Our Bible Reading

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, Cal. · Jul 16, 1912

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 39, No. 27.

Our Bible Reading

Man Tested and Lost

1. What is the first requisite that man may please God?

"Without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." Heb. 11:6.

2. What will ever be the demonstration of faith?

"Even so faith, if it hath not WORKS, is dead, being alone." James 2:17. "The OBEDIENCE of faith." Rom. 16:26. "For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision, availeth anything, nor uncircumcision; but FAITH which WORKETH by love." Gal. 5:6.

3. What prohibition was imposed upon man in the beginning?

"Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it." Gen. 2:16, 17.

4. What is the proper term for such disobedience, and what is its result?

"All unrighteousness is sin." 1 John 5:17. "Sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death." James 1:15.

5. Who made an attempt to thwart God's purpose for man?

"And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." Gen. 3:4, 5.

6. What was the result of Adam's transgression?

"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." Rom. 5:12. "And unto Adam He [God] said, Because thou hast harkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: . . . in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." Gen. 3:17, 19.

7. In what way was man prevented from perpetuating his sinful existence?

"Lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the Tree of Life, and eat, and live forever: therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the Garden of Eden. . . . And He placed at the east of the Garden of Eden cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the Tree of Life." Gen. 3:22-24.

NOTE.—It is not by any arbitrary thought of God that faith is required in man as the preeminent requisite to character building. A self-centered righteousness is a selfish righteousness; and if it were possible to develop a character in one's own strength, that very fact would lead to endless strife in the kingdom of God as to relative value and excellence of character. Therefore God placed as the acme of character His own, and demanded that men should have faith in Him. Looking ever to the perfections of God, man would see his own littleness and his own imperfection, and would be drawn out evermore toward the endless perfections and glories of the divine character. Consequently he would ever advance, would ever develop more and more of the noble and boundless perfections of the God whom he worshiped. Just as soon as he turned from that faith to himself, sin came in as the result of that unbelief. It, too, was God's plan that a character like His would be worthy of persisting forever. Such a character as that would demand everlasting existence, or immortality. But the devil led man to believe that he could learn much more in his own way than to follow God's way. And in his plea to man there is found the very thing that has led thousands astray in the world, and built up the false religious systems which have deceived thousands. In Satan's temptation there is suggested self-salvation and endless existence in and of man himself. But the very record shows that sin brings death. Sin continued, persisted in to the last, will bring eternal death. God so planned it that His universe would not be marred forever by the curse of disobedience to law.

In our next reading we will learn the hopeful side.