Are All Christians Christian?

1. Will everyone who recognizes Jesus as Lord, enter the Kingdom? verse 21

2. What is the will of the Father? John 6:40

3. What is the importance of the first word “many”? verse 22

4. What do they call Jesus?

5. What things were happening in their church?

6. Are these things that are happening in their church good things or bad?

7. In whose name were these done?

8. Who got the honor for these things?

9. What does Jesus declare to these people? verse 23

10. What is the importance of the word “never”?

11.Were these people Christians at one time? Did they backslide or lose their salvation?

12. In reviewing Matthew 7:21-23, would you say these people thought that they were Christians?

13. What evidence did they try to give Jesus to prove that they were Christians?

14. Do we become Christians by good works? Ephesians 2:8 & 9

15. Do we become Christians by righteous deeds such as: Baptism, Confession, The Lord’s Table, Mass, Repentance, etc? Titus 3:5

16. Do we become Christians by keeping the commandments? Galatians 2:16-21

The word “gospel” means good news. What is the good news God wants us to believe? 1 Corinthians 15:1-4

1. Verse 3: What did Jesus do for us?

2. Verse 4: Then what did Jesus do?

The resurrection proves that God the Father accepted the sacrifice of God the Son for you and I.

1. What if Christ had not been resurrected? 1 Corinthians 15:17

2. Why was Christ raised from the dead? Romans 4:25

3. Can Jesus be re-crucified? Romans 6:9

4. Romans 6:10: How many times did Jesus die? For how many sins?

5. Colossians 2:13 & 14: How many transgressions are forgiven? How was the debt cancelled? When did this happen? How often has this happened?

Both Catholic and Lutheran Churches teach that Jesus Christ is re-sacrificed at the Lord’s Table (Communion or Mass) and that participation in this Sacrament is a MUST for the forgiveness of your sins and salvation from hell. They believe you are partaking of the real body and blood of Jesus Christ.

1. In Luke 22:19, Jesus institutes the memorial of the Lord’s Table. He says “do this instead of”, “in place of”, or “in remembrance of Me”?

2. What does it mean to do something “in remembrance”?

3. 1 Corinthians 11:24 & 25 also uses the same word, “remembrance”. What does it mean here?

4. Is Jesus Christ re-sacrificed at the Lord’s Table for your sins?

5. 1 Peter 3:18: How many times did Christ die for sins? How many sins?

Read Hebrews 7:22-28.

1. What has Jesus become? verse 22

2. How long does he hold his priesthood? verse 24

3. Verse 25: When He saves us, it is what? Can we lose our salvation if it is forever?

4. Who is our only Intercessor/Priest?

5. Verse 27: How many times did He offer up Himself as sacrifice? For how many sins?

Review Matthew 7:21-23.

1. These people thought they knew the Lord Jesus didn’t they? Did they REALLY? Did Jesus know them? What word did Jesus use to describe their numbers?

2. In Galatians 2:4, the Bible describe some Matthew 7 Christians. What two words does He use?

Acts 15:1-11 gives us the historical background of the book of Galatians and why God had the Apostle Paul write the book. The “false brethren” in Galatians 2:4 are the people in Acts 15:1 & 5. They “believed” Jesus was God in flesh who came and died on the cross and resurrected. They did NOT believe His death was sufficient, total and complete payment for all our sins. There was something else they believed they had to do.

1. In Acts 15:1, what sacrament or righteous deed was necessary for salvation?

2. Did Paul and Barnabas agree? Verse 2

3. What did they decide to do about the issue? Verse 2

4. In verse 5, did these Pharisees believe in Jesus? What else did they believe was necessary for salvation?

5. In Acts 15:7, what does Peter say that the Gentiles did after they heard the word?

6. In verse 8, what happened after they believed?

7. Were their hearts cleansed by circumcision? Baptism? Confession? The Lord’s Table? Mass? Repentance? Or faith? Verse 9

8. How do Acts 15:9 & 11 compare with Ephesians 2:8 & 9? How are we saved? God offers it by what? We receive it through what? Is salvation a gift? Is salvation of works?

1. In John 4:10-14, what is the gift?

2. In Romans 3:24, what is the gift?

3. In Romans 5:17, what is the gift?

4. In Romans 6:23, what is the gift?

5. In Romans 11:29, what does God say about His gifts?

6. Do YOU have salvation or probation?

7. Do you have eternal life?

The book of Galatians was given to us by God to stop any “works” gospel. The idea of Jesus PLUS sacraments was creeping into the Galatian churches.

1. What does Paul call these works gospel people in Galatians 2:4?

2. What were they preaching in Acts 15:1?

3. In Galatians 5:2, what happens to a person who receives circumcision for salvation? How much benefit?

4. In Galatians 5:3, what else happens to a person who receives circumcision for salvation?

5. In verse 4, what two things are mentioned that also happen to these “false brethren”?

6. What if you receive Baptism or the Lord’s Table for salvation?

Circumcision, like Baptism, the Lord’ Table, Confession, Repentance and the Ten Commandments were God’s ideas and NOT man’s and are all good things to do. But doing them DOES NOT merit forgiving grace from God.

Read Galatians 2:16. Are we justified by these, or by faith? Is anyone EVER justified by the works of the Law? Why? Romans 3:20. Why? Galatians 2:21.

