All people, at some time in their life ask the question, "why am I here, what is the purpose for my life?" God answered that question as He created Adam and Eve and all their offspring, (you and me), to know Him in a personal way; to have fellowship with Him; to know Him and to love Him. That is the ultimate purpose why we are here.
Man has searched for meaning throughout his life, and whether he has attained riches, fame, or wisdom he can never be satisfied. We have a void within us that God put there, a void that can never be fully satisfied with anything or anyone but God.
The fact that you are taking this course speaks to the fact that you now recognize that the void has been filled by Jesus Christ, as you have received Him as the Lord of your life and as you have given your life to Him. You now belong to Him and nothing or no one can snatch you out of His Hand.
John 10:27-29 "And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand.
What comfort and joy. Now you want to know all about Him and what this new life is all about.
B. What happened when you received Christ?
When you recognized your need for the Savior in every aspect of your life, and you asked Him to be your Lord, He came to live inside of you in the form of the Holy Spirit.
Galatians 4:6 "And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!".
Abba means Daddy; a more intimate relationship with God. When that happened, you became an heir of God through Christ.
Gal. 4:7 "Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ".
Your spirit came alive to God (this will be explained further in Topic five, "Made in the image of God".).
When Christ entered your life, it brought about a new spiritual birth, which is only the beginning of your life in Christ. Just as physical life begins at conception, spiritual life begins when you receive Christ. Because of Jesus' sacrifice at the cross, you now have access to God. You are now a child of God and are part of God's family....you are saved!
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C. What does the term "saved" mean? What are we saved from?
Before we begin with the explanation of "saved", there is other terminology that you might hear among Christians that mean the same thing as being "saved", i.e., Born Again, A believer, Trusting Christ, Yielded to Christ. "Born Again" will be explained in this lesson, letter E, the Fruit from Salvation.
You have most likely heard the term "saved" many times throughout your life, but never really knew what you were saved from or even that you needed to be saved. So, what exactly are you saved from?
1) We are saved from the wrath of the Father:
Romans 1:18, 5:8,9. "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.....But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
2) We are saved from everlasting death and damnation:
Romans 5:12, 6:23 " Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned"..."For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord".
3) We are saved from the power and penalty of sin:
Romans. 6:14, 22. "For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace". ..."But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life".
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D. How do we get saved?
We are all sinners and deserve eternal damnation. There is nothing we can do on our own to be saved. Throughout the ages, man has worked at gaining salvation through his own merit, but to no avail.
Matt. 5:20 "....unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."
Man has also tried to complicate salvation by adding his own rules and regulations. "It can't be that easy" he says! But it is.....it is a free gift from God.
Ephesians 2:8,9 "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast."
Salvation is as easy as A, B, C. Admit you are a sinner that needs Jesus to save you and repent (turn away) from your sin; Believe that Jesus came to earth to die for the remission of your sins (to take the punishment that you deserve); Confess that Jesus is Lord of your life.
It is just that simple.......... the only requirement being that you mean what you say with all your heart. Words are cheap but God knows your heart. If you mean what you profess, you will want to know Him and live for Him. Your salvation will be evidenced in your life.
The book of Romans (10:9,10,13) tells us
"if you confess Jesus (as Lord of your life), with your mouth, and believe (by your life) in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.....For whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."
John 1:12, 13 "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name; who were born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God..."
In Proverbs 23:26 it tells us to give Him our heart.
"My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways."
Because we are His, His Spirit dwells in our hearts (innermost being, spirit).
When we know God, we ask "why would the creator of the heavens and earth and all that is in them want to save us?" Because of His unfathomable love and grace, that He has poured out on us. (Grace is unmerited favor; God's Riches At Christ's Expense).
John 3:16."For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
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E. The fruit from Salvation
Now that you have given your life to Jesus, and He is the Lord of your life, you are now "born again". In the gospel of John 3:3,5, 7, it says that you must be born again or you cannot see or enter the kingdom of God ("Jesus answered and said to him, (Nicodemus)
"Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."....Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God... Do not marvel that I said this to you, You must be born again."
When you are born again, you are a new creation in Christ.
(2 Cor 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new.)
When you are "born again", you see things in a new light. The things of God are now of utmost importance and the things of this world take a "back seat" so to speak. The things that were so important to you are now dim in comparison to the glory you now know in being in Christ and He in you.
There are no more questions about what will happen to you when you die because now you are sure you will spend eternity with Jesus in heaven. Death takes on a whole new meaning. There is no fear of death anymore, for we know that we are only here for a whisper of time, whether we live to be 30, 40, 50 or even 100 years old. Our time here on earth goes by swiftly, so we must keep our eyes on eternity.
The wonderful thing of the salvation of Jesus Christ is that He does not change our human nature; we are the same people we always were. But, He does change the source from which it comes, which in turn changes its motives. Our motives and desires are now His!
1. You have a void in you that only God can fill.
a) True b) False
2. Why did God make you?
a) To be His slave b) To have a personal relationship with Him c) To know and love Him d) a & c e) b & c
3. Jesus came to live inside of you…..
a) Because you asked b) Because His Spirit insisted c) Even though you resisted d) Because He wanted to
4. What does the term “saved” mean?
a) Born Again b) Eternal salvation c) Trusted Christ d) All of the above
5. What are we saved from?
a) Being attacked b) Sickness c) Pain d) Power and penalty of sin
6. What can we do to be saved?
a) Be as holy as we can b) Confess our sins c) Do good works d) Call on the name of the Lord e) a & d f) all of the above
7. What book of the Bible tells us “if you confess Jesus with your mouth, and believe that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved”.
a) John b) Galatians c) Romans d) Ephesians
8. What is “grace”?
a) A woman’s name b) Unmerited favor c) Mercy d) A gift
9. Complete following scripture: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have ________."
a) a religion to follow b) everlasting life c) an easy life d) a church to belong to
10. When you are “born again” :
a) You are a new creation b) Circumstances are viewed differently c) Things of the world grow dim d) Your spirit is alive to God e) You have an intimate relationship with God f) All of the above
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