Key Bible Passage(s):

Gen.16:11 & 13; 18:1, 17(-33) & 19:24

Jn.1:1; Heb.1:1-4; Col.1:15-20

Tier 1:

It can be quite hard (especially for some who have been Christians for longer) to think of the Old Testament as a book about the God who is Trinity. But right from the opening verses of the Bible, the Living God reveals Himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. But realizing that this is the case is a critical first step in realizing that the Old Testament is an integral part of the Christian Scriptures. These books are the Scriptures that Jesus used to teach about Himself, and when we do we are simply following His example and that of the Apostles.

Tier 2:

This session revisits some of the material from our term on the Apostles’ Creed (sess.2) and gives people a chance to explore the text of the Old Testament to see the Trinity revealed there for themselves. It is a session that allows for an extended group discussion. This whole term is built on the Trinitarian foundations of the Old Testament and seek to interpret it in a way that is - like the New Testament - focused on the work of Christ; so it is worth spending some time in this session establishing this. This helps people see the intrinsic connection between Old and New Testaments in a way that underlines their immediate relevance to the Christian life of discipleship.

Tier 3:

There is a deep interconnectedness between creation and salvation (and new creation), and that is rooted in the common vision and purposes of God that run throughout the history of the Ages. The idea of progressive revelation (that God’s revealing of Himself is in stages, with the idea of the Trinity coming into play later in the New Testament) is both misplaced, and distorts our understanding of the Old Testament as well as our wider vision of history and discipleship. It further distances contemporary Christians from the larger part of the Bible, and creates an unnecessary alienation.

“Learn, then, O believer ,to love all the persons of the Divine Trinity alike. Remember that salvation is no more the work of one than of the other. They all three agree in one; and as in the creation they all said, ‘Let us make man;’ so in salvation they all say, ‘Let us save man;’ and each of them does so much of it that it is truly the work of each and undividedly the work of all”

C.H.Spurgeon

Discussion Groups:

Why do you think so many Christians struggle to make sense of the Old Testament? …or do you?

How do you think people were saved in the Old Testament?

Would you say the Old Testament is Christian Holy Book, or does it really belong to the Jewish religion?

How much do you think Old Testament saints understood about Jesus? Can you back up your answer from the Old Testament?

and later in the session:

What difference – if any - does it make to realise the OT is a Trinitarian book, and that Christians have always related to God as Trinity?

What do we lose if we think of ‘God’ in the Old Testament not in Trinitarian terms?

Is this how you read the OT?

When the OT talks about e.g. ‘the Lord’, how can you tell which Person is being referred to?  Does it matter whether you can tell or not?

How does relating to God as Trinity shape your experience of being a Christian? ... and of being part of the Church?

Homework:

Over this half-term we have been working to memorise Matthew 5:43-48. You will have to keep refreshing the rest of the Sermon on the Mount whilst you do this (except for Matt.6:1-4, which we’ll memorise next half-term).

(we’ll memorise the whole of the Sermon on the Mount over the next 3 years)

To Be A Christian: Q&A 25-34

Read Gen.11-50