Study #5:The Stake of Messiah

In our last study we looked at the stake in the light of the supreme sacrifice Messiah made in behalf of the fallen human race. In this study we are going to consider how and why it was necessary for the human race to be included in the death of Messiah on His stake.

As sinners everyone of us is under the curse and condemnation of the law (Romans 3:19; Galatians 3:10). And the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). According to the Scriptures, Yeshua bore this curse of the law for us when He died on the stake. This is what we studied in our last lesson.

However, the fact is that no law, God’s or man’s, will allow an innocent person to die in the place of a guilty one. According to the Scriptures, the father is not to be punished for the sins of the son and neither is the son to be punished for the sins of the father (see Deuteronomy 24:16; Ezekiel 18:20). How then could Messiah, who committed no sin, legally die for the sins of the world when the law of God does not allow the innocent to be punished for the guilty?

This is the great ethical issue that surrounds the stake of Messiah. And unless we clearly understand how God solved this problem, we will never be able to fully appreciate the good news of the gospel or experience its full power to save us from the sin problem. That is why this is a most important study.

1. How many have to die because of Adam’s one sin?

1 Corinthians 15:22 (first part) ______________________________________________________

Note: As we saw in study #3, the reason all die because of Adam’s one sin is not because God holds us guilty for Adam’s sin, that would be unethical. All die because the human race is the multiplication of Adam’s life (see Acts 17:26) and therefore inherit from him a life that has already sinned and stands condemned to death.

2. When was this condemned life of the human race executed and in whom?

John 12:31-33 ______________________________________________________

Note: At the stake the world (human race) was executed or judged in Messiah. God could do this because Messiah was the second Adam or mankind. Just as God created all humanity in Adam so that by his representative sin he ruined all his posterity, so also God united all humanity to Messiah at the incarnation so that He could be the Saviour of the world.

3. How many were implicated in the death of Messiah?

2 Corinthians 5:14 ______________________________________________________

4. What did God make Messiah to be in order to make us sinners righteous?

2 Corinthians 5:21 ______________________________________________________

Note: When Messiah assumed our corporate sinful humanity at His incarnation He became the second Adam (mankind) and qualified to be man’s representative and substitute. This gave Him the legal right to live and die on man’s behalf. It is in this sense that Messiah was made to be sin for us that we may be made the righteousness of God in Him. This constitutes the “in Messiah” truth that we studied in lesson #3.

5. Who died when Yeshua bore our sins in His body on the tree (stake)?

1 Peter 2:24 ______________________________________________________

Note: According to the Greek text, the language in which the New Testament was written, we actually died when Messiah bore our sins on the stake in His body. This is because Messiah could not bear our sins without bearing us. As a result, by dying in Messiah, the very root of our sin problem, our sinful nature, was dealt with. This is the healing power of the stake which makes holy living possible in the life of the believer.

6. What does the apostle Paul say about himself regarding the law of God?

Galatians 2:19 ______________________________________________________

Note: Because we are all sinners, we must all die. Yeshua did not come to do away with the death sentence that hangs over our heads but to fulfill it (see Matthew 5:17). Since “all died” in the death of Messiah (2 Corinthians 5:14), Paul acknowledges that he died to the law in Messiah so that now he may live for God.

7. When did Paul die to the law?

Galatians 2:20 ______________________________________________________

Note: It is through the stake of Messiah that we sinful humans were executed and have been set free from our sin problem. As a result we may experience justification as well as live a life pleasing to God. The stake of Messiah is what sets us free from both the guilt and punishment of sin as well as from the power and slavery of sin.

8. How long does the law of God have dominion over us?

Romans 7:4 ______________________________________________________

Note: All humanity is born under the law and because everyone of us has failed to perfectly obey it, the whole human race stands guilty and condemned under the law (see Romans 3:19). This condemnation hangs over us as long as we are living. Since the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), it is only when we die that we are set free from the condemnation of the law.

9. How did God set us free from under the law?

Romans 7:4 ______________________________________________________

Note: God set us free from under the law by our death in the body of Messiah. As we saw earlier, the death of Messiah was a corporate death so that all humanity died in Messiah on His stake. When we by faith accept Messiah’s death as our death, we experience justification from the condemnation of the law and are set free. By His resurrection we were also raised in Messiah with His life, married so to speak to Him, and this makes it possible for us to bear fruit pleasing to God (see John 15:5-8).

