The Goal of our Curriculum

The Goal of our Curriculum

If one looks at the 9-church epistles, from Romans to 2-Thessalonians, and consider it from a bird's eye view, one will see some incredible patterns of design and intricacy in its makeup. This can only have come about by the wisdom of God our Father who knows the end from the beginning and has planned all things out since the foundation of the world. Consider that Paul did not write the epistles in the order that we know them in the Bible today. Consider that Paul did not intend to have the epistles combine so intricately in content and topic. Paul simply wrote as the Holy Spirit inspired him, and to him, each epistle was a single letter with the necessary doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction, which that specific church required at that specific moment in time. Yet, when you study these 9-letters, it reveals a pattern of design that proves the hand of an all-wise and all-knowing God overseeing this incredible and valued compilation.

Paul provides us with the ultimate goal, or purpose, of the curriculum in Romans 16:25-26. It reads the following,

Rom.16:25-26  Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,  [26]  But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:

Though our curriculum is made up of the 9-church epistles, which together reveal Paul's gospel and the revelation of the mysteries of grace through Jesus Christ, it is interesting to note that Paul expands our learning to include the scriptures of the prophets. Why is this the case? Aren't the scriptures of the prophet's part of Israel's program and does not contain content that is directly addressed to us as grace believers. Yes, that is true. However, the intention here is that knowing the scriptures of the prophets will help us to better understand the nature of our curriculum and grasp the value and purpose of our dispensation, which works together with Israel's program in the context of the overall redemption plan of God for all of creation. Likewise, knowing our curriculum will put into perspective the value of each individual program, the scale of God's redemption plan, and His wisdom and power to orchestrate the entire process across both heaven and earth, Eph.1:9-10. If our knowledge does not include that of Israel, of the law, and of prophecy, we will only have half of the story and will have no idea that we are as inclusive and valued in God's salvific plan as Israel is in the rest of the bible.

Besides the fact that our doctrine is presented to us, as a curriculum, in the form of our gospel and the mysteries of grace, another thing to mention about the passage above is the way it ends. This doctrine, God's instructions for living the grace life, is set forth as the standard of faith that is to be acknowledged and obeyed by ALL nations. It reveals the principles to learn to walk according to the influence and love of the Spirit through a renewed mind and a humble heart, which was (and as it appears, still is) new and profound revelation, completely unknown before, having never been revealed to humanity until Paul.

The ultimate goal of this ‘new’ doctrine, for the student who studies it, is to transform them into a whole new creature which walks by principles of faith, which belong to a spiritual realm, and who's hope is in an invisible, heavenly kingdom. Ultimately, our doctrine, if studied correctly and in the right context, will move us from the outer man to the inner man, from relying on volatile feelings and emotions to standing stable upon the faith of the Word, and setting our sights from the temporal and visible to the eternal and invisible kingdom to which we have been called.

There is a power and authority in our curriculum that is available to everyone who chooses to study it, and submit to it, and show themselves approved unto God, 2Tim.2:15. By its principles a spiritual body of Christ is being formed, and by its revelation, the government of the heavens will be overthrown and set back in order through righteousness unto the glory and praise of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is a reason for its revelation, and it is set forth as a commandment from the everlasting God to make it known to all nations for the obedience of faith, Rom.16:26, until that Lord and Christ comes again.

In the next post I will dive into the letters that make up this curriculum and overview each letter by means of grouping and summarizing it by key classifications, key words, and key scriptures. again.