Our Purpose in Life

Scripture
Isaiah 43:6-7; Psalm 19:1; Romans 11:33-36

Comments
In Hebrew the word for glory is related to a word meaning heavy. God’s glory is weighty, impressive and overwhelming. Sometimes God’s glory refers to the bright, unapproachable light with which He surrounds Himself. Sometimes His glory refers to all that God is—His majesty, His beauty, His holiness, His love and His power. God created us, and indeed the whole world and its history, as a display of His glory.

Questions
1. How do the world and all of its creatures glorify God? Think, for example, of stars, animals, trees and people.

2. Why did God create the world for His glory and not for some other reason? (Hint: What other reasons for creation can you imagine? Why are those reasons not adequate?)

Scripture
Psalm 73:25-28; Habakkuk 3:17-19

Comments
We have an unquenchable (and proper) desire for happiness. The things that make us happy we call good. Food, friends and fun are good. When we enjoy God as our chief good, we glorify Him because we are placing Him above every created source of happiness.

Questions
1. What are some of the things or activities that make you happy?
2. What makes you happier, having a new thing or pleasing someone you love? Why?
3. Why can we only be truly happy when God holds first place in our lives?

Scripture
1 Corinthians 10:31; Matthew 5:1-16

Comments
When we glorify God, we do not increase His glory. No one can make God more glorious than He already is. To glorify God means to acknowledge by our words and actions how wonderful and worthy He is. These things must come from our hearts because heartless worship and service do not honor God.

Comments
Evil often hides in the darkness, but "God is Light and in Him is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5). The Old Testament provides several examples of people who saw God, but they actually only saw some faint reflection of His glory. With our physical eyes we cannot look at the sun without going blind. The unapproachable light in which God dwells is far brighter.

Questions
1. Why is God not being selfish and proud when He commands us to glorify Him? (Hints: Would God be true to Himself if He allowed us to worship whatever we wanted? Can anything but God truly satisfy us?)
2. If God dwells in unapproachable light, how can you ever come near Him? Who makes it possible for you to know and worship God?
3. How must you discipline your heart if you want to know God better?

Scripture
Matthew 5:17-19; John 14:26; 16;12-15; 2 Peter 1:19-21

Comments
Our confidence in the Bible is ultimately founded on the authority of Jesus Christ. According to Christ, the Old Testament is God’s word, and therefore without error in all that it teaches. He also prepared the Apostles to write (or to supervise the writing) of the New Testament. The Holy Spirit enabled the apostles both to remember what Jesus had said (the gospels), and to teach new truths (Acts, the epistles and Revelation).

Questions
1. How can you show respect for the Bible as the Word of God?
2. Suppose that you have always found your best friend to be truthful and honest. If someone accuses him of being a lying, cheating thief, how should you respond? What might you do to clear his name?
3. If someone tells you that the Bible is full of errors, how should you respond?
4. When people speak against God and His word, some Christians become so upset that they cannot think. How can you remain clear-headed in such situations?

Scripture
Isaiah 40:8; Matthew 24:35; Deuteronomy 4:1-2; Revelation 22:18-19

Comments
God has wonderfully preserved His word. This has always been a matter of faith, but the Lord has also graciously confirmed the accuracy of the Hebrew Old Testament and the Greek New Testament through the discovery of numerous ancient manuscripts. Many excellent English translations, which take these discoveries into account, are available. Three deserve special note. The New American Standard Version and the New King James Version attempt (as much as is practical) to provide a word-for-word translation from the original languages. The New International Version offers a less literal, but smoother translation of the text.

Questions
1. Why does God forbid us to add to or to take away from His word? How have some religious groups added to God’s word?
2. Modern translations, which occasionally omit a few words found in the King James Bible, are not guilty taking away from God’s word. (Sometimes foolish rabble-rousers make that claim.) How might you, by an unspiritual attitude, take away from God’s word?

Scripture
Acts 17:11-12; 2 Timothy 2:15; 1 Corinthians 2:12-16

Comments
God’s word is an open book. Anyone may read it for himself. Nevertheless, you must diligently study the Bible in order to understand and profit from it. God does not promise that every Christian will have a perfect understanding of every text of the Bible, but you can understand it well enough to be saved and to live a life pleasing to God. God’s word is so rich a treasure that we can study it all of our lives and still continue to grow in our appreciation of it.

