Lesson 1
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June 30 - July 6 |
The Lord Our Righteousness |
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BIBLICAL TRUTH IS PERSONAL; it connects us to a Person. "This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent' "(John 17:3, NIV). The heart and core of the Adventist faith cannot be an ideal, a philosophy, even a lifestyle; it is a Person—Jesus Christ. To have and to maintain a trusting, loving, and obedient relationship with that Person is the essence of the Christian life.
That's why Jesus is not one of the pillars of our faith; He is, instead, the foundation of the pillars. Without that foundation, the pillars—no matter how solid, no matter how firm in and of themselves—sit on flimsy sands that ebb and flow with the tides of time, culture, and trends. As such, these pillars would inevitably fall.
We must, then, view the distinctive beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in light of our relationship to Christ. Because the essence of that relationship exists in Christ as our perfect substitute, as our righteousness—this quarter begins with "The Lord Our Righteousness" (Jer. 23:6), because if the Lord Jesus is the foundation of our faith, His righteousness, which becomes "our righteousness," is the essence of that foundation and of that faith.
THE WEEK AT A GLANCE: What is grace? How is it related to faith? How do we attain faith? What does "justification by faith" mean? Are we really saved by faith, or is faith merely the means of appropriating something else? What role do works have in the Christian walk?
MEMORY TEXT: "This is his name whereby he shall
he called, The Lord Our Righteousness"
(Jeremiah
23:6).
Define God's grace according to
Romans
3:24 and
4:16.
Grace is "unmerited favor." It is the attribute—flowing from God's love-in which He takes the initiative in the plan of salvation. Grace isn't something that we seek for; grace is, instead, freely offered, even though we are so undeserving.
That's a crucial point. Grace is never anything that we deserve. If we deserved it, it would not be—indeed, could not be—grace, because by definition "grace" is unmerited. God took the initiative to give us what we don't deserve.
To get something wonderful that you not only don 't deserve but don 't even initiate? No wonder it's called "grace," and no wonder it's the foundation of the "good news."
Look at the following verses and identify the common theme:
John
3:16;
Romans
3:25;
Romans
5:6-11.
All these verses, in their own way, teach that God initiated salvation. We didn't seek after Him; He came after us. This truth was especially foreshadowed in Eden, after Adam's and Eve's fall. (See Gen. 3:8, 9.) Even after they tried to hide from Him, God sought them out and extended His grace to them. Even after they tried to blame anything or anyone other than themselves, God's grace was still offered to them. Human nature, even after thousands of years, hasn't changed. Fortunately. Gods grace hasn't, as well.
| "Here was love, and amazing grace that triumphed over justice. . . .Christ consented to connect himself with the disloyal and sinful, to partake of the nature of man, to give his own blood, and to make his soul an offering for sin. In the counsels of heaven, the guilt of man was measured, the wrath for sin was estimated, and yet Christ announced his decision that he would take upon himself the responsibility of meeting the conditions whereby hope should be extended to a fallen race."—Ellen G. White, in Signs of the Times, March 5, 1896. |
Why must grace, "unmerited favor" be the foundation of our relationship
with Jesus? Why would basing that relationship on our own works be
fraught with spiritual danger?
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One of the greatest truths of all the universe is that we as fallen beings are "justified by faith." Yet, that phrase can be misunderstood, simply because language itself often is not able to express truth perfectly. To be "justified by faith" does not mean that faith justifies us. Faith itself, a human response, is not enough. We need something much greater than anything in and of ourselves in order to make us right with our God.
Fortunately, we have been given what we need, and that is the perfect righteousness of Christ credited to our account. Faith is a human response prompted by what God has already done for us in Christ by crediting us with that righteousness. As Swedish theologian Anders Nygren wrote: "It is truer to say that one's faith is evidence that the gospel has exercised its power on him. It is not man's faith that gives the gospel its power; quite the contrary, it is the power of the gospel that makes it possible for one to believe."—Commentary on Romans (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1949), p. 71.
Dwell on what Anders Nygren wrote, and try to express that concept in
your own words simply enough so that you could explain it to a
child.
Faith isn't something we initiate ourselves as a means of activating the gospel in our lives. Rather, faith is something that comes to us from God as a result of His power working upon a heart willing to receive Him and His promises.
