Bible study help

[armadillopete]

Hello, I am a new Christian and I joined a Bible study group about 2 months ago.I was given an assignment to study the way the Bible teaches us how to "prune" away our old sinful life and lead a better Christian life.

I guess i'm looking for some advice and maybe some specific passages to help in my study.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[renewed21]

Hello, I am a new Christian and I joined a Bible study group about 2 months ago.I was given an assignment to study the way the Bible teaches us how to "prune" away our old sinful life and lead a better Christian life.

I guess i'm looking for some advice and maybe some specific passages to help in my study.

Any help would be appreciated.

IMO, you asking sort of circumvents a main goal of the assignment. It would be more "fruitful" if you ask the forum about verses that you yourself have ascertained to be of the nature that your assignments asks for. God Bless.

 

[armadillopete]

Again being a new Christian I was simply looking for some advice not an easy way out.

 

[TheGuide]

Hello, I am a new Christian and I joined a Bible study group about 2 months ago.I was given an assignment to study the way the Bible teaches us how to "prune" away our old sinful life and lead a better Christian life.

I guess i'm looking for some advice and maybe some specific passages to help in my study.

Any help would be appreciated.

Welcome! I am happy to offer assistance.

Our old sinful life usually consists of unsavory habits. In order to prune old sin we have to first equip ourselves with the word of God.

Read Psalms 119:11. Then read Ephesians 6:10 through 6:18.

One cannot prune without the necessary tools. We build our own tools by concentrating and meditating on scriptures throughout the day that apply to the sin(s) needed pruning. And, as with pruning, the process is ongoing. So whenever the sin pops into our head we can use our Bible verse-tools to clip it back.

God bless you in your walk.

 

[TheGuide]

IMO, you asking sort of circumvents a main goal of the assignment. It would be more "fruitful" if you ask the forum about verses that you yourself have ascertained to be of the nature that your assignments asks for. God Bless.

Instead of this comment why didn't you just offer some verses? From them the OP could read and receive. This is a "New Christian" forum.

 

[renewed21]

Instead of this comment why didn't you just offer some verses? From them the OP could read and receive. This is a "New Christian" forum.

Hello everyone. IMO, to develop the foundation of reading, studying, and contemplating Scripture is of more importance than to "give" verses to someone, especially a "new" Christian. This is accomplished better by accually doing the reading, studying and contemplating oneself.

IMO, these foundational skills are very important to develop because doing these are central to spiritual growth. The process of developing these skills will be far more beneficial than if I just quoted some verses to the OP. Please do not read any negitivity into my original post, for none was intended.

 

[renewed21]

Again being a new Christian I was simply looking for some advice not an easy way out.

Please understand this is not what was implied in my post. God Bless

 

[Harry3142]

armadillopete-

Here are some passages for you to study:

1: Luke 17:7-10. This passage tells us that whatever we do, and to whatever extent we do it, we have accomplished nothing beyond doing what we should. And we only accomplish that if we do literally everything we should be doing, while refraining from doing everything we should refrain from doing. There is no such thing as 'going above and beyond the call of duty'.

2. Matthew 19:16-26. The laws and commandments are not enough to have us see ourselves as perfect. The means of attaining perfection is unattainable from our end, but fortunately is attainable from God's end.

3. Luke 18:9-14. The sinner who realizes who he is and beseeches God for mercy is shown mercy; the arrogant man who considers his religiosity as putting him on a level above others will only see God's justice.

4. Matthew 25:31-46. Jesus Christ expects us to demonstrate our sincere faith in him not through ritualism, legalism, traditionalism, pietism, or even elitism. Instead, he expects us to show the sincerity of our faith through our compassion for those less fortunate. Jesus Christ didn't tell those around him that they deserved to be in the condition in which they found themselves because they had been sinners. Instead, he rolled up his sleeves and went to work alleviating the suffering he saw around him. He expects no less of us who claim to follow his example.

5. Romans 3:19-5:10. None of us has reason to boast concerning our salvation. We only obtain the righteousness necessary for that salvation by accepting it as a gift, unearned and undeserved. The law only shows us how far short of it we all come. It is only through our accepting that God himself has already done all that is necessary for our salvation, and then our putting our trust in the efficacy of what he has done, that we obtain the righteousness which God requires of all who would enter his presence.

6. Romans 7:14-25. In this passage Paul described what psychologists now call 'paradoxical intention'. And every person on the face of this planet is affected by it. The long-and-short of it is that in order for us to succeed at doing anything, we must do it as a natural act. If we try to do something, we will fail. There's even a saying that describes it: "The harder you try, the faster you fail."

