GOD'S PLAN OF SALVATION

Lesson 1 -- GETTING FAMILIAR WITH THE BIBLE

You will need a Bible with both the Old and New Testaments.

THE OLD TESTAMENT --

The Old Testament has 39 books. The first 17 books (GENESIS to ESTHER) tell one complete story. It is the history of the Jewish people, from their beginning with Abraham (about 2,000 BC) to a period of their history known as the 'restoration' (about 400 BC).

It is an interesting history. After describing their early years of slow growth through Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Jacob's 12 sons (GENESIS), the history continues with the story of Moses, who helps free the Jews from Egyptian slavery and gives them God's law ( EXODUS to DEUTERONOMY).

After the death of Moses, JOSHUA leads the Jews into the promised land, where they live under the leadership of JUDGES (Samson, SAMUEL, and others). About 1,000 BC, the Jews begin to be ruled by KINGS (Saul, David, Solomon). After Solomon's reign, the Jews are divided into two kingdoms: the northern kingdom (Israel) and the southern kingdom (Judah). Israel is soon destroyed by Assyria. Judah is later taken captive by Babylon but is 'restored' to their homeland about 70 years later.

It is during this period of the kings that the rest of the Old Testament is written. These are the books of Poetry ( JOB to the SONG OF SOLOMON) and Prophecy ( ISAIAH to MALACHI).

During all of the Old Testament story, one sad fact becomes plain. The people continually sin against God.

THE NEW TESTAMENT --

The New Testament begins with the story of Jesus. MATTHEW, MARK, LUKE, and JOHN give four different accounts of his life, from his miraculous birth to his death and resurrection. It is the story of Jesus which makes the Bible so special. He is willing to forgive our sins and give us eternal life.

Before He ascended back to heaven, Jesus commanded His apostles to preach this good news to the world. The book of ACTS records some of their work.  The rest of the New Testament (ROMANS to REVELATION) contains letters written to churches and individuals instructing them how to live.

Now answer the following questions:
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QUESTIONS on Lesson 1 --

1. God promised Abraham three things (Gen. 12): 1) he would become a great nation, 2) his descendants would be given the land of Canaan, and 3) all nations of the earth would be blessed through him. Two of these promises were fulfilled in the Old Testament. One was not. Which one was not?
(Read Exod. 1:7, Josh. 24:13, Gal. 3:28-29).

2. A "testament" is a covenant, or contract, between two parties. Who were the two parties of the OLD testament?
(Read Exod. 24:3-8)

3. Who are the two parties of the NEW testament?
(Read Rom. 10:12-13)

4. When God established the NEW testament, what did He do with the OLD testament? (Col. 2:13-14, Gal. 3:24-25)

5. Which testament (or, covenant) is better? (Heb. 8:6-7)

6. Why is it better? (Heb. 8:12)

7. Since we are not under the OLD testament, why should we study it? (Rom. 15:4, I Cor. 10:11, II Tim. 3:15)

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Lesson 2 -- WHY THE BIBLE IS OUR ONLY AUTHORITY

WHAT IS AUTHORITY? --

Authority is sometimes defined as "the right to rule". It might also be described as "the right to tell someone else what to do". Who has that right?

WHO HAS AUTHORITY? --

The Bible makes this plain from the very first. "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." Anyone with the power to create heaven and earth certainly has the right to direct it!

But God does not speak directly to each of us (Heb. 1:1-2). How then can we know His will for us? Jesus helps us toward the answer. He said, "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth" (Matt. 28:18). Who gave Jesus this power or authority? The only One who has it to give: His Father!

But Jesus is in heaven and does not speak directly to us either. Yet the night before he was crucified, Jesus made a special promise to his apostles. He told them that, after he had gone, he would send them the Holy Spirit. He promised them that the Holy Spirit would guide them "into all truth" (John 16:5-14).

Later, those apostles began to teach and preach Since they received the message by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they were actually teaching and preaching the will of God (I Cor. 2:10-13). Even their writings were directed by the Spirit of God, and are therefore the very Word of God (Eph. 3:1-5). These are the writings we call the New Testament. The Old Testament was written in a similar fashion, and is therefore also the very Word of God (2 Pet. 1:20-21). This is why we accept the Bible as our only authority. The following chart summarizes this "chain of authority":

GOD --> JESUS --> HOLY SPIRIT --> APOSTLES --> BIBLE

DOES ANYONE ELSE HAVE AUTHORITY? --

Parents, government and others have authority. But, they do so only because God (through the Bible) has given them that authority (Rom. 13:1).