Questions
1. Why is diligent study of God’s word necessary? What is the most helpful way you have found to study God’s word?
2. Why are prayer and dependence on the Spirit more important for studying the Bible than for studying other books?
3. If the Holy Spirit helps us to understand God’s word, why do we need human teachers? Why does God give the gift of teaching to some believers and not to others?
4. Paul calls the church the "pillar and support of the truth" (1 Timothy 3:15). How does the church (past and present) help to preserve the truth of the Scripture?

Scripture
Psalm 119:97-104; 2 Timothy 3:14-17

Comments
Scripture is both necessary and sufficient for living a life pleasing to God. It is necessary because without the Bible we do not have an adequate knowledge of God and His will. It is sufficient because there is nothing outside of the Bible that can add anything new to the Bible’s direction for our lives.

Questions
1. If the Bible is sufficient to equip us for a godly life, what part do other believers play in our spiritual development (1 Thessalonians 4:18; Galatians 6:1-2).
2. What place do counselors and psychotropic drugs have in helping Christians deal with the pressures of life?
3. If you learn important life-skills from books other than the Bible, does that diminish the sufficiency of Scripture?
4. How can you go beyond simply reading the Bible to applying its teaching to your daily living?

Comments
Village Hindus worship a multitude of gods; they have no clear doctrine of creation out of nothing. Mormons teach (1) that there are many gods; (2) each god is in charge of his own world; (3) we only have dealings with the creator of our world; (4) we may evolve and become gods ourselves. (Some Mormons do not realize that these are the official teachings of their church.) Although the Bible speaks of other gods, it describes them as false gods, who are not worthy to be called gods. Only the one true God can do whatever He pleases in Heaven or on Earth.

Questions
1. Why is the biblical doctrine of creation important? What difference would it make if the universe had always existed? Would God have the same degree of control over the world if He had not made it?
2. When the serpent tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden, he said that she could become like God. Why was her desire to become like God wrong? How should we become like God? In what ways can we never become like God? What harm is there in the Mormon doctrine that we can become gods?

Scripture
Numbers 23:19; Psalm 147:4-5; Isaiah 46:9-11; Titus 1:1-2

Comments
God’s nature, character and purposes never change. He has an infinite and perfect knowledge of all past, present and future events, so He never has to alter His plans to care for unforeseen problems. Nevertheless, He also interacts with us in personal ways. He is grieved by sin; He rejoices when a sinner repents; His Spirit moves in the hearts of men; He brings down nations and builds up others in their place.

Scripture
Matthew 3:13-17; Matthew 28:18-20; John 5:18-23, 30

Comments
Even though Scripture never uses the word "Trinity," the Bible clearly teaches the doctrine of the Trinity. It is confusing and contradictory to say that God is a person. He is not one person, but three persons. The three persons of the Trinity are not just three ways of speaking about God, nor are they three ways in which God shows Himself to us. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are distinct from each other because they can interact with each other. The Son prays to and obeys the Father. The Father and Son send the Holy Spirit.

Scripture
John 20:24-31; Revelation 5:11-14

Comments
Answer to last week’s question (4): The eternal Son of God has always acted in submission to His Father’s will. So God the Father sent His Son into the world (1 John 3:9). The person of the Son submits to the person of the Father, but the divine nature of the Son is exactly the same as the divine nature of the Father. When the eternal Son took on a human nature and became a man, He remained submissive to His Father. As a man, He prayed to His Father. As a man, He said, "My Father is greater than I."

Scripture
Matthew 11:25-27; Luke 1:26-27 & 35; John 1:1-5, 14 & 18

Comments
We can learn something about God’s power from creation, something about His law from our conscience and much more about His nature and plans from Scripture. We can only know God in a personal way, however, through Jesus Christ. The reason is that Jesus Christ is God Himself. From eternity past He was God, but at a certain time, He took on a human nature as well. This is called the incarnation.

Questions
1. Why was the incarnation necessary in order for us to come to know God?
2. According to John 1, what part did the Son of God play in creation?
3. How do you think Mary felt when she heard that she was going to become the mother of the Son of God?

Scripture
Romans 5:6-8; 1 Peter 2:21-24; Hebrews 2:14-15

Comments
The death of Christ produced many benefits for us. We will look at the most important of them next week. This week we focus on three secondary accomplishments of His death—the ones, which are mentioned before satisfying the wrath of God, in the statement above.

