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Part C: Our Response to the Gospel

Study 7: Faith in God

Ephesians 2:8	We are saved through faith.
Hebrews 11:1	Faith is being sure of what we hope for.
James 2:22	Faith and actions work together.

Rationale: This study will define faith as trust in God’s ability and willingness to fulfil his promises (Hebrews 11:1-2). Faith is all that is needed to be declared righteous (Romans 1:17), so it is the basis of our walk with God.

a) Faith Defined: Hebrews 11:1

Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
We hope for salvation, heaven, Jesus’ return, God’s blessings in our lives… and these are the promises of God. Faith is trust that God will fulfill his promises.
Faith is in God’s power and love, not our strength.
Romans 10:17: We gain faith through God’s word, which is where we learn about God’s nature and his promises.

b) Justification by Faith: Ephesians 2:1-10

God saved us from a life of darkness by his grace.
v7: Grace is whenever God shows us kindness.
v8: It is through our faith that God is able to save us. We need to trust in God in order to receive his mercy.
v8: It is salvation that is the gift of God. In response to our faith, God gives us the gift of salvation.
v9-10: We are not saved by our good deeds, but God saves us so we can do good deeds!
Romans 4:1-5: Justification is when God no longer counts our sins against us. We are justified (saved) by believing in God’s promises.
When we have faith, God credits us with righteousness. In other words, God treats us as if we were righteousness, simply for trusting in him.

c) Faith and deeds: James 2:14-26

v17: Faith without actions is dead. God saves us in order to follow him.
v22: Our obedience to God proves that our faith is genuine. A living faith is an active faith.
v24: Faith is not the only requirement for justification. Also need to obey God’s plan for salvation.
Hebrews 11:30 – Like Abraham and Rahab, this is a powerful example of faith and deeds working together. The walls of Jericho fell by faith… after they had obeyed God’s plan and walked around it. They obeyed because they had faith.
In exactly the same way, we are saved by faith, after we respond to God’s call in repentance.

For Discussion:

What is faith and why do we need it?
Where do we get faith?
What does it mean to be “saved by faith”?
How do we know if we have faith?

Study 8: Sin and Repentance

Romans 3:23	All have sinned and fallen short.
Galatians 5:19-21a	Acts of the sinful nature.
Acts 3:19	Repentance is turning to God, and leads to times of refreshing.

Rationale: This is a more detailed study of the specifics of sin (Galatians 5:19-21), as well as the change of mind and heart which the Gospel calls us to (Acts 26:19-20).

a) Effects of Sin: Isaiah 59:1-2

God is light – he can have nothing to do with sin. Our sins separate us from God.
Sin is man’s biggest problem – we cannot escape it by our own power.
Romans 6:23: The consequence of sin is (spiritual) death.
Romans 3:22-26: All have sinned. No one lives a righteous life before God.
Fortunately, there is a way that we can be made right with God again! The cross of Christ has the power to redeem us – God saves us by his grace.

b) Specifics of Sin: Galatians 5:19-21

Paul says that our sins are obvious, and this is because sin offends our conscience. (However, sometimes we sear our consciences so that we are no longer sensitive to certain sins [1 Timothy 4:2]. This means that our consciences must be retrained [Romans 14].)
There are many other relevant sin lists in the NT. Revelation 21:8 lists lying and practicing magic. 2 Timothy 3:2-4 lists abusiveness and not being forgiving. Mark 7:20-23 talks about how sin comes out of our heart. Finally, James 4:17 says that neglecting doing what we should is also sin.

c) Repentance: Acts 3:17-21

We need to repent and turn to God so that our sins may be wiped out. It brings times of refreshing.
Repentance is a change of mind where we recognize that our sin hurts others, hurts ourselves and offends God. When we repent, we renounce and turn away from our sin. We will never stop sinning, but we can renounce all the sin our lives and commit ourselves to following God.
2 Corinthians 7:8-11: Worldly sorrow is self-pity which does not lead to any change in our lives. It leads to death because it does not lead to God.
Godly sorrow is when we recognize that our sin offends God. It produces in us a serious desire to change, and this brings us to God in true repentance.
Acts 26:19-21: We prove our repentance by our deeds.

