LIGHT FOR MY PATH

YOUTH BIBLE STUDY COURSE

Download and Print Lesson with Questions

Lesson 6: Salvation in Jesus

When Adam and Eve joined Satan in his rebellion against God’s authority, they separated themselves from God. Created beings have no life except as God gives it to them. In separating from their Creator, Adam and Eve separated themselves from their Source of life. There was only one possible solution to save man. If man was to live forever, as God created him to, he must become sorry and repent of his rebellion, and again want to obey God.

The Love of God

1. What leads us to be sorry for our sin (rebellion) against God? Romans 2:4.

"Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?"

Note: A very important part of Satan’s plan to trick Adam and Eve so that they would join him in disobeying God, was the idea that God didn’t really love them. You see, in telling Eve that God had kept something very good from them, Satan was saying that God was very selfish and unloving. It was because Adam and Eve believed this lie that they joined Satan in rebelling against God’s rules. God’s answer to this accusation was to show them how very much he loved them. He did this in a way no one had ever imagined possible.

2. How did God show His great love for us? Romans 5:8.

"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

Note: In giving Jesus, God gave the most valuable of all gifts—a part of Himself.

3. What did Jesus say His sacrifice would do? John 12:32.

"And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me."

Note: Jesus knew that if men would only look to Him, and see Him dying on the cross, many would ask, Why? Why did He die such a death? What was the reason for this great sacrifice? When they realized that it was God's great love for them that caused Him to do it, it would fill their hearts with love for Him. It would also help them to see what a terrible thing sin was if it took such a great price to redeem the sinner.

Repentance

4. When we are sorry for our disobedience, what is the next step in coming to Jesus? Acts 3:19.

"Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord."

Note: Do you know what it means to repent? It means having a deep sorrow for sin and what it has done and a desire to turn away from the old ways of sin. Remember, it is sin that takes our life from us and separates us from God. When you accept Jesus as your Saviour, He gives you a change of heart; you turn about in the other direction, toward eternal life and God. This turning around is called conversion and Jesus also calls it being born again.

Confession

5. After we repent, what should be our next step? 1 John 1:9.

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Note: Not only does God promise to forgive every sin we confess, but He will also cleanse us from all unrighteousness (wrongdoing), through Jesus’ blood.

6. If we have wronged someone, what is our first duty after confessing our wrong to God? James 5:16.

"Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."

Note: If we have stolen anything that belongs to someone else, or lied about them, or in anyway injured another, it is important that we go to that person and confess the wrong. We should seek to make things right as far as possible. Wrongs done to another should be confessed to that person and to God. Some sins should be confessed to God alone.

7. What has God promised to do with our confessed sins? Micah 7:19.

"He will turn again, He will have compassion upon us; He will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea."

Note: Isn’t it wonderful how great God’s love is for us? He will subdue all our iniquities (wrongdoings). In our last lessons we read where God promised to separate our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. In this verse He has promised to cast them into the depths of the sea. Did you know that in some places the ocean is as much as seven miles deep? The light of day never reaches that deep. Anything cast into the depths of the sea would never be found again. How completely God deals with our confessed sins!

None Are Refused Salvation

8. Will Jesus refuse to save anyone who truly repents? John 6:37.

"All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out."

Note: Jesus says "Whosoever will, may come." Whosoever means anyone, and that means you. Won’t you give your heart to Jesus just now?

9. What kind of works does God want us to have in our lives? Ephesians 2:10.

"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."

10. Can we, by ourselves, do these good works? Romans 7:18.

"For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not."

Note: Though we may want to do only good things, we find that we are not able to do them by ourselves. We may have the most wonderful plans, but unless the power of Jesus is in us, we will fail and fall.

11. How can we have good works in our life? John 15:5.

"I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing."

Note: Here Jesus compares works to fruit. Just as a branch, or vine, that has been broken off the main plant cannot bear fruit but only withers and dies, neither can we do any good works when we are separated from Jesus.

12. In Christ Jesus, what do we become? 2 Corinthians 5:17.

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

Note: Jesus was our Creator to start with and He is also our Redeemer and Savior. Only He can recreate us into a new creation.

"For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ."

14. What was Jesus’ attitude toward God’s commandments? John 15:10.

"If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love."

Note: If Jesus is in control of our lives, we will also love to do those things God asks of us.

"Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me." [Jesus]

Note: The apostle Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians; 3:18, that in looking at Jesus, we become changed into His likeness. This means that as we read God's Word, there is a power in that Word to work in our lives, making us like Jesus in character.

This is also a warning that if we are spending our time looking at people or things that are not like Jesus, reading or watching fiction and untrue stories—we will become more like Satan, who is the source of things that are wicked and untrue.

16. What effect does the study of God's Word have on our lives? Psalm 119:11.

"Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee."

Note: God’s Word shows us how to live for Jesus. We dare not follow what anyone tells us unless we know that it agrees with what the Bible teaches. That is why it is so important we study our Bibles for ourselves. In the final judgment we shall be judged by the standard of God’s Word.

17. What has God promised to put in our hearts? Hebrews 8:10.

"For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people."

Note: It was by His Word that Jesus healed the sick, cleansed the lepers, and raised the dead to life. It is by His Word that God speaks His Law into our hearts.

18. In addition to a study of God’s Word, what is absolutely necessary in living a daily Christian life? 1 Thessalonians 5:17.

"Pray without ceasing."

Note: When Jesus was on earth, His disciples asked him to teach them how they should pray. At that time, Jesus gave them the beautiful prayer that has become known as the Lord's prayer. If you don’t already know it, now would be a good time to memorize it. See Matthew 6:9-13.

Paul tells us that the church [God’s true and faithful people] is to be married to Jesus. He says: "For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ." 2 Corinthians 11:2

19. What is Jesus’ church to be wearing? Revelation 19:8.

"And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints."

20. What is our righteousness compared to? Isaiah 64:6.

"But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away."

Note: If all our righteousness is as filthy rags, it is very certain that this righteous robe isn’t something that we have ourselves, so where do we get it?

"I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see."

Note: This ‘white raiment’ or ‘fine linen’ comes only from Jesus.

22. When we come to Jesus, what does He give us power to become? John 1:12.

"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name."

23. As sons, what do we receive from God? John 3:16; 10:10.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."

24. What is it that takes life from us? Romans 6:23.

"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Note: Sin and death cannot be separated. There could be no death, were there no sin, and wherever there is sin, there is also death.

25. How does the Bible define sin? 1 John 3:4.

"Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth [breaks] also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law."

26. How do we show that we truly know and love Jesus? 1 John 2:3.

"And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments."

Note: Being saved means more than receiving life. It means that we are no longer choosing to live in disobedience to any part of God's law. We need to understand that if Jesus is to be our Saviour, He must also be our Ruler. We cannot expect that Jesus can save us, giving us eternal life, while we are still living in disobedience to His commandments.

It was because of their disobedience that Adam and Eve lost their garden home. Wouldn't it be most unfair if God took us back to heaven while we were still living in disobedience?

27. What are we then covered with? Isaiah 61:10.

"I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels."

In Luke 15:11-24, Jesus told a story of a son who chose to leave his father's home and five a wicked life. After a time the son found himself hungry, without any money, poor and alone and the only job he could get was feeding pigs. He remembered that in his home even the servants lived better than he was living now. So, he decided that he would go home and ask his father if he could come back as a hired servant.

While the son was a great way off, the father saw him returning. He ran to meet him. He told the servants to bring out the very best robe and put it on him, and welcomed him home.

This son represents us. We have all gone away from our Father and have done many wrong things. When, however, we are sorry for our sin and rebellion against our heavenly Father, and decide to return, He meets us and welcomes us home. He takes away our filthy garments of selfishness and sin, and covers us with the robe of Jesus’ own righteousness.

The life of Jesus, while on earth, was one of perfect obedience to all of His Father’s will; in everything, He was obedient. This righteous life he offers to give each one of us. Not only will He write His law in our hearts and minds, but He will cover us with the robe of His righteousness.

Take the first step toward Jesus. If you fall, go to Him in prayer. He will help you rise again. But never give up! Jesus promises, "Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." Revelation 2:10

The word gospel really means good news. It is the good news that, if we are willing, God will re-create us into His own divine likeness. When this happens, we once again reflect His image. Then, instead of being disobedient, we will live the obedient life of Jesus.

Let’s kneel and repeat the Lord’s Prayer:

"Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen." Matthew 6:9-13.

Return to TOC

Next Lesson: