Daily Archives: June 16, 2013

Amazing Grace Bible Class – Lesson Eight – Secure In Grace

Posted on by
Reply
This article is part 9 of 20 in the series Amazing Grace Bible Class

 

* HOW HIGH DO YOU RANK ‘SECURITY’ in your life?
* As a child grows up – biggest fear = “Will mom and dad stop loving me…. ‘throw me out’
  when I fail/ don’t do good?” SECURITY IS A BIG ISSUE FOR US ALL. Even in
  marriage…. Is a child/teenager/married couple security based on HOW
  WELL/CONSISTENTLY YOU PERFORM OR ON  SOMETHING ELSE?
* What about in Christ/relationship with God (VERTICAL)- Do you FEEL secure?
  – What is this security based on? PERFORMANCE OR GRACE?
* What about within the body of Christ (HORIZONTAL)- Do you FEEL Secure?
  – What is this security based on? PERFORMANCE OR GRACE?
* Which do you FEEL more secure in: VERTICAL OR HORIZONTAL?
  – Why???
* What is it about GRACE that make one FEEL more secure than PERFORMANCE?
* Describe SECURITY of Christian in terms of a FAMILY WITH CHILDREN.
* Why do you think dad put “FALLING FROM GRACE” as his next lesson?
____________________________________________________________________________

Introduction:
a.) Are you an HONEST/SINCERE/BELIEVER IN JESUS? “Yes” = NOT A HYPOCRITE
     “You don’t qualify! By definition you COULD NOT be a hypocrite. A hypocrite “never
      intends to be what he pretends to be.” Are you pretending to be a disciple? If the
      answer is “no” then you are a disciple. But you say, “I feel so weak and human and
      filled with sin and immaturity.” This is not hypocrisy. This is the way normal human
      beings feel! This is why we are studying, “GRACE, GOD’S POWER TO BE(COME)”. 
b.) Ephesians 2:8-10
c.) We will be looking at SECURITY/GRACE re: SALVATION (Vertical) and BRETHREN
     (Horizontal) as well as other things as time permits…What is not covered, we can
     look at later if you wish.

1. SALVATION – VERTICAL RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD (one to ONE)
    A. NOT human regulation IT IS DIVINE RECONCILIATION
         1.) Ephesians 2:16
    B. NOT the cessation from some sin IT IS THE CANCELLATION OF ALL SIN
         1.) I John 1:7 (Continually cleansing)
    C. NOT law/works (delighting in/depending on/performance of law keeping) IT IS
        BEINGDELIVERED FROM AND BEING MADE DEAD TO THE LAW.
        1.) Galatians 3:11,13.
    D. NOT human reformation/determination- IT IS DIVINE REGENERATION.
         1.) John 3:3, 5
         2.) Colossians 2:12
         3.) 2 Corinthians 5:17
    E. NOT becoming exceptionally good- IT IS BEING “IN CHRIST” AND BEING MADE
        ACCEPTABLE TO GOD.
       1.) Ephesians 1:6-7
       2.) Faulty (sinful/forgiven), weak (can’t stand long/fall often), human (‘let people be
            people’) disciples = A   C   C   E   P   T   E   D.
       3.) What does ‘ACCEPTED’ mean in this context?
       4.) Which is more saved/accepted – the beginner or the mature Christian?
       5.) “Salvation = COMPLETENESS IN CHRIST NOT COMPETENCY IN
             CHARACTER!”
       6.) I Corinthians 15:10; Ephesians 3:8
   F. NOT of man, self, works, law, boasting – IT IS BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH
       WHICH STOPS ALL BOASTING.
       1.) Growing, learning, maturing, heaven bound!!!
       2.) 2 Corinthians 5:17
       3.) Galatians 2:20-20
2. FALSE CONCEPTS
    A. Once saved always (no matter what) saved.
    B. Once saved never sure, never confident, never ‘heaven bound’, always doubting
         andfearful ‘saved’.
    C. “Surely I can do 10% and God do the rest” salvation. (GIFT!!!)
    D. ‘I have nothing to do with it’ salvation – ie UNIVERSALISM. (GIFT OFFERED
         MUSTBE RECEIVED)(Medicine)
         **These are extremes and must be rejected. The Bible speaks of the gift which
         demands a response (obedience) from man (which in no way qualifies as   
         EARNING ANYTHING.
3. GRACE/FAITH or LAW/WORKS
    A. “If you base salvation on law/works, you will never tolerate or come to understand
         thegrace/faith foundation…..” Read from Workbook. Pg. 37
    B. “Law/works says, “Sing better (louder) if you want to go to heaven”. Grace/faith
          says, “I sing because I’m heaven bound.” Law/works says, “if you don’t get more,
          you’re not going.” (Read from Work book. Pg. 37-38
4. HOW SECURE ARE WE IN THE HORIZONTAL RELATIONSHIP
    A. What is “FELLOWSHIP” based on? “Who is my brother and sister?”
    B. How secure do you FEEL with others in the body of Christ?
    C. What example can you point to which illustrates YOUR FEELINGS of ‘secure’ or
         ‘insecure’?
    D. What might be some things Christians CAN DISAGREE ON and still be ‘one in
         spirit’?
    E. What might be some things Christians CANNOT DISAGREE ON which endangers
         the‘one in spirit’ stand we should have?

