Foundations of Faith – The First Step is a review of who we are and what we teach. Our first step is to look at how we live by grace alone. What does that mean?
What’s Really Important
We need to start with what’s really important in life. What difference does it make if you gain the whole world, yet forfeit your soul? There is nothing more important than your relationship with your God. The reason for this is because on the Last Day God will judge the living and dead. Some will spend eternity in heaven. Others will spend eternity in hell. Where we end up completely depend on our relationship with our God. Normally we focus on what we can do for God. Christianity flips that and puts the focus on what God does for us.
God Demands – God Gives
Our God demand perfection. This only makes sense because he is holy. How can we hope to spend eternity with our Heavenly Father if we can’t reach his level of perfection. It’s worse than what you think. We were born with an inherited sinfulness that we can’t shake. Sin taints every thought, word, and deed in our life. Indeed, without faith it is impossible to please God. While this sounds hopeless for us, there is hope in our amazing God. Jesus takes our sin away. His death on the cross paid for our sins. God won’t punish us because he punished Jesus in our place. We stand forgiven and free.
Can you be sure?
YES, you can be sure that everything God promises to do will happen because nothing depends on you. This is a one sided deal. God does everything and we are the beggars who wait with an open hand – hoping against hope that God won’t forsake us. He doesn’t – ever. God always keeps his promise. His grace is new every morning. We can’t mess anything up because it doesn’t depend on us!
Please click HERE for the Bible class slides.
Want to hear more? Watch this week’s study, the first in our series, Foundations of Faith – The First Step.