One Great Savior

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One Great Savior

What is one of your favorite rescues from history, film, or literature? QUESTION

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#BSFLtruth

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BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE

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THE POINT

God offers us hope and forgiveness through Jesus Christ.

THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE “It was a dark and stormy night.” That sentence is considered the classic opening for a novel, but it is also a scenario you do not want to experience when you’ve been knocked off a boat in the Gulf of Mexico. I know. As a young man, I worked on an offshore drilling rig. On this particular “dark and stormy night” I was off-loading materials from a supply boat. The small boat was being violently tossed in the waves, and a cable hit me and launched me overboard. The pounding waves carried me further into the dark waters of the Gulf. I drifted so far that I no longer could see the lights of the rig. After two hours adrift, I had given up hope of being saved. I was lost in the darkness and became gripped with fear. Suddenly, in the midst of the darkness a light burst through the turbulent waves—a boat equipped with a searchlight. When that light hit me, my hope was restored. I was saved! Darkness, fear, separation, and hopelessness. That’s an apt description for being spiritually lost too. But we have hope.

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WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY? Romans 5:6-8 (HCSB) For while we were still helpless, at the appointed moment, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For rarely will someone die for a just person—though for a good person perhaps someone might even dare to die. 8 But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us! 6

In Romans 5, Paul clearly laid out the basics of the gospel message. Jesus is the Light of the world; He dispels the darkness, removes all fear, reconciles us to God, and brings hope. Jesus did all of this through His death on the cross—and He did it for the least likely group most people would consider. Paul noted three kinds of people: ]]

The just person. Paul is not using a theological term at this point, but describing a person others see as morally upright or exemplary in his or her conduct.

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The good person. This person is generous, kind, and loving toward others.

While the just person may never appear to do anything wrong, everyone simply likes to be around the good person. For that reason, it’s rare someone would die for the exemplary citizen, but he might dare to do so for someone who has been loving and caring. ]]

The sinner. The ones Jesus died for are neither upright nor good. “Christ died for the ungodly” (v. 6)—and this title fits all of us.

What do these verses teach us about God’s character?

QUESTION

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BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE

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THE POINT

God offers us hope and forgiveness through Jesus Christ.

Besides calling us “sinners,” Paul used two other words to describe us: “helpless” and “ungodly” (v. 6). To be ungodly means we not only ignore God’s standard of righteousness for our lives, but we also defy it. On top of that, we are helpless—utterly powerless to do anything about our condition. We follow our own sinful desires, and we can do nothing on our own to remove the sin that separates us from a holy God. But because of His great love for us, God came from heaven to earth in the midst of our helpless, sinful state, so that He could save us. The salvation God offers was neither an accident nor an afterthought. This was God’s plan from the beginning. Verses 5-8 offer this clarifying point: heroism might motivate someone to die for a good person, but only unmerited grace and unconditional love can drive a person to die for his enemies. Compelled by His amazing love, Christ did just that: He died for the helpless, the ungodly, the sinners.

Romans 5:9 (HCSB) Much more then, since we have now been declared righteous by His blood, we will be saved through Him from wrath. 9

Christ does more than just rescue us from our sin. Paul writes in verse 9 that we are “declared righteous” in Christ. The Greek word for the phrase “declared righteous” was a legal term that simply meant “declared not guilty.”

Hope

To be declared righteous, then, means our sin—all of it!—is removed, and we stand before God completely forgiven, justified, and righteous in His eyes. Christ paid the penalty for our sins through His death on the cross. We all stood before God as guilty sinners sentenced to death. We were under the wrath of God. Because God is holy, He must punish sin. In fact, His righteous character demands that He

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How would you explain God’s wrath to someone reading this verse for the first time?

