Joe Tkach 86 CC
The Ambassador College Bible Correspondence Course Lesson 26, 1986
Our Part in God's Master Plan
The sacrifice of Jesus Christ made possible the forgiveness
of our past sins--the first step in God's Master Plan. The
second annual festival of God pictures the NEXT STEP in His
plan of salvation for mankind.
MOST of modern Christianity teaches that there is nothing more for us
to do but believe in Christ's sacrifice for our sins.
No wonder He is portrayed as a dead Savior hanging on a cross!
Christ's death, pictured by the Passover, was necessary to pay the
penalty of our past sins--to reconcile us to the Father. But His death
alone will not save us! Think, for a moment, if Jesus Christ had died but
not been resurrected. Would His death alone make eternal life possible?
Of course not!
Accepting Christ's sacrifice is only the first step in God's plan for
bringing humans into His divine Family.
Shall We Continue to Sin?
What should we do once our past sins have been covered by the shed
blood of Christ? "Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?" asked
the Apostle Paul. "Certainly not!" was his emphatic answer (Rom. 6:1-2,
RAV). "Shall we sin because we are not under [the penalty of the] law but
under grace? Certainly not!" (verse 15).
We are saved by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8). "Do we then make void
the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the
law" (Rom. 3:31, RAV).
Someone once asked Jesus: "Good Master, what good thing shall I do,
that I may have eternal life?" Jesus answered: "If thou wilt enter into
life, keep the commandments" (Matt. 19:16-17).
As we learned in previous lessons, God is now in the process of
creating holy, righteous, perfect spiritual character in those whom He has
called into His Church. Man, now only a clay model, is to be created in the
character-image of God Almighty.
Since the Ten Commandments describe God's nature and character, keeping
His law is absolutely necessary for spiritual character growth. We must
therefore obey the Master Potter, allowing Him to mold His character in us
while we are still flesh and blood.
We Must Forsake Sin
Our acceptance of Christ's sacrifice in payment for the penalty of our
sins is only the first step toward salvation. Once we have repented of our
sins and been forgiven by God, He wants us to forsake sin!
God commands us to come out of this world's ways of sin (Rev. 18:4)--
just as ancient Israel left Egypt, a symbol for sin (Heb. 11:25-26). We
must be striving to come out of all sin. That is OUR PART, with Christ's
help, in God's plan of salvation.
To keep us in the knowledge of the second step in God's plan, Christ,
the LORD of the Old Testament, instituted the second annual festival--the
Feast of Unleavened Bread. The observance of this Feast impresses upon us
that we must do our part to keep the sins Jesus covered with His shed blood
out of our lives henceforth.
Leaven is also a symbol for sin (I Cor. 5:8). God commanded the ancient
Israelites to put all leaven out of their homes and off their property and
eat unleavened bread during this seven-day festival. And so the Feast of
Unleavened Bread is to remind God's people today that they are to strive to
put SIN completely out of their lives!
After repentance and baptism, God expects us to strive to keep His law-
-to spiritually "unleaven" our lives, just as we are to physically unleaven
our homes before the Feast. The act of eating unleavened bread during the
Feast teaches us the opposite of sin--OBEDIENCE to God!
The Feast of Unleavened Bread pictures the keeping of God's
commandments, which is another way of saying the putting away of sin.
To observe only the Passover, and then fail to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread, is comparable to accepting Christ's sacrifice and then saying the law of God is done away--that because we are "under grace" we have permission to continue to sin. Your Bible shows Christ is not a "minister of sin"! (Gal. 2:17).
annual festivals and Holy Days, the Apostle Paul wrote to the Gentile
Christians at Corinth: "Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us: therefore
let us keep the feast" (I Cor. 5:7-8). The context, as we shall see in this
lesson, makes it very clear that Paul was referring to the Feast of
Unleavened Bread!
Christians today are not only to commemorate Christ's sacrifice by
observing the Passover, they are also to keep the Feast of Unleavened
Bread. These two annual festivals are inseparable, both historically and in
spiritual meaning for us today.
Let's begin to understand the full meaning of this second annual
festival picturing the next step in God's plan. Let's learn what the Bible
tells us about our part in God's Master Plan.
LESSON 26
The First Feast of Unleavened Bread
Our study of God's second annual festival begins with the events of the
very first Feast of Unleavened Bread, instituted at the time of Israel's
exodus from Egypt. As we learned in previous lessons, the Israelites had
been slaves in Egypt. God, through a series of miraculous plagues, began to
deliver them from their captors.
Recall that in the evening of the 14th of Abib each Israelite family
killed the lamb it had selected, and then smeared some of its blood on the
doorposts of their houses. This protected their firstborn from the plague
of death (Ex. 12:6-7, 12-13). Each lamb was symbolic of "Christ our
Passover," the "Lamb of God," and its blood pictured Christ's blood, which
would be shed much later to pay the penalty of our spiritual sins--eternal
death.
1. For how long were the Israelites to remain in their houses on the
night of the 14th? Ex. 12:22, last part. What were they to do early in the
morning? Verse 10.
2. What did the people do during the night of the 15th? Verses 37, 42;
Num. 33:3; Deut. 16:1. Was the 15th the first day of the Feast of
Unleavened Bread? Lev. 23:6.
COMMENT: The Israelites were protected from the death angel as a result
of applying lamb's blood to the doorposts of their houses and remaining
inside that night. Early in the morning they burned the leftovers of their
roasted lambs. Then on "the morrow after the Passover," they started "out
of Egypt by night. "
3. Were the Israelites to especially remember their deliverance from
Egypt? Ex. 13:3-4. In what way did God, through Moses, command the
Israelites to commemorate their deliverance? Verses 3, last part, 6-7; Ex.
12:15-20.
COMMENT: Moses had told the people to put out all of their leaven
according to God's instructions. And in their escape from Egypt, their
dough did not have enough time to naturally ferment and rise (Ex. 12:33-34,
39). Therefore the eating of unleavened bread was to be an appropriate
yearly reminder--a memorial--of the haste with which they fled Egypt.
But as we'll learn later in this lesson, much greater symbolic meaning
is attached to leaven in the New Testament. We'll come to understand the
spiritual meaning of putting leaven out and eating unleavened bread during
the annual Feast of Unleavened Bread.
4. After camping at Succoth, where did God tell the Israelites to go?
Ex. 13:20; 14:1-2. Did Pharaoh and his army pursue them? Ex. 14:5-8. Where
did the Egyptian army catch up with the Israelites? Verse 9. (For details
on the route of the exodus, see the map and commentary on page 7.)
