Number030409

The Bible Shows Us that the Holy Spirit Is God
Case 4: Trinity
Clue: 9

Question Answer
Does the Bible teach that the Holy Spirit is God?

Yes. The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit is God. 2 Corinthians 3:17 – Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

The Difference This Truth Makes
“The Lord is that Spirit.” This is a strong statement that Christ and the Holy Spirit are One in essence, though Paul also recognized
distinctions between them. (2 Corinthians 13:14)

The Holy Spirit is also called “the Spirit of truth.” John 14:17 – The Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

When we think about the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of truth, we can begin to understand why there is liberty when He rules in someone’s heart. John 8:32 – And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Number020101

God’s Book Is the Bible
Construction Zone 1: God's Word - The Bible
Stage: 1

Question Answer
What is the Bible?

The Bible is the only inspired Word of God. 1 Thessalonians 2:13b – You welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.

The Difference This Truth Makes
There are millions of books all over the world, but there is only one Book better and greater than all the rest. The Bible is everything God wants us to know about Him right now. The Bible is God’s Book.

• God’s Book tells us all about Him.
• God’s Book helps us to know Him.
• God’s Book shows us how we can live joyfully right now.
• God’s Book shows us how we can live forever with Him.
• God’s Word, the Bible, is the only Book inspired by God.

Number020102

We Can Trust the Bible
Construction Zone 1: God's Word - The Bible
Stage: 2

Question Answer
How can we know that the Bible really is the true Word of God?

The Spirit of God helps us know that the Bible is true and that it is God's Word.

The Difference This Truth Makes
There are many things that show us that God’s Word is true. People and places that the Bible talks about have been proven in historical records to be real. We have many old copies of parts of the Bible. We can compare these parts and see that God has preserved His Word. Also, many Bible prophecies (predictions) have happened exactly the way the Bible said they would.

But none of those facts are enough to convince a person fully that the Bible is God’s Word. Only by the Spirit of God’s working in his heart can someone believe God’s Word is true.

Number020103

God’s Words Were Written Down by Holy Men
Construction Zone 1: God's Word - The Bible
Stage: 3

Question Answer
How did God give the Bible?

God gave holy men His words to write down. 2 Peter 1:21b – But holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

The Difference This Truth Makes
If we did not believe that God inspired the men to write His Word, then we would be tempted to treat the Bible just like any other book. Why? Human beings are fallen sinners who often make mistakes, or even tell lies.

God specially moved His men to write down His words exactly as He wanted. A musician breathes air through his instrument to produce the sounds he wants. God breathed His Spirit through the human authors to write His Word exactly how He wanted it to be.

Number020104

The Bible Teaches Us Right Things To Believe
Construction Zone 1: God's Word - The Bible
Stage: 4

Question Answer
Does God's Word teach any lies?

No. God's Word is true because God tells only the truth. Psalm 119:160a – The entirety of Your word is truth.

The Difference This Truth Makes
God’s Word can be like a hardhat. A hardhat protects the worker’s head from danger. If a brick fell onto the hatless head of a worker, it would injure him – it might even kill him!

There are many lies being told in the world today. But the most dangerous lies are the ones told about God. When people believe lies about Who God is and what He is like, it is dangerous! People might lose their souls for eternity because they believed lies about God.

God’s Word is the Truth that can guard us from believing foolish lies. Just like a hardhat protects the worker from falling bricks or tools, God’s Word can protect our minds from the lies that could destroy our lives. We should stay safe and believe God’s Word!

Number020105

The Bible Is All About God
Construction Zone 1: God's Word - The Bible
Stage: 5

Question Answer
What does the Bible teach?

The Bible teaches what God wants us to believe and how He wants us to behave. Ecclesiastes 12:13b – Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man's all.

The Difference This Truth Makes
Have you ever lifted up a rock to see what was underneath? Before you lifted the rock, there was no way you could tell for sure what was under the rock. But once the rock was moved off and away, it revealed (uncovered, showed) everything it was been hiding. Through the Bible, God reveals Himself to mankind.

God also showed the world what He is like through His Son Jesus. Jesus is the living Word Who shows us Who God is, and the Bible is the written Word that shows us Who God is. The most important thing in the whole world is discovering Who God is. (See John 17:3.)

Number020106

God’s Word Will Last Forever
Construction Zone 1: God's Word - The Bible
Stage: 6

Question Answer
Can we be sure that what God's Word teaches is still good and true for us today?

Yes. God's Word is good and true forever. Matthew 5:18b – "One jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled."

The Difference This Truth Makes
God’s Word is God’s living Book, filled with God’s living words! 1 Peter 1:23 – Having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever.

The reason we can be sure that the Bible is good for us today is that God has promised to protect and keep it forever. God’s Word is as needful and useful for people today as it was for people thousands
of years ago.

Number020107

God Gave the Bible So We Might Believe in Jesus
Construction Zone 1: God's Word - The Bible
Stage: 7

Question Answer
Why do we need the Bible?

We need the Bible to show us Who God is and how we can be close to Him. 2 Timothy 3:15b – The Holy Scriptures... are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

The Difference This Truth Makes
The main theme of the whole Bible is Jesus Christ. The Bible is all about God, and the Person Who most clearly revealed (showed) to us what God is like is Jesus Christ (because He Himself was and is God). Jesus Himself taught that the Scriptures, which had been written before He came to Earth, had been written all about Him.

John 5:39 – [Jesus said] “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.”

Number020108

We Cannot Know God Without the Bible
Construction Zone 1: God's Word - The Bible
Stage: 8

Question Answer
Can we really get to know God without His Word?

No. God wants us to get to know Him through His Word. Romans 10:17 – So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

The Difference This Truth Makes
All around us, Creation teaches about God in a general way. Even your own conscience (your sense of right and wrong) teaches you that there is a God. But God’s Creation
and a God-given conscience are not enough to lead people to believe in Christ. People need God to reveal more specific truth.

The Bible is the specific message of Who God is. It is through the Bible that people can have faith. True faith believes that everything God says is right, and and what God says is true for all people.

ExtraContent
Big Christian Word: Light. Christians often use the word light to refer to the amount of truth or revelation a person is given by God. In the same way a light bulb light s up a room, God lights up a person's heart and mind by revealing Himself and His truth. Isaiah 8:20 - To the Law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

Number020109

God’s Word Is the Highest Authority
Construction Zone 1: God's Word - The Bible
Stage: 9

Question Answer
What authority does God's Word have over me and others?

God's Word has the highest authority because it comes from God. 2 Timothy 3:16a – All Scripture is given by inspiration of God

The Difference This Truth Makes
In the United States, we have judges in courts. These men and women are authorities. But there are only a few of these judges who have the highest authority in the land. These judges’ decisions overrule (take authority over) the decisions of all other judges. They have supreme authority in the court system.

The Bible is the supreme authority, the highest authority of all. When the Bible speaks on a topic, it speaks with more power, even more than the highest laws or judges. The truthfulness of any other writings or teachings must be carefully measured by the Bible. The Bible is the foundation for everything a Christian believes and and teaches.

But it is not only the words and truths of the Bible that make it so powerful. The Holy Spirit of God is active right now in the world, showing people the truth of the Bible. God is teaching people that His Word is true. The Bible has power and authority that is supernatural. God’s invisible Spirit is making His Word understood by people everywhere.

ExtraContent
Did You Know? The Word of God is the ultimate test for the truthfulness of any person's words.

Talk About It: If you came face to face with God, and He asked you to do something - would you obey? Why do you think people are hesitant to obey what God says in His Word?

Number020110

God’s Children Should Love God’s Word
Construction Zone 1: God's Word - The Bible
Stage: 10

Question Answer
How does God want us to feel about the Bible?

God wants us to love and believe the Bible. Psalm 119:97a – Oh, how I love Your law!

The Difference This Truth Makes
Augustine was a Christian teacher who said that the Bible was our “letters from home.” Not only are the writings of the Bible addressed to you, but the letter is also from the most important Being Who ever was or ever will be. Have you ever gotten an important letter from someone who loved you very much? Did you read it more than once?

We should not approach the Bible like just another school book. God has given us His Word so that we might know Him, and as we know Him more and more, He changes us to be better. The happiest people in the world are those who love and obey God’s Word.

Number020201

God Is Great!
Construction Zone 2: The Greatness of God
Stage: 1

Question Answer
Does God reveal in His Word that He is greater than we are?

Yes. One passage is Isaiah 55:9a – "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways."

The Difference This Truth Makes
You are God’s creature, His “workmanship.” This world is God’s Creation. Since God made you and the world, He has to be great; and He has to be greater than His Creation. The Creator has power and authority over the thing that he creates.

The truths that reveal God’s greatness are the truths that show His amazing power and His supernatural abilities. God has always been and always will be higher and wiser and stronger – greater! – than anyone or anything else.

Number020202

It is Hard To Understand God Fully
Construction Zone 2: The Greatness of God
Stage: 2

Question Answer
What is our great God like?

Our great God is all-powerful, all-wise, and all places at once. Job 40:9 – "Have you an arm like God? Or can you thunder with a voice like His?"

The Difference This Truth Makes
The Bible often says that God is “in heaven” or “on high” (Psalm 93:4; Psalm 11:4). What does “high” mean here? It does not just mean “high” like a place far above the Earth – although God is above us. He is everywhere! These verses about God being “on high” are describing His greatness!

Some people think that because God is “great above all,” He probably wants nothing to do with His Creation anymore. They think He is too great and powerful and majestic to care about what goes on in our lives. But God does care!

This is a mystery that is hard for us to understand. Even the psalmist wrote in wonder, “What is man, that thou are mindful of him?” God is “the most high God,” but His greatness goes along with His goodness: He still stays involved in Creation.

Number020203

God Has Always Been Alive
Construction Zone 2: The Greatness of God
Stage: 3

Question Answer
Did God ever have a beginning?

No. God is forever and has always been alive. Revelation 1:8a – "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End," says the Lord.

The Difference This Truth Makes
In Revelation 1:8, we find that God is the Past, the Present, and the Future! God never began to begin! God has always been alive.

God existed (was alive and real) before there was time! The Bible teaches us that God is the great “un-caused” One. Nothing caused God to be alive, but God has caused you and me to be alive! The universe is not about us. Everything we know and enjoy is here because God was here first.

Some people think God needs them so He can be happy. But just the opposite is true: we need God in order to be happy.

Psalm 16:11 – You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Number020204

God Does Not Change
Construction Zone 2: The Greatness of God
Stage: 4

Question Answer
Does the LORD ever give up, get tired, or change in any way?

No. The Lord is unchanging, great forever. Malachi 3:6a – "For I am the LORD, I do not change."

The Difference This Truth Makes
If we thought that God might change His mind like we do, our trust in Him would be very small. How could we trust someone who might change his mind about the way he felt about us?

Some people say that you need to “believe in yourself” or “trust yourself.” But think about how often you change your mind. Can you remember
a time when you changed your mind? Are you glad that God did not have to decide this morning whether or not He loves you? God never changes!

Since God does not change, some people think He must not have much personality. They think that He must be like a rock that never moves, never feels, and never acts –
because to do so would mean to change. But God is not like that. Here are some specific ways God does not change:

• God’s Promises do not change. (Numbers 23:19)
• God’s Purposes do not change. (Isaiah 46:10)
• God’s Person (His character) does not change. (Hebrews 13:8)

Number020205

God Is Invisible
Construction Zone 2: The Greatness of God
Stage: 5

Question Answer
Does God have a body like human beings do?

No. God is a Spirit Whom we cannot see. John 4:24 – "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

The Difference This Truth Makes
If you were a blind person hiking on a narrow path near the edge of a high cliff, you would definitely want to be careful where you were walking. You would need someone to guide your every step and to help make sure you were right. One wrong step, and you would fall!

Since God cannot be seen with human eyes, it is by faith that we worship Him. God will not accept those who believe wrongly about Him. But He has not left us to walk blindly without a guide. He has shown Himself to us through His Word. His Word is the Truth that guides us to love and worship Him as He truly is.

Many people want to know what God is made out of. But since God created all space, all time, and all matter, it is wrong to think of Him as being made out of anything He created. God wants us to believe about Him what we cannot see with our eyes. He wants us to have faith in Him, even though He is invisible.

Hebrews 11:1 – Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Number020206

God Is All-Powerful
Construction Zone 2: The Greatness of God
Stage: 6

Question Answer
How powerful is God?

God is all-powerful and can do anything! Jeremiah 32:17a – Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm!

The Difference This Truth Makes
If we did not believe God had all power, then we might trust in ourselves or go looking for some other powerful thing. If God did not have all power, then it could be possible for someone or something to defeat Him. But God is all-powerful!

Cars run out of gas, batteries lose their charges, and all living things get old and die. But God will never run out, wear out, get old, or stop being alive and real.

Number020207

God Is All-Knowing
Construction Zone 2: The Greatness of God
Stage: 7

Question Answer
What does God know?

God knows all things, even the secrets of our hearts. 1 John 3:20b – God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.

The Difference This Truth Makes
Many times in the Bible, God tells us that He knows everything – even the future. Isaiah 42:9 – Behold, the former things have come to pass, And new things I declare; Before they spring forth I tell you of them.”

God knows all things – past, present, and future. He knows all things that can be known. He knows all things that ever were, or ever will be. He knows when when the smallest bird in the whole wide world dies. He knows you, too. He knows everything you have ever done, and everything you will ever do – and He loves you! What a wonderful God!

Number020208

God Is in All Places at All Times
Construction Zone 2: The Greatness of God
Stage: 8

Question Answer
Where is God?

God is everywhere, all the time. Jeremiah 23:24b – "Do I not fill heaven and earth?" says the LORD.

The Difference This Truth Makes
It is wrong to think of God as being in only one place. God created everything, so He is much greater even than outer space. He could never be bottled up or contained in any one part of His Creation. This is hard to understand, but we can trust God’s Word that He is everywhere. There is no place where God cannot be.

God is there when we sin. God is there when we do good. God loves His Creation so much that He will not take His eyes off it, not even for a split second.

Number020209

God Is Greater than Everything and Everyone Else
Construction Zone 2: The Greatness of God
Stage: 9

Question Answer
Can anyone else come even close to matching God's greatness?

No. God is greater than anyone else. 1 Timothy 1:17 – Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

The Difference This Truth Makes
God wants us to know that there is nobody even close to Him in His perfect, awesome greatness. If there were anyone greater, then God would not be as glorious. When we talk about God’s glory, we are talking about God’s honor and His excellent “name” (His reputation). In a very simple way, “glory” is kind of like “fame.” God is famous because nobody comes even close to being as great and good as He is.

Number020210

Our Great God Is Worthy of Honor
Construction Zone 2: The Greatness of God
Stage: 10

Question Answer
How should you respond to God as you learn more about His greatness?

Learning about God's greatness should encourage me to honor and humbly trust in Him. Exodus 15:11a – Who is like You, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness?

The Difference This Truth Makes
God wants the love and worship of His people, and He is the only One Who deserves it. There are no other gods above Him.

God glorifies Himself through His own actions. But He is also glorified by what His people think, say, and do about Him. How do you respond (think, speak, and act) when God works? Do you live like you believe God created you? God is to be honored for His greatness. He is so great, and we are so small!

Number020301

God Is Very Good
Construction Zone 3: The Goodness of God
Stage: 1

Question Answer
What is our good God like?

God is holy, loving, and perfect in all He is and all He does. It is because of God that we even know what 'good' is. Psalm 34:8a – Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!

The Difference This Truth Makes
Everything God is and everything God does is perfectly good. We use the phrase “God’s goodness” to describe those truths about God that reveal how perfect and loving He is.

God wants us to trust Him, and He has proven that He is a trustworthy God. We can trust God totally when we understand that He is always good.

There is no higher goodness than the goodness of God. He is perfectly good.

Number020302

There Would Be No Good Without God
Construction Zone 3: The Goodness of God
Stage: 2

Question Answer
Who gives us all good things?

God gives us all good things. Psalm 84:11b – No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.

The Difference This Truth Makes
Maybe you have worked very hard on some papers at school, and, when you were done, you got a good grade. Why did you get that good grade? What did it mean? That good grade meant that you earned the approval of your teacher. Your teacher is pleased and wants to honor you with a good grade. If something is “good,” that means it is “approved” and “worthy of honor.”

God has already proven that He is worthy of honor – He is perfectly good! Since God is totally good, only good things come from Him! We can be confident that God will continue to be good and do good forever, because He never changes. James 1:17 – Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

Number020303

God Is Holy
Construction Zone 3: The Goodness of God
Stage: 3

Question Answer
How good is God?

God is holy, which means He is perfectly good. Isaiah 6:3b – Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!

The Difference This Truth Makes
In Isaiah 6, the prophet Isaiah gets a little peek at the glory of God, and it changes him forever. When Isaiah saw God’s holiness, he cried out, “Woe is me!” Isaiah realized
that he was a helpless sinner, and that he needed forgiveness!

If we will not believe that God is holy, then that means we think He is less than perfect. An imperfect god would not really be a god worth serving or worshipping. A sinful god would be just like us – we need a perfect God Who can rescue us from our sins, not a fellow sinner. God is set apart from all sin because He is holy.

God is very serious about His own glory and honor. He expects us to do all we do in a way that will honor His glory. 1 Corinthians 10:31 – Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Number020304

God Is Righteous
Construction Zone 3: The Goodness of God
Stage: 4

Question Answer
Does God ever sin or do anything in a wrong or sinful way?

All God does is right and rightly done. Psalm 145:17 – The LORD is righteous in all His ways, gracious in all His works.

The Difference This Truth Makes
Take a careful look at the word “righteous.” What do the first five letters spell? They spell the word “right.” When we say that God is righteous, we mean that He is always right and that He always does the right things.

When we talk about God’s holiness and His righteousness, we are talking about Who He is and what He does. Since God is holy, He always acts righteously. God is the best and greatest of beings. Genesis 18:25b – “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

God has complete power and all authority. He is in sovereign control of everything, and He does whatever
He wants. We can be thankful that whatever God desires to do is always going to be right.

Number020305

God Always Tells the Truth
Construction Zone 3: The Goodness of God
Stage: 5

Question Answer
Does God ever lie?

God never lies. He always tells the truth. Titus 1:2 – In hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began.

The Difference This Truth Makes
If we were to believe that God might lie to us, then we would not be able to trust Him or His Word. Can you remember a time when someone lied to you? What was your attitude toward that person, once you found out he or she had lied to you? What would your attitude be toward God if you were to discover that He had ever deceived you (told you something that was not true)?

God does not lie! If you think God has lied to you in any way, then you have been deceived! – but not by God. The enemies of God would like to make you believe that God does not always tell the truth. The enemies of God know that when you believe false (wrong, untrue) things about God, you will not want to trust Him or love Him or serve Him or have anything to do with Him.

The Bible even goes so far as to say that God cannot lie. Praise the Lord! God is always truthful. God is Truth. God’s Word is true. You can trust Him with everything you have! Never swallow lies about God.

John 17:17 – “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.”

Number020306

God Is Gracious
Construction Zone 3: The Goodness of God
Stage: 6

Question Answer
Does God give to everyone good things they do not deserve?

God is a gracious God Who delights in giving good things to His creatures. Psalm 145:9a – The LORD is good to all.

The Difference This Truth Makes
When the Bible uses the word “gracious” to describe God, it means that God shows favor (lots of it!) to those who do not deserve any at all. God gives good things to people who do not deserve them and who are not always grateful to Him. He is gracious.

If we did not believe that God gives good things to us, we would probably be tempted to live a life of deep sin, trying to please ourselves with whatever this world could offer us. But God is good. God is good to us. God is good to us all the time! His Goodness is gracious, undeserved, and (almost) unbelievable.

Number020307

God Is Merciful
Construction Zone 3: The Goodness of God
Stage: 7

Question Answer
Would God rather punish or forgive?

God loves to forgive and to show mercy by withholding judgment. Lamentations 3:22a – Through the LORD'S mercies we are not consumed.

The Difference This Truth Makes
God does not have to work at being merciful because mercy is part of His very nature. “Mercy” is the act of withholding punishment that was earned. On the other hand, when God shows grace to us, He is choosing to give us something good that we do not deserve. When God shows mercy to us, He is choosing not to give us something that we do deserve.

God desires to see us show mercy like He does. In fact, in the book of Matthew, we learn that if we do not forgive others, God will not forgive us! Matthew 6:15 – “But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

ExtraContent
One of the truest and most meaningful songs ever written is “Jesus Loves Me.” In one of the verses it teaches this: Jesus loves me when I’m good When I do the things I should And He loves me when I’m bad Even though it makes Him sad.

Number020308

God Is Love
Construction Zone 3: The Goodness of God
Stage: 8

Question Answer
Who is the Source of all true love?

God is the Source of all true love. 1 John 4:8 – He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

The Difference This Truth Makes
When we truly know God, we will be truly loving! Why? Because God is the Source of all love, and as we grow to know Him more and more, He changes us to love as He loves.

Have you ever snuggled up to Mom or Dad and showed some extra affection to them, but only because you wanted something? That is a selfish kind of love. That is a “love” that loves others only for what you might be able to get from them.

God’s love toward us is so different. We do not have to do anything to get Him to love us more than He already does. Romans 5:8 – But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

The story of the cross is the best example of God’s love for sinful people. There was nothing lovable about us, but God still loved us so much that He died for us.

Number020309

God Hates Sin
Construction Zone 3: The Goodness of God
Stage: 9

Question Answer
Does God pretend not to see when we sin?

No. God hates all sin because He is all good. Romans 1:18a – For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness.

The Difference This Truth Makes
Sometimes it is hard to think about God hating anything, but He does. God hates sin. Zechariah 8:17 – Let none of you think evil in your heart against your neighbor; And do not love a false oath. For all these are things that I hate,’ Says the LORD.”

God could not really be good unless He really hated evil. Why does God hate sin so much? Sin goes against everything He is. He is totally good. Sin is totally bad. Since God is perfection, goodness, justice, righteousness, and peace, He hates all the opposites of those things. The opposites of those things are all sins.

God hates sin because it robs Him of the glory He deserves. God hates sin because of the damage it does to His Creation. God hates sin because He is holy and righteous. If God did not hate sin with all His might, then He would no longer be a truly good God.

Number020310

We Should Love and Trust Our Good God
Construction Zone 3: The Goodness of God
Stage: 10

Question Answer
How can you please God, Who is perfectly good?

By grace, through faith, I can trust God, obey His Word, and love Him more than I love anything or anyone else. Deuteronomy 13:4 – You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him.

The Difference This Truth Makes
God is worthy of our trust. In fact, nobody is more worthy of our trust than God is. The wisest thing anyone in the world can do is trust the Lord.

Psalm 37:5 – Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.

If we do not or cannot believe that God is perfectly good, then we will be tempted to look for something or someone else to meet our needs and desires. But only God can really satisfy our hearts. When we put all our faith in a good God, good things happen. Are you trusting in God with all your heart today?

Number020401

God Is the Trinity
Construction Zone 4: The Trinity
Stage: 1

Question Answer
What does it mean when God is called the "Trinity"?

'Trinity' is the word used to describe God as one God in three Persons, each of Whom is fully God. Jeremiah 10:6-7a – Inasmuch as there is none like You, O LORD (You are great, and Your name is great in might), who would not fear You, O King of the nations?

The Difference This Truth Makes
Since God never lies, and since God has told us in the Bible that He is one God in three Persons, we must believe in the teaching that God is a Trinity.

There is nothing else exactly like the Trinity. The Trinity is God, and God is unique. He is One of a kind, and there is no one else like Him.

If we will not believe in the Trinity, then we cannot really be believing in the God of the Bible. Only God Himself can know completely Who and what He is like, but He has told us some things about Himself. We must accept His Word – no matter how hard it is to understand. If God is the One explaining Himself to us, then we would be foolish to believe anyone or anything else instead of Him.

ExtraContent

Number020402

The Trinity is Eternal and Loves Eternally
Construction Zone 4: The Trinity
Stage: 2

Question Answer
Has God always been a Trinity?

God has always been a Trinity, and He always will be, because He never changes. Isaiah 48:16b – [Jesus the Messiah says] "From the beginning... I was there."

The Difference This Truth Makes
Since all three Members of the Trinity are totally and equally God, then God must have always been a Trinity.

John 17:24 – [Jesus said] “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.”

God is love. Since God has always been a Trinity, love has always existed. The Father loves the Son. The Son loves the Father. And the Holy Spirit is known for His love, too. God’s love is the most beautiful and powerful love ever. The love among the three Persons of the Trinity is the kind of love we should try to have for each other.

John 17:26 – “And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” It is easy to see the love among the Members of the Trinity. Jesus perfectly obeyed His Father’s commands because He loved Him. The Father has given His Son many gifts. In fact, if you’re a Christian, you are a gift given in love. God the Father gave you as a gift to Jesus the Son in order that your life might bring the Son glory and praise!

ExtraContent
The concept of time has often been used to try and explain the Trinity. Time is composed of three distinct features: past, present, and future. All those features are time, but they are all distinct from one another. About It: How does the concept of time help explain the teaching of the Trinity? Do you think time shows God’s unity or his diversity more?

Number020403

For Many Reasons, We Believe That God Is a Trinity
Construction Zone 4: The Trinity
Stage: 3

Question Answer
Why must we believe that God is one God in three Persons, each of Whom is fully God?

We must believe God is one God in three Persons because that is how He describes Himself in His Word.

The Difference This Truth Makes
The Bible is filled with good reasons to believe in the teaching of the Trinity.

Imagine that you are trying to discover things about your grandpa’s life. You could either talk to someone who thinks he knows about your grandpa, or you could talk to your grandpa himself. Whom would you rather ask? Would you go straight to the “source” – your grandpa himself?

God is the Source of all truth, and He has told us Who He is. It is important to believe exactly what God has said about Himself! Without believing the truth about God, we cannot truly know God, and we cannot truly be saved from our sins. (John 17:3)

Number020404

There Is Only One True God
Construction Zone 4: The Trinity
Stage: 4

Question Answer
Does the Bible teach that there is only one true God?

The Bible teaches that the LORD God is the one and only true God. Deuteronomy 6:4b – The LORD our God, the LORD is one!

The Difference This Truth Makes
God is One. There are not three different gods. Whoever God is, there is only One of Him!

We know from God’s Word that He is One in His Being, and yet we also learn from His Word that there are Three Who are God.

There are clear differences in each of the three Persons of the Trinity. The Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Father, and the Holy Spirit is not the Son. They are each different, but yet they are united together perfectly.

The Bible makes it clear that there is only one God. But this one God has revealed Himself to us in three Persons Who are all totally and equally God. There are not three different “Gods.” God is One.

ExtraContent
Did you know that the Trinity is the basis and model for the unity of the Church? 1 Corinthians 12:12  --  For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.

Did you know that the unity and diversity of the Trinity is the basis and model for the unity of a husband and wife in marriage?
1 Corinthians 11:3  --  But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.

Fast Fact: In the Bible, God speaks or is spoken of with singular pronouns over 7000 times!

