covenant

Bible Study Guides – The Covenant Restored

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January 10 – 16, 2021

Key Text

“And the Lord said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel” (Exodus 34:27).

Study Help: Patriarchs and Prophets, 319–330.

Introduction

“At God’s command he [Moses] had prepared two tables of stone, and had taken them with him to the summit; and again the Lord ‘wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments’ (Exodus 34:28).” Patriarchs and Prophets, 329.

Sunday

1 MOSES BREAKS THE TABLES OF STONE

1.a. What did Moses bring with him when he came down from the mount, and how did Joshua and Moses each interpret the noise that they heard in the camp? Exodus 32:15, 17, 18.

1.b.      Describe the reaction of Moses to the idolatry in the camp and Aaron’s vain attempt at self-justification. Exodus 32:19–24.

Note: “When Moses, on returning to the camp, confronted the rebels, his severe rebukes and the indignation he displayed in breaking the sacred tables of the law were contrasted by the people with his brother’s pleasant speech and dignified demeanor, and their sympathies were with Aaron. To justify himself, Aaron endeavored to make the people responsible for his weakness in yielding to their demand; but notwithstanding this, they were filled with admiration of his gentleness and patience. But God seeth not as man sees. Aaron’s yielding spirit and his desire to please had blinded his eyes to the enormity of the crime he was sanctioning. His course in giving his influence to sin in Israel cost the life of thousands.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 323.

Monday

2 JUDGMENT AGAINST THE OFFENDERS

2.a. How offensive was the attitude of Aaron in the eyes of God? Deuteronomy 9:20.

Note: “If Aaron had had courage to stand for the right, irrespective of consequences, he could have prevented that apostasy.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 323.

2.b.      What appeal did Moses make after he had rebuked his brother, and what was the result? Exodus 32:26–29.

Note: “It was necessary that this sin should be punished, as a testimony to surrounding nations of God’s displeasure against idolatry. By executing justice upon the guilty, Moses, as God’s instrument, must leave on record a solemn and public protest against their crime. As the Israelites should hereafter condemn the idolatry of the neighboring tribes, their enemies would throw back upon them the charge that the people who claimed Jehovah as their God had made a calf and worshiped it in Horeb. Then though compelled to acknowledge the disgraceful truth, Israel could point to the terrible fate of the transgressors, as evidence that their sin had not been sanctioned or excused.

“Love no less than justice demanded that for this sin judgment should be inflicted. God is the guardian as well as the sovereign of His people. He cuts off those who are determined upon rebellion, that they may not lead others to ruin.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 325.

2.c. What did Moses communicate to those who were sorry for their sin, and how did he later communicate with God in their behalf? Exodus 32:30–35.

Note: “Moses realized how dreadful would be the fate of the sinner; yet if the people of Israel were to be rejected by the Lord, he desired his name to be blotted out with theirs; he could not endure to see the judgments of God fall upon those who had been so graciously delivered. The intercession of Moses in behalf of Israel illustrates the mediation of Christ for sinful men. But the Lord did not permit Moses to bear, as did Christ, the guilt of the transgressor. ‘Whosoever hath sinned against Me,’ He said, ‘him will I blot out of My book’ (Exodus 32:33).” Patriarchs and Prophets, 326, 327.

Tuesday

3 GOD ACCEPTS THE PENITENT

3.a. How did the people react when they heard that the Lord would not lead them to Canaan because of their sin? Exodus 33:1–6.

3.b.      Where did Moses pitch the tabernacle after this dreadful experience? What token revealed hope for those who sought the Lord? Exodus 33:7–10.

Note: “The tent was pitched without the encampment, but Moses called it ‘the tabernacle of the congregation’ (Exodus 33:7). All who were truly penitent, and desired to return to the Lord, were directed to repair thither to confess their sins and seek His mercy. When they returned to their tents Moses entered the tabernacle. With agonizing interest the people watched for some token that his intercessions in their behalf were accepted. If God should condescend to meet with him, they might hope that they were not to be utterly consumed. When the cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the entrance of the tabernacle, the people wept for joy, and they ‘rose up and worshiped, every man in his tent door’ (verse 10).” Patriarchs and Prophets, 327.

3.c. What assurance did Moses obtain from the Lord? Exodus 33:11–17. How can we obtain the same assurance?

Note: “This experience—above all else the promise that the divine Presence would attend him—was to Moses an assurance of success in the work before him; and he counted it of infinitely greater worth than all the learning of Egypt or all his attainments as a statesman or a military leader. No earthly power or skill or learning can supply the place of God’s abiding presence.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 328.

“Go to God and tell Him as did Moses, ‘I cannot lead this people unless Thy presence shall go with me.’ And then ask still more; pray with Moses, ‘Show me Thy glory.’ What is this glory?—the character of God. That is what He proclaimed to Moses. Let the soul, in living faith, fasten upon God. Let the tongue speak His praise. When you associate together, let the mind be reverently turned to the contemplation of eternal realities. Thus you will be helping one another to be spiritually minded. When your will is in harmony with the divine will, you will be in harmony with one another; you will have Christ by your side as a counselor.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 499.

Wednesday

4 A GLIMPSE OF GOD’S CHARACTER 

4.a. What further request did Moses make, and what was the Lord’s answer? Exodus 33:18, 19. How did the Lord proclaim His name to Moses? Exodus 34:5–7.

Note: “It is our privilege to reach higher and still higher for clearer revealings of the character of God. When Moses prayed, ‘I beseech Thee, show me Thy glory,’ the Lord did not rebuke him, but He granted his prayer. God declared to His servant, ‘I will make all My goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee’ (Exodus 33:18, 19).

“It is sin that darkens our minds and dims our perceptions. As sin is purged from our hearts, the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, illuminating His word and reflected from the face of nature, more and more fully will declare Him ‘merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth’ (Exodus 34:6).” The Ministry of Healing, 464, 465.

4.b.      After God revealed His glory to Moses, what did Moses pray for, and how did God answer? Exodus 34:8–17, 27.

Note: “Moses was full of confidence in God because he had appropriating faith. He needed help, and he prayed for it, grasped it by faith, and wove into his experience the belief that God cared for him. He believed that God ruled his life in particular. He saw and acknowledged God in every detail of his life and felt that he was under the eye of the All-seeing One, who weighs motives, who tries the heart. He looked to God and trusted in Him for strength to carry him uncorrupted through every form of temptation. … The presence of God was sufficient to carry him through the most trying situations in which a man could be placed.

“Moses did not merely think of God; he saw Him. God was the constant vision before him; he never lost sight of His face. He saw Jesus as his Saviour, and he believed that the Saviour’s merits would be imputed to him. This faith was to Moses no guesswork; it was a reality. This is the kind of faith we need, faith that will endure the test.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 651, 652.

Thursday

5 ENTERING THE COVENANT OF GRACE

5.a. What were the children of Israel now able to appreciate about the blessings offered under the Abrahamic covenant in contrast to their first covenant with God? Psalm 103:8; Hebrews 7:19; Jeremiah 31:33, 34.

Note: “They [the children of Israel] had witnessed the proclamation of the law in awful majesty, and had trembled with terror before the mount; and yet only a few weeks passed before they broke their covenant with God, and bowed down to worship a graven image. They could not hope for the favor of God through a covenant which they had broken; and now, seeing their sinfulness and their need of pardon, they were brought to feel their need of the Saviour revealed in the Abrahamic covenant and shadowed forth in the sacrificial offerings. Now by faith and love they were bound to God as their deliverer from the bondage of sin. Now they were prepared to appreciate the blessings of the new covenant.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 372.

5.b.      What did Moses bring down from the mount after forty days, and how did the people feel when they saw him? Exodus 34:28–30, 33.

Note: “The glory reflected in the countenance of Moses illustrates the blessings to be received by God’s commandment-keeping people through the mediation of Christ. It testifies that the closer our communion with God, and the clearer our knowledge of His requirements, the more fully shall we be conformed to the divine image, and the more readily do we become partakers of the divine nature.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 330.

Friday

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS 

1    Why do we often despise the one who rebukes sin and admire the gentle, yielding ones?

2    Why was the sin of worshiping the golden calf so great?

3    What was of more value to Moses than his skill as a statesman or a military leader? Why?

4    As Jesus cleanses the heart from sin, what will we see shining from His word and reflected in nature?

5    What two things will lead me to become more fully conformed to God’s image? How?

Copyright 2019, Reformation Herald Publishing Association, 5240 Hollins Road, Roanoke, Virginia 24019-5048, U.S.A.

Bible Study Guides – The Covenant Broken

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January 3 – 9, 2021

Key Text

“And the Lord said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves” (Exodus 32:7).

Study Help: Patriarchs and Prophets, 315–319.

Introduction

“Feeling their helplessness in the absence of their leader, they returned to their old superstitions. The ‘mixed multitude’ had been the first to indulge murmuring and impatience, and they were the leaders in the apostasy that followed.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 315, 316.

Sunday

1 THE PEOPLE PROMISE OBEDIENCE

1.a. After the proclamation of the law, who were called up into the mountain, and who only was told to come near to the Lord? Exodus 24:1, 2.

1.b.      As the people heard all the words of the Lord as related by Moses, what did they answer with one voice? What did Moses then do? Exodus 24:3, 4.

Note: “The minds of the people, blinded and debased by slavery and heathenism, were not prepared to appreciate fully the far-reaching principles of God’s ten precepts. That the obligations of the Decalogue might be more fully understood and enforced, additional precepts were given, illustrating and applying the principles of the Ten Commandments. These laws were called judgments, both because they were framed in infinite wisdom and equity and because the magistrates were to give judgment according to them. Unlike the Ten Commandments, they were delivered privately to Moses, who was to communicate them to the people.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 310.

“[Exodus 24:3 quoted.] This pledge, together with the words of the Lord which it bound them to obey, was written by Moses in a book.” Ibid., 312.

Monday

2 ISRAEL ENTERS INTO A COVENANT WITH GOD

2.a. When Moses took the book of the covenant and read it in the ears of the people, what did they again promise? Exodus 24:7.

Note: “If the Israelites had obeyed God’s requirements, they would have been practical Christians. They would have been happy; for they would have been keeping God’s ways, and not following the inclinations of their own natural hearts. Moses did not leave them to misconstrue the words of the Lord or to misapply His requirements. He wrote all the words of the Lord in a book, that they might be referred to afterward. In the mount he had written them as Christ Himself dictated them.

“Bravely did the Israelites speak the words promising obedience to the Lord, after hearing His covenant read in the audience of the people. They said, ‘All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient.’ Then the people were set apart and sealed to God. A sacrifice was offered to the Lord. A portion of the blood of the sacrifice was sprinkled upon the altar. This signified that the people had consecrated themselves—body, mind, and soul—to God. A portion was sprinkled upon the people. This signified that through the sprinkled blood of Christ, God graciously accepted them as His special treasure. Thus the Israelites entered into a solemn covenant with God.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 1, 1107.

2.b.      What did the Israelites fail to realize in their decision to enter into a covenant with God? Romans 7:18; John 15:5.

Note: “God … gave them [Israel] His law, with the promise of great blessings on condition of obedience: ‘If ye will obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then … ye shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation’ (Exodus 19:5, 6). The people did not realize the sinfulness of their own hearts, and that without Christ it was impossible for them to keep God’s law; and they readily entered into covenant with God. Feeling that they were able to establish their own righteousness, they declared, ‘All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient’ (Exodus 24:7).” Patriarchs and Prophets, 371, 372.

2.c. What was used by Moses to ratify the covenant made at Sinai? Exodus 24:8.

Tuesday

3 MOSES IN THE MOUNT 

3.a. For what purpose was Moses again called into the mount? Exodus 24:12; 25:8, 9, 40.

Note: “During his stay in the mount, Moses received directions for the building of a sanctuary in which the divine presence would be specially manifested. ‘Let them make Me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them’ (Exodus 25:8), was the command of God. …

“Henceforth the people were to be honored with the abiding presence of their King. ‘I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God,’ ‘and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by My glory’ (Exodus 29:45, 43), was the assurance given to Moses. As the symbol of God’s authority and the embodiment of His will, there was delivered to Moses a copy of the Decalogue engraved by the finger of God Himself upon two tables of stone (Deuteronomy 9:10; Exodus 32:15, 16), to be sacredly enshrined in the sanctuary, which, when made, was to be the visible center of the nation’s worship.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 313, 314.

3.b.      What was seen on Mount Sinai? Exodus 24:15–17.

3.c. How long was Moses upon the mount with God? Exodus 24:18. How did the Lord want to enlighten the world through Israel? How does this apply to us today?

Note: “From a race of slaves the Israelites had been exalted above all peoples to be the peculiar treasure of the King of kings. God had separated them from the world, that He might commit to them a sacred trust. He had made them the depositaries of His law, and He purposed, through them, to preserve among men the knowledge of Himself. Thus the light of heaven was to shine out to a world enshrouded in darkness, and a voice was to be heard appealing to all peoples to turn from their idolatry to serve the living God. If the Israelites would be true to their trust, they would become a power in the world. God would be their defense, and He would exalt them above all other nations. His light and truth would be revealed through them, and they would stand forth under His wise and holy rule as an example of the superiority of His worship over every form of idolatry.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 314.

Wednesday

4 THE GOLDEN CALF

4.a. When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, what did they say as they gathered around Aaron? Exodus 32:1.

Note: “During this period of waiting, there was time for them to meditate upon the law of God which they had heard, and to prepare their hearts to receive the further revelations that He might make to them. They had none too much time for this work; and had they been thus seeking a clearer understanding of God’s requirements, and humbling their hearts before Him, they would have been shielded from temptation. But they did not do this, and they soon became careless, inattentive, and lawless. Especially was this the case with the mixed multitude. … There were some who suggested a return to Egypt, but whether forward to Canaan or backward to Egypt, the masses of the people were determined to wait no longer for Moses.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 315.

4.b.      How did Aaron reveal his weakness? What did the people do? Exodus 32:2–6; Psalm 106:19, 20.

Note: “A few who ventured to denounce the proposed image making as idolatry, were set upon and roughly treated, and in the confusion and excitement they finally lost their lives.

“Aaron feared for his own safety; and instead of nobly standing up for the honor of God, he yielded to the demands of the multitude.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 316, 317.

4.c. What warning does this experience contain for us? 1 Corinthians 10:7.

Note: “We repeat the sin of Aaron, pacifying, when the eyesight should be clear to discern evil and state it plainly, even if it places us in an unpleasant position, because our motives may be misapprehended. We must not suffer wrong upon a brother or any soul with whom we are connected. This neglect to stand up firmly for truth was the sin of Aaron. Had he spoken the truth plainly, that golden calf would never have been made.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 1, 1109.

Thursday

5 MOSES PLEADS FOR THE PEOPLE

5.a. Relate the discussion between the Lord and Moses regarding the apostasy in the camp. Exodus 32:7–14. 

Note: “As Moses interceded for Israel, his timidity was lost in his deep interest and love for those for whom he had, in the hands of God, been the means of doing so much. The Lord listened to his pleadings, and granted his unselfish prayer. God had proved His servant; He had tested his faithfulness and his love for that erring, ungrateful people, and nobly had Moses endured the trial. His interest in Israel sprang from no selfish motive. The prosperity of God’s chosen people was dearer to him than personal honor.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 319.

5.b.      What does God want us to do when we meet apostasy today? 2 Timothy 4:2, 3.

Note “Of all the sins that God will punish, none are more grievous in His sight than those that encourage others to do evil. God would have His servants prove their loyalty by faithfully rebuking transgression, however painful the act may be. Those who are honored with a divine commission are not to be weak, pliant time-servers. They are not to aim at self-exaltation, or to shun disagreeable duties, but to perform God’s work with unswerving fidelity.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 323, 324.

Friday

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1    How did the additional precepts given to the Israelites relate to the Ten Commandments?

2    How can I be a “practical Christian”? Will this make me unhappy?

3    How can I help to preserve a knowledge of God in this world?

4    Why do we sometimes fail to stand up for what is right? What repercussions can this have?

5    What can I learn from Moses’ attitude toward those who were outright disobedient and others who were inconsistent in their faith?

Copyright 2019, Reformation Herald Publishing Association, 5240 Hollins Road, Roanoke, Virginia 24019-5048, U.S.A.

Bible Study Guides – A Covenant of Grace

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Wilderness Wanderings

December 27 – January 2, 2021

Key Text

“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put My laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to Me a people” (Hebrews 8:10).

Study Help: Patriarchs and Prophets, 363–373.

Introduction

“The ‘new covenant’ was established upon ‘better promises’—the promise of forgiveness of sins and of the grace of God to renew the heart and bring it into harmony with the principles of God’s law.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 372.

Sunday

1 AN ETERNAL MYSTERY 

1.a. For how long has God’s covenant of grace existed? Romans 16:25.

Note: “The covenant of grace is not a new truth, for it existed in the mind of God from all eternity. This is why it is called the everlasting covenant.” The Faith I Live By, 77.

1.b.      When was the covenant of grace confirmed to humanity by promise? Genesis 3:15. When was it fully established? John 19:30; Romans 3:25.

Note: “The kingdom of grace was instituted immediately after the fall of man, when a plan was devised for the redemption of the guilty race. It then existed in the purpose and by the promise of God; and through faith, men could become its subjects. Yet it was not actually established until the death of Christ. … When the Saviour yielded up His life, and with His expiring breath cried out, ‘It is finished,’ then the fulfillment of the plan of redemption was assured. The promise of salvation made to the sinful pair in Eden was ratified. The kingdom of grace, which had before existed by the promise of God, was then established.” The Great Controversy, 347, 348.

Monday

2 THE COVENANT BLESSING FOR ALL NATIONS 

2.a. What blessing did God promise to Abraham under the covenant of grace? Genesis 12:1–3. Who is the promised “Seed”? Galatians 3:16.

Note: “Christ was not alone in making His great sacrifice. It was the fulfillment of the covenant made between Him and His Father before the foundation of the world was laid. With clasped hands They had entered into the solemn pledge that Christ would become the surety for the human race if they were overcome by Satan’s sophistry.” The Youth’s Instructor, June 14, 1900.

2.b.      What does God do under this covenant for all who believe in Christ alone for salvation? Galatians 3:8; Romans 5:1.

Note: “The covenant made with Abraham four hundred and thirty years before the law was spoken on Sinai was a covenant confirmed by God in Christ, the very same gospel which is preached to us.” The Signs of the Times, August 24, 1891.

2.c. What promise did God’s covenant with Abraham also include, and what will receiving it do for the believer in Christ? Galatians 3:14; Ezekiel 36:26, 27.

Note: “The same law that was engraved upon the tables of stone is written by the Holy Spirit upon the tables of the heart. Instead of going about to establish our own righteousness we accept the righteousness of Christ. His blood atones for our sins. His obedience is accepted for us. Then the heart renewed by the Holy Spirit will bring forth ‘the fruits of the Spirit.’ Through the grace of Christ we shall live in obedience to the law of God written upon our hearts. Having the Spirit of Christ, we shall walk even as He walked. Through the prophet He declared of Himself, ‘I delight to do Thy will, O My God: yea, Thy law is within My heart’ (Psalm 40:8). And when among men He said, ‘The Father hath not left Me alone; for I do always those things that please Him’ (John 8:29).” Patriarchs and Prophets, 372.

Tuesday

3 GRACE FOR OBEDIENCE

3.a. Why did God confirm His everlasting covenant to Abraham by an oath? Genesis 22:16–18; Hebrews 6:13–18.

Note: “This promise [Genesis 22:18] pointed to Christ. So Abraham understood it (see Galatians 3:8, 16), and he trusted in Christ for the forgiveness of sins. It was this faith that was accounted unto him for righteousness.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 370.

“On Mount Moriah, God again renewed His covenant, confirming with a solemn oath the blessing to Abraham and to his seed through all coming generations. …

“Abraham was human; his passions and attachments were like ours; but he did not stop to question how the promise could be fulfilled if Isaac should be slain. He did not stay to reason with his aching heart. He knew that God is just and righteous in all His requirements, and he obeyed the command to the very letter.” Ibid., 153.

3.b.      What shows that obedience to God’s law will always be seen in the life of those under the covenant of grace? Genesis 26:5.

Note: “The covenant with Abraham also maintained the authority of God’s law. The Lord appeared unto Abraham, and said, ‘I am the Almighty God; walk before Me, and be thou perfect’ (Genesis 17:1). The testimony of God concerning His faithful servant was, ‘Abraham obeyed My voice, and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws’ (Genesis 26:5). And the Lord declared to him, ‘I will establish My covenant between Me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee’ (Genesis 17:7).” Patriarchs and Prophets, 370. [Emphasis author’s.]

“The apostle Paul clearly presents the relation between faith and the law under the new covenant. He says: ‘Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.’ ‘Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.’ ‘For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh’—it could not justify man, because in his sinful nature he could not keep the law—‘God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit’ (Romans 5:1; 3:31; 8:3, 4).” Ibid., 373. [Emphasis author’s.]

Wednesday

4 THE COVENANT AT SINAI 

4.a. Why was another covenant formed at Sinai and what was its purpose? Deuteronomy 4:35–37.

Note: “In their bondage the people had to a great extent lost the knowledge of God and of the principles of the Abrahamic covenant. In delivering them from Egypt, God sought to reveal to them His power and His mercy, that they might be led to love and trust Him. He brought them down to the Red Sea—where, pursued by the Egyptians, escape seemed impossible—that they might realize their utter helplessness, their need of divine aid; and then He wrought deliverance for them. Thus they were filled with love and gratitude to God and with confidence in His power to help them. He had bound them to Himself as their deliverer from temporal bondage.

“But there was a still greater truth to be impressed upon their minds. Living in the midst of idolatry and corruption, they had no true conception of the holiness of God, of the exceeding sinfulness of their own hearts, their utter inability, in themselves, to render obedience to God’s law, and their need of a Saviour. All this they must be taught.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 371.

4.b.      Why is the covenant made with Abraham called a “new” covenant even though it was made before the one at Sinai? Hebrews 9:16–20.

Note: “Though this covenant was made with Adam and renewed to Abraham, it could not be ratified until the death of Christ. It had existed by the promise of God since the first intimation of redemption had been given; it had been accepted by faith; yet when ratified by Christ, it is called a new covenant. The law of God was the basis of this covenant, which was simply an arrangement for bringing men again into harmony with the divine will, placing them where they could obey God’s law.

“Another compact—called in Scripture the ‘old’ covenant—was formed between God and Israel at Sinai, and was then ratified by the blood of a sacrifice. The Abrahamic covenant was ratified by the blood of Christ, and it is called the ‘second,’ or ‘new,’ covenant, because the blood by which it was sealed was shed after the blood of the first covenant.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 370, 371.

Thursday

5 DELIVERANCE FROM THE SPIRIT OF BONDAGE 

5.a. What did the Israelites fail to understand when they entered into the covenant at Sinai? Exodus 24:7; Romans 10:2, 3; John 15:5.

Note: “The people did not realize … that without Christ it was impossible for them to keep God’s law; and they readily entered into covenant with God. Feeling that they were able to establish their own righteousness, they declared, ‘All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient’ (Exodus 24:7).” Patriarchs and Prophets, 371, 372.

5.b.      How can we be in danger today of making the same mistake the children of Israel made at Sinai? Romans 8:15.

Note: “The spirit of bondage is engendered by seeking to live in accordance with legal religion, through striving to fulfill the claims of the law in our own strength. There is hope for us only as we come under the Abrahamic covenant, which is the covenant of grace by faith in Christ Jesus.” The Youth’s Instructor, September 22, 1892.

“All religious service, however attractive and costly, that endeavors to merit the favor of God, all mortification of the flesh, all penance and laborious work to procure the forgiveness of sin and the divine favor—whatever prevents us from making Christ our entire dependence, is abomination in the sight of God. There is no hope for man but to cease his rebellion, his resistance of God’s will, and own himself a sinner ready to perish, and cast himself upon the mercy of God. We can be saved only through Christ.” The Signs of the Times, August 24, 1891.

Friday

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS 

1    Why is the covenant of grace called an everlasting covenant?

2    How am I blessed today by the covenant made with Abraham?

3    What does God promise to do for me under the covenant of grace?

4    Why is the covenant of grace called a “new” covenant?

5    How can I ensure today that I am under the covenant of grace?

Copyright 2019, Reformation Herald Publishing Association, 5240 Hollins Road, Roanoke, Virginia 24019-5048, U.S.A.

Bible Study Guides – “I Will Be Their God”

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April 28, 2001 – May 4, 2001

MEMORY VERSE

“O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all My commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!” Deuteronomy 5:29.

STUDY HELP: Patriarchs and Prophets, 370–373.

Introduction

“We are called to be holy, and we should carefully avoid giving the impression that it is of little consequence whether or not we retain the peculiar features of our faith. Upon us rests the solemn obligation of taking a more decided stand for truth and righteousness than we have taken in the past. The line of demarcation between those who keep the commandments of God and those who do not is to be revealed with unmistakable clearness. We are conscientiously to honor God, diligently using every means of keeping in covenant relation with Him, that we may receive His blessings—the blessings so essential for the people who are to be so severely tried. To give the impression that our faith, our religion, is not a dominating power in our lives is greatly to dishonor God. Thus we turn from His commandments, which are our life, denying that He is our God and that we are His people.” Counsels on Health, 238, 239.

“I Will Not Leave Thee”

  1. How was the covenant made with Abraham renewed with Isaac? Genesis 26:24.

NOTE: “The promises made to Abraham and confirmed to his son were held by Isaac and Rebekah as the great object of their desires and hopes. With these promises Esau and Jacob were familiar. They were taught to regard the birthright as a matter of great importance, for it included not only an inheritance of worldly wealth but spiritual pre-eminence. He who received it was to be the priest of his family, and in the line of his posterity the Redeemer of the world would come. On the other hand, there were obligations resting upon the possessor of the birthright. He who should inherit its blessings must devote his life to the service of God. Like Abraham, he must be obedient to the divine requirements. In marriage, in his family relations, in public life, he must consult the will of God.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 177, 178.

  1. How did God confirm the covenant with Jacob? Genesis 28:11–15. Compare Genesis 28:1–4.

NOTE: “Threatened with death by the wrath of Esau, Jacob went out from his father’s home a fugitive; but he carried with him the father’s blessing; Isaac had renewed to him the covenant promise, and had bidden him, as its inheritor, to seek a wife of his mother’s family in Mesopotamia. . . . Wearied with his journey, the wanderer lay down upon the ground, with a stone for his pillow. As he slept he beheld a ladder, bright and shining, whose base rested upon the earth, while the top reached to heaven. Upon this ladder angels were ascending and descending; above it was the Lord of glory, and from the heavens His voice was heard: ‘I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac.’ The land whereon he lay as an exile and fugitive was promised to him and to his posterity, with the assurance, ‘In thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’ This promise had been given to Abraham and to Isaac, and now it was renewed to Jacob. Then in special regard to his present loneliness and distress, the words of comfort and encouragement were spoken: ‘Behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.’” Patriarchs and Prophets, 183, 184.

  1. What truth was the Lord revealing to Jacob through His dream? John 1:51. Read verses 43–51.

NOTE: “In this vision the plan of redemption was presented to Jacob, not fully, but in such parts as were essential to him at that time. The mystic ladder revealed to him in his dream was the same to which Christ referred in His conversation with Nathanael. Said He, ‘Ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.’ John 1:51. Up to the time of man’s rebellion against the government of God, there had been free communion between God and man. But the sin of Adam and Eve separated earth from heaven, so that man could not have communion with his Maker. Yet the world was not left in solitary hopelessness. The ladder represents Jesus, the appointed medium of communication. Had He not with His own merits bridged the gulf that sin had made, the ministering angels could have held no communion with fallen man. Christ connects man in his weakness and helplessness with the source of infinite power. All this was revealed to Jacob in his dream. Although his mind at once grasped a part of the revelation, its great and mysterious truths were the study of his lifetime, and unfolded to his understanding more and more.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 184.

“I Will Pass Over You”

  1. What was the climax of the plagues that God brought upon Egypt? Exodus 11:4–6.

NOTE: ‘”Moses and Aaron related to Pharaoh the nature and effect of each plague which should follow his refusal to let Israel go. Every time he saw these plagues come exactly as he was told they would come; yet he would not yield. First, he would only grant them permission to sacrifice to God in the land of Egypt; then, after Egypt had suffered by God’s wrath, he granted that the men alone should go. After Egypt had been nearly destroyed by the plague of the locusts, then he granted that their children and their wives might go also; but would not let their cattle go. Moses then told the king that the angel of God would slay their first-born. Every plague had come a little closer and more severe, and this was to be more dreadful than any before it. But the proud king was exceedingly angry, and humbled not himself. And when the Egyptians saw the great preparations being made among the Israelites for that dreadful night, they ridiculed the token of blood upon their door–posts.” The Story of Redemption, 118.

  1. In what way were the people of Israel to show that they trusted God’s power to deliver them? Exodus 12:21–23, 28.

NOTE: “The only safety for the Israelites was blood upon the doorposts. God said, ‘When I see the blood, I will pass over you’ (Exodus 12:13). All other devices for safety would be without avail. Nothing but the blood on the doorposts would bar the way that the angel of death should not enter. There is salvation for the sinner in the blood of Jesus Christ alone, which cleanseth us from all sin. The man with a cultivated intellect may have vast stores of knowledge, he may engage in theological speculations, he may be great and honored of men and be considered the repository of knowledge, but unless he has a saving knowledge of Christ crucified for him, and by faith lays hold of the righteousness of Christ, he is lost. Christ ‘was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed’ (Isaiah 53:5). ‘Saved by the blood of Jesus Christ,’ will be our only hope for time and our song throughout eternity.” Selected Messages, Book 3, 172, 173.

“I Am the Lord Thy God”

  1. With what statement did God preface the Ten Commandments? Exodus 20:1, 2.

NOTE: “With a mighty arm and with wonderful manifestations of His power, God brought Israel out of Egypt. He made them His chosen people, and gave them His law. He said to them: ‘Thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God. . . . Know therefore that the Lord thy God, He is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love Him and keep His commandments to a thousand generations’ (Deuteronomy 7:6–9). To us also have been spoken the words, ‘Ye are a chosen nation.’ Our work is to show forth the praises of Him who hath called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. How are we to do this? By showing to the world that we are a commandment-keeping people, walking in harmony with God’s law. By never losing sight of His goodness and love, and by making everything in our lives subordinate to the claims of His Word. Thus we shall be representatives of Christ, showing forth in our lives a transcript of His character.” The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, 129, 130.

“As the will of man co-operates with the will of God, it becomes omnipotent. Whatever is to be done at His command may be accomplished in His strength. All His biddings are enablings.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 333.

“Christ came to give moral power to man; to elevate, ennoble, and strengthen him. He came to prove the falsity of Satan’s charge that God had made a law which man could not keep. While possessing man’s nature, Christ kept the Ten Commandments. Thus He proved to the inhabitants of the unfallen worlds and to human beings that it is possible for man perfectly to obey the law. He vindicated God’s justice in demanding obedience to His law. Those who accept Christ as their Saviour, becoming partakers of the divine nature, are enabled to follow His example of obedience to every divine precept.” Signs of the Times, May 14, 1902.

  1. What did God do to ensure that His people would not forget His law? Exodus 24:12; 32:15, 16. Compare Exodus 34:1, 4.

NOTE: “He did not even then trust His precepts to the memory of a people who were prone to forget His requirements, but wrote them upon tables of stone. He would remove from Israel all possibility of mingling heathen traditions with His holy precepts, or of confounding His requirements with human ordinances or customs. But He did not stop with giving them the precepts of the Decalogue. The people had shown themselves so easily led astray that He would leave no door of temptation unguarded. Moses was commanded to write, as God should bid him, judgments and laws giving minute instruction as to what was required. These directions relating to the duty of the people to God, to one another, and to the stranger were only the principles of the Ten Commandments amplified and given in a specific manner, that none need err. They were designed to guard the sacredness of the ten precepts engraved on the tables of stone.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 364.

“The First Covenant”

  1. By what promise did the people of Israel enter into a covenant with God? Exodus 19:8. Compare Exodus 24:3, 7; Deuteronomy 5:27; 26:17.

NOTE: “Another compact—called in Scripture the ‘old’ covenant—was formed between God and Israel at Sinai, and was then ratified by the blood of a sacrifice. The Abrahamic covenant was ratified by the blood of Christ, and it is called the ‘second,’ or ‘new,’ covenant, because the blood by which it was sealed was shed after the blood of the first covenant. That the new covenant was valid in the days of Abraham is evident from the fact that it was then confirmed both by the promise and by the oath of God—the ‘two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie.’ Hebrews 6:18.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 371.

  1. What was defective in this covenant? Hebrews 8:6, 7.

NOTE: “God brought them to Sinai; He manifested His glory; He gave them His law, with the promise of great blessings on condition of obedience: ‘If ye will obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then . . . ye shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation.’ Exodus 19:5, 6. The people did not realize the sinfulness of their own hearts, and that without Christ it was impossible for them to keep God’s law; and they readily entered into covenant with God. Feeling that they were able to establish their own righteousness, they declared, ‘All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient.’ Exodus 24:7. They had witnessed the proclamation of the law in awful majesty, and had trembled with terror before the mount; and yet only a few weeks passed before they broke their covenant with God, and bowed down to worship a graven image. They could not hope for the favor of God through a covenant which they had broken; and now, seeing their sinfulness and their need of pardon, they were brought to feel their need of the Saviour revealed in the Abrahamic covenant, and shadowed forth in the sacrificial offerings. Now by faith and love they were bound to God as their deliverer from the bondage of sin. Now they were prepared to appreciate the blessings of the new covenant.” Review and Herald, October 17, 1907.

“That It May Be Well With You”

  1. Was God’s law the problem with the old covenant? Deuteronomy 5:29. Compare Deuteronomy 5:33; 6:24, 25.

NOTE: “It [the covenant] had existed by the promise of God since the first intimation of redemption had been given; it had been accepted by faith; yet when ratified by Christ, it is called a new covenant. The law of God was the basis of this covenant, which was simply an arrangement for bringing men again into harmony with the divine will, placing them where they could obey God’s law. If it were not possible for human beings under the Abrahamic covenant to keep the commandments of God, every soul of us is lost. The Abrahamic covenant is the covenant of grace. ‘By grace are ye saved’ (Ephesians 2:8). Disobedient children? No, obedient to all His commandments.” God’s Amazing Grace, 133.

