Daily Lesson for Wednesday 12th of February 2025

However much we don’t understand of God’s ways and thoughts, Scripture does reveal some things that help to address the problem of evil. One avenue for addressing the logical problem of evil is known as the freewill defense.

Image © Educational Concepts Collection at Goodsalt.com

The freewill defense is the view that evil is the result of the misuse of creaturely free will. God, then, is not to blame for evil, because evil is the result of creatures misusing the free will that God has given us for good reasons. Why, however, would God give such free will? In this regard, C. S. Lewis once wrote that “free will, though it makes evil possible, is also the only thing that makes possible any love or goodness or joy worth having. A world of automata—of creatures that worked like machines—would hardly be worth creating. The happiness which God designs for His higher creatures is the happiness of being freely, voluntarily united to Him and to each other. . . . And for that they must be free.”—Mere Christianity (New York: MacMillan, 1960), p. 52.

Why command them unless they had free will to begin with? Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, and since then our planet has been filled with evil. In Genesis 4:1-26, the next chapter after the Fall narrative, the terrible consequences of sin are seen in the murder of Abel by his brother. The narrative of the Fall shows how the misuse of Adam and Eve’s free will brought sin and evil into the history of our planet.

All through Scripture, we see the reality of free moral will. (See Deuteronomy 7:12-13; Joshua 24:14-15; Psalms 81:11-14; and Isaiah 66:4.) Every day of our lives, to one degree or another, we ourselves exercise the free will given to us by our Creator. Without free will, we would not be recognizably human. We would be more like a machine, or even a mindless robot.

<–Tuesday Thursday–>

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/25a-07-the-freewill-defense/

The studies in this quarter’s pamphlet encourage us to see God’s Love and Justice, just as we may sing in
Hymn 79 – O Love of God, How Strong and True! which is a beautiful theme hymn for our studies.

The sad topic this week is the problem of evil, but may we be able, with God’s help, to
Fight The Good Fight – Hymn 613 against evil.

Sunday’s study is sung in 
Hymn 217 – The Church Has Waited Long and may we still have our God strengthening us to continue waiting, no matter how long.

Yes, there are so many things we do not know, including 
We Have Not Known Thee As We Ought – Hymn 291 and we do not know when Jesus will come: 
We Know Not The Hour – Hymn 604, but with all our learning and God’s abundant help may we then be able to sing I Know Whom I Have Believed – Hymn 511.

As we have much in the Bible to help us to look into the sanctuary meanings, we will see there is a 
Day of Judgement, Day of Wonders! – Hymn 418 as is seen in the conclusion of Tuesday’s study time.

As Thursday’s study comes around, we can see more about 
God, In His Love For Us – Hymn 641 and what He does for us, because 
God Is Love – Hymn 349. By the end of the day’s study, may we all be able to sing 
My Jesus, I Love Thee – Hymn 321.

Please continue to search the scriptures this week to be blessed, and to bless others.

To learn unknown hymns, you will find the accompaniment music for each one at: https://sdahymnals.com/Hymnal/

Another great resource is for when there is a hymn you wish to sing but can’t find it in your hymnal. Go to https://www.sdahymnal.org/Search and in the search bar type a special word in that is in the hymn. I am sure you will be amazed at the help you will be given.

 2 Timothy 2:15 KJV – “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/7-the-problem-of-evil-singing-with-inspiration/

Key Thought: While we struggle with the presence of evil in this world, we must recognize our limitations and approach the evilsof this world with hope, the eternal solution.
February 15, 2025

1. Have a volunteer read Job 38:1-12.

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point is in this passage.
2. How does God’s answer to Job shed light on the problem of evil?
3. Personal Application: How does Job’s response reflect what we should recognize about our own position? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your relatives states, “How do you explain to a young family how come their husband and father died of a heart attack at 34 when he had started taking Bible studies, got his Sabbaths off from work so he could attend church, and was going to church?.” How would you respond to your relative?

