Listmania

An engaging discipleship tool designed to establish the foundations of Christian faith.

 

Purple BookCopyright © 2006 Rice Brooks and Steve MurrellRequests for information should be addressed to:Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530ISBN-10: 0-310-93600-4ISBN-13: 978-0-310-93600-8All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible: NewInternational Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrievalsystem, or transmitted in any form or by any means — electronic, mechanical, photocopy,recording, or any other — except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the priorpermission of the publisher.Interior design by Rob MonacelliPrinted in the United States of America06 07 08 09 10 11 12 • 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1C H A P T E R O N ESIN & SALVATIONIn the beginning God created the heavens and theearth… through him all things were made; withouthim nothing was made that has been made…all thingshave been created by him and for him.– Genesis 1:1; John 1:3; Colossians 1:16 (TNIV)The earth, humanity—all that we see around us had a beginning.God declared each phase of creation “good”—until he created the firstman Adam and said it was “not good” for him to be alone.So Eve, the first woman, was created, and the original couple was giveneverything to enjoy. They were only forbidden to eat the fruit of onetree: the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”The fatal decision that followed and its tragic results have affectedall of human history. Humanity would pass down this fatal flaw, thisinner corruption from generation to generation. The power of evil anddarkness would have prevailed…except for God’s intervention. Hisplan of salvation deliverance from evil’s power began to unfold in thatvery garden of Eden. This is the primary story of the entire Bible.1. What was creation like in the beginning? Genesis 1v. 10v. 12v. 18v. 21v. 252. How many commands did God give Adam and Eve?Genesis 2:173. What was God’s command to the first human beings?Genesis 2:16-17Read Genesis 3:1-13 to find out what happened next.4. How did Adam and Eve respond to God’s command?5. In light of this, do you think you would have responded anydifferently?Think about what God attempted to shield Adam and Eve from: theknowledge of evil. What loving parent today doesn’t do everythingthey can to protect their children from dangerous material—ontelevision, on the Internet or anywhere else?6. Who tempted Eve?Who is the serpent? None other than the devil himself, also knownas Satan. Satan is not God’s equal or exact opposite; he is a createdbeing who rebelled against God. In Genesis 3, he brings down Adamand Eve as part of his continued rebellion. Revelation 12:9 and 20:2specifically refer to Satan as the “ancient serpent.”Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit—in essence saying to God, “Wedon’t need you or your rules.” They disobeyed God. They sinned.7. How did Adam and Eve react after their eyes were opened andthey realized they were naked?v. 7v. 8v. 108. Why do you think they reacted this way?9. How did God respond to Adam and Eve’s sin? v. 8-9Notice the two very different responses to humanity’s sin:• Humanity covered up and hid from God.• God sought humanity.Things have not changed much since the beginning. After thousandsof years and billions of people, human beings still hide from God…and God still seeks. This is the starting point for understandingsalvation.Personal ReflectionWhat did you learn from this lesson? How will you apply it to yourlife? What questions did it raise? What did it teach you about God andyour relationship with him?The act of disobeying God is called sin. One definition of sin is to“miss the mark,” like when you fail to hit the target in a sportingevent.Obviously the Bible’s understanding of sin is much more serious thanthat. In fact, Scripture has a few different ways of expressing this idea.Sin is sometimes described as a “trespass,” something that involvescrossing forbidden lines or boundaries that God sets up for ourprotection.The concept of “iniquity” speaks of sin’s most troubling anddestructive result: to twist and pervert our inner nature. This isgravely serious because the Bible says God’s nature is “holy”—thatis, completely free from evil or defect, absolutely pure in love andgoodness.1. What state does the Bible describe us as being in? Ephesians 2:12. Why ultimately is our sin so serious to God? Leviticus 11:443. What does iniquity do to our relationship with God? Isaiah 59:1-24. Describe sinful humanity’s desperate condition. Romans 3:9-20, 235. Describe the impact sin has on our heart. Jeremiah 17:96. What are the “wages” of sin? Romans 6:237. What does the Bible say happens immediately after we die?Hebrews 9:278. What does Paul, the writer of Romans, call himself? Romans 7:24In Romans 7, Paul describes his own state and cries out on behalf ofall humanity with the most important question ever asked: “Who willrescue me from this body of death?” Humanity’s deepest need is forsalvation—not just from the evil in the world, but from the evil in ourown hearts.Personal ReflectionObviously God takes sin very seriously. What about you? What do youthink you deserve for your sin?GOD’S SOLUTION FOR SIN:JESUS’ DEATH AND RESURRECTIONThe penalty for sin is death, both spiritual and physical. God’sultimate solution for sin was foreshadowed in the original story. Afterthey sinned, Adam and Eve tried to hide themselves with their owncovering—and humanity has been hiding from God ever since. God,however, provided the real covering, and he did so by spilling theblood of an innocent animal.The concept of sacrifice (the idea that because of sin, someone has topay the penalty) is seen throughout the Bible. Sin was only forgivenas a result of shedding blood, a sacrifice offered in the place of sinfulhuman beings. The sacrifice had to be one without defect.1. What is necessary for the forgiveness of sins? Hebrews 9:222. How did God cover Adam and Eve’s first sin? Genesis 3:213. How were “unclean” things made “clean”? Hebrews 9:224. Can the blood of animals ultimately take away our sins?Hebrews 10:4Read Isaiah 53.5. Why would the promised Savior be “pierced”? Isaiah 53:56. How does the prophet Isaiah say we will be healed? Isaiah 53:57. How did the John the Baptist, the last great prophet before Jesus,introduce Jesus publicly? John 1:298. What did the prophet Isaiah predict that the Savior would do?Isaiah 53:69. What Jesus’ blood—his sacrificial death—do for us?Romans 5:9Ephesians 1:7Ephesians 2:131 John 1:7Revelation 1:510. What did Jesus do for us on the cross?1 Peter 2:241 Corinthians 15:3-42 Corinthians 5:21Galatians 3:13-14“The one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationshipwith the Father...”– John 1:18Jesus is more than just another great teacher or miracle worker. TheBible teaches clearly that he is God in the flesh (John 1:1-18). Jesuscalls himself the Son of God at least three times (John 5:25; 10:36;11:4). His followers recognize him as the one true God (John 20:28). Itis because Jesus is God that he can save us from our sin.11. According to the Bible, what makes Jesus unique that he can doall this for us?John 1:18Acts 2:26Colossians 1:15-20Hebrews 4:15Jesus’ blood—his sacrificial death—is God’s solution for humanity’ssin. He pays the penalty for your sin. He wants to wipe the slateclean—forgiveness. But Jesus didn’t just stay in the grave. He rosefrom the dead.12. What is the significance of Jesus’ resurrection? What if there wasno resurrection? 1 Corinthians 15:14-19v. 14v. 15v. 16v. 17v. 18v. 19What makes God’s gift of grace so costly is that Jesus paid for itwith his life. What makes it so powerful is that he came back fromthe dead—proving that he is the Son of God and showing that Godaccepted his sacrifice as payment for our sin.“He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for ourjustification.”– Romans 4:25 (TNIV)

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