The Source of Life

Lesson 9

The Source of Life

(John 1, 3 & 6, Romans 8)

Copr. 2024, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D. Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Suggested answers are found within parentheses. If you normally receive this lesson by e-mail, but it is lost one week, you can find it by clicking on this link: http://www.GoBible.org. Pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as you study.

Introduction: According to a February 11, 2022, article by Anshool Deshmukh, Christianity is the largest religion in the world (31%), followed by Islam (25%), Unaffiliated (15.6%), Hindus (15.2%), Buddhists (6.6%), Folk religions (5.6%), and Jews (.2%). I looked at other estimates and they are similar.

What should we conclude from this? At best, 31% of the world population will go to heaven? For a long time I have heard those advocating “many paths” to heaven. Related is the idea that the Abrahamic religions, like Islam and Judaism, worship the same God, so that they, too, have a path to heaven. Others may think that Jesus made eternal life theoretically possible for all, so God will sort out those in the Eastern religions who make it to heaven. It is true that God will sort out who is saved, but our study this week reveals some very specific statements about who will qualify to be saved. Let’s plunge into our study of the Bible to explore the criterion for external life!

1. The Life Test
   
   1. Read John 3:16. What is God’s motive for making eternal life available to humans? (His love for us.)
      1. What is the criterion for obtaining eternal life? (Believing in Jesus.)
   2. Read John 6:40. What is God’s attitude towards humans obtaining eternal life? (It is God’s will that we should have eternal life, but it is based on a condition.)
      1. What is the condition for eternal life? (Looking on and believing in the Son.)
   3. Did you notice that both of the prior texts said that “believing” in Jesus is the test for eternal life. What do you think that means?
      1. Much of the world’s population believes that Jesus existed. At least some of Islam (Shiites) believe that Jesus is coming back at the end times with the Mahdi, who is the final Imam and their savior. Does that qualify as “believing” in Jesus?
      2. Why John 6 does: 40 refer to “looks on” and “believes?” (This suggests that more than recognizing Jesus as a person is required.)
   4. Read John 6:63-64. We previously studied this event where Jesus creates food and then begins what seems to be an odd discussion about eating His flesh and drinking His blood (John 6:53). The listeners all believed that Jesus existed, after all He was speaking to them! What kind of belief is required by John 6:64 and the discussion of bread and blood? (Your admission ticket to heaven is to believe that Jesus is God, and that He died on the cross to pay the penalty for your sins. When Jesus died, and we accepted that on our behalf, our death penalty was satisfied. Compare Matthew 26:26-28 and 1 Corinthians 10:16-17.)
      1. Where does that leave the “many paths” advocates and the majority of the world’s religions? (God’s word tells us that they are not eligible for eternal life. They do not believe that Jesus is their Savior. God, of course, is the final Judge, but what we have studied is rather explicit.)
      2. If you believe what we just studied, how does that leave you? Smug? Feeling superior?
      3. Consider this. I suspect that most of my readers, like me, were raised by Christian parents, or at least raised in a country in which most people are Christians. What do you think are the odds of you becoming a Christian if you were raised by [insert a different religion] parents in a majority [different religion] country?
2. The Logic Test
   
   1. Read Romans 8:1-3. Assume you were raised as a member of any of the other world religions. What would your instincts tell you about how to be able to acquire a new and higher life form after death? (Logic would tell me that I would have to work for it. It would be something that, like most other things in life, I need to acquire through superior performance.)
   2. Look again at Romans 8:3. Is my logical conclusion consistent with Christianity? (No. God did what weak humans could not do, by sending Jesus.)
   3. Read Romans 8:4. What does Jesus do for us regarding keeping the law? (He kept it for us. He fulfilled “the righteous requirement of the law” in us.)
      1. If you have not already done so, make at least a brief study of all world religions and ask yourself whether they all are consistent with my logical conclusion? (The answer is, “yes,” they are all based on works. Even the “low works” new pagan religion, Wicca, follows something called the Wiccan Rede. It essentially says you can do whatever you want as long as you do not harm anyone. It requires the work of “no harm.”)
      2. What conclusion should we reach about this? The facts are that Christianity is different, God does the works. But is that a good thing? Does that convince us that Christianity is the one true religion that gives us eternal life? (Logically, it is the only religion that elevates God over humans. Human works, and thus human arrogance, are central to all other world religions. Sadly, some Christians have fallen into that same thinking.)
3. The Incomprehensible
   
   1. Read John 1:9-11. Why should the world have accepted Jesus? (He made the world.)
   2. Read John 1:12-13. What does this say about the path to becoming a child of God? (It is not through will power, it is not through the power of another human, it comes from God.)
      1. Why is this so hard to believe? (Jesus made the world! Do you fail to grasp that He can give you new life?)
   3. Read John 1:16-17. How do Moses and Jesus compare? (The law was given through Moses, grace was given to us through Jesus. He is God and He can give grace to those who believe in Him.)
4. The Walk
   
   1. Read Romans 8:5-8. Wait a minute! Someone always has to come and spoil the party. Is Romans now telling us that Christianity is just like every other religion in that we need to “please God,” by submitting to “God’s law?”
   2. Read Romans 8:9-10. Who is doing the work here? (The Holy Spirit and Christ.)
   3. Read Romans 8:11. Is it part of your “works” to have the Holy Spirit dwell in you?
   4. Let’s go back and re-read Romans 8:6. How would you describe what it means for you to “set the mind” on something? (My view is this is not a work, but rather an invitation to an attitude. If I truly believe that peaches are superior to pears, then I buy peaches and not pears. If you believe that Jesus died a horrible death in place of you dying, and He did that to satisfy the penalty for your sins, then you will avoid sin. You will not embrace sin.)
      1. How easy is it to control your mind? Can you decide on an attitude and then firmly adopt that attitude? (This explains “set the mind.” You determine that Christ is your Lord and you want to advance His Kingdom. The Holy Spirit then takes that “set,” and at your request, changes your attitude in the direction needed.)
   5. Skip down and read Romans 8:14-15. There is a tremendous problem with fear and anxiety in the American population today. Do you think that is connected with sin? (I do. The point I think Romans is making is that when we decide for Jesus, when we ask the Holy Spirit to change our attitude, then lots of positive changes take place, including lowering our level of fear. Why? Because we are trusting God, not ourselves.)
   6. Friend, have you “believed” in Jesus in the way we just discussed? If so, you have eternal life. If you have not, why not, right now, decide to believe and to set your mind on that belief?
5. Next week: The Way, the Truth, and the Life.