BIBLE STUDY APPROACH LESSON

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The approach of this Bible study is not to exhaustively teach on establishing your life
in Christ, but to expose you to a grouping of Scriptures around establishing your life in Christ.
Using God’s Word in this area exposes you to God’s truth for divine inspiration. Prayerfully
work each Bible study seeking God’s truth and wisdom for your life. Make it your goal to
complete each Bible study with specific applications that will help you in this area. Do not
do the study as an exercise in Biblical content, but as a tool for God, through the work of
the Holy Spirit, to bring transformation and change to your life.

THE GOOD NEWS –Salvation!

YOUR LIFE IN CHRIST

The “Your Life in Christ” Bible Study is designed to help you establish your walk with the
Lord Jesus Christ. The Good News of Jesus Christ is that not only are you forgiven, but
you also can experience life now in all its abundance. As you establish your walk in
Jesus Christ, aspire for three things to happen to your life:

1. Allow your heart to be touched by God. Every moment of your life should
be a moment where God has touched you. Do not live a day without the
experience or recognition of Who God is in your life and how He has
touched your life.
1 Samuel 10:26 “Saul also went to his home in Gibeah, accompanied by
valiant men whose hearts God had touched.”
2. Cultivate your desire for knowing and loving God. Your relationship with
Christ should be so meaningful and vital that your number one desire in life
is to know and love God.
Psalm 73:25 “Whom have I in heaven but You? And earth has nothing I
desire besides You.”
3. Develop a passionate relationship with Jesus Christ. Your relationship with
God should move beyond one of casual interaction to one that
passionately seeks to know and experience God in every way possible. No
part of your life should take priority over your relationship with Christ.
Philippians 3:8, 10b “What is more, I consider everything a loss
compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord,
for Whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may
gain Christ. I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection.”

This lesson is the foundation of your relationship with God. Two types of people will be
completing this study. The first will be those who do not know Jesus Christ as their
personal Lord and Savior. The second will be those who know Him as their personal Lord
and Savior – but have an incomplete belief about their salvation experience which is
short-circuiting their relationship with God. Jesus Christ died on the cross not only for
your eternal salvation, but also that you might experience His total forgiveness and

Your Life In Christ – Lesson 1 – The Good News – Salvation! 1

abundance of life now. Inaccurate or incomplete beliefs about your salvation
experience might hinder the work of the Holy Spirit in your life.

Stop now and pray for God’s presence and inspiration during this study.

If you do not know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior or do not have complete confidence in your
salvation experience, be open to God’s revelation in your life. Pray that God might reveal Himself to
you. If you know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, pray that God will reveal His total truth about your
salvation, Who He is in your life, and how God relates to you as His child.

GOD’S DESIRE FOR MANKIND

God’s purpose is peace, a meaningful and purposeful life here on earth that is filled
with abundance, and eternal life with Him.

1. Romans 5:1 “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have
peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,”
a. What do you receive from God when you are justified through faith?

2. John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that
whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
a. What do you receive when you believe in Jesus?

3. John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that
they may have life, and have it to the full.”
a. What did Jesus come for?

b. How does the thief steal, kill, and destroy?

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Your Life In Christ – Lesson 1 – The Good News – Salvation!
 4. Why don’t most people experience the life God wants us to have? (No wrong
answer)

THE PROBLEM

People are separated from God by sin. People are incapable of finding fulfillment,
purpose, and peace in life apart from God.

5. Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”
a. What do all people have in common?

6. Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in
Christ Jesus our Lord.”
a. What is the result of sin in your life?

b. What is God’s gift?

THE GREAT DIVIDE

God created mankind to have relationship and companionship with God, Who is
Holy. Sin separates mankind from God. The following drawing illustrates the separation
between our Holy God and sinful man.

MAN - sinful GOD - Holy

Gap
between
God & man

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Your Life In Christ – Lesson 1 – The Good News – Salvation!
INTUITIVELY MANKIND SEEKS GOD

Men throughout the ages have tried to bridge this gap between their Holy God and
their own sinfulness by their own efforts, but they always fall short. What are some of the
ways that man tries to bridge this gap? (No wrong answer) Write your answers on the 4
lines between the two cliffs. Some answers might be: Good works, Religion, Philosophy,
Morality...

MAN - sinful GOD - Holy

Gap
between
God & man

GOD’S REMEDY

God’s remedy for sin and man’s separation from Him is the cross of Christ. The death
of Christ on the cross pays the penalty of our sins thus bridging the gap.

7. Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still
sinners, Christ died for us.”
a. What did Christ do for you?

MAN - sinful GOD - Holy

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Your Life In Christ – Lesson 1 – The Good News – Salvation!
 8. 1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous,
to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the
Spirit,”
a. Why did Christ die for you?

9. Colossians 1:14 “in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

a. What did Jesus’ death on the cross do for you?

10. John 14:6 “Jesus answered, „I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one
comes to the Father except through Me.‟”
a. Why is Jesus the only way to God?

