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Q1. (Matthew 5:17-20) Can you see any tendencies in the church today to effectively "abolish" the Old Testament from our Christian faith? We read in 2 Tim 3:16: All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 2 Tim 3:16 (NIV). Therefore we should know that nothing in Scripture is without significance. Unfortunately we notice today the tendency of churches to look upon the OT as outdated and of no relevance. These churches could be doing this to increase the numbers attending and so boost their revenue - also perhaps to please the people attending. What does a "Christian" legalism look like in a church? It is a church ruled by man. They worship by man-made rules and laws

Q4. (Matthew 5:13-15) How do verses 13-16 relate to verses 10-12? In verse 10 we read that we are blessed if we are persecuted for righteousness

Q3. (Matthew 5:14-15) In the parable of "the light of the world," Jesus notes the stupidity of lights being hidden under bowls. Jesus spoke of Himself as

Q2. (Matthew 5:13) What might be the symptoms of a Christian who has lost his "saltiness"? This is a Christian who is very much like the world; they do not stand up boldly for Jesus. They are of no consequence in this world. They may even do more damage than good by proclaiming to be a Christian. Therefore the world thinks most Christians behave in this same way; not different from them, and therefore there is no incentive for them to become Christians. Is it possible for a believer to detect such symptoms in himself or herself? Yes; unless everything we do is always for His sake and His glory. We also have a hunger for His Word and long to be in His presence. We will know that we have backslidden. What do secular people notice about a "de-saltified" Christian? Secular people will find it difficult to differentiate between

Q1. (Matthew 5:13) In what sense are Christians the "salt of the earth" using the preservation analogy? We read in the Beatitudes that we are to be poor in sprit, and merciful, and meek, and hungering and thirsting after righteousness in order that we may be

Q5. (Matthew 5:8) Why can people with a pure heart see, know, and discern God? With a pure heart and the help of the Holy Spirit our minds are focused on our Lord Jesus. We possess spiritual discernment. We enjoy fellowship with God, and have this intimate relationship with His Son, Jesus - so much so that he is very real to us, and is involved in all the decisions made in our daily lives Why can't "chronic" sinners see God? Chronic sinners have their hearts focused on this world. They have no time for spiritual things, and are spiritually blind. Natural man, the man without the Spirit, does not accept things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned (1 Cor 2:14). They do not seek God (Rom 3:11). It is only when God gives them new life within, will they get the ability to respond to God. How do we obtain the pure or clean heart that Jesus describes? We obtain a pure and clean heart both by the new heart received at regeneration and by the transformation of our character that follows by the work of the Holy Spirit. He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith Acts 15:9 (NIV).

Q4. (Matthew 5:6) How can an intense desire for righteousness put you at odds with the world? To all of us food and water are physical necessities. To Christians righteousness is a spiritual necessity, and our Lord Jesus has promised that we will be filled with it. Unbelievers, on the other hand, hunger and thirst for happiness but they search for it in the wrong places. We rely on the Holy Spirit to fill us with this blessing. What sort of righteousness is Jesus talking about, do you think? Jesus is talking about His justifying righteousness which is received by faith and imputed by God, and then the righteousness we yearn; to be made like Him, and to conform to the law of God. What promise are we given in this Beatitude? We shall be filled with righteousness and consequently filled with joy and peace. Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, Romans 5:1 (NIV). Through the work of Christ all causes of enmity between us and God have been removed.

Q3. (Matthew 5:5) How does this sort of gentleness contrast with the world's ideal? The world thinks in terms of strength and power, of ability, self-assurance and aggressiveness. Yet what Jesus taught is entirely opposed to everything which natural man thinks. How is humility important to Christlikeness? Humility is a character that is produced in us by the Holy Spirit. It is the direct fruit of the Spirit. It is only when we humble ourselves, that we can confess our complete dependence on Jesus. It is this humility that teaches us that all good in our selves is by the grace of God, and it is the resignation of our will to God. God is well pleased with this state of our mind 1 Pet 3:4. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. 1 Peter 3:4 (NIV)

