Christian Formation And Values Education, Study notes of Religious studies

Download Christian Formation And Values Education and more Study notes Religious studies in PDF only on Docsity! Coz we were created for G’s Glory, our ultimate goal in life should be to live for His glory What Is Man? So, G created man in his own image, in the image of G he created him; male and female he created them. & G blessed them. & G said to them, “Be fruitful & multiply & fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on earth.” (Gen 1:27-28) G didnt create us coz he was lacking or needing anything. He wasn’t lonely, nor need someone/ something to bring him praise or give him glory. But he still chose to create us, & we do bring him glory. Isa 43:7, G says, “Everyone who is called by my name.. I created for my glory.” Altho this fact is supposed to give our lives significance, unless we understand what it means, it can seem empty and meaningless. To give G glory means to give him great honor and praise, and we can do that in various ways. Man Consists of a Body, Soul, and Spirit 1. The Body Soma(The Outer Most Man) a) 5 Physical Senses i. Smell Taste, Touch, Hear, See b) Physical Needs & Desires i. Food , Water, Sleep, Sex, Clothing, O, Shelter 2. The Soul Psyche (The Outer Man) a) Self -Identity,personal,character. b) Emotions - Feelings & passions c) Intellect - mind & thoughts d) Will - your own will & desires e) Conscience -know right from wrong f) Evil -dwelling place of sinful nature & evil spirits 3. The Spirit Pneuma(The Inner Man) a) Spiritual Discernment -1 cor.2:14 b) Peace -romans 8:6 Revelation -eph.1:17 c) Communicate With God -Ezekial 36:26 d) True Ministry -acts 1:8 e) Home Of The Holy Spirit -1 cor.6:19 God father commanded hs, - James 2:26 - James 1:23-25 Why are we here? Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory & honour & power: for thou hast created, & “FOR THY PLEASURE” they are and were created. Rev.4:1. FAITH to hear believe and obey - Ephesians 2:8-9 The Nature Of Man Man Created In The Image Of God -Gen.1:26-27,2:7. 1. The Image and Likeness of God. a) The image of God is a personal likeness. b) The image of God was a moral likeness. c) The image of God is a Social Likeness. 2. The Body Man. a) Only the Body can return to Dust. Eccles 12:7. b) The Body is represented as a tent or house in which man dwells 2 Cor.5:1-4; 2 Pet.1:13,14. 3. Man a Living Soul. a) Soul is employed of animal life as well as human life. Gen.1:21,24; 2:19; 9:10, 12. 1. Created for God’s Glory Because we were created for God’s Glory, our ultimate goal in life should be to live for his glory. Giving G glory will give our lives purpose and meaning; it will give us the joy in our life that we all long for. Giving G glory is one of the life Jesus spoke of when he said, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). One of the ways we glorify G is by enjoying Him. As David says, “In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Ps. 16:11). Fullness of joy is found in knowing G and delighting in him. When we do this, we give him the glory that he desires and that we long to give him. In the midst of this, we find G rejoicing over us “with gladness” and exulting over us “with loud singing” (Zeph. 3:17). 2. Created in God’s Image If all Bible told us about ourselves is that we were created for G’s glory, this would be wonderful thing, but wouldn’t really distinguish us much from the rest of creation. For, “the heavens declare glory of G, & the sky above proclaim his handiwork” (Ps. 19:1). Part of our uniqueness, however, comes from the fact that we are the only part of G’s creation made “in the image of G” (Gen. 1:27). As creature made in G’s imge, we were made to be like him. The more we understand about G, the more we understand about ourselves. & the more we understand about ourselves, the more we understand about G. EG: 1.) we are moral creatures, created with an innate sense of right & wrong . This is reflection of G’s perfect sense of right & wrong. 2.) we are not merely physical creatures; we are also spiritual creatures, which means we are somewhat like G, who is spirit. Our spirit is a reflection of G’s nature & allowed us to relate to him personally. 3.) our ability to think about & process information is a reflection of G’s knowledge. 4.) our ability to relate to others, as well as our desire for community, is a reflection of G’s perfect community within the trinity. The 3 have forever related to each other perfectly. Becaus of sin, G’s image in us is partly distorted. His img is not seen as clearly as it once was. Altho Bible is clear that man is still “made in the likeness of G” (James 3:9), that likeness, defiled by sin, doesn’t look like everything it is supposed to. EG, sin distorts our moral judgment, clouds our thinking, & hinders our fellowship with others. The good news is that G’s image is being restored. G redeems his children thru the life, D , & R of Jesus so that they can be “conformed to the image of his Son” (Rom. 8:29), who is the “image of the invisible G” (Col. 1:15). Paul says that fellow Christians have a new nature, “wich is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator” (Col. 3:10). & while here on