COMMENT: It was on the sixth day of Unleavened Bread that the Egyptian
army overtook the Israelites encamped near Pi-hahiroth. Mountains made
escape impossible to the south and west. The Red Sea, to the east, was
nearly eight miles across at that point, and Pharaoh's army stood due north
of the Israelites. They were trapped!
Knowing that Pharaoh would pursue his ex-slaves (Ex. 14:3-4), God told
the Israelites to leave the normally traveled road. He led them into a trap
for their own good to prove to them, and to us today, that He alone offers
salvation--if we will trust Him. (This vital truth will be discussed again
later in this lesson.)
5. When the people understood their predicament, what was their
reaction? Ex. 14:10-12.
COMMENT: Elation and joy turned into fear and anger when the Israelites
realized it was humanly impossible to escape from Pharaoh.
6. How did God provide an escape route for the trapped Israelites?
Verses 13-16, 19-22. What did He do to the Egyptian chariots when Pharaoh's
army tried to follow? Verses 23-25. What happened to the Egyptians? Verses
26-28.
COMMENT: The supernatural pillar of the cloud and fire, by which God
led the Israelites (Ex. 13:21-22), moved behind them to protect them from
the Egyptian army. Then God, altering the forces of nature, opened a
pathway through the Red Sea to allow the people to walk across. God
Almighty miraculously delivered Israel from Pharaoh's army!
Tradition has it that the miraculous opening of the Red Sea and the
completion of the Israelites' escape from slavery took place before dawn on
the seventh and last day of the first Feast of Unleavened Bread. Then, on
the daylight part of this annual Holy Sabbath, there was great rejoicing in
celebration of their complete delivery from bondage in Egypt (Ex. 15:1-21).
The Feast in Ancient Israel
After the Israelites were delivered from slavery in Egypt, they
promised to obey God. But they failed utterly except for the times God gave
them a righteous ruler. Under the leadership of Joshua, who succeeded
Moses, the Israelites obeyed God (Judg. 2:7). But after his death and the
death of the elders of that generation, the next generation did not.
God punished the people for their disobedience, but when they cried out
to Him for help, He sent a righteous ruler to deliver them. After he died,
however, the people went even further into sin, especially idolatry (verses
10-12, 18-19). This cycle was repeated many times during the period of the
judges.
During the reign of righteous King David, the Israelites prospered
greatly as they did in Solomon's reign. But all of the later kings of
Israel and most in Judah disobeyed God, leading the nations further and
further into sin. They were cursed and eventually taken captive; Israel
first and then Judah more than 100 years later.
1. Prior to Judah's captivity, however, a king named Hezekiah did what
was right in God's sight (II Chron. 29:1-2). Did Hezekiah realize that
Judah's national troubles were the result of the nation having forsaken
God? II Chron. 29:6-9.
2. What did Hezekiah therefore begin to do to the Temple of God, which
had fallen into disrepair? Verse 3. And what did he command the Levites to
do? Verses 4-5, 10-11.
3. What did Hezekiah do after the priesthood had been rededicated to
the service of God? II Chron. 30:1-5. Did he know that the Feast of
Unleavened Bread was also to be kept? Verse 21.
COMMENT: During the reigns of the wicked kings before Hezekiah, God's
Temple had been closed. The people had forgotten God's laws and festivals,
and were following the idolatrous practices of the heathen nations around
them. But when Hezekiah became king, he restored the true worship of God,
including the observance of His annual festivals.
However, the first Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread to be kept in
many years were not observed in the month of Abib. The priesthood was not
properly prepared in time, and the people had not yet gathered in Jerusalem
to attend these festivals. Following the principle in Numbers 9:9-12 for
observing the Passover one month later if necessary, they observed it and
immediately afterward the seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread in the second
month.
God prospered the nation for returning to Him under the righteous rule
of Hezekiah. But after Hezekiah's death, the Jews again forgot God and His
festivals. They returned to idolatry under the wicked rule of kings
Manasseh and Amon. Not until the reign of Josiah were God's annual feasts
again restored.
4. Was Josiah a righteous king? II Chron. 34:1-3. Had the Temple again
fallen into disuse and disrepair before his reign began? Verses 8-11. After
the repair work had begun, what did the high priest find in the Temple?
Verse 14. What did Josiah publicly promise to do? Verse 31. Did he lead all
the people to obey God? Verses 32-33.
5. What did Josiah command the people to do regarding the Passover? II
Kings 23:21; II Chron. 35:1. Did he understand that God expected His people
to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread also? II Chron. 35:17.
-------------------------Inset---------------------------------------------
ROUTE OF THE EXODUS
Let's briefly examine, with the help of the map to the right, (Not
Included) the route of the Israelites' exodus from Egypt. Keep in mind that
most Bible atlases and commentaries do not show the Israelites crossing the
Red Sea. Many also misplace most other locations mentioned in the Bible.
The route shown is as close as we can determine based on the biblical
account.
The Israelites, most of whom were living in the land of Goshen, kill
and eat the Passover lamb on the evening of the 14th and stay in their
homes until morning (Ex. 12:6-8, 22). Pharaoh, after midnight, calls for
Moses to tell them to leave Egypt (verses 29-31). The Israelites then
gather at Rameses during the daylight part of the 14th (verses 33-37).
They leave Rameses on the night of the 15th and encamp at Succoth
(Deut. 16:1; Num 33:3; Ex. 12:37) on the weekly Sabbath during this first
Feast of Unleavened Bread.
God does not lead the Israelites by "the way of the land of the
Philistines," the shortest route to Canaan (Ex. 13:17). Instead, He leads
them southeast, toward Mt. Sinai, at first along "the way of the wilderness
of the Red sea"(verse 18). This is to fulfill His promise to take them
first to Mt. Sinai (Ex. 3:1-12).
From Succoth, the Israelites go to Etham, at the edge of the wilderness
(Ex. 13:20). God then tells them to turn south and go into the wilderness
west of the Red Sea (Ex. 14:1-2).
On the sixth day of the Feast, the Israelites encamp by the seashore
northeast of the Pi-hahiroth range of mountains, which jut abruptly into
the sea. There they are trapped by the mountains to the south and west, the
Red Sea to the east and Pharaoh's army to the north (verses 3-10).
God then opens a pathway through the Red Sea, allowing the Israelites
to walk across (verses 21-22). Pharaoh's army pursues and is drowned
(verses 23-31). On the east coast of the Red Sea, there is great rejoicing
in the camp of Israel on the seventh and last day of the Feast of
Unleavened Bread (Ex. 15:1-21).
The Israelites then travel southeast, roughly parallel to the Red Sea.
