Knowing scripture is vital. But it is not the essence of Christianity.  That may sound surprising, but it really should not be.  Knowing the Bible is foundational, even essential, to vibrant faith and life. But it is also possible to have great knowledge yet have little understanding. The essence of the Faith is not information but formation.  It is understanding who God is, what he has done and is doing, and what he expects from you and me.  It is, borrowing a good popular phrase, finding your place in God’s story and living it out in light of the gospel.

I started reading D.A. Carson’s The God Who Is There.   This is a tremendous resource.  Carson does a wonderful job in walking the reader through the narrative of the Bible, or what he calls “the Big Story of Scripture”.  He touches on the major themes, comprehensively yet easily readable. And in doing this, Carson helps us understand the grand narrative of scripture, thus assisting and enabling us to more easily find our place in it.

As it so happened, in February 2009 Carson presented a 14-part seminar  at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis. The book was developed from those messages.  And thanks to The Gospel Coalition, the MP3s and videos of the conference that closely correspond with the book are available for all 14 chapters:

1. The God Who Made Everything | MP3 | Video
2. The God Who Does Not Wipe Out Rebels | MP3 | Video
3. The God Who Writes His Own Agreements | MP3 | Video
4. The God Who Legislates | MP3 | Video
5. The God Who Reigns | MP3 | Video
6. The God Who Is Unfathomably Wise | MP3 | Video
7. The God Who Becomes a Human Being | MP3 | Video
8. The God Who Grants New Birth | MP3 | Video
9. The God Who Loves | MP3 | Video
10. The God Who Dies—and Lives Again | MP3 | Video
11. The God Who Declares the Guilty Just | MP3 | Video
12. The God Who Gathers and Transforms His People | MP3 | Video
13. The God Who Is Very Angry | MP3 | Video
14. The God Who Triumphs | MP3 | Video