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BIBLICAL FOUNDATION

FOR NEW MEMBERS AND LEADERS

Course Outline: FOUNDATION OF FAITH


• The Bible
• God
• Man
• Sin
• Jesus Christ
• Salvation
• The Holy Spirit
• The Church
• The Spirit World
• The Future
• The Law of God
• Our Relationship to God
• Our Relationship with Others
• A Christian and Himself
• The Christian Life
• The Spirit-Filled Life

Course (Additional Reference)


• The Bible as Our Source
• What We Believe About God
• Who Is Man?
• What Is Sin?
• God's Love For Us
• What Is Salvation?
• The Role of the Holy Spirit
• What is the Church?
• Angels, Spirits and the Devil
• The Rules of Faith
• A Christian and Himself
• Christ is With You

Operation Good Shepherd Courses


• Foundations of Our Faith
• The Holy Spirit
• Who Jesus Is
• How to Study the Bible

THE VISION

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Foundations of The Faith
Learn the "basics" of Christianity, the essentials that God's Word declares are important to true faith.
This study will give you a foundation upon which to build your relationship to Jesus.
Who Jesus Is
These lessons have been written to help you know Jesus personally. And as you do, we hope and
pray that you will enjoy the wonderful benefits that come from friendship with Him!
The Holy Spirit
In this course you will learn about the person of the Holy Spirit and how to experience His presence.
Your Christian life will be changed forever by this helpful Friend.
How to Study the Bible
This course will present basic facts about the Bible and give you a few methods by which to
organize your study. The more we read and study the Bible and listen to the Holy Spirit teaching us,
the more we are able to know and do God's will.

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You Need To Know Jesus
1. God's Purpose: Peace and Life
God loves you and wants you to know Him so He can fill you with peace and give you real life --
forever.

The Bible says:


• Because of our Lord Jesus Christ, we live at peace with God (Romans 5:1)
• God loved the people of this world so much that He gave His only son, so that everyone who
has faith in Him will have eternal life and never die (John 3:16).

Jesus said:
• "I came so that everyone would have life, and have it in its fullest" (John 10:10).

Since God planned for us to have peace and real life right now, why are so many people hurting or
angry inside?

2. Our Problem: Separation From God


God created us in His own image so we can know Him personally and have a joy-filled life. He did
not make us as robots to automatically love and obey Him, but gave us a will and a freedom of
choice. Since the beginning of time, we have chosen to disobey God and go our own willful way.
We still make this choice today. This results in separation from God and ends in misery.

The Bible says:


• All of us have sinned and fallen short of God's holiness (Romans 3:23).
• The result of unforgiven sin is death. But God's gift is eternal life given by Jesus Christ our
Lord (Romans 6:23).

The Bible says that disobeying God results in being separated from Him.
Our attempts can never unite us with God. Through the ages, people have tried many ways to bridge
this gap and reach God -- without success.

The Bible says:


• Adam sinned, and that sin brought death into the world. Now everyone has sinned, and so
everyone must die (Romans 5:12).
• You may think you are on the right road and still end up dead (Proverbs 14:12).

There is only one way to reach God.

3. God's Remedy: The Cross


Jesus Christ is the only answer to this problem. He is the only One who can bring us back to God.
He died on the Cross and rose from the grave, paying the penalty for our sin and bridging the gap
between God and people.

The Bible says:

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• There is only one God, and Christ Jesus is the only one who can bring us to God (1 Timothy
2:5).
• Christ died once for our sins. An innocent person died for those who are guilty. Christ did
this to bring you to God (1 Peter 3:18).
• But God showed how much He loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were
sinful (Romans 5:8).

God has provided the only way. We must make the choice.

4. Our Response: Give Ourselves to Christ


We must trust Jesus Christ to forgive our sins and determine to obey Him for the rest of our lives.
That way we can know God and find peace again.

The Bible says:


So you will be saved, if you honestly say, Jesus is Lord, and if you believe with all your heart that
God raised Him from death. God will accept you and save you, if you truly believe this (Romans
10:9-10).
Is there any good reason why you cannot turn your life over to Jesus Christ right now?

How to give your life to Christ:


1. Admit you are a sinner and need forgiveness.
2. Believe that Jesus Christ died for you on the Cross and rose from the grave.
3. Through prayer, confess that Jesus Christ is the only way to God and commit to live for Him for
the rest of your life.

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Foundations of the Faith series
What is Christianity really all about? How does the Bible apply to my life?
Who is Jesus Christ? Through this 45-day e-mail course, we’ll answer these
questions and much more.

Foundations of the Faith E-mail Course


The Foundations of the Faith discipleship course delivers a new lesson and memory verses to your
inbox every day. Each lesson is part of a topical section, covering topics that are essential to forming
a Bible-centered worldview and deeper walk with God.

Lesson topics include:


• Salvation
• The Future
• The Bible
• The Law of God
• God
• Our Relationship to God
• Sin
• Our Relationship to Others
• Jesus
• A Christian Himself
• The Holy Spirit
• The Christian Life
• The Church
• The Spirit-Filled Life
• The Spirit World

Through these lessons, you'll not only achieve a greater understanding of scripture and Christian
foundations, but you'll also learn life-changing principles that will impact your personal walk with
God and your relationships with others.

