for the week ended January 17, 2009

Hi All and Happy New Year!

Link to this weeks’ Bible study guide: http://ssnet.org/qrtrly/eng/09a/less03nkjv.html

There are a few issues in the lesson that we’ll have a look at this week:

• The set of Spiritual Gifts that Paul lists, and which ones are prominent. Are all of these still in existence today?
• The difference between ’spiritual gifts’ and ‘fruits of the Spirit’

Click on any of the links above to get into the discussion…

Sorry but there has not been any e-Sabbath School during this period. We will be back in 2009.

for the week ended November 8, 2008

Link to the current lesson study guide: http://ssnet.org/qrtrly/eng/08d/less06nkjv.html

This week’s study investigates the sacrificial system established in the Old Testament.

The sacrificial system involved the regular killing of many animals – a lot of shedding of blood. It is a very unpleasant set of rituals. Why did a God of love set up this system?

Before we get started – my usual disclaimer when getting into difficult topics – the notes below are my best attempts at explaining these issues, however I’m no theologian and welcome others helping me get a better understanding of this truly amazing topic. So let’s get into the study….

The relationship between sin and death is clear.

For the wages of sin is death… Rom 6:23

This fact seems to be a universal law. Death is the consequence of sin – I think this is because sin cuts us off from God, who alone is the source of life.

I don’t think that death is something that God wants to inflict on ’sinners’, I think it is the reality for those who have the destructive cancer of sin.

God of course has always had a plan though to save His creation. God wasn’t surprised by the choice of the human race to sin – He foresaw it all. The amazing thing was that He decided to create us anyway – He knew that at the end of the day love would triumph over the downward spiral of sin.

God’s remedy for sin wasn’t arbitrary. The fact that the only way to save sinful humans was through God’s own self sacrifice is one of the ‘mysteries’ of the universe. I don’t think it’s something that can be fully understood – it is something we have to take on by faith.

I know some believe that the sacrifice of Jesus was only needed to show up the true nature of Satan, and the ultimate end product of sin. And in stark contrast to this, the absolute love of God that heals the parasite of sin.

I certainly believe that the need to demonstrate the clear difference between Christ and Satan (‘the Great Controversy’) was a critical part of God’s plan of salvation.

But to me (and I’m happy to be shown otherwise – I’m no theologian), there seems to be a particular requirement for the sacrifice itself even apart from it’s power to clearly communicate the true nature of God.

…but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation. Hebrews 9:26-28.

From this it appears that Christ needed to be ‘offered’ or sacrificed, to ‘bear sins’. This appears to go beyond the simple need to illustrate God’s nature.

In the same chapter we have the statement that:

And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission. Hebrews 9:22

This statement is in relation to the sacrificial system in the Old Testament. But because the discussion in this chapter then goes on to discuss Jesus’ sacrifice in verses 26 to 28 it appears to me to extend the principle of ’shed blood’ being required to save to a universal reality.

Does this imply God is a bloodthirsty deity that needs killing to appease Him?

No, I don’t think this is the case. The self-sacrifice of Jesus wasn’t to appease God or to change His mind. God the Father has always loved us and doesn’t need Jesus to convince Him to do so. I believe that the self sacrifice was a required mechanism under the law of God which are the absolute laws under which the universe operates. Why the law is like this is I believe a mystery (currently at least).

So to summarise, sacrifice was a necessary part of healing the rift between God and man – a rift that was created by our sin, not by God being against us. This isn’t to minimise the highly critical outcome of the plan of salvation in Jesus’ death showing to the universe once and for all the ultimate effects of sin, and to put to rest Satan’s accusations about God being self interested and unjust.

Anyway as usual I welcome your comments on the thoughts above!

See you next week…

for the week ended November 1, 2008

Link to the current lesson study guide: http://ssnet.org/qrtrly/eng/08d/less05nkjv.html

This week’s lesson is all about the early gospel references in the Old Testament.

Outline:

1. After Eve and Adam’s fall, God provides some cryptic information about the future
2. God declares His forgiving nature.
3. Abraham’s Test

Part 1: Let’s start off with the very first reference to the gospel in Genesis 3:15.

“…And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”

This statement foretells the war that was to come between Christ and Satan and their respective followers “offspring”.

Q1: Why has God put ‘hostility’ between the woman and the serpent? Put another way, what would be the situation if this hostility hadn’t been put there?

I think that in line with God’s character of love, this act was for our own protection.

…if God had not interfered in man’s behalf, Satan and man would have formed a confederacy against heaven..   …evil will always league against good…  Ellen White Signs of the Times, July 11, 1895 par. 5

Q2: Do you think the consequences of Eve and Adam’s sin were disproportionate to their act? Does God have a zero-tolerance policy with regard to sin?

God clearly states that the wages of sin is death – and that applies to all and every sin. Why is this? Could it be because sin disconnects us from God, the source of all life?

God’s original test in the garden of Eden was a very simple test for Adam and Eve – one that could have easily been avoided. But disobedience in this test would lead to other compounding sins.

