Lesson 26

Evangelists encourage people to repent of their sins and accept the salvation of Jesus, which is only the first step in becoming a Christian. A Christian must make a lifetime of good decisions but choosing to do the next right thing takes practice. The Bible never describes God herding, or driving his people, instead God empowers his followers to make their own decisions as they are led by the Holy Spirit, making the decision to follow him their responsibility. A Christian’s love for God compels them to follow him wherever the Holy Spirit leads. God knows our frailties and that every Christian will have their own unique path. Staying true to him through repentance, even after we have failed yet again, is the important thing. Nothing can steal us away from God, but we can decide to abandon him and forfeit our salvation. How quickly do you seek forgiveness when you recognise your sins? What types of sin might tempt you to abandon Jesus? What dangers are there in believing your salvation is guaranteed, no matter what you do? Why is it important to always live with the love of God growing inside of you?

James 5:19-20 Easy-to-Read Version
19 My brothers and sisters, if anyone wanders away from the truth and someone helps that person come back, 20 remember this: Anyone who brings a sinner back from the wrong way will save that person from eternal death and cause many sins to be forgiven.

1 John 3:6-9 International Children’s Bible
6 So the person who lives in Christ does not go on sinning. If he goes on sinning, he has never really understood Christ and has never known him. 7 Dear children, do not let any person lead you the wrong way. Christ is righteous. To be like Christ, a person must do what is right. 8 The devil has been sinning since the beginning. Anyone who continues to sin belongs to the devil. The Son of God came for this purpose: to destroy the devil’s work. 9 When God makes someone his child, that person does not go on sinning. The new life God gave that person stays in him. So he is not able to go on sinning, because he has become a child of God.

2 Peter 2:20-22 King James Version
20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. 21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. 22 But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.