CONTENTS
Session 02
The Gospel & Belief
Moving from Unbelief to Belief
TEACHING
Overview
This session covers what it means to be made in the image of God and the effects of sin. Two aspects of God’s image are Relationship and Purpose. This session will focus on the relational component of God’s image.
Reading time: ~30 minutes.
Gospel Summary
In the previous session, we talked about the Gospel being summed up as “the reign of God in Jesus”—or more simply “Jesus is Lord”. The Good Message is not “I’m going to heaven when we die” (though we will be with the Lord when we die), the Good Message is that Jesus is the King who defeated the power of sin and Satan, removed the penalty of sin from us, and will, one day, remove the presence of sin from the earth! The Good Message is Jesus is Lord of creation who came as the new human and through his death on the cross and resurrection from the dead defeated the powers of sin, death, and evil that in Him the New Creation has begun and will come to its completion when He comes again to set all things right.
This Good Message is not simply about your afterlife, but about all humanity and creation being brought back under God’s good, just, and healing reign. It affects more than myself, it affects our communities and even the whole world. It affects how we engage and interact in our everyday spaces. We will explore all of this later, but for these next few sessions will begin by exploring how the Gospel affects us personally.
What does the reign of God in Jesus look like in my life? If Jesus is reigning over me, what does that mean for me? What does that mean for the people around me? What purpose do I have?
These are types of questions we will be working through.
Residence and Rebellion Story
To begin to understand how the Gospel—the reign of God in Jesus through the Spirit—affects our personal lives, we must first understand the story from which all humanity has its foundation. Here, I only want to sketch a picture of what humanity as a whole was made for (Residence) and the impact of sin (Rebellion):
Creation: Part 1
“In the beginning God created the skies and earth.”
The first verse of the Bible communicates a very deep truth: God is the Creator. It is this truth that we will take time to reflect on, because the very next verse in the Bible depicts a problem: chaos or uncreation.
“Now the earth was formless and void (chaos), darkness was over the surface of the deep waters (chaos), and the Spirit of God was brooding (creating) over the deep waters (chaos).”
The “uncreation” is viewed as the canvas for the Creator God, He who brings order to the chaos. God sees the darkness (chaos) and speaks, “Let there be light”, and order is brought. The light is day and the darkness is night. The light is declared “good” and is separated from the darkness. (Notice the darkness is not ‘good’, already something exists within creation that is not ‘good’.)
God sees the waters (chaos) and separates the waters from below and above (chaos)—the blue water of the sea and the blue “roof” of the earth—God creates the sky in between. (Notice nothing is declared ‘good’.)
God sees the water (chaos) under the sky, corals it, and creates dry ground from the chaos waters. He produces life, vegetation and seed, and it is declared ‘good’.
Then, looking at that which he has created already, he goes back to day one and creates lights—one to govern (bring order) to the day and one to govern (bring order) to the night. He also creates the “host of heaven”—the stars. He declares it all ‘good’.
He looks upon the waters and sky from day two and creates more life: sea creatures, sea monsters, and birds of the sky. Again, it is all ‘good’.
Then, God looks at the land of day three and creates even more life: animals and humanity. Man and woman are created in God’s image and given the governing task to rule over the earth and the animals. Humanity is given dominion and told to ‘subdue’. It seems even at the beginning there are things which must be guarded against and brought under rule. They are told to multiply and fill the earth, showing that although God created it all, there is still more to create and humanity is part of this continuing creation. He declares this ‘very good’.
Finally, God rests.
Creation: Part 2
In the first creation narrative (Gen. 1.1-2.3), God sees the chaos, described as waters and darkness, and creates order and life. The second creation narrative (beginning Gen. 2.4) describes the chaos of a parched wilderness (sawdeh) and God creates a garden of life and blessing. These three ideas (waters, darkness, and wilderness) are used throughout the Old Testament as symbols of disorder (chaos) and uncreation which are in opposition, not to God Himself, but to creation. The biblical authors never describe anything opposing God himself—that would mean God has a rival who is equal in power. He is always depicted as above everything, the king over all, the creator of all things; nothing comes close to His rule or power. Rather, opposition is between the evil of de-creation and the goodness of creation. Evil does not attempt to de-create God, that’s impossible, but God’s creation, absolutely, as we will see.