  1. How does the new covenant ensure obedience to God’s Law? Hebrews 8:10. Compare Hebrews 10:16; Jeremiah 31:31–33.

NOTE: “Obedience is not a mere outward compliance, but the service of love. The law of God is an expression of His very nature; it is an embodiment of the great principle of love, and hence is the foundation of His government in heaven and earth. If our hearts are renewed in the likeness of God, if the divine love is implanted in the soul, will not the law of God be carried out in the life? When the principle of love is implanted in the heart, when man is renewed after the image of Him that created him, the new-covenant promise is fulfilled, ‘I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them.’ Hebrews 10:16. And if the law is written in the heart, will it not shape the life? Obedience—the service and allegiance of love—is the true sign of discipleship. Thus the Scripture says, ‘This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments.’ ‘He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.’ 1 John 5:3; 2:4. Instead of releasing man from obedience, it is faith, and faith only, that makes us partakers of the grace of Christ, which enables us to render obedience.” Steps to Christ, 60, 61.

  1. How does the Bible emphasize the relationship between obedience and love? Deuteronomy 7:9; Joshua 22:5; Nehemiah 1:5; Daniel 9:4; John 14:15, 21; Romans 13:8, 10; I John 5:2, 3.

NOTE: “It was possible for Adam, before the fall, to form a righteous character by obedience to God’s law. But he failed to do this, and because of his sin our natures are fallen and we cannot make ourselves righteous. Since we are sinful, unholy, we cannot perfectly obey the holy law. We have no righteousness of our own with which to meet the claims of the law of God. But Christ has made a way of escape for us. He lived on earth amid trials and temptations such as we have to meet. He lived a sinless life. He died for us, and now He offers to take our sins and give us His righteousness. If you give yourself to Him, and accept Him as your Saviour, then, sinful as your life may have been, for His sake you are accounted righteous. Christ’s character stands in place of your character, and you are accepted before God just as if you had not sinned. More than this, Christ changes the heart. He abides in your heart by faith. You are to maintain this connection with Christ by faith and the continual surrender of your will to Him; and so long as you do this, He will work in you to will and to do according to His good pleasure. So you may say, ‘The life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.’ Galatians 2:20.” Steps to Christ, 62, 63.

  1. What outward sign of covenant relationship has God chosen? Exodus 31:16; Isaiah 56:6.

NOTE: “The Sabbath is a sign of the relationship existing between God and His people—a sign that they are His obedient subjects, that they keep holy His law. The observance of the Sabbath is the means ordained by God of preserving a knowledge of Himself and of distinguishing between His loyal subjects and the transgressors of His law.” Counsels on Health, 358.

Bible Study Guides – Hebrews 8:8–13

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April 20-26, 2003

MEMORY VERSE: “[Our Saviour Jesus Christ] Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” Titus 2:14.

SUGGESTED READING: Lift Him Up, 282.

INTRODUCTION: “We want more, much more, of the spirit of Christ, and less, much less, of self and the peculiarities of character which keep us apart from our fellow-men. We can do much to break down these barriers by revealing the grace of Christ in our own lives. Jesus has intrusted his goods to the church, age after age. One generation after another for over eighteen hundred years has been gathering up this hereditary trust, until the increasing responsibilities have descended to the people of our time. Do we now realize our responsibility? Do we feel that we are stewards of God’s grace? Do we believe that the lowest, humblest service will be accepted, if it is only directed to doing, not our own, but our Master’s will, to promote his glory? We must be clothed, not with our own garments, but with the robe of Christ’s righteousness.” Gospel Workers (1892), 304.

1 With whom was the old covenant made? Jeremiah 31:31, 32.

NOTE: “To Israel encamped before Mount Sinai the Lord had declared: ‘I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God. And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them: I am the Lord their God.’ Exodus 29:45, 46. And now, notwithstanding the fact that they had repeatedly ‘rebelled, and vexed His Holy Spirit’ (Isaiah 63:10), God once more, through the messages of His prophet, was stretching out His hand to save. As a recognition of their co-operation with His purpose, He was renewing His covenant that His Spirit should remain among them; and He bade them, ‘Fear not.’ ” Prophets and Kings, 575, 576.

2 With whom did the Lord say He would make a new covenant? Hebrews 8:8.

NOTE: “Those who have by baptism given to God a pledge of their faith in Christ, and their death to the old life of sin, have entered into covenant relation with God. The three powers of the Godhead, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, are pledged to be their strength and their efficiency in their new life in Christ Jesus.” Australasian Union Conference Record, October 7, 1907.

3 What part, if any, do Gentiles have in the covenants? Ephesians 2:11–13; Colossians 1:21.

NOTE: “Moses beheld the disciples of Jesus as they went forth to carry His gospel to the world. He saw that though the people of Israel ‘according to the flesh’ had failed of the high destiny to which God had called them, in their unbelief had failed to become the light of the world, though they had despised God’s mercy and forfeited their blessings as His chosen people—yet God had not cast off the seed of Abraham; the glorious purposes which He had undertaken to accomplish through Israel were to be fulfilled. All who through Christ should become the children of faith were to be counted as Abraham’s seed; they were inheritors of the covenant promises; like Abraham, they were called to guard and to make known to the world the law of God and the gospel of His Son. Moses saw the light of the gospel shining out through the disciples of Jesus to them ‘which sat in darkness’ (Matthew 4:16), and thousands from the lands of the Gentiles flocking to the brightness of its rising. [Isaiah 60:3.] And beholding, he rejoiced in the increase and prosperity of Israel.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 476.

“He [Christ] was the Mediator of the covenant, the one in whom all nations of the earth, both Jews and Gentiles, if they accepted Him, were to be blessed.” Lift Him Up, 16.

4 What are the promises of the new covenant? Hebrews 8:10–12.

NOTE: “The same law that was engraved upon the tables of stone, is written by the Holy Spirit upon the tables of the heart. Instead of going about to establish our own righteousness, we accept the righteousness of Christ. [Romans 10:3.] His blood atones for our sins. His obedience is accepted for us. Then the heart renewed by the Holy Spirit will bring forth ‘the fruits of the Spirit.’ [Galatians 5:22, 23.] Through the grace of Christ we shall live in obedience to the law of God written upon our hearts. Having the Spirit of Christ, we shall walk even as he walked. [1 John 2:6.] Through the prophet he declared of himself, ‘I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.’ Psalm 40:8. And when among men he said, ‘The Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.’ John 8:29.” Review and Herald, October 17, 1907.

5 What does God promise those who choose to be His people? Hebrews 8:12.

NOTE: “The most striking feature of this covenant of peace is the exceeding richness of the pardoning mercy expressed to the sinner if he repents and turns from his sin. The Holy Spirit describes the gospel as salvation through the tender mercies of our God. ‘I will be merciful to their unrighteousness,’ the Lord declares of those who repent, ‘and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more’ (Hebrews 8:12). Does God turn from justice in showing mercy to the sinner? No; God cannot dishonor His law by suffering it to be transgressed with impunity. Under the new covenant, perfect obedience is the condition of life. If the sinner repents and confesses his sins, he will find pardon. By Christ’s sacrifice in his behalf, forgiveness is secured for him. Christ has satisfied the demands of the law for every repentant, believing sinner. . . .” God’s Amazing Grace, 138.

6 Whom will those be like who have the Law of God written on their hearts? Psalm 40:7, 8; 1 Peter 2:21.

NOTE: “Consider the life of Christ. Standing at the head of humanity, serving His Father, He is an example of what every son should and may be. The obedience that Christ rendered God requires from human beings today. He served His Father with love, in willingness and freedom. [Psalm 40:8 quoted.] Christ counted no sacrifice too great, no toil too hard, in order to accomplish the work which He came to do.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 282.

“He [Christ] exalted the law, and made it honorable.

“Every soul is under obligation to follow in the footsteps of Christ, the great example for the human family.” Sons and Daughters of God, 48.

7. What characteristic will be seen in those who have the law written in their hearts? Titus 2:14.

NOTE: “God is leading out a people to stand in perfect unity upon the platform of eternal truth. Christ gave Himself to the world that He might ‘purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.’ This refining process is designed to purge the church from all unrighteousness and the spirit of discord and contention, that they may build up instead of tear down, and concentrate their energies on the great work before them. God designs that His people should all come into the unity of the faith. The prayer of Christ just prior to His crucifixion was that His disciples might be one, even as He was one with the Father, that the world might believe that the Father had sent Him.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 17.

8 In order that this work may be done, what must men do? James 4:7, first part; 1 Peter 5:6; Romans 6:13.

NOTE: “Brethren, I entreat you to move with an eye single to the glory of God. Let His power be your dependence, His grace your strength. By study of the Scriptures and earnest prayer seek to obtain clear conceptions of your duty, and then faithfully perform it. It is essential that you cultivate faithfulness in little things, and in so doing you will acquire habits of integrity in greater responsibilities. The little incidents of everyday life often pass without our notice, but it is these things that shape the character. Every event of life is great for good or for evil. The mind needs to be trained by daily tests, that it may acquire power to stand in any difficult position. In the days of trial and of peril you will need to be fortified to stand firmly for the right, independent of every opposing influence.

“God is willing to do much for you, if you will only feel your need of Him. Jesus loves you. Ever seek to walk in the light of God’s wisdom, and through all the changing scenes of life do not rest unless you know that your will is in harmony with the will of your Creator. Through faith in Him you may obtain strength to resist every temptation of Satan and thus increase in moral power with every test from God.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 561.

9 What is the reason why many who profess to desire righteousness do not obtain it? Romans 10:3.

NOTE: “While the law is holy, the Jews could not attain righteousness by their own efforts to keep the law. The disciples of Christ must obtain righteousness of a different character from that of the Pharisees, if they would enter the kingdom of heaven. God offered them, in His Son, the perfect righteousness of the law. If they would open their hearts fully to receive Christ, then the very life of God, His love, would dwell in them, transforming them into His own likeness; and thus through God’s free gift they would possess the righteousness which the law requires. But the Pharisees rejected Christ; ‘being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness’ (Romans 10:3), they would not submit themselves unto the righteousness of God.

“Jesus proceeded to show His hearers what it means to keep the commandments of God—that it is a reproduction in themselves of the character of Christ. For in Him, God was daily made manifest before them.” Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, 54, 55.

10 If the people would humble themselves and submit to God, what would He do for them? Isaiah 61:10.

NOTE: “Is it our greatest concern today that our lives shall be refined and purified, and that we shall reflect the similitude of the divine? This must be the experience of all who join that company who are washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb. They must be arrayed in the righteousness of Christ. His name must be written in their foreheads. They must rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Christ has engraved the names of His people on the palms of His hands. He will never lose His interest in any dependent soul.

“Say to the church members that there is need of thorough consecration to God. Let all understand that they must make a covenant with God by sacrifice. We need the blessings of the gospel every day and every hour. Every proof of the Lord’s power, His presence, and His love, is to be recognized with grateful thanks. Happiness is to be achieved by the right action of the soul toward God.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 56.

11 Through whom alone can this righteousness be obtained? Romans 5:17, 19.

NOTE: “If you would stand through the time of trouble, you must know Christ, and appropriate the gift of his righteousness, which he imputes to the repentant sinner.” The Review and Herald, November 22, 1892.