Along the way they stop at a number of places, including Marah and Elim
(Ex. 15:22-23, 27), before heading east, arriving at Mt. Sinai (Ex. 19:1-2)
nearly seven weeks later.
----------------------------------End of inset-----------------------------
COMMENT: After Josiah died, most of the Jews again lost sight of God,
ignored His weekly Sabbaths and rejected His annual festivals. To bring the
people to repentance, God punished them by allowing the entire nation of
Judah to be militarily defeated and taken captive by the Babylonians.
6. Seventy years later, God allowed as many Jews as wanted to return to
Jerusalem to do so and rebuild the Temple. What did they do after the
Temple had been built and dedicated? Ezra 6: 19-22.
COMMENT: Notice that each time the worship of God was restored, the
keeping of His Holy Days was also resumed and emphasized. God was pleased
with this national repentance because He knows that when people have the
right attitude toward His Holy Days, they will learn to have the right
attitude toward all His commandments, for it is on God's Holy Days that His
people learn about His law.
Kept by the New Testament Church
1. Who instituted the seven annual festivals, including the Feast of
Unleavened Bread? Lev. 23:1-2, 6. Therefore whose feasts are they? Verse 2, last part. Are God's people to keep His feasts forever? Ex. 12:14, 17; 13:10.
COMMENT: God the Father is the supreme Lawgiver, but He gave His laws
through His Spokesman, the One who later became Jesus Christ. As the LORD
of the Old Testament, Christ delivered to ancient Israel the knowledge of
God's laws, including His Sabbaths and festivals. And He made sure this
knowledge would be preserved for His New Testament Church (Acts 7:38), as
we learned in Lesson 23. God's early New Testament Church kept His annual
festivals and Holy Days. Let's examine the proof.
2. Did Jesus, as a child, keep the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened
Bread? Luke 2:41-43. In the year Jesus was crucified, were His enemies
expecting Him to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread? Mark 14:1.
3. More than 20 years after Jesus had been crucified and resurrected,
is there clear indication that His disciples still kept the Feast of
Unleavened Bread? Acts 20:6. Also notice the mention of these days in Acts
12:3.
COMMENT: In Acts 20:6, Paul and his companions plainly had observed the
Feast of Unleavened Bread at Philippi. This Feast was still being kept by
God's Church--it was not abolished at Christ's death! God would not have
inspired this reference to the "days of unleavened bread" if, in His sight,
His festivals had ceased to exist.
Notice what Hastings' Dictionary of the Apostolic Church says about
these New Testament references to God's annual festivals and Holy Days:
"Nothing could show better than these scanty notes of time how deep-rooted
the custom was, how the feast was observed as regularly as the year came
round. Men spoke naturally of 'the days of unleavened bread' as a
significant point in the calendar.... Ordinary dates dwindle into
insignificance beside these fixed, outstanding seasons....
"The question arises, as in the matter of keeping [the] Sabbath on the
seventh day, whether the early Christians continued to observe these
festivals.... In all probability they went on for years observing the
festivals" (article "Passover," pp. 132-133).
4. Did the Apostle Paul, inspired by God, say New Testament Christians
should keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread? I Cor. 5:7-8. What did he say
that clearly shows the Church of God at Corinth was, at the time he wrote,
keeping the Feast of Unleavened Bread? Verse 7. Notice the words "as ye are
unleavened."
COMMENT: The Apostle Paul was telling the Corinthian church members to
put out spiritual leaven, just as they had already put out all physical
leaven in preparation for this festival. They were to keep the Feast not
only with unleavened bread, but also with the spiritually "unleavened"
attitude of righteousness, sincerity and truth.
This is a direct command from God's apostle to New Testament Christians
to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread! Because "Christ our Passover is
sacrificed for us," we must also keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which
pictures our putting the leaven of sin out of our lives. (More about the
symbolic meaning of leaven later in this lesson.) But what about Paul's
statements in verses 14 through 17 of Colossians 2? The verses most often
quoted against keeping God's festivals are, when properly understood, proof
that they were being kept by the New Testament Church!
Let's understand the context of Colossians 2 and see what Paul, who kept God's Holy Days and clearly commanded the Corinthians to keep them, actually wrote to the Colossians.
5. Were the Colossian Christians Gentile by birth? Col. 1:21; 2:13.
Had they become obedient Christians? Col. 2:5-7.
6. Exactly what did Paul tell the Colossians about observing Holy Days
and Sabbaths? Col. 2:16.
COMMENT: These Colossians were Gentile converts living in a Gentile
city. They had previously known nothing of God and His Holy Days. Unless
the ministers of the Church of God had taught them to observe these days,
they would never have been "judged" by their pagan relatives and neighbors
for doing so.
Paul did not say that Christians should not observe God's Holy Days. He
merely said that they should not let anyone judge them for observing these
days! Nevertheless, some have connected this reference to God's Holy Days
and Sabbaths with a misinterpretation of verse 14, claiming that all of
God's laws, festivals, Holy Days and Sabbaths were "nailed to the cross."
7. What actually was "nailed to the cross"? Verse 14.
COMMENT: The "handwriting of ordinances" was nailed to the cross. "Handwriting" is translated from the Greek cheirographon, which means a handwritten note of debt. So what was "nailed to the cross"? A note of debt--guilt--that was incurred as a result of breaking God's law by following human ordinances and traditions, including pagan holidays. Verses 8 and 20-22 show which ordinances Paul was referring to: "the commandments and doctrines of men." Those were the restrictive rules and traditions of ascetic Greek philosophy, which prohibited even the moderate use of many foods and drink. It was the false religious traditions of men, not God's law, that Paul said were "contrary to us" (verse 14).
The note of sinful guilt was "against us" until Christ lifted its
penalty from us. His crucifixion allows us to be forgiven those sins.
Christ symbolically nailed that note of sinful debt to the cross because He
paid that debt for us!
What do these verses show us when we understand the context? The
Christians at Colosse were being criticized by their pagan relatives and
neighbors for violating their ascetic customs, which included the
observance of pagan holidays. The Christians ate meat the pagans
prohibited, drank what they did not allow, and observed God's weekly
Sabbath and annual Holy Days. (Editors Insert)(The new moons, the observation of which was then made necessary by the Jewish authorities over the calendar, determine the correct dates for God's festivals. It is not necessary to observe new moons today because the Hebrew calendar has been authoritatively fixed worldwide and published in advance.) Paul told the Colossians to ignore the criticisms, and to continue in their Christian conduct just as they had been taught by the Church (verse 7).
8. Who did Paul say has authority to "judge" Christians? Col. 2:17,
last part.
