Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, “What to Do With Doubt?” pp. 105–113, in Steps to Christ. Read section 8 in the document “Methods of Bible Study,” which can be found at http://www.adventistbiblicalresearch.org/materials/bible-interpretation-hermeneutics/methods-bible-study.
In the Bible are many mysteries that finite human beings find difficult to comprehend and that are too deep for us to explain fully. This is why we need a humble mind, and should be willing to learn prayerfully from Scripture. Faithfulness to Scripture allows the biblical text—even though its meaning goes against our grain—to say what it actually says. Faithfulness to Scripture will respect the text rather than alter the text (yes, some actually change the texts themselves) or evade its true meaning.
“When the word of God is opened without reverence and without prayer; when the thoughts and affections are not fixed upon God, or in harmony with His will, the mind is clouded with doubts; and in the very study of the Bible, skepticism strengthens. The enemy takes control of the thoughts, and he suggests interpretations that are not correct. Whenever men are not in word and deed seeking to be in harmony with God, then, however learned they may be, they are liable to err in their understanding of Scripture, and it is not safe to trust to their explanations. Those who look to the Scriptures to find discrepancies, have not spiritual insight. With distorted vision they will see many causes for doubt and unbelief in things that are really plain and simple.”—Ellen G. White, Steps to Christ, pp. 110, 111.
Discussion Questions:
Why are the attitudes toward the Bible that we discussed this week so foundational for a proper understanding of Scripture? What other attitudes toward the Bible do you believe are crucial in helping you better understand it?
Why should we not be surprised to find things in the Bible that are hard to explain and understand? After all, how many things of the natural world itself are at times hard to understand? To this day, for instance, water (water!) is filled with mysteries.
As Adventists, how can we answer the question of Luke 23:43, where (according to most translations) Jesus is telling the thief that he will be in heaven with Jesus on that day? What are honest ways to respond? How, for instance, can texts such as John 20:17, Ecclesiastes 9:5, and 1 Corinthians 15:16–20 help us understand the issue in question here?
Inside Story
Factory Turned Into School
By Andrew McChesney, Adventist Mission
A prosperous Seventh-day Adventist businessman wondered how his wealth could be used to improve his hometown, Tiachiv, in western Ukraine.
He bought several thousand copies of Ellen G. White’s Steps to Christ and distributed them to every home in the town of 9,000 people. Then he did the same with The Desire of Ages and The Great Controversy. The local Adventist church enjoyed a good local reputation, and its membership grew to 70.
But the businessman, Stepan Dordyai, thought, What else can I do?
One day, he mentioned his conundrum to Vladimir Tkachuk, then education director for the Adventist Church’s Euro-Asia Division, whose territory includes Ukraine and much of the former Soviet Union. “Schools are one of the best ways to reach the world these days,” Tkachuk replied.
The businessman gazed steadily at Tkachuk. “I have a building,” he said. “That’s exactly what I want to do.”
In just three months, Dordyai transformed a factory building into an attractive three-story school with a beautiful sports field. The Happy Place Seventh-day Adventist School opened its doors to 36 children in September 2016.
In just a year, enrollment at the school, which teaches grades 1–4 and has a preschool, had doubled to 70 children, filling the classrooms to capacity.
The sports field is one of the finest in town, and other schools send their children to participate in friendly matches. Each time children arrive, the Adventist principal announces, “This is a special school. We study the Bible here and do not curse. So, before we play, would you like to memorize a short Bible verse?”
The children respond with a loud cry, “Yes!” On a recent day, the children eagerly memorized John 10:10, where Jesus says, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (NKJV).
“The children quickly learned it and then repeated it,” said Tkachuk, who was present and recounted the events surrounding the school. “Then they played.”
Forty-five miles (75 kilometers) away, a much larger Adventist church of 300 members saw the flourishing school and asked one another, “Why can’t we open a school?” So, they opened a school with 22 children in their town, Ilnytsya. This is a remarkable story that is unfolding across the Euro-Asia Division, where the number of church schools has surged from 14 in 2012 to more than 60 today. “There are many reasons why schools are opening quickly now, but one of the main reasons is it is the right time and the right place for God to fulfill His plans,” said Mikhail Kaminskiy, president of the Euro-Asia Division.
A Thirteenth Sabbath Offering in 2021 will help expand several church schools in the Euro-Asia Division. Thank you for allowing God to use you to spread the gospel.
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