[1]NASHVILLE (BP) — This weekly Bible study appears in Baptist Press in a partnership with LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Through its Leadership and Adult Publishing team, LifeWay publishes Sunday School curricula and additional resources for all age groups.
This week’s Bible study is adapted from the MasterWork curriculum.
Bible Passages: Romans 6:11, 8:13
Discussion Questions: How would you describe the thought, attention, and effort required for the pursuit of holiness? Is being dead to sin and alive to God simply an issue of mind over matter, or is something more involved? Explain your reasoning. How is it possible to both rely on the Holy Spirit for holiness and be personally responsible for holiness at the same time?
Food for thought:
Life’s a constant grind. Sometimes we might even call it a battle. There are so many opportunities to “lose our religion.” The guy on the interstate cruises past you and pulls in front of you, then slows to below your traveling speed. Another car zips in and out of lanes so often and with such little space you just know you’re about to be an eyewitness to the next traffic report event. When you finally make it to work, email contains another assignment — no, make that two assignments — due before you can complete the major project you’re already pushing the deadline on, and you’re still waiting for that colleague’s input so you can wrap up the project.
[2]The commute home is more like a crawl, the kids are amped up beyond belief, your spouse’s day has resulted in a short temper, the news makes your blood boil, and that TV show takes your mind to places it shouldn’t go. And the Sunday School teacher says you are supposed to live a holy life. How do you do that in the realities of the world in which you have to live and function?
Without being simplistic or denying the constant struggle Christians face to live out the holiness required of us, Jerry Bridges offers some insights for “Help in the Daily Battle.” Drawing from Paul’s words in Romans 6:11 (“count yourselves … alive to God in Christ Jesus”) and Romans 8:13 (“if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeed of the body, you will live”), Bridges walks users through the concept of being alive to God. What does it mean to be alive to God? How do we accomplish that? What role does the Holy Spirit play in counting ourselves alive to God? What role do we play in that process? Is it a matter of gaining victory over sin or being defeated by it; or is it not more honestly a matter of being obedient or disobedient?
MasterWork
MasterWork is an ongoing Bible study curriculum based on works from a variety of renowned authors and offers pertinent, practical messages that adults will find uplifting and enriching. The list of authors and their books to be studied in upcoming months can be found at www.lifeway.com/masterwork [3].
Other ongoing Bible study options for all ages offered by LifeWay can be found at LifeWay.com/SundaySchool [4].