There is certainly the element of cause and effect here as well – just a disregard for the law of gravity has consequences, so does a disregard for the laws of God.

But while there is the harsh reality of the wages of sin, God’s pure and holy nature is balanced by His love and desire for reconciliation – and this is why He had a plan to save humanity from the ultimate consequences of their sin.

God however pronounces some tough burdens on Adam and Eve following their ‘fall’ ie. expulsion from the garden, difficulting in tending the land, pain in childbirth etc. Was this God forseeing the natural results of their sin, or was it something that God explicitly brought to bear as judgement or was it for our own good?

Q3: What’s with all the striking of heads and heels? How does this relate to the gospel?

The striking of the heel is a reference to Satan crucifying Jesus – something that ended up being only a very short-lived victory for him. It was however a permanent victory for Jesus and legitimised our salvation. The cross sealed Satan’s fate – the crushing of his head will occur at the end of time.

Part 2: God’s forgiving nature:

When God met with Moses, He passed before him and proclaimed the essence of His character:

“The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.” Ex 34:6,7.

I like the references here to ‘merciful’ and ‘forgiving’ – and while the text doesn’t go into the specifics of how God’s forgiveness is provided, it shows the divine character behind the ultimate plan of salvation.

I believe the pronouncement of ‘visiting the iniquity of the fathers’ on the children is not one of active judgement, but a forecast of the natural effects of sin and a sinful disposition towards God, passed from parent to child. Elsewhere we have stated clearly in the Bible where God judges each person on their own merits.

“The person who sins will die. The son will not bear the punishment for the father’s iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son’s iniquity…” Ez 18:20.

Q4. Someone I know recently denounced God’s actions in the Old Testament, but thought that Jesus in the New Testament was much better. From texts above, can we see that mercy and forgiveness run through the whole Bible, not just the NT?

Part 3: Abraham is asked to sacrifice his only son.

This is a tough story – I wonder how Abraham resolved to commit human sacrifice despite all he would have known about God’s normal laws to the contrary. I can only presume that Abraham had such a close relationship with God that he knew this was truly what He required of him.

Isaac asked Abraham where the animal was to be sacrificed. Abraham at that stage couldn’t bring himself to tell Isaac that he was to be the sacrifice. Abraham uttered “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.”. This statement proved perfectly true as God intervened and a ram was sacrificed instead. But Abraham’s saying was prophetic – God truly did provide Himself the ultimate sacrifice in the form of His Son Jesus.

Q5. Given all you know about the essence of God’s character, why do you think He put Abraham through this particular trial?

That’s it for this week…as always, we’re interested in your thoughts on the material above in the comments below.

Sorry but e-sabbath school was in hiatus for much of October ‘08 and there were no posts for these weeks.

for the week ended September 27, 2008

This week we’re studying the life of the prophet Isaiah. The format this week will be more of a “Q and A” style where you can select different streams of discussion.

The following excerpt from Isaiah 6:1-6 will be key for our discussion (- this is Isaiah speaking):

It was in the year King Uzziah died^[a] that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. Attending him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. They were calling out to each other,

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies!
The whole earth is filled with his glory!”

Their voices shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire building was filled with smoke.

Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”

Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.”

Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?”

I said, “Here I am. Send me.”

Click here if you’d like to think more about Isaiah’s ‘Woe is me’ reaction to seeing the Lord.

Click here if you’d like to discuss the significance of the burning coal.

Click here if you’d like to ponder how Isaiah volunteered himself so quickly

for the week ended 20 September 2008

(This week’s lesson has been contributed by Michelle, currently working with a development agency in Mongolia)

What values contained in the Bible message are “fixed” values that can be understood across different cultures?

How do we share our message beyond the borders of our own faith community? To what degree is an insistence on creeds and formulas important?

This week the lesson study focused on Philip, one of the seven deacons discussed in Acts. Philip’s experiences give us important lessons about cross-cultural mission.

Two areas will be discussed – click on the links below to get into the discussion:

• Philip in Samaria
• Philip and the Ethiopian

for the week ended September 13 2008

“But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine… Daniel 1:8 (NIV)

Reading this week’s lesson, I thought about how Daniel’s story parallels the situation today that many Christians find themselves in.

Like Daniel, Christians (especially young people) have to make their way in a hostile world. And like Daniel there are many trials and temptations where we have to make a decision to stand firm or to compromise.

This week we’ll delve into the times Daniel was put to the test, and look at how he and his friends reacted. I think we’ll find that their is much to learn and apply in our world today.

Click to get into the discussion for this week: The Trials of Daniel and His Friends

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Sorry but there was no e-sabbath school discussion this week.

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For the week ending August 30 2008.

Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” Acts 3:6 (NKJV)

This week we’re following up the last lesson with a few more issues from the life of Peter.

In particular:

• Was Peter the first Pope?
• How Peter responded to popularity.
• Peter the Evangelist

Click here to get into the discussion for this week: The Leadership of Peter

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