[uplifting music]
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[uplifting music]
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>>Eric Flickinger:
Welcome to "Sabbath School"
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brought to you by It Is Written.
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Glad to have you with us today.
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This is lesson number
13, looking at God's love
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and justice.
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We have been on
quite a journey together,
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and this lesson this
week is going to conclude
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that journey at least
as far as this quarter's
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"Sabbath School" lesson goes,
but we hope that your study
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will continue.
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We're going to be looking today
at love being the fulfillment
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of the law, a fascinating study.
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Let's begin with prayer.
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Father, we ask that
You'll be with us again today,
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as You have been with us
through this entire quarter.
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And as we look at love
being the fulfilling of the law,
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we ask that You'll help
us to bring all these ideas
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together in
ways that will impact
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our lives immensely.
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And we thank You
in Jesus's name, amen.
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We're happy to have
with us also again this week,
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the author of this quarter's
"Sabbath School" lesson,
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Dr. John Peckham.
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He is an associate
editor at the Adventist Review,
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and he is also a
research professor
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at The Theological
Seminary at Andrews University.
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John, thanks for
being with us again today.
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>>John Peckham: It's my
pleasure to be with you.
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>>Eric: So it has
been an incredible journey.
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We're getting down to
the very end of that journey
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right now with a
fascinating subject.
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Love is the
fulfillment of the law.
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So love and the
law, we've been looking
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at the connections of these,
that God's love and justice
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throughout this quarter.
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How does the connection
between love and the law
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reflect the
character of God more fully?
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>>John: Yeah, there are so
many misconceptions about law.
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Often when people think of law,
they think of negative things.
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They think of the
law being against them.
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But actually,
throughout Scripture,
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God's law, particularly
His moral law, is a gift.
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It's a gift that He
gives for the flourishing
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of all creation.
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And in fact, it is
part of His character,
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or a reflection
of His character,
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I should say.
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The law is a
transcript of His character.
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And the law is
given only for our good,
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only to be a blessing to us.
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And I love the way
Ellen White describes this
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in "Patriarchs and Prophets."
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>>Eric: "The law of God
is as sacred as God Himself.
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"It is a revelation of His will,
a transcript of His character,
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"the expression of
divine love and wisdom.
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"The harmony of creation depends
upon the perfect conformity
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"of all beings, of
everything animate and inanimate
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to the law of the Creator."
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>>John: Wow, especially
that last part is really amazing
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and worth reflecting on.
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The harmony of creation depends
upon the perfect conformity
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of all beings to God's
law, of all beings to God's law.
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How can this be that
the harmony of all creation
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depends on
conformity to God's law,
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which just is the
law of unselfish love.
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Well, maybe an
analogy will help here
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because often
people think of the law
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as something that
only is a response to sin.
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But actually if
the law is a transcript
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of God's
character, there's a sense,
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maybe not the exact same
form, but a sense in which
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God's moral law is
eternal as part of who He is.
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And we actually see
if we think about it
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that God's law would be
needed for us even in a world
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in which there was no
sin, even in a perfect world.
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So if you've ever
flown on an airplane,
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you should be thankful
for air traffic controllers.
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Why, what do air
traffic controllers do?
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Well, it's in the name, right?
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They direct the traffic
in and out of the airport.
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And it might sound
simple, but actually there
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is a huge amount of
flights coming and going
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that have to be
exactly on the right pattern,
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take off and land
at the right time,
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on runways that are clear.
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And It's essential for these
air traffic controllers to give
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the different pilots directions
to avoid catastrophic crashes.
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Now, of course, all the
pilots of all the planes,
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they don't want to
crash into each other, right?
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They have no ill intent.
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They're all doing
what they think is best.
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And nevertheless,
they still need someone
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to direct them to
avoid any kind of conflict,
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even unintended conflict.
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And if you think of a
universe with billions at least,
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but surely many more than
that, because we have billions
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of humans even on the Earth now.
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But even just
billions of free creatures,
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even if they all only
want to do what is right,
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there will inevitably be people
on the same path that maybe
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come into a conflict
unless there is someone to guide
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all of the traffic, right?
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And that ultimate
traffic controller is God
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who knows the end
from the beginning,
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who's only loving,
He's entirely wise.
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And this is the
reason why He gives His law
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and His instructions.
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And the only way
that the entire universe
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can flourish in harmony forever
is if everyone unconditionally
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and unreservedly
trusts that God only wants
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what is best for everyone.
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That's actually
what's at the center
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of the great controversy,
and once that is finally settled
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in the heart of every creature,
the controversy will be ended
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and love and harmony and
justice will flourish forever
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and ever and ever.
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So I think we can see
how important this is.
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The law is not just
some abstract principle.
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The law is not against us.
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It's actually given for
the flourishing and harmony
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of all creation.
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>>Eric: So the
law has a purpose.
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Now let's expand that concept
of the law just a little bit
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or maybe drill down into it.
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The Ten Commandments,
love and the Ten Commandments.
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If love and the law go together,
then how does that help us
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understand the Ten Commandments?
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What does that look like?
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>>John: Yeah, if you
look at the Ten Commandments,
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you'll see that actually
the commandments are about
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vertical relationship to God,
the first four commandments.
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And the last six commandments
primarily are about relationship
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with one another,
what we might deem
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horizontal relationship, right?
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And those commandments,
the first four, correspond
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to that great love
command that Jesus gives:
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"Love the Lord your God
with all your heart, soul,
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strength, and mind,"
which is actually a quote
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from the Old Testament.