Now answer the following questions:
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QUESTIONS on Lesson 2 --

1. What did Paul say would happen to those who preached a message different from the gospel? (Gal. 1:8-9)

2. If a preacher claims that an angel from God told him to preach a different message, should he be believed?

3. What did Jesus say about those who follow their traditions instead of the commandments of God? (Mk. 7:7-9)

4. What did Jesus say about those who follow the teachings of their parents instead of Jesus? (Matt. 10:34-37)

5. A preacher who uses a dynamic speaking ability INSTEAD OF the word of God to gather a following, is using what kind of allurement? (2 Pet. 2:18)

6. Some preachers use more human philosophy than scripture in their sermons. What does God think about the use of human wisdom? (I Cor. 1:18-24)

7. Many people believe that if they do not violate their conscience, they are pleasing to God. Did Paul have a good conscience when he persecuted Christians? (Acts 26:9)

8. Read the following scripture: Prov. 14:12.  Is it possible to think we are right, when we are wrong?

9. Some people believe that God will be pleased if we simply perform many "good works" in the name of Jesus. Those who ignore the will of God in order to do these "good works" will face what sentence on judgment day? (Matt. 7:21-23)

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Lesson 3 -- WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED?

AN IMPORTANT QUESTION --

One day we will all die. We will also stand in judgment for how we have lived our lives (Heb. 9:27, 2 Cor. 5:10). Such facts should sober us. They should also make us think about what we must do to be saved on that day.

THE BIBLE HAS THE ANSWER --

As with all the important questions of life, the Bible gives us the answer.  The book of ROMANS especially deals with this question of salvation.

Paul begins the letter by pointing out that all mankind is guilty of sin, and therefore in need of salvation (chapters 1 and 2). He then announces that God has provided for the forgiveness of those sins by the blood of Jesus. He also states that we must have faith in Jesus if we hope to gain that forgiveness (chapter 3).

In chapter 4, Paul illustrates this concept by pointing out that even Abraham was not able to earn his salvation by perfect obedience (boastful works). In chapter 5, he lists several advantages of being justified by faith and forgiveness rather than by perfect obedience.

In chapters 6 and 7, Paul addresses a very important point. If we are justified by faith and forgiveness, does this mean that we can sin as much as we want? The answer is 'no'. In these chapters, Paul strongly declares that salvation involves more than faith. After being baptized (6:4), we must "walk in newness of life" (6:4). We must obey "from the heart" (6:17), and we must "serve" (7:6). Toward the end of the book (chapters 12-16), he
goes into more detail describing these kinds of works.

Finally, in chapter 8, Paul reveals that we must walk "after the Spirit".  This simply means that we must be "spiritually minded" (8:6). There is nothing mysterious about this. Note how he describes it. We are "in Christ Jesus" (8:1), but Christ is also in us (8:10). In the same way, we are "in the Spirit" (8:9), but the Spirit is also in us (8:11). These expressions
are not referring to physical location. Rather, they beautifully describe the relationship between God and the one who has surrendered his mind to God's will.

Chapters 9-11 record Paul's special appeal to his Jewish brethren to receive this wonderful blessing of salvation from God.

Now answer the following questions:
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QUESTIONS on Lesson 3 --

1. Do we play a role in our own salvation? (Phil. 2:12)

2. What will be the end result of those who do not believe in Jesus? (John 8:24)

3. Can we be justified by faith alone? (James 2:24)

4. What KIND of works was Paul describing in Romans 4:2? (see also Eph. 2:8-9)

5. What kind of works does God require? (Eph. 2:10)

6. Those who allow God to lead their life will be led to do a number of things. For example, the goodness of God leads us to ________________.(Romans 2:4).

7. Fill in the blanks (from Romans 10:10) -- "For with the heart man ___________________unto ________________ and with the mouth _________ is made unto ____________.

8. According to Romans 6:3, what brings us into contact with the death (or blood) of Jesus?

9. According to Mark 16:16, who will be saved?

10. Read I John 1:7-9. According to this apostle, what TWO things must a Christian do to maintain a right relationship with God?

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Lesson 4 -- WHICH CHURCH DO I JOIN?

After a person becomes a child of God, one of the first questions that must be addressed is which church to join. The answer to this question depends on several considerations.

DEFINITION OF "CHURCH" --

The word "church" is used in at least two different ways in the Bible. It sometimes refers to the "one body" of Christ (Eph. 4:4, Eph. 1:22-23). This is the one church which Jesus had promised to build (Matt. 16:18). No one actually "joins" this church. When a person responds in faith to the gospel message by repenting and being baptized (Acts 2:38), the Lord adds him to His church (Acts 2:47).

However, the word "church" is used in another sense. The book of Revelation, for example, is addressed to "the seven churches which are in Asia" (Rev. 1:4). The letters to the Corinthians are addressed to the church at Corinth (I Cor. 1:2, 2 Cor. 1:1). Galatians is addressed to the "churches of Galatia" (Gal. 1:2). These churches were local groups of
Christians in the various cities.

