III. What is My Relationship With God Now?

A. He is your heavenly Father, and you are his child. 1 John 2:1 says, 'My little children, these things write I unto you that ye sin not And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous."

B. Now that you are saved, God no longer deals with you as a sinner. He deals with you as a son.

C. That relationship is pictured by the earthly relationship between a father and his son.

[1]. A good father loves and cares for his son. I Peter 5:7 "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you."

[2]. A good father protects his son. Matthew 18:6 - But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

[3]. A good father provides for his son Philippians 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory of Christ Jesus.

[4]. A good father guides and teaches his son. John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

[5]. A good father helps his son. Psalm 46:1 - God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

[6]. A good father encourages his son. Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengthened me.

[7]. A good father disciplines his son. Hebrews 12:5-11 (v.5) And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou are rebuked of him:"

[8]. A good father feeds his son. Matthew 4:4 - But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God

[9]. A good father has a plan for his son. Romans 8:28,29 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose..."

D. A good father will never do anything to purposely hurt his son. He will only do those things which will help him grow and mature into the young man he wants him to be. Your heavenly Father operates in the same way, only His ways are perfect. Unlike earthly fathers who sometimes err, God never makes a mistake in His dealings with His sons.

Matthew 7:11: "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?"


IV. You Did Not Lose Your Physical Nature at the Time of your Spiritual Birth.

A. That is obvious because you are still alive!

B. You now have two natures.

[1]. Old nature - physical, sinful, in Adam's image.

[2]. New nature - spiritual, perfect, in God's image.

C. Both natures are present constantly. The one that will control you is the one you feed the most.

Colossians 3:5-10; II Corinthians 4:14-18


V. Basic Questions

A. Will I sin after I am saved?

Yes, you still have your old sin nature. Romans 7:25

B. How does my sin affect my relationship with my Father?

God does not kick you out of His family. When you sin, He
disciplines you as a son. Hebrews 12:5-11

C. What should I do when I sin?

Confess it and trust the blood of Jesus Christ to cleanse you. I John 1:6-10; Proverbs 28:13. The most important goal is to get back into fellowship with God!

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Eternal Security


VI. What does the Lord Jesus Christ say about the eternal security of your salvation.

A. Jesus Christ promises that, "...him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out John 6:37. God will not cast you out of His family under any circumstances.

B. John 10:27-29 makes it clear that no man can cause you to lose your salvation, because God your Father is greater than all men; therefore no man is able to pluck you out of his hand.


VII. Okay ...God won't cast me out ...no man can pluck me out of His hand ...but what about myself? Can I do something to lose my salvation?

A. Salvation is by grace through faith, and not by works. It is a gift of God. No man can lose his salvation on his own, because no man earned his salvation.

Ephesians 2:8,9 .. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God? Not of works lest any man should boast.

Galatians 3:2 - "This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? and James 2:10 - "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all."

These verses tell us if we have to do anything to earn or keep our salvation, we would lose it easily. Yet, I Peter 1:5 - Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." - assures us it is Jesus Christ who keeps us, not we ourselves.

Galatians 2:21 - "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me, and gave himself for me." - states clearly that if we could become righteous by anything we do, then Jesus Christ's death was in vain.


VIII. Okay ...God won't cast me out ...no man can cause me to lose my salvation ...and I can't lose it myself, but is there anything else that can cause me to lose my salvation?

-NO!

Romans 8:38,39 says, "For l am persuaded that neither:"

A. "Death "- you can't lose it when you die.
B. "Life" - you can't lose it while you are alive.
C. "Angels" - can't take it from you.
D. "Principalities" - the government can't take it from you.
E. "Powers" - the devil can't cause you to lose it.
F. "Things present" - nothing happening right now can take it away.
G. "Things to come" - nothing in the future can make you lose it.
H. "Height" - nothing above you.
I. "Depth" - nothing below you.
J. "Nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.


IX. Why is This?

A. Because your relationship with God is now a father/son relationship by birth. Review John 1:12,13.

B. When you were born physically, there was a record made of your birth called a birth certificate. When you were born again, a record was made. I John 5:11-13 - "And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life."

C. Your birth certificate was marked with a seal. Your spiritual birth is sealed by the Holy Spirit of God. Ephesians 1:13 - "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise "; Ephesians 4:30 - "And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption."

D. You will be your father's son for eternity, because you were born of his seed. You could leave the country, disown each other, change your name, and never see him, hear from him, or even think about him the rest of your life, but it will never change the fact that he is your father. The same is true of your heavenly Father. You can die, but you can never be unborn. Your birth is fixed forever, both physically and spiritually, even God Himself cannot change that fact.


X. Basic Questions.

A. How can I know for sure I am saved?

[1]. The epistle of I John is written for this purpose.

a) I John 5:13 says, "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life... "As a new Christian, I John should be a primary focal point to help you grow and to settle this issue.

B. What if I don't feel saved?

[1]. Your salvation is not based on feelings. It is based upon objective factual truth of the Word of God.

a) I John 3:20 says, "For if our heart condemn us (we think or feel unsaved), God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. "God knows if you're saved, even if you don't.
b) Titus 1:2 says, "In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began."

[2]. Just believe what God has said! - I John 2:25.

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Questions & Answers
(Please answer on a separate sheet)
Lesson 2 (part 1) - Salvation

[1]. Who are the two spiritual fathers mentioned in John 8:38? Give a scripture reference to support both answers.

[2]. How does an individual enter the devil's family?

[3]. How does an individual enter into God's family?

[4]. Why are people sentenced to die after their physical or first birth?

[5] List three verses that promise you eternal life.

[6]. List two reasons why a Christian in God's family is different than a non-Christian in the devil's family.

[7]. God now deals with you as His _____________ rather than a ____________.

[8]. Your new relationship with God can be seen through the earthly father and child relationship. List some ways God deals with you as His child.

[9]. Briefly explain the two natures you now possess.

[10]. What would be the reason for one nature to overpower the other nature?

[11]. When a Christian chooses to continue in a particular sin, what can he expect from God?

[12]. According to I John 1:9, when we confess our sins to God, then He will ________ us and __________ us from all unrighteousness.

Key Memory Verses:

Romans 5:12; John 3:3; I John 1:9

NOTE: In many churches today, some incorrect teachings are:

[1]. All mankind is part of one, large family of God.

[2]. All mankind must earn their way to heaven.

[3]. All mankind can get to heaven through any way they choose.

[4]. If there is such a thing as sin, it must be confessed to another man or a church leader.
From the Bible principles taught in the first part of this lesson, you should understand that these teachings are false, and why.

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