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And the last six
correspond to that commandment,
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to love your
neighbor as yourself.
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And so these ideas are
very, very closely connected.
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To fulfill the law is to love.
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Love is the
fulfillment of the law.
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And this is all based
on a covenant relationship
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in the Old Testament.
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And this covenant relationship
is a love relationship.
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It's based on God's love
primarily that He wants us
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to reflect to Him
and to reflect to others.
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And the Ten Commandments
are just particular descriptions
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of how we are to do that.
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And I don't think
it's a coincidence
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that in the Ten Commandments,
right at the center, you have
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almost all the commandments
start with a "do not,
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you shall not," except
for the Fourth Commandment,
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which starts with "remember,"
"Remember the Sabbath Day,"
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and the Fifth Commandment,
which is also framed positively:
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"Honor your
father and your mother."
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And those are kind of
like the hinge commandments
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of the two tables
of this love for God
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and love for our
neighbors that flow throughout.
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But I wanna look in this
regard about Jeremiah 30, 31,
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and we'll see that God's
law as part of the covenant
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continues in the New Covenant,
which is actually mentioned
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in the Old Covenant,
but it requires for us
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a heart transplant.
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We need our heart to be changed.
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But the problem is not
the law, the problem is us.
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But God makes a remedy for
this that He already prophesied
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in the Old Testament.
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>>Eric: "Behold,
the days are coming,
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"says the Lord, when I
will make a new covenant
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"with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah--
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"not according to the covenant
that I made with their fathers
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"in the day that I took
them by the hand to lead them
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"out of the land of Egypt.
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"My covenant which they broke,
though I was a husband to them,
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"says the Lord.
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"But this is the
covenant that I will make
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"with the house of Israel
after those days, says the Lord:
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"I will put my
law in their minds
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and write it in their hearts;
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and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people."
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>>John: Now, God
is not saying here
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that there was anything wrong
with the law that He had given
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to Israel.
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But the biggest
problem was that they broke it,
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and they were obstinate,
they were hard hearted, right?
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He talks about
being a husband to them.
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This is that old
marriage analogy, and we've seen
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already throughout
these lessons together
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just how unfaithful they
were to Him over and over
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and over again.
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But what God wants
to do for His people
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is to write His law
on our hearts and minds.
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And this is
something that is made possible
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in a special way
in the New Covenant
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through the victory
of Christ at the cross,
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through the Holy
Spirit being unleashed
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in a new and special way.
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The Holy Spirit
was already operative,
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but the Holy Spirit
being empowered to do even more
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via the victory at the cross.
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You have this promise
already in the Old Testament
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of the New
Covenant, not separating them
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as a false dichotomy
but that the New Covenant
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actually fulfills
the promises of God
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and what God wants for us,
and it includes the moral law
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that is continuing here.
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But ultimately
it's not just outward.
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The law is not
just an outward thing.
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It requires a
heart disposition change
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that can only come
from outside of us,
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this kind of heart transplant
that God will give us.
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>>Eric: So why should
we see these two ideas,
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these two concepts
of the law and love,
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why should we see
them so closely linked?
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>>John: Yeah, here, I think,
Paul's words in Romans 13 are--
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couldn't be said better.
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Romans 13, verses 8 through 10.
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>>Eric: "Owe no one anything
except to love one another,
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"for he who loves one
another has fulfilled the law.
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For the commandments, 'You
shall not commit adultery,'
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'You shall not
murder,' 'You shall not steal,'
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'You shall not
bear false witness,'
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'You shall not
covet,' and if there is
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"any other
commandment, are all summed up
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"in this saying, namely,
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'You shall love your
neighbor as yourself.'
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"Love does no
harm to a neighbor,
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therefore love is the
fulfillment of the law."
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>>John: So if we love others,
we have fulfilled the law,
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and love just is the
fulfillment of the law.
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Of course, all these
puzzle pieces we've seen
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fit together perfectly, right?
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If the law is a
transcript of God's character
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and God is love and the two
great commands are love for God
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and love for
others, which correspond
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to the two
commandments, then of course,
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it just makes perfect sense
that love is the fulfillment
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of the law.
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If you want to keep
God's law, you love.
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Now again, the kind
of love that is required
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has to come from above.
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This is why we
pray for the Holy Spirit
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to shed God's love
abroad in our hearts.
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This is why we need
that heart transplant
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because it's not just enough
to do the actions externally.
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That's important. That's good.
00:10:31.83\00:10:33.53
But we actually need
the heart disposition
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to go along with
that, in order for us
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to actually follow God in
the way that He wants us to.
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But love is the fulfillment
of the law because God's law
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just is the law
of unselfish love.
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>>Eric: So essentially
what you just said there,
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I want to unpack
that a little bit more.
00:10:49.18\00:10:50.68
God's law is really an
expression of His love.
00:10:50.71\00:10:53.95
It helps us to see His love.
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How does that
contrast with some other views
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of the law that are
floating around out there
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in Christianity?
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>>John: Yeah, there are a lot
of negative views of the law,
00:11:02.59\00:11:04.96
and a lot of those are
based on misunderstandings,
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particular
misunderstandings about the laws
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in the Old Testament.
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And here I think it's
important to make a distinction
00:11:10.67\00:11:12.63
between kinds of laws.
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You have moral laws.