12 What is the condition on which Christ’s righteousness is given? Romans 3:22.

NOTE: “Do you ask, ‘How am I to abide in Christ?’ In the same way as you received Him at first. ‘As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him.’ Colossians 2:6. ‘The just shall live by faith.’ Hebrews 10:38. You gave yourself to God, to be His wholly, to serve and obey Him, and you took Christ as your Saviour. You could not yourself atone for your sins or change your heart; but having given yourself to God, you believe that He for Christ’s sake did all this for you. By faith you became Christ’s, and by faith you are to grow up in Him—by giving and taking. You are to give all—your heart, your will, your service—give yourself to Him to obey all His requirements; and you must take all—Christ, the fullness of all blessing, to abide in your heart, to be your strength, your righteousness, your everlasting helper—to give you power to obey.” The Faith I Live By, 125.

Bible Study Guides – Hebrews 8:7–10

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April 13-19, 2003

MEMORY VERSE: “I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people.” Hebrews 8:10.

SUGGESTED READING: Sons and Daughters of God, 50.

INTRODUCTION: “It is of the greatest importance that you continually search the Scriptures, storing the mind with the truths of God. You may be separated from the companionship of Christians and placed where you will not have the privilege of meeting with the children of God. You need the treasures of God’s Word hidden in your heart. . . .

“Temptations often appear irresistible because, through neglect of prayer and the study of the Bible, the tempted one cannot readily remember God’s promises and meet Satan with the Scripture weapons. But angels are round about those who are willing to be taught in divine things; and in the time of great necessity they will bring to their remembrance the very truths which are needed. Thus ‘when the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.’ [Isaiah 59:19.]

“The heart that is stored with the precious truths of God’s Word is fortified against the temptation of Satan, against impure thoughts and unholy actions.

“Keep close to the Scriptures. The more you search and explain the Word, the more your mind and heart will be fortified with the blessed words of encouragement and promise.

“Let us commit its precious promises to memory, so that, when we are deprived of our Bibles, we may still be in possession of the Word of God.” My Life Today, 28.

1 How does the second covenant compare with the first? Hebrews 8:6.

NOTE: “The blessings of the new covenant are grounded purely on mercy in forgiving unrighteousness and sins. . .All who humble their hearts, confessing their sins, will find mercy and grace and assurance. Has God, in showing mercy to the sinner, ceased to be just? Has He dishonored His holy law, and will He henceforth pass over the violation of it? God is true. He changes not. The conditions of salvation are ever the same. Life, eternal life, is for all who will obey God’s law. . . .

“Under the new covenant, the conditions by which eternal life may be gained are the same as under the old—perfect obedience. . . . In the new and better covenant, Christ has fulfilled the law for the transgressors of law, if they receive Him by faith as a personal Saviour. . . . In the better covenant we are cleansed from sin by the blood of Christ.” God’s Amazing Grace, 136.

2 What was the necessity for the second covenant? Hebrews 8:7.

NOTE: “Under the new covenant, there were many offenses of a daring, presumptuous character, for which there was no atonement specified by law. In the new and better covenant, . . . Mercy and forgiveness are the reward of all who come to Christ trusting in His merits to take away their sins.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 931.

3 What did the people promise to do in their first covenant with God? Exodus 19:5, 8; 20:1–17.

NOTE: “If Israel would be true to the oath they had taken, a bright future was before them; for the Lord has always magnified his law before his people, pouring rich blessings upon them so long as they have been obedient. The history of God’s ancient people is full of instruction for the church of today. While the Bible faithfully presents the results of their apostasy as a warning to all future generations, it portrays, as a worthy example, the deep humiliation and repentance, the earnest devotion and generous sacrifice, that marked their seasons of returning to the Lord. There is encouragement, too, in the record of God’s willingness to receive his backsliding but repentant people. It would be a scene well-pleasing to God and angels, would his professed followers in this generation unite, as did Israel of old, in a solemn covenant to ‘observe and do all the commandments of the Lord our Lord, and his judgments and his statutes.’ [Nehemiah 10:29.]” The Southern Watchman, June 7, 1904.

4 What is said of the nature of God’s Law? Psalm 19:7; 119:172.

NOTE: “God’s law is his great standard of righteousness. This law is perfect in all its requirements; and God calls upon us to obey it; for by it our cases will be decided in that day when the books of heaven are opened, and the deeds of all come up in review before the Judge of the universe.” The Signs of the Times, February 11, 1897.

5 What is said of those who obey God’s Law? Psalm 119:1–3.

NOTE: “We have the Word of God as our assurance, to inspire us with hope and comfort. God declares that He will not be unmindful of our labors of love in carrying out His will in behalf of our fellow-men. God has made those who believe in Him His stewards. They are to live His law, showing the world by their good works that this law is perfect, converting the soul, uprooting from the heart all selfishness and covetousness, and planting there the precepts of righteousness.” The Signs of the Times, August 8, 1900.

6 The children of Israel could have promised nothing better than to keep God’s Law. Wherein, then, was the fault? Hebrews 8:8. Compare Romans 9:30–10:3.

NOTE: “The people did not realize the sinfulness of their own hearts, and that without Christ it was impossible for them to keep God’s law; and they readily entered into covenant with God. Feeling that they were able to establish their own righteousness, they declared, ‘All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient.’ Exodus 24:7. They had witnessed the proclamation of the law in awful majesty, and had trembled with terror before the mount; and yet only a few weeks passed before they broke their covenant with God, and bowed down to worship a graven image. They could not hope for the favor of God through a covenant which they had broken . . . .” Patriarchs and Prophets, 371, 372.

“He [God] could not carry out the good that he had meant to do them [Eli and his sons], because they failed to do their part.” The Signs of the Times, April 6, 1888.

“The weakness of the first covenant was not in the covenant itself; nor did the fault lie in God. It was the people who were faulty.” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 445.

7 What can the Law of God not do? Romans 3:20.

NOTE: “As you look into the Lord’s great moral looking glass, His holy law, His standard of character, do not for a moment suppose that it can cleanse you. There are no saving properties in the law. It cannot pardon the transgressor. The penalty must be exacted. The Lord does not save sinners by abolishing His law, the foundation of His government in heaven and in earth. The punishment has been endured by the sinner’s substitute.” Man-script Releases, vol. 21, 194, 195.

8 What renders the law powerless? Romans 8:3.

NOTE: “Not without hindrance was the Commander of heaven to win the souls of men to His kingdom. From the time when He was a babe in Bethlehem, He was continually assailed by the evil one. The image of God was manifest in Christ, and in the councils of Satan it was determined that He should be overcome. No human being had come into the world and escaped the power of the deceiver. The forces of the confederacy of evil were set upon His track to engage in warfare against Him, and if possible to prevail over Him.” The Desire of Ages, 116.

9 To what is all human righteousness likened? Isaiah 64:6.

NOTE: “Naked and ashamed, they [Adam and Eve] tried to supply the place of the heavenly garments by sewing together fig leaves for a covering.

“This is what the transgressors of God’s law have done ever since the day of Adam and Eve’s disobedience. They have sewed together fig leaves to cover the nakedness caused by transgression. They have worn the garments of their own devising, by works of their own they have tried to cover their sins, and make themselves acceptable with God.

“But this they can never do. Nothing can man devise to supply the place of his lost robe of innocence. No fig-leaf garment, no worldly citizen dress, can be worn by those who sit down with Christ and angels at the marriage supper of the Lamb.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 311.

“In their professed service to God, the Jews were really working for self. Their righteousness was the fruit of their own efforts to keep the law according to their own ideas and for their own selfish benefit. Hence it could be no better than they were. In their endeavor to make themselves holy, they were trying to bring a clean thing out of an unclean. The law of God is as holy as He is holy, as perfect as He is perfect. It presents to men the righteousness of God. It is impossible for man, of himself, to keep this law; for the nature of man is depraved, deformed, and wholly unlike the character of God.” Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, 54.

10 What is the only true righteousness? Philippians 3:9. Compare Romans 3:21, 22.

NOTE: “Christ is a risen Saviour; for, though He was dead, He has risen again, and ever liveth to make intercession for us. We are to believe with the heart unto righteousness, and with the mouth make confession unto salvation. [Romans 10:10.] Those who are justified by faith will make confession of Christ. . . . The great work that is wrought for the sinner who is spotted and stained by evil is the work of justification. By Him who speaketh truth he is declared righteous. The Lord imputes unto the believer the righteousness of Christ and pronounces him righteous before the universe. He transfers his sins to Jesus, the sinner’s representative, substitute, and surety. Upon Christ He lays the iniquity of every soul that believeth. ‘He hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him’ (2 Corinthians 5:21).” Selected Messages, Book 1, 392.

11 To receive this righteousness, where must God’s Law be written? Hebrews 8:10.

NOTE: “My dear brethren and sisters, let the commandments of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ be in your minds continually and let them crowd out worldly thoughts and cares. When you lie down and when you rise up, let them be your meditation. Live and act wholly in reference to the coming of the Son of man. The sealing time is very short, and will soon be over. Now is the time, while the four angels are holding the four winds, to make our calling and election sure.” Early Writings, 58.

“I saw that it is our duty in every case to obey the laws of our land, unless they conflict with the higher law which God spoke with an audible voice from Sinai, and afterward engraved on stone with His own finger. . . . He who has God’s law written in the heart will obey God rather than men, and will sooner disobey all men than deviate in the least from the commandment of God. God’s people, taught by the inspiration of truth, and led by a good conscience to live by every word of God, will take His law, written in their hearts, as the only authority which they can acknowledge or consent to obey. The wisdom and authority of the divine law are supreme.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 361.

12 What is said of those in whose hearts the Law of God is written? Psalm 119:11; 37:31.

NOTE: “The Saviour overcame to show man how he may overcome. All the temptations of Satan, Christ met with the word of God. By trusting in God’s promises, He received power to obey God’s commandments, and the tempter could gain no advantage. To every temptation His answer was, ‘It is written.’ So God has given us His word wherewith to resist evil. Exceeding great and precious promises are ours, that by these we ‘might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.’ 2 Peter 1:4.” The Ministry of Healing, 181.

“The prayer of Christ for His disciples was, ‘Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy word is truth.’ [John 17:17.] If we are to be sanctified through a knowledge of the truth found in the word of God, we must have an intelligent knowledge of His will therein revealed. We must search the Scriptures, not merely rush through a chapter and repeat it, taking no pains to understand it, but we must dig for the jewel of truth which will enrich the mind, and fortify the soul against the wiles and temptations of the archdeceiver.” Counsels on Sabbath School Work, 19.

The Two Covenants

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There is much confusion today over what the covenants are. Especially is the New Covenant and its application to the Christian misunderstood. We will first take a close look at what a covenant is and then consider the difference between the old and the new.

Webster’s Dictionary defines covenant this way: “An agreement between persons or groups of persons; especially, a formal agreement solemnly promising mutual help or common effort; contract. In theology—the promises of God to man, usually carrying with them conditions to be fulfilled by man, as recorded in the Bible.”

Consulting an encyclopedia concerning covenants and contracts, we find there are several parts that are essential.

  1. It must be written.
  2. It will contain promises.
  3. It will contain terms or conditions.
  4. There must be mutual agreement signified by the signatures.
  5. And finally it must have a seal placed upon it.

Here is an example of a typical covenant or contract in our society. When someone is selling their house, the seller says, “Give me $120,000, and I will give you my house.” The buyer agrees. The contract is signed and then sealed by a notary public. When the buyer gives the specified amount to the seller, the seller then gives the buyer his house. However, if the buyer does not come through with the money within the time given, he does not get the house. He has broken the contract, making it void.

God’s Covenant

Now let us look at the covenant God made with Israel in the wilderness as recorded in Exodus 19:5–8: “Now therefore, if ye will obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all people: for all the earth is Mine: And ye shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel. And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the LORD commanded him. And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD.”

The Covenant is Conditional

You see, there is an “If–Then” in the covenant, a promise upon condition—if you obey Me, then you will be My people. The people gave their promise to fulfill the conditions, thereby signing the contract.

