QUESTION: What is faith in Jesus Christ?
ANSWER: Faith in Jesus Christ is acknowledging the truth of everything that God has revealed in his Word, trusting in him, and also receiving and resting on him alone for salvation as he is offered to us in the gospel.
ANSWER: Faith in Jesus Christ is acknowledging the truth of everything that God has revealed in his Word, trusting in him, and also receiving and resting on him alone for salvation as he is offered to us in the gospel.
WARM-UP
Share an experience of what it was like to be a part of an organization or a group that had requirements for entry or access, but once you became a part of the group, you realized that there was more you had to do to truly fit in or belong.
WORD
BIG IDEA
READ
Share an experience of what it was like to be a part of an organization or a group that had requirements for entry or access, but once you became a part of the group, you realized that there was more you had to do to truly fit in or belong.
WORD
BIG IDEA
- Christianity is not a list of dos and a list of don’ts. It is about knowing God and experiencing His presence and power in and through our lives.
- Faith in Jesus is how we receive God’s Holy Spirit, who in turn brings God’s power and presence into our lives, and helps us continue to grow in that power and presence throughout our lives.
- We experience faith in Jesus as we see, hear, believe, and experience a need for Jesus’ redeeming work for our sin on the cross and in His resurrection.
READ
Galatians 3:1–6
[1] O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. [2] Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? [3] Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? [4] Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? [5] Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith—[6] just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?
[1] O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. [2] Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? [3] Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? [4] Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? [5] Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith—[6] just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?
WATCH/LISTEN
OLD SELF
NEW SELF
The true mark of a Christian is God’s presence and power at work in a person through the Holy Spirit. Where have you seen or felt God’s presence and power in your life? Is there an area where you would like to see it?
WORLD
This week, think about and discuss with family and friends ways that you are prone to not seeing your need for Jesus and adding “dos and don’ts” to the Christian Faith. Ask God to help you see your need for Him and to fill you with His presence and power so you can love and serve those around you.
PRAYER
Author of Our Faith, we believe that you are who you say you are. Your Word is truth, and it reveals you as our only hope of salvation. We believe your promises, walking by faith, not by sight. Amen.
- In the Galatian church, people had started adding requirements from the Jewish law to what it meant to “be a Christian.” Specifically, people in the church said, “you must be circumcised to really be a Christian.” Have you ever experienced something like this within the church? What was that like? Where are you prone to add “works of the law” to your faith in Jesus?
- Living by faith in Jesus is not just simply believing in or agreeing with what Jesus taught or the tenets of the Christian faith. It is experiencing a need and a longing for the forgiveness of sin and a relationship with God that is available only through Jesus’ death and resurrection. Share a recent example of when you felt this need or desire.
NEW SELF
The true mark of a Christian is God’s presence and power at work in a person through the Holy Spirit. Where have you seen or felt God’s presence and power in your life? Is there an area where you would like to see it?
WORLD
This week, think about and discuss with family and friends ways that you are prone to not seeing your need for Jesus and adding “dos and don’ts” to the Christian Faith. Ask God to help you see your need for Him and to fill you with His presence and power so you can love and serve those around you.
PRAYER
Author of Our Faith, we believe that you are who you say you are. Your Word is truth, and it reveals you as our only hope of salvation. We believe your promises, walking by faith, not by sight. Amen.