Q2. (Matthew 5:3-4) Why is it necessary to be aware of your spiritual poverty before you can become a Christian? Only if we are spiritually poor will we be willing to look to the Lord for blessing. Meanwhile those who think they have it all worked out have no need for the blessedness that God offers. They think they can fabricate their own blessings and happiness. The truth is that it is impossible to achieve blessedness or happiness apart from the Lord. All blessings flow from Him and from Him alone. We cannot be happy until we find ourselves in the perfect will of God and until God fills that void within us. We have to recognize this spiritual poverty

Q1. (Matthew 5:3-11) Each Beatitude consists of two parts. What are these parts? The Blessings and the Recipients are the two parts of each Beatitude. Why do you think Jesus made each Beatitude a paradox? This was the way wisdom was taught in ancient times. We see this in the OT; particularly in the Psalms and Isaiah. Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. Psalms 1:1 (NIV) Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. 2 Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. Psalms 32:1-2 (NIV) What is the relationship of the Beatitudes to the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)? The Fruit of the Spirit is produced as Christians live in communion with our Lord. It is not by man

Q4. (Romans 8:35-36) What kinds of perils were the early Roman Christians likely exposed to? They were constantly exposed to persecutions and even loss of life for their faith. They experienced many trials and tribulations because of their love for Jesus. This resulted in distress. They also faced famine and many kinds of dangers. What kinds of perils are Christians exposed to today? We may be exposed to numerous perils very much like the early Christians. We may experience troubles that cause hardships and distress, anguish, persecution or harassment. Then there is starvation, being unclothed or dangers and risks of many kinds, and even perhaps violent death. How does this passage reassure us? We know that nothing will separate us from the love of Christ, and that we are not only conquerors, but more than conquerors. We will therefore be victorious over any perils that may come our way; and in so doing bring glory to God. In what sense do we Christians "overwhelmingly conquer" (NASB) despite the obstacles we face? It is only through Him who loved us

Q3. (Romans 8:31-32) What is the significance of the statement: "If God is for us, who can be against us?" My mind boggles at the thought! Just to think that the Creator of the universe, God Himself is for us! What a privilege and blessing to be God

Q2. (Romans 8:29) What does it mean to "be conformed to the likeness of his Son"? To be conformed to Christ is a daily process known as sanctification. This is a process that continues throughout our earthly lives

Q1. (Romans 8:28) What is the actual promise contained in verse 28? If we love God and have responded to His call, God will always and in all things work for our good. What does this promise mean? Put it in your own words. We can be sure that no matter what ever happens in our lives everything will work together ultimately for our eternal good. Our justification is secured forever; nothing will change our relationship with God! What are the two qualifications to the recipients of this promise? They must love God, and they must have responded to His call. How does verse 28 give you hope? We have the assurance that our lives are not controlled by impersonal forces such as luck, or fate, or chance, but by our loving personal Lord. We know that God works for the good in all things that comes into our lives. We also read in the next verse, that through all these things He advances us towards conformity to the image of Christ. This gives us great confidence and is the source of peace day by day to know that God causes all things to move us toward the ultimate goal he has for our lives, namely that we may be like Jesus and thereby bring glory to Him.

Q5. (Romans 8:18-25) In what sense do we expect to experience God's glory when Christ comes? All will be revealed to us in due time. How will the suffering creation experience God's glory? All creation will be made new and not be subject to decay and death. How will our mortal bodies experience God's glory? We will have new resurrection bodies. When the Lord Jesus comes from heaven, He will transform these bodies of ours. It will no longer be a body of decay or death. It will be like the resurrection body of our Lord Jesus

Q4. (Romans 8:24-25) What are the characteristics of a person who has lost hope? Unbelievers are without hope, and are separated from Jesus Christ:

Q3. (Romans 8:26-27) How does the Holy Spirit act as a Helper or Mediator or Intercessor in verses 26-27? The Holy Spirit sustains us in our weaknesses, interceding on our behalf. Even in our prayer time the Spirit helps us to pray according to God

