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The Old Testament, Modern Teaching, and the Integrative Evidenced-Based Approach

The Old Testament, Modern Teaching, and the Integrative Evidenced-Based Approach

I recently watched a 17-minute video entitled What Does the Old Testament Have to Do with Curriculum by David I. Smith, Ph.D., author of On Christian Teaching. In this video, Dr. Smith explores lessons from the Old Testament that can be helpful in how we teach people today. He takes note of how the Hebrew Bible is divided into three parts:

The first part is known as the Torah, which means “Teaching,” and consists of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, which are also collectively known as the books of Moses or the Pentateuch.

The second part is known as the Prophets and includes the books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.

The third part is known as the Writings, the Psalms, or the Wisdom books and includes the books of Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Chronicles.

This division was also how the New Testament writers understood the Old Testament. Jesus said to His disciples after His resurrection:

This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms (Luke 24:44 NIV84, my emphasis).

But as a shorthand, they sometimes referred to the entire Old Testament canon by just saying the Law and the Prophets. Jesus, after affirming that the greatest commandment is to love God with one’s entire being and the second is to love our neighbor as ourselves, said:

All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments (Matthew 22:40 NIV84, my emphasis).

When Philip found Nathanael, he told him,

We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph (John 1:45 NIV84, my emphasis).

And sometimes they significantly abbreviated how they referred to the entire Old Testament by simply saying “the Law.” Here, Jesus uses both shorthand terms in one response:

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished (Matthew 5:17, 18 NIV84, my emphasis).

When Jesus says “the Law,” He is not restricting His comments to the Ten Commandments but is referring to the entire 39 books of the Old Testament. He is saying that everything in the Old Testament about the plan of salvation, from Genesis to Malachi, must be accomplished.

Elsewhere, Jesus used the term “Law” when referring only to the psalms, which is part of the Writings, demonstrating that the shorthand term “Law” was used for the entire Old Testament canon and not just the five books of Moses:

Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are gods’?” (John 10:34 NIV84; Jesus is referencing Psalm 82:6).

 

Bindings, Disruption, Discernment

So, we have seen that the Old Testament is divided into three parts: the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings. What is interesting about Dr. Smith’s presentation is that he presents the idea that these three sections of Scripture approach the revelation of truth—the way God teaches, the pedagogy of education—in three different ways. He suggests that:

  • The Law (five books of Moses) teaches through “bindings,” the instructions, the rules, what one is required to do.
  • The Prophets teach through “disruption,” the consequences of disobedience and God’s calling for people to return to obedience.
  • The Writings teach through “discernment,” looking at the lessons in the world, such as studying the ant or the lily of the field.

What struck me about Dr. Smith’s thesis is that this division of Scripture into three different methods of teaching the truth is describing the Integrative Evidenced-Based approach that we promote here at Come and Reason Ministries. Basically, it is teaching through the integration of the three threads of evidence that God has used to reveal truth to fallen humanity and through which our Creator teaches us reality. And those three threads are:

  • Scripture/divine revelation (2 Timothy 3:16)—which would correspond to the Law
  • Life’s experiences (Psalm 34:8; John 20:27)—which would correspond to the Prophets
  • Science/nature (Romans 1:20)—which would correspond to the Writings

The Law teaches through divine revelation—God-inspired direct revelation. For example, God revealed to Moses the truth of a literal six-day creation week followed by the Sabbath; the original sinless condition of humankind; the temptation, the fall, and the curse that fell upon the earth; the promised Messiah to redeem the fallen human race; the rebellion and the Flood; God’s plan for the entire world to be blessed through Abraham’s Seed (Jesus); the purpose of God for the Jewish nation to be His evangelists to prepare the world for the coming Messiah; and the teaching tool object lessons (e.g., the sanctuary) to act out the entire plan of salvation.

Through the Prophets, God teaches via life’s experiences—the exhortations, warnings, reproofs, promises, and pleas followed by reaping the real-life consequences of breaking trust with God, refusing to follow His directions, and rejecting His wisdom; but also the experiencing of the mercy, grace, and redemption for those who learn through the painful sojourn and return to God.

And in the Writings, God teaches through science and nature, observing the conflict between good and evil being fought across all aspects of creation. From contemplating how reality actually works to being inspired by the constancy of all of God’s laws, the reliability of His sustaining power, and the complexity of the interconnected systems of other-centered giving upon which all life is built.

But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds of the air, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea inform you (Job 12:7, 8 NIV84).

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands (Psalm 19:1 NIV84).

Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! (Proverbs 6:6 NIV84).

 

Three Divisions, One Message

God is the God of reality, the Creator, the builder of space, time, energy, matter, stars, planets, galaxies, and all living beings (Genesis 1; John 1:3). God is the sustainer of all reality (Colossians 1:17; Hebrews 1:3). And God’s laws are the protocols that reality functions and operates upon. Truth always leads us back to God, for God is the source of all truth. And all truth, when properly understood, reveals a perfect harmony between God’s revelations in Scripture, science, and our experiences in life.

Sin is transgression of the law—the deviation and violation of the protocols upon which God created life and health to operate. Thus, sin, the breaking of the laws of life, causes pain, suffering, and, unless remedied by our Creator, eternal death. This truth is revealed in Scripture (Romans 6:23; James 1:15; Galatians 6:8), demonstrated in science/nature; (e.g., tie a plastic bag over one’s head and break the law of respiration, the result is death.); and confirmed by life experiences. These eternal lessons, these eternal truths, are recorded for us by divine inspiration in the Old Testament—in the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings.

