This session has not been translated into your language yet, so it is shown in English.

Challenges to Application

1. CONNECT

   10min
   In our last session, we discussed how Paul clearly saw the Old Testament as relevant to our lives today. In this session, we’ll consider how to rightly apply the Old Testament to modern times. Applying the Old Testament today poses a number of challenges. Overcoming these challenges will help us avoid mishandling these Scriptures and keep us from missing the mark as we apply them.

2. Reflection

   Most of us have heard lessons and sermons from Old Testament texts, but have you ever wondered how the teacher or pastor came to their conclusions? How did they discern the right way to apply the Old Testament in the modern world? Three essential considerations always come into play when we rightly handle Old Testament passages. Before we apply any Old Testament text, we must first discern the meaning of the text for the original audience, explore the historical developments that took place in the Bible, and then determine what these developments mean for our world today.

3. Guiding Question

   God gave us his Word for all time, so why should we care about the people who first heard it or the historical developments in the Bible before we try to apply it to our lives today?

4. WATCH

   15min

5. DISCUSS

   15min
   1. How does understanding a text’s original meaning (the impact it was designed to have on those who first received it) help us avoid reading our own modern beliefs into the Bible?
   2. Explain the following statement: “Biblical faith does not represent a series of different faiths or religions. It represents one faith that matured organically over thousands of years throughout the Old and New Testaments.”
   3. Consider the organic growth of the biblical theme of sacrifices in worship outlined below:
      1. Abraham made animal sacrifices at many altars.
      2. Moses commanded animal sacrifices at the Tabernacle.
      3. Solomon performed animal sacrifices at the Temple.
      4. Israelite worship became so corrupt that God allowed the Temple’s destruction.
      5. Jesus accomplished our perfect and final sacrifice.

   What developments do you see? Can you add one or two more steps? What can Christians learn about worship today from biblical teachings about worship in earlier stages of biblical history?

6. APPLY

   15min
   1. In 1 Corinthians 10:11, Paul wrote that Old Testament Scriptures were “written down for our instruction.” How do his words remind us that the Old Testament was not simply written for ancient Israelites who first received it, but for us too?
   2. After watching this lesson, how would you approach a passage from the Old Testament in order to apply it today? Explain each step you would take and the purpose of each step. What dangers do we face if we neglect any of these steps?

7. CHALLENGE

   Take some time to write down how a major theme in the Old Testament developed in biblical history so that you can see how it applies today. Finish with a time of prayer.