The Christian Life: An Owner's Manual

Each chapter concludes with a Study Summary that includes "Key points," "Key scriptures," "Important terms," and "Further reading." These study summaries are great for working in small groups or teaching and discipling situations.

From Chapter Five: Turning To God

Study Summary

Key points

Even though Jesus died for all sins, not everyone is forgiven by God. The reason some receive God's forgiveness and not others is faith. A heart of faith is necessary to have Christ's death count for us.
There are many words in the Bible that describe the response of faith towards God, including receive, ask, seek, turn (repent), and confess.
Even though salvation is a free gift, available to anyone who believes, most people will not respond to this good news. The reason is the message of the cross is an offense to our pride. It says we can do nothing to earn God's acceptance. All our religion, our efforts and goodness amount to nothing when it comes to God's forgiveness.
"Grace" is the term used to describe God's absolutely free offer of salvation. It is contrasted with "works" or "law" in the Bible, which represent the usual religious approaches to gain God's favor.
When we turn to God in faith the Bible describes the transition as justification. We are also given the Holy Spirit, who comes to live inside us. We are given the gift of eternal life. The transition is also described as being born again, made new and saved.
Salvation is also a process that continues throughout our life on earth. This is the process of spiritual growth.
Once we receive God's forgiveness there is nothing we can do to lose it. We are eternally secure in his love for us.
We may also have the experience of knowing that God loves us, if we follow him and draw near to him. It is possible to live in such a way that we are relationally distant from God, so we don't experience the assurance of his love.

Key Scriptures

John 3:16-18
John 5:24
John 1:12
Luke 11:11-13
Ezekiel 18:32
Romans 10:9, 10
Ephesians 2:8, 9
Romans 3:24
Galatians 2:21
Romans 5:1
Romans 8:16
Titus 3:3-6
Romans 8:38, 39

Important Terms:

Faith / Belief

Entrusting yourself to God's love and goodness. In the case of salvation, this means believing God is so loving, he gave his life for us. It means turning to God and believing his death covers my sins.

Receive

Asking for Christ's work to apply to you. When we receive Christ, we are inviting him to apply the work of the cross to us. We are believing that his death pays for our sins.

Ask / Seek

In prayer, to call out to the Lord with an attitude of humility. To seek the Lord is to admit you need him. When we ask, he gives us his forgiveness and his Holy Spirit.

Turn

To change your perspective and approach God with humility. Since we are all prideful and independent, turning to God always involves a decision to change our attitude and perspective. Sometimes called "repentance," this is the change of mind we go through at salvation, and whenever we resolve a conflict with God.

Confess

To agree with God. We can confess our sins, which means to agree with God that something was sinful. We can confess the truth, which means to agree with God that he speaks the truth. "Confessing Christ" means to agree with God that we need Christ's forgiveness. "Confessing Christ as Lord" means to agree with God that he is our rightful authority.

Grace

God's active love towards us. When God forgives us, it is because of his grace. When God works through us, it is because of his grace. When God's love moves out to do something for us, that is grace.

Law

The standards God gave in the Old Testament. The Law of Moses was a group of hundreds of moral, civil and ceremonial prescriptions in the Old Testament.
Can describe an approach we take in our relationship with God. We can come to God on the basis of his grace, or on the basis of law. If we approach God on the basis of law, we would be asking him to accept us because we lived up to some set of rules or code of behavior.

Justification

When God views us as innocent. Based on Christ's death for us, when we turn to God in faith, he views us as sinless, innocent. Justification refers to how God views us, not our behavior.

Eternal life

Being re-united with God. Death is separation from God; the gift of life is coming back into a relationship with him. Eternal life begins now, and will culminate in a perfect relationship with God in heaven.

Born again

The miraculous transition from death to life, from sin to justification. Because salvation is so revolutionary, it is described by the metaphor of being born again is something no human could ever hope to accomplish on his own.

Made alive / Made new

Speaks of the way God views us: innocent, and the resulting new relationship we have with him. Because we are forgiven, we are re-united with God. That is new life. Because he views us as innocent, it is as if we are new creations.

Salvation

The deliverance we experience because we believe in Christ's death for us. Salvation implies judgment. We are saved from an inevitable doom because of Christ.
The process of deliverance from the effects of sin. Even though we are immediately delivered from the judgment we deserve, the effects of sin will cling to us for a lifetime. This is why salvation sometimes refers to the life-long process of spiritual growth.

Assurance

The promises God gives us in the Bible that he will never reject us. We can place our faith in God's faithfulness and unconditional love. We can be assured of our future in heaven.
The inner experience of our relationship with God. The more we follow God, and allow him to change us, the more we will experience his unfailing love. If we do not follow God obediently, then we have the scriptures which assure us of his love, but we may not feel or see God's love at work in our lives.

For Further Reading:

The Grace of God by Charles Ryrie (Chicago: Moody Press, 1963)

Grace by Lewis Sperry Chafer (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1980)

Eternal Security by Charles Stanley (Nashville: Oliver-Nelson, 1990)

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