From Faith to Freedom

Course Purpose

Beginning with the need for salvation

Outlining the progressive nature of salvation through development of the Law to the arrival of the promised one, to his completion of the work, to His second coming, to the establishment of the New Heaven and New Earth

The Goal in Objective Terms

Each participant will be able to discuss the process by which God revealed His plan to mankind in the varying points within history

Our Process

Each participant will need to read the prescribed reading in order to keep up with the pace of the class

Read in the translation of your choice, highlight, underline, mark...whatever you must do to

Suggest YouVersion or any application that will allow you do make notes in a retrievable way

It also allows choice of translation--we will be moving quickly

We will understand this from the “Young Earth” perspective, the earth being 6000-7000 years old

We will consider the “ages” as commonly understood: stone, bronze, iron...just as a helpful tool, not carved in stone science

Stone age: Pre-history to about 2000 BC

Bronze age: about 2000-800 BC

Iron age: about 800-45 AD (corresponds to Roman Conquest of Brittain

That from https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/downloadableresource2stoneagecompressed-1pdf/261516677

Some scholars believe--I would agree--that these ages are relative to the time after Noah’s flood

Understanding the Pentateuch

Genesis is the account of the beginning of man to the beginning of Israel

Exodus recounts Israel leaving Egypt

Leviticus, the gives the details of the law

Numbers, “in the wilderness…” the continual failings of Jews and the continual rescue by God

Deuteronomy is the second telling of the Law—because we are now dealing with a new generation

Understanding the other Histories

Joshua, the conquest of the promised land

Judges, when Israel had no king and everyone did what was right in their own eyes

The books of Samuel, Kings and Chronicles; outline the development of the monarchy, the divided kingdom and the fall to captivity

Ezra, Nehemiah, and Haggai, the return of the exiles from Babylon

Lesson 1 Creation to Captivity

The Primacy of God

Gen. 1&2

1:1:  In the beginning GOD

Elohim—plural; but takes a singular verb

1:2 : Spirit of God moved, plus Jn. 1 placing Christ as the active agent; good example of the trinity

God existed before time; created time; exists outside the confines of time

God created man and set him over creation—the order of creation is outlined in chapter 1; the account of man begins in chapter 2

The Problem of Sin

Chapters 3-7

Account of the fall

Interesting that Adam and Eve had personal communion with God; yet chose to trust a stranger and question their creator

God did not create a robot; but gave mankind a will to choose

Man chose poorly—still does

A Holy God had to deal with the violation of sin

First example of “substitutionary atonement”

God provides garments made of animal hides which required a death—shed blood

Sparing Adam and Eve (for the moment)

If He had taken their lives then, the story would have ended there

Ultimate substitution would be Christ’s death on the cross

Part of the plan

This is justification, not changing the fact; but the way God looks upon it

The Plan of God

John W. Peterson said it very well in a song:

In the image of God, we were made long ago,  with the purpose divine, here His glory to show.  But we failed Him one day, and like sheep went astray.  Thinking not of the cost, we His likeness had lost.  But from eternity God had in mind,  The work of Calvary the lost to find.  From His heaven so broad, Christ came down earth to trod,  so that men might live again in the image of God. 

He laid out a series of people and events to culminate with the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus: Son of God/Son of Man

For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. (1Co 15:21 ESV)

Our ultimate destiny being the Eternal Kingdom—New Heaven and New Earth

 The time from Adam to the Flood

The story is only told of specific people

All descend from Adam and Eve

Cain and Abel, brother kills brother; chap. 4

The population increases 4-8

Wickedness increases; chap. 6

He saves a remnant by way of Noah and his family

The rest of the population was destroyed

Covenant in 8:20

The line of Shem leads to the line of the Jewish people Semites)

Population builds again, attempts to build to reach God, Chap. 11

Build a tower; God confuses the language and causes the scattering of the people

Contrary to the original command of God to populate the earth, they wanted to stay as a unit

The Patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob

Though the account follows only this line, the book of Job most likely describes events in this same period

Abram (Abraham) is called from Ur of the Chaldees; chap. 12

Historical clues that he may have been a wealthy man of a wealthy family

Est. birth, 2166 BC

          Responded to God’s call

Left all that he knew, went to a new place

In doing this, he gave up all rights to inheritance

Promised descendants

Thought God let him down, fell into local cultural norms, Ishmael born to a slave girl

Covenant of circumcision (mark of God’s people) chap. 15

Saga of Sodom and Gomorrah chap 17-19

Isaac was born to Sara, a result of the promise, chap. 21-22

2066 BC

Obeyed the command to sacrifice his only son

2050 BC

Trusted God this time unlike before

Heb. 11…Abraham believed God….

Though other children were born to Abram note 25:11

After the death of Abraham, God blessed Isaac his son. 

We may not always see the blessings in our time

Isaac and Rebecca; chap. 24

          They produce Jacob and Esau, chap. 25

 2006 BC

Jacob was promised the blessing, but felt he had to trick his father to get it—and did so (note 25:23, older/younger)

God made a promise to Isaac, 26:1-5, much as to Abraham

Jacob—flees his brother’s presence, works 7 years for a wife; but gets tricked out of her; works another 7 to get the one he wanted (name means the supplant, ambush)

God renames him Israel

He wrestles with an angel chap. 32

His offspring would become the 12 tribes of Israel;

Joseph—the spoiled kid with the coat of many colors, chap. 37

Born 1915 BC

Seized by his brothers and sold into slavery

Ended up in Egypt, falsely imprisoned, released after telling Pharaoh his dream, chap. 41

Entrusted with the wealth and future of all Egypt, saving it from famine

Brothers came begging for food

Joseph messes with them a bit

Jacob and entire family came to Egypt to live

1876 BC

The oppression in Egypt begins; Ex. 1:1-14

Key verse and key point—regarding the plan

50:20a: As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good….

All this the beginning of the “mystery” that Paul spoke about in Ephesians

          Something hidden or not fully known to man