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Present Truth for Today—Are the Jewish Feast Days Included? Part II

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There have always been some truths that are applicable in every age and are therefore to be preached and accepted by God’s children at all times—such as love, hope, repentance, obedience, thankfulness, and praise. Such truths are always in season.

But those who persist in keeping the feast days are denying that Christ came to earth and died at the appointed time in a.d. 31 and are not accepting what is given in God’s Word and the Spirit of Prophecy. How can any Seventh-day Adventist today, who claims to have the faith of Jesus as we read in Revelation 14:12, deny our precious Saviour by keeping feast days, which by their very purpose showed that Christ had not yet come the first time?

The Lord’s Supper

The Passover, with its feast of unleavened bread, was fulfilled; for we read in 1 Corinthians 5:7 that Jesus, our Passover, was crucified for us. The unleavened bread was the offering of Christ’s sinless life, for He said, “I am the Bread of life.” John 6:35. The slain lamb, the unleavened bread, the sheaf of the first fruits represented our Saviour’s death, His sinless life, and resurrection.

As Christians, we now celebrate the Lord’s Supper, which Christ instituted in the place of the Passover. Jesus said, “As often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord’s death till he come.” 1 Corinthians 11:26.

In the Review and Herald, May 31, 1898, we read: “In instituting the sacramental service to take the place of the Passover, Christ left for his church a memorial of his great sacrifice for man. ‘This do,’ he said, ‘in remembrance of me.’ [Luke 22:19.] This was the point of transition between two economies and their two great festivals. The one was to close forever; the other, which he had just established, was to take its place, and to continue through all time as the memorial of his death.”

“This ordinance [feet-washing] does not speak so largely to man’s intellectual capacity as to his heart. His moral and spiritual nature needs it. If His disciples had not needed this, it would not have been left for them as Christ’s last established ordinance in connection with, and including, the last supper. It was Christ’s desire to leave to his disciples an ordinance that would do for them the very thing they needed,—that would serve to disentangle them from the rites and ceremonies which they had hitherto engaged in as essential, and which the reception of the gospel made no longer of any force. To continue these rites would be an insult to Jehovah.” Ibid., June 14, 1898. Nothing could be spoken more clearly.

Other Fulfillments

Now, let us consider the Feast of Weeks called The Pentecost. This was fulfilled 50 days following the Last Supper. It was known as the celebration of the wheat harvest, made possible by the early rains, which provided the harvests at Pentecost. It was at this time that the Holy Spirit descended with mighty power upon the disciples.

Pentecost, called also the Feast of Weeks or Feast of Harvest, was a time of gratitude to God for the harvest. “As an expression of gratitude for the grain prepared as food, two loaves baked with leaven were presented before God.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 540. Pentecost occupied but one day, which was devoted to religious service. The feasts of the Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the Feast of Harvest or Pentecost occurred during the spring of the year. All these feasts pointed forward to events connected with the redemption provided by Christ at the time of the first advent.

After Pentecost came the Feast of Trumpets. This feast took place ten days before the Day of Atonement. The fall feasts represent events before and after the Second Advent. The three fall feasts were the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles.

Day of Atonement

Next came the Day of Atonement. Its fulfillment is in progress today. To keep this feast day is to deny that Christ is in the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary making atonement for our sins. The keeping of this feast day would make it impossible for us to benefit from His work in the heavenly sanctuary. This is not the time to be concerned with Jewish feast days of the past.

Ellen White clearly emphasized that preparation for the atonement is the present truth of this hour:

“We are in the great day of atonement, and the sacred work of Christ for the people of God that is going on at the present time in the heavenly sanctuary should be our constant study. We should teach our children what the typical Day of Atonement signified and that it was a special season of great humiliation and confession of sins before God. The antitypical day of atonement is to be of the same character. Everyone who teaches the truth by precept and example will give the trumpet a certain sound. You need ever to cultivate spirituality, because it is not natural for you to be heavenly-minded. The great work is before us of leading the people away from worldly customs and practices, up higher and higher, to spirituality, piety, and earnest work for God. It is your work to proclaim the message of the third angel, to sound the last note of warning to the world.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 520.

“Will our churches humble themselves before the Lord in this day of atonement? Will they put away the sins which defile their garments of character, and separate them from God? The present is our day of visitation. Look not to a future, more convenient season, when the cross to be lifted will be less heavy, when the inclinations of the carnal heart will be subdued with less effort. ‘Today,’ saith the Spirit of God, ‘if ye will hear his voice, harden not your heart.’ [Hebrews 3:7, 8.] Today go about the work, else you may be one day too late. The impression that you have now may not be as strong tomorrow. Satan’s snare may close about you. The candlestick may be moved out of its place, and you left in darkness. ‘See that you refuse not him that speaketh.’ [Hebrews 12:25.] Says the true Witness, ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock.’ [Revelation 3:20.] Every warning, reproof, and entreaty in the word of God, or through his delegated messengers, is a knock at the door of the heart; it is the voice of Jesus, asking for entrance. With every knock unheeded, your determination to open becomes weaker and weaker. If the voice of Jesus is not heeded at once, it becomes confused in the mind with a multitude of other voices, the world’s care and business engross the attention, and conviction dies away. The heart becomes less impressible, and lapses into a perilous unconsciousness of the shortness of time, and of the great eternity beyond. The heavenly Guest is standing at your door, while you are piling up obstructions to bar his entrance. Jesus is knocking through the prosperity he gives you. He loads you with blessings to test your fidelity, that they may flow out from you to others. Will you permit your selfishness to triumph? Will you squander God’s talents, and lose your soul through idolatrous love of the blessings he has given?” Review and Herald, November 2, 1886.

“This is our washing and ironing time—the time when we are to cleanse our robes of character in the blood of the Lamb. John says, ‘Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world’ (John 1:29). . . . Shall we not let our sin go? . . .

“I entreat you, brethren and sisters, to labor earnestly to secure the crown of everlasting life. The reward will be worth the conflict, worth the effort. . . . In the race in which we are running, everyone may receive the reward offered―a crown of everlasting life. I [Ellen White] want this crown; I mean by God’s help to have it. I mean to hold fast to the truth, that I may see the King in His beauty.” In Heavenly Places, 356.

Feast of Tabernacles

Let us consider the last feast of the Jewish year, which was called the Feast of Tabernacles. Here we must again ask a very important question: Have the prophetic requirements of this Feast of Tabernacles been fulfilled for God’s people today? The answer is, No.

The purpose of this feast for Israel of old was to bring to memory how God had delivered them from the Egyptian bondage and by His loving care had protected and brought them to the Promised Land. This is why they were commanded to go to Jerusalem, at the close of each Jewish year, and abide in temporary shelters made from the branches of trees. During this feast, they were to celebrate. The Day of Atonement had been completed; all of their past sins had been carried away out of the sanctuary into the wilderness by the scapegoat.

For us who are living in the end-time, we cannot celebrate this Feast of Tabernacles, for our Day of Atonement is still in progress. Our past sins have not been blotted out of the heavenly sanctuary, as of yet. Furthermore, we have not reached the Promised Land and entered into the heavenly New Jerusalem where we shall abide in temporary homes until we are finally restored to the earth made new, there to build houses and inhabit them. (Isaiah 65:21.)

Camp Meetings

In reference to these facts, the Spirit of Prophecy encourages the people of God today to hold and to attend camp meetings. At these gatherings, a rehearsing of how God has led in the development of His church is to be given. In addition, studies should be given, as the end draws near, on how to meet the final test and be ready to see Jesus. By such suggestions, Ellen White is not telling us to keep the feast days, but that our camp meetings should become presentations filled with glorious truths of the Second Coming of our Saviour that will bring to an end our wandering in this sin-cursed world.

She further states in the Review and Herald, January 9, 1883, “The opinion is widely held, that the sacrifices and offerings of the Hebrews possess no significance for Christians, and can be of no interest to them. This opinion is without foundation. It is true that the ceremonies of the Mosaic law are not now to be observed; but, when rightly understood, they are seen to be all aglow with sacred and important truths. These rites, appointed by Jehovah himself, were like so many beacons to light up the path of God’s ancient people, and to direct their minds to the great sacrifice to be offered for the sins of men. Viewed in the light of the cross, they contain most precious lessons for the people of God today.”

This is what Ellen White had in mind when she spoke of camp meetings in the Review and Herald, November 17, 1885. “Well would it be for us to have a feast of tabernacles, a joyous commemoration of the blessings of God to us as a people. As the children of Israel celebrated the deliverance that God wrought for their fathers, and his miraculous preservation of them during their journeyings from Egypt to the Promised Land, so should the people of God at the present time gratefully call to mind the various ways He has devised to bring them out from the world, out from the darkness of error, into the precious light of truth. . . . We should gratefully regard the old way-marks, and refresh our souls with memories of the loving-kindness of our gracious Benefactor.”

Several years later, Mrs. White wrote: “The forces of the enemies are strengthening, and as a people we are misrepresented; but shall we not gather our forces together, and come up to the feast of tabernacles? Let us not treat this matter as one of little importance, but let the army of the Lord be on the ground to represent the work and cause of God in Australia. Let no one plead an excuse at such a time. One of the reasons why we have appointed the camp meeting to be held at Melbourne, is that we desire the people of that vicinity to become acquainted with our doctrines and works. We want them to know what we are, and what we believe. Let everyone pray, and make God his trust. Those who are barricaded with prejudice must hear the warning message for this time. We must find our way to the hearts of the people. Therefore, come to the camp meeting, even though you have to make a sacrifice to do so, and the Lord will bless your efforts to honor his cause and advance his work.” The Bible Echo, December 8, 1893.

Present Truth

There is no doubt as to the conclusion as we read from Manuscript Releases, vol. 18, 270: “Will you listen to the voice of Christ? Will you break away from self and respond, ‘We come, Lord, we come. With joy shall we draw water out of the wells of salvation’? Then shall your life henceforth be a continual Feast of Tabernacles, a continual thank offering for unnumbered and unmerited blessings.”

Finally, let us ever keep in mind,

“The people whom God had called to be the pillar and ground of the truth had become representatives of Satan. They were doing the work that he desired them to do, taking a course to misrepresent the character of God, and cause the world to look upon Him as a tyrant. The very priests who ministered in the temple had lost sight of the significance of the service they performed. They had ceased to look beyond the symbol to the thing signified. In presenting the sacrificial offerings they were as actors in a play. The ordinances which God Himself had appointed were made the means of blinding the mind and hardening the heart. God could do no more for man through these channels. The whole system must be swept away.” The Desire of Ages, 36.

So, let us fill our minds with present truth. May we not be ensnared by the great deceiver and become so involved with past Old Testament feast days that we shall fail to meet heaven’s requirements for the final atonement and to give the last warning message of present truth—the Three Angels’ Messages.

For over 60 years Pastor Lawrence Nelson served as an evangelist and minister for the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Of that time, he served 13 years as the director of evangelism for youth at the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Upon retirement from the General Conference, he continued to pastor, but when, as a result of his stand for truth, he was denied the opportunity to continue his pastorate, he started Keep the Faith Audio Tape Ministry, recording his sermons and making them available to individuals. Before his retirement from this ministry in 2004, over 18,000 audiotapes were being sent around the world each month.

John the Baptist

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Ellen White has told us that we should study the lives of John the Baptist and Enoch—prototypes of those living in the last days: “The experience of Enoch and of John the Baptist represents what ours should be. Far more than we do, we need to study the lives of these men,—he who was translated to heaven without seeing death; and he who, before Christ’s first advent, was called to prepare the way of the Lord, to make His paths straight.” Gospel Workers, 51.

The Old Testament ends with Malachi 4:5, 6: “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.”

The great and dreadful day of the Lord is Jesus’ Second Coming. Elijah the prophet will be sent before that event to give an Elijah message. Before Jesus’ first coming, a man came who was also called Elijah. That was not his name, but that is what Jesus called him. Why did He call this man Elijah? The answer is given in Luke 1:15–17.

