1. The Title Itself — “Surprised by Grace”
Sounds nice, right? Pero kung titignan mo, the lesson tries to define grace as a conditional reward—parang “God gives grace if you respond correctly.” That’s not amazing grace; that’s performance-based grace, which is actually no grace at all (Romans 11:6). Grace, biblically speaking, is not God giving you a second chance to try harder. Grace is God saving you when you had no chance at all.
2. The Focus on “Second Chances” (Joshua 2)
The lesson says:
“God is giving them a second chance. The threat has not changed, but their faith has.”
Here’s the subtle problem: they define grace as another chance to prove yourself. That’s Law mixed with Grace, not the New Covenant gospel. Grace isn’t God saying, “Ok, subukan mo ulit.” Grace is God saying, “I already did it through My Son.” The Joshua narrative foreshadows Christ leading His people into rest, not another moral performance exam.
3. Misuse of Rahab and the Gibeonites
They treat Rahab’s and the Gibeonites’ stories as “examples of imperfect faith that God still rewards.”
But notice: they never connect Rahab’s story to Christ’s redemptive line (Matt. 1:5) — the true meaning of grace! Instead, they moralize it: “Even imperfect people can be saved if they respond.” That sounds good, but subtly turns faith into a work—as if faith itself earns grace. Biblical faith doesn’t earn grace; it receives grace because grace acts first (Eph. 2:8–9).
4. The Lesson’s Definition of “Faith”
“Faith, which is better understood as trust, is at the heart of the issue…”
True — but again, they detach it from the covenantal context of Christ’s finished work. They keep it horizontal (“trust God so you can conquer”) instead of vertical (“trust Christ who conquered sin for you”). It’s the same old Adventist pattern — they preach faith, but still make your performance the deciding factor of victory. In short, Joshua becomes a moral example, not a Christ-type.
5. The Rahab and Gibeonites “Chart of Faith”
That table they made — comparing how Rahab and the Gibeonites lied, feared, and believed — may look insightful, but notice the problem: They treat their lies as mere “unconventional faith.” Instead of seeing how God’s mercy works despite sin, not because of it. That’s a massive theological distinction.
Grace doesn’t commend deception — it overrules it by mercy.
6. “Faith Without Consultation” (Joshua 9:14)
That’s good moral advice, but they end with “consult God’s will” in the same way as Israel “failed to ask.” No mention of the Holy Spirit, the indwelling Christ, or the Scriptures as final revelation in Christ (Heb. 1:1-2). Their application always circles back to human responsibility without anchoring divine sufficiency. It’s always: “You must discern well,” instead of “Thank God Christ is our wisdom and righteousness.”“They did not consult the mouth of the Lord.”
7. The Missed Gospel Typology
Rahab’s scarlet cord is a shadow of the blood of Christ, but they never go there, because the SDA system doesn’t see Christ’s finished atonement as final. They can’t. Their theology keeps grace open-ended until after the “Investigative Judgment.” So, even their definition of grace here is temporary, conditional, and cooperative.
8. The Ellen White Influence
They even quote Ellen White:
Notice how EGW always moralizes the story rather than Christocentrically interpreting it. Instead of seeing God’s sovereign mercy, she sees a moral consequence lesson — that’s legalism disguised as spirituality.“Their deception became a badge of perpetual servitude.” (PP 507)
9. The Real “Surprise” of Grace
The real shock of grace in Joshua isn’t that Canaanites were spared. It’s that God keeps His covenant promise despite Israel’s sin — and uses a Gentile prostitute to bring forth the lineage of Christ! That’s amazing grace — sovereign, covenantal, Christ-centered.
Conclusion:
The SDA lesson talks about grace but teaches performance. It quotes Scripture but filters it through Old Covenant moralism. They see Rahab as “an example of faith”; Scripture sees her as an instrument of redemptive history pointing to the coming Messiah. They see “a second chance”; the gospel reveals a Savior who never needed one.
Former Adventists Philippines
“Freed by the Gospel. Firm in the Word.”
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