TO THE LEADER OF THE STUDY (Tap to Expand)
The understanding of grace is the foundation for a love-motivated relationship with God, rather than one that is works-motivated. Often teens raised in the church know the requirements of the Christian life, but are missing the heart motivation. Similarly, overachievers (in the world or in the kingdom) are valued by others and value themselves based on their performance. The goal of this study is to build security and self-esteem based on God’s forgiving love and not on the teen’s Christian duty or perfect performance (your personal examples and analogies will help in their understanding of a potentially broad and complex concept).
Discussion
What is grace?
- Undeserved forgiveness
- Real love – An “in-spite-of” kind of love
- Acceptance w/out perfect performance
(Share examples from your own life.)
Where does grace come from?
- A Christian receives the substitution of Jesus’ righteousness for their sinfulness (2 Corinthians 5:21)
- After baptism, the blood of Jesus covers over my sins, allowing me to be justified (1 John 1:7)
Bottom Line: Grace is almost too good to be true, but it is! The goal of this study is to help you to see the real God who loves you and how valuable you are to him. He valued you at the cost of his only Son, whom he gave up so that there could be grace to forgive your sins and restore your relationship with him.
The Scriptures
PSALM 103:8-10 (Tap to Expand)
8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
9 He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
What are some sins in your life?
What do you deserve for them?
- Punishment (grounded, lose privileges)
- Not being trusted by people
Bottom Line: God sees everything that we do and think, and he knows what we deserve. Yet, it is his grace that gives us forgiveness rather than punishment.
ROMANS 8:1-2 (Tap to Expand)
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you[a] free from the law of sin and death.
What does “no condemnation” mean?
- No punishment
- Not feeling like you’re on “time-out”
- Not feeling like God and others are looking down on you
Bottom Line: We can never earn grace. Grace comes through Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins and frees us from the condemnation that we deserve because of our sins.
1 CORINTHIANS 15:9-11 (Tap to Expand)
9 For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11 Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.
What is Paul because of grace?
- A forgiven man
- A Christian
What effect did God’s grace have on Paul?
- He worked hard for God.
- He lived his whole life for Christ
- He was a very grateful man.
Bottom Line: Grace should completely changed our lives.
Personal Heart Check Questions
1. What should God’s grace produce in you? Does it?
2. How should you respond to God’s grace? Will you?
Practical Applications
grace and not to earn his grace. Write a one-page letter to God expressing your understanding of his grace (use personal example from your life) and your gratitude for his grace.
Bonus Content:
You can watch one of the videos below from the Bible Project on grace in your language!
