Blog

Spring 2017

God loves us Is it possible to spend too much time talking about the love of God? The inspired authors of both Old and New Testaments don’t think so! This quarter offers a kaleidoscopic sampling. Scratching the Surface No greater truth has ever been uttered: “God is love” (1 John 4:8; lesson 1). The fact that he first loved us is what draws our love in return (v. 19). We were “dead in transgressions” (Ephesians 2:5, lesson 2), and unless God in his love had taken the initiative to save us, we would be little more than walking dead people. Jesus, who embodied God’s love, commands us to love one another as he has loved us (John 15:12, lesson 3). As a community of love abiding in Christ, we bear the fruit of love. An important characteristic of divine love is that it keeps promises. This is demonstrated in God’s […]

Read More

Winter 2016

A Divine Cycle Create—that’s just what God does! And he does it for our benefit as he invites us to experience his goodness in the whole cycle of creation and re-creation. This quarter explores various aspects of the great works of our Creator. Creator of the Universe God created the universe by his powerful word. He reveals himself as the sustainer of his creation as he renews the earth season by season. The way God cares for us in these acts should inspire “a new song” on our part. Since creation by its very existence acknowledges the Creator, should we not join our praise with that unspoken tribute? Many people see the universe as a result of random chance. In so doing, they fail to praise, or even acknowledge the existence of, the one who created and sustains all that is. But the songs of ancient Israel teach us to […]

Read More

Fall 2016

The sovereignty of God The Bible clearly teaches the sovereignty of God, the theme of this quarter’s lessons. Believing in that sovereignty is not difficult when life is going well. What often leaves us perplexed (and sometimes annoyed or even angry) are the turmoils and tragedies of daily life. These can cause us to wonder, “Is God really sovereign? If so, then why do nations wage genocide? Why do people flaunt wickedness with impunity? Why do families continue to disintegrate?” Troubling Times We take care to note that many portions of the Bible that proclaim God’s sovereignty were recorded during periods of great turmoil and tragedy. The prophet Isaiah, for example, carried out his ministry during a time when God’s people were confronted by the seemingly invincible Assyrian empire. God’s sovereignty? Nice in theory, perhaps; but that idea can be hard to embrace when Assyrian troops are overrunning your territory! […]

Read More

Summer 2016

Toward a new creation Following a series of parables, the master teacher made this comparison: “Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old” (Matthew 13:52). The lessons for this quarter draw from both the Old and New Testaments to highlight truths that form a crucial part of the Bible’s message. At first glance, the books of Zephaniah and Romans, the two sources for this quarter’s lessons, would seem to have little in common. A closer look, however, will reveal a number of important similarities. These similarities highlight humanity’s sinful condition and its desperate need for the “new creation” that Jesus came to bring about. The Human Condition Neither the prophet Zephaniah nor the apostle Paul minces words about the reality of God’s wrath. Zephaniah predicted a coming […]

Read More