earth, we “are being transformed” into Christ’s image “from 1 degree of glory to another” (2 Cor. 3:18). At the end of time, all G’s children will become like his Son, JC. For,” just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven” (1 Cor. 15:49). Christ “is the image of G” (2 Cor. 4:4) in a perfect sense. In Jesus we see God’s likeness as it was intended to be. And because of Jesus, we will eventually be changed to reflect God’s image as we were intended to do. 3. Responsibilities as Creatures in God’s Image What are our responsibilities as creatures in God’s image? a. G called us to fill the earth As creatures made in G’s image, we were also made to be his representatives on the earth. Much like a king who places image (thru statues & pictures;example) of himself around his kingdom to show where he rules, G has, thru us, placed images of himself across his world. This is why he commanded Adam & Eve to “be fruitful and multiply & fill the earth”. When they replicated God’s image across the earth, they demonstrated all the places where G rules and reigns. And since “the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof” (Ps. 24:1), G desires that his image “fill the earth” (Gen. 1:28). When we fill the earth with God’s image, we demonstrate all the places where he reigns and rules and bring him the glory he desires and deserves. b. G called to take care of his land As G’s representatives on the earth, we are also called to take care of his land. When G commanded Adam & Eve to “subdue” the earth he did so as king telling his reps to take care of his kingdom in a way that honored him. Therefore, altho we are free to take from the abundance of G’s earth, we are to do so in way that demonstrate care for it & respect for its Creator& And when we take the opportunity to make improvements to the world we live in, we are bringing G the glory he deserves by making his world look more like he designed it to look. c. Help restore his people and his land to the way they were meant to be As God’s bearers--- as representatives of the king of the universe--- we have the awesome responsibility to help restore his people and his land to the way they were meant to be. We get the opportunity to work alongside the king who is “making all things new” (Rev. 21:5). Therefore, we have great hope and respect for all people--- regardless of their state. They, like us, are the culmination of God’s infinity wise and skillful creation. They have the potential to return to the beauty of Jesus Christ, the “image of the invisible God” (Col. 1:15), by turning away from their sin and turning to their Creator. We also have great hope and respect for the world G has entrusted us with. We long to see it returned to its original state--- a world without “thorns and thistles” (Gen. 3:18). And as we joyfully work toward this goal, we give G the glory we were created to bring to him. WHAT IS SIN? Our aim is that we wuld learn & appreciate that when we accept what Jes has done (death paid for all our sins) we are forgiven, our legal standing before G is not affectd. It doesnt affect our fellowship with G, for G is grieved by our sin. Sin disrupts everything. We don’t live the lives we were originally designed to live, and we don’t live in the world we were originally designed to live in. Sin mars the image of God in us; we no longer reflect the perfection God created us to reflect. Because of sin, things simply aren’t the way they were originally meant to be. The story of the H race, as presented in Bible, is the story of God fixing broken people living in a broken world. It is the story of God’s victory over the many results of sin in the world. Sin is any failure to conform to the moral law of God in act, attitude, or nature. God sets forth his moral law in many places throughout the Bible. One such place is the Ten Commandments, found in Exodus 20:1-17. Sin is any action contrary to God’s moral law, it makes sense that Exo 20:13 says, “You shall not murder,” & Ex 20:15 says, “You shall not steal.” But sin is also found in attitudes contrary to God’s moral law. This is why Exodus 20:17 says, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.” Sin is also found in our nature--- the internal character that is the essence of who we are. This why Paul says those who reject Jesus are “by nature children of wrath” (Eph. 2:3). God is eternally good in his character; all that he is conforms perfectly to his moral law. Therefore, anything contrary to his moral law is contrary to his character, that is, contrary to God himself. God hates sin because it directly contradicts everything he is. A. Where Sin Came From? Since sin is in complete contradiction to G, he cant sin, & we should never blame G for sin or think that he bear the responsibility for sin. G’s “work is perfect” & “all his ways are justice. A G of faithfulness & without iniquity, just & upright is he” (Deut. 32:4). It is impossible for G even to desire to do wrong, “for G cant be tempted with evil, & he himself tempts no one” (James 1:13). Yet Bible also says that G “works all things according to the counsel of his will” (Eph. 1:11), so it seems that G somehow ordained that sin would come into the world. Sin did not surprise