COMMENT: This part of verse 17 is not translated clearly in most
English versions. The verb "is" is in italics in the King James Version,
meaning that it does not appear in the original Greek text. The Greek
simply reads: "...but the body of Christ." The body of Christ, as we
learned in previous studies, is the Church of God (Col. 1:18; 2:19).
Paul was declaring that no unauthorized person is to sit in judgment of
a true Christian's conduct. That is the responsibility of God's Church--the
"body of Christ." The Church is to teach from the Bible the proper use of
food and drink, the proper time and manner of observing God's festivals and
Sabbaths, and other doctrinally related matters.
Therefore the complete thought in Colossians 2:16-17 could be
translated: "Let no man therefore judge you...but [rather let] the body of
Christ [determine it]." Numerous Greek scholars recognize that the first
expression "let no man" demands that there be a subsequent expression that
tells who is to do the judging of the matter!
9. Why should we keep God's annual Sabbaths? Col. 2:17, first part.
COMMENT: The most important reason to keep God's Holy Days is simply
because God has told us to do so. That is why Herbert W. Armstrong, the
late editor in chief and Pastor General of the Worldwide Church of God,
began keeping God's annual Sabbaths.
(Editors Note) God gives understanding to those who show they are willing to obey Him (Ps. 111:10; Acts 5:32). After seven years of obedience, God revealed to Mr. Armstrong another reason to keep His Holy Days. They "foreshadow things to come," as the phrase in Colossians 2:17 is better translated.
The seventh-day Sabbath pictures or foreshadows the seventh 1,000
years, during which man shall rest from his labors of sin. In like manner,
the annual festivals were instituted by God as memorials and foreshadows of
events to take place in His plan. They were given to His Church in order to
keep it in the knowledge of the seven major steps in His Master Plan for
reproducing Himself through mankind.
Only one festival has been entirely fulfilled in type--the Passover.
Yet Jesus said we are to celebrate it each year in remembrance of His
sacrifice for us.
Having established this foundation for our understanding, let's see
exactly how the Feast of Unleavened Bread vividly pictures the second vital
step in God's great Master Plan of salvation for mankind.
The Symbolic Meaning of Coming Out of Egypt
The annual festivals picture events of historic and future importance
to ancient Israel, the world and the Christian. Recall that when God
revealed His weekly Sabbath to the Israelites, it was a sign and a memorial
so they would remember that He is the Creator and that they were His
people. God also gave them the annual festivals of the Passover and
Unleavened Bread as memorials to commemorate the nation's deliverance from
Egypt--a picture for His Church today of the plan of God in eventually
delivering the entire world from sin.
Israel's departure from Egypt has great symbolic meaning. The spiritual
lesson that their deliverance from slavery teaches is vital to our complete
understanding of what God intends the Feast of Unleavened Bread to picture
to us today.
We learned that the Passover pictures the death of Jesus Christ--His
shed blood for the remission of our sins upon real repentance. The second
festival pictures our coming out of SIN as the Israelites came out of
Egypt, a symbol for sin, during the seven days of the Feast. Simply stated,
the Feast of Unleavened Bread pictures obedience to God--keeping His
commandments!
Let's understand as the picture unfolds for us in the Bible.
1. Is Egypt a symbol for sin? Heb. 11:24-27; Rev. 11:8. Are sinners the
servants or slaves of sin? John 8:34; Rom. 6:16. Does God want us to escape
the slavery of sin by obeying Him? Rom. 6:17-18, 22.
COMMENT: The ancient Israelites were slaves in pagan Egypt. They were
not allowed to obey God. Therefore the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which
commemorates their coming out of slavery in Egypt, also pictures their
coming out of sin.
Sin enslaves! Those who are not God's Spirit begotten children do not
realize they are now the slaves of sin. Sin tends to increase in the one
who indulges in it. Sin punishes! It brings sorrow, remorse and anguish. It
afflicts us with physical injury, sickness and disease. It produces
anxiety, frustration and hopelessness. It leads to death. Man does not
realize that only real repentance--turning from sin to obedience to God
through the living faith of Jesus Christ--can free him from that penalty!
(Gal. 5:1).
The Feast of Unleavened Bread pictures, through symbols, the fact that
God wants New Testament Christians (spiritual Israelites) to come
completely out of the slavery of sin into obedience to Him! Just as the
Israelites had to walk out of Egypt, we must willingly, of our own accord,
start out of sin. Even so, it is God's goodness and mercy that leads us to
this repentance from sin (Rom. 2:4; John 6:65), just as He led His chosen
people from Egypt to freedom.
Eternal life is clearly a gift of God (Rom. 6:23), but it is also clear
that God wants us to be willing and actually striving to obey Him. That is
our part in His Master Plan.
Let's notice a few more parallels that will help us better understand
the spiritual meaning of this festival.
2. Upon our repentance and baptism, all our past sins are blotted out
by the sacrifice of Christ our Passover (Acts 2:38; Rom. 3:25; I Cor. 5:7).
When Paul asked if we, after being forgiven, should continue in sin, what
did he answer? Rom. 6:1-2, 6, 15. What was his apostolic command? Verses
11-13.
COMMENT: If Christians keep the Passover, yet fail to keep the Feast of
Unleavened Bread, what they have done, symbolically, is accepted Christ's
sacrifice and then continued in the slavery of sin. But Paul said Christ is
not a minister of sin (Gal. 2:17). Therefore we must come out of sin--quit,
sinning--by keeping God's law!
The Feast of Unleavened Bread pictures the Christian's part in God's
plan of salvation--the keeping of God's commandments, which is another way
of saying the putting away of sin. Anyone who ate leavened bread or had
leaven, a symbol for sin, in his home during this festival was to be put
out of the nation or congregation of Israel (Ex. 12:15, 19). Similarly, God
will not allow unrepentant sinners in His spiritual nation--the Kingdom of
God! (I Cor. 6:9-10).
3. After the ancient Israelites had begun to leave Egypt, who pursued
them? Ex. 14:5-8.
COMMENT: Just as Egypt is a type of sin, Pharaoh is a type of Satan the
devil! And just as Pharaoh did not want the Israelites to escape his
bondage, Satan does not want sinners to escape his bondage, which is
slavery to sin.
Baptized Christians are often pursued by Satan. He will set obstacles
in their way in an attempt to cause them to stumble and discourage them
from obeying God. The devil will do anything he can to keep God's
Spirit-begotten children from receiving eternal life. The devil will try to
deceive them into thinking God's way is too difficult in order to get them
to quit striving to overcome--to return to the life of sin they have
forsaken.
