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 […]