Sign In Sign-Up

Welcome!

Close

Would you like to make this site your homepage? It's fast and easy...

Yes, Please make this my home page!

No Thanks

  Don't show this to me again.

Close

Back to Main Page

PDF Version (Complete)

Go to Part B

Part A: Background to the Gospel

Rationale: Focusing on Colossians 1 and John 1, this study will look at God our Creator, who is the source of all life. Mankind has a broken relationship with God, but He has responded in grace to all mankind and opened the way to salvation.

Introduction: Read Colossians 1:15-23 and John 1:1-18 together.

a) God Our Creator: Colossians 1:16-17; John 1:3-4

• God is the creator of all life – of everything seen and unseen. The creation was created by God to be good – he is the source of life and light – God did not create anything evil or out of balance.

b) Nature of Man: Colossians 1:17; John 1:4-5, 16

• We are sustained by God – he has an ongoing role in the creation. We are spiritual (Genesis 1:25-27), and God takes an active interest in our lives. Our life is a gift from God, who continues to pour out blessing upon blessing.

c) A Broken Relationship: Colossians 1:21

• We have strayed far from God – mankind rebelled against God and we became God’s enemies. There is now darkness in the world.

d) Restoration: Colossians 1:22-23; John 1:12-14

• All hope is not lost. Jesus came as our Saviour, to restore us to our relationship with God. He has the power to make us children of God, and he revealed God’s glory (character) on earth.

For Discussion:

• What is the purpose of mankind on earth? To find a relationship with God and enjoy Him forever.
• What is man’s biggest problem? Our fallen nature / our denying of God’s sovereignty.
• What are some common ideas about God today? What does the Bible teach about who God really is?
• What evidence do you see that the world is in a fallen state? Pain, suffering, unjust wars, degradation of societal morality...

Study 2: Sinfulness and Righteousness

Rationale: This study will detail how the fallen state of man manifests itself through sin (Romans 1:16-20), which incites God’s wrath and taints our walk with Him. We are all in need of a Saviour.

a) The Sinful Nature: Romans 1:16-20

• v16: The Gospel is the key to people’s salvation. But why do people need to be “saved”?
• v18: People are “godless and wicked.” In what ways can we see this in the world today?
• v19-20: God has revealed himself and his righteousness to all men. We see the Creator through his creation! That is why people are “without excuse” – we should all be living our lives for God.
• Wickedness provokes God’s wrath.
• Romans 3:9-12, 23: How can we say that we are any better than anyone else? We have all “turned away” and “fallen short.” What does this imply for people who say “I’m a good person” or “I’m not as bad as some people”?
• Romans 7:14-20: Everyone is born with a “sinful nature” – which is the evil desires that dwell within us. We all have a good sense of right and wrong, but we are constantly tempted to do the wrong thing!

b) The Sinful and Spiritual Mind: Romans 8:5-14

• v5: Bible talks about two kinds of people. The Bible is very “black and white.”
• v6-7: Even spiritual people sin, because no one can ever be perfect. However, spiritual people have a different attitude to their sin, and that is what makes the difference. They strive to overcome their sin, and take responsibility for the consequences of their actions. The mind of spiritual men is life and peace!
• However, what the Bible calls “sinful men” are people who don’t what to admit that their sin is sin; they are convinced that they are “good people” and are not eager to deal with the sin in their lives.
• It is not so much our outward actions that matter. There are two key points that arise from all this:

  We all have a fallen (sinful) nature, and this is our biggest problem.

  It’s our attitude to our sin that matters the most – do we recognise the evil in our lives, or are we complacent about our sin.

c) The Path to Righteousness: Romans 12:1-2

• God is a merciful God. He has made available a path for all people to be saved through the message of the Gospel. And this has actually been the first step of the Gospel message: To understand that we need a Saviour!
• Our lives are a mess; as soon as we know God’s standard of righteousness, we know we know that we need to be “transformed.”
• Transformation is from the inside out. Don’t be overwhelmed! All it takes is a “renewing of our minds.” We need to start seeing ourselves and the world differently.
• We need to see that our lives have been on the wrong track, and that we need to start seeking to live our lives in conformity to God’s will.
• Romans 7:24-25a: However, nothing we can do can make up for all the wrong we’ve done. We need a Saviour to rescue us.

