God's Solution

Welcome to this new lesson! Let us pray together:

Our Lord and our God,

Once again we want to search Your Word, and this is why we humbly ask You to help us during this lesson.

Please send us Your Holy Spirit, so that our hearts may be opened to Your valuable teaching.

We pray in Jesus Christ.

Amen.

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1 John 5:19

The whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.

Before going further, we strongly suggest that you review the previous lesson «Why Does Evil Exist?» about the origin of evil, suffering, and death.

We learned, among other things, that by disobeying God's command, man had placed himself under the domination of Satan.

In this way, sin entered into this world, with all its consequences: separation of man from God, suffering, and death.

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Romans 5:12

Therefore, just as through one man [Adam] sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.

Romans 6:23

For the wages of sin is death.

In our previous lesson, we also saw that sin is the transgression of God's law (1 John 3:4).

Sin having spread to the whole human race, all men therefore became subject to death.

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Jeremiah 13:23

Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots?

Then may you also do good who are accustomed to do evil.

For centuries, sin has clung to the human heart with such a power that man cannot get rid of it, however hard he might try.

Left to himself against sin, man would face a simply hopeless situation...

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Romans 7:18,19,24

For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.

For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. (...)

O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?

When we recognize our incapacity to do what is good, we feel a great weight of misery, a deep feeling of powerlessness.

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Isaiah 63:19; 64:1

We have become like those of old, over whom You never ruled, those who were never called by Your name.

Oh, that You would rend the heavens! That You would come down!

To the man aware of his powerlessness against sin, the problem appears to be insoluble.

He cannot but wait for death, a death with no tomorrow.

The only hope comes from God: but will He accept to leave heaven and come down to save us...?

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Ezekiel 33:11

I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways!

2 Peter 3:9

[The Lord] is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

1 Timothy 2:4

[God] desires all men to be saved.

Yes, God has set up a precise plan for the salvation of the sinner!

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1 John 3:1

Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!

God loves each one of us and wants to save us: He ardently desires that we become His children, just like before the Fall of man.

But, God's perfect justice requires the death of the sinner, the transgressor of the divine law. «For the wages of sin is death.» (Romans 6:23)

How will God's plan satisfy the demands of both divine justice and the eager outpouring of divine love for each one of us?

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1 John 4:9,10

In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.

In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

In order to make possible the acquittal of the guilty man, it was necessary that one who was sinless take upon himself the condemnation deserved by the sinner, that is, death.

God's only begotten Son, who had never sinned, offered Himself to be this innocent sacrifice so that we might live.

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John 3:16

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

This message is the central point of the Word of God, and the reason for this set of lessons.

By giving His only Son, God has sacrificed Himself, taking the sins of men upon Himself, so that each one of us, who were sinners and condemned to death, might inherit eternal life by accepting this great sacrifice for our own sins.

This is the greatest message of hope ever given to mankind!

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1 Peter 1:10,11

Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.

As we will see during this lesson and the next ones, the whole Bible revolves around this message of salvation by grace, that is, by the gift of God's only begotten Son.

All the prophets have preached this message!

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Genesis 3:14,15

So the Lord God said to the serpent:

«(...) I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.»

Immediately after the Fall of man, God promised to re-establish the situation.

The seed of the serpent is the followers of Satan, wicked men. The Seed of the woman is Jesus, the only Son of God, the Savior of the world, and those who faithfully follow Him.

Through the intermediary of wicked men, Satan inflicted great sufferings on Jesus, thus bruising His heel. But by His death on the cross, Jesus triumphed over Satan and evil, thus bruising the serpent's head.

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John 8:56

[Jesus answered,] «Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.»

Job 19:25

[Job said,] «For I know that my Redeemer lives.»

Isaiah 59:20

«The Redeemer will come to Zion, and to those who turn from transgression in Jacob,» says the Lord.

Abraham, Job, and many others, all placed their hope on God's salvation.

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Matthew 1:21

And [Mary] will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.

Jesus Christ is God's only begotten Son, who offered Himself to die for each one of us, so that we may be saved from our sins.

