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Skriven 2010-07-12 17:16:21 av Greg Goodwin (1:123/789.0)
Ärende: July 10 - 16      All Have Sinned
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LESSON 3
*July 10 - 16
All Have Sinned

SABBATH AFTERNOON

Read for This Week's Study:


Rom.  1:16, 17, 22-32; 2:1-10,  17-23; 3:1,  2, 10-18, 23.

Memory Text:


"All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans  3:23).
 Unless a person  acknowledges that he or she is unrighteous, that person will
sense no need  for justification (God's declaration of a sinner as righteous in
His eyes).  Therefore, for Paul, the first step in justification is that a
person  recognize himself or herself as a helpless, hopeless sinner. In
building this  argument, Paul presents first the terrible depravity of the
Gentiles. These  have sunk as low as they have because they have pushed God
from their  memories. Paul then shows that the Jews are just as bad, the point
being that  none can save themselves with their good works.

Ellen G. White makes it so clear: "Let no one take the limited, narrow position
that any of the works of man can help in the least possible way to  liquidate
the debt of his transgression. This is a fatal deception. If you  would
understand it, you must cease haggling over your pet ideas, and with  humble
hearts survey the atonement.

"This matter is so dimly comprehended that thousands upon thousands claiming to
be sons of God are children of the wicked one, because they will  depend on
their own works. God always demanded good works, the law demands  it, but
because man placed himself in sin where his good works were  valueless, Jesus'
righteousness alone can avail. Christ is able to save to  the uttermost because
He ever liveth to make intercession for us."--Ellen G.  White Comments, The SDA
Bible Commentary, vol. 6, p.  1071. 
*Study this week's lesson to prepare for Sabbath, July 17.

SUNDAY
July 11

Not Ashamed of the Gospel

"I am not ashamed of the gospel: it is the power of God for salvation to every
one who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the
righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; as it is written, 'He
who through faith is righteous shall live'" (Rom. 1:16, 17, RSV). What do these
verses say to you? How have you experienced the promises and hope found in
them?



Several key words occur in this passage:

1. Gospel. This word is the translation of a Greek word meaning literally "good
message" or "good news." Standing alone, the word may refer to any good
message; but modified as it is in this passage by the phrase "of Christ," it
means "the good news about the Messiah" (Christ is the transliteration of the
Greek word meaning "Messiah"). The good news is that the Messiah has come and
men may be saved by believing in Him. In Jesus and in His perfect
righteousness--and not in ourselves, or even in God's law--can one find
salvation.

2. Righteousness. This word refers to the quality of being "right" with God. A
specialized meaning of this word is developed in the book of Romans, which we
shall bring out as our study of the book proceeds. It should be pointed out
that in Romans 1:17 the word is qualified by the phrase "of God." It is
righteousness that comes from God, a righteousness that God Himself has
provided. As we'll see, this is the only righteousness good enough to bring us
the promise of eternal life.

3. Faith. In Greek the words translated believe and faith (KJV) in this passage
are the verb and noun forms of the same word: pisteuo (believe), pistis (belief
or faith). The meaning of faith as related to salvation will unfold as we
progress in the study of Romans.
Do you ever struggle with assurance? Do you have times  when you truly question
whether or not you are saved, or even if you can be  saved? What brings these
fears? What are they grounded on? Might they be grounded in reality? That is,
could you be living a lifestyle that denies  your profession of faith? If so,
what choices must you make in order to have  the promises and assurances that
are for you in Jesus? 
MONDAY
July 12

The Human Condition

Read Romans 3:23. Why is this message so easy for us, as Christians, to believe
today? At the same time, what could cause some people to question the
truthfulness of this text? 


Amazingly enough, some folk actually challenge the idea of human sinfulness,
arguing that people are basically good. The problem, however, stems from a lack
of understanding what true goodness is. People can compare themselves to
someone else and feel good about themselves. Even the mobster Al Capone was a
saint compared to Adolph Hitler. However, when we contrast ourselves to God,
and to the holiness and righteousness of God, none of us would come away with
anything other than an overwhelming sense of self-loathing and disgust.

