Confirmation Unit 1 Lesson 7 DUE November 6

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The Fifth Commandment - Session 1

After completing the lesson, the student will be able to:
Know the 5th Commandment
Know what the 5th Commandment means for our lives.
Develop a biblical understanding to make sense of abortion and the times when killing has been or may be permissible.

Use your catechism to write in the following information about the Fifth Commandment. Please copy it word for word below.

What is the Fifth Commandment?

What does this mean?

LIFE AND SALVATION

The two greatest gifts God has given humanity is life (being created in His image) and salvation (life again!). If I were to give you a good gift -- like a car -- I would not desire for you to wreck that car but care for it and enjoy it. In the same way, God has given us life. It is a very good gift, and He desires for us to care for it -- both our life and the lives of others. Unfortunately, starting as early as Genesis 4 we see the first act of murder. What did Cain do when he became unhappy with his brother Abel? He killed him! From Genesis onward, man’s history is full of murder and bloodshed.

Read the following Bible passages and write what God’s Word defines as murder. Matthew 5:21-23, 1 John 3:15

Is there ever a time when killing is permitted? One such example is of animals for the provision of food or clothing. A second happens when the government authorities are called upon to defend its people either through war or in capital punishment. At times, the leaders of nations are called upon to defend their countries from aggression from other nations. This is often referred to as a “just war” (one waged defensively and not for the purpose of conquest, financial gain, or revenge). Also, governing authorities are granted the ‘power the sword’ which authorizes the use of capital punishment (killing of criminals as punishment for murder).

How does each of these verses answer the questions from above? Genesis 3:21, Genesis 9:3, Genesis 9:6, Matthew 26:52, Romans 13:1-5

THE AUTHOR OF LIFE

Essentially, in every way, man is like God and represents Him. Intellectual ability, moral purity, spiritual nature, dominion, creativity, ability to make ethical choices, moral, spiritual, mental, creativity, emotions, and relationships. Every single human being, no matter how much they bear the image of God, is marred by sin, or illness, or weakness, or age, or any other disability. Still, all humans, have the status of being in God’s image and therefore must be treated with the dignity and respect that is due to God’s image-bearer. Man’s original endowment of intelligence and will (which in contrast to animals) made him a rational being; but above all, the RIGHT disposition of the intellect and will, is in accord with the divine norm of holiness. Contrary to evolutionist, man was not created a brute nor came from a beast, but was created lord of all other creatures. After the Fall, man is not as fully like God as was originally intended. Moral purity was lost and the sinful character no longer represents God. The human intellect is now corrupt, man is governed by selfishness, etc…We are still created in God’s image, but that image has been distorted or lost. {Wayne A. Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; Zondervan Pub. House, 2004), 450.}

What do the following verses say about the progressive recovery of the Image of God because of the redemptive work of Jesus Christ? 2 Corinthians 3:18, Romans 8:29

The immediate results of the fall into sin was that the divine image of God—Immortality and dominion - was lost. The animals were created by their kind. Humans were not created according to kind, but in God’s image, which means we bear a resemblance to a Holy, living God. Consciousness, intellect and reason, plus the ability to worship, appreciate beauty, and love God are all aspects of bearing a resemblance to God. Even after the Fall, life is still valued and sanctified by our Heavenly Father.

Look up Genesis 1:27 What does it say about mankind?

How does Genesis 2:7 explain that mankind’s creation was different from the other living creatures?

Look up the following verses and explain God’s value of life. Job 33:4, Psalm 139:13–16, Psalm 127:3–5, Jeremiah 1:5, Luke 1:13–15

Read the following passages and describe what they say about the duty of parents towards their children. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 Proverbs 13:24 Proverbs 22:15 Ephesians 6:4

LIFE

When does life begin? This is an easy answer for many Christians, life begins at conception. Conception is what happens on day one, when a man’s sperm fertilizes a woman’s ovum. The result of this irreversible event is a genetically unique, single-celled entity, technically known as a zygote. This is the beginning of human life. For many people this question is difficult to answer. Some regard the beginning of life at birth, or twenty-eight weeks, or at viability (when the baby can survive), or fourteen days, or implantation. However, the range of these possibilities demonstrates how difficult life is to define, because they cannot all be correct. Each of these definitions have profound weaknesses. Let us suppose, for example, a person believes that life begins at fourteen days. What then is present a day before that? Is it non-human life? What about an hour, or a minute, before? Is it then human non-life? Can you see the fault of reasoning in these various options? The truth is that none is sufficient to count as the defining moment before which there was something of no consequence, but after which there is valuable human life. Can anyone say, “Before this or that developmental event, I was not, but after it, I was”?

Why is it important to know when life begins? When do you believe life begins?

ABORTION

One aspect that is important to discuss in the fifth commandment is the topic of abortion. Abortion is the intentional killing of an unborn child—the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion before the age of viability outside the womb. There are many different reasons that women give for the justification of abortion. In this section we will examine the lies that our culture tells as to why abortion is justified vs. the truth.

What are arguments for abortion that you have heard? What is your response?

The Bible is very clear in stating that the unborn are persons in God’s eyes. From conception onward, we are to value, cherish, and preserve life. To willfully take the life of an unborn person is to break the Fifth Commandment. Each baby that has ever been aborted was a human who had been given the gift of life by God. Each one of these humans had their life taken from them because they were too weak to defend themselves.

How do you think about human life inside a mother's womb?

What are the impacts on a mother's life if she has had an abortion?

Can God forgive someone who has had an abortion? Absolutely! God’s mercy and forgiveness is for all sinners, not just some. We are all equally undeserving of His grace and yet in His love and kindness, He forgives all who repent and believe in Christ Jesus. It’s very important that we speak the truth boldly, but that we do so in love and grace. We always want to point people not to their own deeds, but to the work of Jesus Christ. What do these verses say about God’s forgiveness? Isaiah 1:18, Romans 8:1, 1 John 1:9

Which of those passages is most comforting to read?

Students / Parents

Two ways Jesus defines a murderer is “whoever hates his brother” (I John 3:15) and “whoever is angry at his brother without cause” (Matthew 5:21-22). Are hatred or anger common emotions in your home? If so, what is one step you can take to remove or lessen their occurrence?

If you knew someone who was considering an abortion, what would you share with them? Or if you knew someone who already had an abortion and is feeling a huge amount of sorrow and guilt over their actions, what would you share with them?

I went through the scheduled New Testament content this week.

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Confirmation Unit 1 Lesson 7 DUE November 6

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