Hacia el año 360 d.C., el emperador romano Juliano (también conocido como “el Apóstata”) escribió una misiva conocida como “Carta 22”, dirigida a Arsacio, el sumo sacerdote pagano de Galacia. En sus esfuerzos por reinstaurar el politeísmo helenístico como religión oficial del Estado, Juliano reabrió muchos templos, revocó los privilegios que Constantino había concedido […] Source: https://atoday.org/cristianismo-c-a/
Sunday: Statements in Tension
The world, as it came from the Lord, was perfect (Genesis 1:31). Death was an unknown experience for Adam and Eve. In that context, God came to the Garden of Eden and warned: “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die” (Genesis 2:16-17, , NRSV).
How does Genesis 2:16-17, show the reality of free will in the perfection of Eden? That is, why would God have needed to warn them if they couldn’t freely choose?
Image © Bible Adventure Collection at Goodsalt.com
Sometime after this warning from God, Satan assumed the form of a serpent and also entered Eden. Eve beheld the serpent joyfully eating the forbidden fruit without dying. “He himself had eaten of the forbidden fruit” (Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 54), and nothing had happened to him.
Read Genesis 3:1-4. Putting yourself in the position of Eve, why might those words have sounded convincing?
From the perspective of human logic, the argument of the serpent sounded much more convincing than did the word of God. First of all, there was no evidence in the natural world, so far, for the existence of sin and death. Second, the serpent was actually eating the forbidden fruit and enjoying it very much. So, why should Eve restrain herself from doing the same? God’s command seemed to be too restrictive and senseless.
Unfortunately, in deciding between the two conflicting statements, Eve ignored three basic principles: 1. human reason is not always the safest way to evaluate spiritual matters; 2. the Word of God can appear to be illogical and senseless to us, but it is always right and trustworthy; and 3 . there are things that are not evil or wrong in themselves, but God has chosen them as tests of obedience.
We should realize that the experience of Eve in the Garden of Eden is not a single case in time. Every day and every moment we need to decide between the Word of God (which for many can be unpopular) and the seductive appeals of our surrounding culture. Our choice will have eternal consequences.
| What are ways that the clear teaching of the Bible conflicts with the ways of the world? |
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Why We So Desperately Need Role Models
by Hannele Ottschofski | 30 September 2022 Yochi Rappeport’s blog in the Times of Israel on September 13 about role models led me to think about the influence of what we Adventists see and experience. Yochi writes about the influence that exclusively male teachers and rabbis had on her spiritual development as a teenager. If […] Source: https://atoday.org/why-we-so-desperately-need-role-models/
La supremacía blanca del adventismo: Cuando la Iglesia Adventista del Séptimo Día adoptó una política oficial de segregación racial
A menudo pensamos en la supremacía blanca como el Ku Klux Klan y otros grupos violentos. Sin embargo, la evidencia histórica muestra que el segregacionismo también es un tipo de supremacía blanca. En el año 1890 la iglesia adventista votó una política de segregación racial que duró los siguientes 75 años. Robert M. Kilgore […] Source: https://atoday.org/la-supremacia-blanca-del-adventismo-cuando-la-iglesia-adventista-del-septimo-dia-adopto-una-politica-oficial-de-segregacion-racial/
Sabbath: Death in a Sinful World
Image © Pacific Press
Sabbath Afternoon
Read for This Week’s Study: Genesis 2:16-17; Genesis 3:1-7; Psalm 115:17; John 5:28-29; Romans 5:12; 2 Corinthians 5:21.
Memory Text: “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12, NKJV).
Christ was the Divine Agent through whom God brought the universe and the world into existence (John 1:1-3, John 1:10; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:2). But when God the Father conferred special honor on Christ and announced that They together would create this world, “Lucifer was envious and jealous of Jesus Christ” (Ellen G. White, The Story of Redemption, p. 14) and plotted against Him.
Having been cast out of heaven, Satan decided “to destroy the happiness of Adam and Eve” on earth and thereby “cause grief in heaven.” He imagined that “if he could in any way beguile them [Adam and Eve] to disobedience, God would make some provision whereby they might be pardoned, and then himself and all the fallen angels would be in a fair way to share with them of God’s mercy.” — Ellen G. White, The Story of Redemption, p. 27. Fully aware of Satan’s strategy, God warned Adam and Eve not to expose themselves to temptation (Genesis 2:16-17). This means that even when the world was still perfect and blameless, there were already clear restrictions for human beings to obey.
This week we will reflect on the fall of Adam and Eve, on how sin and death took over our world, and on how God planted a seed of hope for humanity even back in Eden.
Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, October 8.
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