SALVATION Day One SIN There is a great misunderstanding about what is sin. There are many diverse opinions and teachings about whether or not we can rise above sin or if we sin every day. In this study, we are going to examine what the Word of God has to say about sin. We first have to understand what sin is not. 1. Sin is not temptation. We are all tempted. 1 Corinthians 10:13 2. Even Jesus was tempted. Hebrews 4:15 It is not a sin to be tempted. If we act upon that temptation it can become a sin. 3. There are eternal consequences of sin. Romans 6:23 Galatians 5:19-21 4. Sin separates us from God. Psalm 66:18
1 John 3:6-9 5. Jesus does not want us to sin. John 8:11 6. We can overcome sin. Ephesians 4:26 Sin is willfully, intentionally disobeying God. Sin is when we know what God wants us to do and we deliberately choose not to do it or when we know that God does not want us to do something and we do it anyway. To be saved is to be in a relationship with God. If we are sinning than we are breaking that relationship and are choosing not to be saved. What key point are you taking from this lesson? How are you going to apply that to your life? Write out the first three books of the Bible three times Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus
Write out the Memory verse three times. Romans 10:9 - That if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. As you pray, begin with at least one statement that acknowledges how big God is and one statement on something you are thankful for today.
SALVATION Day Two WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED? Before we answer that question, we must ask a preliminary one. Who has to be saved? If we are good people doing good things and not hurting others, do we still have to be saved? 1. Why we need to be saved. Romans 3:23 Psalm 51:5 There is no way that we can just try harder to be saved. There is nothing we can do to earn our salvation. It is a gift from God to us. We don t deserve to be saved. We are not owed salvation. 2. Grace is the undeserved, unmerited favor that God gives us. We are saved through God s grace. Ephesians 2:8 God introduced that grace to us through His Son, Jesus. Jesus voluntarily went to a cross to take our sins away. Jesus was fully human and was and is fully God. Since sin is death, it took a sacrifice to rescue us from that sin. Jesus was that sacrifice. 3. Jesus took upon our sin and He is the way of salvation. Matthew 1:21
Acts 4:12 So what do we have to do to be saved? 4. We must repent. Acts 3:19 Acts 2:37,38 5. To repent means that we are completely turning away from one direction and going another one. We are leaving a life of sin and living a life led by the Holy Spirit. Repentance can be seen. Matthew 26:75 6. To repent is not just an emotional expression. We genuinely and sincerely want to turn our lives over to God. 2 Corinthians 7:10 7. To repent means we must confess our sins and call upon God to forgive us. Proverbs 28:13
When we repent we are turning around from controlling our lives and surrendering and giving that control to God. When we repent, we are saved. What key point are you taking from this lesson? How are you going to apply that to your life? Write out the first three books of the Bible three times
Write out the Memory verse three times. Romans 10:9 - That if you with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. As you pray, begin with at least one statement that acknowledges how big God is and one statement on something you are thankful for today.
SALVATION Day Three HOW CAN I BE SURE THAT I AM SAVED? There will be times when the enemy places doubts in our minds concerning whether we are saved or not. We may wonder, Is my salvation real? So how can we be absolutely positive that we are saved? 1. We can know by what we have done. Romans 10:9 But I am continually reminded of how bad I have been. It seems as if I just can t get away from my sins. So can I know that God has really forgiven me? 2. We can know that God has truly forgiven us. Psalm 103:12 Luke 23:43 But if I cannot forget my sins then will God? 3. God does forget our sins. Jeremiah 31:34 Isaiah 43:25
God has promised us that if we have sincerely confessed and have genuinely repented, we are saved. God will never fail us. 4. God is always faithful. 1 John 1:9 We believe with faith that we are saved. Faith is bigger than our feelings. There may be times when our feelings or emotions can lead us into doubts. We can hang on to our faith even when things do not make sense. 5. We can know by faith that we are saved. Hebrews 11:1 We also have another source that helps us to know that we are saved. 6. The Bible can ease our mind and heart by assuring us that God has forgiven us. 1 John 5:13 Psalm 119:11 When we have truly repented and surrendered our lives to God we are saved! If the enemy is attacking you on this point, memorize some of these verses and quote them to overcome. What key point are you taking from this lesson?
How are you going to apply that to your life? Write out the first three books of the Bible four times.
Write out the Memory verse four times. Romans 10:9 - That if you with your, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your that God raised him from the, you will be saved. As you pray, begin with at least one statement that acknowledges how big God is and one statement on something you are thankful for today.
