October 3–9

 

Lesson 2: “The Family”

Before moving into this week’s lesson, we need to review what the Bible says about adding to and removing from (or changing) God’s Word. First, let’s look at Proverbs 30:5, 6:

Every word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. Do not add to His words or He will reprove you, and you will be proved a liar.

Now see Deuteronomy 4:1, 2:

Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I am teaching you to perform, so that you may live and go in and take possession of the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, is giving you. You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.”

Although these verses don’t specifically mention “changing” it, that is exactly what is done when one adds to or takes away from what God said in His Word or when we read into it what we believe rather than take out of it what it actually means. Now, on to the lesson. 

In discussing the education that Adam and Eve apparently provided for their children, we are asked to read Galatians 3:11 as something they must surely have taught:

“Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, “The righteous man shall live by faith.”

But how could they have instructed their children in the Law when the Law was not given until Moses received it on Mt. Sinai? Setting aside any argument over just when the Law was given, the author would have done well to include verse 10 also:

For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, to perform them.” 

The children of the first couple were most certainly taught about the curse and the plan of salvation as taught to them by God after the fall; but, as the lesson claims, it was probably oral teaching, not written. Even if there had been some written word for them to study, there was no “book of the law” in Eden or in their post-exile time, as the book of the Law was part of what Moses was given on Mt. Sinai more than 2,000 years later.

The author uses Ellen White as his source for this idea, but even she can’t seem to keep her story straight:

“The child Jesus did not receive instruction in the synagogue schools. His mother was His first human teacher. From her lips and from the scrolls of the prophets, He learned of heavenly things. The very words which He Himself had spoken to Moses for Israel He was now taught at His mother’s knee. As He advanced from childhood to youth, He did not seek the schools of the rabbis. He needed not the education to be obtained from such sources; for God was His instructor.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 70.

Then, two pages later, she says this:

“The parents of Jesus were poor, and dependent upon their daily toil.”

Before the advent of printing presses, how could a poor family have copies of the scrolls of the prophets? They were all copied by hand and were likely all kept in the synagogues for the priests to read to the people. Ellen White only speculates about Jesus’ training being only at Mary’s knee. He certainly would have gone with Joseph to the synagogue on Sabbath, and he would have had exposure to the Scriptures there if nothing else. 

But setting aside that discrepancy, there is a much worse contradiction to the Word of God in the first part of the lesson. It is in a quote from page 69 of The Desire of Ages. It reads, in part:

“Fathers and mothers were to instruct their children that the law of God is an expression of His character, and that as they received the principles of the law into the heart, the image of God was traced on mind and soul.”

What does the Bible say about the expression of God’s character? Hebrews 1, from verse 1 to the first half of verse 3 tells us:

“God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power.”

God tells us that Jesus is the “exact representation of His (God’s) nature”. Contrast that declaration to what God tells us about the Law in 2 Corinthians 3.

In verse 6 Paul says the letter (written on stone) kills, but the Spirit gives life.

In verse 7 the Law is called the ministry of death, in letters engraved on stones (an obvious reference to the 10 Commandments).

In verse 9 it is called the ministry of condemnation.

Would any rational believer call the character of God “death and condemnation”? Although to the unsaved sinner, the presence of God will bring death, God is described as love (John 3:16 for example) that was so great that He gave His own life for us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8) and hostile to Him (Romans 8:7).

Furthermore, Galatians 2:21 points out the inadequacy of the Law:

“if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly”

Galatians 3 starts out by expressing Paul’s distress over the effort to turn from grace back to the Law. Verses 2 and 3 say:

“This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? “

All through the book of Galatians, Paul compares and contrasts faith and grace with the Law, showing the superiority of grace over law.

I recently read a wonderful description from Arthur Pink of the contrast between law and grace:

The Law manifests what is in man––sin.
Grace manifests what is in God––love and mercy. 

The Law speaks of what man must do for God.
Grace tells of what Christ has done for men. 

The Law demands righteousness from men.
Grace brings righteousness from God to men. 

The Law brings God’s justice to men.
Grace brings men to God’s mercy.

The Law sentences a living man to death.
Grace brings a dead man to life. 

The Law never had a missionary.
The Gospel is to be preached to every creature. 

The Law makes known the will of God.
Grace reveals the heart of God.

Grace is the sinner’s only hope. Unless we are saved by grace, we can never be saved at all.

Confusing the two, or blurring the line between them as the author does, is in direct violation of the commands God gave as quoted above in Proverbs 30 and Deuteronomy 4. As to the purpose of the Law, Galatians 3 tells us:

“Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.”

How much clearer could that be? 

Going back to the subject of education, the lesson does have some good things to say.

“Someone filled with a lot of knowledge must be able to communicate it to others; otherwise, what good is all that he or she knows, at least in terms of teaching?”

That much is true—you are useless as a teacher if you are unable to teach—to communicate—what you know.

“Relationships are established and developed by means of communication. When Christians do not communicate with God, such as by reading the Bible or in prayer, their relationship with God stagnates. Families need divine guidance if they are to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ.”

Again, very true. But what use is that communication with God if you refuse to take Him at His word? How can true communication be possible if you read into the Bible what you already believe and what you want it to say to confirm your beliefs?

“When parents refuse to lead, or if they lead in a tyrannical manner, then they are painting a false picture of Christ for their own children and for the world.”

Sadly, this last quote describes how many so-called “religious” people relate to their families and to the world. A true religion will change the heart by the work of the Holy Spirit and, although none of us claims to be perfect, there will be change in the life and outward behavior of the one who is filled with the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 13 is a wonderful, familiar expression of the uselessness of any achievement without love.

Overall, this week’s lesson is a classic example of the misuse of Scripture to prove a pre-determined opinion. This fact makes this question at the end rather ironic:

“We tend to view education as a good thing. (After all, who can be against education?) But is this always the case? What might be examples of education’s having been perverted and turned into something bad? What can we learn from those negative examples that could help us make education a good thing?”

My answer to that question would be to set aside pre-set ideas and let the Word of God, through the Spirit, teach you the truth. One way to do that would be to read it carefully to see what it actually says and means in context. 

I encourage you to take the Galatians challenge. Read the entire book in one sitting (it takes most people about a half hour), every day for one month. Pay attention to the words and their meanings in context. Set aside previously held beliefs and let the Word say what it means.

In the last question at the end of the week:

“As stated in Wednesday’s study, we all have been given the sacred gift of free will.”

But what is “free will”? Is it a “sacred gift” that God cannot override? Doesn’t that make it stronger than God? I found an interesting perspective on this from something written by Colleen Tinker:

“Scripture teaches that we are born dead, by nature children of wrath (Eph. 2:3). We are not able to rise above our own natures. We have NO freedom of will before being born again; then, for the first time, we are able to choose whether to give in to temptation or to submit the moment and our reactions to the Lord.” †