Friday: Further Thought – Back to Egypt
All through the book of Jeremiah, as through all the Bible, we are confronted with the question of good and evil. And as Christians we know good from evil, because God has defined these terms for us in many different ways. (See, for example, Rom. 7:7, Mic. 6:8, Josh. 24:15, Matt. 22:37-39, Deut. 12:8.) But what if you don’t believe in God? 
How can you know good from evil? Well, atheist author Sam Harris has a suggestion. He wrote a book called The Moral Landscape, in which he argues that good and evil can and should be understood only in terms of science. That is, the same way that science has helped us understand the difference between the strong nuclear force and the weak nuclear force, it should help us know right from wrong, and good from evil. He even speculates that science might one day cure evil. Consider what would happen if we discovered a cure for human evil. Imagine, for the sake of argument, that every relevant change in the human brain can be made cheaply, painlessly, and safely. The cure for psychopathy can be put directly into the food supply like vitamin D. Evil is now nothing more than a nutritional deficiency.
–The Moral Landscape, How Science Can Determine Human Values (New York: Simon & Schuster, Inc., 2010), Kindle Edition, p. 109. Most scientists, however, even those who don’t believe in God, would have a problem believing that science can solve these problems. If, however, you don’t believe in God, where else can you find these solutions?
Discussion Questions:
With us, everything depends on how we accept the Lord’s terms.
-Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, book one, p. 118. Why is it a mistake to assume that salvation comes with no condition? Conditions are not the same things as works, or something that gives us merit before God. How can we learn to differentiate between the false teaching of salvation by works (legalism) and the false teaching that salvation is non-conditional (cheap grace)?- Dwell more on the difficult question at the end of Thursday’s study. If someone says:
I don’t believe in Jesus, I don’t even believe in God, and yet look at how well my life is going. In fact, I would say that my life is going better than yours, and you are a Christian,
how would you respond?
(12)
I would say this...Your life is temporal my life is eternal.
Responding to Question 2:
Your life is but of this world only , and that shows how miserable you are !
Mark 6:36 for what does it profit a man to gain the world, and lose his own soul. Therefore, they are concerned about the temporal things, but we are concerned about eternal things.
I would say: we each measure success differently!
yes your life might be all that you are looking for,but when it is over what does it profit you.what do you have to look forward to but the grave.Is not that vanity.What profit a man if he gain the world and lose his soul.
I would not comment on my life at all. I would say, "look at Jesus' life here on earth. Look at how He was treated. Should I expect better?"
(And we do have it better).
When He returns it will be too late to believe in Him; do it now.
My answer to that question is your happiness stop here.But after Christ found me mine is for ever and will never grow old. That's what he promise and that's what I believe.
"...In fact, I would say that my life is going better than yours, and you are a Christian,” how would you respond?"
Outwardly, yes, your life is better than mine. Perhaps you have houses and land; perhaps you have all the advantages of financial security; but I have something I don't think you can have. I am content with my lot, and I have a peace that cannot be bought. Perhaps your security rests, ultimately, on your money; mine is based on something other than money and circumstances. If your employment were to end, your investments failed, resources spent, and you are denied help by the State, ponder the thought that there is another way, a meek and lowly way, that brings security and happiness to the weary soul.
Define better! Better by financial standards may not be by moral standards! Better health? Better how? With Jesus all things work TOGETHER for better!
I would suggest "better" generally in terms of externals. Better clothes, better car, better homes, etc. But even poor non-Christians will sometimes say that their lives are "better", because they believe it is better to live by sight rather than by faith.
They assume it is better to use all their income on themselves, instead of giving 10 percent to God. They assume it is better to indulge appetite (in various ways); "better" to be laughing and having "fun" almost all the time. (But of course this doesn't last long.)"Better" to trust science, because science has the power to save us, and to save our world. Simply "better" not to be gullible (Christian)... as some non-Christians might say.
But in the end it is all foolishness. All those imaginary "better lives" are wasted... vanity of vanities... it is all a tragic waste.