“Religion vs. Relationship” A HIGHER THINGS® BIBLE STUDY Leader’s Guide
Leaders’ Introduction As “Religion vs. Relationship: A Harmful Dichotomy” shows, pitting “religion” against “having a personal relationship with Jesus” can lead to dangerous thinking about organized religion and the church. While there are times when it is appropriate to discuss your relationship with God, to do so at the expense of religion can be harmful to your faith. In this study we will look at what the Bible and the catechism have to say about the Holy Christian Church. A restored relationship with God isn’t something to be found apart from the Church, but in the Church where God forgives the sins of His people. 1. Recite the third article of the creed and its explanation (LSB p. 323) 2. The catechism says that God does some important things in His Church. How does the explanation of the third article say the church is brought together? What does God do through His Church and how often does he do it? The explanation of the third article says that God brings the Church together by the power of the Holy Spirit. God forgives our sins in His church, and He does so daily and richly. The forgiveness of Jesus is complete and final, overwhelming your sin and guilt. 3. As we begin our study, let’s look at some of the names that God gives to His Church. Read 1 Peter 2:9. What is your favorite name given to the Church here? How do these titles show the importance of the Church in the eyes of God? Answers will vary. These titles show just how precious God’s people are to Him. They are the people that He has called to Himself. They are His treasured possession. They were in the darkness of sin and death, but He has made them His own and called them into His marvelous light. 4. For the next several questions, we will be looking at Ephesians chapter 5, where Paul describes the connection between Christ and His Church. He uses the analogy of marriage to describe this bond, and exhorts husbands and wives to follow the example of Christ in their marriages. Read Ephesians 5:22-23. Verse 23 gives two titles to Christ and one to the Church. What are they? Christ is the head of the Church and He is her Savior. Here at the beginning of this passage Paul establishes that Christ is the source and authority over the church. His authority comes from the fact that He is the Savior of the Church, buying her with His own precious blood. The Church is called the body of Christ, an analogy that Paul uses elsewhere in Scripture (1 Corinthians 12:27). The Church has been called by the Gospel and now each Christian is part of His Body. Elsewhere Paul speaks of us as being members of Christ’s Body (1 Corinthians 6).
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Magazine Bible Studies - Summer 2017