1. How does the death of Christ demonstrate God’s love for us?
2. If you are following Christ’s example, how will you react when people treat you unfairly? Can you give an example of a time when God helped you to respond in a Christ-like fashion?
3. How would you counsel someone who was afraid of evil spirits or the devil, perhaps because he had recently watched a scary movie?

Comments
God is holy, so He hates sin. God’s hatred of sin is the reason He is angry with sinners. We deserve to be punished for our sins, but God placed our sins on Christ and punished Him instead of us. He bore the curse that we deserved. So Jesus Christ is the substitute and sacrifice for all who receive Him as Savior.

Scripture
Luke 24:36-43; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Corinthians 15:14-20; Hebrews 1:3-4; 7:23-25

Comments
Modern evangelicals often stress the death of Christ when they present the gospel to unbelievers. The preaching of the apostles, as recorded in the book of Acts, stressed His bodily resurrection from the grave. People did not object very much when they spoke of Christ’s death, but the announcement of His resurrection tended to make them angry or skeptical.

Questions
1. How did Jesus demonstrate that He arose with the same body He had when He died?
2. What does the resurrection of Christ prove?
3. Why did Jesus sit down at God’s right hand? What is He doing there now for us?

Scripture
Genesis 1:26-28; James 3:6-12

Comments
Everything that God created shows something of His power and His wisdom. In addition, the angels reveal something of His holy character. No other creature than man, however, was made in the image and likeness of God. For that reason we should treat every human being with respect. Just as spitting on a picture of the President indicates a lack of respect for his office, so despising other people dishonors God.

Questions
1. In what ways are we like God?
2. According to Genesis 1:26-28, what did possession of God’s image enable Adam and Eve to do?
3. As God’s image-bearers, how can we exercise dominion over the Earth in a way that reflects His character? If animals are not made in God’s image do they have "rights" as people do? If not, why should we treat them kindly?
4. How should we show biblical respect for people who--

Comments
Why are we sinners by birth? God appointed Adam to be the representative of the whole human race. Just as the President can lead the whole country into war, so Adam led his whole family into rebellion against God. Therefore, God counts us all as His enemies. Since we are enemies, God took the Holy Spirit away from Adam and from all of his children. Because of that, we are born self-centered rather than God-centered. The Bible teaches that we will be condemned for our own sins, not just for Adam’s (Revelation 20:12-13). The good news, however, is that God appointed Jesus Christ to represent all believers in Christ. Just as sin came through Adam to his children, so righteousness comes through Christ to all His family.

Questions
1. According to Psalm 51:5 and 58:3, when do we become sinners?
2. Why does Romans 5:12 say that sin entered the world through Adam rather than through Eve? After all, we see in Genesis 3 that Eve ate the forbidden fruit first.
3. Do you think Adam is in Heaven? Why or why not?

Scripture
Romans 8:28-29; 2 Corinthians 3:17-18; Philippians 3:20-21; 1 John 3:1-3

Comments
God plans to make all of His adopted children to be as much like Himself as possible. We will never have God’s infinite power or God’s infinite knowledge. God is the Creator. We are only creatures. The image of Himself that God planted in Adam was wonderful, but the image that God will recreate in us will be even more glorious. Salvation through Christ will raise us to a greater likeness to God than even Adam enjoyed.

Scripture
Colossians 3:8-25

Comments
Everyone who belongs to Christ is a member of the family of God. Salvation affects how we treat both outsiders and members of our spiritual family. Colossians 3 speaks about both kinds of relationships.

Questions
1. How can people from different races and social backgrounds learn to work together in the same church?
2. How can a husband and his wife live out their equality before the Lord, and yet the wife remain submissive to her husband?
3. Why did the New Testament not forbid Christians to own slaves? What do you see in this passage that eventually led to the abolition of slavery?
4. Is it all right for a Christian to neglect his duties at work in order to witness to his co-workers? Why or why not?

Comments
God knew in advance the people He was planning to save. His purpose is to make us as much like Christ as a created person can be. He foreknew us because He chose us before He made the world. The Bible speaks of a general calling that comes to all who hear the gospel—"many are called, but few are chosen" (Matthew 22:14). The Bible also teaches that God issues a special call to those whom He has predestined. This calling is perfectly effective; those who receive God’s special call always respond by believing in Christ (John 6:37, 44).

