The road to faith. Does your faith ever falter when you face hard times? Are you ever bewildered by the experiences that confront you in your Christian life? Do doubts ever strike you as you try to wrestle with issues that seem too vast to comprehend? Are you ever stricken with doubt and agonize for … Continue reading –>
Memory text or quandary? The memory text for this week is “For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise.” (Galatians 3:18 ESV). Based on this text, does our inheritance as Christians come to us by law or by promise? Explain … Continue reading –>
Old Testament faith. Was faith in the Old Testament different from faith in the New? Are you, a commandment-keeping follower of Christ, a works-oriented Christian? Or can commandment keeping be acts of faith? What makes the difference? Paul seems just a bit upset with Christians in Galatia and he told them they were under “the curse … Continue reading –>
Strife in the church? Things are getting tense. What does Paul find in Peter’s experience in Antioch that trouble him? What would it have been like if you had been at that “potluck” as a friend of Peter’s? Imagine that you are an invisible guest in that church as you go through the issues and answers we … Continue reading –>
1. Paul’s wish. Our lesson begins with this stunning question, after extolling the value of harmony in God’s church: Should unity be preserved at the cost of truth? Do we sometimes debate issues on the basis of who agrees with us (or them) rather than on the merits of a given position? 2. The importance … Continue reading –>
Do I please men? What puzzling question does Paul pose to the Galatians in the first chapter of his epistle to them? Do you agree with Paul that it is indeed a puzzle to determine whether to seek to please God or men? How did that puzzle fit into the apostle’s ministry to the believers … Continue reading –>
The Gospel in Galatians. According to the introduction to this 12-week series on the apostle Paul, the teaching threatening the early church was the false teaching that we are saved by faith and works. Wait a minute. Don’t our works have a key role to play in our salvation? What about the statement by the … Continue reading –>
The end of this study. What are two or three blessings that you have experienced in our twelve weeks of study of the two epistles of Peter? Besides studying these two messages, have you also considered aspects of the life of Peter as he mentored his fellow disciples and the early church? Although as Protestants … Continue reading –>
The Line of Authority. On what authority did Peter give his audience strict warnings about obeying God’s commands? Do you agree with Peter that he was an apostle of Jesus? Why? Did Peter consider the Old Testament to be valid even in Jesus’ time and later? Why do you think many religious groups and denominations today are so eager … Continue reading –>
The threat from within. Are the two prongs of Satan’s attack on the Christian church (outside persecution and inside deception) equal in force? If not, which one does Peter believe that Satan finds more effective in destroying faith in Jesus? What about the church you attend? Do you ever observe Satan’s success in drawing believers away from … Continue reading –>
