Bible Studies for Life: November 15
The Path to Forgiveness • Ephesians 2:1-10
By Don Hicks
Look closely at today’s lesson title, “The Path to Forgiveness.”
“The” in this title is a definite article telling the reader that there is one unique path to forgiveness.
The focus for this lesson is: “We can be forgiven because of what Jesus has done for us.”
To begin to understand what the Bible teaches about grace and forgiveness, we need to pray and ask God to open our eyes while we read, study, and begin to understand the first three chapters of Ephesians. It will help you be ready to teach this lesson if you read all of the first three chapters of Ephesians for clarity and background.
Paul begins this letter with one of his typical greetings: “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will: To you the faithful saints in Christ Jesus at Ephesus. Grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. … For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him. …”(Ephesians 1:1 CSB).
The pupil’s Personal Study Guide on page 132 emphasizes God’s grace with a bold, artistic block stating:
“Salvation comes by grace through faith and is a gift of God.”
Another good way to look at what Jesus has done for us is to read John 3:16-17. Most Americans have heard someone read or quote these beloved verses: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:16-17 KJV).
This plan for a path to forgiveness began even before God created the earth. My salvation was in God’s eternal plan before He even created Adam and his wife, Eve. John’s Gospel opens with an explanation of Jesus’ direct involvement in creation, in every part. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. Light shines in the darkness, and yet the darkness did not overcome it” (John 1:1-5 CSB). The reference to “the Word” very clearly, fully, and specifically refers to Jesus, the Son of Mary born in the Bethlehem stable.
Our path to forgiveness started with us, personally, living in sin and death. In Romans 3:23, Paul tells us where we all are before we start The Path to Forgiveness. This path is often referred to as the “Roman Road to Salvation.” In his letter (epistle) to the Roman church, Paul wrote, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23 CSB). The next stop on the Roman Road is Romans 6:23, which says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23 CSB).
Now look at the last stop on The Roman Road, Romans 10:9-10: “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation” (Romans 10:9-10 CSB).
We can use The Lesson Focus to guide us to an easily understood summary of the main Biblical truths since the Apostle Paul wrote both under inspiration of God’s Holy Spirit. As I am sure you already know, all of the Bible is God’s Holy Word without any mixture of error. The focal statement is: “We can be forgiven because of what Jesus has done for us.”
The guiding principle is “For God sent not his Son into the world; to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:17 KJV). This exact truth is repeated in Luke’s Gospel “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:10 CSB).
Hicks is a member of Park Place Baptist Church, Pearl.