Scripture is compiled of many different stories. But the metanarrative of scripture can be understood in terms of creation, fall, redemption, and restoration. And this is a helpful framework for us to understand and interpret our story as well.
Creation speaks to the original goodness of everything God made, while the fall names the corrupting nature of sin – distorting this glory. Redemption points to the work of Jesus Christ reconciling us back to God. And restoration proclaims how all things are being made new.
All too often we have a very shortsighted view of our stories. Perhaps we can clearly name our sins, or the sins done against us, and these become the defining feature of our story. We’re Mr. Angry, Lustful, Adulterer, or the like. Or maybe we’re the abused, mistreated, and overlooked. To be fair, it’s generally easier to name the things not as they should be. But maturity calls for us to cultivate a larger perspective of our story.
While sin distorts God’s original goodness, it cannot create. As such, our origin story doesn’t start with the fall but with creation. This forces us then to contemplate the deeper truth beyond our particular sins and shortcomings. For instance, being prone to anger might speak to our noble calling to pursue justice, while a struggle with lust might reveal a deeper hunger and passion for life.
Of course, we can and should acknowledge the ways sin has perverted the original glory God has bestowed on us, but this doesn’t require us to deny this glory. Likewise, we humbly submit to Christ’s work of redemption in our lives. Not being defined by sin is not an excuse to then give way to pride – assuming we don’t need the blood of Christ to save us. All the same, while we remain a work in progress, we live with a confident hope – trusting and enjoying the many glimpses of restoration God brings into our story today.
We call God a liar when we don’t apply the fullness of his story to our own. Our personal story is best interpreted in light of the larger story he is telling.
