Studies for New Believers

I   The New Birth

Read 1 Peter 1:3


1.    What does this verse tell us has happened to us?



2.      Who brings this about?



3.    Why did God do this for us?



Read John 3: 1-5


There are 2 births......

·         One of the.      .......

·         And one of the    ......

·         To enter the     .......        of   .........     we have to be born of the   ......


·         How do we become born again?

John 3:15,16      We need to    ..........   in Jesus.

John 1:12            We need to    ...........  Him  and   ........    in His name.  


·         Why is it not enough to live a good life?

John 1:13 and John 3:5,6 and also look up what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:50



·         What is God’s promise when we believe in Jesus?  John 3:16



We MUST be born again of the Spirit!


·         The new birth gives us entrance into the    ............     of  .........   !    John 3:5


 Write out and learn John 3:16.


 Remember it is GOD who brings us new birth and works this miracle in our lives. We trust Him to do this, and it is not of ourselves, or our own works. We will be learning more of His grace and faithfulness, and the work of Jesus on the Cross in the next studies.

Here are some verses to show the inheritance we have in Jesus Christ through the new birth.  I suggest you read one every day of this week and think about what it means for YOU!


 2 Corinthians 5:17  I am a new creation in Christ Jesus
                                   the OLD things are gone..... the NEW has come


 Colossians 1:13      I am delivered from the power of darkness
                                I am transplanted into the Kingdom of His beloved Son


 1 Thessalonians 5:5   I am no longer of darkness or night
                                    I am a child of the light and of the day


1 Peter 2:9       I am God’s own possession!
                         He has called me out of darkness
                                    into His marvellous light.

 1 Peter 2:10     Once not a people
                         Now a people of GOD!

                        Once  I had not received mercy
                        But now I have received mercy

Eph 1: 4-6    I am chosen ...... adopted as a son or daughter ........                                         
         without blame before Him in love.........accepted in the Beloved.  

  Ephesians 2:4,5  GOD – rich in mercy and because of HIS great love,
when I was dead in my sins
                                He made me alive together with Christ.

            I have been born into God’s own family.
         He loves ME and I belong to HIM.



II  The Power of the Cross of Jesus Christ

Let us remind ourselves of the verses from 1 Peter 1:18,19

 “ God paid a ransom to save you...and the ransom He paid was not mere gold or silver, as you very well know. But He paid for you with the precious lifeblood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.”  (The Living Bible)

The apostle Paul said in his letter to the Colossians chapter 1 verses 13 and 14
“For He has rescued us out of the darkness and gloom of Satan’s kingdom and brought us into the kingdom of His dear Son, Who bought our freedom with His blood and forgave all our sins.”

·         From this verse, what 4 things has Jesus done for you by dying on the Cross?



 Now let’s see why Jesus had to pay this high price that we might go free, and also what benefits are ours through the cross of Jesus. We are going to be reading from the book of Romans, which is a letter that Paul, the great first century missionary, wrote to the early Christians in Rome.

Read Romans 3:10-12 and 3:23. Read in different modern versions if possible.

·         How many people have done wrong?

·         Has anyone ever lived a completely righteous life?

·         From verse 23, how do you think you can explain what sin is? 

·         According to the Bible, are you a sinner?


Read Rom 6:23

·         What is the outcome or punishment for sin?

·         What  is God’s free gift to us?

·         There is only one way to receive eternal life, and that is through   .....    .......    !


Read Romans 5:6-11

There are the three participants in this passage – God,  us, and Jesus Christ.

·         What is God’s motivation?

·         What was our condition when He put His salvation plan into action?

·         What did Jesus do for us?

·         Did we deserve it? And could we do anything to get ourselves out of sin?
      Read Ephesians 2:8,9.

Death means separation from God. Eternal life means living with Him now and forever!
Through one man Adam sin and transgression came into the world and affects every single one of us – Rom 5:12.

 Read what the apostle Paul says in Galatians 3:10-13

·         If we are trying to live by our own good works or by the law, what does the Bible say about us?

·         What are we living under?

·         Can anyone be made right by the law, or by living a good life?

·         What has Christ done for us, and how?  Read 1 Peter 2:24, 25


We were like lost sheep, but have now come back to our great Shepherd !

