The Kindness of Love

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February 18, 2007 - 1 Corinthians 12:31b-13:4b

This study guide is complementary to the lesson for today.

Open It

  1. When have you shown mercy to a person who deserved to be punished?

  2. What is the best gift you've ever received?

Explore It

  1. Before conversion, what was the spiritual position of the Ephesians? (2:1)

  2. What three characteristics mark the condition of a person without Christ? (2:2-3)

  3. How are both Jew and Gentile alike? (2:3)

  4. Why did God make those who were dead alive with Christ? (2:4-5)

  5. What describes God's action in making us alive? (2:5)

  6. What position has God given Christians in Christ by His divine power? (2:6)

  7. What will God show in the future eternal state? (2:7)

  8. What is the means of salvation? (2:8)

  9. Where does salvation come from? (2:8)

  10. Why can no one boast in his own salvation? (2:8-9)

  11. How is the believer God's work of art? (2:10)

  12. What is the purpose of God's workmanship? (2:10)

Get It

  1. What were you like before you became a Christian?

  2. Why was your position hopeless before becoming a Christian?

  3. When did you receive the gift of new life?

  4. How would you describe God's grace to you?

  5. Why hasn't anyone deserved God's grace, mercy, or riches?

  6. How do you see God's creative workmanship operating in your life?

Apply It

  1. With whom can you share the news of God's mercy? How?

  2. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, what good work for the kingdom of God can you do this week?

Notes

Ephesians. 2:2: "The ruler of the kingdom of the air" was understood by Paul's readers to mean Satan. They believed that Satan and the evil spiritual forces inhabited the region between earth and sky. Satan is thus pictured as ruling an evil spiritual kingdom-the demons and those who are against Christ. Satan means "the accuser." He is also called the devil (Ephesians. 4:27).

Ephesians. 2:3: The fact that all people, without exception, commit sin proves that without Christ we have a sinful nature. We are lost in sin and cannot save ourselves. Does this mean only Christians do good? Of course not-many people do good to others. On a relative scale, many are moral, kind, and law-abiding. Comparing these people to criminals, we would say that they are very good indeed. But on God's absolute scale, no one is good enough to earn salvation ("you were dead in your transgressions and sins," Ephesians. 2:1)."Objects of wrath" refers to those who are to receive God's wrath because of their rejection of Christ.

Ephesians. 2:4-5: In the previous verses Paul wrote about our old sinful nature (Ephesians. 2:1-3). Here Paul emphasizes that we do not need to live any longer under sin's power. The penalty of sin and its power over us were miraculously destroyed by Christ on the cross. Through faith in Christ we stand acquitted, or not guilty, before God (Romans 3:21-22). God does not take us out of the world or make us robots-we will still feel like sinning, and sometimes we will sin. The difference is that before we became Christians, we were dead in sin and were slaves to our sinful nature. But now we are alive with Christ (see also Galatians 2:20).

Ephesians. 2:6: Because of Christ's resurrection, we know that our bodies will also be raised from the dead (1 Cor. 15:2-23) and that we have been given the power to live as Christians now (Ephesians. 1:19).

Ephesians. 2:8-10: When someone gives you a gift, do you say, "That's very nice-now how much do I owe you?" No, the appropriate response to a gift is "Thank you." Yet how often Christians, even after they have been given the gift of salvation, feel obligated to try to work their way to God.

2:8-10 We become Christians through God's unmerited grace, not as the result of any effort, ability, intelligent choice, or act of service on our part. However, out of gratitude for this free gift, we will seek to help and serve others with kindness, love, and gentleness, and not merely to please ourselves. While no action or work we do can help us obtain salvation, God's intention is that our salvation will result in acts of service. We are not saved merely for our own benefit but to serve Christ and build up the church (Ephesians. 4:12).

2:10 We are God's workmanship (work of art, masterpiece). Our salvation is something only God can do. It is his powerful, creative work in us. If God considers us his works of art, we dare not treat ourselves or others with disrespect or as inferior work.

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