Make sure you have a notebook and pen on hand for writing down your thoughts as you study this lesson. Remember you can double-click any word for a quick definition and pronunciation.

Objective

To understand that we live the Christian life the same way we began it—by trusting Jesus and receiving His grace.

Key Verse

Colossians 2:6: So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him.

Introduction

Welcome to Lesson 1 of the “Foundations of Faith” Bible course. Today you are beginning a wonderful journey that will help you grow deeper in your faith. But before we go any further, I’d like you to consider this important question: How do you know you’re a Christian?

Why does this question matter? Because we are commanded to examine our salvation. The apostle Paul writes:

2 Corinthians 13:5: Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith.

It’s important for us to know for certain that we are followers of Jesus. We should know the reason for the hope we have of eternal life.

Why does this question matter? Because we should live in confidence, not in doubt or uncertainty. The apostle Paul had no doubts about his faith in Christ:

2 Timothy 1:12: I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.

We should also have this kind of confidence!

Why does this question matter? Because truly understanding our salvation is the secret to following Christ each day!

Colossians 2:6: As you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him.

In this lesson, we’ll look closely at how we received Christ into our hearts and lives. We’ll find that we received Him:

• by faith
• by grace
• by the Holy Spirit

The Bible teaches that we live as Christians the same way we became Christians—by faith, by grace, and by the power of the Holy Spirit. As we go through this lesson, we’ll use many examples from the Bible to teach us this powerful truth.

How We Received Him by Faith

We become a Christian when we turn from our sin and accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior by faith. We don’t become a Christian by having Christian parents. We don’t become a Christian by saying a prayer. We don’t become a Christian by being baptized and going to church.

It is only by faith in Christ and by His grace that we are saved. We don’t earn our salvation. It’s a free gift when we put our faith in Him.

Ephesians 2:8-9: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.

(Notebook Moment: Think of a time when you made something with your own hands, without anyone else’s help. How did you feel about it? Did you take pride in making it? Now consider your salvation. Is this something you can take pride in because of what you have done?)

Faith means trusting completely in Jesus Christ for our salvation. When we have true saving faith, we believe that Jesus died for our sins and rose from the dead. We trust that His sacrifice on the cross paid the full penalty for our rebellion against God.

Romans 10:9: If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

John 3:16: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

The Bible shows us many examples of people who were saved by faith. Abraham believed God’s promise and was declared righteous (Romans 4:3). The thief on the cross simply asked Jesus to remember him, and Christ promised him paradise that very day (Luke 23:42–43). Cornelius believed in Jesus and his whole household was saved (Acts 10:43–48).

Romans 4:16: Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham.

➤ How We Walk by Faith

Just as we were saved by faith, we must continue to live each day by faith. Walking by faith means trusting God even when we can’t see how He’s working in our lives. It means believing His promises when our circumstances seem to contradict them.

2 Corinthians 5:7: For we live by faith, not by sight.

Hebrews 11:1: Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

When we face difficult situations, we don’t rely on our own understanding or ability to fix things. Instead, we trust that God is working all things together for our good because He loves us and has called us according to His purpose.

Proverbs 3:5-6: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Romans 8:28: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Faith grows stronger as we spend time reading God’s Word and talking with Him in prayer. The more we know about God’s character and His promises, the easier it becomes to trust Him in every situation.

Romans 10:17: Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.

How We Received Him by Grace

Grace is God’s undeserved favor toward us. We did nothing to earn God’s love or His gift of salvation. In fact, while we were still sinners and enemies of God, Christ died for us. This is the amazing grace that saves us and keeps us.

Romans 5:8: But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Ephesians 2:4-5: But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

Grace means that God gives us what we don’t deserve—His love, forgiveness, and eternal life. At the same time, He doesn’t give us what we do deserve—punishment for our sins. This is only possible because Jesus took our punishment upon Himself at the cross.

