Conflict is the engine of every great story. Without conflict, there is no tension and without tension, no transformation. A story becomes compelling only when something is at stake—when two forces collide and the outcome matters.
The central conflict of Scripture is not God versus man, nor is it man versus man. At its core, the conflict of the Bible is God versus god. The villain is Satan—the deceiver—who usurps authority when humanity surrenders its dominion in Eden.
Enter Jesus Christ.
He comes to resolve the conflict. He does not come merely to forgive individual sins in isolation. He comes to reclaim dominion. He comes to undo a cosmic theft. He comes to take back what humanity lost—and ultimately to restore it back to us. Revelation 5:10 declares that those redeemed by Christ “will reign on the earth” just as they did in the garden. The dominion lost is dominion restored.
In many of the stories we tell, the conflict is simple: good fights against evil. Victory comes when the power of the hero overwhelms that of the villain. The stronger force wins. Yet along the way cities burn, lives are lost, and the world is scarred.
That is how our stories work. And in fact, this is how our world works.But this is not how God works.
And this is where the story of Scripture becomes breathtaking.
This is not a good-versus-evil tale where one overwhelming power crushes another. God certainly has the power to do that, but that is not how He chooses to win.
Power defeating power is the logic of our world. It’s the logic of empires. It’s the logic of revenge. It’s the logic that says the ends justify the means. If evil uses force, good must use greater force.
God's logic is different. When Jesus arrives, He does not come as the conquering lion the nation expects. Israel longed for the Lion of Judah—the warrior-king who would overthrow Rome with strength.
Instead, they received a lamb.
And in our world, a lamb looks like weakness.
This is the scandal of the gospel. Jesus defeats power—not with greater power, though He possesses it—but with principle.
He overcomes violence by absorbing it. He conquers hatred by forgiving in love. He defeats death by submitting to it and rising beyond it.
The cross is not power overcoming power. It is self-giving love exposing power as hollow.
In this story, the hero does not win by domination. He wins by self-sacrificing submission.
And that changes everything for us.
Because if God’s kingdom advances primarily by force, then we would be justified in grasping for control, crushing our enemies, and defending truth with intimidation. But if God’s kingdom advances through sacrificial love, humility, integrity, and trust in the Father—then our lives must reflect the same principle.
We do not overcome evil by becoming stronger versions of it.
We overcome it by embodying a different way entirely.
In your workplace, this may mean choosing integrity over manipulation—even if manipulation seems more efficient.
In your family, it may mean absorbing offense rather than escalating it.
In your community, it may mean refusing to play power games, choosing instead patience, courage, and truth spoken in love.
The story of the Bible is better than good versus evil.
It is the story of rightful authority reclaimed.
It is the story of dominion restored.
It is the story of power unmasked by principle.
And it invites us not merely to admire the Lamb—but to follow Him.
Some of the ideas in this week's newsletter are built on the work of Daniel Schwabauer in his book The God of Story. Particularly, the idea of principle versus power as different from the classic good versus evil narrative.
Episode 04| The Bible's Story Out Now
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