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Commentary on "A Garment of Innocence"

COLLEEN TINKER

 

Day 7: Friday, April 15, 2011 - Further Study

 

Overview

Today's lesson features readings from Ellen White and four discussion questions. In the first quotation from EGW is this statement: "Christ in His humanity wrought out a perfect character, and this character He offers to impart to us."

The last discussion question asks what "evil" is; is it relative and culturally determined? It also asks how we can step beyond culture and know for sure what good and evil are. It asks how we are to understand Isaiah 5:20:

Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter.

 

Observations

Christ did not work out a perfect character in His humanity. Rather, He was born with a perfect character. He did not have to overcome sin or attain to righteousness. He was born spiritually alive. All the fullness of deity dwelt in Him bodily (Col 2:9), and His spirit was born alive, not dead as ours are. Jesus could not have been our Savior if He had not been spiritually alive and completely sinless. A Savior had to be MORE than we are, not equal to us. He had human nature, but He had a living spirit.

Further, He does not impart to us a perfect character. He imputes one to us when we believe in Him and His blood shed for us.

Jesus came and lived a human life with a perfect character, accomplishing what none of us could ever do: sinless perfection on earth. He became the Perfect Israel and the acceptable Substitute for us. He died in our place, fully qualified because He had life and He had no sin. He the Living One, gave up His life and paid for our spiritual death. He rose on the third day, and His resurrection life gives us our spiritual life. His glorified body is the promise that we, too, will one day have glorified bodies.

The only way we can ever know what is actually true and real is to receive the Lord Jesus and to immerse ourselves in Scripture. Truth is in Scripture, not in culture or in our own heads. Only when we place our faith fully in Scripture and accept its words as they are written will we begin to discern what is true and what is deception.

The Isaiah 5:20 text reveals God's judgment on people who twist Scripture and pervert the gospel and the truth of Jesus. It is dangerous in the most serious way to interpret Scripture through the commentary of a modern prophet.

Consider the difference between the comments of EGW in this day's lesson and the reality of Romans 10:1-8:

Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. But the righteousness based on faith says, "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?'" (that is, to bring Christ down) or "'‘Who will descend into the abyss?'" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

The Lord Jesus, perfect, sinless, spiritually alive, became sin for us so we might become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Cor. 5:21). Jesus did not work out a spotless character; He was born spotless--alive! He imputes Himself and His righteousness to us. We do not become righteous as part of a process of salvation. We are saved and counted righteous the moment we believe.

Sanctification is not part of becoming saved. Rather, it is entirely a by-product of already being securely saved!

 

Summary

  1. Jesus did not work out a perfect character.
  2. Jesus was born spiritually alive.
  3. He became sin for us so we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
  4. We learn what is true and real by believing the Lord Jesus and being born again, submitting our minds to Scripture and allowing it to teach us.
  5. We must not allow our perception of Scripture to be determined by the commentary of a modern prophet.
  6. The only way to be clothed with righteousness is to accept the gift of Jesus' blood shed for our sin and to submit to His word, thanking God for for counting the life and righteousness of the Lord Jesus to our account!

 

 

Copyright 2011 BibleStudiesForAdventists.com. All rights reserved. Revised April 7, 2011. This website is published by Life Assurance Ministries, Glendale, Arizona, USA, the publisher of Proclamation! Magazine. Contact email: BibleStudiesForAdventists@gmail.com.

The Sabbath School Bible Study Guide and the corresponding E.G. White Notes are published by Pacific Press Publishing Association, which is owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist church. The current quarter's editions are pictured above.

 

Official Adventist Resources

Standard Edition Study Guide Week 3

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SSNET Study Guide Week 3

Search the Complete Published Ellen G. White Writings

 

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