NASHVILLE (BP) — This weekly Bible study appears in Baptist Press in a partnership with LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Through its Leadership and Adult Publishing team, LifeWay publishes Sunday School curricula and additional resources for all age groups.
This week’s Bible study is adapted from the Bible Studies For Life curriculum.
Bible Passage: Mark 7:5-8
Discussion Questions: What are some factors that cause Christians to neglect God’s commands? What sorts of things might tempt people to twist God’s commands? What kinds of traditions have you been taught to follow?
Food for Thought:
Oil plays an important part in our lives and economy. Just try driving your car this week without oil and gas in the tank. You can’t!
While oil serves us well, it can also be the source of great problems. The worst accidental oil spill in the world occurred in 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico when the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded. Over 200 million gallons of oil coated 572 miles of beaches and wildlife. Marine life was killed, and hundreds of birds became coated with the thick oil and died.
Traditions are like oil. Both are good, but we don’t want them coating things they have no business coating. Sometimes we can let traditions and social customs coat and choke out other areas of life. Many religious traditions have value, but when they cover up and hide the commands and the grace of God, it’s like an oil spill in our hearts.
Just as clean-up crews work swiftly to clean up an environmental disaster, Jesus stepped in with the Gospel. He rebuked and corrected the thinking of the religious leaders, whose traditions created a spiritual disaster.
Bible Studies for Life
Bible Studies for Life connects the Bible to life for adults, students, and kids. Bible Studies for Life helps individuals and groups know God’s Word through trustworthy content, creates biblical community through engaging and conversational group studies, and helps people engage the culture missionally by unpacking what the Bible says about real-life issues. More information can be found on the Internet at www.biblestudiesforlife.com.
Other ongoing Bible study options for all ages offered by LifeWay can be found at LifeWay.com/SundaySchool or ordered at LifeWay Christian Stores.