QUESTION

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deal with our sin. However, in an act of divine love God sent His own Son to suffer and die in our place. Christ willingly came to die as the substitute for our sin. By His death and shed blood, Jesus is able to declare us righteous. In eastern Afghanistan, children make money from recycling used shell casings they find lying on roads. As a military convoy headed down one particular road, several soldiers jumped out of their vehicles to move the children out of the way before the heavy trucks came along. After the children were on the side of the road, one young girl ran back to pick up another shell casing. Unfortunately, she ran out in front of a 16-ton armored truck. National Guard Sgt. Dennis Weichel saw this and ran to get her out of the way. He got her to safety, but not before he was hit by the truck. The 29-year-old from Rhode Island died just weeks after he had arrived in Afghanistan.3 This is like what Christ did for us, only we’re not like an innocent child in the road. We are the enemy—the rebel in sin. Because of our sin, the wrath of God was barreling down on us, but Christ came to rescue us. He absorbed the full brunt of our punishment. God proved His love for us by sending His Son to die in our place and take our punishment.

© 2016 LifeWay

BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE

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THE POINT

God offers us hope and forgiveness through Jesus Christ.

"The grace-f illed, unconditional love of God is greater

What all are we offered in a relationship with Christ?

than our sin fu lness ." QUESTION

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BLAKE GIDEON

HOPE IN CHRIST Romans 5:8-10 tells of the grace and hope God extends to us through Christ. Circle the words or phrases that give you hope. 8 But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us! 9 Much more then, since we have now been declared righteous by His blood, we will be saved through Him from wrath. 10 For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, then how much more, having been reconciled, will we be saved by His life! As Christ-followers, we’re called to share this hope. Who are five people you’d like to invite to join this Bible study?

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Romans 5:10-11 (HCSB) For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, then how much more, having been reconciled, will we be saved by His life! 11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We have now received this reconciliation through Him. 10

Through His death, Christ has provided the way for reconciliation: peace between the sinner and holy God. The dividing wall has been torn down between God and humanity. For this reason, Paul wrote, “How much more, having been reconciled, will we be saved by His life!” (v. 10). We can be even surer of the salvation Christ provided because He has risen from the dead and is alive forever. To be reconciled is to re-establish a relationship. Jesus brought reconciliation to re-establish the peace humanity had with God before Adam and Eve gave in to temptation and brought sin into the world. We don’t have the ability to be reconciled and re-establish this relationship in our own power, but Jesus is able. To be reconciled to God means: ]]

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Our future is secure. We are reconciled to God by Jesus’ death, but our security is in His life. Jesus rose triumphantly from the dead, and His bodily resurrection is the proof His rescue mission was successful. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, “For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” We have a reason for joy. “We also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ ” (v. 11). True joy is knowing our sins are forgiven and we are at peace with God. The ultimate source of this joy is the hope we have in Christ.

How would you like your life to reflect the reality of being reconciled to God?

QUESTION

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The grace-filled, unconditional love of God is greater than our sinfulness—and the cross of Jesus is the ultimate proof of that love. He gives His love not because of who we are; as a matter of fact, He loves us in spite of who we are. God loves us because of who He is. © 2016 LifeWay

BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE

43

THE POINT

God offers us hope and forgiveness through Jesus Christ.

LIVE IT OUT What will you do with God’s message of hope and forgiveness? ]]

Memorize Romans 5:8. Post this verse in a place where you’ll see it often. When you do, pause to thank God for the gift of a reconciled relationship with Him.

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Write your testimony. Grab a pen and put down on paper the story of your own salvation. Focus on three questions: (1) What was your life like before salvation? (2) How did you come to know Jesus? (3) What is your life like now since you’ve been saved?

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Extend an invitation. This week, invite each of the five people you listed in the “Hope In Christ” activity on page 42 to come to Bible study with you next week. Make a plan to pick them up, meet them in the parking lot, or meet for coffee beforehand.

A life separated from Christ is marked by darkness, fear, and hopelessness. But we have hope. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. He is our ultimate Rescuer.

My thoughts

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