He would be filled with the Holy Spirit from conception; even before he could reason or think. That was because his parents were filled with the Holy Spirit. Luke 1:6 says, “They were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.” He was a vessel whom God filled. This filling of the Holy Spirit is promised to all, including children. (See Acts 2:38, 39.)

John the Baptist had a great work to do; therefore Gabriel was sent to give explicit instruction to his parents as to how he was to be raised. How wonderful it would be, parents, to have Gabriel tell you how to raise your children! He gave detailed instruction on diet as well as other things. A synopsis of his instruction is found in Luke 1:13–20.

Health Reformer

Of this instruction, Ellen White wrote: “John the Baptist was a reformer. To him was committed a great work for the people of his time. And in preparation for that work, all his habits were carefully regulated, even from his birth. The angel Gabriel was sent from heaven to instruct the parents of John in the principles of health reform.” Temperance, 90, 91.

In all the stories about John the Baptist that are recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, any mention about John and his life specifically state that he had a special diet. He ate locusts and wild honey.

The locusts referred to a locust bean, not a bug. John the Baptist was a vegetarian! (See Testimonies, vol. 3, 62.) That is why the Bible is so specific about what he ate. He is a type of those who will be living before Jesus’ Second Coming.

Health reform is certainly a part of getting ready for Jesus’ Second Coming. We need to clean and purify our bodies and our lives.

“He [John the Baptist] was a representative of those living in the last days, to whom God has entrusted sacred truths to present before the people, to prepare the way for the second appearing of Christ. And the same principles of temperance which John practiced should be observed by those who in our day are to warn the world of the coming of the Son of man.” Temperance, 91.

“Those who are to prepare the way for the second coming of Christ are represented by faithful Elijah, as John came in the spirit of Elijah to prepare the way for Christ’s first advent. The great subject of reform is to be agitated, and the public mind is to be stirred. Temperance in all things is to be connected with the message, to turn the people of God from their idolatry, their gluttony, and their extravagance in dress and other things.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 62.

God’s Communication

Revelation 12:17 tells us that God will communicate with us in the last days. The last church will have the same thing that John the Baptist had. It will have the testimony of Jesus Christ. John the Baptist’s father was a prophet. He received messages from God through the angel. In the last days, God gives messages through a prophet. That is what the testimony of Jesus Christ is.

We have the same work to do that John was given, and with this great responsibility lies a promise. Like John the Baptist’s parents, we have counsel from God, telling us how to raise our children and how we should live, helping us with our diet and our education, telling us where we should live and how to work. God has provided all this through His messenger in her writings such as Counsels on Diet and Foods; Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students; and Testimonies for the Church.

John the Baptist is a type, a representative of those living in the last days. The instruction for him was given to someone else who passed it on to him. It came through Gabriel speaking to his father before he was ever born or even conceived. He had to trust in his father’s revelation.

And, so, God has also given us a revelation. True, it has come through a channel, not to us directly, but God has communicated to us in the same way. Oh, how we should value and trust these revelations and appreciate them! The gift of prophecy is one of the signs of the remnant church. This church is entrusted with the Elijah message, the Elijah mission. How fortunate we are! It is only as we make use of the information that God has given to us, as our lives are filled with the Holy Spirit, that we can be representatives of Christ, as was John the Baptist, and be ready for Jesus’ Second Coming.

Heed the Instruction

John would never have accomplished his mission, even though the Lord had spoken to him, unless he heeded the message. He did heed the instruction, and the Lord blessed. (See Luke 1:80.) Will we as a church succeed unless we fulfill the messages that have been given to us through the gift of prophecy?

John the Baptist went to the desert for his education. He did not go to the schools of the Rabbis. He did not gain his instruction from the theological thoughts of the day. He went into the wilderness, and there he prayed, studied the Scriptures, and became taught of God.

“God did not send him to the teachers of theology to learn how to interpret the Scriptures. He called him to the desert, that he might learn of nature and nature’s God.” The Desire of Ages, 101.

In the last days, God is going to mightily use humble people filled with His Spirit. They will be instructed by God through their study of the Bible, as they study the instructions that He has given to add light to the Bible through the Spirit of Prophecy, and through prayer. They will be messengers like John the Baptist. “God can raise up men and fit them to carry this message in the power and the Spirit. Although they are lowly, yet in humble obedience they will learn of God and receive counsel of him.” Review and Herald, August 1862.

It is dangerous to put more and more emphasis on secular education for the finishing of God’s work versus experience and knowledge of the Bible. We need to remember that Jesus was not educated in the schools of the day, and neither was John the Baptist. God can teach people today just as He taught them then.

Separated From Evil Influences

“It was John’s choice to forego the enjoyments and luxuries of city life for the stern discipline of the wilderness. Here his surroundings were favorable to habits of simplicity and self-denial. Uninterrupted by the clamor of the world, he could here study the lessons of nature, of revelation, and of providence. … To him the solitude of the desert was a welcome escape from society in which suspicion, unbelief, and impurity had become well-nigh all-pervading. He distrusted his own power to withstand temptation, and shrank from constant contact with sin, lest he should lose the sense of its exceeding sinfulness.

“But the life of John was not spent in idleness, in ascetic gloom, or in selfish isolation. From time to time he went forth to mingle with men; and he was ever an interested observer of what was passing in the world. From his quiet retreat he watched the unfolding of events. With vision illuminated by the divine Spirit, he studied the characters of men, that he might understand how to reach their hearts with the message of heaven.” Review and Herald, December 17, 1903.

John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit from his very birth. He was a health reformer; he was instructed by the Holy Spirit, but even he who had been raised by God-fearing parents, who themselves were filled by the Holy Spirit, was scared of constant contact with evil. He was afraid he would lose a sense of the exceeding sinfulness of sin.

Do you suppose if John the Baptist was scared of that, that we might be a little afraid of that too? Do you suppose that John the Baptist would have spent time and allowed himself to be influenced by daily watching television or listening to what comes over the radio? Or would he have been scared of what it might have done to him?

Speaking of John the Baptist, Ellen White wrote: “If there was anyone who could remain unaffected by the corrupting influences of the age in which he lived, it was surely he. Yet he did not venture to trust his strength; he separated himself from his friends and relatives, that his natural affections might not prove a snare to him. He would not place himself unnecessarily in the way of temptation nor where the luxuries or even the conveniences of life would lead him to indulge in ease or to gratify his appetite, and thus lessen his physical and mental strength. …

“The forerunner of Christ, did not expose himself to evil conversation and the corrupting influences of the world. He feared the effect upon his conscience, that sin might not appear to him so exceedingly sinful. He chose rather to have his home in the wilderness, where his senses would not be perverted by his surroundings.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 108, 109.

When we are searching for a place to live, it would serve us well to think about the influences that surround our potential homes. John’s example gives ample reasons for us to find homes in the country.

We should not flatter ourselves that we are too strong for any influences to affect us, but we should, in humility, guard ourselves from temptation. Even if we move to the country, if we continue to listen to the radio or watch television, we are subjecting ourselves to evil influences and to temptations.

Humbleness

From John 3:26–30, we read: “And they came to John and said to him, ‘Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified—behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!’ John answered and said, ‘A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, “I am not the Christ,” but, “I have been sent before Him.” He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. He must increase, but I [must] decrease.’ ”

What a magnanimous attitude! Most of us do not mind starting out small as long as we can climb and climb and climb. But we are not always as humble as was John the Baptist.

“Looking in faith to the Redeemer, John had risen to the height of self-abnegation. He sought not to attract men to himself, but to lift their thoughts higher and still higher, until they should rest upon the Lamb of God. He himself had been only a voice, a cry in the wilderness. Now with joy he accepted silence and obscurity, that the eyes of all might be turned to the Light of life.

“Those who are true to their calling as messengers for God will not seek honor for themselves. Love for self will be swallowed up in love for Christ. …

“We can receive of heaven’s light only as we are willing to be emptied of self. … To all who do this, the Holy Spirit is given without measure.” Testimonies, vol. 8, 333, 334.

The one requirement of being filled with the Holy Spirit is to be emptied of self. The Holy Spirit will come in only as we are humbled, as we are emptied of self. Only then will He come in and fill the void.

When Jesus comes again, He is going to have a people like John the Baptist—people who are health reformers, who are instructed by the Holy Spirit, who are separated, as far as they can be, from evil influences, and who are humble.

As was written of John the Baptist, may it be said of God’s last-day people: “By day and by night, Christ was his study, his meditation, until mind and heart and soul were filled with the glorious vision.

“He looked upon the King in His beauty, and self was lost sight of. He beheld the majesty of holiness and knew himself to be inefficient and unworthy. It was God’s message that he was to declare. It was in God’s power and His righteousness that he was to stand. He was ready to go forth as Heaven’s messenger, unawed by the human, because he had looked upon the Divine. He could stand fearless in the presence of earthly monarchs because with trembling he had bowed before the King of kings.” Testimonies, vol. 8, 331, 332.

Pastor Marshall Grosboll, with his wife Lillian, founded Steps to Life. In July 1991, Pastor Marshall and his family met with tragedy as they were returning home from a camp meeting in Washington state, when the airplane he was piloting went down, killing all on board.

The Fruit of the Holy Spirit

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There is a burden that is heavy on God’s heart for this church, as well as all churches on earth, and that burden is that most professed Christians are lacking the fruit of the Holy Spirit, and also that we may sense our need for the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

It is by the working of the Holy Spirit that Christ is enthroned in the life of the believer. It is the Holy Spirit that makes a person a Christian, and it is He that cleanses the mind and regenerates the believer. What is the fruit of the Holy Spirit, and how is it important in the lives of the members of the church?

What is the fruit of the Holy Spirit? In Paul’s letter to the Galatian Christians, Galatians chapter 5:22, 23, Paul states: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” The word “fruit” is singular. There is but one fruit of the Holy Spirit, and that one fruit includes all of the Christians graces.

In Manuscript 16, 1892, Ellen White states: “The attribute that Christ appreciates most in man is charity (love) out of a pure heart. This is the fruit borne upon the Christian tree.” Ellen G. White Comments, Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 6, 1091. Also in The Review and Herald, June 5, 1888, she states: “Love is a plant of heavenly origin, and if we would have it flourish in our hearts, we must cultivate it daily. Mildness, gentleness, long-suffering, not being easily provoked, bearing all things, enduring all things—these are the fruits upon the precious tree of love.” Also in Ephesians 5:9, Paul again states: “For the fruit of the Spirit [is] in all goodness and righteousness and truth.” In James 3:18, the apostle shows that, “The fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.”

“Righteousness is holiness, likeness to God; and ‘God is love.’ It is conformity to the law of God; for ‘all thy commandments are righteousness;’ and ‘love is the fulfilling of the law.’ Righteousness is love, and love is the light and the life of God. The righteousness of God is embodied in Christ. We receive righteousness by receiving Him.” Sons and Daughters of God, 304.

The wise man Solomon mentions that “the wicked worketh a deceitful work: but to him that soweth righteousness [shall be] a sure reward. As righteousness [tendeth] to life: so he that pursueth evil [pursueth it] to his own death.” [Proverbs 11:18-19.] It is on this basis that the minor prophet Hosea records in chapter 10:12, “Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for [it is] time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.”

So the result of possessing or bearing the fruit of the Holy Spirit which Paul says is love will be made manifest in all acts of righteousness, goodness and truth. But why is this so? In the book Sons and Daughters of God, 80, we are instructed, “A thoroughgoing Christian draws his motives of action from his deep heart-love for his Master. Up through the roots of his affection for Christ springs an unselfish interest in his brethren.”

In the book The Acts of the Apostles, 551, 552, we are also told, “John strove to lead the believers to understand the exalted privileges that would come to them through the exercise of the spirit of love. This redeeming power, filling the heart, would control every other motive and raise its possessors above the corrupting influences of the world. And as this love was allowed full sway and became the motive power in the life, their trust and confidence in God and His dealing with them would be complete. They could then come to Him in full confidence of faith, knowing that they would receive from Him everything needful for their present and eternal good.”

