Sunday
May 8
1. BEHIND THE SCENES
a. How did the Godhead respond to the fall of Adam and Eve? 1 John 4:10.
“The Godhead was stirred with pity for the race, and the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit gave Themselves to the working out of the plan of redemption. In order fully to carry out this plan, it was decided that Christ, the only begotten Son of God, should give Himself an offering for sin.”—The Review and Herald, May 2, 1912.
b. Why were Adam and Eve not executed on the very day they ate of the forbidden fruit? Job 33:24; Mark 10:45; Revelation 13:8 (last part).
“The instant Adam yielded to Satan’s temptation and did the very thing which God had said he should not do, Christ, the Son of God, stood between the living and the dead, saying: ‘Let the punishment fall on Me. I will stand in man’s place. Give him another trial.’ Transgression placed the whole world under the death sentence. But in heaven there was heard a voice saying, ‘I have found a ransom.’”—The Signs of the Times, June 27, 1900.
Monday
May 9
2. THE PLAN OF SALVATION
a. What was the very first step that Christ took to make the whole plan of salvation possible? Hebrews 2:9.
“[Jesus] made known to the angelic host that a way of escape had been made for lost man. He told them that He had been pleading with His Father and had offered to give His life a ransom, to take the sentence of death upon Himself, that through Him man might find pardon; that through the merits of His blood, and obedience to the law of God, they could have the favor of God, and be brought into the beautiful garden, and eat of the fruit of the tree of life.
“At first the angels could not rejoice. . . . Jesus told them that He would . . . leave all His glory in heaven, appear upon earth as a man, humble Himself as a man, become acquainted by His own experience with the various temptations with which man would be beset, that He might know how to succor those who should be tempted. . . .
“Jesus also told [the angels] that they would have a part to act, to be with Him and at different times strengthen Him; that He would take man’s fallen nature, and His strength would not be even equal with theirs; that they would be witnesses of His humiliation and great sufferings; and that as they would witness His sufferings, and the hatred of men toward Him, they would be stirred with the deepest emotion, and through their love for Him would wish to rescue and deliver Him from His murderers; but that they must not interfere to prevent anything they should behold. . . .
“Satan again rejoiced with his angels that he could, by causing man’s fall, pull down the Son of God from His exalted position. He told his angels that when Jesus should take fallen man’s nature, he could overpower Him and hinder the accomplishment of the plan of salvation.”—Early Writings, pp. 149-152.
b. What attribute of Christ’s made it impossible for Him to die before the incarnation? 1 Timothy 6:14–16.
“When Christ was crucified, it was His human nature that died. Deity did not sink and die; that would have been impossible.”—Lift Him Up, p. 76.
Tuesday
May 10
3. THE SON OF GOD BECAME THE SON OF MAN
a. What is meant by the expression “the word was made flesh” (John 1:14)? Hebrews 2:14 (first part).
“Divinity and humanity were mysteriously combined, and man and God became one. It is in this union that we find the hope of our fallen race.”—The SDA Bible Commentary [E. G. White Comments], vol. 5, p. 1130.
b. How does the apostle Paul confirm that Christ possessed a fallen human nature when He came to this earth? Romans 1:3; 8:3.
“Christ did not make believe take human nature; He did verily take it. He did in reality possess human nature.”—Selected Messages, bk. 1, p. 247.
“He took upon Himself fallen, suffering human nature, degraded and defiled by sin. He took our sorrows, bearing our grief and shame. He endured all the temptations wherewith man is beset. He united humanity with divinity: a divine spirit dwelt in a temple of flesh. He united Himself with the temple. ‘The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us’ (John 1:14), because by so doing He could associate with the sinful, sorrowing sons and daughters of Adam.”—The Youth’s Instructor, December 20, 1900.
c. Why was it necessary for Christ to take human nature after the Fall instead human nature before the Fall? Hebrews 2:16–18.
“The Saviour . . . came to the world to display the glory of God, that man might be uplifted by its restoring power. God was manifested in Him that He might be manifested in them. Jesus revealed no qualities, and exercised no powers, that men may not have through faith in Him. His perfect humanity is that which all His followers may possess, if they will be in subjection to God as He was.”—The Desire of Ages, p. 664.