Questions
1. Why is it important for us to know that God chose His children before they were even born? What practical benefit does this truth have for us?
2. If you are a Christian, how did God call you to Himself?
3. What might you tell someone who is afraid that God has not chosen him?

Scripture
John 1:11-13; 3:3-12; Acts 13:48

Comments
Since all unsaved people are hostile toward God (Romans 8:6-8), no one will choose to receive Christ without a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit in his heart. This is the new birth.

Comments
God justifies sinners—that is, He forgives our sins and declares us righteous before His holy law. We are justified before God by faith alone, not by good works or by love because faith is the way we are united to Christ. Faith is like the "I do" and "I will" of a marriage ceremony. Because we are married to Christ, all we have is His, and all He has is ours. What did we have to give Christ? Only our sins. What does He have to give us? His perfect obedience to God’s law. So God considers us to be righteous because we have been united to Christ by faith.

Questions
1. We are justified by faith alone, but the faith that justifies is never alone. Paul teaches we are justified by a living faith. James teaches we are not justified by a dead faith. In addition, we are justified in the sight of God by faith, but we are justified in the sight of men by our works, for men cannot see our faith. What are the evidences of a living faith in your life?
2. Do you know people who say they believe in Christ, but there is little or no evidence of faith in their lives? If such a person is unsure of his salvation, what might you say to him?

Comments
Adoption is a higher privilege than justification. God brings us into His family and makes us joint heirs with Jesus Christ. Because we are God’s children, the Holy Spirit gives us assurance that we belong to the family of God. He does this (1) by enabling us to rest on the promises of God; (2) by leading us in the paths of righteousness; and (3) by reassuring us of our Father’s love. All three members of the Trinity are actively at work to keep God’s children from falling away from Him.

Questions
1. Does assurance of salvation discourage righteous living? In other words, if a Christian is sure of his eternal salvation, will he feel free to live carelessly? Why or why not?
2. Do you have assurance of your salvation? If you do, what has helped you the most to gain assurance. If you are unsure of your salvation, how do you plan to seek assurance?

Scripture
Jeremiah 17:7-8; John 1:12; John 6:35-37; Romans 10:9-10, 13

Comments
Since we are saved by faith alone, it is important to understand what faith is. Faith is not praying a prayer to ask Jesus to come into your heart. Such a prayer is a way of expressing faith that has been helpful to many people, but you can sincerely utter such a prayer and not be saved. Why? Because you may be trusting in the prayer rather than in Christ. The Bible describes faith in terms of believing in Christ, trusting in Christ, coming to Christ and calling on His name. Saving faith clings to Christ alone.

Questions
1. What must you believe about Christ in order to be saved?
2. There must be a definite time when you first put your trust in Christ. Do you know when you did this? (Some truly born again people do not know the time of their conversion.)
3. Saving faith brings a brand-new relationship to Christ. What does Jesus Christ mean to you on a day-by-day basis?
4. Faith in the wrong thing or person does not save. What are some common, but false objects of faith?
5. Can you thing of other ways people might sincerely pray for salvation and yet not be saved?

Scripture
Luke 13:1-5; Acts 26:18-20; 2 Corinthians 7:8-13

Comments
Repentance is not something separate from faith, something that we must add to faith in order to be saved. Repentance is a part of saving faith or another way of describing faith. To repent means that you reject your self-centered way of life and turn to God in Christ. Repentance is not simply being sorry for your sins. There is nothing more common than for unsaved people to feel sorry for what they have done. Alcoholics and wife abusers frequently cry genuine tears and promise to change, but then they run right back into the same destructive behaviors. So do not imagine that a person is genuinely converted simply because his profession of faith is accompanied by tears.

Questions
1. How does the Bible distinguish between the sorrow of the world and genuine repentance?
2. Our first repentance occurs when we are saved. After that, we must repent of our sins daily. A Christian may struggle with habitual sin for a long period of time. Perhaps he repeatedly promises God that he will never sin in that way again. When he breaks his promise, he feels even guiltier than he did before. In such a case, true repentance ought to lead him to seek help from fellow believers (Galatians 6:1-2). Why do Christians often fail to seek spiritual help from each other?

