In case you’ve been following my blog entries recently, you know that I’ve been sharing assignments I’ve been doing in preparation for an upcoming course I’m taking in Thailand. I leave in a couple days, and still have more assignments to do. I guess that’s what long plane flights are for. But the assignment I share here was a fun exercise in encapsulating in a nutshell the metanarrative theme of the Bible. How would you respond to this assignment?

Write an overarching theme (metanarrative) of each of the following in 2-3 sentences: (1) OT, (2) the NT, and (3) the total Bible.

I’m sure it is far from perfect, but here’s what I came up with as a first crack, and then I will revise it after the class. I welcome your thoughts and input! Email me at eric.belz@efca.org.

Old Testament

The Old Testament is God’s story of how He worked with a select but rebellious group of people to reveal His character and His will so that all might come to know Him. Following the creation and downfall of humanity, God patiently works with the nation of Israel to demonstrate His grace, covenant faithfulness and character toward redemption and salvation through the promised Messiah.

New Testament

The New Testament is God’s story of the fulfillment of His covenant from the Old Testament with the nation of Israel. The promised Messiah, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is sent by God, living a perfect life, demonstrating God’s character of grace and truth, dying a substitutionary death and rising from the dead showing victory over evil, offering forgiveness and peace with God for all who believe. Following Jesus’ ministry, the Church is launched as the Holy Spirit ministers in and through those who serve the Lord and who bring the message of the Gospel to the world, to the glory of God.

Whole Bible

The Bible is the story of the sovereign God of all creation who demonstrates His character as He shows grace and covenant faithfulness initially to Israel in anticipation of the Messiah, and ultimately to the world to restore a broken relationship. In God’s perfect time and way, Jesus, God’s Son, fulfills God’s plan for the salvation of all who believe in Him, whether Jew or Gentile, through His life, ministry, death and resurrection, satisfying the justice and mercy of God for the sins of the world. The Church as God’s primary tool to reach the world for Christ is launched and grows, empowered by the Spirit, as believers throughout history in all the world anticipate the worship feast of the Lamb.

Praise God for the marvelous message of the Bible, “into which the angels long to look.” (1 Pet.1:12)

Eric