God builds for himself a garden temple and forms humanity to cultivate and guard this garden temple. This is the place where God himself dwells with His creation, sharing his love, rule, and blessing. Humanity is made in God’s image, meaning they are made for relationship and for a purpose. Humanity is to take the potential of God’s creation and harness it for God’s glory—building, artwork, crafting, etc. They are to multiply—create more image bearers and fill the earth with God’s glory. Subdue, bring what is not under God’s good rule (chaos) and bring it under him, protecting God’s creation of order and life from de-creating back to chaos and, ultimately, death. God tells the first humans to not eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil or they will die (uncreation will enter the world).
Out of the wilderness (sawdeh)—that place of chaos and uncreation—comes a snake. This crafty snake twists God’s words and tempts the man and woman. He states that if they eat of the forbidden fruit they can become like God (even though they are made in his image) and they won’t actually die. Instead of embracing God’s way of blessing, humanity chose their own path to blessing and follow the snake’s way—this act creates death. This act is what we have come to call ‘sin’ and this first act of sin is what we call ‘original sin’. In that, from this first act, all humanity has a bent towards de-creation which causes death. All humanity is under this curse of sin.
God comes into the Garden and because of their act of rebellion consequences fall upon humanity and the earth—the effects of sin entering the world. Each of these curses are acts of de-creation:
- The snake is cursed to eat dust, or death (cf. Gen. 3.19, Heb. 2.14)—the ultimate act of de-creation.
- The woman’s pain in childbirth is increased—making multiplying, an act of creation, more difficult.
- The woman is told she is under her husband’s rule—an act of de-creation from the initial mutual role of man and woman ruling together.
- The earth will bring up thorns and thistles—making creation and cultivation more difficult and problematic.
- Eat the plants of the wilderness by the sweat of your face—instead of having a luscious garden, humanity will have to eat plants of wilderness in difficulty.
- For you are dust and to dust you shall return—death, the fulfillment of de-creation, has entered the world.
However, in the midst of these curses God declares hope, “I will put enmity between you [the snake] and the woman, and between your seed and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
The man, Adam, and the woman, now named Eve (Gen. 3.20), are barred from God’s garden temple. Adam and Eve have two sons: Cain and Abel. Cain was a farmer of the earth and Abel a keeper of sheep. They both brought an offering to the Lord, but the Lord looked at Abel’s with favor.
Cain was upset about this and God said to him, “If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is lurking, lying in wait at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it” (Gen. 4.7). Here, sin is described like a snake that must be ruled.
Cain is tempted by the same ‘snakiness’ that his parents are and like his parents, gives into it. He takes his brother out to the wilderness (sawdeh) and kills him. The place the snake dwelt before slithering into the garden is the place where Cain takes his brother. In many ways, Cain is in league with the de-creating work of the snake. Cain has become a seed of the snake.
These first two sins (Adam/Eve and Cain) become the blueprint for the de-creating, de-humanizing work of sin in humanity. What is the hope of this systemic problem in humanity?
Thanks be to God for the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus our Lord. The Good News is that Jesus is King! In Him is new creation life. In Him is salvation from the penalty and power of sin; and we hope for the day when the very presence of sin will be done away with.
However, this should cause us to reflect: am I acting in league with the snake? Am I about de-creating, pulling the good creation back into chaos and death or cultivating creation into blessing and life?
Our actions, however small, reflect these choices. Whenever I scream at my children, am I de-creating them or causing their flourishing? When I lust after another, am I de-creating them or myself, or causing blessing and flourishing? When I covet after something another has, am I de-creating them and myself, or seeking their blessing?
