1. Just Another Book? Lesson 1

2. The Scriptures

4. Isaiah 8:20--To the law and to the testimony . . . • John 17:17--thy [the Father’s] word is truth. • 2 Timothy 3:16--All scripture is given by . . .

5. Psalm 119:11--Thy word have I hid in mine heart . . . • Psalm 119:16--I will not forget thy word . . . • Psalm 119:38--Stablish thy word unto thy servant . . . • Psalm 119:42--I trust in thy word. • Psalm 119:49--the word . . . hath caused me to hope. • Psalm 119:50--thy word hath quickened me.

6. Psalm 119:67-- . . . now have I kept thy word. • Psalm 119:74-- . . . I have hoped in thy word. • Psalm 119:81, 114, 147-- . . . I hope(d) in thy word. • Psalm 119:89--Forever . . . thy word is settled in heaven . . . • Psalm 119:105--Thy word is a lamp unto . . . • Psalm 119:140--Thy word is very pure . . . • Psalm 119:160--Thy word is true from the beginning . .

7. Psalm 119:161-- . . . I stand in awe of thy word. • Psalm 119:162--I rejoice at thy word . . . • Psalm 138:2-- . . . thou has magnified thy word above all thy name. • Revelation 3:8-- . . . thou hast . . . kept my word . . .

8. A Safeguard

9. Against the influence of false teachers • Against the delusive power of spirits of darkness

10. By the Holy Scriptures every statement and every miracle must be tested. (GC, page 593)

11. In order to endure the trial before us, we must understand the will of God as revealed in his word. We can honor him only as we have a right conception of his character, government, and purposes, and act in accordance with them. ( See GC, page 593.)

12. What is God’s character?

13. Love (1 John 4:8)

14. Noel Zia Lee/flickr

15. Justice (Psalm 89:14)

16. Scott*/flickr

17. Truth (Deuteronomy 32:4)

18. steel wool/flickr

19. Mercy, grace, patience, goodness, forgiveness. ( Exodus 34:5-7)

20. How Can We Learn about God’s Character?

21. “The things of nature are an expression of God’s character; by them we may understand His love, His power, and His glory . . .” (Counsels for the Church, p. 74).

22. “Christ’s life is a perfect revelation of God’s character” (UL, p. 363).

23. “The law reveals the attributes of God’s character, and not a jot or tittle of it could be changed to meet man in his fallen condition. God did not change His law, but He sacrificed Himself, in Christ, for man’s redemption” (DA, p. 762).

24. Adam Fagan/flickr

25. Francesco Federico/flickr

26. kevin harber/flickr

27. “From the opening of the great controversy it has been Satan’s purpose to misrepresent God’s character and to excite rebellion against His law, and this work appears to be crowned with success” (PP, p. 382).

28. What is God’s government like?

29. “. . . the law of God . . . is the foundation of his government in heaven and earth” (GW 1892, p. 181).

30. NCinDC/flickr

31. “. . . the government of God knows no compromise with evil” (CG, p. 236).

32. “The law of love being the foundation of the government of God . . .” (PP, p. 33).

33. “. . . the principles of righteousness that are the very foundation of the government of God. . . .” (CTr, p. 139).

34. As the bow in the cloud is formed by the union of the sunlight and the shower, so the rainbow encircling the throne represents the combined power of mercy and justice. (AG, p. 70)

35. Chris Capell/flickr

36. “Lucifer . . . rebelled against the government of God” (FLB, p. 66).

37. “Satan wished to change the government of God, to fix his own seal to the rules of God’s kingdom.” (CTr, p. 208).

38. What are God’s purposes?

39. “The Word of God . . . presents to us His purposes, which embrace all the ages of human history, and which will reach their fulfillment only in the endless cycles of eternity” (Counsels for the Church, p. 88).

40. “The apostle [Peter] was well qualified to speak of the purposes of God concerning the human race; for during the earthly ministry of Christ he had seen and heard much that pertained to the kingdom of God” (AA, p. 534)

41. The kingdom of God is . . . • is righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost (Romans 14:17). • at hand (Mark 1:15). • within you (Luke 17:21). • like a grain of mustard seed (Luke 13:18). • like leaven. (Luke 13:21).

42. DennisWilkerson/flickr

43. Martin Cathrae/flickr

44. The purpose of God • is to spread gospel to other nations • can be revealed in visions (AA, p. 233). • has an individual application (see AA, p. 130). • for the individual is that all the [intellectual] faculties be well developed so that the mind is properly balanced (CG, p. 332). • is that we constantly grow in grace and in the knowledge of the truth (CTr, p. 364).

45. is that advanced science be taught in our schools as a preparation for the work that is to precede the closing scenes of earth’s history (CE, p. 83). • is to glorify himself in his people (ChS, p. 27). • is to test and prove the [fallen] race and give them an opportunity to develop character by bringing them frequently into trying positions to test their faith and confidence in his love and power (Con, p. 44).

46. Jeremy Wilburn/flickr

47. Pictoscribe - Home again/flickr

48. is not that poverty should ever leave the world. The ranks of society were never to be equalized; for the diversity of conditions which characterizes our race is one of the means by which God has designed to prove and develop character (CH, p. 230).

49. Sean Ellis/flickr

50. Mercy Ships/flickr