10. How should one who has been delivered from the condemnation of the law serve God?

Romans 7:6 ______________________________________________________

Note: The unbeliever who is still under the law tries to obey God’s rules out of fear. This is what it means to serve in the letter. The believer however, who has accepted Messiah and has been delivered from the law, serves God out of love. This is serving in the spirit, since the spirit of the law is love (see Matthew 22:35-40; Romans 13:10).

11. What truth does Paul bring out regarding those who believe in Messiah?

Colossians 3:3 ______________________________________________________

Note: As we shall see in our next study, a Believer is one who has died to the old life of sin and has risen in Messiah to serve Him in newness of life which the believer has received through the new birth experience.

12. In order for us to live with Messiah what must first happen to us?

2 Timothy 2:11 ______________________________________________________

Note: There are too many Believers who want to live with Messiah without first dying with Him. This is called cheap grace. This is not the teaching of Scripture. In this sinful world, we begin with life and end up with death. In God’s kingdom it is the very opposite. We begin by dying to the old condemned life and end up with the immortal life of Messiah (see Romans 6:8-11). This is what conversion is all about.

13. What must take place before we can experience freedom from sin?

Romans 6:7 ______________________________________________________

Note: A condemned criminal can only be justified from his crime after he has paid the penalty for that crime. In the same way we cannot experience justification in Messiah unless we first identify ourselves by faith with the death of Messiah on His stake. The word “freed” in this text in the original is the word “justified” or “acquitted.” Hence, the stake of Messiah is the power of God unto salvation from the condemnation of the law (see 1 Corinthians 1:17,18).

14. Besides acquitting us from the condemnation of the law, what else does the stake of Messiah free us from?

Romans 8:2 ______________________________________________________

Note: Sin is a dual problem. It is the transgression of the law which condemns the sinner to death. Sin is also a law or a principle that resides in our sinful natures and which makes it impossible for us to live the holy life (Romans 7:14-25). Through the stake of Messiah we are delivered from both of these problems. Our death in Messiah does not only justify us but it also strikes at the very root of our sin problem.

15. Because the stake of Messiah frees us from sin itself, what kind of life should a believer live?

Romans 6:22 ______________________________________________________

Note: While the stake of Messiah liberates us from the condemnation of sin it does not give us the liberty to live as we please. When we accept Messiah and Him crucified as our Saviour, we are accepting both salvation from the guilt and punishment of sin as well as salvation from the power and slavery to sin.

16. What did Yeshua say to those who refuse to take up the stake and follow Him?

Matthew 10:38 ______________________________________________________

Note: Since the death of Messiah on His stake was a corporate death in which all humanity died in Him, to accept or follow Messiah is to accept His stake as your stake.

17. How often must the believer take up the stake to follow Messiah?

Luke 9:23 ______________________________________________________

Note: Many Believers make the mistake of separating the stake they have to bear from the stake of Messiah. This mistake leads to another error; equating the stake with the hardships of life. In Scripture there is only one stake that saves. It is the stake of Messiah. When we are immersed into Messiah, the stake of Messiah becomes the believers’ stake. It symbolizes self-denial and not the hardships of life, which all people, believers and unbelievers have to put up with.

18. What example did Yeshua give from nature that explains the principle of the stake?

John 12:24 ______________________________________________________

19. How did Yeshua apply this truth to the believer?

John 12:25 ______________________________________________________

Note: The principle of the seed is the principle of the stake. Just like the seed must die in order for it to spring up to life and bear fruit, so also we must die to the old life of sin in order for us to experience the new birth which brings forth fruit unto God. This is the principle of the stake of Messiah.

20. What did Paul say about the same principle of the seed?

1 Corinthians 15:36 ______________________________________________________

Note: Messianic believing is not an improvement or a modification of the old life of sin we were born with, but the exchange of our old life that died on the stake of Messiah for the eternal life of Messiah which God gave us in His Son (see 1 John 5:11,12).

21. What attitude must a Believer have towards the flesh or the sinful nature which has been surrendered to the stake of Messiah?

Galatians 5:24 ______________________________________________________

Note: It was a French preacher of the 19th Century who said that all Messiahians are “born crucified.” By this he was referring to the true meaning and significance of Baptism, which will be study #7. Before you accept Messiah, it is important that you know the cost of discipleship. As the German martyr Dietric Bonhoffer once said, “when Messiah calls you to follow Him, He calls you to die.”

Conclusion: This study brings us to the conclusion of the objective facts of the gospel. Everything necessary for our salvation from the sin problem has been taken care of by the birth, life, death, and resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Yeshua Messiah. This is the good news of the gospel.

