The “Soul” topic being completed, showing us who we were before Christ and who
we now are in Christ, the next area to be covered is to see who we can be; how
we can spiritually grow and mature in Christ; how to become more like Him.
The key verses are found in:
Eph 4:13-15 “…till we all come to the unity of the
faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man (perfect means
mature), to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should
no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of
doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful
plotting, but speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who
is the head – Christ..”
Rom 8:29 “For to whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to
the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren”.
We all mature in Christ at a different rate of speed, dependent solely upon how
much of ourselves we truly give to Christ. Where is Jesus on your list of
priorities? What do you put before Him? Are there compartments you have closed to Him.
How much time do you spend talking to
Him, reading His word and seeking His will and plan for your life? The more we
put Him first and our interests second, the more rapidly we mature.
Once we have given our lives to Christ we have entered into His eternal life.
John 5:11, “…God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.” We
belong to Him and our position/standing never changes.
John 10:28, “And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them
out of My hand.”
With that commitment, the changes we do see are changes in our
earthly state; our spiritual maturing; putting into practice what has taken
place in our heart. This is a continuous process that will not cease until we
are face to face with Jesus.
That’s what the statement means that says “work out
your own salvation”. We take three steps forward and one step backward.
Regardless of the one step back, the process still brings us continually closer
to God and His purpose and plan for our lives.
Discipleship II
After we know right from wrong, we are shocked when we do things that are not in
God’s will, ….but God isn’t. God saw us in Himself before we came into being.
When we are looked at by man, he sees all of our shortcomings, but before God we
are perfect in Christ.
After we have believed God and received His Son Jesus as our Savior, we are
ready to “live by faith”. (faith is in Jesus; to trust, rely, and believe His
word regardless of circumstances).
Rom 1:17 “The just shall live by faith”.
Rom. 10:17, “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.”
When we acquire faith and trust in God, our purpose in life is to do the will of
our Father; and that is evidenced by:
1) Change of heart (self-centeredness to compassion)
2) Change of government of our lives, (led by God, not the world).
3) His goals become our goals.
We change from self-centeredness to God-centeredness. We realize all we have is
a gift from Him; health, wealth, talent etc.
Deut. 8:17, 18, “then you say in your heart, My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth. And
you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get
wealth….”
Jer. 9:23 “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the
mighty man boast in his might, nor let the rich man boast in his riches; but let
him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me…(NAS)”
God’s divine purpose is for us to know Him and to be like Him!
Phil 3:10, “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the
fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death”.
Rom. 8:29 “…Being conformed to His image.”
1.) This topic covers:
a) Who we can be in Christ b) How we can spiritually mature c) How to become more like Jesus d) All of the above
2.) Which are key versus explaining the maturity process?
a) Eph. 4:13-15 b) Eph. 3:16 c) Rom. 8:26 d) All of the above
3.) Which Scripture states “..we may grow up in all things into Him who is the head – Christ?”
a) Rom. 8:28 b) John 3:3 c) John 10:10 d) Eph. 4:15
4.) What causes us to mature in Christ at a different rate of speed?
a) How much we are loved b) How much love we give out c) The more we put Him first d) Reliance on self
5.) Does our position in Christ ever change?
a) Yes b) No
6.) What does “work out your own salvation mean?
a) Work hard to receive salvation b) Try to be perfect c) Putting into practice what has taken place in your heart d) All of the above
7.) What does it mean to “live by faith”?
a) Trust in Jesus b) Rely on Jesus c) Believe His word d) All of the above
8.) Which Scripture says “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God”?
a) Rom. 1:27 b) Rom. 10:27 c) Rom 10:17 d) Rom. 8:29
9.) When we acquire faith and trust in God, it is evidenced by:
a) Self-centeredness to compassion b) Change of government c) His goals become our goals d) All of the above
10.) God’s divine purpose for us is….
a) To know Him b) To be like Him c) To be conformed to His image d) All of the above
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airmoni
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