Jana Wagner

Introduction: As we observed in our last lesson, God sent His Son to save us “from our sins” that “whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (Matt. 1:21; John 3:16). Through faith in Jesus we receive (1) repentance for sin, (2) forgiveness for sin, and (3) power to overcome sin. This work of grace is the beginning of a “new life,” which is called the “new birth” or “conversion.” In this lesson we will see how this new birth takes place in our lives.

1. How many of us are naturally good? Rom. 3:10, 23 [The Further-study verses are John 8:34; and Ecc. 7:20; and Isa. 64:6]

2. Therefore, what is “most assuredly” necessary if we are going to receive the free gift of eternal life? John 3:3, 5, 6 [Matt. 18:3]

3. Can we change ourselves? Jer. 13:23 [Rom. 7:18-24]

STEPS TO CONVERSION

4. The Bible points out three steps to conversion. What is the first step? Acts 3:19 [Ans: We must repent of our sins. 2 Peter 3:9; Acts 2:38; 5:31; Rom. 2:4; Ps. 34:18]

5. Repentance means to be so sorry for our sins that we do not want to repeat them. Only God can give us that sorrow for sin, for we, by nature, love sin. What will true repentance lead us to do with our past, sinful way of life? Rom. 6:6, 16 [Ans: By God’s help we will crucify the sinful habits we once cherished. True repentance also will cause us to make restitution for our wrongs (such as paying back stolen goods) where we can. Num. 5:7; Eze. 33:15; Luke 19:8, 9; Rom. 8:13]

6. After repentance, what is the second step? 1 John 1:9 [Ans: We must confess our sins to God, asking for forgiveness. After confessing our sins, we are not to keep on dwelling upon them, but to have faith that God has forgiven them. There also may be people from whom we should ask forgiveness. Prov. 28:13; Ps. 32:5; 51:1-10; Lev. 5:5; 26:40-42; Mark 1:5; James 5:16; Neh. 1:6-11; Rom. 5:1]

7. Thirdly, after repentance and forgiveness, how are we then to live? Rom. 6:4 [Ans: We are to live a new life, a righteous life, through the power of the Holy Spirit. Eph. 2:1-10; 1 John 2:6; 3:3]

8. What will happen if we repent of our sins but do not replace our evil deeds with good deeds? Luke 11:24-26 [Note: We must preoccupy the mind with good if we would not have it filled with evil. Eph. 2:1-10; 1 John 2:6; 3:3]

NEW LIFE THROUGH JESUS

9. The end product of conversion is a new life of righteousness. How can we live this new life? Rom. 8:2-4 [Note: God has power to help even the worst sinner overcome his sins. 1 John 3:3-9; and Heb. 10:16; and Eze. 36:25-28; and 1 Cor. 10:13; and Phil. 4:13; and John 8:34-36; and Heb. 7:25]

10. Who showed us the way to live this new life of righteousness? John 14:6 [Heb. 2:10, 11, 16-18; and 1 Peter 2:21; and Matt. 16:24]

11. In demonstrating a righteous life, Jesus showed us three things we can do to enable the Holy Spirit to give us this new life. What is one thing Jesus did, and taught us to do, to live the victorious Christian life? Luke 21:34-36 [Luke 6:12; Matt. 26:41]

12. A second thing Jesus did was to study the Bible and to resist temptation by quoting Scripture. What will regular Bible study do for us? 2 Peter 1:3, 4 [Note: When we study the Bible daily, the Holy Spirit fills us with holy thoughts and gives us strength to resist temptation. When Jesus was tempted, He quoted Scripture that He had memorized. If we will fill our minds with texts of the Bible and Christian songs, our minds will not be so easily affected by sin. Then, when we are tempted, if we will quote Scripture and pray for strength, we will obtain victory. Matt. 4:3, 4, 7, 10; Ps. 119:11; John 6:53-57, 63; John 17:17]

13. Thirdly, after receiving spiritual strength through prayer and Bible study, Jesus mentally and consciously resisted Satan and his temptations, and chose to do right (see Isa. 7:14, 15 and Luke 4:8). What should we do when tempted? James 4:7, 8 [Eph. 6:12, 13]

