Daily Living

Voluntary Lobotomy

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“Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons [and daughters] of God.”

1 John 3:1

We are sons and daughters of God right now—we can choose to sit in heavenly places right now. Light is shining upon you and me so we do not need to walk in darkness.

We are told in Counsels on Health, 38, “So closely is health related to our happiness that we cannot have the latter without the former.” The devil knows this and he does not want you to be happy. There are dangers that we cannot imagine. God warns us of the dangers and traps the devil has set for us so he can destroy our health. A trap is a pitfall, a snare—a life threatening condition.

Don’t be fooled! Satan is our enemy and he will do all in his power to destroy us. He knows that if he can get through the five senses of the body to the physical, there is a good chance that he can then destroy the mental and the spiritual. Those five senses are sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch.

“We are God’s workmanship, and his word declares that we are ‘fearfully and wonderfully made.’ He has prepared this wonderful habitation for the mind; it is ‘curiously wrought’ [Psalm 139:14, 15], a temple which the Lord himself has fitted up for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.” Healthful Living, 9.

Our bodies were “curiously wrought.”

  • Our body is a living habitation for the mind
  • God Himself has “fitted up” or designed this body, this temple
  • Why? For the indwelling of His Holy Spirit

What does the Holy Spirit do for us? The Holy Spirit imparts to us the life of Christ. It imbues us with the attributes of the life of Christ or permeates our very being with these attributes. We are God’s temples to reside in through His Holy Spirit. That is why the Devil hates us so much. He does not want us to have the attributes of Christ but to reflect his own sinful character.

This is why it is such a battle to keep our minds stayed on heavenly things, to stay alert each moment and not to sleepwalk. A sleepwalker is not aware of what he is doing. In Ephesians 5:14 it tells us to: “Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.” Some characteristics of people who are sleeping are:

  • A sleeper is inclined to do nothing. He hears the warnings but thinks those warnings are for somebody else.
  • They are indifferent—neutral, thinking that a little bit of this or that is okay—that a little won’t hurt.
  • They are not interested in or concerned about what they are doing.
  • They are just walking with the group.

If you do nothing and are indifferent you have bypassed the narrow gate and have walked through the wide gate and are walking around with everybody else that is within that wide gate. In other words, you are eating the same as the group, dressing the same as the group and your health will be the same as that group.

In Ephesians 5:15–17 we are told that we need to walk circumspectly and not as fools, or unwise, and that we must redeem the time—that time which was a gift from God but wasted while walking with the group. Why? Because the days are evil and we need to understand what the will of the Lord is.

God tells us that we are His temples in I Corinthians 3:16, 17: “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.”

Remember, God has prepared this living habitation for the mind. The devil knows this verse very well and is trying to get us to destroy these temples.

Remember the story of Phineas Gage. He was a family man, well loved by all around him because of his Christlike character; he was very personable.

On the 13th of September, 1848, 25-year-old Gage and his crew were working on the Rutland and Burlington Railroad near Cavendish in Vermont. Gage was preparing for an explosion by compacting a bore with explosive powder using a tamping iron. While he was doing this, a spark from the tamping iron ignited the powder, causing the iron to be propelled at high speed straight through Gage’s skull. It entered under the left cheek bone and exited through the top of the head, and was later recovered some 30 yards from the site of the accident. The tamping iron was 3 feet 8 inches in length and 1.25 inches in diameter at one end.

Whether or not Gage lost consciousness is not known, but, remarkably, he was conscious and able to walk within minutes of the accident. He was then seated in an oxcart, on which he was transported three-quarters of a mile to the boarding house where he was staying. At the boarding house, a doctor removed small fragments of bone, and replaced some of the larger skull fragments that remained attached but had been displaced by the tamping iron. He then closed the larger wound at the top of Gauge’s head with adhesive straps.

Shortly after the accident, Gage’s wife, and other people close to him, began to notice dramatic changes in his personality. Gage’s contractors, who regarded him before the accident as the most efficient and capable foreman in their employ previous to his injury, now considered the change in his mind so marked that they could not give him his place again. Gage became fitful, irreverent, indulging at times in the grossest profanity, which was not previously his custom. He manifested little deference or courteousness for his fellows and was impatient of restraint of advice when it conflicted with his desires. His mind, his character, was radically changed, so decidedly that his friends and acquaintances said he was “no longer Gage.” Thus, the damage to Gage’s frontal cortex had resulted in a complete loss of social inhibitions, which often led to inappropriate behavior. In effect, the tamping iron had performed a frontal lobotomy on Gage.

We are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14)! The frontal lobe is viewed as the emotional and personality control center of a person’s mind and body that is responsible for how a person acts and reacts to information, reacts to other people and situations in life.

Some of the characteristics the frontal lobe controls are drive, mood, memory, attention, initiation, judgment, spontaneity, impulse control, problem solving, social behavior, feeling of empathy and sympathy, mental planning and execution, understanding humor, irony, sarcasm, and dishonesty.

Gage had lost his frontal lobe! What a change to his whole life and to the lives of the people around him! He had a total character transformation.

About 50 years later, after Phineas Gage had his accident, doctors began to perform frontal lobe surgeries—lobotomies. The idea of a lobotomy was tried when a man decided to slice the frontal lobes out of his dogs’ brains just to see what would happen. In a very short time someone decided to try the technique out on humans. The devil has no mercy—he wants to destroy us.

Lobotomy became the practice of surgically removing parts of the brain as a treatment for the thoughts housed within—specifically the frontal lobe. If somebody thought you acted funny, or thought differently, or were hyper like children, you were given a lobotomy.

From the 1930s through the 1950s, lobotomies were all the rage. Certain doctors revolutionized the procedure by making it quick and easy. You may have heard reference to someone performing a lobotomy with an ice pick and assumed it was a joke. Unfortunately, it was not.

In 1949, about 5,000 lobotomies were performed in the U.S. Some estimates place the total number of lobotomies performed in the U.S. from the 1930s through the 1950s as high as 50,000. From the 1940s through the end of the 1950s, at least 10,000 more lobotomies were performed in England and tens of thousands more were performed worldwide. In Sweden, 4,500 people were lobotomized against their will, including children, between 1944 and 1963.

Many resulted in a severe mental impairment that left people paralyzed. People were involuntarily institutionalized and subjected to barbarous treatment; many ended up as vegetables. The devil is very cruel. He will do anything to destroy these temples.

