Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.

- Romans 3:31

In Romans 4, we get a fantastic look at what it means to be justified by faith. Paul takes it all the way back to Abraham and, step by step, shows how it was Abraham’s faith, not his national identity or his merits, that justified him and made him righteous. This is key, because as we recall, Paul was talking to a mixed audience, one comprised of Jews and Gentiles - two groups who were at odds with each other. Nothing has changed. In the church today, we have split ourselves into factions that aren’t necessarily cultural. When one group compares itself to another and tries to outdo it, the easiest way to show dominance is to rely on merit. After all, adding up points on a scoreboard is a whole lot easier than getting to know the heart of another person.

“The sinner must come in faith to Christ, take hold of His merits, lay his sins upon the Sin Bearer, and receive His pardon. It was for this cause that Christ came into the world. Thus the righteousness of Christ is imputed to the repenting, believing sinner. He becomes a member of the royal family.”—Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, book 1, p. 215.

In Romans 4:9, Paul explains “that salvation by faith was not only for the Jews but for the Gentiles, as well (Rom. 4:9–12). In fact, if you want to get technical about it, Abraham wasn’t Jewish; he came from a pagan ancestry (Josh. 24:2). The Gentile-Jewish distinction didn’t exist in his time. When Abraham was justified (Gen. 15:6), he was not even circumcised. Thus, Abraham became the father of both the uncircumcised and the circumcised, as well as a great example for Paul to use in order to make his point about the universality of salvation. Christ’s death was for everyone, regardless of race or nationality (Heb. 2:9).” *

A few hundred years ago, Irish writer Jonathan Swift wrote: “But will any man say that if the words drinking, cheating, lying, stealing were by Act of Parliament ejected out of the English tongue and dictionaries, we should all awake next morning temperate, honest and just, and lovers of truth? Is this a fair consequence?”—Jonathan Swift, A Modest Proposal and Other Satires, (New York: Prometheus Books, 1995), p. 205. *

In the same way, if God’s law has been abolished, then why are lying, murder, and stealing still sinful or wrong? If God’s law has been changed, then the definition of sin must be changed, too. Or if God’s law was done away with, then sin must be, as well, and who believes that? (See also 1 John 1:7–10; James 1:14, 15.) *

“In that age of caste, when the rights of men were often unrecognized, Paul set forth the great truth of human brotherhood, declaring that God ‘hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth.’ In the sight of God all are on an equality.”—Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles, p. 238. *

“If Satan can succeed in leading man to place value upon his own works as works of merit and righteousness, he knows that he can overcome him by his temptations, and make him his victim and prey. . . . Strike the door-posts with the blood of Calvary’s Lamb, and you are safe.”—Ellen G. White, Review and Herald, Sept. 3, 1889. *

Here are a few questions * to consider in light of justification by faith:

1. Considering the universality of the Cross, considering what the Cross tells us about the worth of every human being, why is racial or ethnic or national prejudice such a horrible thing? Why is it that so often Christians, who have the Cross before them, seem to forget this important truth and can be guilty of racial or ethnic or even national prejudice? How can we learn to recognize the existence of prejudice in ourselves and through God’s grace purge it from our minds?

2. Why is it so important to understand salvation by faith alone without the deeds of law? What kind of errors can that knowledge protect us from? What dangers await those who lose sight of this crucial biblical teaching?

3. What other reasons can you give for the continued validity of God’s law, even when we understand that the law and obedience to it are not what saves us?

* Passages, quotes, texts, and questions are excerpts from the Adult Sabbath School Quarterly for this week.

My dear friends, I would like to start humbly by reminding everyone including myself that, this topic is more than just being a concept that needs to be broken down and understood, I personally believe that it is not about the complexity of how it relates to us in our lives, but rather who does it relate us to and the way our lives are transformed and never remain the same again.

Let’s use the word of God directly to understand this topic in an old fashioned way – Going through the verses one at a time.

Fact 1: Law of God – A guide to sin (Romans 3:19, 20)

The law of God (Commandments of God) is a clear baseline established to reveal our sinful nature. It is like a mirror that shows our flaws and faults and that is the sole purpose of the law. It represents God’s character which is without blemish, thus helping us understand as to the kind of life we need to be living. So one of the common mistakes as Christians we tend to do is try and do our best to follow the law carefully with the assumption that we will be saved by doing so. It is by the law, that we humans gain the knowledge of sin and its consequences.But in no way is redemption from sin.

