Tag / salvation
There is a lot of Gospel Theology Packed Into Genesis 3!
As we study Genesis 3 and the fall in this week’s Sabbath School lesson, I am amazed how much Gospel theology is packed into this one chapter.
In Genesis 3 we find The Plan of Salvation.
The wages of sin is death.
but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” Genesis 3:3 NKJV
We cannot cover our own sin or be saved by our own works.
Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.
So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.” Genesis 3:7,10 NKJV
While we cannot save ourselves, God has promised us a Savior.
And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” Genesis 3:15 NKJV
While we cannot cover or save ourselves Jesus, the Lamb of of God died to cover our sins and save us.
Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them. Genesis 3:21 NKJV
In Genesis 3 we find the truth about God’s Word.
While Eve reminds the serpent of God’s Word the serpent casts doubt on God’s word at first, and then turns around and calls God’s Word an outright lie.
Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. Genesis 3:1-4 NKJV
The serpent then suggests that Eve does not need God’s Word. She can be a god herself and decide for herself what is right and wrong.
For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:5 NKJV
The serpent assures Eve she won’t die for disobeying God. After all, how dare God tell us what is right and wrong, much less give us consequences for having our own opinions and way of doing things! The Serpent tells Eve she will be like God. God makes the rules. God is the judge between right and wrong. If Eve becomes like God she will make the rules and decide for herself what is right and wrong. This was implied in the serpent’s comment to Eve, “you will know both good and evil.” In other words,
She would be a god. She would be a law unto herself. –Ellen White, Christ Triumphant, January 16.
Even with all the deceptions and misrepresentations God’s Word proves true. Adam and Eve died for disobeying.
For dust you are, And to dust you shall return. Genesis 3:19 NKJV
In Genesis 3 we find the truth about death.
the serpent’s lie opens the door for spiritualism.
Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.” Genesis 3:4 NKJV
We see that mankind really does die and just returns to dust until the resurrection.
For dust you are, And to dust you shall return. Genesis 3:19 NKJV
We see that sinners do not have immortality and do not get to live forever.
Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— Genesis 3:22 NKJV
We see that angels are not our dead loved ones. We do not become angels when we die. God sends Cherubim angels to guard the garden and yet no one has died yet. Angels are not our dead loved ones.
So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life. Genesis 3:24 NKJV.
In Genesis 3 we find an investigative judgment.
Many throw shade on the Biblical teaching of the investigative judgment, saying God does not need to investigate since He already knows everything. Yet we see an investigation in Genesis 3 even though God already knew everything. Remember the investigation is not for God only. He is offering accountability to the entire universe. At the conclusion of the investigative judgment in Genesis 3 and at the end of days, believing mankind will be justified and Satan will bear the ultimate responsibility for and punishment for sin.
And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?” Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” And the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” So the Lord God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life. And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” Genesis 3:11-15 NKJV
Did I miss anything? Can you find anymore Gospel theology in Genesis chapter 3?
Video: I am who God Says I am
The Great Exchange
So I advise you to buy gold from me—gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. Also buy white garments from me so you will not be shamed by your nakedness, and ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see. Revelation 3:18 NLT
I thought of this passage in Jesus’ message to the church of Laodicea while studying Sunday’s Sabbath school lesson on Isaiah 55.
“Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink— even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk— it’s all free! Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength? Why pay for food that does you no good? Listen to me, and you will eat what is good. You will enjoy the finest food. Isaiah 55:1-2 NLT
In the latter God is telling us to buy even though we have no money. In the former Jesus is telling us to buy white garments. What is up with that? I thought salvation and the robe of righteousness were free? Could Jesus be talking about buying things without money again like as in Isaiah 55? If so what does Jesus mean by buying without money? Can you buy without money? Yes you can. Years ago a friend of mine had no money to pay her overdue doctor’s bill, but she had an idea. She had a nice Television she was not using anymore. She went to the doctor’s office and offered her television as payment for her bill. The doctor accepted and put the television in the waiting room. My friend paid her bill without money.
So can we likewise buy our white garments and salvation without money? Can we buy it on the bartering system as my friend bought her medical services? I think so. Jesus wants us to trade in our sins for His forgiveness. In Zachariah 3 Joshua trades in his filthy rags for a robe of righteousness. We can even trade in our broken dreams so God can fulfill His dreams in us.
If there ever were dreams That were lofty and noble They were my dreams at the start
And hope for life’s best were the hopes That I harbor down deep in my heart
But my dreams turned to ashes And my castles all crumbled, my fortune turned to loss
So I wrapped it all in the rags of life And laid it at the cross.
Something beautiful, something good
All my confusion He understood
All I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife
But he made something beautiful of my life
–Something Beautiful, by Bill Gaither
We can never buy salvation in the sense of working or earning it. Yet if you consider the bartering system as a form of buying we can trade in our old life for a new life. We can trade or filthy clothes for Jesus’ robe of righteousness. We can trade our broken dreams and broken hearts in for the paradise of God’s reality.