Number020405

God Is Three Persons in One God
Construction Zone 4: The Trinity
Stage: 5

Question Answer
Who are the three Persons of the Trinity?

The three Persons of the Trinity are the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

The Difference This Truth Makes
Although there are three Persons in the Trinity, They are still exactly alike in greatness and goodness, because They are all God. They do have different things that They do as They work together. These different positions They hold and jobs They do are called “roles.” Here are some of those roles:

• The Father is the One Who commands, directs, and sends.
• The Son obeys the Father, leads us, and shows us Who God is.
• The Holy Spirit teaches the truth and makes people sure of it.

Number020406

All Three Persons Are in the Bible Together
Construction Zone 4: The Trinity
Stage: 6

Question Answer
Are there any Bible verses that show all three Persons of the Trinity together, doing or being things only God could do or be?

Yes. One is 2 Corinthians 13:14 – The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.

The Difference This Truth Makes
As you learned in Stage 3, there are many Bible reasons to believe God is a Trinity. Several verses show all three Members of the Godhead doing or being things that only God could do or be. Here are some of the clearest passages like that:

Ephesians 2:18 – For through Him [Jesus Christ] we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

John 15:26 – “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.”

Acts 7:55 – But he [Stephen], being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God

Number020407

The Bible Teaches that the Father Is God
Construction Zone 4: The Trinity
Stage: 7

Question Answer
Does the Bible teach that the Father is God?

Yes. The Bible teaches that the Father is God. Philippians 1:2a – Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

The Difference This Truth Makes
It is clear in the Bible that the Father is God. In our human thinking, it is easier to understand the Father as God than it is for us to think of the Son or the Holy Spirit as God. In most cultures, it is usually fathers who are the heads of households.

Ephesians 4:6 – One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

God has revealed Himself first and foremost as a Father. But that does not mean that the Son and the Holy Ghost are less than the Father in any way.

John 14:6 – Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

ExtraContent
Additional Bible Verse: 1 Corinthians 8:6  --  But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him. Illustration: To help explain what Augustine meant, imagine a boy that has just been given $100. He really wants to buy a new bike, but if he does, then he will spend all the money he has saved up for a new computer on the bike.

Internally, the boy might take sides. One side of him will put forth reasons to buy the bike, while another side might argue to save it and wait for the computer. Still another side might demand to give some of the money as an offering to the church – and so one boy becomes many inside his mind in order to arrive at a conclusion.

This illustration may be helpful, but the key to remember here is that all the members of the Trinity are perfectly united, and there is never any arguing or debating among them. In perfect love and service, the Members of the Trinity seek to please One another perfectly – and they do! To Help You Remember: It is important that God is One in Being, yet Three Persons. The only differences between the Three Persons are how they relate to each other, and how they relate to Creation. The roles of the Members of the Trinity may be seen like this:

• The Father directs and sends – in order of action, the Father may be seen as first Person of the Trinity. 

• The Son obeys and declares the Father – in order of action, the Son may be seen as the second Person of the Trinity.

• The Spirit confirms the truth of the Father and the Son – in order of action, the Holy Spirit may be seen as the third Person of the Trinity.

Number020408

The Bible Teaches that the Son Is God
Construction Zone 4: The Trinity
Stage: 8

Question Answer
Does the Bible teach that the Son, Jesus Christ, is God?

Yes. The Bible teaches that the Son is God. Hebrews 1:8a – But to the Son He says: "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever."

The Difference This Truth Makes
In Hebrews 1:8, God refers to Jesus as God. One thing is for sure – when God calls Someone “God,” that Someone is God!
The book of Hebrews shows how Christ is greater than everything.

He is greater than nature. He is greater than man. He is even greater than angels. Why is this? Because Jesus is God.

If Jesus were a created being, or if He were less than God in any way, then worshipping Him would be wrong!

Number020409

The Bible Teaches that the Holy Spirit Is God
Construction Zone 4: The Trinity
Stage: 9

Question Answer
Does the Bible teach that the Holy Spirit is God?

Yes. The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit is God. 2 Corinthians 3:17a – Now the Lord is the Spirit.

The Difference This Truth Makes
The Holy Spirit is totally God, too. Some people think that the Holy Spirit is just a “force” from God, like extra energy or wisdom for a special job. But the Bible shows that the Holy Spirit is a Person, with intelligence (He thinks), emotions (He feels), and a will (He chooses).

• Intelligence. 1 Corinthians 2:13 – These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
• Emotions. Ephesians 4:30 – And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
• Will. 1 Corinthians 12:11 – But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.

ExtraContent
Talk About It: How might the words “You,” “I,” and “He” help explain the Trinity

Number020410

The Doctrine of the Trinity Is Hard To Understand
Construction Zone 4: The Trinity
Stage: 10

Question Answer
How should learning about God as a Trinity cause me to feel?

I should feel humbled to think how great and mysterious God is, and it should also cause me to rejoice in Him. 2 Samuel 7:22b – You are great, O Lord GOD. For there is none like You.

The Difference This Truth Makes
We should be humbled by the teaching of the Trinity. We are only creatures, and God is our Creator. We believe the teaching of the Trinity, but not because we totally understand it. We believe it because the Bible teaches it and because the Spirit of God convinces us (makes us sure) of its truth.

Although we cannot totally understand the Trinity, we have learned that we cannot do without the Trinity. Without the Trinity, the world would never have been created. Without the Trinity, nobody could ever have his sins forgiven. Without the Trinity, we could not pray. Without the Trinity, everything we know and enjoy would fall apart. We really depend on all three Persons of the Trinity.

As humans, we should never just decide that we have the Trinity completely figured out. If someone thinks he understands the Trinity, he is probably wrong.

ExtraContent
Awesome Quote: Jonathan Edwards, one of the greatest minds ever to think about God said: “I don't pretend fully to explain how these things are and I am sensible a hundred other objections may be made and puzzling doubts and questions raised that I can't solve. I am far from pretending to explain the Trinity so as to render it no longer a mystery. I think it to be the highest and deepest of all Divine mysteries still. . . I don't intend to explain the Trinity."

Number020501

God Made Everything!
Construction Zone 5: God's Creation
Stage: 1

Question Answer
What is "Creationism"?

Creationism is the Bible's teaching that God created everything out of nothing in only six days. Genesis 1:1 – In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

The Difference This Truth Makes
The Bible teaches that all three Members of the Trinity were very active in creating the Universe.

God the Father created. The Bible says that God the Father worked through His Son to create the world. Hebrews 1:1–2 – God…has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds.

God the Holy Spirit created. Job 26:13 – By His Spirit He adorned [decorated] the heavens.

God the Son created. John 1:3 – All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

Think about what John 1:3 is teaching: Nothing has been made without Jesus!

But what about cars, planes, and even refrigerators? Did God make them too? Let’s think about it. Did God create man? Yes. Did God give men the minds to imagine

ExtraContent
Fast Fact: Moses is the author God inspired to write the Genesis account of the Creation

Number020502

God Alone Created the World out of Nothing
Construction Zone 5: God's Creation
Stage: 2

Question Answer
Who created you, the world, and everything in the world?

God alone created me, the world, and everything in the world. Isaiah 45:18a – For thus says the LORD, Who created the heavens, Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it.

The Difference This Truth Makes
God has the power to will things to be, and in that moment they happen just like He wants them to. Can you begin to imagine that kind of awesome power?

God does not need our help to do His will. In fact, Jesus said that if God wished stones to turn into people, God could make that happen!

Luke 3:8b – “Do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.”

God did not use any other materials or tools in order to create. When God created, He used nothing. God is the only One Who can turn nothing into something.

But for one part of God’s Creation, He did use something that He had already made in order to create something else. Can you think of what it was? (Hint: The material God used was dust.)

ExtraContent
What’s Wrong Here? “Within the period of human history we do not know of a single instance of the transformation of one species into another. . .” – T.H. Morgan, evolutionist (Genesis 1:24-25)

Talk About It: In your own words how would you describe each Member of the Trinity’s role in the Creation of the worldAwesome Quote: “While the creation is from the Father, it is through the Son and by the Holy Spirit.” M. Erickson

Number020503

Everything God Made Was Very Good
Construction Zone 5: God's Creation
Stage: 3

Question Answer
Was there anything evil or bad about God's original Creation?

No. Creation now is all stained by sin, but God's original Creation was all very good. Genesis 1:31a – Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good.

The Difference This Truth Makes
When God uses the word “good,” it means several things –
beautiful, pure, useful, desirable, and right.

Up until Day 6, God called His creation “good.” But when He reviewed all that He had done, He said it was “very good.” It is interesting that this happened only after He created man, whom He had made in His image.

God made all things good. Nothing in Creation is altogether evil, since all things came from God Who is perfectly good.

Sin has brought death, suffering, and pain (see Romans 8:22-23), but that does not mean that God’s Creation was totally ruined by sin. There are reflections, good things in Creation that remind us of a good God. But these gifts have only a “basic” goodness, not a perfect goodness. Only God is perfectly good.

Number020504

God Created Everything for His Glory
Construction Zone 5: God's Creation
Stage: 4

Question Answer
Why did God create the world and everything in it?

God created everything for His pleasure and His glory. Revelation 4:11b – For You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.

The Difference This Truth Makes
God is worthy of praise for many reasons. But Revelation 4:11 shows that He is worthy because He alone created all things. In Jeremiah 10:11-13, God compares Himself to other gods by saying that they are “The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth.” God hates false gods because He is the only One worthy of worship, the only One Who has earned that kind of honor. Only the God Who truly made the heavens and the Earth deserves our worship and service.

Number020505

God Made Everything in Six Days
Construction Zone 5: God's Creation
Stage: 5

Question Answer
How long did it take God to create the world?

God spent six normal days creating the world. Exodus 20:11a – For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them.

The Difference This Truth Makes
God took six ordinary days to create the Earth. The information that scientists and historians can give about the beginning of the world is very limited. Science and history do not have full knowledge to answer all questions. Christians do not know all that might be known about Creation, either. No one was there to see! But believers can be sure that God created all that is in the world in six ordinary days. We can be sure that God has revealed to us in His Word what we need to know about Creation.

Many people want to use the discoveries of science to try to prove Creation happened the way the Bible says. That might be good, but our starting point must always be the Bible. You must believe in your heart that everything the Bible teaches is 100% true. God’s Word is either true or false. It cannot be a mixture of truth and lies.

Number020506

God Used His Word To Create All Things
Construction Zone 5: God's Creation
Stage: 6

Question Answer
How did God create the world?

God spoke the world into being! Psalm 33:6a – By the word of the LORD the heavens were made.

The Difference This Truth Makes
How did God create the world? God simply spoke words, and the world was. Nothing forced God to create. God was not lonely or in need of company. God was not in need of glory. God was perfect in His goodness and His greatness before He created the world. God did not have to ask permission before He created. (Who could He have asked, anyway?) God is God. He was not “in need of” anything or anyone.

“Evolution” (ev-uh-LOO-shun) teaches that the world came slowly into being all on its own, without God. An evolutionist, someone who believes this teaching, thinks that God could not have created the world. He makes himself blind to any facts that point to God’s Creation. The Bible says he is “willingly ignorant [without knowledge].”

A Christian starts out believing that God and His Word are true. As Christians, we must line up all our ideas and opinions with what the Bible clearly teaches. The teachingsof the Bible are the foundation for all our other thoughts. If God’s words were powerful enough to create the world, then God’s words in the Bible are strong enough for us to trust. God’s Word is the highest
truth!

Number020507

By Faith, We Can Know the Truth about Creation
Construction Zone 5: God's Creation
Stage: 7

Question Answer
How can we really know for sure that everything we see, hear, touch, and smell was created by God?

We can know this only by faith. Hebrews 11:3a – By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God.

The Difference This Truth Makes
Hebrews 11:1 – Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

True faith causes one to be absolutely sure that God created the world, and that everything He says in His Word is true. People who do not have true faith in God cannot be 100% sure of anything, because God is the only One Who is 100% perfect and reliable.

Number020508

Creation Shows Everybody that There Is a Creator
Construction Zone 5: God's Creation
Stage: 8

Question Answer
What does the creative handiwork of God show us?

Creation shows us that there must be a God, and that He must be good and great. Romans 1:20a – For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made.

The Difference This Truth Makes
Since God is a Spirit, He cannot be seen with our eyes. But God has made Himself known in a general way through His Creation. In other words, invisible things can be seen through visible things.

Creation is God’s “television station,” sending the message to all that there is a God. God creates humans with something like a spiritual “antenna” inside them to “tune in” to God’s message! Some people “see” the truth of God and believe. Others “see” the truth of God but push it away. What will you do with the truth that God has allowed you to see?

Number020509

God Made All the Invisible Things, Too
Construction Zone 5: God's Creation
Stage: 9

Question Answer
Did God create all things that exist, both visible and invisible?

Yes. Colossians 1:16a – For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible.

The Difference This Truth Makes
God made all the things in heaven.
The Bible also says that God created all invisible things (things we cannot see). The Bible teaches us that the invisible things are eternal, and that the visible things (things we can see) are temporal (they do not last).

We should not always trust our eyes. The Bible says that we walk by faith, not by sight. This means that we can be sure about things that are not seen. (2 Corinthians 5:7)

Because God made the invisible things, they are all under God’s authority. Even the Devil, though he is invisible, is under God’s power because the Devil is a created being. God has complete power and authority over all things – both visible and invisible.

ExtraContent
What’s Wrong Here? Charles Darwin said to Asa Gray “…I am quite conscious that my speculations [evolution] run beyond the bounds of true science…It is a mere rag of an hypothesis with as many flaw[s] & holes as sound parts.” (2 Peter 3:5)

Number020510

We Will All Stand Before Our Maker Someday
Construction Zone 5: God's Creation
Stage: 10

Question Answer
How should learning the truth about Creation change the way you think about God, the Creator?

The truth about Creation should help me want to praise and honor God with my life. Romans 14:12 – So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.

The Difference This Truth Makes
The Bible teaches that all of us will have to give an answer to God for how we lived our lives. Nobody will be able to get out of it. We all must stand before our Creator.

We should live our lives as though every minute is lived right in front of the face of God. He loves His Creation so much that He never takes His eyes off it. Your great and good Creator loves you. He wants you to bring Him glory by enjoying and serving Him forever.

Number020601

God Made Man out of Dust
Construction Zone 6: God's View of You
Stage: 1

Question Answer
How did the first human being get here?

The LORD God created the first man, Adam, out of dust. Genesis 2:7a – And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground.

The Difference This Truth Makes
God used dust to create man. God made the most valuable part of His Creation out of the least valuable part of His Creation. He made the most amazing part of His Creation out of the most common part of His Creation. What does that show about the kind of Creator He is?

Could God have created man out of gold, or water? Perhaps the reason God used dust was to show His awesome skill – that He could make something truly wonderful out of something so truly worthless. God can take dirt and make something priceless out of it. What a great God!

Although Adam’s body was formed with dust, God breathed into him the “breath of life.” Nobody knows for sure exactly what the “breath of life” is, but we do know that it made man become a “living soul.” The soul is the invisible part of you that will never stop living.

ExtraContent
How can the fact that we are made out of dust keep us from forgetting God and becoming proud?

Number020602

God Made Mankind in His Own Image
Construction Zone 6: God's View of You
Stage: 2

Question Answer
What does it mean that humans are 'made in the image of God'?

Being 'made in the image of God' means that God made humans to be like Him in certain ways. Genesis 1:27a – So God created man in His own image.

The Difference This Truth Makes
Children usually reflect (bounce back an image of) their parents. What does that mean? Maybe people have told you that “you have your dad’s blue eyes.” Or maybe “you talk just like your mom.” One way or another, parents can be “seen” somehow in their children. People who spend time with you will notice little things about you that remind them of your parents. If you are a /lot/ like your mom or dad, people might say you are the “spittin’ image” of that parent.

All humans – past, present, and future – bear the image of God. But does that have to mean that we “look” like God looks? Since God is a spirit, it must mean we are like Him in some way besides outward looks. Christians believe that humans
resemble God in three ways:

Intelligence – God gave us minds; we can have thoughts about who we are.

Emotions – God designed us to feel things like joy, sadness, anger, and delight.

Will – God gave us a will to choose and act upon personal desires.

All humans have value, because God made each one of us to seem like Him in some ways. Being made “in His image” is something we are, rather than something we have or do. It does not matter if it is the richest billionaire or the poorest cripple – any humans resemble God better than any other part of His Creation. (See Romans 10:12.)

Number020603

God Made Mankind To Bring Him Glory
Construction Zone 6: God's View of You
Stage: 3

Question Answer
Why are human beings the pinnacle, the most glorious part, of all God's Creation?

Of all God's Creation, human beings are made to be most like God and to bring Him more of the glory He deserves. Psalm 86:9 – All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord, and shall glorify Your name.

The Difference This Truth Makes
God did not need to create man, but He created us for His own glory. Humans, more than any other part of God’s Creation, bring God glory. Why is that? Because it is through people that God’s glory can be seen most clearly.

Have you ever gone to a house of mirrors? If the glass is not flat, the image reflected back at you will be twisted. It might look a little bit like you, but not as much as if the glass were nice and flat.

When God first created man, His image in man was clearer, like the kind of image a perfectly flat mirror would reflect. When Adam fell and sin came into the world, the image of God in man became blurry and twisted, but it did not completely disappear. Your life can be a reflection of God’s glory!

Number020604

God Has a Purpose for Your Life
Construction Zone 6: God's View of You
Stage: 4

Question Answer
What did God create you to do?

God created me to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever! Psalm 86:12 – I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and I will glorify Your name forevermore.

The Difference This Truth Makes
Since God is the Creator, He is the only One worthy of all the glory. In order that He might be glorified, God has given us rules by which to live. These rules are for our benefit and for His glory. The rules and laws that God has given are based on His holy character.

When we live according to God’s Law, we can show (in a small but accurate way) a picture of what God is like. God is pleased and gets glory when we reflect His character (bounce back His image) in the way we live. By God’s grace, we should think, act, and speak as God does, in order to bring Him glory.

Number020605

The Happiest People Are Godly People
Construction Zone 6: God's View of You
Stage: 5

Question Answer
What were Adam and Eve like when God created them?

Adam and Eve were created holy and happy, without sin and without sorrow. Psalm 16:11b – In Your presence is fullness of joy.

The Difference This Truth Makes
When Adam and Eve were first created, they were holy and happy. They were holy (without sin) because they did not have any knowledge of evil and had never sinned. They were happy because they had sweet, close fellowship with God.

But all that changed one day, when Satan (the devil) came into the garden.

Satan wants to spoil God’s Creation as much as he can, because he wants to be God. (Isaiah 14) Satan believes the lie that he is as great as God, and he thinks he will take away God’s kingdom someday. Satan tries to get as many people as he can to buy into that same lie.

Christians who choose to live close to God are the happiest people, because God created us to enjoy knowing Him. Choosing to live close to God means saying “no” to sin and “yes” to God. It is a life of faith that brings great joy.

James 4:8 – Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Number020606

All Of Us Have Sinned Against God
Construction Zone 6: God's View of You
Stage: 6

Question Answer
When Adam disobeyed God in the garden, did it cause everyone born after him to be sinners like him?

Yes. Through Adam, sin and sin's consequences came into the world and to all people. Romans 5:12b – Through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin.

The Difference This Truth Makes
Adam’s choice affected everybody born after him. Each of us would probably have done exactly what Adam did. For many reasons, Adam was our best chance to reject sin and to live perfectly before God. He was the representative of the whole human race. When Adam fell, we all fell.

Adam’s did not reflect God’s image rightly, so all of us now are born with a sinful nature. That means our spiritual condition is automatically sinful. We do not even have to commit a sin in order to be sinful. We are sinful because we are humans. We descended from Adam, so we are sinful and guilty like he was.

Think about a network of computers. When a computer virus hits one computer, it can spread to literally millions of them because
they are all connected. As humans, we are all connected to Adam and Adam’s sin. But it is not only sin that spread to all people – it is also the penalty of sin! The Bible says that death has passed upon all men. If it were not for God’s kindness and love to us, we would be totally hopeless.

Number020607

Sin Is Failing To Obey God
Construction Zone 6: God's View of You
Stage: 7

Question Answer
What is "sin"?

Sin is anything we do that goes against God or His Law. 1 John 3:4 – Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.

The Difference This Truth Makes
The most simple and correct definition for the Bible word sin is “missing the mark.” But what mark (or target) have we missed? Romans 3:23 – For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

What we have missed is the glory of God, the purpose for which He created us. The Bible teaches that we were created in God’s image to glorify Him. Sin is failing to give glory to God by not perfectly reflecting His character. Sin is missing the mark of God’s glory through wrong actions, speech, attitudes, or thoughts. We can sin in our...

Actions. Isaiah 31:7 – For in that day every man shall throw away his idols of silver and his idols of gold-sin, which your own hands have made for yourselves.

Words / Speech. Psalm 59:12 – For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips, Let them even be taken in their pride, And for the cursing and lying which they speak.

Thoughts / Attitudes. Acts 8:22 – “Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you.”

Doing Nothing! James 4:17 – Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.

Number020608

Sin Never Has Good Results
Construction Zone 6: God's View of You
Stage: 8

Question Answer
What happened after the first sin ("the Fall")?

After the fall, nobody could get close to God anymore, and nobody could get away from sin's curse of death. 1 Corinthians 15:22a – For as in Adam all die.

The Difference This Truth Makes
God promised Adam and Eve that if they ate of the fruit, they would die. Although they did not immediately die physically, their sinful choices actually brought not one but three types of death into the world.

Whenever the word “death” is used in Scripture, its main meaning
is “separation.” To die means to separate from something. Sin has brought three types of death into the world.

Physical death is the separation of man’s soul and spirit from his body. (1 Corinthians 15:20-21)

Spiritual death is the separation of man from God. (Genesis 3:8; Genesis 3:23; Isaiah 59:2)

Eternal (or “second”) death is the separation of man from God for ever and ever. (John 8:24; Revelation 20:15; Revelation 21:8)

People who do not know Christ might have physical life, but the Bible describes them as “dead in trespasses and sins.” The results of sin are awful, aren’t they?

ExtraContent
Awesome Quote: "Adam brought death but Christ brings life!"

Number020609

God Loves To Save Sinful People
Construction Zone 6: God's View of You
Stage: 9

Question Answer
Does God leave all sinners to die in their sin, guilt, and misery?

No. He gave Jesus to save sinners. John 3:16 – "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

The Difference This Truth Makes
God’s plan to save sinful people from their sins by sending His Son brings Him much glory. When God changes a sinner, He shows His matchless greatness and goodness. The sinners He saves are “trophies” of His grace. Have you ever won a trophy for playing a sport or winning a contest? If you have, you probably put it out on a shelf for “display,” for people to see. God shows His glory through His children. He puts His trophies “on display” so the world will see them and say, “What a great God they must have.”

Number020610

All Of Us Need God To Rescue Us from Our Sins
Construction Zone 6: God's View of You
Stage: 10

Question Answer
How has Adam's sin affected you?

I need God. I can never be good without Him. Romans 7:18a – For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells.

The Difference This Truth Makes
In many stories in the Bible, we find people who were held captiveunder a slave owner. These people were rightfully the property of the slave owner. In order to be set free, they needed to be “redeemed.” The word redemption means “rescued by a purchase.” The only way for these slaves to be set free was for a redeemer to come and buy them out of their condition. Sinners are slaves to sin! Not just anyone can be our Redeemer.

Do you know Who the Redeemer is? Jesus Christ is the only One able to meet all the requirements of redemption! Praise the Lord! He willingly paid the great price of His life so that we could go free!

Revelation 5:9 – And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation.

Number020701

Love Is the Foundation of All Obedience
Construction Zone 7: God's Law
Stage: 1

Question Answer
According to what Jesus taught, what are the two greatest commandments of all?

Loving God wholeheartedly and loving others unreservedly. Matthew 22:37b, 39b – "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart.... You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

The Difference This Truth Makes
When we love God more than anything or anyone else, we will not have any problems obeying His commandments!
1. Do you love God?
2. Do you always choose the right thing?

Love for God motivates us to be and do right.

Kellogg’s Pop TartsTM have a slogan that goes like this, “It’s what’s inside that counts!” Jesus was teaching something like that when He commanded us to love God and others. We might look obedient on the outside, but God sees ours hearts.

In Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus narrows down all of God’s laws into only two:
1. Love God.
2. Love others.

Like the foundation of a building, these “love laws” are the “foundation” for all the others. If we keep them, we cannot help but keep the rest.

Number020702

The First Four Commandments
Construction Zone 7: God's Law
Stage: 2

Question Answer
What are the first four of the Ten Commandments in order as they are given in Exodus 20:3-8?

The Difference This Truth Makes
When you think of the Ten Commandments, you should think of Exodus 20 right away. That is the main place to find the Ten Commandments in the Bible.

Whenever the word “thou” is used, it means “you.” We should never think that the Ten Commandments are not meant for us right now. They are! God’s Law is as unchanging as God’s character.

Breaking God’s Law is a big deal because it is sin against a holy God. Going against God’s Law is the same as going against God.

ExtraContent
Talk About It: What can the second commandment teach us about God’s nature? What can the third commandment teach us about God's character?

Fast Fact: The Ten Commandments are often called the Decalogue, from the Greek word that means “ten words.”

Number020703

The Last Six Commandments
Construction Zone 7: God's Law
Stage: 3

Question Answer
What are the last six of the Ten Commandments in order as they are given in Exodus 20:12-17?

The Difference This Truth Makes
God’s Law is another way He reveals more to us about Himself. His Law shows us what kind of God He is. Would a good “god” command us to beat up people? How about if we had to serve a god who required that we be selfish and eat all the chocolate we want? How would you feel if your “god” commanded you to steal from other people? Would you have a very high opinion of that god’s character?

We can rejoice that God’s Law clearly shows us the spotless, perfect character of a loving and honorable God. God’s Law flows out of His holy, moral nature. We can love the Law because it shows us what it means to be perfect and reminds us Who the only truly perfect One is. The Law causes us to love God and to want to be more like His Son Jesus Christ.

Number020704

God Commands Us How To Act Toward Him
Construction Zone 7: God's Law
Stage: 4

Question Answer
What do the first four commandments teach you?

The first four commandments teach me what it means to love and serve God. Deuteronomy 6:5 – You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.

The Difference This Truth Makes
The first four commandments have to do with our relationship to God. God places these commandments first because He is the top priority! God teaches that when we give Him first place in our lives, everything else falls into place. When you have a right relationship with God, you will also grow in your right relationships with people.

Number020705

God Tells Us How To Act Toward Others
Construction Zone 7: God's Law
Stage: 5

Question Answer
What do the last six commandments teach you?

The last six commandments teach me what it means to love and serve my neighbor. Matthew 7:12a – "Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them."

The Difference This Truth Makes
God cares about how we treat other people. One reason He cares is that He created all humans in His own image. The way we treat others shows how we truly feel about God.

