THE KEY TO THE BIBLE, INSTRUCTOR - 2nd SESSION
GET
ACQUAINTED - Ask each participant to describe what he does for a living
and what he enjoys most about it.
Last time we
saw that the New Testament reveals Christ
at the center of all revelation. It has
been said that History is really "His story." The difficulty in finding Him in the Old
Testament is explained by the old expression, "Christ is in the Old
Testament concealed and in the New revealed." The whole OT anticipates the coming of Jesus
Christ and finds its fulfillment in Him.
His work in accomplishing redemption
is the pervasive theme of the Bible.
The history of redemption has recovery and restoration of the creation
as its ultimate goal.
What insights did you bring to share?
THIRD LESSON
8. When, where, and how was redemption
accomplished?
At the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus {having accomplished the work [the Father]
gave Me to do (Jn.17:4) >> It is finished
(Jn.19:28-30)}
Rom.4:25 Jesus our lord was delivered up for
our trespasses [substituted for us]
and raised for our justification [so we could be declared righteous].
2 Cor.5:21 It was for our sake that [God] made [Christ] to be sin for us [in our place, substitution] that in
Him we might become the righteousness of God
Explain the dilemma of how God can remain righteous and forgive
sin.
Rom.1:16-17,
The Gospel is the power of God to save people because in it the righteousness
[not salvation] of God has been
revealed. the righteousness of God has been revealed in the
Gospel
1:18, the wrath of God has been revealed
2:2, the judgment of God
2:3, there is no escape for the wicked
2:4, God has been showing kindness, forbearance,
and patience to lead us to repentance
2:5, instead of repenting, men have been
accumulating a backlog of guilt [reasons God is just
in condemning – we deserve His wrath]
2:6, God’s
justice renders to every person exactly what he deserves
3:9, all
men are sinners
3:19, the law confirms the guilt of every person
3:21-26 But now the righteousness
of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the law and the
prophets bear witness to it - the righteousness of God through faith in
Jesus Christ for all who believe. For
there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of
God, being justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that
is in Christ Jesus whom God put forward as a propitiation by His blood, to be
received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness [not mercy], because in His divine forbearance He had passed over former sins. (v.25)
Paul is arguing not only
that God delayed judgment of Old Testament believers by leaving previously
committed sins unpunished,* but also that He transferred their sins to
Jesus where they were punished and thus righteousness [justice] upheld. That is the core of
what the discussion of Abraham's justification in Rom.4 is about. It wasn’t just for Abraham’s
sake that God wrote ‘it was reckoned to him (Gen15:6),’ but for our
sakes also (those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead –
Him who was delivered up because of our transgressions and was raised for [the purpose of accomplishing] our justification). (Rom.4:23-25)
It was to show His righteousness [not
graciousness] at the present time,
so that He might be just [not
merciful] and the justifier
of the one who has faith in Jesus. (3:26)
{so that grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Rom.5:21)}
-----------------------------
* This is not the same thing as
described in Acts 17 where Paul in
What does Rom.3:26 have to do with the vindication [definition?] of God?
God
is vindicated when He is proven (found, shown) to be just, righteous, faithful,
true, correct, and right in His actions or words. His righteousness (etc.) is upheld and He is
cleared of suspicion and accusation (exonerated). He has not been found to be wrong (etc.), has
not been discredited or His reputation damaged so that we might have complete
trust and confidence in Him.
1 Tim.3:16 He was…vindicated
[justified, proven righteous] by the Spirit… [see Rom.1:4]
Jn.3:33 Whoever receives His [Jesus’] testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true.
Rom.3:4 Let god be true though everyone were a liar, as it is
written, ‘That You may be justified in Your
words, and prevail when You are judged’ (Ps.51:4b)
Isa.5:16 But the
Lord of hosts is exalted in justice, and the Holy God shows himself holy in righteousness.
Explain how God resolves the tension between judging sin and forgiving
the sinner.
2 Pt.1:1 To those who have obtained a faith
of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus
Christ [we expect the word "grace"
instead of "righteousness"] > 1 Jn.1:9
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just
to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. [we expect
"faithful and gracious"]
FOURTH LESSON > Hand out, Dealing with Language
What might be the purpose of exercise 9?
To give us a more complete
picture of Christ's accomplishment, like facets of a diamond.
9. Besides redeeming enslaved people,
glean from the verses below other things God has done for us through
Christ. Define the terms, using a
dictionary where needed [see Taxonomy,
Student session 1]. Try to find examples
illustrating the idea of each term in the Old Testament.
The use of paraphrases such as The New Living
Translation are not recommended for this exercise. NAS, ESV, and NKJ are recommended (see
Partial List of On-Line Resources, Student 2)
·
Select a student to solicit answers.
