The best way to proceed through this bible study is to begin with a prayer like this one...
Dear Lord God, Please allow your truth to shine through as I read and study this bible study along with your Word, Please let my eyes be open to discern the truth and let my heart be willing to obey it. I ask and pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
... and to look up the reference scriptures that are in bold. It is best to use a King James version of the bible with this stduy, the quotes cited are from it.
Verses 3-7 declares a person must be born again of water and of the Spirit to see the Kingdom. Some teach this water speaks of the natural birth but we can know assuredly that Jesus wasn't speaking of the natural birth for all that come to him must have already experienced the natural birth.
Verse 8 says there will be a sound when everyone is born of the Spirit. Jesus didn't reveal what that sound was, so we will look to the book of Acts in a minute and learn what sound was heard.
John 3:16-18Verse 16 declares that our first step leading to everlasting life is to believe. And believing will lead us to the spiritual birth that Jesus was speaking of in verses 3-7.
Verse 17 tells us that Christ didn' t come into the world to condemn but that the world through him might be saved.
Verse 18 reveals that to do nothing is to be lost without God or we can believe through obedience unto salvation.
John 7:37-39We must believe on Him “...as the scripture hath said”. Here Jesus adds a condition on believing.
When we believe as the scripture says we will receive the fullness of the Holy Ghost which was not yet given but would be poured out on the day of Pentecost as we will see in further study of the Word.
Romans 1:16The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to all those that believe.
1 Corinthians 15:1-4The Gospel then is the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, no wonder it's so powerful. We will find out later how we obey the Gospel.
Romans 10:12-17Verses 12-13 says that anyone can come to the Lord and to call upon Him is to acknowledge Christ as being a must for salvation.
Verse 14 tells of some other “musts”: Believing – preacher - faith.
Preachers must be sent of God. Such were the apostles. So their message of salvation came from God.
Mark 1:15Jesus commands that we believe more than just that he existed but that the the gospel be believed!
II Corinthians 4:1-4If we allow the gospel to be hid from us by the god of this world, we allow ourselves to be lost.
Ephesians 1:13The church in Ephesus experienced salvation because they heard the word of truth, the gospel, and believed.
I Thessalonians 2:11-13The church heard, received and believed, not the word of man but the word of God and it worked effectually in them.
Acts 2:37-41On the day of Pentecost the word of God was preached and it worked effectually in them.
3000 heard, believed and received.
Notice that Jesus said name (singular) not names.
In the natural, a man can become a father, son , and husband but that doesn't make him three people. He's still just one man. Neither are these titles his names. He has one name: Robert Smith, Roger Hill, etc.
In the word, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are not names but titles. There is one name to be used.
John 5:43Jesus said in his Word that he had come in his Father's name. We know that the name of the Son is Jesus. And the Holy Ghost would be sent in his name.
So the one name that was to be used to fulfill the commission of Jesus was the name of “Jesus”.
Mark 16:15-18Jesus says that he that believes and is baptized shall be saved not believing, being saved then being baptized.
And in the name of Jesus all things would happen.
Luke 24:44-53Jesus speaks and opens their understanding and commissions them to go and preach repentance and remission of sin in his name (Jesus). Beginning at Jerusalem.
But before they could begin their ministry, they were to go to Jerusalem and wait until they were endued with power from on high.
So they returned to Jerusalem with great joy and worship in their heart.
Acts 1:1-15Luke penned the book of Acts and the “former treatise” refers back to the gospel of Luke 1:3.
After the resurrection, Jesus spent 40 days teaching the apostles and promising them that they would be baptized with the Holy Ghost in just a few days.
In this group there were various people including the apostles, brethren and Mary, the mother of Jesus.
Acts 2:1-17On the day of Pentecost, they were all together praising God when suddenly the Spirit of God swept through and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and spake in laguages unknown to them.
Jews, out of every nation who were dwelling at Jerusalem, gathered around to see and hear what was happening for they were hearing these local Galileans praising the wonderful works of God in their languages.
Peter stands to explain and preach declaring that this was the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. (He undoubtedly spoke in Greek, the universal Jewish language.)
Acts 2:22-35Peter speaks of the death, burial, and ressurrection of Jesus, which is the Gospel, and now it fulfilled God's Word.
Acts 2:36-41People were stirred and asked, “What shall we do?”
Repent, be baptized in Jesus' name and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. (Remember John 3 and Luke 24?)
And all those that gladly received the word responded.
I Peter 3:20-21Baptism in water saves us just as the water saved Noah's family. It doesn't literally remove sin but it removes it from God's record through our obedience.
Acts 22:16This tells of the apostle Paul's conversion that after repentance, he was preached to concerning baptism in the name of Jesus for the remission of sins.
Acts 9:17-18This speaks further of Paul's conversion. Step by step, believing, obeying and receiving.
Acts 4:10-12There is no other name outside of Jesus that mankind can receive salvation.
Nowhere in the New Testament Church is it recorded that repented men and women were baptized in any other name but the name of Jesus.
Galatians 3:27To put on Christ is to be baptized n His name.
Collosians 3:17Do all in Jesus' name.
Collosians 2:8-12Beware of the traditions of men and follow after Christ, being complete in him and buried with him in baptism.
Acts 8:26-39The Ethiopian eunuch, hungry for God in his life, was searching the scriptures.
God sent Phillip, who wanting to make sure he knew the importance of the Name, preached unto him Jesus.
He believed and was baptized.
Acts 10:34-48This is the first recorded time the Gentiles hear the gospel and the first time the apostles preached to a Gentile.
While Peter was yet preaching, God honored their hungry and yielding hearts and filled them with his Spirit.
Knowing the fulness of the gospel, Peter commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord.
Acts 19:1-7Once again, the necessity of repentance, baptism in the name of Jesus and the promise of the Holy Ghost.
Even to the point of re-baptism if your past hasn't fell in line with the full truth of God's Word.
The Gospel – Believing, Obeying and Receiving. Why not “gladly receive the word” today?