“Clad in the vestments of humanity, the Son of God came down to the level of those He wished to save. In Him was no guile or sinfulness; He was ever pure and undefiled; yet He took upon Him our sinful nature. Clothing His divinity with humanity, that He might associate with fallen humanity, He sought to regain for man that which, by disobedience, Adam had lost for himself and for the world.”—The Review and Herald, December 15, 1896.
Wednesday
May 11
4. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE INCARNATION
a. What qualified Christ to perform His role as a mediator? 1 Timothy 2:5.
“Jesus could give alone security to God; for He was equal with God. He alone could be a mediator between God and man; for He possessed divinity and humanity. Jesus could thus give security to both parties for the fulfillment of the prescribed conditions. As the Son of God He gives security to God in our behalf, and as the eternal Word, as one equal with the Father, He assures us of the Father’s love to usward who believe His pledged word. When God would assure us of His immutable counsel of peace, He gives His only begotten Son to become one of the human family, forever to retain His human nature as a pledge that God will fulfill His word.”—The Review and Herald, April 3, 1894.
b. What happened to humanity’s relationship to God as a result of sin, and how was this bond restored? Isaiah 59:2; Galatians 4:4, 5.
“The humanity of the Son of God is everything to us. It is the golden chain that binds our souls to Christ, and through Christ to God.”—The Youth’s Instructor, October 13, 1898.
“It was Satan’s purpose to bring about an eternal separation between God and man; but in Christ we become more closely united to God than if we had never fallen. In taking our nature, the Saviour has bound Himself to humanity by a tie that is never to be broken. . . . God has adopted human nature in the person of His Son and has carried the same into the highest heaven. It is the ‘Son of man’ who shares the throne of the universe. It is the ‘Son of man’ whose name shall be called, ‘Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace’ (Isaiah 9:6). . . . He who is ‘holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners,’ is not ashamed to call us brethren (Hebrews 7:26; 2:11).”—The Desire of Ages, p. 25.
“To bring humanity into Christ, to bring the fallen race into oneness with divinity, is the work of redemption. Christ took human nature that men might be one with Him as He is one with the Father, that God may love man as He loves His only-begotten Son, that men may be partakers of the divine nature, and be complete in Him.”—Selected Messages, bk. 1, p. 251.
Thursday
May 12
5. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE INCARNATION (CONTINUED)
a. What divine purpose in the creation of humanity was fulfilled through the incarnation of Christ? 1 Corinthians 6:19.
“From eternal ages it was God’s purpose that every created being, from the bright and holy seraph to man, should be a temple for the indwelling of the Creator. Because of sin, humanity ceased to be a temple for God. Darkened and defiled by evil, the heart of man no longer revealed the glory of the Divine One. But by the incarnation of the Son of God, the purpose of Heaven is fulfilled. God dwells in humanity, and through saving grace the heart of man becomes again His temple.”—The Desire of Ages, p. 161.
b. What did the heavenly angels call the incarnation of Jesus, and why? Luke 2:6–11.
“Joy to the poor, for Christ has come to make them heirs of his kingdom! Joy to the rich, for He will teach them how to apply their earthly treasure that it may secure for them eternal riches in Heaven! Joy to the ignorant, for He has come to give them wisdom unto salvation! Joy to the learned, for He will open to their understanding deeper mysteries than they have ever before fathomed!”—The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 2, p. 191.
“The condescension of Christ in behalf of men was a marvel to the angels. Redemption through Christ was to them a mystery of love and wisdom.”—The Review and Herald, July 15, 1909.
Friday
May 13
PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. Why were Adam and Eve allowed to live for hundreds of years after they had sinned?
2. What did Christ pledge before God that secured for humanity a second probation?
3. Why was Christ obliged to take the fallen nature of Adam?
4. What makes it impossible for Christ to redeem the world without the incarnation?
5. Do you find the birth of Christ truly glad tidings for you? Why?