Complete Bible Framework

David and Bathsheba. Grace is the corollary of sorrow and death. Either there is grace, sorrow, and death or there is no grace and, instead, judgment. A big sin is usually preceded by small sins. Historically, outside of Israel there was no developed sense of sin. The essence of sin is that all sin is against God and is between He and us. God preserves the Davidic dynasty against the sins of men. Questions and answers.

The Creator-creature distinction compared with the continuity of being idea found in all paganism. The theory of evolution did not begin with Darwin, but was always inclusive in paganism. In paganism, there is no sovereign person over the entire universe. David fulfilled a king-priest model. Combined in Jesus Christ are king, priest, and sacrifice. The Davidic Covenant. In paganism, the gods receive. In the Bible, God gives in grace. Questions and answers.

David gives us a model of what leadership in the kingdom of God should look like. The theology of kingship. The contrast of two dynasties (Saul and David). A godly king compared with a secular, pagan king (David and Esarhaddon). Questions and answers.

The first historical accounts of any significance are in the Bible. History has a pattern to it. It’s moving somewhere. The secular, pagan view of a king compared with God’s view. The king’s role, in Israel, was to obey the Law. The prophets were agents of God calling Israel back to loyalty to the covenant. An evil prayer answered with tragic results. Questions and answers.

Matching biblical events with biblical doctrines. On a non-biblical basis, evil is necessary for existence. The Bible is very historically oriented and not just a “religious story.” Society collapsed during the day of the judges. Debate over the monarchy of Israel. God’s Word limits political authority. Questions and answers.

The concept of the Biblical Framework; avoids seeing the Bible as a collection of disconnected stories; connects biblical truths with actual history; and views all biblical truths as interconnected. The Bible is a unique library of many books and letters, written by many different authors in many different life situations. Yet it has an internal coherence. The kingdom of man contrasted with the kingdom of God: foundations, goals, beginnings, ethics, and leadership. Review of sanctification.

Summary of past lessons. Applying the Bible Framework. In the exodus story, blood atonement separated the damned from the saved. Our personal experience is too flimsy a foundation to cope with life. Handel’s treatment of Exodus chapter 15.

Using the Framework to sharpen a biblical view of civilization. The existence of one Christian is a threat to the pagan world because it speaks of the end times. The prayers of God the Holy Spirit on our behalf. The process and aim of experiential sanctification. The justification for the ethics of “holy war”. The imprecatory psalms and imprecatory prayers. Questions and answers.

Comparing pagan and biblical approaches to problem solving. The means of sanctification. Both legalism and licentiousness distort law and grace. Emotions and feelings must be in subjection to the revealed will of God. If we eliminate God’s grace, we eliminate the necessity to rely upon Him and, subsequently, gratitude. Questions and answers.

The phases of sanctification. The believer’s experience (experiential sanctification) is controlled by and depends on his position (positional sanctification) in the elect plan of God (Example: Israel). Jesus Christ went through an experiential sanctification process, though without sin. The aim of experiential sanctification is developing a trust and obedience to God the Father. Experiential sanctification can proceed in good days and bad.

The geography of the Holy Land as it relates to conquest and settlement. The curse on he who rebuilds Jericho. When we think biblically, we must think in terms of the whole Bible. Grace is not a permanent feature of the plan of God. The ethics of common grace do not imply permanent tolerance of evil. Joshua and the wars of conquest must be considered within the whole Biblical Framework. Questions and answers.

The essential core difference between faith and unbelief. Holy war. The examples of Ruth and Rahab argue for the fairness of God and against the unbelief of their time in Canaan. God honors private obedience, not public righteousness. Questions and answers.

Setting personal and historical events into a larger picture. God is both infinite and personal in His nature. The universe was not created with evil in it. In biblical Christianity, evil has boundaries. In paganism, evil has no beginning and no end. We should be motivated by gratitude for what God has done for us.

Associating Scripture with the big problems of life. The grandeur of civilization does not fulfill the needs of man’s heart. Genocide, intolerance, and an aversion to peaceful coexistence were commanded by God during the conquest and settlement period. Great truths from the Mount Sinai covenant-breaking event. To submit to God, people must have a circumcised heart. It does not come naturally. For sinful people to abide in fellowship with God, there must be an intercessor. Holy war, in the Old Testament, is a preview of the wrath of God at the final end of world history. Questions and answers.

Characteristics of revelation (continued). When man creates his own gods, he’s defining his own reality. The Bible insists that the source for values, ethics, and law must be God. Revelation is comprehensive. When God speaks His revelation, He speaks to all areas of life. Revelation is prophetic. Christianity has over fourteen centuries of prophets (beginning with Moses), all basically saying the same thing. No other religion (paganism) can claim that. The relationship between inspiration and revelation. The inerrancy of Scripture. The Bible, not the church is the authority.

Apart from the Scriptures, there is no absolute reference point for values, ethics, and law. The Mosaic Law’s object was to address the heart then, secondarily, social behavior. The free grace and lordship salvation views. Characteristics of revelation. Revelation is verbal, not a feeling. Revelation is personal, a message from a personal God. Revelation does not happen all the time. Questions and answers.

The Mount Sinai event was public revelation. The Mosaic Law is defined in terms of a personal relationship. The biblical view versus the pagan view of values, ethics, and law. In a sinless environment, it was essential for God to define things. How much more in a fallen environment. Fallen man, at the deepest level, is insecure because he knows he’s offensive to God. How the Pharisees bureaucratized the Law. Paganism always seesaws between legalism and licentiousness. Free grace versus lordship salvation. Questions and answers.

Connecting major events of the Bible with events in your life. The exodus is a counterpart to pagan revolution. At Mount Sinai, all the people heard God speaking. Suzerain-vassal treaty form. The prophets did not introduce new, revolutionary ideas. They, instead, went back to the ideas of Moses. The outline of Israel’s national history (cursing and blessing). The biblical view versus the pagan view of values, ethics, and law. “If society were it’s own moral authority (the determiner of right and wrong), there would be no room for reformers.” Questions and answers.

The events of the exodus and the giving of the Law to Israel at Mount Sinai. The role of the Law in the Old Testament. God’s Father/son relationship with Israel. The uniqueness of the Old Testament Law code format is that it includes personal exhortation. Questions and answers.

The exodus comes very close to defining what salvation is all about. God is always gracious before He judges. All of God’s judgments perfectly discriminate. In God’s judgments, salvation is always appropriated by faith. Salvation is not complete until both body and spirit are saved. Features of the resurrection body. Redemption, propitiation, and reconciliation. With God you cannot lose! If you are against God, you cannot win! Questions and answers.