L esson 1 *December 31January 6

(page 6 of Standard Edition)

The Spirit and the Word

Sabbath Afternoon
Read for This Weeks Study: 2Pet. 1:1921, 1Cor. 2:913,
Ps. 119:160, John 17:17.

Memory Text: All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and

is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction
in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly
equipped for every good work (2Timothy 3:16, 17, NKJV).

T
he Bible says the following about itself: All Scripture is given
by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof,
for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man
of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work
(2Tim. 3:16, 17, NKJV). Scripture fulfills this role because it is the
Word of God, revealed to humanity through the work of the Holy Spirit.
In the Bible, the Holy Spirit reveals Gods will to us, showing us how
to live a life that is pleasing to Him.
But the Holy Spirit was operational not only in the distant past but
also in the origin of the Bible. He is involved with the Word of God in
many other important ways even today. And perhaps the most impor-
tant is our reading the Word and desiring to understand it properly. This
is when we need the Holy Spirit. This same divine Spirit awakens in
us the desire to embrace the Word of God and to apply its teaching to
our lives. Thus, the Spirit works with and through the Written Word to
transform us into new creatures in Christ.
This week we will trace the work of the Holy Spirit as it relates to
the Scriptures.

* Study this weeks lesson to prepare for Sabbath, January 7.

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 S unday January 1
(page 7 of Standard Edition)

The Holy Spirit and Revelation

How does God ensure that His will is faithfully transmitted to fallen
human beings? He does this in two major related activities of the Holy
Spirit: revelation and inspiration.
In the process of revelation, human beings are dependent upon
the help of Someone outside of ourselves to reveal things to us that
we, as created (and fallen) beings, cannot know of ourselves. That
is, the Holy Spirit teaches us truths that have to be told to us (see,
for example, Dan. 2:1923); otherwise, we could never know them
through natural means.
Revelation is a process in which God makes Himself and His divine
will known to humans. The basic idea associated with the word reve
lation is an unveiling, or uncovering, of something that otherwise is
hidden. We need such a revelation because, as finite and fallen beings
separated from God because of sin, we are greatly limited in what we
can learn on our own. We are dependent upon God to know His will.
Hence, we are dependent on Gods revelation because we are not God
and have only a very limited natural knowledge of Him.

Read 2Peter 1:1921. What does this say about the origin of the bibli-
cal prophetic message? What does the divine origin of the biblical
message tell us about the authority of the Bible?

According to the apostle Peter, the prophetic message of the Old
Testament was not of human origin. The prophets were moved by the
Holy Spirit in such a way that the content of their message came from
God. These men did not create the message themselves. They were
merely the vessels of the message, not the originators. Peter was very
intentional in stressing the Spirit-inspired source of the prophecies:
though written by men, prophecy never came by the will of man (2Pet.
1:21, NKJV). And it is this divine origin that gives the Bible its ultimate
authority over our lives.

God used human beings to proclaim His Word to the world.

How can we be used by the Holy Spirit to do something similar
todaynot in writing Scripture but in proclaiming what has
already been written?

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 M onday January 2
(page 8 of Standard Edition)

The Holy Spirit and Inspiration

Inspiration is the term used to describe Gods influence through the
work of the Holy Spirit in transmitting His message through human
instruments. The work of the Holy Spirit in the process of inspiration is
the reason we find a fundamental unity in all of Scripture in regard to
truth. As the Spirit of Truth (John 14:17, 15:26, 16:13), the Holy Spirit
will lead us into all truth.

Read 2Peter 1:21, Deuteronomy 18:18, Micah 3:8, and 1Corinthians

2:913. What do these texts tell us about the biblical writers and
about Gods involvement in the origin of the Bible?

Being carried along by the Holy Spirit (2 Pet. 1:21, NIV) is a
strong affirmation of the work of the Holy Spirit in inspiration. In
1 Corinthians 2:913, the apostle Paul credits revelation and inspira-
tion to the Holy Spirit. To us, he says, God revealed the hidden things
that no eye has seen, which he mentions in verse 9. God revealed them
through the Spirit (1Cor. 2:10). The apostles have received this Spirit
who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by
God (1Cor. 2:12, NASB). Then in verse 13 he moves to the work of
inspiration, where he speaks of things not in words taught by human
wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts
with spiritual words (NASB). Paul had no doubt about the source and
the authority of what he was proclaiming.
While many parts of the Bible are a result of Gods direct supernatu-
ral revelation, not everything in the Bible was revealed in that manner.
Sometimes God used biblical writers in their careful personal investiga-
tion of things or in their use of other existing documents (Josh. 10:13,
Luke 1:13) to reveal and communicate His message. Thus, all parts
of the Bible are revealed and inspired (2Tim. 3:16). This is the reason
Paul states that whatever was written, was written for our instruction,
so that through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have
hope (Rom. 15:4, NASB). The God who speaks and who created human
language enables chosen people to communicate in human words the
inspired thoughts in a trustworthy and reliable manner.
God has been pleased to communicate His truth to the world by
human agencies, and He Himself, by His Holy Spirit, qualified men
and enabled them to do His work. He guided the mind in the selec-
tion of what to speak and what to write. The treasure was entrusted to
earthen vessels, yet it is, nonetheless, from Heaven.Ellen G. White,
Selected Messages, book 1, p. 26.
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 T uesday January 3
(page 9 of Standard Edition)

