Grace is a highly used word in Christian circles and doctrines, but what is it? One definition that is probably most prominent: "God's unmerited favor." Usually, this is construed as God's forgiveness of our sins. A study of the Bible shows that God's grace is much more than favor; it is God's power working in us to accomplish his will.Paul wrote, "for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." Philippians 2:13 God's grace is the power of God working within us "to will and to act according to his good purpose". Grace is the sacrifice of God to bring forgiveness so that our relationship with him can be reconciled. Grace is the sacrifice and giving of his Holy Spirit to live within man so that he can be redeemed from an empty, wicked life and become purified so that our lives are filled with true life, who is Jesus.Jesus taught us to pray "your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10). Grace is the power of God working in and through us to make this happen.This is a biblical study of God's powerful grace.
What does it mean to "preach the gospel"? If you were to go out and preach the gospel, what would you preach? Paul wrote that in the gospel is the power of God to save. What is this gospel message? Gospel means "good news". The good news was preceded by bad news. We must understand the bad news if we are to proclaim the good news. The forgiveness of our sins through Jesus Christ is certainly good news, but there is much more good news found in Jesus Christ. This study reveals this good news to anyone who is seeking. It will also equip those who desire to fulfill the call upon them to go out into a lost world with the good news of Jesus Christ.
As Christians, we believe that we are saved. But what does that mean? What do we mean by lost, and what do we mean by saved? Saved from what? And how is one lost?If we want to reach the lost, we must be able to describe to the lost what we mean by "lost". If we invite them to become saved, then we must be able to articulate what they are to be saved from. We need to be able to describe in detail what a saved life looks like, how to receive this salvation and how this salvation works in everyday life. Why would someone want to be saved if they did not realize how they were lost? Why would someone want to be saved if he did not know what he was being saved from and how his saved life would be better than his lost life?This book seeks to answer the following questions from God's Word, the Bible: What are we saved from? How do we receive salvation? How does salvation work? What does salvation look like?
When asked, what separates us from God, I think most would answer that it is our sin. This is most certainly true, but the answer to the next question is not so straight forward-why do we sin? Why did Lucifer, one of God's most magnificent creatures, choose to defy God's sovereignty? Why did Adam and Eve sin by choosing to believe a serpent rather than God? The Bible tells us that we have a sinful nature; what is the essence of that nature? Both Lucifer (the devil's name before his fall) and man were created in a very high state. How could they have wanted more than what God had already given to them? What were they lacking? Man was created with authority over the entire creation of earth. His labor was pleasant, and he lacked nothing. He walked with God daily. There was no sickness, hardship, shortages, unhappiness, or death. What drove him to defy his all-loving, all-wise, all-powerful God? The dictionary defines rebellion as "opposition to one in authority or dominance". Certainly that is what Satan and man have done. Discover the nature of our rebellion against God and God's provision to restore our relationship.
The Bible clearly describes marriage as a mystical bond between a man and woman, and that this bond is performed by God. It is God who created man and woman. It is God who created marriage. It is God who makes the two one. God loves our marriages and longs to be an invited partner. Many marriage problems occur when God is not invited into the marriage relationship.Establishing a working relationship with God in our individual lives and our marriage is the foundation and premise for the chapters of this book.Each lesson is designed for small group interaction where God can meet your needs as you share the deep connections in a small group of marriage partners.
