As a primary guiding factor for humanity, the Bible is coherent and unified in nature. It is not just a typical assertion as the concept can be demonstrated through the major plot movements; Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration. The biblical narrative can be explained using the plot movements to show the unified and coherent nature of the Bible. For instance, the doctrines of mercy and nature of God can be examined using the four plots to demonstrate the relationship between God and humanity and also the unified and coherent nature of the scriptures. In this case, it can reveal the real character of God and His divinity.
Biblical Narrative
The major movement of the biblical narrative entails four major plots including creation, fall, redemption, and restoration with God as the main character. Creation involves the world being made by God to ensure human beings flourish and live peacefully by worshipping God through loving Him and each other. However, there was the fall whereby Adam and Eve challenged God's law over them, leading to both physical and spiritual death. Redemption followed where God turned the evil and suffering people caused into good to ensure His ultimate glory. Through redemption, God aimed at saving His world and liberating fallen sinners by sending us Jesus Christ. The magnificent narrative of the Scripture peaks through the death and resurrection of Jesus.
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Finally, the biblical story has r estoration, where God assures to renew the entire world, as the Bible gives people a peak into the glorious future. The restoration will occur in two ways; Christ will come back to judge sin and evil, and He will usher in righteousness and peace, while God will eradicate this world of evil at once. The significant movement of the biblical narrative works to ensure a proper understanding of the unity of the biblical books. This is because, despite the many topics and goals, the Bible exhibits a perfect internal consistency; it by no means challenges itself or its common theme from Genesis to Revelation.
Topic Example 1: Mercy
God created man and everything that he needed to survive, showing how merciful He is. Without other animals, the sun, nature, water, plants, and insects, the life of man on earth would be hard. Next, in Genesis 6, humanity betrays God by allowing Satan to use them; thus, they defy God’s instructions. In this case, human beings experience a fall since they chose to forget what God instructed them and followed what the enemy told them. As a result, they suffered a hard life. Markedly, this is not what God wanted of man; He desired happiness, comfort, and peace for him. Therefore, He did not give up since He gave his only begotten son, Jesus Christ, to redeem humanity from sin. The Bible provides that people should shun from sin, acknowledge that God is their creator, and turn back to Him. It is through his mercies that he gives man a second chance of living a good life He intended from the beginning. Lastly, the Bible highlights that humankind and the world will be restored. Jesus Christ will not only save sinners, but those that refuse to turn back to God will be punished. God’s mercy is evident in that he comes to restore the world and believes to ensure that they have eternal life free from sin.
Topic Example 2: Nature of God
First, in the Bible narrative, God’s nature comes out as purposeful through His creation of man and the entire world. Besides, He created other animals, the sun, nature, water, plants, and insects with a purpose. Secondly, the nature of God is depicted as just and forgiving when one falls ( Delio, 2017). All along in the Bible, God leaves humankind to make their decisions without interference. However, the word of God provides that humankind chooses voluntarily to follow the teaching of God or that of the enemy. It means that God is a deity being that offers second chances for humanity. Thirdly, the nature of God in redeeming the fallen is depicted as protective. Through the Bible, the angels of God are depicted as having the ability to send angels to protect and redeem those that have fallen (Jack et al., 2016). In this case, they are protected after being hurt or destroyed by the devil. Lastly, God’s nature is depicted in redemption as a God that wants the best for His humanity. Due to His immeasurable love for humankind, He sends angels to restore man after a period of hardship with the devil, "Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him, Matthew 4: 11. Elisha and job were also restored after turning away from sin.
Conclusion
The biblical narrative portrays the nature of God and mercy through the four plot movements, including creation, fall, redemption, and restoration with God as the main character. The biblical narrative ensures a proper understanding of the unity of the biblical books because despite the many topics and goals, the Bible exhibits a perfect internal consistency from Genesis to Revelation. In the doctrine of mercy, God is depicted as powerful during creation, patient when man had fallen, protective when redeeming him, and forgiving during restoration. On the other hand, the assessment of the doctrine of the nature of God shows that God is purposeful during creation, lenient during the fall, protective when redeeming humanity, and a God of significant love for humanity during restoration. Thus, the two doctrines show the characteristic of God, and his divinity through the four plot movements of the biblical narrative.
References
Delio, I. (2017). Is Natural Law, "Unnatural?" Exploring God and Nature Through Teilhard's Organic Theology. Theology and Science, 15(3), 276–288. Retrieved from http://sci-hub.tw/https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14746700.2017.1335063
Jack, A. I., Friedman, J. P., Boyatzis, R. E., & Taylor, S. N. (2016). Why Do You Believe in God? Relationships between Religious Belief, Analytic Thinking, Mentalizing, and Moral Concern . PLOS ONE, 11(3). Retrieved from http://sci-hub.tw/https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0149989
