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Introduction
The
world today is troubled. Men and women everywhere are seeking the
solution to their insurmountable problems — personal, social,
national, and international. Underneath it all is a longing to know
the real meaning of life and the destiny to which it leads.
Where did the world come from, and how did life begin? Why are men
continually at war, and why is there so much hatred between various
races and ethnic groups? Is there no hope for lasting peace in this
world of ours? Why is human nature torn between ideals and actions,
between hope for something better and the perverse inclination to do
something worse?
Unaided by some power outside of itself, humanity has never been
able to find a satisfactory answer to these questions. But there is
hope! Implanted in every heart is a desire to worship some higher
power, a desire after God. And God has the answers.
The
purpose of this Bible course is to lead men and women to God and to
His message of salvation. Discover for yourself how much He longs to
bring peace, hope, and joy into your life. Listen as God speaks to
you from His Word and tells you how He “so loved the world that
he gave us his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall
not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, NIV)
Because sin is a deceiver many have been misled into thinking they
can save themselves by their own good works. But the Bible is clear,
“by observing the law no one will be justified” (Galatians 2:16 NIV).
The Jews of Christ’s day made the tragic mistake of thinking that
they could be saved by keeping the law. It is for this reason Jesus
said unto them: “Come unto me all you that labor and are very
discouraged and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Man’s only
hope of salvation is the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
But
before we can rejoice in this good news of salvation, we must first
come to grips with our sin problem. Once we lose all confidence in
ourselves, we will accept with open arms God’s incredible gift of
salvation in Christ. In this first lesson we are going to discover
what the Bible has to say about the universal sin problem, as a
prerequisite to appreciating the good news of the gospel. It is only
when the night is darkest that the stars shine their brightest.
Likewise, to fully appreciate the glorious truth of the gospel, we
must view it against our total depravity.
Study #1: Why We
Need a Saviour
1. Who created man
and for what purpose?
Genesis 1:26 __________________________________________________
2. What did God do
after he formed man out of the dust of the ground?
Genesis 2:7 __________________________________________________
Note: The word
life in this text is in the plural form in the original
Hebrew Bible. God breathed into man “the breath of lives.” This is
because God created all men in that one man. That man was called
Adam, which means mankind.
3. How did God
create woman and with what material was she made?
Genesis 2:21-24 __________________________________________________
Note: The
Bible tells us that God created this world by “the word of His
mouth,” except for man and woman. Adam (mankind) was formed by the
hands of God out of the dust; and Eve, which means mother of all,
was formed out of Adam’s rib. According to the Bible, the whole
human race, of which we are all members, is the multiplication of
Adam’s one life. (see Acts 17:26)
4. What was Adam
not allowed to eat, after God had placed him and his wife in the
beautiful garden of Eden?
Genesis 2:16,17 __________________________________________________
Note: Because
God created man with a free will, He placed him under a law by which
his loyalty to God could be tested. The penalty of failing this test
was death, good-bye to life.
5. Since all
humanity was created in Adam, how many were affected by Adam’s sin?
Romans 5:12 __________________________________________________
Note: When
Adam sinned it implicated the whole world. Since the Fall took place
before Adam had any children, the whole human race was in him when
he sinned. While all of mankind suffer the consequences of Adam’s
original sin, God does not hold the human race guilty of that sin.
6. Although the
judgment of condemnation to death came to everyone as a result of
Adam’s sin, how did God reverse humanity’s status?
Romans 5:18 __________________________________________________
Note:
Justification (i.e., to be declared righteous) comes as a free gift
from God because of the righteous act of one man—the perfect life
and the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. Because of what Christ
did, the hope of salvation has been brought to all humanity. This is
the good news of the gospel.
7. As a result of
the fall, how many are righteous or good in God’s eyes?
Romans 3:9-12 __________________________________________________
Note: The word
“under” means to be ruled or dominated by. It was a term used to
refer to slaves in Bible days. Just as a slave had no freedom but
was ruled by his master, so also, all humanity is under sin,
ruled by it. This is the universal sin problem and our only hope of
deliverance is a Saviour.
8. Because of the
universal sin problem, how many stand guilty or condemned under
God’s law?
Romans 3:19 __________________________________________________
9. How many have
sinned and who is our only hope of salvation?
Romans 3:23,24 __________________________________________________
Note: The
Bible is clear. Mankind’s only hope of salvation is Jesus Christ.
10. What does
David say about himself, which is also true of all of us?
Psalms 51:5 __________________________________________________
Note: Sin is a
condition or state which we all inherit from birth. It is something
we are born with because of Adam’s Fall. Therefore, we can do
nothing to escape it, in and of ourselves. However, this is not our
fault and God does not blame us for being born sinners.
11. What condition
is ours from birth?
Psalms 58:3 __________________________________________________
Note: We are
born separated from God. But although we may be wicked from birth,
God has given us the choice to escape this problem through the
gospel of Jesus Christ.
12. Like sheep, in
what two conditions do we find ourselves?
Isaiah 53:6
1.
_________________________________________________________
2.
_________________________________________________________
Note: We are
by nature self-centered. We go our own way from the moment we are
born, but we also have hope because the Lord laid the iniquity of us
all on Christ.
13. Why can we not
trust our own hearts?
Jeremiah 17:9 __________________________________________________
Note: Because
we are naturally self-centered, our own hearts deceive us into
believing we can save ourselves by our good works. But this is where
many make a big mistake. A good example of this is the story of
Peter’s betrayal of Jesus. Peter promised Jesus that he would die
rather than betray Him, but when the test came he denied his Lord
three times (see John 18:15-27).
14. What does
Jesus, the true witness, say regarding our own self-evaluation?
Revelation 3:17 __________________________________________________
Note: The
problem with most of us is that we do not know how sinful we are.
Therefore, we do not realize our own deplorable condition. This is
why God has to first convict us of our total sinfulness before He
offers us the gift of salvation.
15. Instead of the
interests of Jesus, how many seek their own way?
Philippians 2:21 __________________________________________________
Note: This
problem is inherent in every human being. Even babies demand their
own way from birth.
16. What is the
only thing that can truly set us free from our sin problem?
John 8:32 __________________________________________________
17. When we commit
sin, even against our own wishes, what does it prove?
John 8:34 __________________________________________________
18. Freedom from
sin’s slavery is found only in whom?
John 8:36 __________________________________________________
Note: Jesus is
the only answer to our sin problem. Without Him we remain
slaves to sin and the wages of sin is death (see Romans 6:23).
19. Why did Jesus
come into this world?
1
Timothy 1:15 __________________________________________________
Note: Do you
accept this fact? Note that even Paul, the great apostle, admits in
the present tense, that he is the chief or the worst of sinners.
20. What does the
Bible have to say to those who claim “we have no sin”?
1
John 1:8 __________________________________________________
21. Of what do we
accuse God when we say we have not sinned?
1
John 1:10 __________________________________________________
Note: The only
reason God’s Word tells us that we are sinners is to show us our
need of a Saviour. Once we recognize our total sinfulness, the
gospel does become the best good news we have ever heard.
22. What are two
things God does for us if we confess our sins to Him?
1
John 1:9
1.
_________________________________________________________
2.
_________________________________________________________
Conclusion:
Most people think they are sinners because they have committed sins;
but the fact is that we commit sins because we are born sinners. The
only hope of escaping this universal sin problem is Jesus Christ,
the Saviour of the world. Our study of the Bible becomes exciting as
we discover His plan of salvation for the human race. In our next
few studies we shall learn about God’s unconditional love for us,
the ground of our salvation, as well as how He saved us in Christ!
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