Friday: Further Thought ~ Death in a Sinful World
Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, “The Temptation and Fall,” Pages 52-62 and “The Plan of Redemption,” Pages 63-70, in Patriarchs and Prophets; “The Knowledge of Good and Evil,” Pages 23-27, in Education.
Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com
In recent years, studies have been done on what is called Near Death Experiences (NDEs). What happens is that people “die,” in that their hearts stop beating, and they stop breathing. However, they then come back to life, but with fantastic stories of floating into another realm of existence and meeting a being of light. Some even talk about meeting long-dead relatives. Many people, even Christians, who don’t understand the truth about death, believe that these stories are more proof of the immortality of the soul. However (and this should be the clearest warning that something is amiss), most who have these experiences claim that the spiritual beings whom they had met during the NDEs gave them comforting words, nice statements about love, peace, and goodness. But they hear nothing about salvation in Christ, nothing about sin, and nothing about judgment. While getting a taste of the Christian afterlife, shouldn’t they have gotten at least a smidgen of the most basic Christian teachings along with it? Yet, what they’re taught sounds mostly like New Age dogma, which could explain why, in many cases, they come away less inclined toward Christianity than they were before having “died.” Also, why did none of the Christians, convinced that their NDEs were a preview of the Christian heaven, ever get any Christian theology while there, as opposed to a big dose of New Age sentimentalism? The answer is that they were being deceived by the same one who deceived Eve in Eden, and with the same lie, too. (See lesson 11.)
Discussion Questions:
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There is a tendency to use these lessons as a form of reiteration or reinforcement that Seventh-day Adventist doctrine is right and "the others" have got it wrong. There is nothing wrong with reminding ourselves of what we believe, but it should be in a framework of how we relate our beliefs to others. As I have mentioned a couple of times this week, it makes no sense to talk about life after death to those (a majority in our part of the world) who believe that this life is all we have; full stop!
The interesting thing is that many of my atheist friends have a view of ethics and morality that is remarkably Christian. They believe in unselfish love and support for the weak and disadvantaged. They understand the importance of loving relationships. They believe in honesty and integrity, and so on. These sorts of values run counter to the competitive survival proposed by evolution. When asked why they do these things, they simply say that they do it for the greater good of humanity or similar. They talk about history being the judge of their actions. Most of them, if asked, reject Christianity because of the hypocrisy of those who identify as Christians. They have observed both historically and currently the issues of control through denial and persecution; the issue of moral integrity in the sexual conduct of ministers and priests, and the pyramid-sales-like structures of the prosperity gospel. They reject that sort of Christianity but accept the "love thy neighbour", do good to them that hate you" way of life that Jesus lived and promoted.
Yet, if they think about it, they have taken on values that are so contrary to the notion of competitive evolution. Why help the weak? Why encourage the downtrodden? They reject the sort of social evolution that was promoted by Engels and Marx.
I often use the expression, "anonymous Christians" to describe these folk. They are not going to be proselytized into a church but they do provide us with an example of unselfish love expressed in their relationship with others. They do not expect a reward. They practice unselfish love because it is right. I am tempted to suggest that they would be surprised by eternal life.
Amen Brother.
The lesson study does not bring in answers for todays post-modern world but seems to focus on a group that believes in spiritualism, which as you allude to may be a very small group.
The theology of the origin of sin and death, the great controversy need to be made relevant to todays people but somehow we dont have it in us still to address them.
#3 What should we do to avoid falling away?
Lay aside all malice, deciet, hipacrocy, envy, rather as newborn babies desire the pure milk of God's word, which will facilitate your growth in Christ. In it you will find the gracious Loving Saviour. Maintain your life with Christ. 1Peter 2:24. Jude 20-21. Keep the life in Christ alive by sharing it.
What did I discover about death this week?
It is the opposite of Eternal Life.
God gave Eternal Life as a gift to Adam and Eve on condition that they loved, worshipped and served Him and obeyed His commands.
3 times the word "command" is used:
God commanded them not to eat of that tree - or else!
He asked them - did you eat of the tree I commanded you not to eat?
He announced their punishment - because you ate of the tree I commanded you not to eat.
He told them the consequence of disobeying would be that He would take back the gift of Eternal Life.
Education pg 25
The lesson was about 'death in a sinful world', but like Maurice, I want to suggest to consider responding to the consequences of sin from the understanding that we are still 'save'. As Maurice expressed, even those who do not join an organized religion can believe in the second most important principle of God - love your neighbor and live accordingly.
Yes, God’s appointed, by Him with great powers endowed archangel became His adversary. Yes, he devised a plan to wrestle creative authority away from God, but I now prefere to focus on the consequences of sin as a call to know/understand where and how the war over the living soul is being fought. The price at stake is the true life of the living soul.
I think it much more important to know the Plan of Salvation as designed by our Maker/God to rescue man instead of looking back to the 'Paradise lost'.
Our testimony to the world is our gratefulness and joy in our Salvation, because God did not ‘loose any time’ to implement His rescue plan, knowing His adversary’s power of persuasion costing lives every minute.
The world wants to know that God is ready to do whatever it takes to come to mankind's aid! Man's focus ought to again be on Him. There is nothing to add to what our Savior told all who believe – Matt.22:36-40 - ”Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and prophets hang on these two commandments.”
I'm thankful for our lessons.
In our world today most believe in evolution which of course demolishes the whole idea that death entered the world because of sin. Theistic evolution, which has even entered some of the Adventist educational centers, is even worse. Theistic evolution has God creating through the means of death and survival of the fittest. That would mean sin did not bring death, if God used death to create.
To me, it seems very important to see in the Genesis account how things really began. The whole concept of salvation and the true nature of sin is built upon the foundation in the Genesis of beginnings.
The back ground of evolution, (not just atheist, but theistic evolution) turns everything upside down and any concept of salvation becomes more of mankind evolving into a more noble being, for the common good, superhuman level, and any recognition of Christ's death and "salvation" ends up simply as facilitating that development for the human race to enter into the next level.
But what is salvation from sin Biblically?
1 Peter 2:24 Christ --Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
Hebrews 9:22 without shedding of blood there is no remission.
In the garden, God said " the day that you eat thereof you shall surely die."
They would have died and that would have been their end -- but something else died, a substitute, and they were granted a second chance.
They were clothed with garments --" the LORD God made coats of skins, and clothed them"
A substitute was sacrificed, all pointing to Christ, our substitute, Who died that we may be clothed with His robe of righteousness.
"the reason why man was not annihilated was because God so loved him that He made the gift of His dear Son that He should suffer the penalty of his transgression. Christ proposed to become man's surety and substitute, that man, through matchless grace, should have another trial--a second probation" (1888 Materials 814)
Yes, many may have a sense of morality, but morality, as good as it is, can not save anyone. Yes, godly love, and obedience to God's law, are to become part of our very nature through our connection with Christ. God's law is not arbitrary, it is the way of truth and life. But our love and attempts to keep God's law does not save us.
"Only by accepting Christ as a personal Saviour, can human beings be uplifted. Beware of any theory that would lead men to look for salvation from any other source than that pointed out in the Word. Only through Christ can men sunken in sin and degradation be led to a higher life. Theories that do not recognize the atonement that has been made for sin, and the work that the Holy Spirit is to do in the hearts of human beings, are powerless to save. {SpM 343.3}