As it was humanly impossible for the Israelites to escape from Pharaoh,
so it is humanly impossible for Christians to overcome Satan's influence.
But with God, all things are possible (Matt. 19:26).
Just as God made it possible for Israel to escape from Pharaoh's army
through His miraculous power, God, through His Holy Spirit, makes His
children's spiritual obedience, overcoming and growth possible. This is
pictured by the third annual festival in God's Master Plan, to be
thoroughly covered in Lesson 27.
A Warning Not to Look Back!
1. Did Christ foretell that the modern society of our end-time
generation would be much like the wicked city of Sodom? Luke 17:28-30. What
is His warning for Christians living in the end time? Verse 31, last part.
Whom should we remember in connection with His warning? Verse 32.
COMMENT: Christ was referring to the destruction of sinful Sodom and
Gomorrah, the escape of Lot and his two daughters from Sodom, and Lot's
wife being turned into a pillar of salt.
Tradition says that these events happened during the season of the
Feast of Unleavened Bread (although they occurred several centuries before
this festival was commanded by God). It is interesting to note that
unleavened bread is mentioned in connection with the departure of Lot and
his daughters from that sinful society (Gen. 19:3).
God had determined to destroy those two exceedingly sinful cities,
which, like Egypt, are symbolic of sin (Rev. 11:8). He sent two angels to
warn Lot and his family to leave the city (Gen. 19:1, 12-13).
2. Did everyone who was warned heed the warning? Gen. 19:14. Were Lot,
his wife and their two daughters warned not to look back? Verse 17. Who
looked back, and as a result did not make it to safety? Verse 26.
COMMENT: Lot and his family were commanded to leave--utterly forsake--
the wicked city in which they lived. Only by leaving could they avoid being
destroyed with its sinful inhabitants.
But Lot's wife disobeyed. She looked back. She wanted to return to
sinful Sodom. Perhaps she had grown accustomed to Sodom's sins, and didn't
think they were all that bad.
God will not save such a person!
Salt is symbolic of something that is enduring. God turned Lot's wife
into a pillar of salt as a perpetual symbol of one who was not willing to
completely and permanently forsake sin and submit to Him. Her example is a
WARNING for us to leave and not return to the temporary pleasures of sin
this present evil society has to offer, lest we be destroyed with it!
3. What does God say about a Christian who begins to live God's way but
later returns to the slavery of sin? Luke 9:62; II Pet. 2:20-22; Heb.
6:4-6.
COMMENT: God s Spirit-begotten children must live in this evil world,
but they must not be overcome by its sinful ways (John 17:14-15; Rom.
12:2). Just like Lot, God's people must come out of and utterly forsake the
sins of this world to escape the plagues He will pour out upon the
rebellious (Rev. 18:4). Those who heed the warning before it's too late
will be protected by God (Rev. 3:10; 12:14-17).
God wants those He has called and begotten to be overcoming sin--to be
growing in His character by striving to put sin out of their lives through
obedience to Him. He wants them to be doing their part in His Master Plan!
How Leaven Is Symbolic of Sin
The departure of ancient Israel from Egypt is clearly a physical type
of the Spirit-begotten Christian's departure from sin. But why is this
commemorated by seven days without leaven or leavened foods? We know that
leaven itself is not harmful, for God allows it during the other 51 weeks
of the year.
God prohibits the presence and use of leaven during the Feast of
Unleavened Bread because it, like Egypt, is a symbol for sin. Let's
understand how this is revealed in the New Testament.
1. Is leaven clearly symbolic of sin? Matt. 16:6, 11-12; Luke 12:1; I
Cor. 5:8.
COMMENT: Leaven is referred to in the Bible as a type of or symbol for
sin. For those who have been called to Christ by the Father, putting all
leaven and leavened products out of their dwellings and off their property
for the seven days of this festival pictures their putting sin out of their
lives. And since seven is the number God uses to denote completeness and
perfection, the seven days of the Feast remind us that God wants His people
to work at putting sin completely out of their lives.
In writing to the Church of God at Corinth, the Apostle Paul explained
the spiritual meaning and symbolism of the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the
Gentile converts there. Let's notice what Paul teaches New Testament
Christians about leaven, and exactly why we need to become spiritually
"unleavened."
2. Were the Corinthian Christians permitting a person who was actively
and openly practicing sin to fellowship with God's Church? I Cor. 5:1.
3. Was this sin in their midst causing them to feel guilty, or was it
rather causing them to become vain--to be "puffed up"? Verse 2.
COMMENT: This sin of fornication was known to everyone in the Church of
God at Corinth, but no one had done anything about the problem. By their
actions, they seemed to think they could be more forgiving and therefore
more righteous than God by allowing this unrepentant fornicator to remain
in their fellowship.
4. Knowing that this sin was causing certain members to swell with
vanity and become puffed up, Paul gave the Church specific instructions.
What were those instructions? Verses 3-5.
5. Did Paul compare the sinning member to a little leaven? Verse 6.
Again, what was his command regarding this sinner and their keeping of the
Feast of Unleavened Bread? Verses 7-8.
COMMENT: Paul explained that just a small amount of leaven--one sinful
person, by analogy--can cause the whole lump of dough--the whole Church,
again by analogy--to become saturated with sin. Tolerance of this blatant,
unrepented sin would eventually have caused other members to gradually let
down and return to their former sins, thus DISQUALIFYING them from being
born into God's Kingdom! (I Cor. 6:9-10).
Moreover, the whole Church had become guilty of vanity--pride--and was
just as guilty of sin as the fornicator in its midst! Paul, using his
God-given authority as apostle, commanded the Corinthian church members to
put out the sinful, spiritually "leavened" member so the Church would
become spiritually "unleavened."
By putting out the sinning member of their congregation, they put out
the spiritual leaven that had begun to permeate the Church. Otherwise, sin
would have spread in the lives of other Christians by the bad example of
only one person, just as certainly as a little leavening in bread dough
eventually causes the whole loaf to rise--to become "puffed up."
This was a spiritual quarantine, so to speak, intended to prevent
someone with a contagious spiritual illness from infecting others. Happily,
this action helped the sinner see the seriousness of his sin. He repented,
and in Paul's next letter to the Church at Corinth, he admonished the
members there to readmit the repentant man to their fellowship (II Cor.
2:4-10).
Paul commanded the Corinthian Christians to keep the Feast without the
spiritual "leaven" of sin, just as they were already without the physical
leaven of yeast (I Cor. 5:7). One is clearly a type of the other. They were
to keep the Feast not only by eating unleavened bread, but also by having a
spiritually "unleavened" attitude of sincerity and truth (verse 8), which
is the result of obedience to God.
