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When Good Prevails

Learning Through Bible Examples

  1. Second Corinthians 5:17-20 states:

    Anyone who is joined to Christ is a new being; the old is gone, the new has come. All this is done by God, who through Christ changed us from enemies into his friends and gave us the task of making others his friends also. Our message is that God was making all human beings his friends through Christ. God did not keep an account of their sins, and he has given us the message which tells how he makes them his friends.

    Here we are, then, speaking for Christ, as though God himself were making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf: let God change you from enemies into his friends! (GNT)

    What does this text describe Christ doing with his enemies?
  2. Is this different that what humans typically do with their enemies?
  3. What happens when enemies are turned into friends?
  4. How does Christ achieve this?
  5. Read Revelation 12:11. What is this text describing about the character and motives of the people of God?
  6. Is this description of people before or after the second coming of Christ?
  7. What enables people to experience such love as described in this verse and shown in this chapter?

Learning Through Science and Nature

Many humanists claim that giving in to hedonistic desires, as long you’re not violating the human rights of another, is perfectly healthy.

  1. What evidence can you cite that hedonistic self-indulgence is harmful?
  2. From what you have learned in this book about the brain, what part of the brain is responsible for godly love?
  3. From what part of the brain do selfish drives arise, and which part of the brain is strengthened by hedonistic indulgence?
  4. What implication would this have regarding our ability to exercise godly love toward others?

Learning Through Experience

  1. Consider the persons you respect the most and why. Do they demand their rights, or are they willing to surrender their rights to help others?
  2. Describe an event when someone acted selflessly or sacrificially for you. What affect did that have on you?
  3. Describe an event in your life when love empowered you to overcome fear. What is the lesson from that experience?