Now, what exactly was the covenant? “And He declared unto you His covenant, which He commanded you to perform, even Ten Commandments; and He wrote them upon two tables of stone.” Deuteronomy 4:13. It is very clear. The Ten Commandments are God’s covenant, written by His finger. (Also see Exodus 31:18 and 34:28.)

Leviticus 26 very plainly spells out all the conditions and promises of the covenant God made with Israel. Notice the “If–Thens.” The promises were all conditional upon the actions of the people. “If ye walk in My statutes, and keep My commandments, and do them; Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.” (Verses 3, 4.)

“But if ye will not hearken unto Me, and will not do all these commandments; And if ye shall despise My statutes, or if your soul abhor My judgments, so that ye will not do all My commandments, but that ye break My covenant: I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.” (Verses 14–16.)

But what is the sad record of Israel’s compliance with the conditions of the covenant? “They kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in His law.” Psalm 78:10.

Israel had signed the contract. They had promised, “All that the Lord hath spoken we will do.” But they were doomed to fail. They broke the contract. You remember at the close of Joshua’s life he exhorted the people to “fear the Lord, and serve Him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord.” Joshua 24:14. And all the people answered, “God forbid that we should forsake the Lord, to serve other gods;…therefore will we also serve the Lord; for He is our God.” (Verses16, 18.) But what was Joshua’s startling reply? “Ye cannot serve the Lord!” (Verse 19.) Why would Joshua say such a thing? I believe he was trying to get them to realize how incapable they were in their own strength to carry out their promise. But the people disagreed with Joshua. “Nay; but we will serve the Lord…The Lord our God will we serve, and His voice will we obey.” (Verses 21, 24.)

Theirs was the “Promise of the Penniless Prospective Buyer.” The penniless prospective buyer does not have a penny, but he wants that house. He signs the contract, somehow possessing wild optimism that he can come up with the money. But, alas, he fails to come through with his end of the bargain. He breaks the contract. The contract is no longer valid, not because the seller did not make his promise good, but because the buyer’s promise was faulty. If the prospective buyer ever should be able to come up with the money, he would have to enter into a new contract with the seller, because the old contract is broken and can no longer be used.

God is so gracious with His people. Though we have failed, He is yet willing to enter into a new covenant with us. Jeremiah prophesied of this new covenant: “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which My covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put My law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be My people.” Jeremiah 31:31–33.

In writing to his Jewish brethren, Paul reminds them of this promise and points to Jesus as the mediator of this new covenant. “But now hath He obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also He is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.” Hebrews 8:6. Why is this a better covenant? Because it is based on better promises. “For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.” (Verse 7.) So there was a fault in the first covenant! What was the fault? “For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:” (Verse 8.) The fault was with the people’s promise. They did not come through on their word.

“Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in My covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.” (Verse 9.) They did not comply with the conditions as they had promised they would. But God has a solution for their faulty promises—His powerful promise to change their heart, so they can comply with the conditions.

“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put My laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to Me a people.” (Verse10.) Once God’s law is internalized, becoming a part of our character, then we obey from the heart instead of chafing under external rules.

So it is like this: God says, “If you keep My commandments, I will give you eternal life.”

Man says, “God, there is no way I can keep Your Law. I am a sinner by nature.”

God says, “I will enable you to keep My law if you will surrender your will and cooperate with Me. I will give you a new nature. I will write My Law in your heart.”

Now these are the better promises. God’s promises are better than man’s, so we accept God’s promise by faith, thus signing the contract.

Did you know everyone saved in the Old Testament was saved under the New Covenant? Hebrews 11 says all these obeyed by faith. The Old Covenant cannot save anyone. It is not a saving covenant, because no one is capable of keeping the Law in his own strength. The promise, “All that the Lord hath spoken we will do” is a faulty promise. We can only be saved by accepting the terms of the New Covenant, by accepting the offer of God’s power to change our hearts and give us the power to obey.

The Seal

There is one aspect of a contract or covenant that we have not yet discussed. That is the seal. Does God’s covenant have a seal? Yes, it does. Right in the heart of the Law of God He has placed His seal, in the fourth commandment, Exodus 20:8–11. “For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.” (Verse 11.)

A seal always contains three things:

  1. The ruler’s name—LORD
  2. His title—Creator (“made heaven and earth. . .”)
  3. Area of jurisdiction—“heaven, earth, the sea, and all that in them is.”

So we see all the elements of a seal in the fourth commandment.

Exodus 31:12, 13 speaks of the Sabbath as a sign of the perpetual covenant. “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily My Sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you.” And in verses16 and 17 it says, “Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He rested, and was refreshed.”

What is a Sign?

Webster’s Dictionary defines sign, “in theology, that which being external, represents or signifies something internal or spiritual; as, an outward and visible sign.”

Observing the Sabbath is the sign that you understand that you cannot of yourself fulfill the Law, that you rest in the power that God gives you to obey.

“Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into His rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it… For He spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all His works. And in this place again, If they shall enter into My rest. Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:… There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into His rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.” Hebrews 4:1–11.

No Faith

So the gospel was preached to ancient Israel, but it did not do them any good because they did not exercise faith in it. God gave them His Sabbath to be a sign that He would give them the power to obey His law, but they did not enter into that rest because of their lack of faith in His power. They felt they were to obey by their own works. So instead of grasping the true significance of the Sabbath, they strictly observed it to earn their salvation. The true Sabbath rest is still offered to the people of God. How do we enter into it? By ceasing from our own works and taking hold of God’s power by faith. This is what true Sabbath–keeping represents. Keeping the Sabbath is not a work, it is a rest!

Let us review now the elements of a covenant and analyze the New Covenant.

  1. It must be written. —The New Covenant is written out for us in the Bible.
  2. It will contain promises. —God promises to write the Law in our hearts.
  3. It will contain terms or conditions. —–Obedience through God’s power.
  4. There must be mutual agreement signified by the signatures. —Our faith.
  5. And finally it must have a seal placed upon it. —The Sabbath.

Revelation 14:12 gives promise of a people who will live by the New Covenant. “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”

[All emphasis supplied.]

Bible Study Guides – Hebrews 9:15–20

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May 18-24, 2003

MEMORY VERSE: “This [is] the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you.” Hebrews 9:20.

SUGGESTED READING: Testimonies, vol. 4, 120–123.

INTRODUCTION: “Here the people received the conditions of the covenant. They made a solemn covenant with God, typifying the covenant made between God and every believer in Jesus Christ. The conditions were plainly laid before the people. They were not left to misunderstand them. When they were requested to decide whether they would agree to all the conditions given, they unanimously consented to obey every obligation. They had already consented to obey God’s commandments. The principles of the law were now particularized, that they might know how much was involved in covenanting to obey the law; and they accepted the specifically defined particulars of the law.

“If the Israelites had obeyed God’s requirements, they would have been practical Christians. They would have been happy; for they would have been keeping God’s ways, and not following the inclinations of their own natural hearts. Moses did not leave them to misconstrue the words of the Lord or to misapply His requirements. He wrote all the words of the Lord in a book, that they might be referred to afterward. In the mount he had written them as Christ Himself dictated them.

“Bravely did the Israelites speak the words promising obedience to the Lord, after hearing His covenant read in the audience of the people. They said, ‘All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient.’ Then the people were set apart and sealed to God. A sacrifice was offered to the Lord. A portion of the blood of the sacrifice was sprinkled upon the altar. This signified that the people had consecrated themselves—body, mind, and soul—to God. A portion was sprinkled upon the people. This signified that through the sprinkled blood of Christ, God graciously accepted them as His special treasure. Thus the Israelites entered into a solemn covenant with God (Manuscript 126, 1901).” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 1, 1107.

1 By what means did Christ become the Redeemer of those under the first covenant? Hebrews 9:15.

NOTE: “Abel grasped the great principles of redemption. He saw himself a sinner, and he saw sin and its penalty, death, standing between his soul and communion with God. He brought the slain victim, the sacrificed life, thus acknowledging the claims of the law that had been transgressed. Through the shed blood he looked to the future sacrifice, Christ dying on the cross of Calvary; and trusting in the atonement that was there to be made, he had the witness that he was righteous, and his offering accepted.” Conflict and Courage, 24.

2 Who are meant by “they which are called” (Hebrews 9:15)? Acts 2:39.

NOTE: “God’s field is the world. Jesus said to His disciples: ‘Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.’ ‘And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.’ Acts 1:8; Luke 24:47.” Testimonies, vol. 8, 56, 57.

3 What may all receive through the priesthood of Christ? Hebrews 9:15, last part.

NOTE: “Those who accept Christ as their Saviour have the promise of the life that now is, and that which is to come. [1 Timothy 4:8.] The human agent owes no part of his ability to the service of Satan; but his entire allegiance is due to the infinite and eternal God. The lowliest disciple of Christ may become an inhabitant of heaven, an heir of God to an inheritance incorruptible, and that fadeth not away. O that every one might make choice of the heavenly gift, become an heir of God to that inheritance whose title is secure from any destroyer, world without end! O, choose not the world, but choose the better inheritance! Press, urge your way toward the mark for the prize of your high calling in Christ Jesus. [Philippians 3:14.] For Christ’s sake, let the aim of your education be shaped by the inducements of the better world.” Review and Herald, November 21, 1893.

4 What is necessary before a testament can be in force? Hebrews 9:16, 17.

NOTE: The Greek word diatheke “may mean either ‘covenant’ or ‘testament’ in the sense of ‘will.’ . . . In Hebrews 9:15–18 there is a play on the two meanings of this word. The ‘inheritance’ mentioned in verse 15 probably suggested the idea of a will or testament, and the phrase ‘by means of death,’ literally, ‘death having occurred,’ probably called to mind the fact that Christ died leaving us an inheritance, and that this inheritance was left us in a testament. . . . A will, or testament, does not go into effect until the testator dies.” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 454.

“Enoch, the seventh from Adam, was ever prophesying the coming of the Lord. [Jude 1:14.] This great event had been revealed to him in vision. Abel, though dead, is ever speaking of the blood of Christ which alone can make our offerings and gifts perfect. The Bible has accumulated and bound up together its treasures for this last generation. All the great events and solemn transactions of Old Testament history have been, and are, repeating themselves in the church in these last days. There is Moses still speaking, teaching self-renunciation by wishing himself blotted from the Book of Life for his fellow men, that they might be saved. David is leading the intercession of the church for the salvation of souls to the ends of the earth. The prophets are still testifying of the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow. There the whole accumulated truths are presented in force to us that we may profit by their teachings. We are under the influence of the whole. What manner of persons ought we to be to whom all this rich light of inheritance has been given. Concentrating all the influence of the past with new and increased light of the present, accrued power is given to all who will follow the light. Their faith will increase, and be brought into exercise at the present time, awakening an energy and an intensely increased earnestness, and through dependence upon God for His power to replenish the world and send the light of the Sun of Righteousness to the ends of the earth.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 7, 417.

5 How was the old covenant ratified? Hebrews 9:18–20; Exodus 24:3–8.

NOTE: “[Exodus 24:3–8 quoted.] Thus by a most solemn service the children of Israel were once more set apart as a peculiar people. The sprinkling of the blood represented the shedding of the blood of Jesus, by which human beings are cleansed from sin.” Fundamentals of Christian Education, 507.

6 What did Moses speak to the people? Hebrews 9:19.

NOTE: “God graciously spoke his law and wrote it with his own finger on stone, making a solemn covenant with his people at Sinai. God acknowledged them as his peculiar treasure above all people upon the earth. Christ, who went before Moses in the wilderness, made the principles of morality and religion more clear by particular precepts, specifying the duty of man to God and his fellow-men, for the purpose of protecting life, and guarding the sacred law of God, that it should not be entirely forgotten in the midst of an apostate world.” Review and Herald, May 6, 1875.

