Mar 12
11
Doctrinal Standard WSC #20 (4 of 4 weeks)
- Q. Did God leave all mankind to die in sin and misery?
- A. From all eternity and merely because it pleased Him God chose some to have everlasting life. These He freed from sin and misery by a covenant of grace and brought them to salvation by a redeemer.
Memory Verses
- “For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith…29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise” (Galatians 3:26,29, ESV).
Study Passage: Hebrews 8
Support Passages: Hebrews 9 – 11
Bible Story: Numbers 21:4-9, John 3:14-16
Thoughts
- Scripture is very clear and Paul spent most of his missionary journeys reiterating the fact that salvation is attained by nothing but faith alone. One of the main differences between the Mosaic Covenant and the New Covenant is not the commands of God but rather the type of covenant. The Mosaic Covenant is primarily a covenant of Law. If you keep the commands you will be blessed. If you disobey the commands you will be cursed. While faith was most certainly a part of the Mosaic Covenant the main point of this covenant is to show that the works of man will never be good enough to meet the requirements of God. Whereas the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34) is considered a covenant of Grace. According to Jeremiah, in the New Covenant God actively places His word within the elect giving them faith and the ability to believe. This is what Paul is saying in Ephesians 2:8–9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
- Paul said, since salvation is a gift, a gracious act of God, we have no right to say that we did anything to deserve salvation. We cannot claim that we were more intelligent than others and, therefore, sought after God, that our sinfulness was less than that of others, that we did enough good to earn God acceptance. We can’t boast in the faith that we have. Hebrew says, “looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”Therefore, if salvation comes only by faith, and if faith is a gift from God, our boasting should only be in the Lord who is at work in our lives.
- So what is man’s responsibility in light of God’s work in an individual’s life? The answer is rather simple, we are to respond in faith (trusting) being driven by the desires and convictions God is creating within us. God is the one giving life to our once dead souls, He is the one guiding, and providing the faith to respond to what He has called us to do.
- John 16:7–8 (ESV) Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:
- Romans 8:14 (ESV) For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
- Romans 12:3 (ESV) For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.
- John 6:44 (ESV) No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.
Discussion Questions
- Explain what faith is?
- Ephesians 2:8–9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”If salvation is by faith but yet it’s not our own doing where does faith come from?
- If God is the “the founder and perfecter of our faith.” What is man’s responsibility in relating to God and in life in general?
- Even though Christians have a responsibility to live a holy life before God. How does it make you feel that God is the one actively perusing and growing us spiritually?
- In light of what we have been studying the last few weeks can someone lose their salvation?
