A Sunday School Lesson On Grace

Here’s an important Sunday school lesson or Bible study on the subject of grace.

The Gift of Grace

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Perhaps the most important thing about grace is that it is undeserved and unmerited, otherwise it wouldn’t be grace at all. The one thing to remember about grace is it’s a free gift and not a result of anything we did. If we did anything to receive it, then it’s not a gift but a payment, but the fact is we’re saved only by grace through faith and that faith is in Jesus Christ Who alone can save (Acts 4:12). Interestingly, Paul just says we’re not saved by works and then mentions works in the very next line but he explains why; we are not saved by works but saved to do works as he writes in Ephesians 2:10; “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Knowing human nature, we would most certainly boast about it, wouldn’t we?

What if there are no works being done by the professing Christian (James 2:17-19)?

Do you know anyone that boasts about how they came to saving faith in Christ?

Does your nature make you want to naturally boast?

The Confidence of Grace

Hebrews 4:16 “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

If a person’s received saving grace after repentance and faith in Christ, then they can confidently close to the throne of grace because of our Mediator, Jesus Christ. He gives us our access to the Father and we’ll certainly need it “in time of need.” It’s only a matter of time in fact but drawing near to God was impossible before our separation had been ended (Isaiah 59:2). It was through Jesus Christ who by His torn body, rent the temple curtain and ended the separation between us and a Most High and Holy God.
Do you feel confident in praying to God?

Do you wait to approach the throne of grace only in times of need?

Have you had a recent time of need?

Perverting the Gospel

Jude 1:4 “For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.”

Did you notice that no one counterfeits gum wrappers? They counterfeit things that are valuable like money and for some, they counterfeit the gospel and for the very same reason; money! You don’t have to look very far to find some supposed preacher trying to get others to send in “seeds of grace” for “God’s favor” to bless them but they are are perverting the gospel of our God and turning it into sensuality and money bilking methods. They have denied the Lord, Jesus Christ, by denying others the true gospel. Tragically, there will come a day when Jesus will deny them before the Father and all His holy angels (Matt 10:33). That’s why the author of wrote, “See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal” (Heb 12:15-16).

Why did these people creep in unnoticed?

Why were they long ago designated for condemnation?

How do they pervert the gospel of grace?

A “Passing Over”Grace

Romans 3:23-25 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.”

Since God’s free gift of eternal life is to be received by faith and it ensures that God has “passed over former sins” then we have nothing at all to boast about (Eph 2:9) and so Paul asks the rhetorical question: “What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it” (1st Cor 4:7)? Great question for us, isn’t it? The redemption came through Jesus Christ and it showed “God’s righteousness,” not our good works or worthiness (which we have none of), so that God would receive the full glory for our salvation. Knowing this, what would ever give us the right to boast; unless it is on Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

What does “fall short” of? Does it mean, “Just barely missed?”

What do the words “passed over” remind you of (Ex 12)?

If you bragged on anything, what would it be?

Law and Grace

John 1:16-17 “For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

Not only did the Apostle John receive the grace of God but He saw the Man of Grace and Truth (John 1:17) so John could literally say, “we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14) since he was an eye witness to Jesus’ life and work (John 20:30-31). It’s important that John mentions grace and truth together because grace without truth is a license to sin (licentiousness) but truth without grace is sheer brutality, for no one can be saved without God’s extending His grace and mercy. The determining factor of whether someone receives grace or not is given by James who wrote that “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). The point is that God gives His grace only to those who are humble and He “opposes (“at war with” in the Greek) the proud” of heart.

Does John mean that the Law of Moses was not good (Rom 7:12)?

What is the major factor where God opposes someone?

Why can’t God give grace to the proud?

Conclusion

I urge you in your study to look at all of the Bible verses and read them aloud in the class so that you can get the most out of these lessons but the main point about grace is that we can be as sure as Paul who wrote to the church at Philippi, “I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:6). God is love but love is the reason for discipline for what good parent would never discipline their child? Is the opposite of love hate? No, I think its apathy or indifference because with hate at least there’s some emotion or feeling there. It’s not a good feeling but it does show some connection but the apathetic parent leaves a child to themselves, which we know what that brings and that is “a child left to himself brings shame to his mother” and father (Prov 29:15). Why not rather love them by disciplining them and living a life of grace so that they might receive this free gift of God someday (Rom 6:23b).

Why is Paul so sure that God will bring a good work in us to completion someday?

Do you feel different about grace now?

What have you learned about grace?

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren Church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.