For Discussion:

• What is salvation, and why are people in need of it? We all need to be freed from the devastating spiritual consequences of our sin.
• What is the difference between “sinful” people and “spiritual” people?
• What is the most important change we can make in our lives?

Study 3: The Word of God

Rationale: This study will establish that the Bible is inspired (2 Peter 1:20-21), revealed (1 Corinthians 2:12-14) and sufficient (2 Timothy 3:17). The Word of God is the authority for our lives today.

a) Inspiration: 2 Peter 1:20-21

• The Bible originated with God, not man.
• Men wrote as they were guided by the Spirit – God controlled the process of the Bible’s creation, collection and transmission. (What kind of God would inspire a message for the world and then let it get hopelessly corrupted?)
• The content is not a matter of interpretation. However, we do (of course) need to interpret the Bible in order to know how to apply it to our lives.
• As the inspired Word of God, it must be trustworthy and without error.

b) Revelation: 1 Corinthians 2:12-14

• There is much we can know about God from the creation (Romans 1:20), but that is far from sufficient! (This is called general revelation.)
• The Bible reveals spiritual truths that we could never figure out on our own. (This is called special revelation.) See Psalm 19:1-14.
• The Bible is essential to understanding God’s nature, His commands and His plan for the world.

c) Sufficiency: 2 Timothy 3:16-17

• The entire Bible is included here! (This verse obviously only refers to the Old Testament in its original context, however, we know in retrospect that the principle applies to the New Testament as well, which is regularly called “Scripture”: 1 Timothy 5:18, 2 Peter 3:15-16.)
• We use the Bible in teaching, rebuking, correcting and training. What are some practical examples of each of these?
• All in all, the Bible “thoroughly equips us”. It has everything we need to find God, know God and maintain our walk with God.
• Hebrews 4:12-13: The Bible is living and relevant, it defines right and wrong, it judges our heart and our mind.

d) Application: Acts 17:11

• People of noble character examine the Scriptures regularly.
• Don’t accept what people tell you, test everything (1 Thessalonians 5:21). When dealing with our brothers and sisters, we ought to do this with a spirit of unity. However, we must never accept unbiblical practices.
• We ought to read the Bible and bring in our insights and convictions to the church family.
• 2 Timothy 2:15: It takes effort to properly interpret and handle the Bible. We must be careful to read it and teach it “correctly” through disciplined study.
• James 1:20: We need to obey the message of God; there is nothing to be gained by seeing ourselves reflected in the Word, but then doing nothing about it.

e) (Optional) Illumination: Luke 24:13-35 (scan)

• These two followers of Jesus knew about His ministry (v19), the crucifixion (v20) and even the empty tomb! (v22-24)
• But they’re leaving Jerusalem! They don’t believe a word of it. It’s all over for them: Jesus has dead and they were going home.
• Jesus challenges their incredible unbelief, pointing them immediately to the Bible in v25, and does a mammoth Bible study with them in v27!
• There are 3 great “openings” in this passage:

  1. The Bible is opened (and explained – v27)

  2. Their eyes were opened (i.e. they begin to understand – v31)

  3. Their hearts were opened (they act on it – v32, see also v45)

• In other words, when the Bible is opened to us, and our mind understands it, our heart will follow. This is the process of the Spirit’s illumination through the Word.

For Discussion:

• Who wrote the Bible? Men wrote from God.
• Is the entire Bible inspired? Do we need anything else?
• What about all the other “holy books” out there? Bible is the sole word of God (Revelation 22:18-19).
• Why isn’t the Bible outdated? Deals with the heart, not outward things.
• How will God judge us? In accordance with the Bible.
• What practical decisions can we make regarding the Bible in our lives? You could suggest studying through one of the Gospels.

Back to Main Page

Back to Top

Go to Part B