Video: Parable of the Vineyard Workers
Video Sermon: Love That Works
Why we Will be Studying the Cross for all Eternity
As we have discovered several times in our Sabbath School lessons on Education, our education does not stop when we get to heaven. We will continue to study the cross and plan of salvation which are themes Peter says even angels desire to look into. One may ask why this theme will take all eternity to study and why it will even need be studied in heaven? Perhaps Colossians gives us a clue.
For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. Colossians 1:19-20 NLT
Even after Lucifer was cast out, those who remained may have still had their doubts. Did God really love them, or did Lucifer have some points about God just being a tyrant? On earth Eve thought that God did not care for her and eating the forbidden fruit would make her really happy.
Have you ever been loyal to a boss, not because you thought he was fair, but because you did not see any way out? So out of fear you remained loyal to him, still wishing you weren’t in that situation? If so, what did it take for you to reconcile the situation so you could have peace at work and not just conformity?
When the Son of God died on the cross He was not just atoning for Eve taking a piece of fruit she was told not to. Eve’s disobedience was a symptom of her doubts. The cross of Christ did not just take care of the symptoms of sin. The cross took care of sin itself! Christ’s death on the cross removed all doubt about God’s love. All questions in heaven and earth are answered at the cross! There can be conformity while rebellion is still in the heart. The cross goes way beyond bringing us into conformity and outward obedience. The cross replaces our thoughts of rebellion with peaceful thoughts towards God.
That which alone can effectually restrain from sin in this world of darkness, will prevent sin in heaven. The significance of the death of Christ will be seen by saints and angels. Fallen men could not have a home in the paradise of God without the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Shall we not then exalt the cross of Christ? The angels ascribe honor and glory to Christ, for even they are not secure except by looking to the sufferings of the Son of God. It is through the efficacy of the cross that the angels of heaven are guarded from apostasy. Without the cross they would be no more secure against evil than were the angels before the fall of Satan. Angelic perfection failed in heaven. Human perfection failed in Eden, the paradise of bliss. All who wish for security in earth or heaven must look to the Lamb of God.-Ellen White, Signs of the Times, December 30, 1889
Some have the idea that once we get to heaven, God will flip a little switch in the back of our heads that makes us stop sinning. After all, we will be in heaven and so we automatically won’t sin right? Wait. Where did sin begin? Heaven!
The reason why humans and angels will not sin, is the same reason why God reconciled both heaven and earth to Himself. The cross of Jesus. The cross cures the root cause of sin which is doubting God’s love. The reason there will be no sin in heaven is not due to a mechanical correction made by the flip of a switch. There will be no sin in heaven because the cross will cure humans and angels alike from ever doubting God’s love and thinking we need anything God has not given us. There will be no reason to rebel.
Rules without relationship cause rebellion. The love of Christ on the cross removes our fear of God, so we are not afraid to have an intimate relationship with Him. With our relationship cured, we will have no reason to rebel. We won’t be conformists. We will be free-thinking moral agents who are at peace with God because God is love.
You may study this week’s Sabbath School lesson here.
Is the Coronavirus one of the last Plagues of Revelation?
Is the coronavirus one of the last plagues of Revelation? Is there still time to be saved? let’s take a look at what the Bible says.
The Letter of the law and the Spirit of the law
I am writing today from the beautiful Tampa Bay area.
The question has been asked, “What is the difference between the spirit of the law and the letter of the law?” To me, it all comes down to motivation.
When I stop at a red light to avoid getting a ticket, I am only obeying the letter of the law. Would I go ahead and run the red light and risk hurting someone if there was no risk of paying a fine? If so, then that doesn’t really make me an obedient person. It only makes me afraid of getting fined.
If I keep from running a red light because I don’t want to hit and hurt someone, then I am now obeying the spirit of the law, which is “others first” or “consideration for others.”
Here is one example of how the pharisees were looking at the letter of the law, while Jesus was looking at the spirit of the law.
At about that time Jesus was walking through some grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, so they began breaking off some heads of grain and eating them. But some Pharisees saw them do it and protested, “Look, your disciples are breaking the law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath.” Jesus said to them, “Haven’t you read in the Scriptures what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He went into the house of God, and he and his companions broke the law by eating the sacred loaves of bread that only the priests are allowed to eat. And haven’t you read in the law of Moses that the priests on duty in the Temple may work on the Sabbath? I tell you, there is one here who is even greater than the Temple! But you would not have condemned my innocent disciples if you knew the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’[ For the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath!” Matthew 12:1-8 NLT
First of all, I think the Pharisees were greatly exaggerating by calling taking a few heads of grain “harvesting”! Today some Sabbath keepers will not flip a light switch to avoid “starting a fire” on the Sabbath. But I do not think God was referring to light switches when He said, “don’t start a fire on the Sabbath.” See Exodus 35:3. back then a lot more work was involved in starting a fire than today. There is also a lot more involved in harvesting, than taking a few heads of grain. Now if you disagree with me, obviously that is fine. We all have our own convictions when it comes to these matters. For example, I do not eat out on the Sabbath because I do not want anyone to work for me on Sabbath (Exodus 20:10), and I do not want to buy and sell on Sabbath (Nehemiah 13:15-18). Some of my Sabbath-keeping friends do not see it that way, and do not consider the cooks or waitresses as their servants, and they consider Nehemiah was referring to a lot more work in loading and unloading food, than just serving it. Fine. Each to his or her own. We must all be convicted ourselves, but the motivation should always remain the same, which is love and consideration for God and others.