1 John 4:20 – If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?

No matter how we sin against another human being, ultimately we sin against God. There is no way to break God’s Law without sinning against God Himself.

Number020706

God’s Law Shows Us Our Need for Jesus
Construction Zone 7: God's Law
Stage: 6

Question Answer
Why did God give the Ten Commandments?

God gave the Ten Commandments to show us why we need Jesus Christ. Galatians 3:24a – Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ.

The Difference This Truth Makes
God’s Law shows His standard (what He expects, what will please Him) of perfection. In school, a student gets either “passing” grades or “failing” grades. A failing grade means the student’s work “missed the mark” that the teacher set for him. His work was not good enough, so it did not earn the teacher’s approval.

When it comes to living up to God’s Law, we have all received a failing grade. We all miss the mark. No one has obeyed God’s Law perfectly – no one except Christ. Since Christ has never missed the mark of God’s holiness, He has God’s approval. He is able to meet our deepest needs to be forgiven and accepted by God.

God takes no pleasure in anything that does not measure up perfectly to His Law. When we come face-to-face with God’s standard (His expectations), we always fall short. But, like a failing grade, the Law does point out our need for Christ. God’s Law does not give life, but it does guide to life.

Number020707

Jesus Christ Never Broke God’s Law
Construction Zone 7: God's Law
Stage: 7

Question Answer
Why is it so important that Jesus Christ obeyed the Ten Commandments perfectly?

Because Jesus Christ is God, His obedience was perfect; and His righteousness can be ours by grace through faith. Romans 5:19b – By one Man's obedience many will be made righteous.

The Difference This Truth Makes
If God’s standard is perfection, and we have miserably fallen short of that standard, then we are in big trouble! That is what God’s Law teaches us. But when we understand that Christ did measure up to God’s standard of perfection and that His perfect righteousness can be put on our accounts, we learn that we can be accepted by God – in Christ!

We can have Jesus’ righteousness only through faith in Him. This is why the Bible says: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6).

Number020708

All of Us Have Broken God’s Law
Construction Zone 7: God's Law
Stage: 8

Question Answer
Can sinners get to heaven by trying really hard to obey all of the Ten Commandments?

No. Nobody but Jesus is good enough to get to heaven by keeping the Law perfectly. Romans 3:20a – Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight.

The Difference This Truth Makes
Some people think that if they try hard to obey God’s Law they will be accepted by Him. But we have all fallen short of God’s standard of perfect righteousness. Even if everyone tried to live perfectly starting today, they could never make up for the sins they have committed in the past. That is why no one will ever be declared righteous through the doing the works of the Law. It is impossible to be saved by “good” works.

We cannot become God’s children by obeying commandments. We need a heart change first. It is impossible to obey God without God. We need God. He gives the best help in obeying His Law.

Obeying the Ten Commandments is impossible without faith in Christ. God must change our heart to love Him. This heart change happens only through faith. (Deuteronomy 30:6; 2 Corinthians 5:17) When people come to God by faith, He changes their hearts to love Him.

When you become a Christian through faith in Christ, you are not under the Law anymore, but you still need to obey it. In fact, if you know Christ, He will change your heart so you will want to obey His Law even more. He saved us so we could obey the Law, not break it. (Romans 6:5)

The Law teaches lost people that they are sinful and in need of forgiveness. God’s Law drives people to see their need for Christ (Romans 3:19).

For a Christian, whole obedience to the Law is the goal – not just obeying on the outside, but obeying on the inside, too. Christ fulfilled the Law perfectly, and God saves us to become like Christ in our words, actions, and thoughts. When we obey the Law, we are being like Christ.

ExtraContent
Talk About It: What can the eighth commandment teach us about God’s character?

Fast Fact: God is merciful to thieves. We know this because the first person Christ saved through the cross was a thief (Luke 23:42-43).

Number020709

Obeying God’s Law Brings Joy!
Construction Zone 7: God's Law
Stage: 9

Question Answer
Does God give us the Law to make us miserable and keep us from being happy?

No. The Law is God's good gift to us. Deuteronomy 6:24a – And the LORD commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always.

The Difference This Truth Makes
When the Bible speaks of the “fear of the Lord” as it does in Deuteronomy 6:24, it is talking about respectful trust that places God’s wishes above our own. When we truly fear the Lord, we will love what He loves and hate what He hates (sin).

Sin never brings good results. One of the reasons that fearing the Lord is so good for us is that it keeps us from sin. Having a fear of God causes us to see a clear difference: Obedience will bring joy and peace. Disobedience will cause pain and misery.

God wants what is best for you! Obedience to the Law is a good thing and brings us many benefits. Obedience brings blessing; disobedience
brings conflict.

ExtraContent
Talk About It: What can the tenth commandment teach us about God’s character?

What are some ways you can obey the tenth commandment?

How could you show love for one thing by actually hating another thing (example: hating violence against your neighbor shows love for them)?

Number020710

We Should Thank God for Giving Us His Law
Construction Zone 7: God's Law
Stage: 10

Question Answer
What should your attitude be like toward God because He has given the Law?

I should be thankful to God because His Law shows me Who He is and Who alone can save me. Psalm 119:111 – Your testimonies I have taken as a heritage forever, for they are the rejoicing of my heart.

The Difference This Truth Makes
Without God’s Law, we would not understand our need for God. All people are born with a sense of God’s Law. They can understand right and wrong. Because of this truth, nobody will have an excuse for not having faith in Christ. God, because He is a loving, gracious, merciful heavenly Father, has given us His Law to bring us to Christ. Thank God for the Law!

There are three reasons to be very thankful for God’s Law:
1. The Law points us to Christ.
2. The Law reveals the character of God.
3. The Law shows us how we can live our lives to glorify God.

Without God’s Law, we would not understand our need for God. if we thought that we could live perfectly without Christ, then we would not think we needed God. The Law helps people understand a little bit of how much they need God, and it helps them understand to the point where some call upon Christ to save them from their sin.

Number020801

Christ Is the Only Way To Have Our Sins Forgiven
Construction Zone 8: Jesus Christ
Stage: 1

Question Answer
Who is Jesus Christ?

Jesus Christ is the only Son of God and the only Savior of sinners. John 14:6a – Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life."

The Difference This Truth Makes
To understand God better, we can look at the Law – or we can look to the One Who perfectly obeyed the Law. We can look at prophecy – or we can look at the One Who perfectly fulfills prophecy. The main story of the whole Bible is the story of
Christ – the King, the Redeemer, the only Hope.

Jesus Christ reveals to us Who God is and what God is like.

John 1:18 – No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.

Colossians 1:15a – [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God.Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He is the Truth because He declares to us Who God is. Christ is the Way because He is the bridge between God and man. And knowing Christ brings eternal Life. John 17:3 – “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”

Number020802

Jesus Is the Only Mediator Between God and Man
Construction Zone 8: Jesus Christ
Stage: 2

Question Answer
Who is the only Mediator between God and sinners, the only One able to bring us close to God?

Jesus Christ is the only Mediator between God and sinners. 1 Timothy 2:5 – For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.

The Difference This Truth Makes
A “covenant” is something like a promise, but it is even more serious than that. There is no way to get out of it. It is an agreement beyond all agreements! A covenant is a super-promise that begins a relationship that can never be changed.

A wedding vow is a covenant. So is an adoption. These are covenants that create relationships between people, and the relationships they create are forever. God always keeps His covenants, but human beings have never been able to keep covenants with God by themselves. They need a mediator.

A “mediator” is a go-between person or bridge between two people or groups of people. The mediator works to bring together the people and to take away any misunderstandings.
Mankind had failed God and sinned against Him, ruining the relationship between them. When we sin, we make ourselves the enemies of God. The only One able to bring us together is Christ. Adam could not do it. Moses could not do it. David could not do it. Mary, Jesus’ mother, could not do it.

Every other human has failed to meet the Law’s demands. ButChrist is both human and God. He obeyed perfectly, when no one else could. Christ was and still is the only perfect Mediator between God and man. Through faith in Christ, we can come to God and have a right relationship with Him because of our Mediator – the Bridge between God and us.

ExtraContent
Do you ever look forward to worshipping Jesus face-to-face someday? What do you imagine that day will be like when you see Christ Seeing It Clearly. C.S. Lewis taught that "A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic - on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg - or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God; or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”Awesome Quote: “There is no easy middle ground to stroll upon. You either accept Jesus or reject him." Sholem Asch

Number020803

Jesus Christ Has Always Been and Always Will Be God
Construction Zone 8: Jesus Christ
Stage: 3

Question Answer
Is Jesus Christ truly God?

Jesus Christ is truly God and always will be. Titus 2:13 – Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.

The Difference This Truth Makes
Jesus Christ is God. Jesus claimed to be God. He did things that only God can do. God Himself talks to Jesus as “God.”

The truth is, if Jesus were not totally God, then everyone would still be hopelessly lost in their sins. Nothing less than the blood of God would ever do for a sacrifice for sin.

Only blood can pay for sins, and only Someone Who is God could pay for all the sins that have been committed against God.

Salvation is from the Lord (Jonah 2:9), and the whole message of the Bible is that no human being, no creature, could ever save us.
Only God could provide a Redeemer, and only God could be that Redeemer.

Only God Himself could be the Mediator between God and man. Only Jesus Christ is able to bring us back to God and to reveal God to us rightly.

Number020804

Jesus Christ Is Totally Human
Construction Zone 8: Jesus Christ
Stage: 4

Question Answer
Is Jesus Christ truly human?

Jesus Christ became truly human in every way, except He never sinned. Galatians 4:4 – But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law.

The Difference This Truth Makes
The Bible says that Jesus was born of a woman (He had a human mom). He was human. Jesus felt love and anger: He had emotions like we do. Jesus felt hunger and and thirst. He had emotions and suffered pain. He fought against temptations to sin. He even died. Jesus is 100% God and 100% man.

Jesus showed to us what God is like better than anyone else could have.

Jesus Christ had to be a human in order to be able to take our place. Humans were sinners, so a human had to bear the penalty for their sins. Since He was really a man, Jesus can be our Representative. He obeyed for us where Adam failed for us.

Romans 5:19 – For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.

Number020805

Jesus Died an Awful Death To Pay for Our Sins
Construction Zone 8: Jesus Christ
Stage: 5

Question Answer
What kind of death did Christ die?

Christ died a painful, shameful, bloody death on a cross for sinners. Isaiah 53:5a – But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities.

The Difference This Truth Makes
The death of Christ on the cross is an event that should cause us to have mixed feelings. We should feel incredibly thankful that Christ paid the price for our sins. We should also feel incredibly sad that our sins caused Him such pain and shame.

Christ was our “Substitute.” That means He took our place so that we would not have to pay the penalty for our sins. By dying for us, He proved to us how good and loving He is.

Jesus died an awful death on the cross. The Bible teaches that “without the shedding of blood is no remission [forgiveness of sins]” (Hebrews 9:22). Jesus needed to die a painful, shameful, bloody death in order to pay for our sins.

Number020806

Jesus Christ Rose from the Dead
Construction Zone 8: Jesus Christ
Stage: 6

Question Answer
Did Jesus rise from the dead?

Yes! Jesus rose again and is alive today! Acts 1:3b – He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.

The Difference This Truth Makes
Jesus rose from His grave by His own power. Nobody has ever risen from the grave like Jesus did!

Because Jesus rose from the dead, He proved forever that He has the power to raise others from the dead. In fact, there is coming a time when God will resurrect everyone (bring them all to life again) [endash] either to be glorified for heaven, or to be sent to everlasting death in hell.

Jesus really was dead. The soldiers used a spear to make sure He was really dead. His friends and family buried Him and sealed His tomb. When they came to visit His grave later, it was open; and His body was gone!

Jesus really did come back to life. And He is still alive to this day.

Philippians 3:10-11 – That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

If Christ had not risen, He would have been just like any other man. But Jesus showed the world that He is worthy to be worshipped as God. He got victory over sin and death as only God Himself could.

Number020807

Jesus Is in Heaven, But His Spirit Is with Us
Construction Zone 8: Jesus Christ
Stage: 7

Question Answer
What is Jesus Christ doing right now?

Jesus is at His Father's right hand, preparing a place for His people and praying for them. Luke 22:69 – "Hereafter the Son of Man will sit on the right hand of the power of God."

The Difference This Truth Makes
Jesus said, “I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father” (John 16:28). The Bible teaches that Christ went up to heaven. His feet left the ground, and He went up into the sky!

Luke 24:50-51 – And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven.

Christ is a real Person, and He went to a place called “heaven.” We should understand and believe that heaven is a place! If Christ is physically there, and not here – what is He doing right now?

1. He is ruling. 1 Peter 3:22 – Who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.

2. He is preparing a place for His own. John 14:2 – “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.”

3. He is praying. Hebrews 7:25 – Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession
for them.

Number020808

Jesus Christ Is More Powerful Than Sin
Construction Zone 8: Jesus Christ
Stage: 8

Question Answer
Why is it so important to believe Christ rose from the dead?

If Christ had not risen from the dead, sinners would have no hope for forgiveness or eternal life. 1 Corinthians 15:17 – And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!

The Difference This Truth Makes
If Christ had not risen from the dead, then that would mean that sin and death got victory over Him. But since Christ did beat sin and death by living sinlessly and by coming back to life, we can know that He has won the ultimate victory. The One Who wins over sin and death once will never need to beat it again. Death has already been defeated – once and for all.

Number020809

Jesus Loves People Very Much
Construction Zone 8: Jesus Christ
Stage: 9

Question Answer
Does Jesus love people?

Yes! Jesus laid down His life for people. Matthew 9:36a – But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them.

The Difference This Truth Makes
In His time on Earth, Jesus went around teaching, preaching, and healing. One reason Jesus healed people by miracles was to prove that He was the Son of God. But Jesus also looked at the people and felt kindness and pity for them because they had such great needs. The preaching and healing ministry of Jesus attracted very large crowds! Would you have gone to see Jesus if you had lived back then?

Jesus Christ is the perfect example of how a person ought to live. Through His life and words, He reveals Who God is – the absolute standard of perfection. We must follow Him.

The main way Christ is our example is in this kind of love. Christ selflessly served His Father and others. He gave Himself (see Ephesians 5:25) so that we might have life. True love always gives!

John 15:9 – “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.”

Number020810

Believers in Christ Will Be Thankful Forever
Construction Zone 8: Jesus Christ
Stage: 10

Question Answer
How should these truths about Jesus Christ affect you?

I should believe and be glad that the only perfect Savior laid down His life so that I could be right with God. Hebrews 13:15a – Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God.

The Difference This Truth Makes
When we truly believe in Christ, it affects everything about us – but one of the key things believing in Christ does is that it causes us to praise and thank God.

The Bible says we should offer praise to God continually. This means that God should be glorified (honored and praised) in the way we live our lives (especially by what we say about God and to God).

But praise to God does not end when we die. In heaven, we can praise God more perfectly and more beautifully than ever!

Revelation 19:5 – Then a voice came from the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!”

Number020901

God’s Greatest Gift Is Salvation
Construction Zone 9: God's Gift - Salvation
Stage: 1

Question Answer
What is "salvation"?

Salvation is the everlasting life and forgiveness that God gives freely to sinners who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Jonah 2:9b – Salvation is of the LORD.

The Difference This Truth Makes
Salvation is the best thing that could possibly happen to anyone! And it is a free gift of God. Ever since Jesus died on the cross, Satan has been telling lies and tricking people into thinking that there are good deeds they must do in order to deserve or earn salvation. But salvation is not earned; it is freely given by God.

Titus 3:5 – Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.

It is important to understand that salvation is totally God’s work, and we are only receivers (the ones who get to keep the gift). There is no good work that we can do to earn salvation. When God invites us to receive salvation by His grace through faith – we can each say “Yes, please!” and receive His wonderful gift.

Number020902

Salvation Comes Only through Faith in Christ
Construction Zone 9: God's Gift - Salvation
Stage: 2

Question Answer
In whom alone must we trust to forgive our sins and to make us fit for eternal life with God?

We must trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, and in Him alone. Acts 4:12a – Nor is there salvation in any other.

The Difference This Truth Makes
When the word “name” is used in Acts 4:12 it is talking about Jesus’ power and authority. There is no other power or authority Who can or will save us from sins.

Because we are sinners, we are in bondage to sin and the penalty of sin. (See 1 John 5:19.) Unless Someone powerful can rescue us, we are really helpless to escape sin or sin’s penalty. Without a strong enough Savior, we would stay in bondage, and we would suffer the pains of eternal death forever.

Jesus Christ came to rescue sinners! The payment for sin was paid by Christ, and it was received and accepted by the Father. Without Christ, the only future we could hope for would be an eternity in hell. But with Christ, we can hope for eternal LIFE!

Number020903

God Commands All of Us To Repent and Believe
Construction Zone 9: God's Gift - Salvation
Stage: 3

Question Answer
What must you do to be saved?

To be saved, I must (by grace, through faith) repent from my sins and believe that only Christ can make me clean. Mark 1:15b – "Repent, and believe in the gospel."

The Difference This Truth Makes
God wants you to be saved. In order to receive salvation, you must be “converted.” This means you must repent (change your attitude toward sin) and have faith (believe) in Christ.

God expects each person to respond to the Gospel with repentance and faith. If we do this, it is called “conversion.”

Acts 3:19 – Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.

Conversion is a one-time decision of turning from sin and turning to Christ in faith. In other words, it does not need to keep happening over and over again. Even though we will keep growing in faith, and even though we will need to keep on turning away from sin, conversion is that first turning from sin and to Christ in faith that He does the saving. Once you are saved, you are always saved, if you were truly saved.

Number020904

Faith Makes Us Sure of God’s Truth
Construction Zone 9: God's Gift - Salvation
Stage: 4

Question Answer
What is "faith"?

Faith is a gift of God that makes us able to trust Him and believe His Gospel. Ephesians 2:8 – For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.

The Difference This Truth Makes
The way we receive God’s gift of salvation is through faith. True faith humbles people because it causes them to see how badly they need Jesus Christ. If people think they deserve salvation, they do not have true faith.

True faith is what makes us sure that Jesus saves desperate and needy sinners because of His goodness – not because of theirs.

Salvation begins and ends with the grace of God. He is the One Who has first given us the Gospel and His Holy Spirit. Nobody deserves salvation! Nobody can earn it! Everything needed for salvation is a gift of God.

Number020905

God Wants Us To Turn Away from Sin
Construction Zone 9: God's Gift - Salvation
Stage: 5

Question Answer
What is "repentance"?

Repentance is a gift from God that makes sinners want to turn away from their sins and turn to Him. 1 Thessalonians 1:9b – You turned to God from idols.

The Difference This Truth Makes
Matthew 9:13b – [Jesus said] “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

In this verse, Jesus is telling the reason why He came into the world: To call sinners to repentance. We have already learned that we are definitely sinners. And we have also discovered that everything that Jesus does is important – especially if He is telling the reason why He came into the world!

Jesus calls sinners to repentance because, without Him, we go toward the things that displease Him greatly. Jesus wants us to turn His way and serve Him. True repentance is a total-turnaround of our attitude toward sin.

True repentance and faith always go together. You cannot have faith without repentance, and you cannot have repentance without faith. God hates sin, and anyone who truly repents will start to feel the same way God does about sin.

Number020906

The Gospel Is the Good News of Jesus Christ
Construction Zone 9: God's Gift - Salvation
Stage: 6

Question Answer
What is "the Gospel"?

The Gospel is the good news that Jesus Christ became a Man, lived a sinless life, died as a criminal, was buried in a tomb, and came to life again so that sinners could have a Way to God. 1 Corinthians 15:3b – Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.

The Difference This Truth Makes
The word “gospel” literally means “good news”! The Christian Gospel is the best news ever, because God uses it to give new life to spiritually dead people (2 Corinthians 4:4).

The Gospel story is this: Jesus, Who is God, came to Earth as a human to live a sinless life, to die for our sins, and to rise again. Because He did, He is a Mediator between us and God. He can reconcile us to God (make us right with God). Our sins are counted against Him, and His righteousness can be put on us.

Colossians 2:13 – And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses.

Sin caused us to be born spiritually dead. We need life! Everyone needs to be “born again.” God gives us new life. This new birth is a miracle only God can do. It is a work of God that cannot be done by human effort.

Number020907

God Saves Us for His Glory
Construction Zone 9: God's Gift - Salvation
Stage: 7

Question Answer
Why does God save believing sinners from their sins?

God saves believing sinners because He wants great glory for Himself and great good for His people. Isaiah 43:25a – " I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake."

The Difference This Truth Makes
God is the only One Who can forgive us, because He is the One we have hurt and angered with our sins.

Why did God invent the Gospel in the first place? Why would the God Who created everything put so much work into making a way for sinners to escape their sins and the penalty of their sins?

You have already studied one reason! God’s goodness. God is so good! One of the main attributes of God’s goodness is His infinite, amazing love. No one loves like God loves. It is not humanly possible for us to love as much as God loves the world.

We cannot even understand how great God’s love is, so it may be even harder to imagine that God has an even greater reason for wanting to save us: His own glory! Think about it: God created us to glorify Him and to enjoy Him forever. When we sin, we all fall short of God’s glory. When Jesus Christ came to live and die and rise again, He did it out of love for His people – but ultimately, He did it so that God would receive the glory due to His name.

Number020908

Salvation Is Forever and Ever!
Construction Zone 9: God's Gift - Salvation
Stage: 8

Question Answer
Can anyone ever lose true salvation?

No. Salvation is a gift from God, Who never changes. Romans 11:29 – For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

The Difference This Truth Makes
The reason we can be sure that God will never take back His wonderful gift of salvation is His unchanging character. God never changes and His promises are always going to be as reliable (trustworthy) as He is.

Many people wonder if they need to get saved over and over and over again. But if they have truly received salvation, it will last forever! Eternal life begins the moment of your conversion. If you are “born again,” you have eternal life – right now! – and you will forever. (That’s what “eternal” means: “forever.”)

People wonder whether they might be in danger of losing their salvation after they have been converted. They think perhaps they could do something that would cause God to take away His gift once He has given it. But God does not change His mind about our relationship with Him. He does not take back the eternal gifts He has freely given.

God’s purpose in saving people is an eternal purpose – not temporary! Salvation is God’s gift, God’s call, and God’s work. God cannot and will not fail or let us down. His salvation will never fail, either.

Number020909

God Accepts Believers in Christ
Construction Zone 9: God's Gift - Salvation
Stage: 9

Question Answer
How can God rightly call a sinner "righteous"?

If my faith is in Jesus, I am united with Him. His righteousness counts for me, and God will not hold my sins against me. Philippians 3:9b – Found in Him, not having my own righteousness.

The Difference This Truth Makes
There are three more AWESOME benefits (good things, extra gifts) that come with salvation. Without these good gifts, we could never be accepted by God. God accepts believers because they are in Christ.

1. Justification – The first benefit is called justification and it means to be “declared righteous.” When God saves us, He lets Christ’s righteousness count for us, like we have Christ’s perfect record. When God sees a believer, He does not see a filthy, sinful soul anymore – He sees Christ instead. He looks at us just as if we had never sinned, and we are accepted.

2. Adoption – Being justified goes along closely with another benefit, which is adoption. Adoption is the benefit of salvation that makes believers God’s “children” (Galatians 3:26). The Father lovingly cares for His children and protects them. Through adoption, believers are accepted as permanent members of God’s family.

3. Glorification – Since Christians are part of God’s family now, there is coming a day they there will be a “family reunion.” Believers will see Jesus Christ just as He is, and will go to live with Him forever. Jesus must change us in order to make us acceptable into heaven. This change is called glorification and is a third benefit of salvation. When we are glorified, we will have bodies like Jesus’ body. (Philippians 3:21). Glorified bodies are fit for heaven because they are perfectly free from sin, pain, and sickness.

Number020910

Everyone Needs Salvation
Construction Zone 9: God's Gift - Salvation
Stage: 10

Question Answer
Why do you need salvation?

I need salvation because, without it, I am a sinner, an enemy of God, born spiritually dead. John 11:25b – "He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live."

The Difference This Truth Makes
Those who have received God’s gift of salvation will be welcomed into heaven forever. But those who rejected Christ (said “no” to Him) will be punished forever.

Matthew 25:46 – “And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

All of us need to be “born again.” God provides everything you have to have in order to be saved. If you will turn from your sin and trust in Christ alone to save you – He will! God will give you His wonderful gift of salvation.

If you have already been saved, is there anyone you know who might need to hear the story of the Gospel? Sharing the good news with others is one way to praise God for saving you. You cannot ever pay Him back, and you do not need to try. But you can honor Him and live a life that glorifies His grace. If you are saved, live out these wonderful truths of the Gospel!

Number021001

God Created You for a Reason!
Construction Zone 10: God's Purpose for His Children
Stage: 1

Question Answer
What is God's main purpose for His children while they live on Earth?

God's main purpose for His children is that they would bring Him glory by growing to be more and more like His Son Jesus in they think, say, and do. Romans 8:29b – To be conformed to the image of His Son.

The Difference This Truth Makes

Romans 8:29 teaches us that God’s plan and goal for His people is that they should be conformed to (changed into) the image of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Number021002

God Changes His Children To Become Like Jesus
Construction Zone 10: God's Purpose for His Children
Stage: 2

Question Answer
What is "sanctification"?

Sanctification is the way God changes believers through His Word to become like Jesus. 2 Corinthians 3:18b – Being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

The Difference This Truth Makes
We can meet and know Jesus Christ through the Bible. When we open up the Bible and read about Christ, it is like looking into a mirror and seeing Him and all His glory. We cannot see Him face-to-face yet (that will happen in heaven), but we can see and know Him through the Bible. That is why the Bible is compared to a mirror. (See James 1:22-25.)

When the Bible says from “glory to glory,” that means we are being changed from one stage of glory to another. Like a building that is built one level at a time, becoming like Christ does not happen overnight! The changing begins when we are converted, but we will keep changing until we get to heaven.

Number021003

God Uses His Word and Spirit To Change Us
Construction Zone 10: God's Purpose for His Children
Stage: 3

Question Answer
What are two needed gifts that God provides so that we might be sanctified?

The Holy Spirit and His Word are two needed gifts that God provides so that we might be sanctified. John 17:17 – "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth."

The Difference This Truth Makes
We must believe the truth! Unbelievers will be punished forever because of their unbelief. But those who do believe will be given salvation. One of the great benefits of (blessings that go along with) salvation is that God gives us just what we need in order to become more like Jesus.

If a family adopts a child, that boy or girl will get to enjoy “benefits” that come with a place in that family. A “benefit” is a good thing that goes along with a new situation. For example, an adopted child might enjoy a bedroom, food on the table, bedtime stories, baseball games, holiday celebrations,
hugs from Mom and Dad, and the opportunity to be in a good church – good things that any other member of a family might enjoy.

With salvation and a new position (situation or place) in Christ, believers get extra blessings like justification, adoption, and glorification (see Zone 9, Stage 9). God also gives His Word to reveal (show) how He wants us to live. He gives His Holy Spirit to help us understand and obey the Word.

