Theo 104 - Biblical Metanarrative
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Dec 6, 2023
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Chris Landaas
Prof. Farnham
Theo 104 – B23
30 January 2023
Biblical Metanarrative
The Bible is made up of 66 different books consisting of the Old and New Testaments. A
biblical metanarrative can be seen as the overarching theme of the whole bible. The thing that
connects every book from the Old to New Testament. The story of the Bible can be summarized
into four subsections within that metanarrative; Creation, Fall, Redemption, and New Creation.
These subsections summarize the Bible from beginning to end. The topics of Love and the
Gospel are just two of many other topics that can be seen throughout the entirety of the
metanarrative of the Bible
The story of love radiates throughout the whole Bible. From the beginning till the end,
the love that God has for His creation is unfathomable. As Christians, we can only begin to
comprehend His love for us. Genesis 1:26-27 states, “Let us make man in our image, after our
likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens
and over the livestock and over all the earth…” (Genesis 1:26-27, NIV). During the creation of
all things, God chose man to be made in His own image. God loved us so much that He created
us to be like Him. Furthermore, God’s love is imminent even throughout the Fall. The Fall of
man can be demonstrated through the first sin of Adam and Eve. When they chose to eat from the
forbidden tree, they chose to separate themselves from God, therefore condemning all of
humanity. Romans 5:8 states, “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were
still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8, NIV).
This means that even when we sin, God
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loves us. Even when we fall short of the glory of God, He still chooses to love us. During the
Redemption, we as humanity received the greatest act of love that one could get. John 3:16 the
most known verse in the world states. “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” (John 3:16, NIV).
God
sent his Son to die a sinner’s death, to be beaten, tortured, and crucified for all the sins past,
present, and future. We as humans cannot even begin to fathom how powerful that show of love
is. Lastly, love is shown throughout the New Creation over and over. 2 Corinthians 5:17 states,
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come” (2
Corinthians 5:17, NIV). Through God’s redemptive love and the blood shed by his Son, we have
the opportunity to be created into a spiritual life. Where we are called to love God and to love
each other. The goal in life is to spread God’s redemptive love and to make heaven crowded so
that when the trumpet sounds, and Heaven comes down to Earth the New Creation can be
completed.
The Gospel is another topic that can be seen throughout the metanarrative of the bible.
The Gospel was started during the Creation section of the metanarrative. We have been created in
the image of God to be and to act like God in such a way that will attract more followers. During
the Fall, the Gospel is highlighted through Romans 3:23 which states “all have sinned, and all
fall short of the Glory of God” (Romans 3:23, NIV).
For us to be saved, we must recognize that
we are in fact sinners and are nothing without God, and because we have fallen short, we have
been able to be redeemed which is the next part of the story. Jesus Christ came down to Earth to
die for our sins so that we may be saved from our sins. This is commonly referred to as the Good
News or in other words, the Gospel.
Everyday Theology: Exploring for the Christian Faith
states
“The evangelist has a unique burden to proclaim the good news of the gospel to the unsaved and
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to lead the unsaved to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ” (Gutierrez, page 130). Because Jesus
Christ has died for our sins, we now can spread the Gospel and spread the greatest gift we could
receive, redemption. This leads to the New Creation. We have been saved through Jesus Christ’s
work. Gutierrez goes on to explain that “Regeneration is the idea of new birth or new creation”
(Gutierrez, page 117). When we are redeemed through the Gospel, we become part of the new
creation. Born again and raised to serve the one true King.
In conclusion, Love and the Gospel go hand in hand in the overarching story of the Bible.
By diving into understanding these topics, we can begin to comprehend the true metanarrative of
the Word of God. Love and the Gospel can be seen through the Creation, Fall, Redemption, and
New Creation, and by sharing either one of these topics a life can be saved.
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