During the 1960s, new anti-psychotic drugs began to emerge on the scene. They too often had only spotty success rates, but you could actually stop an anti-psychotic drug regimen. A lobotomy, on the other hand, was an irreversible procedure—damage to neural tissues almost never heals.

With the tide of public opinion turning sharply against the practice, the number of lobotomies performed in the U.S. dropped dramatically through the 1960s and fell almost completely out of favor by the 1970s.

Today, the procedure has been almost completely discredited and abandoned in the Western world. Only a handful of lobotomies are performed in the U.S. each year, most of which involve laser microsurgery rather than ice picks. Most U.S. states have today totally banned involuntary lobotomies.

Now begins a new era of voluntary lobotomies being performed, and very few realize it! Do you and I realize it? Why are we voluntarily doing this? Because we are sleepwalking! Remember Ephesians 5:14: “Awake, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”

Now is not the time to be indifferent or neutral. This is not the time to walk with the group right into voluntary lobotomy. The devil has set a life threatening condition in front of us and has made a way for us to voluntarily yield our frontal lobes up to destruction. A voluntary lobotomy!

Are you ready for the battle? In I Timothy 6:12 it says, “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, wherewith thou art also called, and has professed a good profession before many witnesses.”

Are you ready to “fight the good fight of faith”? Do you understand what faith is and what the battle is? We need to understand this!

  • Faith is a conviction; in other words, you are convinced that something is true.
  • You are convinced that Jesus died for you and that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you.
  • And because you believe that, the devil is going to test your belief—your faith.
  • Is your faith a conviction or just a preference? If a conviction, you will want to keep your body and mind pure through God’s grace.

Every soul is required to “fight the fight of faith.”

Satan comes to prove your faith like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour (I Peter 5:8)!! He is looking right at you and me—and he has found a way to destroy our connection with God.

Voluntary means you choose to yield up your head for a frontal lobe operation—a lobotomy! You choose to become fitful, irreverent, indulging at times in the grossest profanity, to manifest but little deference or courteousness to friends and family, impatient of restraint of advice when it conflicts with your desires; in other words, you choose to reflect the character of the devil.

The devil could no longer by law destroy the judgment center so in the 1950s he brought forth the television.

“The brain nerves which communicate to the entire system are the only medium through which Heaven can communicate to man, and affect his inmost life.” Healthful Living, 54.

How protective then should we be of those brain nerves? Now comes the television, which is also called media—medium. Television is the devil’s medium. This is the devil’s means of communication, many calling it devil-vision, because it destroys the brain nerves through which God can only communicate. The devil’s medium destroys God’s medium!

Television is similar to mesmerism and one of the greatest dangers to our spirituality. Mesmerism is when one person can produce in another an abnormal condition resembling sleep, during which the mind remains passively under control, subject to the will of the operator.

“Each faculty of the mind and each muscle has its distinctive office, and all require to be exercised in order to be properly developed and retain healthful vigor. … Every wheel in machinery must be a living, active, working wheel. Nature’s fine and wonderful works need to be kept in active motion in order to accomplish the object for which they were designed.” Healthful Living, 69.

Today, the greatest educator in our nation is no longer school, church or home; it is the television. Hollywood does not like Christian values. Why? Christian values would not allow something to destroy the only medium through which heaven can communicate to us. Television teaches masses of people and it sells ideas, values, concepts and morals—behavior modification on a large scale.

“Impure thoughts lead to impure actions. … Some … are in danger of paralysis of the brain. Already the moral and intellectual powers are weakened and benumbed.” Healthful Living, 203.

Television destroys the frontal lobe and can be compared to the lobotomies in the 1900s. Every time you sit down to be voluntarily lobotomized, “Jesus is standing at the door knocking: If any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and sup with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20). Jesus says, I will not destroy the temple I have made for you because I want to dwell with you. The devil destroys!

“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.” Our High Calling, 352.

“Conscience and right principles of life should be sustained.” Healthful Living, 203. What is conscience? It is a sense of right or wrong in one’s conduct or motives. What does a “lobotomy” do? It takes away your sense of right and wrong.

There are many studies showing that television damages our brains. Here are a few:

The World Federation of Neurology expresses great concern over the way visual electronic media is affecting children by “halting the process of frontal lobe development and affecting their ability to control potentially antisocial elements of their behavior … the implications are very serious … children should also be encouraged to play outside with other children, interact and communicate with others as much as possible. The more work done to thicken the fibers connecting the neurons in this part of the brain, the better the child’s ability will be to control their behavior.”

“Like hypnosis, watching television is also thought to subdue the involvement of the most sophisticated part of our brain—the frontal lobe. This is the brain’s executive control system, responsible for planning, organizing and sequencing behavior for self-control, moral judgment and attention. Both hypnosis and television reduce our ability to analyze critically what we are being told or what we see.” Remotely Controlled, 95.

“It is reported that children watch an average of 43 hours of TV per week; that is longer than the average adult work week. While watching, they rapidly become almost hypnotized. It has been shown scientifically that within minutes of beginning to watch TV, the brain changes from the alert brain waves (beta waves) to the hypnotic waves (alpha waves) where the judgment center of the brain is bypassed. So the violence and moral degeneration that the child sees, bypasses the judgment center in the brain and is implanted in the child’s brain without any ability on the child’s part to decide whether what they are seeing is right or wrong. The violence and moral degeneration are accepted by the brain without any moral judgment being applied to it. It then becomes part of the child’s permanent subconscious. What goes into a child’s mind is just as important as what goes into his or her mouth!” Attention Deficit Disorder, by Lorraine Day, M.D.

“I have seen some common themes between the effects of watching television and the processes thought to lie behind frontal lobe psychosurgery … given the concern that current levels of television viewing may literally idle frontal lobe activity and then stun its development in younger viewers thereby changing their thinking and behavior, there are some unfortunate similarities [to lobotomies]. Opponents of psychosurgery saw it as the use of a medical procedure to achieve social goals. Television too is used to achieve social goals.” Remotely Controlled, 98.

“Reading vs. Television. Reading leads you to actively manage knowledge, to follow a line of thought, which means classifying, making inferences, reasoning, weighing up ideas, connection one to another, and more. It increases brain activity. Television bypasses all of this.” Ibid., 100. This results in voluntary lobotomies of God’s temples. The devil’s medium destroys God’s medium!

Media analyst Marshall McLuhan considered television as reducing the separation of thought and action, making human behavior more conformist. … Watching television reduces frontal lobe activity.

In Psalm 101:2, 3, it says: “I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes.”

