On the Side of Truth

Contents

Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii

Part 1: The Spiritual Realm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Week 1 Earthly vs. Heavenly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Week 2 The Creator vs. the Created . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Week 3 God vs. Satan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Week 4 The First Adam vs. the Last Adam. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Week 5 The Word of God vs. Worldly Wisdom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Week 6 Heaven vs. Hell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Part 2: The Truth Shall Set You Free! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
Week 7 The Truth of God vs. the Lies of Satan . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Week 8 Light vs. Darkness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Week 9 The Wise vs. the Foolish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Week 10 The Righteous vs. the Wicked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Week 11 Works vs. Grace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65
Week 12 Belief vs. Unbelief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Part 3: Salvation’s Reward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Week 13 Life vs. Death . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79
Week 14 Forgiven vs. Unforgiven . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85
Week 15 Liberty vs. Bondage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91
Week 16 Joy vs. Sorrow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97
Week 17 Mercy vs. Judgment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Week 18 Blessed vs. Cursed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109

Part 4: Genuine Christianity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115
Week 19 Child of God vs. Child of the Devil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Week 20 The Shepherd vs. the Sheep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123
Week 21 The Bloodthirsty vs. the Blameless . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Week 22 Those Who Overcome vs. Those Who Fall Away . . . .135
Week 23 The True Gospel vs. False Gospels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141
Week 24 True Christianity vs. False Christianity . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

Part 5: The Christian Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Week 25 Flesh vs. Spirit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .155
Week 26 Obedience vs. Rebellion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .161
Week 27 Good vs. Evil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .167
Week 28 The Proud vs. the Humble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..173
Week 29 Worship vs. Idolatry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .179
Week 30 Courage vs. Fear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .185
Week 31 Love vs. Hate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .191
Week 32 Pure vs. Profane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Week 33 Giving vs. Greediness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Week 34 Worry vs. Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Week 35 Self-Control vs. Lust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .215
Week 36 Servanthood vs. Self-seeking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .221

Acknowledgements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .227

WEEK 11
Works vs. Grace

Introduction

Christianity stands out above all other religions in one way – salvation by grace. The followers of every other religion throughout the world seek to earn their way to “heaven.” The requirements put on the followers of other religions are vast in their differences, yet all rely on the works of man. Some require a pilgrimage to a holy land while others require the participation in religious rituals such as baptism. Despite the differences in their methods, they all seek to earn entrance into heaven by their own merit.

This is nothing new. Since the fall of man, men have striven to earn God’s acceptance and favor. When Jesus came and declared the gospel, His own people rejected Him and the “Good News” He preached. They were legalists living under the law and could not understand the concept of His grace. Nor did they want to, for grace angered them. Though legalists have an outward appearance of being spiritual, they are dead on the inside. They are filled with hypocrisy; thus, any talk of grace angers them. It is an insult to their work and to their reputation. For if by grace a person is saved, all his work has been done in vain.

For this reason, cults and false religions easily begin and gather many followers. A works-based religion makes sense to people. Works are concrete. It is easier and more comfortable for a person to check off a list of “to do’s” rather than search his heart for sin and repent of it. Working for God’s favor makes him feel good having a part in gaining entrance into heaven. For some, it is even a source of pride or boasting. Yet, with the idea of earning entrance into heaven, one can really never know if he has done enough. He must always wonder: Have I knocked on enough doors? Have I attended church often enough? Have I given enough tithes to the church? When it comes down to it, he can never really know if he has met every requirement to the satisfaction of his god. So he works, and he sacrifices, and he works some more, hoping it will be enough.

How burdensome a religion of works must be! Aren’t you grateful we are no longer under the law, but under grace? Let’s look deeper into God’s Word for a better understanding of this grace.