The Metanarrative of Scripture

The Greatest Humanitarian Mission Ever Carried Out.

If one was to look at major humanitarian missions over the last several decades, they would read about missions such as Operation Tamadachi in Japan in 2011, the global response to aid Pakistan, the humanitarian response to Haiti in 2010, aid to Indonesia in 2009, or even as far back as the Berlin Airlift in Germany in 1948.  There is a greater humanitarian mission occurring today, and it began the moment this universe was spoken into existence.  The metanarrative of Scripture, or God’s big story told through the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, tells of the greatest humanitarian mission ever carried out in human history; through which humanity can see God’s divine providence and sovereignty from Creation in Genesis 1 to His judgment and eternal reign with believers in Revelation 22.

Humanity once lived in perfect union with their Creator.  Everything that plagues humanity today: identity, anxiety, depression, addiction, disease, illness, etc., didn’t exist.  The constant struggle of sin, and human nature to indulge in it, was obsolete and nonexistent.  People loved, worshiped, and obeyed as they were created and designed to do.  Sadly, this perfect union with God and between husband and wife didn’t last very long.  The following excerpt is from Paul David Tripp’s book, Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands: “In the most significant rebellious act ever committed, man and woman stepped outside of God’s ordained plan.  All of the amazing beauty of that world was deeply and permanently scarred.  In an instant, fear, guilt, and shame became standard human experiences.  People began to desire what was evil and do what was wrong.  Rather than submit to God’s authority, they lived as their own gods.  The world that once sang the song of perfection now groaned under the weight of the Fall.  Sin altered every thought, desire, word, and deed.  For the first time, people wept from grief within and suffering without.”[1]

The New Unger’s Bible Handbook states regarding the purpose of the Bible as, “It presents one continuous story – that of human redemption.  This story is a progressive unfolding of the central truth of the Bible that God in His eternal counsels was to become incarnate in Jesus Christ for the redemption of fallen man.  The unfolding of this central truth of redemption is set forth through history, prophecy, type, and symbol.  This revelation of human redemption through Christ orients man in the larger framework of God’s plans for him in the ages of time, as well as the divine purpose for him in eternity.”[2]

Through all of this, there was a plan in place.  When Adam and Eve took that first bite of the apple and sin entered the world, God had a plan.  From the darkest moment in human history, God saw a cross.  God wasn’t willing that the beautiful creation He spoke into existence, remain in a state of spiritual darkness.  Tripp further writes, “He (God) was unwilling for it to stay this way, so he devised a plan.  It would take thousands of years.  It would mean harnessing the forces of nature and controlling the course of human history.  From the moment of the Fall, for generation after generation, he controlled everything so that someday he could fix what had been so horribly damaged.  Into this world, at just the right moment, he sent his one and only Son.”[3]  And so began the greatest humanitarian and rescue mission to ever take place on mankind.

How did humanity go from perfection to condemnation?  To truly understand the answer to this question, one must go all the way back to Genesis 1:1.  It is here, readers are introduced to the main character in God’s “big story.”  Justin Buzzard writes in The Big Story:  How the Bible Makes Sense out of Life, “The Bible begins with four powerful words that affect everything:  Genesis 1:1, ‘In the beginning, God…”  This is Act 1 of the Bible.  Act 1 is about God.”[4]

In his book The Story of Scripture: The Unfolding Drama of the Bible, Robbie F. Castleman writes, “The opening scenes of the story (Genesis 1-2) are intended to introduce us to who God is through what God did in creating the heavens and the earth.  And they are intended to show God’s particular love for human beings and God’s intention for our relationships in caring for what God created for each other.  The first two chapters of the Bible are the foundation for the rest of the Old and New Testaments.”[5]  Without the first two chapters of Genesis and understanding who God is and the purpose He has for everything He created, all of the chapters, verses, and words that follow would not make sense.  In order for there to be a great humanitarian mission, there has to be a reason for there to be one.  Would any of the humanitarian missions mentioned in the introduction to this paper need to happen without there being a humanitarian need?  Of course not.  In the same way, one cannot begin reading the Gospels and how Christ came to pay the penalty for our sins, without understanding what happened in the beginning of the story to cause a need for a Savior. 

If humanity seeks to understand the need for a Savior, they must ultimately begin with the relationship God intended to exist between mankind and their Creator, Himself.  God created man to be happy and to live in communion with Him.  Everything man does is to pursue and obtain happiness in this life.  The pursuit of happiness is the conscious or unconscious motive that drives both good and bad decisions.  Men and women do what they do because they want what they want.  It raises the question, what are men and women willing to do in order to get what they want?  In other words, what sin will men and women do in order to please themselves and get what they want?  Buzzard writes, “Human history is the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy.  Becoming a Christian, choosing to believe the Big Story, is simply a matter of getting serious about the pursuit of happiness.  It’s a matter of ditching the cheap pleasures that never satisfied in order to experience the happiness that we are designed to enjoy.”[6]

This is what happened as the beginning of God’s “big story” unfolds.  Humanity, or the first two human beings to walk in perfect union with God, hungered for something bigger than what they currently had.  They had it all, but desired the one thing God told them they couldn’t have.  As the story unfolds, the Bible tells how the desire for something more led to mankind straying from God and turning to what would please them instead.  Mankind, in their desire for something bigger, rebelled against God.