Two Parts to God’s Image
Oftentimes, sin gets relegated to simply meaning “bad behavior”. We engage in sin when we “break a commandment” or do not “follow God’s will”. This places Jesus’ death as a means of dealing with our bad behavior: ”Jesus died so I don’t have to act this way anymore”. Then, we end up simply bringing our bad behavior to God so that He can deal with that.
This mindset is like going to the hospital with cancer and telling the doctor to only treat your fatigue. Fatigue is the symptom of the cancer that is attacking your body. The fatigue is not what needs to be addressed, the cancer does! It is only when the cancer is removed and destroyed that you can begin to regain your strength.
When you engage in acts of sin, these are symptoms of a much deeper issue. It is not that you need to stop acting a certain way, you need a whole new person—a new image.
As told in the story above, all humanity is made in God’s image. There is a lot that can be said about being made in the image of God, but there are two main ideas behind it that are intricately connected: humanity was made 1) for relationship and 2) with a purpose (vocation). In this session, we will focus on the ‘Relationship’ aspect, while the next session will focus more on the ‘Purpose’.
| RELATIONSHIP | PURPOSE |
|---|---|
| With God |
|
| With Humanity |
|
| With Creation |
|
God’s Image and Sin
Sin is the distortion of God’s purpose; it is the failure to live up to the glorious purpose God has for humanity. It is a distorted image of God, the way that leads to uncreation. Sin’s main symptoms are twofold:
- Idolatry—worshiping something other than God;
- Unbelief—not worshiping God for who He is.
In Romans, Paul refers to sin as “exchanging the truth of God for a lie” [Idolatry] (Rom. 1), but also that “everything that does not come from faith is sin” [Unbelief] (Rom. 14).
Sin is a universally experienced problem. It causes the de-creation effects of pain, sorrow, destruction, and death. However, we typically talk about sin in ways that are not universally understood. We relate it to “breaking God’s commands” or “not following God’s will”. The problem with these statements is not that they are untrue, but that it removes the universality of understanding sin. In order to understand sin, you have to have some form of faith in God first—something that is not universal. At its heart sin is experienced as brokenness: broken relationships, broken hearts, broken minds, broken lives, broken bodies.
Since sin is the distortion of God’s purpose, it causes a breaking in our relationships (with God, rest of humanity, and with creation) and twists our purpose of why we were made.
This is why non-Christians can still genuinely love other people and care for creation because they are still made in God’s image. However, the undergirding problem of sin is not dealt with by loving others or caring for creation, but only through God’s power.
Notice, although there is breakage, we are still beloved by God: ‘For God so loved the world…’ (John 3.16a).
God’s Image Renewed
Every person is born under the power or distortion of sin because of the first sin (Gen. 3). This is what is called ‘original sin’. Because of the sin of Adam, all humanity now has a distorted image.
The reign of sin attracts us to distort God’s purposes for creation. Instead of loving God, we want to be God, instead of loving others, we want to manipulate them to get what we want, and instead of exercising good rule over creation, we want to exploit the earth for our own pleasures. Instead of defining good and evil by God’s terms, we define it for ourselves.
But, there is hope. In finishing off John 3.16, ‘…that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life’ (John 3.16b). As Jesus says later ‘Now this is eternal life: that they know you (Father), the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent’ (John 17.3). Eternal life does not begin after death, eternal life begins at faith in Jesus—this is the working of God’s New Creation.
Jesus was the representative human on behalf of all humanity. He is, as Paul says, the Second Man (Rom. 5; 1 Cor. 15). He is humanity as humanity should be—he is the true King over all and the great High Priest. And by His faithfulness (despite our faithlessness) and belief in Him, we receive the power of the Holy Spirit who renews us in the likeness and image of Jesus (Rom 8)—who is the exact image of God.
