STUDIES ON

SALVATION

Phoenix Church of Christ

The Word
1. 2 Timothy 3:16-17
• All Scripture in the Bible was inspired by God
• The Bible is to be used in our lives

2. Hebrews 4:12-13
• The Word is like a surgeon’s scalpel – cutting sin out of our lives

3. 2 Peter 1:20-21
• God used men to write the Bible; they wrote exactly what God wanted them to
write (not their own ideas)

4. John 8:31-32
• Jesus expects more than intellectual belief in him
• We must hold to his teachings to be his disciples

5. Matthew 15:1-9
• God’s Word is more than important than traditions – even religious ones
• Their tradition in the passage was like leaving their possessions in a will to the
temple treasury after they died, thus avoiding helping their parents who were in
present need

6. 1 Timothy 4:16
• Both our lifestyle and what we believe are vital to our spiritual lives (airplane
analogy − takes both wings to fly)
• Perseverance in them helps win over those around us

7. Acts 17:10-12
• The Bereans were noble because of (1) their eagerness and (2) willingness to
test what they heard
• Study out what you read and hear

8. John 12:48
• We will be judged based on what God has given us – his Word

Questions to conclude the study:

1. Do you believe the Bible is God’s Word?
2. Are you willing to live according to what the Bible teaches?
3. Will you commit to reading the Bible every day during our studies?

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God’s Love
1. Acts 17:24-31
• God works in our lives because he wants a relationship with us
• God’s love is shown by urging us to be ready for the Day of Judgment

2. John 3:16
• This shows the depth of God’s love for us
• God’s greatest desire for each of us is for us to have eternal life with him

3. Romans 5:6-8
• When we were powerless, sinners and ungodly, Jesus died for us
• That’s real love − Jesus taking my place − dying for me. We should be
incredibly thankful

4. Mark 12:28-31
• What God wants of us, more than anything else, is to love him
• What does it mean to love God with each area − heart, soul, mind, and
strength?

5. Revelation 21:1-4
• The Holy City, also called the New Jerusalem, is referring to the church − the
Bride of Christ
• God wants to be with us forever!

6. 2 Corinthians 5:14-15
• Christ’s love should compel us to die to ourselves and to live for him.
• The fact that Jesus died and rose again for us, to give us a new life, should
provide us all of the motivation we need to respond to God’s love

Questions to conclude the study:

1. As you think about the Scriptures in the study, what caused you to feel most loved
by God?
2. How can you respond to God’s love for you?

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Discipleship
1. Matthew 28:18-20
• Jesus wants everyone to become disciples
• Disciple = follower, learner
• Let’s look at some passages about what Jesus requires of those who want to
follow him

2. Mark 1:14-18
• Fishers of men – what does this mean?
• They left their nets – it was a new calling

3. Luke 9:23-26
• Who does this apply to? (“Anyone” who wants to follow Jesus)
• “Deny himself and take up his cross” – what does this mean for you?
• Daily
• Either gain the world and lose your soul, or lose the world and gain your soul

4. Luke 14:25-33
• Vs 26 - “anyone”
• Vss 25-27 - Must love God more than anyone, including your physical family
• Vss 28-30 - Count the cost of following Jesus before you do it
• Vss 31-33 – Jesus is the King with 20,000 – he dictates the terms of peace
• Vs 33 – The terms of peace are our total, unconditional surrender to him

5. John 13:34-35
• Disciples are commanded to love each other the way Jesus loves us
• Our love for one another shows others that we are Christians

6. 1 John 2:3-6
• Disciples obey Jesus’ commands
• The test of our discipleship is that we must walk as Jesus walked
• Does your life look like Jesus’ life? What would you need to change?

Questions to conclude the study:

1. Based on these passages, would Jesus consider you one of his followers?
2. What do you need to change to be a true follower of Jesus?
3. According to 1 John 2:4, is it possible to be in a right relationship with God
without obeying his commands (walking as Jesus did)?

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Sin

1. 1 Peter 2:9-10
• Every person is either in the light or the darkness – where are you?
• There is no in-between

2. Isaiah 59:1-2
• Sin separates us from God

• To be saved and be with God, the wall of sin has to come down
• A person becomes saved when the wall comes down

3. Romans 3:23-25
• Who has sinned? Everyone

Amounts of Sin

Person 1 Person 2 Person 3

• Who is further from God (little sin, medium sin, a lot of sin)? All are
separated – good deeds/good life does not break down the wall of sin
• We can be saved by God’s grace

4. Galatians 5:19-21
• Sins of commission (doing wrong things)
• Those who live like this will not go to heaven

5. James 4:17
• Sins of omission (failing to do good things)

6. Romans 6:23
• Wage = something you earn or deserve

Questions to conclude the study:

1. After this study about sin and conversion, it is important to share what sins we
have struggled with. James 5:16 reminds us of the importance of confessing our
sins to one another (read if needed)
2. The person leading the study should begin by confessing first.
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Repentance

1. Isaiah 59:1-2
• Sin separates us from God

2. Mark 9:42-49
• Before you experience real change, you must have Jesus’ attitude towards sin
• How would you describe Jesus’ attitude towards sin?

