Welcome to the 1st Quarter Topic for our Adult Sabbath School Study and Discussion as we prepare for our Adult Sabbath School Class each Sabbath.

Here is the link to the study material for this quarter:

http://www.ssnet.org/lessons/13a/

Feel free to discuss this here in this thread.

Any thoughts on the first two lessons in this 1st quarter of 2013?

1) The Bible, properly understood is truth.

2) My understanding of the Bible may not be truth.

3)I do not expect that science will agree with the Bible.

4) The focus in the Bible is on the activity of God in human life.

5) The Bible is not a textbook of science--nuclear physics or calculus, for example.

6) The fundamental Biblical statement in regard to origin is: God created everything that exists.

7) Beyond # 6, the focus on the Bible in on the creation of Earth (and our solar system) and not on the Universe.

8) The chronological records of the Bible were not written for the purpose of giving us dates for Earth history.

9) Therefore, the Bible cannot be used as a calendar of Earth time.

10) I believe in a 7-day period of 24 hours each during which time God organized the Earth into a life filled planet. But, I am open to being shown that the Bible does not teach this.

11) I believe in a global flood (Just do not tell me it was universal.). But, I am open to being shown that the Bible does not teach this.

12) I believe that the current typical debate between creationists and evolutionists is so emotionally loaded that most often neither understands the other.

13) I believe that the term "evolution" includes several aspects, some of which are true and not against the Bible, some of which are against what I believe to be Biblical truth.

14)I believe that it is possible to hold some versions of evolution and remain a good SDA. I know people who are such in my opinion.

Well, Daryl, I suppose that my comments here will engender some discussion. fine. I only ask that in commenting on my post, please do not misrepresent where I am. E.g. Do not call me a theistic evolutionist. I am not.

Parenthitical note on the Big Bang:

1) The Big Bang is said to have occurred at a discrete point, potentially prior to the creation of time.

2) Science can only look back in time to the Big Bang and cannot look prior to that.

3) Science explains the past by the present.

4) At the point of the Big Bang, the present laws of physics did not exist. They were created following the Big Bang.

4) Therefore, the present is clearly inadaquate to explain a past prior to the development of the present laws of physics.

Here is the link to this weeks lesson.......

The Creation Completed http://www.ssnet.org/lessons/13a/less03.html

This weeks lesson brings up a interesting question, how do we know the Creation days were literal........?

So how is this important, well understanding the Biblical Creation account as literal has far reaching implications that most Christians or even Adventist dont discern...

I came across a discussion on whether understanding the Biblical Creation account as literal or non-literal, affects our knowledge of the nature of sin. The focus was on Creation (chapters 1-3) with some reaching into the topics discussed in chapters 4-11. When you read the Bible or any book for that matter, you must look to see if the author intend it to be fiction or auctual events. One must first demonstrate from the given text that the author did not intend for anyone to read his words as a literal historical account. Any assertion that states that a non-literal reading is the most appropriate reading must provide evidence of specific figurative indicators in the text such as metaphors, similes allegories, hyperbole, symbolism and such.

A non-literal approach, is a significant issue doctrinally, as the entire book Genesis is the seedbed for all of the theology that follows. The Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, is a system of progressive revelation that builds upon itself. Meaning that Abraham built upon the revelation given to Noah and thus had more light than Noah, Moses built upon the revelation given to Abraham and thus had more light than Abraham, David built on/had more light Moses, Isaiah built on/had more light than David, and the apostles had more than the prophets of the Old Testament. Thus, what was said in earlier parts of the Bible forms the foundation upon which more light was revealed to later generations.

So how did the succeeding generations of those who were used by God has His human authors of Scripture, see the creation account. Did Moses, Jesus, David, or any of the prophets or apostles view the Creation account in Genesis as a non-literal account?

The Bible is set up in such a manner that there is no single verse, passage, chapter or book that contains all of the truth on a given matter. In this way, God designed the Bible to be studied and searched out and designed it so that all of the doctrines of Scripture are interlocked with each other. The same passage that is talking about Creation or the Holy Spirit may also shed light on other doctrines and so one cannot do violence to a single subject in a single passage without the effects of that act radiating into other areas of Scripture. God send it to us so it could be discerned but precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little and there a little, with the Holy Spirit unveiling it to our understanding.

The Bible tells us it figuritive language is being used or when something is a vision, allegory or parable, symbol or metaphor. It does not leave it up to us to guess. Absent those textual indicators, the default understanding of any given text in Scripture is literal which means that a text is understood within the framework the author intends. It means to read the text with the object that the author has in view and not to assign any values to the text on our own. A non-literal approach makes the text subject to the whims of the reader and erodes the authority of the author.

So a non-literal approach to Genesis 1-11 devalues the authority of Word of God as final arbiter on all matters of Christian faith and practice. The Bible says that God magnifies His Word above His own Name (Ps. 138:2) and so He places a high premium on His Word and to devalue its authority is, by extension, to devalue the authority of God, Himself. This is no trivial, "take-it or-leave-it matter." God takes His Word very seriously, and so should man, His creation.

As you can see, if Genesis is not literal then the Creator is diminished, the Sabbath is more Moses imprint than Gods, and sin was about a snake that charmed a woman rather than the fall of mankind.

Here is the link to this week's study to be discussed in our various Sabbath Schools on January 26th.

http://www.ssnet.org/lessons/13a/less04.html

The topic is "Creation, a Biblical Theme."

Memory Text: “Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people. He said in a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water’” (Revelation 14:6-7, NIV).

This week we will look at various references that point back to the Genesis account and show how other Bible writers understood it as a literal depiction of human origins.

I like the way the lesson draws attention to our Creator in the Three Angels message.It is important to us that Jesus Christ is the eternal WORD who creates and re-creates.

Prescott was a Christ centered evangelist and preacher in Australia who studied the Bible together with Ellen White as she was preparing to write the Desire of Ages - the story of Jesus Christ - which had a great impact on the SDA thinking after that.

Here is the link to this week's study to be discussed in our various Sabbath Schools on January 26th.

http://www.ssnet.org/lessons/13a/less05.html

The topic is "Creation & Morality."

Here is the link to this week's study to be discussed in our various Sabbath Schools on February 9th.

http://www.ssnet.org/lessons/13a/less06.html

The topic is "Creation and the Fall."