The Law as Teacher

Lesson 3
Memory Text: Deuteronomy 6:5

SABBATH: If the law of God had the efficacy to forgive a sinner & give eternal life, Jesus Christ wouldn’t have come & died on the cross. Apostle Paul warned the Galatians not to fall for legalism (self-righteousness through the law to gain salvation). Yet, the law is not negative, it points out our sins & also point us to the only Savior—Jesus Christ (Gal. 3:21, 22). The law teaches God’s grace & love.

SUNDAY: Moses’s final words to the Israelites, before their entry into Canaan are inscribed in the book of Deuteronomy (Deut. 31:9-13). God gave His law to the patriarch to instruct Israel. God ensured the law was safe with Priests & repeated to future generations. The youth were to hear the law & also learn from it the fear of God (Deut. 31:13). Thus, godly fear (Deut. 6:5) is not a sure outcome of knowing the law.

MONDAY: God’s foreknowledge informed Moses the bitter rebellion of Israel against God, after they enter Canaan—The Promised Land. The patriarch as a good teacher prepared a successor & gave the “book of the law” to the Levites as a witness—to reprove them (Deut. 31:14-27). God made Moses to pen a song for it to be sung in Israel to call the nation to self-introspection. The law reproves (Rom. 3:19-23).

TUESDAY: Obedience to the law is a prerequisite for prosperity. This truth was made plain to Joshua—the successor of Moses (Josh. 1:7, 8). True success is not of the world & is a by-product of obedience. The only definition of sin in the Bible is transgressing the law. The law can’t save us but we ought to keep it as Christians. To break it is to sin (read Rev. 12:17, 14:12, Rom. 1:5, 16:26, James 2:10-12).

WEDNESDAY: In any field of education we find ourselves, we must be advocates of obedience. God repeatedly admonished Israel to obey the law in order to prosper. True obedience was the bedrock of king Hezekiah’s success (2 Chron. 31:20, 21). Yet, students ought to know that obedient people are not free from toils & struggles because of the cosmic conflict (see Mark 6:25-27; Job 1, 2; 2 Cor. 11:23-29).

THURSDAY: Christ is not only the world’s Savior, He’s the only perfect example for the human race. As a human, He did not sin. He obeyed the precepts of God to the latter. He was a model to the disciples & is our model (Luke 2:51, 52; Phil. 2:8; Heb. 5:8; John 8:28, 29; 1 John 2:6). There’s no better role model for teachers to present to students than Christ. His faith make us obey (Eph. 2:8; Jam. 2:17, Ps. 40:8, SC, p.61).

FRIDAY: The highest development one can attain is to acquire the affection for God (Luke 10:27). “Love is the basis of creation and redemption, is the basis of true education.” Our love for God should be intrinsic. The first & greatest commandment is to love God. The second is to love humanity—“thy neighbor” (Matt. 22:39). Selfless service to God & humanity attract for us myriad heavenly blessings.

—Ellen G. White, Education, p. 16.

Keyword

SC- Steps to Christ

Captions

SUNDAY- To Love And To Fear God
MONDAY- A Witness Against You
TUESDAY- That You May Prosper
WEDNESDAY- The Toils And Struggles Of Law Keepers
THURSDAY- Jesus, Our Example

Discussion Questions

📌 Like Israel of old, we are to love God and to fear God at the same time (Matt. 22:37, Rev. 14:7). In class, talk more about how we can do both. Also, answer the question: Why are these two commandments not in conflict with each other?

📌 What is the difference between setting a standard and making a rule? In your experience, is Adventism more concerned with setting high standards within its community of believers or in making rules that unite its community? What does Scripture say about setting high standards for oneself? One’s family? One’s church?

📌 How do we strike the right balance in showing the importance of obedience to the law of God and, at the same time, showing why this obedience is not the source of our salvation?

📌 Read through Psalm 119 and note how many times notions of obedience, freedom, laws, rules, and commands are stated. What does the author of Psalm 119 want to convey about these themes?

For October 10-16. Happy Sabbath.