In this gospel God has redeemed, reconciled, and justified unconditionally all humanity in His Son Yeshua Messiah (see Romans 5:10, 18). But because God created us with a free will, He does not force this salvation on us. Therefore, to experience the good news of the gospel there needs to be a human response. That human response is faith. Hence, salvation as a subjective experience is conditional.

This is what this Scriptures course is all about. God so loved the world (the human race) that He gave us His only Son, at infinite cost to Him but as a free gift to us. In this gift we have salvation full and complete. However, only those who believe will not perish but have eternal life. As you enter the next phase of our studies dealing with our human response to the gospel, may you be willing to meet the conditions for accepting the gift of salvation.

Study #4: God’s Supreme Sacrifice For You

At the very heart of the gospel message is Messiah and Him crucified. It is Satan’s determined purpose to engulf this truth in darkness. In this he has had some measure of success. By convincing the believers to believe the lie that men possess an immortal soul, he has robbed the stake of its glory.

If man possesses an immortal soul then death is not good-bye to life but simply the separation of the soul from the body. In that case, that which constitutes Messiah’s supreme sacrifice has to be limited to the shame and torture of the stake, which was no different than that of the two thieves who were crucified with Him and countless others who were executed by crucifixion.

Another factor that has robbed the stake of its glory is looking at the crucifixion of Messiah from the Roman perspective. While it is true Messiah was crucified on a Roman stake, it must be remembered that it was not the Romans who demanded His crucifixion but the Jewish leadership. It is only as we perceive the stake of Messiah from the Jewish perspective, as did the New Covenant writers, that we can begin to grasp the meaning of His supreme sacrifice that demonstrated God’s infinite and unconditional love for us.

Crucifixion was not a Jewish method of execution. On the contrary, the Jews detested the cross because it had a very special meaning for them. As we discover the significance of the cross to the Jews, we will understand why the Jewish leadership demanded that Messiah be crucified and why this constitutes the supreme sacrifice.

The stake was invented by the Phoenicians approximately 600 years before Messiah. It was then adopted by the Egyptians and later the Romans, who refined it and used it to execute run-away slaves and their worst criminals.

Crucifixion was the most painful and shameful instrument of execution ever practiced by man. Besides bringing disgrace and shame, it involved tremendous physical and mental pain and anguish. It could take anywhere from three to seven days for the crucified one to die.

However, as we look at the stake of Messiah with Jewish spectacles, we will be amazed to discover the self-emptying love of Yeshua and what He was willing to give up in order to save humanity. May this truth of Messiah and Him crucified impact you as it did the disciples of Yeshua and the early body of believers.

1. What condition were we in when Yeshua died for us?

Romans 5:8 ______________________________________________________

Note: God commended or demonstrated His unconditional love towards us in that while we were still sinners Yeshua died for us. This unconditional love, as we saw earlier, is the ground of our salvation.

2. What did the death of Messiah do to man’s relationship with God?

Romans 5:10 ______________________________________________________

Note: The good news is that God no longer looks upon the human race as sinners. He has reconciled or redeemed the world to Himself through the death of His Son. Because of this God is able to accept you in His Son as if you had never sinned.

3. What does the law say is necessary for the remission or forgiveness of sins?

Hebrews 9:22-26 ______________________________________________________

Note: The word purged or purified here means cleansed. The law demands death in order for sins to be forgiven. The sacrifice of animals, as was practiced in the Older Covenant, could not accomplish this. They were only types to point to Messiah’s sacrifice. When Messiahvdied on the stake, He paid the full price for the sins of the whole world once and for all.

4. Through what are we justified freely by God’s grace?

Romans 3:24 ______________________________________________________

Note: To be justified means to be declared righteous in the sight of God’s law. To be redeemed means to be bought back. By His death on the stake, Messiah has removed the barrier between sinful man and a holy God. That is what it means to be reconciled.

5. What did the death of Messiah demonstrate?

Romans 3:25 (NIV) ______________________________________________________

Note: God cannot lawfully forgive sins without the shedding of blood (death). Therefore, before the stake event, God forgave the sins of the Older Covenant believers out of His kindness or patience. But since Messiah met the justice of the law for the sins of the entire human race on the stake, God is just in forgiving all who come to Him through the shed blood of His Son. This is what Messiah meant when He instituted the Covenant supper, “This is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the forgiveness of sins” (see Matthew 26:28).