Television influences our thoughts, our understanding, our likes and dislikes, our manner of speech, and even our dress. Television influences our ideas of right and wrong. Like Phineas Gage—total character transformation!!

“One of the most critical arguments against watching television is that it affects the three characteristics that distinguish us as human beings. In the first three years of life, a child learns to walk, to talk and to think. Television keeps us sitting, leaves little room for meaningful conversations and seriously impairs our ability to think. And when children do walk, talk and think, television can have a decisive influence on how they do it.” Remotely Controlled, 49.

As Christians we are to live a pure lifestyle, even in private. Does TV affect us? The answer is yes! Did you ever laugh at a sinful scene which you would not take part of in real life? To laugh at sin is to condone it. The media is not controlled by Christians. “If we can start changing attitudes in this country, we can start changing behavior.”—Grant Tinker, Former Chairman NBC TV.

Deuteronomy 7:26 tells us, “Neither shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it: but thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed thing.” This verse deals with idols and images which Israel was to reject. Is there a parallel? Yes. The church is spiritual Israel and the same mindset about idols and images is present today. Many idolize movie stars and money. Satan is cunning and many of us have fallen for his TV snares.

Television programs are designed with the purpose of reprogramming your mind by breaking down your defenses so you will accept a lie as truth.

  • Does it mock Christianity?
  • Does it glamorize rebellion against any type of authority, such as parents, police, teachers, government, etc.?
  • Does it glorify controlled substances?
  • Are sinful lifestyles promoted like homosexuality, lesbianism, or living together without benefit of marriage?
  • Is violence glorified?

Look around! It seems to be okay because everybody is doing it. Before television came into popularity, each country had their peculiar characteristics/cultures of dressing, talking, living. Now the world walks and talks the TV walk and talk—it is Group Think!

There is now growing concern that watching television distorts the wiring in the developing brain, which is undergoing rapid growth during the first few years of a child’s life. The advice is that children should not start watching television before the age of three. The American Medical Association is now notifying pediatricians to assess viewing habits when treating all hyperactive children.

Professor Herbert Krugman found that within 30 seconds of turning on the television, the brain becomes neurologically less able to make judgments about what we see and hear on the screen. Our brain treats incoming information uncritically. Television is a communication medium that effortlessly transmits huge quantities of information not thought about at the time of exposure—in other words, it is brainwashing! (Journal of Advertising Research, 1971.)

We are no longer free thinkers! Do you see how the devil destroys our frontal lobes? What type of characteristics do we see being exhibited?

  • people become fitful, irreverent, indulging at times in the grossest profanity
  • manifesting but little deference or courteousness
  • impatient of restraint of advice when it conflicts with personal desires.

“Therefore let us not Sleep [or be inactive or careless], as do others; but let us watch [be alert] and be sober [possess properly controlled faculties].” I Thessalonians 5:6. [Emphasis supplied.]

Do not voluntarily allow the devil to destroy your faculties!

Judy Hallingstad is part of the LandMarks team. She can be contacted by e-mail at: judyhallingstad@stepstolife.org.

The Essential Character Traits of the Saved

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The most important things for us to think about are practical things for our lives. There are many character traits that the Bible commends very highly that are important and necessary, but particularly one that I would call the essential character trait. It is singled out as a defining mark of the people of God throughout history and in the last days. What is this essential character trait?

All character traits can blend into one in the exemplification of our Savior’s life.

In Revelation 13:10 it says, “He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.” John has just described in symbolic terms the Dark Ages and the persecutions that were to take place during that era. He then described the closing of that era. He says, “The one that kills with the sword will be killed with the sword; the one that leads into captivity will be led into captivity.” Then he looks away from the persecution and the difficulties of the ages and he says, “Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.”

The description of the people that give the Three Angels’ Messages and experience these messages in the last days is found in Revelation 14:12 which says, “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”

One essential character trait of the saved is faith. I have often wondered about the meaning of the verse in Philippians 4:5. Paul was a prisoner while he was writing this book; however, his theme for this book was to rejoice. Jails are not usually a place of rejoicing but Paul, as a prisoner, rejoiced. Paul says in Philippians 4:4, 5, “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.” Paul insists on the importance of rejoicing. Then he says, “Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.”

What does Paul mean? Elsewhere in the Bible the word moderation can be translated patience or gentleness. I believe this is the only place it is translated moderation. Here Paul is in prison and he says, “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, Rejoice; and let your moderation be known unto all men.” Doesn’t it make a lot more sense for him to say, “Let your rejoicing, your moderation, your gentleness, your patience be made known unto all men in all things?”

Patience is the specifically singled out character trait necessary for the saved and Paul says it is to be known by all men.

Patience is a learned characteristic. In Romans 15:4, 5 it states, “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus.” God is a God of patience. Peter tells us in II Peter 3:15, “We account the patience of God to be salvation.” Without the patience of God there would be no salvation and this is something He wants His people to exhibit. The greatest call to patience that God has given was in the life of Jesus. We never find a time in which Jesus became impatient with those around Him. In circumstances to teach lessons, as in the driving out of the money changers, etc., He exhibited an attitude of authority, but not impatience. He desired God’s glory to be seen but He was not giving way to irritation.

Jesus had many opportunities to exhibit impatience in His life. He had at least four older brothers and two older sisters, and His brothers were constantly giving Him some trouble. There were opportunities to manifest impatience with the priests, the rulers and the leaders as they were tracking Him and trying to find fault. There would have been opportunity to manifest impatience with the dullness of His disciples and their incomprehension of what was going to take place, but Jesus’ patience was never ruffled.

Considering the word ruffled I think of a bird getting its feathers out of order or something like that. Jesus never allowed His feathers to get ruffled. Peter tells us how to learn patience in I Peter 2:20, 21. He says, “For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps.” We are to follow Jesus’ direct example in patience. In verse 20 He says that if you are at fault and you suffer patiently for it, what is that? But if you do well, and you suffer for it patiently, that is acceptable to God because even Jesus gave us an example of this and we are to follow in His steps. Jesus is to be our example in everything, and as pointed out here, He is to be our example in patience.

How serious is impatience? “The man who yields to impatience is serving Satan.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 607. “Would that you could understand that all this impatience and irritability must be overcome, or your life will prove an utter failure, you will lose heaven, and it would have been better had you never been born.” Ibid., 84. That is a very strong statement!

We can manifest impatience by a raised voice or unkind words or by becoming irritated at something or someone by never opening the mouth. Often it is better to keep the mouth shut, but in some instances that still manifests impatience. In I Corinthians 13:5 it says that, “Love is patient” or “love is not easily irritated or provoked.” That is something worth contemplating. Patience is waiting without worrying, not being on pins and needles worrying about what may never happen. Sometimes rushing without waiting on God can be a manifestation of impatience.