 Now go back to the beginning of Romans 5 and read verses 1 - 11, 18,19 right through, again in different versions if possible.
God does not promise you a life without any difficulties or trouble, but because Jesus has died for you, God has freely forgiven you and gives you His gift of:

1.      Peace  v.1
2.      Access into grace  v.2
3.      Joy and hope  v.3, 11
4.      Justification = just as if I never sinned !  v.9, 18
5.      Salvation   v.9, 11
6.      Reconciliation  =  friends of God  v.11
7.      Righteousness = in right standing with God  v.19

All this is accessed by faith. This means to put our trust in the Lord Jesus and to let Him have our hearts and lives.

Here is an acronym for FAITH  :

Forsaking
All
I
Trust
Him

 At the end of this session, pray and thank Jesus for dying for you. Thank Him for what He has done on the Cross for you. Thank Him for forgiving you. If you have not confessed your sin to Him, do so and receive His mercy and forgiveness for all your past into your life.

 Through the One Lord Jesus Christ, you have received an abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness !  You are forgiven and cleansed and free to love Him and live for Him!

Note: For further in depth study on The Cross, look at David Q's study here .

III God is Faithful - His Word is True

Before starting this study, just take a few minutes to read the verses given at the first study:  
1 Peter 1:3-5 and 1 Peter 1:18.  Share together any experiences you have had of God’s love and what it has meant to you to be His child. Pray and thank the Lord again for what He has done for you on the Cross, and for the joy of the new birth and being in His family.

Now go to the end of this same chapter in Peter’s letter and read 1 Peter 1:23-25.

·         What experience are we reminded of here in verse 23?

·         What was the seed which, planted in our hearts brought this about? v.23

·         Will this seed ever die? v.23

·         What eventually happens to all that is flesh, or all human life?  v.24

·         “BUT the    .....     of the   . ......       ........      for    ...........”

This Word is the good news which you heard when you asked Jesus into your life, and it has brought about lasting change.  You may have many questions, uncertainties and difficult circumstances, but you can be SURE that the Word of God which has germinated in your life, will continue to grow. You are not able to change by yourself and live the Christian life, but God is faithful! He has planted the imperishable seed of His Word in your heart, and He will water and nourish the new life in you. Let’s consider God’s amazing faithfulness to us!

Go  back to the Old Testament and see how the Lord God is described to His people:

Deuteronomy 7:9

“Know therefore that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God, Who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments.”

Stop and think about this for a few moments – most of us can only think back 3 generations to our great grandparents (maybe not even that!). The Lord will keep His promises through 1000 generations – that means for ever and ever and ever !!

·         If your heart is turning in love towards the Lord, will He ever forget His promises towards you?

Please read the following verses and for each one, discuss and write down  what God is faithful to do for you:

·         1 John 1:9

·         2 Thessalonians 3:3

·         1 Corinthians 1:9

·         1 Corinthians 10:13

·         1 Thessalonians 5:23,24

·         Hebrews 10:23

He Who promised is faithful!  He says it in His Word, which lives and abides for ever!

 Look at 2 Corinthians 1:20-22

·        How many of God’s promises are certain?

·        Is there anything negative, or is there any possibility of a breach of God’s promise?

·        God’s promises are brought about through Whom?

·        What 4 things is God in the process of doing for you?



Read  Philippians 1:6 and 2 Timothy 1:12

·         What is Paul confident of?

·         What can we too confidently trust God to do?

When we face impossibilities or dificult situations, we can say confidently,
                   “HE IS ABLE”

We can entrust our lives, our loved ones, our relationships and jobs and circumstances, all to His faithfulness. He will show us the way and never fail. We may feel weak and not know how to begin to live our lives with Jesus. He WILL show us.


Now read 2 Timothy 3:16, 17  and  2 Peter 1:20, 21

·         Who inspired those who wrote the Bible?

·         Who then gives us understanding of the Word?

To inspire means to breathe into.  God’s own breath breathes through every word of the Bible and we can trust Him to speak to us and guide us daily as we read it and His Holy Spirit brings it alive for us.

·         What do these verses tell us the Word of God will do for you?


If you have not yet started to read the Bible, ask the person who is helping you to give you guidance in starting to read every day. It is most helpful to start by reading through either the gospel of John or Mark – a chapter each day. As you read, ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you. Get to know Jesus through His Word. Find His promises for you. See the nature of God and His compassion and mercy through the works of Jesus. Begin to act on His Word and believe Him!

