Week Nine, Day One

What the Bible Says About…

Let’s move past the actions and attitudes of a Christian and discuss some basic Bible doctrine, or “teachings” that every follower of Christ needs to know and understand. Don’t let the word “doctrine” scare you. Understanding what the Bible says about a certain subject will help you know more about it and know how to talk about it to other people when they ask questions.

 God

There is only one God, but that God exists in three distinct persons. We call that three-in-one Godhead the “Trinity” (a word not found in scripture, but useful in describing this difficult idea of three in one). The “Trinity” is made up of God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Though all three persons of the Trinity have the same power and character, we understand each uniquely. It is not that God the Father created Jesus and then Jesus created the Holy Spirit; God has always been three and He has always been one. Jesus is not God Jr. and the Holy Spirit is not God the Third. (Does your head hurt yet? It will). When discussed as a whole, we refer to the Trinity simply as God, using the pronouns He, Him, and His. The Holy Spirit is not “it” while Jesus and God are “He.” In fact, the Holy Spirit is sometimes referred to as the Spirit of God and sometimes as the Spirit of Jesus or sometimes another name (like the Counselor or Spirit of truth).

Keeping what you’ve just learned in mind, study John 16:5-15.

Include the following in your personal prayer time:

FOR FURTHER STUDY:
Keeping in mind what you’ve learned today, study I John 1:1-7, 2:23.

Week Nine, Day Two

More about God

As human beings, we are limited in our knowledge and understanding of an infinite God, but the Bible gives us some insight into His character and nature. We will never know everything about God, but we can know some things about God from the Bible.

We know that God has existed from the beginning and that nothing existed before Him.

Study Genesis 1:1.

When you see creation, you know there must be a creator. Everything that exists must have a cause. God is the creator of everything we see, smell, understand and touch. Everything. Not even time or space existed before God created it. The hard part to understand is that God was not created, he has always existed. God is not a created being, he is the creator.

Study Romans 1:18-20.

Include the following in your personal prayer time:

FOR FURTHER STUDY:
Study Acts 17:24-30.

Week Nine, Day Three

The Nature of God, not God is nature

“When things went bad, I used to think that I had done something wrong, that God was punishing me. I’ve learned that is not always true. It’s just that He has so richly blessed me that I’ve become spoiled and expect every day to be hassle free and happy. Every believer should expect trials and hard times…that’s just part of living here on this earth full of sinful people….But, because I know my gracious and merciful Heavenly Father and know how much He loves me, I can live a life of joy in the good times and the bad. Now I can appreciate a normal day for the blessing that it really is.”

April, Sunday school teacher

 Here are some more truths that you need to know about God, and this is just the tip of the iceberg!

God is everywhere.

Study Psalm 139:7-12.

God is sovereign. That means that He decides what happens.

Study Ephesians 1:3-5.

God is unchanging.

Study James 1:17.  

Include the following in your personal prayer time:

 FOR FURTHER STUDY:
Study Romans 11:33-36.

Week Nine, Day Four

The Nature of God

God is truth. Remember as you read the following verses that all parts of the Trinity share the same character and power.

Study John 14:6.

God is just, or “fair.”

Study Acts 17:31.

God is holy, or “righteous, perfect.”

Study 1 John 1:5.

Include the following in your personal prayer time:

FOR FURTHER STUDY:
Study Psalm 139:11-12.

Week Nine, Day Five

What is God like?

God is full of mercy and grace. In other words, He is compassionate and forgiving.

Study Ephesians 2:4-5.

God is love.

Study 1 John 4:16.

God is our Provider.

Study 1 Timothy 6:17.

Include the following in your personal prayer time:

FOR FURTHER STUDY:
Study Psalm 57:1-3.

The Weekend

Suggested Reading: Genesis 22:1-18.

This is the story of Abraham and his son Isaac. As you study this passage, consider what you learned yesterday about God’s mercy, grace, love, and provision. You’ll find that this story isn’t so much about Abraham and Isaac as it is about God. What encouragement do you find in this story?

Make sure that you have a firm hold on Psalm 119:11 and Proverbs 4:23-27. We will learn a new verse this week!