Salvation Small Group Study  Lesson 1

by Joyce Webb 2011

Lesson 1

1. What is sin? How does it change our relationship with God?

How does it change our relationship with others?

Sin began with Lucifer. Lucifer was Satan’s name before he sinned.

Lucifer was the highest angel in heaven. But he decided he wanted to be as high as God.

In the book of Isaiah, Chp. 14:12 Isaiah talks about the time Lucifer sinned. Lucifer said, “I will exalt my throne above the stars of God…….I will be like the Most High.”

God did not allow this idea from one of his angels. No one can be higher than God. Lucifer as an angel could never be as wise or as high as God.

God made him. How could an angel be greater than the one who made him?

Lucifer’s mind was blown up big with pride. He just thought he could be as high and good as God. It was not true, but he thought so.

God did not allow this kind of thinking to go on in heaven. Lucifer was thrown out of heaven. One-third of the angels of heaven, had believed Lucifer and were following Lucifer. They were put out of heaven, too.

We do not know how many angels had to leave heaven—-maybe thousands.

As we read the Bible, evil spirits are talked about—–we believe these are the angels that were thrown out of heaven.

Lucifer became known as Satan, or the devil. He has other names, too.

Lucifer was guilty of lifting “self” up more than God. Lucifer wanted himself to be higher than God, or equal with God. He did not want to be under God.

Lucifer was created by God to worship him. Lucifer’s job was to lead the other angels in worship of God.

Then Lucifer did not want to put God first and higher. He did not want to honor God more than himself.

Sin is “self” lifting itself up against God. Sin is choosing one’s self and not honoring God first.

 

Sin is a Greek word. When people shot an arrow at a target, and they missed hitting the center circle—they “sinned” or missed the mark.

Sin means missing the mark of showing glory to God.

Lucifer did not want to give glory to God anymore, he wanted to have the glory come to himself.

Sin is lifting ourselves up against God. Sin is having our own self-will more than doing God’s will. Sin is wanting to be the one to decide what will be. We do not want God telling us what to do.

Later, when God made man and then woman, Satan came to them to get them to follow his way of thinking.

God had said of the trees in the garden that they could eat of all of them except one tree.

If they ate of that tree, they would die. God told them clearly. Genesis 2:17

Satan used a serpent to talk through. He said to the woman: “You will not surely die. You will be as the gods.” Genesis 3: 3 -5

Satan put a question into their mind. Did God really say that? Did God really mean that?

Will I really be punished if I eat it?

Then the words: “You will be as the gods.” This is what Lucifer wanted.

He wanted to be higher than God or at least equal with him.

Now he is trying to get the woman to think the same way. Wow! If we could be as God!

To decide for ourselves anything we want to do.

Just take a bite of the fruit and see what will happen? (Eve forgot that God had already told her what would happen. She would die. Satan tried to get her to think that God’s words were not so, and that Satan had the right idea.)

Eve ate. She found out that God was right and Satan was wrong. Too bad she did not believe it at the first.

Eve was able to get Adam to take a bite of the fruit, too. Adam could have said, “No.”

Sin and self-will entered into the people God had made. Every person after that had the same problem of self-will and wanting their own will more than wanting God’s will.

This is our sin—–wanting our will more than God’s will. It will bring death to our spirit. It brings death to our body.

In the next lesson, we will talk more about this sin/death that hangs over us.

Questions About Salvation Lesson #1

1.Who was Lucifer in heaven?_______________________________________________

2. What was his job to do in heaven?__________________________________________

3.What did he decide to do that was not allowed?________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

4.In Lesson #1, what was the punishment that happened to Lucifer?_________________

_______________________________________________________________________

Lucifer will have much more punishment. He and his angels will be thrown into the Lake of Fire or Hell.

5.What do we call the fallen angels now? _____________________________________

6. Sin (as a Greek word) means:_____________________________________________

7. Lucifer missed the mark of showing God’s glory because he did what?____________

_______________________________________________________________________

8. Our sin is choosing ________________________________________over choosing to do God’s will.

9. Can we please God or show him glory if we are choosing our will more that God’s?

____________ Why ?_________________________________________________

10. Eve chose to believe Satan’s words more than God’s. Who do you believe?

God’s words or your own words?__________________________________________