00:11:14.20\00:11:15.90
These are eternal laws,
including the Ten Commandments
00:11:15.94\00:11:18.11
that are written
by God's own finger.
00:11:18.14\00:11:19.94
You have kind of health laws.
00:11:19.97\00:11:21.51
They're not always
identified as health laws,
00:11:21.54\00:11:23.01
but health hasn't
changed, right, much.
00:11:23.04\00:11:25.71
And so human
nature hasn't changed.
00:11:25.75\00:11:28.18
And so what was
healthy given for our health
00:11:28.22\00:11:30.59
is going to continue.
00:11:30.62\00:11:32.02
But you have
ceremonial laws that were laws
00:11:32.05\00:11:34.69
that were pointing to
Christ, and those were fulfilled
00:11:34.72\00:11:37.46
by Christ's special ministry.
00:11:37.49\00:11:39.73
And so they're no
longer in place as laws
00:11:39.76\00:11:41.76
we have to keep,
although we can still learn
00:11:41.80\00:11:43.50
a great deal for them.
00:11:43.53\00:11:44.93
The same thing
applies to civil laws.
00:11:44.97\00:11:46.77
These were laws
to affect society
00:11:46.80\00:11:49.57
and to govern in
civil relationships.
00:11:49.60\00:11:52.27
These laws also aren't
in place anymore for us
00:11:52.31\00:11:55.31
because we no longer
live under a theocracy.
00:11:55.34\00:11:58.15
And so these laws
still have good principles
00:11:58.18\00:12:01.22
in them, but it's the
moral law that continues.
00:12:01.25\00:12:04.15
And the moral law is
only given for our good.
00:12:04.19\00:12:06.82
The law is
holy, the law is just,
00:12:06.86\00:12:08.56
the law is good.
00:12:08.59\00:12:09.89
And so despite
many misconceptions
00:12:09.92\00:12:11.53
of God's law, it's
actually for our good.
00:12:11.56\00:12:14.36
It's a transcript
of God's character,
00:12:14.40\00:12:17.17
and it continues as a
blessing, not a curse.
00:12:17.20\00:12:19.90
Far from a
curse, it's a blessing.
00:12:19.93\00:12:21.24
And this is why
the Old Testament
00:12:21.27\00:12:22.57
prophets often said, "Oh,
Lord, how I love your law,"
00:12:22.60\00:12:26.17
because it actually
showed them how to live
00:12:26.21\00:12:29.11
the most abundant life.
00:12:29.14\00:12:31.08
>>Eric: There are
probably some people
00:12:31.11\00:12:32.41
watching this program right now
who have heard the other side
00:12:32.45\00:12:35.85
of the law, the negative
side of the law, and maybe want
00:12:35.88\00:12:38.82
to get a fuller understanding
of how the law is actually
00:12:38.85\00:12:41.29
for their good.
00:12:41.32\00:12:42.92
There's a companion
book that you have written
00:12:42.96\00:12:45.29
that goes into deeper detail.
00:12:45.33\00:12:46.63
Share with us a
little bit about that.
00:12:46.66\00:12:48.73
>>John: Yeah, we can
barely scratch the surface
00:12:48.76\00:12:50.60
of these ideas here, but
there's so much in Scripture
00:12:50.63\00:12:53.70
that teaches how closely
tied God's law is to His love
00:12:53.74\00:12:57.37
and helps us to cut through
some of the misconceptions
00:12:57.41\00:13:00.94
about the law and why
God gives it to us and why
00:13:00.98\00:13:03.55
it's actually a
blessing and not a curse.
00:13:03.58\00:13:05.21
So I have an opportunity
in the companion volume
00:13:05.25\00:13:06.82
to go a little bit
deeper and unpack those ideas
00:13:06.85\00:13:09.05
and many other
ideas about God's love
00:13:09.08\00:13:11.22
and God's justice, how
we relate to the problem
00:13:11.25\00:13:13.09
of suffering, how we understand
God's character a lot better
00:13:13.12\00:13:16.16
in that book.
00:13:16.19\00:13:17.93
>>Eric: If you want
to pick that book up,
00:13:17.96\00:13:19.26
and I would encourage you
to do so, you will find it
00:13:19.29\00:13:21.33
at itiswritten.shop.
00:13:21.36\00:13:23.47
Again, that's itiswritten.shop.
00:13:23.50\00:13:25.67
Look for the
companion book to this quarter's
00:13:25.70\00:13:27.54
"Sabbath School"
lesson by Dr. John Peckham.
00:13:27.57\00:13:30.67
We're going to be
right back in just a moment,
00:13:30.71\00:13:33.71
as we continue our
study in the last segment
00:13:33.74\00:13:36.64
of the last lesson,
looking at God's love
00:13:36.68\00:13:40.38
and justice here
on "Sabbath School,"
00:13:40.42\00:13:42.45
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:13:42.48\00:13:44.05
We'll be right back.
00:13:44.09\00:13:45.42
>>John Bradshaw: The backstory
of the Bible is the story
00:13:49.56\00:13:52.06
of how Satan
attacked the character of God
00:13:52.09\00:13:55.40
and proposed his own
system for running the universe,
00:13:55.43\00:13:59.37
a system of
selfishness and taking, a system
00:13:59.40\00:14:03.84
that's been in
effect on the Earth
00:14:03.87\00:14:06.11
since humans first sinned.
00:14:06.14\00:14:09.18
A system that is a
complete and utter failure.
