Este año he vuelto a la Semana Santa de mi parroquia, después de varios años en el exilio. Ha sido genial. Gracias, mil gracias a los que estáis trabajando tanto para transmitir a Dios. Qué alegría haberos visto, no habéis cambiado nada. Seguís preparando todo con tanto cuidado como de costumbre. Sois los mejores, no os vayáis nunca!!!
STUDY 5 – THE RIGHTEOUSNESS FROM GOD
Read Romans 3:21-31
How would you describe the tone of the passage?
How is the righteousness from God (3: 21-24) different from the righteousness by law (2: 5-13)?
In vs. 24-25 Paul uses 3 important words to describe what Christ has done for us. The word justified is borrowed from the law court. The judge declares that the person on trial has no legal charges against him. Why is justification remarkable, given the background of Romans 1:18-20?
How should our complete acceptance by God affect the way we view ourselves?
The word redemption (v. 24) is borrowed from the slave market. It means “to buy someone out of slavery”. From what types of slavery has Christ delivered us?
The phrase sacrifice of attonement (v. 25) is borrowed from the Old Testament. Animal sacrifices turned away God’s wrath from the sinner. Why does Christ’s death turn away God’s wrath from us?
How should we respond, emotionally and spiritually, to the fact that Jesus’ experienced God’s wrath for us?
Some people find it difficult to understand how God can be perfectly just and gracious at the same time. How do the justice and grace of God meet at the cross (vs. 25-26)?
How does boasting about ourselves betray a fundamental misunderstanding of the gospel Vs. 27-31)?
At times do you still feel unacceptable to God? Explain.
In what ways might you feel or act differently if you more fully grasped what Jesus has done for you?
STUDY 6 – THE EXAMPLE OF ABRAHAM
Read Romans 4
What themes do you see running through this passage?
According to Paul, how were the Old Testament saints, such as Abraham and David, justified? (vs. 1-8) How do we know this?
What are some of the differences between justification by faith and by works? (vs. 4-8)
It’s easy to feel that God accepts us only when we are good. When we feel this way, how can the examples of Abraham and David give us hope?
Some people in Paul’s day taught that unless a person was circumcised he had no hope of being saved (see Acts 15:1). How does Abraham’s experience refute this idea? (vs. 9-12)
What kinds of false ideas do people today have about what is required for salvation?
God promised that Abraham and his offspring would inherit the world (vs. 13). Who are Abraham’s offspring (vs. 13-17)? What difference does it make whether the promise to Abraham and his offspring is fulfilled by law or by grace?
Paul states that the God in whom Abraham believed “gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were” (vs. 17). How does this statement relate to Abraham’s predicament described in vs. 18-22?
How does Abraham illustrate our own hopeless predicament as non-Christians and the solution provided in Jesus Christ (vs. 18-25)?
What situation are you currently facing that requires faith in the God of creation and resurrection? How can you demonstrate faith and hope in that situation?
The main character of this study is the apostle Thomas. (John 20, 24-29)
On the evening of that first Easter Day the disciples were gathered together for mutual support in a locked room for fear of the Jewish authorities. How must they have been feeling?
Suddenly Jesus appears among them and they were delighted, but Thomas was not with them.
Verses 24 and 25
What did Thomas not believe that the other disciples had seen Jesus?
What evidence did he ask for?
Meanwhile Jesus knew what was going on in Thomas’ mind and so a week later…….
Verses 26-29
Jesus appears again to the disciples, deliberately to dispel Thomas’ doubts. Thomas is immediately and utterly convinced that Jesus is not just Teacher, Master, Messiah, Son of God, but GOD himself. Thomas believed on the evidence of his eyes, but Jesus gives a promise that makes the event meaningful for Christians everywhere and down through the ages: the people who have faith in me without seeing me are the ones who are really blessed.
So on what evidence are later generations to believe?
Verses 30 and 31
This book, and the whole of the Bible, was written so that you will put your faith in Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of God. If you have faith in him, you will have true life.
That is the challenge of Thomas to us all.
La Historia de Zaqueo (Luke 19, 1-10)
Luke 19, 1-4: ¿Quién es Zaqueo? // Who is Zacchaeus?
Luke 19, 5-7: Jesús
- Advierte la presencia de Zaqueo // Noticed Zacchaeus
- Conocía su nombre // Know his name
- Decide hablar con él // Chose to speak with him
- Decide ir a su casa // Chose to go to his house
¿Qué piensa Zaqueo de lo que estaba pasando? // What did Zacchaeus think of what was happening?
¿Qué piensa la gente? // What did the crowd think about it?
Luke 19, 8-10
¿Cómo muestra Zaqueo que ha cambiado? // How did Zacchaeus show he had changed?
¿Por qué ha cambiado? // Why did he change?
Jesús nos dice: "Quiero llegar a ti. No dejes para mañana lo que puedas hacer hoy".
Jesús says to each one of us: "Hurry. I want to come to you. Do something today, don't wait until tomorrow".
(Si quieres ver la primera parte de "Outsiders" pincha aquí)
I would like to share with you some Bible studies that a group of hard-working ladies prepare for us (ladies, mainly foreigners).
I start introducing several studies related to "outsiders". An outsider, in this context, is someone we feel uncomfortable talking to, someone different from the rest of the society.
Luke 17: 11-19 Jesus heals ten man with leprosy. What do we feel like when for any reason we are "outsiders"?
1 John 1: 5-10 Jesus came to this world so that we can be part of God’ family, to belong. Our problem is not illness. Our problem is sin. It is wonderful to be an insider to belong.