BUILDING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE

Repentance

LESSON FIVE: Dead Works

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Scripture reading: Romans 3:9-20

WHAT IS THE CONDITION FROM WHICH MAN IS TO REPENT?

If one is to appreciate fully the meaning of repentance, he must know that from what he is to repent. In Hebrews 6:1, we learn that we are to repent from "dead works." This is the first of the first principles and is all important. To go wrong or be wrong here is to ENDANGER THE FOUNDATION AND THE ENTIRE BUILDING. What is meant by the word "dead works"? Dead works are the deeds and dispositions, the attitudes and actions of a life lived apart from the living God. They may be religious works, gross deeds, or the hypocritical actions and attitudes of the self-righteous moralist. All acts of a man in himself, separated from God are "dead works." The word used most frequently to describe these "dead works" is the word "sin," however, there are other words used in the Old Testament and the New which shed light upon the different aspects of man’s sinful conduct and condition. The word "sin" has "I" at its center. Sin, essentially is self-centeredness or selfishness. Sin is the love of self as opposed to the love of God. This love of self may express itself in many different ways. But each of these ways is "our own way" as opposed to "His way." Isaiah 53:6: "ALL we like sheep HAVE GONE ASTRAY (universality of sin) we have turned everyone to "HIS OWN WAY (individuality of sin): and the Lord hath laid on Him the INIQUITY of us all." II Corinthians 5:15: "He died for all, that they which live SHOULD NOT HENCEFORTH LIVE UNTO THEMSELVES, but UNTO HIM which died for them, and rose again."

I. The Origin of Human Sin

A. God’s original creation was sinless. (Gen 1:31) How did sin enter into the world? Rom 5:12 ______________________________________________

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B. How is sin brought forth in our lives? James 1:14, 15 __________________

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II. How many have sinned and how many are sinners? Fill in the blanks in the following verses.

A. Rom 3:23 "_________ have _________ and come short of the glory of God."

B. Rom 3:9 "Both ______ and __________, that they are ALL ____________."

C. Rom 3:10 "There is ________ righteous, ___________________________."

D. Rom 3:12 "They are _____ gone out of the way...there is ________ that doeth good, _________________________________________."

E. Rom 3:19 "ALL the world may become ____________________________."

F. Rom 5:12 "For that ALL ________________________________________."

G. Gal 3:22 "The Scripture hath concluded ____________________ under sin."

III. Here are some sins which the Scriptures specifically list and from which the guilty are to repent. Fill in the sins listed in the space following the Scripture references.

A. Sins which come from the natural heart and defile the life.

1. Matt 15:18-20 _______________________________________________

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2. Mark 7:21-23 ________________________________________________

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B. In Romans 1:29-32, what are those who do these things worthy of? ________

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C. Sins which Christians must guard against.

1. Rom 13:13, 14 (List seven) _____________________________________

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2. I Cor 5:9-11 (List six) _________________________________________

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3. II Cor 12:20, 21 (List eleven) ___________________________________

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4. Eph 4:17-19 (List nine) ________________________________________

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5. Eph 5:3,4 Rather than doing these, we should ______________________

6. Eph 4:25,28,29,31 What should we do with sin? (vs. 25,31) __________

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7. Col 3:5, 6 Sin which bring the __________ of _____________________

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8. Col 3:8, 9 What are we to do with these sins? ______________________

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9. II Tim 3:1-5 What should Christians do about these sins? ____________

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10. Titus 3:3-5 List the sins in verse 3 ______________________________

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11. I Peter 2:1 What are we to do with these sins? _____________________

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D. The following are sins which bar one from the Kingdom of God. How many are listed in each group? I Cor 6:9, 10 ________ Gal 5:19-20 ____________  Eph 5:5, 6 _____________

E. For what sins was the law given? I Tim 1:9, 10 ______________________

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F. Christians no longer live in these sins but now live to _________________

___________________________________________________ I Peter 4:2-4

G. These sins condemn one to _______________________________ Rev 21:8

H. These sins bar one from the ____________________________ and from the

__________________________________________________ Rev 22:14-15

One has pointed out that these twenty-one lists constitute a total of 202 sins. Some are found in more than one list, but there are 103 sins mentioned. It is from these sins that we are commanded to repent or the turn away.