Genesis 3:1-6 introduces readers to a fourth character: Satan.  The passage says, “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the filed which the LORD God had made.  And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?  And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:  but of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.  And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.  And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.”[7]

How does this small passage of six verses play into the entire story of God’s great humanitarian mission?  Before this passage, one reads and sees the first man and woman walking in perfect communion with God.  God places them in this beautiful garden, they never have to worry about food, bad weather, sickness, disease, or a bad day.  Then the fourth character of the story, Satan, enters the scene and tempts Eve in a way that goes straight to the core of human nature.  He tempts her with something that she was told she cannot have.  He asks Eve, “Did God really say?”  This is the same tactic Satan continuously uses on humanity today and despite knowing the tactic, mankind falls for it daily.  The Bible Knowledge Commentary states, “Satan is a liar from the beginning (John 8:44), and this is his lie: one can sin and get away with it.  But death is the penalty for sin (Genesis 2:17).  The tempter also cast doubt over God’s character, suggesting that God was jealous, holding them back from their destiny.  They would become like God when they ate – and God knew that, according to Satan.  So Satan held out to them the promise of divinity – knowing good and evil.”[8]  Just like what happens in the lives of men and women today, the subtilty and craftiness of Satan prevailed.  The Life Application Study Bible states, “Temptation is Satan’s invitation to give in to his kind of life and give up on God’s kind of life.  Satan tempted Even and succeeded in getting her to sin.  He’s been busy getting people to sin ever since.”[9] 

One simple bite of an apple and act of rebellion against God altered human history.  The moment Adam and Eve sunk their teeth into the apple, sin came pouring into existence and plagued humanity.  So how do these six verses in Genesis have such a great impact and explain the need for a Savior in God’s big story?  The sin in the garden, committed by the first man and woman after being enticed by Satan, is ground zero for everything that would be written afterwards.  Everything written after this point in Scripture is a result of these six verses. 

It is a very clear reminder that actions come with consequences, and the sin of Adam and Eve came with very severe consequences.  Immediately their eyes were opened, and they realized they were naked.  For the first time in their lives, they experienced shame.  Because of this shame, Adam and Eve withdrew and attempted to hide from God.  The very God who created them and walked with them, was now being hidden from.  They were ashamed of what they had done and didn’t want to face a perfect God who was not only their Creator, but also a friend.  Genesis 3:24 tells that because the perfect relationship between creation and the Creator was severed by man’s sin, Adam and Eve could no longer reside with God in the garden.  Sin has consequences.

In the introduction, it was stated that despite the sin of Adam and Eve, God had a plan.  There had to be a way to return humanity back to the relationship between God and man that existed before sin entered the world.  There had to be a way to return humanity back to perfect communion with their Creator.  This plan is introduced in Genesis 3:15, where a Redeemer is promised and that “He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.”  Halley’s Bible Handbook states, “The use of ‘he’ (v. 15) shows that one person is meant.  There has only been one descendant of Eve who was born of woman without the involvement of a man.  Here, right at the start of the Bible story, is this first foreshadowing of Christ.  And as the Bible story unfolds, there are other hints, pictures, and plain statements that become clearer and more abundant, so that, as we come to the end of the Old Testament, a fairly complete picture of Christ has been drawn.  The atonement of Christ is based on the unity of the race in Adam.  One man’s sin brought death.  One man’s death brough redemption (Romans 5:12-19).”[10]

Exploring God’s providence and sovereignty through the Old Testament, one can see the preservation of the bloodline of Jesus Christ as well as numerous passages of Scripture that point to Christ and set the stage for the arrival of the King of kings in the New Testament.

It wasn’t until 400 years between the Old and New Testaments, that the Savior promised in Genesis was born.  The Gospels, according to A Compact Guide to the Whole Bible: Learning to Read Scripture’s Story, “proclaim God’s victory over evil and the renewal, restoration, and redemption of the world.  Through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, humans see and experience the character of God more clearly than they ever had before.  The story of Jesus is the central part of God’s story of renewing this world.  As demonstrated by his resurrection, Jesus himself embodies the new life, or the kingdom, that God is bringing into the world.  The Gospels proclaim that as a direct result of Jesus’s death and resurrection, the Holy Spirit comes and continues the work that Jesus began.  In other words, the Holy Spirit is teaching, comforting, and empowering disciples to bear witness to the ‘good news’ until Jesus returns to complete his mission, finally and decisively saving the world.”[11]

Sin, throughout history, separates man from God.  The penalty for that sin is not only physical death, but spiritual death.  While sin still exists in mankind’s mortal bodies, it does not have to reign.  Jesus Christ came to pay for that sin on the cross in order that sin no longer reigns within mankind, but that Christ who dwells in mankind will reign.  From the moment an individual is justified by Christ, by believing in Him and entering into communion with Him, the process of sanctification begins.  This process of making the believer more like Christ continues until either the believer dies, or Christ returns, where they are then glorified and reunited into the perfect communion mankind had in the beginning before sin. 

