The Story of Everything

Note from the Author

I never set out to write a book. I set out to study the Bible. As I studied the Bible, I found a cord woven throughout its pages that tied everything together. That cord became this book. This cord that ties everything together is not original with me, but, I believe, designed by God Himself. Too many people have dismissed the Bible as an ancient book filled with a collection of stories, much like Aesop’s Fables or Grimm’s Fairy Tales. Some believe the Bible to be a collection of moral stories while others dismiss it as myths and fairytales. The Bible does contain stories, most of it is narrative in nature, but it is not a collection of stories. It is one story. Penned by multiple people over a great period of time, it tells the singular, spectacular story of God.

So why write this book? While some may look to a study guide or other analytical material to help them understand the nature of God, I believe that stories are the most effective way to communicate truth. As a preacher and public speaker, I can feel an audience fall asleep as I drone on about some theological point. That same audience stirs to life when I tell a story that illustrates the same point. You may argue that speaks more to my oratory skills, and I gladly concede the point, but Jesus also chose to use stories when He taught. He used stories to teach profound truths and those lessons continue to be repeated to great effect even to this day. People of all ages are drawn to stories. This is why we are drawn to television and movies. We enjoy the stories that are told.

I believe God must enjoy stories. That’s why He designed us to enjoy them so much. Reader, I have written this book, so that you might enjoy the story within. I pray that this story helps you understand the nature of God. Perhaps along the way, we can learn more about ourselves as well.

This book found its inception in a Bible study with my friend and fellow missionary, Kolt Mackrill. Over gallons of coffee and countless meetings at Starbucks, the basic outline of this story took form. As iron sharpens iron, I thank him for being the one that sharpened me. Thanks for your input and your friendship. This book would be nothing more than an idea without your help. And thank you, Amy, for letting me borrow your husband.

I’m sorry I never asked if I could write a book. Lili, your patience with me and your love for me drives me to be a better man. Thank you for bearing with me while I sat at the computer writing this book. You are the one that keeps me and my book grounded in reality.

My first and favorite reader is my daughter, Ruth. Your eager anticipation for each new chapter drove me to write more and better. You made all the difference. I pray that your faith remains firmly grounded in the Bible and that your voice sings out forever toward heaven.

I also wish to thank Dr. Melody Harper. It was in your class on Orality that God refined my thinking and approach to the story of everything. This book is the project I wish I could have turned in for your class. Continue to push your students to proclaim God through story.

A special thanks also goes to Moisés Silva. This side of heaven we may never understand the nature of choice, but your insight helped me to refine how it was presented in this book. Thank you.

The English language can be difficult, especially without an editor. I am thankful God blessed me with a wonderful editor, Debby Drust. Not only did you help me to put all my commas in place, you also challenged me to write better. The cultural and character development that you encouraged are welcome additions that improve the feel of the book.

Finally, I wish to thank my parents. You were the first to teach me about God. I strive to follow in your footsteps.

Eric Schrock

May 19, 2020

Sfântu Gheorghe, România

Chapter 1

Beginning

"I don’t understand why you won’t let me go with my friends. Just because it’s the Sabbath back in Jerusalem doesn’t mean it is here. None of my friends celebrate the Sabbath. Besides, I’m only half Jew. Please, Immah. I just want to go. Papà would have let me go."

Eunice looked at her son. When did he get so tall? He looked exactly like his father, if only a bit thinner and not quite as tall. Timothy had the same dark hair, strong jawline, and prominent nose of the man she missed so much. Now was no time to mourn, though. How should she answer her son? She knew it wouldn’t be long before Timothy would stop asking her permission. How could she make him understand? Sacrificing his Jewish heritage and faith to the more popular ideas of his Greek friends would cost him more than he could know. Help me, she prayed silently.

It’s not about being Jewish or Greek, Timothy. But for the record, your best half came from me. So be careful what you say! she added with a smile. As she began preparations for the evening meal, she continued, It’s about our faith in God. The Greek gods your friends all worship are merely idols that people have created to please themselves. We worship the one true God not because we made Him, but because He made us.

"I know, I know. I’ve heard all the stories. Sabta has made sure of that. But what do the stories of Adam and Eve have to do with me and my friends now?" Timothy pleaded.

Oh, now you don’t like my stories? came the quick, soft voice of Lois as she entered the room. No longer able to move with the speed of her youth, her small, frail body betrayed the quick, strong mind of Timothy’s grandmother. Yet, even the ravages of time and disease could not diminish the smile from her face.

"That’s not what I meant! Sabta, you know I love to listen to your stories. It’s just that Immah won’t let me go out tonight with my friends."

