LIBERTYUNIVERSITYSCHOOLOFDIVINITY
BiblicalMetanarrativeEssay
SubmittedtoDr.C.DillonBurroughs,
inpartialfulfillmentoftherequirementsforthecompletionof
THEO201-B13
TheologicalSurveyI
by
Jearme Ousley
September27,2020
ii
1
Introduction
TheBibleiscomposedofatotalofsixty-sixindividualbooks.Eachbookiswrittenfora specific
occasion and for a specific audience, and yet, was compiled into one book0 that is unified by
multiple themes that are connected throughout for major plot developments. The purposeof this
paper is to show theunified natureof the Bible by tracing two biblical doctrines, the grace of God
and love of God, through creation, fall, redemption, and restoration. These biblical doctrines
deal “with general or timeless truths about God and the rest of reality [and]
restatetimelessbiblicaltruthsinaformthatisunderstandable”0Fromthebeginningthegraceof God
alongside the love of God is on display at creation as readers see a glimpse of God’s plan for
redemption and restoration for all of creation.The love of God is apparent from the beginning as
He spoke creation out of love. The Grace of God is seen when God says that it is not good for
man to bealone and Hecreates woman as apartner and helper for man. (Gen 2:18- 25) God’s
grace and love continues to be seen after the fall when God promises that Eve’s offspring would
crush the head of the serpent. (Gen 3:15) By God’s grace and love this promise of redemption is
fulfilled with the coming of Jesus and his payment for sin on the cross and the promise of
restoration will befulfilled with his return.The grace and loveof God can beseen in through the
Bible in creation, the fall, redemption, and restoration.
BiblicalNarrative
The metanarrative of Scripture begins with the main character God speaking all things
intocreation.TheopeninglineofGenesisstatesthat,“Inthebeginning,Godcreatedtheheavens
0EtzelSmall,EverydayTheology:ExploringtheChristianFaith,Retrievedfrom
https://app.wordsearchbible.lifeway.com, 2020., 21
0MillardJ.EricksonandL.ArnoldHustad,ed.,IntroducingChristianDoctrine.BakerPublishingGroup, Retrieved
from https://app.wordsearchbible.lifeway.com, 209., 4
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and the earth.…And God said.”0 (Gen 1:1-3) When God created everything, he did so by
speaking with order and purpose. God begins with light, water, heaven, land, vegetation, day,
night, the sun, the moon, all living creatures, and finally man.When God created man, He made
themin His image. “Thefactthat man is thepinnacle of God’s creative work is evident fromhis
designation as God’s image bearer.”0This is the beginning of God’s interaction and relationship
with man that carries through the metanarrative of Scripture. This gives readers a glimpse of
God’s character and reveals His intentions and how He expects His people to be in relationship
to Himself and others. But humanity was deceived and sinned against God.This is referred to as
the fall.Yet, in the fall the grace and love of God can be seen in his plan for redemption.This
planofredemptionisconnectedbygraceandlovethroughcovenantsthatGodmadewithAdam,
Noah,Abraham, Moses, David, and the New Covenant through Jesus. Events in Old Testament
scripture are connected in, by, and through each of them pointing to redemption for all people
through Jesus Christ. This story is even further connected and unified through the revelation of
JesusChristthat tellsofChrist’sreturn andultimatevictory that restoresall ofcreationto aright
relationship with God.The Biblical narrative as a whole was written by at least thirty-six human
authors over the course of roughly 1600 years with over two hundred miles of separation
between them. Only Gold could have worked in a way that displays each authors individual
personalities and points of view, yet still remain unified in telling the same story of God
revealing himself to his people.
Example1-GraceofGod
0Unlessotherwisenoted,allbiblicalpassagesareinthe EnglishStandardVersion(Wheaton,IL:
Crossway, 2016).