14. These three things–Prayer, Bible study, and exercising our will in refusing to sin and choosing to do good with the spiritual strength we have thus received–are the secrets for victorious Christian living. We must combine divine power with human effort. But we must do this every day, even moment by moment! How can we have a growing Christian experience? Col. 2:6 [Luke 9:23; and 1 Cor. 15:31; and 1 Thess. 5:17; and Rev. 2:4]

15. When we have been truly born again, what will happen to us? 2 Cor. 5:17 [Phil. 1:6]

Commitment: Is it your desire to be born again into a spiritual life of righteousness, with Jesus as your example? Will you spend time with Jesus every day in prayer and Bible study, and with the strength you thus receive from God choose to resist sin and to follow the Lord Jesus Christ?

STEP 1 (Lessons 1-10): Believing in Christ Our Savior and Coming King

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Introduction: All our lessons are about Jesus and His truth, but this is a special lesson on who Jesus is and what He wants to do for us. Because of Satan’s rebellion, and because Jesus loved us too much to leave us under Satan’s control, Jesus left heaven and came to this earth to redeem all who want to be saved.

JESUS’ DIVINITY AND PREEXISTENCE

1. Shortly after Jesus was conceived within Mary, an angel explained His birth to Joseph and said He would be called Immanuel. What does Immanuel mean? Matt. 1:21-23 [The Further-study verses are Col. 2:9; Isa. 9:6; Rev. 22:13]

2. Where was Jesus before the world was formed? John 17:4, 5 [John 8:58]

3. What work did Jesus do in the beginning? John 1:1-3 [Ans: He created all things. Col. 1:16, 17]

4. What does Paul call Christ? 1 Cor. 10:4 [Ans: The Rock. 2 Sam. 23:3; and Deut. 32:4; Ps. 18:2; 31:3; 42:9; 62:2, 6]

WHY JESUS CAME TO EARTH

5. Why are all human beings, including ourselves, doomed? Rom. 5:12 [Rom. 3:23; 6:23]

6. Life is only in God, and only by remaining in harmony with God can life continue. Through sin, the inhabitants of this world have placed themselves out of harmony with God and have received the death penalty. What has Jesus done to pay the penalty for our sins? Isa. 53:4-6 [John 1:29]

7. What did Jesus have to do to take our place (i. e., become our substitute) and pay for our sins? Phil. 2:5-8 [John 1:14; and 1 Tim. 3:16; and Heb. 2:14]

8. Can we receive forgiveness by keeping God’s law? Rom. 3:20 [Gal. 2:16]

9. If keeping the law will not save us, how can we be saved from our sins? Acts 16:30, 31 [Note: Belief in Jesus involves more than a mere acknowledgement of His existance, for “even the demons believe” that (James 2:19). Saving belief means accepting Jesus as “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6), and as our personal Lord and Savior. Matt. 1:21]

10. When we accept Jesus as our Savior, what does God do with our “sins that were previously committed”? Rom. 3:24, 25 [Note: When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, He becomes our substitute and we are free from condemnation. From that point on, Christ will begin to mold and fashion us after His own likeness. Eph. 2:8]

11. In order for us to be forgiven, a change must take place in our attitudes. We must be sorry for our sins. How can we become sorry (repentant) for our sins so that we can receive the merits of Christ’s death in our behalf? Acts 5:30, 31 [Ans: We cannot make ourselves sorry for our sins. We must come to Jesus just as we are, and He will give us both repentance and forgiveness. Rom. 2:4; and 2 Cor. 7:10; and Luke 24:47]

12. Besides giving us repentance and forgiveness for the sins we have committed, what else does Jesus promise to do for us? 1 John 1:9 [Ans: To cleanse us. Eze. 36:25-29]

13. How does God cleanse us from sin, transforming our characters? Rom. 8:1-4, 13-14 [Ans: By giving us the same Spirit (that is, the same divine power) that kept Jesus from sin. 2 Cor. 5:21; Matt. 1:21; John 8:34-36]

14. After Jesus came down to live and die in our behalf, where did He go and what is He doing for us today? Heb. 4:14-16 [Ans: He went back to heaven to become our “High Priest” that He might help those who are weak and tempted and who call upon Him for help. Heb. 7:25; 2:17, 18; 6:19, 20]