3. Luke 13:1-5
• ‘Repent’ = metanoia – ‘to perceive after’, a changed mindset, a new
perspective

4. 2 Corinthians 7:9-11
• Worldly sorrow vs Godly sorrow
• Godly sorrow leads to repentance - a proper view of sin and a proper response
to sin
• How did they respond to sin?

5. Acts 26:20
• Problem - sin; Solution - repent
• True repentance isn’t just good intentions, it leads to real changes

.6. Acts 3:19

• Repentance brings joy and times of refreshing
• True repentance isn’t just good intentions, it leads to real changes

Questions to conclude the study:

1. What is repentance?
2. What attitude does Jesus want us to have towards sin?
3. How does repentance, both in terms of the good news of the gospel and in terms of
Jesus’ attitude towards sin, change the way you live?
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Baptism
1. John 3:1-7
• Born again – born of water and of spirit

2. Acts 2:22-24
• This is Peter’s first message telling how to be saved
• Main points:
Ø Jesus was from God
Ø Jesus was physically resurrected from the dead
Ø We share responsibility for Jesus’ crucifixion due to our sins

3. Acts 2:36-41
• The people’s response:
Ø Cut to the heart
Ø Humble – what should we do?
• Peter’s answer:
Ø Repent (repent = a changed mindset, ‘now I see clearly’)
Ø Be baptized (baptize = immerse)
- For the forgiveness of sins
- To receive the gift of the Holy Spirit
4. Romans 6:1-4
• Baptism is how we participate in Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection

Questions to conclude the study:

1. Have you been baptized in the way we have seen in the passages?
2. When does someone go from being lost to being saved?

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The Cross
5. Matthew 26:31-28:10
• Since this is a long reading, you might alternate with the one in the study by
reading a paragraph each and switching back and forth
• Make appropriate comments as each section is read, asking “Why did Jesus do
this?” Answer: “Because he loves me.”

6. Isaiah 53:4-6
• Written 750 years before Jesus’ death
• Personalize the reading by substituting the name of the person studying for the
personal pronouns. (For example, “Surely he took up John’s infirmities.”)

7. Romans 6:1-11
• As we consider the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, we also need to
understand how it applies to us in a spiritual death, burial and resurrection.
• What does it mean for you to die to sin?
• Our slavery to sin and its consequences can be finished because of Jesus.

8. Ephesians 2:1-10
• This shows the difference between when we are lost and when we are saved
• We are saved by grace, not works, in order to do good works by his power in
us.

NOTE: A medical account of the crucifixion is attached to the study, if you would like to
use it, or you can show one of several videos which help make an emotional impact on the
heart.

Questions to conclude the study:

1. What are you thinking and feeling after this study?
2. Share with the one being studied with what you felt after a similar study?
3. Will you spend some extra time in reflecting and praying about the cross this
week?

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The Church
1. Ephesians 1:18-23
• God’s power that raised Christ from the dead enables us to live for him
• The church is the spiritual body of Christ (body = church)

2. 1 Corinthians 12:12-13
• Each person in the church is a valuable part of a unified spiritual body
• We become part of the body (the church) through baptism

3. Romans 12:4-8
• Each member of the one body belongs to the others
• Therefore, there is no “solo” Christianity – my choices affect others
• Each of us has unique gifts to contribute to others in the church

4. Hebrews 3:12-13
• We can develop a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from God
• Our spiritual relationships are daily (not just Sundays) because we need daily
encouragement

5. Hebrews 10:23-25
• “Consider” – how can you help another Christian in their faith?
• Our meetings as a church (Sundays, Midweeks, others) are important – both
for you and the church

6. Acts 2:42-47
• This is a picture of how the church should be
• The early church showed an amazing devotion to God and to one another
• They shared their material possessions freely and loved being together for
fellowship and worship
• Others, by seeing such a close spiritual family, were drawn into the growing
church

Questions to conclude the study:

1. Biblically, who does God consider to be a part of the church?
2. Can someone be a part of the church who has not been baptized the way the Bible
teaches?
3. Are you willing to make the church a priority in your life by attending all services
and building relationships with those in the church family?

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Lordship / Cost Counting
1. Acts 2:36
• Both Lord and Christ – ‘master’ and ‘savior’
• Can’t have one without the other
• What does it mean for Jesus to be your ‘Lord’?

2. Galatians 2:20
• When you choose to become a Christian, you are choosing to put to death your
sinful nature. What sins are you putting to death?
• How will your life change when you ‘die’?

3. Luke 14:33
• To be Jesus’ follower, we must choose to surrender everything to him
• What does this mean for you?
• What will be the most difficult thing for you to surrender?

Discuss: Making Jesus the Lord of your life in regards to your:

• Time: quiet times, attending church and church functions, time for church
relationships
• Conduct: must repent of all sin, stop doing wrong & start doing right
• Money: contribution, stewardship, avoid materialism, pursuing wealth
• Relationships: marriage; dating, marrying Christians; prayer partners; obey
your leaders; love for brothers/sisters, lost, physical family

4. 2 Corinthians 5:14 – 6:2

• Be compelled by Christ’s love to live for him instead of yourself
• You will become a new creation – the old has gone, the new has come!
• You can help reconcile others to God as an ambassador for God

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