Listen to selected comments {7 minutes, 13 seconds} of David Chadwell about this lesson(Note to teacher: the basic objective of this lesson is to challenge your students to understand that the man or woman who becomes a Christian chooses to die to self.)
Have you heard someone say, "He (she) surely is full of himself (herself)!" Being "full of self" is a common American phenomenon. Being "full of self" makes a person difficult to live with in marriage, difficult to respect as a parent, difficult to work with on the job, and difficult to associate with as a friend. In life's typical relationships, nothing is improved when a person is "full of himself (herself)."
While being "full of self" creates stress in typical relationships, being "full of self" also distresses Christian relationships (enormously!). Successful Christian relationships are based on humility, respect for others, service, gentleness, patience, kindness, consideration, and compassion. Being "full of self" actively works against each of those spiritual qualities.
A person can be full of religion and be "full of self" at the same time. Ironically, being religious seems to encourage many people to be "full of self." While it is simple to be "full of self" and be religious, it is impossible to be "full of self" and be filled with Christ.
Why? Being religious is often based on "my" achievements and accomplishments. "I overcame this." "I did this." "I know this." "I have this ability." "I had this experience." "I have been recognized by ..." "My religious credentials are ..." "My positions in the church are ..." "My qualifications in the church are ..." If my religious life is based on my achievements and accomplishments, then being "full of self" enhances me religiously.
Being filled with Christ is based on what Jesus Christ does for me, not what I do for Jesus Christ. He died for me. His blood cleanses me. His resurrection provides me assurance of my resurrection. He forgives me. I am justified, sanctified, and purified before God because he sacrificed himself for my sins. I am reconciled to God because he gives me access to God's grace. He intercedes to God for me. He is my personal mediator before God. Never is it what I do for Christ. Always it is what Christ does for me. It is impossible for me to be full of me and full of Jesus.
Read Galatians 2:11-21
Prior to visitors arriving from the Jerusalem church, Peter had "table fellowship" (his association included sharing meals) with Christians who were not Jews. After the Jewish visitors arrived, he no longer associated with Christians who were not Jews. Instead, he treated them coldly or indifferently. This change in his behavior occurred because he was afraid of the visiting Jewish Christians. This action was so powerful that it influenced other Jewish Christians living in Antioch (including Barnabas!) to join Peter in this "hypocrisy."
"If you, a Jew by physical birth, live your life as though you are not a Jew [Peter was committed to Christ and not to Jewish traditions], why do you expect Christians who are not Jews to live by Jewish practices and traditions?" Paul pointedly called Peter's attention to the fundamental inconsistency between the way he lived as a Christian and the way he expected Christians who were not Jews to live. If you need to refresh your memory about the reason for Peter's fear, read from Acts 10:1 through 11:18. Take note of three things. (1) Prior to Acts 10 Peter was the most visible, prominent leader in the Jerusalem church. (2) Leaders in the Jerusalem church strongly opposed Peter's close association with Cornelius, his relatives, and his friends [who were not Jews and had not been converted to Judaism]. (3) After the Cornelius incident, Peter is never mentioned in a leadership role in the church of Jerusalem. In fact, in Acts 15:4-19, Peter did not give the first testimony and James announced the conclusion (see verses 13 and 19). In regard to Cornelius, Peter did what God wanted him to do, but he likely paid a heavy price among Jerusalem Christians for following God's directions.
Christians need to understand that human deeds produced by obeying the law do not justify [allow God to look at a person as sinless; allow the forgiven person to live before God as a pure and holy person]. Christians are justified by trusting [having faith in] Jesus. Transformation from an evil person alienated from God to a saved person forgiven by God occurs because we trust God's accomplishments in Jesus' death and resurrection. This transformation does not occur because we obey the law. The law cannot justify us because law condemns our failures, inadequacies, and flaws. The purpose of the law is to condemn failure, not to justify through forgiveness.
No. The person who tries to exploit God's justification does not understand evil, does not understand God's purposes in Jesus, does not understand Jesus' crucifixion, does not understand Jesus' resurrection, and does not understand his own impossible situation as a sinner. When a person distorts and abuses God's good thing done for us through Christ [justification], that person does not make Jesus the minister of sin because Jesus justifies. The person merely confirms his own ignorance and evil.
He had been crucified with Christ. He chose to execute the old evil, wicked person he was before he knew and understood Christ. Remember, crucifixion is not a quick, painless death.
He did not live for Paul anymore. The basis for the use of life was not, "What is best for Paul?" Not even religiously did he focus on what was best for Paul! See Romans 9:1-5 and 10:1-4.
