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Yellow: Direct Response
Light Yellow: Additional Answer
Celeste: Extra Points
“God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son” (JOHN 3:16).
1, 2. (a) What is sin, and how can we overcome it? (See also “Big Idea.”) (b) What will we learn from this article and the other study articles in this issue of The Watchtower? (See also “Note to the Reader” in this issue.)
WOULD you like to know how much Jehovah loves you? A good way to find out is to study what he has done to save you from sin and death . a) Sin is a terrible enemy that none of us can overcome on our own. All humans sin every day. We are imperfect and that is why we die. (Rom. 5:12) But there is good news: we are fully convinced that we can defeat sin with Jehovah’s help.
2 Jehovah has been helping humans fight sin for about 6,000 years. Why? Because he loves us so much. Ever since he created us, he has felt a deep love for us, and that is why he has been willing to do amazing things to help us in this battle. God knows that sin leads to death, and he does not want any of us to die but to live forever (Rom. 6:23). And he wants that for you too! b). In this article, we will answer three questions: 1) What did Jehovah do to give us humans hope? 2) What did humans do in Bible times to please Jehovah despite being imperfect? and 3) What did Jesus do to rescue humanity from sin and death?
WHAT DID JEHOVAH DO TO GIVE US HOPE?
3. How did Adam and Eve become sinners?
3 When Jehovah created Adam and Eve, he wanted them to be happy. So he gave them a beautiful home, the gift of marriage, and the exciting task of filling the planet with people and making the whole earth a paradise like the Garden of Eden. He forbade them only one thing and warned them that if they chose to disobey him, they would die. And we know what happened: An evil spirit, who had no love for Jehovah or for them, entered the scene and tempted them to sin. Instead of trusting in their loving Father, Adam and Eve listened to him and sinned. Sure enough, what Jehovah said would happen happened. From that day on, they had to face the consequences: They began to grow old and eventually died. —Gen. 1:28, 29; 2:8, 9, 16-18; 3:1-6, 17-19, 24; 5:5.
4. Why does Jehovah hate sin, and why does he help us fight against it? (Romans 8:20, 21)
4 This whole story is very sad, but Jehovah has put it in the Bible so that we can understand something very important: why he hates sin so much. Sin distances us from our Father and leads us to death. (Isa. 59:2) That is precisely the reason why that rebellious angel—Satan—loves sin, why he tempted Adam and Eve, and why he continues to tempt us. Perhaps he thought that in the Garden of Eden he had achieved a great victory. But he did not understand how deep Jehovah’s love is. God never changed the purpose he had for Adam and Eve’s descendants. He loves human beings and that is why he immediately offered hope to all of them. (Read Romans 8:20, 21) He knew that some would decide to love him and seek his help to fight against sin. And Jehovah, as Creator and good Father that he is, would make it possible for them to come to him and overcome sin and death. How would he make it possible?
5. When and how did Jehovah give humans a ray of hope? (Genesis 3:15)
5 (Read Genesis 3:15.) The first ray of hope came when Jehovah pronounced his judgment against Satan. God spoke of a “seed” that would be very important because it would eventually crush Satan and fix all the problems he caused in the Garden of Eden. (1 John 3:8) However, that Seed would have to suffer because Satan would hurt it and cause it to die. That would hurt Jehovah deep in his heart. But Jehovah decided that all that pain would be worth it because millions of human beings would be saved from sin and death.
WHAT DID HUMAN BEINGS DO IN BIBLICAL TIMES TO PLEASE GOD DESPITE BEING IMPERFECT?
6. What did men of faith like Abel and Noah do to get closer to Jehovah?
6 How could imperfect humans draw near to Jehovah? God made this clear over the centuries. After Adam and Eve’s rebellion, the first human to have faith in Jehovah was their second son, Abel. He loved Jehovah and wanted to please him and draw near to him. So he decided to make a sacrifice. As a shepherd, he took several “firstborn of his flock” and offered them to Jehovah. What did God do ? “ He approved of Abel and his offering.” —Gen. 4:4. Later, God also approved similar sacrifices made to him by people who loved and trusted him, such as Noah. —Gen. 8:20, 21. This showed that humans, despite being imperfect, could please him and draw near to him.
7. What do we learn from Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son?
7 Jehovah asked Abraham, another man of great faith, to do something extremely difficult: sacrifice his own son Isaac. Abraham must have found this request incredibly painful. Still, he was willing to obey. Just as he was about to do so, Jehovah stopped him. But his example teaches all people of faith something very important: Jehovah would be willing to sacrifice his beloved Son because of the immense love he has for human beings. —Gen. 22:1-18.
8. What did the sacrifices made under the Law of Moses show? (Leviticus 4:27-29; 17:11).
8 Centuries later, when Jehovah gave the Law to the Israelites, he told them that they had to sacrifice animals to have their sins forgiven. (Read Leviticus 4:27–29; 17:11.) These sacrifices showed that Jehovah would offer a sacrifice that would be far better because it would completely save humans from sin. God had the prophets explain that the promised Seed—who turned out to be God’s only begotten Son—would have to suffer and die. He would be like a sheep offered as a sacrifice. (Isa. 53:1–12.) Think about it: Jehovah would give his beloved Son as a sacrifice to save all humans—including you—from sin and death.
