Relevant Verses: Genesis 50; 1 Corinthians 13; Psalm 81; Deuteronomy 6; John 16Theme: “Free Will, Love, and Divine Providence”Leading Question: How does one tell if a particular event is “providential,” “natural,” or “demonic”?Exploring the providential: A biblical story that reeks of providence is the story of Joseph. At the conclusion of the stor…

Relevant Verses: 2 Sam 6; 2 Kings 2; Exod 32; Gen 18; Ps 10, 22, 73; Matt 27; Mark 15; Hab 1, Mal 4, Job 30, 38; Jer 12, 13Theme: “The Problem of Evil”Leading Question: Is there a happy solution to the problem of evil?One of the most enduring issues in our world is the problem of evil. If there is no over-all solution, there are at least four parti…

Relevant Verses: Malachi 3, Exodus 23, Genesis 18, Numbers 35, Joshua 7Theme: “God’s Love of Justice”Leading Question: Is the understanding of “justice” the same among all human beings?When it comes to matters of diversity, an Ellen White quotation is a good place to start:Every association of life calls for the exercise of self-control, forbearanc…

Relevant Verses: Psalm 78, Nehemiah 9, Amos 7, Jonah, Mark 3, 10Theme: “The Wrath of Divine Love”Leading Question: “The Wrath of Divine Love” sounds so negative. Can’t we just skip it?We will return to address the “leading question” after an important detour, a brief discussion of Satan in the Old Testament and the inclusion of a chapter from Alden…

Relevant Verses: Isaiah 1, 49, Psalm 103, Luke 10, Matthew 9Theme: “God Is Passionate and Compassionate”Leading Question: Is it “reasonable” for God to be passionate and compassionate with his wayward children?Question: Which is more biblical: To say that God will be reasonable with us or that he will be passionate and emotional with us?In the King…

Relevant Verses: Zephaniah 3, Luke 15, Psalm 146, Romans 5Theme: To Be Pleasing to GodLeading Question: Which is our more serious challenge: Convincing arrogant sinners to abandon their arrogance, or convincing repentant sinners in their chagrined and depressed condition, that God really is eager to accept them?This week’s memory text, Zephaniah 3:…

Relevant Verses: Genesis 6, 9, 15; Deuteronomy 7; Jeremiah 31, Psalm 136Theme: Covenantal LoveLeading Question: “How does the idea of covenant help us understand the word “love”? Our lesson speaks of “covenantal love.” Just what does that mean?Comment: Where we live there is a “covenant” which spells out what can be built and what cannot be built i…

Relevant Verses: Exodus 33; Hosea 14; Matthew 22Theme: God Loves FreelyLeading Question: Given all that we know about the human race and about ourselves, is it “reasonable” to expect that God should love us?Our lessons this quarter juxtapose the concepts of God’s love and justice. Here are some crucial questions that help us address the tension bet…

Relevant Verses: John 21Theme: Knowing JesusLeading Question: What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus?Question: Can you think of any events in your life that seemed bad at the time but in hindsight were meaningful?The last chapter in the Gospel of John contains Jesus’ appearance to the disciples on the shores of the Sea of Tiberius. One recogni…

Relevant Verses: John 18:33–19:5; 19:17–27; 20:1–18Theme: The Crucified and the Risen JesusIn his book Night, Elie Wiesel describes a scene from the concentration camp in Auschwitz:One day, as we returned from work, we saw three gallows, three black ravens, erected on the Appelplatz. Roll call. The SS surrounding us, machine guns aimed at us: the u…

Relevant Verses: John 14:10, 24; 16:7–11; 17:1–26Theme: Inseparable CompanionshipLeading Question: What is your preferred way of thinking about the Trinity?John's Gospel has been a significant source for the Christian doctrine of the Trinity from the patristic period to the present. The Fourth Gospel cintains the most comprehensive raw material for…

Relevant Verses: John 14:1–6Theme: Jesus, the Only WayLeading Question: How do we know the way to God?In postmodern times, one of the most important discussions in Christianity is whether salvation, or soteriology (soteria in Greek means "salvation"), is particular or universal. Is salvation only through Christ? If there are other ways to reach up …

Relevant Verses: John 1:4, 12, 13; 6:61-68; 10:10; 14:6Theme: Life in AbundanceLeading Question: What metaphor do you like to use to describe life?The Gospel of John begins with God as the life-giver: times.In Him was life, and the life was the Light of all people.(John 1:4 NRSV)The theme of life appears with the Greek word zoe 36 times in John’s n…

Relevant Verses: John 5:17, 20, 36–40, 46, 47; 8:12–30Theme: The Father’s TestimonyLeading Question: Have you ever waited for something important to happen and it felt like a life time?Healing on Sabbath (John 5)There were many who were sick—the blind, the lame, and the paralyzed—all aying at the pool gate of Bethesda. The man who was ill for 38 ye…