Sin

OPENING THOUGHT

Louisa Fletcher Tarkington expresses the regret all of us have felt at one time or another in the following lines:

I wish that there were some wonderful place
Called the Land of Beginning Again,
Where all our mistakes and all our heartaches
And all of our poor selfish grief
Could be dropped like a shabby old coat at the door,
And never put on again.

There’s good news! Through the gospel, it’s possible to escape the sins of your past in the “Land of Beginning Again.” God has a solution to our greatest problem, the problem of sin!

EXPLORING GOD’S WORD

1 John 3:4-10

• What is John’s definition of sin?

• Where did sin come from?

• Why did Jesus appear in the flesh? How did he accomplish his mission?

• How does our relationship to sin change when we abide in Jesus?

Acts 2:37-41

• Discuss the context of this passage. Who was Peter’s audience? What was their relationship to Christ when he preached this sermon?

• What does it mean to “repent”?

• What does it mean to “be baptized”?

• What was the purpose for repentance and baptism? Did Peter say it was necessary for salvation?

• Other passages list conditions for salvation besides repentance and baptism (see John 8:24; Acts 16:31; Rom. 10:9-10). Why didn't Peter give the complete plan of salvation here? (hear, believe, repent, confess, be baptized).

1 John 1:7-10

• Who “walks in the light”? To whom, therefore, are John’s words addressed in this passage?

• Are Christians perfect? Do we stop sinning completely after baptism?

• What does John say we can do to be forgiven of our sins after we become Christians?

• What are some practical ways we can overcome the sins we struggle with in our lives?