Sabbath: Education and Redemption
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Sabbath Afternoon
Read for This Week’s Study: Genesis 1.26-27; Isa: 11:1-9; 2 Tim: 3:14-17; 1 Kings 4:29-34; John 14:17; 1 Cor: 2:1-16.
Memory Text: “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).
The Bible tells a long story about God and His people. Sometimes it is viewed as a love story gone awry, at least temporarily. Or it can be seen as a story of a father and His rebellious children who, eventually, come around.
But for the purposes of this week’s teaching, we will discover in the Bible story another theme, namely, that of a teacher and his students. They keep failing their tests, but he patiently explains their lessons again and again, until, at last, some learn it.
The Bible story is not unlike our own human stories that we know so well – with one exception. The story of God and His people is assured of a good ending, of reaching its goal. Divine grace toward His people assures that outcome. The human responsibility in this relationship has often been misunderstood and even dreaded by many who have thought of it as onerous. But in fact, the Bible story is essentially an invitation to know God and understand His will. Indeed, learning to know God is our foremost response to His grace. We cannot earn such grace, but we can learn it, and what is Christian education if not, at its core, education teaching us about this grace?
Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, November 21.
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My earliest recollection of the word "redeemed" was when we used to sing the song "Redeemed, How I Love to Proclaim it!" in church. We had a lady in the congregation with a loud voice and when it came to the chorus her voice rose above the rest of the congregation as she sang "Redeemed, Redeemed, Redeemed bu the blood of the lamb" It made a pretty lasting impression on the mind of a 4-year-old child.
Redemption is at the heart of Christianity, but one of the problems we have is that we find it very hard to explain it to unchurched folk. We are good at explaining it to one another, quoting a lot of Bible texts that use the word, but what is redemption in a practical sense for folk who have no sense for the need of redemption.
Here are a couple of questions to think about this week.
The connection is made between education and redemption. Do we learn redemption or learn about redemption?
Is redemption a definable state of being?
Is redemption the same as salvation?
Hopefully, by the end of this week, we will have a more experiential understanding of what we mean when we talk about redemption.
Thanks for helping us to think outside the box each day as we study our Sabbath School Lessons. Just as Jesus used earthly stories to teach us of heavenly matters, you use your life experience to get us to think in practicality about this Christian road we are on, and the work of being disciples.
Comparison is the thief of joy, perusing the different comments helps everyone, as we do not all learn in the same manner. Jesus knew stories reached people moreso than anything else, it is for that reason He used parables...
Thanks Bro Maurice and all those who contribute to make lesson study something to look forward to. God bless you all always.
I remember redeemed to this day helping with my wife who was deputy director of Pathfinders. The song was "I am redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, I am redeemed and I know that I am. I am redeemed by the blood of the lamb, praise the Lord and I know that I am. I am redeemed, I am redeemed, I am redeemed.
Come to with me to my heavenly home, come go with me to my heavenly home...saved by grace and I know that I am. Praise the Lord, I am redeemed, I am redeemed."
To this day I sing it to myself while driving along in my car. It squlches doubt rapidly, before it rears it ugly head, almost as well as reading Bible promises.
God has never removed the possibility of doubt. Our faith must rest upon evidence, not demonstration. Those who wish to doubt will have opportunity; while those who really desire to know the truth will find plenty of evidence on which to rest their faith. SC 105.2
that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God(the blood of the Lamb). 1Corinthians 2:5.
So well said! Thank you so much for the reminder that we must stamp down doubt before it even rears its head and hanging on/ reciting Bible truths and looking for the evidence in our lives is exactly what we should do.
And when doubt does arise ask God to do a miracle in your life! Just that simple, Lord, please show up in my life and help me with my unbelief! He will do just what He promised to do!
Redemption is a theme that reminds us how much God loves us. “Christ is waiting with longing desire for the manifestation of Himself in His church. When the character of Christ shall be perfectly reproduced in His people, then He will come to claim them as His own."—Christ's Object Lessons, p. 69.
As sinners redeemed by the blood of the lamb, our lifestyle needs to show that we have been transformed. That is why we are worshipping God, we need to do it with our hearts and whole being.
God has invested His very best in us. What does He expect in return? He wants us to be grateful and a sanctified life. The world longs for Christians who have been redeemed/transformed by His love. COVID has been spread throughout the world maybe by a couple. It is contagious disease. Can you imagine if we can spread God’s love the same as COVID-19? The world would be infected by His love and transformed? How do we do it? Brother Maurice is right when he says that we have a hard time reaching the unchurched. Fellow Christians: let us pray for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and God will give us the strategy to reach the unchurched. Then, they will know our redeemer and experience His love and mercy. Happy sabbath and stayed bless.
