PATCH

Why do you think Jesus sets up the hero of the parable as a Samaritan? How does the Samaritan show undeserved favor? In your community, who are the “neighbors” that are resented? In what ways can you and/or your Christian community show God’s grace to them? The Jews hated the Samaritans so much that they labelled them as dogs! And the Samaritans were resentful towards the Jews for destroying their temple. In this parable, the priest and the Levite chose to ignore the injured traveller. But the Samaritan treated him like a human being not an enemy and helped him. The Samaritan showed grace, love and care - he shared God's heartbeat. In your community, who are the “neighbors” that are resented? There are many who are resented - the homosexuals, the poor, the sinners (because those who go to church do not sin apparently), the ones who do not excel in their studies and in life) . In what ways can you and/or your Christian community show God’s grace to them? I do what I can. I start by not judging them.

Q10. (John 3:16) How does John 3:16 display "favour that is neither earned nor deserved" without using the word 'grace'? God gave his one and only son to take on the sins of the world - even the sins of those who persecute and hate him. Who would give their one and only son to save a perverse and ungrateful world? Only God because of His great love for us. His love for us also caused him to grieve that man will perish because of man's sinful nature and state. Because of Jesus's love for us, he struggled at Gethsemane and suffered on the cross for all of us. Because of God's grace, he gave.

Q9. According to Bonhoeffer, what attitudes cheapen the understanding of grace in Christians? Does “costly grace” mean we have to work for it? What is costly about grace? The attitudes which cheapen the understanding of grace are : 1) taking grace for granted - not confessing and repenting of our sins 2) no discipline in our Christian walk 3) no discipleship Costly grace is what cost Jesus. For God to be borne as a human, to take on our sins and to bear the painful punishments of the world - past, present and future. Yes we do have to work for grace - the bible says we have to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. We have to acknowledge that the forgiveness of our sins came at a heavy price. Although grace is bestowed to us freely, we should not abuse it. We should revere the gift of salvation.

Q8. (Jeremiah 17:9) Is there good in humankind? Are humans basically good or basically bad? Or both? What are some of the ways a “deceitful heart” shows up in our lives and motivations? If the heart is the innermost person, how does a “deceitful heart” corrupt us in a pervasive way? Yes there is some good in humankind. We were made in the image of God; we were made by God. Some of us are blessed to be born into spirit filled Christian homes and we grew up in an environment which allowed the good in us to manifest. Some of are good because we are morally upright. But God gave us free will too and we tend to sway to the bad. Whilst the world views man outwardly, God sees the heart. So even though we can appear to be good on the outside, we can be bad on the inside of our desires, thoughts and intentions.

Q7. (Ephesians 2:1-3) What do these verses teach us about humankind’s fallen nature? What motivates our actions before we come to Christ? Which of these motivations might be conscious? Which might be unconscious? Humankind's fallen nature is to sin and sin repeatedly. Since we did not follow God, we followed the prince of this world and became objects of wrath and gratified our sinful nature with ****, greed, pride, desires, evil thoughts, jealousy, envy, strife, selfishness, etc. Conscious motivation - we are aware of right and wrong. Our education and the laws of the land and even a good upbringing make us conscious of sin and the difference between right and wrong. Unconscious motivation - subtle influence of the world. The bible says we are in this world but not of this world. Christians work and live in hostile environments. In order to "survive" many of us are sucked into polluted surroundings. As Christians we STILL sin but we have the conviction of the Holy Spirit and God's forgiveness. We should be grateful !

Romans 5:6-8) What do verses 6-8 say about humankind’s situation? What is so remarkable about Christ’s death for us? What motivates that sacrifice? Because of our sinful state, humankind is condemned. There is nothing we can do to save our souls. That is why Jesus became the atonement for our sins. What is remarkable about Christ's death for us is that it is sacrificial, he died for all, he dies for sinners and his enemies. It is mind boggling and it is because of God's great and unconditional love for us. Who can actually comprehend this great love !

To be in a state of grace means to constantly have God's grace and favor extended us. We can see the evidence of His grace and favor in our daily lives. Our faith in God gives us access to His grace. When we trust in Him, his bestows his grace upon our lives. When we are disobedient, we become at odds with God. The constant wrestling with God will give us no peace.

Why does Yahweh tell his prophet to marry a girl of ill repute? What does the story of Hosea and Gomer teach us? How does the story illustrate God's relationship with Israel? What does it teach about grace? Yahweh tells his prophet to marry a girl of ill repute to show us that he has a greater plan in both Hosea and Gomer's (and in our lives) that we can possiblly comprehend. How many men out there would marry a prostitute? He will be a mockery, bringing shame to himself and his family. Hosea shows us the importance of obeying Yahweh even in things we do not understand / do not like. Gomer continued to sin after her marriage but Hosea continued to show her mercy and grace God bestow us grace in our wretched state. Israel is the apple of God's eye. God will not let her go even though she mocked Him with her sinful state and outright defiance. God keeps showing us mercy time after time. It is his mercy and grace, his constant wooing that will break the chains of sinful rebellion.

