Have you ever heard someone use the phrase back in Bible times? That expression has always bothered me. I understand what people mean by it, but I want to shout, “We are still living in Bible times!” The same God who interacted with his people back then continues to invite participation in his story today. The same Jesus Christ the disciples saw rise to the heavens in order to take his rightful place on the throne still reigns and rules from there today. The same Holy Spirit who poured out on the disciples at Pentecost is still being poured out by King Jesus as he builds his church today.
The book we preach as pastors is not a story from a long time ago and a galaxy far, far away. It is the story of this world, just as relevant today as it was all those years ago.
We live in a time of innumerable false or disorienting stories. But there is only one true story: the one told in the Bible. Maybe some of your people have never thought of it that way. Perhaps they were taught to see the Bible as a list of rules to make them good people. Maybe they were taught it is a collection of inspirational teachings or a systematic theology reference guide. While each of these offers something profitable, none of them captures the heart. The Bible is a story, one comprehensive narrative about what God has accomplished for sinners through the person and work of Jesus Christ.
And your church lives inside it. So do you.
We’ve been born into a cosmic drama that started well before any of us were born and will continue into eternity—all of which is found in this one true, unified story. Scripture is not primarily a list of rules (though it does tell us what to do and what to not do). It is not a compilation of various teachings or even a textbook. It is a drama. And we are not mere spectators. We’ve been invited to participate.
This is discipleship: learning to follow Christ as a participant in this story.
But to truly participate, we must identify and remove the false stories we are living so we can put on the better one. That’s true for our congregations, and it’s true for us as preachers of this story.
If we want people to grow as disciples of Jesus, their stories must be rescripted by his Spirit, edited to follow the contours of Scripture and written so they may participate.
But we cannot participate in the Bible’s story if we don’t know it. Actors playing a part cannot perform a script they don’t know. Put simply, we can’t live in the story of Scripture if we don’t know the story of Scripture.
Sadly, many in our churches are doing just that—trying to live a story they don’t know. According to the 2022 State of Theology research produced by Ligonier Ministries and Lifeway Research, evangelicals believe the following about the Bible:
- 65 percent agree that “everyone is born innocent in the eyes of God.”
- 26 percent agree that “the Bible, like all sacred writings, contains helpful accounts of ancient myths but is not literally true.”
- 56 percent agree that “God accepts the worship of all religions, including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.”
- 38 percent agree that “religious belief is a matter of personal opinion; it is not about objective truth.”
Each of these beliefs betrays the true story of Scripture, revealing that evangelical Christians are living in other stories.
We are living in a time when we have never had more or easier access to our sacred text. But the reality is, we have not taken advantage of it. Our Bibles sit on the shelves, preachers discuss self-help mantras, and as a result the church is forgetting the story we have been called into.
Now it may be easy to view that data and simply assume it’s not true about us or our own churches. So let’s dig a little deeper. How would your average church member answer the following questions?
- Can you tell the story of Scripture in 15 minutes?
- Can you define the kingdom of God?
- What is a covenant?
- What are the major covenants found in Scripture, and what do they promise?
- Where are they located in Scripture?
- How do the covenants help us know the full story of the Bible?
- How do the covenants relate to Jesus and what he came to accomplish?
Bible illiteracy is one of the greatest challenges facing the modern church. It’s a challenge for pastors. And our goal is not that congregants would simply do better on Bible quizzes or have the right answers in Sunday school. Bible literacy matters because biblical living is essential. The goal is not right answers but a right life, participation in the great joy of fellowship with God.
We’re not just after better informed congregations. We want faithful ones—people who don’t just know the Word but live and breathe it.
That kind of formation is possible because the story of the Bible is still at hand. God has not gone silent. Christ has not abdicated his throne. The Spirit has not stopped moving. And the church—your church—is still called to bear witness to the one true story that holds all others together.
So pastor like it’s true. Preach like it’s unfolding. Open the text not just to explain it but to enter it—Sunday after Sunday, again and again—and lead your hearers in with you.
You are not just teaching the Bible. You are helping your congregants live inside it.
This is the pastoral calling: to be stewards of the story, servants of the Word, and shepherds walking the old paths with fresh faith, not as distant readers of ancient truths but as those who know we’re in it still.
Author Bio
J.T. English is the lead pastor of Storyline Church in Arvada, Colorado, and the author of Deep Discipleship and Remember and Rehearse. He is also the cohost of the Knowing Faith podcast.
