Know: Outline the foundation for understanding redemption and justification by faith in the Old Testament.
Feel: Sense the sorrow and agony of the curse of separation from the Father that Christ endured for our sake.
Do: Accept and appreciate the depths of Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf, and, in faith, ask for His righteousness to forgive our sins and cover us.
Learning Outline
Know: Redemption in the Old Testament
How was the theme of Redemption illustrated throughout the Old Testament in the sacrificial system?
What Old Testament stories develop the theme of a Substitute bearing a tragic cost in order to save others?
Feel: He Bore Our Curse
Why did God go to so much trouble to illustrate the substitutionary death of Christ long before Christ ever came to this earth?
Why is it critical for us to identify with Christ’s humiliation and shame in the arrest, accusations, nakedness, and sense of abandonment from the Crucifixion?
Do: Accepting the Cost
The Old Testament sacrificial system was a daily physical reminder of the costs Christ bore on our behalf. How do we keep these images fresh today?
What do we need to do to share in Christ’s death and, by faith, accept His gift of life?
Summary: Through the sacrificial system, the Old Testament illustrated the terrible cost of sin and the offering of a perfect substitute to take the place of the sinner in death.
Learning Cycle
STEP 1—Motivate
Key Concept for Spiritual Growth: Faith in Christ alone is what makes us sons and daughters of God.
Just for Teachers: In this lesson teachers are encouraged to follow Paul’s example in Galatians 3 in presenting and pursuing thought exercises that encourage and assist the class in breaking out of the pervasive thought that our works save us. We are asked to reorient our minds continually to focus on the astonishing concept that grace through faith in Christ alone saves us.
In Galatians we find an interesting paradox: Paul, a man trained in the law, deploys his considerable persuasive reasoning skills to argue that faith, not logic or reason, is what connects us to God.
Discuss With the Class: Ask the class to honestly assess the degree to which they can relate to the Galatians. The Galatians may be called “foolish,” but we live in a time in history that defines “truth” as that which can be empirically known through logical reasoning, tested hypotheses, evidence from statistical analysis, and so on. How do we share in the Galatians’ struggle to step out in faith and believe in something and Someone we cannot “prove” outside of our own experience?
STEP 2—Explore
Just for Teachers: The story of Abraham is familiar to us all. Yet, our very familiarity with this story also poses the biggest barrier to encountering it as if for the first time and feeling astounded by its audacity: both in the impossibility (from a human perspective) of God’s promises to Abraham and also in the concurrent epic struggle of faith revealed through Abraham’s life. This lesson is an opportunity to rediscover the story of Abraham, which has the potential to function as a script for how to live a life of absolute faith and trust in God.
Bible Commentary
Knowing we are saved by grace through faith in Christ should make Abraham’s story a touchstone for each of us, a tool to reorient ourselves to living faith-centered lives. According to Paul’s letter to the Galatians, Abraham’s story provides a timeless blueprint for faith.
Three salient aspects of that story will help us to focus on what it means to live a life of faith.
Delve into the details of what the Bible tells us about (a) how God reveals Himself to Abraham, (b) the progressive nature of God’s promises to Abraham, and (c) the journey of Abraham in living a life centered on the belief in God’s promise. If critiqued by any standard other than faith (e.g., reason, human experience, etc.), that journey appears downright ludicrous.
I. The Three Lessons of Faith That the Story of Abraham Teaches (Review with your class Genesis 12:1–8, 13:14–18, 15:1–10.)
Implicit in Paul’s use of Abraham as the singular example of true faith is the idea that this is a possibility for all of us. Indeed, not just a possibility, but something that God longs to engage in with each of us. The story of Abraham helps us learn about how to engage with God in a personal faith journey in which God can reveal Himself, His promises, and His expressed desire for each one of us.
Three Teachable Moments: The Bible says that God spoke to Abraham (Gen. 12:1, 4; 13:14), appeared to Abraham (Gen. 12:7), and came to Abraham in a vision (Gen. 15:1). In these passages we find the methods of revelation, the increasing progression of information revealed, and also Abraham’s struggle to accept the astonishing promises he was given.
