Welcome to Lesson Four!
1. Introduction
In this lesson, we’re going to talk about the connection between deception and sin. We’re also going to discuss the role of the past in our lives.
Let’s kick things off with a video:
If you can’t see the video on your screen, here’s a link to watch it on YouTube.
2. Sin and life-controlling issues are rooted in deception
The Bible clearly teaches that Christians are a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). Despite this, all Christians struggle at times with sin. What gives?
Let me suggest that the culprit is deception. In fact, sin is deeply rooted in deception. If we didn’t believe lies, sin would lose most of its appeal. We explore this in more detail on pages 63–67 of your reading.
Take a few moments to process this information by completing the “Check your understanding” (pages 79-80) questions 1 & 2; “Group discussion” (pages 80–81) questions 1 & 2; and “Journal” (page 81) question 1. As always, if you are studying this with a partner or a group, I encourage you to get together to discuss the “Group discussion” questions. If you are studying on your own (or in a group), please feel free to connect via our private Facebook group.
Answers to “Check your understanding” questions
3. We cannot ignore the past
Many Christians believe that because the past is forgiven it can be ignored. Some Christians, based on Paul’s writing to the Philippian church and other passages, teach that we are to “put the past behind us.”
I’m going to suggest to you instead that the past is very important because it is where we formed the gut-level beliefs that dominate our experience today. If we are experiencing something other than peace and joy (see Romans 14:17, Galatians 5:22), the key to troubleshooting that negative emotion is probably found in the past.
More detail are found in your reading on pages 67–69.
Take a few moments to process this information by completing the “Check your understanding” (pages 79-80) question 3; “Group discussion” (pages 80–81) questions 3, 4, 5; and “Journal” (page 81) question 2. As always, if you are studying this with a partner or a group, I encourage you to get together to discuss the “Group discussion” questions. If you are studying on your own (or in a group), please feel free to connect via our private Facebook group.
Answers to “Check your understanding” questions
Congratulations! You’ve completed Lesson Four!
In Lesson Five, we’ll look at negative emotions that can originate in truth. Understanding how these emotions work will help you learn how to defend yourself from strategies that can really trip you up.
Look forward to seeing you next time!
Dwight
Reading and other links
Chapter 2
Sections 2.3-2.4
Reading: Pages 63-69
Questions: 79-82 (selected questions)
Questions? Comments? Use our private Facebook group to connect…
Links to other pages in the Spiritual Self Defense textbook
Glossary & index (pages 285-289) | Answers to “Check your understanding” questions (pages 278-284) | Table of contents (pages 3-9) | About the author (page 290) | Cover page (page 1) | Copyright page (page 2) | How this book came to be (page 11) | How to get the most from this book (page 12) | Other books to explore (page 10)
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