Whether you've just taken your first steps in the Christian life or have been a believer for many years, it's always good to learn about some of the basics. In this edition of New Life Notes, we've put together a number of lessons which will help you understand some of the truths which are involved in living a Christian life. If you're new to the Christian life, these lessons are just a be ginning, but they will give you a good foundation. They will also help you understand some of the essentials that are so important to us believers in Christ Jesus. If you've been in the Christian life for several years, these lessons may help you see some of the things you've learned or understand from a different perspective, or perhaps they will help you see some things you've overlooked or taken for granted.
And for those of us who are a little older in the Christian life, perhaps the most important thing to realize is that "Knowledge does not bring salvation; obedient faith does." (Wilder, 1965. p. 38)
These lessons will help you see some of the fundamentals of the Christian walk and may help you find some fresh ways to keep the Gospel message alive and active in your life.
1. Is There Such A Thing As "Inherited Sin"?
Is there such a thing as "inherited sin" -- sin which is handed down from a person's parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, etc., all the way back into eternity past. Is there such a thing as "original sin"?
No, there's really no such thing as "inherited sin." Contrary to what some teach, we are not "born guilty" of original sin, nor are we "born with a sinful nature." That's not what the Bible teaches. The Bible simply doesn't teach those things. In fact, it teaches just the opposite -- that "it is by grace through faith you have been saved" (Eph. 2:8); not by works, not by your family history, not by what you've done.
Looking at the first chapter of Romans, Paul talks about "the good news of Christ's righteousness, a righteousness that is at the same time God's power to save all who believe ... " (Rom. 1:16-17). In chapter 3:21-26, Paul says, "God presented Him as the One Who would be paying a ransom price for all people, on the condition that it be accepted, not through your works, but through faith in what He had accomplished."
In other words, we are saved by grace through faith and there's no such thing as inherited sin. The good news is, there is a way out of sin -- the death of Jesus Christ as the final sacrifice for our sins. That's grace!
2. Is There Such A Thing As "Salvation By Works"?
Is there salvation by works? The answer is yes, there is salvation by works -- but not the kind of works that you've probably heard about before.
In the New Testament, we are taught "salvation by faith." We're told that we're not saved because we try harder, do better, or have more faith than we do. Instead, we're saved by grace through faith. (Eph. 2:8-9) "For it is not on the basis of your hearing and pleasing God that you are saved, but on the basis of your faith. For faith in him is the way of salvation." (John 4:42) "The whole point of our time on earth is that we who died to sin should live for his life." (Romans 6:8)
That's wonderful, and the better news is that Jesus Christ made it possible for all of us to experience salvation by faith. That is the Gospel -- the good news that Jesus Christ died for our sins and that we're saved by grace through faith!
This is the essence of the Gospel message that we proclaim -- that our sinfulness is dealt with in the death of Jesus Christ. That is the basis of our salvation!
But there's a flip-side to all of that. In the New Testament we are also taught that we have to work! Paul tells us: "For it is by grace that you are saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God's gift. It's not on the basis of works, so that no one is boasting. Because you are saved by faith, you have to work." (Eph. 2:8-10) "And the Lord chose certain of them who have been brought up in the holy faith, and ordained them to preach the message of salvation through Christ, on the condition that everyone who comes to God through Him will be saved, on the condition of faith, and that all their sins will be forgiven" (Acts 13:38).
Is there salvation by works? Yes, there is salvation by works -- in the sense that once we've been saved, we have to "work it out" by following God's Word. We have to exercise our faith and put it to work in our lives. We have to learn about God, learn about his Son Jesus Christ and how they came to us for our salvation, and then learn to live our lives so that we're really following Christ. (Matt. 16:24) "Then you'll really be following his example." (1 Peter 2:21) That is working it out.
So, there's salvation by works -- not to save us, but to help us live as Christians once we've been saved. We can't do anything to earn our salvation, but once we've been saved, we're required to work out our salvation. (Phil. 2:12)
3. Is There Such A Thing As "Satan's Lies"?
There are three types of lies which we have to guard ourselves from. The first type of lies is those about ourselves -- what we can and cannot do, what we should be and what we shouldn't be. This is the most common kind of lie.
The second type of lies are the lies we tell ourselves -- things that we're afraid to admit and things that we don't want to talk about. These are the lies we tell ourselves to keep ourselves from looking at the realities of our lives.
The thirdtype of lies are the ones we tell others: "Everything is just fine."
All of these are based on fear.
Of all the lies Satan tells us, there's one which is the worst: that when Jesus Christ comes again, he won't come in glory. In other words, the return of Christ won't be "all glory, all the time." That's a lie!
As Christians, we don't believe any of those lies. We believe that "Christ does the impossible. He makes the impossible not only possible, he also makes it easy, by His grace. That's the reason He is God." (Warren W. Wiersbe, POPM, p. 8)
The truth is, there's nothing impossible for Jesus to do. He can raise the dead! He can open the eyes of the blind. He can do anything He wants to do. That's why Jesus is God!
Satan's worst lie? It's that "God can't do the impossible." But that's not true, because "there's no such thing as 'the impossible.'" God can do everything and He never fails. Satan is the Great Deceiver!
4. Is There Such A Thing As "The New Birth"?
In the New Testament, there's a concept about life that is referred to as "The New Birth" -- a new life in Christ that is available to us through faith in Christ.
In the Gospel of John, Jesus says, "I have come to give you the water of life so that you will have life in all its fullness." (John 4:14) The Greek word for "fullness" is "plenitude," meaning a life that is complete, one that's fulfilled.
Jesus tells us, "I am the one who gives that water of life" (John 4:14), and He tells us, "I am the one who gives that full, complete life." In other words, Jesus is the one who gives us a life of fulfillment.
Jesus is also the one who is the fulfillment of our life. What we have in Jesus is a life that is full, complete and fulfilled.
So that's the "New Birth" -- a new life, a new beginning, a new start, and "the water of life." It's about the fullness and the completeness and the fulfillment that Jesus gives to us.