6. Since the stake, what can God lawfully do to those who have faith in Messiah?

Romans 3:26 ______________________________________________________

Note: This is how the Amplified Bible translates verse 26: “It was to demonstrate and prove at the present time in the now season that He Himself is righteous and that He justifies and accepts as righteous him who has true faith in Yeshua.” Through the stake, God can legally or lawfully justify sinners and that is good news. That is why Paul calls the stake of Messiah“ the power of God unto salvation” (see 1 Corinthians 1:18).

7. In contrast to the wages of sin, what is the gift of God?

Romans 6:23 ______________________________________________________

8. Messiah died on the stake and is risen. Where is He now and what is He doing?

Romans 8:32-34 ______________________________________________________

Note: At the stake, the love and the justice of God met. God did not spare His own Son the wages of sin because He so loved the world. The devil will accuse you of being a sinner and not deserving heaven. But there is One who will never accuse you and that is God. God has set you free, acquitted or justified you from all sins, therefore, He will never accuse you. Also, Messiah, who died for our sins, is interceding on our behalf, since the devil accuses us day and night (see Rev. 12:10).

9. What did Messiah taste for every man on the stake?

Hebrews 2:9 ______________________________________________________

Note: When Believers die they only go to sleep. The death that Messiah tasted for everyone was not the sleep death but the wages of sin, good-bye to life. One of our future studies will be on the state of the dead, but now we want to find the meaning of the death that Yeshua tasted for everyone.

10. What did the chief priests and officers cry out when Pilate presented Messiah to them?

John 19:5-7 ______________________________________________________

Note: Pilate, who represented Roman law, found no fault in Yeshua. The Jewish leadership had to give a reason why they were demanding Yeshuas’ crucifixion. They said that they had a law that condemned Messiah to death. This law referred to the law of blasphemy.

11. According to the law of blasphemy to which the Jewish Leadership referred, what method of death was stipulated?

Leviticus 24:16 ______________________________________________________

Note: In John 10:30,31 we see the Jews taking up stones “again” to stone Yeshua when He said, “The Father and I are one.” This proved they were aware that stoning was the method of death for blasphemy.

12. Why then did the Jews demand that Messiah be crucified, which to the Jews was synonymous to hanging on a tree? (see Acts 5:30; 10:39; 13:29)

Deuteronomy 21:22,23 ______________________________________________________

Note: When the Jewish Leadership cried out “crucify him,” they were not only demanding that Messiah be put to death, but they were demanding that God curse Him. When God’s curse falls on anyone, that is saying good-bye to life forever. Messiah experienced this God-abandonment death on the stake and that is why He cried out, “My Father, my Father, why hast thou forsaken me?”

13. What is the curse of the law to all who have failed to obey it?

Galatians 3:10 ______________________________________________________

Note: Have you kept the law perfectly? If not, you deserve to be cursed. But what we deserve God heaped on His Son at Calvary.

14. How did Messiah redeem us from the curse of the law?

Galatians 3:13 ______________________________________________________

Note: The reason why the law does not curse the believer is because God made Messiah to be the curse for us. Yeshua tasted the wages of sin, the curse of the law, for all humanity on the stake. That is the supreme Sacrifice.

15. Why was God the Father satisfied when He saw the results of Yeshuas’ suffering and death?

Isaiah 53:6,10,11 ______________________________________________________

Note: We can only faintly understand the agony that our Heavenly Father must have suffered as He Himself allowed the curse of our sins to fall on Yeshua, His beloved Son. Through the supreme sacrifice on the stake, both the Father and the Son were telling the human race that their love for us is more than their love for themselves! This is God’s selfless love which Messiah demonstrated on the stake.

16. How should the supreme Sacrifice affect us?

2 Corinthians 5:14,15 ______________________________________________________

Note: Not the fear of punishment nor the desire for reward must be the motivation of a Believers living. The love of God, demonstrated on the stake, is the driving force in true Believers living. No wonder the songwriter wrote: “Love so amazing, so divine, demands my life, my soul, my all.” This is exactly what the stake of Messiah did to His disciples, and this is what it must do to us.

17. What has Messiah done to show us the love of God?

1 John 3:16 ______________________________________________________

Note: Yeshua laid down His life and was willing to be blotted out of existence that we might live in His place. This is how much the stake demonstrated God’s love for us sinners. By this supreme sacrifice, Yeshua was telling sinners that He loves us more than Himself. That is why He said, “But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself” (John 12:31-33). As you contemplate the supreme sacrifice of Messiah may you not only be drawn to God but willingly accept His indescribable gift.