00:14:09.21\00:14:14.62
Join me for The
Choice, the final chapter
00:14:14.65\00:14:18.69
of It Is Written
series, prequel of the Bible.
00:14:18.72\00:14:22.52
We'll discuss how, even
in a world damaged by sin,
00:14:22.56\00:14:27.23
we can still observe
evidences of how God intended
00:14:27.23\00:14:30.17
the world to operate.
00:14:30.20\00:14:32.37
And we'll look forward
to the sequel of the Bible,
00:14:32.40\00:14:36.50
the glorious
future God has in store
00:14:36.54\00:14:38.81
for those who choose Him.
00:14:38.84\00:14:40.68
Don't miss The Choice, part
five of our five-part series,
00:14:41.34\00:14:44.81
prequel of the
Bible, on It Is Written TV.
00:14:44.85\00:14:47.82
>>John Bradshaw: You
know that at It Is Written,
00:14:50.09\00:14:51.52
we are serious about
studying the Word of God,
00:14:51.55\00:14:53.96
and we encourage you
to be serious as well.
00:14:53.99\00:14:56.62
Well, here's what you do
if you want to dig deeper
00:14:56.66\00:14:58.73
into God's Word.
00:14:58.76\00:15:00.13
Go to ItIsWritten.Study
for the It Is Written
00:15:00.16\00:15:02.96
Bible Study guides online,
25 in-depth Bible studies
00:15:03.00\00:15:06.84
that will take you
through the major teachings
00:15:06.87\00:15:08.74
of the Bible.
00:15:08.77\00:15:10.21
You'll be
blessed, and it's something
00:15:10.24\00:15:11.54
you'll want to tell
others about as well.
00:15:11.57\00:15:13.48
ItIsWritten.Study.
00:15:13.51\00:15:15.34
Go further. ItIsWritten.Study.
00:15:15.38\00:15:17.35
[uplifting music]
00:15:20.05\00:15:24.59
>>Eric: Welcome
back to "Sabbath School"
00:15:24.62\00:15:25.95
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:15:25.99\00:15:27.89
We're looking at love
being the fulfilling of the law,
00:15:27.92\00:15:31.06
here on our final
lesson, looking at God's love
00:15:31.09\00:15:34.56
and justice.
00:15:34.60\00:15:36.03
John, I want to read
a passage to you here
00:15:36.06\00:15:38.27
in the book of Romans.
00:15:38.30\00:15:39.60
It's in Romans
7, verse number 12.
00:15:39.63\00:15:41.74
And then let's
unpack it a little bit.
00:15:41.77\00:15:44.14
Romans, chapter
7, verse 12 says,
00:15:44.17\00:15:45.97
"Therefore the law is
holy, and the commandment holy
00:15:46.01\00:15:49.68
and just and good."
00:15:49.71\00:15:52.01
So here it says
that the commandment is--
00:15:52.05\00:15:54.15
the law is holy, the commandment
is holy and just and good.
00:15:54.18\00:15:57.05
What does this suggest
about the role of the law?
00:15:57.09\00:15:59.72
We're looking at
after Christ's death.
00:15:59.75\00:16:01.62
This is over in
the book of Romans;
00:16:01.66\00:16:03.36
how should that help us
understand the role of the law
00:16:03.39\00:16:05.93
at this point in time?
00:16:05.96\00:16:07.23
>>John: Yeah,
there are many people,
00:16:07.30\00:16:08.56
including many Christians,
that have the misunderstanding
00:16:08.60\00:16:10.27
that somehow Christ's death
on the cross abolishes the law.
00:16:10.30\00:16:14.17
And what it abolishes for
those who are in Christ by faith
00:16:14.20\00:16:17.11
are the penalties of the
law, but the moral law continues
00:16:17.14\00:16:19.67
because it's not
something to be done away with.
00:16:19.71\00:16:21.81
If it was something that
could just be done away with,
00:16:21.84\00:16:23.85
Christ wouldn't need
to die to fulfill the law
00:16:23.88\00:16:26.55
among other things.
00:16:26.58\00:16:28.08
And Paul's statement
here and in many other places
00:16:28.12\00:16:30.09
about the law being
holy and just and good,
00:16:30.12\00:16:32.25
shows us that the law continues.
00:16:32.29\00:16:34.12
It is a good thing. It
is intended as a blessing.
00:16:34.16\00:16:36.62
And this is actually
the consistent teaching.
00:16:36.66\00:16:38.59
Even though there are
many things Paul writes
00:16:38.63\00:16:40.23
that are hard to understand
and sometimes misunderstood,
00:16:40.26\00:16:42.83
we need to make sure
that our understanding
00:16:42.86\00:16:45.33
takes into account all
of what Scripture teaches.
00:16:45.37\00:16:47.67
And Paul is very clear
that these laws continue,
00:16:47.70\00:16:50.27
that they are
holy and just and good.
00:16:50.31\00:16:52.27
Jesus Himself was
also very clear on this.
00:16:52.31\00:16:54.81
In Matthew, chapter
5, verses 17 through 18,
00:16:54.84\00:16:58.01
He said this, "Do not
think that I came to destroy
00:16:58.05\00:17:00.78
"the Law or the Prophets.
00:17:00.82\00:17:02.55
"I did not come to
destroy but to fulfill.
00:17:02.58\00:17:05.82
"For assuredly, I say to you,
till heaven and earth pass away,
00:17:05.85\00:17:09.59
"one jot or one
tittle will by no means
00:17:09.62\00:17:12.19
pass from the law
till all is fulfilled."
