Metanarrative Essay
Biblical Metanarrative Essay
Nathan Stephenson
Liberty University
THEO 104
2
Metanarrative Essay
Introduction
The Bible is an assortment of small stories, that have been put together, to build a complete story
covering four distinct parts. These parts are the creation, the fall, the redemption, and the new
creation. The Metanarrative of the Bible is how we see what God’s plan for humanity is. The
Bible is so much more than just stories that have been told, they are lessons for us to learn from,
and the guide for Christians to live their life. The Bible has many examples of God’s Grace, and
His love, these can be applied with the Metanarrative, showing exactly how God cares.
Biblical Metanarrative
In the presentation, Understanding the Metanarrative, we learned that the metanarrative is what
combines the stories of the bible into one book. With so many different books over such a large
span of time, genres, places, and audiences the metanarrative is the story they create when put
together. The four parts of the metanarrative, the creation, the fall, the redemption, and the new
creation tell us about who God is. The metanarrative is how we can connect the various stories
and books of the Bible, as the Bible is vast with varying authors. The creation, is where it all
started, “In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth.” (Genesis 1:1, KJV). God
created everything from beast to man. Next is the fall when Adam and Eve sinned in the garden.
(Genesis 3:6, KJV) Adam and Eve made a choice, that brought on the fall of man. However, God
is a merciful and just God, and he gave humanity a second chance, through His Son Jesus Christ,
this would be the redemption. “For God so loved the World that He gave us His only begotten
Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16,
KJV.) He loved us enough to send His son to die for our sins. Finally, there is the new creation
when God will restore mankind and the world.
3
Metanarrative Essay
Mercy
Though every book in the bible is different, each one tells the story of the creation, the fall, the
redemption, and the new creation. We can see Gods mercy and grace throughout every book. We
see Gods mercy towards his creation when he saves Noah and his family from the flood. We
continue to see his mercy when he makes a way for man to be saved after we fall and sin in the
garden. God sends His Son to save us, even though we do not deserve it. "God saved you by his
grace when you believed. And you cannot take credit for this; it is a gift from God” (Etzel &
Gutierrez, 2015 p. 9). We see God’s mercy again through His redemption when He spared us in
the garden. Even though we disobeyed the one thing He asked of us, He showed us mercy by
clothing us and banishing us from the garden. Finally, we see His mercy through new creation in
death. If we trust Him, when we die, we get new bodies and the chance to live with Him forever
in heaven.
Grace
Gods grace can be seen throughout the Bible and falls in with the Bible metanarrative plots. God
shows His creation mercy when He allows His creation to live, despite disobeying the one thing
He has asked of us. We see His grace again when after the fall, and we have sinned and realize
we are naked, He kills one of His creation to clothes us. We see God’s grace through redemption
when He makes a way for us to atone for our sins and gives a way to still communicate with Him
before Christ comes. Finally, we see God’s grace though new creation, for if we have accepted
Him, we are born a new and become new creatures in Him. “The idea of mercy is that God does
not give humanity what we deserve (Etzel & Small, 2020 p. 44). God’s grace is seen throughout
the Bible, and the metanarrative fits with this.
4
Metanarrative Essay
Conclusion
Through out the entire Bible we can see the metanarrative in every book we read. Through the
stories, proverbs, and psalms that are told. There are different authors, genres, and even styles,
yet we can still see it. The Bible is the guideline by which we live our lives, and it is how God
speaks to us. Through Creation, the fall, redemption, and new creation we can hear what God has
to say. We can see what it is He has planned for humanity, even if we do not understand what the
plan is. The metanarrative of the Bible is important, so that we might understand who God is and
have a fuller relationship with him.
5
Metanarrative Essay
References
References
Etzel, G., & Gutierrez, B. (2015). Theology Applied: A Living Faith. Nashville: B&H Academic.
Retrieved May 25, 2020, from https://app.wordsearchbible.lifeway.com
Etzel, G., & Small, R. N. (2020). Nashville: Everyday Theology: Exploring the Christian Faith.
B&H Academic. Retrieved May 25, 2020, from https://app.wordsearchbible.lifeway.com