WHAT DID JESUS DO TO RESCUE HUMANITY?
9. What did John the Baptist reveal? (Hebrews 9:22; 10:1-4, 12).
9 In A.D. 29, John the Baptist saw Jesus of Nazareth and said, “Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). In this way, he revealed that Jesus was the Seed God had promised. Jesus would offer his life as a sacrifice. At last, imperfect humans had a solid hope of completely overcoming sin and death. (Read Hebrews 9:22; 10:1-4, 12.)
10. How did Jesus show that he came to call sinners?
10 Jesus paid special attention to those who felt very bad because they were sinners, and he invited them to follow him. He knew that sin is the real root of the suffering of all human beings. That is why he took the initiative to approach men and women who had the reputation of being sinners. In fact, he himself set this example: “Those who are well do not need a doctor, but those who are sick do.” And he added: “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Matt. 9:12, 13). And he demonstrated this by his actions. For example, he very kindly forgave the sins of the woman who washed his feet with her tears (Luke 7:37-50). And although he knew that the Samaritan woman at the well was living an immoral life, he taught her valuable spiritual truths (John 4:7, 17-19, 25, 26). Jehovah even gave him the power to resurrect men, women, and children, thereby overcoming the ultimate consequence of sin, which is death (Matt. 11:5).
11. Why were sinners drawn to Jesus?
11 Even people who were committing serious sins were drawn to Jesus. No wonder they wanted to be close to him, because he treated them with empathy and compassion. (Luke 15:1, 2) He also praised and rewarded them for showing their faith in him. (Luke 19:1-10) Jesus perfectly reflected his Father’s mercy. (John 14:9) Through his words and actions, he showed us that Jehovah loves us and is very compassionate. He wants to help us overcome sin. Jesus made sinners want to change and follow him. (Luke 5:27, 28)
12. What did Jesus teach about his own death?
12 Jesus knew full well what awaited him. He repeatedly told his followers that he would be betrayed and executed on a stake. (Matt. 17:22; 20:18, 19) He also knew that his sacrifice would take away the sin of the world, just as John and the prophets had foretold. He also taught that after his death he would draw “all kinds of people” to himself. (John 12:32) Those who put their faith in Jesus and followed in his footsteps could please Jehovah and finally be “set free from sin.” (Rom. 6:14, 18, 22; John 8:32) To accomplish this, Jesus was courageous and willing to suffer a terrible death.—John 10:17, 18
13. How did Jesus die, and what does his death teach us about Jehovah? (See also images.)
13 Jesus was betrayed, arrested, insulted, slandered, condemned, and even tortured. Finally, soldiers nailed him to a tree and executed him . Jesus faithfully endured all this suffering, and Jehovah was even more pained by what was happening to his Son. Even though he loved him dearly and his power is infinite, he chose not to intervene. Why? Out of love. Jesus said: “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that no one who shows faith in him should be destroyed but have eternal life.”—John 3:16.
ILLUSTRATION
Series of images: 1. Jesus wearing a crown of thorns. 2. With his hands tied to a pole, he is being whipped. 3. He is carrying his torture stake while other people watch. 4. He is hanging on a torture stake between two criminals while other people insult him. To free us from sin and death, Jehovah was willing to suffer unimaginable pain by allowing his Son to be executed. (See paragraph 13.)
14. What does Jesus’ sacrifice teach you?
14 Jesus’ sacrifice is the greatest proof of how much Jehovah loves all of us who are descendants of Adam and Eve. And it also shows how much he loves you. Aren’t you impressed by the amount God was willing to sacrifice and suffer to save you from sin and death? (1 John 4:9, 10) He wants to help each and every one of us fight and overcome sin.
15. What must we do to benefit from Jesus' sacrifice?
15 The sacrifice of his only begotten Son is a gift from God that makes it possible for our sins to be forgiven. But we need to do something. Both John the Baptist and Jesus Christ explained what we need to do: “Repent, for the kingdom of the heavens is at hand.” (Matt. 3:1, 2; 4:17) So if we truly want to fight against sin and draw closer to our loving Father, repentance is essential. But what does repentance mean, and how does it help us please Jehovah even though we are imperfect? We will discuss the answer in the next study article.
WHAT WOULD YOU ANSWER?
What did Jehovah do to give us humans hope?
He gave the first recorded prophecy in Genesis 3:15 where he speaks of a descendant or seed of a woman who will bring salvation to humanity, he not only spoke he acted consequently with what he offered as we read in John 3:16.
What did the sacrifices made under the Law of Moses show?
These sacrifices showed that Jehovah would offer a sacrifice that would be far better because it would completely save human beings from sin. God had the prophets explain that the promised offspring who turned out to be God's only begotten Son would have to suffer and die. He would be similar to a sheep offered as a sacrifice.
What did Jesus do to rescue humanity from sin and death?
In John 3:16 and in the gospels we read that through the Holy Spirit He miraculously engendered His only begotten Son to manifest Himself in flesh on this physical plane and offer His life as a ransom. John the Baptist saw Jesus of Nazareth and said, look at the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Jesus is the offspring that God had promised.
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