NEW BIBLE QUIZZES
AVAILABLE FOR
MOTIVATIONAL SERIES

In the April 4, April 17, May 1, May 15, November 13, November 27, and December 11 editions of our newsletter, we announced the availability of the first fourteen lessons in our Motivational Series. In this newsletter, we are announcing the availability of lessons fifteen and sixteen ("Christian Living" and "The Open Books") in that series.

In his lesson on "Christian Living," James Gravelle begins with Paul's statement in Galatians 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Using Paul's comment in Romans 3:9 ("We have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin"), James goes on to correctly point out that before a person obeys the Gospel, he is a sinner who is under condemnation. However, when that same person accepts and obeys the Gospel of Christ, a great transformation occurs. He then is called a "child of God" (Jn. 3:3-5; 2 Cor. 6:17-18), a "Christian" (Acts 11:26; 1 Pet. 4:6), a "new creature (2 Cor. 5:17), a citizen of "the kingdom" (Col. 1:13), a member of the body (church) of Christ (1 Cor. 12:27; Col. 1:18) a "disciple of Christ" (Acts 6:1), "a saint" (Rom. 1:7), an "heir of God" (Rom. 8:17), a "servant of righteousness" (Rom. 6:18), and a "steward of the manifold grace of God" (1 Pet. 4:10).

James then asks, "What makes this amazing, revolutionary transformation possible?" The answer, of course, is the salvation, redemption, justification, reconciliation, forgiveness, remission of sins, cleansing, and healing that the love and grace of God bestow on man through the blood shed in the sacrificial offering of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, on Calvary's tree. Before the Christian's conversion, he sought to please only himself. But now that he has been converted, he seeks to please Christ above all else. His will has been brought into subjection to Christ's will. The new Christian realizes that his life is no longer his to be lived in ways that would please his selfish and carnal nature, because he now has been purchased (redeemed) by Christ, and as such, he belongs to Jesus.

But what does "Christian living" entail? In his lesson, James enumerates and discusses several important aspects of Christian living, including: Bible study; worship of God; everyday righteousness; Christian service; etc. As James draws his lesson to a close, he reminds his viewers and/or listeners to, as the apostle Peter urged in 2 Peter 1:10, "be even more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble."

In his lesson on "The Open Books," James begins by quoting Revelation 20:11-15, in which the apostle John specifically mentions the "books" (plural) that will be opened on the Day of Judgment. Using John's statements as a springboard, James launches into an investigation of three different books that should be of importance to every accountable person.

First, there is "the Book of Life" (also referred to as "the Book of God's Remembrance"). We see a reference to this book in Malachi 3:16—"Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened and heard them; So a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who meditate on His name." This book could be called "man’s book in God's hands." It is a family record of sorts, in which are inscribed the names of God's children. It is our book, but God is the One Who writes within it.

Second, another book that will be opened on the Day of Judgment is "the Book of books"—the Bible. This is God's Book in man's hands—a book intended to help man purify man's life and "put it right." As the psalmist said, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (Ps. 119:105). The Bible is the only inspired book on the planet that correctly answers those three questions that every rational person eventually asks: (1) Whence have I come?; (2) Why am I here?; and (3) Where am I going? And, as Jesus Himself pointed out in John 12:48, "He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day." This tells us exactly how important "the Book of books" truly is.

Third, the last of the three books to be opened on the Day of Judgment will be "the Book of Deeds." This is a book of man's own making. It is man's book in man's hands. This book—containing empty, spotless pages—is in the possession of each person when he or she reaches the age of accountability. All rational people are given an equal start in life via this book. As we proceed from that age of accountability (the time at which we understand right from wrong, and have the ability to make a choice regarding which road we will walk), the deeds that we commit—good and bad—are all written in this book. In other words, this book is now in the making, and on its pages are written our words, our deeds, and even our deepest thoughts.

As James closes his lesson on "The Open Books," he asks: "When the Book of Life is opened, will your name be found there?" He then reminds all of us about John's promise in Revelation 20:15—"Anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire." We must be very careful to be sure that our names are written in this Book. When our words, actions, and thoughts from "the Book of Deeds" are compared against "the Book of books," will there be a stark difference between the two? Or, when the Judge of all the Earth (Gen. 18:25) places those two books side by side, will He find agreement between them? The choice, of course, is up to each one of us.

Both of these lessons are now available on our Website, where you will find them in video, audio, and written transcript formats. We invite you to examine them for yourself, and to share them with others.