Because faith is the essential link in our relationship with Him, faith is a gift that God gives to the sinner, allowing that person to participate in the provisions of salvation. Faith connects us to Christ in a dynamic relationship that draws us ever closer to God's heart. As we respond to God in faith, our faith grows; and as our faith grows, so does our obedience.
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast" (Eph. 2:8, 9, emphasis supplied). Though faith clearly comes from God, what things can we do to help strengthen our faith?
On the other hand, what things can we do that will weaken our faith?
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"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God-not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life" (Eph. 2:8, 9, NRSV).
Explain the relationship between grace and faith according to
Ephesians
2:8, 9.
Grace is the hand of God stretching down toward the sinner with the offer of salvation; faith is the sinner responding to that offer by allowing that hand to take hold (writer Annie Dillard once said that we are like beggars holding out a cup before a waterfall of grace pouring down upon us).
The Protestant Reformers taught that God's grace alone (sola gratia) is the grounds for salvation. In other words, it's the grace of God alone that makes the offer of salvation possible. Faith alone (sola fide), they said, is the means of receiving the salvation that God, through "the riches of his grace" (Eph. 1:7), freely offers us. Through His grace God offers us salvation; through faith we accept that offer. It's a gift that is offered to those who are undeserving, and that's everyone.
Grace "is not merely God's favor toward those who might merit His approval, it is His unlimited, all-inclusive, transforming love toward sinful men and women; and the good news of this grace, as revealed in Jesus Christ, is 'the power of God unto salvation' (Rom. 1:16). It is not merely God's mercy and willingness to forgive, it is an active, energizing, transforming power to save. Thus it may fill a person (John 1:14), it may be given (Rom. 12:3, 6), it is all-sufficient (2 Cor. 12:9; . . .), it reigns (Rom. 5:21), it teaches (Titus 2:11, 12), it establishes the heart (Heb. l3: 9)."—The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 6, p. 504.
| A group of theologians were once vigorously arguing about the one
great distinguishing feature of Christianity, the one thing that sets it
radically apart from all other religions, when the famed Christian writer
C. S. Lewis walked in on their discussion. When asked what he thought
the answer was to this question, he instantly replied: "That's easy. It's
grace." What do you think of his answer? Explain why you agree
or disagree.
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One of the most beautiful and clearest texts regarding the reality of what Christ has done for us, in terms of being "our righteousness," is found in Ephesians 1 :7—"In whom [meaning Jesus] we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace."
This verse is pregnant with meaning. First, it says that we have redemption. The Greek verb here is used in the present tense; in other words, redemption isn't just something that happens in the future; it is something that we have at the present moment. We have redemption—now!
What do the following verses say about salvation, or redemption, being a present reality? How many other texts can you find?
Luke 10:20 ______________________________________________________________________
Col. 1:14 ________________________________________________________________________
1
John 5:12, 13
____________________________________________________________
Ephesians 1:7 tells not only of our present redemption (the word for redemption meaning "setting free" or "deliverance" or "the buying back of a slave from a ransom that has been paid") but how that redemption has come. We are redeemed, not because of our works, not because of our obedience, but because of Christ's blood (see 1 Pet. 1:18, 19). This was the ransom paid in our behalf in order to free us, or to redeem us from the penalty of sin, which is eternal destruction.
Ephesians 1:7 then helps explain what this redemption is all about: "the forgiveness of sins." Our problem is that we have sinned, and because of that sin, we have lost the eternal life that God had originally granted us. Thanks to Jesus, however, who spilled His blood in our behalf, all those sins have been forgiven. Thus, we are redeemed, or set free, because the penalty for those sins has already been paid.
Finally, the verse emphasizes the source of this wonderful redemption, which is "according to the riches of his grace." Again, it's God's grace acting in our behalf.
| Ephesians
1:7 clearly shows that salvation is something that comes only from what
God has done for us. How can you use this text, and others like it,
to give people the assurance of salvation that many so desperately crave?
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Based on Romans 1:1-5 and James 2:14-26, which of the following three options best describes the relationship between faith and obedience?
Why did you choose the one you did?
James 2:21. James emphasizes "that Abraham's works proved the genuineness of that faith which God had declared righteous. Like Paul . . . . James places faith at the core of justification and illustrates its vitality by citing the worthy deeds of justified men."—The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 7, p. 522.
