johnd

Those who were responsible for killing Jesus include soldiers, Jewish leaders and Roman politicians. As sinners we all have to take a 'corporate' responsibility for Jesus' death. The good news is that our Father of infinite love has forgiven us and through Jesus we have new life. God bless, John

Hi, My name is John and I'm from Lancashire in the UK. I'm looking forward to the new study. Best regards, John.

Both Jews and Gentiles are now free to come to God through Christ. We have been brought near to Him. John.

Jesus fulfilled the Mosaic Law by dying on the cross for us. Christ has destroyed the barriers people build between themselves. By his death, Jesus ended the angry resentment between Jews and Gentiles. Best regards, John.

Being out of touch with what it means to be 'lost' will make it difficult to witness to someone as we will not understand that person's position. Someone who doesn't know Christ does not have a healthy spiritual condition. John.

Faith is in general the persuasion of the mind that a certain statement is true. Its primary idea is trust. A thing is true, and therefore worthy of trust. It admits of many degrees up to full assurance... (from Eastons Bible dictionary). I don't think we can take credit for having it or be condemned for lacking in it. We have faith in gravity. We believe that we will be firmly rooted to the earth and not go shooting up out of the earth's atmosphere. John.

We were created to carry out good works which God planned for us a long time ago. These good works must be carried out in conjunction with faith. John.

I feel I was saved when I gave my life to Christ and became a Christian. My salvation and faith are a great gift from God. Your brother in Christ, John.

It is difficult for us to understand grace because we want to pay for it. Grace is truly a free gift. Maybe I would try to explain to a ten year old that grace is a bit like the unconditional love the child receives from his/her parents. Best regards, John.

Because of Christ's resurrection, we know that our body will also be raised from the dead and that we have been given the power to live as Christians now. These ideas are combined in Paul's image of sitting with Christ in "the heavenly realms". Our eternal life with Christ is certain because we are united in his powerful victory.

The words which describe God's motivation are "great love" and "rich in mercy". We are "alive with Christ". Through faith in Christ we are not guilty. The penalty of sin and it's power over us were destroyed by Jesus on the cross. Before we became Christians we were dead in sin and were slaves to our sinful nature. Now we are alive with Christ.

Satan is pictured as ruling an evil spiritual kingdom - the demons and those who are against Christ. In the resurrection Christ was victorious over the devil and his power. By letting our guard down Satan can eat away at us. We cannot fight the evil one alone - we need Jesus. If we reject Christ we will receive God's wrath. Best regards, John.

Non believers are "dead" because they have not accepted Jesus into their lives where as Christians we have accepted Christ as our saviour. If we believe this we should spread the good news.

Christ fills the church with gifts and blessings. Christ is the head and we are the body of the church. We should not attempt to worship on our own. We need the entire body.

I guess there are various reasons why we take a "pass" when it comes to spiritual warfare. Maybe we're unaware it's happening. Possibly we try to fight it ourselves without Christ and the Holy Spirit working within us. As Christians we can be confident that Christ has won the final victory - we cannot lose. The contract has been signed, all we have to do is wait a short while for delivery. Thank you Lord, John.

I feel powerless when I don't have the Holy Spirit working within me. This can be overcome with prayer.

If I knew that I was going to inherit that much money I would have to plan what to do with it. Sometimes we get caught up in the day to day activities of our lives. I need a quiet time when I can soak in the presence of God. Our family of fellow Christians and our fellowship with them should be an important part of our lives. They are, after all our brothers and sisters in Christ. Best regards, John.

We Christians can look forward to the hope of eternal life in Jesus. We should follow Jesus and walk with him in our lives. This great hope is not a belief that a non-believer has - we can spread the good news. Your brother in Christ, John.

I'm not sure when the end of term is. Could it be our physical death when we will meet Jesus. Is it the rapture of the church. The Holy spirit guides us. He is God's guarantee that we belong to him. The Holy Spirit is like a downpayment - a validating signature on the contract.

God's purpose for our lives is to offer salvation to the world. We are to bring praise and glory to God. Mathew 5:13-16 We are to be the salt of the earth just as seasoning brings out the best flavour in food. If we live for Christ we will glow like lights. We should not be quiet when we should speak. We should not go along with the crowd. We should not deny the light. We should not let sin dim our light. We should explain our light to others and not ignore the needs of others. Regards, John.

Through Christ's blood we have been redeemed from slavery - we have gained freedom and we have been granted forgiveness of sin. Without this redemption I would not be a Christian and I would revert back to my old secular ways as a slave to sin. Regards, John.

God's purpose in sending Christ was to unite Jews and Gentiles in one body with Jesus as the head. In 1 Corinthians 15:24-28 Christ will conquer all evil including death. Everything will be under His authority. To all my brothers and sisters in Christ, John.

In His infinite love God has adopted us as His own children. This shows how strong our relationship with God is. Best regards, John.

God accepts us and because of Jesus we are holy and blameless in His sight. We belong to God through Christ and God looks at us as if we had never sinned. All we can do is thank God for His wonderful love! Best regards, John.

Predestination can be scary because we know our lives have been mapped out before we were born. God has adopted us and salvation is God's work and not our own doing. Paul writes about predestination and our adoption to show how strong our relationship with God is. Regards, John.