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Biblical Metanarrative
The Biblical Metanarrative is the foundation for the proper understanding of Christianity
values and theology as it is connected to the worldview. The Christian doctrine is better
understood based on the four main aspects of biblical metanarratives, namely creation,
redemption, fall, and new creation (Wulandari et al., 2023). The four movements each hold their
significance on the question of origin, destiny, meaning, and morality. This essay explores the
four movements, namely creation, redemption, new creation, and fall, describing its intersection
with the question of origin, identity, destiny, meaning, and morality.
Creation
Creation is clearly described in Genesis 1 and 2, which expresses how the world was
created. Genesis 1, from the first verse, shows that God is the creator of heaven and earth,
inclusive of everything in it. God, in his mastery of art, created the world by word of mouth; he
speaks the creation into existence. The man was created in his image, as stated in Genesis 1:27:
"27So God created8mankind8in his image,8in the image of God8he created them;8male and
female8he created them." At the end of creation, God saw everything he created was God. God
made humans the stewards of his creation and dominated the entire earth (Wulandari et al.,
2023). The creation story shows that God is powerful and has unconditional love for his creation.
He is a sovereign God who created all things and values his creations.
Fall.
This is written in Genesis 3, which states that this was the sin of the first man, Adam. The
sin crippling the world was the turning point of God's initial intention to have a good relationship
with humanity. Adam and eve disobedience to God in the Garden of Eden as they ate the
forbidden fruit led to a change in humanity's lifestyle, and instead, they had to suffer and work to
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eat. This was the punishment due to their disobedience and eating the forbidden fruit in Genesis
3:14-19. Sin came to the world as a result of the disobedience of Man to God's instruction. The
Bible clearly expresses the rebellion of man, which led to sin, and death came as punishment for
the sin (Griffiths, 2021). From the theological aspect, sin entered the world after the first man's
rebellion and spread to the world. God's restoration of the human relationship was a divine plan
of redemption that was foretold in OT and fulfilled in NT.
Redemption
God first mentioned the act of redemption after the sin of Adam, in which he wanted to
restore his creation through the sacrifice of his beloved son, Jesus Christ. The redemption was
foretold in OT by God, who sent prophets to prepare the way to the coming of the Messiah, the
savior (Coulibaly 2020). In the NT, Jesus Christ became the sacrificial lamb as the word was
written to be fulfilled. The crucifixion of Jesus on the cross, his death, and his resurrection was a
powerful act of redemption. He erased the sin of humanity through his work on the cross.
Through their confession of sins and repentance, the believers were forgiven and received
salvation. The gift of salvation came with the act of eternal life to those who believe in the work
and teaching of Jesus Christ (Hall, 2022).8 John 3:16 confirms that God gave Jesus as a sacrifice
due to his unconditional love for humanity. Jesus, in dual nature, is fully divine and fully human,
and he understands the human experience. His resurrection from death shows his power over sins
and death, which is shown in 1 Corinthians (15:1-4).. From the theological and worldview
aspect, salvation as the product of redemption promotes unconditional love, justice, and
acknowledgment of the grace of God on humanity.
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New Creation
From the new creation, it is well expressed in the NT. This is a promise in which God
says he will restore and renew all things on earth. He will make a new heaven and earth free
from suffering and sin, which is confirmed by Revelation 21:1-5. The new creation of God's plan
is a time when humans will be free from death, cries, suffering, and pain. The Christian
worldview shows that he is still determined to fulfill his original intention for his creations by
creating a world free from sin and suffering (Hall, 2022). The new creation looks forward to
having a future where God dwells among his people. Humanity will live in perfect harmony and
dwell with God.
In conclusion, the four major movements significantly contribute to answering the critical
questions of identity, origins, destiny, meaning, and morality. From the creation, God speaks life
to existence, and the redemption plan was fulfilled through the NT, the work of Christ on the
cross. Humans are the stewards of God's creation; they should be responsible and care for other
creations,
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References
Coulibaly, Jenny. "An Investigation of How Young Christians in a West African City
Understand and Relate to the Biblical Metanarrative." (2020).
Griffiths, J. D. (2021). Spirit-Baptised Creation: Locating Pentecost in the Meta-Narrative of
Creation and its Implications for a Pentecostal Ecology.8Australasian Pentecostal
Studies,822(1), 46-60.
Hall, J. S. (2022).8Reawakening the Ethical Imagination of the Local Congregation Through the
Exploration of the Biblical Metanarrative. Mercer University.
Wulandari, W. R., Weismann, I. T. J., Panggarra, R., Wijaya, H., & Ronda, D. (2023). Besorat
Hageulah: The Gospel of atonement in metanarrative justice and God’s love.8HTS
Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies,879(1), 8149.
