Humans are curious creatures. We are eager to know the future. In fact, there is a branch of theology called “eschatology” which examines the doctrine of “last things.” Eschatology is better described as the direction and ultimate goal of God’s covenant faithfulness toward all of creation. In this sense, the story of Scripture is about the human condition and what God is doing about it.

There are a variety of ways in which Scripture foreshadows God’s ultimate purposes.

HT:  What are your thoughts on the state of biblical literacy today, both among laypeople and ministers?

JG: The people with whom I have the most contact are students who arrive at the seminary. Many students who arrive at seminary seem to have had less involvement in reading the Scriptures and studying the Scriptures compared with what would have been the case when I came to the United States 20 years ago.

HT:  What are some reasons for this, and what can the Church do to help change it?

As children, we learn early in the journey of life the significance of authority figures who offer direction and support for our lives. Most children view their parents or guardians as authority figures. When children reach school age, they add teachers, coaches, and other significant individuals to this list. Children who grow up in Christian environments have pastors, Sunday school teachers, and other members of the community of faith as authority figures.

I learned a foreign language twice—in high school and in my doctoral program—and nearly lost them both. You could say I was “literate” in both languages (with occasional help from a dictionary). However, I never used those languages easily, and reading became much harder over time. Yet I have friends who speak and read multiple languages frequently and fluently. When it comes to the “language” of the Bible, is it possible to be literate but not fluent?

The Difference Between “Literate” and “Fluent”

Forgiveness. Reconciliation. Redemption.

These can all be outcomes of sanctification. For two men in an African refugee camp, these radical concepts are rewriting a broken story of nearly half a century of revenge and conflict.

“Sing, barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labor; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband,” says the Lord. “Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes. For you will spread out to the right and to the left; your descendants will dispossess nations and settle in their desolate cities” (Isa. 54:1-3).

We are children of the promise. God is the God of the promise, and He has never failed.