LESSON OBJECTIVES
Goals
1. To help students understand what it means to be saved by God
2. To inspire students to allow their lives to be transformed in response to their salvation
3. To encourage students to do good things for God
Topics
Availability, Eternal life, Following Jesus, Fruitfulness, Salvation
Scripture Memorization
1 Peter 1:14-15
OPENING PRAYER (5 to 10 minutes)
GROUP BUILDING (5 minutes)
Perseverance (Activity) Click here
GETTING STARTED (3 minutes)
Perseverance is a major theme in the books of 1 & 2 Peter; the books we’re going to start studying today. But perseverance doesn’t come out of nowhere – it is motivated by our salvation.
DIGGING IN (30 minutes)
We’ve got a lot to talk about today. We’re going to start by looking at a passage that is great to memorize.
Read 1 Peter 1:14-15
This really sets up what we want to talk about well. In it there are two truths:
1. We’re not supposed to act like everyone else. This is the “do not conform” language in the verse.
2. We’re not supposed to act like everyone else because we’ve been called by God, and He’s not like everyone else.
This is the hinge upon which our talk today is going to swing. First, we need to acknowledge that we’ve been saved by a great God. Secondly, we need to allow that salvation to change the way we live. This should produce a saved & steady lifestyle.
To discover this more completely, we need to read some Scripture. As we start our study of 1 & 2 Peter, what better place to turn than the beginnings of those two letters.
Read 1 Peter 1:1-12
Discussion Questions:
1. After offering a typical first-century greeting (Including a shout out to some hard-to-say city and region names.), Peter starts this letter how? (By praising God.)
2. What is Peter praising God for? (See verses 3-5. For mercy, new life, salvation, etc.)
3. Peter seems to be reminding them of this because they are suffering. What does Peter say these sufferings can produce in verses 6-7? (Refinement, greater faith, reward upon Jesus’ return.)
4. Verse 9 includes the statement “the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” How is salvation a reward of faith? (Allow for discussion.)
Verse 10 and following discusses how the prophets awaited this very moment; when faith produces salvation for those who believed. What Jesus accomplished through His death and resurrection is a life-altering event for every person – past, present, and future.
It is life-altering to us because it should change the way we live. That’s what Peter talks about next. The very next word in the text is “therefore.” When you see “therefore” in the Bible, always ask, “what’s the ‘therefore’ there for?” Here’s a clue: What has just been said directly informs what is about to be said. It’s a cause and effect relationship between the two passages.
Read 1 Peter 1:13-2:3
Discussion Questions:
1. Peter says that in response to what he’s just said (or “therefore”) we should do what in verse 13? (Prepare our minds for action.)
2. Verses 14-15 we read earlier today. He urges those who have been called to live holy lives. What is the motivation for our own holiness? (God is holy, so we should be too.)
3. How should we live in this world, according to verse 17? (As strangers in the world, in reverential fear.)
4. We should live this way because we’ve been bought not with something perishable, but with what? (The precious blood of Jesus.)
5. Our hope in God is rooted in what fact, according to verse 21? (The resurrection of Jesus from the dead.)
6. What purifies us, according to verse 22? (Obeying the truth.)
7. Chapter 2, verse 3 says that we have been born again. Go through verses 1:13-2:3. How many “saved” words do you see? Look for redeemed, born again, saved and the like. (No matter the exact count of “saved” words, this exercise will help students understand the text better.)
8. Chapter 2, verses 1-3 re-state a command that is prominent in this passage. What is it? (To be different from the way that we were, to grow, to change, etc.)
You see, we didn’t get saved to sit around and relish our salvation. We weren’t called of God to do nothing – we were called to do something. We should be different from the way we were. We shouldn’t fit in with our world. We should be different, we should be good. Our salvation motivates us and inspires us to this.
In doing so, we make our salvation sure. We steady our feet, so to speak, on the foundation that Christ has laid for us.
Read 2 Peter 1:1-11
This is the second letter that Peter writes. He wrote it later in life, probably to the same audience as his first. Perhaps this is what motivates him to write about perseverance and ongoing faith. But he starts again by reminding the reader (that’s us, too!) from what we’ve been saved.
Discussion Questions:
1. God’s power has caused us to be able to escape what, according to verses 3-4? (The corruption in the world.)
2. According to those same verses, what causes those corrupt deeds? (Evil desires.)
3. For this reason, we are to do what, according to verses 5-8? (Make every effort to add to our faith.)
4. Why do you think Peter has to remind these people of this stuff a second time?
5. What awaits someone who perseveres in verses 11-12? (A rich welcome into the Eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.)
So, part of verifying our calling and justifying our salvation is that we live out our faith long-term, for good, without hesitation.
MAKING IT REAL (10 minutes)
Tucked away in this passage we just read is a list. It’s not a check-list, as if you do all these things your salvation will be sure. But in 1 Peter 1 the author encourages us to have faith, born from our salvation. In 2 Peter 1:5-7 he urges us towards endurance, and he says to add to our faith these things. They are:
• Goodness
• Knowledge
• Self-Control
• Perseverance
• Godliness
• Brotherly Kindness
• Love
In each of these, Peter says to “add to.” It makes it sound like they are building blocks—qualities that can build or add to the one before it. It should not be missed that before all this is faith. That’s the starting point.
Discussion Questions:
1. Why do you think faith is listed before all these other qualities? Why is it foundational for everything else?
2. Do you think there is much significance to the order of these additions? What do you see as significant?
3. How do you believe someone gets to the point where all these things are in place in his or her life?
4. How much do you feel like each of these qualities are present in your life?
It’s great that we recognize that salvation should produce a difference in our lives, but how different are you, really? This is the same author who urges us to be a “peculiar people” (1 Peter 2:9 KJV). We’re supposed to be different. Are you?
5. Have you added to your faith, goodness? How can you do that in a practical way?
6. Have you added to your goodness, knowledge? How can you add knowledge to your faith?
7. Have you added to your knowledge, self-control? How can you become a more self-controlled person?
8. Have you added to your self-control, perseverance? What is something that is going on right now that you need to persevere through?
9. What do you think it means to be “godly”? Have you added to your perseverance, godliness?
10. Brotherly kindness is not a word we use a lot in our world today, but it means to treat other people well. Have you added that to your godliness? How could you do so?
11. Have you added love to all this? How does love affect all of these qualities?
Perseverance is, by its very definition, difficult. It’s not easy. Are you willing to do the hard work to verify your calling and election? Remember this: God has never asked anything of you that He didn’t require of Himself. Yes, He’s asking you to lay down your life. But you are doing so because He laid down His life for you? You have been saved. Therefore, validate your salvation.
CLOSING PRAYER (2 minutes)
Pray for your students to fully embrace their salvation, and allow it to affect the way they live.