Fight the Good Fight of Faith, English Edition

Lesson : The Excellence We Show • 

Read and reflect upon the following cases and concepts, and provide answers and insights into their resolution, based on the texts you studied above. 1. What happens when we fail? Often new believers find themselves enthusiastically accepting God’s call to be his saints and ambassadors for Christ. As they walk with the Lord, they grow stronger, but, because of the world’s temptations, the devil’s lies, and their habits of living like the world in their old habits, they may fall short, and sin. What happens to us when we fail, or fail more than once, even in the same area? Is a person who claims to be a Christian and yet falls – does that person remain a believer? Are we kind of on a holy probation, where our salvation is in effect until we fail – then everything is cancelled out? Are they still considered a saint and an ambassador, even after they have done wrong? Read the following Scriptures, and share your answer with another believer, for input and direction: • 1 John 1.5-10 2. Is there a single Christian position on every issue in society? Living as a saint of God and an ambassador for Christ is refreshing, but it is not simplistic or easy. We have to be careful not to confuse what we think with God’s position on a particular issue, and we should be equally suspicious of simply accepting what the latest TV preacher thinks on a subject as the Gospel truth. There are equally sincere and godly Christians on opposite sides of any particular issue, with both sides quoting Scriptures, and claiming that their viewpoint represents the true “Christian” position. What is a Christian to do when they encounter strong believers who hold conflicting views on some particular question? Must there always be a single, clear, and “correct” opinion about every topic that comes up in society? How does Romans 14.1-12 help us understand these kinds of matters as we walk with the Lord? 3. Who we are speaks louder than what we say. Without question, who we are speaks louder than what we say before others. We must be careful not only to make verbal claims about the Kingdom of God, but actually live out those claims so that others may see and bear witness to the truth. The apostle John gives an example of this in his first epistle: • Prov. 24.16 • James 5.16 • Ps. 32.3-5 • Prov. 28.12-13

Case Studies