Essential Truths for Disciples

All the Essential Truths we have discussed in this series now lead us to the big “so what” question. What difference do all these truths make? How must my life change now that I have begun to grasp these truths? In other words, to boil it down to the most basic of all questions, “Why Am I Here, right here, right now, on planet earth?” The Bible gives a clear answer to this fundamental quest for meaning. It tells us that we are here to follow and serve Jesus.

Welcome to Part 2 of our question, Why the Bible? In Part 1, we reviewed the fact that the Bible is God’s story. It builds upon the general story that God tells in nature by speaking specifically through chosen authors, until at last He speaks though Jesus, the Son of God who is also the Word of God.
But how does God’s Story shape our story? How does God’s Word change us? By speaking God’s powerful truth, the Bible clarifies, corrects and comforts. Let’s look at each of these effects.

The Bible has been around for centuries, and it has faced more than its share of critics. Despite all of these attacks, however, the scriptures remain a perennial source of inspiration, direction and encouragement for billions of people all over the world. This ongoing power of the Bible may be traced to its divine origins. At its root, the Bible is God’s story that has the power to shape our story.

In our last session, we said that the Cross was God’s solution to our ultimate human problem, and we defined this problem as sin. Human sin has destroyed both our relationship with God and our relationships with one another. It has infiltrated our nature and our world so pervasively that we remain powerless to restore these relationships on our own. We are therefore destined for both physical and spiritual death. Sin therefore is our most critical and universal human problem, but, thankfully, God has addressed this problem in the Cross of Jesus.

The symbol of the Cross has become a universal symbol of the Christian faith. To those of us who follow Jesus, this symbol carries a deep, life-altering meaning. When Jesus died on the cross, He changed everything for us, for all human beings for all time. Through this cross, Jesus provides God’s solution to the human problem of sin. In this session, we will explore our sin problem, and, in our next session, we will examine how the cross addresses this problem.

This question stands at the heart of our faith. It is in fact the central truth that holds together the entire story of the Bible.
In our last session, we discussed the person of Jesus, who is both fully God and fully Man. He is fully divine and fully human. In this session, then, we address the work of Jesus. As we study the scriptures, two major themes emerge regarding the role that Jesus plays in God’s great, eternal plan. He is both Lord and Savior.

Perhaps few names have stirred up more discussion than this name. Many see Jesus simply as a religious leader and a teacher. Still others portray Him as a disillusioned and tortured soul, in a tragic story of betrayal and defeat. And not a few people even doubt that He existed at all, that He is more myth than history.
As followers of Jesus, however, we see an entirely different picture. In fact, our belief surrounding Jesus distinguishes our faith from every other religious tradition on the planet.
We believe that Jesus is the fullest expression of everything God wants to say to us. He is the fulfillment of everything God wants to do for us and with us. He is therefore the central theme of the entire biblical story.
If, then, we wish to grow spiritually, we must begin to understand both the person and the work of Jesus. In this session, we examine the person of Jesus and, in the next session, we will examine the work of Jesus.

What comes to mind when we hear the word, “Trinity”? Perhaps the term is a bit confusing. We know it speaks about God. We know it has something to do with Father, Son and Holy Spirit. But what does all this mean? How can there be one God and three divine persons? So, let’s break it down. The notion of Trinity captures two fundamental ideas about God: One God and Three Persons.

Who is God? It’s a difficult question, and many people would answer it differently. Religions all over the world have proposed thousands of definitions throughout the entire scope of human history. How can we possibly sort through all of these solutions and find one that we can accept as true and reliable?

What are the Five Questions that deserve an answer, for disciples and for anyone else looking for meaning and purpose in life.