Second, Jesus refers to David eating the bread that was only for priests when he and his men were hungry. When you consider the fact that the law of God is love, then you can see how mercy here would be a higher priority than the letter of the law. Another example is in the story of the Good Samaritan. Many wonder if the priest and Levi thought the hurt man might be dead. If so they were not to touch him by law (See Leviticus 21:1-3 and Numbers 19:11-122). But even so, mercy always takes priority over the letter of the law. The law is love. If we put the letter of the law above love then we have just defeated the whole purpose of the law which is love.
Paul explains what it means to keep the Spirit of the law, which is love.
If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law. For the commandments say, “You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet.” These—and other such commandments—are summed up in this one commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law. Romans 13:8-10 NLT
Love does not do away with the commandments. It is because we love God and others that we keep the commandments. I can’t say I love my neighbor if I lie about her and steal from her. Love fulfills the Spirit of the law, which is love and consideration for God and others, while a sense of self preservation and selfishness fulfills only the letter of the law.
You may study this week’s Sabbath School lesson here.
Its Not About Me
I am writing tonight from the beautiful Tampa Bay area.
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV
Romans 9 is not about Jacob or Esau being predestined for salvation or not. It is about the role they were to play. Some of us are given “greater” roles than others, but we must remember, whatever role we are given, there is a greater picture beyond just us. When life becomes challenging, and things don’t go my way I like to claim Jeremiah 29:11 as a personal promise. I want to believe everything is going to work our for me personally. I read about how David faced challenges, but he always came out on top. But I have to admit, I also read some things in the story of David that disturb my “hope” that everything will work out for me personally. In 1 Samuel 22:18 85 innocent priests become co-lateral victims in the friction between Saul and David. in 2 Samuel 11, Uriah is killed for being loyal to his country! How does the promise of Jeremiah 29:11 apply for Uriah and the priests?
This may shatter the ego of a lot of western minds, but the promise of Jeremiah 29:11 was not given to an individual. It was given to a nation. The western mind loves to internalize the Bible, to the point that we actually believe it is all about us! We love to think that we are living in the last days, (which we are!) because that makes our role pivotal in the Great Controversy. After all, how could God win the Great Controversy without me? I have an important role to play in the church you see! With the game on the line and only seconds left in a basketball play off game, star player Scottie Pippin was outraged when his coach had him on the bench for the final play. There are “Scottie Pippins” in the church today, who cannot imagine God winning the Great Controversy while they just “sit on the bench” or rest in their graves.
Yes, Jesus is a personal Savior, and loves us individually, and would die just for you, but that does not make it all about you. Jesus died for the world. Believe it or not, as much as Jesus really and truly loves you, it still is not all about you, or me. In Exodus 32:32 Moses grasped who it was all about when he asked to have his name blotted from the book of life to save a nation. Had Moses been privy to Jeremiah 29:11 he would not have internalized it and made the promise all about himself. He would have realized the promise was given to a corporate nation. Esther may have very well been familiar with Jeremiah 29:11, when in Esther 4:16 she said, “If I perish I perish.” She was not applying Jeremiah 29:11 to herself. She was applying it to the entire Jewish nation it was given to. She was willing to perish to help fulfill the promise to save the nation.
Paul writes Romans in a corporate mindset, instead of the individualistic western mindset. In Romans 3:23-24 Paul writes how we all have sinned and all been justified. In Romans 5 he writes how we all sinned corporately in Adam, and were all saved corporately in Christ. In Romans 9:3 Paul is looking at the big corporate picture when he writes, “For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren.” While pointing out that Jacob and Esau had different roles to play, Paul was willing to be totally written out of the play for the greater good of the nation.
I believe the 85 priests and Uriah, will be in heaven. I believe Esther and Paul will be there too, and obviously Moses already is. After all didn’t Jesus say,
He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it. Matthew 10:39 NKJV
Yes God loves us individually. I am just asking those of us with a western mind to think outside ourselves if we are not already. After a mission trip, my flight home was cancelled. I ended up spending the night, sleeping on the floor in a foreign airport. I asked God why I had to sleep on the floor instead of my nice comfy bed. God asked me, “What makes you think you ever deserved a bed in the first place? People a lot more deserving than you have been sleeping on the floor for years, and you are complaining about one night? Who do you think you are?”
Dear Jesus, I know you love me just as much when I am sleeping on the floor as when I am sleeping in my bed. I know you loved the 85 priests and Uriah as much as you loved David. Forgive me for the times I thought it was all about me, and help me to see the big picture, like Moses, Esther and Paul all saw the big picture. Instead of working for personal prosperity, help me to work for the prosperity of your church.
You may study this week’s Sabbath School lesson here.
In Light of The Cross 
