Proclaiming Salvation by Grace Through Faith in Jesus Christ, 856-667-7110

Posts Tagged ‘Atonement and the Cross’

Key Thought: To show that the Godhead anticipated the Fall and that a plan was crafted to solve the problem of sin long before it arose.

~ ~ ~

Human beings were given moral freedom, something not found in any of the other creatures that God had created here on earth. Once God endowed them with this freedom, it was
theirs, and He could not take it away from them without radically altering their very nature and being. They could use this freedom either to respond positively by rendering to Him, in love and gratitude, faithful obedience, or they could use that freedom and reject the gift
of life and disobey the Lord. (After all, if humans didn’t have the option to disobey, they really wouldn’t be free.)

God—foreseeing that horrible possibility of disobedience—acted accordingly. Thus, the plan of salvation was conceived in the divine mind long before humans were created and before evil and sin actually appeared, a plan that centered on the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Join us this week as Elder Dave Waddington leads our discussion.

In choosing to reject God’s way, Adam sentenced the whole of creation, of which he had been prince, to hopeless, abysmal darkness. The entrance of sin turned Paradise upside down. Instead of intimacy, harmony, happiness, and abundant, joyful life, now there is separation, dissension, shame, fear, misery, and death. We cannot save ourselves, and this sentence would have been eternal, except that God has promised a way out, the only way out, by taking our sentence upon Himself. Discuss evidence of the hopelessness of sin and our only hope in Christ our Savior.

For illustration, Smash an egg into a pan and display the result. This is what sin has done to our world—utterly destroyed it. Can anyone in the room make the egg whole again? Discuss what it would take to restore the egg to its original condition. What do we need to be restored to wholeness?

Join us next week, October 18th, when Elder Dave Waddington will ask and discuss these and other questions of relevance, such as:

1. God gave one request to Adam and Eve: avoid the tree (Gen. 2:15–17). How did their disobedience erect a barrier between humans and God?
2. God didn’t angrily accuse Adam and Eve of their wrongdoing (Gen. 3:8–13). How would you use this example in your life when explaining God’s love versus His wrath to someone outside the Christian faith?
3. Sin damages our minds and perceptions (Rom. 8:7). When we live in sin, it is like being in a pit without light. Compare this with the idea that Jesus is the Light of the world. How does sin affect our perception of Christ’s free gift of salvation? Why must we as sinners grasp this gift by faith?
4. Examine characteristics of the obedient and how they were led closer to God. Why is obedience so important?

Through our discussion, we will contemplate and consider that even though things look grim in the Garden, God gives us opportunity to choose allegiance to Him over allegiance to the enemy of souls.

Join us! Let’s explore and discover God’s will for our lives, together.

No matter how much Lucifer had, no matter how exalted he was, it wasn’t enough. He wanted more. Thus began the “mystery of iniquity” (2 Thess. 2:7), the origin of sin in God’s universe.

The origin of evil within this perfect being will remain a mystery, because there was no reason for it. If it could be explained, it could be justified. It began with the first small step that Lucifer took in cherishing a particular emotion and desire. The conflicting emotions within Lucifer, together with the misuse of his God-given freedom, resulted in a cosmic conflict, a full-fledged rebellion against God in
which suffering and death have impacted innumerable creatures. Today each one of us is living with the results of this conflict.

But don’t despair. In preparation for this week’s study, find a picture of a beautiful garden and a picture of disaster and violence. Contrast the scenes. What were the steps that led Satan from Paradise into the horrors of war against
God?

Join us this week as Elder Joe Luste facilitates our study.