Abraham, who had proved to be so faithful to God, became impatient. He and Sarah wanted a child; they had waited for maybe 50 years. Abraham was 86 and Sarah was 76, long past the age of child- bearing. God had promised that they would receive what they had been hoping and praying for, but their patience ran out and they decided to help God. Sarah came up with the plan that her handmaid could bear the promised child for her. Here we see an important principle. Whenever we decide to help God out it always causes problems. Abraham and Sarah did not wait on the Lord to fulfill His promise in His time and in His manner. As soon as Hagar conceived, her relationship with Sarah changed. No longer did she see herself as just the handmaid, and Sarah’s behavior also changed to one of irritation and impatience.

Waiting is never easy. Waiting for years is especially not easy. God asks us to wait on Him. This waiting is necessary to develop an experience in our lives to teach us patience. In Gethsemane Jesus said to His disciples, “Tarry ye here and pray” (Mark 14:34, 38). Before he ascended to heaven He said to “tarry in Jerusalem” (Luke 24:49). Jesus says to “go ye” (Mark 14:13), and He also says to wait. As Jesus was ascending into heaven He told the disciples to “go ye into all the world; but first tarry ye in Jerusalem.” Jesus wanted them to realize that no matter how big the task, there was a more essential task of waiting upon God for His power and blessing to make it take place. Throughout the Psalms, over and over again, it says to “wait on the Lord.”

We need to wait on God and to trust in the fulfillment of His promises. There is a time for action but we also need to learn to patiently wait with God.

To find out why there is so much impatience today, it would be beneficial to identify our own impatient triggers and guard against them. Some people are adversely affected by loud noises, or continual noises, or bumper to bumper traffic. There does not need to be anybody else in the car for you to get impatient. You can be silent and still be impatient. It could be others’ tardiness or maybe our will is crossed that triggers impatience.

Most of us are very good at justifying the reasons for our impatience e.g., that guy cut me off in a line of traffic! But that is not the real reason for the impatience; it was just the stimulus that led to it.

When we are impatient, what are we doing? Abraham and Sarah became impatient waiting for the promised heir because they took their eyes off God. Impatience is a form of discontent of the situation around us. We are impatient with someone because we are discontent with what they said or what they did. We are impatient with the bumper-to-bumper traffic because we are discontent with the situation we are in. We are impatient waiting on God’s promise because we want it now. Impatience is a manifestation of discontentment. So what is the root cause of impatience? In Isaiah 26:3 it says, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”

Perfect peace is perfect contentment. Patience is having complete peace and trust in God at all times. Impatience is losing that contentment, peace and trust in God. When somebody says something and we want to respond with impatient words, it means that, in reality, somebody has done something or said something that we are discontent with. Impatience is a lack of complete trust in God.

We live in an impatient society. In the ’80s there was an interview with a president in which a reporter asked this former president, “Do you think this will have an effect on the state of affairs?” This former president said, “We as Americans have many virtues; patience is not one of them. The Russians think in terms of decades, the Chinese think in terms of centuries and we think in terms of months or maybe a year.” Statistics show that if people have to wait too long at a store, 50% of them will not go back to that store.

Sometimes we think that this is just the way I am, I was born this way; some are born patient and others impatient, and that is true to an extent. Some are born with more placid natures than others and some do have a tendency to be more impatient; but, can patience be learned? Not only can it be learned, but it must be learned. This is one of the characteristics of those who are waiting for the Lord to come. “Here is the patience of the saints.” Revelation 14:12.

There is another story in the Bible of a very impatient man who became very patient. While still living in Pharaoh’s palace, Moses was out riding one day and he saw an Egyptian beating one of his Israelite people. He was so angry that he murdered the Egyptian. Afterwards he said we have a job to do; we have to free the captive people of Israel, so let’s start it right now. We are told that Moses was naturally impatient before God took him to the university of patience where he graduated after 40 years working with sheep. This was to prepare him for the next 40 years leading the children of Israel through the wilderness. The Bible records that Moses was meek above every man upon the face of the earth. This is a real testimony to the power of God to bring forth meekness out of impatience.

Many have heard the statement or quip that says, “I want patience, and I want it now!” This statement is not totally wrong. Read the following statement: “Some of us have a nervous temperament, and are naturally as quick as a flash to think and to act; but let no one think that he cannot learn to become patient. Patience is a plant that will make rapid growth if carefully cultivated.” My Life Today, 97. If you want patience to rapidly grow in your life, then you need to carefully cultivate it. Ellen White continues: “By becoming thoroughly acquainted with ourselves, and then combining with the grace of God a firm determination on our part, we may be conquerors, and become perfect in all things, wanting in nothing.” Ibid.

How can we carefully cultivate the plant of patience that it may make that rapid growth in our lives? The patience chapters in the Bible are found in Hebrews 12 and James 5. “… let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” Hebrews 12:1. “Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.” James 5:11. Job is an example of patience. The two Bible characters named in the Bible as examples of patience are Abraham and Job.

There are seven points in the Bible on how to learn patience. “Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.” James 5:7. The Father has patience.

God’s original occupation for man was farming. God knew that mankind would have a problem with patience so He gave them something to help them. This does not mean that we all need to become farmers to become patient but there is strong evidence that gardening and other similar activities are beneficial for man. Could it be that God wants us to learn patience by working with the soil? You have to learn patience when planting a garden and be even more patient when planting an orchard, as there are never immediate results. God has given us this activity to help us to learn patience.

Most farmers today have to go into debt just to buy their seeds, and then their entire year’s livelihood as well as the repayment of their loan depends upon that crop. In any other occupation there are other ways to make income if something goes wrong but when you are farming and there is no rain, the only thing you can do about it is to learn to wait upon God. Job was involved in agriculture and livestock on a big scale with 500 yoke of oxen (equivalent to 250 tractors) that were plowing.

In II Peter 1:5, 6 it says: “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness.” Temperance comes before patience. If you have ever experienced being hungry you will know that it is a little bit more difficult to be patient during those times. When you become very hungry it is very difficult to eat slowly, because you are even impatient to eat the good food. Also when you become very tired, it is easy to become impatient, something you often see with children. Adults are just grown up children and when we become tired, overworked and hungry or when we eat the wrong types of food, that affects our mental state, giving us a tendency to become impatient.