15. What motive prompted God to give us this wonderful friend and Savior, Jesus, who can save us from sin and give us eternal life? John 3:16 [Acts 4:12; and John 15:13; and John 1:12; and 1 John 3:1-3]

Commitment: If you believe in Jesus as your Savior, He will give you repentance and forgiveness, and He will help you in every time of need. God loves you, and He wants you to live with Him forever. That is why He gave His only Son to die in your place. That is why Jesus is still ministering for you in heaven as your High Priest. Will you accept Him as your Lord and Savior today? Will you ask Jesus to come into your life and make you His child?

STEP I (Lessons 1-10): Believing in Christ, Our Savior and Coming King

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Introduction: In our last two lessons we learned how to develop a relationship with God. In this lesson we will study about Satan. Who is he? Is there really such a being? And if there is, has he existed from all eternity? Is he therefore another god, an enemy god, who is in conflict with Jehovah? We will answer these questions in this lesson.

1. Where did Jesus say Satan came from? Luke 10:18 [The Further-study verse is Jude1:6]

2. Why did Satan fall from heaven? Isa. 14:12-15 [2 Peter 2:4]

3. How did Satan come into being, and what was he like? Eze. 28:15 [Note: In verse 12 (Eze.28:12) of this chapter Satan is referred to as the “king of Tyre.” Just as the Lord was the real king behind the human ruler in Israel (I Chron. 29:23; Zeph. 3:5), so Satan was the real king behind the pagan kingdoms of Babylon and Tyre. Thus at certain points the prophecies of Isaiah 14:1-32 and Ezekiel 28:1-26 reflect in a graphic manner Satan’s own characteristics. Col. 1:16; Ps.148:1,2,5]

4. Since Satan was created as a holy and perfect angel, what change took place in him that caused him to be cast out of heaven? Eze. 28:13, 14, 17 [Note: Satan was “perfect” until “iniquity was found” in him. Ezekiel 28:16 says, “You sinned . . . O covering cherub.” Satan thus became the first sinner, or, according to 1 John 3:4, 8, the first transgressor of God’s law. 1 John 3:8 says, “The Devil has sinned from the beginning.” In other words, he was the originator of sin. Ps. 80:1; John 8:44]

5. Who were expelled from heaven with Satan? Rev. 12:7-9, 12 [ Matt. 25:41]

6. How did this world become involved in Satan’s rebellion? Gen. 3:1-6 [Note: As Satan later worked through the king of Tyre, so in Eden he used a serpent as his medium. Therefore the “serpent” also became one of Satan’s titles (Rev. 12:9). [ Rom. 5:12]

7. In the beginning, Adam was made the ruler over this world (Gen.1:26). But after Satan caused Adam to sin he lost that dominion. Who then claimed rulership of this world? Luke 4:5-7 [ John 14:30; and 2 Cor. 4:4; and Eph. 6:12]

8. What does Satan do to those who oppose truth? 2 Tim. 2:25, 26 [John 8:34-44; Eph. 2:13]

9. What warning does Peter give to Christians living in the last days? 1 Peter 5:6-9 [Eph 6:10-18]

10. How will Satan work in the last days, and who will he deceive? 2 Thess. 2:8-10 [Rev. 16:14]

11. How will Satan disguise his work and workers in the last days? 2 Cor. 11:1315 [Matt. 4:5, 6]

12. How can we overcome Satan? Rev. 12:11 [1 John 3:4-8; James 4:7, 8]

Commitment: Many people have wondered how a God of love could permit the sin and suffering in the world today. But God never intended it to be thus. God never made sin or suffering. He gave all His beings, including the angels, the power of choice; and one of those angels, the highest angel in heaven, chose to rebel. Then our first parents joined him in that rebellion. Thus sin entered our planet. Satan is at war with God and is seeking through intrigue, deception, and force to cause our eternal destruction. The Bible reveals his plans and disguises. It also reveals a Savior–Jesus Christ–who will save us from Satan. Will you study His Word and allow Him to save you from the wiles of the Devil?