Fact 2: God’s righteousness is different from our own righteousness (Romans 3:21)

The law of God requires us to be righteous, but the righteousness (making ourselves right with God) that we earn by keeping the law is unfortunately not up to the standards of God, not because we are not doing our best, but because we are sinners by birth and it doesn’t match up to God’s expected righteousness. Hence we can come to a conclusion that, we need God’s righteousness and only place we get that is from God Himself. That’s where Jesus Christ comes into picture.

Fact 3: God’s righteousness – An unmerited favor, justified by faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:22, 23, 24, 25, 26)

Jesus Christ gives us that righteousness, which we cannot claim using our deeds and the only way we can claim it is by faith in Him, for He gave us His righteous blood on the cross. Jesus Christ gives it to us as an expression of His grace (A worthy favor towards an unworthy soul) towards, not because we deserve it for doing some good deeds, but because He loves us and He wants us to be saved. Jesus knows that the only way we can be saved and be presented before His father without blemish is by using His robe of righteousness. For the bible says – “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” Isaiah 64:6

Fact 4: Now that we have God’s righteousness, Can we break the law? (Romans 3:28)

It is a blessing that by God’s amazing grace and through our faith in Jesus Christ, we are justified and redeemed from sin. This also means that we claim ourselves to be the sons & daughters of Jesus Christ. In that context alone, we are meant to reflect Christ’s character for we have claimed Him to be our redeemer. So, because of the love we have for Him and the price He paid for us, we are called to be Chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, peculiar people (1 Peter 2:9) to live a life without sin and thus persevering to keep the law of God, for the bible says..”If you love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15).

Praise God for we are justified by the faith we have in Jesus Christ and not our deeds.

That’s right. All. That includes your pastor, your neighbor, Mother Theresa, Barack Obama, you and most definitely me. We have all sinned. It’s a tough pill to swallow and as we get closer to Christ our understanding of this will go through different stages. Here are a few:

DENIAL
We all have heard the denial of this fact in one form or another. It comes in the shape of the “humanity is inherently good” theories. The lesson points out however, that when we understand what true goodness is, and when we measure ourselves against God, the only good one, we find that we all are flawed.

DECEPTION
The lesson talks about a number of misconceptions the world may have about sin and evil. One is that humanity has and will continue to improve and that morality is increasing. But is this really true? There are arguments on how many days of peace the world has had since World War 2, and although no one has settled on a number, most people’s estimates are alarmingly low. Our turn away from God and into sin has meant increasingly violent times across the world.

On a much smaller scale however is the self-deception that leads us to think ourselves better than others because we see our sin as less extreme than that of others. Another self-deception is to think that we can fix our own sin problem through our own effort. But we would be wrong on both counts.

ACCEPTANCE
It can be depressing to realize our true state. But what a relief to know that through Jesus we can find redemption and salvation. When we accept our sinfulness and turn to Him, we can find righteousness through faith in Him. It means we can be truly without sin before the father, because we become covered in Jesus’ righteousness.

REPENTANCE
There is no other way to Salvation. Once we realize our sin, we’ve got to admit it, and give it up. And no one can do this for us - we must do this voluntarily on our own. When we do, however, we receive the power from God to overcome the temptations that come our way in the future.

RECREATION
We all come before God sinful, but we do not need to stay this way. God’s love created for us the opportunity to be cleansed and to have new life in Him. We are no longer the sinful beings we were, but we are recreated into sons of daughters of Christ.

In Romans, Paul tells us that all of have sinned and fall short of God’s glory. But later in 2 Corinthians 5:7 he reminds us that “… if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

That’s a final stage worth striving for.

What kinds of issues are agitating your church at present? Are the threats more from without or from within? What role are you playing in these debates? How often have you stopped to question your role, your position, and your attitudes in whatever struggles you’re facing? Why is this kind of self-examination so important?