1 John 5:11-13 tells us that the free gift of eternal life is found in the Son of God, Jesus Christ. What does “Son of God” mean?

1. In Matthew 1:23, what would they call Jesus? What does that name mean?

2. In John 5:18, what was Jesus calling God? What was Jesus making Himself?

3. In John 1:1, who does the Bible say the Word was?

4. In John 1:14, what did the Word do? Who was the Word?

5. In Colossians 1:16, what did Jesus do?

6. In Philippians 2:6, what did Jesus have? In verse 7, what did He do? In verse 8, what did He do?

Jesus was the Creator God equal with His Father and the Holy Spirit. In John 8:24, Jesus tells us what happens to a person who does not believe that He is God. What does it mean to die in your sins?

If you believe in the Son of God, that He was God and died once for all your sins, then 1 John 5:13 states that you may KNOW you have eternal life. Do you KNOW that you are going to heaven no matter what? Do you possess eternal life?

1. In John 5:24, what two things does Jesus tell us we must do? What three things are done for the one who hears and believes? Past? Present? Future?

2. If you can lose your salvation, will you KNOW you HAVE eternal life?

3. If your salvation depends on Baptism, Mass, the Lord’s Table, or Confession, will you KNOW that you HAVE eternal life?

4. If your salvation depends on repentance, good works or obedience, will you KNOW that you HAVE eternal life?

5. Is eternal life a free gift or is it because of your good works? Ephesians 2:8 & 9

6. Do you have “probation” or salvation?

What about good works? The Bible teaches us to do good works, to be Christ-like, but NOT for salvation. We will be rewarded in heaven for our good works, but getting to heaven, being saved, is a free gift paid for by Jesus Christ.

Read 1 Corinthians 3:8-15.

1. In verse 8, what are we rewarded for?

2. What is the warning in verse 10?

3. In verse 13, what happens to our works?

4. In verse 14, what if our works remain?

5. In verse 15, what if our works are burned up? Will we lose our salvation?

Read Hebrews 12:5-10.

1. In verse 9, what will a faithful father do to his disobedient child?

2. Proverbs 13:24 gives us the motive behind a father’s discipline. How does that compare with Hebrews 12:6?

3. In verse 8, who does God discipline? Who doesn’t He discipline?

Once we become God’s adopted, born-again, sealed child, we can never lose the free gift of eternal life. When we sin as Christians, we lose our fellowship with our Father and He has to plan how He is going to spank (discipline) us. Read 1 John 1:5-10.

1. Can we live in sin and have fellowship with our Father? Verse 6 Is He still our Father?

2. In verse 7, what does He want us to do? Does walking in the light save us?

The word “confess” in verse 9 means to “agree” with God that we have sinned. You do not have to tell God you have sinned. He already knows the very thoughts you have. What God wants you to tell Him is that you “agree” with Him that you are WRONG and want to stop sinning, and appreciate His Son Jesus dying for that sin.

3. In verse 9, who is faithful to forgive us? Then who should we confess to?

4. In verses 8 & 10, what does it say about a person who says he does not sin anymore?

Let’s look at some ways God disciplines His children.

1. Miriam: Numbers 12:1-15

2. Moses: Deuteronomy 32:48-52

3. Saul: 1 Samuel 13:11-14

4. David: 2 Samuel 12:9-15

5. Zacharias: Luke 1:8-20

6. Ananias & Sapphira: Acts 5:1-11

7. Corinthian Christians: 1 Corinthian 11:30

8. Sinning Brother: 1 Corinthians 5:5

9. Sinning Brother (or Sister): 1 John 5:16 & 17

Read John 10:27-29. What does Jesus give His sheep?

Can they ever perish?

Can ANYONE (yourself or Satan) snatch them out of Jesus’ hand?

Are we who have eternal life in the Father’s hand?

Can anyone snatch us out of His hand?

We have seen that the Bible clearly teaches that once a person is born-again by receiving the free gift of eternal life, he can NEVER lose that gift of salvation from the Hell he deserves. Do you understand that you are a sinner (criminal) in God’s eyes and deserves nothing but hell?

Do you understand that your salvation from hell and entrance into heaven is only on the merits of Jesus Christ and HIS work on the cross plus NOTHING of yourself? ... No sacraments, no good works, no law, nothing but faith, trust and believing in Jesus?

1. Do the people in Matthew 7:22 think they are Christians?

2. What are their reasons for thinking this?

3. Does Jesus know them? Verse 23

4. Are they Christians? For what reason?

5. What does the Bible call these people in Galatians 2:4?

6. What was their error in Acts 15:1 & 5?

7. What similar error is being made today with Baptism, Confession, the Lord’s Table, Ten Commandments, etc?

8. What should we call people who make this same error today? Galatians 2:4

9. What should we do for them? Romans 10:1-4

10. In Romans 16:17 & 18, what else should we do with them?

11. In 2 Corinthians 11:13, what are these false brethren referred to as? What are they preaching in 2 Corinthians 11:4? Although they don’t realize it, whose servants are they in 2 Corinthians 11:14?

12. In 2 Peter 2:1-3, God uses 2 more titles for these false brethren, and false apostles. What are those titles? Where do they arise?

13. What is God’s command to you concerning them in 2 Corinthians 6:14? What are you commanded in 2 Corinthians 6:17? Will you obey God?