From the Inside Out
A Grace Filled Life
Wrath and Grace (2|2)
Pages 63-67
John 1:29-34 (NIV) John Testifies About Jesus The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.” Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”
Isaiah 53:6 (NIV) We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Galatians 2:20 (NIV) I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Romans 6:11-14 (NIV) In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.
How does knowing that every punishment you deserved was placed on Jesus change the way you see your past, your identity, and your relationship with God today?
Why do you think many churches/Christians shy away from talking about God’s wrath? What might we lose (both personally and as a community) when we avoid that part of the gospel?
How does understanding that you are not just forgiven but changed through Christ affect the way you see yourself and live each day?
Why do you think some people misuse God’s grace as permission to sin rather than as motivation to pursue holiness?
What does it mean to be “an ambassador of Christ” who carries God’s presence into the world? How should this understanding shape the way we live and serve each day (the way you approach your work, relationships, and daily choices)?