The rallying call of the Protestant Reformation was Romans 1:17, "For in it [the gospel] the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; as it is written, 'The one who is righteous will live by faith'" (NRSV). Here Paul sets forth the essence of the gospel. Faith is the basis of our experience in Jesus and the basis of our ongoing response to Jesus, which will always result in works, even if those works are never the instrument of salvation.
"Yea, a man may say. Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, 0 vain man, that faith without works is dead?" (James 2:18-20).
| Arnold grew up in an exceedingly legalistic home. For years, even
in his middle age, he always lived with a constant nagging, an incessant
fear that he just wasn't good enough, that his works weren't good enough
for him to be saved. What could you say to someone like him in order to help
him realize that he (along with everyone else) isn't, in fact, good enough
to be saved and that his works aren't good enough, which is why we have Jesus,
who not only has the goodness to save us but offers to credit to us that
goodness "apart from the works of the law" (or at least apart from any works
of the law that we could do)?
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FURTHER STUDY: Read
"Faith and
Acceptance," Steps to Christ, pp. 49-56;
"Transformed by
Grace," The Acts of the Apostles, pp. 557-567;
"Relation of Faith and Works,"
Selected Messages, book 1, pp. 377-382.
All the great truths of the Scriptures center in Christ; and rightly understood, all lead to him. Let Christ be presented as the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, of the great plan of redemption."—Ellen G. White, in Review and Herald, Nov. 25, 1890.
One of the great struggles in Christianity has been the relationship between faith and works. Though works are the inevitable result of faith, works have a different purpose than faith. Works are the result of being saved, not the means. Faith is the substance; works are the sign. As E. J. Waggoner wrote in The Glad Tidings: "People take the sign for the substance, the ends for the means. They see that righteousness reveals itself in good works. Therefore they assume that good works bring the righteousness" (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1900, 1972), p. 53.
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SUMMARY: All our doctrines must
find their root and origin in Christ, because through Him all things exist
(Col.
1:16, 17). And the greatest truth that we have in Christ is Him as "the
Lord our Righteousness," in that His perfect righteousness is credited to
us by faith, "apart from the works of the law." By God's grace He has initiated
the plan of salvation; and we, in order to be able to respond to that grace,
are given the gift of faith, which makes that plan of salvation real in our
lives. We are justified, accounted worthy before God as if we have never
sinned. This is salvation. And one inevitable result of that salvation, so
freely offered, is that we manifest good works, not as the means of salvation
but as the
fruit.
J. H. Zachary
Julia Rodrigues looked up from the pile of laundry she was washing in the pond near Santa Lucia, Honduras. Tina Swazo had placed a copy of Signs of the Tunes beside her and indicated it for her. Julia thanked Tina for the magazine, adding, "I cannot read, but I will ask my husband to read it to me." Tina promised to visit her.
Julia's husband recognized the magazine from the days when he worked at an Adventist hospital. "This is a good magazine," he told his wife. "Yes, I will read it to you."
Tina visited Julia and her husband and invited them to study the Bible. She took extra time to read each lesson to Julia. When evangelistic meetings were held in Santa Lucia, Julia, her husband, and their daughter took their stand and were baptized. They became the only Adventists in the village.
Julia memorized the Bible lessons and began visiting door to door searching for people interested in studying. Soon three of her neighbors were baptized. Encouraged, Julia continued to work and pray for the people in Santa Lucia.
Years passed, and Julia remained the force that held the little Adventist group together. She faithfully prayed that God would bring the 30 friends with whom she studied to a decision for baptism. Then, some 20 years after her own baptism, another evangelistic series was held in Santa Lucia. All 30 of Julia's Bible students were baptized. Then, as 1999 drew to a close, believers from North America flew to Honduras to build a chapel for the believers in Santa Lucia. "This is more than I ever dreamed of asking for in my prayers," she said, thrilled. "We now have the finest church in Santa Lucia."
Julia
still hikes up and down the steep mountain trails praying and searching for
others who need to hear God's final call. She invites people to follow along
in their Bibles as she quotes texts from memory and guides them through the
truths that she loves.
Thus through her persistent prayers and hard work, Julia's church in Santa Lucia, Honduras, continues to grow.
Julia Rita Rodrigues (left). J. H. Zachary is coordinator of international evangelism for The Quiet Hour and a special consultant for the General Conference Ministerial Association.
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