What, then, was God to do about [sinful] humanity? What was to be done except to renew humanity who was made in God’s image, so that, by being renewed, humanity might once more be able to have a relationship with Him? But how could this be accomplished except by the presence of the very Image of God—our Lord Jesus Christ? It is impossible by human means since we are only made after an image; nor by the means of angels, for they are not made in God’s image. This is why the Word of God came in His own person—Jesus—since He is the exact Image of the Father. He is able to create humanity anew after His true Image. But, again, this could not have happened unless death and corruption were done away with. Therefore, He took, in natural form, a mortal body, that while death might be done away with once and for all in the body and humanity, made after His Image, might once more be renewed. The only means of renewing humanity’s image is by the Image of the Father.
St. Athanasius (c. AD 296-373), On the Incarnation (13.7-8) (author’s translation).
Renewed, But Still Sin
But, you may be thinking, why do I still sin if my life is now under the reign of Jesus and not the reign of sin? Why does sin still have power over me?
This is mainly because we live in a fallen world where death still reigns. Yes, Jesus is king, but death is like the leader of a coup trying to usurp the true ruler. Paul tells us that Jesus “must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death” (1 Cor. 15.26). Jesus is reigning, He has ascended to the Ancient of Days (Dan. 7.13-14), is seated at the right hand of the Father, and will reign until everything comes under his authority which he will complete upon his return (1 Cor. 15.20-28).
But how do we go about this process of restoration when we still live in a world under sin’s reign? How can I begin to bring healing when I still sin?
First, we must trust that God has forgiven you of everything in Christ. This is not a distant god-judge who says ‘You’re forgiven, now you don’t have to go to jail (aka hell)’. This is your Heavenly Father proclaiming, ‘You are FORGIVEN (PERIOD)! There is no longer anything that separates us—there are no grievances between us! I love you, want to help you, be with you, support you, and empower you through my Spirit to be everything I created you to be in my Son, Jesus!’ The penalty of sin (separation from God) is done away with (Col 2.9-15).
(That’s a powerful understanding of forgiveness!)
Second, along with that, we must trust that God has freed us from the power of sin. Sin no longer has power over us (Rom 6)! We have been transferred from the ‘dominion of darkness and into the kingdom of the Son… in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins’ (Col. 1.13-14). It is not just that we have been freed from the power of sin, we are now servants within the good and glorious rule of Jesus. We have been saved from sin’s reign and with it, death; and to Jesus’ reign and with it, life.
Third, this builds upon the previous, in being brought into this new kingdom, we must turn away from the ways of the old domain: our idols and our unbelief—those symptoms in our life whose root is sin. This is the heart of repentance. Repentance is about turning from our idols or unbelief, and turning to the true God. Just as we have been brought from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of Jesus, we need to move from unbelief to belief in every area of our life. When we come under the reign of Jesus, His rule comes over every area of our life—our relationships, families, finances, job, time, activities, and our heart, mind, soul, and strength.
This is what the reign of God looks like in our personal life. It removes the reign that sin had over us—the bondage we were ensnared to—and leads us to the life of freedom in Jesus.
Moving from Unbelief to Belief
In his book You Can Change: God’s Transforming Power for Our Sinful Behavior and Negative Emotions, Tim Chester talks about the importance of what we turn to. He shares that behind all of our sin are lies we believe about God:
‘We sin because we believe the lie that we are better off without God, that his rule is oppressive, that we will be free without him, that sin offers more than God’.
Tim Chester, You Can Change (Wheaton: Crossway, 2010), p.74.
It is in turning to the truth of who God is that the sin in our life can be dealt with and we can experience true freedom. There are four truths of God that we must turn to in relation to what lie we are believing about Him.
- God is Great—so we do not have to be in control
- God is Glorious—so we do not have to fear others
- God is Good—so we do not have to look elsewhere
- God is Gracious—so we do not have to prove ourselves
We will explore each of these truths and how turning to them can free us from the idols and unbelief of our heart.