The purpose of Redemption is the restoration of the image of the LORD in us and the method is Education.
This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. John 17:3, 2Peter 1:2-3
This week's study guides are about the purpose and process of Education in the Word of the LORD.
Shirley - again, a heartfelt 'Thank you'! for researching Ellen White's writings for nuggets of wisdom relevant to the lesson and sharing them with the class. 🙂
When someone else WRONGS ME, it is MY responsibility to go to them for reconciliation?
I thought about your question for a minute and realized this is what God is doing for us. I have wronged Him more times than I can count in just one day. Yet He still loves me and bids me to come to Him...and is willing to forgive me. What a merciful and loving God He is!
Mike- I was thinking, is there a place in the bible where Jesus went to any human to be reconciled who had wrong him? What about the disciples? Does reconciling with another means we have to go to each person, call, email, text them etc. Could it be that we misunderstood the meaning of this word?
Jesus came to reconcile the world, mainly humans back to him. We wrong him, he did not wrong us. Col 1:19-21.
Many people had wrong the disciples, did the disciples go to them and confess/reconcile that they (disciples) were wrong?
Acts 9:23-27.
What about when Paul reaped havoc in the churches, did the disciples went to him and reconcile that they were wrong?
I believe to reconcile means to mediate, to establish peace between people who are fighting with each other.
If you are personally involved and someone has hurt you, don't wait for them so say sorry, go to them and tell them you forgive them, that is reconciliation.
I do not believe that to reconcile means you must confess you were wrong if it was the other person who was wrong, like Jesus forgave those who crucified Him, like those whom Paul persecuted had done nothing wrong but I am sure they forgave him by the love of God in their hearts. In the Lord's Prayer we ask for forgiveness from God based on our forgiving those who have hurt us.
However I have discovered that in an argument, most times, both bare some of the responsibility for the disagreement, and it helps to acknowledge your share in the issue.
Jesus said: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they are the children of God
“the action of regaining or gaining possession of something in exchange for payment, or clearing a debt.”
That is the 2nd description of the word “redemption” in the dictionary. I like this description because, like collecting and taking old, seemingly useless cans and bottles back to the redemption center, Christ picks us up, clears our debt with His own blood and brings us back to a right relationship with God.
The lesson writer mentions that we will “discover in the Bible story another theme, that of a teacher and his students.” I join Maurice that: “Hopefully, by the end of this week, we will have a more experiential understanding of what we mean when we talk about redemption.” I do not have a study guide and cannot study ahead, but hope that I'll pass. 🙂
The lesson writer also notes that: ‘they keep failing their tests, but he patiently explains their lessons again and again, until at last, some learn it.”
In my view, it is not a matter of ‘some learn it’, it is more about the environment being supportive of the ability to learn it; it appears that it was a gradual process of a combination of factors – classroom environment, ‘home’-environment as well as religious establishment ‘censored/manipulated’ lesson guides; the students did their best to learn the lessons under these extenuating circumstances.
In my opinion, this lesson proofs that we are still clarifying the question: ‘Why Redemption, from what and for what’? Those who believe as well as those who do not believe in God and therefore are not aware of a need for redemption, would benefit from clearly understanding/knowing the answer to these questions.
The lesson teacher can still only do so much – the same extenuating circumstances still encumber our learning, but now we have the Holy Spirit which, if asked, will lead us to understand the answers to these fundamental questions. Shirley provided Ellen White’s statement: “In the highest sense, the work of education and the work of redemption are one” – 1Cor.3:11KJV. The Wisdom of Scripture is wonderful! 😊
Providing my answers to Maurice’s questions:
1 - In this virtual classroom we learn 'about' Redemption – dictionary definition: ‘the action of saving or being saved from sin, error or evil’ . Luke21:26-28KJV.
2 - The noun ‘Redemption’ relates to the concept of Redemption; the life after accepting the concept of Redemption is ‘a definable state of being’ - it is experiential.
3 - As a process, they are the same, two sides of the same coin, when used as a noun, they are not. Accepting the concept of Redemption is at the beginning of ones walk by Faith, the concept of Salvation is at the end of the reunification process with God; when used as an action-verb, both depict the process of being redeemed/saved as we continue to live in a fallen world.
If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murdered, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. 1 Peter 4:14-16.
Education and Redemption
'But in fact, the Bible story is essentially an invitation to know God and understand His will. Indeed, learning to know God is our foremost response to His grace.'
