Friday: Further Thought – God Is Faithful!
Daily Lesson for Friday 19th of December 2025
Read Ellen G. White, “The Last Words of Joshua,” Pages 521, 522, in Patriarchs and Prophets.
Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com
“Satan deceives many with the plausible theory that God’s love for His people is so great that He will excuse sin in them; he represents that while the threatenings of God’s word are to serve a certain purpose in His moral government, they are never to be literally fulfilled. But in all His dealings with His creatures God has maintained the principles of righteousness by revealing sin in its true character—by demonstrating that its sure result is misery and death. The unconditional pardon of sin never has been, and never will be. Such pardon would show the abandonment of the principles of righteousness, which are the very foundation of the government of God. It would fill the unfallen universe with consternation. God has faithfully pointed out the results of sin, and if these warnings were not true, how could we be sure that His promises would be fulfilled? That so-called benevolence which would set aside justice is not benevolence but weakness.
“God is the life-giver. From the beginning all His laws were ordained to life. But sin broke in upon the order that God had established, and discord followed. So long as sin exists, suffering and death are inevitable. It is only because the Redeemer has borne the curse of sin in our behalf that man can hope to escape, in his own person, its dire results.”—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 522.
Discussion Questions
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The story of Ahmed al Ahmed the Syrian Tobacconist, has been headline news in Australia this week. In the wake of the Bondi antisemitic mass shooting, Ahmed’s courage in putting aside his own safety for the safety of others has been told and retold. His actions were not about religion or culture but about doing what he could to save others. Boris and Sophia Gurman saw the shooters getting out of their car and tried to stop them, their action cost them their lives. Reuven Morrison, armed with bricks, threw them at one of the shooters. He was killed. There are many more stories among both the living, the wounded, and the dead, of selfless courage in the face of the attack. The very worst of human behaviour has brought out the very best.
The lesson author asks the question: “What are some of the obstacles that prevent you from clinging to the Lord with all your heart?”
My response is this: Sometimes we are so concerned about “clinging to the Lord” in some sort of effort to be perfect that we don’t have free hands. I would like to change the metaphor a bit: Let the Lord hold us so our hands are free to help others. The heroes of Bondi Beach did not think about themselves; they tried to save others. Some of them died in the process. Is our concept of salvation like that, or are we too concerned about laying up treasure in heaven for our eternal retirement?
If salvation is about us, then it is not salvation. There is no room for selfishness in salvation. That is our biggest obstacle.
Salvation is not about us earning God’s favor or waiting until we are good enough.It is God’s selfless initiative,freely given even when we are at our worst. The importance of this truth is that we are called to participate in it not by becoming Christ ourselves, but by allowing God’s love to work through us.We are called to be His ambassadors,lights shining in the darkness,even when the darkness seems overwhelming or hostile.
The tragedy at Bondi Beach shows both the depth of human evil and the potential for human courage and love. Just as Christ’s light shines most brightly in a dark world, so too the sacrificial actions of Ahmed al Ahmed, Reuven Morrison, and the Gurmans reflect God’s love in tangible ways.
In John 15:13 Jesus declares that greater love has no man than that he lay down his life for his friends. In a sense I disagree with this verse, in this one way, Jesus laid down His life not just for His friends, but also for His enemies and strangers. In my mind that goes beyond dying for friends. Paul picks up this thought in Romans 5:6-8 declaring that Christ died for us while we were still sinners, His enemies. I don’t know anyone who would do that?
Think about that a moment. Christ didn’t wait until we “got our act together” to die for us. No, when we were at our worst, Christ was not only willing to die, He did die. It defies logic and reason and yet this is the message that we mere mortals have been entrusted to share with the world. With one hand we reach up to and hold onto God, and with the other we reach out to others that need the salvation that we have taken hold of in Christ.
In this world there is much darkness, but that is when the light shines the brightest. We are Ambassadors of His light to those lost in the darkness. Yes, even those that would seek to extinguish it. Don’t curse the darkness, be a candle in the night. It’s tragic what happened there in Bondi Beach, yet amid such darkness the light of sacrificial love for humanity still shines.
If we realized this level of love Christ showed us “..while we were yet sinners…” Would that change how his followers treated each other? Even…while we disagree?
Perhaps Jesus considered us His friends before we realized it? I understand what you are saying, but I don’t know that I would want to disagree with Jesus. Surely He knew what He was saying.
Again, God is amazing!!! I rejoice in Him because He can do what is impossible to me! He can work on my character so that I can get closer to His! To Him be all power, might, and glory!