In Job’s experience, though he was not feasting himself, the Bible says that Job prayed and offered sacrifices for his children in case they cursed God while they were feasting. Job understood the principle of temperance in order to be patient. We do not know how long of a time period the story of Job spans, but we do know that when his friends arrived they sat silently for at least a week. Basically the whole book of Job is a test on patience. All of Job’s friends accused him of doing wickedly. Nobody wants to listen to their friends tell them how bad they are while suffering with sickness and in great pain, but notice what Job says in Job 16:1, “Then Job answered and said, I have heard many such things: miserable comforters are ye all.” That was an understatement. The point made here is that Job patiently listened even though he did not want to listen to them. One way we can learn patience is by listening even though we do not want to listen.

The second point necessary in learning patience is temperance.

The third point is listening.

The fourth point is found in Job 42:10: “And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.” The Lord turned Job’s captivity when he prayed for his miserable comforters, his friends. Would you feel like praying for somebody who had just spent days or weeks trying to convince you that you were a wicked person? Patience is learned as others who have wronged you are forgiven. The very crux of all of Job’s friends was: “We don’t know what you have done, but the very fact that you are suffering this entire calamity is proof positive that you have sinned.” He was wrongly accused again and again. Job had much opportunity to learn patience.

God has instructed us that gardening, temperance, listening even when we do not want to, forgiving when others wrong us or doing good and suffering for it or being wrongly accused teaches patience. Look in Job 19:25–27 to see why Job could endure here: “For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.” Job saw his Redeemer by faith and hoped for what he did not see. We need to hope for what we do not see.

Job certainly went through some trials! When we think we have a bad day, consider Job and see that our day is not as bad as Job’s day was. Job 13:15 says, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.” Trusting in God through trials will develop patience. No trials, no patience!

Moses endured with the children of Israel for 40 years. He had practice with the sheep for the first 40 years, but the sheep were easy in comparison with the people of Israel. The secret of Moses’ success was that every time he was wrongfully accused, He went into the tabernacle, fell on his face and sought counsel before the Lord. When accused of bringing the Israelites out into the desert to die, he does not say, “Look, I did not do this,” but he went and he fell on his face before the Lord. Before he responded to his accusers he made it a matter of prayer. Tragically, due to one manifestation of impatience and lack of faith toward the end of his life he was prohibited from leading his people into the Promised Land.

Impatience is serious. Moses realized he had done wrong striking the rock when told to talk to it and pled for forgiveness and that his sentence would be reversed but the Lord said, “Don’t ask me another time.” If Moses had not repented it would have cost him eternity. Once impatient words are spoken their damage is done and cannot be taken back.

There are disastrous consequences with impatience. Where Moses failed, Jesus overcame. Where Moses failed, the final generation who will be saved will, at last, overcome. The final generation will not get to the borders of the Promised Land and be guilty of impatience. They will have overcome. In Revelation 14:5, in speaking of that final generation, it says there shall be no guile in their mouths. God is going to have a patient people. When we come to the close of the third angel’s message, God says, “Here is the patience of the saints.” Revelation 14:12. Patience will be manifested under every circumstance by this group of people who will have been bombarded by the devil with every imaginable trial.

“Here is the patience of the saints.” In order to be among that group we have to allow God to develop patience in our characters now.

Lest we become discouraged, in Messages to Young People, 136, it says: “Under its [the Holy Spirit’s] influence the hasty temper is subdued, and the heart is filled with patience and gentleness.

“Hold firmly to the One who has all power in heaven and in earth. Though you so often fail to reveal patience and calmness, do not give up the struggle. Resolve again, this time more firmly, to be patient under every provocation. And never take your eyes off your divine Example.”

God wants to teach us patience. Though we fall ever so many times, let us never give up the struggle. Let us strive to demonstrate our patience and that it be known to all men that God may say of us, “Have you seen my servant Job?” In the final generation He can say, “Here is the patience of the saints.”

May the Lord grant to each of us a patient-building experience now so that we can be among the patient saints of the final generation.

Cody Francis is currently engaged in public evangelism for Mission Projects International. He also pastors the Remnant Church of Seventh-day Adventist Believers in Renton, Washington. He may be contacted by e-mail at: cody@missionpro.org.

Be Ye Separate

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“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.”

II Corinthians 6:14–18

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

Romans 12:2

Be ye separate. The theme of a great separation runs through the Bible. There are only two sides—him that serveth God, and him that serveth him not. Those who serve God have chosen to leave behind anything that would separate them from Jesus. Those who love and copy the ways of the ungodly world around them have chosen a different path. Today, in the very last days of earth’s history, it is of the greatest necessity that we know which side we are on. For to choose to be partly on the side of the world is to be completely an alien to the side of Christ.

“The Lord, by close and pointed truths for these last days, is cleaving out a people from the world and purifying them unto Himself.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 52.

“It is God’s design to manifest through His people the principles of His kingdom. That in life and character they may reveal these principles, He desires to separate them from the customs, habits, and practices of the world.” Medical Ministry, 187.

“God’s people today are to keep themselves distinct and separate from the world, its spirit, and its influences.” Counsels on Health, 290.

How important is it that we as Christians separate ourselves from the world, its values, practices, and influences? Any concept that encourages laxity of Christian principles in this area is like a small needle that deflates the balloon of the entire Christian experience. In fact, the very biblical definition of a Christian is one who has separated from the sinful ways of the world.

“A Christian, as described by the Scriptures, is a person who is separated from the world in his aims and practices and is united with Christ—a possessor of the peace which Christ alone can bestow, finding that the joy of the Lord is his strength and that his joy is full.” In Heavenly Places, 168.

“Those who come out of the world in spirit and in all practice may regard themselves as sons and daughters of God.” Manuscript 11, 1901.

In other words, God regards as His followers only those who are willing to leave the world behind. Those who still grasp its ways with one hand, as Lot’s wife did, unwilling to give them up, are not His sons and daughters. In fact, our separation from the ways of the world is a thermometer of the depth of our Christian experience.

“The strength and spirituality of the people of God are manifest by the distinctness of the line of demarcation which separates them from the world.” The Southern Work, 17.

“There are conditions to meet if we would be blessed and honored by God. We are to separate from the world, and refuse to touch those things that will separate our affections from God.” The Review and Herald, January 2, 1900.

“Do you desire to become the sons and daughters of the Most High? Here is stated the condition of this great privilege. Come out, be separate, touch not the unclean. You cannot keep the fellowship of the world, participate in its pleasures, identify yourself with its interests, and still be the sons of God.” That I May Know Him, 310.