6. Does God want Christians to continually strive--expend effort and
energy--to put the leaven of sin out of their lives? Heb. 12:1, 4.
COMMENT: If we are to become Spirit-born members of God's Family, we
must prove that we will obey God here and now by striving with all our
heart, mind and strength, together with God's help, to get the spiritual
leaven of sin out of our lives and keep it out! This is our part in God's
great Master Plan. It's a full-time job that continues for the rest of our
natural lives.
Thus every spring the seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread specially
reminds Spirit-begotten Christians of their continual need to keep God's
commandments. It is a time when they symbolically renew their resolve to
live in harmony with God's law--to rededicate their lives to continual
spiritual growth and overcoming.
Keeping the Feast Today
1. Are the first and seventh days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread
annual Sabbaths or Holy Days on which God's people are to rest and assemble
for worship? Ex. 12:16; Lev. 23:6-8.
COMMENT: The Feast begins on the evening of the 15th of Abib, the
beginning of the day after the Passover. It continues for seven days,
ending with the 21st of Abib. Both the 15th and the 21st are special
Sabbaths--annual "holy convocations"--days of rest from regular work,
though cooking is permitted (Ex. 12:16). Ordinary work may be done on the
intervening days, except on any intervening weekly Sabbath.
A "holy convocation" is a commanded religious assembly--commanded by
God Almighty Himself. Today, members of God's Church assemble on the annual
Sabbaths much as they do on the weekly Sabbath (Lev. 23:3). Those few who
live too far away from other members to attend weekly Sabbath services are
often able to meet with God's Spirit-begotten children on these annual
Sabbaths. God's ministers use these opportunities to explain more about the
meaning of God's festivals and His Master Plan.
2. What special observance did God institute on the evening of the
first day of the Feast? Ex. 12:42.
COMMENT: Every year on the evening of the 15th of Abib, the evening
after Passover, the Israelites were to have a special observance in
remembrance of their deliverance from Egypt. Today, true Christians
(spiritual Israelites) also celebrate the "Night to Be Much Observed" on
the anniversary of Israel's deliverance from slavery.
Gathering in small family groups for an evening meal, God's people give
thanks to Him for having called them out of the slavery of sin into His
Church. They rejoice in the fact that God has revealed to them His law, His
Holy Days and their meaning. Then on the daylight part of the 15th, they
assemble with the rest of their local congregations to be instructed by
God's ministers.
3. Is all leaven and leavened food to be removed from our homes and
property, and kept out during the seven days of the Feast of Unleavened
Bread? Ex. 12:19-20; 13:7.
COMMENT: Leaven is any substance used to cause dough to rise by
fermentation. Yeast, bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), baking powder and
sourdough are leavening agents. Leavened foods include most breads,
crackers, cakes, cookies, biscuits, pastries and some pies and prepared
cereals. A few candies and other foods are also leavened. If one is in
doubt about any product, he should check the list of ingredients on its
package. If still not sure about a particular food, it should not be eaten
during the Feast (Rom. 14:23).
All leaven and leavened foods should be removed from one's premises
before the beginning of the first Holy Day. They should not be stored in
another room. The morning after the New Testament Passover service, which
is still the Passover day, is a convenient time to finish removing any
leavening agents or leavened bread. It is wise to arrange purchases so that
when Passover comes, there will be little leaven to discard. Removing these
inexpensive products is one way God tests us to see how much we value
obedience to Him.
----------------------------------Picture quote----------------------------
"Night to Be Much Observed"
Every year at the beginning of the first day of the Feast of Unleavened
Bread, God's people gather in small family groups for an evening meal,
giving thanks to God for calling them out of the slavery of sin into His
Church.
------------------------------End of quote---------------------------------
If during the Feast some accidentally overlooked leaven is found in the
home, it should be thrown away immediately. This is a good lesson for us as
it is a type of the hidden sins we aren't aware of at baptism. As we grow
in spiritual knowledge and understanding, we become aware of more sins to
overcome. We must immediately put the leaven of sin out of our lives when
it is discovered!
Unleavened bread can be made at home or bought in stores (it is often
called "matzos," which comes from the Hebrew word matstsah, which means
unleavened), but one should check the label to make sure it is unleavened.
We may also enjoy unleavened cereals and desserts, together with all the
meats, drinks, fruits and vegetables we normally eat. Many unleavened
products are delicious as well as nutritious and can be enjoyed year-round.
It should be noted that "brewer's yeast" and "yeast extracts" are not
active, and therefore are not leavening agents. Cream of tartar, by itself,
is not a leavening agent either. Beaten egg white used in meringue on pies
and other desserts is not a leavening agent, but when used as a substitute
for leavening to puff up any flour or meal product, it violates the spirit
of God's command.
But what about beer or other fermented drinks? There is no restriction
on the kind of beverages consumed during the Feast of Unleavened Bread--no
mention in the Bible of this being the "Feast of Unleavened Beverages."
Naturally fermented wine was customarily consumed by the Israelites at all
of God's festivals, except, of course, the Day of Atonement. The Bible does
not refer to leaven in connection with beverages. Reference is made only to
the example set by the children of Israel when they came out of Egypt
without any leaven in their dough (Ex. 12:39).
Difficulties sometimes arise when family members disagree with the
observance of God's festivals. In this age in which God is calling only a
few, one should never try to force his will on others! This festival is a
matter between you and God. The family member who does want to keep God's
Feast of Unleavened Bread should avoid eating leavened products and do his
or her best to remove leavening from those areas of the house he or she has
authority over, which may be only a bedroom.
4. Does God command His people to eat unleavened bread during this
festival? Ex. 13:7; Lev. 23:6.
COMMENT: God's people do not merely remove all leaven and leavened
foods from their property during these seven days. That would symbolize
only the putting away of sin. We are commanded to eat unleavened bread
during this festival. That symbolizes righteousness--active obedience to
God!
However, it is not required of every person to eat unleavened bread
every day of this festival. Some people rarely eat any type of bread. There
may be reasons why someone may not want or be able to eat bread every day
of the Feast. Some few might even find it necessary to fast for a day or
two during the Feast.
But whenever bread and other flour products are eaten during the Feast
of Unleavened Bread, they must be unleavened. This requires alertness, and
attention to detail, especially in restaurants, for the use of leaven is
very common. Sin is also very common, and forgetfulness of God's law will
lead to sin in our lives.
God's people should always keep firmly in mind the vital lesson taught
by this annual festival: God wants His Spirit-begotten children to live
righteously, keeping His perfect spiritual law, forsaking the spiritual
leaven of sin!