THE REASON FOR JOINING A CHURCH --

While no one can "join" the one body of Christ (Acts 2:47), we do need to "join" a local church. Saul of Tarsus, for example, tried to "join" the church at Jerusalem soon after he was converted (Acts 9:26). He saw the need for such an association.

Christians are not to be "forsaking the assembling of ourselves together".  The reason for this is that we need to be "exhorting one another" (Heb. 10:25). NO Christian is so strong that he can survive long without the encouragement of other Christians. In God's wisdom, He established the local church arrangement to provide that encouragement.

WHICH CHURCH TO JOIN --

Not every local "church" is recognized by God. He removes the "candlestick" of unfaithful churches (Rev. 2:5). False teachers abound, and they lead many people astray (2 Pet. 2:1-3). Paul prophesied of an apostasy (2 Thess. 2:1-3). How can we be sure to avoid all this? The apostle John gives us the answer. We need to "try the spirits" (I John 4;1). This is done by comparing the teachings and practices of local churches to the pure Word of God.

Now answer the following questions:
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QUESTIONS on Lesson 4 --

1. ORGANIZATION: What offices did the church at Philippi have? (Phil. 1:1)

2. ORGANIZATION: Does the Bible give us any idea of the qualifications for these offices? (I Tim. 3:1-7,8-13)

3. WORK: Members of local churches often combined their funds to accomplish certain works (I Cor. 16:1-2). They helped Paul in his work of _____________________ (Phil.
4:15-18). They also took up collections for poor _________ (Rom. 15:25-26).

4. WORK: Paul reminded Christians that assemblies were NOT for the purpose of ___________________ (I Cor. 11:22).

5. NAME: Individually, the children of God are referred to as ___________________ (Ac 11:26). As a group, they are called the church of ______________ (I Cor. 1:2), the churches of ______________ (Rom. 16:16), etc.

6. NAME: What does Paul say about those who wear the names of men? (I Cor. 1:10-13)

7. WORSHIP: When Christians assembled together in the first century, they engaged in _________________ (Eph. 5:19), _______________ Acts 4:24), and _______________ (Acts 14:21-22). On the first day of the week, they also engaged in breaking ___________ (Acts 20:7), and taking up a __________________ (I Cor. 16:1-2).

8. WORSHIP: (Fill in the blanks) "But in ____________ they do ___________ me, teaching for ___________ the commandments of ____________" (Matt. 15:9).

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Lesson 5 -- LIVING THE LIFE OF A CHRISTIAN

IN OUR MIND --

Christianity is more than simply doing good deeds and avoiding evil deeds.  The apostle Paul reminds us that a Christian is transformed "by the renewing of your mind" (Romans 12:2). Jesus says "for from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: all these evil things come from within, and
defile the man." (Mark 7:21-23).

No doubt, some people think it does not matter what they think about. They figure that no one else knows what is on their mind. But, this overlooks a very important fact. The same God who created us on the outside, and who sees all that we do, created us on the inside and sees all that we think.  Jesus asked the question, "Did not he that made that which is without make that which is within also?" (Luke 11:40).

IN OUR ACTIONS --

If our hearts are right, and if we depend on God's word to guide us in what we do (remember Lesson 2), then our actions will be pleasing to God. This covers a lot of ground.

In our relationship with God, we will actively pray (I Thess. 5:17) and learn of Him (John 6:45, 2 Pet. 1:5-8).

In our relationship with others, we will actively look for opportunities to help others who are in need (Matt. 25:37-40, Luke 10:25-37).

In our personal lives, we will actively control our speech (Js. 3:10-12), our morals (I Cor. 6:9-10), and our behavior toward others (Eph. 4:31-32).

WHAT IF I STUMBLE? --

No one but Jesus has ever lived a perfect life (Romans 3:23). Even Christians will sin from time to time (I John 1:8). But, the Bible tells us to "walk in the light" and to "confess our sins" (I John 1:7,9). The idea here is to KEEP ON walking in the light and KEEP ON confessing our sins. If we do this, the Lord has promised to "forgive us our sins" (to KEEP ON forgiving us -- vs. 9). If we simply give up, and go back to walking in darkness, then we have fallen away and will be lost (Heb. 6:4-6).

Now answer the following questions:
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QUESTIONS on Lesson 5 --

1. We are not to be conformed to this world, but to be transformed (or changed). How is this change accomplished? (Rom 12:2)

2. What must a Christian do in order to keep from falling spiritually?
(2 Pet. 1:10).

3. How do we know that it is possible for a Christian to fall back into the world and be lost? (2 Pet 2:20).

4. How can we truly be disciples of Jesus, and be made free from sin?
(John 8:31-32).

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