Number021004

Growing in Love, Holiness, and Good Works
Construction Zone 10: God's Purpose for His Children
Stage: 4

Question Answer
Day by day, as you change to resemble Christ Jesus more and more, what will God and others begin to see in your life?

Day by day, as I change to resemble Christ Jesus, God and others will begin to see more holiness, more love toward them, and more good works in my life. Ephesians 2:10a – For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works.

The Difference This Truth Makes
Part of becoming like Jesus Christ is God’s working in us a desire to become more like Christ. Non-Christians have no true desire to become more and more like Jesus Christ. They are dead in their sins, and they live their lives for themselves.
But God changes believers’ hearts and helps them want to be like Christ. Becoming like Christ includes these three things:

Number021005

God’s Children Should Say “No” to Sin
Construction Zone 10: God's Purpose for His Children
Stage: 5

Question Answer
What does it mean to 'be holy in heart and mind'?

To be holy in heart and mind means to devote my whole self to loving God and hating sin. 1 Peter 1:15b – He who called you is holy.

The Difference This Truth Makes
Children are like their parents. They “inherit” (get from their parents) things that reflect the image of their parents. Maybe people have told you that “you have your dad’s blue eyes.” Or maybe “you talk just like your mom.” Parents can be “seen” somehow in their children. God is holy, and He is our Father. His children should bear the “family resemblance” – they should be holy, like their Father is holy.

To be holy means to be completely separate (set apart) from sin. God works in Christians to set them apart from their sinful selves and from the sinful world.

It is every Christian’s responsibility (job, duty) to live a holy life. Since believers are “in Christ,” they have also been given the ability and privilege to live holy lives! God commands us to be holy. He has provided everything we need in order to be holy. With gifts like these, God shows us every day that He is both holy and good.

Number021006

God’s Children Should Live Loving Lives
Construction Zone 10: God's Purpose for His Children
Stage: 6

Question Answer
What does it mean to 'love God and others'?

To love God and others means to treat them with real care, humility, and loyal kindness. Philippians 2:3b – In lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.

The Difference This Truth Makes
When God is working to make us more holy and more like Christ, He to love what He loves. We love Him. We love others. We love good works. We love holiness. We love everything that Jesus loves!

The opposite of love is selfishness. True love gives selflessly to God and others. Jesus Christ was the ultimate example of love. He lived His life selflessly – serving His Father and helping others. He gave His life on the cross, proving that He loved His Father and us more than Himself.

John 15:13 – “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”

Number021007

God’s Children Should Do Good Works
Construction Zone 10: God's Purpose for His Children
Stage: 7

Question Answer
What does it mean to 'do good works'?

To do good works means to live for God's glory by loving, obeying, and by doing things that only God's children could do with God's help. Colossians 1:10a – That you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work.

The Difference This Truth Makes
Being holy and loving are good works. But there are more good works that we can do to please God.

For example, one good work that can be done right after you become a Christian is to be baptized like Christ was. A baptism shows publicly that you want your life to be identified with (to remind people of) the Gospel of Christ.

Another good work that God commands Christians to do is to remember Christ’s sacrifice at Calvary. This practice is called “the Lord’s Supper,” or sometimes it is called “Communion.” The food and drink used in this event is symbolic of Christ’s body and His blood. The Lord’s Supper is a time for us to remember the price Jesus paid to save us. It is also a time to remember
what it means to be in fellowship with Him and His church.

There are many other good works besides these! In fact, Jesus Himself did so many good works, people could not have recorded them all! John 21:25 – And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.

Number021008

Knowing Christ through Faith Is Very Important
Construction Zone 10: God's Purpose for His Children
Stage: 8

Question Answer
How does God change and sanctify His children to make them more holy and more like Christ?

God works through His Spirit and His Word to change and sanctify His children from the inside out by showing and teaching them more of Christ. 2 Peter 1:3a – As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness.

The Difference This Truth Makes
You have learned that God has provided us with all we need to become more and more like Christ. But do you ever feel like you try and try to be good, and you just can’t? The power we need to live a holy life comes through the knowledge of God. Knowing Christ is what changes us to be more like Him. We could look at it this way: the more we know Him, the more we will be like Him. The less we know Him, the less we will be like Him.

God wants us to know Him. Knowing God involves knowing facts about Him, but it also means a much deeper knowledge that just facts about God. You should have a personal relationship with Him, talking with Him, spending time with Him, growing closer to Him. We get to know God through faith, learning about Him through His Word and trusting and obeying Him with the Spirit’s help. That is the difference between knowing about God, and knowing God.

Number021009

Knowing Jesus Brings Joy
Construction Zone 10: God's Purpose for His Children
Stage: 9

Question Answer
What should be a Christian's joyful goal in sanctification?

A Christian's joyful goal in sanctification should be to understand and know the LORD. Jeremiah 9:24a – "But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me."

The Difference This Truth Makes
If you know the Lord, then you have all you really need to be the happiest, most content person in the world. If you are an unhappy Christian, then you are probably believing wrong things. If you do not think that knowing Christ gives joy, then you are believing wrong things about the Christ of the Bible.

If you are a believer, your hope and happiness are all wrapped up in Christ! No one else is as great and good as He is. No one else could ever meet your needs and answer your prayers and be your help and keep you safe and make you happy like Jesus can.

Number021010

God Is Worthy of All Our Trust and Love
Construction Zone 10: God's Purpose for His Children
Stage 10

Question Answer
What should be your attitude toward God's Word and the Holy Spirit?

I should set my heart to trust and obey God's Word and the Holy Spirit. I should love learning Truth from them!

The Difference This Truth Makes
God has given us His Word so that we may know Him through Christ and grow up to become like Christ. It is only by God’s Word that we can be saved and changed.

In 2 Timothy 3:17, the Bible says that the man of God should be “complete.” A building can not stand without a foundation and framework. And a person can never be really whole or complete if he does not know Jesus Christ.

It is through the Bible that we can be equipped with the tools, direction, and strength we need to do good works. The Bible gives us instructions for living to please God. Best of all, the Bible shows us a perfect Christ!

What a great Savior we have in Christ! He has done so much, and He is so worth our love and trust. There is no one better for us to want to know, no one better for us to want to be like.

Number021101

God Has Always Known the Things He Would Do
Construction Zone 11: God's Work - Past and Present
Stage: 1

Question Answer
When did God decide all the things He would do?

Even before God created the world, He decided all the things He would do. Isaiah 46:10b – "My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure."

The Difference This Truth Makes
God has always known the things He would do. He works within Creation to make sure His plans get carried out. Bible teachers use the word providence to describe God’s skillful work within Creation to bring about all His plans and purposes.

God has declared the end from the beginning. In other words, God decides the beginning, middle, and end of everything – for all time. Time is in His hands.

God has proven He can tell the future. Hundreds of His prophecies have been fulfilled (come true). But God not only tells the future; God also directs the future. The Bible says that He will do all His pleasure. This simply means that God will do whatever He pleases. Since we know what God is like (He is very great and always good), we can trust that what pleases Him is always right and best for His glory and for our good.

Number021102

God Upholds His Creation
Construction Zone 11: God's Work - Past and Present
Stage: 2

Question Answer
Who sustains and upholds all things?

Jesus sustains and upholds all things by His power. Hebrews 1:3b – Upholding all things by the word of His power.

The Difference This Truth Makes
God created the world by His power. Now God keeps the world going by His power. God is upholding the world (including you) even as you read this sentence! That means He is holding it all together and carrying it along according to His plans.

The Bible teaches that God is holding everything together “by the word of His power.” God’s powerful Word created everything, and God’s powerful Word upholds everything. Jesus Christ, the living Word, holds everything together.

It is amazing to think that the One Who created the world by speaking, and the One Who upholds the world right now, humbled Himself and purged (took away) our sins on the cross.

Number021103

God Controls All Creation
Construction Zone 11: God's Work - Past and Present
Stage: 3

Question Answer
Is the LORD always in control of all things?

Yes. The LORD is always in control of all things. Psalm 103:19b – His kingdom rules over all.

The Difference This Truth Makes
A king has complete rule over all of his kingdom. The Lord is a King too. He is the King of kings. God’s kingdom is so big that the Bible says He rules over all.

God works in ways far beyond our understanding to make His good plans happen. He works in things, He works through things, and He works with things. God even uses people who rebel (turn against Him), and He works with the things that go against His plans – somehow He always carries out His perfect will.

Someone might think proud thoughts like: “God can’t stop me from doing this or that.” But the truth is, He can. And no matter what you do, God’s plans stand solid. You cannot mess up God’s plans! But you can submit yourself to God and His plans so that your life is joyful and meaningful.

Number021104

God Hates Sin
Construction Zone 11: God's Work - Past and Present
Stage: 4

Question Answer
If the LORD is in control of all things, but He still lets sin go on, does that mean He thinks some sin is okay sometimes?

No. Sin is never okay in the eyes of the LORD. Psalm 92:15b – There is no unrighteousness in Him.

The Difference This Truth Makes
Sometimes God keeps people from sin. (Genesis 20:6) Other times He allows them to do what they want, even if it is wicked. (Romans 1) But He is never guilty of causing or committing sin.

God hates sin. He will not overlook any sin. Someone might think that he has an excuse for his sin, since God is the One in control
of all things. But someone like that has the wrong idea! If there is anyone to blame for our sin – it is ourselves!

All of God’s eternal plans are righteous and holy. Although God has the awesome ability to work around our mistakes and our disobedience and yet still get done what He wants to do, He is never pleased by sin. And He will never come even close to being guilty of sin Himself.

Number021105

God Showed His Glory through the Nation of Israel
Construction Zone 11: God's Work - Past and Present
Stage: 5

Question Answer
What was the main way God showed His grace and glory during the Old Testament days?

In Old Testament times, God showed His grace and glory by taking special care of His chosen people, the Jews. Jeremiah 13:11b – "That they may become My people, for renown, for praise, and for glory."

The Difference This Truth Makes
Since God is an invisible Spirit, He has chosen to show His greatness and goodness through a special group of people. In the Old Testament, He chose a group of people called the “Israelites,” (or the “Jews,” as they are known today).

Israel was above all the nations of the earth. Israel was God’s special, chosen nation. God wanted to show His awesome power and kindness in and through these people.

Number021106

God Shows His Glory through the Church
Construction Zone 11: God's Work - Past and Present
Stage: 6

Question Answer
What is the main way God has been showing His grace and glory during New Testament times and up until now?

During New Testament times and up until now, God has been showing His grace and glory by taking special care of His redeemed people,the Church. 1 Peter 2:9b – That you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

The Difference This Truth Makes
The Israelites did not obey God perfectly. The Bible says they turned away from Him, disobeyed Him, and made Him angry. God kept being gracious to them (and still is to this day). But they failed to meet their responsibility before God. Today, God has chosen a new group of people to be His people. But these people are not a nation or a race. God is calling out people from every tribe and every nation to be a part of the Church.

In the New Testament, the word for “church” means a group of people who are “called out” or “belonging to the Lord.” The Church is not a building. The Church is God’s group of people that He has called out of the world, and they belong to the Lord. Believers are the adopted family of God, the body of Christ, and the temple of the Holy Spirit. The Church is made up of all true believers. God glorifies Himself by being kind to them and by changing them to be more like Jesus Christ.

Number021107

God Invented the Family
Construction Zone 11: God's Work - Past and Present
Stage: 8

Question Answer
What is "the family"?

The family was designed by God to be a husband, a wife, and any children God may give them. Adam and Eve and their children were the first family put together by God.

The Difference This Truth Makes
God designed the family to reflect the love among the three Persons of the Trinity. The husband’s love for his wife is a living picture of Christ’s love for the Church (see Ephesians 5:25). God wants so much great unity between the husband and the wife that the two become one. They should be one in purpose and mind.
For this reason, Christians should marry only other Christians.

In God’s eyes, no one person in a family is better than another. However, every member of the family has a different role. Husbands are to obey the Lord and then to know and love and lead their families. Wives are to respect and submit to their husbands. The children are to respect and obey both parents. Everyone in the family should put themselves under authority in one way or another. Even the husband, who is the highest authority in the family unit, must place himself under God, Who is the ultimate highest Authority.

Number021108

God Invented the Church
Construction Zone 11: God's Work - Past and Present
Stage: 8

Question Answer
What is "a church"?

A church is a group of believers who meet together to worship because they love Jesus Christ and one another. Psalm 111:1 – Praise the LORD! I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright and in the congregation.

The Difference This Truth Makes
As we learned in Stage #6, the New Testament word for “church” means a group of people that is “called out” or that “belongs to the Lord.” The Church is God’s called-out group of people. He has called out of the world and they belong specially to Him. In the Church, true believers are the adopted family
of God, the Body of Christ, and the temple of the Holy Spirit.

Your mom and dad and brothers and sisters are part of your physical family, but the Church is a spiritual family. If you are a believer, you are part of a worldwide family of believers, but you are also ought to be part of a local body of believers.

On one hand, the “Church” means all believers in Christ in all times and places. Many Christians use the phrase “Invisible Church” to help explain this Church. God sees this Invisible Church, because He has the ability to see everyone who has ever lived and ever will live.

But the word “church” also means a group of believers in one particular place (like a town). We call these kinds of churches local churches.

Number021109

God Invented Government
Construction Zone 11: God's Work - Past and Present
Stage: 9

Question Answer
What is "government"?

Government is the leadership of cities or countries. Leaders get their positions, power, and authority from God. Romans 13:1b – Authorities that exist are appointed by God.

The Difference This Truth Makes
God sets up the rulers of this world to carry out His will. God controls the hearts of even the greatest rulers. (See Proverbs 21:1.) Government is God’s idea!

In Romans 13:1, God teaches us the incredible truth that He is the One Who sets up and takes down rulers. God also tells us that He has given these people the authority they have to govern.

God has set up the rulers of this world according to His plans. We can be sure that all the government leaders were placed in their positions by God. We may not understand His choices, especially if the ruler or his rules turn out to be evil, but we can trust God and submit to God.

Psalm 75:7 – But God is the Judge: He puts down one, and exalts another.

Number021110

God Works All Things Together for Good
Construction Zone 11: God's Work - Past and Present
Stage: 10

Question Answer
How does God show His providence specially for the sake of His children?

God works all things together for the good of His children and the glory of His name. Romans 8:28b – All things work together for good to those who love God.

The Difference This Truth Makes
God’s plans are all about God, not about you. You are only a tiny part of God’s plans – but what a privilege to be even a part! You should submit to God’s plans as more important than yours. You could go against His will; but if you make your own plan without God, you will be sorry.

It is foolish to try to “do your own thing.” God’s plans are better! God’s promises are better! Living for God will not make you sorry. In Romans 8:28, the word “good” has the idea of bringing us the best results. If we look at the next verse (29), we discover that the best result of anything that happens would be if it helped us to become more like Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is good because He is God. He shows us what “good” really is! Becoming like Him is good! God promises to change us to be more and more like His Son, both now and forever. That is a goal worth living for! And it’s also a goal worth dying for.

Number021201

There Is a Real Heaven and a Real Hell
Construction Zone 12: God's Plan for the Future
Stage: 1

Question Answer
At the moment a person's body dies, where does his soul go?

At death, a believer's soul goes into the presence of the Lord, but an unbeliever's soul goes to hell.

The Difference This Truth Makes
When a person dies, his soul goes out of his body. His body might be put in a grave for a while, but his soul goes somewhere else immediately. When the soul leaves the body, that is physical death. But that soul is eternal (forever) and will go on living. It will still be able to think and feel.

The Apostle Paul was sure that for him to be absent from his body was to be “present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8). If you know a Christian who has died, his or her body might be in the grave, but you can be sure the soul itself is with the Lord.

But the souls of unbelieving people do not go to God when they die. Instead of going to heaven, their souls go immediately to a place called hell.

Number021202

Jesus Christ Is Coming Again Someday!
Construction Zone 12: God's Plan for the Future
Stage: 2

Question Answer
What is meant by the phrases 'the Second Coming' and 'the Day of the Lord'?

These are ways of talking about the time when Jesus Christ will come back and judge the world. Acts 17:31b – He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness.

The Difference This Truth Makes
Jesus has beaten sin and death. He rose from the grave, and He alone is worthy to judge everyone else.

The Bible says Jesus is coming back in the twinkling of an eye. That means it will be very fast; and no one will know when it will happen, until it really happens! Jesus is coming back, and He will judge the world. Are you ready for His return?

Remember, we cannot be found righteous without Jesus Christ. Jesus is the only Man Who never sinned. When we trust in Him, His righteousness counts for us, too.

Number021203

All Will Be Raised from the Dead To Be Judged
Construction Zone 12: God's Plan for the Future
Stage: 3

Question Answer
Will our bodies ever come back to life once we have died?

Yes. One day, Jesus Christ will raise up everyone's bodies again, either for eternal life or eternal death. John 5:28b – All who are in the graves will hear His voice.

The Difference This Truth Makes
God is going to raise all the dead people back to life someday. Some of those raised to life will be punished with everlasting death in hell. Some will receive everlasting life in heaven.

But what about people who are still alive when Jesus comes back? Not all of God’s children’s bodies will be in their graves when Christ returns. Some will be alive! The Bible teaches that God will first raise those who are dead, and then those who are alive will go up into the air to be with Him forever.

1 Thessalonians 4:17 – Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

What happens when you meet the Lord depends upon how you have prepared your soul before the Lord comes back. Are you “righteous” because you trust in Christ? Or have you said “no” to Christ? Thos who turn from Him and die in their sins will be given back their bodies, but they will be sent to hell for everlasting punishment.

Number021204

Jesus Will Judge Everyone When He Comes
Construction Zone 12: God's Plan for the Future
Stage: 4

Question Answer
What will happen when the Lord Jesus Christ returns to Earth?

When the Lord Jesus Christ returns to Earth, He will judge everyone, both the living and the dead. 2 Timothy 4:1a – I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom.

The Difference This Truth Makes
When Christ returns (comes again), He will judge all people from every nation and every time. Even though all people will stand before Christ, there are two different judgments. When Christ judges believers, that is called the “Judgment Seat of Christ.” When Christ judges unbelievers, that happens at the “Great White Throne Judgment.”

In the next two stages, you will learn the differences between these two judgments.

Number021205

We Will All Stand Before Christ
Construction Zone 12: God's Plan for the Future
Stage: 5

Question Answer
On the day of resurrection and judgment, how will Christ judge believers, those sinners who trusted Him for salvation?

Because believers are saved sinners, Christ will not judge their souls, but He will judge their works. 2 Corinthians 5:10a – For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ.

The Difference This Truth Makes
Believers will stand before “the Judgment Seat of Christ.” The works of the believers are divided into two kinds: 1. works that survive or 2. works that burn.

When we stand before Christ, it will be a time of revealing (uncovering, showing). Christ will reveal the number of works (how many we do). Christ will reveal the worth of our works (how good they are). And Christ will reveal the motives behind our works (whether we did them out of love for self or for Him). If a work is bad, it is forgotten.

If a work is good, we receive a reward that glorifies God.
This judgment does not decide whether we will enter heaven. If you are a believer, God has already declared you “righteous” the moment you were “born again” by faith in Christ. When we stand before Christ, we stand by faith in Him. His righteousness counts for us, too, and we are accepted by God.

Number021206

Jesus Will Judge the Lost by His Word
Construction Zone 12: God's Plan for the Future
Stage: 6

Question Answer
On the day of resurrection and judgment, how will Christ judge unbelievers, those sinners who rejected Him as Lord and King?

Christ will judge unbelievers by the power of His Word. John 12:48b – "The word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day."

The Difference This Truth Makes
God judges unbelievers by whether or not they obeyed His Law perfectly. So, no one is found righteous. God will judge their works, and He will have to declare them “guilty.” Their souls and bodies will spend eternity in hell, because they failed to repent and believe in Christ. That is also why unbelievers are sometimes called “the lost.”

Believers, on the other hand, stand before God with the righteousness of Christ which is by faith. The Great White Throne Judgment is the place of final judgment against all those who die in their sins. God will judge lost unbelievers by His Word. He will measure their lives up against His Law – and He will judge them by their works. Everyone at this judgment is declared guilty and unrighteous.

Just like human judges who judge people according to written
laws, Jesus Christ will use the written Word to judge unbelievers.
Someone might say about the Law of God’s Word: “I didn’t know about that!” But God has written His Law on every person’s heart. At the Great White Throne, nobody will have a good excuse for turning down salvation in Christ.

Number021207

God’s Children Have a Faith that Lasts
Construction Zone 12: God's Plan for the Future
Stage: 7

Question Answer
Will true believers really be able to hold on to their faith until the end of time?

Yes. True believers really will be able to hold on to their faith because it comes from God and not from them. John 10:28 – "And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand."

The Difference This Truth Makes
Eternal life is life that lasts forever. Jesus says that He gives eternal life now, not just that He will give it in the future. Eternal life is something all Christians have, right now! Even though our physical bodies will die someday, our souls have the promise of eternal life.

Eternal life is not just about how long a life it is. It is also about how good a life it is. We can enjoy right things right now. We can live how Jesus Christ lived. Eternal life does not only begin when we die. Eternal life begins the moment God gives us the faith to believe in Jesus Christ.

For God’s children, John 10:28 has some of the most comforting words in the whole Bible. They teach that Christ’s sheep (believers) are held close to Him by His awesome power. Christ’s sheep stay Christ’s sheep forever by the power of God.

Number021208

Nobody Knows When Jesus Is Coming Again
Construction Zone 12: God's Plan for the Future
Stage: 8

Question Answer
When will Jesus Christ come back in glory to judge the living and the dead?

No one knows when Jesus Christ will come back, but we do know we must be ready. Mark 13:35a – "Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming."

The Difference This Truth Makes
Nobody knows when Christ will come back; but in the Bible, Jesus commands His children to watch for His return. This does not mean we should stand all day long staring up into the sky. It does mean that we should be the kind of servants who would not be ashamed if our Master returned right now. We should be ready and waiting.

Mark 13:35 speaks of Christ as the Owner of a house. We know that all of Creation belongs to Jesus – He owns it. In Bible times, the owner of a house might go away and leave all his belongings in the care of a trusted servant. When the house owner returned he would want a report from the servant. After the report, the house owner would be happy, disappointed, or angry – depending on how the servant took care of the things he left behind. Jesus will be very happy with those who faithfully served Him, and He will give them rewards. Jesus will be disappointed with those Christians who lived a selfish life, but He will still save them. Jesus will be angry at the wicked who said “no” to Him. Jesus is coming back! What will be His attitude toward you?

Number021209

God’s Children Will Praise Him Forever
Construction Zone 12: God's Plan for the Future
Stage: 9

Question Answer
What is God's ultimate plan for the rest of eternity?

God's ultimate plan is to have all His people together, glorifying and enjoying Him for the rest of eternity. Ephesians 3:21 – To Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

The Difference This Truth Makes
Since God is everywhere at the same time, we cannot say that heaven is the only place God lives. But heaven is the place where the Trinity dwells more specially than anywhere else. And the most wonderful part of heaven is that Jesus Himself will be there – physically and visibly. Jesus is the best part about heaven!

We will see Christ. We will bow down and worship Him. We will praise Him and serve Him forever and ever. We will not need faith anymore because we will be there and He will be there. We will not need to repent of anything anymore because Jesus will make us perfect, once and for all!

Heaven is a wonderful place filled with joy. We cannot possibly imagine it right now. We will be so happy in serving and knowing God there that the simple joys of Earth will probably be hard to remember at all. If you do not think God can make you happier than you have ever been, then why would you want to go to heaven forever? God can make you happy now, and God will make you happy then.

Number021210

Be Ready for Christ To Come Back at Any Time
Construction Zone 12: God's Plan for the Future
Stage: 10

Question Answer
How should your heart respond to learning these biblical truths about the future?

My heart should desire to be with God as soon as possible, but also to live a holy, joyful life before Him during the time He wants me here. 1 Thessalonians 5:6 – Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.

The Difference This Truth Makes
The last two verses in the Bible go like this:
Revelation 22:20-21 – He [Christ] who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. This is the end of all the Bible’s teaching: Christ is coming, and we ought to wait for Him and be ready.

The truth that Christ is coming again makes us sure that all the world – all of history, every person who has ever lived or ever will live – exists for God’s plans and purposes. It is all about God.

Number040101

The Bible Is God’s Book
Adventure 1: God's Word - The Bible
Mission: 1

Question Answer
What is the Bible?

The Bible is the only inspired Word of God, above all other books in wisdom, power, and authority. 1 Thessalonians 2:13 – For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.

The Difference This Truth Makes
If we did not believe that the Bible was God’s Book, we would arrive at some very wrong conclusions about Who God is. God gave us His Word to teach us about Himself.

Millions of books exist all over the world, but there is one Book that is better and greater than all the rest. The Bible is everything God wants us to know about Him right now. It is God’s Book. If we didn’t believe that, then we might be tempted to use any other book as a guidebook for what we ought to believe.

Number040102

We Can Know For Sure That the Bible Is God’s Word
Adventure 1: God's Word -- The Bible
Mission: 2

Question Answer
How can we know that the Bible really is the true Word of God?

Only by the Spirit of God can we know for sure that the Bible is true and that it is God's Word. 1 Corinthians 2:12 – Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.

The Difference This Truth Makes
God’s Spirit works to convince people that His Word is true. The fact that only God can fully convince someone of the truth of His Word causes us to be dependent upon God’s Spirit more than we depend on human logic or reason. Many, many evidences exist that show that the Bible is different from any other book, but it takes God Himself to assure a person that the Bible is God’s own Book.

Number040103

God Used Men To Write Down His Words
Adventure 1: God's Word -- The Bible
Mission: 3

Question Answer
How did God give the Bible?

God inspired holy men to write down His words exactly as He wished. 2 Peter 1:21 – For prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

The Difference This Truth Makes
If we did not believe that God inspired those holy men to write His Word, then we would treat the Bible like any common
book. Why? Because human beings are fallen, sinful beings that often make mistakes and disobey.

God did not need men to write His Word, but He chose to use them. God uses imperfect people to accomplish His perfect will. Men simply could not write something like the Bible without God’s supernatural involvement. The fact that God used human beings is a demonstration of God’s awesome greatness. It would be like us using ants to build the tallest skyscraper!

Number040104

The Bible Never Teaches Us To Believe Wrongly
Adventure 1: God's Word -- The Bible
Mission: 4

Question Answer
Does God's Word ever teach error or falsehood?

No. God's Word is true and without error because God tells only the truth. Psalm 119:160 – The entirety of Your word is truth. And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.

The Difference This Truth Makes
God never lies. The Bible is the Word of God. Therefore, the Bible never lies.

Some people disagree with the three sentences above. They think that this kind of thinking must be simple-minded. But in Titus 1:2, Paul uses the same type of thinking to show that the Bible is true. Titus 1:2 – In hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before the world began [ages and ages ago].

True Christians believe that the Bible is without error. This means that the Bible is always right and true – because the Author is always right and true. If we did not believe this truth then we could not trust what the Bible teaches.

