The Subject for the international Sabbath school lessons the second quarter of 1896 is on “Life in Christ” (8 lessons) and “The Saints’ Inheritance” (5 lessons). The subject studied in so few lessons must necessarily be suggestive rather than exhaustive. The student will see a large field outside worthy of exploration. As usual this paper will use the lessons, changing as seems best in order to adapt them to our readers.
Lesson I.—Sabbath, April 4, 1896.
THE SOURCE OF LIFE.
Divisions of the lesson: (1) Creative Power. (2) Creative Work. (3) The Words of Christ Are Life.
QUESTIONS.
CREATIVE POWER.
1. Who is said to be the Creator of the heaven and the earth?
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” Gen. 1:1.
2. By whom were all things made?
“All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.” “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth.” John 1:3, 14.
“But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.” 1 Cor. 8:6. See note .
4. To whom was all power given?
“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” Matt. 28:18.
“Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.” Heb. 1:3.
CREATIVE WORK.
5. How were all things created?
“By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.” “For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.” Ps. 33:6, 9.
6. How are all things held in place?
“Upholding all things by the word of his power.” Heb. 1:3.
7. What act in creation illustrates the active power of the word of God?
“And God said, Let there be light; and there was light.” Gen. 1:3.
“For he commanded, and they were created.” Ps. 148:5. See note .
8. What is said of the Scriptures?
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” 2 Tim. 3:16.
9. What is the meaning of the word here translated “inspired”? Ans.—God-breathed.
10. When God pronounces our sins forgiven, what power is manifested in his word?
“Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.” John 15:3.
THE WORDS OF CHRIST ARE LIFE.
11. What did Christ say about his words?
“It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing, the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” John 6:63.
12. What relation does God sustain to life?
“For with thee is the fountain of life; in thy light shall we see light.” Ps. 36:9.
13. What does Christ say of his relation to life?
“For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself.” John 5:26.
14. Into what general divisions has man divided matter? See note .
15. Name the divisions of organic matter. See note .
16. In what respect are the vegetable and animal kingdoms alike? See note .
17. Who organized them as we find them?—Ib.
18. For what purpose did he create all things?
“Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and13power; for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” Rev. 4:11.
19. Give scriptural illustrations of life organized in different ways.
“And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth; and it was so.” “And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind; and God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day. And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind; and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and everything that creepeth upon the earth after his kind; and God saw that it was good. And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” “And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man: all in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died.” Gen. 1:11, 20-26; 7:21, 22. See note .
20. What is said of the similarity of the life of man and that of beasts?
“For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.” Eccl. 3:19.
“The Spirit of the Lord hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.” Job 33:4.
21. In what respect do they differ? See note .
22. What is said of the life which Christ gives to believers?
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on Him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” John 5:24.
“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Rom. 6:23. See note .
