Faith

Sabbath School Class—Life as Discovery and Hope

Full Class Notes (on Friday):  http://ssclassnotes.blogspot.com 

April 11, 2009
Larry R Evans 

Introductory Reflection 

Last week we began our study of key words in the Bible with a major pillar of the Christian faith which is “love.”  We learned that the source of love is God and that the four different words for love used in the New Testament are all anchored in God’s supreme love for us.  This love by God is not built on the premise that something must be returned.  God’s love is not fickle.  God’s love is steadfast and because of this quality of love, at least in part, faith has a solid foundation.  As we will learn from our study this week, we should not confuse “faith” with its “fruit” which is “trust.”  When Joshua was instructed to have the priests carry the ark of the covenant into the heart of the flood-swollen Jordan River with the expectation that the waters would be stopped, he entered into the “process” of faith.  Joshua knew God.  On this basis, his faith-obedience led him to do that which made no sense to unbelieving onlookers.  Joshua’s faith yielded trust and his trust aided others in reinforcing their own faith.  The priests stepped into the river and the waters stood still.  With the symbol of God’s promise resting on the shoulders of the priests, the river bed became dry and “all Israel passed by.”  (Joshua 3).  This lesson is rich in principles for individual faith as well as for all who have a personal influence in a world craving for spiritual leadership. 

Reflective Quiz 

1.       Faith is an emotional response to objective evidence found in God’s Word.  [Heb. 11:1-3, 8]  True or False? 

2.       To reach our full potential we must have faith.  [Eph 2:4-8]  True or False? 

3.       Reasoning powers, in some circumstances, is an appropriate alternative to faith.  [Eph 2:4-8; Prov 14:12]  True or False? 

4.       Faith must have some content or some foundation if it is to be part of our spiritual experience.  [Jn 5:39; 2 Tim 3:15; Rom 12:1-3]  True or False? 

5.       Faith is more than an intellectual conclusion.  [Jas 2:18,19; Ecc. 3:9-14; Isa. 1:18]  True or False? 

6.       Miracles lead to faith.  True or False?  [Lk.16:30,31; Jn 20:27-28] 

7.       Faith precedes “mountains” being moved.  [Matt. 21:-18-22; 1 Cor. 13:2; Joshua 3]  True or False? 

8.       It is possible to develop more faith.  [2 Thess 1:3; Eph.6: 10-18]  True or False? 

9.       We determine how much faith we will  have.  True or False?  [Rom. 10:17; 13:14; 15:14 and Steps to Christ by Ellen White, pp. 112-113] 

10.     Doctrines limit faith.  [Eph. 2:8; 1 Tim. 4:16; Titus 2:1; 1 Pet 1:8] True or False? 

11.     Faith is the foundation of God’s true Church.  [Mt 16:13-19; 1 Pet. 2:4-8]  True or False? 

Conclusion 

[Concluding comments will come later when the full notes are shared – most likely on Friday]

 

 

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