-
What new insights did you learn from a careful review of the Scripture readings cited in this lesson?
-
That God loves us unconditionally, and that he provided a way to bring us into fellowship with him through faith in Jesus saving work on the cross
-
Better understanding and show the way of redemption and a born again Christian
-
2 Peter 3:18 – “growing in the GRACE and KNOWLEDGE of our Lord and Savior”
I have previously thought of this as the grace/truth paradigm – but I think it is more of growing in an understanding of the character and person of Jesus and how His grace is extended to us. Growing up in a performance-based household as an athlete, I had a very skewed view of the grace of God, and even though I knew I didn’t need to earn salvation…I did feel like I needed to earn His approval in my daily walk with Him. But as I’ve grown in my knowledge of Jesus and in a deeper relationship with Jesus, I see how much He is for me and how much His grace covers my fleshly tendencies. Not that it is an excuse for sinning, but actually creates a deeper desire within me to not sin and walk in the freedom His grace affords to me! -
I was initially reminded of how God’s Word grows with each reading of the Living Word. John 1:12 promises eternal life to those who believe. John 3:3 explains that to receive eternal life we must be born again. Isaiah 53:6 gives the perfect example of why we must be born again to receive eternal life.
Whether going our own way, being led astray, or becoming complacent with our day-to-day lives, we have only to meet God’s conditions to fulfill the promise of eternal life. Admit we are sinners as Romans 3:23 states. Recognize the seriousness of our sin as stated in Isaiah 64:6. Understand the the wages of sin are death of our eternal soul as stated in Romans 6:23. Understand that there is more to having eternal life than just reading God’s Word. We must demonstrate the knowledge we learn and do our best each day to exemplify Christ’s actions. None of us are perfect. However, as steel sharpens steel, we can hone our wisdom by working each day to walk, act, and love others as Christ loves us. -
Are we growing? Are we changing?
Are we giving it away to others?These are helpful questions to know if we’re remaining stagnant in our relationship with Jesus or walking with Him.