For Discussion:

What is sin? Who has committed it?
What effect does sin have on our connection with God?
Can we overcome our sin on our own?
What is repentance? What will it take for you to repent?
What does repentance lead to?

Study 9: Baptism

Acts 2:38	Baptism is for the forgiveness of sins.
Romans 6:3-4a	Baptism is a participation in death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.
1 Peter 3:19-21	The power of baptism is in the resurrection of Jesus.

Rationale: Baptism is full immersion in water for the forgiveness of sins. It saves us through the power of the resurrection (1 Peter 3:21-22, Romans 6:3-4), and is the moment we are united with Christ and given the gift of the Holy Spirit.

a) The Pentecost Message: Acts 2:14-41 (scan)

v14-21: Peter lays out the Old Testament background to this incredible event.
v22-36: Peter focuses on the gospel (death, burial & resurrection of Jesus) as the key point of his message.
v37-38: The gospel demands a response "repent & be baptized".
Baptism is for the forgiveness of sins.
The gift of Holy Spirit is received at baptism.

b) The Effect of Baptism: Romans 6:3-4

Baptism is a participation in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.
Notice the strong connection between the gospel message and baptism.
New life begins after baptism not before.
Refer to diagrams: As Jesus went into the tomb, we are immersed in water.
Colossians 2:12: An individual’s faith is essential in being “raised from the dead”. This rules out infant baptism which depends on another’s (usually parent’s) faith.

c) Conclusion: 1 Peter 3:20-21

Noah is an example of baptism.
Baptism is not a symbol, water is. Baptism saves you.
The power is in the resurrection of Christ.
These examples of baptisms in the book of Acts could also be studied:
Acts 8:26-39 – Ethiopian Eunuch.
Acts 16:25-34 – The Philippian Gaoler.
Acts 22:6-16 – Paul’s conversion.

For Discussion:

Have you been baptized for the forgiveness of your sins?
Is there another way to be saved?

Study 10: Counting the Cost

Matthew 7:24	Obeying Jesus gives our lives a solid foundation.
Luke 14:27a	The Following Jesus means taking up your cross.
Matthew 22:37-39	The greatest commands.

Rationale: This overview covers practical areas of following Jesus, such as loving God, loving people and being a faithful steward. It will help to build a solid foundation in the new convert (see 1 Corinthians 3:10-15).

a) Why Count the Cost? Luke 14:25-33

Jesus comes before anything else, even your family. It means true surrender.
It is wise to know what you are committing yourself to – builder illustration.
War illustration: If you know you’ll lose the battle, make peace now! If you know that God reigns, then don’t resist Him, be at peace with him instead.

b) Specific Areas: Matthew 22:37-39

1. Loving God: Our relationship with God is our first priority.

Praying to God ourselves, and worshipping God together with other believers.
Learning from God - reading the Bible.

2. Relationships: Jesus’ command to love extends to everyone in our lives.

The Body of Christ, that is, the church family (Galatians 6:10):
- The “one-another” way: John 13:34 is one of numerous one-another passages. We must be devoted to fellowship with like-minded people.
- We ought to make a commitment to a Bible-practising church.
Our physical families:
- Especially if you are married, your family is your most important human relationship.
- No matter what, we must never neglect our families (1 Timothy 5:8).
Non-believers:
- Our existing friendships in the world are golden – we should make every effort to maintain them and not lose our long-term friends.
- Matthew 28:18-20: Evangelism is when we reach out to our friends and family.

3. Marriage and Dating:

Marry a Christian (2 Corinthians 6:14).
Our relationships with opposite sex to be pure. Dating couples should establish righteous boundaries for their relationship.

4. Stewardship: Everything we have belongs to God. We are to be faithful stewards (caretakers) of the money that God entrusts us with.

Contribution: We should commit ourselves to give regularly weekly or monthly to the work of the church – it depends on our support (1 Corinthians 9:9-11).
Wise use of money: We should be disciplined in our use of money.

For Discussion:

Any questions about life in Christ or life in Church?
What areas of following God will you find challenging?

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