Friday: Further Thought – Adam and Jesus
Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, “Help in Daily Living”, pp. 470-472, in The Ministry of Healing; “Christ the Center of the Message,” pp. 383, 384, in Selected Messages, book 1; “The Temptation and Fall”, pages 60-62, in Patriarchs and Prophets; “Justification,” pp. 712-714, in The SDA Encyclopedia.
Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com
“Many are deceived concerning the condition of their hearts. They do not realize that the natural heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. They wrap themselves about with their own righteousness, and are satisfied in reaching their own human standard of character.” – Ellen G. White, Selected Messages , book 1, p. 320.
“There is great need that Christ should be preached as the only hope and salvation. When the doctrine of justification by faith was presented . . ., it came to many as water comes to the thirsty traveler. The thought that the righteousness of Christ is imputed to us, not because of any merit on our part, but as a free gift from God, seemed a precious thought.”-Page 360.
“Who is the figure of him that was to come (Rom 5:14). How is Adam a figure of Christ? As Adam became a cause of death to his descendants, though they did not eat of the forbidden tree, so Christ has become a Dispenser of righteousness to those who are of Him, though they have not earned any righteousness; for through the Cross He has secured (righteousness) for all men. The figure of Adam’s transgression is in us, for we die just as though we had sinned as he did. The figure of Christ is in us, for we live just as though we had fulfilled all righteousness as He did.” – Martin Luther, Commentary on Romans, pp. 96, 97.
Discussion Questions:
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We have a much easier way out! We have Jesus... Adam had to sacrifice a lamb! We do not!
Through the merits of the Redeemer, the Father looks upon us with tender compassion, and speaks to us hopefully the language of forgiveness and love, for Christ was treated as we deserve that we might be treated as he deserves. He was condemned for our sins in which he had no share, that we might be justified by his righteousness in which we had no share. {OW December 1, 1909, par. 11}
I've tried to explain what I understand of Romans 5 this week. It's one of the great chapters in the Bible and there is more, better, yet to come. But there is a point, a level, at which the material is beyond explaining. The great love of God, the willingness to give up His Son, the desire that He has for us, His children, are themes that are beyond explanation. I can grasp something of the love of God, but in all eternity I doubt I will fully understand it. May you truly have a blessed Sabbath day. steve
Answer to question 1 is explained in the paragraph preceding. ''Expose Fallacy by Presenting Truth—Decided proclamations are to be made. But in regard to this line of work, I am instructed to say to our people: Be guarded. In bearing the message, make no personal thrusts at other churches, not even the Roman Catholic Church. Angels of God see in the different denominations many who can be reached only by the greatest caution. Therefore let us be careful of our words.
Be wise as a serpent,and harmless as a Dove.
I think the thing that changed for Adam and Eve that made all the difference and caused them to sin was their basic motivation. I think the basic motivation of our being changes the genetic expression of our body.
I think that our most basic motivation comes from our spirit. Our natural spirit produces a selfish motivation. This is natural to us and we don't have to choose it to have it. God's Spirit is offered to us and we must choose Him for our motivation if we would have God's Love to motivate our thoughts and feelings.
When we choose God's Spirit for motivation we cannot sin as long as He is motivating our thoughts and feelings.
This is what we need to remember as we are watching and praying to avoid falling in temptation. Pray for the Holy Spirit to be the primary motivation of our lives.
I was listening to a documentary a woman produced about persons and communities of the Arctic. She would go to a settlement and explain to the first person she met that she was making a documentary and ask whom that person would recommend that she meet. The result was an experience that was totally different that the “reality” of the North in her mind (and mine too as I listened to the documentary).
As I looked through Friday’s questions, it occurred to me that the “reality” of nations, kindred, tongues and people we see is totally different their actual reality, that is, what God sees. We categorize the people we encounter in our little thought boxes, think we know everything about them because we “have them pegged,” and let our preconceptions condition our relationships with them.
But this is not how God would have us “witness” to reach them. Jesus gave us a pattern when he and his disciples stopped at Sychar to have lunch. Where his disciples saw third class Samaritans whose religion was grossly inferior to theirs and a woman who was at the well at noonday (for obvious reasons in their minds), Jesus’ vision was totally different:
“Do you not say, It is yet four months, and the harvest comes? Behold, I say to you, Lift up your eyes and look on the fields, for they are white to harvest already.” John 4:35
What we see as unpromising, ignorant and perhaps even disgusting, God sees as fertile ground for planting and reaping a great harvest of good. If our eyes and ears were open to see and hear the opportunities that God is giving us to reach others in the daily mundane activities and “chance” meetings of our lives, it would transform the hearts of the unpromising and our hearts as well.
It is our perception of the “obvious” that “holds people back from reaching out and eagerly claiming [God’s gracious salvation] for themselves.” So help us God from our “wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked” condition that we can work out your gracious love in our lives for the sake of those you put into our lives. Revelation 3:17