Number040105

The Bible Is All About God
Adventure 1: God's Word -- The Bible
Mission: 5

Question Answer
What does the Bible teach?

The Bible teaches what God wants us to believe about Him and how He wants us to behave before Him. Ecclesiastes 12:13 – Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man's all.

The Difference This Truth Makes
Throughout recorded history, men have wondered “Has God spoken?” Christians believe that God has spoken, and that He has told mankind exactly what He wanted us to know about Him in the Bible.

Have you ever looked under a rock to see what was underneath? Before you lifted up the rock, there was no way you could tell for sure what was under it. Once the rock was moved off and away, it revealed everything that it was hiding. Through the Bible, God reveals Himself to mankind.

Since God is so much greater than we are, we need Him to teach us Who He is. God communicated to us in ways that we could understand – through His Son, and through His Book. If we didn’t believe that the Bible is all about God, we would miss the purpose for which God gave us His Book: to know Him.

Number040106

God Has Preserved His Word
Adventure 1: God's Word -- The Bible
Mission: 6

Question Answer
Can we be sure that what God's Word teaches is still good and true for us today?

Yes. God has preserved His Word to be good and true forever. Matthew 5:18 – "For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled."

The Difference This Truth Makes
God’s Word is different than all other writings. God’s Word remains meaningful and significant for all people at all times, because it is God’s living Book, filled with God’s living words!
1 Peter 1:23 – Having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever.

The reason we can be confident that the Bible is good for us today is that God has promised to preserve it forever. God’s Word is as necessary for people today as it was for people thousands of years ago, because God has preserved and will preserve His Word forever.

Number040107

God Gave the Bible So People Could Believe in Christ
Adventure 1: God's Word -- The Bible
Mission: 7

Question Answer
Why do we need the Bible?

We need the Bible to show us Who God is and how we can be right with Him through Jesus Christ. 2 Timothy 3:15 – And that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

The Difference This Truth Makes
The Apostle John said that his writings were written for one main reason: John 20:31 – But these are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.

The main theme of all the Bible is Jesus Christ. The Bible is divided into two sections, one on either side of His appearing on Earth – the Old Testament and the New Testament.

The word “testament” means “promise.” The Old Testament is God’s promise that He would send One to save mankind from their sins. The New Testament shows how Jesus Christ fulfills that promise. The Old Testament looks ahead to the coming of Christ. The New Testament is written about the actual coming of Christ and the events that happened after Christ came to Earth. If we did not believe that God gave us the Bible to lead us to believe in Christ – we would miss His greatest reason for giving us the Bible!

Number040108

We Need the Word of God in Order To Be Saved
Adventure 1: God's Word -- The Bible
Mission: 8

Question Answer
Can we really get to know God without His Word?

No. God wants us to know Him by growing faith in the truth of His Word. Romans 10:17 – So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

The Difference This Truth Makes
All around us, Creation teaches us about God in a general way. Even your own conscience, or your sense of right and wrong, teaches you that there is a God. But God’s Creation and your conscience are not enough to lead you to saving faith in Christ. We need something more specific.

Even though God’s Creation and our consciences teach us that there is a God, they are not enough to give us the gift of saving faith. Faith must come from God – and faith comes only by the Word of God.

True faith is what you need to believe with confidence that everything God says is so – really is so. But true faith is even more than that. If you have true faith, you can believe that all of God’s Word applies to you, individually and personally. It is only by faith that we can come to intimately know God in a personal relationship.

Number040109

God’s Word Is the Final Authority
Adventure 1: God's Word -- The Bible
Mission: 9

Question Answer
What authority does God's Word have over people?

Because it comes from God, God's Word holds the highest and final authority for what we must believe and how we must live. 2 Timothy 3:16 – All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.

The Difference This Truth Makes
Let’s look a bit closer at 2 Timothy 3:16. The Bible says that it is profitable for four different things.

Profitable for doctrine – this means that God’s Word teaches us what things we ought to believe. “Here’s what’s right.”

Profitable for reproof – this means that God’s Word will convince us of our sin when we do wrong. “Here’s what’s wrong.”

Profitable for correction – this means that God’s Word, if believed and obeyed, will correct our errors and mistakes. “Here’s how to make what’s wrong right.”

Profitable for instruction in righteousness – this means that God’s Word will lead us to act and live in a way pleasing to God. “Here’s how to keep what’s right right.”

In the United States, we have judges who are authorities in courts. Only a few of these judges have the highest authority in the land. When those judges speak, their words and decisions outweigh all other judges – because they have greater authority
than all the other judges.

It is not only the words and truths of the Bible that make it so powerful, but also that the Holy Spirit of God is active right now in the world, convincing people of the truth of the Bible. When a pastor gets up and preaches the Word of God, his confidence is that the Holy Spirit will assure people that the words of the Bible are right and true. God is active in showing people that His Word is true. The Bible has a power and authority unlike any other book, because God’s invisible Spirit is making His Word known in the hearts and minds of people everywhere.

Like the rulings of those top judges, the Bible is the supreme authority – all other books should be considered less authoritative than God’s Word. The truthfulness of all other writings or teachings must be carefully measured by the Bible. The Bible is the anchor and foundation for everything a Christian believes and teaches.

Number040110

God Wants Us To Love His Word
Adventure 1: God's Word -- The Bible
Mission: 10

Question Answer
How does God want us to feel about the Bible?

God wants us to love and believe the Bible enough to trust and obey it. Psalm 119:97 – Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.

The Difference This Truth Makes
Augustine was a great Christian teacher who said that the Scriptures are our letters from home. Not only are the writings of the Bible addressed to you, but they are also from the most important Being Who ever was or ever will be. Have you ever received an important letter from someone who loved you very much? Did you read it more than once? We should not approach the Bible like another school book. He has given us His Word so that we might know Him, and as we know Him more and more, He changes us to be more like Christ. We should read God’s Word as a personal letter. We should respond wholeheartedly to the message. We should pray to God genuinely as we read the Bible. We should place ourselves under the authority of God’s Word.

Q. What is God’s commandment to all people about the Bible?

A. All men are commanded and exhorted to read, hear, and understand the Scriptures. (John 5:39; Luke 16:29; Acts 8:28-30; 17:11)

Number040201

God Is a Much Better Being Than We Are
Adventure 2: The Greatness of God
Mission: 1

Question Answer
Does God reveal in His Word that He is greater than we are?

Yes. One passage is Isaiah 55:8-9 – "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," says the LORD. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts."

The Difference This Truth Makes
Have you ever built a model airplane or car? When you got done with your “creation,” which was greater (or better) – YOU, or the MODEL?

Of course, YOU WERE GREATER. Something that has been created cannot be greater or higher than the person who created it! Even giant machinery and supercomputers that men build are still not as great as the minds that dream them up.

What do we mean when we talk about God’s “greatness”? God’s greatness is manifested (shown publicly) by those attributes of His that set Him apart as higher and better than everyone and everything else.

You are a handiwork of God. This whole world is a display of God’s workmanship. Since God made you and the world, He is far greater and better than you and anything else in the world. As creator, God owns what He created, so He has power and authority over it automatically.

God’s greatness shows His basic nature and His power. On the other hand, God’s goodness shows his excellent character that always does things right. What does this mean? We could say that a boy named Joe has blue eyes and red hair; those are his natural attributes. But if we say that Joe is helpful, we are then describing an attribute of his character or goodness.

Number040202

God Cannot Be Fully Described or Understood
Adventure 2: The Greatness of God
Mission: 2

Question Answer
What is our great God like?

Our great God is invisible, eternal, all-powerful, all-wise, and always everywhere at once. Job 40:9 – "Have you an arm like God? Or can you thunder with a voice like His?"

The Difference This Truth Makes
Several times, the Bible says that God is “in heaven” or “on high” (Psalm 93:4; Psalm 11:4). Some people think this means that God is not active on Earth because He is so high above it. But these verses do not refer to God’s location (the Bible teaches that God is everywhere at all times), but to His majesty – His absolute greatness over Creation.

God is so great that He cannot be totally explained, nor can He be totally understood. One of the mysteries of God is that He is far above all His Creation, yet He is directly active within His Creation (Exodus 15:11).

Number040203

God Has No Beginning or Ending
Adventure 2: The Greatness of God
Mission: 3

Question Answer
Did God ever have a beginning, or will He ever have an end?

No. God is eternal. He always has been alive and always will be alive. Revelation 1:8 – "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End," says the Lord, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."

The Difference This Truth Makes
If we believed that God had a beginning, then that would raise a new question: “Who or what caused God”? If there were something or someone before God, then that would mean there could be something or someone greater than God. But God says: “There is none like me” (Isaiah 46:9).

God created time. Before there was time, There was a time when time did not exist as we know it. (Wow! Think about that for awhile, and smoke might start coming out of your ears!)
God is above time, but He chooses to act within the limits of time.
The Bible teaches us that God is the great un-caused One. Nothing caused God to happen – but God has given us life!

Q. Does God have to depend on anything for His existence (life) or His happiness?

A. No. God is uncreated and self-existent. He has no beginning or end. He calls Himself “Jehovah.” “I AM.” Christ declares: “The Father hath life in Himself.”

Some people think that God needs them. They think that God needs them so that He can have worshippers to love Him and make Him happy. But just the opposite is true: We need God in order to be happy. (See Psalm 16:11).

Number040204

God Never Changes!
Adventure 2: The Greatness of God
Mission: 4

Question Answer
Does the LORD ever give up, get tired, or change in any way?

No. The LORD is unchanging, eternally great in every way. Malachi 3:6a – "For I am the LORD, I do not change."

The Difference This Truth Makes
If we believed that God changed His mind like we change our minds, then our confidence in Him would be very small. How could you trust someone who changed his mind about the way he felt about you?

Believing that God changed His mind about us based on our performance of Christian duties would shake our faith. Why? If our beliefs about God and His character are based in ourselves, that is a very shaky foundation. We change! Through His Word, the unchangeable God has shown us what is right to believe about Him. God and all of His characteristics stay true whether you believe rightly or not, or whether you do right or not.

Some people say that you need to “believe in yourself” or “trust yourself.” But think about how often you change your mind. Can you remember something that you changed your mind about? Perhaps it was liking a food or a friend – but the fact is, you have changed your mind. Aren’t you glad that God did not have to decide this morning whether or not He loved you? God never changes!

Number040205

God Is an Invisible Spirit
Adventure 2: The Greatness of God
Mission: 5

Question Answer
Does God have a body like human beings do?

No. God is a Spirit, invisible to our human eyes. John 4:24 – "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

The Difference This Truth Makes
Many people want to know what God is made out of. But since God created all space, all time, and all matter (living creatures,
plants, minerals, waters, etc.) – it is wrong to think of Him as being made out of anything that we might know about. Everything
we can observe with our five senses has been created by God. God is different from anything He created. And we can see most of what He created.

But God also wants us to believe in that which we cannot see with our eyes. He wants us to have faith in Him, and He is invisible.

Hebrews 11:1 – Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

If God were not invisible, then we would not need faith to believe in Him. If we did not need faith, then we would not need God. If we did not need God, then we would start worshipping ourselves as our own god.

Hebrews 11:6 – But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently
seek Him.

Just because you cannot see something does not mean it is not real. In fact, God’s invisible reality (realness) is so real that He caused everything else that you know and see to become real (Colossians 1:16).

Number040206

All Power Comes from God
Adventure 2: The Greatness of God
Mission: 6

Question Answer
How powerful is God?

God is omnipotent, which means He is all-powerful and can do anything He pleases. Jeremiah 32:17 – "Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You."

The Difference This Truth Makes
If we did not believe God had all power, then we would probably trust in ourselves or go looking for some other thing that has a little power. If God did not have all power, then it would be possible for someone or something to defeat Him. But God is all-powerful!

Jeremiah 32:27 – “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?”

Not only is God all-powerful, God is also unlimited. Nobody or no thing could ever exhaust or limit God’s awesome power – not even in the smallest way! Cars run out of gas, batteries lose their charge, and all living things eventually get old and die. But God will never run out, wear out, get old, or cease to be.

Having all power means that God is in complete and absolute control.

Psalm 115:3 – But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases.

Psalm 103:19 – The LORD has established His throne in heaven, And His kingdom rules over all.

Number040207

God Knows Everything – Even the Future
Adventure 2: The Greatness of God
Mission: 7

Question Answer
What does God know?

God is omniscient, which means He knows all things, even the secrets of our hearts. 1 John 3:20b – God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.

The Difference This Truth Makes
If God did not know everything, including the future, then He would not be an all-wise God. If we did not believe that God knows the future, we would begin to trust our own judgment and desires over His. Our selfish ways are never the best ways!
Proverbs 14:12 – There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.

Many times in His Word, God assures people that He knows everything for certain – even the future. Look at Isaiah 42:9 –
Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.

The reason God knows everything (past, present, and future) is that He is above time. The things that have happened in the past are just as real as the things happening right now. That is not how we humans can view time! It should be comforting to know that no matter where or when – past, present, or future – God is there.

Number040208

God Is Everywhere – All at the Same Time
Adventure 2: The Greatness of God
Mission: 8

Question Answer
Where is God?

God is omnipresent, which means He is everywhere, all the time. Jeremiah 23:24 – "Can anyone hide himself in secret places, So I shall not see him?" says the LORD; "Do I not fill heaven and earth?" says the LORD.

The Difference This Truth Makes
It is wrong to think of God in terms of location, because He is the One Who created space and matter. If God created space and matter, He has to be much greater that His Creation and could never be contained by His own universe. That is very hard for us to understand, but it helps us realize why God is everywhere. There is no place where God cannot be found.

If we did not believe that God was everywhere, we might come to the conclusion that we could hide from God when we sin, or that God is not nearby when we are frightened and need Him. But God is always near us – at all times – even when we do not feel like He is.

Number040209

God Is Absolutely Unique in His Greatness
Adventure 2: The Greatness of God
Mission: 9

Question Answer
Can anyone else come even close to matching God's greatness?

No one can match God. He is infinitely greater than anyone else. 1 Timothy 1:17 – Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

The Difference This Truth Makes
God wants us to know that nobody even comes close to His perfect, awesome greatness. If anyone else were as great, then God would lose some of His glory. When we talk about God’s “glory,” we are talking about God’s honor and His excellent
Name (His reputation). In a very simple way, God’s glory refers to God’s fame. God is famous because no one else is as wonderful and powerful as He is.

Often, sports heroes are given glory and fame because they have special abilities and talents. But think about God’s special abilities! The talents of any sports hero are lesser than God’s abilities. Why is that? Because God is the One Who gives sports heroes any abilities they have (1 Corinthians 4:7).

Without God, there could be no talent. Nobody else deserves to be famous like God is famous – and God wants the glory He deserves. He makes sure He will be famous. Isaiah 42:8 – I am the LORD, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images.

Number040210

God Wants Me To Respect Him for His Greatness
Adventure 2: The Greatness of God
Mission: 10

Question Answer
How should you respond to God as you learn more about His greatness?

Learning about God's greatness should encourage me to honor Him faithfully and to depend upon Him humbly. Exodus 15:11 – Who is like You, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?

The Difference This Truth Makes
When we believe rightly about God, it changes our lives! God commands us to fear and respect Him, because it is truly beneficial for us, and it brings Him glory.

People who do not fear the Lord properly do not believe rightly about God. When we believe in God as He has revealed Himself in the Bible, then a right kind of fear and respect for God comes into our hearts.

Number040301

God Is Perfectly Good in All His Ways
Adventure 3: The Goodness of God
Mission: 1

Question Answer
What is our good God like?

God is holy, loving, and perfect in all He is and all He does. He is true, noble, just, pure, and praiseworthy. It is because of God that we even know what 'good' is. Psalm 34:8 – Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

The Difference This Truth Makes
If we did not believe that God is really good, then we would not be able to trust Him. It would not be wise to put our trust in someone if we were not confident that he wants what is good for us.

Everything God is and everything God does is perfectly good. We use the phrase “goodness of God” to describe God’s character, or to His personality. God wants us to trust Him, and He has revealed Himself as a trustworthy God.

One evil thing to do is to call evil things “good.” Isaiah 5:20 – Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

For something to be worthy of approval or honor, it must be good. God Himself is the final standard of good. God is the supreme definition of good. Therefore, for something to be truly good, it must resemble (be like) God.

Number040302

All Good Things Come from God
Adventure 3: The Goodness of God
Mission: 2

Question Answer
Who gives us all good things?

God gives us all good things. Psalm 84:11 – For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.

The Difference This Truth Makes
If we thought that good came from us, we would not think we needed God. If we believed that good came from somewhere else besides God, then we would probably trust and worship whatever it was that we thought might give us the good.

Perhaps you have spent time on a project for school and, when you were done, you got a good grade. Why did you get that good grade? What did it mean? Basically, that good grade meant that you earned the approval of your teacher. Something that is good is approved and worthy of honor.

God is always worthy of honor because He is perfectly good, and all that is good flows from Him. Since God is the absolute best Good, no good originates from any other person besides God. All good things come from God!

James 1:17 – Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

Number040303

God Is the Only One Who Is Completely Set Apart from Sin
Adventure 3: The Goodness of God
Mission: 3

Question Answer
How good is God?

God is holy. He is perfectly good, perfectly pure, and perfectly committed to His glory. Isaiah 6:3b – Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!

The Difference This Truth Makes
If we did not believe that God is holy, then that would show we think of Him as being less than perfect. Anything less than absolute moral perfection is sinful. If God was not holy, then He would have sin. A sinful god would certainly not be one worth serving or worshipping. A sinful god would be just like us – and we need a God that can rescue us from our sins, not join us in our sins. We are sinful because we have missed the mark of perfection. God is without sin because He is the mark of perfection. We sin because we fall short of God’s perfect standard.

Thankfully, God is separate from all sin. In fact, Psalm 5:4 says nothing evil will ever be able to live with God.

Not only is God separate from sin, but He is also wholly committed to His own glory and honor. God’s Law is an expression of His character, and He commands us to do everything for the glory of God. If it is wrong for us to be uncommitted to God’s glory, then it would be wrong for God to be uncommitted to His own glory.

Being committed to our own glory is sin. It resembles the attitude of Satan, who said in his heart: “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend
above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High” (Isaiah 14:13-14).

Number040304

God Never Acts Wrongly Toward Anyone or Anything
Adventure 3: The Goodness of God
Mission: 4

Question Answer
Does God ever sin or do anything in a wrong or sinful way?

God is always righteous. All God does is right and rightly done, for His glory and His people's good. Psalm 145:17 – The LORD is righteous in all His ways, gracious in all His works.

The Difference This Truth Makes
If we believed that God could or does ever act in a wrong way, then we would live our lives only afraid of Him – and we certainly would not want to be close to a God Who might do us wrong!

God has never done wrong, though; and He has never made a mistake. Genesis 18:25b – “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

God has complete power, authority, and control of everything. He does whatever He wants – but, thankfully, whatever God wants or does is right.

God is the ultimate Standard of what is right. Some people look to their own sense of justice and righteousness in order to determine what is absolutely right. But if they look inwardly at themselves, they cannot see a true picture, because they are corrupt. Sometimes, people think so wrongly about God that they try to blame Him for wrongdoing. Some might even blame God for their own sins.

Adam tried to blame God for his sin. Genesis 3:12 – Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” Adam was accusing God of making a mistake.

Adam was accusing God of making a mistake. It is never wise to accuse God of doing anything wrong – whether we say this out loud, in our hearts, or by the way we live our lives. It is wrong, sinful thinking to believe that God has done anyone or anything wrong, ever! God has never done wrong, and He never will do wrong. He is completely righteous.

Sometimes God sends His children through painful trials or circumstances. During these hard times, our flesh would have us believe that God “did us wrong.” But good things are not always enjoyable and fun. Sometimes, we must endure even tragic things; but we can be confident that God is in control, and that He has not acted wrongly. Everything God does is for His glory and for our ultimate good.

Deuteronomy 32:4 – He is the Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice, a God of truth and without injustice; righteous and upright is He.

Number040305

God Always Tells the Truth
Adventure 3: The Goodness of God
Mission: 5

Question Answer
Does God ever lie?

God never lies. He is absolutely trustworthy because His Word is absolute truth. Titus 1:2 – In hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began.

The Difference This Truth Makes
If we believed that God could or might lie to us, then we would not want to trust Him or His Word. Can you remember a time someone lied to you? What was your attitude toward that person once you found out the truth? Did you still trust him? What would your attitude be toward God if you felt He had deceived you?

We can be thankful that God does not lie. In fact, the Bible goes so far as to say that God cannot lie. Praise the Lord: God is always truthful.

God is the only true God; therefore, God is the Source and Standard of Truth. Jeremiah 10:10 – But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King. At His wrath the earth will tremble, and the nations will not be able to endure His indignation.

Everything God says is true: John 17:17 – Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.

God will keep His promises and do everything He says He will do. Psalm 18:30 – As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.

Number040306

God Gives Good Things to All His Creation
Adventure 3: The Goodness of God
Mission: 6

Question Answer
Does God give to everyone good things they do not deserve?

God is a gracious God Who delights in giving good things to His creatures. Psalm 145:8-9 – The LORD is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and great in mercy. The LORD is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works.

The Difference This Truth Makes
If we did not believe that God gives good things to us, we would be tempted to live a life of sin – trying to please ourselves with whatever the world has to offer. But God is good. God is good to us. God is good to us all the time!

Some people might be tempted to think that God is good, but that “He’s not good to me!” That is not correct thinking, because God is good to all. God is gracious toward those who deserve only punishment. He gives them something they do not deserve. This good giving He does is called “grace”!

God was even being good to us in the way He arranged the human nose. If He had pointed the nostrils up, we would drown every time it rained! God has given many good things to all His Creation, things we do not even think about.

The Devil would have us believe that God has not given us good things, or that God is keeping good things from us. In fact, these were two of the very first lies Satan used in order to get man to sin. Just look at what he told Eve: Genesis 3:5 – “For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

The Devil was trying to convince Eve that God was withholding something goodfrom her. As humans, we want good things. We will always go after what we think is good. In this case, Eve believed that what would be good for her was to eat the fruit – but she believed a lie. The fruit wasn’t God’s best for her. The way Satan helped Eve to sin was by tricking her into believing that God was not giving her something good.

Number040307

God Enjoys Showing Mercy to His Children
Adventure 3: The Goodness of God
Mission: 7

Question Answer
Would God rather punish or forgive?

God loves to forgive and to show us mercy by withholding the judgment we rightfully deserve. Lamentations 3:22 – Through the LORD's mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.

The Difference This Truth Makes
The cross is a beautiful picture of the mercy of God. When Jesus was dying on it, He cried out, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do!” Even though all those men deserved to be killed because of what they were doing, God, in His mercy, wanted them to be forgiven. God does not have to work at being merciful – it is part of His very nature. Even when God made Adam and Eve leave the Garden of Eden, it was a merciful act (Genesis 3:22-23). If they had stayed in Eden and eaten of the Tree of Life, they would have lived forever under the curse caused by their sin. God wanted them to be reconciled to Him. Even though God judged them by making them leave that paradise, He did so out of His great mercy. God is very concerned that we show mercy like He does. In fact, in Matthew, we find out that if we do not forgive others, then God will not forgive us! Matthew 6:15 – But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Number040308

Without God, There Could Be No Love
Adventure 3: The Goodness of God
Mission: 8

Question Answer
Who is the Source of all true love?

God is the Source of all true love; and without Him, there would be no love. 1 John 4:8 – He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

The Difference This Truth Makes
Have you ever snuggled up to your mom or dad and showed them affection because you wanted something? That is a kind of selfish “love.” It is not really love if you “love” others only for what you can get from them. God’s love toward us is so different. We do not have to do anything to make Him love us more. Romans 5:8 – But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. We can say that God’s love for us is “unconditional” (not based on anything we could be or do).

1 John 4:19 – We love Him because He first loved us.

Is there anything we can do to make God love us more?

Is there anything we can do to make God love us less?

Will God’s love ever change? (See Malachi 3:6.)

The story of the Cross is the ultimate expression of God’s love for sinful people. There is nothing lovable about us, yet God still loves us so much that He died for us. The Bible says that there is no greater love than to lay down your life for your friends (look up John 15:13). That is the kind of love God has for you today!

Number040309

God Hates All Sin
Adventure 3: The Goodness of God
Mission: 9

Question Answer
Does God look the other way when we sin?

No. God hates all sin because He is all good. Romans 1:18 – For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.

The Difference This Truth Makes
If we did not believe that God hates sin, we might get comfortable with sin ourselves. But since God judges all sin, that ought to motivate us to hate sin like He does, and to warn others that a day of judgment will come for all of us.

Sometimes it is hard to think about God hating anything, but He does. God hates sin. Zechariah 8:17 – “Let none of you think evil in your heart against your neighbor; And do not love a false oath. For all these are things that I hate,’ Says the LORD.”

God the Father says to God the Son: Hebrews 1:9 – “You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.”

If God loves all that is right and good, and all that conforms to His moral character, then it should not be surprising that He would hate everything that is against His moral character.

Why does God hate sin so much? Because sin is the opposite of everything for which He stands. God stands for perfection,
goodness, justice, righteousness, and peace. Because He loves those things, He hates the opposite of those things. The opposite of those things is sin.

God hates sin because sin robs Him of His rightful glory. God hates sin because of the damaging effects on His beloved Creation. God hates sin because He is all good. If God did not hate sin intensely and passionately, then He would cease to be a truly good God.

Number040310

We Should Love and Trust God Because of His Goodness
Adventure 3: The Goodness of God
Mission: 10

Question Answer
How can you please God, Who is perfectly good?

By grace, through faith, I can trust God, obey His Word, and love Him more than I love anything or anyone else. Deuteronomy 13:3b-4 – The LORD your God is testing you to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him.

The Difference This Truth Makes
If we do not or cannot believe that God is perfectly good, then we will try to find something or someone else to trust to meet our needs and desires. God repeatedly commands us to trust in Him, and He shows us His perfectly good character to help us understand that there is no one better than Him in whom to place our trust.

God is worthy to be trusted. In fact, nobody
or no thing is more worthy than God. The wisest thing in the whole wide world anyone can do is to trust the Lord. Have you done that? Are you doing that?

Psalm 34:22 – The LORD redeems the soul of His servants, And none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned.

Psalm 37:5 – Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.

Number040401

God Is the Trinity
Adventure 4: The Trinity
Mission: 1

Question Answer
What does it mean when God is called the "Trinity"?

'Trinity' is the word used to describe God as one God in three Persons, each of Whom is fully God. Jeremiah 10:6-7 – Inasmuch as there is none like You, O LORD (You are great, and Your name is great in might), who would not fear You, O King of the nations? For this is Your rightful due. For among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like You.

The Difference This Truth Makes
If we did not believe in the teaching of the Trinity, then we would not believe in God the way He has revealed Himself to us. Only God Himself fully comprehends Who He is, so we must accept His Word – no matter how mysterious or difficult it is to understand. If God is the One revealing Himself, it would be foolish to believe anyone or anything else!