Conclusion: The following statement, by one who so clearly understood the supreme sacrifice of Messiah, is worth serious contemplation:

“Upon Messiah as our substitute and surety was laid the iniquity of us all. He was counted a transgressor, that He might redeem us from the condemnation of the law. The guilt of every descendent of Adam was pressing upon His heart. The wrath of God against sin, the terrible manifestation of His displeasure because of iniquity, filled the soul of His Son with consternation. All His life Messiah had been publishing to a fallen world the good news of the Father’s mercy and pardoning love. Salvation for the chief of sinners was His theme. But now with the terrible weight of guilt He bears, He cannot see the Father’s reconciling face. The withdrawal of the divine countenance from the Saviour in this hour of supreme anguish pierced His heart with a sorrow that can never be fully understood by man. So great was this agony that His physical pain was hardly felt.

“Satan with his fierce temptations wrung the heart of Yeshua. The Saviour could not see through the portals of the tomb. Hope did not present to Him His coming forth from the grave a conqueror, or tell Him of the Father’s acceptance of the sacrifice. He feared that sin was so offensive to God that Their separation was eternal. Messiah felt the anguish which the sinner will feel when mercy shall no longer plead for the guilty race. It was the sense of sin, bringing the Father’s wrath upon Him as man’s substitute, that made the cup He drank so bitter, and broke the heart of the Son of God.”

—Ellen G. White, Desire of Ages, p. 753

“God So Loved The World” Bible Study For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 (NIV)

Introduction

The world today is troubled. Men and women everywhere are seeking the solution to their insurmountable problems — personal, social, national, and international. Underneath it all is a longing to know the real meaning of life and the destiny to which it leads.

Where did the world come from, and how did life begin? Why are men continually at war, and why is there so much hatred between various races and ethnic groups? Is there no hope for lasting peace in this world of ours? Why is human nature torn between ideals and actions, between hope for something better and the perverse inclination to do something worse?

Unaided by some power outside of itself, humanity has never been able to find a satisfactory answer to these questions. But there is hope! Implanted in every heart is a desire to worship some higher power, a desire after God. And God has the answers.

The purpose of this Bible course is to lead men and women to God and to His message of salvation. Discover for yourself how much He longs to bring peace, hope, and joy into your life. Listen as God speaks to you from His Word and tells you how He “so loved the world that he gave us his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, NIV)

Because sin is a deceiver many have been misled into thinking they can save themselves by their own good works. But the Bible is clear, “by observing the law no one will be justified” (Galatians 2:16 NIV). The Jews of Messiah’s day made the tragic mistake of thinking that they could be saved by keeping the law. It is for this reason Yeshua said unto them: “Come unto me all you that labor and are very discouraged and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Man’s only hope of salvation is the gospel of our Adonai Yeshua Messiah.

But before we can rejoice in this good news of salvation, we must first come to grips with our sin problem. Once we lose all confidence in ourselves, we will accept with open arms God’s incredible gift of salvation in Messiah. In this first lesson we are going to discover what the Bible has to say about the universal sin problem, as a prerequisite to appreciating the good news of the gospel. It is only when the night is darkest that the stars shine their brightest. Likewise, to fully appreciate the glorious truth of the gospel, we must view it against our total depravity.

Study #1: Why We Need a Saviour

1. Who created man and for what purpose?

Genesis 1:26 __________________________________________________

2. What did God do after he formed man out of the dust of the ground?

Genesis 2:7 __________________________________________________

Note: The word life in this text is in the plural form in the original Hebrew Bible. God breathed into man “the breath of lives.” This is because God created all men in that one man. That man was called Adam, which means mankind.

3. How did God create woman and with what material was she made?

Genesis 2:21-24 __________________________________________________

Note: The Bible tells us that God created this world by “the word of His mouth,” except for man and woman. Adam (mankind) was formed by the hands of God out of the dust; and Eve, which means mother of all, was formed out of Adam’s rib. According to the Bible, the whole human race, of which we are all members, is the multiplication of Adam’s one life. (see Acts 17:26)

4. What was Adam not allowed to eat, after God had placed him and his wife in the beautiful garden of Eden?

Genesis 2:16,17 __________________________________________________

Note: Because God created man with a free will, He placed him under a law by which his loyalty to God could be tested. The penalty of failing this test was death, good-bye to life.