God has given you His Word to equip you, to strengthen you and guide you. He has promised to bless you and prosper you as you study and meditate on His Word, and obey it.

Joshua 1:8-9


·         Will God ever desert you or let you down?


Read also Hebrews 13:5b and 6.  Declare this verse out loud, and learn it.

“ For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we may boldly say:                           ‘The Lord is my helper;  I will not fear what man can do to me.’”


IV  Assurance and Joy in Salvation
In the course of the last 3 studies, we have come to know more of God’s marvellous love for us, of His forgiveness through the blood of Jesus, of His protection and care and faithful promises to us. However there may still be questions in your heart and mind and you are not sure of your salvation and that Jesus Christ has come into your life. Here are three ways we can know:
[Nb: Many of the Bible verses given in this study are written by John, the beloved disciple of Jesus. Some are in the Gospel of John, and others in his first letter near the end of the Bible, called 1 John.]

1.      By the Spirit    Rom 8:16   1 John 4:13   
·         What does the Holy Spirit do in our heart?

2.  By the Word of God   1 John 5:13
·         Why is John writing this letter?
·         And to whom?
·         What does he want you to know for sure?

    Read also 1 John 2:12  and John 15:3
·         What are we assured of in these two scriptures?

3.       By faith and by our own experience of Him. 1 John 4:15 and 16 

“Anyone who believes and says that Jesus is the Son of God has God living in him, and he is living with God. We know how much God loves us because we have felt His love and because we believe Him when He tells us that He loves us dearly.” 1 John 4:15,16 (Living Bible)

Your new life in Christ is all about relationship – a love relationship between you and Jesus. Like all friendships, there will be a growing together as you get to know Him better.

Read 1 John 1:3,4 
·         John wants his readers to have fellowship with whom?

·         With Whom does John say he has fellowship, or communion and friendship?

·         Why is John writing these things?  v.4

JOY is the outcome of close relationship with Jesus and with the Father, and also a hallmark of our Christian life.

Let us look at the ways that God wants to get closer to us, and how we can respond,  allowing His love to fill our hearts more and more.

John 14:23  He wants to live with us
·         Where do Jesus and the Father want to make their home?
·         What two responses in our heart make this a reality?


John 15:14,15  He wants us to be His friends
·         What does Jesus say we are not?
·         What have we become?

And just like a true friend, He is wanting to share His secrets with us, and tell us what He has heard from His Father. To obey and follow Him, we will be learning to hear Him speak to us.

John 15:7  John 16:24  He wants to know our needs
·         What condition does Jesus place on our asking for whatever we want?
·         What is His promise?
·         And what is the outcome of our asking?

John 14:27   He wants to give us peace
·         What sort of peace does Jesus promise us?
·         What does He tell us to stop doing?

His peace coming into our hearts will bring calm assurance and the knowledge of His love. Stop and ask for that peace right now!

Revelation 3:20 He wants to eat with us!
·         What is Jesus doing?
·         How can we respond?
·         What is His promise?
This is talking about close intimate friendship. Jesus wants to make a date with you!

There are many areas of our lives where we will be hearing His knock. As we open different doors to Him, His love, deliverance, healing and freedom will be at work in our lives.
Jesus is knocking at your door, so also you start knocking at His!

Luke 11:9,10 
·         What is Jesus encouraging us to do in this passage?
·         With what result?

Jesus longs for you to be real with Him, and where you have doubts or do not understand His Word or want to know more, He is telling you to seriously seek Him and ask and knock on His door for all the answers and help that you need.

The life we now live in Jesus is one of progressively getting to know and love Him. As a child grows, so will you. Do not lose heart, where you as yet do not match up to or cannot feel the fulness of His love for you.

Read Colossians 2:6,7
·         How did you receive Jesus?
·         How do you continue in Him?

The grace and love of God has worked in your life as you trusted Jesus and will continue to nurture you as you daily love and trust Him. Remember to thank Him. God will water that precious seed in your life, and it will take root and grow strong and healthy.

Have a time of prayer now in your group, and you could use the following verses to pray for one another.  Talk to God simply and as your best friend!

Ephesians 4:17-19
And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts, living within you as you trust in Him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love; and may you be able to feel and understand, as all God’s children should, how long, how wide, how deep, and how high His love really is; and to experience this love for yourselves...” (The Living Bible)

2 Peter 3:18
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” (NKJ)















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