The verse also talks about "the glory of God." The phrase has been variously
interpreted. Perhaps the simplest interpretation is to give the phrase the
meaning it has in 1 Corinthians 11:7, "He [man] is the image and glory of God"
(RSV). In Greek, the word for "glory" may be considered as loosely equivalent
to the word for "image." Sin has marred the image of God in man. Sinful man
falls far short of reflecting the image or glory of God.

Read Romans 3:10-18. Has anything changed today? Which of those depictions best
describes you, or what you would be like were it not for Christ in your life? 


As bad as we are, our situation is not hopeless. The first step is for us to
acknowledge our utter sinfulness and also our helplessness in and of ourselves
to do anything about it. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to bring about such
conviction. If the sinner does not resist Him, the Spirit will lead the sinner
to tear away the mask of self-defense, pretense, and self-justification and to
cast himself or herself upon Christ, pleading His mercy: " ' "God, be merciful
to me, the sinner!" ' " (Luke 18:13, NASB).
When was the last time you took a good hard cold look  at yourself, your
motives, your deeds, and your feelings? This can be a very  distressing
experience, can't it? What's your only hope? 
TUESDAY
July 13

From the First to the Twenty-first Century

At the turn of the twentieth century, folk lived with the idea that humanity
was improving, that morality would increase and that science and technology
would help usher in a utopia. Human beings, it was believed, were essentially
on the path toward perfection; that is, through the right kind of education and
moral training, humans greatly could improve themselves and their society. All
this was supposed to start happening, en masse, as we entered into the brave
new world of the twentieth century.

Unfortunately, things didn't quite turn out that way, did they? The twentieth
century was one of the most violent and barbaric in all history,
thanks--ironically enough--in great part to the advances of science, which made
it much more possible for people to kill others on a scale that the most
depraved madmen of the past could only dream about.

What was the problem?

Read Romans 1:22-32. In what ways do we see the things written there, in the
first century, being manifested today in the twenty-first century?



When humanity lost sight of God, a floodgate of sin and error and degradation
opened. We, today, each of us, are living the consequences of that problem. In
fact, unless we are moment by moment surrendered to God, we become part of the
problem, as well.

Focus specifically on Romans 1:22, 23. How do we see this principle being
manifested now? By rejecting God, what have humans in our century come to
worship and idolize instead? And, in so doing, how have they become fools?
Bring your answer to class on Sabbath.




WEDNESDAY
July 14

Jews and Gentiles Together

In Romans 1, Paul was dealing specifically with the sins of the Gentiles, the
pagans, those who had lost sight of God a long time ago and, thus, fell into
the most degrading practices.

But he wasn't going to let his own people, his own countrymen, off the hook
either. Despite all the advantages that they had been given (Rom. 3:1, 2),
they, too, were sinners, condemned by God's law, and in need of the saving
grace of Christ. In that sense, in the sense of being sinners, of having
violated God's law, and of needing divine grace for salvation, Jews and
Gentiles are the same.

Read Romans 2:1-3, 17-24. What is Paul warning against here? What message
should all of us, Jew or Gentile, take from this warning? 


"Do not think yourself better than other men, and set yourself up as their
judge. Since you cannot discern motive, you are incapable of judging another.
In criticizing him, you are passing sentence upon yourself; for you show that
you are a participant with Satan, the accuser of the brethren."--Ellen G.
White, The Desire of Ages, p. 314.

It's often so easy to see the sins of others and to point them out. How often,
though, are we guilty of the same kinds of things, or even worse? The problem
is that we tend to turn a blind eye on ourselves, or we make ourselves feel
better by looking at just how bad others are in contrast to ourselves.

Paul will have none of that. He warns his countrymen not to be quick to judge
the Gentiles, for they, the Jews--even as the chosen people--were sinners, in
some cases even more guilty than the pagans they were so quick to condemn
because, as Jews, they had been given more light than the Gentiles.