Help me over to my chair and then maybe I’ll help you with your mother. Timothy crossed the room to his grandmother and lent his arm. As she leaned on him, she added, Of course, I might help your mother, she is my favorite daughter after all.

"Oh, Sabta, she’s your only daughter, but I’m your only grandson. How will you ever choose which side to take?" Timothy said with a smile. He helped the old woman into her chair then covered her with a blanket. Even though the weather was warm, he knew she would appreciate the gesture. Maybe she would side with him.

Perhaps I should side with my handsome young grandson after all, said Lois with a quick glance to her daughter. Eunice was busy chopping vegetables but shook a quick no with her head. I think, perhaps, I should just tell you another story. One that I’ve never told you before.

"Sabta, you’ve told me all the stories a dozen times, from Adam to Abraham to David to the prophets. I know each one of them, the same as I know my name and the same as I know you’re my favorite grandmother."

Lois chuckled at the blatant attempt to gain her favor, then adjusted the blanket in her lap and began, "No, you’re right, Timothy. For a situation like this, no ordinary story will do. No, you are a young man, more man than a child, yet you still need direction and wisdom. In a time like this, we must go back to the Scriptures, to the Word of God. My dear grandson, it is true I’ve told you all the stories in the Scriptures, but the story I tell you now is not like the others. This is the story of everything. What comes next is not what happened to one man or one woman or even to one nation, but it is the cord that ties them all together. You must understand that the Scriptures do not tell many separate stories, but they are one grand narrative that tells the singular, spectacular story of God.

"In the beginning was God. Not the gods of the Greeks or the Romans. Not the Persian gods or the god of any other people, not even of our people. God belongs to no one because no one made Him. He was without beginning and continues without end. God is a being that defies all definition, yet we continue to try to define Him using our simple words and ideas. Today there are gods of every kind. People have made gods of love and pleasure, gods of war and death, and gods of every other thing they can imagine. These are not true gods. They are ideas brought into existence by the imagination of people. If they are gods, then people are the true gods because humans have made these images and idols.

"No, the God of which I speak is the God that did not come from someone’s imagination, but the God that made us and gave us imagination. The one true God who made the stars to shine in the heavens and the earth upon which we live. God is not like us. We, in fact, are like Him. The Scriptures tell us that He made us in His own image. In the same way that you reflect the image of your father, God designed us to reflect His image.

Maybe this is why people today believe they are gods. We see in ourselves the reflection of God and believe that reflection to be the real thing. Do not be deceived by a reflection. When you see your image in a basin of water, you know that to be only a reflection. You are not in the basin, only water is there. You are so much more than the reflection itself. Likewise, God is so much more than you or I. Though God made us to reflect Him, we are not Him. Anything that is fashioned by humans, no matter how lovely or good, can never be God.

At this the old woman paused. She studied the face of her grandson. She could tell his mind was racing, but he offered no comment or question. She allowed the silence to speak for another moment, then began anew. There is so much we don’t understand about God, but what we do know about God comes from what He has made. I’ve taught you how God created all that exists in just six days.

And how on the seventh day He rested, as should your grandson! interjected Eunice from across the room. Timothy squirmed in his spot and shot his mother a look. Lois continued unabated.

"Yes, and on the seventh day He rested. Look at all He created. The light, the seas and the heaven, the land and the plants, the sun and the moon, the birds and the fish, the animals, and finally humans were all created because God desired to display both His power and His goodness. What good is it to be God with infinite power if you never do anything with it? So, God created a spectacular universe, filled with all kinds of wonder and mystery to display the extent of His great power. Yet, power alone was not all He had to display. God chose to reveal Himself in an intimate, personal manner, so He created humans. Adam came first, but because God loved Adam, He also made Eve, to be Adam’s companion. He gave them authority to rule over the land.

"And what a land that was! God’s creation was flawless. He brought everything into existence only by speaking. And He spoke only good. No mistakes marred the earth. No evil, sin, death, or sickness existed. God had created a paradise where Adam and Eve could not only live but thrive. There was no need for them to work. If Adam or Eve was hungry, they simply reached out to take fruit from a tree to eat. God had provided for everything.

The greatest part of creation, though, was not creation itself, but the family that resulted from it. You see, my dear Timothy, God invited Adam and Eve to join in fellowship with Him. While they were merely the creation, God now offered them friendship. All the power, love, and goodness that God displayed in creation were now available for their benefit. Adam and Eve walked with God in the garden. They knew God. They saw His power, knew His love, and benefited from His goodness.

Now, Timothy, what is it that we must know about God when we examine the creation story? Lois asked her grandson.

Timothy looked at his grandmother, then toward the door. He knew his friends would leave soon. He glanced at his mother who was now washing a pot. She didn’t ask me. I’m not going to help you, was the response written on his mother’s tight-lipped face. Timothy looked back to his grandmother.

