Introduction
The continuity of a book’s plot, characters, and the environment from the beginning to the finish of the book is a good indicator of how well the work holds together. Considering that a religious text is a work used to form a religious belief, it is vital to apply cohesiveness when reading holy books. The Bible, which has sixty-six books, is Christianity’s most important written work. Within the Bible, there are four primary story and narrative arcs. The Bible has several interconnected stories, the most important of which are “Creation,” “Fall,” “Redemption,” and “New Creation,” and the material that comprises the Biblical metanarrative helps in illustrating how these stories fit together (Cozens & Ochs, 2019). The significance of faith and sanctification in each of the four plot phases shows the oneness included in the Biblical narratives. By reading the story of the Bible, one can understand our purpose and the nature of God, which was evident from the start of creation, man’s fall, redemption, and restoration. Therefore, this essay will demonstrate the understanding of the coherent and unified nature of the Bible and the theological doctrines.
Being able to live and serve one’s religious beliefs and the scriptures is just as vital as understanding the unity of the scriptures themselves. Christian unity is crucial because it encourages the majority of believers to follow the teachings rather than indulge in sin and serve their interests (Cozens & Ochs, 2019). Christians who want to serve God better should be familiar with the biblical concept of oneness. Christ, the everlasting Son of God, is the sole protagonist of the Bible. The primary idea here is that Jesus Christ is the one who redeems and returns everything to its source.
Major Events
Covenants
The Old Testament Covenants and the New Testament Gospels are in the Bible. According to the readings, the Old Testament can be described as “loving God and loving people.” However, Jesus seems to be telling the religious leaders of his day that they do not need to know everything about God. If they do not love God, all of their knowledge is worthless.” The Covenants and Gospels are first brought together in this document (Cozens & Ochs, 2019). There are many similarities between the Old and the New Testament covenants and gospels, respectively, but they are not mutually exclusive. The Holy Spirit’s inspiration and recognition of God can be found. People of God in the Old Testament hoped for a Messiah who would save them; in the New Testament, they read of a Messiah who served and sacrificed for all of God’s creation.
A few of the first promises made by God to his creation were the Old Testament Covenants, such as those with Adam, Noah, and Abraham. Personal agreements were formed with everyone by God when he created the world and humans. Here we go: Adam and Eve received everything from God, save for one item. Eve reneged on their agreement because of God’s free will and Satan’s ability to exploit that. He then determined to punish all of Adam and Eve’s children, such as the difficulty of childbirth as an example, by punishing them (Cozens & Ochs, 2019). Despite this, as recorded in Genesis 3:15, Eve was aware of the Messiah’s impending arrival. He will crush your head while you strike his heel (Du Toit, 2018). “And I will create hatred between you and the lady and between your progeny and hers,” he says.
Moving on in the Bible’s Old Testament, God recognized that his creation had devolved into evil and no longer represented his original vision. Still, Noah and his family were saved by God. Once Noah had built an ark and loaded it up with his family and two of each animal species he had created, God sent a flood over all of creation to precipitate a fall and begin rebuilding his vision with those he had chosen (Cozens & Ochs, 2019). In addition, Abraham and his wife, who could not have children, were promised a child by God as long as they obeyed God and his commands. It can be seen that Abraham obeyed all of his Lord’s commands, including the mandate to kill his son, by studying the historical record. As promised, Sarah became pregnant at a late age and gave birth to a son, fulfilling God’s promise. Even though they only knew the Messiah would come to their offspring through their bloodline, God’s promises to them through their covenants gave them hope for a new world.
Creation
The book of Genesis can be summarized using the Hebrew word shalom, which means peace. In the beginning, there was complete peace on earth brought about by God, and his plans were being carried out just as he had envisioned them (Cozens & Ochs, 2019). In that world, people were supposed to be happy and prosperous, and they were supposed to worship the maker by loving one another and the creator. As a result, they were supposed to remain in eternal joy together. According to Genesis 1:27, working with people is equivalent to working with God, a natural consequence of being made in God’s image.
As God’s creation, human beings are rational since human beings are products of his reasoning (Gen. 1:26). Since God created both males and females, humans are depicted in twos in Genesis 1:27. Humankind shares a bond with other living things and is the source of all life. Adam and God both contributed to giving animals names (Cozens & Ochs, 2019). God appears to Adam and Eve in the cool of the evening (Gen 3:8). Because humankind all works together, people should care about one another. All relationships are founded on the foundation of God’s love, which flows from God, his son Jesus, and His Holy Spirit. As a result of God’s love for us, everything he does is for our good. This shows that human beings can have a personal relationship with God because they were formed in His image, and thus genuine love is possible.
Conclusion
To correctly interpret the Bible, one must first grasp the book’s overall theme and God’s mission. Taking what one has learned to the Word is an excellent way to see if it is accurate. Sometimes, individuals misinterpret the Scriptures because they do not consider their historical, literary, and religious backgrounds and their context with other Scriptures. God’s message of love is expressed via the restoration and salvation of His people through Jesus Christ, according to the teachings of the Bible. Unless it can be verified that the message is in line with the learning, it cannot be taken as true without more examination and study. In 1 Corinthians 14:34, an example of a misinterpretation can be found. Used to demonstrate a bias against the Bible and claim that women are mistreated and not equal to males, this Scripture is cited.
References
Cozens, S., & Ochs, C. (2019). “Have You No Shame?” An Overlooked Theological Category as Interpretive Key in Genesis 3. Journal of Theological Interpretation, 13(2), 186-199.
Du Toit, P. L. G. (2018). ‘This generation’ in Matthew 24: 34 as a timeless, spiritual generation akin to Genesis 3: 15. Verbum et Ecclesia, 39(1), 1-9.