7 What did Moses send young men to do? Exodus 24:5.

NOTE: “We must manifest confidence in our young men. They should be pioneers in every enterprise involving toil and sacrifice, while the overtaxed servants of Christ should be cherished as counselors, to encourage and bless those who strike the heaviest blows for God.” Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 516, 517.

“No one lives to himself; all exert an influence for good or for evil. Because of this, the apostle exhorts young men to be sober-minded. How can they be otherwise when they remember that they are to be co-workers with Christ, partakers with Him of His self-denial and sacrifice, His forbearance and gracious benevolence?” Ibid., 535.

8 What did Moses do with the blood of the sacrifice, and what were his words to the people? Hebrews 9:19, 20; Exodus 24:6. Compare Matthew 26:28.

NOTE: “The blood of the Son of God was symbolized by the blood of the slain victim, and God would have clear and definite ideas preserved between the sacred and the common. Blood was sacred, inasmuch as through the shedding of the blood of the Son of God alone could there be atonement for sin.” The Signs of the Times, July 15, 1880.

9 What did Moses use to sprinkle the blood? Hebrews 9:19. Compare Leviticus 14:4–7.

NOTE: “The hyssop used in sprinkling the blood was the symbol of purification . . . .” Patriarchs and Prophets, 277.

“The priest used cedar and hyssop [Leviticus 14], dipping them into the cleansing water and sprinkling the unclean. This symbolized the blood of Christ spilled to cleanse us from moral impurities. The repeated sprinklings illustrate the thoroughness of the work that must be accomplished for the repenting sinner. All that he has must be consecrated. Not only should his own soul be washed clean and pure, but he should strive to have his family, his domestic arrangements, his property, and his entire belongings consecrated to God.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 122.

10 What should be our prayer each day? Psalm 51:7.

NOTE: “[Psalm 51:7–13 quoted.] Let your prayers ascend to our Heavenly Father, and let this 51st Psalm bring assurance and comfort to you. Do not stay away from Jesus, for he loves you. You may say, ‘He will not hear my prayers; I am a sinner.’ But Christ says, ‘I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.’ [Matthew 9:13.] Then you are not to wait, but come now, and believe that he will receive you. ‘God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ [John 3:16.]” Review and Herald, August 25, 1891.

“The blood of Christ is efficacious, but needs continually to be applied. God wants his servants to make a consecration of themselves to his cause, and to use for his glory the means which he has intrusted to them. If any have become selfish, and are withholding from the Lord that which they should cheerfully give to his service, then they need the blood of sprinkling thoroughly applied, consecrating them and all their possessions to God.” Ibid., January 9, 1883.

Bible Study Guides – Spiritual Power

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December 3, 2006 – December 9, 2006

Key Text

“But ye [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.” 1 Peter 2:9.

Study Help: Steps to Christ, 60–64, Testimonies, vol. 6, 349–351.

Introduction

“The Sabbath given to the world as the sign of God as the Creator is also the sign of Him as the Sanctifier. The power that created all things is the power that re-creates the soul in His own likeness.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 350.

“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me [with thy] free spirit. [Then] will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: [and] my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall show forth thy praise. For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give [it]: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God [are] a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” Psalm 51:10–17.

1 What is the biblical definition of eternal life? John 17:3; Deuteronomy 8:11–18.

note: “To know God is eternal life. Are you teaching this to your children, or are you teaching them to meet the world’s standard? Are you getting ready for the home that God is preparing for you? . . . Teach your children of the Saviour’s life, death, and resurrection. Teach them to study the Bible. . . . Teach them to form characters that will live through the eternal ages. We must pray as we never have before that God will keep and bless our children.” Child Guidance, 494.

“It is our privilege to know God experimentally, and in true knowledge of God is life eternal. The only begotten Son of God was God’s gift to the world, in whose character was revealed the character of him who gave the law to men and angels. He came to proclaim the fact, ‘The Lord our God is one Lord,’ [Mark 12:29] and him only shalt thou serve. He came to make it manifest that, ‘Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.’ [James 1:17.] That which proceeds from the mind of God is perfect, and needs not to be taken back, corrected, or altered in the least. We may ascribe all perfection to God. He holds in his hand the existence of every human being, and upholds all things by the word of his power.” Review and Herald, March 9, 1897.

2 What gift did the Father and the Son give to the human race that they may know them? Exodus 31:13; Ezekiel 20:20.

note: “God will more than fulfil the highest expectations of those who put their trust in him. He desires us to remember that when we are humble and contrite, we stand where he can and will manifest himself to us. He is well pleased when we urge past mercies and blessings as a reason why he should bestow on us higher and greater blessings. He is honored when we love him, and bear testimony to the genuineness of our love by keeping his commandments. He is honored when we set apart the seventh day as sacred and holy. To those who do this the Sabbath is a sign, ‘that they might know,’ God declares, ‘that I am the Lord that sanctify them.’ [Ezekiel 20:12.] Sanctification means habitual communion with God. There is nothing so great and powerful as God’s love for those who are his children.” Review and Herald, March 15, 1906.

3 Since the Sabbath is to be a sign of a perpetual covenant, to what is the covenant pointing us? Exodus 31:16, 17; Hebrews 8:10.

note: “Obedience is not a mere outward compliance, but the service of love. The law of God is an expression of His very nature; it is an embodiment of the great principle of love, and hence is the foundation of His government in heaven and earth. If our hearts are renewed in the likeness of God, if the divine love is implanted in the soul, will not the law of God be carried out in the life? When the principle of love is implanted in the heart, when man is renewed after the image of Him that created him, the new-covenant promise is fulfilled, ‘I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them.’ Hebrews 10:16. And if the law is written in the heart, will it not shape the life? Obedience—the service and allegiance of love—is the true sign of discipleship. Thus the Scripture says, ‘This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments.’ ‘He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.’ 1 John 5:3; 2:4. Instead of releasing man from obedience, it is faith, and faith only, that makes us partakers of the grace of Christ, which enables us to render obedience.” Steps to Christ, 60, 61.

“God has declared in His Word that the seventh day is a sign between Him and His chosen people,—a sign of their loyalty. ‘I am the Lord your God,’ He says; ‘walk in My statutes, and keep My judgments, and do them; and hallow My Sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that ye may know that I am the Lord your God.’ [Ezekiel 20:19, 20.] The day God set apart to be kept free from secular labor He designed should be respected in commemoration of His wisdom, power, and goodness in creating the world and man. The Sabbath was instituted before the Jews were distinguished as a people, and was given to all mankind to keep holy, ‘that ye may know,’ God declares, ‘that I am the Lord which do sanctify you.’ [Exodus 31:13.] If the Sabbath is accepted, the rest of the commands in the Decalogue will be obeyed; for no one can truly keep the Sabbath and disregard one precept of the law.” The Signs of the Times, March 31, 1898.

4 How does the Sabbath illustrate the “New Covenant”? Hebrews 4:10.

note: “God gave the Sabbath to his people to be a continual sign of his love and mercy and of their obedience. As he rested on this day and was refreshed, so he desired his people to rest and be refreshed. It was to be a constant reminder to them that they were included in his covenant of grace. Throughout your generations, he said, the Sabbath is to be my sign, my pledge, to you that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you, that I have chosen you and set you apart as my peculiar people. And as you keep the Sabbath holy, you will bear testimony to the nations of the earth that you are my chosen people.” Review and Herald, October 28, 1902.

“Let us remember that we are pilgrims and strangers on this earth, seeking a better country, even a heavenly. Let us work with such earnestness, such devotion, that sinners will be drawn to Christ. Those who have united with the Lord in the covenant of service are under bonds to unite with Him in the great, grand work of soul saving. Let church members, during the week, act their part faithfully, and on the Sabbath relate their experience. The meeting will then be as meat in due season, bringing to all present new life and fresh vigor. When God’s people see the great need of working as Christ worked for the conversion of sinners, the testimonies borne by them in the Sabbath service will be filled with power. With joy they will tell of the precious experience they have gained in working for others.” Testimonies, vol. 7, 19.

5 To enter into His rest we must cease then from our own works. What are our own works from which we must cease? Galatians 5:19–21.

6 What is the only way we may be released from these “works of the flesh”? John 3:3, 5; Ezekiel 36:25–27.

note: “If we have the love of Christ in our souls, it will be a natural consequence for us to have all the other graces,—joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance; and ‘against such there is no law.’ [Galatians 5:23.] The law of God does not condemn and hold in bondage those who have these graces; because they are obeying the requirements of the law of God. They are law-keepers, and therefore they are not under the bondage of the law.” Review and Herald, January 4, 1887.

7 Why could Israel enter not into His rest? Hebrews 3:12, 19; 4:4–6; Romans 1:17; Galatians 2:20.

note: “Faith is essential in order to the keeping of the law of God; for ‘without faith it is impossible to please Him.’ And ‘whatsoever is not of faith is sin.’ Hebrews 11:6; Romans 14:23.” The Great Controversy, 436.

“We must exercise faith toward Jesus Christ because he had become our sacrifice and surety. He has died that we might have ‘remission of sins that are past,’ [Romans 3:25] and obtain grace and help so that we may keep the commandments of the Lord our God. Faith in Jesus does not make void the law, but establishes it, and will work the fruits of obedience in our lives. Faith in Christ means that you are to do whatsoever he commands; it means that you are to follow in his footsteps. ‘He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.’ ‘He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.’ [1 John 2:6, 4.]” Review and Herald, January 31, 1888.

8 How did Israel come to the point of unbelief? How may we do the same? Hebrews 3:8–11, 15–18; Psalm 95:6–11.

note: “God speaks to us today, in the warnings, counsels, and reproofs given to ancient Israel. If we depart from him, our condemnation will be greater than theirs; for we have their experience as a warning, and all the instruction which God has given since their time. Many and varied are the idols which we cherish; idols that engross the mind and harden the heart, so that sacred things are not rightly valued. Oh that the lessons given to ancient Israel might so impress our hearts and affect our lives that we would fully turn from idols, to serve the living God.” The Signs of the Times, August 18, 1881.

“And you that have not sanctified your souls by obeying the truth, do you expect that Christ at his appearing will make you ready? There will then be no atoning blood to wash away the stains of sins. It is while it is called today that you may, if you will, hear his voice, and harden not your heart, as in the day of provocation. It is today that the Spirit of God invites. It is today that the sweet voice of mercy is falling upon your ears.” Review and Herald, August 17, 1869.

9 How does the Holy Spirit work to sanctify us through the Sabbath? Ezekiel 20:12; 1 Thessalonians 4:3, 7.

note: “The fourth commandment alone of all the ten contains the seal of the great Lawgiver, the Creator of the heavens and the earth. Those who obey this commandment take upon themselves His name, and all the blessings it involves are theirs. . . .

“Each sabbath institution bears the name of its author, an ineffaceable mark that shows the authority of each. It is our work to lead the people to understand this. We are to show them that it is of vital consequence whether they bear the mark of God’s kingdom or the mark of the kingdom of rebellion, for they acknowledge themselves subjects of the kingdom whose mark they bear.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 350, 352.

10 We must be free from sin upon entering the Sabbath: Nehemiah 13:22; 1 Peter 2:9, 10.

note: “This was the commandment of the great and mighty God. There was to be nothing slack and untidy about those who appeared before Him when they came into His holy presence. And why was this? What was the object of all this carefulness? Was it merely to recommend the people to God? Was it merely to gain His approbation? The reason that was given me was this, that a right impression might be made upon the people. If those who ministered in sacred office should fail to manifest care, and reverence for God, in their apparel and their deportment, the people would lose their awe and their reverence for God and His sacred service.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 612.