00:17:12.23\00:17:16.30
The law is not done
away with, the law continues,
00:17:16.33\00:17:18.73
the moral law, this
transcript of God's character,
00:17:18.77\00:17:21.50
the law of God's unselfish love.
00:17:21.54\00:17:23.54
Now, I think one of the
reasons why people struggle
00:17:23.57\00:17:25.34
with this idea is
they think of the law
00:17:25.37\00:17:28.64
as an impossible standard.
00:17:28.68\00:17:30.25
They think, I could
never actually be good enough.
00:17:30.28\00:17:34.65
And for those that have
that kind of view of God's law,
00:17:34.68\00:17:38.25
maybe that kind of
view of God's justice
00:17:38.29\00:17:40.09
and even God's
judgment, maybe something
00:17:40.12\00:17:41.72
they're afraid
of, I have good news
00:17:41.76\00:17:43.76
for us this morning.
00:17:43.79\00:17:45.39
First of all, God's
judgment throughout the Bible
00:17:45.43\00:17:47.60
is a good thing.
00:17:47.66\00:17:49.00
In the Old Testament,
the very word for judge
00:17:49.03\00:17:51.10
can also be
translated deliverer.
00:17:51.13\00:17:53.20
And so they were
crying out for judgment.
00:17:53.23\00:17:54.67
They were not typically saying,
"God, why do You bring judgment
00:17:54.70\00:17:56.47
so often?"
00:17:56.50\00:17:58.04
They were saying, "Why don't
You bring judgment more swiftly
00:17:58.07\00:18:00.24
and more thoroughly?"
00:18:00.28\00:18:01.64
Because they knew with
judgment, justice comes
00:18:01.68\00:18:03.58
and deliverance comes.
00:18:03.61\00:18:05.35
Now still at that
point, some people might say,
00:18:05.38\00:18:07.25
"Well, that doesn't
sound good because I know
00:18:07.28\00:18:09.28
"that I'm a sinner.
00:18:09.32\00:18:11.25
"And so if
justice comes, how's that
00:18:11.29\00:18:12.75
"gonna work out for me?
00:18:12.79\00:18:14.09
How can I
possibly be good enough?"
00:18:14.12\00:18:17.06
And here, I think,
maybe a brief analogy
00:18:17.09\00:18:20.00
will be helpful.
00:18:20.03\00:18:21.30
I often use this illustration
with my students, and I say,
00:18:21.33\00:18:24.07
imagine that
myself and a professional
00:18:24.10\00:18:28.24
basketball player,
let's say LeBron James,
00:18:28.27\00:18:30.51
have a jumping competition.
00:18:30.54\00:18:32.97
It's a funny idea.
00:18:33.01\00:18:34.31
I used to play
basketball, but I never
00:18:34.34\00:18:36.21
was great at jumping.
00:18:36.24\00:18:37.81
His vertical
leap is supposed to be
00:18:37.85\00:18:40.98
about 40 plus inches.
00:18:41.02\00:18:42.38
Mine is, well, let's just
say it's not that much, right?
00:18:42.42\00:18:47.19
So imagine this competition.
00:18:47.22\00:18:48.52
He jumps as high as
he can, and then I jump
00:18:48.56\00:18:51.06
as high as I can.
00:18:51.09\00:18:52.39
Is there a big difference
between our leaping ability?
00:18:52.43\00:18:54.56
There is. There's a
big difference, right?
00:18:54.60\00:18:56.16
A very noticeable difference.
00:18:56.20\00:18:58.67
However, imagine
that we are trying to jump
00:18:58.70\00:19:01.30
to touch the moon.
00:19:01.34\00:19:03.57
Is there then a big difference
in our jumping ability?
00:19:03.61\00:19:06.07
No, there's a
small difference, right?
00:19:06.11\00:19:08.18
And this is the
problem many people have
00:19:08.21\00:19:09.91
when they start
comparing themselves to another.
00:19:09.94\00:19:12.05
I'm better than that
person or I'm not as good
00:19:12.08\00:19:13.58
as that person.
00:19:13.62\00:19:14.92
Actually, all of
us compared to Christ
00:19:14.95\00:19:17.12
are on a level
playing field, right?
00:19:17.15\00:19:19.12
And the actual
perfection of Christ is like
00:19:19.15\00:19:22.22
trying to reach the
moon, if we try to reach it
00:19:22.26\00:19:24.23
in our own power.
00:19:24.26\00:19:25.79
But the good news is
that Christ makes a way
00:19:25.83\00:19:28.26
that through Christ, by faith,
we can be pleasing to God.
00:19:28.30\00:19:32.73
He is our great High Priest
who the book of Hebrews says
00:19:32.77\00:19:35.60
always lives to
make intercession for us.
00:19:35.64\00:19:38.24
So first of all, He
calls to us to come to Him
00:19:38.27\00:19:41.54
as our High
Priest, and He makes a way
00:19:41.58\00:19:45.25
to make up for all
of our deficiencies,
00:19:45.28\00:19:47.45
that if we are
in Christ by faith,
00:19:47.48\00:19:49.32
all of our
offerings can be acceptable
00:19:49.35\00:19:52.32
to Him through Christ.
00:19:52.35\00:19:54.69
And this is the teaching
all throughout Scripture,
00:19:54.72\00:19:58.73
that we have a high
priest in heaven who can make
00:19:58.76\00:20:01.66
our offerings and
sacrifices acceptable to God
00:20:01.70\00:20:05.57
if we come to
Christ through faith.
