Grace

LESSON 7*May 9 - 15
GraceSABBATH AFTERNOON

Read for This Week's Study:

Exod. 25:8; Isaiah 53; Rom. 5:18, 19; 2 Cor. 3:16-18; Eph. 2:4-10; Titus 2:11-14.

Memory Text:

"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8, NIV).

During a British conference on comparative religions, experts from around the world debated what, if any, belief was unique to the Christian faith. They began eliminating possibilities. Incarnation? Other religions had different versions of gods appearing in human form. Resurrection? Again, other religions had accounts of returns from death. The debate went on for some time until Christian writer C. S. Lewis wandered into the room. " 'What's the rumpus about?' he asked and heard in reply that his colleagues were discussing Christianity's unique contribution among world religions. Lewis responded, 'Oh, that's easy. It's grace.' "—Philip Yancey, What's So Amazing About Grace? (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan Publishing House, 1997), p. 45.

Last week we were confronted with the dreadful phenomenon of sin, the "secret power of lawlessness" (2 Thess. 2:7, NIV). In the final section we saw that through divine intervention a solution has been provided. What that intervention was, and what it accomplished for us, will be the focus of this week's study.

The Week at a Glance:

What are some of the images God uses to teach us the plan of salvation? What is atonement? How central is the concept of substitution to our understanding of the Cross?

*Study this week's lesson to prepare for Sabbath, May 16.