As God’s agents today, it is our responsibility to use His methods, to actively utilize the integrative evidence-based approach, to share eternal truths with others, to be lights shining in the darkness, teaching people how reality works, to become thinkers and not mere reflectors of other people’s thoughts, to become mature people “who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil” (Hebrews 5:14 NIV84), people who have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16) and who, like their Savior, can teach God’s eternal truths through Scripture (Law), life experiences (Prophets), and science/nature (Writings).

 

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I have been confused for years about what [christianity] calls [its] most disgusting teaching. It has never made much sense to me and for that reason has been evermore empty. I have listened to your class off and on and have struggled determining what is truth, because of the resistance design law encounters in the church. So, I thank God for your ministry. What you teach makes sense. It’s logical and backed up by the power of love. I have never seen that in Christ until now. I am astounded by the insight that is found when we look at God’s ministry through design law. All strength to this message, as I believe it to be the power of God.

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I am so pleased with the response your message is receiving at my church from the middle-aged to the young adults. I have given out 100 copies of the first two seminars and there are more request every week. One of my [class members] came to me after viewing the series, grateful and impressed with how easy the message was retained. He had been a Seventh-day Adventist in fear all his life, and felt like the scales were removed from his eyes after viewing the seminars. I am so impressed by the change I see in members who have received this message, we are in one accord. However, I am sadden by the negative response of the older people. I am verbally attacked anytime I talk about imposed laws, but I believe my mission is to enlightened everyone I can. I watch your Bible Study Class on YouTube every Friday night and I feel like I am apart of the class. All of you are in one accord and I am so blessed to have found you. I pray that all of you continue to spread this message and I am committed to doing my part.

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Testimony 34

I was introduced to Come and Reason Ministries by accident, via a passing comment made in a bible study class we were visiting. I checked this website out and my life was changed. The understanding of the truth of God’s character, and how we apply it, is so right. The tricky part is consistently applying which “lens” to look through. As I began to understand, I started sharing the basics of this understanding with a discussion group I was leading and, suddenly, a lot of things started to make sense that never used to. At the same time, I enjoyed an amazing opportunity. I was able to conduct a full bible study at WORK! What an amazing experience! It is such a joy to share the truth about God and to share how it all fits in the war between God and Satan. So many people benefit when we have a correct understanding about how God works and who He really is! Thank you for this transformational understanding. Keep up the good work! God Bless you!

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Thank you and may God continue to bless you as you share with others the intricacies of how we are all “fearfully and wonderfully made”. I must share that you have opened a whole new world to me, and I have found tremendous healing through what you have shared in two of your books, “Could It Be This Simple?” and “The God Shaped Brain.” I praise God for what you shared, what I have learned, and how I have grown and healed! My prayer is that My Precious Jesus will be seen by others in the way I live, act, talk, etc. and they may be encouraged to know He is truly a GREAT God of LOVE, desiring that no one should perish! God Bless you in your continued endeavors to present Him as He really is!

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I came into the church at 21, but that is as far as it went. I was so confused about what love is. I couldn’t find it in the bible, because I am not a person that can read between the lines. I have no logic. I have read many, many books; trying to figure out the crux of the matter. They were helpful, but something was still missing. I have become very frustrated to the point of crying out to God, “Where can I go?”  I needed some basics.

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Melissa L.

 

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After coming into contact with Come And Reason Ministries, I can finally say that many of my unanswered questions have fallen into place. I discovered that my view of God’s Law was “imposed laws and rules” with “imposed punishments” and that this was the major culprit of my many unanswered questions. Thanks be to God for using you and those around you to help us who have struggled with this “infection” of thought. I have now rejected the “imposed law” concept to fully embrace “Design Law”… to look thru “Design Law,” instead of “imposed law,” is a relief.

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Thank you for all of your work to correct misconceptions about God’s character. So many people that my husband and I have talked to seem to be against the natural law construct and view it as “errant” and “dangerous.” Having learned more about it through your blogs and lessons, I don’t really understand why they view it that way, except that it means they have to relearn theology they have known for their entire lives. But I’m so excited to relearn this. For the past few years I have been questioning how I could trust a God who punishes arbitrarily and is full of wrath for those who don’t obey His commands. That view made me afraid to “mess up” or “not be good enough,” even within my relationship with God. I really appreciated the point you bring out about God not wanting us to serve Him because we are afraid, but because we love Him.

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Testimony 70

I have been watching you for many years and have learned to love God with all my heart. I was raised by a loving Christian mother that had been lied to about who God really was, so our religious upbringing was hell fire and damnation. As soon as I was old enough and moved out, I not only left the church, I ran as fast as I could to get away from it. Sad to say, it wasn’t until the past couple of years that I learned and understand who my Father really is and how much He loves me. I understand God’s Design Laws (which make sense) and when I’m teaching my church Bible study class, I’m able to really put to use the things I’ve been learning and Holy Spirit is leading. Thank you for introducing me to my Father of true, pure love. Everyday with Him is new and exciting. One thing that breaks my heart is that I didn’t know Him sooner. God Bless you and your ministry!

Judy Phelps, Reno, NV, USA

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