00:20:05.60\00:20:08.10
>>Eric: I'm gonna
read Hebrews 7, verse 25,
00:20:08.14\00:20:10.64
and this one I think
kind of goes right along
00:20:10.67\00:20:13.51
with what we're talking about.
00:20:13.54\00:20:14.91
It says, "Therefore He is also
able to save to the uttermost
00:20:14.94\00:20:18.45
"those who come
to God through Him,
00:20:18.48\00:20:20.12
since He always lives to
make intercession for them."
00:20:20.15\00:20:23.12
Just a
beautiful, beautiful verse.
00:20:23.15\00:20:24.59
>>John: It's such
a beautiful passage,
00:20:24.62\00:20:25.92
and it gives us
again that confidence
00:20:25.95\00:20:28.02
that even though without faith
it's impossible to please Him
00:20:28.06\00:20:30.53
as Hebrews also says,
"By faith we can be pleasing
00:20:30.56\00:20:33.46
through Christ and through
His intercession for us."
00:20:33.50\00:20:35.80
And so in fact no one needs
to be afraid of the judgment,
00:20:35.83\00:20:39.07
no one needs to think
the law is against them
00:20:39.10\00:20:41.17
because if you have
Christ as your advocate,
00:20:41.20\00:20:43.94
then you will be made whole.
00:20:43.97\00:20:47.51
1 John 1:9 says,
"If we confess our sins,
00:20:47.54\00:20:50.15
"He is faithful and
just to forgive us our sins
00:20:50.18\00:20:52.65
and cleanse us from
all unrighteousness."
00:20:52.68\00:20:55.15
And this is the wonderful
work of Christ for us and in us.
00:20:55.18\00:20:58.55
>>Eric: Let's talk for a
moment about the tension between
00:20:58.59\00:21:00.46
the law and grace.
00:21:00.49\00:21:02.16
How does that help us to
understand God's character?
00:21:02.19\00:21:04.56
>>John: Yeah, so here
again, a lot of people think
00:21:04.59\00:21:07.13
law is here and grace is here,
and these are kind of pitted
00:21:07.20\00:21:10.20
against one another, okay?
00:21:10.23\00:21:12.07
Now it's true
that the law and grace
00:21:12.10\00:21:13.94
have different functions.
00:21:13.97\00:21:15.27
The law cannot save us.
The law cannot clean us up.
00:21:15.30\00:21:20.61
But the law can show
us our need of a savior.
00:21:20.64\00:21:22.61
It can show us
the best way to live,
00:21:22.64\00:21:24.75
the best way to manifest
God's love in relationship
00:21:24.78\00:21:27.55
with others.
00:21:27.58\00:21:28.88
It does a number
of positive things,
00:21:28.92\00:21:30.22
but it can't save us.
00:21:30.25\00:21:31.55
We can only be saved by grace.
00:21:31.59\00:21:33.99
And so some people get
the misconception that,
00:21:34.02\00:21:36.12
oh, if I just keep
the law well enough,
00:21:36.16\00:21:37.79
then I will be saved.
00:21:37.83\00:21:39.19
Well, this is known as legalism.
00:21:39.23\00:21:40.90
Legalism isn't actually
trying to keep God's law.
00:21:40.93\00:21:44.50
We're told that we
should try to keep God's law.
00:21:44.53\00:21:46.97
That's not legalism.
00:21:47.00\00:21:48.30
Legalism is when you
try to keep God's law
00:21:48.34\00:21:50.07
in order to be good
enough or in order to be saved.
00:21:50.11\00:21:52.47
That is always gonna
be a failed enterprise
00:21:52.51\00:21:54.78
because we can only be
saved by grace through faith.
00:21:54.81\00:21:58.91
And this is the consistent
teaching of Scripture.
00:21:58.95\00:22:00.88
And one place
that we want to look at
00:22:00.92\00:22:02.42
is Ephesians 2, verses 8 and 9.
00:22:02.45\00:22:05.22
>>Eric: "For by grace you
have been saved through faith,
00:22:05.25\00:22:07.99
"and that not of yourselves;
it is the gift of God,
00:22:08.02\00:22:11.56
not of works, lest
anyone should boast."
00:22:11.59\00:22:14.46
>>John: So, there's no amount
of works that can save us.
00:22:14.46\00:22:16.97
We cannot be saved by
works, but our works do manifest
00:22:17.00\00:22:20.34
where our faith is and
where our allegiance is, right?
00:22:20.37\00:22:23.61
And so when we
respond to God in love
00:22:23.64\00:22:26.04
or respond to others in
love, we're not doing it
00:22:26.07\00:22:27.54
to earn God's favor.
00:22:27.58\00:22:28.88
We could never
merit it or to be saved,
00:22:28.91\00:22:30.78
but it's actually a reflection
of the fact that we are saved,
00:22:30.81\00:22:34.18
that we operate this
way because we are saved.
00:22:34.22\00:22:37.29
Now, there's so many
misconceptions of this idea.
00:22:37.32\00:22:40.42
One is because
you have teachings
00:22:40.46\00:22:43.12
in Scripture that
some people think conflict.
00:22:43.16\00:22:44.99
You have James that talks very,
very positively about the law.