Titus 3:4-7: But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

The grace that saved us is completely free. We cannot add anything to what Christ has already done. Any attempt to earn God’s favor through our good works actually shows that we don’t understand grace at all.

Romans 11:6: And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.

➤ How We Walk by Grace

The same grace that saved us continues to work in our lives every day. We don’t live the Christian life by trying harder to be good. We live by depending on God’s grace to change us from the inside out.

2 Corinthians 12:9: But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

When we fail or sin, we don’t try to make up for it by doing extra good deeds. Instead, we confess our sin and receive God’s forgiveness, knowing that His grace covers even our worst failures.

1 John 1:9: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Grace teaches us to say no to ungodliness and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives. But this change happens through God’s power working in us, not through our own effort alone.

Titus 2:11-12: For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.

(Notebook Moment: Think about a time when someone showed you kindness that you didn’t deserve. How did that make you feel? How did it change your attitude toward that person? Now consider how God’s grace toward you should affect your relationship with Him and with others.)

How We Received Him by the Holy Spirit

No one can become a Christian without the work of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit opens our hearts to understand the gospel, shows us our need for salvation, and draws us to Christ. When we believe, the Holy Spirit comes to live inside us permanently.

John 16:8-9: When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because people do not believe in me.

1 Corinthians 12:3: Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

The moment we trust Christ as our Savior, the Holy Spirit seals us as God’s possession. This means we belong to God forever. The Spirit also serves as a guarantee that we will receive our full inheritance in heaven.

Ephesians 1:13-14: And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

2 Corinthians 1:21-22: Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

The Holy Spirit makes us new creatures in Christ. Old things pass away and all things become new. We receive a new nature that desires to please God and live according to His will.

2 Corinthians 5:17: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

➤ How We Walk by the Holy Spirit

Just as the Holy Spirit brought us to faith in Christ, He continues to work in our lives every day to help us grow and mature as believers. The Spirit teaches us, guides us, and gives us power to live as God wants us to live.

John 14:26: But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

Galatians 5:16: So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

When we try to live the Christian life in our own strength, we become frustrated and defeated. But when we depend on the Holy Spirit’s power, He produces His fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Galatians 5:22-23: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

The Spirit also helps us in our weakness, especially in prayer. When we don’t know how to pray or what to ask for, the Spirit intercedes for us according to God’s will.

Romans 8:26-27: In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

Walking by the Spirit means being sensitive to His leading in our daily decisions. It means listening for His voice as we read Scripture and pray. It means being willing to obey what He shows us, even when it’s difficult.

Romans 8:14: For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.

(Notebook Moment: As you think about your own salvation experience, can you identify how faith, grace, and the Holy Spirit each played a role? How does understanding these truths change the way you approach your daily walk with Christ?)

Conclusion

[Revision Notes: Perhaps each of the Conclusions in the “Foundations” series can pose the question: “How will ABC help you to walk by faith? grow in grace? yield to the Spirit? etc.”

Understanding how we received Christ is the key to living successfully as a Christian. We received Him by faith, not by works. We received Him by grace, not because we deserved it. We received Him through the work of the Holy Spirit, not by our own power or decision alone.

This same pattern continues throughout our Christian lives. We grow in faith by continuing to trust God’s promises. We experience victory through grace by depending on His power rather than our own strength. We mature spiritually by walking in step with the Holy Spirit’s leading.

Colossians 2:6: So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him.

The wonderful truth is that the God who saved us is the same God who sustains us each day. The faith that brought us to Christ will carry us through every trial. The grace that forgave our sins will cover our daily failures. The Spirit who gave us new life will guide us safely home to heaven.

When you understand these truths deeply, you’ll discover that following Christ becomes not a burden but a joy. You’ll find confidence instead of doubt, peace instead of anxiety, and hope instead of fear. This is the solid foundation upon which we build our entire Christian life.

Check Your Understanding

Take this 5-question quiz to check your understanding of this lesson.