11 As the shewbread was prepared every Sabbath, so we should partake of the bread of life every Sabbath. 1 Chronicles 9:32; John 6:48, 53, 54, 63; Hebrews 4:11, 12.

12 Not only are we to rest on the Sabbath but we are to assemble together for worship. Leviticus 23:3; Hebrews 10:24, 25.

Personal Review

Encouraging Others—“As you meet from Sabbath to Sabbath, sing praises to Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. ‘Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood’ [Revelation 1:5] let the heart’s adoration be given. Let the love of Christ be the burden of the speaker’s utterance. Let it be expressed in simple language in every song of praise. Let the inspiration of the Spirit of God dictate your prayers. As the word of life is spoken, let your heartfelt response testify that you receive the message as from heaven. This is very old-fashioned, I know; but it will be a thank offering to God for the bread of life given to the hungry soul. This response to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit will be a strength to your own soul and an encouragement to others. It will give some evidence that there are in God’s building living stones that emit light.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 367.

Children of God—“In freeing out souls from the bondage of sin, God has wrought for us a deliverance greater than that of the Hebrews at the Red Sea. Like the Hebrew host, we should praise the Lord with heart and soul and voice for His ‘wonderful works to the children of men.’ [Psalm 107:8, 15, 21, 31.] Those who dwell upon God’s great mercies, and are not unmindful of His lesser gifts, will put on the girdle of gladness and make melody in their hearts to the Lord. The daily blessings that we receive from the hand of God, and above all else the death of Jesus to bring happiness and heaven within our reach, should be a theme for constant gratitude. What compassion, what matchless love, has God shown to us, lost sinners, in connecting us with Himself, to be to Him a peculiar treasure! What a sacrifice has been made by our Redeemer, that we may be called children of God!” Patriarchs and Prophets, 289.

Reprinted with permission, Reformation Herald Publishing Association, Roanoke Virginia, 2003.

Bible Study Guides – A Broken Covenant Relationship

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April 19, 2009 – April 25, 2009

Key Text

“They have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God, and worshipped other gods, and served them.” Jeremiah 22:9.

Study Help: “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 948; Testimonies, vol. 2, 303–307.

Introduction

“How widely have the popular churches throughout Christendom departed from the Bible standard of humility, self-denial, simplicity, and godliness!” The Great Controversy, 385.

1 What happened when God’s people trusted in their prosperity and renown? Ezekiel 16:15, first part, 32. Upon what had they fixed their hope?

Note: “The Israelites fixed their hopes upon worldly greatness. From the time of their entrance to the land of Canaan, they departed from the commandments of God, and followed the ways of the heathen. It was in vain that God sent them warning by His prophets. In vain they suffered the chastisement of heathen oppression. Every reformation was followed by deeper apostasy.” The Desire of Ages, 28.

2 What steps led Israel and Judah again to break God’s covenant and suffer the consequences? Hosea 4:6; Jeremiah 11:10.

Note: “Tenderly had the Lord dealt with them, instructing them by His prophets line upon line, precept upon precept.

“Had Israel heeded the messages of the prophets, they would have been spared the humiliation that followed. It was because they had persisted in turning aside from His law that God was compelled to let them go into captivity.” Prophets and Kings, 296, 297.

3 How is Israel’s separation from God described? Jeremiah 3:2, 3, 20. What was the cause of this separation? James 4:4. What warning should we take from this experience?

Note: “The unfaithfulness of the church to Christ in permitting her confidence and affection to be turned from Him, and allowing the love of worldly things to occupy the soul, is likened to the violation of the marriage vow. …

“In the New Testament, language very similar is addressed to professed Christians who seek the friendship of the world above the favor of God.” The Great Controversy, 381, 382.

“Alas, to what a fearful extent is that friendship of the world which is ‘enmity with God,’ [James 4:4] now cherished among the professed followers of Christ! How widely have the popular churches throughout Christendom departed from the Bible standard of humility, self-denial, simplicity, and godliness!” Ibid., 385.

4 How did the Lord summarize the unreasonable behavior of His people? Jeremiah 2:11, 12. How can this description apply to us today?

Note: “[Jeremiah 2:11–13, 20–22 quoted.] Why is it that the people in this age are so easily drawn away from the observance of God’s commandments? Why is it that they relish the mockery of those who profess to be teachers of righteousness, who yet cast contempt upon the commandments of Jehovah? Is it not because the heart of this people is carnal?” The Signs of the Times, October 2, 1893.

“ ‘Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation; he that believeth shall not make haste. Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? But my people hath changed their glory for that which doth not profit.’ [Isaiah 28:16; Jeremiah 2:11.] ‘Will a man leave the snow of Lebanon which cometh from the rock of the field? or shall the cold flowing waters that come from another place be forsaken?’ [Jeremiah 18:14.]

“There is great danger in our casting aside the counsel of God for the counsels of men. Satan is delighted when he lays his snares and we walk into the meshes of his net. It is spread for our feet. Shall we be led in false paths? … We are to beware of men. Trust in the Lord, heed his voice, and turn from men.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 6, 248.

5 How did the Lord depict the two evils committed by His people? Jeremiah 2:13. Describe Solomon’s woe in turning away from the truth. Ecclesiastes 2:10, 11, 17.

Note: “The pride of prosperity brought separation from God. From the joy of divine communion Solomon turned to find satisfaction in the pleasures of sense.” Education, 153.

“By his own bitter experience, Solomon learned the emptiness of a life that seeks in earthly things its highest good. He erected altars to heathen gods, only to learn how vain is their promise of rest to the spirit.” Prophets and Kings, 76.

6 What is one of the polluted “fountains” found in Solomon’s counsel? Ecclesiastes 12:12. What is our duty if we have such “fountains” in our home? Acts 19:19.

Note: “Evil angels are ever on the alert that they may exalt before the minds of the youth that which will do them injury, and as books expressing infidel and pagan sentiments are read, these unseen agents of evil seek to impress those who study them with the spirit of questioning and unbelief. Those who drink from these polluted channels do not thirst for the waters of life; for they are satisfied with the broken cisterns of the world. They think they have the treasures of knowledge, when they are hoarding that which is but wood and hay and stubble, not worth gaining, not worth keeping. Their self-esteem, their idea that a superficial knowledge of things constitutes education, make them boastful and self-satisfied, when they are, as were the Pharisees, ignorant of the Scriptures and the power of God.” Fundamentals of Christian Education, 168, 169.

“When the Ephesians were converted, they changed their habits and practices. Under the conviction of the Spirit of God, they acted with promptness and laid bare all the mysteries of their witchcraft. … They were determined to turn from the service of the evil one, and they brought their costly volumes and publicly burned them. Thus they made manifest their sincerity in turning to God. …

“I would ask the young who have been connected with the truth, Have you burned your magical books?” Messages to Young People, 275.

7 Where can we find, as did Jeremiah, the fountain of life-giving water? Jeremiah 15:16.

Note: “As those who have been cleansed and sanctified through a knowledge of Bible truth engage heartily in the work of soulsaving, they will become indeed a savor of life unto life. And as daily they drink of the inexhaustible fountain of grace and knowledge, they will find that their own hearts are filled to overflowing with the Spirit of their Master, and that through their unselfish ministry many are benefited physically, mentally, and spiritually. The weary are refreshed, the sick restored to health, and the sin-burdened relieved. In far-off countries thanksgiving is heard from the lips of those whose hearts are turned from the service of sin unto righteousness.” Prophets and Kings, 234.

8 What assurance belongs to those who follow the word of God? I Chronicles 22:13.

9 What prophecy connected Christ to the new covenant? Jeremiah 33:14–16. What divine help is available to those who want to correct wrong habits? Jeremiah 31:10, 11; Micah 7:18, 19.

Note: “Christ’s death and resurrection completed His covenant. Before this time, it was revealed through types and shadows, which pointed to the great offering to be made by the world’s Redeemer, offered in promise for the sins of the world. Anciently believers were saved by the same Saviour as now, but it was a God veiled. They saw God’s mercy in figures.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 932.

“The blessings of the new covenant are grounded purely on mercy in forgiving unrighteousness and sins. The Lord specifies, I will do thus and thus unto all who turn to Me, forsaking the evil and choosing the good. ‘I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.’ [Hebrews 8:12.] All who humble their hearts, confessing their sins, will find mercy and grace and assurance.” Ibid., 931.

10 What was predicted about the renewal of God’s covenant with His people in the last days, and what was the difference between the old and new covenants? Jeremiah 31:31–34; 32:40.

Note: “The same law that was engraved upon the tables of stone is written by the Holy Spirit upon the tables of the heart. Instead of going about to establish our own righteousness we accept the righteousness of Christ. His blood atones for our sins. His obedience is accepted for us. Then the heart renewed by the Holy Spirit will bring forth ‘the fruits of the Spirit.’ Through the grace of Christ we shall live in obedience to the law of God written upon our hearts. Having the Spirit of Christ, we shall walk even as He walked.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 372.

“Under the new covenant, the conditions by which eternal life may be gained are the same as under the old—perfect obedience. Under the old covenant, there were many offenses of a daring, presumptuous character, for which there was no atonement specified by law. In the new and better covenant, Christ has fulfilled the law for the transgressors of law, if they receive Him by faith as a personal Saviour. ‘As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God.’ [John 1:12.] Mercy and forgiveness are the reward of all who come to Christ trusting in His merits to take away their sins. In the better covenant we are cleansed from sin by the blood of Christ.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 931. [Emphasis in original.]

Additional Reading

“It is impossible to give any idea of the experience of the people of God who will be alive on the earth when past woes and celestial glory will be blended. They will walk in the light proceeding from the throne of God. By the means of the angels there will be constant communication between heaven and earth. And Satan, surrounded by evil angels, and claiming to be God, will work miracles of all kinds, to deceive, if possible, the very elect. God’s people will not find their safety in working miracles; for Satan would counterfeit any miracle that might be worked. God’s tried and tested people will find their power in the sign spoken of in Exodus 31:12-18. They are to take their stand on the living Word—‘It is written.’ This is the only foundation upon which they can stand securely. Those who have broken their covenant with God will in that day be without hope and without God in the world.

“The worshipers of God will be especially distinguished by their regard for the fourth commandment—since this is the sign of His creative power, and the witness to His claim upon man’s reverence and homage. The wicked will be distinguished by their efforts to tear down the Creator’s memorial, to exalt the institution of Rome. In the issue of the contest, all Christendom will be divided into two great classes—those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, and those who worship the beast and his image and receive his mark. …

“Fearful tests and trials await the people of God. The spirit of war is stirring the nations from one end of the earth to the other. But in the midst of the time of trouble that is coming—a time of trouble such as has not been since there was a nation—God’s chosen people will stand unmoved. Satan and his angels cannot destroy them; for angels that excel in strength will protect them.” This Day with God, 69.

“If we would come into possession of the heavenly inheritance, the glorious, eternal substance, we must be in covenant relation with God, and employ every faculty of our being to win souls to Christ. … God’s people must be a peculiar, holy people, distinct in character and practice from the world, distinguished from all the religionists of the day. They must be patterns in personal piety and good works. There is higher, holier work for us to do than we have yet done. Christ has said, ‘My Kingdom is not of this world.’ [John 18:36.] It has no principles that will meet the principles of the world. The Lord has set His church as a light in the world, to guide the world to heaven. It is to be a part of heaven on the earth, flashing divine light on the pathway of benighted souls.” The Faith I Live By, 304.

©2005 Reformation Herald Publishing Association, Roanoke, Virginia. Reprinted by permission.