These are important questions and no church is perfect so I’m sure yours has issues but what role do you play? Are you content to be a bystander or do you hold your leaders accountable and seek the will of God above that of an elder or pastor or head deacon?
Paul wanted to see the church in Rome, not because he thought it would be a cool place to vacation or wanted to visit his father’s brother’s sister’s son’s mother. He had a desire to connect with the brethren visually in order to share with them the truth of our Savior.
What motivates you and your actions in regards to the church? Do you do things more out of convenience or a genuine desire to alleviate pain and spread the gospel?

Paul gets to Rome not as he expected and not on the route he planned (Acts 28: 17 – 31)
Life has a way of taking very interesting and sometimes hazardous turns. Even when our intentions and motives are pure, life doesn’t always go the way we plan. Paul’s journey to Rome is one such example.

So here is the question I leave y’all with.  How do you remain faithful with the unexpected twists in your life that currently don’t look or feel good?

Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.

Psalm 98:4

Today, it’s sort of ironic that people, social beings by nature, strive to be so singular, so autonomous, from everyone else. At least in Western culture, we are taught from an early age to strive to be better than our peers, or anyone else for that matter. When emotional hardships strike, the impulsive desire for sympathy and understanding is seen as a sign of weakness. Years back, the U.S. Army ran a campaign entitled “Army of One”. The slogan was quickly changed (to the current “Army Strong”) because it was perceived to be contrary to the idea of “teamwork”. No matter how hard we try to rebel against nature, it is clear that humans are social creatures. I love that God acknowledged that at the beginning by noting, “It is not good for the man to be alone,” (Genesis 2:18)

John Donne, a medieval metaphysical poet, put it well:

No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less…any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind…

To whom it may concern, you might not remember me - I passed through your quaint town a few months ago and visited your synagogue but only stayed long enough to chat with the elders and grab a bite from the potluck line - but I’m writing to give you some very important advice on how you should run your church. While I’m at it, I’ll also give you some tips for living and working together as I’m sure that you’ve got some issues to work out and would appreciate the help. I don’t know what your particular situation is, but I’ve just come off from a stint in the church in Philippi and I’m just going to tell you what I told them…

As humans, then, we originally were made to love and care unselfishly for those who were around us. That is certainly part of what it means to have been made in the image of God. We are made, therefore, to love and to be loved, and this we cannot do in a vacuum. We need people to love, just as people need to be loved. This is what community and family are all about.

-”The Original Image”, Adult Sabbath School Lesson

Why? Why are people trying to be healthier? Have they realized something that we do not know?

The reality is that people do not want to die; we want to live as long as we can. We as Adventist have the perfect message to help our world today! Check this out “During the past 20 years there has been a dramatic increase in obesity in the United States.

In 2008, only one state (Colorado) had a prevalence of obesity less than 20%. Thirty-two states had a prevalence equal to or greater than 25%; six of these states (Alabama, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia ) had a prevalence of obesity equal to or greater than 30%.” (http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/trends.html) . In simpler terms, people are committing shortening their lives because of what they eat.

Lately I’ve learned a lesson the hard way; “what you eat matters”. As most of other people I have dreams and aspirations. I want to make a difference in the world I live in. As most people I went to college far away from parents and very soon realized that fast food was cheap and tasted good. I graduated went to work and ate out all the time, after all it was my only chance to meet people outside of my faith. After coming back from vacation a few months ago, I felt really sick, I ended up at the hospital and to my surprise they told me I needed to go get checked out. After various exams the diagnosis came back, my gallbladder wasn’t working as it should; it was only working at 13% capacity.

After meeting with the doctor and then the surgeon and looking at the different choices, the surgeon said “look we do not need to take it out, all you need to do is eat healthy and you won’t have as much pain”. So here I am, cutting tomatoes, lettuce and every other green thing on this earth. I am learning as I go how to cook so things do not have as much fat. Let me just tell you the results have been amazing; I’m a very skinny dude, I’ve actually gain weight, I’m more alert and have more energy than I need, even my temper has change a bit (in a good way). So why do I tell you all this things? It turns out that God’s original plan for us was to live forever; it was for us to be healthy and not sick. After sin got here and screwed things up, our bodies were still designed to eat certain things so that way you and I could operate at a high standard. I didn’t believe this until I had to… well I was forced to try it.
In this day and age, as people talk about health care reform, as people try to figure out how to live longer and have better quality of life, we need to look no farther than our bibles. The message is this, our designer wants us to be happy and healthy Christians, and the instructions are all in the bible, pick it up and read it.