2. Have a volunteer read Psalm 73. Isaiah 55:8,9.

1. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. How does the Psalmist approach the evil and injustice around him? What does he see that puts his understanding in a different perspective?
3. Personal Application: How does our understanding of the sanctuary and the judgment shed light on the problem of evil? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your friends states, “How can we have hope when our political system is corrupt and broken, our industries and corporations are based on greed and corruption, our ministers are greedy for power and money, criminals are rampant in gangs and every evil device, and our mass media seems to promote and relish every filthy and evil thing?” How would you respond to your friend?

3. Have a volunteer read Genesis 2:16,17.

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. How do these verses display the moral freedom granted to Adam and Eve?
3. Personal Application: How does misusing our moral freedom impact our relationship with God and our relationship with our family and with others? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your neighbors states: “How do we give encouragement to someone who is suffering because of bad choices they have made that are a large part of their suffering?” How would you respond to your neighbor?

4. Have a volunteer read Romans 8:18, Revelation 21:3,4.

1. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. How do these texts give us confidence to trust in God’s goodness despite all the evil in the world?
3. Personal Application: How does knowing that God gives us free will help us from thinking that everything that happens in our lives and in the world is God’s will? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: Think of one person who needs to hear a message from this week’s lesson. Tell the class what you plan to do this week to share with them.

(Truth that is not lived, that is not imparted, loses its life-giving power, its healing virtue. Its blessings can be retained only as it is shared. ”Ministry of Healing, p. 148).

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/7-the-problems-of-evil-teaching-plan/

Daily Lesson for Tuesday 11th of February 2025

God proclaims in Isaiah 55:8-9, “ ‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ says the Lord. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts’ ” (NKJV).

God’s thoughts are far higher than ours. We cannot even imagine the complexities of God’s plan for history. Given this, why should we expect to be in a position to know just what God’s reasons are for what He does or does not do in various situations?

Image © Lifeway Collection at Goodsalt.com

One way of approaching the problem of evil, based on recognizing how little we know, is called “skeptical theism.” The skeptical theist is one who believes God has good reasons for acting as He does, but given our limited knowledge, we should not expect to be in a position to know just what those reasons are. The skeptical theist is skeptical regarding the human capacity to be aware of or to understand fully God’s reasons relative to the evil in this world. Just because one cannot see, for instance, germs floating in the air all around us does not mean there are no germs floating in the air all around us. The fact that one does not know what God’s reasons are certainly does not mean that God has no good reasons.

The psalmist was deeply troubled by the evil in the world. He looked around him and saw the wicked prospering. Everything seemed unjust and unfair. He had no answers to give. He wondered whether it was even worth believing in and serving God. Until, that is, he looked into the sanctuary.

The sanctuary provides part of the key to the problem of evil—namely, recognizing there is a righteous Judge who will bring justice and judgment in His own time.

<–Monday Wednesday–>

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/25a-07-the-skeptical-theist/

Daily Lesson for Monday 10th of February 2025

The end of history will come with the triumph of love over evil. But, in the meantime, many troubling questions remain. How can we think and talk about the problem of evil in a way that might be helpful?

Image © Jim Howard at Goodsalt.com

In the narrative, Job had suffered much and had voiced many questions himself about why so much evil and suffering had befallen him. He requested an audience with God in order to seek answers to his questions, not knowing that far more was going on behind the scenes, in the heavenly court (see Job 1:1-22; Job 2:1-13).

God’s response to Job is striking. Specifically, “the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said: ‘Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge?’ ” (Job 38:1-2, NKJV). One translation puts it this way: “Why do you talk so much when you know so little?” (Job 38:2, CEV). And, God adds in Job 38:4, “ ‘Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding’ ” (NKJV).

By His responses to Job, God made it clear to Job that there are many things that Job did not know and did not understand. Like Job, we, too, should humbly recognize that there are many things going on in the world, and behind the scenes, that we know nothing about. The fact that we may not know the answers to our questions does not mean there are no good answers or that one day everything will not be resolved. Until then, we need to trust in the goodness of God, which has been revealed to us in so many ways.

<–Sunday Tuesday–>

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/25a-07-there-are-many-things-we-do-not-know/