Saved by the LIVING Christ
The seven days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread following Passover
picture the putting away of sin--the keeping of God's law--after past sins
are forgiven. This festival of God also pictures the life and work of the
resurrected Christ, who ascended to the throne of God, where He is now
actively working on our behalf as our High Priest, helping us put the
leaven of sin out of our lives. Understanding this vital aspect of the
Feast is crucial to our developing the character of God and being born into
His universe-ruling Family at Christ's Second Coming.
1. What did Christ's death make possible for us? Rom. 5:10, first part.
But does His death save us? Same verse, last seven words.
COMMENT: Jesus Christ's death does not save us--it merely reconciles us
to God. Those so reconciled are no longer cut off from God. Through
acceptance of Christ's sacrifice they have been restored to contact with
God the Father--the One who can give us eternal life.
Passover pictures the crucified--the dead--Christ. But Christ is not a
dead Savior. He rose from the dead. He is our living Savior! Notice how
this fact is also pictured in the symbolism of baptism.
2. Is baptism symbolic of Christ's death and resurrection? Rom. 6:3-4.
In the context of baptism, are we saved through Christ's death, or through
His resurrection? I Pet. 3:21-22.
COMMENT: If Christ had not been raised from the dead, we would still be
in our sins (I Cor. 15:17). That could be symbolized by being immersed in
water and never coming back up--symbolically drowning in our sins! But
coming up out of the water of baptism is symbolic of Christ's resurrection
from the dead. Clearly, we can be saved only by Christ's life.
Part of God's instructions to ancient Israel for observing the Feast of
Unleavened Bread included the ceremony of the "firstfruits wavesheaf
offering" (Lev. 23:9-11, 14). God told the Israelites that the spring grain
harvest could not begin until this offering was made. But God does not
require this offering today. The Bible reveals that its symbolism was
fulfilled by the resurrected Christ (I Cor. 15:20).
Jesus Christ was the first resurrected Son of God--the first harvested
product of God's Master Plan. He became the "firstborn" Son of God (Col.
1:18)--the first human to be born into God's divine Family. (The complete
meaning of the wavesheaf offering relates also to the third annual festival
and will be explained thoroughly in the following lesson.)
It is fitting that Christ, who was completely without sin, was
resurrected and born of God during the festival that pictures the absence
of sin. Therefore the Feast of Unleavened Bread, in addition to picturing
the putting of sin out of our lives, also, through the symbolism of the
firstfruits wave offering, pictures the resurrected living Christ, for it
is the living Christ who gives us the spiritual power we need to be able to
overcome sin! We must understand.
3. Do Christians still sin occasionally after having accepted Christ's
sacrifice in payment for their past sins? I John 1:8. (Notice that John
included himself by using the word "we.")
COMMENT: We are still flesh and blood beings. We can still be tempted.
Satan can still broadcast his attitudes of sin to our minds and influence
us to break God's commandments.
4. How can Christians be forgiven the sins they commit after baptism? I
John 1:9; 2:1-2. In what other ways does the living Christ now help God's
Spirit-begotten children? Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:25-26; 4:14-16.
COMMENT: Christ, our ever-living High Priest, Advocate and Intercessor,
acts as a "bridge" between imperfect humans and our perfect Father in
heaven. Our High Priest can sympathize with our weaknesses because He, as
the human Jesus, was tempted just as we are, yet He overcame and promises
to help us overcome, too (John 16:33; Phil. 4:13). Therefore, through our
High Priest, we can come boldly to God's throne and find grace, mercy,
forgiveness and the help we need to continue putting sin out of our lives.
5. Does Christ give us permission to pray directly to the Father, using
Christ's name in making those requests? John 15:16. Does Christ, acting as
God's administrative assistant, also answer those prayers? John 14:13-14.
6. Does Christ, through the Holy Spirit, live in God's Spirit-begotten
children? Gal. 2:20; Rom. 8:9-10; Col. 1:27; Phil. 2:5; I John 3:23-24.
Must Christians not only have God's Spirit, but also be led by it so their
thoughts may become more like Christ's and the Father's? Rom. 8:14; II Cor.
10:5.
COMMENT: The true Christian's hope of glory--the hope of attaining
membership in God's glorious Family--is in Christ, our Savior, living in us
through the Holy Spirit! Christ is not only the Author or Beginner of our
salvation, but He is also its Finisher--He is the One who completes our
salvation (Heb. 12:2).
Jesus Christ told His disciples He had to go to His Father's throne in
heaven to send God's Spirit to them (John 16:7). They received the Spirit
through the resurrected, glorified, living Christ. As we learned in a
previous lesson, the Spirit of the Father is also the Spirit of Christ.
Thus it was Christ entering them--not in person, but in spirit. Christ is a
living Savior, who does His saving work from within!
God's Spirit also imparts to us His love, which enables us to fulfill
His law (Rom. 5:5; 13:10). It's not just us, through our own strength,
striving to keep God's commandments. It is the living Christ in us, in
spirit, keeping His Father's commandments by divine love, just as He did
when He was the human Jesus.
We know we cannot obey God on our own power and strength. But CHRIST IN
US CAN! Our living Savior gives us the POWER to become righteous--to become
spiritually unleavened! Through that power we are being prepared for our
spiritual harvest into the universe-ruling Family of God!
The Next Step in God's Master Plan
God's law is a spiritual law (Rom. 7:14). Consequently we must have
God's Holy Spirit to fully understand and keep it (I Cor. 2:11). God's
Spirit imparts to us the love of God and the faith of Christ. It is only
through the power of the Holy Spirit that God's holy, righteous character
can be built in us. And it is only by God's power that we will be born of
God, if we have first been begotten by His Spirit. God's Spirit is a vital
part of God's Master Plan of salvation.
It is also through the Holy Spirit that God places us into His Church--
His Spirit-begotten Family--His Kingdom in embryo. God is not working
through isolated individuals, nor through the many religions of this world.
He is working through an organized, unified body of thousands of true
Christians whom He has called out of the world. God's Church is also a
vital part of His plan of salvation.
In our next lesson, we'll learn how God's Church began and how His
Spirit empowers His Church, enabling it to perform the tremendous
commission God has given His people to do. We'll learn how God is now using
His Church to prepare this world for Christ's return.
We'll also learn how God is now preparing those whom He has put into
His Church, readying them for spiritual "harvesting" into His soon-coming
Kingdom--for being born as the "firstfruits" of His divine Family to become
the rulers and teachers in the wonderful world tomorrow!
All this is pictured by the third annual festival in God's Master Plan,
the "Feast of Firstfruits," known in the New Testament as the day of
Pentecost.
