TRUE / FALSE QUIZ

April 22, 2019

TRUE / FALSE QUIZ

On this first day after Easter, I want us to think about the new life Jesus provided for us through his sacrificial death and his resurrection. To help us, I borrowed the following True/False quiz from the sermon “Turkeys and Eagles” by Peter Lord.

1-A good description of a Christian is, “a sinner saved by grace.”

2- You can sin and not know it.

3- It is normal for Christians to sin every day.

4- A bad thought is a sin.

5- It is easier for a Christian to sin than to do right.

6- The closer we get to Christ the less we will be tempted.

7- We get closer to Christ through actions of righteousness.

8- To be tempted is a sign of our sinfulness.

9- Sainthood is attained by a few Christians.

ANSWERS: (Peter’s Q&A – my explanations.)

1-    A good description of a Christian is: a sinner saved by grace. False.

OK, this is sort of a trick question. Yes, a definition of a Christian is a sinner saved by grace; but is that a good description? Becoming a Christian is becoming a new person. A Christian is a child of God, a joint heir with Christ. To me, a good description of a Christian is, “the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.”

2-    You can sin and not know it. False.

One of the ministries of the Holy Spirit is to convict the believer of sin. The Holy Spirit does not fall down on the job, but the Christian can harden their heart and choose to ignore the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

3-    It is normal for Christians to sin every day. False.

We may sin every day, but this is not the normal Christian life God intends for us. As we mature in Christ, we find that sinful activities lose both their attraction (temptation) and appeal to us.

4-    A bad thought is a sin. False.

We all get frustrated at times and a “bad” thought crosses our minds. The sin is acting on the thought, not in thinking it.

5-    It is easier for a Christian to sin than to do right. False.

When we are young in Christ, we are still learning the ways of new life in Christ. As we mature in Christ, we learn to live out the truth of “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” The power of the Holy Spirit allows the Christian to progressively live a sinless life.

6-    The closer we get to Christ the less we will be tempted. False.

Do you know anyone who is closer to God than Jesus? Yet Jesus was tempted, and so also will be his followers.

7-    We get closer to Christ through actions of righteousness. False.

By grace we are saved and established as the beloved children of God. We are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus by grace, not by our actions.

8-    To be tempted is a sign of our sinfulness. False.

Jesus was tempted, yet he was without sin. Why? Because he did not yield to temptation. He resisted temptation and trusted in God’s provision for His life.

9-    Sainthood is attained by a few Christians. False.

In the Bible, Paul often refers to the Christian community as the saints of God. “Saint” is shorthand for sanctified. We are sanctified by the blood of Jesus. Some followers of Christ, like John Wesley and Mother Teresa, have understood the truth of their identity in Christ, and they have made the life in grace to be their way of life to a higher degree than many of the rest of us. Even so, the truth from God’s perspective is all believers are equal in His eyes. We are all saints.

My Takeaway: Easter is a day of new beginnings for me. God’s moment to reaffirm that God’s New Creation has been birthed within me. It is God calling to me to realign my life choices with His redemptive priorities for me. Will you join me?

Sē’lah

Alex

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.