Love becomes the motive power that prompts all actions, and as a consequence righteousness, goodness, and truth are the results.

“The gift of righteousness is communicated to men through the agency of the Holy Spirit (John 16:8). Herein lies the difference between the ineffective righteousness man seeks through works and the effective righteousness that comes through faith. In the former the Spirit has no part, for the effort is purely human and thus independent of divine grace.” Ellen G. White Comments, Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 6, 977.

The Apostle Paul speaks of the fruit of the Spirit being “Love”, that which naturally develops in the life when the Spirit has control. The fruit of the Holy Spirit is not the natural product of human nature, but of a power wholly outside of man. In Testimonies, vol. 2, 135, we have recorded, “Love is of God. The unconverted heart cannot originate nor produce this plant of heavenly growth, which lives and flourishes only where Christ reigns.”

Selected Messages, Book 2, 187, has recorded, “Love is the fruit that is borne on the Christian tree, the fruit that is as the leaves of the tree of life for the healing of the nations.”

People are referred to as trees in Scripture; Scriptural references: Judges 9:8; Judges 11:16, 17, 19; Judges 17:8; Ezekiel 17:21–24; Daniel 4; Zachariah 11:2; Matthew 3:10; Matthew 7:15–22; Matthew 12:33–35; Romans 11:17–24; Songs of Solomon 2:3; Isaiah 61:3 “To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.”

Isaiah 5:1–7 “Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill: And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard. What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes? And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; [and] break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down: And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts [is] the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.”

Matthew 15:13: “But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.”

Love, the fruit of the Spirit, is borne on the Christian tree. In Scripture, human beings are referred to as trees—either a corrupt tree or a good/righteous tree. When the life is wholly surrendered to Christ, the Holy Spirit causes the fruit of love to grow on the human tree. This fruit, in turn, when present in the life of the professed Christian brings forth or bears fruits such as joy, peace, long-suffering, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. But this is all the product of an indwelling Christ as a result of the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

So the Holy Spirit quickens the sinner; he/she responds positively to the Holy Spirit, at which time the Holy Spirit regenerates the sinner and brings Christ into the life of the born again person. Christ infuses His life into the human tree; the converted person bears the fruit of love and this fruit in turn produces the fruits of joy, peace long-suffering, etc.—the graces of the Holy Spirit. So we all can see why so many professed Christians lack the fruit of the Holy Spirit—Love.

How does man develop the fruit of the Holy Spirit? Paul states in Ephesians 5:9, “(For the fruit of the Spirit [is] in all goodness and righteousness and truth.)” “As you receive the Spirit of Christ, … you will grow and bring forth fruit. The graces of the Spirit will ripen in your character. Your faith will increase, your convictions deepen, your love be made perfect. More and more you will reflect the likeness of Christ in all that is pure, noble, and lovely. …” Sons and Daughters of God, 32.

In John 15:5, Jesus declared to his disciples, as well as us today: “I am the vine, ye [are] the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”

In Testimonies, vol. 2, 48, God’s servant states: “It is only by personal union with Christ, by communion with Him daily, hourly, that we can bear the fruits of the Holy Spirit.” The Faith I Live By, 135.

In The Review and Herald, January 24, 1893, we see this profound statement, “We may leave off many bad habits, and yet not be truly sanctified, because we do not have a connection with God. We must unite with Christ.”

The Desire of Ages, 173, tells us: “When the Spirit of God takes possession of the heart, it transforms the life. Sinful thoughts are put away, evil deeds are renounced; love, humility, and peace take the place of anger, envy, and strife. Joy takes the place of sadness, and the countenance reflects the light of heaven.” Therefore, it is by a total surrendering of ourselves to the Holy Spirit and allowing Christ to abide in us and we in Him that this heavenly fruit will take possession of us!

“Christ Himself calls our attention to the growth of the vegetable world as an illustration of the agency of His Spirit in sustaining spiritual life. The sap of the vine, ascending from the root, is diffused to the branches, sustaining growth and producing blossoms and fruit. So the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit, proceeding from the Saviour, pervades the soul, renews the motives and affections, and brings even the thoughts into obedience to the will of God, enabling the receiver to bear the precious fruit of holy deeds.” The Act of the Apostles, 284.

Now all of this is made possible by putting self aside fully and completely. In Gospel Workers, 287, this thought is substantiated: “When one is fully emptied of self, when every false god is cast out of the soul, the vacuum is filled by the inflowing of the Spirit of Christ. Such a one has the faith that purifies the soul from defilement. He is conformed to the Spirit, and he minds the things of the Spirit. He has no confidence in self. Christ is all and in all. He receives with meekness the truth that is constantly being unfolded, and gives the Lord all the glory, saying: ‘God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit.’ ‘Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.’

“The Spirit that reveals, also works in him the fruits of righteousness. Christ is in him, ‘a well of water springing up into everlasting life.’ [John 4:14.] He is a branch of the True Vine, and bears rich clusters of fruit to the glory of God. What is the character of the fruit borne?—The fruit of the Spirit is ‘love,’ not hatred; ‘joy,’ not discontent and mourning; ‘peace,’ not irritation, anxiety, and manufactured trials. It is ‘long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.’ ”

Also we read in the book Steps to Christ, 58, “Those who become new creatures in Christ Jesus will bring forth the fruits of the Spirit, ‘love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.’ (Galatians 5:22, 23). They will no longer fashion themselves according to the former lusts, but by the faith of the Son of God they will follow in His steps, reflect His character, and purify themselves even as He is pure. The things they once hated they now love, and the things they once loved they hate. The proud and self-assertive become meek and lowly in heart. The vain and supercilious become serious and unobtrusive. The drunken become sober, and the profligate pure. The vain customs and fashions of the world are laid aside. Christians will seek not the ‘outward adorning,’ but ‘the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit.’ (I Peter 3:3, 4.)”

In his first epistle to the Corinthians the Apostle Paul sets forth the importance of that love which should be cherished by the followers of Christ. We read in I Corinthians 13:1, 2: “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become [as] sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have [the gift of] prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.”

“No matter how high his profession, he whose heart is not imbued with love for God and for his fellow men is not a disciple of Christ. Though he should possess great faith, and even have power to work miracles, yet without love his faith would be worthless. He might display great liberality, but should he from some other motive than genuine love bestow all his goods to feed the poor, the act would not commend him to the favor of God. In his zeal he might even meet a martyr’s death, yet if destitute of the gold of love he would be regarded by God as a deluded enthusiast or an ambitious hypocrite.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 168.

The apostle proceeds to specify the fruits of love: ‘Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not.’ The divine love ruling in the heart exterminates pride and selfishness. ‘Charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up.’ [I Corinthians 13:4.] The purest joy springs from the deepest humiliation. The strongest and noblest characters rest upon the foundation of patience and love, and trusting submission to the will of God.

“Charity ‘doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil.’ Verse 5. The heart in which love rules will not be filled with passion or revenge, by injuries which pride and self-love would deem unbearable. Love is unsuspecting, ever placing the most favorable construction upon the motives and acts of others. Love will never needlessly expose the faults of others. It does not listen eagerly to unfavorable reports, but rather seeks to bring to mind some good qualities of the one defamed.

“Love ‘rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth.’ Verse 6. He whose heart is imbued with love is filled with sorrow at the errors and weaknesses of others; but when truth triumphs, when the cloud that darkened the fair fame of another is removed, or when sins are confessed and wrongs corrected, he rejoices.

“ ‘Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.’ Verse 7. Love not only bears with others’ faults, but cheerfully submits to whatever suffering or inconvenience such forbearance makes necessary. This love ‘never faileth.’ Verse 8. It can never lose its value; it is the attribute of heaven. As a precious treasure it will be carried by its possessor through the portals of the city of God.

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, and peace. Discord and strife are the work of Satan and the fruit of sin. If we would as a people enjoy peace and love, we must put away our sins; we must come into harmony with God, and we shall be in harmony with one another. Let each ask himself: Do I possess the grace of love? Have I learned to suffer long and to be kind? Talents, learning, and eloquence, without this heavenly attribute, will be as meaningless as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. Alas that this precious treasure is so lightly valued and so little sought by many who profess the faith!” Testimonies, vol. 5, 169.

In the Epistle to the Colossian Christians, Paul counsels: “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also [do] ye. And above all these things [put on] charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, [do] all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.” Colossians 3:12-15, 17.

I John 4: 7-11: “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son [to be] the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.” Let each ask himself: Do I possess the grace of love?

Pastor Ivan Plummer ministers through the Emmanuel Seventh Day Church Ministries in Bronx, New York. He may be contacted by telephone at: 718-822-3900.

Daniel and the Lions

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Daniel was part of the very elite of Babylon. The highest position was that of the King; beneath him were the presidents, and beneath them were the princes. Daniel had been made a president, and was preferred over all of the other presidents and princes because he had an excellent spirit. (Daniel 6:1–3.)

There were those in the kingdom who became jealous of the success Daniel accrued. They tried everything to find a flaw in his character in an attempt to remove him from his position, but they were unable to find one single flaw with him. As determined as these jealous people were, they devised a plan whereby Daniel would be forced to break the law of his God, or face the consequences.

The king at the time was a Media-Persian, Darius. He had come into power after the death of Belshazzar, the son of Nebuchadnezzar. Darius was approached by all the presidents and princes, and it was suggested by them that a royal statute be passed, that if any man worships or prays to any god or man other than the king for 30 days, he should be thrown into the lions’ den.

Darius passed the law, leaving Daniel with a choice to make. He could follow the law of King Darius, or he could follow the law of His God. Daniel decided to return to his house. As was normal, he got on his knees and prayed. Daniel prayed three times a day, setting himself by the open window and lifting his face to God. Daniel chose to change nothing about the way he prayed—not even by closing his window.

The men that had suggested the decree, expecting Daniel to carry on as usual, saw Daniel praying and immediately told King Darius what they had seen. The king had no choice but to follow the punishment as set out in the decree—to cast Daniel into the lions’ den.

Now the King was very displeased about this. He valued Daniel very highly in his kingdom and did not want to throw him to the lions. But Darius could not change the law, for the laws of the Medes and Persians could not be changed. When the time came for Daniel to be thrown to the lions, the king said, “Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.” Daniel was thrown in, and a stone placed over the entrance. (Daniel 6:16, 17.)

On the king’s return to the den, he ordered the stone to be rolled away. Now, as he looked into the den, he saw that Daniel was untouched by the lions, and was overjoyed to see Daniel alive! Daniel turned to Darius and said, “My God hath sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me.” (Daniel 6:22.)

Darius was extremely angry with the men that had accused Daniel, and ordered Daniel’s accusers to receive the same punishment—to be thrown into the lions’ den. Seeing the power of God, Darius proceeded to write to all the people in his kingdom, telling them to worship the living God of Daniel. (Daniel 6:26.)

So there we have the story of Daniel and the lions’ den. Daniel had been given the highest position available beneath King Darius. In this world today, there are many people who consider themselves to be powerful. In fact, there are very many who believe that their success and safety will continue forever. But not even the God-fearing Daniel was safe from harm. He too had to face his trials, and none of his own power could save him. Only the power of God would be sufficient to save his life.

The very foundation of Daniel’s life, the very reason he was serving King Darius in one of the greatest positions within the kingdom, was his love for God and His Word. Think about your own life for a moment. For what things in your life can you thank God? If we follow God’s laws, if we ask God to guide us in all things, He will bless us in so many ways with more blessing than we can imagine. Daniel did all these things; He followed God and kept His laws. But Daniel was still thrown to the lions. The jealous people in the kingdom conspired against him and used the one thing they knew Daniel would not break—God’s law—against him.

When the decree was passed, Daniel had to make a decision: stop praying to God and avoid being thrown to the lions, or continue praying and face almost certain death. Daniel showed us that he was able, through strength in God, to stand strong; he showed the courage that we all associate with his name even today. He went back home and prayed with the windows open, proclaiming to all that he would rather die than displease the God he loved.

