- Why did God send His Son into the world?
John 3:16-17: "For God so loved the world, that
he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but
have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world;
but that the world through him might be saved."
- Can we know we have eternal life?
John 5:24: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He
that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and
shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life."
1 John 5:11-13: "And this is the record, that
God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son
hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I
written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye
have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God."
[Further Study]
John 6:47 "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He
that believeth on me hath everlasting life."
- How has God made eternal life available?
Ephesians 2:8-9: "For by grace are ye saved
through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest
any man should boast."
1 John 5:4: "For whatsoever is born of God
overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our
faith."
- What is necessary If we are to receive the free gift of eternal life?
Matthew 18:3: "... Verily I say unto you, Except
ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of
heaven."
John 3:3: "Jesus answered and said unto him,
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom
of God."
- Can we make the change by ourselves?
Jeremiah 13:23: "Can the Ethiopian change his
skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil."
- The new birth process requires help from God. What does God do in the first step of
this birthing process?
Jeremiah 31:3: "The Lord hath appeared of old
unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with
lovingkindness have I drawn thee."
John 12:32: "And I, if I be lifted up from the
earth, will draw all men unto me."
- What should our response be?
Isaiah 45:22: "Look unto me, and be ye saved,
all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else."
Hebrews 12:25: "See that ye refuse not him that
speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall
not we escape, if we turn away from him (Christ) that speaketh from heaven."
- What is the next step on God's part?
John 16:8: "And when he is come, he will reprove
(convict) the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment."
Acts 2:36-37: "Therefore let all the house of
Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both
Lord and Christ. Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said
unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?"
- Once we are convicted of sin, what should our response be?
2 Chronicles 7:14: "If my people, which are
called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from
their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will
heal their land."
Jeremiah 3:13: "Only acknowledge thine iniquity,
that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to
the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the Lord."
- When we acknowledge our guilt and our need of His righteousness, what
does God give us?
Acts 5:30-31: "The God of our fathers raised up
Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with his right hand to
be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins."
Romans 2:4: "Or despisest thou the riches of his
goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God
leadeth thee to repentance?"
- What should our response be to this gift of repentance?
Proverbs 23:26: "My son, give me thine heart,
and let thine eyes observe my ways."
Proverbs 28:13: "He that covereth his sins
shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy."
- Now what can God do for us?
1 John 1:9: "If we confess our sins, he is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Romans 12:2: "And be not conformed to this
world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is
that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."
- What must we do in response to God forgiving and cleansing us?
John 1:29: "The next day John seeth Jesus coming
unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world."
John 3:14-17: "And as Moses lifted up the
serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world,
that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish,
but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world;
but that the world through him might be saved."
- God has forgiven and cleansed us; we believe and accept it. What is God's
next step?
Romans 1:16: "For I am not ashamed of the gospel
of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth..."
John 1:12: "But as many as received him, to them
gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name."
- Now how are we to live?
John 15:4-5: "Abide in me, and I in you. As the
branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except
ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in
him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing."
Galatians 2:20: "I am crucified with Christ:
nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live
in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."
- Now that we have Christ abiding In our hearts, Satan is still going to
tempt us. Has God made a way of escape when we are tempted?
1 Corinthians 10:13: "There hath no temptation
taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to
be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to
escape that ye may be able to bear it."
Isaiah 30:21: "And thine ears shall hear a word
behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and
when ye turn to the left."
- How do we take the way of escape?
James 4:7-8: "Submit yourselves therefore to God.
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to
you...."
Psalms 37:5: "Commit thy way unto the Lord;
trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass."
- Is temptation sin?
James 1:13-15: "Let no man say when he is
tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he
any man: but every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished,
bringeth forth death."
[Further Study]
2 Corinthians 10:5 "Casting down imaginations,
and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing
into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;"
There is no sin in having temptation (Hebrews 4:15); but sin comes when temptation
is yielded to.
Hebrews 4:15 "For we have not an high priest
which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points
tempted like as we are, yet without sin."
- By taking God's way of escape (James 4:7-8), what do we do with
temptation?
Proverbs 1:10: "My son, if sinners entice thee,
consent thou not."
- The first eleven verses of John 8 tell of a woman brought to Jesus who
had been caught in adultery. Did Jesus condemn her?
John 8:10-11: ". . Woman, where are those
thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto
her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more."
This passage does not sanction adultery, but shows that Jesus forgave
her and told her not to do it again. Jesus did not ask her to do the
impossible without supplying the power to obey.
- Is God's message the same to us today?
1 John 3:5-6: "And ye know that he (Christ) was
manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. Whosoever abideth in him sinneth
not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him."
1 Corinthians 15:34: "Awake to righteousness,
and sin not; . . ."
[Further Study]
Matthew 5:48 "Be ye therefore perfect, even as
your Father which is in heaven is perfect."
- What provision has God made should we slip and fall?
1 John 2:1: "My little children, these things
write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the
Father, Jesus Christ the righteous."
Sin separates our soul from God (Isaiah 59:2). The purpose of the
advocate is to give us another chance to be restored to God.
Isaiah 59:2 "But your iniquities have separated
between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not
hear."
- The promises God has given to keep us from falling back into sin are
numerous. Let us consider just a few of them:
1 John 5:4: "For whatsoever is born of God
overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith."
Jude 24: "Now unto him that is able to keep you
from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with
exceeding joy."
Philippians 4:13: "I can do all things through
Christ which strengtheneth me."
[Further Study]
Psalms 34:17,19 "The righteous cry, and the LORD
heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. . . . Many are the afflictions
of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all."
Isaiah 41:10 "Fear thou not; for I am with thee:
be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea,
I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness."
2 Corinthians 12:9 "And he said unto me, My
grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly
therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."
Philippians 2:13 "For it is God which worketh in
you both to will and to do of his good pleasure."
Hebrews 13:20-21 "Now the God of peace, that
brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through
the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his
will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to
whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen."
2 Peter 2:9 "The Lord knoweth how to deliver the
godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:"
"Do you ask, What shall I do to be saved? You must lay your preconceived
opinions, your hereditary and cultivated ideas, at the door of investigation.
If you search the Scriptures to vindicate your own opinions, you will
never reach the truth. Search in order to learn what the Lord says. If
conviction comes as you search, if you see that your cherished opinions
are not in harmony with the truth, do not misinterpret the truth in
order to suit your own belief, but accept the light given. Open mind and
heart that you may behold wondrous things out of God's word." Christ's Obect
Lessons, page 112.