Bible and the Gospel Mid term

A disciple is transformed in what 6 ways? Be able to list them and briefly explain

A disciple should have a transformed heart, mind, affection, will, relationships, and purpose

Define the gospel. Be ready to give a concise definition and/or recognize key components of the gospel from the definition I gave in class. Be able to provide the 4 essential elements of a gospel presentation with key truths for each element.

God (Who God is) The gospel is the good news that only the true God, the just and gracious Creator of the universe, Man (Who we are) has looked upon hopelessly sinful men and women Christ (What God has done)  and has sent his Son, God in the flesh, to bear His wrath against sin through His substitutionary death on the cross and to show His power over sin and death in the resurrection from the grave Response (What we must do) so that all who turn from their sin and themselves and trust in Jesus alone as Savior and Lord will be reconciled to God forever. 

 Know at least 6 Scriptures you would use to explain the gospel. What in general do they say and why would you use them?

John 3:16-17- the reason God sent Jesus

Romans 3:23-24- why we need Jesus and how we receive it

Romans 6:23-we are bad but God is good

Ephesians 2:8-9- we can’t earn salvation

1 Corinthians 15:3-4- what Jesus did

Know the difference between a man-centered vs. God-centered presentation of the gospel.

Man-centered focuses on us (what God can do for me), God-centered focuses upward (on God’s greatness and mercy etc)

What is the difference between guilt and shame?

Guilt is a legal problem and shame is a relational problem. Guilt focuses on a person’s legal standing before the law. Shame focuses on personal relationships especially within a community.

What are the two primary counterfeits of the gospel and how do they distort the truth of the gospel?

Personal experience: it’s about how I feel, what God can do for me, focuses less on sin and more on self improvement, my life will be better, focuses less on God’s holiness and power more on His grace and mercy

Religious Performance: seeks salvation through moral behavior and rule keeping in order to be accepted by God based on our effort, demeans the work of Christ, distorts grace of Christ, views God as a dissatisfied judge

Review the definition of evangelism and the 4 calls to evangelism for believers.

Evangelism is the proclamation of the gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit with the aim of persuading people to repent and believe in Christ. 4 calls to Evangelism: The call from above, the call from below, the call from without, the call from within

What are the three parts of a gospel testimony?

Life before Christ, How you came to know Christ, Your life with Christ now

What are five treasures or things that happen immediately when someone is born again?

receive the Holy Spirit, adopted as children of God, redeemed, justified, ransomed

Know the difference between exclusivism, inclusivism, pluralism, and universalism. What are the two big claims of exclusivism?

Pluralism: humans can be saved through different religious traditions and saviors

Inclusivism: Jesus’ atoning work is necessary for salvation but it is not necessary for them to know about or believe in Jesus to be saved

Universalism: everyone will ultimately be saved

Exclusivism: Jesus Christ is the only Savior and explicit faith in Jesus Christ is necessary for salvation

Be able to reproduce from scratch the 3 circles. Be able to reproduce a written description of the picture, remembering to describe the circles and different parts.

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Review our discussions of Christian identity, the two different traps we can fall into, and how preaching the gospel to ourselves helps us avoid those dangers. 

The Christian life is fundamentally something we are to be, not something we are to do. Our activity flows from our identity. We try to find our identity in other things, searching for love, approval, and worth in unhealthy or destructive ways. 

1. Performance trap: have to meet certain standards to feel good about myself.

2. Approval Addict: have to be accepted by certain people to feel good about myself

How do baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and church discipline relate to church membership?

All practices of the church

Review the reasons why we study the Bible and pray.

Bible: to obey God, for our joy, to fight sin, to encourage us in hope, to deepen our faith

Prayer: God commands it, Jesus modeled it, God wants to be asked, it forms you, God responds to it

What are some of the benefits of regularly memorizing Scripture?

Helps set your mind on things above, bank of treasure when you need it, use in evangelism or counseling, molding and shaping your mind, proactively conforming our thoughts to Christ

What is the ACTS model of prayer and why is each component important?

A-adoration

C-confession

T-thanksgiving

S-supplication

  How or why can the habits grace (spiritual disciplines) be described as a partnership with God?

It takes two to make a relationship. We have to put in effort to build a relationship and so we need to read the Bible, meditate on His words, worship, and pray

Describe the missing link between hearing God’s voice in his Word and having his ear in prayer.

It is meditation. By meditating on God’s word and praying through it we can hear His voice.

How is Christian meditation different than how the world meditates?

Christian meditation involves the filling of your mind with God and truth. For some, meditation is an attempt to achieve complete mental passivity, but biblical meditation requires constructive mental activity.

How does our status as adopted children affect the way we pray?

We pray as God’s children to our Father. It makes it more personal.

What are some of the defining characteristics of a local church? What sets it apart from a random gathering of believers?

Gospel identity, commitment, qualified leadership, ordinances, functions of the church, mission of the church, these all set it apart

Review some of the reasons why church membership is biblical.

There are examples of the many images in the Bible about how Christians are supposed to be in community: body, household, field, building, temple, flock. There are leadership structures outlined in the Bible. There are verses that point to how Christians are commanded to be obedient to church leaders. This suggests a formal commitment of an individual Christian to a particular church and its leaders. Leaders are held accountable for how they shepherd those under their care and they must know who is under their care. Practices of the church like baptism, Lord’s supper, discipline, and meeting together are called for in Scripture. There are commands for care of the church like care for one another and to care for the poor.

Church membership is a formal commitment to live out the Christian life with a particular group of believers. It is a commitment to be overseen by godly leaders, and it is a commitment to pursue discipleship and mission together. 

What are some practical ways we can pray through the Psalms?

Read the text, personalize it to our life. Pray a verse or section then pray for application to our lives.

Describe and explain the difference in primary calling and secondary calling.

Primary calling: We are called to Someone. We are to glorify God in all things, at all times.

Secondary calling: pursuing God’s glory through the good stewardship of our spiritual gifts, talents, training, and resources.

What is Christian fasting and what are some reasons Christians should regularly fast?

Fasting is the voluntary abstinence from a good thing for the purpose of spiritual devotion. We should fast because it teaches us dependence, helps us to desire God, helps us to detach from the world, grows our devotion for God.

 John 3:16-17

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

Romans 3:23-24

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”

Romans 6:23

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Ephesians 2:8-9

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

1 Corinthians 15:1-5

“Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you-unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.”

Matthew 28:16-20

“Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’”

Luke 24:25-27

“And he said to them, ‘O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?’ And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.”