SALVATION Day Four WHAT DOES A CHRISTIAN, A SAVED PERSON, LOOK LIKE? Now that we are saved, we are not the same people. We have been forgiven. We are children of God. 1. We are brand new. 2 Corinthians 5:17 We understand that now we belong to God. We come to Him completely surrendering. 2. We come to Him humbly with all that we are. Galatians 2:20 The world, or those who have rejected God, continues to follow a destructive path. Very sadly, the world bases its values and purpose on selfish and shallow things. 3. We, as Christians, are to be different from the world. Romans 12:2 But how can we really be different? Don t we have to live in the world surrounded by ungodliness? Don t we have to be constantly subjected to the influence of the enemy? 4. We can choose to be Godly. Joshua 24:15
John 17:16 A Christian will seek to be like God. A Christian will emulate and have a Godly character. The word Christian can be translated as little Christ. 5. A Christian will act like Christ. Ephesians 5:1 Colossians 3:17 A Christian loves God. Love is not a fluffy, flitting emotion. Love is not a hole we don t fall into love and we don t fall out of it. Love is a commitment. 6. We choose to love God. Deuteronomy 6:5 Our love for God can be seen. One of the most visible ways that our love for God can be seen is if we love each other. 7. A Christian will love others. John 13:34,35 One of the greatest demonstrations of love is forgiveness. Forgiveness does not necessarily mean we will forget what occurred but we can choose to forget the pain and hurt. Forgiveness is not optional. 8. A Christian will forgive. Matthew 6:14,15
There should be a difference in the behaviors, attitudes, and lifestyles of those who are Christians and those who are not yet saved. This does not mean that a Christian is any better than one that is not saved. It means that a Christian has received forgiveness and is living as a child of God. What key point are you taking from this lesson? How are you going to apply that to your life? Write out the first three books of the Bible five times.
Write out the Memory verse five times. Romans 10:9 - That if you with your, is Lord, and in your that God raised him from the, you will be. As you pray, begin with at least one statement that acknowledges how big God is and one statement on something you are thankful for today.
SALVATION Day Five CAN I LOSE MY SALVATION? This is a topic that generates much controversy. There are those who believe that once a person is saved they will remain saved forever. This is also called eternal security. For many they believe this because it helps them to deal with friends and loved ones who at one time in their lives made a commitment to Christ but are not living for the Lord now. But what exactly does the Bible say about this topic? 1. It is a Biblical fact that no one, nothing, and no way can our salvation be taken from us. John 10:28 2. When we are saved we are in a relationship with God. We are choosing to follow Him. Matthew 16:24 3. We as people always have free will. Just because we are saved does not mean that we surrender our free will. We cannot lose our salvation but we do have the free will to choose to reject God. Hebrews 10:26 2 Peter 2:20
4. As sin is willful disobedience of God, if we sin there are eternal consequences. Exodus 32:33 John 15:6 5. The Bible gives us examples of those who were once saved and abandoned their faith. 1 Timothy 4:1 Revelation 2:5 Those who believe in eternal security or once saved always saved will state that if a person does sin then they were never really saved in the first place. But the Bible teaches us that there were those who were saved or righteous and they turned from it. 6. We can turn away from God. Ezekiel 18:24 Luke 9:62 2 Peter 2:21,22
7. If we have sin in our life or backslide (turn away from God), the Bible clearly states that we are not saved. Ezekiel 33:18 1 John 3:8,9 We cannot lose our salvation. We will not wake up one day and not be saved. But we can choose to reject God. We can choose to break that relationship with Him. That is what sin does. Sin breaks that relationship with God and if that relationship is severed we are choosing to be separated from Him for eternity. God does not want us to be separated from Him. He does not want anyone to perish. Since we have free will, we can choose to remain in a relationship with Him or we can choose to reject Him. What key point are you taking from this lesson? How are you going to apply that to your life?
Write out the first three books of the Bible seven times.
Write out the Memory verse seven times. Romans 10:9 - That if you with your, is, and in your that raised from the, you will be. As you pray, begin with at least one statement that acknowledges how big God is and one statement on something you are thankful for today.
HOW DO I KNOW? OK, I get that sin separates me from God. I get that through the power of the Holy Spirit I can overcome sin. I get that I do not have to sin. But how exactly can I know if something is a sin or not? 1. If it is stated in scripture that it is a sin, it is a sin. If we are instructed to do something and we blatantly refuse to do it, it is a sin. Exodus 20:1 - And God spoke all these words (The Ten Commandments) Proverbs 6:16 - There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him (The Seven Deadly Sins) 2. Is this act beneficial or is it harmful? 1 Corinthians 10:23 - I have the right to do anything, you say but not everything is beneficial. I have the right to do anything but not everything is constructive. 3. Does this act/thought/word glorify God? 1 Corinthians 10:31 - So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 4. How will this affect others? Romans 14:21 - It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall. 5. What is the Holy Spirit saying to us? John 14:26 - But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 6. What is our motivation? Mark 10:22 - At this the man s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.