In this week’s lesson, we encounter a sobering reminder from Patriarchs and Prophets that challenges the popular notion that God’s love simply excuses sin. Today, many are subtly led to focus only on God as our Friend, overlooking His role as Sovereign King. While it is beautiful that God is our Father, emphasizing this to the exclusion of His kingship is dangerous. If God is seen only as a Friend who overlooks our choices, sin becomes a minor misunderstanding rather than deadly rebellion, and we may convince ourselves that we are “saved” while our hearts remain unrenewed.
The lesson reminds us that true benevolence is never at the expense of justice. A God who ignores sin allows suffering, death, and discord to continue forever. As the King of the Universe, He must uphold righteousness, for these principles are the foundation of life itself. If His word about the consequences of sin were not true, His promises of eternal life would also lose credibility.
If it were possible, even the “very elect” could be deceived, often by a gospel that sounds loving but lacks the power to bring true repentance. Some may hear, “God loves you too much to let you die for your choices,” when the truth is, “God loves you so much that He died for your choices so that you wouldn’t have to—but the penalty of the law breaking remains real.”
Peace with God comes not from ignoring His law, but from accepting Him as both Saviour and Sovereign. He does not leave us in sin, nor discard us when we falter. Only by recognizing the seriousness of sin and the demands of the law can we truly grasp the infinite depth of the Cross.
The principle I always implement to preserve my godly manners from distortions as a result of associating myself with individuals who tend to practice different religions is the need to reflect my morals on the Lord’s commandment. Because the commandment is the lamp, and the light from the lamp is the law designated for us to observe, if I ought to embrace society’s standards to mingle with unbelievers, then I will adopt the concepts of the light from the lamp to guide my behavior.
The idea to maintain religious standards in a diverse society might not appear to be comfortable to others, knowing that they might consider the behavior to be unfriendly. However, I will set goals to preserve my religious morals and respect the values of the individuals who choose to pursue life from a different perspective. There is a universal way to correspond to individuals in a diverse society without violating their social statutes, and that requires the decency to respect and appreciate the differential values of others. I will learn to love without dissimulation, refrain from what might tend to be evil, and cleave unto what might appear to be good (Romans 12:9).
God’s Love and Faithfulness is contained in His Spirit – because He is Spirit. Our Creator God gave to us His Spirit of Truth to learn to know Him better, to understand His Will and Way. He gave us His Son, our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus to demonstrate the work of His Holy Spirit in the life of man – John 14:16-17; John 16:13; 1Cor.2:12; 2Tim.1:7.
It is not the loving act by itself, but the Spirit of God which generates it that fosters ‘life‘. Yes, we are called to engage in acts of kindness, though we need to learn to love the Love-Giver who inspires the act, not the ‘act of giving’. If we neglect doing this, the act itself still brings about ‘good’, though our and the receiver’s soul will not receive its spiritual nourishment – to increase our love for the Love-Giver – 1Cor.13:1-3.
The ‘Love Chapter’ – 1Cor.13, focuses on the spiritual impact of righteous love on the individual believer – how God’s Love affects our spiritual wellbeing. I see its Truth to be the most important, spiritual and practical revelation by the Spirit of Truth. It distinguishes our God from all other gods by revealing that we need to learn to love Him first before we can rightly love one another – 1Cor.4:6-7; 1Cor.8:1.
Our concern need not to be ‘whether or not God pardons sin unconditionally’. Instead of focusing on ‘sin’ and ‘sinning’, which is present as long as we live, it is more prudent and fruitful to ardently and faithfully love our heavenly Father by our wholeheartedly accepting and receiving His Spirit of Love in our heart and mind. Our life is now <bin the Spirit of Christ Jesus. We are [declare, demonstrate] the Righteousness of God in Christ Jesus by our life of loving trust and faith in Him – 2Cor.5:21; Rom.3:21-22.
Discuss the biblical teaching about God’s anger. How would you present the wrath of the Lord as part of the good news?
I think of God’s “wrath” as best illustrated by the father’s reaction to his prodigal son’s return (Luke 15:20).
In contrast, our conception of God’s “wrath” is often best illustrated by the brother’s reaction (Luke 15:28).
Members we need to that God loves us that’s why He sent His Son to die for me and you according John 3:16
Why I hold fast(cling) to God?
Because I want God in control of my life, I hold onto Him, holding fast to His precepts. Deuteronomy 10:20. Joshua 23:8. Because He is faithful. Psalms 91:4. “He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.” Yes, because I love Him, Joshua 22:5, I will hold onto my faith, to the end, Hebrews 3:6. Again, because He is faithful. Hebrews 10:23. Knowing Christ is faithful over my house, is all the more reason for me to hold fast to Him. Hebrews 3:6. Because He told me to. Revelation 3:11. And because I choose to have the marks of a true Christian. Romans 12:9-21. A tall order. Though there is confidence in the fact that He gives us the power to hold fast. Isaiah 40:29-31.
Again, hold fast
Joshua 22:5. But take careful heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.”