00:22:45.03\00:22:49.43
In some cases,
Paul talks about the law
00:22:49.46\00:22:52.40
in ways that seem negative,
although we've also seen him
00:22:52.43\00:22:55.60
also speaking positively.
00:22:55.64\00:22:57.21
And here I think we
need to keep in mind
00:22:57.24\00:22:58.97
that the Bible
doesn't contradict itself.
00:22:59.01\00:23:01.28
Often it's speaking
to different audiences
00:23:01.31\00:23:03.45
with different emphases, right?
00:23:03.48\00:23:05.01
So for instance, if
I had had two sons--
00:23:05.05\00:23:06.98
I only have one,
but if I had two sons,
00:23:07.02\00:23:08.82
imagine I had a son
Billy and a son Jimmy.
00:23:08.85\00:23:12.19
And imagine that we're
going to the beach one day,
00:23:12.22\00:23:14.69
and Billy is
deathly afraid of water.
00:23:14.72\00:23:19.09
And Jimmy, he's
not afraid of anything.
00:23:19.13\00:23:21.83
Now, am I going to give
them the same instructions
00:23:21.86\00:23:23.63
when we go to the beach?
00:23:23.67\00:23:24.97
No, I'm going to say to
Billy, "You know, don't worry,
00:23:25.00\00:23:27.84
"the water's not
going to hurt you.
00:23:27.87\00:23:29.17
"It's okay to go in.
We're going to have a fun time.
00:23:29.20\00:23:30.81
It won't hurt you."
00:23:30.84\00:23:32.44
And to Jimmy, I'm
going to say instead,
00:23:32.47\00:23:34.11
because he's not afraid of
anything, I'm going to say,
00:23:34.14\00:23:35.44
"You know what, you
need to have a healthy fear.
00:23:35.48\00:23:36.95
"The water could hurt you
if you're not careful, right?
00:23:36.98\00:23:39.68
"You could be
very seriously hurt.
00:23:39.71\00:23:41.02
"You could even
drown in the water.
00:23:41.05\00:23:42.35
So I want you to be careful."
00:23:42.38\00:23:43.95
Have I contradicted
myself by giving those two
00:23:43.99\00:23:45.95
different sets of instructions?
00:23:45.99\00:23:47.66
No.
00:23:47.69\00:23:49.19
Both things are
true, but I'm speaking
00:23:49.22\00:23:50.79
to different audiences
and they actually go together.
00:23:50.83\00:23:52.99
And this is the
teaching of Scripture
00:23:53.03\00:23:54.93
about law and grace.
00:23:54.96\00:23:56.87
The law and the grace are
not pitted against each other,
00:23:56.90\00:23:59.70
but they have
different functions
00:23:59.73\00:24:02.27
in Scripture.
00:24:02.30\00:24:03.61
Nevertheless,
there are many people
00:24:03.64\00:24:04.94
who think the
law is against them.
00:24:04.97\00:24:08.21
But this is only because
they might think of themselves
00:24:08.24\00:24:10.71
as on the wrong side of the law.
00:24:10.75\00:24:14.28
And here we need to remember
that if we are in Christ
00:24:14.32\00:24:16.35
by faith, according to 1
John 2, "We have an advocate
00:24:16.38\00:24:19.35
"with the Father
who is Jesus Christ
00:24:19.39\00:24:20.96
the righteous."
00:24:20.99\00:24:22.29
And so we have nothing to fear.
00:24:22.32\00:24:24.79
But the fact that we
have forgiveness in Christ
00:24:24.83\00:24:27.30
doesn't do away with the law.
00:24:27.36\00:24:29.33
I think of the
story of the woman
00:24:29.36\00:24:31.63
who was caught in
adultery in John 8.
00:24:31.67\00:24:34.30
And of course, there's
already something wrong
00:24:34.34\00:24:36.17
with the story at the beginning
because you can't be caught
00:24:36.20\00:24:38.17
in adultery by yourself,
but they only bring the woman,
00:24:38.21\00:24:41.11
which shows you they're not
actually looking for justice.
00:24:41.14\00:24:44.18
They bring the woman
because they're trying
00:24:44.21\00:24:45.58
to trap Jesus.
00:24:45.61\00:24:46.92
They bring the woman to
Him and they say, the law says
00:24:46.95\00:24:48.85
she should be
stoned-- what do you say?
00:24:48.88\00:24:51.05
And they think no
matter what He says,
00:24:51.09\00:24:52.39
they have Him trapped.
00:24:52.42\00:24:53.72
If He says,
"Stone her," they'll say,
00:24:53.76\00:24:55.06
"Oh, you're taking the
law into Your own hands,
00:24:55.09\00:24:57.26
but we're under the
authority of the Romans."
00:24:57.29\00:24:59.56
And they think they
can get Him that way.
00:24:59.59\00:25:01.10
And if He says, "Oh, no, no,
don't stone her, forgive her,"
00:25:01.13\00:25:03.30
they say, "Oh, You're
breaking the law of Moses."
00:25:03.33\00:25:05.57
So they think, no
matter how He responds,
00:25:05.60\00:25:09.04
they have Him
trapped, but they don't expect
00:25:09.07\00:25:11.34
what He does.
00:25:11.37\00:25:12.67
He kneels down and
He writes on the ground.
00:25:12.71\00:25:16.24
And then He
stands up and He says,
00:25:16.28\00:25:17.85
"He who is without
sin cast the first stone."
00:25:17.88\00:25:22.72
And this was just not an
arbitrary statement of Jesus.