7. Galatians 5:16-26. God knows about this flaw in our psyche (the paradoxical intention). And since the nature that we originally have is the sinful nature, that prevents any true word or act of righteousness unless God himself intervenes. And that is exactly what he has done. 'The acts of the sinful nature' are the desires and motivations which we are all born with as the core of our nature. These motivations can no more lead to words and acts of righteousness than a tree whose roots are firmly planted in poisonous ground can bear good fruit. They must be subdued and another nature put in charge of our daily living.

This the Spirit of God does. He 'reins in' our sinful nature, an action we could never succeed in doing, and he implants in us a new nature. It is the motivations of that new nature (the fruit of the Spirit) which are the true origin of every righteous word and act performed, just as it is 'the acts of the sinful nature' which are the motivations for every sinful word and act committed.

That should help get you started. God bless-

 

[Bible2]

It's impossible to believe or continue to believe all the right things apart from God's miraculous gift of faith (Eph. 2:8, Jn. 6:65, Heb. 12:2) & some measure of his Spirit (1 Cor. 1:18-2:16), just as it's impossible to perform or continue to perform all the right actions as believers apart from God making it possible for believers to do that (Philip. 2:12-13, Jn. 15:4-5), & just as it's impossible to repent if a sin is committed apart from God making it possible to do that (2 Tim. 2:25, Acts 11:18, Rom. 8:13). So even if believers do continue to believe, act, & repent as they ought to, they must stay so humble they never give themselves any credit or glory (Lk. 17:10, Gal. 6:14, 1 Cor. 1:31). But at the judgment of the church, at Jesus' 2nd coming, he'll give them some credit (Mt. 25:21). Also, God does glorify saved people (e.g. Rom. 8:30).

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While initial salvation is by grace through faith without works (Eph. 2:8-9, Titus 3:5, Rom. 4:1-5), initially saved people must have both faith & continued works of faith (1 Thes. 1:3, Gal. 5:6b, Titus 3:8) (not works of the letter of the Old Covenant Mosaic law) if they're to obtain ultimate salvation (Rom. 2:6-8, Jas. 2:24, Mt. 7:21, 25:26,30, Philip. 2:12b, 3:11-14, 2 Cor. 5:9, Rev. 22:14, Heb. 5:9, 6:10-12, 2 Pet. 1:10-11, Jn. 15:2a). For believers must actually continue to do righteous deeds if they're to continue to be righteous (1 Jn. 3:7, Jas. 2:24,26).

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Gal. 5:18 includes a conditional "if", for the Holy Spirit doesn't take away the free will of saved people (1 Thes. 5:19). They can wrongly employ their free will to commit sin without repentance, to the ultimate loss of their salvation (Heb. 10:26-29, 1 Cor. 9:27, Mt. 7:22-23). Similarly, Gal. 5:22 isn't contradicting the fact truly saved people can wrongly employ their free will to quench the Spirit (1 Thes. 5:19) & indulge in fleshly pursuits (Gal. 5:17-21,26) without repentance, to the ultimate loss of their salvation (Gal. 5:19-21, Lk. 12:45-46, 2 Pet. 2:20-22, Rom. 8:13, 1 Jn. 5:16, Jas. 5:19-20).

Gal. 5:22-23's fruits are the fruits of Christians themselves (Lk. 6:44, 8:15, Jn. 15:8, Mt. 7:19, Philip. 4:17), but only so long as they choose to walk in the Spirit (Gal. 5:25-26) & abide in Jesus (Jn. 15:4-6), instead of wrongly employing their free will to quench the Spirit (1 Thes. 5:19) & not abide in Jesus (Jn. 15:6) & not bear good fruit (Jn. 15:2a), such as by wrongly employing their free will to become utterly lazy without repentance, to the ultimate loss of their salvation (Mt. 25:26,30, Jn. 15:2a,6).

 

[TheGuide]

Hello everyone. IMO, to develop the foundation of reading, studying, and contemplating Scripture is of more importance than to "give" verses to someone, especially a "new" Christian. This is accomplished better by accually doing the reading, studying and contemplating oneself.

IMO, these foundational skills are very important to develop because doing these are central to spiritual growth. The process of developing these skills will be far more beneficial than if I just quoted some verses to the OP. Please do not read any negitivity into my original post, for none was intended.

I understood your point. It's just that you came across as condescending. All students of learning need guidance, reference materials, learning aids, and help when asked. We don't want New Christians to feel bad about themselves or doubt that they're not doing it right. Or that they're not good enough to be Christians because they don't know where to find what they need, on their own. Perhaps you can suggests some reference materials that helped you in your spiritual growth.

God bless.

 

[annieh4]

Thank you for this - I too am new to bible study and it's hard to know where to start when you are only given a topic rather than a verse to study - your post has been invauluable to me. Again Thank You