The Holy Spirit and the Truthfulness

of Scripture
While revelation is the supernatural act by which God reveals truth
to chosen human beings, inspiration is the activity of the Holy Spirit
that safeguards the truthfulness of what the human authors wrote, so
that their words have the full approval of God. God hates false witness
(Exod. 20:16) and cannot lie (Heb. 6:18). He is called a God of truth
(Ps. 31:5, Isa. 65:16). In a similar manner, the Holy Spirit is called the
Spirit of truth (John 14:17).

Read Psalm 119:160. What does this teach about anything God reveals
to us?

Read John 17:17. What does Jesus say to us here about Gods Word?

The Word of God is trustworthy and deserves full acceptance. It is
not our task to sit in judgment over Scripture. Scripture, rather, has
the right and the authority to judge us. For the word of God is alive
and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to
dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and
attitudes of the heart (Heb. 4:12, NIV).
Though, of course, the Bible was written by those living in specific
times and places and cultures (how could it have been otherwise?), we
should not use that fact to water down or dismiss the message of the
Bible to us. Once that door is opened, the Bible becomes subject to
humans and to their determination of what is truth. The result is that
many people, while claiming to believe the Bible, reject such things as
a six-day creation, a worldwide flood, the virgin birth, the bodily resur-
rection of Jesus, and the literal Second Coming. These are just a few
of many biblical truths that fallible people, sitting in judgment on the
Scriptures, have thrown out. Thats not a path any of us should ever take.

Why is it so crucial to submit our own judgment to the Word of

God rather than vice versa?

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 W ednesday January 4
(page 10 of Standard Edition)

The Holy Spirit as Teacher

The Holy Spirit is instrumental, not only in giving us the Written Word
of God but also in helping us understand it properly. Human beings are
darkened in their understanding of truth; they are, by nature, alienated
from God (Eph. 4:18). Thats why the same Spirit who revealed and
inspired the Word of God is the One who enables us to understand it. The
problem is not that the Bible is an obscure book. The problem is our sin-
tainted attitude toward God, who reveals Himself in the Bible.
The Holy Spirit is a Teacher who desires to lead us into a deeper
understanding of Scripture and to a joyful appreciation of the Bible.
He brings the truth of Gods Word to our attention and gives us fresh
insights into those truths so that our lives can be characterized by faith-
fulness and a loving obedience to Gods will. This can happen, though,
only if we approach the Bible with a humble and teachable heart.

Read 1Corinthians 2:13, 14. What does the apostle Paul write about
our need to interpret spiritual things spiritually?

In our understanding of the Bible, we are dependent upon the Holy
Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit, the spiritual significance of the biblical
words is not discerned, only its linguistic meaning. Furthermore, as
sinful human beings we often are opposed to Gods truth, not because
we do not understand it but because we would prefer not to follow it.
Without the Holy Spirit there is no affection for Gods message. There
is no hope, no trust, and no love in response. What the Spirit brings to
life is in harmony with the truth already proclaimed in the Bible.

Many contradictory opinions in regard to what the Bible teaches

do not arise from any obscurity in the book itself, but from blind-
ness and prejudice on the part of interpreters. Men ignore the
plain statements of the Bible to follow their own perverted reason.
Ellen G. White, The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, January27,
1885. How has your pride been a stumbling stone that has hindered
you from implementing the truth of Scripture in your life? In what
areas do your own desires keep you from accepting Gods truth in
your life? How can you learn to surrender everything to God?

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 T hursday January 5
(page 11 of Standard Edition)

The Holy Spirit and the Word

The Holy Spirit, who has revealed and inspired the content of the
Bible to human beings, will never lead us contrary to Gods Word in
any way.

Read John 5:39, 46, 47 and John 7:38. What authority does Jesus
refer to in these texts? How does the Bible confirm that Jesus is
the Messiah?