Daniel did not deliberately antagonize those who were out to get him. He did not go to his window to pray to infuriate the men who were trying to destroy him. He prayed in this manner to let the people know that God is bigger than they, and no law should be acknowledged if it is contrary to God’s law.

How many times are the foundations of our lives challenged in such a manner? Most likely there are not many up to this point, but we are rapidly coming upon a time when our rock will be shaken and God’s people opposed en masse—the national Sunday law. There will come a time when a law will be drawn which will require all people to worship on Sunday. When that law comes, we also will have a decision to make. Whatever the punishment may be, we will need to choose between worshipping on the seventh-day Sabbath, or on the first day of the week. So what will we do? Will we follow in the footsteps of Daniel; do we continue to follow the law of the Lord, regardless of the consequences?

We will have a very difficult decision to make. Our whole lives will depend on this decision. Now, there will be no need to go out to the world and advertise the fact that we are breaking a set law, but we will need to follow Daniel’s example and obey God under all pressure. If we follow the law of man, we may not be persecuted and thrown into the lions’ den right away, but we will face something far worse: missing out on the gift of eternal life.

Such a decision may seem insurmountable and impossible to make; however, in considering the other possibility, relenting the law of God has far more odious consequences than those imposed by man for the disobedience to His law. We need to be ready to follow Christ: to put all of our faith in Him who will strengthen us; to follow Christ to the letter of His law. There is no sin in God’s eyes that is not abhorrent or small. If we cannot follow God in the small things, there is no possibility of following Him when more serious matters are at stake.

There are three examples in the Bible of “small sins.” These three examples all involve food as temptation. Those tempted were Adam and Eve, Daniel, and Jesus. Adam was tempted with fruit, Daniel with meat, and Jesus with bread. Now, Adam did not stay strong; he accepted the lies of the serpent, and in so doing, rejected God. He gave in to sin, and sin has forever since plagued mankind. Daniel, however, did not give in, and the faith he showed in God was rewarded with his powerful position in the kingdom. And as for Jesus, did He sin? No! He was able to fight temptation and go on to live a sin-free life. The key is to overcome in the small things, that the big things may also be conquered. Daniel could have chosen to eat the meat, but he did not. Jesus could have turned the stone into bread, but He did not, despite His hunger in the wilderness. And when the time came for bigger tests, the faith they showed in the small things led them to show greater faith in the big things. Do not let the small things stop us from overcoming the big things. We need to prepare ourselves every day for the final steps of our Christian walk. We need to start to overcome the small things now. The question is: in the battle for your salvation, which choice will you make? Will you stay true to God, or will you give up? Remember, Daniel did not give up. Yes, he was thrown to the lions, but that was not a hindrance. And because of his faithfulness, God did not give up on him either. God delivered Daniel from the mouths of the lions, and in the same way, He will deliver us from evil.

Ellen G. White tells us that, “It may be a difficult matter for men in high positions to pursue the path of undeviating integrity whether they shall receive praise or censure. Yet this is the only safe course. All the rewards which they might gain by selling their honor would be only as the breath from polluted lips, as dross to be consumed in the fire. Those who have moral courage to stand in opposition to the vices and errors of their fellow-men—it may be of those whom the world honor—will receive hatred, insult, and abusive falsehood. They may be thrust down from their high position, because they would not be bought or sold, because they could not be induced by bribes or threats to stain their hands with iniquity. Everything on earth may seem to conspire against them; but God has set his seal upon his own work. They may be regarded by their fellow-men as weak, unmanly, unfit to hold office; but how differently does the Most High regard them. Those who despise them are the really ignorant. While the storms of calumny and reviling may pursue the man of integrity through life, and beat upon his grave, God has the ‘well done’ prepared for him. Folly and iniquity will at best yield only a life of unrest and discontent, and at its close a thorny dying pillow. And how many, as they view their course of action and its results, are led to end with their own hands their disgraceful career. And beyond all this waits the Judgment, and the final, irrevocable doom, Depart!” The Signs of the Times, February 2, 1882.

The fast approaching end will not be a time of ease. The decisions that will soon be facing the believers will be very difficult ones, but, like Daniel, we must make the right choice, or be faced with far worse consequences. We need to grow in Christ. We need Christ in our hearts and minds for Him to renew us. We need His strength to help us take the right path.

Daniel Murray lives in England and works in company law. He can be reached by e-mail at: landmarks@stepstolife.org.

What Might Have Been

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When God created Adam and Eve, He gave them a home in the beautiful garden of Eden and endowed them with stewardship over all the created beings and vegetation. Adam named all the animals and had free use of the earth. God had a beautiful plan for man here on this planet: a home where they would ever have the joys of peace and harmony between heaven and earth. What a wonderful heritage it was and could have been forever, but they disobeyed God, and what might have been never came about.

They were barred from the beautiful Garden of Eden, and Adam had to earn their living by the sweat of his face. And Eve had to bear children through much pain and suffering. How different it was from their original home in the garden. It was not what it might have been. However, God’s love is everlasting and pure, and it never left them. He did have a plan of redemption.

God’s love cannot cooperate with sin. As time moved on and the human family multiplied, man became satisfied and settled down to live in the beautiful world with plenty of gold and precious metals and lush vegetation and the variety of foods. They put God out of their minds and became selfish. They began to worship the things that God had created, instead of God. They became so wicked and disobedient to the law of God that God was forced to destroy the whole living creation by a flood, all accept for eight human beings and a sample of all the animals. The surface of the earth was completely torn up and changed. What might have been was gone because of disobedience—sin.

God then had a chosen family, the descendants of His faithful servant, Abraham. God’s plan was that the Israelites, the descendants of Abraham, were to preserve the knowledge of God and His law, and to educate the inhabitants of the world about the love of God and His wonderful plan of redemption. This chosen family was few in number at first, but grew into a multitude.

They were led to Egypt where they could multiply and develop into a great nation that would exemplify to the whole world what God was like, and demonstrate His eternal love. But while they were in Egypt, many of them were influenced by the Egyptians, who worshiped idols, and consequently lost their faith in God. What might have been a powerful witnessing nation for the Lord became a servitude race and were slaves to the Egyptians for a couple hundred years. They missed the blessing that they might have had, but God did not leave them. He sent a deliverer—Moses.

They were guided out of Egypt by the hand of God, who used Moses for their visible leader. God used many judgments and wonderful miracles to help the Egyptians know that He was God, and to strengthen the faith of the children of Israel. Through plagues the Egyptians were duly punished for their cruelty and suppression of the Israelites. The Lord sent ten plagues to Egypt, pleading to Pharaoh with each one to recognize the God of heaven and to let His people go. But Pharaoh was stubborn and refused to change his affections from his idols to the God of Heaven, nor did he want to lose the servitude of the Israelites. But finally, after the Lord sent the ten severe plagues, the last of which God had His angel kill all the firstborn of the Egyptians, the Israelites were thrust out of the country with all their belongings and their animals. And they were given gold and jewels just to get rid of them.

The Israelites were led out of Egypt by the Lord to the bank of the Red Sea. From a human standpoint, they were in an impossible place to proceed: with a mountain on either side and the sea in front of them, they were hedged in. They were agitated and worried; even though they had seen the miracles that God had performed in delivering them from Egypt, their faith in God was weak or non-existent. Moses encouraged them and said, “Wait and see the salvation of the Lord.” (Exodus 14:13.)

The Egyptians decided that they were going to recapture the Israelites and bring them back as slaves. They were close on the trail of the Israelites, and there was no way of escape. However, the Lord had a wonderful plan for deliverance. He opened up the Red Sea so the Israelites could walk through on dry ground, and when the Egyptian army came and attempted to go through the sea, the sea closed up on them and they were all drowned. Egypt never again was a leading nation in the world. What might have been if Egypt had accepted God, never happened.

The chosen people of God started out on their journey through the desert to the land that the Lord had promised them. “And I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey.” Exodus 3:17.

Canaan was not such a long distance from Egypt—the Children of Israel with their herds of cattle and with their families of babies and children walking through the desert could have made it in a year or two—that is, if they had put their trust in God and realized that they were being led of God and were fulfilling His plan to fit into the eternal pattern. But because of their murmuring and complaining and their lack of faith, they had to wander in the wilderness for forty years instead of just two years. During those forty years, all the original ones who were twenty years old or older when they left Egypt died in the wilderness, and the younger ones went in and possessed the land.

How sad it is that those men and women, who might have had a home in Canaan, died in the desert. They did not have faith enough in their heavenly Father to do His will, or to believe that He was leading them. What might have been a couple of years took forty years because of unbelief.

After the Israelites’ long forty years of traveling through the wilderness, they were finally led by God to the Promised Land. There they began, by Divine direction and miracles, to conquer the idolatrous tribes and take possession of the land and establish the true worship of God. But again, about the time of the third and fourth generation, they failed the Lord. Their faith became weak and they began looking to men and the other nations for guidance; they wanted a King in order to be like all the other nations around them. It was not God’s plan for them to have a human king, but He did not leave them. He chose the king for them and blessed the ruler.

After some generations of rulers, they had a king by the name of Solomon, who was the wisest king that ever lived, and from the directions of His father, king David, he had a beautiful temple built. God said it could stand forever. However, Solomon, who was meek, humble, and consecrated to God to begin with, finally became proud and brought in idol worship. The Israelites again went into idolatry, and were even more wicked than the heathen who were all around them. Finally the people of God got so mixed up with the world and idol worship that the Lord had to send them into captivity. Their city and temple were ravished and burned. The temple that the Lord told them could stand forever was destroyed. What might have been was demolished because of disobedience—sin. But the Lord did not leave them; He sent them prophets to guide them. However, they did not listen to the prophets either.

The Lord had a few faithful followers, and those He blessed and protected even in captivity. While in captivity for seventy years, a new generation grew up, and the Lord brought those who chose Him back to their homeland, and they rebuilt the temple. It was not as magnificent as the first one which king Solomon had built, but it was a beautiful temple. And it was dedicated to God, and He honored it with His presence.

Then and there the Israelites were determined to be through with heathen idolatry. As the years rolled on they became so strict trying to steer away from idol worship that they developed a whole new system of worship which was built upon the rules of do’s and don’ts. Their religion had no room for love and mercy. It became so stereotyped that when Jesus came and taught and practiced true worship of God, which is based on love and mercy, they didn’t even recognize Him. They missed the greatest blessing that could have come to man. They could have witnessed to the whole world that God had sent His Son to save mankind. What might have been a wonderful blessing turned out to be the worst tragedy in the history of this world—the crucifixion of Jesus by His own people.

Take a great leap in time now, and go to the closing days of the reformation. God had called the honest-in-heart out from the many delusions of the dark ages, and they had formed several churches (the Lutheran, the Methodist, the Baptist, the Presbyterian, etc.) and they all had received light from the throne of Grace and had been established in truth. But they decided that they had all the truth there was to get, and when more light was shown on God’s people, most of them rejected it. The blessing they may have enjoyed, the beautiful truth of the sanctuary message, they missed.

God then raised up another group. This group of people really believed the sanctuary message and preached that the Lord was coming on October 22, 1844, but they missed the interpretation of the prophecy and were bitterly disappointed. They thought that the earth was the Sanctuary. Actually, the Sanctuary is in heaven (See Hebrews, chapters 8, 9.) and Jesus went into the Most Holy Place in heaven to cleanse the Sanctuary October 22, 1844. But God’s promise is sure; He is coming back to this earth to take His faithful ones Home with Him.

God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He still cannot allow sin to exist in heaven, and “He is long suffering to us-ward not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” II Peter 3:9. He is waiting for His people to come to Him in repentance and He will furnish them with a robe of Christ’s Righteousness. Then He will take His people home. We could already be in the Kingdom rejoicing around the throne if we were ready. What might have been just hasn’t happened.