00:25:22.75\00:25:24.85
This was actually
part of the law that those
00:25:24.89\00:25:27.02
who claim to be witnesses,
they actually had to be those
00:25:27.06\00:25:29.89
that not only testified,
but started to carry out
00:25:29.92\00:25:31.66
the command, right?
00:25:31.69\00:25:33.36
And I don't know
if we can imagine
00:25:33.40\00:25:35.90
being that woman, she's waiting,
probably expecting the stones
00:25:35.93\00:25:38.70
to fall.
00:25:38.73\00:25:40.47
But then she hears
stones falling, stones falling,
00:25:40.50\00:25:44.14
stones falling.
00:25:44.17\00:25:45.84
And finally, I imagine
when she has the courage
00:25:45.87\00:25:48.61
to look up, she sees that
no one is there but Jesus.
00:25:48.64\00:25:53.08
And He says to her, "Woman,
is there no one to condemn you?
00:25:53.11\00:25:56.69
Where are your accusers?"
00:25:56.72\00:25:58.32
And He says,
"Neither do I condemn you."
00:25:58.35\00:26:01.16
But that's not all
that He says to her.
00:26:01.19\00:26:02.49
He says also,
"Go and sin no more."
00:26:02.52\00:26:07.30
So the fact that
she was shown grace
00:26:07.30\00:26:09.63
is not an excuse to continue
to go on and break the law.
00:26:09.66\00:26:13.77
It actually is a
reason to be grateful
00:26:13.80\00:26:17.74
and actually want to
reflect God's love more.
00:26:17.77\00:26:20.28
And if we reflect God's
love, that is just going
00:26:20.31\00:26:22.64
to be fulfilled in
keeping the law because love
00:26:22.68\00:26:25.71
is the fulfillment of the law.
00:26:25.75\00:26:28.22
>>Eric: Part of that law,
and we don't have too much time
00:26:28.25\00:26:30.12
to go into it, is the Sabbath.
00:26:30.15\00:26:32.02
It's a forgotten commandment.
00:26:32.05\00:26:33.62
How's that
important to us today?
00:26:33.66\00:26:35.69
>>John: Yeah, the
Sabbath is extremely important
00:26:35.72\00:26:38.83
in Scripture because the Sabbath
is given to us as kind of
00:26:38.86\00:26:42.20
a temple in time, as it were.
00:26:42.23\00:26:44.10
It's given to us for
relationship with God
00:26:44.13\00:26:46.40
when we're
supposed to set aside time
00:26:46.43\00:26:48.34
to be with God, to rest in Him.
00:26:48.37\00:26:51.44
But it's also given us as time
to be--have shared attention
00:26:51.47\00:26:54.74
with one another.
00:26:54.78\00:26:56.08
And it's so important in
our world that is so busy.
00:26:56.11\00:26:59.45
We're so often so bound up
in trying to make something
00:26:59.48\00:27:02.45
of ourselves, we don't sometimes
realize the gift that is given
00:27:02.48\00:27:06.45
to rest.
00:27:06.49\00:27:07.82
But far from being a work,
the Sabbath doesn't tell us
00:27:07.86\00:27:10.23
to do something,
it tells us to rest.
00:27:10.26\00:27:12.53
And so it's the
opposite of works righteousness.
00:27:12.56\00:27:14.66
>>Eric: So a beautiful message
that we have toward the end
00:27:14.73\00:27:17.20
of this quarter's lesson.
00:27:17.23\00:27:19.37
We have just a few seconds left.
00:27:19.40\00:27:20.94
What would you tell somebody
who's struggling with God's love
00:27:20.97\00:27:23.44
and justice?
00:27:23.47\00:27:25.24
>>John: Yeah, I would say
that you have nothing to fear.
00:27:25.27\00:27:29.11
If you recognize the deficiency
in yourself, go to Christ.
00:27:29.14\00:27:33.21
He welcomes you with open arms.
00:27:33.25\00:27:34.72
He stands at
the door and knocks,
00:27:34.75\00:27:36.38
and He will save you.
00:27:36.42\00:27:38.79
He is the author of your
faith, and He will also finish
00:27:38.82\00:27:41.99
your faith, meaning
He will carry you through
00:27:42.02\00:27:43.99
to completion if you
just give yourself to Him.
00:27:44.03\00:27:46.03
So don't wait, don't be afraid.
00:27:46.06\00:27:47.73
Come to Him, He will accept
you, and He will carry you
00:27:47.76\00:27:50.50
to the finish
line if you let Him.
00:27:50.53\00:27:52.33
>>Eric: John, thank you
for joining us this quarter.
00:27:52.37\00:27:53.80
It's been a privilege.
00:27:53.84\00:27:55.14
>>John: It's been my
privilege, thank you.
00:27:55.17\00:27:56.74
>>Eric: And thank
you for joining us.
00:27:56.77\00:27:58.07
We're glad that you have
been with us on this journey.
00:27:58.11\00:28:00.64
Next week, we are
starting a brand new quarter
00:28:00.68\00:28:03.35
on a brand new subject.
00:28:03.38\00:28:05.18
We look forward to
seeing you back again here
00:28:05.21\00:28:07.48
on "Sabbath
School" brought to you
00:28:07.52\00:28:08.98
by It Is Written.
00:28:09.02\00:28:10.32
[uplifting music]
00:28:10.35\00:28:19.86
[uplifting music]
00:28:19.89\00:28:28.57