Some people claim to have received special revelations and instruc-
tions from the Holy Spirit that go against the clear message of the Bible.
For them the Holy Spirit has attained a higher authority than Gods Word.
Whenever the inspired and Written Word of God is nullified and its clear
message is evaded, we walk on dangerous ground and do not follow the
leading of Gods Spirit. The Bible is our only spiritual safeguard. It alone
is a reliable norm for all matters of faith and practice.
Through the Scriptures the Holy Spirit speaks to the mind, and
impresses truth upon the heart. Thus He exposes error, and expels it
from the soul. It is by the Spirit of truth, working through the word of
God, that Christ subdues His chosen people to Himself.Ellen G.
White, The Desire of Ages, p. 671.
Ellen G. White has made it abundantly clear that the Spirit was
not givennor can it ever be bestowedto supersede the Bible; for
the Scriptures explicitly state that the word of God is the standard by
which all teaching and experience must be tested.Ellen G. White,
The Great Controversy, p. 9.
The Holy Spirit is never given to replace the Word of God. He, rather,
works in harmony with and through the Bible to draw us to Christ, thus
making the Bible the only norm for authentic biblical spirituality. We
can be sure that when someone comes making claims that are in con-
tradiction to the Word of God, that person is not speaking the truth. We
cant judge hearts or motives. We can, though, judge theology, and the
only standard we have to judge it with is the Word of God.

What are some of the teachings that people are trying to promote
in the church that are clearly contrary to the Word of God? What
should our response be to (1) the people promoting these errors;
(2) the errors themselves?

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 F riday January 6
(page 12 of Standard Edition)

Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, The Scriptures a Safeguard,

pp. 593602, in The Great Controversy. Read also Ellen G. White, Let Not
Your Heart Be Troubled, pp. 662680, in The Desire of Ages.

Think about all the truth that we know only because it has been
revealed to us in the Bible. Think, for instance, about Creation. What
a contrast between what the Word of God teaches about how we were
created and how humanity teaches we were createdthat is, through
the process of what is now called the neo-Darwinian synthesis. Look
at how wrong humans have it! Think, too, about the second coming of
Jesus and the resurrection of the dead at the end of the age. These are
truths that we could never learn on our own. They have to be revealed
to us, and they are, in the Word of God, which was inspired by the Holy
Spirit. In fact, the most important truth of all, that Jesus Christ died for
our sins and that we are saved through faith in Him and His works for
us, is a truth that we never could have figured out on our own. We know
it only because it has been revealed to us. Think about other truths that
we know only because they have been told to us through the Word of
God. Such crucial truths are found only in the Bible; what should that
fact tell us about how central the Word of God needs to be in our lives?

Discussion Questions:
Why is the Bible a safer guide in spiritual questions than are
subjective impressions? What are the consequences when we do not
accept the Bible as the standard by which we test all teachings and
even our spiritual experiences?

We often hear the word truth used in a variety of contexts. In

class, talk about the concept of truth, not just what is true or what
is not true but about what it means when we say that something is
true. What does it mean for something to be true?

How should your church react if someone claims to have new

light?

Flesh out the radical difference between how the Bible teaches
we were created and what human wisdom teaches. What human
wisdom teaches, that is, the latest understanding of evolutionary
theory, is completely contrary to the Bible message. What should
that tell us about why we must trust the Bible above everything
else?

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i n s i d e
Story
A Gift in the Forest: Part 1
Situated in Europe, Poland emerged as a nation in the tenth century a.d.
During the next millennium, two of Polands neighbors, the kingdom of
Prussia (modern-day Germany) and the Russian Empire, became power-
ful. In 1795, these two countries divided Poland between themselves and
removed it from the world map. Following World War I, Poland regained
its independence.
Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union both invaded Poland during World
War II. Some six million Poleshalf of whom were Jewishdied during
the war. At the close of the war, a Communist government was installed in
Poland behind the Soviet iron curtain. In 1989, free elections ushered in a
new government, which began the fall of Communism in Europe.
More than half of Poland is agricultural or woodlands. Its a haven for
many animals, including the wisent (European bison), brown bear, gray
wolf, and moose. Some 25 percent of European migratory birds breed
each summer in Polands wetlands.
The first king of Poland, Mieszko I, became a Christian in a.d. 966 and
formed Poland as a sovereign Christian state. The Roman Catholic Church
is still a powerful force in Poland.
During World War II, Germany and the Soviet Union outlawed the
Seventh-day Adventist Church. All church properties were taken away,
and some members were sent to Siberia. After the war, the Adventist
Church was reestablished and started to grow again.
In 1990, Ryszard Jankowski [ree-SHARD Yahn-kow-skee], the Polish
Union youth leader at the time, had a dream. He wanted a youth camp
where young people could be trained for service. The church had no land,
no money, and no idea where they would get either. But Ryszard sensed
that God was in the dream, so he began searching.
We wanted a place where children and youth could spend time in
nature and learn about God, a place where they could see the Creator and
learn to love Him, Ryszard said. They wanted the camp to have electricity
and water, be on a lake, and have some basic buildings.
One day Ryszard found a place called Zatonie [zah-TOH-nee], a
government-owned camp on a lake in western Poland. The buildings on
the campground were in poor condition, but they could be made useful.
I believed that God wanted us to have Zatonie, Ryszard said. The
campsite was worth $200,000, but the union didnt have money to buy
the land, the buildings, or furniture. But as our committee discussed the
possibilities, the telephone rang. Someone in Denmark was offering us
free furniturethey would even deliver it! Ryszard knew that God would
provide the rest if this was His will.
To be continued in next weeks Inside Story.

Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission.

12 Web site: www.AdventistMission.org
 teachers comments

The Lesson in Brief

Key Text: 2Peter 1:1921

The Student Will:

Know: Understand that the Bible is the revealed will of God, inspired by the
Holy Spirit. It is a safeguard to his or her faith and a standard by which all
teaching and experience must be tested.
Feel: Experience an attitude of complete submission to the Holy Spirits
guidance through the Word of God rather than one of independent judg-
ment and human pride.
Do: Choose to allow the Holy Spirit to shape his or her thinking through
the Word of God and through the Spirits prompting and power, leading the
student to surrender any attitudes and actions not in harmony with Gods
Inspired Word.

Learning Outline:
I. Know: Understanding the Holy Spirits Role in Revelation and Inspiration
A What is the difference between the terms revelation and inspiration?
B Because the Holy Spirit works through the human agents who wrote
it, how can we be certain that the Bible is Gods reliable revelation to us?
C How does inspiration shape what God reveals through the Bible writers?

II. Feel: Approaching the Bible With an Attitude of Humility

A How does the attitude with which we approach the Bible determine
the Holy Spirits ability to change us through the texts of Scripture?
B Why is it so easy to substitute human opinions about the Bible for what
the Bible actually says?

III. Do: Experiencing the Power of the Word

A Why is it so important to allow the Holy Spirit to shape our under-
standing of the Word of God?
B What are the steps God is leading you to take in your own spiritual life
so that you may appreciate the Bible more and experience its life-changing
power in a fuller way?

Summary: When we decide to respond to the leading of the Holy Spirit and
humbly accept the divine instruction in the Bible, our lives are changed by
Gods grace, and our minds are protected against the deceptions of the devil.
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 teachers comments

Learning Cycle
STEP 1Motivate

Spotlight on Scripture: 2Timothy 3:16, 17

Key Concept for Spiritual Growth: The Bible is more than merely a
collection of inspirational writings. It is the authoritative, life-changing
Word of God. When prayerfully read with a humble, teachable attitude
under the influence of the Holy Spirit, it transforms our lives.

Just for Teachers: This weeks lesson opens our quarters study on
the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has spoken through the
Word. God has revealed Himself in Scripture. The truths of the Bible tell
the story of who God is and how He works in human lives. Without the
Spirits working through the Word, we would be left to our own human,
misguided understanding of truth.
Emphasize the fact that without the guidance of the Holy Spirit, know-
ing Gods will and understanding His truth would be a matter of guess-
work that would leave us uncertain and confused. Gods Word provides
clarity and certainty regarding knowing and understanding His will.

Opening Discussion: Lets suppose that Sister Jones attends your Sabbath
School class for the very first time. About halfway through the discussion,
she raises her hand and says, The Holy Spirit has impressed me that we
are living at the time of the end.
You respond, Why, yes, sister, we certainly believe that.
She continues, No, I mean we are really close. I have been impressed
that the economy is about to crash, that Gods people should not have any
debt at all, and that we should all move into the country to grow our own
crops immediately. The end may be within two or three years. Now, I am
not setting a date for the coming of Jesus, because I know Scripture says,
No one knows the day or hour of His coming, but let me tell you, it has
been revealed to me that it is sooner than any one of us thinks.

Questions for Discussion:

In light of todays lesson, how would you respond to Sister Jones? What
insights might you share that would be helpful to her and to the class?

How does this weeks lesson give you guidance for your answer? What
principles in the Word of God would be helpful to Sister Jones?