The central and critical element revealed in Abraham’s story about living the life of faith is that it is more than just belief in God; it is a relationship with God. Faith is an opening of your mind and heart to have a personal relationship with the Divine. It is being open to the idea that God speaks to each one of us in ways that we are best equipped to hear, whether through nature, counsel, signs, dreams— however He chooses to communicate with us. It is a journey and relationship that may defy human logic and expectations and cannot be authenticated by scientific reasoning, rationale, or the shared learning of human experience.
We find in Abraham’s story that, over time, God reveals increasingly specific information about His promise. Initially, God promises land and descendants, content that grows in specificity over time, soon resulting in knowledge that Abraham will be the father of a son born to Sarah. We can ask many questions regarding this story, which may guide us in our efforts to live a life of faith: (1) What does Abraham’s story demonstrate about continuing revelation? (2) Why do you think that God’s promises are revealed piecemeal over time?
God’s promise that Abraham will be a father of a great nation born of a son through his wife whose womb has long since lost its reproductive capacity defies human logic and reason. Yet, Abraham has the audacity to believe. Most of the time, anyway. We see our own experiences in faith through Abraham’s life. As the years wear on, Abraham struggles. He makes bad decisions that are not the result of faith. For example, he lies to Pharaoh about his relationship with Sarah, because of his fear of dying despite God’s promise that he would live to be the father of a great nation. Furthermore, he takes matters into his own hands by conceiving a son with Hagar. He interrogates God’s promises when it seems to him that God is all talk and no action. In this element of the story, there is great hope for us. Despite all of these “failings,” Paul cites Abraham as the stellar example of faith. We can take a lot of courage from this, knowing that we are called to keep returning to faith, even after we struggle and fail.
Consider This: The first aspect to focus on in the story is the dynamic between God and Abraham. What can we learn from Abraham about being open to God’s voice? The second aspect of interest is the progressive way in which God reveals Himself and His promises to Abraham. We can see clearly that God’s promises to Abraham grow in specificity and content over time. What might this show us about living a life of faith in relationship to God? The third teachable moment and element in this story is the witness of Abraham’s life in living with God’s promises. What can we learn about Abraham’s openness to believe, which seemed equally matched by his struggle to believe? After all, he was given something which, when looked at from a rational or dispassionate perspective, would be foolhardy if not impossible to believe.
STEP 3—Apply
Just for Teachers: Emphasize the simple but profound truth that faith is more than a one-time acceptance of God. Our affirmation of God is just walking through the open door; the rest of faith constitutes the lifetime of living with God in a relationship of faith.
Thought Questions:
In addition to reading Scripture and praying, what practices do you employ to cultivate listening to God’s voice? How does God reveal His will and His unique promises for your life? When was the last time you felt the distinct voice of God in your heart or mind? What enabled you to follow through with what you heard?
In your spiritual community, do you spend enough time sharing about individual faith journeys? What methods can be used to affirm and encourage each other to engage more directly with God in a relationship of faith?
Application Questions:
What can be done to create actual “communities of faith”—safe harbors to affirm that God speaks to all of us in many different ways? How can we affirm that, just as God knows the number of hairs on our heads, so He has plans for each of our lives that He is waiting to reveal to us if we are willing to embark on a faith odyssey with Him?
STEP 4—Create
Just for Teachers: Faith is an initial leap into the unknown for us, but our heavenly Father promises to catch us in His holy arms. Imagine being held in His arms, as a newborn to faith. Now continue the metaphor of growth in faith by comparing it to the growth of a child. God’s invitation to make that first leap comes with a promise that He will give us a lifetime of opportunities to grow in a special relationship to Him.
If you are feeling the absence of a meaningful faith practice, resolve to spend at least one evening during the following week doing something new to cultivate your faith experience. Ask God to open your heart to the ways He is already speaking to you, which you perhaps are missing.
If you feel deeply enriched in your own spiritual faith walk, resolve to step out in service as a mentor or support to others in your circle of friends, family, and faith community. Ask for inspiration and God’s leading about how your experience best might serve His purposes to strengthen the faith of others.
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Key Text: Galatians 3:13
The Student Will
Learning Outline
Summary: Through the sacrificial system, the Old Testament illustrated the terrible cost of sin and the offering of a perfect substitute to take the place of the sinner in death.
Learning Cycle
STEP 1—Motivate
Key Concept for Spiritual Growth: Faith in Christ alone is what makes us sons and daughters of God.
