Sunday school lesson on Honor Topic Discussion

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Sunday school lesson on Honor Topic Discussion

1.Think about the lesson's comparisonbetween John 3:17 and John 5:22. How does thiscomparison help you approach texts that seemto conflict?

The Bible has been around for many centuries.During that time the critics have been busy point-ing out all the seeming contradictions that theycan possibly imagine. If someone points out toyou something in the Bible that seems to be acontradiction, don't worry—chances are almost100 percent that it's been seen before. It's nothingnew. Talk to someone who is spiritually matureto resolve the apparent difficulty. It is appropriateto approach the Bible with the presumption thatGod can be trusted!

2.How does recognizing that eternal lifebegins in this world make a practical differencein your life right now?

Believers are sometimes tempted to view thislife as a time frame in which non-Christians getthe best end of the deal. They may view them-selves as giving up lots of fun over the shorthaul for the sake of eventual, eternal blessings.At times some Christians even appear to be-grudge the lifestyle of non-Christians, wishingthey could live that way but afraid of eternalconsequences.

This passage shows that God's way is the bestway to live life right now. As the author andprovider of abundant life, He is able to provideboth earthly and eternal joy and fulfillment. Thisawareness helps us live contentedly and confi-dently in the present as we await the culminationof our hope.

3. How should recognizing that judgmentoccurs now make a practical difference in your life?

Christians should not fear God's final judgmentas being some kind of "moment of decision" onGod's part. The moment of decision is now! Forthose saved through Christ, Jesus' teaching pro-vides a great sense of security and comfort. Thisshould undergird all our daily actions.

For those who are outside of a saving relation-ship with God through Christ, this lesson servesas motivation to make an immediate response.

One cannot hope that the Judge will have a sud-den change of heart on the Last Day; the decisionalready will have been reached as a result ofone's choice for or against Jesus. This versedemonstrates that our eternal standing beforeGod is determined while we are on earth.

4.How does John's portrait of Jesus as judgeprovide encouragement to you?

Verses 25-29 serve as a reminder that God getsthe ultimate and final word in each and everycircumstance, with each and every person. Whenwe become frustrated with the imperfect justicemeted out by human judicial authorities, theseverses are a comfort. When we become discour-aged with our limited awareness of situationsand, therefore, with our difficulty in handlingsituations and people fairly, these verses providepeace.

This section also helps us keep spiritually bal-anced when non-Christians attack the characterof God and the truthfulness of the Scriptures.Though God is patient, His justice will be satis-fied and His character vindicated.

5.How can we avoid making mistakes simi-lar to those Jesus' opponents, who thought theywere protecting God's truth yet actually wereviolating it?

Let's face it: we can never be completely cer-tain that our understanding of every Scripture ordoctrine is correct. Even so we can put in placecertain guard rails that help us avoid deludingourselves into disobedience.

First, we can regularly engage in the spiritualdisciplines of prayer, Bible study, worship, andservice. These help keep our hearts soft towardGod. Some errors find their source in hardhearts; excusing disobedience isn't far behindwhen that happens.

Second, we can maintain a teachable attitude.Assuming that we have all the right answers canlead to the wrong ones. We may be confidentthat if the evidence pointed to a certain conclu-sion the first time, then it will do so the nexttime. But if information that we hadn't consid-ered before surfaces, then we should be willingto rethink and reexamine.

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