Review from Previous Lessons

We said we were going to look at things from God’s viewpoint. God is the one who looks at the heart of man. He doesn’t just look at the outside, just at the circumstances, just the things that are known by others. But God sees the very heart of man. God tells us that we will stand before Him one day. Our lives will be judged in every deed done in this body. We will be judged according to truth, and that truth is the Word of God.

In the first study we also looked at God’s law found in the Ten Commandments, which shows us what God requires of a person who wants to get to Heaven on their own merits. We found that no one can keep the Ten Commandments perfectly all their life through. Yet in the book of James the Bible tells us that if a man offends in one point, if he breaks just one point of the law, he is guilty of all of it. Therefore man is guilty.

Then in the second study we said that God looks at men in two different groups: either without a relationship with Him, or having a relationship with Him. They either belong to God or they do not belong to God. In the Bible there are different terms that describe these two groups, and we looked at some of those terms.

God says a man without a relationship is lost, unable to find his way. But a man with a relationship has been saved, rescued. God sees a man who has no relationship with Him as not right, unrighteous. But those who have a relationship, God sees them as having been made right in His eyes, or righteous. He sees those without a relationship as being unforgiven.  They have sinned against God, and they have never been forgiven. Those who have a relationship with God have wronged God, but God has forgiven them. Those without a relationship are the enemies of God, fighting against God. That is our nature when we are born into this world.  Yet the Bible says, there are some who have a relationship with God who have been reconciled, brought back together with God.

Those without a relationship are walking around already condemned by God, guilty before Him. But those who are related to God have been justified, made or declared just by God. Those who have no relationship are under the wrath of God already. Not only are they under the condemnation, but the very wrath and anger of God is pointed towards them. But He has accepted those who have a relationship with God. Finally, those without a relationship are headed to a place called Hell, and those with a relationship are headed to a place called Heaven.

Notice that the seven terms used to describe those who have a relationship with God are all things that God promises or things God does in a person’s life. They are not things that you and I can do. You can’t find yourself. You can’t declare yourself just. You can’t forgive yourself for sinning against God. You can’t cause yourself to be reconciled to God. These are all things that happen to you, something God has to do for you.

Then we talked for awhile about how man tries to make himself right with God. He does things like getting baptised, going to church, praying, giving his money, and trying to be a good person. But we saw in the Bible what God has to say about our good deeds. We saw that all the good deeds that you and I ever do will never make us right with God.