If you were trying to discover things about some famous person, and you could either talk to someone who thinks they know about the famous person, or to the famous person himself – whom would you pick to ask? Would you go right to the source?

God is the Source of all truth, and He has told us Himself Who He is. It is important to believe in God how He says He is! Unless we believe rightly about God, we cannot be saved. (See John 17:3.)

Many times, people try to find illustrations (pictures, similar examples) to explain the Trinity. These illustrations can be helpful, but they all fall short somewhere. They either magnify God’s oneness over His threeness, or His threeness over His oneness.

There is nothing in nature that could fully explain the Trinity, because there is nothing in nature that is fully like the Trinity. God is alone in His awesome Being (His fundamental nature and essence). If there were something or someone exactly like God, He would not be the only true God!

Each Mission in this Adventure will share an analogy (illustration, or picture) that has been used to try to explain the Trinity. These analogies will be under the “Seeing It Clearly” heading. It is important to remember that, although illustrations can be helpful, they could never fully explain the Trinity! Do not try to figure out the teaching of the Trinity completely. If you think you have it all figured out, then you have got it wrong somewhere. Nobody except God Himself could fully understand or explain the Trinity.

Number040402

God Has Always Been a Trinity
Adventure 4: The Trinity
Mission: 2

Question Answer
Has God always been a Trinity?

God has always been a Trinity, and He always will be, because He never changes. Isaiah 48:16 – "Come near to Me [Jesus], hear this: I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; From the time that it was, I was there. And now the Lord GOD and His Spirit Have sent Me."

The Difference This Truth Makes
If we did not believe that God has always existed as a Trinity, then we might fall for the lie that one of the Members of the Trinity was created or has changed over time. Could any created creature – no matter how great – really save us?

All three Persons are equally and fully God, and God is eternal and uncreated. So that means that God must exist as a Trinity eternally, too. If our sin is against the God who created us, how could another created being pay the debt we owe to God? John 17:24 – “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before
the foundation of the world.”

Within the Trinity, there is great love. In fact, it is the most beautiful and powerful love ever. The Father loves the Son. The Son loves the Father. The Holy Spirit is characterized by love. The love among the three Persons of the Trinity is the basis and model for our love for one another. John 17:26 – “And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”

Because the three Members of the Trinity have always had each other, we can be confident that God created us to share in that love and joy – not to be a source of it. God did not create us because He was lonely! Acts 17:25 – Nor is He [God] worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things.

Number040403

There Are Great Reasons To Believe That God Is a Trinity
Adventure 4: The Trinity
Mission: 3

Question Answer
Why must we believe that God is one God in three Persons, each of Whom is fully God?

We must believe God is one God in three Persons, each of Whom is fully God, because that is how He describes Himself in His Word.

The Difference This Truth Makes
If there were not good, biblical reasons to believe the teaching of the Trinity, then we ought not believe it! But God is looking
for people to worship Him in truth (John 4:24). That means God is looking for people to worship Him as He is. God is the Trinity.

The doctrine (teaching) of the Trinity can be confusing. But if the Bible teaches it, then God provides the faith necessary for us to believe it! Many people have considered the teaching of the Trinity a good reason not to believe the Bible. They have tried to prove that the Bible must have errors in it because the Trinity simply cannot be true (since they cannot understand it).

Unbelieving people often use their own intelligence as a standard for proving something as true or false. They should spend some time reading Job 38-42. Perhaps God will give them faith and repentance as they see a holy, awesome God through the teachings of the Word.

Errors happen whenever people try to make the Trinity way too simple or magically understandable, and people try to get rid of its mystery. This will never work. The Trinity is more than humans can wrap their minds around. The Trinity is beyond our comprehension (ability to understand), because
God is beyond our comprehension!

Number040404

God’s Word Tells Us There Is Only One God
Adventure 4: The Trinity
Mission: 4

Question Answer
Does the Bible teach that there is only one true God?

The Bible teaches that the LORD God is the one and only true God. Deuteronomy 6:4 – Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!

The Difference This Truth Makes
God is One. There are not three different gods. Whatever God is, there is only One of Him! The substance of God (what He is) is One, but that substance is three unique Persons – all of Whom are God. Christians talk about the unity (oneness) of the Trinity because there are Three Who are One. Christians talk about the diversity (three-ness) of the Trinity because there is One Who is Three.

One Bible teacher said it like this: “God is one What and three Who’s.” In other words, God is One in His essential Being but there are three Persons Who are God.

Someone might think that God has just shown Himself in three different forms throughout history. Some even believe God was first the Father, then He became the Son, and now He is the Holy Spirit. These views are not biblical ways of understanding the Trinity.

Christ said that He was going to go to the Father (John 16:16) and that He would send the Holy Spirit (John 16:7). Clearly, there is a difference between the three Persons of the Trinity. The Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Father, and the Holy Spirit is not the Son. They are diverse, yet united.

Number040405

God’s Word Teaches Three Persons in One God
Adventure 4: The Trinity
Mission: 5

Question Answer
Who are the three Persons of the Trinity?

The three eternal, distinct Persons of the Trinity are the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Matthew 28:19 – "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

The Difference This Truth Makes
Although there are three Persons in the Trinity, They are not different in essence (in fundamental nature), for They are all God.

The differences between the Three are in how They relate to each other, and how They relate to Creation. In a general sense, the roles of the Members can be seen like this:

• The Father could be seen as the One Who commands, directs, and sends.

• The Son obeys the Father, goes forth, and reveals Who God is.

• The Holy Spirit teaches, comforts, and convinces people of the truth.

The fact that the Son obeys the wishes of the Father does not make Christ inferior to (less than) the Father. Also, even though Christ is called the “Son,” that name does not mean that He was created like we are created. The Jews of old understood that the One Who proclaimed He was the Son of God made Himself equal with God. John 5:18 – Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.

Someone might ask, “Are the three Persons of the Trinity just three different ways of looking at the same God?” No. They are all eternally and fully God. From the very first book of the Bible, we see a glimpse of the “three-ness” of God: Genesis 1:26a – Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.

Number040406

Verses Exist That Include All Three Persons of the Trinity
Adventure 4: The Trinity
Mission: 6

Question Answer
Are there any Bible verses that show all three Persons of the Trinity together, doing or being things only God could do or be?

Yes. One of them is 2 Corinthians 13:14 – The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.

The Difference This Truth Makes
One of the most convincing arguments from Scripture that God is a Trinity is that several verses speak of the three different Members of the Godhead doing or being things that only God could do or be!

Ephesians 2:18 – For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

John 15:26 – “But when the Helper comes, whom I [Jesus Christ] shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.”

Acts 7:55 – But he [Stephen], being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.

Number040407

The Bible Clearly Teaches That the Father Is God
Adventure 4: The Trinity
Mission: 7

Question Answer
Does the Bible teach that the Father is God?

Yes. The Bible teaches that the Father is God. Philippians 1:2 – Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Difference This Truth Makes
As one reads the Bible, there is little doubt that the Father is God. Perhaps in our human thinking, it is easier to imagine the Father as God, than the Son or the Holy Spirit, since, in our culture, it is the fathers who are the heads of households.

Ephesians 4:6 – One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

God has revealed Himself first and foremost as a Father. But Christ and the Holy Ghost are not inferior to (less than) the Father in any way, shape, or form.

Number040408

The Bible Clearly Teaches That Jesus Christ Is God
Adventure 4: The Trinity
Mission: 8

Question Answer
Does the Bible teach that the Son, Jesus Christ, is God?

Yes. The Bible teaches that the Son is God. Hebrews 1:8 – But to the Son He [God] says: "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.

The Difference This Truth Makes
If Jesus was only another created being, or in any way less than God, then it would be idolatry to worship Him! But the New Testament commands us to worship Jesus Christ: Philippians 2:10-11 – That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

If we said we believe in Jesus Christ but not that He was and is God, then we would be believing in a different “jesus.” The Jesus of the Bible has revealed Himself as God, and we must accept and believe in Him. If someone says that he believes in Jesus, but he does not accept that Jesus is the eternal God, then you can be assured that the person has a false faith and needs to change his view of God.

Number040409

The Bible Clearly Teaches That the Holy Spirit Is God
Adventure 4: The Trinity
Mission: 9

Question Answer
Does the Bible teach that the Holy Spirit is God?

Yes. The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit is God. 2 Corinthians 3:17 – Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

The Difference This Truth Makes
The Holy Spirit is God, and God is not just a mystical force. God has a mind, will, and emotions. Some people think that the Holy Spirit is just an invisible force with no personality. They wonder if it is just special strength from God that helps people accomplish His will, but the Bible clearly teaches that the Holy Spirit is a Person.

Like a person, The Holy Spirit has:

• Intelligence: 1 Corinthians 2:13 – These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

• Emotion: Ephesians 4:30 – And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

• Will: 1 Corinthians 12:11 – But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.

Number040410

We Cannot Fully Understand the Teaching of the Trinity
Adventure 4: The Trinity
Mission: 10

Question Answer
How should learning about God as a Trinity cause me to feel?

I should feel humbled to think that God is great and mysterious beyond my understanding! I should rejoice in Him for Who He is. 2 Samuel 7:22 – Therefore You are great, O Lord GOD. For there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

The Difference This Truth Makes
Although we cannot understand the Trinity, we have learned that we cannot do without the Trinity. Without the Trinity, the world would never have been created. Without the Trinity, nobody could ever have his sins forgiven. Without the Trinity, we could not pray. Without the Trinity, everything
we know as reality would explode into nothingness. We are truly dependent upon the Trinity.

We should be grateful for the triune (three-in-one) Godhead. We should be humble because we cannot fully understand
God’s perfect three-in-oneness. We should never think that we have the Trinity totally figured out. If someone thinks he understands the Trinity completely – it is more likely that he has it all wrong.

Isaiah 40:25 – “To whom then will you liken Me, or to whom shall I be equal?” says the Holy One.

Number040501

God Created Everything Out of Nothing
Adventure 5: God's Creation
Mission: 1

Question Answer
What is "Creationism"?

Creationism is the Bible's teaching that, for His own pleasure and glory, God created everything out of nothing in only six days. Genesis 1:1 – In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

The Difference This Truth Makes
If we cannot trust Genesis 1:1, then how can we trust John 3:16? Do you see why it is so important to accept what the Bible says about Creation? If we doubted the Creation story, we also could not be sure about the Gospel story that shows us how to get eternal life.

But we can be sure of all God’s Word. And God tells us that He created everything from nothing.

God did not use any previously existing materials in order to create. When God created, He used “nothing.” God is the only One Who can turn nothing into something. Theologians use the term “ex nihilo” to describe how God created – it is Latin for “out of nothing.” God created the world ex nihilo.

God has the power to will things to be, and they immediately come to pass exactly as He has willed. Can you begin to imagine that kind of awesome power? Wow! The Creator of all things must be an amazing God.

Number040502

The Eternal Trinity Created All Things
Adventure 5: God's Creation
Mission: 2

Question Answer
Who created you, the world, and everything in the world?

The almighty God alone created me, the world, and everything in the world. Isaiah 45:18 – For thus says the LORD, Who created the heavens, Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who has established it, Who did not create it in vain, Who formed it to be inhabited: "I am the LORD, and there is no other."

The Difference This Truth Makes
When thinking about the Creation story, it is not proper to think that one Member of the Godhead had a lesser or greater role in Creation. All three Members of the Trinity were active in the creation of the world, so that we can say that all three Members of the Trinity created.

God the Father created. Hebrews 1:2 – [God, Who] has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds [the Father working through the Son].

God the Son created. John 1:3 – All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

God the Holy Spirit created. Job 26:13a – By His Spirit He adorned the heavens.

When a house is built, who really “builds” it? In one sense, it is the architect who designs it and creates the plans. In another sense, it is the contractor who actually carries out the plan. But there are also the construction workers who actually pick up the tools and begin to put the house together with their own hands. So who builds the house? The architect? The contractor? The construction crew? Could the house be built without any one of the three? We could say that they all created the house – just like the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit created the world.

Number040503

God Created All Things Good
Adventure 5: God's Creation
Mission: 3

Question Answer
Was there anything evil or bad about God's original Creation?

No. Creation now is all stained by sin, but God's original Creation was all very good. Genesis 1:31 – Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

The Difference This Truth Makes
God made all things good. Nothing that was made by God is fundamentally evil in its created condition, since all things came from God, Who is perfectly good. Nothing bad can come from perfect goodness. Everything that exists has value because God made it all, and He loves it all.

However, good things can be created with the potential for bad or evil.

Both man and the Devil, when first created,were completely good. God created the Devil with a free will (and a free will must be a good thing – see the “Memorize It!” section). The Devil used his free will to sin against God. God created humans with free will, too. And Adam and Eve chose to disobey God, as well.

Sin has entered into the world because of human choices. We cannot blame anyone for our sin. God created all things good. Man’s choice to sin was precisely that – a choice. We should not point fingers at any part of Creation to blame for our sin (like blaming other people, as Adam tried to do in Genesis 3:12). God originally created all things good. Sin is the opposite of good. Sin is what happens when a good thing is twisted to go against God. Sin is a bad twisting of good gifts.

Number040504

God Created Everything for His Pleasure and Glory
Adventure 5: God's Creation
Mission: 4

Question Answer
Why did God create the world and everything in it?

God created the world and everything in it for His own pleasure and glory. Revelation 4:11 – You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.

The Difference This Truth Makes
God had a purpose in creating the world, otherwise, He would not have created at all. God’s Creation glorifies God by carrying out all of His will (desires).

Isaiah 43:7 – Every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.

God hates false gods because He is the only One worthy of worship. In Jeremiah 10:11-13, God compares Himself to other gods by saying that they are the gods that have not made the heavens and the earth. Only the God that truly made the heavens and earth deserves the worship and service of man.

Number040505

God Created Everything in Six Days
Adventure 5: God's Creation
Mission: 5

Question Answer
How long did it take God to create the world?

God spent six literal days creating the world. Exodus 20:11 – For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

The Difference This Truth Makes
God took six ordinary days to create the universe. This is one teaching that the evolutionists (people who believe and teach evolution) deny quite loudly. The main reason they argue against the biblical teaching of six literal days is that in order to make their beliefs “work,” they think there must have been a time lapse (period of time passed) of millions or billions of years.

Sometimes evolutionists claim to know exact answers about how many “billions” of years ago Earth was formed. Perhaps the best questions for those people are: “How do you know? Were you there?” An evolutionist must exercise some sort of faith in order to believe and teach his notions.

No matter what scientists might teach, the information that science can provide about the origin (beginning, cause) of the world is very limited. It is not reliable because it has often been proven wrong. Scientists do not have enough knowledge to answer all the questions. Christians do not know all that might be known about Creation, either, but we can be sure that God did create all that is in the world, and that He did so in six ordinary days.

Many people turn to scientific evidence to help them prove Creationism. Scientific evidence is all fine and good, but the starting point for believers must be the Bible. We can be certain that everything that the Bible clearly teaches is 100% true. God’s Word must be all true, or else it must be all false. A Book written by God could not be a mixture of truth and lies. If you believe some of the Bible is true, you should believe
all of it is true.

Number040506

God Spoke Words To Create Everything
Adventure 5: God's Creation
Mission: 6

Question Answer
How did God create the world?

God spoke the world into being! Psalm 33:6, 9 – By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.

The Difference This Truth Makes
Albert Einstein said, “I want to know how God created this world.... I want to know His thoughts; the rest are details.”

How did God create the world? God simply spoke words and it was. Creation is an act of God’s will, and His alone. God created things exactly as He wished. Nothing influenced or forced God to create. God was not lonely or in need of company. God was not lacking glory. God was perfect in His goodness and greatness before He created the world. God did not have to ask permission before He created. (Who would He have asked, anyway?)

Evolutionists decide in advance that God could not possibly have created the world. In making up their minds ahead of time this way, they blind themselves to any evidence that might show that God did create the world. The Bible says that they are “willingly ignorant.”

Before the lie of evolution, Satan was already spreading other lies about the origin of the world. He knew people would wonder where everything came from, so he was prepared to tell them anything that would keep them from believing the truth (2 Corinthians 4:4).

Even the early church fathers had to combat wrong thinking about the world’s origin. Read what Theophilus (who lived more than 1,800 years ago) wrote: “Some of the Stoics absolutely deny the existence of God.... Others say that everything happens spontaneously, that the universe is uncreated...and that nature is eternal...that God is only the individual’s conscience. Plato and his followers...say that matter is as old as God.”

Theophilus goes on to say that these false teachings about the beginning of the world come “by human thought, not in accordance with the truth.”

A Christian supposes (assumes, believes) some things ahead of time, too. We assume that the Bible is God’s Word and is 100% true, and we decide that all our ideas and opinions about everything ought to “line up” with what it clearly teaches. The teachings of the Bible are the foundation for all our thinking.

Number040507

We Need Faith To Believe God Created All Things
Adventure 5: God's Creation
Mission: 7

Question Answer
How can we really know for sure that everything we see, hear, touch, and smell was created by God?

Only by faith can we be fully assured that God created the world and everything in it. Hebrews 11:3 – By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

The Difference This Truth Makes
God the Creator has made it impossible for us to be right with Him without faith. Why is that? If we did not need faith, then we would probably even forget that we need God.

God is the Author of faith, and He lovingly grants (gives) people faith to believe in Him. Through faith, we are able to think God’s thoughts after Him (2 Corinthians 10:5).

People who do not know Christ often think that faith in a supernatural Creator is ignorant or foolish.

1 Corinthians 2:14 – But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

True faith is neither ignorant nor foolish. True faith believes the truth and only the truth. Could believing lies ever be considered
“smart”? Having true faith is truly smart. 

Hebrews 11:1 – Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

True faith causes believers to be absolutely certain that God created the world, and to be certain that everything God says in His Word is true. Those who do not have true faith cannot be 100% certain of anything. They are left to make up their own opinions and count on their feelings to help them answer the biggest questions of life. We should lovingly confront (talk to) those kinds of people and tell them the truth, because God loves them even though they reject Him in their minds. True faith has answers for the biggest questions of life – convincing answers. Do you have true faith?

Number040508

God’s Creation Teaches Us That God Exists
Adventure 5: God's Creation
Mission: 8

Question Answer
What does the creative handiwork of God show us?

Creation shows us that there must be a God, and that He must be uniquely good and great above all. Romans 1:20 – For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.

The Difference This Truth Makes
Scientists still do not understand why an atom hold together. An “atom” is just about the smallest bit of matter known to man. Billions and billions of atoms come together to form things like rocks and flesh or trees. You are made up of billions and billions of atoms. Because atoms are so small, nobody can see them without the aid of an electron microscope!

The mystery is how and why an atom holds together. Proven scientific laws teach us that atoms should not hold together, because atoms consist of two like charges. “Like charges” repel each other (like two magnets). Yet somehow, atoms still hold together! If these atoms did not hold together, everything would explode into nothing. What keeps these tiny atoms together? The Bible says in Colossians 1:17 that by Christ “all things consist.” That means Jesus “holds together” all things.

God is not ignoring His creation. It is true that God is greater than Creation, but He is not cut off from it. He cares about that which He has created.

Job 12:10 – In whose hand is the life of every living thing, And the breath of all mankind?

Creation is distinct from God, yet always dependent upon God.

Ephesians 4:6 – One God and Father of all, who is above all [separate from Creation],
and through all, and in you all [active in Creation].

Number040509

God Created All Invisible Things, Too
Adventure 5: God's Creation
Mission: 9

Question Answer
Did God create all things that exist, both visible and invisible?

Yes. God created all things that exist, both visible and invisible. Colossians 1:16 – For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.

The Difference This Truth Makes
God made all the things in heaven. The Bible also says that God created all invisible things, as well. The Bible teaches us that the invisible things are eternal, and that the visible things are temporal (they do not last). 2 Corinthians 4:18 – While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

There is no basis for worshipping nature or for glorifying human beings, because they are seen, and the things that are seen do not last. We should not trust our eyes. The Bible says that we walk by faith (being certain of things that are not seen) – not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).

Because God made the invisible things, they are all subject to (set underneath) God’s authority. Even the Devil, though he is invisible, is subject to God’s power– because the Devil is a created being. God has complete and supreme power and authority over all things – visible and invisible.

1 Peter 3:22 – [Jesus] Who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.

Number040510

We Will Give an Account of Our Lives to the Great Creator
Adventure 5: God's Creation
Mission: 10

Question Answer
How should learning the truth about Creation change the way you think about God, the Creator?

The truth about Creation should draw me to rejoice in God and remind me to live in a way that honors Him. Romans 14:12 – So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.

The Difference This Truth Makes
The Bible says people who reject God as Creator are “willingly ignorant” (2 Peter 3:5; Romans 1:20-22). This means that they push away the truth on purpose. People who believe that there is no God really have to work at it – because Creation shouts out truth to them: “There is a God!” Perhaps one of the reasons people push away the obvious is that they do not like to think about giving an account of their behavior to the One Who created them (John 3:20).

The Bible teaches that all of us will have to give an account of our lives to God. Nobody can avoid standing before the Creator someday.

We should live our lives as though every moment were being lived before the face of the Lord. Why? Because every moment of your life is lived before the face of the Lord! The Lord loves His Creation so much, He never takes His eyes off it. Your magnificent Creator loves you and wants you to bring Him glory by finding your greatest joy in loving and serving Him.

Number040601

God Created Humans Out of Dust
Adventure 6: God's View of You
Mission: 1

Question Answer
How did the first human being get here?

The LORD God created the first man, Adam, out of dust and breathed life into him. Genesis 2:7 – And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

The Difference This Truth Makes
God used matter that had already been formed to create man. God used the material of dust to create man. God made the most valuable part of Creation out of the least valuable part of Creation. He made the most amazing part of Creation out of the most common part of Creation. What does this choice of God’s show about the kind of Creator He is?

Can you think of anything less valuable than dust? If you needed some dust, you would not have to buy it – it is everywhere, and it is free! People clean dust out of their homes. People try to separate themselves from dust. You could not sell dust on eBay; it has no value, no worth. Nobody has a “dust collection” on purpose, but you might have one under your bed. Dust is gross, undesirable, and just plain worthless.

Could God have created man out of gold or water? Maybe the reason God used dust was to show His awesome skill in fashioning something truly wonderful out of something so worthless. God can take dirt and make something priceless out of it. What a great God!

Although Adam’s body was formed with dust, God personally breathed into him the “breath of life.” Nobody knows for sure exactly what the “breath of life” is, but the result of it was that man became a “living soul.”

Number040602

God Says That We Are Made “In His Image”
Adventure 6: God's View of You
Mission: 2

Question Answer
What does it mean that humans are 'made in the image of God'?

Being 'made in the image of God' means that God made humans to resemble Him in certain ways, like being able to think, feel, and make choices. Genesis 1:27 – So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

The Difference This Truth Makes
Do you look like your mom or dad? Many children look a lot like one of their parents. If you do, some people might even describe you as the “spittin’ image” of your mom or dad. This simply means that when people look at you, they can see a reflection of your parents in you, because you resemble them (you look alike).

All humans – past, present, and future – are created in the image of God. Does that mean, though, that we actually look like God? Since God is a Spirit, being “in God’s image” must mean something different than physical appearance. Christians believe that we resemble God primarily in three ways:

Mind – God gave us intelligence and the abilities to learn and think.

Will – God gave us a will to choose and to act upon personal desires.

Emotions – God created us to feel things like joy, sadness, anger, and delight.

God did not make some people “more in His image” than others. All humans have value, because God made each one of us to be like Him. Being “made in His image” refers to something we are rather than to something we have or do. Even if we compare
the richest, healthiest billionaire to the poorest disabled person – all humans resemble God more than any other part of His creation (Romans 10:12).

Being made in the image of God and being God are two entirely different things. God is not a man, nor are we a piece of God. We are unique creatures who happen to be the part of God’s Creation, whether visible or invisible, that most resembles Him – even more than the angels!

Number040603

God Created Mankind Especially for His Glory
Adventure 6: God's View of You
Mission: 3

Question Answer
Why are human beings the pinnacle, the most glorious part, of all God's Creation?

Of all God's Creation, human beings are made to be most like God and to bring Him more of the glory He deserves. Psalm 86:8-10 – Among the gods there is none like You, O Lord; nor are there any works like Your works. All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord, and shall glorify Your name. For You are great, and do wondrous things; You alone are God.

The Difference This Truth Makes
Human beings were the only creatures made in God’s image. We were created especially to reflect and magnify His goodness
and greatness.

The word “glory” in the New Testament is the Greek word doxa, which originally referred to having “an opinion,” but eventually
came to mean having a high opinion of some great person, like a king. To give someone glory is to give him the honor that his character demands.

God did not need to create man, yet He created us for His own glory. Mankind, more than any other part of God’s Creation, brings Him glory. Why is that? Because God’s character can be reflected more clearly by mankind than by any other part of Creation. It is through people that God’s glory is most clearly seen.

Have you ever gone to a house of mirrors? If the mirror glass is not flat, the image reflected back at you will be distorted. It might resemble you a bit, but not as much as it would if the glass were nice and flat.

When God first created man, His image in man was clearer – like the kind of image a perfectly flat mirror would reflect. When man fell and sin came into the world, the image of God in man became blurry and distorted – but not completely lost.

The New Testament affirms that, even after the Fall, human beings still have something of the image of God. We should treat one another like God’s workmanship. James reminds us that is is wrong to praise some people and speak evil against others, partly because we ar eall made in the similitude (the likeness, or image) of God. James 3:9-10 – With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.

Number040604

God Commands Us To Live a Certain Way for His Glory
Adventure 6: God's View of You
Mission: 4

Question Answer
What did God create you to do?

God created me to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever! Psalm 86:11-12 – Teach me Your way, O LORD; I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name. I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and I will glorify Your name forevermore.

The Difference This Truth Makes
All of us want happiness and satisfaction – God designed us that way! Inside every human being, God has put the desire to find happiness and satisfaction. He has also provided a way for us to be truly happy – by loving Him with our whole hearts! The times when we will be happiest are those times when we are doing the thing that God created us to do: glorifying Him.

Someone might wonder: “If I am made in the image of God, and cannot lose that, then why isn’t it enough just to live any way I want to?” It is true that no matter how one lives, the fact that he is created in God’s image does not change. However, the more sinful a person’s life is, the more distorted
becomes the image of God in that person. There is no lasting happiness when our lives present a distorted view of God. He makes sure of that! In order to find true happiness, we need to live for the purpose for which God created us.

God has given us rules by which to live. These rules are for our benefit and for His glory. The rules and laws that God has given are based on His character and excellence.

When we live according to God’s laws, our obedience tells an accurate (true, correct) story of what God is like. God is pleased and receives glory when we reflect His character by the way we live. By God’s grace, we should think, act, and speak like God, in order to bring glory to Him.

As Christians, it is important that we give others the right opinion of Who our God really is. That means we should look right and act rightly, but, most importantly, BE right! The only way we can BE right is if we know the Lord Jesus and have His Spirit living within us!

