If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. 2 Cor 5:17
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Go to the source! Discover what the Bible says about …
These pages are designed to aid study or investigation for Christian discipleship through individual Bible study, Cell groups, Home groups, or meeting one to one. The questions could be used alone allowing each person to use their own Bible.
Introduction
God loves us and desires to receive us. What is more He has done everything to make this possible. This is not as trivial as it might sound. We do not start off in a good place with Him.
Bible Zone
- Issues to face - We need to come to terms with how God sees us.
- Empty way of life - The emptiness of our lives is a serious issue.
- Curse of law - Trying to do good we fail our own standards let alone God’s.
- Power of sin - Just try and be good for a week and see if you are really free.
- Holy God - God cannot accept people while issues are unaddressed.
- Judgement time - There is a consequence to not addressing the issues.
- God’s desire to save - God is not content to leave us in this place of death.
- Jesus dies for sins - Jesus’ death resolves the issues for those who trust Him.
- Receiving salvation - We need to take steps to get right with God.
How could God accept me? Life has brought challenges and I know I have failed. Not just failed, but badly failed. If I can’t accept myself how could anyone else? The Bible speaks to the condition of our hearts from many angles. The following are a few -
Some look back to a golden age, others to the bright hope of the future. In our day many look for fulfilment through adventure. God sees things a little differently.
- How is life among people described?
- How serious an issue is this to God?
- What hope does God offer here?
1 Peter 1: 18 For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver.19 It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.
Many people attempt to validate their lives by being good. They seek to live up to some standard. The Bible describes this as living under law - whatever the source of the rule.
- What success does God see in those trying to reach Him through rules?
- How serious an issue is this to God?
- What hope does God offer here?
Galatians 3: 10 But those who depend on the law to make them right with God are under his curse, for the Scriptures say, "Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the commands that are written in God's Book of the Law."*11 So it is clear that no one can be made right with God by trying to keep the law. For the Scriptures say, "It is through faith that a righteous person has life."*12 This way of faith is very different from the way of law, which says, "It is through obeying the law that a person has life."*
13 But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."
Addicts believe themselves to be free until they try and stop. People believe themselves to be free until they try and do what is right, then they discover that they are under a power that controls them. In modern parlance we look at our past to justify ourselves. The Lord describes things a little differently -
- What is the nature of the power people find themselves to be under?
- How serious an issue is this?
- What hope does God offer here?
- If you don’t believe this, try an experiment - do what you believe to be right for a whole week without a single slip.
Romans 6: 16 Don't you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living.17 Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you.18 Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living.
19 Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy.
20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right.21 And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom.22 But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life.23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
God is Holy. If we refuse to renounce our evil ways, then He cannot associate with us. If He did, then He would become like us through association. See how the Bible puts this in Joshua 24.
- What does Joshua say are the consequences of our not being holy?
- What does Joshua think are the chances of our sorting ourselves out?
Joshua 24:19 Then Joshua warned the people, "You are not able to serve the LORD, for he is a holy and jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins.
At the end of our lives there is a judgement; the Lord evaluates how we have done. Those who have chosen Him and His way go to Heaven with Him, those who have not go to Hell.
- How are we evaluated at the end of life?
- What are the consequences of being wrong with God?
Revelation 20: 11 And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide.12 I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God's throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books.13 The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave* gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds.14 Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death.15 And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.
The Lord who loves us is quite clear about His attitude to this doom that awaits people. We see this in 1 Timothy 2:2-4 and 2 Peter 3:9
- What is God’s desire as far as those who face judgement?
- What is mentioned as contributing to people’s salvation from judgement?
1 Timothy 2: 2 Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.3 This is good and pleases God our Savior,4 who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.
2 Peter 3:9 9 The Lord isn't really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.
Not only does God have a desire to avert tragedy for us, He has also acted to make this salvation possible. We read this in Colossians 1
- What are the causes of separation from God?
- What evidence do you see of these causes in yourself?
- How has God overcome the separation?
- How do we enter into this new relationship?
Colossians 1: 21 This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions.22 Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.
23 But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don't drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as God's servant to proclaim it.
God has done all the work for our salvation. He has done this through Jesus’ death on the cross. The Lord will not inflict this life on anyone however. In order to gain this life, we need to receive it. The life is received through faith. To understand how we actually go about this, go to the next page - Getting right with God.
At some point this life with God has to become personal. There are two ways of approaching God that have been developed over the centuries.
One is a gradual development as we walk through life with Him. It is less certain, yet has the advantage of a developing relationship. - The following links points to an explanation.
The second way is more direct. We can approach God in a very clear way and our lives are changed forever. The following link points to an illustration that could help you through such a decision. -
Page appears in Beginnings titled -
ACCEPTED BY GOD
