Friday, November 2, 2018

The Gospel of Nitrogen

The previous quarterly dealt with the same incident this lesson is focusing on.  Here is the Insight posted back then.

The Gospel of Nitrogen 

Everything is made of molecules. Some are small and others bigger. 
Some are simple and others complex. Proteins are very large and 
complex molecules. Proteins are made out of smaller molecules called 
amino acids, and Nitrogen is an essential part of all amino acids. 
However, nitrogen as a part of an amino acid is an atom. All 
molecules are made out of atoms. Other molecules that contain nitrogen 
are all nucleic acids (which provide energy and genetic information), 
and most plant pigments involved in photosynthesis. Which implies 
that plants need lots of nitrogen. The most common component of 
plant fertilizers is, in fact, one of two forms of nitrogen - nitrate 
(NO3-) or ammonium (NH4+) ions—both usable forms of nitrogen for 
plants. 

With a concentration of about 78 percent, nitrogen gas comprises the 
largest component of earth's atmosphere. It has at least a million 
times more nitrogen than found in all living systems combined. The bad 
news is that all of this atmospheric nitrogen consists of molecules of 
N2 — that is, two atoms of nitrogen bound tightly together by, what 
chemists call, three strong covalent bonds. Unfortunately, it takes a 
great deal of energy to break the triple bond. Because plants can't 
use molecular nitrogen (N2), nitrogen has to transform into one of the 
two absorbable ions. When you break the bonds between the molecular 
nitrogen, each nitrogen ion is open to attract and attach other atoms 
and form different molecules. So, before the nitrogen can bond with 
other elements like oxygen or hydrogen it has to become an ion itself. 
Let us try to reiterate: the two nitrogen atoms are attracted to each 
other, very strongly. Once bonded the nitrogen atoms cannot bond with 
anything else unless that bond is broken. When the bond is broken, 
the nitrogen will have open spaces to bond with other ions. Now, 
notice that the symbol for nitrate has a negative sign and the 
ammonium has a positive sign, this is why they are called ions and not 
molecules. Both nitrate and ammonium have open spaces to bond as 
well. 

Back to nitrogen: it requires a lot of energy to break nitrogen's 
triple bond. In His wisdom, the Creator provided several ways to 
convert atmospheric molecular nitrogen into usable forms that will 
dissolve in water so that plant roots can absorb it. The immense 
energy of lightning easily breaks triple nitrogen bond, turning it 
into nitrates and washing it down in the rain of a good thunderstorm. 
Have you noticed how green your lawn is after a lightning strikes? 
Even more critical, many types of bacteria convert nitrogen from one 
form to another. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria convert atmospheric nitrogen 
to the more plant-friendly ammonium ion (though it is toxic in large 
concentrations). Other bacteria, called ammonifying bacteria, also 
create the ammonium ion, but they do it by decomposition of plant and 
animal matter. Check out the smell of your compost pile. It reeks of 
ammonia. Fortunately, another family of bacteria called nitrifying 
bacteria transforms the ammonium ion to the safer nitrates. (As you 
might guess, the cycles are more complicated than what I am 
describing.) 

It is not uncommon for atoms in a "multi-atom" molecule to behave 
differently than when they were a mono-atom molecule. As previously 
mentioned, the bonds in molecules of compounds are very strong. The 
atoms that compose the molecules now yield to one another. They work 
as one. Whether, in ammonium or nitrate, nitrogen no longer behaves 
as nitrogen. For example, water is not flammable. But, the two 
elements that compose water – hydrogen, and oxygen - on their own are 
very flammable. 

This has a spiritual application. Let us go step by step. Before 
conversion, the disciples could not bond. Before the crucifixion, 
they were fighting for supremacy. That ceased after the ten days in 
the upper chamber. Luke described what happened then, "And when the 
day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one 
place" (acts 2: 1). Ellen White describes the events in the following 
quote, 
"After Christ's ascension, His disciples--men of varied talents and 
capabilities--assembled in an upper chamber to pray for the gift of 
the Holy Spirit. In this room 'all continued with one accord in prayer 
and supplication.' They made thorough work of repentance by confessing 
their own sins. Upon them was laid no burden to confess one another's 
sins. Settling all differences and alienations, they were of one 
accord, and prayed with unity of purpose for ten days, at the end of 
which time 'they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to 
speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.' {7MR 
94.4} 

There was a definite change in them. This change was reflected in all 
their followers: "Now the multitude of those who believed were of one 
heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he 
possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. And with 
great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord 
Jesus. And great grace was upon them all" (Acts 4:32, 33, NKJV). 

What happened? When the Holy Spirit began working in them, He broke 
their bond to Sin or self. It takes the mighty grace of God to do 
this. Now, they have open space to bond with Christ and with each 
other. Christ could not use the disciples in their natural state. 
They had to become spiritual ions to be able to bond with other 
spiritual atoms. 

So, the disciples laid aside all their ambitions. Now instead of 
fighting, they were convicted by the Holy Spirit to die to self. The 
words of Paul became a reality in them: "…be not conformed to this 
world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind," and do not 
think more highly than he ought to think of himself (Romans 12: 2 – 
3). God is waiting for us to let the Holy Spirit do the same work in 
us. 

Raul Diaz 

 RR
Raul Diaz
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