Second Quarter
2003 Adult Sabbath School Lessons:
"The Forgiven"
Insights
to Lesson 6: "Forgiveness and the Church"
May 3-9,
2003
(Produced
by the Editorial Board of the 1888 Message Study Committee)
The
Humiliating History of Spiritual Adultery
Adultery
has devastating consequences for all involved. It destroys the integrity and
credibility of the adulterer while at the same time destroying the blameless
party's faith and confidence in the erring partner's future ability to stand
by his/her commitment to the relationship.
It
raises many serious questions. How can we forgive when we have been so hurt?
How can we trust that the adulterer's statement of repentance is genuine?
What constitutes "adultery"? Can we justifiably divorce our spouse
for adultery?
Paul's
admonition to the Corinthian church considers these questions and points us
to principles for dealing with the predicament. Addressing these issues,
this week's lesson brings out the appalling situation of an erring church
member who allowed himself to fall into an adulterous situation (1
Corinthians 5:1). There was no excuse for this man's sin. But rather than
being humbled and repentant, this man was "puffed up"—prideful
in his sin (verse 2).
According
to Paul, the church has an obligation to counsel and attempt to correct the
individual's sinful behavior. Continuing in known sin brings disgrace upon
the corporate church body and, more importantly, upon Christ, the head of
the church.
If
the adulterous individual repents, the church must publicly forgive and
accept that individual back into fellowship. The only loophole for a
biblically "approved" divorce is when the adulterous party is
unrepentant. If genuinely repentant, the adulterous spouse must be forgiven
and complete restoration made in the marriage.
These
principles have a significant bearing on the larger spiritual theme of the
Bible. While our current lesson discusses a personal situation and how the
church should deal with it, there's a deeper lesson for us to consider. God,
as the divine Husband, has been dealing with an adulterous "wife"
for many centuries. It would benefit us to take a look at how He has handled
His recalcitrant bride-elect.
The
trouble began in Eden, but we'll fast forward to the time of the Exodus to
begin our study. God's youthful "bride" had been in bondage for
400 years. Our Lord tells us in Ezekiel 16 how He "found" His
bride-elect and loved her from the first moment of her existence. He groomed
and pampered her, clothing her with costly garments and sparkling jewels.
His goal was to shape her character into a beautiful symmetry, capable of
complementing His own character.
As
we read through the book of Exodus we find God bringing His wife-to-be out
of her bondage to an abusive master, preparing her to serve her true Husband
in loving righteousness. He brought her to Himself on "eagle's
wings" (Exodus 19:4). Their time of betrothal was intended by Him to be
very short. The Lord earnestly desired to fully know His bride in all her
potential. All the Groom asked of His bride was a remembrance of His
previous faithfulness to her, and a responsible mature faith in His promises
(verse 5).
Trouble
began early in their "engagement" when the bride-elect accused her
Lord of trying to kill her through thirst, starvation, and exposure to the
harsh elements of the wilderness. Within weeks of accepting her divine
Lover's invitation to marriage, the bride-elect fell into the terrible
licentious scenes at the foot of Sinai when Israel prostituted herself with
the golden calf.
Shortly
thereafter at Kadesh-Barnea, the grumbling again turned into outright
infidelity as the divine Husband's leadership and judgment were openly
rejected. In their unbelief, the people limited the power of God. They
refused to believe that He was more than able to deliver on His promises to
them. Having witnessed so many wondrous events and manifestations of His
love since departing Egypt, they still mysteriously harbored in their hearts
distrust and resentment against the divine leadership of their Husband,
accepting instead the voice of a lying paramour.
"Satan caused them
to reject God as their leader, by rejecting the men of God's
appointment." "It is hardly possible for men to offer greater
insult to God than to despise and reject the instrumentalities He would
use for their salvation" (Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 403,
402).
This
rebellion resulted in a return to wilderness wandering. Here all the
rejecters of the Lord's rightful claims to loyalty were one by one laid in
their graves. "They had complained at nothing, and now God gave them
cause to weep. Had they mourned for their sin when it was faithfully laid
before them, this sentence would not have been pronounced; but they mourned
for the judgment; their sorrow was not repentance, and could not secure a
reversing of their sentence." "Though their confession did not
spring from true repentance, it served to vindicate the justice of God in
His dealings with them." (op. cit., pp. 392, 393; see 2 Corinthians
7:10).
Forty
years later, after intense sessions in "marriage counseling" and
reconciliation, the bride-elect appeared capable of embracing her Husband's
eternal love and devotion. With great confidence in herself, she marched to
the shores of the Jordan River, ready to cross into the promised land over
the threshold of commitment. However, adulterous tendencies were not
entirely purged from the bride-elect's character. Described in the language
of adultery, we have this portrayal of Israel's shameful rebellion against
her divine Husband:
"They ventured upon
the forbidden ground, and were entangled in the snare of Satan. Beguiled
with music and dancing, and allured by the beauty of heathen vestals, they
cast off their [fidelity] to Jehovah. As they united in mirth and
feasting, indulgence in wine beclouded their senses and broke down the
barriers of self-control. Passion had full sway; and having defiled their
consciences by lewdness, they were persuaded to bow down to idols. They
offered sacrifice upon heathen altars and participated in the most
degrading rites" (op. cit., p. 454).
The
stormy "marriage" continued after the people were settled in their
new home. The stories of vacillating unbelief in the books of Joshua and
Judges lay the foundation for yet another adulterous affair. During this
tumultuous time we witness a constant struggle between the insubordinate
bride and her Groom. In 1 Samuel chapter 8 rebellion again takes over the
heart of the people and they openly reject their divine Husband's
leadership, this time asking for a replacement in the form of an earthly
king (verse 19). The true Husband of Israel was rejected for a weak and
indecisive earthly commander that the people in their spiritual blindness
found more attractive (1 Samuel 9:2).
It's
all down hill from this point until eventually their continued adultery led
them into Babylonian captivity. The word of the Lord is unequivocal in its
description of His bride's true behavior. "Thou hast played the harlot
with many lovers;" but continues pleading, "yet return again unto
me, saith the Lord" (Jeremiah 3:1, KJV).
"But you thought you
could get along without Me, so you trusted instead in your fame and
beauty. You gave yourself as a prostitute to every man who came along.
Your beauty was theirs for the taking!" (Ezekiel 16:15, NLT).
For
centuries God has had to deal with a "bride" who would not
appreciate His love; who followed every false lover that made an appearance
in her life (the entire book of Hosea offers further insight into God's
dealing with His adulterous spouse). We have seen that throughout her
history, God's bride-elect begged for a master that would meet her own
expectations. Did she ever accept responsibility for her continual adultery?
Evidently not. When her divine Lover made His appearance on earth she
despised, rejected, and murdered Him rather than repent of her sin and
accept Him as her sovereign Lord.
Now
as we are on the edge of eternity, doesn't God have a right to expect His
end-time Bride to get this adulterous inclination out of her heart? It is
past time for His Bride to be open and honest about her condition; to fully
recognize her sin against Him. We must recognize that we really are no
different from any people who have gone before us.
The
good news from our study is that the divine Bridegroom never gives up on His
Bride-elect. The Scriptures are plain—He loves us with an everlasting love
and will not let us go. No matter how wickedly we behave in our rebellion
against Him, His call remains steady for us to repent and return again to
Him (Revelation 3:18-22).
Lord,
give us willingness and the power to submit to Your leading instead of
continually insisting upon having our own way. For Your sake, we want to be
different, to be a people of whom You can proudly proclaim: "Here are
they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus." We want
Your sorrow to be at an end. Amen.
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