Study Guide

In Module/Week 2, you will be required to submit a testimony paper using 1 of 2 options.

• Option A: If you profess to be “saved” as defined by this course, you will write your testimony of salvation. • Option B: If you do not profess to be “saved” as defined by this course, you will share your opinion of the salvation beliefs defined in this course. Liberty University’s Biblical Position on Salvation: You must cognitively accept 4 facts: 1. Agree with God regarding your sinful state 2. Believe that Jesus is God 3. Believe that Jesus’ sacrifice was the only sufficient sacrifice to atone for your sin 4.

Believe that Jesus physically rose from the dead, thereby proving that He can conquer both physical and spiritual death. You must accept the truth volitionally. Believing volitionally is an act of the will and it is total dependence and trust in Jesus Christ. At the moment of receiving salvation, the heart will experience these realities: 1. Your heart will have remorse over sin. 2.

Your heart will repent for your sin. 3. You will request salvation from sin. Your paper should not exceed 1 ? pages and it must not be shorter than 1 page. Such brevity is designed to help you present your testimony concisely and effectively.

Read also – CapSim Word Study GuideIt is concise because there may be times when you only have a moment to share your faith. It is effective because you will have to narrow your testimony to include the most essential elements to sharing your faith with an unbeliever. All parts of your story are important, and God will use all of your story to reach a variety of people. But for this assignment, the focus should be on the unbeliever.

After reading or hearing your story, will he/she know why and how to receive salvation? This assignment is due by 11:59 p. m. (ET) on Monday of Module/Week 2. Guidelines for Option ATestimony Paper If you profess to be “saved” as defined by this course (stated above) you will choose this option. If you profess to be “saved,” but you disagree with the principles defined in this course, you should do option B.

Your writing must be presented in 4 parts as follows. Each paragraph should begin with the heading that is provided below in bold type. You do not need to include type that is not bold. Part ONE – My life before I came to Christ. Make known your perspective of how you viewed your life spiritually before you came to Christ. How did you feel? Were you searching?Did you realize that you were a sinner? Part TWO – How I came to a cognitive knowledge of Who Jesus is and what He did for me.

What prompted you to look for a solution to your struggles and sin? What made you decide that Christ was the one thing that you needed in your life? Part THREE – Circumstances surrounding your conversion. For example, where were you when you received Christ and what did you think/feel when you accepted Christ as your Savior? How did you come to accept Jesus as the only way? What did you think about His death and resurrection specifically as it relates to you?Part FOUR – How would you describe your spiritual growth from the time you accepted Christ to today? This is the time to honestly assess your spiritual growth, challenges, victories, etc. since you accepted Christ. NOTE: Your grade will not be negatively affected if you mention that you have not experienced positive spiritual growth for some time. You will simply be graded on if you provide a thoughtful and adequate respond for each Part. You will be graded on the following criteria: • Formatting: See the detailed Formatting Requirements below.

• Section 1: Describe your life before Christ. Did you grow up with any knowledge of God? Did you grow up in a Christian home? Did you realize that you had a sinful nature? etc. ). • Section 2: How did you come to see a need for a Savior? (Did you read the Bible? Did you attend a church service? Did someone talk to you? Was there an event that showed you a need? Etc. ).

• Section 3: Circumstances surrounding your conversion (Where were you? How old were you? Was anyone else there? What did you do? etc. ). • Section 4: Spiritual growth since salvation (Have you had any struggles? Have you had any doubts? Has God used you to reach others? . • Communication skills: As the term continues, more points will be devoted to your communication skills. As a student of a liberal arts university, you are not only expected to know the content of this course, but you are expected to be able to communicate it properly.

Is your writing clear and understandable? Have you used proper grammar? Do you have an excessive number of typographical errors? Do you need assistance with your writing skills? Take a moment to visit the Liberty University Online Writing Center at www. liberty. edu/onlinewritingcenter. Option B Why I Am Not A Christian” Paper OR “My Beliefs Differ” Paper If you do not agree with the position of Liberty University in regard to salvation (stated above) or if you do not claim to be a Christian, you will need to complete this option, Option B. Your paper must be presented in 2 parts as follows. Each paragraph should begin with the heading that is provided below in bold type.

PART ONE: Do you agree that man is born with a sinful nature? Why or Why not? If you do believe this, what is the solution to man’s sinful nature? If you do not believe it, what do you believe and why?PART TWO: Do you agree that Jesus is the one and only way to eternal life? Why or Why not? If you do believe this, why do you think a person would not choose to follow Christ? If you do not believe this, what do you think is the way to eternal life? You will be graded on the following criteria: • Formatting: See the detailed Formatting Requirements below. • Section 1: Do you agree that man is born with a sinful nature? Why or why not? Be specific in your response. Do not just restate the question. • Section 2: Do you agree that Jesus is the one and only way to eternal life? Why or why not?Be specific in your response. Do not just restate the question.

• Communication skills. FORMATTING REQUIREMENTS: One point will be deducted for each formatting error. Five points will be deducted if the paper is not submitted on time. a. Font must be Times New Roman in 12-point pitch for entire paper b.

Margins should be set at 1 inch—no indentions! c. In the top left corner and in separate, single-spaced lines, provide your name, course name and section number, date of submission, and “Testimony Paper” (do not center the title in a larger font). This information should not be a header! d.There is no standard writing style for this paper (i. e.

, MLA, APA, Turabian, etc). Just be consistent in formatting throughout your paper as explained in this list. e. The body of your paper must be double-spaced. f. Copy and paste each of the questions in bold 12-point font to start each new section of your paper.

g. Do not add a title page, page numbers, or a header/footer to your document. h. Meet the specified page length: 1 to 1 ? pages Note: Spacing is not automatically set at single space. You must adjust this formatting. Also, be sure to remove additional spaces before and after paragraphs.