   

   The survey to be filled out by the class to show how brethren don’t always agree on everything…. How does a proper understanding help Christians in dealing with differing opinions? Do brethren have to agree on every thing? Answer: No! It would be nice, but we just don’t. This being the case, WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO APPLY THE GRACE CONCEPT WITH EACH OTHER AS WELL AS KNOW THE DEFINITION OF THE WORD. Is this easy? No. Because GRACE/FAITH CANNOT WORK UNDER LAW/WORKS,

   FOR THE CLASS:
   Here is a survey. It’s not a test. I’m not going to grade this. I just want to see how much disagreement we have over some pretty basic things.Mark the correct interpretation of the quoted passages? You may only mark one answer per question, and you must choose one.

1. (2 Cor 13:12)  Greet one another with a holy kiss.
   a. Says what it means; means what it says.
   b. No longer applies today at all.
   c. Applies today but only the underlying principle (greet one another warmly) applies.
   d. Other: __________________________________________________________
2. (Rom 1:27)  In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.
   a. Says what it means; means what it says.
   b. No longer applies today at all.
   c. Applies today but only the underlying principle (sex with a temple prostitute is wrong)
       applies.
   d. Other: __________________________________________________________
3. (Mat 5:29)  If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.
   a. Says what it means; means what it says.
   b. No longer applies today at all.
   c. Applies today but only the underlying principle (lust is a deadly sin) applies.
   d. Other: __________________________________________________________
4. (Mat 5:25-26)  “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. 26 I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.”
   a. Says what it means; means what it says.
   b. No longer applies today at all.
   c. Applies today but only the underlying principle (resolve personal dispute through
    compromise, but when settlement fails, financial disputes are appropriate for the
    courts) applies.
   d. Other: __________________________________________________________
5. (Mat 5:22)  But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.
   a. Says what it means; means what it says.
   b. No longer applies today at all.
   c. Applies today but only the underlying principle (any name calling that dehumanizes is wrong) applies.
   d. Other: __________________________________________________________
6. (Mat 5:10-12)  Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
   a. Says what it means; means what it says.
   b. No longer applies today at all.
   c. Applies today but only the underlying principle (persecution should be avoided but if it happens, at least we’ll
       go   to heaven) applies.
   d. Other: _________________________________________________________
7. (Mat 5:39)  But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.
   a. Says what it means; means what it says.
   b. No longer applies today at all.
   c. Applies today but only the underlying principle (do not seek revenge over a point of honor) applies.
   d. Other: __________________________________________________________
8. (Lev 27:30)  “‘A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD.
   a. Says what it means; means what it says.
   b. No longer applies today at all.
   c. Applies today but only the underlying principle (give generously to good works, especially your church) applies.
   d. Other: __________________________________________________________
9. (Exo 20:9-10)  Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates.
   a. Says what it means; means what it says.
   b. No longer applies today at all.
   c. Applies today but only the underlying principle (Sunday is the Christian Sabbath) applies.
   d. Other: __________________________________________________________
10. (Num 18:29)  You must present as the Lord’s portion the best and holiest part of everything given to you.
   a. Says what it means; means what it says.
   b. No longer applies today at all.
   c. Applies today but only the underlying principle (wear our best to church) applies.
   d. Other: __________________________________________________________
11. (1 Cor 14:34-35)  women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the Law says. 35 If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.
   a. Says what it means; means what it says.
   b. No longer applies today at all.
   c. Applies today but only the underlying principle (women should do nothing in church that
        shames their husbands) applies.
   d. Other: __________________________________________________________
12. (1 Cor 11:6)  If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off; and if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut or shaved off, she should cover her head.
   a. Says what it means; means what it says.
   b. No longer applies today at all.
   c. Applies today but only the underlying principle (women should wear fashionable hats to church) applies.
   d. Other: __________________________________________________________
13. (1 Cor 11:7)  A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man.
   a. Says what it means; means what it says.
   b. No longer applies today at all.
   c. Applies today but only the underlying principle (long hair on men is okay, but no baseball caps in the building)
       applies.
   d. Other: __________________________________________________________
14.  (1 Cor 16:1-3)  Now about the collection for God’s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. 2 On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. 3 Then, when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men you approve and send them with your gift to Jerusalem.
   a. Says what it means; means what it says.
   b. No longer applies today at all.
   c. Applies today but only the underlying principle (we should give weekly at church) applies.
   d. Other: __________________________________________________________