“In the prophecy of Jerusalem’s destruction Christ said, ‘Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.’ Matthew 24:12–14. This prophecy will again be fulfilled. The abounding iniquity of that day finds its counterpart in this generation. So with the prediction in regard to the preaching of the gospel. Before the fall of Jerusalem, Paul, writing by the Holy Spirit, declared that the gospel was preached to ‘every creature which is under heaven.’ Col. 1:23. So now, before the coming of the Son of man, the everlasting gospel is to be preached ‘to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.’ Rev. 14:6, 14. God ‘hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world.’ Acts 17:31. Christ tells us when that day shall be ushered in. He does not say that all the world will be converted, but that ‘this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.’ By giving the gospel to the world it is in our power to hasten our Lord’s return. We are not only to look for but to hasten the coming of the day of God. II Peter 3:12, margin. Had the church of Christ done her appointed work as the Lord ordained, the whole world would before this have been warned, and the Lord Jesus would have come to our earth in power and great glory.” The Desire of Ages, 633, 634.

There are many “What might have beens.” We are again living in the day when Jesus is about to close up the work and come for His faithful ones here on earth. He is now waiting for His character to be stamped upon His people. No sin will ever be permitted to enter heaven. Christ will give us the strength and power to overcome sin. Let us not allow this opportunity to pass and go back in the wilderness again. Let us go forward, so they cannot say about this generation, “What might have been!”

God’s promises are sure, and He said, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.” Malachi 4:5, 6.

He has sent us the prophet, and we have the instructions He gave her. If we will follow them, our eternity with Jesus will soon be a reality, not “what might have been!”

“When the character of Christ shall be perfectly reproduced in His people, then He will come to claim them as His own.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 69.

Ruth Grosboll works at Steps to Life and can be contacted at: ruthgrosboll@stepstolife.org.

The Meaning of the Cross

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Ellen White tells us that we are going to spend all eternity studying the meaning of the cross; it is the focal point of everything else. My freshman composition teacher used to say that when you are writing a paper, you need to limit your subject so that you can cover it adequately; but the cross is a subject that we can never fully cover. We still need, however, to understand all that our minds can grasp.

There was a theory going around in the days of Jesus that the soul, or the spirit, hovered over the dead body for three days after death. Jesus, however, waited and did not arrive at Lazarus’ home until he had been dead four days. Thus, even according to the false theories of the Jews, he was really dead. Because Lazarus was raised in the presence of a large group of people, there was no way to deny what had taken place. Some of those present related to the Pharisees what had taken place. A meeting of the Pharisees and chief priests was quickly called. The record of that meeting begins in John 11:45 and continues to the end of the chapter.

“If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation.” John 11:48. They were afraid of the Romans. Are people afraid of the Romans today? Yes, they are. God’s professed church is afraid of the Roman power today just as the people in Jesus’ day were afraid of the Romans. Interestingly, the very thing that they believed would bring the Roman power to destroy them was the thing that would have delivered them from its power. It is an amazing thing.

On this occasion, the church leaders decided they were going to have to kill Jesus to prevent the Romans from destroying them. Ironically, by that very act, they brought destruction on themselves by the Romans. As we continue our study, keep in mind that something similar could happen again.

“And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, ‘You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people and not that the whole nation should perish.’ Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.” John 11:49–52. What is the reason that the apostle John gives for the cross? The children of God were scattered all over the world, but John said that Jesus was going to die so that all of the people of God who were scattered abroad could be brought together into one. What a wonderful thought.

God’s people are still scattered all over the world; and we are going to continue to be so for a little while, because Ellen White said, concerning the 144,000 during the time of trouble, that they will be scattered all over the world. But when Jesus comes again, they are going to be gathered together into one church. I love to think about it.

Have you noticed that people sometimes do not like it at one church, so they go to another one? It is not usually because they did not like the building, but because they did not get along with some of the people. Have you ever seen that happen? I have never seen anybody decide to go to another church because something was wrong with themselves; but I have seen a lot of people want to go to another church because they said that something was wrong with someone else. Well, now, here is my question: What if this were to take place in heaven? This has to do, friends, with the meaning of the cross. You see, as a result of sin, people are alienated from one another. According to the apostle John, God’s children will be gathered into one.

The Bible is a spiritual book, and when it says that God’s children will be gathered into one, it is not speaking of them being gathered into one building. “He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.” I Corinthians 6:17. “For He Himself is our peace, Who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation.” Ephesians 2:14

I have always had a fascination to understand the American Civil War. It was the most disastrous war the United States has ever fought. As I was in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, the whole matter became crystal clear in my mind. At the time of the war, our whole country was separated into two armed camps that were totally alienated from one another. All wars are the result of alienation. By the way, there is a great deal of alienation in the world today. There is even alienation among the professed people of God.

Is the cross just a story, or are we experiencing its spiritual meaning? Let me tell you something—this is something very serious: if there is one other person in this world from whom you are alienated, at least one of you is not going to heaven unless that problem is solved. It is just that simple. Now, it could be both of you, but it might only be one. You might have somebody who is alienated from you and you might not be at fault at all; but if there are two people who are alienated, there is something wrong with at least one of them, and they cannot go to heaven unless that situation is taken care of. The purpose of the cross is to destroy this alienation and bring reconciliation.

Today, with many Christians, the cross is just like the law was for the Jewish nation. The Jewish nation taught the law, talked the law, and yet Jesus said to them, “Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law?” John 7:19. Today, wherever I travel, I see crosses on churches; I see crosses around people’s necks; but people fail to understand what it means. If the cross has not destroyed the enmity in your heart, it has not done the work in your heart that must be done if you are to be saved.

“For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled.” Colossians 1:19–21.

Why did Jesus have to go to the cross? “Christ died for our sins.” I Corinthians 15:3. Now, when I understand that, if I choose to sin, what have I chosen to do? I have chosen to do the very thing that sent Jesus to the cross. By wicked works I am alienated, expressing hatred for the Son of God. You cannot love sin and love Jesus. “You who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and blameless, and above reproach in His sight.” Colossians 1:21, 22. When we come to the cross and we see the spiritual meaning of it, we learn to hate the sin that we used to love. Everyone who has that experience, through the power of the Holy Spirit, is going to be reconciled into one.

“Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry [or service] of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us; we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” II Corinthians 5:18–21.

Oh, friend, is the story of the cross just a story to you, or have you had this experience? Have you been reconciled to God so that you are no longer at enmity with Him, so that you can be taken to heaven and will feel perfectly at home there because you are in harmony with the whole system? We are living in a time when we need to get down on our knees and say, “Lord, I am choosing to surrender, to submit to the cross of Jesus Christ.”

When you are no longer alienated from God, you are in a position to be reconciled, not only to God, but to your fellow man. You will no longer live for self, but for Him who died for you.

“Satan is the originator of sin. In heaven he resolved to live to himself. He resolved to be leader. He determined to make himself a center of influence. … Head he would be, to control, not to be controlled.” The Review and Herald, April 14, 1901. It is this character trait, or desire, in people that splits up churches. When I was a young man, they used to have a popular song in which the words went something like this: There are too many chiefs and not enough Indians around this place. This is the root cause of all manner of troubles.

It is said that Julius Caesar was once walking along a mountain road when, in the distance, he saw a small village. He is said to have remarked, “I would rather be number one in that village than to be number two in Rome.” This is why Julius Caesar was willing to kill millions of people—he wanted to be number one.

If space permitted, we could go through the gospels and see that this was the same problem that the disciples had. They never got over it until Jesus was crucified. After that, you never again find them contending as to who would be the greatest. Though they had been alienated, they were reconciled by the blood of His cross.

If you have a desire in your heart to control other people, you have the same problem. It is possible for you to be the most respected person in town and still have this problem. If you have this desire to control other people, you have not yet been reconciled. The person who lives for himself is not a Christian because he has never experienced the cross. “No one can live for himself and at the same time be united with Christ. Conformity to the world, attachment to the world, manifests a decided denial of Christ.” The Signs of the Times, June 13, 1892.

When His disciples were struggling and quarreling over who would be next to Him in the kingdom of heaven, Jesus said; “The princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister.” Matthew 20:25, 26, KJV.

In the English-speaking countries, we are not used to having servants, so we have only one or two words to express the concept. We talk about servants and slaves, and that is about all; but in the Roman Empire, they had many servants of various categories, and used a number of different words to denote a servant. There were some servants who were what we would call managers. It was one of these, by the way, who struck Jesus when He was being tried before Caiaphas. This was a high-class servant, someone who had some authority. There was, however, a lower level of servant. The Greek word for these servants is deakenos. This is where we get the word deacon. Jesus said, “He that will be great among you, let him be a deakenos.”

In the Roman Empire, there was one category that was the lowest of all servants. They would be what we would call slaves. In the old King James Version, this word is usually translated servant, and in modern translations, it is translated as bondservant or slave. It is the lowest category of servanthood. The Greek word is doulos. Jesus said, “He that will be great among you, let him be a deakenos [that is, a middle level of servant], but the one that will be first among you, let him be a doulos [that is, the lowest level of servant], even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister [or, a more literal translation, “Even as the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve.”], and to give His life a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:26–28.

Philippians tells us how Jesus followed this principle. He started out as the highest, “but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” Philippians 2:7, 8. I say this reverently, friend: He went lower for you and for me than we will ever be able to go for Him. You will never be able to go as low for Jesus as He has already gone for you. And I want to tell you, once the Holy Spirit drives that thought home into our consciousness, we will never be the same again. We cannot go on in this alienated form of life, fighting and bickering, with all that is going on among professed Christians today. We cannot do it!

The apostles did not all think the same on every matter after the cross. The cross did not take away their ability to think, but they were no longer alienated from one another.

Friends, there is going to be a people when Jesus comes who are no longer alienated. They are no longer going to be fighting. The 144,000 will be perfectly unified, in harmony. It is going to happen, all right. The question is, Who is going to experience the experience of the cross so that they can be part of it?

He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again. Oh, friend, is this your experience? The cross must be an experience, no longer just a story. It must change the inner wellspring of the life so that we no longer live for ourselves. This is such a big problem in human nature that our daily prayer to God needs to be that He will divest us of selfishness. (See Our High Calling, 242.)

The servant of the Lord would not tell us to pray that every day if we did not need to do so. We are talking about a big problem. This is why we need to go to the cross over and over and over again, until the message soaks in. I want to invite you, just now, to kneel down and pray that through the power of the Holy Spirit, this will be your experience.

Pastor John Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by e-mail at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

Ever Watchful

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“Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.”
Mark 13:35-37.

Both Jesus and most of the writers of the New Testament share a common motif, which is the need for watchfulness, especially as the earth moves toward its close. Matthew says, “Watch therefore …” Matthew 25:13; Mark records, “Watch ye therefore …” Mark 13:35; Doctor Luke documents, “Watch ye therefore, and pray always …” Luke 21:36; Acts 20:31; John, recording the words of the true witness, says, “Be watchful …” “If therefore thou shalt not watch …” Revelation 3:2, 3; The apostle Paul counsels, “Watch ye, stand fast …” I Corinthians 16:13; “Continue in prayer, and watch … .” Colossians 4:2; “… watch and be sober.” I Thessalonians 5:6; “But watch thou in all things …” II Timothy 4:5; Peter states, “… watch unto prayer.” I Peter 4:7.

So, in this message I desire to address the urgency that is placed upon a Christian to watch, within the context of the end of the great controversy between Christ and Satan.

If ever there was a time for every Christian to watch and be ready, it is now! What did Jesus mean when he admonished us to watch? Let’s read again Jesus’ words found in Mark 13:35–37: “Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.”

The Greek word gregoreuo is word number 1127 in the Strong’s Concordance and means “watch,” “to keep awake,” “be vigilant,” “be awake,” “be watchful.” This word, gregoreuo, comes from word number 1453 which is egeiro, which means “to waken from sleep, sitting or lying, from disease, from death, from inactivity,” etc. Hence, we understand that this is a call to soberness and constant alertness on the part of the Christian; a constant state of readiness!