Just for Teachers: In this lesson teachers are encouraged to follow Paul’s example in Galatians 3 in presenting and pursuing thought exercises that encourage and assist the class in breaking out of the pervasive thought that our works save us. We are asked to reorient our minds continually to focus on the astonishing concept that grace through faith in Christ alone saves us.
In Galatians we find an interesting paradox: Paul, a man trained in the law, deploys his considerable persuasive reasoning skills to argue that faith, not logic or reason, is what connects us to God.
Discuss With the Class: Ask the class to honestly assess the degree to which they can relate to the Galatians. The Galatians may be called “foolish,” but we live in a time in history that defines “truth” as that which can be empirically known through logical reasoning, tested hypotheses, evidence from statistical analysis, and so on. How do we share in the Galatians’ struggle to step out in faith and believe in something and Someone we cannot “prove” outside of our own experience?
STEP 2—Explore
Just for Teachers: The story of Abraham is familiar to us all. Yet, our very familiarity with this story also poses the biggest barrier to encountering it as if for the first time and feeling astounded by its audacity: both in the impossibility (from a human perspective) of God’s promises to Abraham and also in the concurrent epic struggle of faith revealed through Abraham’s life. This lesson is an opportunity to rediscover the story of Abraham, which has the potential to function as a script for how to live a life of absolute faith and trust in God.
Bible Commentary
Knowing we are saved by grace through faith in Christ should make Abraham’s story a touchstone for each of us, a tool to reorient ourselves to living faith-centered lives. According to Paul’s letter to the Galatians, Abraham’s story provides a timeless blueprint for faith.
Three salient aspects of that story will help us to focus on what it means to live a life of faith.
Delve into the details of what the Bible tells us about (a) how God reveals Himself to Abraham, (b) the progressive nature of God’s promises to Abraham, and (c) the journey of Abraham in living a life centered on the belief in God’s promise. If critiqued by any standard other than faith (e.g., reason, human experience, etc.), that journey appears downright ludicrous.
I. The Three Lessons of Faith That the Story of Abraham Teaches (Review with your class Genesis 12:1–8, 13:14–18, 15:1–10.)
Implicit in Paul’s use of Abraham as the singular example of true faith is the idea that this is a possibility for all of us. Indeed, not just a possibility, but something that God longs to engage in with each of us. The story of Abraham helps us learn about how to engage with God in a personal faith journey in which God can reveal Himself, His promises, and His expressed desire for each one of us.
Three Teachable Moments: The Bible says that God spoke to Abraham (Gen. 12:1, 4; 13:14), appeared to Abraham (Gen. 12:7), and came to Abraham in a vision (Gen. 15:1). In these passages we find the methods of revelation, the increasing progression of information revealed, and also Abraham’s struggle to accept the astonishing promises he was given.
Consider This: The first aspect to focus on in the story is the dynamic between God and Abraham. What can we learn from Abraham about being open to God’s voice? The second aspect of interest is the progressive way in which God reveals Himself and His promises to Abraham. We can see clearly that God’s promises to Abraham grow in specificity and content over time. What might this show us about living a life of faith in relationship to God? The third teachable moment and element in this story is the witness of Abraham’s life in living with God’s promises. What can we learn about Abraham’s openness to believe, which seemed equally matched by his struggle to believe? After all, he was given something which, when looked at from a rational or dispassionate perspective, would be foolhardy if not impossible to believe.
STEP 3—Apply
Just for Teachers: Emphasize the simple but profound truth that faith is more than a one-time acceptance of God. Our affirmation of God is just walking through the open door; the rest of faith constitutes the lifetime of living with God in a relationship of faith.
Thought Questions:
Application Questions:
What can be done to create actual “communities of faith”—safe harbors to affirm that God speaks to all of us in many different ways? How can we affirm that, just as God knows the number of hairs on our heads, so He has plans for each of our lives that He is waiting to reveal to us if we are willing to embark on a faith odyssey with Him?
STEP 4—Create
Just for Teachers: Faith is an initial leap into the unknown for us, but our heavenly Father promises to catch us in His holy arms. Imagine being held in His arms, as a newborn to faith. Now continue the metaphor of growth in faith by comparing it to the growth of a child. God’s invitation to make that first leap comes with a promise that He will give us a lifetime of opportunities to grow in a special relationship to Him.