"The Christian Life" -- Open Dialogue with Dr. Martin Hanna

[Martin Hanna]

Dear Sabbath School Scholars,
Please join me in sharing questions and thoughts on this quarter’s Sabbath School Study Guide on "The Christian life." This forum is intended to be a place for raising questions related to the Study Guide and respectfully considering each others perspectives. Where we disagree we will disagree agreeably.

To get the discussion going, here are some of my comments and questions on the first three lessons which have to do with faith, hope, and love. You don’t need to respond to all the texts or all the questions. Choose at least one of the texts and/or one of the questions and let me know what you think.

Comments: Paul teaches that faith, hope and love abide, but love is the greatest (1 Cor 13:13). Also, faith waits in hope and works by love (Gal 5:5-6). Finally, we are saved by grace through faith (Eph 2:8); saved by hope (Rom 8:24), and saved through love of the truth (2 Thess 2:10).

Questions: Why is love the greatest? Can we have love without faith and hope? What are the relations between faith, hope, and love?

I look forward to hearing from you!

[Martin Hanna]

This weeks lesson on faith is a good opportunity for us to discuss the biblical teaching on righteousness by faith.
Here are a few biblical teachings that we might reflect on for a start.

Question: How do we get faith? Answer: Through God’s righteousness. We “have obtained like precious faith . . . through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Pet 1:1).

Question: How do we get righteousness? Answer: through faith. “The righteousness of God is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe” (Rom 3:22).

Here we have an interesting circular relation between faith and righteousness. Faith comes from God’s righteousness and faith receives God’s righteousness.

Does anyone have any comments or questions on these biblical teachings?

[Lynden Gardiner]

Martin Hanna said:

Thanks for joining our discussion in such a prompt and lively way! I am reminded of your lively preaching as I grew up in the Adventist Church. It was during one of your evangelistic meetings that I was baptized and "officially" became an Adventist.

Do you mean that there is no reason why love is the greatest in the sense that we don’t need to have a reason from outside of the Bible in order to believe what the Bible clearly teaches? I agree that this is the case. I am reminded of the wonderful song that says: “Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so!”

With regard to explicit biblical statements, you are correct that the Bible does not say that “faith waits” but that “we . . . wait for the hope of righteousness by faith” (Gal 5:5). I used the expression “faith waits” to indicate that we who have faith do wait for our hope to be perfectly realized. At the same time, the Bible does say that, while we wait, “faith works by love” (Gal 5:6).

On the main ingredient for salvation, among the texts that I mentioned, reference is made to grace as essential for salvation: “we are saved by grace through faith” (Eph 2:8). Another text on faith’s relation to grace, teaches that God’s “promise . . . is of faith that it may be of grace” (Rom 4:13, 16).

Of course the main ingredient of salvation may be expressed in other words from other texts. I look forward to any further comments you could make on this point.

[Leslie V. McMillan]

Martin Hanna said:

This weeks lesson on faith is a good opportunity for us to discuss the biblical teaching on righteousness by faith.
Here are a few biblical teachings that we might reflect on for a start.

Question: How do we get faith? Answer: Through God’s righteousness. We “have obtained like precious faith . . . through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Pet 1:1).

Question: How do we get righteousness? Answer: through faith. “The righteousness of God is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe” (Rom 3:22).

Here we have an interesting circular relation between faith and righteousness. Faith comes from God’s righteousness and faith receives God’s righteousness.

Does anyone have any comments or questions on these biblical teachings?

Once again I must remind you of the objective and or the subjective treatment of each theme. Remember that the objective can stand alone and all views on the subject are as good as the others. However the subjective encompases the objective and makes it alive, so to speak.

Having said that, allow me to share another principal that should be used during this quarter with the lessons: I call it the "THIRD PERSON OR COMMENTOTOR"S VIEW." Let me explain by telling a story. A machanic was fixing a car from the underside of the car. The car fell on him and he could not move. A friend was near by and saw what happened and quickly moved to his aid by lifting by himself alone the car and allowing the machanic to slide from under the car. When it was all over, the friend was asked how he did the feat. His reply was, I don't know. He was asked to try lifting the car again, but he could not..
Another friend who was much further away from the incident, but saw it all, went into detail describing what friend number one did to free the machianic. Everything he saw was correct, and just as he described. But friend number two, just stood by and said I don't know how I did it. Time again will not permit for me to develop this concept.