Some years down the road, in college, there was a guy who attended my church who’s philosophy of Christian happiness went something like this: “Fake it ’till you make it.” Pretend to be happy until you actually become happy, and thereby fulfill you’re Christian duty of happiness. That sort of happiness wasn’t it either; it was too skin deep, fleeting, and, again, artificial.

Then just last year, I was having dinner with a friend, and he told me something that shocked me: over half of the students at my law school, at one time or another, were or would become clinically depressed. More than half?! Most of my friends, who I talked to and hung out with every day, are or are going to be depressed? Now certainly not very many of those peers are Christians, but I wouldn’t be shocked if the numbers for the people who at least identified as Christian are similar.

Clearly it’s not wrong to be unhappy at times, or even depressed. Jesus Himself bawled at times (see, e.g.,  John 11:35). And can you imagine the depression that must have been in Jesus’ heart that caused the very Son of God to cry out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46). Somehow, I don’t think the right thing to do was to come up to Jesus when His good friend had just died or when He was bearing the sin of all mankind and say, “Hey, you’re a Christian, you’re supposed to be happy!” or “Fake it ’till you make it, Jesus!” I’m unconvinced that would have solved His problems.

What then? How should we approach Christian happiness? I think we should take joy seriously. We shouldn’t mess around with it, make it a make-believe creature, or speak of it lightly or without serious thought. We should pursue happiness with all our might and ensure that its roots are both deep and lasting; for in pursuing God we cannot but help to pursue our own ultimate joy (even if it means distress for a season).

David struggles through his depression in one of my favorite Psalms, Psalm 42. I highly recommend you go and read it, prayerfully. Do it now.

OK, welcome back. You see the hurt in David’s words. But notice how he addresses it. Twice in the same Psalm, he says,

Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him
For the help of His countenance.

Do you see what David is doing here, in the midst of his depression? He’s speaking to himself; he’s preaching to himself. Many of us are told that we should “listen to ourself” and go with what our “heart,” emotions, or mind is telling us. But David isn’t satisfied with moping around listening to himself. He takes command and speaks truth to his very soul, unsatisfied with his soul dwelling on untruths that lead to lugubrious thoughts.

But what should we say to ourselves? Certainly we can say things that will only make things worse (i.e. “It’s hopeless. Give up.”). Other times, we can say things that will lift our spirits and make us feel content, but because they aren’t true or aren’t firm, it is a false happiness. This is what the foolish rich man does in Jesus’s parable found in Luke 12:16–21. He decides to solve his problems by hoarding his wealth, “And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.’” But this peace and happiness was temporal, and his merriness quickly transformed into the pall of death.

Instead, we must constantly speak Godly truth to our own souls. This, I’ve found, is the true happiness that is genuine and lasting. David does this by (1) remembering the joy he experienced in worship, being assured that this joy will come again (Psalm 42:4), (2) focusing on the glory and might of God, trusting in faith that He will bring him through (vv. 6–7), and (3) praying to God and singing in thanksgiving and praise (v. 8). Stirring up the genuine joy is about convincing your heart concerning the truths of God, which offer hope for today and tomorrow and thanksgiving for days gone by. These are solid, unchanging truths. They are written all over the Word, on our lips when we sing the hymns of old as well as the new song, and on our hearts as the Spirit prays through us. This hope is the source of the “merry heart [that] does good like medicine” and the cure to the “broken spirit [that] dries the bones.” (Proverbs 17:22).

So how does the bible define integrity or what does the Bible say about integrity?

• It means treating people fairly and honestly (Leviticus 19:35)
• The lord will test and judge your integrity( Psalm 7)
• Integrity is giving your word and keeping it (Exodus 8:28)
• Integrity will protect you-David prays that integrity and uprightness will protect him( Psalm 25:21)
• Integrity is more valuable than riches (Proverbs 28:6)
• The Lord hates lies and lack of integrity (Zechariah 8:16)
• Integrity will be rewarded (1^st Kings 9:4-5)
• Your integrity should set an example(Titus 2:7)

This week’s lesson guide is all about integrity. Can you be counted among those who can tell the truth? If someone asks about your personality, would integrity be one of them? In the Bible, integrity has been closely associated with health, holiness and wholeness.

