Question 1 (January 1, 2023)
Q: What is our only hope in life and death?
A: That we are not our own but belong body and soul, both in life and death, to God and our Savior Jesus Christ.
Memory passage: Romans 14:7-8
“For none of us lives to himself. and none of us died to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s”
Family Teaching Guide
Day 1:
Recite question and answer then read the memory passage.
The first question deals with the basis of our hope. To hope in something means to trust, put confidence in, and rely upon something. Baker’s Dictionary of Biblical Theology defines hope this way: “To trust in, wait for, look for, or desire something or someone; or to expect something beneficial in the future.”
ASK: What are some things the people hope in? Are those things sure? How does confidence or trust in those things let us down?
DISCUSS: Hope is trust and confidence in a person or thing to bring benefit or fulfillment. Christian hope is trust and eager expectation of future promises fulfilled and this confident expectation leads to patient, steadfast endurance in life. The first question asks us to consider not only what our hope in life is, but what our hope in death is. In other words, there is a hope that we have as Christians that will sustain us both in life and death. Christian hope gives us motivation in life and confidence in death. Paul said, “to live is Christ, to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). As Christians, we can have this confident hope because our hope is not in ourselves or anything of this world. We hope in God (Psalm 43:5), We have a hope of salvation (1 Thess 5:8), God’s glory (Col 1:27), resurrection (1 Thess 4:13). the redemption of our bodies (Rom 8:23), righteousness (Gal 5:5), eternal life (Titus 1:2), the return of Christ (Titus 2:13) and that we will become like him when he returns (1 John 3:2-3). The gospel and the response of repentance and faith in Christ give us this hope because, through the gospel, Christ claims us as his own and makes these glorious promises to us. The message of Christ’s death on our behalf, burial, resurrection and return when believed, give us confidence that our future is certain because of what Christ has done and because we have been joined with him by faith.
Additional reading: Romans 5:1-11
Day 2:
Recite question and answer then read memory passage.
The answer to the first question tells us that our only hope in life and death is that we are not our own. Paul says that we have been bought with a price and thererfore are to glorify God with our bodies (1 Cor 6:20.
ASK: Does belief change how we live?
Illustrate: How does a person show that they believe that an airplane is safe? They board the airplane and take their seats. Confidence leads to action.
ASK: What does it mean to glorify God with our bodies?
ILLUSTRATE: Ask your children if they belong to other parents they know. Point out that they are part of your family and as part of your family there are certain things that are unique to being part of your family. Name some of them. Point out that each of your children are yours and you are theirs. Because of that, there is an authority you have over them but there is also a belonging and relationship that you all share together. In the same way our only hope is that we belong to Christ. He is ours and we are his. We are kept safe in his hands and therefore we have hope in this life and in death.
READ: 1 John 10:27-29.
DISCUSS: On the cross, Christ purchased a people. That means that we once lived for ourselves and belonged to wickedness (Eph 2:1-3). But now, through repentance and faith in Christ, we are not our own. We belong to Christ. Christ has transferred us into the family of God. We can have confidence that we belong to Christ and God because Jesus died to purchase us and we have been given to Christ by the Father. Because of this, we are to live with this confidence that we belong to him and are safe and secure with him. In addition, it means that we life in a way that reflects that we belong to him. We live to honor and praise the one to whom we belong. The one who died for us, purchased us, and adopted us into his family.
ADDITIONAL READING: Colossians 3:1-4
DAY 3:
Recite question and answer then read memory passage.
Scripture teaches that our hope is not in ourselves but outside of ourselves. Our hope doesn’t come from self-determination, getting everything we want, or living for ourselves. The flesh hates being told you are not your own but belong body and soul, both in life and death to God and our Savior Jesus Christ. Think of the scope of body and soul. Your whole being belongs to God. We naturally don’t like being told what to do, how to live, or how not to live. Yet for the Christian, hope is found in the fact that our whole being belongs to God and he is a good God who loves us and only wants what is best for us.
ASK: Do you find it hard to obey? What makes obedience hard? Draw attention to trust and confidence that the one giving instructions is doing it for our good and knows what is best. Also draw attention to good authority placed over us for our good.
ILLUSTRATE: What if you wanted to go ride your bike in the street and you were told no. You were about to disobey and do it anyway and just as you were about to start pedaling, a big truck drove through the street really fast that would have hit you. You didn’t see the truck but your parent did. They were telling you not to ride in the street not to take away your fun but because they loved you and knew what was best for you. In the same way we actually find true freedom, life and joy through giving ourselves to God and submitting to his authority.
READ: Luke 9:23
DISCUSS: God is not willing to be on the sidelines of our lives. To be a Christian and follow Jesus means that he owns all of us and we live seeking to submit our whole lives to him. That means that there are times when our desires have to give way to his desires. We hope in God and trust he is good and true which means that he always seeks our good and his instructions are not to hurt us but to help us. (2 Tim 3:16-17) Obedience to God is submitting to God out of love (John 14:15) and evidence that we do belong to him (1 John 2:3-6). Our natural inclination is to focus on our own plans, wants and desires apart from God. The fact that we belong to him is a call to die to ourselves and submit our will, desire and whole life to him. We should have the attitude of Jesus who said “not my will but yours be done” (Luke 22:42). That’s what it means that “we are not our own”. We have a wise, loving, all-knowing Father who knows better than we do what is best for us. Our hope is found in the fact that our whole person, both in our life and in our death, belong to him. Therefore we are not our own. We can live in the confident hope not only that we belong to him and are therefore safe and secure, but also that we belong to him and therefore are to live trusting he knows what is best and is for our good.
ADDITIONAL READING: Romans 6:1-14