Groundwork: Biblical Foundations for Life

Many of us are familiar with the Lord’s Prayer. In it,  Jesus taught his followers to pray, “...forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (Matthew 6:12). Through these powerful words, Jesus highlights the central importance of the virtue of forgiveness to the Christian life. However, saying we believe that forgiveness is important is a lot different than forgiving; most people would agree that true forgiveness can be quite difficult and often takes a lot of time and work. Join Groundwork as we dig into Scripture to better understand what it means to forgive, why we forgive, and what forgiveness requires of us. We’ll discuss real-life complications of forgiveness, the importance of recognizing forgiveness as a process, and useful steps for cultivating the virtue of forgiveness in our daily lives.  

Most people would say it is wrong to lie and good to tell the truth. Yet, most people would also admit that at some time in their lives, they’ve told a lie. The apostle Paul identifies truthfulness as a defining virtue of a faithful believer. So, what does that mean for us imperfect followers of Jesus today? Join Groundwork as we study truth in the Bible and explore Scripture to discover what it means to be truthful and how it can shape our lives and faith. Together we’ll discuss the nature of God's truthfulness and explore the connection between truthfulness, integrity, and trust. We’ll also look at what we risk when we lie and how we can practically embody the Christlike virtue of truthfulness in everyday life.

The apostle Paul encourages Christ’s followers to be generous people. Yet, for many of us, generosity does not come naturally. In our human nature, we often feel resistant to giving very much of our time, talents, or money for the sake of others. Join Groundwork as we study Scripture to discover why generosity is an important virtue for Christ's followers to cultivate and what it means to be a generous person. We’ll discuss the generous character of God, the generosity of Jesus, and how we can lean into their abundant generosity so that it nurtures our own. Together, we’ll identify practical ways we can cultivate this important virtue in our everyday lives. 

Why are thanksgiving and gratitude important virtues for Jesus' followers to cultivate? Join Groundwork as we explore the Scriptures to answer this question by defining thankfulness and gratitude and what it looks like to give expression to these essential virtues in our lives. Together, we’ll look at the connection between grace and thanks and ways we can nurture thankfulness and gratitude in our thoughts, prayers, and actions.  

We talk about humility in the church a lot, but what exactly does it look like? Is it possible to be proud of yourself and be humble? The Christlike virtue of humility is a root virtue from which many of the other virtues flow. Join Groundwork as we explore Scripture to discover the biblical understanding of humility, to identify what humility is not, and to witness and learn from how Christ demonstrated humility here on earth. Together, we’ll also discuss how we can live out Christlike humility in our everyday thoughts and actions today. 

The Christlike virtue of compassion is more than an emotion. The apostle Paul identifies compassion as a defining characteristic in followers of Jesus. Join us as we look in the gospels to witness the compassionate character of Christ. Then we’ll discuss how compassion relates to empathy and its connection to comfort. We will see examples of God’s compassion to discover the roots of our own capacity for compassion and what it looks like in our everyday lives. 

As the apostle Paul concludes his letter to the Romans, he instructs this early community of believers regarding how they should handle their differences. He knows that differences and disagreements are inevitable because the good news of the gospel calls people of many ages, backgrounds, and experiences. In Romans chapters 14-16, we find Paul’s instructions for Christian living, teachings that continue to help us understand how we can live together today as changed and changing people. Paul shares practical ways we can love our neighbor and reminds us that sometimes showing love means choosing not to do something. Join us and be reminded of the heart of Paul’s message: love for God and love for each other. 

As the apostle Paul continues to unpack the new realities of life for the early Roman Christians, he challenges them to live transformed lives—lives worthy of the grace and mercy they received in Jesus. Join us to study Paul’s teaching in Romans 12-13 and discover how we might live in light of the gospel, renew our minds, and be living sacrifices for God. Let’s walk with Paul through the process of discerning what transformed living means for our civic life. And finally, let us reflect on Paul’s declaration that love is at the heart of a transformed life. As Christ followers today we can demonstrate the same love and compassion as Jesus Christ because of the help of the Holy Spirit. So how are we putting on Christ and being conformed to his likeness, and not conformed to the pattern of this world?   

When loved ones don’t believe in Jesus despite being raised by Christian parents or growing up in church, it can leave us with deep aches and painful questions about God’s sovereign choices and our free will. The apostle Paul understood this ache and wrestling.  Even as he celebrated the inclusion of Gentile believers into God’s family through faith in Jesus, he was distraught by what this same truth meant for Jews who did not come to believe in Jesus. In Romans 9-11, Paul laments his concern for the Jews and demonstrates what it looks like to turn to Scripture to seek wisdom for the concerns of our hearts. Join us as we dig into Paul’s teaching, a teaching that informs what we today call the doctrine of predestination. May we find comfort in the truth that God, in his mercy, has chosen us. Like Paul, may the truth of God’s mercy give us hope and assurance that God is patient and there is still time for those we love to believe and receive salvation in Jesus Christ.  

If there’s one thing that Paul wants believers to understand, it is that the power of the gospel is life-changing. In his letter to the Romans, he details why we so desperately need the gospel and how the good news of salvation is for all people. In Romans 8, Paul turns to answering the question “Now what?” Join us as we unpack Paul’s writings about our justification—our being made right with God—and what it means for us to be IN CHRIST. Find encouragement and comfort in Paul’s teaching about pain and suffering in this world, and how we have help from the Holy Spirit, to live into the reality of our new life in Christ. And the best, most assuring truth of all? Paul assures us nothing can take our salvation away or separate us from Jesus Christ.