TEST
This multiple choice test is designed to help you review the preceding
lesson. It's an enjoyable way of putting to use some of the vital knowledge
and understanding you have gained through this lesson.
Select one of the four choices given under each question or incomplete
statement. The other three are incorrect--unless stated or indicated
otherwise.
Take sufficient time to understand each question or statement, as well
as the choices. Try to do as many as you can without referring to the
lesson. If you have difficulty deciding on the correct answer, then review
the part of the lesson in question.
1. God ordained that His people observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread to
A. stress that they have their part in God's plan by putting sin out of
their lives. B. remind them they must repent and strive to put sin
completely out of their lives. C. picture keeping His commandments. D.
All of the above.
2. When Paul wrote "let us keep the feast," he A. was clearly referring to
the Feast of Unleavened Bread. B. meant the feast known today as Easter.
C. was writing to Jewish Christians only. D. meant the Passover, not the
Feast of Unleavened Bread.
3. How did the ancient Israelites learn about the Feast of Unleavened
Bread? A. It had been an annual occasion from the time of Abraham; perhaps
even earlier. B. God, through Moses, commanded this festival shortly
before they left Egypt. C. The Israelite elders created the festival as a
national holiday to give the people national identity. D. It was an
agricultural festival celebrated by everyone in Egypt.
4. When God led the Israelites out of Egypt, He A. led them by the
quickest possible route to the Promised Land. B. caused their flight to be
so rapid that the Egyptians gave up pursuing them. C. abandoned them in
the desert and let them fend for themselves. D. purposely led them into a
trap from which He supernaturally delivered them.
5. According to Church tradition and the plain intent of Scripture, the
Israelites crossed the Red Sea A. where it was only a shallow marsh. B.
by borrowing ships of the Egyptian navy. C. on the seventh day of the
first Feast of Unleavened Bread. D. on the Feast of Firstfruits.
6. Which one of the following statements is FALSE? A. The ancient
Israelites kept God's festivals faithfully from the time of Moses until
Christ. B. The ancient Israelites fell into idolatry many times. C. God's
Temple sometimes fell into disuse and disrepair. D. King Hezekiah realized
that Judah's national troubles were the result of the nation having
forsaken God.
7. When King Hezekiah and King Josiah restored the true worship of God to
Israel, they A. said the Holy Days were for Jews only. B. restored the
keeping of God's Holy Days. C. told the people God's laws would soon be
done away. D. preached that salvation is by faith only.
8. The seven annual festivals A. were instituted by the Most High God and
given through His Spokesman to His people. B. are "feasts of the Lord."
C. were commanded to be kept forever. D. All of the above.
9. Which one of the following statements is FALSE? A. Christians today do
not need to follow the example set by Christ and His apostles. B. Jesus
kept the Feast of Unleavened Breed. C. The Apostle Paul commanded Gentile
converts to keep the Feast. D. The early true Church kept the Feast.
10. Paul told the Colossians to A. quit observing the Sabbath and the Holy
Days. B. ignore outsiders' criticisms--whether from Gentiles or Jews--of
their newfound Christian conduct. C. allow their pagan neighbors to sit in
judgment of their observance of God's Holy Days. D. observe all the
sacrifices and rituals of the law of Moses that were associated with the
Sabbaths and Holy Days.
11. What was figuratively nailed to Jesus' cross A. God's commandments.
B. The seven annual festivals. C. The debt we incurred by following the
commandments and doctrines of men. D. All of the above.
12. Christians today should observe God's seven annual festivals and Holy
Days because. A. God has told us to do so. B. they foreshadow good things
to come. C. they picture the seven major steps in God's Master Plan for
offering salvation to all mankind. D. All of the above.
13. In Egypt the ancient Israelites were slaves and were not allowed to
obey God. This symbolically pictures that A. sinners are the servants or
slaves of sin. B. God no longer commands people to quit sinning. C. God's
laws are not relevant to our modern society. D. Christ's Passover
sacrifice guarantees our salvation and consequently we do not have to obey
God.
14. Just as God required the Israelites to walk out of Egypt. Christians
today A. must leave their ungodly neighbors and form separate Christian
communities. B. should walk as the only healthy form of exercise. C. must
willingly start out of sin by obeying God. D. should believe that Christ
has obeyed God for them.
15. When Paul asked if we, after being forgiven, should continue in sin,
what did he answer? A. Faith in Christ had made God's spiritual law null
and void (Rom.3:31). B. Sin is no longer a relevant issue in the New
Testament era of grace (Rom. 6:15). C. Sins committed after baptism will
keep a person out of God's Kingdom (I Cor. 6:9-10). D. Christians must not
be enslaved to sin (Rom. 6:6, 12).
16. After Christians begin to obey God, Satan A. is pleased because they
have abandoned faith in God's grace. B. will attempt to discourage them,
to get them to quit their newfound faith. C. can no longer deceive them on
any point of doctrine. D. has no more power over them because they now
perceive him as merely an abstract personification of evil.
17. Christians today should remember Lot's wife because A. modern society
is nothing like ancient Sodom's. B. the fate of unrepentant sinners is to
be perpetual pillars of salt. C. she is an example of one who did not
really want to forsake sin and its environment completely. D. she is the
best biblical example of complete conversion.
18. God prohibits leaven and leavened breads A. during the Feast of
Unleavened Bread because leaven puffs up and spreads and, during that week,
symbolizes sin. B. because they cause health problems. C. only for the
Jews. D. during the Lenten season before Easter.
19. When Paul learned that the Corinthian Christians were permitting an
unrepentant person to fellowship with them, he told them A. that their
good example would eventually convert the man. B. to put him out of their
fellowship because his example would eventually spread to other members in
the Church. C. that the man's sin was not serious. D. a little spiritual
leaven would not spread throughout the whole Church.
20. God wants His people to put the leaven of sin out of their lives A.
only so long as it is convenient. B. only during the Feast of Unleavened
Bread. C. with all their heart, mind and strength, together with God's
help. D. by deciding their own moral standards.
21. The first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread is A. usually a
convenient time to finish removing leaven from the house. B. a holy
convocation, a God-ordained religious assembly and Sabbath. C. the same
day as the Passover. D. All of the above.
22. On the evening of the 15th of Abib, true Christians A. gather in small
family groups for the "Night to Be Much Observed." B. observe the New
Testament Passover service. C. rejoice at having been freed from slavery
to God's laws. D. remain awake all night in memory of the death angel
passing over the Israelites' firstborn.
23. Which one of the following statements is FALSE? A. If a Christian
find
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