My past life has been so terrible that God could not possibly love me enough to die
for me!
I have to get my personal life straightened out before God could ever come and live
within me!
I need to prove myself to God before He would allow me to be one of His children.The real problem with all of the above understandings is that they have no basis in what the Scriptures say.
In Learning Activity #6, we discovered that God had a plan that was devised "before the foundation of the world." That plan, which was in place before anything happened in this world, was that all of mankind could be "in Christ." This was an all inclusive plan and no one, even the most horrible person you can think of, was excluded (Ephesians 1:3–4).
Using your Bible, look up the following verses and write them in the space provided. As you proceed answer the questions as they appear.
1. John 1:29 ____________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
2. According to the verse above, whose sin was taken away by Jesus when He died on the cross of Calvary? _____________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
3. John 3:16 ___________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
4. There are two key questions about the content of the above verse we need to ask ourselves.
a. How much of the world (the people) did God love? ________________________________
b. What is the requirement for anyone in the world to not perish but to have eternal life (Christ living in them)? _____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
5. Romans 5:6 _________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
6. Who did Jesus die for? ________________________________________________________
7. Romans 5:8 _________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
8. According to the verse above, who did Jesus die for? _______________________________
9. Romans 5:10 ________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
10. According to Romans 5:10, who did Jesus die for? ________________________________
11. Hebrews 1:9 ______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
12. According to the verse in #11 above, who did Jesus die for? ________________________
The result of this is that there is no one who has ever lived, or is living, or will live in the future on this planet for whom Christ did not die and become the perfect, sinless sacrifice for that person. No one has an excuse for not conforming to God's plan before the foundation of the world, however, it does take a genuine choice or decision on the part of each individual. No one is able to make the decision or be responsible for this decision other than each individual. The only limitation on becoming a Christian is found in the phrase "whosoever will."
This incredible truth is depicted on the following chart, Figure 90.
Click on Self-Check below to check your answers.
Self-Check
Return to Learning Activity List
