Altar or Throne? (3)

I hope those who have followed the past two posts have thought about this simple, yet vague question—altar or throne? It is easy to oversimplify and generalize some truth, making it trivial. Yet, I have found simple questions useful in stirring up thought. My basic philosophy of learning is that unless a person (myself included!) struggles to think something through—that is, process it—they won't fully understand it or internalize it.

Let me review a couple main points. The presentation of gospel truth (the good news) is most often given in bits and pieces within a western cultural context. Yet a cursory review of the New Testament (NT) reveals the gospel is presented in five narratives— 4 Gospels and a history of the early church (Acts). The remainder of NT books is the explanation of this gospel narrative for those unfamiliar with the larger narrative of God's Story, as it unfolds throughout the Bible. Even the last book, Revelation, is a heavenly narrative of how God's Story will conclude at the end of the Age.