Our Response to the Gospel
. .... If you’ve followed this online discipleship forum over the last several postings, you should know the four points of the gospel by now. Here they are again, for your review:
1. An understanding of who Jesus is (see Romans 10:9)
2. Jesus died for our sins, according to the Scriptures.
3. Jesus was raised again on the third day, according to the Scriptures.
4. Jesus was seen, after His resurrection, by many witnesses.
.... In one previous posting we discussed how deeper truths could be derived from the same four points, and this posting will begin with something similar. Based on those same four truths of the gospel, what might be an appropriate response on our part? Because this will be our side of turning the gospel into a relationship. Below is sample question, along with some possible answers and their corresponding Scriptures:
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1) Given that Jesus died for our sins, how might we show that we understand the magnitude and implications of this truth?
A. We should confess ours sinful deeds to Him. This humble application will help us appreciate what He has done for us (Psalm 51:4; Mark 1:5; 1 John 1:9; 1 Corinthians 15:54-57).
B. It is also appropriate to confess that we were sinners by our nature, so we would probably have kept on sinning without Him. Thus, our need for Him is continual (Ephesians 2:3).
C. Since our sins separated us from God, we should express our regret by repenting of them. In a reciprocal way, if our sins made us farther, this would make us closer, and would also help us set a new course in life (Matthew 3:2; Luke 15:7, 10; James 4:8).D. Since Jesus died to redeem us from sin, the form of our debt has changed. We are no longer indebted to God for our sins, but for the life of His Son. We should therefore respond by committing our own lives to Him in believing (John 3:18; 2 Corinthians 5:14-15).
E. Just as Jesus took His stand for us publicly, to bear our sins, we should publicly make it known that we’ve accepted the gospel (Romans 1:16; Acts 2:41; Mark 8:38)
.... Once again we see how a little thoughtfulness and meditation, in a prayerful attitude, can reveal some further truths that are easily within our reach! In Christ, the truth is dynamic in his way because it mirrors a living Person rather than a religious system or code of beliefs, and it is interactive because it reflects our relationship with Him (John 14:6; 1 John 2:27).
.... This list above is by no means exhaustive. Below are three more prompting questions for you to think about. In the ‘comments’ section you will find some possible answers, but please try to come up with some implications on your own before checking. And if you happen to come up with some new ones, please feel free to add them in further comments!2) Given that Jesus rose from the dead to give us a new life, what should be our resolve as we follow Him?
3) Given that Jesus saves us through the preaching of the gospel, what should be our general attitude in receiving this message?
4) The motive behind Jesus’ death and resurrection was His love for us. What would be an appropriate response to this love? .
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Daily Bible Reading: Matthew 17 .
posted by loren at 2:08 AM
3 Comments:
2) Given that Jesus rose from the dead to give us a new life, what should be our resolve as we follow Him?
A. We should reckon ourselves dead to sin, but alive to God through Him (Rom 6:11).
B. We should dedicate our new lives to Him, just as He gave His life for us (2 Cor 5:15).
C. We should recognize His leadership in life itself, and make Him the Lord of our lives (Rom 10:9).
D. He has made us a new creation through His resurrection, so we should press onward, leaving our past behind us (2 Cor 5:17; Phil 3:10-15).
E. Jesus died and rose again that He might be judge of the living and the dead, so we should accept that we must one day give an account to Him, and continue to humbly trust in Him (Acts 10:42; 1 Peter 4:5; Jude 24).
By
loren, at 5/11/2005 2:16 AM
3)Given that Jesus saves us through the preaching of the gospel, what should be our general attitude in receiving this message?
A. Well, first of all someone must preach it to us. We should receive this person as though Jesus Himself was reaching out to us (Rom 10:13-15; John 13:20; Gal 4:13,14).
B. When the gospel comes our way, we must seriously think about the commitment it requires. (Luke 14:28-33; 9:58-62).
C. Once we’ve counted the cost, we need to make a decision within ourselves that we’ll put our trust in Jesus (Rom 1:16).
D. Somehow, we must communicate this decision to the Lord (Rom 10:9-14).
E. Just as someone shared the gospel with us, we should be willing to share the gospel with others (Luke 22:32; Phil 1:12-14).
By
loren, at 5/11/2005 2:18 AM
4) The motive behind Jesus’ death and resurrection was His love for us. What would be an appropriate response to this love?
A Since He first loved us, and gave His life for us, we should love Him in return with all our heart, mind, soul and strength (1 John 4:19; Mark 12:30).
B. Since Jesus loved each of us so much, we should also love each other (1 John 4:7,8; Mark 12:31)
C. Love goes beyond mere words. In following Jesus’ example we should always be willing to serve others, rather than simply pleasing ourselves (John 13:14,15; Rom 15:1-3).
D. Like Jesus, we should even love those who hate us, and not hate them in return – but do our best to reach out to them instead (Matthew 5:44-48; 1 Peter 2:23; Rom 12:18).
E. However fervent or gentle our love may be, it must never compromise the truth (1 Cor 13:6; Phil 1:9,10; Matt 16:26).
By
loren, at 5/11/2005 2:19 AM
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