Experiencing the Grace of Jesus

The following are the slides for Lesson Four: Experiencing the Grace of Jesus.  

The first slide is the video of The Story of Amazing Grace.

Please read the following as scriptural context for our Lesson on Grace:

Ephesians 2:1-10
Romans Chapters 1-8 ( Read  Ch 1-2; 3:22-24; 5:1-5;6-10; 6:1-7; 17-18; 8:38 if time limited)
Phil 3:7-14
2 Cor 1:8-11

The following are some of the questions  we will discuss in class;

1) How would you explain to a non-churched person   that we all need grace?
     a. What are the implications of God being a holy God?
     b.  What are the three kinds of people described in Chapters 1 and 2?
     c.  What is our condition?
 2) What is the cost of our sin? What is the answer?
3) How would you explain "grace" from Eph 2? and From Romans?
    a. Does "grace" mean we don't have to "keep rules"?
    b. Does "grace" mean we don't have to "keep commandments"?
    c. Does this "grace" mean we still have to "do everything right"--e.g. right forms of worship, etc. ti be saved?
    d.  What is this "grace"?
4) According to Rom 5: how do we have "peace" with God?
5) What do we bring before God?  What does he bring to us?
6) How does this "grace thing" work?
    a) To whom is grace available?
    b) What happens when we fail?
    c) What must we do to have access to grace?
    d) What does this mean for our lives?
7) Why is Jesus the answer?
8) What did God's answer to Paul mean when he was told "my Grace is sufficient for you"?

During our discussion of "Experiencing the Peace of Jesus" Bill Bowman had a questions about one of the statements I made in class.  It is an appropriate question to answer in this section on "grace" as it also relate to this subject as well as the one on "peace"  He has given me permission to post it here for everyone in the class.  His emailed question follows below.  In addition, I have added quotes about this from Alexander Campbell .   Please do post  your comments in answer to his question on this site.

A.  Bill's Question

"From: Bill Bowman [mailto:billbow55@sbcglobal.net]
Sent: Sunday, February 05, 2012 2:09 PM
To: Lynn Nored
Subject: Question regarding Peace

I have one question regarding the first reference:  Jn. 14:23.  If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching.  And from 16:33 we can assume he would say if you keep my commands, you have peace.

The other day in our conversation with George Miller you made a strong point that Christianity is not rule-keeping.  A rule to me is a prescribed guide for conduct.  To take what you said would contradict Jesus when he urged us to go by His prescribed guide for living.

If you meant rule keeping in the sense of factoring in customs then I would agree with you.  But rules he gave( that can be kept today in any culture) I believe should be kept with His blessing.

Am I missing something?

Bill b"

B.  Quotes on the Bible as a "rule book" and Constitution from Alexander Campbell

To first clarify what I said in class:  I said I did not believe that the NT was a "constitution" or "rule-book" --or  set of "rules" in the sense that Alexander defined it in the Restoration Movement.  ( I did not, however, say there were no "commands" that we should follow).  Here are two of the statements of Alexander Campbell regarding his view.   I will provide my explanation either later on this site or in class.  Please feel free to comment on this question.  Tks (LSN)

 “The New Testament is as perfect a constitution for the worship, discipline, and government of the New Testament Church, and as perfect a rule for the particular duties of its members, as the Old Testament was for the worship, discipline, and government of the Old Testament Church, and the particular duties of its members”“The New Testament is the proper and immediate rule, directory, and formula for the New Testament Church…in the observance of this Divine rule, this authentic and infallible directory, all … may come to the desirable coincidence of holy unity and uniformity of practice”(Campbell, A. “Declaration and Address” p 45, prop. 4, and p34f, 101)

 I will post the other questions we will consider in class shortly. (LSN)