Bible Study

Bible study is the 2nd and 3rd Sundays of each month instead of a regular service.

This is when we delve deeper in the scriptures, like the Bereans, to better understand what we are reading. Some people think we should not question God, but there are times when those hard questions nag at you like “why did God let the satan attack Job” or when a hard saying of Jesus like “if you call someone a fool you are liable to the fire of gehenna” just gets in the way of your faith. All over the Bible the Psalmists and prophets were constantly asking God some tough questions when they don’t understand what’s happening to them. And so, we, like them should not shy away from asking too. We might not get all the answers we are looking for, but we come away with a better understanding of the passages we are studying and knowing that our God is a big and does not feel threatened by our questioning.

Week 18 – Growing in Faith

January 17, 2016

Study
Questions

Study

The First Letter of Peter: Holy Living in the Midst of Fiery Trials.

God, who has called us to himself, has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We are urged to make every effort to add to our faith moral excellence, knowledge of God, self-control, patient endurance, godliness and brotherly love. As we build our faith up in the knowledge of Jesus Christ, God will bless us with more and more grace and peace to escape the lure of the world’s corruption. Then we will prove that we are really among those God has called and chosen.

Questions

Who is Peter addressing this letter to?
Why was this faith given?
What has God given us by his divine power?
What virtues are we to make every effort to add to our faith?
Why is it important that we develop these virtues?

Answers

To those who share the same precious faith as the apostles.
This faith was given because of the justice and fairness of Jesus Christ, our God and Savior.
God has given us everything we need for living a godly life.
A generous provision of moral excellence, knowledge of God, self-control, patient endurance, godliness and brotherly love.
They will prevent us from being lost or lured away from the Lord Jesus Christ by the lusts of the world.

Selected Scripture Verses

2 Peter 1:1-11

(1)Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours:

(2)Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

Confirming One’s Calling and Election
(3) His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. (4) Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

(5) For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; (6) and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; (7) and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. (8) For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (9) But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.

(10) Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, (11) and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Bible Study

Open Hands Church