 (Special thanks to Jay Guinn and his study on “Amazing Grace” for the survey used here. His web site www.oneinjesus.com is well worth the look. It provides in depth study on many subjects, along with the opportunity to agree/disagree and discuss openly your reasons.)

Share Button

Baptism And The Holy Spirit

Posted on by
Reply
This article is part 5 of 7 in the series Holy Spirit

   What is Bible baptism for? The short answer… Baptism (immersion) is “for the remission of sins”. Sounds pretty straight forward, right? Yet many sincere people have misunderstood it. Perhaps you have heard or read some who said baptism is not what Peter said it was for in Acts 2:38, ie “for the remission of sins”. A good principle is ‘THE PLAINEST THING IS THE MAINEST THING.” This should not be hard to understand. Just read Acts 2, and the picture is clear on this subject.
   There are many other passages of course on the subject of salvation. Not all truth is contained in one passage. There are verses on FAITH (John 3:16), REPENTANCE (Luke 13:3-5), CONFESSION (Romans 10:9-10), as well as BAPTISM (Mark 16:16) and the gift of the Spirit (Acts 2:39). All are important to the process of being saved, and being sealed as one of His children. You cannot separate any of them from the ‘plan of God’. Yet each have a different reason for ‘being there’… Some passages do not mention all these things. Context determines why.
   Having said this, which is all too obvious when one reads the ‘salvation accounts’ scattered throughout Acts… there is more to the study. Jesus Himself, refers to it, but not just to the water aspect of it. He knew very well, that ‘just water’ is, well, just water. When he spoke of ‘grape juice’ and bread (Matthew 26) He made some very special connections in referring to these as his blood and body. More than just grape juice and bread… It involved ‘remembering’, ‘examining’, ‘communion’. It also speaks of relationships, both ‘vertical’ and ‘horizontal’ for the Christian.
   Baptism (immersion in water) is powerless in and of itself when divorced from Jesus’ blood on the cross.. Jesus gives it meaning and purpose and brings it to an even  ‘higher level’ when combined with the work of the Holy Spirit in the process… and calls it ‘being born again’. He said it, and it should be enough for us… Remember this good principle: ‘THE PLAINEST THING IS THE MAINEST THING.” (Not good English, but good Bible!)
3 “Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again. ” 4  “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”
5  Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit  gives birth to spirit. 7  You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You  must be born again.’
8  The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” (John 3:3-8).
   Here Jesus himself says water and Spirit are involved in this marvelous new birth. I  believe the “Spirit” mentioned here refers to the Holy Spirit (Greek ‘pneumatos’ which can mean ‘wind’, ‘spirit’ or Spirit’). I do not believe translators made a mistake in capitalizing “Spirit” here. My opinion is that it means what the context demands….the HOLY SPIRIT, and according to the text it is Jesus who ‘baptizes’ or gives the Holy Spirit (that’s what John says).
