| HOG MOB STUDY – WEEK 5 As far as I can tell, if there is ONE principle teaching that separates Christianity from EVERY other world religion it is this: Man CAN NOT, by his own good works, contribute to the salvation of his soul. Although good works can be the evidence that a man is saved, what saves any man is not a work of his own. I often look at it this way…. Since we know that man is by nature a dirty creature, it would make no sense to assume that he can make himself clean. With what? He is dirty, and when has dirt been able to clean dirt? Without introducing a purifying or cleaning agent, the dirt would simply be transferred and reapplied and an even larger mess would be made. True Christian doctrine teaches that man can NEVER be cleansed by his own efforts, but rather Christ, the pure one, the cleaning agent if you will, makes us new and cleanses us from all our sin. Salvation as a grace given to men that is achieved ONLY by putting our Faith in Christ to save us. In essence we must abandon faith in ourselves as our saviors and humble ourselves before God as our ultimate savior and righteous judge. Let’s look at what the word has to say about this fact of salvation. Man has always tried to force his way into the equation in an effort to share in Gods glory. But the truth is, we have no right to do so. We are fallen and have failed. We have gone our own way and yet God has made a means by which to bring us home. It is GOD and God alone who deserves credit and honor and glory from the salvation of men. Understanding this will greatly enrich your worship and also your reverence for the sovereign God of all creation. |
| Purple Book Ch1 Lesson5 Grace Through FaithIt is critical to understand that we cannot save ourselves. The foundation of our Faith is Jesus’ death and resurrection. That’s what paid the penalty for our sins. As a result of God’s work in Jesus, we are new people with a new heart and a new Lord.1. Is it possible to be saved by the things we do – our “works”? How are we saved? Ephesians 2:8-9 2. Does God save us because of the good things we do? if not, they why does he save us? Titus 3:4-5 3. What does God’s grace teach the believer? Titus 2:11-12 4. Shall we continue to sin because of God’s grace and forgiveness? why? Romans 6:15 5. What are we created for as Christians? Ephesians 2:10 6. What did jesus say to those who believe in Him? Matthew 16:24As we have learned in this chapter, we are spiritually dead and cannot save ourselves. Regardless of who we are, we need a savior. Jesus Christ is the only true savior. By receiving Jesus as Savior and Lord, we can be delivered from the power of sin and it’s consequences. Our salvation is based on what jesus did for us, not on our own efforts.We must therefore….Realize that we are sinners without excuse (Romans 1:20) and that it is only through the death and resurrection of Christ that we can be saved.Respond by turning from sin and putting our faith in him and following Him as Lord. In the next two chapters, we will thoroughly examine what it means to now be followers of Jesus.Application & Reflection:What did you learn from this lesson? How will you apply it to your life? |
