a story that clearly progresses toward the accomplishment of specific goals.  Redemption is an activity of God that unfolds over time.  This unfolding movement in the biblical text is profoundly important to the accomplishment of its purposes.  We must remember that Scripture not only witnesses to God’s redemption but it is also an effective agent of that redemption.  Biblical revelation progresses because it mirrors the progressive nature of redemption.  The ‘story’ of God’s involvement with and redemption of his people is acted out on the stage of history with many distinct but related parts.”[1]

These related ‘parts’ of the developing story of Scripture are broken down into four segments: creation, fall, redemption, and new creation.  This progression of God’s redemptive plan through these 4 stages of history (specifically creation, redemption, and new creation) must be seen individually in how God works within the Trinitarian relationship.  In reading Scripture Christo-centrically, we come to learn that the hero of the Bible is Jesus.  Redemptive History tells the story of the Father’s plan for his creation through the complete exaltation of the Son.  

[1]Lints, Richard, The Fabric of Theology: A Prolegomenon to Evangelical Theology (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1993), 262-63.

Throughout redemptive history, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have worked and will continue to work in accordance with each other to accomplish the Father’s designed plan.  From Creation to New Creation, all three members work in unity and harmony for this plan to progress.  In our present day, we are currently between the stage of Redemption and New Creation; we await the second coming of Christ to usher in this final stage of New Creation.  To understand this stage we must look into the future to see what the Bible says about Christ and his New Creation work.  As we look into the redemptive stage of New Creation, there are three things that are necessary to understand concerning  the second coming of Jesus:

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The role of Jesus during his incarnational ministry is seen perfectly in his life, death, and resurrection, but with a careful reading of Scripture there are many implications that can be made of how this work fits into the bigger picture of what God is doing throughout history.  With a proper understanding that the Jesus of the Bible already is Creator of the entire cosmos, what is his role within the stage of redemption?  There are five statements to be made concerning the Son’s role within the Trinity during the salvation-historical stage of redemption.

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How does the Son fulfill his role along side the Father and Holy Spirit in the stage of creation?  First of all, we understand that the Father is the primary member of the Trinity who creates and speaks the world into existence (Genesis 1:1, Hebrews 11:3, Hebrews 1:2).  Genesis 1:1 says, “God created the Heavens and the Earth.”  Although, beginning in Genesis 1:2, we find our first reference to a Trinitarian Creator-God with a reference to the Holy Spirit; we find our second reference to a Trinitarian God in Genesis 1:26 stating, “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness (emphasis added)’”.  With the unfolding of Scripture through a progression of redemptive history we come to note three things about the role of the Son within the stage of creation:

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The need for special revelation to restore crooked and wretched sinners back into communion with a holy, perfect, and just God is found only in the Bible.  The Bible tells the story of how a holy, perfect, and just God can forgive such sinners and restore this communion back with a holy, perfect, and just God through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  The whole Bible tells the story of Jesus and the unfolding revelation of God and how it finds ultimate climax and fulfillment in the gospel message.

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If God exists, then how does he reveal himself to his creation?  If there is a God who created the cosmos, then what purpose did he create it for?   These are questions that the prudent thinker takes very seriously.  Let’s begin answering these questions by laying down some ground rules.  First of all, the Bible is not necessary for knowing that God exists.  Even without the Bible, people can know that there is a distinction between Creator and creation.  Wayne Grudem says, “People can obtain a knowledge that God exists, and a knowledge of some of his attributes, simply from the observation of themselves and the world around them.[1]  Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens are telling the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.”[2]  Grudems says further,

“To look at the sky is to see evidence of the infinite power, wisdom, and even beauty of God; it is to observe a majestic witness to the glory of God… Rains and fruitful seasons, food produced from the earth, and gladness in people’s hearts, all bear witness to the fact that their Creator is a God of mercy, of love, and even of joy.  These evidences of God are all around us in creation to be seen by those who are willing to see them.”[3]

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