Our security rests on God

To teach the LifeWay lesson on “Do you have peace with God” from Romans 5:1-11, Hampton Road Baptist Church offers a Supplemental Lesson Plan that includes the following paragraph:

Ask, “Suppose someone placed a 3-inch piece of scaffolding across the Plaza of the Americas building and offered you $50,000 for walking across, over the ice rink some 75 stories below? How about $100,000? How about $1,000,000 or even $5,000,000? Despite the fact that most of us could use an extra $5,000,000 (or even $50,000, for that matter), the vast majority of us would turn down all the offers. At least in my case, no amount of money would tempt me to do such a feat. But suppose that someone told you that terrorists held your children, grandchildren, husband or wife, sibling, or parents, and the only chance you had to save your loved one was to walk across from one side of the Plaza of the Americas to the other to save them? Wow, now that is a different scenario!” Say, “Paul tells us something even more amazing. Some people would be willing to risk their lives (or even sacrifice them) to save a loved one or, in a very extreme case, a very good person (Mother Teresa, Billie Graham, Abraham Lincoln, etc.). But Jesus loved us so much that He gave His life for us while we were yet sinners! While we hated Him and were in open rebellion against Him.”

Step 6. Make the points above, then have the class read Romans 5:6-11. Note that any act of righteousness on our part just ends in itself. It’s only a deed and has no transforming power. Works cannot transform us into a ‘righteousness’ that’s acceptable to God. On the other hand, once Christ’s redemptive work on the cross is accepted by faith, then God declares us righteous. Hostilities between us cease. Amazingly, we are at peace with God since Jesus was sacrificed as an atonement, but there’s more! Jesus was raised from the dead and He now lives. Yippee! We are continuously at peace with God. Through Christ we are continuously being saved (delivered from sin) as we live. The ultimate proof that God loves sinners is that Christ died for us.

Step 7. Say, “We are totally secure because of what God has done, is now doing, and will do.” I can demonstrate my security in Him in numerous ways. Take teaching adults the Bible, for example. Sure, I study a lot, have access to great commentaries, and can present a logical sequence of ideas. But these I do not depend on. Instead like Paul in 1 Corinthians 2:4, I depend on God the Holy Spirit to do His work in the minds and hearts of each learner (me included). In preparing and teaching, I am simply doing the Lord’s work. The results are up to God. Personally I am secure and do not serve out of fear or obligation, but freedom and love. Having said all this, let me ask this question. In what ways do you demonstrate that you are secure in Christ?

Almost done…