Jesus Gives Us a New Life – Basic 4 Christian Religious Studies Lesson Note (Third Term)

What New Life Means

Simple Definition

New life = Starting over fresh with Jesus, like being born again

Like Getting a Fresh Start

• When we believe in Jesus, we get a completely new beginning
• It’s like starting life all over again, but better
• Our old sinful life is gone, and a new good life begins
• Jesus washes away all our mistakes and gives us a clean slate

Bible verse: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

What Happens to Our Old Life

Our Sins Are Forgiven:

• All the wrong things we did are wiped away
• God forgets our sins completely
• We don’t have to feel guilty anymore
• Jesus paid for all our mistakes on the cross

We Stop Being God’s Enemies:

• Before Jesus, we were separated from God by sin
• Now we become God’s friends and children
• We can talk to God anytime through prayer
• God is no longer angry with us

Death Loses Its Power:

• Our spirits will never die
• When our bodies die, our souls go to heaven
• We will live forever with Jesus
• Death is just moving from earth to heaven

What We Receive in New Life

We Become God’s Children:

• God adopts us into His family
• We can call God our Father
• We have Jesus as our brother
• We belong to God’s family forever

Bible verse: “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12)

We Get Eternal Life:

• Life that never ends
• Perfect happiness in heaven
• No more pain, sadness, or problems
• Living with Jesus forever and ever

We Receive the Holy Spirit:

• God comes to live inside our hearts
• The Holy Spirit helps us live right
• He teaches us and guides us
• He gives us power to obey God

Like Being Born Again

• Jesus said we must be “born again” to enter heaven
• Physical birth brings us into this world
• Spiritual birth brings us into God’s kingdom
• It’s like getting a new heart and mind
• We become completely new people inside

Bible verse: “Jesus replied, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again'” (John 3:3)

The Nature of New Life

It’s a Gift from God

• We cannot earn new life by being good
• We cannot buy it with money
• God gives it freely to everyone who believes
• It’s the greatest gift anyone can receive

Bible verse: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8)

It’s Immediate

• New life begins the moment we believe in Jesus
• We don’t have to wait or do special things first
• It happens instantly when we accept Jesus as Savior
• The change starts right away

It’s Complete

• Jesus doesn’t give us half a new life
• We are completely forgiven, not partially
• We become fully God’s children, not just friends
• Nothing more needs to be added to our salvation

It’s Permanent

• New life lasts forever and cannot be lost
• God never takes back His gift of salvation
• We remain His children even when we make mistakes
• Our place in heaven is secure forever

Bible verse: “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:28)

It’s Supernatural

• Only God can give new life
• It’s a miracle that happens in our hearts
• Human effort cannot produce this change
• The Holy Spirit does the work inside us

It Changes Our Desires

• We start wanting to please God
• We desire to read the Bible and pray
• We want to be kind and helpful
• We enjoy worshipping and serving God

It Changes Our Thinking

• We begin to think like Jesus thinks
• We understand right from wrong better
• We see people and situations differently
• We have God’s wisdom to guide us

It Changes Our Relationships

• We love God and want to obey Him
• We love other people more than before
• We forgive those who hurt us
• We enjoy fellowship with other believers

It’s Growing

• New life keeps getting better and stronger
• We become more like Jesus each day
• The Holy Spirit helps us grow spiritually
• We learn and mature in our faith

Bible verse: “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18)

Evidences of a New Life

Love for God

We Want to Please God:

• We care about what God thinks
• We try to obey His commands
• We want to make Him happy
• We feel sad when we disappoint Him

We Enjoy Worshipping God:

• We like singing songs about Jesus
• We enjoy going to church
• We want to pray and talk to God
• We feel happy when we praise Him

We Read the Bible:

• We want to know what God says
• We enjoy Bible stories and verses
• We try to understand God’s teachings
• We apply Bible truths to our lives

Love for Others

We Are Kinder:

• We help people who need assistance
• We share our toys and belongings
• We comfort those who are sad
• We include lonely children in our games

We Forgive People:

• We don’t stay angry when someone hurts us
• We say “I forgive you” when people apologize
• We give people second chances
• We don’t seek revenge when wronged

We Care About Others’ Needs:

• We notice when people are hungry or poor
• We want to help those who are suffering
• We pray for people who have problems
• We give money or food to help others

Changed Behavior

We Tell the Truth:

• We don’t lie to get out of trouble
• We admit when we make mistakes
• We are honest even when it’s hard
• We keep promises we make

We Obey Our Parents:

• We listen to what our parents say
• We do our chores without complaining
• We show respect to our elders
• We help at home willingly

We Are Patient:

• We wait our turn without pushing
• We don’t get angry quickly
• We help slow learners without frustration
• We stay calm when things don’t go our way

We Control Our Temper:

• We don’t hit people when we’re mad
• We use kind words instead of mean ones
• We walk away from fights
• We ask for help when we feel angry

Joy and Peace

We Have Inner Happiness:

• We feel joy even when things are difficult
• We smile and laugh appropriately
• We encourage others to be happy
• We find reasons to be thankful

We Don’t Worry as Much:

• We trust God to take care of us
• We pray about our problems instead of just worrying
• We remember that God loves us
• We have peace in our hearts

We Sleep Well:

• We’re not afraid at night
• We know God is watching over us
• We pray before bedtime
• We feel safe because God protects us

Desire to Share Jesus

We Want Others to Know Jesus:

• We tell friends about Jesus’ love
• We invite people to church with us
• We pray for family members who don’t know Jesus
• We share Bible stories with others

We’re Not Ashamed of Jesus:

• We’re willing to pray in public
• We defend Jesus when people say bad things
• We talk about our faith openly
• We stand up for what’s right

Growth in Faith

We Want to Learn More:

• We ask questions about God and the Bible
• We pay attention in Sunday school
• We memorize Bible verses
• We try to understand what we read

We Pray More:

• We talk to God throughout the day
• We thank Him for our blessings
• We ask for help with our problems
• We pray for other people

We Want to Serve God:

• We look for ways to help at church
• We use our talents for God’s glory
• We want to be missionaries or ministers
• We do good deeds to show God’s love

Fruit of the Spirit

The Holy Spirit produces good qualities in us:

• Love – caring for others
• Joy – being happy inside
• Peace – feeling calm and trusting God
• Patience – waiting without complaining
• Kindness – being gentle and helpful
• Goodness – doing what is right
• Faithfulness – being reliable and loyal
• Gentleness – being tender and mild
• Self-control – managing our actions and words

Bible verse: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23)

Exercises

Exercise 1: Fill in the Blanks

1. New life means starting over _______ with Jesus.
2. When we believe in Jesus, our sins are _______.
3. New life is a _______ from God.
4. We become God’s _______ when we receive new life.

Exercise 2: True or False

1. We can earn new life by being very good. _____
2. New life begins the moment we believe in Jesus. _____
3. New life can be lost if we make mistakes. _____
4. People with new life want to please God. _____