Jesus Christ's life exactly fulfilled hundreds of Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah.

Let's look at some of these prophecies, and the verses confirming their fulfillment.

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Micah 5:2

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be ruler in Israel, whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

Matthew 2:1

Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king.

The Messiah had to be born in Bethlehem. And Jesus was actually born in Bethlehem.

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Hosea 11:1

And out of Egypt I called My son.

Matthew 2:14,15

When [Joseph] arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying,

«Out of Egypt I called My Son.»

The return of the Messiah from Egypt was also prophesied.

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Isaiah 40:3

The voice of one crying in the wilderness: «Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.»

Matthew 3:1,3

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea. (...)

For this is [John] who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying,

«The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight."»

John the Baptist prepared men for the coming of the Messiah, as foretold.

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Isaiah 35:4-6

[God] will come and save you.

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb sing.

Matthew 11:4,5

Jesus answered and said to them:

«Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind receive their sight and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up.»

The Old Testament announced that the Messiah would heal the multitudes.

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Isaiah 53:1

Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

John 12:37,38

But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him, that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke,

«Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?»

In spite of the prophecies, the Jews did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah.

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Isaiah 53:3

He is despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.

And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

Mark 9:12

[Jesus told them:]

«And how is it written concerning the Son of Man, that He must suffer many things and be treated with contempt?»

In order to save each one of us, Jesus Christ had to endure men's contempt, and undergo many sufferings.

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Isaiah 53:7

He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth.

Matthew 27:13,14

Then Pilate said to [Jesus],

«Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?»

And He answered him not one word, so that the governor marveled greatly.

While the false accusations burst out all over, Jesus remained silent.

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Isaiah 53:12

He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for transgressors.

Luke 23:33,34

When they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left.

Then Jesus said, «Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.»

Even nailed to the cross, Jesus interceded for His persecutors.

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Isaiah 53:12

Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He poured out His soul unto death.

John 10:17,18

«Therefore My Father loves me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself.»

Jesus Christ loves us so much that He accepted to die for us.

No one forced Jesus to lay down His life; He did it, simply because of His love for each one of us.

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Isaiah 53:5,6,11

But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. (...)

My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities.

This is the Good News of the Gospel: Jesus Christ offered Himself in sacrifice for each one of us, that we might obtain eternal life.

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Psalm 16:10

For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.

Acts 2:31

[David] foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption.

Jesus Christ's victory over death proves that He has the power to give us eternal life, if we truly desire it.

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Luke 24:25-27

Then [Jesus] said to them,

«O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?»

And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

The whole Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, tells us about the promise of a Savior, and the fulfillment of this promise in the person and the work of Jesus Christ who died and rose again for lost mankind.

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John 20:31

But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.

God was not forced to come down and save the sinner. He did it because He loves us with an infinite love.

The salvation He offers us, by the gift of His only begotten Son Jesus Christ, is the only way to be forgiven for our sins, so that we may have access to eternal life.

God did all that was required for our salvation: why not accept His offer right now, while there is still time to do so?

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Let us ask Jesus Christ to become our personal Savior:

Lord,

We were lost because of our sins, and destined for eternal death.

But You loved us so much that You accepted to come to earth, to die on the cross, so that we should not perish but have everlasting life.

Right here and now we want You to become our personal Savior and immediately begin to transform us into Your image.

In Your Name we pray.

Amen.

  The test of Lesson 5 is waiting for you!