In commenting on the meaning of Mark’s account to “watch ye therefore,” God’s servant states, “Jesus has left us word, ‘Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the Master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: lest coming suddenly He find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.’ We are waiting and watching for the return of the Master, who is to bring the morning, lest coming suddenly He find us sleeping. What time is here referred to? Not to the revelation of Christ in the clouds of heaven to find a people asleep. No; but to His return from His ministration in the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary, when He lays off His priestly attire and clothes Himself with garments of vengeance, and when the mandate goes forth: ‘He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still; and he that is holy, let him be holy still.’

“When Jesus ceases to plead for man, the cases of all are forever decided. This is the time of reckoning with His servants. To those who have neglected the preparation of purity and holiness, which fits them to be waiting ones to welcome their Lord, the sun sets in gloom and darkness, and rises not again. Probation closes; Christ’s intercessions cease in heaven. This time finally comes suddenly upon all, and those who have neglected to purify their souls by obeying the truth are found sleeping. They became weary of waiting and watching; they became indifferent in regard to the coming of their Master. They longed not for His appearing, and thought there was no need of such continued, persevering watching. They had been disappointed in their expectations and might be again. They concluded that there was time enough yet to arouse. They would be sure not to lose the opportunity of securing an earthly treasure. It would be safe to get all of this world they could. And in securing this object, they lost all anxiety and interest in the appearing of the Master. They became indifferent and careless, as though His coming were yet in the distance. But while their interest was buried up in their worldly gains, the work closed in the heavenly sanctuary, and they were unprepared.

“If such had only known that the work of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary would close so soon, how differently would they have conducted themselves, how earnestly would they have watched! The Master, anticipating all this, gives them timely warning in the command to watch. He distinctly states the suddenness of His coming. He does not measure the time, lest we shall neglect a momentary preparation, and in our indolence look ahead to the time when we think He will come, and defer the preparation. ‘Watch ye therefore: for ye know not.’ ” Testimonies, vol. 2, 190, 191.

To whom is this warning addressed? We read in the following gospels these words: “And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.” Matthew 24:4; “And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any [man] deceive you.” Mark 13:5; “And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived.” Luke 21:8.

We are told, “The Saviour’s instructions to His disciples were given for the benefit of His followers in every age. He had those in view who were living near the close of time, when He said: ‘Take heed to yourselves.’ It is our work, each for himself, to cherish in the heart the precious graces of the Holy Spirit.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 102, 103.

“To illustrate the importance of being alert, Jesus spoke six parables: the Porter, which is here condensed into one verse, the Master of the House, the Faithful and Unfaithful servants, the Ten Virgins, the Talents, and the Sheep and the Goats. Christians are not to await their Lord’s return in idle expectancy. While waiting and watching they are to be vigilant in purifying their own souls by obedience to the truth, and to be earnest in working for others. It is their privilege ‘not only to look for but to hasten the coming of the day of God.’ ” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 5, 504, 505.

Jesus uses three phrases in admonishing us to alertness; they are: “take heed,” “watch,” and “be ready.” He who is sincerely looking for the coming of Jesus will be ready whenever his Lord may appear.

We can then conclude that Christ’s warning to “watch therefore,” although applicable to the whole world, is especially addressed to His end-time church—Laodicea.

So why is it addressed to the Laodicean church? The Scripture tells us concerning the Laodicean Christians. Revelation 3:14–17: “Unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.” The Laodiceans’ problem is self-deception, and as a consequence of this attitude they have failed to follow the counsel of Jesus—to watch. Thus they have become blinded and deluded by Satan to their true spiritual condition. Luke tells us the warning that Christ left the Laodiceans: “And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and [so] that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” Luke 21:34–36.

“When the Saviour pointed out to His followers the signs of His return, He foretold the state of backsliding that would exist just prior to His second advent. There would be, as in the days of Noah, the activity and stir of worldly business and pleasure seeking—buying, selling, planting, building, marrying, and giving in marriage—with forgetfulness of God and the future life. For those living at this time, Christ’s admonition is: ‘Take heed to yourselves … watch and pray always.’

“The condition of the church at this time is pointed out in the Saviour’s words in the Revelation: ‘Thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.’ And to those who refuse to arouse from their careless security, the solemn warning is addressed: ‘If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.’ Revelation 3:1, 3.” The Great Controversy, 309, 310.

The beloved apostle John, writing verily to us, emphatically pleads: “Love not the world, neither the things [that are] in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that [is] in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” I John 2:15, 16.

The messenger to the remnant church points out that “the love of the world and the deceitfulness of riches eclipse our faith, and we do not long for, and love, the appearing of our Saviour. We try too hard to take care of self ourselves. We are uneasy and greatly lack a firm trust in God. Many worry and work, contrive and plan, fearing they may suffer need. They cannot afford time to pray or to attend religious meetings and, in their care for themselves, leave no chance for God to care for them. And the Lord does not do much for them, for they give Him no opportunity. They do too much for themselves, and believe and trust in God too little.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 196.

“Men and women professing to be waiting and loving the appearing of their Lord are shut up to self. The noble, the godlike, they have parted with. The love of the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life, have so fastened upon them that they are blinded. They are corrupted by the world and discern it not.” Ibid., 197.

Here we see four problem areas that cause Christ to give warning to Laodicea—His church living in the period just before the end of the world.

  • The love of the world
  • The lust of the flesh
  • The lust of the eyes
  • The pride of life.

Let us take a closer look at these four areas [table below]:

  1. The love of the world—this has to do with those things that are alien and hostile to God, or worldly affairs that lead away from God. It has to do with everything and anything that is contrary to the words of God, its teaching and lifestyle.

Accordingly, when John bids his readers, ‘Love not the world,’ he is not thinking of the earth as it came from the hand of God, but of the earthly elements, animate and inanimate, that Satan has marshaled in rebellion against God. John knows how attractive these things can appear, and bids Christians to beware of them and to resist their seductive power.

  1. The lust of the flesh—this has to do with the sensuous nature of man, in which, “dwelleth no good thing” and which lusts to evil. The lust of the flesh is the craving of the flesh for indulgence in evil. It includes all strong desires for indulgence contrary to the will of God. Those strong desires may very well include perverted sexual desires, perverted appetite, crave for power or fame, excessive desire to control, diabolical motivation to make self prominent, etc.
  2. The lust of the eyes—If “lust of the flesh’ applies particularly to sins arising from the body, ‘lust of the eyes’ may be understood to refer to mental pleasure stimulated through sight. Much of the sinful pleasure of the world is experienced through the eyes. Many who would hasten to disclaim and intention of indulging in open sin themselves are eager to read about sin, to study it in a picture or to watch it depicted upon a screen. The word of God declares, “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” Matthew 5:27, 28. Also, “Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids.” Proverbs 6:25.
  3. The pride of life—This has reference to boastful display. It implies a materialistic satisfaction with worldly goods, a state of mind that substitutes the material for the spiritual. Some take pride in their work, other in their possessions, still others in their own beauty of their children. Some other pride themselves with educational and academic accomplishments.

The warning of Christ is relevant for us living in these closing days of probation to take heed, watch therefore, and be ready. This is so because we who are called by God’s name are totally absorbed in worldliness and are unaware that probation is about to be closed forever. These words stand as an indictment against us: “The cares of the world engross the mind to that degree that self-examination and secret prayer are neglected. The armor is laid off and Satan has free access to them, benumbing their sensibilities and causing them to be unsuspicious of his wiles.” Testimonies, vol. 7, 126. “Many have partaken so largely of the spirit and influence of the world that they act like the world.” Ibid., 127.

What should the remnant people be doing now as evidence that they are watching? As a people of prophecy we know that we are now living in the antitypical day of atonement. As it was in the sanctuary system of the Old Testament that on the day of atonement the people were required to afflict their souls, they were to do serious self-examination, confessing and repenting of all sin in order to be in oneness with God. So now we must be doing the same work, for our sins must be blotted out or our names will be blotted out of the book of life forever. So we have a work of watching to do!

The prophet Isaiah declares, “Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.” Isaiah 13:9.

“In view of that great day the word of God, in the most solemn and impressive language, calls upon His people to arouse from their spiritual lethargy and to seek His face with repentance and humiliation: ‘Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand.’ ‘Sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly: gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children … let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet. Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar.’ ‘Turn ye even to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: and rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness.’ Joel 2:1, 15–17, 12, 13.” The Great Controversy, 311.

“When Christ took human nature upon Him, He bound humanity to Himself by a tie of love that can never be broken by any power save the choice of man himself. Satan will constantly present allurements to induce us to break this tie—to choose to separate ourselves from Christ. Here is where we need to watch, to strive, to pray, that nothing may entice us to choose another master; for we are always free to do this. But let us keep our eyes fixed upon Christ, and He will preserve us. Looking unto Jesus, we are safe. Nothing can pluck us out of His hand. In constantly beholding Him, we ‘are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.’ II Corinthians 3:18.

“It was thus that the early disciples gained their likeness to the dear Saviour. When those disciples heard the words of Jesus, they felt their need of Him. They sought, they found, they followed Him. They were with Him in the house, at the table, in the closet, in the field. They were with Him as pupils with a teacher, daily receiving from His lips lessons of holy truth. They looked to Him, as servants to their master, to learn their duty. Those disciples were men ‘subject to like passions as we are.’ James 5:17. They had the same battle with sin to fight. They needed the same grace, in order to live a holy life.” Steps to Christ, 72.

The warning is clear: “Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.” Mark 13:35, 36.

The pen of inspiration states, “The church of God is required to fulfill her night watch, however perilous, whether long or short. Sorrow is no excuse for her to be less watchful. Tribulation should not lead to carelessness, but to double vigilance. Christ has directed the church by His own example to the Source of their strength in times of need, distress, and peril. The attitude of watching is to designate the church as God’s people indeed. By this sign the waiting ones are distinguished from the world and show that they are pilgrims and strangers upon the earth.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 205.

Pastor Ivan Plummer ministers through the Emmanuel Seventh Day Church Ministries in Bronx, New York. He may be contacted by telephone at: 718-822-3900.

Where Do You Stand?

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In Hebrews 11:3 it is recorded that it is through faith that we understand that the worlds were framed—put together, arranged, built—“by the word of God: so that things which are seen were not made of things which do not appear.” The earth which we have was not made of rocks; men were not made of monkeys, apes, and “the missing link”; and apes and monkeys and “the missing link” were not made of tadpoles; and tadpoles were not made of protoplasm originally way back at the beginning. No! “The worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.”

Now why is it that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear?—Simply because the things of which these are made did not appear. And the reason those things did not appear is because they were not at all. They did not exist. The worlds were framed by the word of God; and the word of God is of that quality, it has that property about it, which, when the word is spoken, not only causes the thing to be, but causes to exist the material out of which the thing is made, and of which the thing consists.

You know also the other scripture, that “by the word of the lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth; … for he spake, and it was.” Psalm 33:6–9. Upon this I will ask you a question: How long after he spoke, before the things were? How much time passed, after he spoke, before the thing was? Not a week?—No. Not six long periods of time?—No. Evolution, even that which recognizes a Creator, holds that indefinite countless ages, or “six long, indefinite periods of time,” passed in the formation of the things which are seen, after he spoke. But that is evolution, not creation: evolution is by long processes. Creation is by the word spoken.

When God, by speaking the word, had created the world, for this one he said, “Let there be light.” Now how much time passed between the words, “Let there be light,” and the time when the light came? I want you to understand this matter aright, so that you can find out whether you are an evolutionist or a creationist. Let me ask this again. Were there not six long periods of time between the time when the word was spoken and the accomplishment of the fact? You say No. Was it not a week?—No. Not a day?—No. … Nor even a second?—No, indeed. There was not a second between the time when God said, “Let there be light,” and the existence of light. … I go over it thus minutely, so as to get it firmly fixed in your mind, for fear you will let it go presently, when I ask you something further. … Then the man who allows that any time at all passed between God’s speaking and the appearing of the thing, is an evolutionist. If he makes it countless ages upon countless ages, he is simply more of an evolutionist than the one who thinks it took a day; he is the same thing, but more of it.