In order to give a clear reflection of God’s image, we need God Himself to come and live inside of us in a special way. We need His Spirit to cleanse us of our sins and teach us how to live.

Number040605

Adam and Eve Were Created Without Sin
Adventure 6: God's View of You
Mission: 5

Question Answer
When God first created Adam and Eve, what were they like?

Adam and Eve were created holy and happy, without sin and without sorrow. God was close to them, and they were close to God. Psalm 16:11 – You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

The Difference This Truth Makes
When Adam and Eve were first created, they were holy and happy. They were holy because they did not have any knowledge of evil, since they had never sinned. They were happy because they had a beautiful, close fellowship with God. But all that changed one day when Satan came into the garden.

Satan wants to be worshipped like God is worshipped. Satan knows that he cannot hurt God directly, but he tries to hurt God indirectly by tempting people to come short in giving God glory.
Satan knows that the way to keep us from reflecting God’s image is through sin.

Satan wants to spoil God’s Creation as much as he can because he has tried to take God’s place and cannot. (See Isaiah 14.) Satan still believes the lie that he is as great as God. He thinks he will take away God’s rule someday. Satan has been trying to get as many people as he can to buy into that same lie.

Satan encouraged Eve to justify her sin by questioning two things about God:

God’s Truth – Genesis 3:4 – Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.” [Satan was trying to convince Eve that God had lied to her.]

God’s Goodness – Genesis 3:5 – “For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” [Satan was trying to convince Eve that God was withholding something good from her.]

Many people still wrongly believe that God designs laws to make them miserable. But God’s Word is always true and right, and part of God’s character is love toward us. Obeying God is always beneficial, or good, for us (Psalm 84:11).

Deuteronomy 6:24 – And the LORD commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is this day.

Number040606

All People Are Sinners
Adventure 6: God's View of You
Mission: 6

Question Answer
When Adam disobeyed God in the garden, did it cause everyone born after him to be sinners like him?

Yes. Through Adam, sin and sin's consequences came into the world and to all people. His sinful record and sinfulness were passed down to us. Romans 5:12 – Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.

The Difference This Truth Makes
When Adam sinned, it caused sin and the curse of sin to spread to all his children. We are connected to Adam. We are all sinners.

Think about a network of computers. When a computer virus hits one computer, it can spread to literally millions of them, because they are all connected. As humans, we are all connected to Adam and Adam’s sin.

Adam’s choice affected all his descendants (everybody born after him). Each of us might have done exactly what Adam did (or we would have sinned some other way, eventually). Adam was our best chance to reject sin and live perfectly before God. He was the representative of the whole human race; so when he fell, we all fell.

Adam’s failure to reflect God’s image perfectly has caused all of us to inherit a sinful nature. That means our spiritual condition is sinful by default (automatically). We do not even have to commit a sin in order to be sinful. We are automatically sinful because we are humans that are inseparably connected to Adam’s guilt.

Number040607

Sin Displeases God
Adventure 6: God's View of You
Mission: 7

Question Answer
What is "sin"?

Sin is any action, word, or thought that breaks God's Law. We sin either by doing or being what God forbids, or by not doing or being what God requires. 1 John 3:4 – Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.

The Difference This Truth Makes
The simple and most accurate definition for the Bible word “sin” is “missing the mark.” But what mark (or target) have we missed?

Romans 3:23 – For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

What we have missed is the glory of God – the purpose for which He created us. The Bible teaches that we were created in God’s image to glorify Him. Sinning means failing to give glory to God by not perfectly reflecting His character. Sinning means missing the mark of God’s glory through wrong actions, speech, attitudes, or thoughts.

Sinning means preferring something else above God – namely, ourselves. When we sin, we exchange the greatest joy and satisfaction for lesser pleasures that could not possibly satisfy. Sin makes great promises, but never delivers.

God is always displeased by sin, because all goes against Him. God is absolutely perfect. One of the characteristics of someone who is absolutely perfect is that He loves perfection and intensely hates all that goes against it. All sin displeases God, because all sin goes against His perfection.

Number040608

Sin Has Terrible Results
Adventure 6: God's View of You
Mission: 8

Question Answer
What happened after the first sin ("the Fall")?

After the Fall, the whole human race lost fellowship with God and was cursed by sin and death. Only a sinless Savior could make them holy and happy again. 1 Corinthians 15:22 – For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.

The Difference This Truth Makes
One of the life’s biggest questions is: “Why is there evil in the world?” The answer is “sin.” Sin is the ultimate bad. Sin never has positive results.

Sin has severe effects on us and on our relationships to others, but the main relationship it affects is the one with our Maker.

God promised Adam and Eve that if they ate of a certain fruit, they would die. Although they did not die physically right away, their sinful choices brought terrible effects – both then and afterwards, even up to today.

In Scripture, the word “death” means to be separated from something. To die means to separate from something. Sin has brought three types of death into the world.

1. Physical death – separation of man’s soul and spirit from his body (1 Corinthians 15:20-21)

2. Spiritual death – separation of man from God (Genesis 3:8; Genesis 3:23; Isaiah 59:2)

3. Eternal, or second death – separation of man from God forever and ever (John 8:24; Revelation 20:15; Revelation 21:8)

Number040609

God Rescues Helpless Sinners
Adventure 6: God's View of You
Mission: 9

Question Answer
Does God leave all sinners to die in their sin, guilt, and misery?

No. He gave Jesus to save any sinners who believe on Him from their sin, guilt, and misery. John 3:16 – "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

The Difference This Truth Makes
According to God, all the world is in slavery to sin. John 8:34 – Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever
commits sin is a slave of sin.”

Many times in the Bible, we read about people who are held captive under a slave owner. These people were the property of the slave owner. In order to be set free they needed to be “redeemed.” The word “redeemed” means rescued by a purchase. That purchase is called “redemption.” The only way for these prisoners to be set free was for a redeemer to come and purchase them out of their condition. But not just any person could be the redeemer. The redeemer had to be: a close relative of the one held captive, able to pay the high price for freedom, and willing to redeem the one in bondage.

Do you know that we were held captive by sin? Do you know who the Redeemer is? Has Christ rescued you with a great purchase? Jesus Christ was the only One able to fulfill all the requirements of redemption! Praise the Lord; He willingly paid the great price of His life so that we could go free!

God provided a means of salvation for all who believe. God rescues helpless sinners who come to Him having nothing and needing everything. He rescues them through a purchase worth more than all the money that has ever been printed. (See Acts 20:28.)

Number040610

We All Need God To Rescue Us from Our Sins
Adventure 6: God's View of You
Mission: 10

Question Answer
How has Adam's sin affected you?

I am a sinner by birth and a sinner by choice. Unless God redeems me, I can never be good or right with Him. Romans 7:18 – For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.

The Difference This Truth Makes
If we do not see ourselves the way God see us, then we remain proud. The Bible says God resists the proud, and that a person
who comes to believe on Christ must come as a humble little child (Matthew 18:1-6). Without Christ, we cannot please God by any good deeds, because God views all our deeds as bad. We cannot give enough money, or go to church enough, or say enough prayers to gain God’s redemption (freedom from sin through a purchase).

God’s plan to save people from their sins by sending His Son brings Him much glory. When God changes a sinner, He shows His unequaled abilities to forgive and to create someone who truly resembles Himself. His saved ones are trophies of His grace – similar to your displays of sports or scholarship trophies that you have earned – so, God showcases His glory through His children. He puts them on display for the world to observe and say, “What a great God that person must have!”

Revelation 5:9 – And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation.

Number040701

The Greatest Commandment Is Love
Adventure 7: God's Law
Mission: 1

Question Answer
According to what Jesus taught, what are the two greatest commandments of all?

Jesus taught that loving God wholeheartedly and loving others unreservedly are the two greatest commandments. Matthew 22:37b-40 – "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."

The Difference This Truth Makes
Kellogg’s Pop TartsTM have a slogan that goes like this: “It’s what’s inside that counts!” Basically, this is what Jesus was teaching when He commanded us to love God and others: It’s what’s inside that counts.

In Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus sums up all of God’s laws into two rules:
• Love God
• Love others

Number040702

The First Four Commandments
Adventure 7: God's Law
Mission: 2

Question Answer
What are the first four of the Ten Commandments in order as they are given in Exodus 20:3-8?

The Difference This Truth Makes
Whenever we break God’s Law, we attack some aspect of Who He is. When we are mean to a neighbor, we attack God’s attributes of love and mercy. When we trust in something besides God to bring us lasting joy, we attack His unique position as the one true Creator. When we lie, we attack God’s absolute truthfulness. The awfulness of breaking God’s Law is that, whenever we break it, we launch a personal attack against Him.

Breaking God’s Law is a big deal because it is sin. Sin is violating (breaking, going against) God’s Law. And violating God’s Law is violating God’s character. Violating God’s character is going against God Himself. Romans 6:16 – Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?

Number040703

The Last Six Commandments
Adventure 7: God's Law
Mission: 3

Question Answer
What are the last six of the Ten Commandments in order as they are given in Exodus 20:12-17?

The Difference This Truth Makes
God’s Law reveals more and more about Who God is. What would it say about a god that told us to go and beat up people that we do not like? How about if that god commanded us to selfishly eat all the chocolate we wanted? Worse yet, how would you feel if that god commanded you to steal from other people in order to satisfy your own desires? What would your opinion of that god be like?

We can be thankful that God’s Law clearly shows us His loving, gracious, perfect, spotless character. God’s Law flows from His holy moral nature – so we can love the Law because it clearly shows what it means to be perfect – and it shows us Who the only Perfect One is.

Number040704

The First Four: Our Relationship with God
Adventure 7: God's Law
Mission: 4

Question Answer
What do the first four commandments teach you?

The first four commandments teach me what it means to love and serve God wholeheartedly. Deuteronomy 6:5 – You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.

The Difference This Truth Makes
The first four of the Ten Commandments are commands that mainly concern how we relate to God. The last six, which help us relate to people, will come naturally if we are right with God. These first four commands are priority #1!

Number040705

The Last Six: Our Relationship with Others
Adventure 7: God's Law
Mission: 5

Question Answer
What do the last six commandments teach you?

The last six commandments teach me what it means to love and serve my neighbor unreservedly. Matthew 7:12 – "Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets."

The Difference This Truth Makes
God is concerned with how we treat other people. One reason for His concern is that all human life is created in God’s image.
The way we treat others indicates how we truly feel about God.
1 John 4:20 – If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother [in Christ], he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?

Just because the last six commandments are primarily about our relationship with other people, that does not mean that our relationship with God is not affected. In fact, no matter how we might sin against another human being – ultimately we sin against God. Even David, after breaking several of God’s commandments (particularly #6 and #7) said: “Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest” (Psalm 51:4).

Number040706

God’s Law Shows Us Our Need for Christ
Adventure 7: God's Law
Mission: 6

Question Answer
Why did God give the Ten Commandments?

In love, God gave the Ten Commandments to show all of us that we are sinners who desperately need Jesus Christ's righteousness and forgiveness. Galatians 3:24 – Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

The Difference This Truth Makes
God’s Law shows His standard – and His standard is perfection. God can take no pleasure in anything that does not fully measure up to His moral Law. Thankfully, when we come face-to-face with God’s standard, it points us to our need for Christ.

Someday, you will learn to drive a car! That will be exciting. But before you can get your license, you will need an instructor.
This driving instructor will teach you the rules of the road and show you how to drive without hurting yourself or others. He will show you what it means to drive legally. Finally, one day you will get your license, and you will not need your instructor
anymore – yippee!

But you will still obey all the rules he taught you, right? Just because your instructor is not sitting with you all the time does not mean you are free to do anything you want with your car. You must still obey the rules of the road. Just because you have a driver’s license does not mean you can do anything you want!

The Law of God instructs you like that driving instructor. The instructor shows you that you need a license, and he shows you what you must do in order to receive a license. The Law shows you that you have a great need for forgiveness, and it points you to Jesus Christ – the only One Who can provide forgiveness.

Number040707

Jesus Christ Obeyed All of God’s Law Perfectly
Adventure 7: God's Law
Mission: 7

Question Answer
Why is it so important that Jesus Christ obeyed the Ten Commandments perfectly?

Because Jesus Christ is God, His obedience was perfect; and His righteousness can be ours by grace through faith. He alone can make us fit for heaven. Romans 5:19 – For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous.

The Difference This Truth Makes
Jesus Christ obeyed the Law – all of it – perfectly. He is the perfect revelation of Who God is, because He perfectly demonstrated obedience to God’s Law.

Matthew 5:17-19 – “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

If God’s standard is perfection, and we have miserably fallen short of that standard, then we are in big trouble! That is what God’s Law teaches us. When we understand that Christ did measure up to God’s standard of perfection – and that He will give us His perfection so that we might be accepted by God – we see we can trust in Jesus as the only able Redeemer.

Number040708

It Is Impossible To Get to Heaven by Obeying God’s Law
Adventure 7: God's Law
Mission: 8

Question Answer
Can sinners get to heaven by trying really hard to obey all of the Ten Commandments?

No. Nobody but Jesus is good enough to get to heaven by keeping the Law perfectly. Romans 3:20 – Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

The Difference This Truth Makes
We cannot become God’s children by performing all the commandments because, in order to do so, we would need a heart change first – and we cannot change our hearts on our own. It is impossible to obey God without God. We need God. He is the first and last stop in any attempt to obey His Law.

Obeying the Ten Commandments is impossible without faith in Christ. God must change our hearts to love Him. This only happens through faith (Deuteronomy 30:6; 2 Corinthians 5:17). When someone comes to God by faith, He changes his heart to love Him.

When you become a Christian through faith in Christ, you are not under the Law anymore, but you still need to obey it. Just because you have Jesus as your Lord and Savior, it does not mean you can behave any way you want. In fact, if you know Christ, He will change your heart to desire to obey His Law perfectly. He saved us so we could obey the Law, not break it (Romans 6:15).

We must always remember that Jesus valued internal obedience (loving God and others) as more important that only outward conformity. This is one of the reasons Jesus so hated the false teachings of the Pharisees. They kept the Law for the Law’s sake. They worshipped the Law instead of God! In so doing, they trusted in themselves.

You might try to get to heaven by obeying the Law perfectly yourself – or you can get there by finding someone Who has already perfectly obeyed it. You can either trust in yourself to keep the Law (and fail), or you can trust in Christ Who has already kept it (and suceeded), and Who will give you His own righteousness by faith. Without Christ’s righteousness, we will never meet God’s standard – we will never be accepted. (See Ephesians 1:6.)

Number040709

Obedience to God’s Commandments Benefits Us
Adventure 7: God's Law
Mission: 9

Question Answer
Does God give us the Law to make us miserable and keep us from being happy?

No. The Law is God's good gift to us, designed for His highest glory and for our highest good. Deuteronomy 6:24 – And the LORD commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is this day.

The Difference This Truth Makes
Imagine a human father who has a son he loves very much. Would a good father place rules on his son which were not for his son’s good? If the father did command the son to obey bad rules designed to hurt him – would anyone really believe that the father really loved his son?

The Law should be seen as the expression of God’s character and will. He does not command love or forbid murder simply because He decides to do so. His very nature loves certain actions and hates others, and God’s Law flows out of His nature. Since God is perfectly good – we can trust that anything which flows from His perfect character will be as perfectly good as He is. The Law is good. When we obey it, it benefits us!

1 John 5:2-3 – By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. 3For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.

Number040710

We Should Be Thankful for God’s Law
Adventure 7: God's Law
Mission: 10

Question Answer
What should your attitude toward God be like because He has given the Law?

I should be thankful to God because His Law establishes a perfect moral standard that shows me His character and points me to Christ, Who alone can save me. Psalm 119:111-112 – Your testimonies I have taken as a heritage forever, for they are the rejoicing of my heart. I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes forever, to the very end.

The Difference This Truth Makes
Without God’s Law, we would not have any way of understanding our need for God. If we believed that we could live and act perfectly, then we would probably never see our need for God. But we do not even comprehend how desperately we need God. The Law helps us understand our need a little bit, and it helps us understand to the point where some of us call out in humility and repentance, asking Christ to save us from our sins.

But even people who do not have God’s Word still have His Law written on their hearts. Romans 2:14-15 – For when Gentiles,
who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them.

Although people without God’s Word cannot understand God’s Word as clearly as those who do have it, all people are born with at least a sense of God’s Law. They can understand right and wrong. Nobody has an excuse for not responding to that revelation and seeking to know more about God. If we turn to the God of the Law, He will show us our sin – and the only Savior. Whoever comes to Christ, believing, may come and be accepted. God lovingly, graciously, and mercifully gave His Law to point us to Christ!

Number040801

Jesus Christ Is the Way, the Truth, and the Life
Adventure 8: Jesus Christ
Mission: 1

Question Answer
Who is Jesus Christ?

Jesus Christ is the only Son of God and the only Savior of sinners. To know Him by grace through faith is to know God the Father. John 14:6 – Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me"

The Difference This Truth Makes
Why should Jesus be the main focal point as we read and think about the Bible? He should be the main focal point because He clearly reveals (shows) God to us better than anyone or anything else ever could. To gain an understanding of God, we can look at the Law, or we can look to One Who is even better – the One Who obeyed the Law perfectly. We can look at prophecy, or we can look at the One Who perfectly fulfills prophecy. The primary theme of all of Scripture is Christ – the King, the Redeemer, the Only Hope.

Jesus Christ perfectly reveals to us Who God is and what God is like. John 1:18 – No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.

Colossians 1:15 – He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

The two testaments of Scripture are divided based on Christ’s coming to Earth. Even our history books and calendars keep time according to “B.C.” (before Christ) and “A.D.” (anno Domini), based on Christ’s time here on Earth.

Christ is the Truth. He declares to us Who God is. Christ is the Way. He is the bridge between God and man. Christ is the Life. Knowing Christ brings eternal life.

Number040802

Jesus Christ Is the Mediator of the New Covenant
Adventure 8: Jesus Christ
Mission: 2

Question Answer
Who is the only Mediator between God and sinners, the only One able to bring us close to God?

Jesus Christ is the only Mediator between God and sinners. He alone is able to bring us close to God. 1 Timothy 2:5-6 – For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, Who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

The Difference This Truth Makes
When Jesus came to Earth, it signified that God was establishing a New Covenant with people. Until that time, God had dealt with people primarily through the Old Covenant, which is found in Exodus 19:5. It is based upon man’s complete obedience to God’s Law.

A “covenant” is similar to a promise, but it is even more serious than that. A covenant is an agreement that is completely
binding. There is no way to get out of a covenant. It is an agreement beyond all agreements! It is a super-promise that establishes a relationship between two parties. A covenant relationship, once established, never changes.

When we think of covenants that God has made with man, two should come to mind. The Old Covenant (based on man’s perfect obedience to God’s Law) came through Moses, and the New Covenant (based on Christ’s perfect obedience to God’s Law) came through Jesus Christ.

Sometimes these covenants are referred to as covenants of Law and Grace. When God established the Old Covenant (Law) with His people, it came with the promise of blessing, if the people perfectly obeyed the Law, or cursing, if the people failed. The people failed.

Romans 4:16 – Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.

Number040803

Jesus Christ Is Co-Equal with God Because He Is God
Adventure 8: Jesus Christ
Mission: 3

Question Answer
Is Jesus Christ truly God?

Jesus Christ truly is the uncreated, eternal, and loving God. Titus 2:13 – Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.

The Difference This Truth Makes
Whereas the Old Testament was a message from God, Jesus was (and is) God! He was a Message, too – the clearest message! In fact, the Bible itself (the written Word) refers to Jesus as “the Word” (the Living Word) in the book of John. John 1:14 –
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

Jesus Christ is God. He claimed to be God. He did things which only God could do; and God the Father addresses Jesus as “God.”

The truth is, if Jesus were not completely God, then all mankind would be lost in their sins. No one and nothing less than God would ever be an infinite sacrifice for infinite sins, and “salvation is of the Lord” (Jonah 2:9). The whole message of Scripture is that no human being – no creature – could ever save anyone else. From start to finish, it had to be God, and God alone. Only God Himself could serve as the Mediator between God and man, to bring us back to Himself and to reveal Himself most fully to us.

The death of Christ was a sufficient (able, powerful enough) offering for all sinners who have ever lived, for He is not merely a finite human, but an infinite God. The Giver and Sustainer of life, Who did not have to die, died.

Number040804

Jesus Christ Is Also Fully Man
Adventure 8: Jesus Christ
Mission: 4

Question Answer
Is Jesus Christ truly human?

Jesus Christ is the only perfect Man. He became truly human in every way, except that He never sinned. Galatians 4:4-5 – But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

The Difference This Truth Makes
Jesus Christ is both 100% God and 100% human. Jesus is as much God as He would be if He were not human at all, and as much human as if He were not God at all.

Jesus Christ had to become human in order to take our place. Man was the one who sinned, so the penalty for sin had to be borne by a man. As a man, Jesus was our representative; and He obeyed for us where Adam failed for us.

Romans 5:19 – For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.

Jesus was born of a virgin. (See Matthew 1:18; Luke 1:34-35.) This miracle-birth allowed Him to be a man and yet not inherit the sinful nature from Adam. Because Christ truly became a man, He is not removed from our trials nor the pains of this life. He knows them all. He is able to meet our needs, because He is God, and yet He also is human; so He knows exactly what we are going through.

Hebrews 2:18 – For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.

Number040805

Jesus Died an Awful Death To Pay for Our Sins
Adventure 8: Jesus Christ
Mission: 5

Question Answer
What kind of death did Christ die?

Christ was nailed to a cross and His blood was shed for sinners. His death was both painful and shameful. Isaiah 53:5 – But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.

The Difference This Truth Makes
Jesus died an awful death on the cross. The Bible teaches that “without the shedding of blood is no remission [forgiveness of sins]” (Hebrews 9:22).

Some of the reasons Jesus’ death was so awful are:

• Jesus experienced the emotional pain of knowing what was coming. Luke 22:44 – And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.


• Jesus experienced the pain of betrayal and rejection. Isaiah 53:3a – He is despised and rejected of men.

• Jesus felt intense physical pain as He was brutally whipped and crucified. (Isaiah 52:14)

• Jesus felt terrible emotional pain as His Father poured out His wrath against sin upon Jesus and then turned His back on Him. Mark 15:34 – And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

Number040806

Jesus Christ Rose from the Dead
Adventure 8: Jesus Christ
Mission: 6

Question Answer
Did Jesus rise from the dead?

Yes! Jesus rose again and is alive today! The truth of His resurrection is the heart of the Gospel message. Acts 1:2b-3 – He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.

The Difference This Truth Makes
After three days in His tomb, Jesus rose from the dead by His own power. Nobody has ever risen from the dead like Jesus did!

John 10:18 – “No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”

Because Jesus rose from the grave, He has the power to raise all others from the dead. In fact, there is coming a time when God will resurrect everyone to either everlasting
reward or everlasting punishment.

John 5:28-29 – “Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come
forth – those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.”

If Christ did not rise from the grave, He would still be there like He was just any other man. But Jesus proved to the world that He is worthy of all our worship and service. He conquered sin and death as only God Himself could!

Number040807

Jesus Christ Is Preparing a Place for His People
Adventure 8: Jesus Christ
Mission: 7

Question Answer
What is Jesus Christ doing right now?

Jesus is at His Father's right hand, preparing a place for His people and praying for them, confirming His truth through the Spirit and orchestrating all things for the glory of His name and the good of His people. Luke 22:69 – "Hereafter the Son of Man will sit on the right hand of the power of God."

The Difference This Truth Makes
Jesus said, “I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father” (John 16:28). The Bible teaches that Christ went up to heaven. Luke 24:50-51 – And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven.

If Christ is really a physical person, and if He really went to a place called heaven, then we should understand and believe that heaven is a place! If Christ is physically there, and not here, what is He doing right now?

1. He is ruling. 1 Peter 3:22 – Who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.

2. He is preparing a place for His own. John 14:2 – In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

3. He is praying. Hebrews 7:25 – Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to confirm His truth and accomplish His will in the world. Jesus is not here with us physically right now, but He will be again someday!

Number040808

Christ’s Victory Over Death Proves We Can Be Forgiven
Adventure 8: Jesus Christ
Mission: 8

Question Answer
Why is it so important to believe Christ rose from the dead?

If Christ had not risen from the dead, sinners would have no hope for forgiveness or eternal life. Christ's resurrection proved once and for all that He is more powerful than sin or sin's penalty. 1 Corinthians 15:17 – And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!

The Difference This Truth Makes
If Christ had not died and risen from the dead, then that would mean that sin and death had power over Him. Since He conquered sin and death by coming back from the dead, He showed that He has won the ultimate victory. (Hebrews 1:3)

Christ has removed the sting of death. We should no longer be fearful of eternal death. Christ’s victory over sin and death proves we can be forgiven and have new life! (1 Corinthians 15:54-55)

W. Ian Thomas taught that “If you have eternal life at all, you have the Son, Jesus Christ – now!... ‘Eternal life’ is not a peculiar feeling inside! It is not your ultimate destination, to which you will go when you are dead. If you are born again, eternal life is that quality of life that you possess right now in your own physical body, with your own two feet on the ground, and in the world TODAY! And where does this life come from? Of Him! He is that Life! So if you have eternal life, it means that you have Somebody, Jesus Christ, and the life that you possess is of Him.”

Number040809

Jesus Christ Loves All People
Adventure 8: Jesus Christ
Mission: 9

Question Answer
Does Jesus love people?

Yes! Jesus wept for people, prayed for people, and laid down His life for people. Matthew 9:36 – But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.

The Difference This Truth Makes
Jesus Christ is the perfect example of how a person ought to be. Through His life and words, He reveals Who God is – the absolute standard of perfection. We must follow Him.

1 Peter 2:21 – For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps.

The primary way Christ is our example is in love. Christ selflessly served His Father and others. He gave Himself (Ephesians 5:25) so that we might have life. True love always gives sacrificially!

Discover some other ways in which Christ is the perfect example for us:

Number040810

Christ Is All We Need
Adventure 8: Jesus Christ
Mission: 10

Question Answer
How should these truths about Jesus Christ affect you?

I should believe and be glad that the only perfect Savior laid down His life so that I could be right with God; and I should joyfully trust and obey Him with my life. Hebrews 13:15 – Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.

The Difference This Truth Makes
John 8:24 – “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” When we truly believe in Christ, it affects everything about us. It causes us to praise and thank God.

When we rightly understand that God has done EVERYTHING necessary to forgive us of our sins, and that we did absolutely NOTHING to deserve His unspeakable gift of Christ – it causes us to humbly praise and thank the Lord. And when we do, God is glorified. Remember, that is what it is all about: giving God glory. God created us for His glory. For His own glory, God provided
Jesus as a sacrifice for sins. For His own glory, God gives us the faith we need to believe in Jesus.

Jesus Christ won the victory against sin and death. He is the only One worthy of our worship. There is no other god like Him. There is no other man like Him. And when we know Him through faith, it means eternal life for us – a life that begins here on Earth, a life that is free from the bondage of sin, and a life that is rescued from the power of death. Jesus lives, and we can live with Him!

