a.    Humans: What does it mean to be made in God’s image (Imago Dei)? Who are the 3 main characters in the story?

A)    It means to be beings who reflect the moral, spiritual, and intellectual nature of God. Many characteristics of our character is what God is like; we are made for relationships. Imago Dei means image of God.

B)    Humans, God, and Lucifer

b.    God: What is His character? What accusations is God facing? What are His problems and solutions to those problems?

God’s character includes:

A)    1) Creator of ALL things

2) He is Love

3) He is Relational

4) He is holy (all-good, perfect, powerful, so good that He is dangerous)

Accusations God is facing include:

B)    1) God is not trustworthy

2) God is withholding truth & opportunity

3) God is too harsh

Humans see God this way:

1)    God is ABSENT: He created us & left

2)    God is CREEPY: He is creepy, always watching us to keep a track record of our good and bad deeds, and is solely a gift giver based on good works

3)    God is DESPOT: He rules with an iron fist always waiting for you to mess up so He can punish you

4)    God is PERMISSIVE: He doesn’t care; “do whatever you want to do”

C)   God’s problem:

1)    God’s relationship with His creation is corrupted/ shattered

a.    Human’s sinfulness cannot exist next to God’s Holiness

2)    God’s character is maligned (by Lucifer, and hence humans)

a.     Lucifer has accused God

God’s Solutions:

1)    God will send a “he” through the woman to “kill Satan/ Lucifer

2)    God will let sin run its course

3)    God will create covenants between Him and humankind

a.    One of God’s solutions to the relationship problem

b.    Covenant: A conditional agreement between 2 parties (if…, then…)

c.     Lucifer: What was his position in Heaven? What were his claims against God? What was God’s response to him and his rebellion?

A)    He was a covering cherub, right next to God’s throne. Lucifer was also the head musician, leading the choir in Heaven.

B)    1) God is not trustworthy

2) God is withholding truth & opportunity

3) God is too harsh

                           C) God would kill Satan and let sin “run its course”

 -God’s response to Satan and his rebellion was expelling/banishing him and his angels (who decided to join in his rebellion) from Heaven.

1.    List some common misconceptions about God.

A)    Common misconceptions about God (often seen by humans) include:

A.    God is ABSENT: Created us & left

B.    God is SANTA: He is creepy, always watching us to keep a track record of our good and bad deeds, and is solely a gift giver based on good works

C.    God is DESPOT: Rule with an iron fist; always waiting for you to mess up so He can punish you

D.    God is PERMISSIVE: “Do whatever you want to do” (doesn’t care)

2.    Covenants 

d.    What is the difference between a covenant and a promise?

A)    A covenant is a conditional agreement between 2 parties, while a promise is a unconditional agreement (no strings attached). A promise is a responsibility carried out for the other party; one-sided.

-Covenants have conditions and promises are unconditional (no strings attached)

e.    Describe the five basic covenants listed in the first part of scripture. 

A)    1)Abraham

2) Issac

3) Jacob (Israel)

4) 12 Sons: Judah, Joseph

5) Moses (Egypt; approx. 400 years)

f.      Describe the steps in ancient covenant making.  You’ll need to put them in order.

A)    1) Exchange coats/ robes

2) Trade belts

a. Belts were primarily where their money pouch and weapons were, symbolizing the promise of supporting and defending the other party.

3) Take an animal, kill, it, and cut it in half to remove the insides.    This makes a bloody path of animal sacrifices to walk through

4)    Cut palms and shake hands

5)    Trade Names (Add the name of the other individual to one’s permanent name, adding onto your current name)

6)    Make sure that the cut on your palm, scars (Further aggravate the wound; make sure it’s “permanent” as a reminder of the covenant)

7)    Read the terms together and agree to them

8)    Have a Feast to commemorate the covenant

9)    Plant a Tree

g.    What are the terms of the Abrahamic covenant?

A)    God’s Part:

1)    Make Abraham’s descendants into a great nation

2)    God will make Abraham’s name great

3)    God will bless or curse whoever blesses Abraham or curses him

4)    People on earth will be blessed through Abraham

B)    Abraham’s Part:

1)    Leave his country and go to the land God leads him to

h.    What are the terms of the Mosaic covenant?  What is the basis of obedience in that covenant?

God Will:

A)    1) Bring the Israelites to the promised land

2) Make Israel a great nation

3) Bless His people

                  Israelites Will:

B)    1) Fear God (high level of respect; high reverence/ knowledge of God)

2) Obey God (10 commandments are at the heart of this covenant)

3) Love God

4) Serve Him with all heart/ soul

i.      List the five levels/escalation of punishments.

A)    1) Disobedience

2) Continual/ willful disobedience

3) Rebellion

4) Ignore (complete ignorance)

5) Hostility (seeking to remove them)

j.      What does it mean to “fear” God?

A)    To “fear” God means to have a very high respect for Him or high reverence.

3.    Explain how to use a concordance.

A)    1)  First, to use a concordance, you first must know what you are trying to find, that is a phrase you know is in the Bible but you’re unsure of where it’s located, or a word’s specific meaning according to its context and the word it was originally written in before translations. If it’s a phrase, choose a specific word in the phrase, preferably a noun or verb and not a preposition or something similar. Then, flip to the section, which are divided by Alphabetical letters, which is the first letter of the word you’re looking for

2)    Once you find the word you’re looking for, the format goes as follows: the letter as a header, underneath the word is a row of headings: book, verse, context page, page number to the word in Hebrew/Greek. If you are looking for a specific verse, the verse column indicates the exact chapter and verse that the word/ phrase is found in the book.

3)    Next is the context phrase, which is a small quotation of the word being used in the Bible verse, showing the context in which the word is being used.

4)     Something to note, though, is that the concordance dictionary (usually in the back of the concordance) is split into 2 parts: Greek and Hebrew words. So, if you were wanting to find the original word for the word you looked for/found, then look at the page number, and see if it is italicized or normal. If the page number is italicized, then look to the Greek dictionary. If it is normal, then look to the Hebrew which also includes Aramaic, though very little) section. You can also see if the word is used in the old or New Testament this way (Hebrew = Old testament; Greek = New testament).

5)    Lastly, if you find this symbol, “:-“ it means that anything after this symbol it is not the definition of the word but another translation.