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Lesson OneIntroduction to the Old Testament6 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson TwoOld Testament: Beginnings Through Settlement5 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson ThreeOld Testament: Kings Through Exile5 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson FourIntroduction to the New Testament6 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson FiveNew Testament: The Gospels and Acts5 Activities1 Assessment
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Lesson SixNew Testament: Letters and Revelation5 Activities1 Assessment
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Course Wrap-UpCourse Completion1 Activity1 Assessment
Participants 749
Discussion Questions
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What are some reasons one should study the Old Testament?
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To understand God better and to understand how the Old Testament points to Jesus and the New Testament.
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The Old Testament provides a framework and setup of how God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit created the world and cultivated a path of redemption after the fall. Likewise, it provides a myriad of the traits of God, cultural contexts, themes that are echoed into the New Testament, and an overall story of God’s mercy and grace upon His people and His redemption plan for us.
Likewise, the Old Testament sets up the New Testament in such a way that provides full, multi-faceted context that reveals the heart and mission of God through Jesus Christ. Without it, we wouldn’t be able to see the consistency of the character and heart of God, and the continual themes repeated that all lead up to the birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus.
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The Old Testament is very relevant to us today. First of all, it’s the truths of GOD, by GOD. I feel that the word “story” in the minds of some, relate to fiction, fables, and myths. The occurrences, as told in the Bible, as a whole are TRUTHS .
The Old Testament tells of GOD’S Sovereignty, Mercy, Grace and Love for His people, His children. It’s full of truths, lessons, wisdoms and rich history, for us to learn from. Although it tells of things that happened thousands of years ago, it’s about our ancestors. People who lived in very different places than us, at a very different time as we do. It’s still relatable, because as different as the cultures, times, and places were, the experiences are still the same. We experience the same inner and outer struggles, battles and emotions, physically, mentally, and spiritually, as they did. We also experience the same Mercy, Grace and Love of the Father as they did.
They say that history repeats itself. Sometimes, repetition is not all it’s cracked up to be. I believe this book is a book of history with great warnings, lessons and messages on how not to repeat the negative, unholy occurrences, but how to live in relationship with GOD, therefore getting a glimpse of His Will, and not leaning on our own thoughts and “wisdoms”, to handle a situation.
There is so much meat in the Old Testament. I feel that if we read it a thousand times over, we would find new knowledge, truth, or wisdom, sometimes small and seemingly insignificant tidbits, and sometimes major revelation, each and every time.
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We should study Old Testament to gain understanding of God’s character. Old Testament provides foundation of how God operates. We learn that from the stories about people who trust God, so we see the way God works through them.
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I think it’s important to study the Old Testament to gain knowledge and understanding of who we are, individually and collectively as humanity, but more importantly to understand who God truly is.
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Why would a lack of knowledge of the Old Testament weaken our understanding of the New Testament?
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Because it is the building blocks of the New Testament
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Because it answers the questions about our origin, what is salvation and what is our destiny
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Without the understanding of the OT, the NT is foundationless. The weight of Jesus Christ is enhanced when we undertand the story begins with the beginning of time as we know it. We see God remaining true in the OT so we know He will remain true with the promises of the NT as well.
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Lack of Old Testament understanding might hamper New Testament comprehension.
New Testament writers frequently cited the Old Testament. Understanding the Old Testament’s history, principles, and stories helps understand the NT.
Matt, Mark, Luke, and John often quote Old Testament prophecies and events. This helps us understand Jesus’s life, teachings, and mission. Many Old Testament prophecies foretell the Messiah. The New Testament believes Jesus fulfilled these prophecies. Jesus’s Bethlehem birth (Micah 5:2) and Isaiah 53’s suffering servant may be missed without the Old Testament.
The Mosaic Law and Covenant given to Moses in the Old Testament is crucial to understanding the New Testament. Love, grace, and forgiveness are key to Jesus’ Law teachings. On the Mount (Matthew 5-7) connects Old Testament legalism to greater righteousness. Old Testament patterns and symbolism foreshadow Jesus’s life and mission.
The Passover lamb, Ark of the Covenant, and High Priest foreshadow Jesus as God’s sacrificial Lamb, presence, and last High Priest. New Testament writers use contextual interpretation to assume their audience knows Old Testament passages. Without Old Testament context, New Testament verses may be misinterpreted. Working through the Old Testament helps us comprehend the New Testament’s message, ideas, and theology. Considering both testaments improves understanding of God’s redemption. -
we wouldn’t understand the requirement of a sacrifice for forgiveness of sins or the promise of a Savior
