Daily Lesson for Friday 21st of February 2025
Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com
“The plan for our redemption was not an afterthought, a plan formulated after the fall of Adam. It was a revelation of ‘the mystery which hath been kept in silence through times eternal.’ Romans 16:25, R. V. It was an unfolding of the principles that from eternal ages have been the foundation of God’s throne. From the beginning, God and Christ knew of the apostasy of Satan, and of the fall of man through the deceptive power of the apostate. God did not ordain that sin should exist, but He foresaw its existence, and made provision to meet the terrible emergency. So great was His love for the world, that He covenanted to give His only-begotten Son, ‘that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ John 3:16.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 22.
Discussion Questions
- If God does not always get what He wants, how does this fact impact the way you think about what occurs in this world? What are the practical implications of understanding that God has unfulfilled desires?
- If we go back to the cake analogy in Thursday’s study, we can understand why, even though “God and Christ knew of the apostasy of Satan,” they went ahead and created us anyway. Love had to be in the mix, and love meant freedom. Rather than not create us as beings able to love, God created us so that we could love, but He did so knowing that, ultimately, it would lead Jesus to the cross. What should it tell us about how sacred, how fundamental, love was to God’s government that Christ would suffer on the cross rather than deny us the freedom inherent in love?
- Often we lament the evil and suffering in this world, but how often do you take time to ponder that God Himself laments and is grieved by suffering and evil? What difference does it make to your understanding of evil and suffering when you recognize that God Himself suffers because of evil?
- How does this truth—that many things happen in this world that God does not will—help you deal with your own suffering, especially when it doesn’t make sense and seems to lead to no good at all?
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<–Thursday
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You would have to be a hermit to miss the conflicts that have killed hundreds of thousands of people in the last three years. Many of the victims are civilians who would normally be going about their daily lives, shopping, teaching, building, playing, and romancing. But with deadly frequency, their lives have not only been interrupted but terminated.
It is easy for me, on the other side of the world to to debate the theology of good and evil, in the comfort on my home were the only noise is the rumble of traffic on M1. It reminds me of my trip to Iran. I have crossed Iran from east to west and looked at its huge cities, its modern highways, its deserts, and its pasturelands. I did it all from a height of 11 km in a flying aluminium tube. Did I see Iran? Yes, and what I saw was pretty impressive. But, I did not experience Iran. At home at the time I was working on my PhD with a fellow researcher, who was Iranian. I experienced more of Iran in my research office from my coworker than I could ever experience flying over the country.
Likewise, for many of us, the big evils of this world are viewed from a distance, but there are people within our own horizon who are experiencing evil and pain. That is where our theology must hit the road and work out in practice.
God did not sit in heaven, isolated from the problem of sin, but became human and experienced sin first-hand.
God did not fly over the problem he came down and was touched by our pain and struggle.
Understanding that God does not always get what He desires highlights the depth of human freedom and the seriousness of love in His government. Love cannot be forced—it must be freely given. This truth explains why God, though knowing the fall of man, still created us: love was worth the risk.
Recognizing that God grieves over evil and suffering helps shift our perspective. Instead of seeing Him as distant or indifferent, we understand that He is personally affected by our pain. This makes suffering less about a divine test and more about a shared burden—God suffers with us.
The reality that not everything happening in the world is God's will reassures us that suffering is not always a divine punishment or a predetermined plan. Instead, it is often the result of human choices and the great conflict between good and evil. This understanding helps us trust God even in moments when suffering seems senseless, knowing that He is working toward ultimate restoration.
The question is asked:"What difference does it make to your understanding of evil and suffering when you recognize that God Himself suffers because of evil?" My response follows:
Recognizing that God Himself suffers because of evil profoundly impacts our understanding of both evil and suffering. It reveals that God is not distant or indifferent to the pain and injustice in the world; instead, He is deeply involved and experiences sorrow alongside us. This realization shifts the perspective from seeing God as merely a judge of evil to one who also bears the weight of it.
The suffering of Jesus on the cross exemplifies this truth. God willingly entered into our broken world, took on human flesh, and endured suffering, rejection, and death. In doing so, He demonstrates that He is not immune to the consequences of evil—He shares in our pain and is actively working to redeem it.
This understanding offers comfort, knowing that we serve a compassionate God who fully understands our struggles. It also assures us that evil and suffering are not the end of the story. God's participation in suffering points toward a future where He will ultimately overcome evil, heal wounds, and restore all things. His shared suffering becomes a source of hope, reminding us that we are never alone in our pain, and that God is actively working toward our deliverance and ultimate victory over evil.
‘Further Thoughts’ quotes Ellen White: “The Plan for our redemption was not an afterthought, a plan formulated after the fall of Adam.” “It was an unfolding of the principles that from eternal ages have been the foundation of God’s throne.”
What have we learned from Adam and Eve’s experience? Do we still doubt God’s benevolent Will and plan for our redemption? Do we still hesitate between choices? Do we still straddle the fence, unsure if He is worthy of our trust?
Our ever loving, caring, and compassionately just Creator God is waiting for us to freely give Him all that we are for Him to form in us again His Image. Do we trust Him enough to give our will into His hands?
He desires for us to choose Him because we love Him for who He IS; not because He ‘offers the better deal’. He wants to free us from our self-serving kind of love by offering us His God-centered, selfless Love instead.
God’s sovereignty and human responsibility are often placed together in Scripture.
The Sovereign divine work of God is proclaimed by Christ to Nicodemus in Jn 3:3-8: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again/from above he cannot see the kingdom of God…unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above. The wind blows where it wills and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who. It’s born of the Spirit.”
Human responsibility made clear in v10-v18. “…All who believe will in Him have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life… He who believes in Him is not judged…”
Jn 6:35,36: “I am the bread of life; he who come to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe (Human responsibility)
Jn 6:37-39 “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to me I will certainly not cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing but raise it up on the last day.” (Divine Sovereignty)
Jn 6:40: “This is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life and I Myself will raise Him up on the last day.”(Human responsibility)
Divine Sovereignty: “No one can come to Me (believe) unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught of God’. Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me (Jn 6:44,45)
Human responsibility: “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life.” (Jn 6:47)
“All things have been handed to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the son, and anyone to whom the Son will to reveal Him (Matt 11:27) (Divine Sovereignty)
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest…(Mt 11:28-30) (Human responsibility)
Acts 2:23; 44:227,28 - Divine Sovereignty and Human responsibility together.
“Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off…” (Acts 2:38,39a) - Human responsibility.
“…as many as the Lord Our God will call to Himself.” (Acts 2:39b) - Divine Sovereignty
Both tenets are placed side by side. God has nothing to hide. Praise the Lord.