The purpose of the bible is to know God and understand his will. I am a SDA for many years but today I had an eye opener. This became clearer to me. It appeared my mind's eye was just opened. I was listening to someone reading today and they stated- Before we can obtain the character of Christ, we must first partake in his suffering. Which means, we have to suffer as Christ did as he represented his father while he was living on this earth. In so doing like him, while we are representing our heavenly Father on earth we will go through trials and troubles. As we overcome and become victorious, we will obtain the same Holy Spirit like him.
In my personal devotional life morning/evening, I was praying for years to have the character of Jesus. Gal 5:22-23. When I was finished, I had to deal with my household as well as go to work. I never equate the struggles and suffering that I face day to day (the same as Jesus) was for the purpose of having the character of Jesus.
I guess I should have enjoyed the trials and troubles more readily instead of complaining. The saying- no crown without the cross means more to me now. Many wants to wear the crown without suffering and bearing the cross.
Something or someone can only be redeem if they/it was lost. Human being became lost in the garden of Eden. So close but still so far. Jesus came to buy back humans with his own blood and replace back into man his character pre-sin as is written in Gal 5:23-23. The same character that Christ had while he lived on this earth. In so doing Jesus lived a sinless life. He lived above these sins (Gal 5:15-21.)
By beholding we become changed. Change comes by repetition. Husbands and wives living together so long can finish each other sentences. Christ wants to come and restore in us himself.
Redemption: Jesus died for all humanity so that all may have eternal life.
Salvation: Those who will enter millennium in heaven with Jesus.
I hear what you are saying Gin Lian Mung, but I need to ask the question: is redemption just about the future and eternal life? And the follow-up question is what does redemption mean about the present?
I am not dismissing the idea of eternal life, but it is a pretty hard sell to tell an atheist that redemption (eternal life) is a good idea. If redemption is something that we can talk to secularly minded folk we need to think in terms of what redemption means now.
Hint: have a look at the use of the word "redeemed" and its derivatives in the Bible. The big picture meaning that comes through every time is the notion of restoration and recovery. Is that something that is meaningful in the present and provides a basis for talking our secular friends.
As I starting reading this week's lesson today, Sabbath and Sunday's lesson, it made me think of Redemption in terms of a Parent and Child Relationship (also, the Sabbath School lesson has many references about this too).
Most of you may not have bad children, the kind that argue and curse you out of your name every chance he/she can. I do not have any children, so that is not my experience, but I know of families that are dealing with this family issue on a daily basis.
But just imagine for a moment that the child that you raise, feed, providing food, clothing, and shelter, is now ungrateful, and unholy, and calling you every name but a child of God. Those parents are saying to themselves: What do I do wrong to cause my child to act in this way? Why does my child hate me so much? These questions do not have a simple answer because it could involve mental illness, or selfishness, or just the act of a rebellious child trying to claim his/her independence.
Like the Prodigal Son, who selfishly left his Father's household to claim his independence, and failed badly. When the Son came to himself and realize that he is/was better off when he was with his Father, he decided to return home. The Father ran to embraces him, forgave him, restored him to his previous position in the family (he didn't restore him as a servant, as the son presumed his father might do).
Jesus told us this story because it is the story of our existence, the story of our wayward relationship with God. We were ungrateful, unholy, disbelieving, and often tried God in order to claim our own independence (do things our own way). It is the same dynamics as how a Rebellious child treats their earthly parents. As the Father received and restores the Prodigal son, God our Father, through His Son, Jesus Christ, is waiting, and all Heaven rejoices, when one sinner is restored back to the Family of God.
There's so much to learn about Redemption.
Be blessed everyone!
The present reality of redemption for me is
(1) the assurance I have in my Redeemer that this mortal body turn into immortal body.
(2). The hope of eternal life that I have beyond this evil present age
( 3). Peace of mind amid trouble.
(4) My life is meaningful
re·demp·tion
noun
1.the action of saving or being saved from sin, error, or evil.
"God's plans for the redemption of his world"
2.the action of regaining or gaining possession of something in exchange for payment, or clearing a debt.
Seems to be another word for being saved, or salvation. When does this take place? Depends on what "level" we are talking about doesn't it? We are saved from the penalty/wages of sin by the death of Jesus in our stead. We are saved from the power and control of sin by His power through Truth and the Holy Spirit in our life. We are saved from the presence and effects of sin when this present world is made new.
We first experience salvation/redemption when we receive Jesus, and believe on His name, and at that time are passed from death to life(John 1:12; 5:24).
True education will highlight this vital knowledge of salvation/redemption. It should not be eclipsed by any other subject of study, and should be the constant theme and focus. It was the reformer Martin Luther that advised parents not "to place his child where the Scriptures do not reign paramount. Every institution in which men are not unceasingly occupied with the word of God must become corrupt".
The theme of this Word is redemption in Christ.