"Apostles and the Law"

Sabbath School Teacher for
June 14, 2014

Larry R. Evans
[Hopefully the full notes will be added by Friday. This post only has the introduction and questions for class]
 
Introduction
I was in the jungles of Papua New Guinea and was about to leave a village when a large group of members gathered around me.  They were very serious and wanted to ask a question before I left.  They wanted to know if the Sunday law was enforce in the United States.  Apparently they had heard on an Adventist TV program something that led them to believe that it was either enforced or was about to be. Anxiety filled the jungle air.

A few years before this, I was subpoenaed to appear in court as an “expert witness” (a claim that I never made!).  It was a hearing for a murder.  Three offshoot Adventists had decided another family of Adventists were demon possessed and needed to be removed.  One was killed and two others were wounded. Fortunately my testimony was quoted in the newspapers and separated the Adventist Church from both the comments in the courtroom and the radical actions of the few.

Both examples are extreme and certainly do not represent the Seventh-day Adventist Church.  Extremists have always been a challenge for God’s church through the ages. The apostles record the struggle throughout their writings. We will learn from our lesson today that extreme views of law and grace are nothing new.  Theology can be dangerous to our physical health both now, as in the case of the murder I mentioned, but more likely to our spiritual relationship with Jesus and with others.  Theology, a true understanding of God and His plan for each of us, can be a source of joy, guidance and assurance. This is the goal for our study today.  

Reflective Quiz
1. The standard for righteousness is God’s law but the means for salvation has changed once Jesus died for us.  (Rom. 3:28-31; 7:4, 7-12; Gal. 3:13, 20-21; Gen. 15:12-18)  True or False?

2. Linked with being God’s chosen people is the keeping of God’s covenant. (1 Peter 2:9; Ex. 19:6)  True or False?

3. Obeying God is part of remaining in a relationship with God. (John 15:1-11; 1 John 2:3-6)  True or False?

4. The expectation of obedience denies true love. (2 John 6; John 14:15)

5.  Paul and James were not in agreement when it came to the law.  (Ephesians 2:8,9; James 2:26) True or False?

6. According to Jude 4, grace is a perversion of the law? (Jude 4-7; Hebrews 3:7-9)  True or False?

7. Salvation is like a scale with keeping the law on one side and grace on the other side.  (Ephesians 3:8-10)  True or False?

Concluding Thoughts

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Preparing a People

[ There will be no additional study notes this week.] October 10, 2009 Larry R Evans Reflective Introduction It has been said that “A society of sheep must in time beget a government of wolves.” (Marcus Aurelius Antonius). Think about that a moment in the context of our lesson for this week. God in His infinite wisdom knew precisely what unbridled human nature is capable of doing. With this large desert-wandering congregation now freed from slavery, He sought to establish a sense of community among His people—a kind of community that would stick together in the coming promised land. Wolves would arise among the sheep. He knew that. He anticipated this happening so rules were created to protect the sheep though even then His rules were open to abuse. The family unit was the foundation for this new community yet it was the very object of attack. Infidelity and distrust within the family happened and still happens today. Is there any hope? The lesson today is f...
Read more

Who Was Jesus?

Sabbath School Class—Life as Discovery and Hope April 5, 2008 Larry R Evans Due to travel and various appointments there will be no additional class notes this week. See Reflective Review below. Quiz for Reflection 1. The disciples, as students of Scripture, recognized that Elijah was to return. [Mt 16:13-15; 1 Ki 18:16-46; Mal 4:5,6] True or False? 2. Prophetically speaking, Christ was Elijah. [Mal 4:5,6; Jn 1:19-23; Mk 1:2-8] True or False? 3. The Bible teaches supernaturalism—a foundational presupposition of biblical faith. [Mt 1:20,21; 1 Cor 15:13; 1 Thess 4:13-18] True or False? 4. Emphasizing the historical aspects of one’s faith is a 20 th century phenomena. [Deut 6:4-12; 1 Cor 11:23-26] True or False? 5. Coming to Jesus is a personal decision and not a theological one. [Mt 11:28; 16:13-20] True or False? 6. It is more difficult to accept Jesus today as the Messiah than it was in His own day? True or...
Read more

“Jesus and the Johannine Letters” OR How to Respond in Times of a Church Crisis

[Due to other responsibilities there will no additional study notes this week] July 4, 2009 Larry R Evans Introductory Reflections We now begin a series of studies of 1,2 and 3John. We will discover how the Apostle’s close relationship with Jesus for 3 ½ years gave him the necessary footing to withstand Satan’s onslaught of the truth that Jesus came to establish. Later on the Apostle Paul would say of his time “the secret power of lawlessness” (NIV) or “the mystery of iniquity” (KJV) was already at work! (2 Thess. 2: 7. We will gain valuable insights into what our response should be today in light of Satan’s persistent effort to dilute and confuse the truth even by those who profess to believe. (1 Jn. 1:6,8,10). The circumstances or heresy may be different but the principles for us to follow remain. Three vital responses need to be considered: How will we personally respond to the sacrifice of Christ for us?; When facing a church crisis what attitude and what ki...
Read more