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Life in the Bible Club
Maple Woods College

Bible Study Outlines

March 8, 2006

The Riches of God's Salvation - Renewing

  1. A Quick Review
    1. This is the last week before the Spring break at Maple Woods, March 13-17, 2006. The rich items of God's salvation that we have covered this year are as follows: (1) predestination, (2) redemption, (3) propitiation, (4) the blood of Christ, (5) forgiveness, (6) justification, (7) reconciliation, (8) regeneration and last week, (9) sanctification. This week we cover the 10th item, renewing. This item is quite obvious when you consider that God in Christ came to create a new creation. This is mentioned in the book of Ephesians, chapter 2, verse 10. Also, there is the matter of crucifying the "old man." What will God replace this crucified man with? Is it just something heavenly? Five verses after Ephesians 2:10 the apostle Paul reveals that this new man is made up of regenerated men from both Jews and gentiles (non Jewish people) whom are participating in the Body of Christ and who are reconciled to God by Christ's wonderful cross. They now by the Spirit have access in one spirit unto the Father God (Ephesians 2:18). How we praise and thank Him!
    2. We will mention again as we did last week that the 14 riches of God's salvation are not steps in linear order that we experience like reading a list of ingredients for a cooking recipe. As any good cook will tell you, you cannot just add all the ingredients at once to a large bowl, mix them up, and put them in the oven! In the same way, we both experience and come to the full knowledge of all these wonderful items by opening our being to or wonderful Jesus and His operation day by day in prayer and in reading His word. (1 Cor.12:11, Phil. 2:13) We must let the Lord add all these 14 riches to us as only the Great Shepherd of the sheep can. He cares for each of us until the process of salvation is completed. The apostle Paul adds a corporate dimension to this process by suggesting that after we are "strengthened with power through His Spirit into the inner man," we must then go on further to allow "Christ to make His home in our hearts." THEN CORPORATELY, in describing the interaction with other Christians, he states we are ready to "apprehend with all the saints [in other words, the sanctified members of Christ's body] what the breadth and length and height and depth are" and "to know the knowledge-surpassing love of Christ."
    3. Thank the Lord for this time we have together to begin to see and experience the dimensions of our wonderful Lord Jesus Christ and of our Father God.
  2. Renewing
    1. Romans 12:2 - And do not be fashioned according to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and well pleasing and perfect. Footnote 24
    2. 2 Corinthians 4:16 - Therefore we do not lose heart; but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. Footnote 163
    3. Ephesians 4:23 - And that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind Footnotes 231-2
    4. Colossians 3:10 - And have put on the new man, which is being renewed unto full knowledge according to the image of Him who created him Footnote 103
    5. Titus 3:5 - Not out of works in righteousness which we did but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit Footnote 54
  3. Questions for discussion
    1. Can you give some examples of the way we are renewed within?
    2. In the old creation something new always gets old. Where does the renewing begin, with something old or something new?
    3. How do we know that newness is something that God desires and that pleases God?

 

NOTE: The footnotes referenced in the outlines are from the The Holy Bible, Recovery Version © 2003 Living Stream Ministry. An online Recovery Version may be searched for verses and footnotes at: The Holy Bible, Online Recovery Version. You may also obtain a free Recovery Version New Testament by filling out a request form on the Bibles for America website.