5. Since all humanity was created in Adam, how many were affected by Adam’s sin?

Romans 5:12 __________________________________________________

Note: When Adam sinned it implicated the whole world. Since the Fall took place before Adam had any children, the whole human race was in him when he sinned. While all of mankind suffer the consequences of Adam’s original sin, God does not hold the human race guilty of that sin.

6. Although the judgment of condemnation to death came to everyone as a result of Adam’s sin, how did God reverse humanity’s status?

Romans 5:18 __________________________________________________

Note: Justification (i.e., to be declared righteous) comes as a free gift from God because of the righteous act of one man—the perfect life and the sacrificial death of YeshuaMessiah. Because of what Messiah did, the hope of salvation has been brought to all humanity. This is the good news of the gospel.

7. As a result of the fall, how many are righteous or good in God’s eyes?

Romans 3:9-12 __________________________________________________

Note: The word “under” means to be ruled or dominated by. It was a term used to refer to slaves in Bible days. Just as a slave had no freedom but was ruled by his master, so also, all humanity is under sin, ruled by it. This is the universal sin problem and our only hope of deliverance is a Saviour.

8. Because of the universal sin problem, how many stand guilty or condemned under God’s law?

Romans 3:19 __________________________________________________

9. How many have sinned and who is our only hope of salvation?

Romans 3:23,24 __________________________________________________

Note: The Bible is clear. Mankind’s only hope of salvation is Yeshua Messiah.

10. What does David say about himself, which is also true of all of us?

Psalms 51:5 __________________________________________________

Note: Sin is a condition or state which we all inherit from birth. It is something we are born with because of Adam’s Fall. Therefore, we can do nothing to escape it, in and of ourselves. However, this is not our fault and God does not blame us for being born sinners.

11. What condition is ours from birth?

Psalms 58:3 __________________________________________________

Note: We are born separated from God. But although we may be wicked from birth, God has given us the choice to escape this problem through the gospel of Yeshua Messiah.

12. Like sheep, in what two conditions do we find ourselves?

Isaiah 53:6

1. _________________________________________________________

2. _________________________________________________________

Note: We are by nature self-centered. We go our own way from the moment we are born, but we also have hope because the Adonai laid the iniquity of us all on Messiah.

13. Why can we not trust our own hearts?

Jeremiah 17:9 __________________________________________________

Note: Because we are naturally self-centered, our own hearts deceive us into believing we can save ourselves by our good works. But this is where many make a big mistake. A good example of this is the story of Peter’s betrayal of Yeshua. Peter promised Yeshua that he would die rather than betray Him, but when the test came he denied his Adonai three times (see John 18:15-27).

14. What does Yeshua, the true witness, say regarding our own self-evaluation?

Revelation 3:17 __________________________________________________

Note: The problem with most of us is that we do not know how sinful we are. Therefore, we do not realize our own deplorable condition. This is why God has to first convict us of our total sinfulness before He offers us the gift of salvation.

15. Instead of the interests of Yeshua, how many seek their own way?

Philippians 2:21 __________________________________________________

Note: This problem is inherent in every human being. Even babies demand their own way from birth.

16. What is the only thing that can truly set us free from our sin problem?

John 8:32 __________________________________________________

17. When we commit sin, even against our own wishes, what does it prove?

John 8:34 __________________________________________________

18. Freedom from sin’s slavery is found only in whom?

John 8:36 __________________________________________________

Note: Yeshua is the only answer to our sin problem. Without Him we remain slaves to sin and the wages of sin is death (see Romans 6:23).

19. Why did Yeshua come into this world?

1 Timothy 1:15 __________________________________________________

Note: Do you accept this fact? Note that even Paul, the great apostle, admits in the present tense, that he is the chief or the worst of sinners.

20. What does the Bible have to say to those who claim “we have no sin”?

1 John 1:8 __________________________________________________

21. Of what do we accuse God when we say we have not sinned?

1 John 1:10 __________________________________________________

Note: The only reason God’s Word tells us that we are sinners is to show us our need of a Saviour. Once we recognize our total sinfulness, the gospel does become the best good news we have ever heard.

22. What are two things God does for us if we confess our sins to Him?

1 John 1:9

1. _________________________________________________________

2. _________________________________________________________

Conclusion: Most people think they are sinners because they have committed sins; but the fact is that we commit sins because we are born sinners. The only hope of escaping this universal sin problem is Yeshua Messiah, the Saviour of the world. Our study of the Bible becomes exciting as we discover His plan of salvation for the human race. In our next few studies we shall learn about God’s unconditional love for us, the ground of our salvation, as well as how He saved us in Messiah!

