Biblical metanarrative
Introduction
The Bible contains 66 books, yet they do not contradict each other in terms of message and objective. The message is carried forward from one book to the next while adhering to God's true nature (Christian, 2017). Thus, the Bible has remained relevant due to its familiarity with humanity and its surroundings. In other words, the Bible is a collection of books containing one synthesized message. In addition, the scriptures of the Bible interpret themselves; hence one scripture can be compared with another in order to unveil an initial meaning or complete interpretation. This paper will discuss the coherence and unified nature of the Bible through the glory of God and holiness.
Holiness
From the creation to man's fall, the holiness of God is the central theme facilitating Biblical narrative (Christian, 2017). Although the entire scriptures, God is powerful and creates the earth through word of mouth. Hence, God's real nature is his holiness- he shapes words into the universe and breathes life into the lungs of man, thus giving him life instantly. The holiness of God is seen throughout Biblical texts. Each and every character that comes into contact with God is transformed into his likeness (Genesis 17). For example, Abram changes his name to Abraham, and Saul changes his name to Paul (Acts 13.9). The change comes after they meet with God. As simple as it might seem, God, ensures that Abraham leaves his ancestral home for a promised land.
On the other hand, Paul becomes an evangelist who spreads the gospel. Thus, God's holiness is seen through the lifestyles of the people who serve him. Additionally, the holiness of God cannot be limited to people's moral standing (Dent, 2019). A part of his lifestyle, God's holiness portrays him as a larger than life character who does not conform to his average lifestyle. As demonstrated in Genesis, Moses had to bow down to a burning bush because God's presence was in the vicinity.
Similarly, in line with God's redemption plan, his holiness is not limited to man's good works. God calls man's holiness filthy rags hence the need for God to save man from sin through sending his son to die for man on the cross (Dent, 2019). In simpler terms, God's holiness drives him to save humanity and give him a second chance at life through redemption.
The Glory of God
The centerpiece of the Bible is based on God's glory. There is nothing that God cannot do. God is greater than man, and the scripture portrays God as a hero who cannot bow down to man. For instance, the Egyptians fail to take hid of God's request to release Israel's children from captivity (Dent, 2019). Even though Pharaoh competes with God, he ends up losing. Plague after plague, the Egyptians suffered at the hands of a glorious God. Such glory is seen in other parts of the Bible and is consistent with Jesus' miracles. One of the most common illustrations used to bring out God’s glory is the Red Sea parting. The Israelites witnessed the first-hand glory of God as he parted the Red Sea and spared their life from falling into the hands of the Egyptians. In the end, God demonstrates his restoration and power to sustain human beings no matter what might be standing in the way.
In instances where God's glory does not manifest through miracles, the people worship God and bring glory to God. Some passages in the Bible claim that if the man cannot worship God, then the stones and animals will sing of his glory until the heavens hear them. The genuine nature with which scriptures describe God hints at his glorious nature. There is no passage in the Bible that is greater than God’s glory (Dent, 2019). The realization that God is all-knowing and cannot be bowed creates an atmosphere of reverence around God's word, and people speak to the glory of God. Thus, one can be assured that throughout one can be assured that the authors are speaking about one God hence creating the unified coherence of the Bible. In the end, the Bible generates a consistent theme through which it narrates its stories and objectives.
Keeping in mind that most of the authors did not consult each other while writing their respective books gives an underlying reason for inspiration from God himself. The glory of God seems to be the central theme of the Bible as he has the power to do anything he wishes to do. While most scholars claim that God's glory is indicative of creative human instincts, it makes the Bible coherent and unifies the message from one script to the next. In the end, God does everything through man's obedience hence forming a stable relationship with the man and fulfilling his will without any significant hindrance. In the end, following God's terms and conditions sustains humanity. Also, man has a role to play in the bringing glory to God and ensuring that he lives according to the obligations and expectations God has placed on him.
References
Bible Acts 13.9, Genesis 17
Christian, B. (2017). The parable of the Master Teacher: Redemptive discipline and biblical metanarrative. TEACH Journal of Christian Education, 11(1), 4.
Dent, C. A. (2019). The Grand Narrative Worldview: A Narrative Inquiry into the Impact of Biblical Metanarrative Teaching in Liberty University’s School of Divinity Global Studies Program.
