Sunday
February 8
1. A LOVING DEVICE
a. When was the plan for the redemption of fallen man formulated—and by whom? Romans 16:25, 26; Colossians 1:26.
“Christ, our Substitute and Surety, did not stand alone in the wondrous undertaking of the ransom of man. In the plan to save a lost world, the counsel was between them both; the covenant of peace was between the Father and the Son.”—The Signs of the Times, December 23, 1897.
“The purpose and plan of grace existed from all eternity. Before the foundation of the world it was according to the determinate counsel of God that man should be created, endowed with power to do the divine will. The fall of man, with all its consequences, was not hidden from the Omnipotent. Redemption was not an afterthought, a plan formulated after the fall of Adam, but an eternal purpose, suffered to be wrought out for the blessing, not only of this atom of a world, but for the good of all the worlds that God had created.”—Ibid., February 13, 1893.
“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.
Monday
February 9
2. THE WORD WAS GOD
a. What words are used by John to describe Jesus Christ? John 1:1–4. What is the real meaning of the expression “in him was life”? John 5:26.
“In speaking of His preexistence, Christ carries the mind back through dateless ages. He assures us that there never was a time when He was not in close fellowship with the eternal God.”—The Signs of the Times, August 29, 1900.
“The Lord Jesus Christ, the divine Son of God, existed from eternity, a distinct person, yet one with the Father. He was the surpassing glory of heaven. He was the commander of the heavenly intelligences, and the adoring homage of the angels was received by Him as His right.”—The Review and Herald, April 5, 1906.
“ ‘In him was life; and the life was the light of men’ (John 1:4). It is not physical life that is here specified, but immortality, the life which is exclusively the property of God. The Word, who was with God, and who was God, had this life. Physical life is something which each individual receives. It is not eternal or immortal; for God, the Life-giver, takes it again. Man has no control over his life. But the life of Christ was unborrowed. No one can take this life from Him. . . . In Him was life, original, unborrowed, underived.”—Selected Messages, bk. 1, p. 296.
b. What titles are given to Christ in the Old Testament? Isaiah 9:6. What part does Jesus have in the eternal Godhead? Colossians 2:9.
“Jehovah is the name given to Christ.”—The Signs of the Times, May 3, 1899.
“[The] doctrine that denies the absolute Godhead of Jesus Christ denies also the Godhead of the Father.”—Ibid., June 27, 1895.
“While God’s Word speaks of the humanity of Christ when upon this earth, it also speaks decidedly regarding His preexistence. The Word existed as a divine being, even as the eternal Son of God, in union and oneness with His Father. From everlasting He was the Mediator of the covenant, the One in whom all nations of the earth, both Jews and Gentiles, if they accepted Him, were to be blessed. ‘The Word was with God, and the Word was God’ (John 1:1). Before men or angels were created, the Word was with God, and was God.”—Lift Him Up, p. 74.
Tuesday
February 10
3. THE WORD WAS MADE FLESH
a. How is the incarnation of Christ described by the apostles? John 1:14; Philippians 2:5–8; Hebrews 2:14.
“In contemplating the incarnation of Christ in humanity, we stand baffled before an unfathomable mystery, that the human mind cannot comprehend. The more we reflect upon it, the more amazing does it appear. How wide is the contrast between the divinity of Christ and the helpless infant in Bethlehem’s manger! How can we span the distance between the mighty God and a helpless child? And yet the Creator of worlds, He in whom was the fullness of the Godhead bodily, was manifest in the helpless babe in the manger. Far higher than any of the angels, equal with the Father in dignity and glory, and yet wearing the garb of humanity! 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. Looking upon Christ in humanity, we look upon God, and see in Him the brightness of His glory, the express image of His person.”—The Signs of the Times, July 30, 1896.
“The Pattern Man, who thought it not robbery to be equal with God, took upon Himself our nature, and lived nearly thirty years in an obscure Galilean town, hidden away among the hills. All the angel host was at His command, yet He did not claim to be anything great or exalted. He did not attach ‘Professor’ to His name to please Himself. He was a carpenter, working for wages, a servant to those for whom He labored, showing that heaven may be very near us in the common walks of life.”—Selected Messages, book 2, p. 164.