Source of the Pictures of this Lesson

Screen 1: Picture collection «Corel Gallery Magic» by Corel, 1997, CD #7, Photo Library 1, 27032.PCD. Screen 2: In: «The Watchtower» magazine (April 1, 1994), Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, p.16,17. Screen 3: Picture collection «ClickArt 65,000» by Broderbund, CD #4, RELCL025.JPG. Screen 4: «Hunter with Dead Leopard», Early 20th century, Wakenga, Nyasaland. Picture from the Web site: www.corbis.com (Hulton-Deutsch Collection). Image ID: HU025454. Screen 5: Photo by PhotoDisc. In: «Adventist Review» (June 1997), p.25. Screen 6: Photo In: «Master Clips 500,000» by IMSI, CD #17, 29180076.JPG. Screen 7: RUIZ, Eduardo. In: «La Sentinelle» magazine (April 1995), Pacific Press Publishing Association, p.5. Screen 8: Used by permission. Copyright © 1959, 1987 by Review and Herald® Publishing Association, USA. All Rights Reserved. ZINGARO, Charles. In: «Votre Bible et Vous» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), p.125. Screen 9: MANISCALCO, Joe. In: «Images from the Bible and Sacred History CD», Chosen Works, MLI Software, JM126.BMP. Screen 10: DELACROIX, Eugène. «Christ on the Cross» (1835), Musée de la Cohue, Vannes. In: «Charlton Heston Presents the Bible», GT Publishing, New York, 1997, p.231. Screen 11: In: «Prophecy Seminars», Seminars Unlimited, 1989, Daniel lesson #30 («Sharing Daniel's Message with the World»), p.5. Screen 12: Used by permission. Copyright © 1959, 1987 by Review and Herald® Publishing Association, USA. All Rights Reserved. SCHLAIKJER, Jes. In: «Votre Bible et Vous» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), p.257. Screen 13: In: «The Watchtower» magazine (July 1, 1988), Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, p.8. Screen 14: Used by permission. Copyright © 1945, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1968, 1996 by Review and Herald® Publishing Association, USA. All Rights Reserved. ANDERSON, Harry. In: «Uncle Arthur's Bible Book» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), p.308. Screen 15: BRICE, N. In: «The Bible Pageant, Volume 4: The Mighty Prince» (NEFF, Merlin L.), Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1949, p.47. Screen 16: In: «The Children's Bible, volume 9», Golden Press, 1981, p.536,537. Screen 17: BACICCIO, Giovanni. «St. John the Baptist Preaching», The Louvre, Paris. In: «Charlton Heston Presents the Bible», GT Publishing, New York, 1997, p.154. Screen 18: POUSSIN, Nicolas. «Jesus Healing the Blind of Jericho», The Louvre, Paris. In: «The Bible in Art» (WRIGHT, Susan), Todtri Productions Limited, New York, 1996, front cover. Screen 19: TISSOT, J.J. In: «The Living Bible Encyclopedia in Story and Pictures, volume 16», New York, H.S. Stuttman Co. Inc., 1968, p.2096-b. Screen 20: DORÉ, Gustave. In: «La Bible de Gustave Doré», Lausanne, Edita, 1994, p.335. Screen 21: Used by permission. Copyright © 1957, 1985 by Review and Herald® Publishing Association, USA. All Rights Reserved. LEE, Manning de V. In: «The Bible Story, volume 9» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), p.90. Screen 22: JUSTINEN, Lars. In: «La Sentinelle» magazine (April 1995), Pacific Press Publishing Association, p.13. Screen 23: Picture collection «Corel Gallery Magic» by Corel, 1997, CD #8, Photo Library 4, 696008.PCD. Screen 24: Used by permission. Copyright © 1957, 1985 by Review and Herald® Publishing Association, USA. All Rights Reserved. HARLAN, Russell. In: «The Bible Story, volume 9» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), p.4. Screen 25: Used by permission. Copyright © 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1976 by Review and Herald® Publishing Association, USA. All Rights Reserved. HARLAN, Russell. In: «Uncle Arthur's Bedtime Stories, volume 5» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), p.92,93. Screen 26: In: «Egermeier's Bible Story Book» (EGERMEIER, Elsie E.), The Warner Press, 1963, p.484. Screen 27: Used by permission. Copyright © 1962, 1990 by Review and Herald® Publishing Association, USA. All Rights Reserved. ANDERSON, Harry. In: «La Sentinelle» magazine (September 1980), p.11. Screen 28: Picture collection «Corel Gallery Magic» by Corel, 1997, CD #8, Photo Library 3, 424023.PCD.

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