0EdHindsonandGaryYates,TheEssenceoftheOldTestament:ASurvey,B&HPublishingGroup, Retrieved from
https://app.wordsearchbible.lifeway.com, 2017., 54
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Redemption and restoration have always been found in Jesu Christ. Jesus, God in the
flesh came to earth and lived athatwas perfect and sinless. Jesus was sentenced to death through
a false trial and crucified. Three days later, Jesus rose from the grave proving his power over sin
and death. He was seen first by women and then by hundreds at the same time before ascending
toheaven.Scripturetellsus,“Heisthepropitiationforoursins,andnotforoursonlybut alsofor the sins of
the whole world.” (1 John 2:2) Jesus’death was the payment that covered the debt of all sin and
made a way for man to be restored to God.This is the grace of God.This undeserved favor of
God can be seen throughout the Biblical metanarrative.At the very beginning we see a glimpse
of God’s grace. God made all of creation out of the simple fact that he wanted to. With or
without his creation God is still God. God created out of his own gracious will. From the
beginning we see that nothing was earned, it was graciously given. God’s grace continues to be
evident in the fall. When man sinned against God his iniquities made a separation between him
and God. (Isa 59:2) Man was now separated from God and still God showed grace by still
seeking man, calling them, confronting them, chastising them, and commanding them. It was by
God’s grace that he made a promise toAdam that would ultimately be fulfilled in Jesus. Jesus is
theultimateexampleofGod’sgrace.Hisbloodshedanddeathonthecrossaretheultimateactof God’s
unmerited favor.As Paul writes, “For by grace you have been saved through faith.And this is not
your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Eph 2:8-
9) God’s grace through faith is the greatest gift he could give in order to restore man to a right
relationship with himself.
ExampleII-God’sLove
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Like God’s grace, his love can be seen from the beginning as well. The love of God is
first seen in side-by-side with grace as God speaks his creation into existence.After God spoke
all things into creation, he said that it was good. Then on the sixth day, God created man in his
own image. (Gen 1:27) God could have spoken man into existence as he did with the rest of
creation but out of love, he formed man with his hand and breathed life into him as an act of
love. (Gen 2:7)At the end of the sixth day God this time looked and said that creation was very
good.“Goodisto bedefined inrelationshipto thewillandbeing ofGod.Goodiswhatglorifies him,
fulfills his will, conforms to his nature.”0 Man was living in God’s will in and in relationship
with God. Out of love God created man with the ability reason and make choices
anddespitethislovemanfellduetodeception,anddisobedience.Godknewmanwouldfalland still
chose to create man out of love. God continued to show love throughout the biblical narrative by
speaking and providing for men like Noah,Abraham, and Moses who would lead God’s people
in times of obedience and disobedience. But God’s greatest act of love was the sending of his
Son to redeem and restore man to a right relationship with him. Jesus carried out his fathers will
by submitting to torture, pain, and death on a cross as payment for the sins of man. God loves
man so much that he chooses to pay the price of sin himself. God’s love will again we on
display when Christ returns to restore all of creation.
Conclusion
The biblical metanarrative provides a unified story throughout the plot movements of
creation,fall,redemption,andrestorationofhumanityasGodrevealshimselfthroughScripture.
0MillardJ.Erickson,L.andArnoldHustad,ed.IntroducingChristianDoctrine,BakerPublishingGroup, Retrieved
from https://app.wordsearchbible.lifeway.com, 2018., 162
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Although the Bible is made up of multiple books written to different audiences that span over a
thousandyears,theyarestillunifiedbysharingGodasthemaincharacterwhorevealshimselfto mankind.
Throughout Scripture man is seen as needing a relationship with God that can only be given
through grace and love. The grace and love of God can clearly be seen through each
movementofScripturethroughcorrectinterpertationanddiscernment.Thiscanbeappliedinthe life of
every believer as God reveals attributes of his character through HisWord in a way that makes
biblical doctrines understandable and leads to a deeply rooted relationship with him.
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Bibliography
Hindson,EdandGaryYates.TheEssenceoftheOldTestament:ASurvey.B&HPublishing Group.
Retrieved from https://app.wordsearchbible.lifeway.com. 2017.
HolyBible:EnglishStandardVersion(Wheaton,IL:Crossway,2016).
Erickson,J.Millard,andL.ArnoldHustad.ed.IntroducingChristianDoctrine.BakerPublishing Group.
Retrieved from https://app.wordsearchbible.lifeway.com. 2018
Small,Etzel(2020).EverydayTheology:ExploringtheChristianFaith.Retrievedfrom
https://app.wordsearchbible.lifeway.com 2020.
