Education survey on SDA schools in the BUCSource: https://adventist.uk/news/article/go/2022-11-09/first-ever-union-wide-sda-education-survey/
First ever Union-wide Adventist Education Survey
Education survey on Adventist schools in the BUCSource: https://adventist.uk/news/article/go/2022-11-09/first-ever-union-wide-adventist-education-survey/
Thursday: The First Fruits of Those Who Have Died
Read 1 Corinthians 15:20 (NRSV) in light of Deuteronomy 26:1-11. In what sense did Paul refer to the risen Christ as “the first fruits of those who have died”?
The offering of “the first fruits” was an ancient Israelite agricultural practice with deep religious significance. It was a sacred recognition of God as the gracious Provider, who had entrusted His stewards with the land where the crops grew and were ready to be harvested (see Exodus 23:19, Exodus 34:26, Leviticus 2:11-16, Deuteronomy 26:1-11). The first fruits indicated that the harvest was not only starting but also revealing the quality of its products.
According to Wayne Grudem, “in calling Christ ‘the first fruits’ (Gr. aparchē), Paul uses a metaphor from agriculture to indicate that we will be like Christ. Just as the ‘first fruits’ or the first taste of the ripening crop show what the rest of the harvest will be like for that crop, so Christ as the ‘first fruits’ shows what our resurrection bodies will be like when, in God’s final ‘harvest,’ he raises us from the dead and brings us into his presence.” — Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994), p. 615.
It is worth remembering that Jesus came out of the grave with a glorified human body, but He was still carrying the marks of His crucifixion (John 20:20, John 20:27). Does this mean that the risen children of God will likewise bear the physical marks of their own sufferings? In the case of the apostle Paul, will he still carry in his glorified body the “thorn in the flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7, NKJV) and “the marks of the Lord Jesus” (Galatians 6:17, NKJV)?
Until his death, Paul “was ever to carry about with him in the body the marks of Christ’s glory, in his eyes, which had been blinded by the heavenly light [see Acts 9:1-9].” — Ellen G. White, The Story of Redemption, p. 275. But this does not mean that he or any other of the glorified redeemed will be raised with the marks of their own sufferings (compare with 1 Corinthians 15:50-54). In the case of Christ, “the marks of this cruelty He will ever bear. Every print of the nails will tell the story of man’s wonderful redemption and the dear price by which it was purchased.” — Ellen G. White, Early Writings, p. 179. His marks are what guarantees us that all of ours will be forever gone.
Christ will forever bear the scars of His crucifixion. What does that reveal about God’s love for us and what it cost to save us? How does it show, too, how much the Godhead has invested in saving us? |
The post Thursday: The First Fruits of Those Who Have Died first appeared on Sabbath School Net.
The post Thursday: The First Fruits of Those Who Have Died appeared first on Sabbath School Net.
Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/thursday-first-fruits-of-those-who-have-died/
Growing in Grace [What Does It Mean?] #cuts #ANNInDepth
What is growing in grace? Do you believe that you are saved by grace? This #cut clip from the video, “Legalism vs. Grace [Navigating Between the Two]” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtU0Hzk91ng&list=PL-k2Gb-DBYo8z8roW1briblbYYPS-HpyE&index=21, explains that living by grace does not mean we have to “do more,” nor is scripture a punishment to guilt us into working to earn God’s love. We can do nothing to “earn” salvation or be “more” saved, for we are already children of grace. Watch the video to learn how growing in grace allows us to look to Jesus as He transforms us to be more like Him. ———————————————————————————— The Seventh-day Adventist Church has been an established denomination since 1863. It is a global Christian family with over 21 million members who hold the Bible as the ultimate authority. We are believers who promise to help people understand the Bible and find freedom, healing, and hope in Jesus. Want to learn more about the Seventh-day Adventist Church? Visit our website at: https://www.adventist.org/ Click the notification bell so that you never miss a new video! Find us on social media by following the links below:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheAdventistChurch
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7.5 The First Fruits of Those Who Have Died – CHRIST´S VICTORY OVER DEATH | Pastor Kurt Piesslinger, M.A.
Series ON DEATH, DYING, AND THE FUTURE HOPE with Pastor Kurt Piesslinger, M.A.
7.CHRIST´S VICTORY OVER DEATH
Death has been conquered for ever.
Memory Text: Revelation 1:17.18 – When I saw him, I fell down at his feet like a dead man. He put his right hand on me and said, ‘Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the One who lives; I was dead, but look, I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys to death and to the place of the dead.
7.5 “The First Fruits of Those Who Have Died”
If Christ had not been risen from the dead we would have been without hope.
My God bless you today and always.
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