Personal integrity has been known to produce positive hormones to our body for us to enjoy our happiness and health. It is all about constant actions, values, methods and measures and principles. If we consider the life we are living right now, does it act according to God’s integrity? Does your everyday action give you joy and good health?

For our actions to be aligned with his; we should align our roles, resentments, our worship, identity and our prayers so that we can become an integral part of his life. This will set us apart from other people.

Integrity is also one of the personalities that make people become role models to children and other young adults. Look at our parents, how much have they sacrificed for us, they gave us everything that we needed. This kind of virtue is what is in most of us and it makes us appreciate others and at time, sacrifice what we have to make them happy. Just like a cloth is woven, so should our character be woven on a daily basis. For us to have the highest integrity, we ought to look at God and see the example he has given us. He never lies, nor changes his mind (Numbers 23:19)

In a world where cheating is the norm, how do you get to be the person you desire to be? As youths, we should know that God looks at the heart and not the personal appearance (1 Samuel 16:7). If we put this into action, we will try to be better with our actions and have that commitment towards integrity.

In conclusion; the Bible values integrity, our actions as Christians and as youths should match our words. We have several people in the Bible who have lived with integrity, God’s men who have lived in consistent with God’s teaching, and they put God’s way before their own. As youths, we can maintain and develop biblical integrity by adhering to God’s values, spending time with him, trusting in him and letting him live in our lives.

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?… So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.

- Matthew 6:26-27, 31-32

As we go through life’s troubles, you can’t but wonder what tomorrow will bring. It’s hard to be at peace. Some question whether they will ever find the one. Others question whether they will make it into a certain school. Wile still other question whether they will ever find a job. Definitely, all valid concerns, right?

Remember, as we go through this study, I am not saying we should not plan for the future. We are to be responsible. We are to work diligently in school and at work. It costs money to put our children in Adventist schools. You have to plan on how you will pay for it. That’s all a given. The problem is we become so consumed with the future that we forget our God is in control. So please do not take what is said out of context. I am in NO way saying we should not work hard. As a Christian, we must always give our best in any task we have.

I know I’ve been there when I discounted the fact that God could take care of me even though I couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. When looking for a job this past year, it was difficult. Coming out of a good business school with a great GPA, I thought, “Who wouldn’t want me?!” I am a shoe in for a job, right? My future was somewhat set 6 months before graduating. Government job, good salary, awesome benefits, and an FBI badge! My path was set or so I thought. Two weeks before graduation, I got a letter rescinding my offer.

The one thing I set the rest of my future on was taken from me. With the job, I could get a car, a house, pay for graduate school, maybe even support a family. Now that future was not mine. I was not at peace.

Things eventually worked out after more than 6 months, but we need to begin thinking upside down. What I mean by that is this. I thought a job would give me security and happiness. I quickly learned that only God can. Rather than placing my hope, my future on a job, or any thing, I should have my hope and future in God’s hands. In the end, the all important question is, “Am I going to be with Jesus in heaven?” It has nothing to do with position, power, prestige, degree, or career.

We mustn’t think like the rest of the world. They continually worry about this job or that. They worry about getting into that one school or attaining that one job. I am not saying we shouldn’t have ambition. I am saying to always remember that if you’re doing God’s will, you are right where you need to be! Young people around the world commit suicide if they fail an exam because they think that by failing that exam they have failed in life. Their future was based on a test. Thank God we know this life is about more than just one exam. Why do we worry ourselves with the things the world stresses about? That’s the question Jesus asked the Jews. He’s asking the same question to us. Don’t you remember the God of the fiery furnace, of the manna of the wilderness, of the divided Red Sea, of the calmed storm? Friend, that same God who holds the world in His arms is holding you! Place your trust in God. Exchange your worry for His peace, His rest. Always seek His Kingdom first because that’s what matters and He will take care of you. And remember, this world is not your home. You are just passing through.

Still worried? Don’t be. He’s holding you. He always has been. Friend, don’t just rest on Sabbath. Rest in Jesus’ arms everyday. His arms are wide open!