Q2. (Romans 8:17-22) In what ways was suffering Jesus' lot in life? Havoc has been caused by the entrance of sin and the blight of death is on every living thing. There is total decay everywhere. The only hope of a return to the idyllic state is through our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus suffered for us. Only the death of Jesus, on the Cross, could break the bondage to sin. Why do we suffer? We are all co-sufferers and we are all glorified with Jesus Christ. Some of us will suffer more than others in the cause of Christ resulting in differing degrees of reward and glory. We suffer so that we can grow spiritually. If we focus on the glory that is to be ours, then we would count the sufferings along the way as trivial! Why does all creation seem to be suffering? Because of the curse of sin we live in a sighing, sobbing and suffering world. What will signal the end of that downward cycle of suffering, decay, and death? The return of Jesus will break the earth

Q1. In Romans 8:14-21, 28, how many times is the idea of being sons and daughters of God alluded to? I counted about ten What are the promises made to these sons and daughters? The fact that we belong to God

Q6. (Romans 8:15-16) How does the Holy Spirit inspire us to pray "Abba, Father"? Every believer is a child of God in that he is born into a family of which God is the Father. It is because of our love and trust in God that the Spirit prompts us to call God

Q5. (Romans 8:13-14) What does it mean to "mortify" or "put to death" the deeds of the body by the Spirit? We must not let sin reign in our mortal bodies or let the lusts of the flesh control our decisions. These evil desires are to be put to death. What would it look like to watch a person do this? We would see the person recognize the evilness of their old self, as they find out there is no goodness in their sinful nature. They will learn to hate and abhor sin. Eventually they will rely more and more to be led by the Spirit. What does it mean to be "led" by the Spirit? It is a relationship that takes place at the time of conversion. It involves the surrender of our wills to God. What does this look like in actual practice? As believers, we having been filled with the Spirit will be conscious of the almighty power within us, of our triumph over the world and over our sinful nature. We will want to please Jesus. We will fail every now and then, but quickly ask for forgiveness and repent and vow never to repeat that sin. How do "putting to death" and being "led" by the Spirit fit together? We will want to put to death all our evil desires and the Spirit will help us and strengthen us in accomplishing this. How much of this is the Spirit and how much is us? While it is indeed the Holy Spirit who works in us; yet it is that walking in the Spirit is still our own choice. The Spirit leads rather than compels.

Q4. (Romans 8:12) Do we have to sin? No, we no longer have to sin. We have been set free by Christ Jesus from slavery to sin. Are we compelled to sin? No, here again we have also been set free from the compulsion to sin. Is it possible to live for two hours of wakefulness without sinning? Four hours? One day? Two days? Yes, we are being led by the Spirit. We will try not to listen to our sinful nature, but will want to follow the Spirit in living in righteousness. We might make four hours; I doubt one day; and it will be very difficult for two days

Q3. (Romans 8:9) Is it possible to be a Christian without the Holy Spirit residing in us? No, if we are not indwelt by the Holy Spirit, we do not belong to Christ. What is the difference (if any) between the indwelling of the Spirit and the fullness of the Spirit? The moment we receive Christ, the Holy Spirit not only comes to indwell in us, but He also imparts to us spiritual life, causing us to be born again as a child of God. There is but one indwelling of the Spirit, one rebirth. Being filled with the Spirit, however, is not a once off experience. There is much work to be done in our lives and we will reach fullness and maturity when we become like Christ. How do we remain "full" of the Spirit?To be filled with the Spirit is to be controlled and empowered by the Spirit. We must desire to live a life that will please God. We must surrender our life to Christ, and not copy the behavior and customs of this world. We must confess every known sin immediately.

Exactly what does it mean to set your mind on the things of the Spirit? Our minds will be focused on the person of Jesus, on salvation, on Christian fellowship, on the Word of God, on prayer, on praising our Lord, on the blessed hope of Christ

Why can't obedience to the law save us? The law could not produce holy living because of our sinful nature. On our own, we are without strength to obey the law. We cannot fulfill any of its requirements. We have no power within ourselves, apart from the Spirit, against a life of bondage to sin. However, we know that were the law failed, grace succeeded. Salvation is only through Christ Jesus. What is the weak link? Our sinful nature or