Faith is a miracle from God. The Rightesousness is from Him. So the third person commentator in describing the process may use words and sequence that may be right, but to the believer they are one and the same, miracles coming from God that cannot be explained.

Subjectively speaking the circular aspect of Faith and Righteousness does not matter for both come from God by and through JESUS CHRIST.
LVM

[Martin Hanna]

Your comment about the person who lifted the car without knowing how he did it is a powerful illustration of how the power of God works through us! I am reminded of the following testimony by Paul.

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me" (Gal 2:20).

We are not able to explain what Christ is able to do in us. We do not have to be able to perfectly explain righteousness by faith in order to experience righteousness by faith. Praise the Lord!

[J. Claire Cole]

Dr. Hanna

Would you please explain the difference between faith and hope?

[Martin Hanna]

Thank you teveryone for your participation in our discussions on the Christian Life. Lets keep the dialogue going!

Here are some further thoughts on the differences and relations of faith, love, and hope. Please feel free to share your thoughts and questions on these and other issues rising from our Sabbath School lessons.

God’s gifts of faith, love, and hope are aspects of God’s grace and are therefore closely intertwined with each other. In the following texts, faith, love, and hope are graces or gifts of God. “As you abound in everything, in faith, and . . . love . . . see that you abound in this grace [the grace of giving] also” (2 Cor 8:7). “Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father . . . has given us . . . hope through grace” (2 Thess 2:16).

At the same time, we may view faith, love, and hope as distinct from each other though they cannot be separated from each other. Viewing faith as distinct, “a person is justified by faith without the works of the law” (Gal 2:16). As connected with love, “faith works by love” (Gal 5:6) and “love fulfills the law” (Rom 13:10; Gal 5:14)..

Viewing hope as distinct, “We are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man sees, why does he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it” (Rom 8:24-25). Yet faith and hope are connected in that “faith is the substance of things hoped for” (Heb 11:1).

The temporal order [past, present, future] of relations between faith, love, and hope is also evident in the following texts. I have included some words in brackets to highlight this fact.

“Being [already] justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of [the future manifestation of] the glory of God. . . . And hope [for the future] does not embarrass us because the love of God is [presently] shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us” (Rom 5:1-2, 5).

“We through the Spirit wait for the [future manifestation of the] hope of righteousness [which we already have] by faith. For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision avails any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which works by love [in the here and now]” (Gal 5:5-6).

[Martin Hanna]

Greetings to all the Sabbath School Scholars. I am looking forward to hearing from you! Invite your friends and family to join in our discussions. Here are a few more thoughts on the first three lessons on faith, love, and hope. Let me know what you think.

I am fascinated by the biblical linking together of faith, love, and hope. These virtues are not only associated with humanity but also with divinity. “God is love” (1 Jn 4:8) and “Christ is our hope” (1 Tim 1:1; Col 1:27).

Also, in many English translations, reference is made to “the faith of God” (Rom 3:3) and “the faith of Jesus” (Rom 3:22; Gal 2:16, 20; 3:22; Phil 3:9; Jms 2:1; Rev 14:12).

Especially comforting is the biblical teaching that “Jesus [is] the author and finisher of our faith” (Heb 12:2).

Do you have any questions and/or comments on these texts? Let us keep the dialog going. Iron sharpens iron!

[Leslie V. McMillan]