“Christ did not make believe take human nature; He did verily take it. He did in reality possess human nature.”—Ibid., bk. 1, p. 247.
b. What is Christ’s incarnation called? 1 Timothy 3:16.
“Although Christ’s divine glory was for a time veiled and eclipsed by His assuming humanity, yet He did not cease to be God when He became man. The human did not take the place of the divine, nor the divine of the human. This is the mystery of godliness. The two expressions ‘human’ and ‘divine’ were, in Christ, closely and inseparably one, and yet they had a distinct individuality. Though Christ humbled Himself to become man, the Godhead was still His own.”—The SDA Bible Commentary [E. G. White Comments], vol. 5, p. 1129.
Wednesday
February 11
4. REDEEMING LOVE
a. Why did the Father and Jesus agree to make a supreme sacrifice for the fallen race? John 3:16, 17; 1 John 4:10; Luke 19:10.
“The love of God was to be revealed to the world in the death of His beloved Son, crucified on Calvary for the sins of the world. He was to present to the world the gospel, which was to be the power of God unto salvation. This was not a new truth, but through the traditions of men it had become obscured, and the original truths, by separation from their Author, had lost their meaning to the world.”—The Signs of the Times, May 8, 1893.
“It was the marvel of all the universe that Christ should humble Himself to save fallen man. That He who had passed from star to star, from world to world, superintending all, by His providence supplying the needs of every order of being in His vast creation—that He should consent to leave His glory and take upon Himself human nature, was a mystery which the sinless intelligences of other worlds desired to understand.”—Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 69.
“Christ came to redeem humanity. He is interested in all our actions. He desires to mold and fashion us after the divine similitude. Not until every case is decided will Christ be at rest. I have been permitted to behold His solicitude, and the great love wherewith He has loved us.”—This Day With God, p. 91.
b. Besides the redemption of humankind, what else is included in the plan of salvation? Isaiah 14:7; Micah 4:8.
“Not only had man come under the power of the deceiver, but the earth itself, the dominion of man, was usurped by the enemy. Through the plan of salvation, through the sacrifice of Christ, not only man, but his dominion, was to be redeemed. Because of the merits of Christ, all that man lost through sin was to be restored. The time would come when there should be no more curse, but the throne of God should be in the earth renewed, and His servants should serve Him.”—The Bible Echo, July 15, 1893.
“The great plan of redemption results in fully bringing back the world into God’s favor. All that was lost by sin is restored. Not only man but the earth is redeemed, to be the eternal abode of the obedient.”—Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 342.
Thursday
February 12
5. REDEMPTION ACCOMPLISHED
a. What words of the prophet are to be fulfilled when sin and sinners will be no more? Isaiah 53:11 (first part); John 17:24.
“The despised remnant are clothed in glorious apparel, nevermore to be defiled by the corruptions of the world. Their names are retained in the Lamb’s book of life, enrolled among the faithful of all ages. They have resisted the wiles of the deceiver; they have not been turned from their loyalty by the dragon’s roar. Now they are eternally secure from the tempter’s devices. Their sins are transferred to the originator of sin. And the remnant are not only pardoned and accepted, but honored. ‘A fair miter’ is set upon their heads. They are to be as kings and priests unto God.”—Testimonies, vol. 5, p. 475.
b. Besides meeting and recognizing each other, what will be the greatest joy of the redeemed? 1 Corinthians 13:12; Matthew 5:8; 1 John 3:1, 2.
“The pure communion with holy beings, the harmonious social life with the blessed angels and with the faithful ones of all ages who have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb . . . help to constitute the happiness of the redeemed.”—The Great Controversy, p. 677.
“As Jesus arose from the dead, so those who sleep in Him are to rise again. We shall know our friends, even as the disciples knew Jesus. They may have been deformed, diseased, or disfigured, in this mortal life, and they rise in perfect health and symmetry; yet in the glorified body their identity will be perfectly preserved. Then shall we know even as also we are known.”—The Desire of Ages, p. 804.
Friday
February 13
PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS
a. What reveals the amazing forethought of our loving Creator?
b. What is often overlooked regarding the true identity of Jesus Christ?
c. Why is the incarnation of Christ such a mystery?
d. How far-reaching is the plan of salvation?
e. To what glorious reunion can the redeemed look forward?