STEP 1 (Lessons 1-10): Believing in Christ, Our Savior and Coming King

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Introduction: The Bible says that “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God,” for “prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Tim. 3:16; and 2 Peter 1:21). The claim of the Bible is that it is the word of the living God, written by human penmen, to the inhabitants of earth. How can we know that this claim of the Bible is true?

1. What element is essential in order for us to believe the Bible? Heb. 11:3, 6 [Note: Not only the Bible testimony but most of our learning has been received through faith. As children, our parents showed us a ball and said, “This is a ball.” We learned because we had faith in their word. Most of us have not been to Mongolia, but we believe it exists because we have faith in the authorities who have told us. Many people reject the Bible because of their belief in evolution, but evolution itself can be believed only on the basis of faith in someone’s interpretation of selected evidence. The Further-study verse is Heb. 4:2]

2. What is faith? Heb. 11:1 [Ans: Faith is evidence, for it is founded upon evidence. God does not bypass the human mind. He says, “Come now, and let us reason together” (Isa. 1:18). God gives sufficient evidence upon which to honestly base our faith. But faith is founded upon evidence of things which are not seen with natural sight. We cannot see the wind, but we can see the evidences of the wind. Rom. 8:24, 25]

3. What is one evidence that God has given us on which we can base our faith? Isa. 45:18-21 [Ans: The God of the Bible claims to be the only God, the Creator of heaven and earth. As evidence, He says He has foretold current happenings “from ancient times.” 2 Peter 1:19]

4. What knowledge does God alone have? Isa. 46:9, 10 [Note: In the lessons following in this series, we will note prophecies that foretold accurately events happening thousands of years later. We will note prophecies of Greece, Rome, and Europe, in some cases giving the specific dates for certain events. The Bible also describes the events and conditions of today. John 14:29]

5. What conditions does the Bible predict will prevail in society today? 2 Tim. 3:1-4 [Note: Sin has always existed in society, but the conditions describe in our text will increase in the last days. Matt. 24:37-39; Gen. 6:5]

6. What international conditions does the Bible picture for the last days? Matt. 24:6, 7 [ Rev. 11:18]

7. In the midst of calamities, violence, and threats of war, for what will many people be seeking and predicting? 1 Thess. 5:2, 3 [ Rev. 18:7, 8]

8. What religious conditions will prevail in the last days? 2 Peter 3:3-7a [Ans. Men and women will scoff at the faith of Christians, denying the evidences of creation and the flood. They will claim that all things continue in a uniform process of evolution that cannot be, and has not been, changed. Luke 18:8; Rom. 1:19-22]

9. While the moral conditions of society are deteriorating, while efforts to reduce international tensions are preoccupying us, and while evolution is replacing belief in creation, what will suddenly happen to earth? 2 Peter 3:10-13 [ Luke 21:34, 35]

10. How can we be preserved from the coming destruction? John 3:16 [ Ps. 91:1, 2, 7-10; 27:1-5; John 6:39, 40]

11. From whom do we receive the gift of faith, which we must have in order to believe and be saved? Rom. 12:3 [ Heb. 12:2; Mark 9:24; James 1:5, 17]

12. Through what process does God develop faith? Rom. 10:14, 17 [ 1 Cor. 1:21-24; Matt. 24:14]

13. How only can we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ? John 6:44, 45 [Only those who have learned from the Father can believe on Jesus Christ. As we ask God to teach us, while studying the Bible and opening our minds to the evidences of His presence, He will teach us; He will give us faith; and we will be drawn to Christ as our Savior. John 20:31; Mark 16:17]

14. What invitation does God give to each one of us? Ps. 34:8 [ Matt. 11:28-30]

Commitment: To be understood, the Bible must be studied from a higher standpoint than mere human logic. There must also be the element of conviction from God and an exercise of faith. In His Word, God has given abundant evidence upon which to base our faith in Him. We have looked at one evidence-He can foretell the future. The greatest evidence is the abiding presence of Christ within one’s life. God is fair. He says, “Taste and see” for yourself (Ps. 34:8). You do not have to rely on another’s faith. His promise is that “You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jer. 29:13). Will you give God a chance to demonstrate His goodness in your life?

SUPPLEMENTAL LESSONS (Sl-S4): Studies for Further Knowledge

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