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Eden Mock
Professor Brown
THEO 104
26 May 2025
Biblical Metanarrative Essay Assignment
Introduction
The Bible is a vital piece of literature. The Bible is more than just a collection of different stories
that happened a long time ago; it is a roadmap for life. A biblical metanarrative is the powerful
story of God’s relationship with the world and covers the four important parts of the Bible, which
are creation, fall, redemption, and new creation. The biblical metanarrative helps people to
understand what God’s plan is for the world and how much he has done for humanity.
Understanding the powerful message of the biblical metanarrative of the Bible is important and
crucial.
Creation
Genesis is the first book of the Bible and tells the story of creation. Genesis 1:1 says, “In the
beginning God created the heavens and the earth”(Bible Gateway). This verse is proof of the
creation of the world. Genesis chapter two explains the creation of the Garden of Eden and the
first male Adam and the first female Eve. Genesis 2:7 tells of the creation of Adam and that God
made Adam from dirt by breathing life into him. Genesis 2:21-22 says, “So the LORD God caused
the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and
then closed up the place with flesh. Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken
out of the man, and he brought her to the man” (“Bible Gateway Passage: Genesis 2:21, Genesis
2:22 - New International Version”). This verse explains the creation of Eve. God’s creation of
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Eve may be hard to believe for some people, but it just shows how powerful and marvelous God
is. While these passages of scripture show God’s power, they also show and prove that humans
are made in God’s image.
Fall
The Garden of Eden was perfect, and while Adam and Eve lived there and essentially walked
with God, they made a bad decision that caused the fall of humanity. Adam and Eve fell into
temptation by eating the apple from the tree of evil that God told them to stay away from.
Genesis 3:4-6 says, “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. For God knows
that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and
evil. When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye,
and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her
husband, who was with her, and he ate it” (“Genesis 3:4-6 NIV - - Bible Gateway”). Eve was
tempted by the serpent, who was the devil, and he convinced her that God was wrong because if
she ate from the tree, then she would not die, even though God said she would. Eve then
convinced Adam to eat from the tree, and because of this, they both sinned and disobeyed God,
which caused sin to enter the world. The choice that Adam and Eve made caused humanity to
fall.
Redemption
Despite the evil and sin that entered the world, God had a plan for redemption. Throughout the
Old Testament, God’s plan for redemption unfolded through promises and covenants like the
promise to Abraham in Genesis 12 and the exodus from Egypt in Exodus 12-15. The New
Testament talks about the story of Jesus Christ, who, through his death on the cross, caused
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redemption for all humanity. Galatians 1:3-5 says, “Grace and peace to you from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age,
according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen” (“Bible
Gateway Passage: Galatians 1:3-5 - New International Version”). The story of redemption that
God bestowed on the world causes humanity to become a new creation.
New Creation
Following the story of redemption and the death of Jesus Christ on the cross, his resurrection
marked the final step to the biblical metanarrative, which is a new creation. John 3:16 says, “For
God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not
perish but have eternal life”(Bible Gateway). This verse shows the love that God has for
humanity by sending his only son to offer not only redemption, but to offer humans to become a
new creation in Christ. When someone becomes a new creation, they are not only saved, but they
have a new and better life. Because of the crucifixion, people can become a new creation of
Christ and a child of God.
Biblical Metanarrative
According to the presentation, Understanding the Metanarrative, a metanarrative “is the
overarching story that unites it together” (Thornhill, 00:53-00:56), and what is united together is
the Bible. The Bible is made up of 66 books written over thousands of years, while being written
by different authors, so we can see how the metanarratives of the Bible unify the Bible as a
whole. Understanding the biblical metanarrative is important for having a biblical worldview. By
taking in the story of the relationship between God and the world, humanity can gain knowledge
for understanding and addressing the five worldview questions, which are the questions of
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origin, identity, meaning, morality, and destiny. For origin, the metanarrative establishes that the
world and humans were created by God. For identity, the metanarrative discusses that yes,
humans were made in the image of God, but also humans are not perfect because of sin. For
meaning, the metanarrative explains that humans were put on this earth to glorify God. For
morality, the metanarrative highlights that the moral laws are the shadows of who God is and
what his laws are. And for destiny, the maranarrative shows God’s plan for restoration for the
world and the destiny that God offers through eternal life with him. When a person has an
understanding of the biblical metanarrative, that understanding fosters a biblical worldview that
can cause that person to see a biblical view of God, and a “biblical view of God recognizes that
God is a personal God; that he is intimately interacting with his creation” (Etzel&Small, 2016).
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Bible is the story of God’s plan for the world. To have an understanding of
God and how he works, people must recognize how the biblical metanarrative (creation, fall,
redemption, and new creation) unites the Bible as a whole. Our biblical worldview affects our
lives, and by having an understanding of the biblical metanarrative, there is a fostering of a
biblical worldview, and because of this fostering, it can help us answer the five worldview
questions.
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Works Cited
Bible Gateway. “Genesis 1:1 NIV - - Bible Gateway.” Www.biblegateway.com,
www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%201%3A1&version=NIV.
“Bible Gateway Passage: Genesis 2:21, Genesis 2:22 - New International Version.” Bible
Gateway, 2019,
www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%202%3A21%2C22&version=
NIV. Accessed 27 May 2025.
“Genesis 3:4-6 NIV - - Bible Gateway.” Www.biblegateway.com,
www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%203%3A4-6&version=NIV.
“Bible Gateway Passage: Galatians 1:3-5 - New International Version.” Bible Gateway,
2019,
www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians%201%3A3-5&version=NIV.
Accessed 27 May 2025.
Bible Gateway. “John 3:16 NIV - - Bible Gateway.” Www.biblegateway.com, 2011,
www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%203%3A16&version=NIV.
Thornhill, Dr. Chad Liberty.edu, 2025,
canvas.liberty.edu/courses/806625/pages/watch-understanding-the-metanarrative?module
_item_id=85298221. Accessed 27 May 2025.