Paul's point in all this is that none of us are righteous, none of us meet the
divine standard, none of us are innately good or inherently holy. Jew or
Gentile, male or female, rich or poor, God-fearing or God-rejecting, we all are
condemned, and were it not for the grace of God, as revealed in the gospel,
there would be no hope for any of us.
How big of a hypocrite are you? That is, how often do  you, even if only in
your own mind, condemn others for things that you,  yourself, are guilty of?
How, by taking heed of what Paul has written here,  can you change? 
THURSDAY
July 15

Repentance

A five-year-old boy pushed his little sister down, and the parents made him say
he was sorry. He didn't want to, and out of the side of his mouth, with no
sincerity and eyes boring into the ground, he barely squeezed out, "Sorry."
Hardly true repentance, for sure.

With that story in mind, read the following: "Despisest thou the riches of his
goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of
God leadeth thee to repentance?" (Rom. 2:4). What message is here for us? 


We should notice that God's goodness leads, not forces, sinners to repentance.
God uses no coercion. He is infinitely patient and seeks to draw all men by His
love. A forced repentance would destroy the whole purpose of repentance, would
it not? If God forced repentance, then would not everyone be saved, for why
would He force some and not others to repent?

What comes to those who resist God's love, refuse to repent, and remain in
disobedience? Rom. 2:5-10. 


In these verses, and frequently throughout the book of Romans, Paul emphasizes
the place of good works. Justification by faith without the deeds of the law
must never be construed to mean that good works have no place in the Christian
life. For instance, in verse 7, salvation is described as coming to those who
seek for it "by patient continuance in well doing." Though human effort can't
bring salvation, it is part of the whole experience of salvation. It's hard to
see how anyone can read the Bible and come away with the idea that works and
deeds don't matter at all. True repentance, the kind that comes willingly from
the heart, always will be followed by a determination to overcome and put away
the things that we need to repent over.
How often are you in an attitude of repentance? Is it  sincere, or do you tend
just to brush off your faults, shortcomings, and  sins? If the latter, how can
you change? Why must you change? 
FRIDAY
July 16

Further Study: 

Read Ellen G. White, "The Lord's Vineyard," pp.  291-294, in Christ's Object
Lessons; "God's Love for Man," pp. 9-15;  "The Sinner's Need of Christ," pp.
17-22,  in Steps to Christ; "In Contact With Others," pp. 492-494, in The
Ministry of Healing; "Agents of Satan," pp. 146,  147, in Testimonies for the
Church, vol. 5.

"Many are deceived concerning the condition of their hearts. They do not
realize that the natural heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately
wicked. They wrap themselves about with their own righteousness, and are
satisfied  in reaching their own human standard of character; but how fatally
they fail  when they do not reach the divine standard, and of themselves they
cannot  meet the requirements of God."--Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, book
1, p. 320.

"A terrible picture of the condition of the world has been presented before me.
Immorality abounds everywhere. Licentiousness is the special sin  of this age.
Never did vice lift its deformed head with such boldness as now.  The people
seem to be benumbed, and the lovers of virtue and true goodness  are nearly
discouraged by its boldness, strength, and prevalence. The  iniquity which
abounds is not merely confined to the unbeliever and the scoffer.  Would that
this were the case, but it is not. Many men and women who profess  the religion
of Christ are guilty. Even some who profess to be looking for  His appearing
are no more prepared for that event than Satan himself. They are not cleansing
themselves from all pollution. They have so long served  their lust that it is
natural for their thoughts to be impure and their  imaginations
corrupt."--Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church,  vol. 2, p. 346. 
Discussion Questions:

  In class, go  over your answers to Tuesday's question. How do we see this
principle  manifested in today's society? 
  Look  at the second quote from Ellen G. White in Friday's study. If you see 
yourself in there, what is the answer? Why is it important not to give up in 
despair but to keep claiming God's promises--first, of forgiveness; second, of 
cleansing? Who is the one that wants you to say, once and for all, "It's no 
use. I'm too corrupt. I can never be saved, so I might as well give up"? Do 
you listen to him or to Jesus, who will say to us, "Neither do I condemn  thee:
go, and sin no more"? John  8:11. 
  Why  is it so important for us as Christians to understand basic human
sinfulness  and depravity? What can happen when we lose sight of that sad but
true  reality? What errors can a false understanding of our true condition lead
us  into? 

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