G when it came into the world, nor did it overpower him. Instead, G decided that he would allow moral creatures to willfully and voluntarily choose to sin. Sin existed in Satan & demons before disobedience of Ad & E , & then it entered world of H thru their decision s . G told Adam, “of the tree of knowledge of good & evil you shall not eat” (Gen. 2:17). So, when Ad & E ate from the tree (Gen. 3:6), they directly contradicted G’s Jesus was like us in every respect but 1 : he was without sin. That is why at the end of his life he could say, “I have kept Father’s commandments & abide in his love” John 15:10. That is why Paul refers to Jesus as “him who knew no sin” (2 Cor. 5:21). Peter tells us that Jesus “committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth” (1 Peter 2:22). John tells us that “in him there is no sin” (1 John 3:5). Clearly, Jesus is “one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Heb.4:15). Jesus had to be fully human to serve as our perfectly obedient representative. His representative obedience as a man is in contrast to Adam’s representative of disobedience. Paul says that “as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous” (Rom 5:19). If Jesus wasn’t fully human, his obedience in our place would be meaningless. Jesus had to be human to die in our place. This was necessary because of our humanity. As Hebrews 2:17 tells us, “He had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people”. If Jesus weren’t fully human, his death in our place would be meaningless. Jesus’ humanity (as well as his deity) allows him to serve as the “one mediator between God and man” (1 Tim. 2:5). It also means that as a man, he was “in every respect… tempted as we are” and so is able sympathize with our weaknesses” (Heb. 4:15). “Because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted” (Heb. 2:18). Jesus --- Fully God As we stated earlier, Jesus was conceived in the womb of his mother by a miraculous work of the Holy Spirit. Again, this is made clear in Matthew 1:18. Jesus’ virgin birth was a supernatural work of God. Through the work of the Holy Spirit inside Jesus’ mother, Mary, the human and the divine were united in a way they never will be in a person. Bible clearly says that Jesus is fully God. Paul writes of Jesus in Colossians 2:9, “In him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.” When Jesus’ contemporaries called him “Lord”, they were employing a term that was used over 6000 times in the Greek translation of the OT to refer to God or “the Lord.” Therefore when the angels announced Jesus’ birth by saying, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11), they were saying that the Lord G himself was born. When asked if he had seen Abraham, Jesus responded by saying, “Before Abra was, I am” (John 8:57-58). Those who heard him “picked up stones to throw at him” (John 8:59), which is what any self-respecting religious leader would have done if someone claimed to be G. They understood that Jesus was claiming the same title G claimed for himself in Exo 3:14--- “I AM WHO I AM.” IN Rev 22:13, Jesus says, “I am the Alpha & the Omega, the first & last, the beginning & end.” This is very similar to what Father said at the beginning of the same book: “I am the Alpha & the Omega,’ says the Lord G,’ who is & who was & who is to come, the Almighty’” (Rev. 1:8). The prophet Isaiah affirms Jesus as the King who reigns forever--- a role only G could fill: “Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end” (Isa. 9:7). That is why Paul said that Jesus in worthy of worship: “God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the Glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:9-11). Jesus’ divinity is the reason God the Father says, “Let all God’s angels worship him” (Heb. 1:6). Jesus was fully God. “In him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell” (Col. 1:19). If Jesus wasn’t fully God, he could not have borne the full penalty for sin for the whole world. And if he didn’t bear the full penalty of sin for the world as a sinless man, there would be no valid payment for anyone’s sins, and nobody could be saved. Jesus -- Fully God & Fully Man in One Person Jesus was fully G. was also fully man. He was fully both at the same time. Eternal Son of G took to himself a truly human nature. His divine and human natures are forever distinct and retain their own properties even though they are eternally inseparably united together in one person. This is probably the most amazing miracle of entire Bible--- the eternal Son of G, himself fully G, became fully man and in doing so joined himself to a human nature forever. Jesus, a man unlike anyone else the world will ever see again, by eternally bringing together both the infinite and the finite, changed the course of history forever. What Is the Atonement? Atonement- the work Christ did in his life & death to earn our salvation. This definition indicates that we are using the word atonement in a broader sense than it is sometimes used. Sometimes it is used to refer only to Jesus’ dying and paying for our sins on the cross. Prior to Jesus’ birth, an angel told his earthly father, Joseph, that he was to name the baby in Mary’s womb Jesus, “for