August 1–7

This weekly feature is dedicated to Adventists who are looking for biblical insights into the topics discussed in the Sabbath School lesson quarterly. We post articles which address each lesson as presented in the Sabbath School Bible Study Guide, including biblical commentary on them. We hope you find this material helpful and that you will come to know Jesus and His revelation of Himself in His word in profound biblical ways.

 

Lesson 6: Unlimited Possibilities

This week’s lesson is mostly good as it discusses our gifts and calling and the necessity for us to use what we have been given. It uses a well-known phrase:

“God does not call the qualified. He qualifies those whom He has called.”

Just look at Moses; he didn’t see himself in the position of being a leader. Moses considered himself to be slow of speech and a stutterer and totally unqualified to confront Pharaoh or to lead the people. 

Or consider Peter who no doubt still remembered vividly how he had denied Jesus and yet, on the day of Pentecost, after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, he preached a powerful sermon on the risen Christ.

Then there is Saul who was a Pharisee without reproach. He was actively persecuting the new church, but an encounter with Jesus turned him into what he would never have considered before—a powerful preacher of salvation through Jesus Christ and the author of many of the books of the Bible.

God empowered them, and others, and He used them to do significant work for Him.

There is some cause for concern, however, that is highlighted in this quote:

“In the same way, the member of the church who seems the most “insignificant” is an essential part of the body of Christ and has been gifted by the Holy Spirit. When we dedicate these gifts totally to God, each one of us can make an eternal difference.”

Just like last week’s lesson, this week seems to gloss over, or perhaps totally ignore, the fact that the Holy Spirit is indwelling us. Now it is possible that the above quote is referring to the “gifting” of the Spirit to enable us to do God’s work; but given the apparent lack of understanding of the permanent position of the Spirit, it’s likely that this is just following along with last week’s assertion that the Holy Spirit is remote but will “come along side” us when needed.

Then, there are two references to baptism that fall outside of the Biblical understanding of its purpose. To the Christian family, baptism is an external act to illustrate the internal decision of faith in Christ. But to the Adventist Church, it is seen as nothing more than becoming a member of the denomination, rather than that of becoming a member of the Body of Christ.

First consider this quote:

“When we surrender our lives to Christ, and through baptism become members of His body, the church, the Holy Spirit imparts gifts so that we can serve the body and witness to the world.

What that quote is actually saying is that coming to faith in Jesus is not what makes us a member of the Body of Christ; rather, it is baptism that does that. What does that say about the person who is unable to undergo baptism? Are they never a part of the Body?

That is followed by this one which is even more blatant:

“Just as Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit at His baptism to prepare and fully equip Him for His ministry to the world, each one of us is promised the Holy Spirit at our baptism.”

We are promised the Holy Spirit from the moment we believed, even if we never have the opportunity to be baptized. Again, the lesson says that the Holy Spirit will work with us to help us as needed but denies the indwelling Spirit who seals us to guarantee our salvation. Further, it says that something we do is required before we can receive the Holy Spirit.

Ironically, in using 2 Corinthians 1:20–22 to support its claims, the lesson seems to totally miss the meaning of verse 22:

“who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.”

This isn’t just a visit by the Spirit whenever He is needed; it is a permanent sealing by the Spirit which is promised by Jesus in John 14:16, 17:

I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.

This misrepresentation of the Holy Spirit goes along with the Adventist belief that the Spirit is just a “power” emanating from God that we can use as needed and is even more bluntly stated in the lesson’s quote from Ellen White.

According to the lesson, “It is an eternal truth that the law of service becomes the connecting link which binds us to God and to our fellow men” (Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 326).

The lesson used just part of what she said. Here it is in the context of the full quote:

“Christ’s followers have been redeemed for service. Our Lord teaches that the true object of life is ministry. Christ Himself was a worker, and to all His followers He gives the law of service—service to God and to their fellow men. Here Christ has presented to the world a higher conception of life than they had ever known. By living to minister for others, man is brought into connection with Christ. The law of service becomes the connecting link which binds us to God and to our fellow men.”

According to that quote, it isn’t faith in Jesus that connects us to Him, and it isn’t the Holy Spirit that “binds us to God”. Rather it is our work put in terms of whatever service we see fit to perform. It implies that if we serve well enough, we will be bound to God by our performance. There is nothing in that about the Holy Spirit calling us or giving us the faith to believe. There is no grace, only the vague promise that if we work enough, we will be “bound to Christ” as a sort of reward—or perhaps wages—for the work done.

No wonder there is such a lack of understanding of our security in Christ. It isn’t about what He did but it is rather made to be what we do—if we do enough and do it well enough.

Overall, and with some exceptions, this lesson deals very well with our spiritual gifts and the empowerment by the Holy Spirit in using those gifts.

Sadly, the lesson once again ignores the permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit which guarantees our salvation and makes us a permanent member of the Body of Christ. Ellen White idea makes our connection to God about our works in order to qualify, instead of a gift of grace as stated in Romans 4:1–5:

What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” 

Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness…

Now that is the good news of the gospel! It isn’t about our work; it is purely a gift of grace. Grace that has to be earned is no longer grace.

Praise God that He did it all the work of atonement and gives righteousness to us as a pure gift of love! We don’t deserve it and we can’t earn it. Love did it all. †