ASSURANCE OF SALVATION

EXERCISES

• Review the memory verse of the week, and talk about how it relates to the Truth section.
  
• Review the Pentateuch and Historical books of the Old Testament.

SUGGESTED DISCUSSION

• 
  TRUTH – You can discuss any of the In Bible questions you would like to address. Here are some tips that may help:
  • Leviticus 26:1-20 – The central promises of this passage are God’s promises to live among the Israelites, to be their God, and to embrace them as His people. God offered the exodus from Egypt as proof that He would keep His promise.
  • John 6:22-40 – Jesus’ promises are similar to those in Leviticus 26 because they focus on the fellowship between Him and those who come to Him. Note that Jesus won’t cast out those who come to Him, nor will He lose them. This means that He has the power to keep them to the resurrection and eternity. The Father sent the Son to do the work of salvation. The Son obeys the Father in all the work He had given Him to do. You could use the 3rd question on John 6 to find out where people in your group are basing their assurance of salvation, which would indicate how well they understood and embraced the material in this unit.
  • 2 Corinthians 13:1-6 – This passage will also reveal whether your JG members are testing the genuineness of their faith by their past experience or by the present fruitfulness of their lives.
    
• TRUTH – Here are the main points about assurance that you’ll want to make clear:
  • Biblical assurance is rooted in an unwavering confidence in God’s promise to save, and His power to keep, those who belong to Him through Christ.
  • It’s less about believing you are saved, and more about believing the One who saves. It’s about knowing to Whom you belong.
  • Whether or not you belong to Him is revealed by the present fruit of your life, not your past spiritual experiences.
  • The application of the Bible’s teaching on assurance brings great comfort to the weak, and a strong warning to the disobedient.
    
• EQUIPPING – Give your JG time to discuss both of these questions. Ask 1 or 2 people to share what they wrote to start the discussion, and give more time to the second question. As you discuss it, help your JG to realize that God’s truth must impact the way they live in the world and think about the world.
  
• ACCOUNTABILITY – Allow time for smaller groups of 2 or 3 to ask accountability questions and pray for one another.
  
• MISSION –Discuss bringing Jesus into conversation with people and how “The Answer” can serve as a tool to that end. Discuss the conversation that is illustrated in the material. Get your JG to think about creative ways this can be adapted to suit their personality. Ask them to think about what is hard or easy about this approach.