Q3. (Exodus 34:7) What sins will Yahweh forgive those who repent? How might the sin of rebellion find its way into a believer’s life? Why doesn’t God forgive those who refuse to repent and surrender to him? God will forgive all sins if we repent - sins of outright rebellion, deliberate defiance, wickedness and missing the mark. The sin of rebellion can find its way into a believer's life if the person chooses to live outside of God's ways and refusing to repent. God is merciful. When we sin, he calls us to repentance repeatedly. But if we hardened our hearts and ignore his repeated calls of mercy and grace, he will punish us. When we are unrepentant, we set a bad example for our family members especially our children. We might even encourage them to sin hence perpetuating a vicious cycle of unrepentant unbelievers in the generational line.

Q2. (Exodus 34:6) What do we learn about Yahweh’s character in his self-revelation to Moses on Mount Sinai? What does this have to do with grace? He granted Moses' bold request to reveal Himself yet protected him as Moses was not pure or holy enough to see God in the fullness of His glory. It has been said that God is a Judge yet he revealed himself first as forgiving, longsuffering, patient, merciful, gracious, loving, compassionate. When he speaks about punishing the guilty, he is referring to those who are hardened, recalcitrant and has rejected his grace and mercy. His grace and mercy towards us comes first! For me personally, to know God's character is important in my daily walk with Him. I even appeal to His character in my prayers.

How does grace (Greek charis) differ from earning wages? From earning favor by being good? What is a helpful working definition of Biblical grace? In what way does grace characterize "the God of all grace"? We only earn wages when we work. The more we work, the more we earn. In certain Asian religions, you have to be a good person and do good deeds in order in order to receive good in your lives. The level of blessing you receive is dictated by the number of good deeds you perform hence people participate in religious cleansing and charitable works in order to receive a blessing from their spiritual leader and their god. As a Christian, God's grace is free and unconditional. His grace/favor is a gift not because we are deserving of it all the time but because of his nature and his heartbeat, and his infinite love for us. He is a good and merciful God. God's grace also points us to the right direction and help us turn away from our sinful ways. Whilst we may suffer from the consequences of our sinful lifestyle, most of us are not punished as we should be if we repent. This is because of his never ending grace which we extends to us over and over again, every time we fall short. His grace also gives us the strength to do what we might not be able to do if we rely on our own strength and thinking. In life we suffer setbacks and disappointments. Because of His grace, we are able to carry on and even emerge victorious. God's grace covers every aspect of our lives.

It's difficult to find positive spiritual lessons in these sad and grim chapters. What negative spiritual lessons do you find? We take God's goodness and mercy for granted. He is the ultimate judge and his judgement is inevitable.isciple Lessons Our children learn from us - especially our bad ways. As parents we are to be godly examples to their children. We must never assume that our children will never sin the way we do. Parents must discipline their children so long as they are under their authority. The problems with today's parenting style is that parents give their children too much freedom and freewill and discipline is seen as abuse. Also parents and children alike prefer that children leave their homes earlier (in age) than they can actually manage. Showing favoritism among chidren is also something that parents should never do. The favored child may use this fact to his advantage whilst the less favored child may feel hopeless and develop a low self esteem. We must be alert at all times. We cannot assume that just because the things happening around us involve family members, close friends and even church friends/members, they will ultimately sort themselves out. If we get a sense of something not working out right from the start, the best things to do is to take action early so that things do not escalate to an unmanageable situation.

What are the elements of Absalom's public relations campaign to win over the people to his side? How effective is it? What should David have done differently? Which of David's weaknesses does Absalom exploit? Absalom was the crown prince and he used this to his advantage. He went everywhere with a chariot, with bodyguards running head of him, giving the impression that he was a very important and great man. When people had complaints or a case, he would bemoan about the failings of the judicial system. He even went further to imply that if he were apppointed judge, he would ensure that justice would be servied. It was like asking people to vote for him and give him the ultimate power. This went on for four long years. Absolom also endeared himself to the common man. Whenever someone bow down before him, Absolom would take hold of him and kiss him. Through such actions, he was seen as a "people-person" - an approachable leader. His actions though hypocritical were effective. He managed to garner the support of the people. David, though he loved his son very much, should have punished Absalom once and for all by stripping him of all his powers and benefits as son of the King. Absalom knew his father loved him very much and by this time, his father was tired, aging and even grieving that his own household was in shambles.

(2 Samuel 13:39-14:24) Why do you think Joab conspires to get David to bring Absalom home? Why do you think David does not immediately show Absalom his favor? Joab knew that even though David had banished Absalom, deep down David longed to see Absalom again. Joab also realized the importance of having a successor to the thronw in place so that they will not be a bloody civil war. Absalom was next in line and was thus the logical choice. He may be headstrong but he had a looks of a king. I think in a way David was punishing Absalom for killing his brother by not showing him his favor. It must have been dreadful for Absalo to be able to return home to his country and yet not being able to step into court and see the King.

(2 Samuel 13:21-22) Why do you think David doesn't discipline his son Amnon for his sexual assault on his half-sister? What are the consequences of David's inaction? David favoured Amnon because he was the first born. Amnon was also heir to the throne - it could be that because he favoured Amnon so much he did not want Amnon to lose his throne. Also, David was perhaps guilt ridden over his own sexual sin and did not want his own son to point fingers back at him. He must have realised that he himself brought this grave sin into his household because of what he had done in the past. The consequences of David's inaction is : 1) Tamar went from being a beautiful princess to a very dejected woman - losing all hope. Still young in years but old and shattered in spirit. 2) Amnon must have felt very protected because even though his father knew of his son, he was not punished in anyway. 3) Absolom became a very angry man 4) Friction and diunity between siblings.