John 17:3 – And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

Number040901

Salvation Is a Free and Precious Gift from God
Adventure 9: God's Gift -- Salvation
Mission: 1

Question Answer
What is "salvation"?

Salvation is the everlasting life and forgiveness that God gives freely to sinners who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ by grace through faith to save them. Saved sinners are declared righteous by God and adopted into His family. They are steadily changing to become more like their Savior and steadfastly hoping for the future when they will be resurrected to live with Him in glory forever. Jonah 2:9b – Salvation is of the LORD.

The Difference This Truth Makes
Salvation is the best thing that could possibly happen to anyone, and it is a free gift of God. Ever since the cross, Satan has tried to deceive people into thinking that there is some work they must do in order to gain salvation. But salvation is not something that is earned, it is something that is freely given by God. Titus 3:5 – Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.

Christ invites people to come and freely trust Him for salvation. This is the call of the Gospel. (See Matthew 11:28-30.) God calls us to turn from sin and to turn to Christ. When people do respond to God’s call, it is a work of God. It is important to understand that salvation is completely and totally a work of God, and man is the recipient of this work. There is no good work that we could do in order to “earn” salvation. When God calls us to receive salvation, by His grace we can embrace His awesome gift of salvation.

John 6:37 – All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.

Number040902

Only Christ Can Save Us from Sin and Sin’s Penalty
Adventure 9: God's Gift -- Salvation
Mission: 2

Question Answer
In whom alone must we trust to forgive our sins and to make us fit for eternal life with God?

We must trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, and in Him alone. Only the Lord Jesus Christ is able and willing to save us. Acts 4:12 – Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

The Difference This Truth Makes
Because we are sinners, we are in bondage to sin and its penalty. (See 1 John 5:19.) Unless someone rescues us, we are utterly helpless to escape from our bondage, and will have to suffer the pains of eternal death forever.

But Christ came to save sinners! Mark 10:45 – “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

The word “ransom” means “a redemption price.” Christ paid the price necessary for our salvation. He paid it in full; there is nothing left to pay. Any of our attempts to pay for our own sins are insults to God, since Christ has already paid the penalty of sin.

The penalty for sin was paid by Christ, and His payment was received and accepted by God the Father. Without Christ, our only possible future would be eternal punishment. But for those who hope in Christ, eternal LIFE is the only future!

Number040903

God Commands Us All To Repent and Believe in Christ
Adventure 9: God's Gift -- Salvation
Mission: 3

Question Answer
What must you do to be saved?

To be saved, I must (by grace, through faith) repent from my sins and believe that only Christ can make me holy and whole. Mark 1:15b – "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel."

The Difference This Truth Makes
God has placed upon all men the personal responsibility to repent (turn from sin) and have faith in Him (turn to Christ). When men repent, it is called “conversion.” God holds everyone accountable to be converted (Acts 3:19).

The word “conversion” primarily means a turning. We turn from sin to Christ. The turning from sin is called repentance, and the turning to Christ is called faith.

It is important to keep in mind that, although conversion is a responsibility required by God, conversion is first and foremost
a work of God. God must call a sinner and bring Him to the point of conversion. We could say it this way: “Conversion is man’s responsibility, but it is God’s work.”

Conversion is a single action of turning from sin and turning to Christ in faith. In other words, it does not happen over and over again. Although we will continue to grow in faith and need to repent of specific sins during our lifetime on Earth, God requires the initial faith and repentance that is conversion.

Number040904

True Faith Is a Gift from God
Adventure 9: God's Gift -- Salvation
Mission: 4

Question Answer
What is "faith"?

Faith is a gift of God that makes us able to trust Him and believe His Gospel. Faith helps us to hope boldly in Christ and be sure of His truth. Ephesians 2:8-9 – For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

The Difference This Truth Makes
Even the faith that is necessary to bring us to God’s grace requires God’s grace. God’s grace is on either side of faith. Jesus is the Author and Finisher (the Beginner and Completer) of our faith. (Hebrews 12:2) Christ is the only One Who is worthy of our trust. True faith is the faith we put in Him.

Theologians refer to both “faith” and “repentance” as saving graces. In other words, both these things are necessary ingredients for saving us from sin, and yet they are also part of the salvation. But God’s Word clearly teaches our responsibility
to believe and it teaches our inability to believe – unless God miraculously intervenes. John 6:44 – No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.

True faith includes an understanding of the facts of the Gospel, agreement with those facts, and a decision of your will to trust Christ as Savior. This personal decision to place your trust in Christ is something done with your heart, the part of your entire being that makes commitments for you as a whole person.

Number040905

We Must Turn Our Backs Upon Sin
Adventure 9: God's Gift -- Salvation
Mission: 5

Question Answer
What is "repentance"?

Repentance is a gift from God that makes sinners willing and able to turn away from their sins and turn to Him instead. 1 Thessalonians 1:9b – You turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.

The Difference This Truth Makes
Matthew 9:13b – [Jesus said] “For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

Jesus said that He came into the world to call sinners to repentance. In the missions before this one, we have been reminded that we are definitely sinners. We have also discovered that anything that Jesus does is important – especially since He states so clearly that calling sinners to repentance was the reason why He came into the world!

Let’s look at what Jesus was talking about. True repentance affects your mind, your emotions, and your will.

Mind: Repentance is a change of mind about sin and God. Repentance causes us to think true thoughts instead of false ones.

Emotions: Repentance involves a sorrow for sin and a desire to leave sin and to be made right with God. 2 Corinthians 7:10 – For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.

Will: Repentance causes you to turn your life in God’s direction. Jonah 3:10a – Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way.

True repentance never exists apart from faith. We cannot have faith without repentance, and we cannot have repentance without faith. God hates sin, and those who truly repent will feel the same way God does about sin.

Number040906

The Gospel Is Good News
Adventure 9: God's Gift -- Salvation
Mission: 6

Question Answer
What is "the Gospel"?

The Gospel is the good news that Jesus Christ became a Man, lived a sinless life, died as a criminal, was buried in a tomb, and came to life again so that sinners could have a Way to God. The Gospel is our only Hope to be right with God and have eternal life. 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 – For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.

The Difference This Truth Makes
The word “Gospel” literally means “good news”! The Christian Gospel is the best news ever because it is God’s provision of new life for spiritually dead people. (See 2 Corinthians 4:4.)

Sin caused us to be spiritually dead. We needed life! We need to be born again. God gives us new life. Christians refer to being “born again” as regeneration. This new birth is a supernatural event. It is not something that can be accomplished by human effort. (See John 3:6.)

Colossians 2:13 – And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses.

Exactly what happens when we are born again is mysterious to us. God’s Word teaches us that we were dead in sins, but that we can be made alive in Christ. What we do know is this, being born again affects everything about our lives! We also know that nobody can be born again without true faith and repentance.

Number040907

God Saves People for His Own Glory’s Sake
Adventure 9: God's Gift -- Salvation
Mission: 7

Question Answer
Why does God save believing sinners from their sins?

In His magnificent love and wisdom, God saves believing sinners because He wants great glory for Himself and great good for His people. Isaiah 43:25 – "I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins."

The Difference This Truth Makes
So far, we have talked about conversion, true faith, saving repentance, and being born again. All these things happen at the beginning moment of life as a Christian, and all are necessary ingredients in receiving the free gift of salvation.

But why did God even create a plan of redemption in the first place? Why would the God of the universe put so much design
and sacrifice into providing a way for sinners to escape the power and presence and penalty of their sins?

You have already studied one reason! God’s goodness. God is so good! One of the main attributes of God’s goodness is His infinite, amazing love. No one loves like God loves. It is not humanly possible for us to love as much as God so loves the world. Not only did He lay down His life, but He laid it down for enemies! Romans 5:7-8 – For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Since we cannot even understand how great His love is, it may be even harder to imagine that God has an even greater reason
for wanting to save us: His own glory! Think about it: God created us to glorify Him and to enjoy Him forever. When we sin, we all fall short of God’s glory. When Jesus Christ came in the flesh to live and die and rise again, He did it out of love for His people – but ultimately, He did it so

Number040908

True Salvation Can Never Be Lost
Adventure 9: God's Gift -- Salvation
Mission: 8

Question Answer
Can anyone ever lose true salvation?

No one can ever lose true salvation because it is a gift from God, Who never changes. The gift is just as unchangeable as the Giver. Romans 11:29 – For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

The Difference This Truth Makes
Many people wonder if they need to receive salvation over and over again. But if a believer has truly received salvation, it is forever! Eternal life begins the moment of your conversion. If you are “born again,” you have eternal life – right now – and you will forever.

Some people wonder if they might be able to lose salvation once they have gotten it. They worry that they might do something so bad it would make God angry enough to take their salvation away. But God never changes His mind about our position with Him. He does not take back the gifts He has freely given. 1 Peter 1:5 – Who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Now, if there is any part of you thinking, “Now I can live however I want because I cannot lose my salvation!” – then you have a BIG problem. When God’s Spirit gives someone salvation and then dwells (stays, or lives) inside him in a special way, God changes that person’s sinful desires into righteous ones. This does not mean believers will be perfect, but it does mean that Christians’ lives will be pointed in God’s direction. We will desire to please Him. We will fight sin in our lives.

Number040909

God Declares Us Righteous and Adopts Us as His Children
Adventure 9: God's Gift -- Salvation
Mission: 9

Question Answer
How can God justly declare a sinner to be "righteous"?

If my faith is in Jesus, I am united with Him. His righteousness counts for me, and God will not hold my sins against me. Philippians 3:9 – And be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith.

The Difference This Truth Makes
There are three more awesome benefits (gifts) that salvation brings to the believer. Without these benefits, we could never be accepted by God.

The first benefit is called justification. To be justified means to be “declared righteous.” When God saves us, He credits us as having Jesus’ perfect righteousness. When God looks at us, He does not see filthy, sinful souls anymore. Instead, He sees Christ. He looks at us just as if we had never sinned, and we are accepted.

Being accepted goes along closely with the next benefit, which is adoption. Adoption is the benefit of salvation that causes us to be made God’s children (Galatians 3:26). The Father lovingly cares for His children and protects them. Through adoption, we become members of God’s family – permanently.

And as family, we look forward to a day when there will be a physical reunion with Christ. We will see Him as He is, and we will go to live with Him forever.

1 John 3:2 – Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

Jesus must also change our bodies in order to make us fit for heaven. This change is called glorification, which is the thirdbenefit, that allows us to be accepted by God. When our bodies are glorified, they will be like Jesus’ body (Philippians 3:21) – perfectly free from sin, pain, and sickness.

Romans 8:30 – Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

When thinking about how richly we have been blessed, it is hard to believe that at one time, all of us were God’s enemies. But because of the benefits that God provided us through salvation, we have been made right with Him. And guess what? It is not something we did – it is something He did! From first to finish, A to Z, salvation is of the Lord! Praise God!

Number040910

We All Desperately Need Salvation
Adventure 9: God's Gift -- Salvation
Mission: 10

Question Answer
Why do you need salvation?

I need salvation because, without it, I am a sinner by birth and by choice, an enemy of God, a captive of this world, spiritually dead. John 11:25 – Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live."

The Difference This Truth Makes
All of us need to be saved. And if you realize your need, then that is all you need! God has already provided everything necessary for you to receive the gift of salvation and all of its marvelous benefits.

Revelation 22:17 – And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

Number041001

God Wants His Children To Live for His Glory
Adventure 10: God's Purpose for His Children
Mission: 1

Question Answer
What is God's main purpose for His children while they live on Earth?

God's main purpose for His children is that they would bring Him glory by growing to be more and more like His Son Jesus in their affections, attitudes, and actions. Romans 8:29 – For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.

The Difference This Truth Makes
When God saves people, He changes them. He changes their position before Him immediately. Sinners once counted as “enemies” become “friends” at salvation. They were once unacceptable outcasts; but at salvation they become family. They were once pronounced “guilty,” but, at salvation, they are declared “righteous.” All those things happen the moment someone receives God’s gift of salvation.

There is one kind of change that salvation brings which happens gradually throughout our entire lives – not immediately. Sanctification is God’s process of changing us to become more and more like Jesus Christ in all we do and all we are. This means serious changes need to take place in every aspect of our lives!

Since salvation is God’s work, and sanctification is part of salvation, all saved people will be sanctified. This means that it is impossible to become a Christian and not to start changing to become more like Christ. God is working sanctification in all His children in order to guarantee that they will all be becoming more like Christ while on Earth.

Number041002

Sanctification Is God’s Way To Make Us More Like Christ
Adventure 10: God's Purpose for His Children
Mission: 2

Question Answer
What is "sanctification"?

Sanctification is God's ongoing work through His Word to change believers so their lives will reflect more and more of Jesus' likeness for His glory. 2 Corinthians 3:18 – But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

The Difference This Truth Makes
In sanctification, God works, and we work – but God works to cause us to work! God’s involvement is primary; our involvement
is secondary. Any work we do is first a work of God. Many good theologians have looked at sanctification as a work in which God and man cooperate in order to accomplish God’s will. This truth can be seen especially in Philippians 2:12-13 – Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

In verse 12, God commands us to “work out” our salvation. This is a command for us to be involved! But in verse 13, God makes it clear that the One truly working is not us – it is God! This is mysterious, but we should understand that sanctification is both passive and active for us. “Passive” because something must be done /to/ us; and “active” because something must be done by us.

It is important to recognize that all of God’s commands for us to be active in our sanctification are based upon something that God has already done or is doing. In other words, there is no sanctification apart from God. The involvement of God in our sanctification is a guarantee that our own involvement will be profitable to accomplish His will.

Number041003

God Gives Us What We Need To Change
Adventure 10: God's Purpose for His Children
Mission: 3

Question Answer
What are two needed gifts that God provides so that we might be sanctified?

The Holy Spirit and His Word are two needed gifts that God provides so that we might be sanctified. 2 Thessalonians 2:13b – God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. John 17:17 – "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth."

The Difference This Truth Makes
God has provided His Holy Spirit and His Word so that we might be sanctified. When we are born again, God causes His Holy Spirit to to dwell (stay, or live) inside us. God is in us!

1 Corinthians 3:16 – Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

By providing the Holy Spirit and His Word, God makes sure that every believer will be changing. Not everyone will grow to be more like Christ in the same way, nor will everyone reach the same level of spiritual maturity. But all Christians will be sanctified, by the power of the Holy Spirit through the Word of God.

Number041004

What Is Christlikeness?
Adventure 10: God's Purpose for His Children
Mission: 4

Question Answer
Day by day, as you change to resemble Christ Jesus more and more, what will God and others begin to see in your life?

Day by day, as I change to resemble Christ Jesus, God and others will begin to see more holiness, more love toward them, and more good works in my life. Ephesians 2:10 – For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

The Difference This Truth Makes
Sanctification involves the past, present, and future. If you are a Christian, all three of the following statements are correct for you to say:

Number041005

God Wants You To Be Set Apart from Sin
Adventure 10: God's Purpose for His Children
Mission: 5

Question Answer
What does it mean to 'be holy in heart and mind'?

To be holy in heart and mind means to devote my whole self to loving God and hating sin. 1 Peter 1:15-16 – But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy."

The Difference This Truth Makes
The technical meaning of the word sanctify is “set apart.” In sanctification, God sets us apart from something, but He also sets us apart to something. God sets us apart from sin. He sets us apart to Himself (love) and to His service (good works).

The part about being set apart from sin is holiness. To be “holy” means to be “separate from sin.”

Paul asks believers a question in Romans 6:1 – What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?

Some people who say they are Christians believe they can live however they want, and they do! But the apostle Paul says to that type of thinking: “God forbid!” This means “may it never, never be!” God has saved us so that we can become more holy. Romans 8:13 – For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

The word mortify means “to put to death.” Romans 8:13 uses some very strong language about how we are to treat the sin in our lives! Sometimes, sanctification means gritting your teeth and striving to obey God with everything you’ve got (check out the Matthew 5:29-30 attitude)! Sanctification is often hard work, but it is always worth it to cooperate with God as He accomplishes His purpose in you.

Number041006

God Wants You To Love Him and Others
Adventure 10: God's Purpose for His Children
Mission: 6

Question Answer
What does it mean to 'love God and others'?

To love God and others means to treat them with genuine care, humility, and loyal kindness. Philippians 2:3-4 – Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

The Difference This Truth Makes
God has set apart His people to Himself. This relationship is anchored in love. God is sanctifying us so that we might love Him and others more and more. In other words, in sanctification, God changes what we love and how much we love!

Before salvation, we love ourselves and the things the world has to offer us, more than we love anything else. 1 John 2:15 –
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

When God purifies us, He changes us to love the things that He loves. We love Him. We love others. We love good works. We love holiness. We love everything that God loves!

Number041007

God Wants You To Do Good Works
Adventure 10: God's Purpose for His Children
Mission: 7

Question Answer
What does it mean to 'do good works'?

To do good works means to live for God's glory by loving, obeying, and by doing things that only God's children could do with God's help. Colossians 1:10-11 – That you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy.

The Difference This Truth Makes
Good works definitely include being holy and loving. But there are also some specific commands you can obey to please God. Good works call for ACTION!

For example, one good work that you can do right after you become a Christian is to be water-baptized like Christ was. Baptism shows publicly that you want your life to identify with Christ.

Another good work that God commands Christians to do is to remember Christ’s sacrifice at Calvary. This practice is called “the Lord’s Supper.” The food and drink used in this event are symbolic of Christ’s body and His blood – to help us remember the price He paid to purchase us from sin.

There are many other good works besides these! John said that Jesus’ good works were too many to record! John 21:25 – And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.

Number041008

I Am Changed To Be Like Christ as I Know Him More
Adventure 10: God's Purpose for His Children
Mission: 8

Question Answer
How does God change and sanctify His children to make them more holy and more like Christ?

God's Holy Spirit and His Word work together to change and sanctify His children from the inside out by showing and teaching them more of Christ. God gives His children faith and wisdom to become like His Son. 2 Peter 1:3 – As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue.

The Difference This Truth Makes
God puts an incredibly high priority on our knowing Him. Knowing God involves intellectual knowledge – like facts about Him – but it involves so much more than that! Knowing God means working to have a personal, firsthand “heart knowledge” of Him. It is not enough just to learn facts about God; you must also have a personal relationship with Him.

It is through this personal relationship with Himself that God transforms us into Christ’s image. God calls us to renew our minds – that central part of us which affects everything else we say, feel, think, and do (Romans 12:1-2). “Renewing” has the idea of a complete renovation. (Like gutting and rebuilding a house from the inside out!) At one time, your mind once thought as sinful minds think. But now, God is working to purify your mind – and He also commands YOU to purify your mind. Romans 7:25 – I thank God --through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.

Many Christians are living defeated, disobedient lives because they have never understood that God calls them to fight sin by renewing the mind – and that the fighting is hard work. Renewing the mind means reading, studying, memorizing, and thinking about the Bible. It means taking wrong thoughts captive and focusing on right thoughts. Renewing the mind is part of sanctification, and it is a responsibility, not just an option. When we renew our minds, God blesses us by continuing to sanctify us and by showing us Christ.

Number041009

The Goal of Our Sanctification Is Christ
Adventure 10: God's Purpose for His Children
Mission: 9

Question Answer
What should be a Christian's joyful goal in sanctification?

A Christian's joyful goal in sanctification should be to understand and know the LORD. Jeremiah 9:23-24 – Thus says the LORD: 'Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,' says the LORD.

The Difference This Truth Makes
All of our goals are wrapped up in Christ! One goal is to be like Him. One goal is to know Him. One goal is to enjoy Him. One goal is to love Him. That is why we say the goal of our sanctification is Christ. Someday, we will reach our Goal and live with Him forever in perfect joy and love.

Some people might think following Christ is boring and unhappy. People who think like this are not ready for heaven! If someone is not happy in Christ, then he is believing wrongly about Him. Christ is happiness! Christ is joy! Christ is everything! If you have Him, you have something better than all the riches of the whole world. (See also Matthew 13:44.)

Christ is the Goal of our sanctification and our supreme Example to follow. The Christian’s expectation (hope and confidence)
is to see Him someday and be changed (as much as possible) to be like Him. All of us will strive to be holy and Christlike in this lifetime, but on the day when we see Christ face to face, we will all be changed fully into His image – we will be perfect like He is!

1 John 3:3 – And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

Even the hope of being completely changed, of seeing Christ and having our bodies changed to be like Him, is powerful
enough to motivate us to be pure.

Number041010

We Rely on the Bible and the Spirit for Sanctification
Adventure 10: God's Purpose for His Children
Mission: 10

Question Answer
What should be your attitude toward God's Word and the Holy Spirit?

I should set my heart to trust and obey God's Word and the Holy Spirit. I should love learning the Truth that can make me whole, free, and better fit to serve God! 2 Timothy 3:17 – That the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

The Difference This Truth Makes
Without salvation, a sinner naturally goes deeper and deeper into his sinfulness. But God will change a sinner who trusts Christ. God helps believers grow more and more into Christ’s righteousness. An unbeliever gives in to temptations, going further and further into his sin. But a true believer will yield (give up) himself more and more to righteousness instead.

Throughout this Adventure, we have studied how it takes both God and man to accomplish sanctification. We have seen that God provides two main helps to sanctify us: the Word and the Holy Spirit.

So how should the Christian respond to God’s helps? He should submit to the Holy Spirit and have faith in God’s Word. When he responds to God in faith and obedience like that, he will be sanctified. God promises this to us, and God never breaks His promises!

Number041101

God Works in Creation To Bring about His Eternal Plans
Adventure 11: God's Work -- Past and Present
Mission: 1

Question Answer
When did God decide and plan out all the things He would do?

Even before God created the world, He decided and planned out all the things He would do. Isaiah 46:9-10 – "Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure.'"

The Difference This Truth Makes
God is at work in the world right now bringing His eternal plans to pass – that is His providence. The “force” behind the universe is not chance, luck nor some other created being – it is God! God created all things by Himself for purposes and plans He alone desired.

All things come to pass because of God’s providence. God’s providence is the way that He is always working in Creation to bring about His eternal plans. We have learned in previous Adventures that God does all things for His glory, and His plans are an expression of this. God designed all of His plans to glorify Himself. God’s plans are often called His “eternal decrees” because He made them before the world was even created. His eternal plans are truly amazing and impossible for us to understand completely.

Number041102

God Lovingly Sustains His Creation
Adventure 11: God's Work -- Past and Present
Mission: 2

Question Answer
Who sustains and upholds all things?

Jesus sustains and upholds all things by His powers. Hebrews 1:3 – Who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

The Difference This Truth Makes
God’s providence has three characteristics:

God’s providence is continual (ongoing, constant). If God were to remove His active, sustaining hand from Creation, everything would cease to be – the instant God removed Himself, things would fall apart.

God’s providence is loving. God is kind and gracious to all of His Creation.

God’s providence is skillful. God mysteriously
and miraculously works all things together (even the sin of other people) to accomplish His plans.

God does all that He does in order to accomplish His will. He keeps things alive to fulfill His plans. He sets up different rulers
to fulfill His plans. He takes away life to fulfill His plans. He causes the sun to rise to fulfill His plans. He causes beautiful weather and terrible storms to fulfill His plans. In some way, everything that is happening right now is part of God’s eternal decrees. We can truly say, “It’s all about God!”

God initially created the world by His power, and now God holds the world together and keeps it going by His power. Theologians use the word “sustain” to describe the action of
God’s Providence.This is what God is doing right now. God is sustaining the world (including you) even as you read this sentence! That means He is holding it all together and carrying it along according to His will. Colossians 1:17 – And He [Christ] is before all things, and by Him all things consist [hold together].

Number041103

God Is in Complete Control of Everything That Happens
Adventure 11: God's Work -- Past and Present
Mission: 3

Question Answer
Is the LORD always in control of all things?

Yes. The LORD is always in control of all things. Psalm 103:19 – The LORD has established His throne in heaven, And His kingdom rules over all.

The Difference This Truth Makes
God is Sovereign. “Sovereign” means He has both the absolute right and the unstoppable ability to do whatever He wants with what is His. Since everything belongs to God, God has complete control over all things.

There are two sides of God’s Providence: sustaining and controlling.

Sustaining is keeping things going, upholding things.

Controlling is causing things to work for a specific plan or purpose.

God works in ways far beyond our understanding to bring about His good plans. He works in things, through things, and with things. God even factors in the things that totally rebel against His plan and purposes. We cannot understand how, but He always causes His plan to come to pass. Psalm 66:7 – He rules by His power forever; His eyes observe the nations; do not let the rebellious exalt themselves.Selah.

Someone might think proud thoughts like, “God can’t stop me from doing this or that.” But the truth is, He can. And no matter
what you do, God’s plans stand sure. You cannot mess up God’s plans! But you can align yourself with them so that your life is useful and joyful.

Number041104

God Allows Sin But Never Commits Sin
Adventure 11: God's Work -- Past and Present
Mission: 4

Question Answer
If the LORD is totally in control, but He still lets sin go on, does that mean He must sometimes approve of sin?

No. The LORD never approves of sin. He hates all sin, all the time. He is totally right in everything He does and everything He allows. Psalm 92:15b – The LORD is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.

The Difference This Truth Makes
Sometimes, God keeps people from sin (see Genesis 20:6); and other times, He allows them to fulfill their wicked desires (see Romans 1). He is never guilty of personally causing or committing sin. James 1:13 – Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.

God will not overlook any sin. People might think that they have an excuse for their sins, since God is the One ultimately in control of all things. But people like that are mistaken! If there is someone to blame for our sin – it is ourselves! God created us to be responsible and accountable for all our actions.

All of God’s eternal decrees are righteous and holy! Although God has the awesome ability to work in spite of people’s sin and disobedience and still accomplish His will, He is never pleased by sin. God has perfectly provided everything necessary to fulfill His plans – all without His ever coming even close to being guilty of sin.

Number041105

God’s Plan in the Old Testament
Adventure 11: God's Work -- Past and Present
Mission: 5

Question Answer
What was the main way God made known His grace and glory during Old Testament times?

In Old Testament times, God made known His grace and glory by leading and taking special care of His chosen people, the Jews. Jeremiah 13:11 – "For as the sash clings to the waist of a man, so I have caused the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah to cling to Me," says the LORD, "that they may become My people, for renown, for praise, and for glory; but they would not hear."

The Difference This Truth Makes
Since God is an invisible Spirit, He has chosen to demonstrate His character through a special group of people. In the Old Testament, this special group was the Israelites, or Jews.

Israel was blessed above all the nations on Earth. It was God’s special, chosen nation – and He desired His awesome greatness
and goodness to be displayed in and through the Israelites. Deuteronomy 14:2 – For you are a holy people to the LORD your God, and the LORD has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.

But the children of Israel did not perfectly obey God. The Bible says they rejected Him, disobeyed Him, and provoked Him to anger. God was constantly gracious to them (and still is, to this day); but, as a people, they failed to meet their responsibilities
before God.

Number041106