"Love"

Sabbath School Class—Life as Discovery and Hope

Reflective Quiz:  http://ssclassnotes.blogspot.com 

April 4, 2009
Larry R Evans 

Introductory Reflection 

What is love?  How does it come about?  Can love really exist if it isn’t shared?  Is it possible for love to exist if it is only one way?  When Scripture tells us that “God so loved the world” (Jn 3:16) and that “God demonstrates his own love for us in this:  While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom 5:8), is it suggesting that that kind of love is possible by God’s children—a one way kind of love?  This suggests that God loved us before we were able to love back.  Can we do the same with those who do not love us back?  Is it possible to reveal love when the possibility for it being returned is unlikely?  

This week’s lesson isn’t about sentimentalism.  It is about a kind of love that is unnatural in our world . . . nevertheless it is present.  There are evidences that God has poured out His Holy Spirit and that same godly love that was shown by Christ is being shown all around us.  While sin seems to abound we must not become so pessimistic as to suggest that there is no evidence of God’s love shining through His followers.  Let’s begin our study believing in the power of God’s love to change us.  The next step is to let that love show itself to others unconditionally – whether our love is returned or not. 

Reflective Quiz 

1.       God can best be described as “having love.”  [1 Jn 4:8]  True or False? 

2.       God needs love.  [1 Jn 4:8; Jn 3:16]  True or False? 

3.       God’s love has progressively developed as He patiently guided His people through good and bad times.  [Jer 31:3; James 1:17]  True or False? 

4.       Divine justice is the theme of the Old Testament while divine love is the emphasis of the New Testament?  [Gen. 19:23-29; 1 Jn 4:8; Isa 53:5; Lk 13:1-8]  True or False? 

5.       Conversion is a shift away from the love of self to the love for God and to the love of others.  [Rom 7:21-25; Gal 2:20]  True or False? 

6.       A truly converted person will not be “anti-homosexual.”  [Jn 3:16-18 and 19:38-40]  True or False 

7.       God understands our heartaches and does not expect us to love those who continue to sin against us.  [Rom 5:8; Matt 5:43-48; 1 Pet 1:22 and 2:9,10]  True or False? 

8.       The true test of a servant is how one responds when being treated like a servant.  [Lk 21:1-4; 11:14-16, 27-28; 2 Cor 5:14-17]  True or False? 

Conclusion 

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

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