Taylor Rogers
THEO 104-D03
Prof. William Bryant
November 8, 2020
Biblical Metanarrative Essay
The biblical metanarrative follows the story of the bible from God’s original ruling over
humanity in the book of Genesis to the second coming of Christ in Revelations. As one reads the
bible, it is almost impossible to pick out any indication that it consists of stories written
thousands of years apart. Each story, or scripture, is interwoven seamlessly to create a unified
story that essentially tells of God’s plans for humanity. Within these stories are doctrines and
themes that further prove the unity of the scriptures, tying together events over thousands of
years and multiple authors. The themes of love and redemption can be traced through all four
major plot movements giving a better understanding of God’s word and His plans for humanity.
A biblical metanarrative is an overarching account or interpretation of events and
circumstances that provides a pattern or structure for people’s beliefs and gives meaning to their
experiences. Theologians refer to this as the bigger picture. (Small & Ezel, 2016) The bible
consists of 66 stories, all written by different authors at different times and places. However, they
all come together to create a unified story. There are four major plot movements within the bible
that one should know of before beginning to interpret what it means. These are known as
Creation, Fall, Redemption, and New Creation. Each of these major plot movements contain
themes of love and redemption, further proving that God’s word is interwoven throughout each
of these stories, creating an overall unified story.
The theme of love is seen throughout all the bible. In the beginning, we are told that God
is love. Denoted at the beginning, the Creation, His love is more than a descriptor, but rather His
very nature. God created man in His image and yearned for a relationship with His creation. In
the books of Genesis 1 and 2, God created the world and everything in it and saw that it was
good. He placed man in charge, but freewill gave way to temptation, thus causing the fall of man.
Genesis 3 tells the story of Adam and Eve, with Eve disobeying God’s word and eating an apple
from the tree that God had forbade them from eating from. This allowed sin to enter God’s
perfect creation, giving us the fall of man. However, God still loved His creation, and sent his
only son to give them a means of redemption. God’s love for His creation and His yearning for a
relationship with His creation was never sullied by the fall of man. Instead, His means of
redemption gave a way for new creation to spend eternity with His love in heaven.
The theme of redemption can also be seen throughout scripture. Redemption is what ties
the bible together. Before God even began His creation of mankind and the world, He created a
means of redemption. The cross and redemption was never an end, but rather a beginning for His
creation as stated in Proverbs 8:22-23. After the fall of mankind, when Adam and Eve brought
sin into God’s perfect creation, God’s plan of redemption was revealed. His son, Jesus Christ,
would accept his role as told by his father and bear the sins of mankind on the cross. His plan is
carried out perfectly by the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made on the cross and the new creation
that is made after one accepts Jesus Christ as their savior.
In conclusion, the biblical metanarrative is an overarching story that is unified over
thousands of years and many authors by common themes. Each of the themes present in the bible
are seen throughout all 66 books, unifying the stories into one larger picture. Theologians refer to
the biblical metanarrative as the bigger picture, “like a canopy spread over humanity from the
beginning of time binding God and His creation together.”(Ezel & Gutierrez, 2012) Love and
redemption are two major themes found throughout all four major plot movements, from the
beginning with creation, to the fall of mankind, His redemption plans, and His new creation.
God’s divine words are interwoven over thousands of years and many authors to give mankind
an understanding of His plans for humanity. In the end, those who accept Jesus as their savior
become the new creation and spend eternity in God’s love.
References:
Small, Rusty, and Gabriel Etzel. Everyday Theology: Exploring the Christian Faith. Wordsearch,
2016.
Ezel, Gabriel, and Ben Gutierrez . Theology Applied: A Living Faith. B&H Publishing Group,
2012.