How does someone apply the metanarrative of Scripture to their own life?  How does one take this amazing rescue mission seen throughout the Bible, and apply it today?  Turning Everyday Conversations into Gospel Conversations states, “We’ve fallen, we’re broken, and we can’t figure out how to put all the pieces back together again.  And it’s not for a lack of trying.  We all recognize what’s wrong in our world today.  We all have a sense of the brokenness, and we try our best to fix it.”[12]  God’s answer to all the brokenness in our world is the same as it was over two thousand years ago:  repent and believe in Jesus (Mark 1:15).  When Jesus told people to repent and believe, according to David Guzik’s Study Guide for Mark 1, “He wanted people to know what entering the kingdom (of God) was like.  They could not enter the kingdom going the same way they had been going.  They had to change their direction to experience the kingdom of God.”[13]  The same is true for anyone wishing to enter into a relationship with God.  If humanity sees the world is broken, and if Christ is the only way to fix it, then those wishing to fix the brokenness inside themselves can’t continue doing the same things that led them to be broken in the first place.  There must be a change of heart and a change in their lifestyle. 

Those who follow Christ have an eternal hope (1 Peter 1:3-9).  Those who follow Christ have an eternal home (Hebrews 11:16; 2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:4; John 14:2; Revelation 21:2).  Those who follow Christ have perfect union with Him (John 14:6; 1 John 3:2; 1 Corinthians 6:17; John 1:12; 2 Peter 1:4; Ephesians 1:13).  Those who follow Christ have life (Romans 6:4, 23, 8:11, 10:13; John 10:10, 3:16, Revelation 20:1-15).

Since the fall of mankind in the garden of Eden thousands of years ago, there’s been a battle waging for the hearts, minds, and souls of every human being.  This battle continues from the moment man or woman is born and continues until the moment their heart stops beating.  God yearns and desires for all mankind to return to Him, while Satan continues to attack God’s words and promises, and to place doubt in the hearts of men and women.  From the very beginning of creation, mankind can find a God who loves them, seeks them, and desires to live amongst them.  Something hinders that however, and that is sin.  Because of sin, that perfect union that once existed has been severed, and there was a need for a Savior.  Only through the Son of God, Jesus Christ, can the relationship between the Creator and the created once again be restored.  The metanarrative of Scripture, or God’s big story told through the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, tells of the greatest humanitarian mission ever carried out in human history; through which humanity can see God’s divine providence and sovereignty from Creation in Genesis 1 to His judgment and eternal reign with believers in Revelation 22.

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[1] Tripp, Paul David. Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands: People in Need of Change Helping People in Need of Change. Phillipsburg, N.J: P&R Pub., 2002.

[2] Unger, Merrill F. (Merrill Frederick), Gary N. Larson, and Merrill F. (Merrill Frederick) Unger. The New Unger’s Bible Handbook. Revised and Updated edition /. / [by Gary N. Larson]. Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2005.

[3] Tripp, Paul David. Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands: People in Need of Change Helping People in Need of Change. Phillipsburg, N.J: P&R Pub., 2002.

[4] Buzzard, Justin. The Big Story: How the Bible Makes Sense out of Life. Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2013.

[5] Castleman, R. (2008). The story of Scripture: the unfolding drama of the Bible: 12 studies for individuals or groups. IVP Connect.

[6]   Buzzard, Justin. The Big Story: How the Bible Makes Sense out of Life. Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2013.

[7] The holy bible: King James Version. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers Marketing, LLC, 2020.

[8] Walvoord, John F., and Roy B. Zuck. The bible knowledge commentary: An exposition of the scriptures. Colorado Springs, CO: Victor, 2004.

[9] Life application study bible. Carol Stream: Tyndale House Publishers, 2022.

[10] Halley, Henry H. (Henry Hampton). Halley’s Bible Handbook. Edited by Ed M. Van der Maas. Deluxe edition, Completely revised and Expanded 25th edition / revising editor/writer, Ed M. van der Maas. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2014.

[11] Wall, R. W., & Nienhuis, D. R. (Eds.). (2015). A compact guide to the whole Bible: learning to read scripture’s story. Baker Academic.

[12] Scroggins, Jimmy., & Wright, Steve. (2016). Turning Everyday Conversations into Gospel Conversations. B & H Publishing Group.

[13] Guzik, David. “Study Guide for Mark 1 by David Guzik.” Blue Letter Bible. Accessed August 12,2023.https://www.blueletterbible.org/comm/guzik_david/studyguide/mark/mark1.cfm?a=998014.