"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]

The issue of inclusive and exclusive models is also highlighted in last week’s study on revelation. God has given us revelation in the incarnation of Christ, in the inspiration of Scripture, in the illumination of Christians, and in the creation of the world. At the same time, we correctly hold that Scripture is the only rule of faith and practice for Christians.

Since Scripture is one revelation among many, we must understand the exclusivity of the Bible rule in an inclusive way. Each revelations is a word of God through the Spirit of God. Jesus is the word (Jn 1:1) incarnate through the Spirit (Lk 1:35). The Bible is the word of God inspired by the Spirit (2 Tim 3:16).

In addition, Christians manifest the word of God by the Spirit. We are “the epistle/letter of Christ, written . . . by the Spirit of the living God” (2 Cor 3:3). Also, creation is the word of God by the Spirit. “By the word of the Lord were the heavens made and all the host of them by the breath [Spirit] of his mouth. . . . He spoke and it was done. He commanded and it stood fast” (Ps 33:6, 9).

Just as Christ is the only Savior; Scripture is the only rule of faith and practice. At the same time, there is an inclusive relation between Christ and Scripture in that Christ is the Ruler (Matt 2:6) and Scripture is his rule (2 Tim 3:15-17).

In addition, Scripture teaches that we are to respect the rule of the church (Heb 13:17) and the rule of the laws of nature. “Those who have not the law [of Scripture] . . . are a law unto themselves” (Rom 2:14-15). This natural law is revealed in the things God created (Rom 1:19-20).

So Scripture is the only rule of faith in that Scripture has a unique authority to teach the truth about the authority of Jesus, the church, and the world. Therefore, the authorities identified by Scripture do not conflict with the authority of Scripture

In brief: Christ is the Ruler; Scripture is the Rule; the church is the community ruled by Christ through Scripture; the world in the context for the churrch to live according to the Scripture rule.

[Kareem L. Black]

Dr. Hanna I know this is off topic; does the bible support the teaching of the age of accountability? I have heard it used almost as commonplace some circles but I haven't been able to get the scripture to back it. The Spirit of Prophecy does make some mention of it but not in great detail. Your assistance would be greatly appreciated as I'm unclear on this topic?

[Martin Hanna]

Hello Kareem.

Some things are not explicitly spelled out in Scripture though they are implied there. In some of these cases, we are dealing with matters that may not be testing truths. In other words, there is room for difference of opinion among believers.

Here is a Bible text that implicitly suggests that there is an age of accountability. Isaiah speaks of a period of time.”before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good” (Is 7:16). Also, those who are not accountable may benefit by the faith of their parents. This is implicit in the promise: “I will save your children” (Is 49:25).

At the same time, the Bible seems to imply that things change after the age of accountability. “In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children’s teeth are set on edge. But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eats the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge” (Jer 31:29-30).

Some suggest that the age of accountability is twelve since the Jewish boy was expected to begin to go to the temple at the age of twelve. Remember the case of Jesus in the temple at twelve. In Jewish tradition there is a sense in which a boy becomes legally accountable at that age. However, this Jewish practice does not indicate that children are unable to tell the difference between right and wrong before that age.

It seems to me that the age of accountability may vary according to the various gifts given by God to individual children. Some mature faster than others. Also, the quality of Christian education given by parents may influence the age of accountability. Also one may be accountable in some ways at one age and yet not accountable in other matters until a later age.

[Kareem L. Black]

Much appreciated. This question arose out of the past week's lesson regarding sin. It was somewhat controversial in the Sabbath School class.

Martin Hanna said:

Hello Kareem.

Some things are not explicitly spelled out in Scripture though they are implied there. In some of these cases, we are dealing with matters that may not be testing truths. In other words, there is room for difference of opinion among believers.

Here is a Bible text that implicitly suggests that there is an age of accountability. Isaiah speaks of a period of time.”before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good” (Is 7:16). Also, those who are not accountable may benefit by the faith of their parents. This is implicit in the promise: “I will save your children” (Is 49:25).

At the same time, the Bible seems to imply that things change after the age of accountability. “In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children’s teeth are set on edge. But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eats the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge” (Jer 31:29-30).

Some suggest that the age of accountability is twelve since the Jewish boy was expected to begin to go to the temple at the age of twelve. Remember the case of Jesus in the temple at twelve. In Jewish tradition there is a sense in which a boy becomes legally accountable at that age. However, this Jewish practice does not indicate that children are unable to tell the difference between right and wrong before that age.

It seems to me that the age of accountability may vary according to the various gifts given by God to individual children. Some mature faster than others. Also, the quality of Christian education given by parents may influence the age of accountability. Also one may be accountable in some ways at one age and yet not accountable in other matters until a later age.

[Leslie V. McMillan]

Martin Hanna said:

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).

Excellent answer! However, when we remember we are talking about a mystery, the mystery is solved when we remember that Jesus is God. So Abraham is taken care off. And I add that is how all are taken car off. For remember that it was Jesus all the way through the Old Testament. He was the Rock from which they drank. Let me not mention more but go stright to creation, He was the Creator. So the statement is still true, Salvation is only through Jesus in all of his forms- in fact the Lamb slain from the foundation of the World (thinking about the lesson for this week - "behold the Lamb of God-John 1:29.)

Leslie V. McMillan

[Martin Hanna]

Is the seventh-day Sabbath command arbitrary?

A famous Christian writer claims that: “By the law of nature, man understands that there is one eternal God; [and] that this God is to be worshiped . . . .but . . . . the law of nature does not . . . reveal to us . . . that the seventh day is the holy sabbath of God. [Therefore], that day . . . is not moral but rather arbitrary, . . . imposed by the will of God upon his people until the time he thought fit to change it for another day.”

Some Adventists have also used this argument from the silence of natural law about the seventh-day to suggest that this aspect of the Sabbath command is arbitrary. They claim that, while we can see reasons to keep the other laws, the only reason for keeping Sabbath is because God commands us to do so. At the same time, they have presented this as a reason to be especially careful to keep the seventh-day Sabbath command as a sign of our willingness to obey God even when He is arbitrary.

Based on biblical evidence presented in the lesson for this week, how do you respond to the idea that the commandment concerning the seventh-day Sabbath is arbitrary? Are there good reasons why God gave this command?