Each of us desires to be a son or daughter of the Most High, and God mercifully makes known to us how we can cooperate with the work He wants to do in us. He has not left us to stumble in the dark, seeking for acceptance with God. Instead, He has made the conditions plain, and one of them—a very important one—is separation from the world. “The condition of our acceptance with God is a practical separation from the world.” Counsels on Health, 51.

Practically speaking, what is separation from the world, and how separate are we to be? This revolves around our upholding and living the Law of God, which is trodden down by those around us. It involves our believing and teaching the great message of truth committed to us by God in His Word. And, just as importantly, it involves our living out this truth in our daily lives. Our daily lives must be in wide contrast to the habits and customs of those around us.

“We are not to elevate our standard just a little above the world’s standard, but we are to make the distinction decidedly apparent. The reason we have had so little influence upon unbelieving relatives and associates is that there has been so little decided difference between our practices and those of the world.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 146, 147.

“In the service of God there is no middle ground. … Let none expect to make a compromise with the world, and yet enjoy the blessing of the Lord. Let God’s people come out from this world, and be separate.” Our High Calling, 305.

There is no middle ground, no gray area. The distinction is to be decidedly apparent. In other words, by observing my daily life, I ought to be able to see without a shadow of a doubt that I am a follower of Jesus.

“We have a representation to make to the world of pure principles, holy ambitions, noble aspirations, that will distinguish us from all other people, making us a separate nation, a peculiar people.” God’s Amazing Grace, 249.

The principles given to us by the Lord are so high and holy that they should distinguish us from every other group of people.

“By waiting and watching, God’s people are to manifest their peculiar character, their separation from the world. By our watching position we are to show that we are truly strangers and pilgrims upon the earth. The difference between those who love the world and those who love Christ is so plain as to be unmistakable.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 194.

“We are called to be the Lord’s special people in a much higher sense than many have realized. The world lies in wickedness, and God’s people are to come out of the world, and be separate. They are to be free from worldly customs and worldly habits. They are not to accord with worldly sentiments, but are to stand out distinct, as the Lord’s peculiar people, earnest in all their service.” This Day With God, 248.

Do I stand out as distinct? This is an important question that each of us must answer. And yet it is a difficult question. It can be uncomfortable to stand out in the crowd, to be noticed for our convictions, to be different from our associates. For this reason, many people have chosen the easier route of, to a greater or lesser degree, conforming to the world’s styles and practices. And for this reason, we experience so little of the power of God, because we are not wholly on His side.

“Will separation from the world, in obedience to the divine command, unfit us for the work the Lord has left us? Will it hinder us from doing good to those around us? No; the firmer hold we have on heaven, the greater will be our power of usefulness.” In Heavenly Places, 312. God would not so clearly command us to separate ourselves from this world’s way of living if it were not for the best good of the upbuilding of His kingdom. In fact, “The reason we have had so little influence upon unbelieving relatives and associates is that we have manifested little decided difference in our practices from those of the world.” Fundamentals of Christian Education, 289. Obedience to God will not make us less effective in witnessing, but rather more. The world must see that ours is a religion that transforms the daily life.

Jesus told His followers that they would not be loved by the world. The natural human heart cannot understand spiritual things. True religion will not make us popular. However, the honest in heart will be attracted to the beauty of holiness. If people of the world see no difference between us and themselves, we have not reached the high standard of God.

It is true that a person can be very different from all around him, and still have a heart unsurrendered to God. Yet, it is equally true that when the heart is surrendered to God, we will respond in loving obedience by choosing the clean and pure and rejecting the polluted. There is no merit in being different of itself. What God asks is obedience, and because of the condition of the world around us, obedience automatically means being different.

This, then, is the special work we must focus on in this time. “There must be a straining of every nerve and spirit and muscle to leave the world, its customs, its practices, and its fashions. …” Selected Messages, vol. 3, 155.

Coming into line with God’s heavenly principles of life needs to be our top priority. Any worldly weight that anchors us down to this earth needs to be dropped overboard. Our lives must be searched for any hidden corner where the world has put down its roots, any area in which we are out of harmony with the life that Jesus lived on this earth.

The message of separation from the world has for a great part been lost sight of by most professed Christians. It is essential that we not neglect it now. In His great mercy, God has built the wall of separation between His pure people and the sinful world. Although many have hoped to break down this wall, they have not succeeded, but have merely succeeded in placing themselves completely on the enemy’s side. God’s separation between holiness and unholiness remains. It is our responsibility to be certain that all blinders are removed from our eyes, and that we know without a doubt on which side we are.

“The Lord Himself has established a separating wall between the things of the world and the things which He has chosen out of the world and sanctified to Himself. The world will not acknowledge this distinction. … But God has made this separation, and He will have it exist. In both the Old and the New Testaments the Lord has positively enjoined upon His people to be distinct from the world, in spirit, in pursuits, in practice; to be a holy nation, a peculiar people, that they may show forth the praises of Him who hath called them out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9). The east is not farther from the west than are the children of light, in customs, practices, and spirit, from the children of darkness. This distinction will be more marked, more decided, as we near the close of time. …” That I May Know Him, 308. The distinction is a great one—so marked as to be unmistakable. And it will become more marked as we near the close of time, which certainly is now. Why is this? While the world’s people are sinking deeper and deeper in sin and lack of restraint, God’s people are to be coming higher and higher, always learning more of the character of Jesus, and rising to meet the standard.

This is not a time to relax our principles. It is not a time to enjoy what unbelievers enjoy. It is not a time to follow the fashions. It is not a time to let the world shape our recreational tastes, or to heap up treasures on this earth. This is a time to come apart and be separate. Which side will you be on?

Amy Pavlovik has been a teacher and missionary in Macedonia but her highest calling at present is mother to two year-old Naomi and helpmeet to her husband Mile Pavlovik, Bible worker at Steps to Life.

Immorality Before Crossing the Jordan

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“Thou shalt not commit adultery.” Exodus 20:14

God said in five words what others take many thousands to explain.

Martin Luther’s right hand man, Melanchthon, once said that the Bible must first be understood grammatically before it can be understood theologically. In other words, we must first determine what the words are, then determine what those words mean individually and only then can it be determined what those words mean compositely. Only after that groundwork has been done can we then deduce a theological meaning.

The word Thou is of the second person pronoun which can be either singular or plural. In other words, it is you, the second person. The word shalt, or shall, in the more familiar English, is a strong assertion or an intention, you shall.