Chapter 1: The Bible


• Our Gift to You
• First, Let's Have a Talk
• The Bible
• The Origin and Structure of the Bible

Our Gift to You


Have you ever been challenged with the task of explaining your Christian faith to someone else?
Perhaps you have been confused about what Christians believe. What are the "basics" of
Christianity, the essentials that God's Word declares are important to true faith? If you have asked
any of these questions, then this study will give you a foundation upon which to build your
relationship to Jesus.
In this course of our Good Shepherd Institute series you will learn about the fundamentals of the
Christian faith. When finished, you will be able to clearly and simply explain the building blocks of
your experience. Nothing is more important to your future growth and service than knowing what
and why you believe.

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I am pleased that the International Correspondence Institute, a worldwide ministry committed to
evangelism, training and teaching, has permitted us to use some of their very fine courses. What you
will study has been adapted for use from their materials. Millions of Christians from around the
world have benefited from these resources. You will too!

First, Let's Have a Talk


A Word From Your Study Guide Author
Have you ever had questions about what Christians believe? Have your friends asked you why you
believe the way you do and you haven't been able to answer them? If so, this course is especially for
you. Even after you have studied it, you will want to keep it on hand for a quick reference any time a
question arises.
This course is about the main teachings of the Bible. We call them the fundamental doctrines. You
should study them not only to have answers to questions but because knowing what God says about
different things can be a matter of life or death to you and the people you influence.
The Bible verses that you study and memorize will help you grow spiritually. You will find them
valuable in your own times of private devotion, as well as in personal evangelism and teaching the
Bible to others. And, as the Bible itself says, knowledge of the Word builds faith.

The Bible
The sailors were frightened. There had been a terrible storm and some of their friends had drowned.
They were lost and many unanswered questions troubled them. Where were they going? How long
would this trip last? Would they ever find their way home?
It was 1492 and the captain of these men, Christopher Columbus, could not answer their questions.
He had taken them on an uncharted course across the Atlantic Ocean. looking for India. Instead, he
found an island in the Americas. There he and his sailors found fresh water and their lives were
saved.
A similar story would not likely be repeated today. With accurate charts and maps to direct their
course, ship captains need not lose their way.

Though still on land, many people feel as if they are lost on a storm-tossed ocean. They are asking
themselves questions. Where am I going? Am I lost? Will I ever find the right way? God has heard
our questions and He has already given us a Book to guide our lives.
Before searching for the answers, let's look together at the great Book. We will see how it was
written and how it was given to us.

In this lesson you will study... The Origin and Structure of the Bible The Purpose of the Bible

This lesson will help you ...


• Describe the origin and structure of the Bible.
• Understand how and why the Bible was given.

The Origin and Structure of the Bible


Objective 1. Describe the origin and basic structure of the Bible.

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The Holy Bible, made up of 66 books, is like a small library that God has given us. The first part of
the Bible-the Old Testament-contains 39 books. The second part-the New Testament-contains 27
books.
Over a period of 1600 years approximately 40 men were involved in writing these books. The Bible
tells us that these men were holy men of God. They were kings and peasants, poets and merchants,
military and religious leaders. They were from different back grounds, different cities, and of
different interests.
The books of the Bible cover many different subjects, like history, prophecy, and poetry. It has songs
and wise sayings called proverbs. It contains stories to interest the young and the old. Yet it all fits
together because it has one central theme-the relationship between God and man.

For You to Do
In each one of these For You to Do sections, the questions or exercises will help you review or apply
what you have studied.
1 Fill in the missing terms in the following sentences.
a The Bible consists of .......................................... books
written by ........................................ men of different backgrounds.

b The Bible was written over a period of


…………………………………………years.
c There are ....................................................... books in the
first part called the ......................................... Testament
and ............................................ books in the second
part called the ................................................ Testament.

Check your answers with those at the end of this lesson.

The Purpose of the Bible


Objective 2. Recognize aspects of divine inspiration.
Perhaps you noticed what may seem to be a contradiction in the first part of this lesson. It says that
God gave us the Bible, but it also says that men wrote it. How can this be?
The forty men who wrote the Bible were divinely inspired. This means that the Holy Spirit put in the
authors' minds the thoughts that God wanted them to write. Second Timothy 3:16 says, "All
Scripture is inspired by God.” This verse also tells why the Bible was given for teaching, rebuking,
correcting, and giving instruction.
God has given us instructions for right living because He desires our highest good. He knows that
when we do not live according to His principles we hurt ourselves. Our minds, our bodies, and
especially our spirits suffer. The best way to avoid hurting ourselves is to follow His Word closely.
Through it we get to know Him personally; we understand that His ways are best for us.
Like a chart or a guide book, His Word was written for us to turn to for help and strength. How
wonderful that we can have His personal instructions to us always at our side!

For You to Do
In the next two exercises, circle the letter in front of the words that best complete the sentence.

2 When we say that the Bible is divinely inspired we emphasize that


a) it tells us about God.
b) God gave the authors the thoughts they should write.
c) it contains valuable religious history.
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The Bible
3. The authors wrote on the same theme and did not contradict each other because
a) God was the real author and they wrote the thoughts He gave them.
b) each one left instructions for the following writers.

4. Circle the letter in front of the TRUE reasons why God has given us the Bible.
a He wants our highest good.
b He wanted to give instructions for right living.
c He wanted us to realize that He is too great for us to know Him.
d He wants to establish His relationship with us
Check Your Answers
The answers to your study exercises are not given in the usual order. They have been mixed up so
that you will not see the answer to your next question ahead of time. Try not to look ahead.
1 a 66; 40
b 1600
c 39
Old
27
New
3 God was the real author and they wrote the thoughts He gave them.
4 God gave the authors the thoughts they should write.
a) He wants our highest good.
b) He wanted to give instructions for right living.
d) He wants to establish His relationship with us and tell us what He is like.

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