Next, God said, “Let there be a firmament.” And what then?—It was so. Then from the time that God spoke, “Let there be a firmament, … and let it divide the waters from the waters,” how long before a firmament was there? Was that done instantly?—Yes. Then the man who holds that there was an indefinite, a very long, period of time between the speaking of the word and the existence of the fact,—what is he?—An evolutionist. If he allows that there was a day, or an hour, or a minute, between the speaking of the word, and the existence of the thing itself, that man does not recognize creation.

When the Lord said, “Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear;” also when he said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit-tree yielding fruit, … it was so.” Then God set two great lights in the heavens, and made the stars also; and when he spoke the word, “it was so.” He said, “Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, the fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament;” and it was so. When God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, the beast of the earth after his kind,” it was so. When he spoke, it was always so. That is creation.

You see, then, that it is perfectly logical, and reasonable enough, too, for the evolutionists to set aside the word of God, and have no faith in it; for evolution itself is antagonistic to creation. When evolution is antagonistic to creation, and creation is by the word of God, then evolution is antagonistic to the word of God. Of course the genuine, or original, sound evolutionists did not have any place for that word, nor for the half-and-half evolutionists,—those who bring in creation and the word of God to start things. It takes so long a time, such indefinite and indeterminate ages for evolution to accomplish anything, that it does away with creation.

The genuine evolutionist recognizes that creation must be immediate; but he does not believe in immediate action, and therefore does not believe in creation. Do not forget that creation is immediate, or else it is not creation: if not immediate, it is evolution. So touching again the creation at the beginning, when God speaks, there is in his word the creative energy to produce the thing which that word pronounces. That is creation; and that word of God is the same yesterday, and to-day, and forever; it lives and abides forever; it has everlasting life in it. The word of God is a living thing. The life that is in it is the life of God—eternal life. Therefore it is the word of eternal life, as the Lord Jesus said; and in the nature of things it abides and remains forever. Forever it is the word of God; forever it has creative energy in it.

So when Jesus was here, he said, “The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” The words that Jesus spoke are words of God. They are imbued with the life of God. They are eternal life, they abide forever; and in them is the creative energy to produce the thing spoken.

This is illustrated by many incidents in the life of Christ, as narrated in the New Testament. I do not need to cite them all; but I will refer to one or two, so you can get hold of this principle. You remember that after the sermon on the mount, Jesus came down, and there met him a centurion, saying, “My servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.” The centurion said: “I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof; but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.” Jesus turned to those standing about, and said, “I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.”

Israel had the Bible; they knew the word of God. They boasted of being the people of the Book, the people of God. They read it; they preached in their synagogues, “My word … shall accomplish that which I please.” They said, when they read that word: That is all right; the thing ought to be done. We see the necessity of it, and will do it. We will accomplish what it says. Then they did their best to accomplish it. It took them a long while, so long indeed, that they never did it. Their real doing of the word was so far away that the greatest of them were led to exclaim, “If but one person could only for one day keep the whole law, and not offend in one point,—nay, if but one person could but keep that one point of the law which affected the due observance of the Sabbath,— then the troubles of Israel would be ended, and the Messiah at last would come.” So though they started in to do what the word said, it took them so long that they never got to it. What were they?

There was the word of God, which said, “It shall accomplish that which I please.” It was spoken thus of the creative power. And though they professed to recognize the creative energy of the word of God, yet in their own lives they left that all out, and said, We will do it. They looked to themselves for the process which would bring themselves to the point where that word and themselves would agree. What were they? Are you afraid to say, for fear that you have been there yourself? Do not be afraid to say that they were evolutionists; for that is what they were, and that is what a good many of you are. Their course was antagonistic to creation; there was no creation about it. They were not made new creatures, no new life was formed within them; the thing was not accomplished by the power of God; it was all of themselves; and so far were they from believing in creation that they rejected the Creator, and crucified him out of the world. That is what evolution always does; for do not forget that “evolution is directly antagonistic to creation.”

Now these were the people upon whom Jesus looked when he made this statement about the faith in Israel. Here was a man who was a Roman, who had grown up among the people who were Jews, and who set at naught the teachings of Jesus. That centurion had been around where Jesus was, had seen him talking, had heard his words, and had seen the effect of them, until he himself said, “Whatever that man speaks is so; when he says a thing, it is done. Now I am going to have the advantage of it.” So he went to Jesus, and said what is written. Jesus knew perfectly well that the man had his mind upon the power of his word to do that thing; and he replied, “Very well, I will come and heal your servant.” “O no, my Lord, you do not need to come.” You see this man was testing the matter, to see whether or not there was any power in the word. Therefore he said, “Speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.” Jesus replied, “As thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed.” When that word went forth, “so be it done unto thee,” how long before the man was healed? Twenty years?—No. Didn’t he have to go through many ups and downs before he was certainly healed? Honest, now?—No, no! When the word was spoken, the word did the thing that was spoken; and it did it at once.

Another day Jesus was walking along, and a leper some distance from him saw and recognized him. He, too, had got hold of the blessed truth of the creative energy of the word of God. He said to Jesus, “If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.” Jesus stopped, and said, “I will; be thou clean. And as soon as he had spoken, immediately that leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.” Mark 1:41, 42. We are not allowed to put a moment of time between the speaking of the word and the accomplished fact: “immediately” the leper was cleansed.

Now you see that the word of God at the beginning of creation had in it the creative energy to produce that thing which the word pronounced. You see that when Jesus came into the world to show men the way of life, to save them from their sins, he demonstrated, over and over again, here and there and everywhere, to all people and for all time, that that same word of God has that same creative energy in it yet; so that when that word is spoken, the creative energy is there to produce the thing.

Now are you an evolutionist, or are you a creationist? That word speaks to you. You have read it; you profess to believe it. You believe in creation, as against the other evolutionists; now will you believe in creation, as against yourself? Will you put yourself upon that platform today where you will allow nothing to come between you and the creative energy of that word—no period of time whatever?

Jesus said to a certain person, “Thy sins are forgiven.” How long before it was so?—There was no length of time whatever between the word “forgiven” and the thing. That same word, “Thy sins are forgiven,” is spoken to you today. Why do you let any time pass between this word, which is spoken to you, and the accomplishments of the thing? You said a while ago, that anybody who let a minute, or even a second, pass between the speaking of the word of God and the production of the thing, is an evolutionist. Very good; that is so. Stick to it. Now I ask you, Why is it that when he speaks forgiveness to you, you let whole days pass before forgiveness gets to you, before it is true in you? You said the other man is an evolutionist. What are you, I want to know? Are you going to stop being evolutionists and become creationists?

This day will be one of special importance to many here, because it is a time when many will decide this question one way or another. If you go out of this house an evolutionist, you are in danger. It is to you a matter of life or death just now. You said that evolution is infidelity, and that is so; therefore if you go out of this house an evolutionist, where do you stand? What is your choice? And if you go out of this house without forgiveness of sins, you are an evolutionist, because you allow time to pass between the speaking of the word and the accomplishment of the fact.

From what I have read, you see that whoever lets any time pass between the word spoken and the thing done, is an evolutionist. The word of God to you is, Man, “thy sins are forgiven thee.” Woman, “thy sins are forgiven thee.” … I thank God this is so, because the creative energy is in that word “forgiven” to take away all sin, and create the man a new creature. I believe in creation. Do you? Do you believe in the creative energy that is in the word “forgiven” spoken to you? Or are you an evolutionist, and do you say, I can not see how that can be, because I am so bad? I have been trying to do right, but I have made many failures; I have had many ups and downs, and have been down a good many more times than up. If that is what you say, you are an evolotionist; for that is evolution.

Many people have been longing and longing for a clean heart. They say: “I believe in the forgiveness of sin and all that, and I would take it all, if I was sure that I could hold out; but there is so much evil in my heart, and so many things to overcome, that I do not have any confidence.” But there stands the word, “Create in me a clean heart.” A clean heart comes by creation, and by no other means; and that creation is wrought by the word of God. For he says, “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you.” Are you a creationist now, or are you an evolutionist? Will you go out of this house with an evil heart, or with a new heart, created by the word of God, which has in it creative energy to produce a new heart? It speaks to you a new heart. To every one it speaks just that way, … When you allow any time to pass between the word spoken and the fulfillment of that thing in your experience, then you are an evolutionist.

There are those in this house who have said: Yes, I want it, I am going to have it, I believe the word will accomplish it; but they have lengthened out the time until the next meeting, and on and on, passing over years; and so they are just this much evolutionists. “While so many are hovering about the mystery of faith and godliness, they could have solved the matter by proclaiming [speaking abroad, telling it out], ‘I know that Jesus Christ is my portion forever.’ ” The power to produce this is in the word of God; and when this is accepted, the creative energy is there producing the thing that is spoken. So you can settle the whole matter of the mystery of faith and godliness by proclaiming that you know that Christ is your portion forever.

There is a mystery in how God can be manifested in such sinful flesh as yours. But, mind you, the question is not now about the mystery; the question is, Is there such a thing as creation? Is there such a thing as a Creator who can create in you a clean heart, or is the whole thing simply evolution? Just now, and among Seventh-day Adventists, the question from this day until the end of the world must be, Do you believe in the Creator? And when you believe in the Creator, how is it that he creates?—Of course you say, it is by the word of God. Very good. Now, does he create things for you by his word? Are you a creationist for the other evolutionists, and then an evolutionist for the other creationists? How is it?

Another thing. The word says, “Be ye clean.” He said, back yonder, “Let there be light: and there was light.” He said to the leper, “Be thou clean;” and “immediately” he was clean. He says now to you, “Be ye clean,” and what now? Every one of you—what do you say? [Voice: It is so.] Then for your soul’s sake put yourself upon that creative word. Recognize the creative energy in the word of God which comes to you in the Bible; for this word of God in the Bible is the same here to you to-day that it was when it spoke into space the worlds on high, and brought light out of darkness, and cleansing to the leper. That word spoken to you to-day, if received, creates you new in Christ Jesus; that word spoken into the dark waste and void space of your heart, if received, produces there the light of God; that word is spoken to-day to you, afflicted with the leprosy of sin, if received, immediately cleanses you, Let it. Let it.

From the book, Lessons on Faith by A.T. Jones and E.J. Waggoner.

©1995, TEACH Services, Inc. Used with Permission. www.teachservices.com

In 1888, the Lord brought a message of righteousness to the Church through elders E.J. Waggoner and A.T. Jones. This message was identified as the loud cry of the third angel whose glory was to fill the whole earth in preparation for the second coming of Jesus.

Walk with Jesus

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In Acts 4:13, it says, “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.” Let’s look at this phrase that says, “And they realized that they had been with Jesus.”

“As the priests listened to the apostles’ fearless words, ‘they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.’

“Of the disciples after the transfiguration of Christ it is written that at the close of that wonderful scene ‘they saw no man, save Jesus only.’ Matthew 17:8. ‘Jesus only’—in these words is contained the secret of the life and power that marked the history of the early church. When the disciples first heard the words of Christ, they felt their need of Him. They sought, they found, they followed Him. They were with Him in the temple, at the table, on the mountainside, in the field. They were as pupils with a teacher, daily receiving from Him lessons of eternal truth.

“After the Saviour’s ascension, the sense of the divine presence, full of love and light, was still with them. It was a personal presence. Jesus, the Saviour, who had walked and talked and prayed with them, who had spoken hope and comfort to their hearts, had, while the message of peace was upon His lips, been taken from them into heaven. …Their union with Him was stronger now than when He was with them in person. The light and love and power of an indwelling Christ shone out through them, so that men, beholding, marveled.” The Acts of the Apostles, 64, 65.

“After the disciples had received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the priests and rulers marveled at the words which they spake, for they knew them as unlearned and ignorant men. But they took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus.

“Their teaching was a second edition of the teachings of Christ, the utterance of simple, grand truths that flashed light into darkened minds, and converted thousands in a day. The disciples began to understand that Christ was their Advocate in the heavenly courts, and that He was glorified. They could speak because the Holy Spirit gave them utterance.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 6, 1055, 1056.