God is Great — so we don’t have to be in control
This unbelief comes out in two forms, usually, one begetting the other:
“I Control My Surroundings”
A lie that we often engage in is that I control my surroundings. I can control my co-workers, boss, or employees; my family, spouse, or kids; my friends, neighbors, or patrons. Let me save you the trouble: you cannot control anyone. You can have influence and may even have authority within these relationships and spaces, but you cannot control what happens. Release the control and trust that God is Great, his way of leadership is far better than anything we can attempt to control. God’s way of being Great is the best way:
Jesus called [his disciples] together and said, “You know that the godless rulers throw their weight around, and get all high and mighty and let everybody know it. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Matthew 20.25-28
“I Let My Surroundings Control Me”
Along these same lines is who or what am I letting control me? Jesus brings this to light in the Sermon on the Mount:
“Do not store up for yourselves treasure in this age, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasure for the age to come… for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are generous and hospitable; open and bright, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are greedy and distrustful; squinty and closed-off, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the reign of God and his way of life, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Matthew 6.19-34
Is money reigning over your life? Is anxiety and worry ruling you? Who or what are you allowing to call the shots in your life? Fear? Possessions? Power? Pleasures?
When God is ruling our life, we can release control. We can trust that God has everything under control: he is not surprised by anything, he does not lose his composure, he is not insecure—God is Great. This then enables us to, instead of following the path of control and manipulation, follow the way of Jesus in being a servant of all.
God is Glorious—so we don’t have to fear others
This unbelief is what is referred to in the Bible as the ‘Fear of man’: “The fear of man will prove to be a snare” (Prov. 29.25).
Ed Welch, in his book When People are Big and God is Small, says fear of man has many symptoms: susceptibility to peer pressure; ‘needing’ something from a spouse; a concern with self-esteem; being overcommitted because we can’t say no; fear of being exposed; small lies to make ourselves look good; people making us jealous, angry, depressed or anxious; avoiding people; comparing ourselves with others; and fear of evangelism.
Chester, p.83.
The fear of man is ultimately when we allow other people’s expectations to control our actions, thoughts, and emotions. In reality, we are believing that person is worthy to be worshiped.
The only solution to the ‘fear of man’ is the fear of God. Prov. 29.25 finishes with, ‘but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.’
God is the Glorious one. Our fear and reverence toward our loving God should dissolve the control and expectations others have upon our lives.
Fear of the Lord is something that must be taught (Psa 34.9-11).
Fear the Lord, you, his holy people,
for those who fear him lack nothing.
The lions may grow weak and hungry
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
Come, my children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
Psalm 34.9-11
How is the fear of the Lord learned? — dwell on the Glorious One; reflect upon his Majesty; meditate on Psalms, the Rescuer, and the Redeemer; “Set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God” (Col. 3.1).
For whose approval is greater? Who is more majestic, wonderful, powerful, loving, and glorious? David said it most beautifully:
The Lord is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?
Psalm 27.1
The fear of God will bring freedom. Paul writes, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery… you were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge in the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love” (Gal. 5.1-2, 13).
The fear of man is enslavement that can only be overcome by our Glorious God. When we come under the reign of God, the fear of man is removed, and our fear (respect, love, and devotion) of God dissolves all other fears.
God is Good—so we don’t have to find our satisfaction elsewhere
Sin gives the façade of pleasure and satisfaction. However, trying to find our satisfaction in anything other than Jesus will render us wanting and void. To have fulfillment, meaning, and identity, it must be found in our good God. This is the casting aside of everything for the sake of God:
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.
Matthew 13.44-45
“God is Good” is about enjoying freedom from fleeting sin, while taking delight in God who is forever: ‘for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is life eternal in Christ Jesus our Lord’ (Rom. 6). Or as Hebrews puts it: (11.24-26)
By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.
Hebrews 11.24-26
Trust that God is Good and in Him we are satisfied.
God is Gracious—so we don’t have to prove ourselves
Nowhere better do we see the graciousness of God more clearly than the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15.11-32). The older son, however, reveals unbelief that we may have when not fully believing that God is Gracious:
Restless Anger: ‘The older brother became angry and refused to go in’ (v.28)
Without grace, we view life as a contract between us and God: we do good works and in return he blesses us. When things go well, we’re filled with pride.
Chester, p.91.
