The Seven Pillars of Discipleship

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The Seven Pillars of Discipleship PILLAR 1: SALVATION Salvation, Part 1: Cause & Effect | Genesis 1 As we begin this venture into becoming disciples of Jesus Christ, we must first start at the beginning, that is, the beginning of everything. Salvation is the first step in the process of becoming a disciple and in order to understand salvation we must first discover why we need to be saved and what it is we need to be saved from. The concept of salvation is unique to the Judeo-Christian belief, whereby God, before the foundation of the world, predetermined some to be saved. This act was not dependent upon the works of man, who was yet to be created, but rather by the sovereignty of God, who willed that it would be so. The message today is based on the concept of causation and is purposed to show how God, the Creator of all things, is the “Cause” of all things and from this “Cause”, the “effect,” that is, everything that was made, came into existence because of Him. In order to understand the concept of salvation we must first understand the concept of causation. Cause

Effect

Result

Application The message today was purposed to provide you with a biblical understanding of Cause (God) and Effect (everything He has made) in order to lay a clear foundation for the concept of salvation. God is the author of everything good and gave men the ability to choose “good” in a perfect environment. Our goal today is to develop a sense of awe as it relates to the goodness of God and to move towards thinking critically about the goodness of God in our lives. What is the name given to God in Genesis 1:1 and what does it mean? How does the name of God help you to understand more about Him?

__________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ Has your understanding of God as “Cause” shaped the way you view salvation? Why or why not? Read Genesis 1-2 and list three “effects” that demand a “cause.” 1. _________________________________________________________________________________ 2. _________________________________________________________________________________ 3. _________________________________________________________________________________ What chapter and verse in the book of Genesis speaks of the coming Savior as the seed of a woman? ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________