We read in Acts that they took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus. Are our lives such that people can notice that we have been with Jesus? If our lives are going to be a reflection of Jesus’ life, we must spend time with Him.

In Job 22:21, it says, “Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee.” Now is the time to spend time getting to know God so that we can reflect His character.

“When the mind of man is brought into communion with the mind of God, the finite with the Infinite, the effect on body and mind and soul is beyond estimate. In such communion is found the highest education. It is God’s own method of development. ‘Acquaint now thyself with Him’ (Job 22:21), is His message to mankind.” The Acts of the Apostles, 126.

If you are going to reflect something, you must know what the object you want to reflect looks like. If you want to tell someone else about some place on earth, you must spend some time getting to know about it in order to relate it to that person. If you want to be like Jesus you must know what Jesus’ life was like while on this earth.

Jesus was an influential person. He had a powerful draw with people. Jesus’ life was such a charged life. There are many things that characterized His life and made Him such an attractive person.

“For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45. Jesus came to serve people.

“How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.” Acts 10:38. Wherever Jesus was, He was doing good and helping people who were in trouble.

“The officers answered, Never man spake like this man.” John 7:46. “And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph’s son?” Luke 4:22. When Jesus spoke, His words held people. He was not rude but gracious in speech. The words that came out of His mouth were a blessing.

People were attracted to Jesus. “And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left [their] nets, and followed him.” Matthew 4:18–20. Never has there been another person who had such power with people. When Jesus passed and asked someone to follow Him, immediately they did it. Jesus had a drawing power. People were attracted to Him.

Jesus prayed for (loved) His enemies. “Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.” Luke 23:34.

“Christ’s work is to be our example. Constantly He went about doing good. In the temple and the synagogues, in the streets of the cities, in the marketplace and the workshop, by the seaside and among the hills, He preached the gospel and healed the sick. His life was one of unselfish service, and it is to be our lessonbook. His tender, pitying love rebukes our selfishness and heartlessness.” Testimonies, vol. 9, 31.

As you study the life of Jesus, you realize that He was always looking out for other people. He had great compassion and sympathy for others. He was looking for people He could help. His was a totally selfless life.

“He exercised the greatest tact, and thoughtful, kind attention in His intercourse with the people. He was never rude, never needlessly spoke a severe word, never gave needless pain to a sensitive soul. He did not censure human weakness. He fearlessly denounced hypocrisy, unbelief, and iniquity, but tears were in His voice as He uttered His scathing rebukes. He wept over Jerusalem, the city He loved, that refused to receive Him, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. They rejected Him, the Saviour, but He regarded them with pitying tenderness, and sorrow so deep that it broke His heart. Every soul was precious in His eyes. While He always bore Himself with divine dignity, He bowed with tenderest regard to every member of the family of God. In all men He saw fallen souls whom it was His mission to save.” The Desire of Ages, 353.

Have you fallen in love with Jesus? Are you attracted to Him? Are others attracted to Him when they look at your life, my life? Are we constantly looking for ways to help others? Can others see that we have been with Jesus?

“Christ ever manifested a heavenly courtesy in dealing with human souls. His life was a life of constant self-denial and self-sacrifice. Those who are numbered with the overcomers will be those who have practiced the virtues of Christ.” The Upward Look, 290.

“Keep the perfume of Christ’s character in your own words and actions. Let querulous complaints forever cease. Then there will flow into your heart the sunbeams of the righteousness of Christ. God will bless you, and make you a blessing. …

“What manifestations will appear when Christ, abiding in the heart, is shining in the faces of those who love Him and keep His commandments. Truth is written there. The man is transformed into Christ’s image. A worldling may pass by and not mark the change, but those who have had communion with Christ discern the expression of Christ in word, in spirit. The influence upon the heart is seen in a habitual gentleness, a more than human love. The sweet peace of heaven will be in the soul, and will be revealed in the countenances.” Ibid., 28.

“Your greatest danger will be that you will not see the need of contemplating the character of Christ with a set purpose to imitate His life and conform your character to His character. You are to show a marked difference between your character and that of the world. ‘For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power’ (Colossians 2:9, 10).” Ibid., 27.

We must be studying the life of Christ so that we can imitate His character and so that others will see Him reflected in us as the priests took note that the disciples had been with Jesus.

There are many other things about the life of Christ that we need to study and put into practice.

“Never underrate the importance of little things. Little things supply the actual discipline of life. It is by them that the soul is trained that it may grow into the likeness of Christ, or bear the likeness of evil. God help us to cultivate habits of thought, word, look, and action that will testify to all about us that we have been with Jesus and learned of Him!” Child Guidance, 129, 130.

“It is the little things of life that develop the spirit in men and women and determine the character. … In words, in tones, in gestures, in looks, you can represent the spirit of Jesus. He who neglects these little things, and yet flatters himself that he is ready to do wonderful things for the Master, will be in danger of failing altogether. Life is not made up of great sacrifices and wonderful achievements, but of little things.” My Life Today, 172.

A network engineer, Jana Grosboll lives in Derby, Kansas. She may be contacted by email at: janawwjd@yahoo.com.

How Good is Good

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Those of you who read your Bible, have surely read in Matthew and Luke about the young ruler who came to Jesus and said, “Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?” Matthew 19:16. I am sure that all, or at least most of us, desire eternal life. Hopefully that is our goal and what we are living for. So we should be interested in Jesus’ answer.

“And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? [there is] none good but one, [that is], God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.” Matthew 19:17.

If no one is good but God, what does that say about you and me? Where are we in the scale of life? Fortunately Jesus did not stop there. He said, “If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.” Matthew 19:17.

The Ten Commandments express the Character of God. If there is none good but God, and the Ten Commandments are the description of His Character, it would be well for us to learn all that we could about them so we would know what good is. In the final analysis, when all lives come into review before the Judgment seat of God, we will be either good or evil. Only those who are like God, will be fit to live with Him, for God says, “Thou shalt be perfect with the Lord thy God.” Deuteronomy 18:13.

Let us take a look at the Ten Commandments. “Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments [is], Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this [is] the first commandment. And the second [is] like, [namely] this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:29–31.

Here are a few texts that will help us to understand a little more about the power of love. “Love [is] the fulfilling of the law.” Romans 13:10. “Charity shall cover the multitude of sins.” I Peter 4:8. “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” I John 4:7, 8.

When we understand that God is love and that all love comes from God, we begin to understand why Jesus said, “There [is] none good but God.” Virtually all the love that anyone has was planted in his life by God. Jesus wanted the lawyer to understand that Jesus Himself was God and that all of our goodness comes from Him.

“The ruler had addressed Christ merely as an honored rabbi, not discerning in Him the Son of God. The Saviour said, ‘Why callest thou Me good? There is none good but one, that is, God.’ [Luke 18:19.] On what ground do you call Me good? God is the one good. If you recognize Me as such, you must receive Me as His Son and representative.

“ ‘If thou wilt enter into life,’ He added, ‘keep the commandments.’ The character of God is expressed in His law; and in order for you to be in harmony with God, the principles of His law must be the spring of your every action.

“Christ does not lessen the claims of the law. In unmistakable language He presents obedience to it as the condition of eternal life—the same condition that was required of Adam before his fall. The Lord expects no less of the soul now than He expected of man in Paradise, perfect obedience, unblemished righteousness. The requirement under the covenant of grace is just as broad as the requirement made in Eden—harmony with God’s law, which is holy, just, and good.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 391.

Why should we oppose the Law of God if it is all love? Let us look at it carefully and see if we really understand what it is saying to us and what love really is.

First we are told, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” Exodus 20:3. In other words, we are not to love any other person, place, or thing more than we love God, and we will want to please God. In order to please Him, we will do what He says. We will be obedient to His requirements, because we know that He loves us so much that whatever He asks of us is for our very best good and happiness.

The second commandment says, “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness [of any thing] that [is] in heaven above, or that [is] in the earth beneath, or that [is] in the water under the earth.” Exodus 20:4. This one protects us against the futile belief of trusting in some worthless object that cannot think, speak, walk, or help us in any way.

In the Orient, I used to see people kneeling before a rock carved into a likeness of Buddha, expecting help. Once a fire broke out in some thatched huts and the people were pouring water on Buddha, praying for help. Pouring the water on the fire would have been much more effective and may have reduced the damage. Three hundred huts were destroyed in the fire.

We are cautioned in the third commandment, “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.” Exodus 20:7. This commandment helps us to have pure and beautiful speech that emanates from better and purer thoughts about God. It makes us better people with more pleasing conversation. If we really love God, we will not speak of Him carelessly or take His name in vain.

The fourth commandment is the one most rebelled against than any other. It says, “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: But the seventh day [is] the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: [in it] thou shalt not do any work, thou nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that [is] within thy gates: For [in] six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them [is], and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.” Exodus 20:8–11.

This is the commandment that helps us get better acquainted with God and protects us from being deceived by false, evolutionary theories. It provides one day each week to enjoy with our families and teach our children about the things that God has created. The Sabbath should be the happiest day of the week, and by acknowledging these first four commandments, we demonstrate that we love the Lord God with all our heart.

The second table of the Decalogue describes how to love our neighbor as ourselves.

The fifth commandment says, “Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.” Exodus 20:12. This commandment is the basis of a happy home. What pleasure it is to see a well ordered family consisting of loving parents and obedient children. How much heartache might be spared if children honored their parents.

Then there is a command that says, “Thou shalt not kill.” Exodus 20:13. This commandment is also based on love. If we truly love our neighbor we would never want to do him or her harm. If this principle were carried out, what a safe, relaxed, and joyful society we would all enjoy.

Another commandment that is so lightly thought of today says, “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” Exodus 20:14. Oh, how many broken hearts would be saved if this commandment were always obeyed. It is God’s desire that our homes would be loving and happy and never experience the pain of rejection and humiliation that this sin causes. Every tear that is shed hurts the heart of Christ and every heart that aches and is lonely, pierces His soul. Love would save many a home.

“Thou shalt not steal.” Exodus 20:15. Nobody enjoys the intrusion of a robber. To have someone invade your home or private space and take that which does not belong to them can cause great suffering and loss. To love our neighbor as ourselves means that we would not do anything to him that would cause him any grief or pain by stealing his goods.

“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.” Exodus 20:16. How hurtful and damaging it is to be lied about or misrepresented. Lies have resulted in feuds and wars, broken friendships and homes, caused grief and heartache and have had many other damaging results. What peace and satisfaction we all would have if we conquered self and never broke this commandment.

“Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that [is] thy neighbour’s.” Exodus 20:17.

Paul said, “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, [therewith] to be content.” Philippians 4:11. Again he says, “And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.” I Timothy 6:8.

What a happy and wonderful world we would live in if we were all happy and content with what we have. The only way this can happen is to heed the instruction that God, in His wisdom, gave us to ensure our best good and happiness.

If we are faithful, one day we will live in that kind of a society, the glories of which we cannot accurately express. We can only let our imagination think about the wonders that we will someday become acquainted with, which will be ours. “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” I Corinthians 2:9.

A few of the glories and blessings of heaven are recorded in the Bible:

“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God [is] with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, [and be] their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.” Revelation 21:1–7.

So, how good is good? To be good, we must overcome all sin. “Sin is the transgression of the law.” I John 3:4. This can only be done by inviting Jesus into our hearts. He said He would live out His life within us, so if it is our desire to have eternal life, then we must invite Jesus into our hearts.

Like David pray: “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10.

His divine nature united with our human nature overcame the battle with Satan. We also need His divine nature united with our human nature to become good and be like Jesus, and inherit eternal life.

There is none good but God, but our loving Savior has promised to live in our hearts. “I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.” John 17:23.

May we all meet together on the sea of glass.

A member of Steps to Life staff, Ruth Grosboll is a retired registered nurse. She worked for many years with her husband in the mission field. She may be contacted by e-mail at: ruthgrosboll@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.