Mk.10:45 The Son of man…[came] to give His life a ransom
for many
1 Tim.2:6 He gave Himself a ransom for all [NLT - purchase freedom]
a.
Ransom - price paid to secure the release of a
captive. Redemption is liberation through forgiveness which is obtained by payment of a ransom
Ask, “What is the designation of
the one secured our release”? Redeemer
OT example? At the
Exodus, God judged everyone and bought [ransomed]
the firstborn males (representatives of the whole family and God's claim on
all) by taking the lamb in their place [substitution].
This was a demonstration of God's sovereignty - that judgment falls upon
all, Egyptians and Israelites, and that mercy was available to all. Ex.30:11-16, "when you take a census…each shall give a ransom [lit. atonement] for his life
to the Lord (v.12) the rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not
give less" (v.15). The
lesson of the Passover was that the sentence of death upon the firstborn was
put off [atonement - covered over for the time
being, a temporary measure until actual redemption was accomplished at the
cross] through the acceptance of a specific sacrifice is now expanded to
apply to the whole community. Later, God
took the Levites in place of the firstborn of
Hosea's ransom of his unfaithful wife (Hos.3:1-2)
served as an illustration of God’s ransom of unfaithful
·
What was our ransom price,
what determined it, and how was payment made?
Death is God’s just penalty for sin. Rom.6:23a the wages of sin is death
1
Pt.1:18-19 You were not ransomed
with perishable things such as silver and gold…but with the precious blood [life] of Christ [by His death], like that of a lamb
without blemish or spot [pure].
1 Pt.2:22-24 Christ suffered for us [how?]…[He] bore
our sins in His own body on the tree… [substitution]
{Lev.1:4, laying hands on the
sacrificial animal portrayed personal identification with the one taking the
penalty for my sin. Isa.53:5, with His stripes [welts], we are healed}
Titus 2:11 for the grace of God has appeared
bringing salvation for all people
Acts 28:28 this salvation from God is available to
the Gentiles
b. Salvation - describes our rescue,
our deliverance from sin and its ultimate consequence, eternal damnation
{Ask, “What do we
need to be saved from?”
1 Thes.1:10 the wrath to come
1
Thes.5:9, God has not destined
us for wrath, but [contrast] to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus
Christ.}
OT example? Ex.14:30; 15:2, (after God destroyed Pharaoh's army
in the sea) The Lord … has become my salvation from the song of Moses
{In the OT, to make atonement meant to cover. Atonement is used generally to
refer to the work of Christ that accomplishes our salvation.}
Rom.5:1 having been justified by faith, we have peace
with God through our Lord Jesus Christ [through
whom we have gained access into this grace in which we stand v.2]
Titus 3:7a having been justified by His grace [NLT - He declared us not guilty] we might become heirs having the hope of
eternal life v.7b
Rom.3:24 [all] are justified [fully] by His grace through the redemption that is in
Christ Jesus whom God set forth as a propitiation
by his blood v.25
c. Justified - declared to be righteous;
vindicated
OT example? Zech.3:1-4, a courtroom scene where Satan accuses Joshua the high
priest of unworthiness for the priesthood.
Col.1:20-22 He [Christ] reconciled all things to Himself by having made
peace [implies conflict] through the blood of His cross
2 Cor.5:19 "God reconciled the world [us] to himself"
d. Reconcile - to make
peace between two parties at odds with each other Reconciliation - restoration of a broken relationship.
OT example? Peace (or Fellowship) offering (Lev.3:1 NIV note; Beg.
at Mos.p.287), a communal meal depicting peace and fellowship between God and
man.
{Ask, “What happened when we
were reconciled to God”?
Our alienation from God was ended by removing
the cause - our sin, guilt, condemnation, Rom.5:1, we [now] have
peace with god
Rom.5:10, we were reconciled to God while we were enemies}
Heb.2:17 He had to be made like his brethren in all things in order
to become a merciful and faithful high priest … to make propitiation for
the sins of the people NIV - atonement NLT - a
sacrifice that would take away sins
1 Jn.4:9-10 the love of God was manifest in that God sent his
only begotten son into the world that we might live through him. God loved us and sent his son to be
the propitiation for our sins
{Lk.18:10-13
be propitious [not merciful] to me, the sinner [turn aside Your wrath from me even
though I deserve it and look favorably upon me even though I don’t deserve it]}
e. Propitiation - describes the satisfaction
of God's justice and appeasement of his anger [turning aside of His
wrath];
means whereby our sin is covered and remitted thereby turning aside God’s wrath
and restoring us to His favor (The God Who Is There, Carson, p.178-9)
OT example? Blood sprinkled on Mercy seat [lid
covering ark, lit. place of satisfaction] postponed God's wrath so He
could look upon the people with favor.
sacrificial goat offered on the Day of
Atonement (Beg. at Mos.p.291)
[speaking of one aspect that the OT sacrifices portrayed by
sprinkling their blood at the inauguration of the old covenant], [Moses] sprinkled with blood
both the tent and all the vessels used in worship. Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified
[cleansed] with
blood, and without the shedding of blood [death of
the sacrifice to appease the anger of God] there is
no forgiveness [cleansing] of sins (Heb.9:21-22)…[Christ] has appeared…to put away
sin by the sacrifice of Himself (v.26).