The word not is added to any auxiliary verb in the English language and forms the negation of that verb. You will not do this. The word commit means to carry out, to accomplish.

The fifth and final word is adultery. Mr. Webster defines adultery as a violation of the marriage bed via sexual intercourse, unchastity. God therefore commands that you will not violate the marriage bed, you will not be unchaste, you will not be immoral. You will not be licentious. It is very interesting to note that the very command, you will not do this, implies that you can. What would be the purpose in God commanding something that we could not do? When we talk about the moral law of God, God is asking us either to do or not to do that which we are capable of doing.

In the Hebrew text this command is even clearer, because it is stated in just two words: no adultery. We have already modified this statement into the English, “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” In the Hebrew it simply states, “No adultery.” Is that unclear? The essence of the command is, “Do not be sexually involved with anyone who is not your spouse.” Often we take a very narrow view of adultery, and I have had people say to me that they cannot break that commandment because adultery is only violating the marriage vow, so if they are not married, how can they violate the marriage vow?

The essence of this command is to prohibit any sexual involvement outside of a marriage commitment. This commandment can also be violated by those who are not married. Jesus utterly affirmed this in Matthew 5:31 where He intensified the command: “Furthermore, it has been said, Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.” “You have heard that it hath been 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 has already committed adultery in his heart.” Verses 27, 28. Jesus does not diminish the requirement of the law; He does not take away from the letter or the spirit, but He magnifies it and says, You thought it only pertained to the literal act, but I am telling you, you can be found guilty of this command somewhere between your ears.

Immorality is widespread today and it has become a major problem even in the Christian church. Not only are there blatant affairs going on, but many are looking at magazines and computer screens depicting every imaginable thing. People’s lives are being ruined, families are shattered and children are left with little or no direction with no proper role models to follow and it is happening all within the private confines of their own perverted imagination.

Jesus says in verse 32, “I say to you, That whosoever divorces his wife for any reason except for sexual immorality, causes her to commit adultery.” Our definition of adultery is the violation of that marvelous union that God has instituted. Whoever marries a woman who is divorced without proper Biblical grounds commits adultery. Jesus magnified the law when adding that if you look on a woman to lust after her, and if you divorce a woman for a non-Biblical reason, that is the proliferation of adultery. Jesus in no way diminished the command, but He intensified it.

Jesus said, “Out of the heart proceeds all these evil thoughts, murders” (Matthew 15:19), which is commandment number six. And then He says, “adulteries, fornications,” referring to the seventh commandment. Jesus used two words to encapsulate this. He then goes on to say, “thefts” referring to commandment number eight. “Thou shalt not steal” and then, “false witness,” which is commandment number nine. This is very interesting; Jesus here describes commandments six, seven, eight and nine in a single word, except in the case of “Thou shalt not commit adultery” where He uses the words, adulteries and fornications. Here again Jesus is letting us know, as He did in Matthew, chapter five, that the command, “Thou shalt not commit adultery,” is not simply something a married individual can do. It involves the whole umbrella of sexual vice and impurity. He uses two words, adulteries, which is the Greek word for the violation of the marriage bed and the word fornications which is the word for porneo, pornography.

This commandment Jesus describes, is as broad and does not just refer to adultery between married people. This commandment covers all kinds of sexual perversity and immorality. I don’t think anyone would disagree with the fact that we live in a sex-crazy, sensual, seductive society. Our culture is sex consumed.

God made man to be a social creature, and not be alone. The vast majority of us are social beings with a desire for a permanent relationship in which to share the most intimate experiences of life. God gave man the institution of marriage as a haven of safety, a place of sacred trust, in which to enjoy and to satisfy this most basic longing to be one with another. The oneness that a man shares with his wife in mind, body and soul is designed to be a type of the oneness that Jesus desires of His people, giving all to that relationship and forsaking all others.

Primarily there are two groups of people that fall into sexual sin, which is plainly forbidden: the unmarried, that is to say the single, whether never married, or married and divorced, and the unhappily married. As a general rule, those who are happily married in a wonderful, mutual, godly relationship are not usually the people who fall into sexual sin. This does not mean that they are immune and cannot fall, but it does mean that the people who are generally struggling with sexual sin are either single, or they are unhappily married. A happy, contented marriage will not only solve the problem of adultery, but it also solves the problem of pornography.

This is not to say that there would not be some who would remain single. Jesus did say and Paul agreed that there were certain people who could receive the gift of celibacy and these people are in the minority, but to those who desire companionship, the Apostle Paul advises in I Corinthians 7:9, “It is better to marry than to burn.”

Pornography has grown into a multi-billion dollar per year industry, destroying morals, people and marriages along the way. Internet pornography has not gotten any worse in terms of its substance in the last twenty years, but it has just become more accessible. Previously it used to be only available in the more seedy places, in truck stops, along the wrong side of the tracks and the red light district. Some people had the victory over pornography because they were afraid of being seen in these places, but now it is readily available in the public library or right in the living room of your own home. The percentage of pornography related Internet usage is off the charts and, incidentally, the top Google search words are all porn-related.

Tragically, pornography has become too accessible, and almost impossible to escape. Regular advertising of general products now often use sexual innuendos with suggestive pictures plastered on billboards and simply going through the checkout at local grocery stores makes it difficult to ignore the numerous magazines advertising the sexual exploits of the rich and famous.

But what a blessing to be able to have victory over the curse of a sin that is completely accessible!

Just as the children of Israel were on the borders of the land of Canaan preparing to cross the Jordan River Satan attacked with one of his most effective weapons—ungodly licentious adultery. Women were brought into the camp and the men became far too familiar with them, causing many to lose sight of the Promised Land.

When Satan’s temptations are the strongest and the most accessible, that is the time when God’s people will stand the strongest. It is of no great virtue to have victory over an inaccessible temptation, but it is a tremendous honor to God when standing strong in the face of overwhelming temptation. Licentiousness is the special sin of this age. I believe that the person who is committed to the lifestyle of pornography is in an absolute violation of their marriage vow.

This is distinguished from the person who falls and makes a mistake and stubs his toe and utterly repents. If you are struggling with this sin, you need two things. You need Biblical spirituality and you need genuine accountability. The Bible says the flesh lusts against the Spirit (Galatians 5:17). You need the Spirit in your life. Jesus said in John 6:63, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you, Jesus said, they are spirit, and they are life.” You need to daily be filling your tank with spiritual food. If you find that you are failing and falling and fumbling, it is likely because you have not filled up your spiritual tank with true spiritual words from Jesus. His words are spirit and life. You need accountability.

