BEMA Episode Link: 143: The Epilogue
Episode Length: 27:29
Published Date: Thu, 07 Nov 2019 01:00:00 -0800
Session 4
About this episode:

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings set everything we have studied about Acts back into the context of the larger Textual narrative, wrapping up the greater story and setting the stage for the inspired letters of the New Testament.

The Epilogue Presentation (PDF)

Discussion Video for BEMA 143

BEMA 7: The Preface

Jesus Wants to Save Christians by Rob Bell and Don Golden

BEMA Messenger #3

A New Kind of Christianity by Brian D. McLaren

Transcript for BEMA 143

Notes

*Note: The following notes are handwritten by me, Adam, and I reserve the right to be wrong.

BEMA Episode 143 Study Notes: The Epilogue

Title & Source Summary

Episode: BEMA 143: The Epilogue
Hosts: Marty Solomon and Brent Billings
Topic: This episode wraps up the study of Acts by positioning it within the larger biblical metanarrative, explaining how Acts serves as an “epilogue” to God’s story and sets the stage for understanding the New Testament letters as contextual applications of that narrative.

Key Takeaways

• Acts functions as the “epilogue” to God’s metanarrative, not the conclusion of the story • The biblical narrative follows a clear structure: preface (Genesis 1-11), introduction (Genesis 12-50), narrative (Exodus through Gospels), and epilogue (Acts) • The central theme throughout Scripture is the “tale of two kingdoms”: Empire vs. Shalom • Jesus represents the climax of the narrative as “the living expression of the complete realized potential of humanity” • The New Testament letters are “inspired midrash” - authoritative applications of the same narrative to different specific contexts • Paul’s apparent contradictions are resolved when his letters are understood within their unique contextual settings • The Holy Spirit empowers the early church to do “greater works” than Jesus, continuing the restoration mission

Main Concepts & Theories

The Metanarrative Structure of Scripture

The Bible follows a literary structure comparable to any well-crafted narrative:

Preface (Genesis 1-11): Establishes foundational truths about God, humanity, and creation. Addresses questions of trust, goodness, and the nature of reality.

Introduction (Genesis 12-50): God sets the stage by choosing Abraham’s family as partners despite their imperfections. These characters demonstrate “chutzpah” and willingness to trust God’s story.

Narrative Arc (Exodus - Gospels): The main story of “Tale of Two Kingdoms” - Empire versus Shalom. Features:

  • Literal Exodus from Egypt expanding to missional partnership
  • Cycles of faithfulness and failure in Israel’s history
  • Post-exilic rebuilding and debates over proper response to Hellenism
  • Climax in Jesus as the incarnated Author entering His own story

Epilogue (Acts): Demonstrates the potential for restoration through Spirit-empowered community, while showing the story remains unfinished.

The Two Kingdoms Theme

Throughout Scripture, there exists a fundamental conflict between two ways of organizing society:

  • Empire: Systems of domination, oppression, and self-serving power
  • Shalom: God’s vision of flourishing, justice, wholeness, and restoration

This theme begins in Genesis and continues through every major biblical narrative.

Jesus as Narrative Climax

Jesus functions as more than a character in the story - He is “the Author of the narrative jumping directly into the story.” As the “incarnated Torah,” Jesus shows what it looks like to live perfectly within God’s narrative, becoming “the perfect example of the kind of man Abraham was on his best days.”

New Testament Letters as Contextual Applications

The epistles are not systematic theology but rather inspired applications of the same core narrative to vastly different contexts. Paul writing to Corinth addresses different issues than Paul writing to Ephesus, not because the gospel changes, but because the contexts require different applications of the same truth.

