In our youth ministry, we’ve begun a series called, “God’s Timeline,” borrowing from Facebook’s feature of presenting a user’s content on a timeline. The thought behind the series was to present a redemptive-historical view of the Bible. The goal is for our youth to walk away realizing that their “timeline” is not primary, but is part of God’s larger redemptive-historical timeline, where God is the ultimate main character and hero.
On page 27 of Michael Lawrence’s book on biblical theology, Biblical Theology in the Life of the Church, he makes the distinction well between a man-centered and God-centered understanding of the Bible’s narrative:
The Bible therefore is not merely a story told by humans about God’s salvation of them; it is a story enacted and then explained by God about God.
God’s timeline of redemption is an exciting story because we aren’t just spectators. God invites us to step into His redemptive plan through faith in Jesus Christ and so become actors in His grand story.