What Kind… (The Creed: Part 6)

The Creed

Part 6: “I believe in the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.”

Feel free to skip sections here, or jump around a bit. We’re covering a lot of ground this week.

The forgiveness of sins

• Have a discussion as a group about forgiveness – What is it? What does it require? Why do people struggle with it so much? Etc.
• When you were a child, how did you see conflict and forgiveness practiced? (Particularly by your parents/caregivers.)
• What are some of your default reactions to conflict?
• What are some of the things the Bible teaches about forgiveness? (A few helpful places include Ephesians 4:32, Psalm 130:3, Matthew 18:21-35.)
• Can you identify one part of the Bible’s teaching about forgiveness where you know you fall short?
  What’s one thing you can do that might remedy this?

The resurrection of the body

Read Luke 24:36-43

• What do you notice in this passage?
• What do we learn here about Jesus’ resurrected body?
• Notice that Jesus shows the disciples his hands and feet – the places where he was nailed to the cross. Most interpreters agree that this means his resurrection body was in some way scarred or changed by the crucifixion. What do you make of this? What might it mean?

The life everlasting

Read Isaiah 65:17-25.

Then, read it again in a different translation.

• What do you notice in this passage?
• Remember that Isaiah is using poetic and prophetic language here. He is not trying to be literal, but instead to inspire and challenge God’s people. What might make this passage inspiring to someone?
• What might make this passage challenging to someone?
• If this is a picture of what heaven is like, what can we do today to make earth more like Isaiah’s vision?