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Commentary on "God the Lawgiver"
Day 7: Friday, February 10, 2012 - Further Study
It’s troubling that the first mention of the Holy Spirit comes in Friday’s lesson, and only in passing, embedded in an Ellen White quote. The life of a believer is lived in reference and deference to the indwelling Holy Spirit, not the law. Without an understanding of the Holy Spirit, one is left staring at the law and feeling its burden because it does not inspire or motivate deep-rooted change in our sinful nature.
Read 2 Corinthians 3:6-18 below. Make a list comparing what it means to live under the laws etched in stone versus living by the Spirit (the new way).
6 He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant. This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old written covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life.
7 The old way, with laws etched in stone, led to death, though it began with such glory that the people of Israel could not bear to look at Moses’ face. For his face shone with the glory of God, even though the brightness was already fading away. 8 Shouldn’t we expect far greater glory under the new way, now that the Holy Spirit is giving life? 9 If the old way, which brings condemnation, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new way, which makes us right with God! 10 In fact, that first glory was not glorious at all compared with the overwhelming glory of the new way. 11 So if the old way, which has been replaced, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new, which remains forever!
12 Since this new way gives us such confidence, we can be very bold. 13 We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so the people of Israel would not see the glory, even though it was destined to fade away. 14 But the people’s minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ. 15 Yes, even today when they read Moses’ writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand.
16 But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.
We become more like Him as we live in the Spirit, not as we embrace the law.
Though no Adventist will say that all we need is law, they insist that the Holy Spirit is given to us to empower us to keep the law. You don’t find this idea in Scripture. No where in Scripture does it state that the Christian life is a combo-deal of Holy Spirit plus law or grace plus law or Jesus plus anything.
Copyright 2012 BibleStudiesForAdventists.com. All rights reserved. Revised February 6, 2012. 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 6
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Easy Reading Edition Study Guide Wk 6
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