“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:17, NIV). What great hope is found in this verse for all humanity? How can we take this crucial truth and, first, make it our own? How then can we use it to motivate us to reach out to others?
According to the Bible, we are all sinners (Rom. 3:23), and God wishes for all to repent (Acts 17:30, 26:20, 2 Pet. 3:9) and be saved (1 Tim. 2:4). From the Fall in Eden onward, God’s purpose has been to save humanity from the devastation and ultimate eternal death that sin and rebellion have brought to humanity. What more proof do we need than the Cross to show God’s love for us and His desire to save us? However, Scripture is clear that God will not save those who openly rebel against Him.
Read Genesis 6:11–13, Romans 1:18, 2 Thessalonians 2:12, Revelation 21:8, 22:15. What powerful warning is found in these verses?
God loves all people, but all people are sinners in need of grace, and this grace has been revealed in Jesus. He has called His church to spread the good news of this grace to the world. “The church is God’s appointed agency for the salvation of men. It was organized for service, and its mission is to carry the gospel to the world. From the beginning it has been God’s plan that through His church shall be reflected to the world His fullness and His sufficiency. The members of the church, those whom He has called out of darkness into His marvelous light, are to show forth His glory. The church is the repository of the riches of the grace of Christ; and through the church will eventually be made manifest, even to ‘the principalities and powers in heavenly places,’ the final and full display of the love of God. Ephesians 3:10.”—Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles, p. 9.
In what ways can you personally (not the pastor, not the elder, not the deacon, but you) better learn to “show forth His glory” to a dying world? What must you change in your life in order to do this?
Adventist Sabbath School Lesson for Adults
Q3 2015 «Biblical Missionaries»
Lesson 13 – Must the Whole World Hear?