he will save his people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). Jesus did save his people from their sins--- both through the life he lived and through the death he died. The work Jesus did in living and dying to earn our salvation is sometimes referred to as the atonement. The Cause of the Atonement Scripture is clear: Christ came to earn our salvation because of God’s faithful love (or mercy) and justice. God’s love is affirmed in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” God’s justice is affirmed when Paul writes that God put forward Jesus “as a propitiation” (Rom. 3:25), that is, a sacrifice that bears God’s wrath so that God looks favorably toward us. Paul says this was done “to show God’s righteousness” and also “so that he might be just” (Rom. 3:25-26). In other words, the sins God “passed over” or didn’t punish before Christ came to earth had to be punished somehow if God was to “be just.” Therefore, someone had to take the punishment for those sins, and that someone was Jesus. In Jesus’ life and death, we find a full expression of God’s justice (sin is punished) and faithful love (God gave his own Son to bear the punishment). The Necessity of the Atonement Although it was not necessary that God save any people at all, in his love he chose to save some. Once he made that decision, God’s justice made it necessary for Christ to live the life he lived and die the death he died. After Jesus rose from the dead, he rhetorically asked, “Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” (Luke 24:26). Jesus knew there was no other way for God to save us than for him to die in our place. Jesus had to suffer and die for our sins. Other means, like the sacrifices offered for sins in the Old Testament has no lasting value, for “it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Heb. 10:4). Jesus, “by means of his own blood,” secured “an eternal redemption” (Heb. 9:12), thereby putting away sin “by the sacrifice himself” (Heb. 9:26). The Nature of the Atonement & yet, if Christ had only offered himself as a sacrifice, thereby earning us forgiveness of sins, we would only have access to a partial salvation. Altho our guilt would be removed, we would be like Ad & E when they were 1st created: guilt-free but capable of sin & having no lifelong record of obedience. & in order to enter into fellowship with G, we would need to live a life of perfect obedience. Christ had to live a life of prefect obedience to G so that the positive merits of that obedience could be counted for us. This is what Paul means when he says, “by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous” (Rom 5:19). And this is why Paul does not count on his own righteousness, but instead counts on “that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith” (Phil. 3:9). Christ, through the sinless life he lived, because “our righteousness” (1 Cor. 1:30). Jesus also lived a life of suffering. He was, in the words of Isaiah, “despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” (Isa. 53:3). He suffered when he was assaulted by Satan’s attacks and temptations in the wilderness (Matt. 4:1-11). He “endured from sinners” tremendous “hostility against himself” (Heb.12:3). He was tremendously grieved at the death of his close friend Lazarus (John 11:35). It was through these and other sufferings that “he learned obedience” (though he never once disobeyed) and “became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him (Heb. 5:8-9). As Jesus drew closer to his death, his sufferings increased. He told his disciples something of the agony he was experiencing when he said, “My soul is sorrowful, even to death” (Matt. 26:38). When Jesus was crucified, he suffered one of the most horrible forms of death ever devised by man. While he did not necessarily suffer more pain that any human being has ever suffered, the pain he experienced was immense. When crucified, Christ was forced to endure a slow death by suffocation, brought on by weight of his own body. He was stretched out and fastened by nails to the cross. His arms supported most of the weight of his body. His chest cavity was pulled upward and outward, making it difficult to exhale and then draw in a fresh breath. To breathe, he had to push up with his legs, putting all the weight on the nails through his feet, and pull up on the nails through his hands, sending fiery pain through the nerves of his arms and legs. His back, already whipped raw, scraped against the rough, splinter-filled wooden cross with each breath he took. But the physical pain was nothing compared to the spiritual pain. Jesus never sinned. Jesus hated sin. Yet Jesus voluntarily took upon himself all the sins of those who one day would be saved. “He bore the sins of many” (Isa. 53:12). That which he hated with his whole being was poured out upon him. As Peter tells us, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed” (1 Peter 2:24). “For our sake,” God made Christ” to be sin (2 Cor. 5:21). Jesus became “a curse for us” to redeem us “from the curse of the law” (Gal 3:13). & Jesus faced all alone. “All the disciples left him & fled” (Matt. 26:56). God, his Father, abandoned him. Jesus cried, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt. 