It’s not a story about Adam, but about God. God is the one who has power, not people, replied Timothy. His grandmother’s piercing eyes were waiting for more. Timothy ventured a guess, Because God made us in His image, we are supposed to be a reflection of Him?

You don’t seem so sure about that. Why do you hesitate? asked Lois.

Timothy thought of all that his grandmother had just said. Then he thought of all the hardships his family had endured in the last year. Timothy could hold his peace no longer. If God made everything so good, why is there so much bad? If we’re supposed to reflect God, why are there so many people that reflect nothing good? If God didn’t make sickness or death, why were you so sick last year? Why did my father have to die? The last words of Timothy’s outburst hung in the air. On the other side of the room, Eunice froze, the half-washed pot still in her hands.

In the silence Lois never took her eyes from her grandson’s, yet in her heart and in her mind, she was praying for wisdom and words. Finally, with a smile, she replied, I thought this was a talk about you going out with your friends.

My friends will wait, or they can go without me. Please, help me to understand.

For that, we’ll need to continue the story.

Chapter 2

The Choice

Timothy shifted where he sat, but couldn’t bring himself to look at his grandmother. The hurt that he had been holding inside for so long had just exploded all over the room. More than a year had passed since his father had died, but try as he might, there was only pain and sadness when he thought of him. He had tried to be strong for his mother and his grandmother. His mother had cried for a week after his death. Then one night, she cleaned the house in the middle of the night and began going about her life again. He knew she was trying to be strong, but he still heard her crying sometimes at night.

His grandmother had become ill shortly after the funeral. Many nights had passed with Timothy and his mother sitting by her bedside, nursing her the best they could. Timothy had been afraid that she would follow his father into the grave, but after the physician from Iconium came two months ago, she had begun to feel better. The treatment had worked. While the sickness had left her weak, she appeared to be out of danger now. It hadn’t seemed fair to share his pain when he knew they were hurting as well. But now, it was no longer a secret. He had said it. He had told them how unfair it all seemed. In his head he knew that God had created everything and that His creation was good. But in his heart, Timothy wondered how God could take his father, why God allowed his grandmother such sickness. He knew he should be happy she was still alive, and he was happy she was still here, but the questions remained. Maybe she did have the answers.

Now, Timothy, you know the story of creation and what came next. Tell me what happened with Adam and Eve in the garden, Lois asked in a gentle, loving voice.

Timothy looked up. There were tears in his grandmother’s eyes. Maybe there were tears in his eyes too. God gave Adam and Eve a rule He knew they couldn’t follow. The wicked one tempted Eve to break the rule and Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit. Then God cursed them and sent them out of the garden.

"Yes, those things happened, but there’s so much more to the story. God gave Adam and Eve all they needed to succeed. He did this because He loved them. But love like that was not enough. Love is a wind that blows both ways. You know that your mother and I love you because since you were born, we have provided for, helped with, and taught you all that you have needed. We have given so that you might have. Likewise, I know you love me because you never left my side while I was sick. You cared for me and that care showed your love. God displayed His love for Adam and Eve by supplying everything they needed. Yet, there was no way for them to show their love for God. They could not give something to God that God had not first created Himself. God needs nothing, so there was nothing Adam and Eve could give.

So, to allow them a way to show their love and to express their gratitude, God gave a law, just a single rule. With this rule came the choice to obey or disobey God. Obedience to Him would show love and gratitude, disobedience would be a rejection of God. Adam and Eve faced this choice together. Their actions would show the desire of their hearts. The rule God gave them was simple, merely a matter of restraint. God told Adam and Eve not to eat from a specific tree in the garden, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. To refrain from eating would show their trust in God. Obedience would demonstrate their love and gratitude to Him. They would convey to God the love He desired. Their action would say that they were satisfied with only the knowledge of good that God had already shown them. However, to eat of the fruit would show their lack of trust in God. Disobedience would be a rejection not only of God, but of all that He had done for humanity. It would say that God’s goodness was not enough, that they desired the knowledge of evil also.

Eunice had finished her work for the moment and came and sat next to her son. And just like a good parent, Eunice said to Timothy, God wanted Adam and Eve to choose what was good. He wanted them to obey. Timothy, I want the same for you too. I want you to know the goodness of God. You must understand that the possibility of evil only existed because love demands a choice. But the path of evil drew Adam and Eve like a flame draws a moth. Only death results from such a choice.

Your mother is right, Timothy. Of course, she’s exactly like her mother. They all smiled then Lois continued, "All God desired from Adam and Eve was their trust and the obedience that results from such trust.