11. Ephesians 2:8-9 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this
not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast.”
a. What is salvation not dependent on?

12. Acts 4:10, 12 “It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Whom you crucified
but Whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.
12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other Name under heaven
given to men by which we must be saved.”
a. Through Whom has God allowed salvation to come?

b. Are there any other ways your sin/separation problem can be remedied?

YOUR RESPONSE

Your response to Christ’s remedy is to believe and receive Christ.

13. Romans 10:9-10 “That if you confess with your mouth, „Jesus is Lord,‟ and believe
in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with
your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you
confess and are saved.”

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Your Life In Christ – Lesson 1 – The Good News – Salvation!
 a. What responses are required for salvation?

14. Revelation 3:20 (Jesus speaking) “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If
anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and
he with Me.”
a. What should your response be to Jesus knocking at the door of your life?

WHERE ARE YOU?

Jesus Christ bridges the gap (the separation) between God and man. Man’s efforts
to reach God are now satisfied in the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. On
man’s side reside sin, guilt, rebellion, separation, and lack of purpose. On God’s side
reside peace, forgiveness, abundant life, eternal life, and purpose. On the diagram,
place an “X” on the continuum line from man’s side to God’s side where you currently
believe you are in your relationship with God.

As you have completed this lesson, you should now have a clear understanding of
where you stand in relationship to Jesus Christ and your eternal destiny with God. You,
in most probability, will be in one of five positions. Before reading these positions, pray
for God’s revelation and calling in your life. Expose your heart and spirit to the living
God Who desires relationship and companionship with you!

o You have definitively asked Jesus Christ into your life as Lord and Savior. You
know and believe your salvation and desire to experience more of God’s fullness
in your life.
o You do not know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, but you now desire to ask
Jesus Christ to come into your life as your Lord and Savior. Doing this will not only
secure your salvation and eternal destiny with God, but also will open your life to
the fullness and abundance that God created you to experience.
o You may think you know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior but are uncertain if you
have truly committed your life to Christ. You believe and desire Christ, but you
may not have ever fully surrendered your life to Christ. Christ did not die for you
that you might live in uncertainty, but that you might live in the assurance of His
love and forgiveness for you. You are now ready to once and for all settle the
question of your salvation and eternal security so that you can live in the
confidence of your salvation and the fullness that God created you for.
o You are feeling God’s presence and calling in your life but still hesitate to believe
in your heart that God raised Him from the dead and profess with your mouth

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Your Life In Christ – Lesson 1 – The Good News – Salvation!
 that Jesus is Lord. Believing Jesus is a good man, His teachings are good, and
that your beliefs favor Christianity still leave you on the left side of the gap that
separates God and man. If this is you, believe that your questioning probably
indicates that God is speaking to you. Use this time and study to diligently seek
the living Christ Who died for you. There is no greater quest you can make. Not
only is it a matter of life and death, but also a matter of quality of life here on
earth. The abundance of the living Christ being in your life is the difference
between experiencing a quality of life that is rich or a quality of life that is
desolate.
o You clearly reject Jesus Christ, His death on the cross for you, and the evidence of
His resurrection. You choose your way and not God’s way. There is no graver
decision that a person could make than this one. I encourage you to have the
honesty with yourself to challenge your current belief system. A good way to do
this is by completing this study. See if your beliefs stand the test of the living God
by completing this study. Be honest enough with yourself to hold your beliefs up
to God, be transparent, and allow God’s Truth to challenge your belief system.

If you would now like to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior or
clear up any doubts concerning your salvation, you may do so at this time
by the following:

o Admit your need...which is admitting you are a sinner.

o Be willing to turn from your sins by repenting.
o Believe that Jesus Christ died for you on the Cross and rose from the grave.
o Through prayer, invite Jesus Christ to come in and control your life through the
Holy Spirit by receiving Him as your Lord and Savior.

If this is the desire of your heart, then pray the following prayer:

Dear God, I know that I am a sinner and need your forgiveness. I believe that
Jesus Christ died for my sins. I am willing to turn from my sins. I now invite Jesus
Christ to come into my heart and life as my personal Savior. I am willing, by God’s
strength, to allow Jesus Christ to be the Lord of my life.

If this prayer expressed the desire of your heart, the following has
happened:

You are saved from your sins and have become a follower of Christ.
 Romans 10:13 “for, everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be
saved.”

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Your Life In Christ – Lesson 1 – The Good News – Salvation!
 You have become a child of God!
 John 1:12 “Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His Name,
He gave the right to become children of God.”

If you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, where is Jesus Christ right now in
your life?

Look back at the diagram that shows the gap that divided God and man. When
considering this diagram, now or in the future, you can know confidently that you are
on the right side of the gap with God. You are not on the left, part way towards the
right, or some graduated position on the right. You are on the right of the gap as a
child of God. There is no part way or higher level – but you are a follower of Christ who
is starting an incredible relationship with God!

Next week’s lesson will delve further into what has happened in you!

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Your Life In Christ – Lesson 1 – The Good News – Salvation!