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 teachers comments

Why is the Word of God a safeguard against speculative ideas?

STEP 2Explore

Just for Teachers: There is a difference between revelation and

inspiration. Revelation has to do with the unfolding or revealing of
Gods unchangeable truth. Gods truth is not dependent on human
thought or activity in any way. Truth is truth, whether human beings
accept and believe it or not. Gods truth is both eternal and univer-
sal. It is eternal in the sense that it applies to every generation at all
times. It is universal in the sense that it applies to all people in all
cultures. Gods truth, like the law of gravity, applies at all times and
in all places. Culture does not shape or alter truth. Truth shapes and
alters culture.
Inspiration, on the other hand, is Gods working by His Holy Spirit
through human agents to communicate His truth. The same God who
revealed truth guided the writers of the Bible as they wrote it down.
God did not dictate each word of the Bible to the biblical writers.
He directed their thoughts, inspired their minds, and guided their
pens. They wrote in their own words with the vocabularies available
to them under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to communicate the
infallible Word of God.

Bible Commentary
I. The Holy Spirit: The Teacher of All Truth (Review John 16:13 with the class.)

One of the functions of the Holy Spirit is to guide us into truth. Notice that
the Holy Spirit does not coerce us to follow truth. He does not force truth
upon us. He does not compel us to obey. He guide[s] us into all
truth (NKJV). He gently leads us to understand that Gods way, revealed
in His Word, is the best. As the Holy Spirit guides us, we discover that Jesus
words I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more
abundantly are true in our own lives (John 10:10, NKJV).
What is this truth that the Holy Spirit guides us into? It is the truth
about God. Each doctrine of the Bible reveals something of the beauty
of the truth about the God who loves us and longs for us to be saved in
His kingdom. In light of the great controversy between good and evil, the
purpose of the Inspired Word is to reveal the truth about Gods character
of unselfish love in contrast to Satans character of self-centered pride.

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 teachers comments

There are at least two more aspects of the Spirits guiding us into all truth.
First, the Holy Spirit leads us to understand the doctrinal truths of the Bible in
order to protect us from the deceptions of the evil one, deceptions that distort
Gods character. Jesus declares, Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is
truth (John 17:17, NKJV). He also declares, You will know the truth,
and the truth will set you free (John 8:32, NIV). Truth frees us from the
theological errors that have so captivated the religious world.
Second, the Holy Spirit also guides us to the truth about ourselves. When
we come to Jesus, our guilt is gone (1John 1:9, Rom. 8:1). We are sons and
daughters of God, members of His family (John 1:12, Eph. 2:19). Despite
our own feelings of unworthiness, guilt, or shame, the Holy Spirit guides us
to the truth of the Word. We were created by God, redeemed by Christ, and
transformed by the Holy Spirit. The authoritative, infallible Word of God does
not lie. We are His children, forever secure in His love and grace.

Discussion Questions:
One of the functions of the Holy Spirit is to lead or guide us into truth,
as opposed to coercing us. Define the words guide and coerce. What is the
distinction between the two? What does this distinction reveal about how the
Spirit leads us?

What truth does the Holy Spirit guide us into?

What does the truth set us free from? And how does it do that?

STEP 3Apply

Just for Teachers: The religious world is filled with scores of so-called
Christians with a very shallow Christian experience. Discuss with your
class how to avoid the trap of religious superficiality. Talk about why some
Christians spend so little time contemplating Gods Word.

Thought Questions:
What is it that keeps some people from understanding the truths of Gods
Word?

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 teachers comments

Why do even some Adventist Christians fail to embrace the joy of being
redeemed sons and daughters of God?

How can we better understand the Word and receive the full blessing that
God intends for us?

Application Question: What are some of the things that keep us from
a deep, abiding experience with Christ through His Spirit-inspired Word?

STEP 4Create

Just for Teachers: The apostle Peter summarizes the key thoughts
in our lesson well with these words: Having been born again, not of
corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which
lives and abides forever (1Pet. 1:23, NKJV). The focus of our lesson
today is twofold. First, Gods Word is authoritative and reveals His
truth. Second, Gods Word is life changing. Help each class member
to see that truth is not a matter of personal opinion. Truth is found in
Gods Word. Guide your students also in understanding that, as they
study Gods Word with prayerful hearts, their lives will be completely
transformed.

Activities:
Invite each class member to turn to the person next to him or her and
share the key thought that he or she will take home from todays class.
After class members have shared with one another, invite them to share
with the entire group the single most important thing that they have discov-
ered personally in this weeks lesson for their spiritual lives.

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