   There is no contradiction with Paul saying there is ONE BAPTISM (Ephesians 4:3-5), because there is only one. It is simply composed of TWO ELEMENTS…. ‘water’ for the remission of sins (which is a command …Acts 2:38) and the ‘Spirit’ (a promise mentioned in Acts 2:39) done/given by Jesus. Without the Holy Spirit’s involvement, it would be confusing indeed since in Titus, it says, “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5  he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6  whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7  so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. (Titus 2:4-7). Here we have terms “washing of rebirth” (immersion in water) and “renewal by the Holy Spirit” (which takes place when one is immersed in water)… When the Holy Spirit was “poured out” on Pentecost…the apostles are given ‘power from on high’ as promised (Acts 1:4) and they were empowered to speak in other languages and perform miracles. The Holy Spirit however, is for all who submit to Jesus and by faith repent and are immersed into Christ. Luke records, ” John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” (Luke 3:16ff). Context reveals that the “fire” was to burn up the ‘chaff’ (contextually referring to the unbelieving Jews (not just a few), and refers to the AD70 event, and can indeed refer also to the final judgment of hell fire for all who reject Jesus…  The Holy Spirit in this text refers to what Jesus Christ gives to the ‘wheat’. I believe this happens when one is born again. The ‘wheat’ mentioned in Luke 3:16ff refer to those who are being added to the church. This began on the day of Pentecost. This is the gift of the Spirit promised in Acts 2:39, and this differs from receiving gifts FROM the Spirit (speaking in different languages, miraculous powers etc…) Again, the powers which the Apostles received were special and limited, but the ‘baptism’, ‘outpouring’, ‘gift’ (all referring to the same thing) of the Holy Spirit is the gives one ‘new life’ in Christ.
   We are commanded to be immersed (in water). We are not commanded to be immersed in (receive) the Spirit….we are just promised that the Spirit would be given to all Christians.  My understanding of scriptures is that when we are baptized in water for the remission of sins, we receive the Spirit of God in our lives (in that order)…. we come up out of the water a ‘spirit-being’, alive, and a “new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17), “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4ff).
   Without the Spirit…. we do not belong to Him (Romans 8), are not sealed (Ephesians 1).
   It is simply true, that a ‘waterless Spirit baptism is as powerless as a Spiritless water baptism’. Jesus said “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. (John 3:5).
   One can take any truth, and push it to an extreme and make it false, or contradict other passages. Considering the various passages, and their contexts, makes it plain to me… ‘renewal of the Spirit whom He poured out on us’, is what happens when one is immersed for the remission of sins. Note: We need to quit worrying about “eis” (“in”) when studying with those who insist on “salvation before immersion” and start pointing out that if salvation is received before immersion (which is not so), then we miss the NEW BIRTH OF WATER AND SPIRIT spoken of by our Lord Himself in John 3 as well as what John spoke of in Lk. 3:16f.
   To study more about what I believe regarding the gifts FROM OR GIVEN BY THE SPIRIT, you can look at the articles written which deal with this. To me there is a huge difference between the gift OF and gifts FROM the Spirit. One does not receive the Spirit as a GIFT, A SIGN OF SONSHIP OR BELONGING TO GOD THROUGH JESUS before being immersed INTO CHRIST, nor does one receive the SPIRIT long after being immersed BY PRAYING AND PRAYING ‘through’. Nor does the indwelling of the Spirit mean one receives the miraculous powers given the apostles. The Spirit of God is given (now available) for any who by faith repent of their sins, and when they are immersed into Christ for the remission of sins…. and are RAISED UP A NEW CREATION.
   (Amen walls!)

Share Button