However, when things do not go well, we are filled with guilt (thinking we did something wrong) or bitterness (believing God is in the wrong). The scandal of grace is that our hard work counts for nothing. Only as we rest in God’s grace are we truly free to serve God and others, understanding that we get nothing, it is God who graciously gives everything.
Joyless Duty: ‘All these years I have been slaving for you’ (v.29)
Is God an uncaring boss or an gracious Father?
Our belief in God relates to our attitude of service toward him.
Anxious Performance: ‘I never disobeyed your orders’ (v.29)
Tim Chester shares:
There are people trying to perform day after day: Christian leaders trying to preach a wonderful sermon every week, parents trying to produce lovely children, workers putting in long hours at work, all in a desperate attempt to prove themselves. And some weeks they may feel as if they’ve pulled it off. And other weeks it all seems so fragile, as if it might shatter. And so they live in a constant state of stress and busyness, always striving to put in another great performance, always worried that the charade might crumble. We can’t justify ourselves, and we don’t have to! God is gracious: he throws his arms around us.
Chester, p.91-92.
Proud Comparisons: ‘This son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes’ (v.30
No mention of prostitutes until here. The brother stretches as far as he can to bolster himself as much as possible:
God’s grace turns our assessments on their head. We stand together at the foot of the cross: equally ashamed, equally accepted. Jesus tells the parable of the prodigal because the Pharisees are muttering about the way he welcomes sinners and eats with them. It turns out that God isn’t interested in respectability or self-righteousness. He’s interested in returning sinners. Jesus is right to party with notorious sinners because heaven is a party for sinners.
Chester, p.92.
Without God’s grace, people would never do anything for the love of God; it would all be out self-centered ambition and promotion. God’s grace levels the playing field of all humanity, it is the great equalizer. As John writes, “the work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent” (John 6.29).
The Fruit of God’s Reign
When God is reigning in your life—as you turn away from your idols and unbelief, those elements of sin that can lead us into bondage—it will create the fruits of God’s reign. Paul summarizes these fruits simply as “justice, peace, and joy” in Romans 14.17, but can be expanded to the fruits of God’s Spirit—”love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Gal. 5.22-23). As we turn away from our idols and unbelief and turn to God’s reign, the Spirit of God empowers us to produce that which reveals and represents Jesus and His kingdom.
Print off a copy of “Four G’s of God” to place in areas that you frequently go (refrigerator, mirror, car, etc.).
Think about the fruit of a tree—like an apple. Apples are designed for a purpose. God declared in the beginning, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.” (Gen. 1.29). Apples are designed for others to eat. So buying apples at the store and eating them is fulfilling the purpose of the apple tree! Fruit also has a specific purpose for the tree itself, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds” (Gen. 1.11). This is the purpose of multiplication.
What it looks like for the fruit of God’s reign to be for others is the topic of the next session. In regards to fruit as multiplication, this will be the focus of the final session.
HUDDLE
DISCUSS IT
- What challenged you in the teaching?
- What questions were raised in the teaching?
- How does this affect your understanding of “Belief”?
READ IT
Romans 8
- What is the Good News for people? What about creation?
- What is the relationship with God and those who have faith in Jesus?
APPLY IT
Which belief do you most struggle to believe?
- God is Great: So we don’t have to be in control.
- God is Glorious: So we don’t have to fear others.
- God is Good: So we don’t have to find our satisfaction elsewhere.
- God is Gracious: So we don’t have to prove ourselves.
Why do you think it is that you struggle with it? What are some things to engage in to counter that unbelief?
God is Gracious is somewhat of a combination of the others; which ‘older son’ response do you have towards God’s grace?
- Restless Anger: Bitterness
- Joyless Duty: Uncaring Boss
- Anxious Performance: Stressful and Busy Striving
- Proud Comparisons: ‘At least I am not…’
RESOURCES
Further Reading
You Can Change by Tim Chester
Teaching
Bob Hamp, Levels of Change (1hr 45min). This is the second part of a five-part series called “Freedom Series”. The entire series is worth listening to, but Levels of Change is the most foundational.