Back to Bible Basics for Orthodox Christians Session 9

Back to Bible Basics for Orthodox Christians

Session 9 – The Bible as Story in History

Prayer before reading of the Holy Scriptures: Shine within our hearts, loving Master, the pure light of Your divine knowledge, and open the eyes of our minds that we may comprehend the message of Your Gospel. Instill in us also reverence for Your blessed commandments so that, having conquered sinful desires, we may pursue a spiritual life, thinking and doing all those things which are pleasing to You. For You, Christ our God, are the light of our souls and bodies, and to You we give glory, together with Your Father who is without beginning and Your all holy, good and life giving Spirit, always now and forever and to the ages of ages.

  1. Why do we study history?
    1. “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Philosopher George Santayana
    2. We read Holy Scripture as History to learn from the mistakes of the past, so we do not repeat their mistakes.
  2. Story 1 – The Fall of Adam and Eve (Genesis Chapter 3 OSB 6)
    1. The Mistake
      1. They engaged in dialogue with the devil
      2. They trusted someone’s ‘word’ against God’s Word
      3. They desired to please themselves rather than please God
      4. They didn’t take ownership of their mistakes
    2. The Lessons Learned
      1. We must avoid temptation
      2. Anyone who says God is wrong can’t be trusted
      3. We can’t always please ourselves
      4. We can’t hide from God
      5. When we fall, we must confess and take ownership of our mistakes
    3. The Result
      1. God allows us to suffer our choices
      2. God always has a plan for us to be redeemed
      3. God rescues us from ourselves
      4. God gives us another chance to ‘get it right’ the next time
  3. Story 2 – The Tower of Babel (Genesis 11.1-9 OSB 16)
    1. The Mistake
      1. They wanted to make a name for themselves
      2. THey wanted to take Heaven by their own hands
      3. They trusted a false union with each other over union with God
    2. The Lessons Learned
      1. Our reputation is meaningless if it excludes God
      2. Heaven is only received as a gift from God
      3. Our union with each other is incomplete without God
    3. The Result
      1. God forces us to turn to Him for entrance to Heaven
      2. God confuses our languages until the Holy Spirit comes
  4. Story 3 – The Betrayal of Christ by Judas (Matthew 26-27 OSB 1320)
    1. The Mistake – Part One
      1. Judas misunderstood the OT prophecies about the Messiah
      2. Judas uses his own logic to usher in the Messiah rather than God’s logic
      3. Judas misunderstood Christ after living with Him for three years
    2. The Lesson Learned – Part One
      1. We can’t trust our own interpretation of the Scriptures
      2. We can’t trust our logic over God’s logic unless we get out of our own way
      3. We can only truly know God through His Grace
    3. The Mistake – Part Two
      1. Judas aligned himself with the opposition to God
      2. Judas showed false love for God
      3. Judas was committed to the mistake despite Christ’s opportunities to change
    4. The Lesson Learned – Part Two
      1. Those who choose to align against God are betrayers
      2. False love doesn’t fool God
      3. There is always a chance to step back before committing sin
    5. The Mistake – Part Three
      1. Judas only realized his mistake after it was too late to turn back
      2. Judas allowed the unrepentant elites to ‘get in his head’
      3. Rather than asking God for forgiveness, Judas hanged himself
    6. The Lesson Learned – Part Three
      1. Don’t depend upon others for you to repent
      2. Those opposed to to God will always be opposed to God
      3. Never ‘take things into your own hands’ instead of repenting
    7. The Result
      1. The Church reminds us each year during Holy Week and Pascha about the mistakes and lessons learned SO THAT we finally learn them.
      2. God uses our mistakes and lessons learned for our salvation
      3. God allows our free will to determine our repentance