Friday, February 4
“Christ is watching. He knows all about our burdens, our dangers, and our difficulties; and He fills His mouth with arguments in our behalf. He fits His intercessions to the needs of each soul, as He did in the case of Peter. … Our Advocate fills His mouth with arguments to teach His tried, tempted ones to brace against Satan’s temptations. He interprets every movement of the enemy. He orders events.” — Ellen G. White, The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 7, p. 931 (Letter 90, 1906).
“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. … This is the pledge that God will fulfill His word. ‘Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder.’ 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. The I AM is the Daysman between God and humanity, laying His hand upon both. He who is ‘holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners,’ is not ashamed to call us brethren. Hebrews 7:26; 2:11. In Christ the family of earth and the family of heaven are bound together. Christ glorified is our brother. Heaven is enshrined in humanity, and humanity is enfolded in the bosom of Infinite Love.” — Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, pp. 25
Discussion Questions:
1. The first quotation above says, “He [Jesus] fills His mouth with arguments in our behalf.” What does that promise mean to you? Think about what this teaches us about God’s love for us. Why is this idea so encouraging? Why do we need someone arguing in our behalf?
2. The second quotation above says, “in Christ we become more closely united to God than if we had never fallen.” What does that mean? How can we experience that closeness, and what comfort can you draw from that experience? In class, describe what this closeness means and what it is like to experience it. How do His “arguments in our behalf” help us have this experience?