(Tit.2:14)
[Jesus Christ] who gave
Himself [His life] for us, to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify
for Himself a people for His own possession…
f. Expiation - the removal of the sin
and cleansing [purifying] of the guilty conscience
{Ps.38:4 My guilt has overwhelmed me like
a burden too heavy to bear NIV
Ps.103:12 As far as
the east is from the west, so far does He remove our
sins from us.} OT
example? scapegoat
freed on Day of Atonement
(Beg. at Mos.p.291).
·
Explain Isa.6:7b. Isaiah sees himself in
the light of God’s holiness as utterly unclean and undone. He describes the plight of all people as
having unclean lips. An angel touches
his lips with a burning coal from the altar, “your guilt is
taken away [expiation] and your sin is atoned
for [propitiation].”
·
Look up the hymn “Rock of Ages” and perform
an interpretive analysis of the first 2 verses.
Rock [figure of God in the OT
as a place of safety, Ps.18:2, here
referring to Christ] of Ages cleft [split open] for me, let me hide
myself [take refuge, Ex.33:21-22] in thee; let the water [for washing away the
stain and guilt of sin] and
the blood [for appeasing the wrath
of God], from Thy wounded side
that flowed [Jn.19:34], be of sin the double cure, save from wrath [propitiation] and make me pure [clean, expiation].
All the labors of my hands [no matter how hard I
try]
can’t fulfill Thy law’s demands [I fail, fall short]; could my zeal no
respite know [never
slacken or diminish], could my tears [of sorrow over my sin] forever flow, all [labors, zeal, tears] for sin could not
atone [make
up for my sin; make things right with God; save me]. Thou must save and Thou alone.
Acts 13:38 forgiveness of sins is preached through this man.
Col.2:13-14 He made you who were dead in your trespasses
and the uncircumcision of your flesh alive
together with Him, having forgiven all trespasses, having wiped out
the handwriting of requirements that was against us [ESV, canceling the record of debt], which was contrary to us.
And He has taken it out of the way [ESV, set it aside], having
nailed it to the cross.
{Micah 7:18-19 …pardoning iniquity…passing over
transgressions…He will tread our iniquities under foot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of
the sea. Heb.8:12 I will remember
their sins no more}
g. Forgiveness - remission of a debt or
offense; a grant of free pardon
OT example? Pictured by the scapegoat sent out into the wilderness
bearing and removing the sins and guilt of the nation (Lev.16:20-22).
Tit.3:5 [God] saved us according to His mercy by the washing of regeneration
[new genesis, origin, lineage] and renewal [new again, revival] of the Holy Spirit.
2 Cor.5:17 the one who is in Christ [condition] is a new creation
Col.2:13 He made us [the dead] alive with Christ having forgiven us
all our trespasses
{1 Cor.15:50 flesh and blood cannot inherit
the
Jn.1:12-13 to all who received Him [Jesus
Christ], who believed in His name [explanation], He gave the right [authorization, lawful entitlement] to become children of God, who were not born of blood [plural] nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but [by the will] of God.
Jn.3:1-8 you must [indicative
dei – it is necessary, required - stating a fact
rather than a command] be [or become] born again [or from above]
Jas.1:18 He brought us forth [gave birth to us] of His
own will that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures
1 Pt.1:3 …He has caused us to be born again [regenerated us] to a
living hope through [means] the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead}
h. Regeneration - rebirth; the work of
God that makes us new creatures, alive to God
OT example? Ez.36:26, "I will give you a new heart, and a new
spirit I will put within you." Ez.37:1-4 - valley of dry bones - read 37:4
note, ESV
·
Fill in the blanks with the words regeneration and faith and explain.
Regeneration
logically precedes faith. The dead cannot
believe.
See Approaching the Bible with Prejudice http://pop.eradman.com/
{Col.2:11-12 You
were circumcised in Him with a circumcision made without hands by
putting off the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ, having
been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him…
i. Circumcision - cutting away of
sin; undergoing a change of heart; separation to the household of faith. Circumcision in the flesh was (is) a type of regeneration
or circumcision of the heart.}
FIFTH
LESSON > go over handout, Dealing with
Language
·
{Ask, “What struck you in these lessons”?}
FURTHER STUDY "The Holiness of God," cassette by R.C.
Sproul;
What is the Gospel by Greg Gilberty; Justification by
Imputation http://pop.eradman.com/
Read Introduction and Chap.1 of RPCD - Chapters