The Problem of Misplaced Interpretive Lenses

Modern evangelical theology often misinterprets Scripture by:

  1. Avoiding the difficult Old Testament context
  2. Missing the rabbinical nature of Jesus’s teachings
  3. Over-systematizing Paul’s contextual letters into universal doctrine
  4. Making “Paul our Lord and Jesus our Savior” by preferring Paul’s clearer imperatives over Jesus’s challenging parables

Examples & Applications

Historical Context Examples
  • Galatia vs. Asia Minor: Paul’s letter to Galatians addresses unique regional challenges different from his letters to churches in Asia Minor
  • Post-Babylonian Judaism: The reconstruction period shows how communities adapt core narratives to new circumstances
  • Hellenistic Debate: Various Jewish responses to Greek culture demonstrate how the same people can have different applications of their shared story
Contemporary Applications
  • Churches in different cultural contexts (urban vs. rural, Western vs. Eastern) need different applications of the same gospel
  • Social justice issues require understanding the Empire vs. Shalom framework
  • Personal spiritual formation benefits from seeing one’s life as part of the continuing narrative rather than isolated from biblical history
Literary Parallels

The biblical narrative structure mirrors classic literature with exposition, rising action, climax, and resolution - but uniquely leaves the ending “open” for readers to enter the story as active participants.

Potential Areas for Further Exploration

Theological Studies
  • Examine specific examples of how the same Pauline principles apply differently across his various letters
  • Study the concept of “inspired midrash” and its implications for biblical authority
  • Investigate the relationship between Jewish hermeneutical methods (PaRDeS, remez, drash) and New Testament interpretation
Historical Research
  • Explore the specific cultural contexts of each New Testament letter’s recipients
  • Study post-exilic Jewish literature to understand the debates Jesus and the apostles entered
  • Research Hellenistic philosophy and its impact on early Christian communities
Practical Applications
  • Develop frameworks for applying biblical narratives to contemporary cultural contexts
  • Study how different Christian communities throughout history have contextualized the same gospel message
  • Examine how the “tale of two kingdoms” theme appears in current social and political structures
Literary Analysis
  • Compare biblical narrative structure with other ancient Near Eastern literature
  • Analyze how the “unfinished” nature of the biblical story invites reader participation
  • Study the role of epilogues in ancient literature and their function in ongoing narratives

Comprehension Questions

  1. Structural Understanding: How does viewing Acts as an “epilogue” rather than a conclusion change your understanding of the early church and its mission? What implications does this have for the contemporary church?

  2. Thematic Analysis: Explain the “tale of two kingdoms” theme and provide specific examples of how Empire and Shalom are contrasted throughout Scripture. How does this theme continue in Acts?

  3. Interpretive Method: Why does Marty argue that Paul’s letters should be read as “inspired midrash” rather than systematic theology? How would this approach resolve apparent contradictions between different Pauline letters?

  4. Christological Focus: What does it mean that Jesus is “the living expression of the complete realized potential of humanity”? How does this understanding relate to the broader biblical narrative?

  5. Contemporary Application: If the New Testament letters are contextual applications of the same narrative to different situations, how should modern Christians approach applying biblical teachings to current cultural contexts?

Brief Personalized Summary

BEMA Episode 143 provides a masterful framework for understanding the entire biblical narrative as a cohesive story with clear literary structure. The episode’s central insight - that Acts serves as an epilogue rather than conclusion - fundamentally reframes how we read both the early church’s experience and our own role in God’s continuing story.

The concept of Scripture as a “tale of two kingdoms” offers a powerful lens for understanding everything from individual spiritual formation to social justice engagement. Rather than seeing the Bible as a collection of disconnected moral lessons, this framework presents it as God’s coherent story of restoration that we’re invited to join.

Perhaps most practically helpful is the reframing of New Testament letters as contextual applications rather than universal systematic theology. This approach both elevates the authority of Scripture (as inspired responses to real situations) while providing interpretive tools for understanding apparent contradictions. The reminder that “we have made Paul our Lord and Jesus our Savior” challenges readers to keep Christ as the interpretive center while appreciating Paul’s contextual wisdom.

The episode concludes by setting expectations for studying the New Testament letters with proper attention to their unique historical and cultural contexts, promising a more nuanced and ultimately more faithful approach to biblical interpretation.

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