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Biblical Metanarrative
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Introduction
People inspired by God uniquely wrote the Bible. Across the text, various stories are
narrated to reveal the nature of God and His relationship with humanity. The Bible Metanarrative
offers the Bible storyline from the first verse to the last one. Notably, the creation, fall,
redemption, and restoration of man are the four main plot movements presented in the Bible
metanarrative. According to Genesis 2:8, God created man and placed him in the Garden of
Eden. However, the first man did not abide by God's will, resulting in his expulsion from the
garden. The Bible reveals various God's attempts to restore the initial relationship with humanity.
This paper highlights the significant movement of the biblical metanarrative and the unified
nature of biblical stories.
Biblical Metanarrative
The book of Genesis provides the primary details of the Bible metanarrative. In this text,
God is the main character, posing as the creator of the Earth, heavens, and every other creature in
the universe. Genesis 1:1 reveals that God created the heavens and the Earth. Genesis highlights
various events surrounding the creation narrative. Besides, the story of the fall of man is
introduced when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit. The disobedience of the first man ruined
the relationship between God and humanity (Hutchings, n.d). However, God was not
comfortable with his broken relationship with humanity. He (God) designed a plan to restore the
relationship through the redemption of humankind from their evil ways. Jesus Christ, the only
son of God, was used to restore the failed relationship between humanity and God. Notably, the
death and resurrection of Jesus marked the redemption of humankind (Woolley, 2018).
Eventually, God seeks to restore the initial relationship with humanity, as Jesus promises to
prepare a good place for humanity.
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Faith
Faith is having absolute trust in the things that are not seen. Across the biblical
metanarrative, faith is an outstanding aspect in defining the relationship between God and
humanity. After the creation of Adam and Eve, God expected them to have faith in him and obey
his decrees. However, eating the forbidden fruit destroyed this trust. Genesis 15:6 reveals that
Abraham, the father of faith, absolutely believed in God. After the fall of man, God established a
new plan to restore his relationship with humanity. He prepared Abraham to be the father of a
generation where Jesus would later be born. Various prophets prophesied on the coming of the
Messiah, Jesus Christ. People were expected to have faith in the words of prophets and trust in
the coming of the Messiah. The words were fulfilled through the birth, death, and resurrection of
Jesus Christ, marking the restoration of the relationship between humanity and God. Christians
have faith in the second coming of Jesus, which would mark the restoration of the relationship.
Righteousness
Righteousness is the quality of maintaining morality and justifiability. God created Adam
and Eve, placed them in the Garden of Eden, and expected them to be righteous. The fall of man
reveals a lack of righteousness in the first man, resulting in a poor relationship between God and
Humanity. Across the old testament stories, God is implied as righteous, requiring humankind to
be righteous as well. The restoration movement upholds righteousness in various aspects.
Notably, Romans 6:18 reads, "And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of
righteousness." This verse maintains that Jesus Christ would promote righteousness by forgiving
sins. After the death and resurrection of Jesus, He ascended to heaven to prepare a place for the
righteous. Therefore, righteousness has been a common aspect across the four main plot
movements in the Bible metanarratives.
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Conclusion
In general, Bible metanarratives reveal the unique nature of God's character in
maintaining the relationship with humanity. Despite humanity's disobedience and evil nature,
God remains faithful in fulfilling his promises and keeping an amicable relationship with
mankind. From the creation of man to the restoration of His relationship with humanity, faith and
righteousness are outstanding aspects God maintained. God wanted the first man, Adam and Eve,
to have faith in him and sustain righteousness. Even after failing to uphold these virtues, God
was quite lenient to do whatever would take him to have a good relationship with humanity.
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References
Hutchings, A. From creation to new creation: a theological reflection of salvation imagery in
Genesis and Revelation.
The book of Genesis
The book of Romans
Woolley, D. W. (2018). The Story of Which We Are a Part: John Wesley's understanding of
Scripture's Metanarrative as a Foundation for United Methodist Identity and
Mission (Doctoral dissertation, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary).
