[bible verses]

Bible Study

(disclaimer: the following content was outlined by me, but i got this topic from a guidebook distributed by our church :D if you want me to publish another book containing bible studies only then just inform me. drop your opinions in the comment section :D hehe)

REVIEW OF THE PLAN OF SALVATION

Do you still remember the specific date you accepted Christ as your Lord and personal savior? When you were officially welcomed to the family of God, or should we say, when you finally came back to God? I can say, I still do. Because that date was, and is very special to me. It marked the beginning of my new life, my Christian Life.

I also remembered how my primary school teacher modified the topic of salvation to make it easier to plant in a child's mind. I understood that Jesus saved me, and that I should surrender my life to Him. However, it wasn't a complete picture. If you are also dissatisfied with the knowledge you have right now, then today's your lucky day.

I am not a pastor, nor a certified sunday school teacher, but I can share to you what they shared to me, as a member of our church.

Review of the plan of salvation in three points:

• the "Break up"

■ God's original plan & purpose for man
- From the very first chapter of the book Genesis, it was already been stressed that God is the Almighty Creator of the heavens and the Earth.

And He also created man, for a love relationship and eternal companionship with Himself. A loving and intimate relationship with Him as the Heavenly Father.

■ But through SIN, our first parents broke the relationship.
- given that we, humans, sin daily, we also continously break that "relationship".

Isaiah 59:2, "but your iniquities separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you, so He will not hear."

And stated clearly, that there are no exceptions.

Romans 3:23, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

■ What is SIN?
- To sin in means breaking God's boundaries, which are His commands e.g the Ten commandments.

1 John 3:4, "Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness."

James 4:17, "Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins."

For example, a person who hates another is guilty of what sin?

1 John 3:15, "Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him."

He is guilty of murder.

• the "Win Him back" operation

■ Patching things up
- As we study the bible, we understand that the 'rebellion' agains God's ownership of us brings wrath. If we are not God's, then to whom are we in? The enemy? No. We need to be God's. Period.

Before, the people, did not understand this. And we do not know, perhaps, we are also one of those people who 'patch things up' with God, to escape His wrath. Not because, we love Him and that we are willing to sacrifice everything for our relationship with Him.

Their resolve before was to build a bridge to connect with the Lord again. And mayhaps, this is still happening today.

■ Various bridges men try to use to reach God

• Good works
- Isaiah 64:6
- Ephesians 2:8-9

• Good morals
- Romans 3:10
- no one can live up to his own standard of values, much less to God's standard of righteousness

• Education
- God doesn't excuse our sin merely because we have been taught the truth. The issue is, "Did we obey the laws?"
- for example, ignorance of the law is not excused--however being educated by the laws of your own country won't spare your offenses either.

• Religion
- religion is good, because we would have a group of people we can ask for support and encouragement, still we must choose the right one and should keep distance from those with false gods and doctrines.
- either way, religion cannot save our sins.
- we sinners, need a saviour

• the "Strong Bridge"

■ Result of SIN
- Imagine two terrains that have been broken apart by a long distance. One terrain was us, and the other was God. That was humanity's status with our God before, we were far from Him as we have sinned and turned against Him. And men tried to connect to Him again, through the bridges that remained as a failure.

We built feeble bridges to reach Him because why? What's in between our terrains, the space that keeps us apart from Him? It's where we'll be thrown at if we fail to reunite with God.

Hell.

And who would love to be in Hell? Of course, no one. However this is the result of sin, eternal death. (Romans 6:23)

■ Spiritual death
- the separation of man's spirit from that of God

Revelations 21:8
"But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars--their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."

■ God's supreme love
- You sin, you die in Hell eternally. That simple. But God did not want everthing to end like that. He did not make men to just die and burn in Hell, He made us to reciprocate the love He offered. He loves us, and it means He would sacrifice anything for us. And He did.

He sent His only son Jesus to die in our behalf--to pay sin's penalty. The supreme demonstration of His supreme love for us.

■ Jesus
- How is it that it's only Jesus who can save us? Jesus needs to be a man so He can represent us to God, and He needs to be God so He can save us. Remember the two terrains, with a space in between, separating them? What do you need for it, then? A feeble bridge, or stronger one?
Toss aside good works, religion and etc., we have that one strong bridge already. And that is Jesus.
- the cross of Christ is the bridge for us to cross from death to life.

John 14:6, Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

Amen!