Scripture
2 Corinthians 13:5; 2 Peter 1:1-11

Comments
The Bible teaches us to examine ourselves to make sure that we are genuine Christians. When we do this, we must be careful to avoid two common errors.

Questions
1. Why is it important for you to examine yourself to see if you are in the faith?
2. How might you challenge someone whose life does not clearly show that he has genuine faith in Christ?
3. How might you encourage someone who is always worried about his salvation?

Scripture
Romans 3:27-28; 4:1-5; Ephesians 2:8-10

Comments
We are not saved by our own efforts to keep God’s law. Works pleasing to God always follow saving faith, but they are not the basis of our acceptance by God. God does not accept us partly because of our faith and partly because of our works. We are saved by faith alone.

Questions
1. Why don’t our works contribute even a little bit toward our salvation?
2. Why will God not allow you to boast that you have done something to help earn salvation?
3. When we selfishly and deliberately make ourselves the center of attention, we are sinning. How does faith put God at the center?

Comments
Holiness in the life of a Christian is the work of the Holy Spirit. No one can make himself holy by his own efforts. On the other hand, we do not become holy by sitting back and waiting for God to do everything. God commands us to put to death sinful desires by depending on the indwelling Holy Spirit. We must actively obey God’s commands by consciously trusting in the strength of God’s Spirit.

Questions
1. What diminishes your desire for holiness? What stimulates your desire for holiness?
2. How can you become more consciously dependent on the Holy Spirit?
3. The Holy Spirit is at work transforming God’s children into the image of His beloved Son. How does the life of Jesus help you understand what holiness means for your life?

Second Sunday in August

Comments
When God saves us, He enlists us in His service. The Holy Spirit gives every believer one or more spiritual gifts to use for the glory of God and the good of the church. Examples of some of these gifts are found in Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4 and 1 Peter 4. You may find it helpful to take a spiritual gifts inventory, but often it is better simply to use the service opportunities God gives you. As you and others see God at work in you, you will develop a better idea of how He has gifted you. Remember, however, that God often wants you to do things that are hard for you. He takes you out of your comfort and gift zone in order to teach you to depend on His Spirit.

Questions
1. In what ways have you tried to serve the Lord? Which of those ways seemed to have the blessing of God?
2. Have other people ever told you that they see God at work in your service? Have you ever encouraged another believer in that way?
2. Has God ever called you to undertake a task that made you uncomfortable? Is He laying such a burden on you right now?

Third Sunday in August

Scripture
Matthew 22:34-40; Galatians 5:22-23; 1 Corinthians 13:1-3

Comments
There is a tendency to focus on showy, up-front gifts as an indication that a person is holy or specially blessed by God. Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS'" (Matthew 7:21-23).

Questions
1. Why is love a better indicator of our spiritual condition than spectacular performances?
2. How does this affect your view of the local church in comparison to national, media-oriented ministries?
3. How can you grow in your love for the Triune God?

Fourth Sunday in August

Scripture
1 Corinthians 6:9-20

Comments
The Lord Jesus Christ saves us from sin. He does not save us in order that we may live in sin. Anything that God has not forbidden is lawful for us. On the other hand, anything that dominates our lives and turns others or us away from the Lord is sin. That is the reason the Bible condemns drunkenness. Drug addition falls under the same condemnation. Sexual relations outside of marriage between a man and a woman may not be a greater sin than pride, but sexual immorality defiles our bodies in an especially serious way.

Questions
1. Why does God want you to be holy?
2. What has God done, and what does He continue to do to make you holy?
3. How can you pursue holiness?

The Goodness of God

Scripture
1 Peter 4:12, 17-19; Psalm 145:8-9; Revelation 21:3-4

Comments
When Adam sinned, God passed judgment on him and on the whole human race, which he represented. We became subject to death and lost much of our ability to rule over Earth and its creatures (Genesis 3; Romans 5:12; 8:18-25). For this reason, we suffer from sickness and natural disasters. Nevertheless, God continues to pour out good gifts on the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:44-45).

Questions
1. What is the hardest thing you have endured? How does that compare with the suffering of other people throughout the world?
2. How has God shown His goodness to you? What are the two greatest gifts He has given you?
3. How might you help someone, who is suffering, to trust in the goodness of God?
4. How does the promise that suffering will end help us now?