LESSON II.—SABBATH, APRIL 8, 1893
THE WORK OF REDEMPTION—CONTINUED.
Suggestive Questions and Lesson Scriptures.
1. Review questions:—
(a) What three things were lost in the fall? Give proof texts.
(b) Why does Christ call himself the "alpha" and "omega"?
(c) What is the first work in man's redemption?
(d) Give three texts showing man's condition when redeemed from sin. 2. To whom does the Lord give his Spirit as a pledge?
"And because ye are sons, God sent forth the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father." Gal. 4:6. 3. To what time will the sons of God look with interest?
"Beloved, now are we the children of God, and it is not yet made manifest what we shall be. We know that, if he shall be manifested, we shall be like him; for we shall see him even as he is." 1 John 3:2. 4. What is said of their life?
"For ye died, and your life is hid with Christ in God." Col. 3:3. 5. In Christ what do they have?
"And the witness is this, that God gave unto us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath the life; he that hath not the Son of God hath not the life." 1 John 5:11, 12. 6. How do we have Christ?
"That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith." Eph. 3:17, first clause. 7. How does faith come?
"So belief cometh of hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ." Rom. 10:17. 8. Then how do we know that we have the pledge or earnest of the Spirit? See note 1. 9. What is said of the words of Christ?
"It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing; the words that I have spoken unto you are spirit, and are life." John 6:63. 10. What power has the Spirit that is given to the believers?
"But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwelleth in you, He that raised up Christ Jesus from the dead shall quicken also your mortal bodies through His Spirit that dwelleth in you." Rom. 8:11. 11. What is it that brings the dead forth?
"Marvel not at this; for the hour cometh, in which all that are in the tombs shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done ill, unto the resurrection of judgment." John 5:28, 29. 12. To what time do those who have the earnest look?
"And not only so, but ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for our adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body." Rom. 8:23. 13. When will the body be redeemed?
"For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order; Christ the first fruits; then they that are Christ's, at his coming." "Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality." 1 Cor. 15:22, 23, 51-53. 14. At that time what change will the body undergo?
"For our citizenship is in heaven; from whence also we wait for a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall fashion anew the body of our humiliation, that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, according to the working whereby he is able even to subject all things unto himself." Phil. 3:20, 21. 15. Then what Bible subject ought to be of great interest to every child of faith? Ans.—The coming of the Lord. 16. What will the scriptures on this subject be to the believer? See note 2. 17. Then what should we do?
"Ye search the Scriptures, because ye think that in them ye have eternal life; and these are they which bear witness of me." John 5:39. See note 3. 1. WE have Christ in the heart by faith, and faith cometh by the word of God; therefore, we can only know that we are Christ's by this word that abideth in us. John 15:7; Gal. 5:22, 23; Rom. 8:16. 2. THE Saviour said unto his disciples, "The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life." This is true of all the words he spake, and therefore true of those words he spake concerning his second coming. When he comes, he will give life to all the dead, and remove all corruption from those who have kept the pledge he left with them when he redeemed them from sin. When we study his words on this subject, they should indeed be life to us. 3. THIS text is often used by Bible students as a command. But by reading the Revised Version we perhaps get a better understanding of its meaning: "Ye search the Scriptures, because ye think that in them ye have eternal life; and these are they which bear witness of me."