BIBLICAL METANARRATIVE ESSAY 1
BiblicalMetanarrative Essay
Shannon Leveille
11/04/2023
Theo 104
Dr. Evans
BIBLICAL METANARRATIVE ESSAY 2
Introduction
When we read the Bible, we should always remember and keep in mind that it is not just
another book for us to read off of some shelf. The Bible consists of sixty-six different books,
written by different authors, and over a course of thousands of years. It is also divided into four
major plot movements which is what is known as the biblical metanarrative. “The four main plot
stories in the biblical metanarrative are the creation, the fall, redemption, and the new creation,
which give a biblical-theological guideline on God and the church’s mission” (Steffen, 2018).
“The realm of God’s ruling over his kingdom is openly understood throughout the Bible with
relations that can be largely identified among the key books from the beginning to the end”
(Licona, 2019). “And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take
away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in
this scroll” (Revelation 22:19 KJV). However, God’s plan for humanity is unmistakable
throughout the Bible. This essay will discuss the doctrine of the biblical metanarrative, it’s four
major plot movements, and their implications with humanity’s relationship to God.
Creation
The whole story begins with God. It tells us starting from Genesis 1 that “In the beginning,
God created the heavens and the earth”, then he went on to create light so we would have day
and night. He also made water and the dry land, along with vegetation, trees, and the fish in the
seas. If we look at Genesis 1:27-28, it says, “So God created man in his own image, in the image
of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And said to
them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish
of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
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Then in Genesis 1:31 it states, “And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was
very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.” These are the kinds of
things that prove that God is good all the time, not just some of the time. And since humans are
the only things that was created in his image, that should be enough to tell us that we were
created for a purpose. He created us in his image so we could worship him and be like him.
The Fall
Unfortunately, the fall came shortly after the creation. It happened when humanity rebelled
against God and the things he told them not to do. Eve went against him when she ate the
forbidden fruit, “But God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the
garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die” (Genesis 3:3 NIV). This was the first act of
rebelliousness by man, which ultimately affected all of God’s creation and all of mankind after
that as well. Satan used the serpent to engage with humanity. It tells us in Genesis 3:1-6, “Now
the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said
to the woman, “Did God actually say ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden?’ And the
woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, “You
shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it,
lest you die.” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that
when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that was a delight to the eyes. She
thought the tree was desired to make one wise, so she took of it’s fruit and ate, and she also gave
some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. The devil was able to get her to doubt God’s
word and made eating the fruit look more tempting than listening to what our creator had told
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them about what would happen if they ate it. The couple felt the consequences of it immediately,
they then knew what it was to feel shame and evil.
Redemption
Even though Adam and Eve’s sin was a great disappointment to God, humankind was still
given a second chance through his son. However, nothing was just handed to Jesus either. He
was given temptations and battles just like the rest of mankind. Ultimately though, Jesus was
sent to the earth to die for our sins. “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. For God did not send his
son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:16-17
NIV). God promised to send a redeemer, and he did just that. To sum it up, Jesus made the
ultimate sacrifice and humankind was reconciled by him and futures were no longer tainted by
sin.
We also seen redemption in the Bible in Matthew when Jesus got baptized. It told us that
when Jesus was baptized, immediately when he came up from the water, the heaven’s opened up
to him and he saw the spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him. It was
then it tells us a voice came from heaven and said, “this is my beloved son, with whom I am well
pleased.” We continue to see redemption throughout Matthew. Look at what it tells us in
Matthew 5:38-39, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek,
turn to him the other also.” He also tells us about redemption in Matthew 5:43-45, stating “You
have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy! But I say to you,
Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your father
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who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just
and on the unjust.”
Meanwhile, in Matthew 4:1-11, it tells us about the devil trying to tempt Jesus into turning on
his father several different times. However, in Matthew 4:10, it tells us “then Jesus said to him,
“Be gone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord, you God, and him only shall you
serve.” Since Jesus was faithful to God’s word, that lets us know that we can trust God’s word to
be faithful to us as well in our lives. Also, since Jesus died on the cross for us, he redeemed all of
us fallen humans and paid the ultimate price for our sins so we didn’t have too. In his
redemption, he satisfied God where we could be forgiven for the sins we commit here on earth.
New Creation
2 Corinthians 5:17 states, “ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The
old has gone, the new is here!” (NIV). When speaking of the “new creation,” refers to the
transformation of God restoring order of his creation. It is about the renewal of us as individuals,
the restoration of our relationship with God, and the transformation of our character and our
conduct. In Jeremiah 29:11 he states, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord,
plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” He also told us in Isaiah
65:17, “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be
remembered or come into mind.”
The new creation is when Christ returns and restores all things. There will be no more sin and
no more pain. It will be the ones who reject our Lord that will experience the eternal wrath of
him. The one’s who accept him in their lives and believe in him, will get to spend eternity with
him. New creation is the renovation or re-creation of the heavens and the earth.
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Conclusion
The Bible and it’s entirety is where we see the metanarrative throughout it. We can see it in
the stories, the proverbs, and the psalms all through the book. The Bible was created to e a
guideline for us to live our lives by, and also a way in which God could speak to us. Through the
creation, the fall, the redemption, and the new creation, we can see God’s plan for humanity.
Even if at times we don’t understand the plan or question why something is happening to us, we
can turn to the Bible and find comfort and strength. One of the most important things about the
metanarrative of the Bible is that it may help us understand who God is and help us have a better
relationship with him, while also seeing how deep his love for mankind actually is.
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References
English Standard Version Bible. (2001). ESV Online. https://esv.literalword.com/
King James Bible. (2017). King James Bible Online.
https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/ (Original work published 1978).
New International Version Bible. (2011). The NIV Bible https://www.thenivbible.com
(Original work published 1978).
Licona, M.R. (2019). Are the Gospels “Historically Reliable” a focused companion of sue
tonius’s life of Augustus and the gospel of Mark. Religions, 10(3) doi:http://dx.doi.org?
10.3390/rel10030148
Morgan, Christopher W. & Peterson, Robert A. (2020). Christian Theology: The Biblical
Story and Our Faith.
Steffen, Lloyd & Hinerman, Nate. (2019). Death, Dying, Culture: An Interdisciplinary
Interrogation. doi:https://doi.org/10.1163/9781848881730
Toth, Tihamer. (2008). Belief in God, A Course of Sermons on Faith.
Toth, Tihamer. (2008). Great Redeemer, A Course of Sermons on the Passion and Death
of Christ.
