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Kristen Mendoza
Professor McGorman
THEO 201-B05
13 October 2020
Biblical Metanarrative Essay
The Bible is not like any piece of literature as it holds power to transform the heart and
guide the soul in to aligning with the Creator of the Universe. This book is home to many stories
written by 40 different authors over a span of over 2000 years, yet it collectively tells the same
message that points back to who Christ is. In John 1:1 it says, “In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” As Christians, we understand the
importance of hiding the soul in His Word because through all these stories from three different
continents and written in three different languages, it points to the same heart of God.
The story of God is organized in to four different acts; creation, fall, redemption, and
restoration. God’s story starts in Genesis where God begins creating and organizing the world by
speaking the sky, stars, sea, animals, plants and humanity into existence. In Introducing
Christian Doctrine, Erickson states, “While God did not have to create, he did so for good and
sufficient reasons, and the creation fulfills that purpose. In particular, the creation glorifies God
by carrying out his will” (Erickson 2018). Everything is given its purpose and place in the Lord’s
masterpiece and after creating man in His image, He claims it be very good. When we enter
Genesis 3, the fall of humanity is experienced when God’s creation, Adam and Eve, disobey and
eat fruit from the tree that God had told them not to eat from. This act begins to fall as man was
influenced the Devil and causes humanity to turn against God’s will. The redemption begins in
the Old Testament when God makes a promise to Abraham that He will bless the nations and
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give him many descendants. God also makes covenant and blessing to Israel and the nations
through a descendent of David which makes him worthy to be the chosen king of God. God
promises a new covenant in Jeremiah 31 and Ezekiel 37 that He will pour His spirit on to His
people and give them a new heart. In the restoration act of God’s story, we see that the Holy
Spirit is left behind for God’s people as His death and resurrection to bring a new life to all of
humanity. In Revelation, we read that when the final battle is done, the new heavenly city will
come down on the new earth and all of God’s people will be resurrected with their Lord for
eternity.
The love of God is expressed in all four of these stages in the Bible. In creation, God
molded man in His image and the connection with Christ begins there. In Everyday Theology:
Exploring the Christian Faith, Eztel and Small states, “It is important to note that when God saw
everything that he created, he was very pleased with his work. Genesis 1:31 records that "God
saw all that He had made, and it was very good” (Etzel, Small 2020). Out of all the things God
created, all the animals, flowers, plants, mountains, oceans, He labeled them as good. However,
humans as the only creation made from His own image, God was pleased and claimed it was
very good. In the fall of humanity, we also see God’s heart. Although Adam and Eve disobeyed
and went against the will of God, God still provides a path for redemption and salvation. The
grace that is extended to man allows for a chance to restore that relationship with Christ.
Previously, the only consequence for sin was death, however, by the works of Jesus dying on the
cross, the veil is torn, and we now have the bridge to oneness with the Savior again. The love of
God and his plan for restoring what was broken at the fall of man is evidenced in the verse John
3:16, which says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only begotten son so
that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.”
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In the Trinity, God three in one, is evidenced in all four stages of the metanarrative of the
Bible. Even though the Trinity is all one and the same, each person plays an important and
unique role in the various stages. In the beginning, we see God performing the act of creation
and interaction with Adam and Eve, which sets the scene for the rest of the story to unfold.
After the fall, the second member of the trinity, Jesus, enters the picture. Even when He is on
earth, Jesus is still in communication with God the Father. Jesus then fulfills God’s will on Earth
and takes on His role as the perfect sacrifice that rids man of the penalty for their sins with His
blood. In doing so, the Son of God is able to redeem what was broken in the garden. This chance
for redemption is stated in John 14:19-21 which says, “Before long, the world will not see me
anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that
I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and keeps
them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will
love them and show myself to them.” Restoration is then achieved as the Holy Spirit, the third
member of the trinity, is left on earth after Jesus’ ascension to heaven to act as the helper.
The Bible is not simply a historical book, but it tells a cohesive and redemptive story that
reveals the character of God and how humans can achieve salvation. Written by numerous
different authors and spanning thousands of years, the narrative is still clearly presented. The
heart of God for His people is revealed through the progression of this wonderful book, and
when Christians ground their faith in its words the Bible is their most powerful tool for both
salvation and evangelism. Presenting the story of the Bible as a metanarrative in a clear and
easily understandable way is essential when helping non-Christians understand its teachings.
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Works Cited
Millard J. Erickson, L. Arnold Hustad, ed. (2018). (p. 136). Introducing Christian Doctrine.
Baker Publishing Group. Retrieved from https://app.wordsearchbible.lifeway.com.
Etzel,Small (2020). (p. 57). Everyday Theology: Exploring the Christian Faith. Retrieved from
https://app.wordsearchbible.lifeway.com.
