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Commentary on "The Promise of Prayer"
Day 6: Thursday, March 8, 2012 - "Complying With Conditions"
Overview
Today’s lesson begins with an illustration of an over eater maintaining his habit of indulgence while praying for weight loss. The author states that we should not pray for something and then do nothing in our power to see to it that the prayer is answered. She then moves on to talk about sin in our heart keeping God from hearing the prayers of believers, not surprisingly using a quote from Ellen G. White to do so. The author sends the reader to five passages of scripture asking them what the texts have to do with “complying with the conditions.” She ends the lesson by stating that what keeps our prayer life the most effective is our own sense of helplessness, sinfulness, and need.
Observations
The author’s illustration of the over-eater praying for weight loss, without changing his habits, is a wonderful example of the Adventist understanding of a changed life. Her scenario seems ridiculous to an Adventist because “everyone knows” that asking God for help is not enough, we must do “all we can in our power to see (our prayers) answered” and let God do the rest.
We have discussed in previous days that Adventism rejects the biblical teaching that born again believers have regenerated spirits or that we are permanently in-dwelt by the Holy Spirit. To the Adventist, the act of being born again happens when a person chooses to follow God’s “ways” (law), is baptized, and is committed to behavior modification as a means of showing their love and respect for God and His “ways”. The new convert then learns all of the Adventist “family rules” and with determined commitment begins to change their lifestyle to accommodate them. When Adventists are discouraged or loose their resolve, they are advised through SDA literature and leadership to live a life of spiritual discipline (do their quarterly, attend sabbath school, get involved, read a devotional, pray for more strength…etc.). The idea is, the harder they try to connect with God, the more likely they will be to receive the Holy Spirit to help them live a godly life.
To remain in chains to addictions such as pornography, drinking, binge eating etc., is seen as weakness or a lack of loyalty to God. The person who suffers with these vices either hides them, or experiences relational alienation and are viewed as hypocrites (It is especially true of those in positions of preaching or teaching-- for they pose a threat to the organizations reputation). The fact that one must live an acceptable lifestyle is why you will find far more self-help programs than support groups in the Adventist organization. One example being healthy eating and cooking classes (which double as evangelistic efforts for the organization).
Born again Christians have a very different spiritual understanding of personal sanctification. No, they would not deny personal responsibility for believers, but the life changing power of the Holy Spirit is profoundly different! When the Lord Jesus brings us to life He is Lord even over our desires if we submit them to Him! I will try to illustrate with an example from my own life. Before I was born again, I struggled with an explosive temper toward my husband. I knew it was wrong, and I prayed and asked God to help me stop. On rare occasion I would choose to walk away from an argument and try to cool off in my room. On those rare occasions, I often felt far worse off than ever. The time was not spent cooling off, but rather in dark, lonely, indescribable despair. The emotional scars that were driving me to respond to my husband as I was would surface and I did not know how to handle them. Those were such dark moments. As I would sit in my room weeping I deeply resented myself for not being stronger. I didn’t understand where the comfort of the Lord was even though I was praying and begging Him to help me. I knew I just wasn’t trying hard enough and I was devastated because I knew that I wasn’t strong enough to try any harder and probably would not be saved. While I may not have blown up at my husband (the sinful behavior) the underlying heart issue was raging inside and growing in intensity while I sat lonely and despairing in my room. I thought I was being punished for a lack of faith.
After becoming a born again Christian, Jesus knew what I needed more than I did. He began showing me what the root causes of my acting out were and He met me in those places of brokenness. I submitted those wounds to Him by admitting that I could do nothing to heal them, but I knew He could. Jesus freed me not just from my addiction to bursts of rage that kept me from feeling all the other “stuff”, but from the lies and despair that drove me to act out to begin with! Again, this was not because I tried everything in my power and Jesus picked up the slack after seeing I was trying hard enough. Neither was it wasn’t because I invoked the power of the Holy Spirit through enough effective prayer-- I had no idea what to pray for! I didn’t even know what was happening inside me! It was all because Jesus came to live in me and He did this in my heart.
I have shared that Ezek. 36:25-27 says that God will give us a heart of flesh. He truly changes us! 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” It is absolutely true. A “new creation” is not a metaphor for a reformed lifestyle governed by the keeping of God’s law through personal resolve and reliance of the here-today-gone-tomorrow presence of the Holy Spirit.
It was in the Christian community that I was first exposed to a ministry of support care for those in the battle with habitual sin or self destruction. What a shock to see support groups such as; substance abuse, divorce care, porn addiction, sex addiction/abuse, or healing for women who have had abortions—to name a few. These groups were designed by a leadership team that understands that our war with the flesh sometimes requires the help of the body of Christ and is not an indication of inferior lifestyle practices or poor commitment to Christ, but rather symptoms of a heart condition in need of the healing power of a Holy God working in the hearts of His beloved children!
With that being said, I will answer the rest of the lesson by simply saying that no list of scripture taken out of it’s context to impose behavior modification in order to get right before God will ever give you what you need to stand righteous before the Father of Spirits (Heb. 12:9). You must be spiritually brought to life in Christ and counted as righteous on His merit and then you MUST trust what scripture says about how that changes who you are in God’s eyes. You cannot obtain or maintain your standing before God--you must repent of such personal pride if you think you can.
If your heart convicts you of your need for God, of your helplessness, and of your sinfulness than there is wonderful hope for you! His name is Jesus, and He is enough! Give up trying to follow a yellow-brick-road to a made up god ready to consider hearing your case if you first do x,y,z. Trust the word of God! When Jesus said on the cross, “It is finished,” He wasn’t lying. Accept His free gift of Salvation to all who believe and call on His name. God deals with His children differently from His people in the old covenant so please stop looking back for prescriptive proof texts about your obligation and standing before God. All scripture is useful for training, but it must be uses in it’s context. It is because of the eternal sacrifice of Jesus Christ- Almighty God, that we can go before our Father boldly. He loves us far more than we will ever be able to wrap our minds around. It is true that we must live a life of repentance to sustain honest fellowship with our Father, but He will not turn His face from His child, He will simply persist in showing you truth.
Summary Points
- The only “conditions of acceptance” in scripture is to be born from above by the power of the Holy Spirit through belief in Jesus Christ-- eternal God.
- Behavior change in the life of the born again behavior is the result of the inner working of the Holy Spirit. It is not a prerequisite for answered prayer!
- The only “recipe for spiritual disaster” is the one that does not allow a person to fully accept the sufficient atonement of Christ on the cross but rather requires personal piety for an “effective” outcome.
Copyright 2012 BibleStudiesForAdventists.com. All rights reserved. Revised March 7, 2012. This website is published by Life Assurance Ministries, Camp Verde, 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.
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