Printable Version | Why the Cross? Part 2
Opening
In our previous session, we learned that human sin has destroyed both our relationship with God and our relationships with one another. How have you seen the pervasiveness of sin infiltrate both your world and your own life?
Going Deeper
1. A Restored Relationship with God
1.1. The Old Testament teaches us that God is willing to receive sacrifices as a substitute for human judgment. Though God has the right to require such a payment, what gives Him this right? What do you think of the idea that God requires such a sacrifice to “atone” for your sin?
1.2. Like the sacrifices in the Old Testament, Jesus’s death becomes a sacrifice in place of our eternal, spiritual death. What makes His sacrifice able to solve the human problem of our sin?
1.3. Salvation is a free gift of God’s grace. What must one do to receive this wonderful gift?
1.4. If through Jesus’s death one is “justified,” restored and cleared of guilt before God, what then (if anything) stands between God and a believer?
2. A Restored Human Nature
2.1. If you are a follower of Christ, in what ways do you see the Holy Spirit changing you into the righteous image of Jesus?
2.2. What hope do we find in the promise that, in our resurrected bodies, we are destined to live with God eternally?
3. Restored Human Relationships
3.1. How can Jesus’s actions towards us serve as the example for how we can build our relationships with others?
3.2. How has your relationship with Jesus helped to restore relationships in your life?