We will have class the first Wednesday and last Wednesday of April only, due to the school holidays (class on April 2nd and April 30th). For next week, the homework is to complete Lessons 1&2 of 1John.
The purpose of the Bible: Looking to Christ
Our conclusion of God's Amazing Book focuses on the purpose of the Bible - Christ.
Last week I tried to make a connection between Jean Valjean from Les Miserables and us: when the priest opened the church door to the gendarmes with the criminal Jean Valjean in their custody, and the stolen goods of the silver, and then the priest pardoned him for stealing the silver.... and not only proclaimed to the officers that he had given it to Jean Valjean as a gift, but furthermore, he was to have the candlesticks as well.
Now Jean Valjean could have cried out NO! I don't want your pardon, or your grace!
Such an utterance would not have been in his favor - admitting that he did indeed steal the silver, proclaiming that he didn't want to be pardoned, and that he didn't want the candlesticks for that matter either.
Of course, only a fool would do such a thing. It seems only a fool would turn down the offer of such amazing grace and pardon. And yet, in our world today, many people do indeed turn down such an offer. An even better one in fact. The offer of salvation through Christ Jesus.
Question 2 from our study this week took us to Romans 10:9-10
If you declare with your mouth "Jesus is Lord" and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe, and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.
Saved - that sounds pretty nice, doesn't it. What do you save....what things in your life, maybe material things, or perhaps memories, do you save? I save too much...I save my kids papers, I save clothes I don't wear, I save books I don't read...but I also save precious photos, little things the kids have done, cards that my husband has written for me...special and valuable things.
But what about saving a person? We are not talking about lifeguarding at a swimming pool, or saving someone from getting hit by a car, etc.
What does it mean that I want my children to be "saved"? Just what is salvation anyways?
What does it mean to be "saved"?
These have become common Christian terms - part of a regular conversation - are you saved? Do you think he is saved? Anyone new to Christianity might find the terms unusual. Even for someone who has been a Christian a long time, it's important to revisit the details of this most important element of Christianity. One that doesn't exist in other religions.
So, what are we talking about?
In my Student Bible Dictionary salvation is defined as "Safety, deliverance from evil, eternal life (Isaiah 12:2, Luke 19:9). Salvation comes only by God's grace and through Jesus Christ when a person accepts Christ as Lord and Savior (Acts 4:12, Titus 2:11). It begins on earth and finds completion at death or at Christ's return."
In the New Testament, salvation can be in the past, the present and the future...
Past
Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast.
Titus 3:5 He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done but because of his mercy.
Present
1 Corinthians 1:18
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God.
2 Corinthians 2:15 For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.
Future
Romans 5:9-10 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, while we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!
1 Peter 1:5 This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
Real salvation also brings forth change in the believer's life (Question 2d) - "the new life God gives". The questions took us to verses explaining we have a new life and the verses provide encouragement to stand strong in our faith. I love the image of Ephesians 6:10-18 "put on the full armor of God - belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, feet fitted with readiness from the gospel, shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, sword of the spirit."
It's a battle out there, every day. This world is one of stress, challenges and difficulties. You might think as a Christian, that the longer you are in the faith, the easier the walk becomes. And yet not so. The longer we are Christians, and the more we study the Bible, often we see our sin even more clearly and are even more convicted. Christians are not perfect, nor are we immune from difficulty....quite the contrary!
When we are saved, we are keenly aware of our own brokenness and our need for a savior. Trying to be holy is a good goal, but we "all fall short". Let's remember that. I appreciate the women in this group who have been brave enough to share their personal stories - I am humbled to be among such amazing souls - we are REAL women in this group. None of us is perfect. Only Christ was perfect. That's why he is our savior.
There are endless stories of changed lives, miracles and healing, restored relationships - this is the fruit of salvation and such solid proof of God's work.
This little booklet has taken us on quite a journey - a fly over in my opinion - looking at the Bible from a big picture view. We've learned the basics of the Old Testament and the New Testament, how the books came to be divinely inspired and how they are organized, the archaeological evidence for the Biblical stories, the manuscripts of the earliest Bibles, the prophecy that has been fulfilled...there is no other book like this.
This is our book. This is God's Word.
I'm really looking forward to our new study, 1John. A major purpose of 1John is to give believers assurance of salvation. I am hopeful that we will have a much deeper understanding after our study of 1John.
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