Sabbath, August 18, 2007

“The Lord is represented in the Old Testament as well as in the New Tes­tament not only as a God of justice but as a Father of infinite love. The psalm­ist says: ‘The Lord executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are op­pressed…. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy…. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward them that fear Him.’ ” –Lift Him Up, p. 36.

God’s Character

1. Although Satan and some men present God in a negative way, how did the Bible writers describe His character?
1 John 4:8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
Exodus 34:6, 7 And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.
Micah 7:18 Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.

“Nature and revelation alike testify of God’s love. Our Father in heaven is the source of life, of wisdom, and of joy. Look at the wonderful and beau­tiful things of nature. Think of their marvelous adaptation to the needs and happiness, not only of man, but of all living creatures. The sunshine and the rain that gladden and refresh the earth, the hills and seas and plains, all speak to us of the Creator’s love….

“ ‘God is love’ is written upon every opening bud, upon every spire of springing grass. The lovely birds making the air vocal with their happy songs, the delicately tinted flowers in their perfection perfuming the air, the lofty trees of the forest with their rich foliage of living green–all testify to the tender, fatherly care of our God and to His desire to make His chil­dren happy.” –Steps to Christ, pp. 9, 10.

2. Since God is love, will He overlook or ignore certain sins?
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Exodus 34:7, last part – … visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.

“God does not regard all sins as of equal magnitude; there are degrees of guilt in His estimation, as well as in that of man; but however trifling this or that wrong act may seem in the eyes of men, no sin is small in the sight of God. Man’s judgment is partial, imperfect; but God estimates all things as they really are.” –Steps to Christ, p. 30.

Sin And Its Consequences

3. What examples in the Bible demonstrated acts of lawless­ness that were not tolerated by God?
Genesis 3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
2 Samuel 6:6 And when they came to Nachon’s threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it.
Numbers 15:32 And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day.
Joshua 7:1 But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against the children of Israel.

4. What terrible consequences followed man’s transgression of God’s law?
Genesis 3:8, 23 And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden…. Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
Numbers 15:35 And The Lord said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp.
2 Samuel 6:7 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God.
Joshua 7:24, 25 And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor. And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the Lord shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones.

“Adam and Eve persuaded themselves that in so small a matter as eat­ing of the forbidden fruit there could not result such terrible consequences as God had declared. But this small matter was the transgression of God’s immutable and holy law, and it separated man from God and opened the floodgates of death and untold woe upon our world. Age after age there has gone up from our earth a continual cry of mourning, and the whole cre­ation groaneth and travaileth together in pain as a consequence of man’s disobedience.” –Steps to Christ, p. 33.

“There are many in this day that would designate Achan’s sin as of little consequence, and would excuse his guilt; but it is because they have no realization of the character of sin and its consequences, no sense of the holiness of God and of His requirements. The statement is often heard that God is not particular whether or not we give diligent heed to His Word, whether or not we obey all the commandments of His holy law; but the record of His dealing with Achan should be a warning to us. He will in no wise clear the guilty….

“The controversy for truth will have little success when sin is upon those who advocate it. Men and women may be well versed in Bible knowl­edge, as well acquainted with the Scripture as were the Israelites with the ark, and yet if their hearts are not right before God, success will not attend their efforts. God will not be with them. They do not have a high sense of the obligations of the law of heaven, nor do they realize the sacred character of the truth they are teaching. The charge is, ‘Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord.’ ” –Seventh-day Adventist. Bible Commentary, vol. 2, p. 998.

Being Forgiven

5. Why was no forgiveness possible for Uzzah and the Sabbath breaker, while Adam and Eve were pardoned of their trans­gression?
James 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
Acts 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.

“The fate of Uzzah was a divine judgment upon the violation of a most explicit command. Through Moses the Lord had given special instruction concerning the transportation of the ark. None but the priests, the descen­dants of Aaron, were to touch it, or even to look upon it uncovered. The divine direction was, ‘The sons of Kohath shall come to bear it: but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die.’ Numbers 4:15….

“Upon Uzzah rested the greater guilt of presumption. Transgression of God’s law had lessened his sense of its sacredness, and with unconfessed sins upon him he had, in face of the divine prohibition, presumed to touch the symbol of God’s presence. God can accept no partial obedience, no lax way of treating His commandments….

“One of the people, angry at being excluded from Canaan, and deter­mined to show his defiance of God’s law, ventured upon the open transgres­sion of the fourth commandment by going out to gather sticks upon the Sabbath…. The act of this man was a wilful and deliberate violation of the fourth commandment–a sin, not of thoughtlessness or ignorance, but of presumption.” –Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 705, 706, 409.

6. What does true repentance encompass?
Psalms 32:1, 2 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.
Psalms 51:1, 2 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

“Repentance includes sorrow for sin and a turning away from it. We shall not renounce sin unless we see its sinfulness; until we turn away from it in heart, there will be no real change in the life.

“There are many who fail to understand the true nature of repentance. Multitudes sorrow that they have sinned and even make an outward refor­mation because they fear that their wrongdoing will bring suffering upon themselves. But this is not repentance in the Bible sense. They lament the suffering rather than the sin.” –Steps to Christ, p. 23.

7. What else, besides repentance, brings a believer in Christ into harmony with God?
James 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

“True confession is always of a specific character, and acknowledges particular sins. They may be of such a nature as to be brought before God only; they may be wrongs that should be confessed to individuals who have suffered injury through them; or they may be of a public character, and should then be as publicly confessed. But all confession should be definite and to the point, acknowledging the very sins of which you are guilty….

“Confession will not be acceptable to God without sincere repentance and reformation. There must be decided changes in the life; everything of­fensive to God must be put away. This will be the result of genuine sorrow for sin. The work that we have to do on our part is plainly set before us: ‘Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before Mine eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.’ Isaiah 1:16, 17. ‘If the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die.’ Ezekiel 33:15.” –Steps to Christ, pp. 38, 39.

8. What makes it possible for one to have a repentant heart?
2 Corinthians 7:10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
Luke 15:18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee.
2 Samuel 12:13 And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.

“The prayer of David after his fall illustrates the nature of true sorrow for sin. His repentance was sincere and deep. There was no effort to pal­liate his guilt; no desire to escape the judgment threatened, inspired his prayer. David saw the enormity of his transgression; he saw the defilement of his soul; he loathed his sin. It was not for pardon only that he prayed, but for purity of heart. He longed for the joy of holiness–to be restored to harmony and communion with God.

“A repentance such as this, is beyond the reach of our own power to ac­complish; it is obtained only from Christ, who ascended up on high and has given gifts unto men.” –Steps to Christ, pp. 24, 25.

All Glory To God

9. When will God’s character of love and justice be vindicated before the whole universe?
Romans 14:11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
Philippians 2:10, 11 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

“The great controversy is ended. Sin and sinners are no more. The entire universe is clean. One pulse of harmony and gladness beats through the vast creation. From Him who created all, flow life and light and gladness, throughout the realms of illimitable space. From the minutest atom to the greatest world, all things, animate and inanimate, in their unshadowed beauty and perfect joy, declare that God is love.” –The Great Controversy, p. 678.

Conclusion

“Says the apostle: ‘God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Him­self.’ Only as we contemplate the great plan of redemption can we have a just appreciation of the character of God. The work of creation was a manifestation of His love; but the gift of God to save the guilty and ruined race, alone reveals the infinite depths of divine tenderness and compas­sion. ‘God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ While the law of God is maintained, and its justice vindicated, the sinner can be pardoned. The dearest gift that heaven itself had to bestow has been poured out that God ‘might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.’ ” –Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 739.