Christianity is a religion of redemption, in which people are saved from the devastation of sin through what someone else − in this case, Jesus − has done for them. Thus, the Christian religion may be distinguished from a religion of law, where one may rectify his or her doom by one’s own efforts at … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: Isa. 35:10, Mark 10:45, Rom. 6:12-23, Eph. 6:12, Col. 1:16, Gal. 4:1-11, Col. 2:15. Memory Text: Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it (Colossians 2:15, NKJV). Key Thought: Christ’s victory on the cross defines the scope of the victory into which the Christian may grow. The amendment to the church’s … Continue reading –>
Read Ellen G. White, “‘God With Us,’” pp. 19-29, in The Desire of Ages; Ivan T. Blazen, “Salvation,” pp. 271-313, in Raoul Dederen (ed.), Handbook of Seventh-day Adventist Theology. “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 … Continue reading –>
I am a Christian, but not an Adventist. My husband follows a different religion. We chose to send our two sons to Zamboanga Adventist Elementary School in the Philippines because we wanted them to study in a school with strong moral values. We looked at several schools, most of which had better facilities, but we … Continue reading –>
[Thought questions for Salvation: The Only Solution October 24, 2012] 1. Salvation the only solution. Since we can’t have a solution without a problem, what is the problem that salvation addresses? If you said, “sin,” what sin or sins are you including? Did Satan’s sin and rebellion long ago define the need and set the stage … Continue reading –>
The experience of justification places within the life of the believer spiritual realities that initiate change in the person’s life. In justification, the sinner is forgiven (Luke 7:47, Eph. 1:7, Rom. 4:7), acquitted of the charges of sin and reckoned righteous (Rom. 5:16, 18; Rom. 8:1), and given the gift of a new life (Eph. 2:1-5, 2 Cor. 5:17). The foundation of this … Continue reading –>
“And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the Lord has said, even among the survivors whom the Lord calls.” Joel 2:32, NIV Many public beaches and pools have lifeguards who dedicate their time to making sure that swimmers … Continue reading –>
The sinner is justified and reconciled on the objective basis of Christ’s atoning sacrifice for all (Rom. 5:6-10). The provision that God has made for the justification and reconciliation of humankind to Himself through the death of Christ needs, however, to be brought into the experience of the believer. It is not enough to just … Continue reading –>
My late father, Richard D. Wilson, was known for such pithy one-liners. He first slung this one at me on a long, hot family road trip to Florida. It was one of those classic family car scenarios – ever-vibrating little kids in the back seat, parents sitting like sentinels in the front, occasionally shouting commands to … Continue reading –>
And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom [is] as the sand of the sea. And they went … Continue reading –>
Key Thought : Eternal destruction awaits all who live on earth, but God has provided the only solution through Jesus’ sacrifice which provides forgiveness, justification, and restoration. [Teaching plan for “Salvation: The Only Solution” October 22, 2012] 1. Have a volunteer read James 5:1-7. A. Ask class members to share a short thought on what … Continue reading –>
Throughout salvation history, starting with the first gospel promise (Gen. 3:15), through the early sacrificial system (Gen. 4:4), the covenant with Abram (Gen. 12:1-3), and then the Israelite sanctuary service (Exod. 25:8)-everything was to point to, and climax in, the life, death, resurrection, and heavenly ministry of Jesus Christ, God’s ultimate provision to solve the sin problem. The … Continue reading –>
