The objective of today's lesson: to stress the importance of encouraging God's influence in our lives.
Approach today's lesson with an awareness. What is considered as "normal" in the church among us today and what was considered to be "normal" among Christians in the first century is different. In their context, they experienced miracles, tongue speaking, interpretation of tongue speaking, special gifts, and Spirit possession in ways that do not exist among us. If those things suddenly existed among us as they did in the first century, that situation would make us anxious and nervous. These forms of God's activity among them were "normal" among Christians then. Such circumstances existed among Christians from the beginning of Christianity. For example, those Christians never envisioned a time when "unusual [to us] manifestations of God's Spirit" would not exist in the fellowship of Christians. Those things were just a "normal" part of being in the first century Christian community. It was common for those Christians to assume their situation always would continue unchanged.
Be certain that your students understand the role of the Spirit among first century Christians and the role of the Spirit among Christians today is not the same role. The purpose of this lesson does not include a lengthy study of similarities and differences of those roles. One (just one) factor to be considered is the absence of a collected and written New Testament at that time.
Rather than debating or probing into the Spirit on a "today" versus "the first century" consideration, focus on two considerations. (1) The first consideration: God always is active in our world. God is not a passive God. God always had been and continues to be an involved, active God. Never should the discussion be about the fact that God continues to be active. The discussion [when conducted] should have as its focus, "In what ways is God active today?" (2) The second consideration: even in the first century, the evidence of God's activity among Christians was changed human behavior. The admonition, "... Do not grieve the Holy Spirit ..." appears as part of a paragraph emphasizing the essential importance of changed human behavior in being "the new self" created by God "in righteousness and holiness of the truth."
Make certain that your students are at least exposed to the realization that God is active in every age. Stress the fact that in every age a significant evidence of God's activity is the changed behavior of God's people. God gives strength for His people to endure even when there is adversity.
For the sake of today's emphasis, summarize "do not grieve the Holy Spirit" into this emphasis: "do not resist God's influence as He seeks to make you a holy person." From the moment of faith in Christ, God wants you to be all you can be in Jesus Christ. One reason that a person who believes in Christ repents and is baptized is this: he or she wishes to become all he or she can become in Jesus Christ. Repentance is a conscious redirection of one's life. Among other things, baptism is a visible commitment to holiness in Christ. The person wants all to know he or she is no longer committed to evil or sinfulness. God's forgiveness is joyfully accepted by the person because he or she wishes to become all he or she can be in Jesus Christ.
The point you wish to be certain to communicate to your class is this: God deeply desires for you to be spiritually mature in Christ. God wants you to be everything you can be in Christ. He is on the Christians side, not a form of opposition to the Christian.
God has an active interest in you living your life as a person who has faith in Jesus Christ! God did not send His son to die for us because God is disinterested (John 3:16-21). Jesus did not come as an act of divine condemnation, but as God's commitment to our salvation.
Were God in opposition to us, all He had to do was refuse to send Jesus. We were condemned before he came, and we would be condemned without him. Jesus is the forever evidence that God cares about us and wishes to help us.
Paul's affirmation in Romans 8:1 is mind boggling! Jesus Christ is God's perfect solution for our problem with evil! It is literally impossible for one belonging to Christ to "out sin" God's forgiveness! What God does for us in Christ is incredible! In the same Romans 8, Paul declared nothing external of ourselves, not even evil spiritual forces, could separate Christians from Gods love (Romans 8:31-39). Only a knowing, deliberate rejection of God removes a person from His love--the Christian [not God] initiates the first act of deliberate rejection.
God's solution to our continuing struggle with evil is ideal. We cannot be sinless, but we can be forgiven. If we exist in Christ in a perpetual state of forgiveness, our problem with evil is solved. It is not solved because we are ideal, but because a compassionate God will forgive. Consider Romans 4:1-8, Galatians 3:26, 27, and 1 John 1:5-10. Our commitment is to be in Christ. God's commitment is what He does for the person in Christ.
John would loudly AMEN Paul's assurance! Read 1 John 1:7, 9. Note the "alls" in the cleansing from "all sin." Note the "cleanses," present tense, a continuing process. Baptism based on faith and repentance begins God's forgiveness that lasts a lifetime if the person chooses to remain in Christ.
John's statement stresses God's solution is a solution we need. To fail to see our need is to reject God Himself and to declare God is deceitful.
In Hebrews 6, those Christians experienced every kindness God could extend (Hebrews 6:4-6) before they rejected God. The problem was in the fact that their rejection of God destroyed their ability to repent, not that God no longer cared about them. The Christians to whom this writing was written were dangerously flirting with a conscious decision to reject Christ.
The opening of Hebrews 6 focuses on Christians who experienced God's kindness, but rejected Him. When your best kindness and consideration is refused, there is no other basis on which to appeal to the one who rejects you. The problem lay in these Christians' inability to repent, not in God's ability to forgive.
The Christians who were written previously suffered for faith in Christ, endured ridicule, were not ashamed to help imprisoned Christians, and endured the confiscation of property--and still clung to Christ (Hebrews 10:32-34). Afterward, they considered abandoning their commitment to Christ (Hebrews 10:23), and some distanced themselves from the Christian community (Hebrews 10:25).
They began with total commitment, grew tired, and thought they could bring their struggle to an end if they just renounced Christ. The renunciation would not involve rejecting God, but abandoning Christ. The basic message of the entire writing is this: abandoning Jesus is rejecting God because Jesus represents God's purpose in its ideal form. Thus abandoning Jesus is not an option to the person who seeks God.
If such "weak" Christians among us were considering that course of action, many of us would think it was past time to leave them and destroy their influence among us. That was not the suggestion of the writer! He urged them not to discard their confidence! Their reward was still available to them! He was confident they were not shrinkers, and challenged them not to be a part of those who shrank back to destruction. God's desire is our salvation, not our destruction! Salvation in Christ is not some fragile state easily destroyed by some thoughtless, ignorant human act! God is committed to our salvation--Jesus' death and resurrection are evidences of His commitment!
Stress two things. (1) God does not give up on struggling people as quickly as many Christians do. (2) Relationship with God through Jesus is not a fragile thing.
Paul knew the depth of God's commitment! Read 1 Timothy 1:12-16. If God could save Paul, God can save anyone!
Paul knew God's commitment from personal experience
Paul's encouragement in Ephesians 4:30 could be accurately paraphrased in this manner: "God is on your side! His influence in your life is seeking to make you all you are capable of being spiritually. Do not work against His influence! Do not make His commitment to you harder! Wear the mark of your devotion to him gladly! He is not ashamed of you. Do not be ashamed of Him! Willingly, cooperatively become who He seeks to make you!"
Christians should endure because they know God is dependable--He will not abandon them when they struggle through times of weakness.
For Thought and Discussion:
The role the Spirit served in the first century Christian community and the role the Spirit serves in today's Christian community is not the same role.
It appears in a paragraph that stresses the essential importance in Christian existence of a changed human behavior.
Do not resist God's influence in your life as He seeks to make you a holy person.
He or she wishes to become all he or she can become in Jesus Christ.
A basic evidence is found in John 3:16-21. Jesus' life, death, and resurrection is the basic evidence of God's active interest in us.
Jesus Christ is God's perfect solution for our problem with evil.
John stressed it was a continuing solution that began at baptism and continued throughout our lives.
God's desire is our salvation, not our destruction.
Examine the suggested paraphrase in the last paragraph of the lesson's text, the paragraph just before "For Thought and Discussion."
Link to Student Guide
Lesson 10