“God So Loved The World” Bible Study For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 (NIV) Study #2: The Love of God It is hard for many to comprehend how God can save them as sinners. As a result most people are running away from God out of fear. This is one way the devil, the enemy of souls, veils the good news of the gospel from men and women. For this reason, it is important for all to realize that the ground of our salvation is God’s unconditional love for us, and not our goodness. Yeshua Himself declared in that favorite text of the Bible: “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). The apostle Paul (Shaul), once a persecutor of the Believer church, made this profound statement to young Timothy: “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Messiah Yeshua came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst” (1 Timothy 1:15). The reason why we sinners do not need to be afraid of God and can come to Him with full confidence is because God is love. In this study we are going to discover the true love of God that is the ground of our salvation. Once our eyes are opened to this fact, the gospel will become fantastic or incredible good news. Let us see how this is true from the Word of God. 1. Whom does God love? John 3:16 ______________________________________________________ Note: The world (human race) God so loved is the world that has rebelled against Him. Therefore, we are saved not because we deserve it or because we are good, but because God is love. This is the foundation to a correct understanding of the gospel. 2. After Paul shows us that all are sinners by performance and nature deserving God’s wrath, what reason does he give why God redeemed humanity in Messiah? Ephesians 2:4-6 ______________________________________________________ Note: Even though the Bible declares that we are all sinners, it also tells us that God loves us infinitely. That is why God made us alive together with Messiah, raised us up together, and made us sit in heavenly places in Him, all because of His unconditional love for mankind. 3. Since we are not saved by works of righteousness or right doing, why did God save us? Titus 3:3-5 ______________________________________________________ Note: The ground of our salvation is God’s love for sinners. Scripture declares that “God is love” (1John 4:8). This love is not just one of God’s characteristics but is what He is by very nature and therefore all that He does is in the context of His love. 4. In the time of Messiah what were the people being taught? Matthew 5:43 ______________________________________________________ Note: The word “neighbor” here refers to fellow Jews and the word ”enemy” refers to the Gentiles. Human beings know how to love their own, but it is impossible for us to love our enemies, in and of ourselves. 5. In contrast to this human love, what did Yeshua say Believers should do? Matthew 5:44 ______________________________________________________ Note: It is this kind of love that demonstrates true Believing to the world. Such love reflects the love God has for sinners. It is the greatest proof of the power of the gospel and the fact that we are followers of Messiah (see John 13:34,35). 6. How far reaching is God’s love? Matthew 5:45 ______________________________________________________ Note: God’s love extends beyond all barriers. It is the opposite of human love. God even loves and cares for those who are His enemies by supplying all their needs. God’s love is unconditional; it does not depend on our goodness. Therefore, in understanding God’s love for us we must never attribute our human ideals of love to God. This is where many go wrong. 7. What four conditions were we still in when God demonstrated His love for us and reconciled us to Himself by the death of His Son? Romans 5:6-10 1._________________________ 2._________________________ 3._________________________ 4._________________________ Note: This passage tells us that while we were incapable of saving ourselves, wicked people, still sinners, and even enemies of God, he redeemed us through the death of His Son. Such love is beyond our comprehension, but it is real because God says so and demonstrated it on the stake of Messiah. 8. How many times does the word “love” appear in your Bible, in this passage? John 21:15-17 ______________________________________________________ Note: Unfortunately, our English Bibles fail to bring out the real significance of this dialogue between Messiah and Peter. The reason being that the English language has only one word for love. But in the Greek, the language of the New Covenant, the Bible writers had about four words to choose from. In the first two questions, “do you love me,” Yeshua used the word “agapao” which is unconditional love. Peter’s answer both times was “phileo” which means human affection, which, incidentally, is unreliable. (Keep in mind, Peter promised he would never deny Yeshua.) In his answer, Peter was admitting that he did not have unconditional love towards Messiah. In Yeshua’ third question, He used the word “phileo” and Peter was “grieved” because this third time, Yeshua used the word “phileo” instead of “agapao.” Peter answered by saying in effect, “Yes, Lord you know everything. You know that all I’m capable of is this unreliable human love.” But unlike Peter, Messiah’s love for us is unconditional and never fails. 