He lived his physical life by faith in Christ. The knowledge and understanding of God's purposes in Jesus and of the meaning of Jesus being the Christ determined how he lived life.
If a person could be made righteous through the human achievement of obedience, then Christ died needlessly. Paul's point: it is impossible for any person to be made righteous before God by human deeds, even if those deeds are deeds of obedience. Only the atoning blood of Jesus can make a person righteous. The person must trust Jesus' blood, not his own acts.
Read Philippians 3:1-12 and note the contrast between the religious Paul filled with accomplishments and credentials and the Christian Paul filled with Christ.
Those who have the true circumcision (a) worship in the Spirit of God, (b) find their glory in Jesus Christ, and (c) place none of their confidence in their physical acts.
He was circumcised eight days after birth [as God commanded when He instructed Abraham to make physical circumcision the perpetual sign of the covenant between God and Abraham's descendants (see Genesis 17:9-14)]; he was an Israelite [one of God's chosen people]; he was a member of the tribe of Benjamin [one of the twelve tribes]; he was a Hebrew of Hebrews [this likely meant that Paul and his parents followed the customs of Palestine and spoke Aramaic which was the language of the Jews in Palestine]; he was a Pharisee [they were noted for their knowledge of and devotion to scripture]; he was zealously devoted to the Mosaical law [so much so that he persecuted people to defend it]; and he was a person who conscientiously kept the "requirements" of the law [no one could find fault with the way pre-Christian Paul lived his religion].
He deliberately discarded them. He discovered the "pearl of surpassing value" (Matthew 13:45,46) when he discovered the true identity of Jesus. In comparison to Jesus, every religious accomplishment and credential lost its value. They all became garbage.
He wanted to be found in Christ. He wanted the righteousness that existed because the person had faith in Christ. He did not want the righteousness based on human achievement. He wanted the righteousness that comes from God and is based on faith.
(1) He wanted to know Christ [in contrast to knowing about Christ; he wanted to know the person]; (2) he wanted to know the power that produced Christ's resurrection; (3) he wanted to share in or participate in Christ's suffering.
He wanted his life to be conformed to Jesus' death. From the beginning of his ministry, everything Jesus did was (a) sacrificial and (b) focused on the death that he would die. Paul wanted everything in his life to be focused on his death in and resurrection with Christ.
He wanted to attain the resurrection of the dead.
Attaining the resurrection is not an achievement based on performance. Attaining the resurrection is the result of a life lived by faith in Jesus. That life must be lived by faith until physical life ends. Paul knew he was not perfect. He knew that his Christian accomplishments as a sacrificial evangelist did not earn him the resurrection. He knew that he had to live his life in faith doing what God wanted in service to Jesus Christ.
Paul's life was radically redirected in Acts 9. This radical redirection occurred because Paul's understanding of Jesus was radically altered. Read Acts 26:9-11. Even though Jesus was dead, pre-Christian Paul regarded him to be Israel's enemy. He channeled his hostility against Jesus' name by imprisoning Christians and voting for their deaths. He abused Christians he caught worshipping in synagogues in the attempt to get them to renounce Jesus. He described his pre-Christian behavior as "furiously enraged" against followers of Christ. He thought everything said about Jesus was a lie.
Then Paul met the resurrected Jesus. The certain knowledge that Jesus was resurrected to be Christ and Lord transformed Paul. The man who was zealously religious became the man who was zealously devoted to a compassionate Savior. Paul was as zealous prior to conversion as he was afterward. He had as much faith in God prior to conversion as he had afterward. He was as knowledgeable of scripture prior to conversion as he was afterward. BUT his understanding of zeal, of faith, and of the meaning of scripture were radically changed in his total transformation.
Prior to conversion to Jesus Christ, Paul was devoutly religious but very full of himself. After conversion to Jesus Christ, Paul was devoutly religious but full of Jesus. How full of Jesus? At conversion, Paul ceased to live. At conversion, Christ lived in Paul. What did that mean? Paul never again lived for Paul. Paul lived every day for Jesus. He surrendered self. He surrendered life. His existence was more than based on Christ; it was consumed by Christ.
Note to teacher: this lesson contains so much fundamental information about basic Christian concepts that it will be impossible to cover it in a single class. Truly, you could easily spend an entire quarter examining the teachings in this lesson. You may wish to give your students a copy of the teacher's guide sheet for this lesson so that they can continue their study on their own. You surely have permission to copy it for distribution. Should that be your choice, it is recommended that you distribute those copies after you study the material in class. If you first stimulate their interest during the class, students are more likely to do in-depth study later.
Listen to selected comments {7 minutes, 13 seconds} of David Chadwell about this lesson
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Link to Student Guide
Quarter 3, Lesson 5