It is always spiritually invigorating to read your theological and deeply bibical comments. I marvel at your ability to do this. It brings back the style of your father. He was a preacher that used the biblical texts to make the point also. May God continue to use you in His way.
However, you can see from all of my comments up to now, I am a subjective commentator. I am lost outside of my personal experience. It could be that I am not a theologian.:) So to this last challenge that you have given us, I say Amen. Like you I praise God the all these gifts are operating in me by faith, through Jesus Christ. I just accept all that God offers me in Christ Jesus. As I stated in my first reply on this forum, in the spiritual relm, nothing happens outside of Christ. When I have him, I have it all. For me, now a days(a bahamian term), my hope is only in Him as a person. Let me explain what I mean: Take the blessed hope referred to biblically and as the pillar of the SDA church, I see it as an event. I believe that that is what most of the NT writers were thinking about, because many of them had seen Jesus. For our early church leaders, I know that it was the event, for they went out looking for it and prepared for it. But for me, my hope is in the person, Jesus Christ.. I just be sure that I have all that he offers right now. That means that the event will take care of itself. I am ready for it. It makes the future aspect of it much sweeter and sure. And, of course if he puts me to sleep before it happens, I am still OK. Do you see my point? I can't free myself from this type of thinking, because thank God, it is my experience.
I am even more sure of this subjective aspect of teating the themes of this quarter, as I studied the one for this week, life. The Bible say, "In Him was life, and the life was the light of the world." It is all Jesus. What ever is discussed and written in this weeks lesson, is summed up- not summed up, but is in, from and will be Him. Have a great week and may God bless.

Leslie V. McMillan

[Martin Hanna]

Praise the Lord for his grace in making himself available to us for the wonderful fellowship you describe. I think that this is good theology. When our theology gets removed from personal relationship with Jesus then there is something wrong.

[Charles Smith]

Remember, according to the Bible it says, without love these things are like sounding brass; that means, I can do or perform and act outside of love.

Now, what is faith? Faith is to believe in or for something or someone before it happens. Once it happens faith does not exist. Can we believe - faith, without love? Yes! Forexample, We believe- faith, that the devil will always try to temp or harm us. We believe- faith this with out having a drop of love for the devil.

What is hope? Hope is a waiting process. Can we hope with out love? Yes! Forexample, everyday we hope that the people we work with or come incontact with would do right. Do we love them all?

What is love? Love is power. The power that forgives, long suffering, do no evil, that sent Jesus Christ to the cross. Love is why Jesus Christ has faith- believe that we would follow and hope- waithing for us to accept his words.

This is why love is the greatest, it is the cement that keeps hope and faith together. With out love how long will you hope- wait or have faith- believe?

The relationship between faith, hope and love is this: Eternal life. Forexample, when Jesus Christ says he is coming back again, for us, it is the love for God that keeps the hope- waiting and the faith- believe alive. They work together like the Father, Son and Holy ghost.

Be bless and continue to grow in Christ Jesus.

[Leslie V. McMillan]

Just a question on this weeks lesson. In Thursday's section, the author of the lesson states as follows: "Some may never have had the privilege of learning about the Savior, But that takes nothing away from the fact that if they are saved it will be through the name of Christ, even if they have never themselves heard that name." This statement is found on page 51, at the end of the second paragraph.
My question: Can someone be saved who has not heard the name of Jesus. That is if they have not heard of Him? Now, remember he is the only source of Salvation. How can someone be saved without hearing of Him?

According to Scriptures, Jesus is the only way to salvation. One must believe in Him.

[Martin Hanna]

Some Christians believe that only those who hear and believe on the name of Jesus will be saved. This is referred to as an exclusive model of salvation.

Others believe that some who have not heard the name of Jesus may be saved through Jesus because they believe in God in harmony with the degree of light revealed to them. This is referred to as an inclusive model of salvation.

Still others believe that there are other ways of salvation other than the way of salvation through Jesus. This is referred to as a pluralist model of salvation.

I am in favor of the inclusive model reflected in the Sabbath School Lesson. At the same time, this is not a testing doctrine which all Adventists have to agree on in order to be in good and regular standing. There is room for dialogue and discussion on this issue.

When God made promises, Abraham believed God and it was counted as righteousness (Rom 4:3). Of course, Abraham received some prophetic information about the Messiah who was to come. However, we do not know how much information he had about Jesus and His name. Remember, Abraham lived before any of the biblical prophecies had been written down. Nevertheless, he lived by faith according to the light revealed to him and was saved by Christ.

Here is another variation on this issue. What of those who have heard the name of Christ but have not been properly instructed about the truth as it is in Jesus. Will they be automatically lost because they do not believe in the message of Christ which they heard?

In the end, we human beings do not know enough about what some people know and understand. Therefore, we are not in a position to judge accurately who will be saved and who will not be saved. Fortunately, this responsibility is not given to us. We can have confidence, as Abraham expressed it, that the judge of all the earth will do right (Gen 18:25).