9. What draws us to God? Jeremiah 31:3 ______________________________________________________ Note: Most people are running away from God because they think He is out to punish them. But the truth is that God loves us and gave us His only Son so that whoever believes in Him should not be lost but have eternal life. This is what draws us to God. 10. What endearing term does God use for His people? 1 John 3:1,2 ______________________________________________________ Note: Not only does God love us unconditionally, but He has given us a new standing before Him. Anyone who is a child of God through faith in Messiah need not have a low self esteem. We have become children of the King of kings and this is what gives us hope, security, and a self worth that puts a spring in our step. With heads up, He gives us the ability to face whatever is ahead. 11. On what basis should we rely on God for our salvation? 1 John 4:16 ______________________________________________________ Note: God not only loves us with an everlasting love but He Himself is love. Every other aspect of God’s character, which is His glory, is unconditional love. There are some things we may not understand but everything He does is in the context of “God is love.” 12. What does perfect love cast out? 1 John 4:17,18 ______________________________________________________ Note: Fear is the result of sin. Because all of us have sinned, we are all victims to the fear of death (Hebrews 2:14,15). Only God’s redeeming love can cast out this fear. 13. List the ten things that Paul says cannot separate us from the love of God. Romans 8:35-39 1._________________________ 2.__________________________ 3._________________________ 4.__________________________ 5._________________________ 6.__________________________ 7._________________________ 8.__________________________ 9._________________________ 10.__________________________ Note: Although as Believers we may face many hardships in this world, our joy and our peace come from knowing that nothing can separate us from the love of God. God is eternal and therefore His love is everlasting; it is the ground of our salvation. He offers us the free gift of salvation in Messiah Yeshua purely on the basis of His unconditional love for us. The only thing that can keep us from experiencing this salvation is our own rejection of His saving grace. May this never be true of you. How God’s Love Was Perverted In order to fully appreciate the good news of the gospel, it is important to be familiar with how Satan has perverted God’s love, in order to pervert the gospel. Here is a brief history of what happened. The Greek language, in which the New Testament was originally written, had four words for love. They were eros, storge, phileo, and agape. Of these four words, eros was considered to be the highest form of love. As Plato described it, eros was man seeking after God. It was the basis of all pagan religions. The New Covenant writers NEVER used this word, eros. This was unacceptable to some of the Temple Fathers, who became the leaders of the Messianic Temples after the apostles died. Some of these Temple Fathers, who were all of Greek origin, wanted to substitute eros for the word agape, the key word used in the New Covenant to define God’s self-emptying and unconditional love. This started the great battle in Church history between eros and agape. It was Augustine, the great Church Father of the 4th century, who settled the issue. By using Greek logic, Augustine synthesized the concept of eros with the concept of agape and produced a new concept of love which he named caritas from which we get our English word charity. This new concept of love was accepted by the Messianic Temple and, as a result, caritas became the dominant word defining God’s love during the dark ages of Temple history. Thus, by modifying the true meaning of God’s love, Satan managed to pervert the pure gospel from being “good news” to “good advice” — “I must do my best and God will make up the difference.” Below is an outline showing the contrast of man’s eros love to God’s agape love and how caritas perverted the gospel: HUMAN EROS LOVE IS: GOD’S AGAPE LOVE IS: A. CONDITIONAL Depends on beauty or goodness and therefore needs arousing. When this love is attributed to God it perverts the gospel into conditional good news or good advice: Matt. 19:16-27; John 9:14-31 A. UNCONDITIONAL Is spontaneous, uncaused, and independent of our goodness. This is why God redeemed us: Rom. 5:6-10; Eph.2:1-6,8,9; Titus 3:3-5 B. CHANGEABLE Fluctuates and is unreliable: Luke 22:31-34 (Divorce rate in U.S.) B. CHANGELESS Everlasting and never fails: Jer. 31:3; 1 Cor. 13:8; Jn. 13:1; Rom. 8:35-39 C. SELF-SEEKING (U-turn agape) Egocentric; therefore always ascending, socially, politically, academically, economically, and even religiously: Isa. 53:6; Phil. 2:21. (Satan is the originator of this self principle and infected man with it at the Fall.) Ezk. 28:14,15; Isa. 14:12-14 C. SELF-EMPTYING (agape) Selfless; therefore will step down for the benefit of others: 1 Cor. 13:5; 2 Cor. 8:9; Phil. 2:6-8 Agape and The Great Controversy in Temple History The battle between Agape and Eros love resulted in Caritas love. These 3 loves have produced the 3 gospels comprising today’s world religions: The Eros Gospel (Salvation by Works) GOD MAN The Caritas Gospel (Salvation by Faith Plus Works) GOD MAN The Agape Gospel (Salvation by Grace Alone) GOD MAN