27:46) because at that time, he was cut off from the sweet fellowship with his heavenly Father that had been the unfailing source of inward strength and the element of greatest joy in a life filled with sorrow. & at the height of his suffering, he was very much alone. Even more difficult that the physical pain, mental anguish, and complete abandonment was the pain of bearing the full wrath of God upon himself. As Jesus bore the guilt of our sins, God unleashed all wrath and punishment for our sins upon his own Son. Jesus became the object of the intense hatred of sin and vengeance against sin that God had patiently stored up since the beginning of the world. Christ necessarily and willingly bore the full punishment for our sin on the cross. And so through his death, God’s justice was met. Christ “put away sin by the sacrifice of himself” (Heb. 9:26). The Result of the Atonement Christ lived a perfect, sinless life & died a horrific, sinner’s death in order to “save his people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). He paid the penalty we deserved to pay for our sin. He bore the wrath we deserved to bear. He overcame the separation our sin caused between God and us. He freed us from the bondage caused by sin. Because of Christ’s work on our behalf, God can “deliver us from the domain of darkness” and transfer “us to the kingdom of his beloved Son” (Col. 1:13). What a great salvation! Who Is Jesus Christ? The Diety Of Christ. The Unique Person Of Christ (His Human Nature) ₒ Jesus had a normal, human birth.- Luke 2:1-7. ₒ He had a normal human body. He was circumcised according the law. -Luke 2:21 ₒ He possessed a human soul.-Matt.26:38; John 12:27;Acts 2:27,31 ₒ He had a human spirit.-Mark 2:8; John 13: 21; Luke 23:46. ₒ He was called the Son of Man-Matt.11:19 & Matt.1:1. ₒ He manifested the limitations of human nature. ₒ He was hungry-Matt.4:2 ₒ He was weary-John 4:6 ₒ He was thirsty-John 19:28 ₒ He was sleepy-Matt.8:24 ₒ and limited in his human knowledge-Mark 13:32; John 11:34; Luke 2:40 The Unique Person Of Christ (His Divine Nature) ₒ He is called “the only begotten Son of God”-John 3:16-17. ₒ He is called God-Heb.1:8. ₒ He accepted worship due only to God-John 9:38. ₒ He is the “image of invisible God” and “the express image of His person”-Col.1:5 and Heb.1:3. ₒ He is the Creator and upholder of all things-Col. 1:16 ₒ He exercised the prerogatives of Deity, such as forgiving sin-Matt.9:2,6. ₒ He has divine attributes.  He is Eternal-Micah 5:2, John 1:1  He is omniscient-John 16:30  He is omnipotent- Heb.1:3  He is immutable-Heb.13:8 The Purpose Of The Incarnation Why was the Incarnation necessary? What purpose did God have in sending His Son in the likeness of sinful flesh? 1. To Fulfill The Promises Of God a) From Gen.3:15 to the End of Malachi, God made many promises which could be realized only through means of the Incarnation. 2. To Fully Reveal God a) God as infinite pure spirit is incomprehensible to man. John 1:8 3. To Take Away Sin a) 1 John 3:5 and Heb. 2:14 apart from the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins. 4. To Become A Merciful And Faithful High Priest a) The High Priest is one who represents man before God. Heb.2:17,18; 4:14-16; 5:1-10; 7:11-28. 5. To Demonstrate A Perfect Humanity a) As a pattern for the believer’s life. (1 John 2:6;1 Pet.2:21; Phil.2:5-8) and perfect obedience to God (Heb.10:7) 6. To Become The Head Of The Body,The Church a) Eph.1:20-23 to become the Head of the Body of redeemed men it was it was necessary for Him to be a man. 7. To Judge And Restore The Universe To God a) It was God’s ultimate purpose for man that He should bring all creation in subjection to God and thereby glorify God. Rev.19:16, 1 Cor.15:15-28. What Is Atonement?  The atonement is the work Christ did in his life and death to earn our salvation.  Sometimes it is used to refer only to Jesus’ dying and paying for our sins on the cross. Types Involving The Shedding Of Blood 1. The Coats of Skin - Gen.3:21 a) this type shows man in his natural condition as a sinner , naked, and lacking in righteousness, but clothed with a garment of righteousness provided by God Himself. 2. Abel’s Sacrifice, Gen.4:4. a) Since Abel by Faith offered a more excellent sacrifice than Cain.(Heb.11:4).Cain, who refused to bring a blood sacrifice was rejected; Abel was accepted. (Gen.4:7). 3. Abraham’s Sacrifice, Gen.22:12,13. a) The emphasis in this sacrifice is that substitution. 4. The Passover Lamb, Exodus 12. a) sprinkling of the blood of Passover lamb (Ex 12:22). b) Provided the basis for Israel’s redemption from the bondage of Egypt. Christ our Passover being sacrifice for us (1 Cor.5:7). 5. The Great Covenant Sacrifice, Exodus 24:5-8. a) This was a “once-for-all” sacrifice which never needed to be repeated. Better blood and better covenant (Heb.9:16-22). 6. The Four Levitical Offerings, Leviticus 1-5. a) The Burnt offering . This was a voluntary offering in which the entire animal was consumed in the fire. Also called sweet savour offering.(Heb.9:14;10:7). b) The Peace Offering. Speaks of the work of reconciliation. c) c. and d. The Sin offering and The trespass offering. They both emphasize the need of atonement.