The Bible says in II Corinthians 10:3–5, “For though we walk in the flesh [that means we are stuck in these bodies], we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses, the pulling down of strongholds. We are destroying speculations, and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” Spiritual food is needed to fuel the spiritual energy in your tank if you are going to get the victory over these specific temptations, which are the sin of our age. No one is immune to sexual temptation. You would need to be wiser than Solomon, more godly than David, stronger than Samson, and that seems unlikely.

It is a proven fact that men are primarily driven by their eyes and they are visually stimulated. This is why Jesus said in Matthew 5:28, “If a man looketh on a woman …” He constituted men that way. The Bible says, “God made Adam.” Genesis 1:27. But when it comes to Eve the Hebrew text says, “He built her.” The temptation for women is to build castles or have fantasies. Women are more likely to watch soap operas and read romance novels where all the characters are beautiful, rich and famous, leaving her discontented with reality. While women are castle-building, dreaming up the ideal life, and the men are looking around being driven sensually or visually, you can see what happens when a conflict arises in the marriage. The woman starts going her way, looking for that perfect man bearing flowers to come and sweep her off her feet. And the man starts to go his way and he is looking for a woman who is looking to be swept off her feet, and these two collide neither recognizing in each other what they need because they think the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. Men have the ability to size up a woman in one second with just a passing glance. So, the advice I have for men is simply this: Stop looking! There are way too many lookers. Make a covenant with your eyes to turn them away and stop looking! Jesus said, “Husbands, love your wives.” Ephesians 5:25. Learn the true meaning of love and you will never be happier than with your wife.

For women, stop being dissatisfied with your husband. Maybe he doesn’t have six pack abs, and maybe he doesn’t bring you roses every single night, but get over it! You are his helpmeet, the one God has chosen to help your husband meet his potential. You have the power to make your home a sanctuary where peace and love reign if you will but take seriously your God given responsibility to your husband and your children. Learn the meaning of grace; learn the meaning of forgiveness and your home will be a haven where angels love to dwell.

Beloved, I suggest to you a simple remedy for a good marriage: It is the five “Cs.”

Get converted—Figures show that the divorce rate is going down, now at about 42%, but research shows that it is because fewer people are getting married. Think about it. Marriage is a Christian institution and it is understandable not to expect unconverted people to do well in a Christian institution. So, if you want a good marriage, get converted. If two people are genuinely converted in a marriage, they cannot get a divorce. The reason for this is that God hates divorce and He would not lead two godly people, two converted people, to do something He hates.

Be committed—Not for a day, not for a year, not for a decade, but be committed for life.

Learn to compromise—You want the blue car and she wants the red car —you get the black car.

Have a little compassion—My advice to newlyweds who come into my office is, “You worry about the compassion, and the passion will take care of itself.”

Have a healthy dose of communication—Spend time talking together. There are many resources available that are excellent tools to help you develop your communication skills. e.g., Love and Respect, by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs.

Beloved, in closing, I just want to appeal to your hearts. Some of you are divorcees and God does give Biblical grounds for divorce. I believe in my heart He gives only one single ground for divorce on Biblical grounds and that is the violation of the marriage bed, adultery. In the book, The Adventist Home, 341, God sent a message through His prophet because we were mistaking the plain words of Jesus. It says, “Nothing but the violation of the marriage bed can either break or annul the marriage vow.”

Nothing, nothing, but the violation of the marriage bed can annul the marriage vow. Is that clear enough? Is there any confusion there? Now, if you have been divorced on Biblical grounds or even non-Biblical grounds, and you want to start anew, you want to start afresh, the good news about our God is that He meets you where you are. But grace is not a license to sin.

I stand before you here today as a man who has been happily married for almost ten years and I can say in the fear of God and with absolute candor, I am more in love with my wife today, ten years later, than I was the day I married her. She is more beautiful to me. She is a fantastic mother. She has put up with all of my idiosyncrasies. She is a godly woman. Perfect? Not yet—close, but not perfect yet! But I would invite you to give your marriage to God, give your struggles to God, give your sexuality to God, and I would close with five simple words: “Thou shalt not commit adultery.”

David Asscherick’s sermon was taken from the Ten Commandment Weekend, 2008 series aired on 3ABN. For more information contact 3ABN.org.

Be Honest!

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“We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and his teaching in our past history.”
Selected Messages, Book 3, 162

In 1844 when this great movement began, it was started with young people. At that time James White was 23, Ellen White was 17, J.N. Andrews was 15 and Uriah Smith was 12. At the age of 23, Uriah Smith became the editor of the Review and Herald. I praise the Lord that the generation that is alive before Jesus comes will not only be of older people or middle aged people, but of young people also. Ellen White tells us that before Jesus comes there will be a renaissance of primitive godliness that has been unsurpassed since the beginning of human history. With a generation of rightly trained youth, we will soon see the imminent return of Jesus.

We believe that these Ten Commandments are the golden standard for ethics and morality in this life and also for the life to come. I believe the Ten Commandments transcend culture, society and also any ethics that we present during the 21st century. There is a story titled, Of Two Thieves. In this story there were two brothers who were known about town to have decadent, immoral behavior. Through a series of events, one of the brothers suddenly died. The other brother went to the pastor and asked him to preside at the the funeral for his brother, but with one condition: “You can say anything you want under the eulogy, but sometime during the sermon I want you to call my brother a saint.”

The pastor thought for a little bit and said, “Listen, I could use that money because we need a new roof on our church. I tell you what; it is a deal. Somewhere during the eulogy I will call your brother a saint.” The day of the funeral came and the church was absolutely packed with individuals who knew the character of the man lying in that box. The pastor got up to speak. He said, “The man that you see lying in that box was the most debased, decadent person that we could ever think of because of every rotten, stinking thing he has done. But compared to his brother, he was a saint.”

If we use each other as our point of morality, that is exactly what will happen. Unless we have a transcendent, moral absolute for determining our moral ethics and behavior, we need something outside of us to show us where we stand in the moral landscape.

I praise the Lord for the Ten Commandments.

“Thou shalt not steal” [Exodus 20:15]. Stealing is defined as the illegal taking of another person’s property without that person’s freely giving consent. Have you ever wondered why stealing is a sin, because all we are dealing with is possessions? The difference between a gift and something that is stolen is that one is freely given while the other is taking without consent. When somebody steals from another, they dehumanize that individual and disregard their God-given freedom of choice. I believe everyone has in some way been affected by stealing and it causes something to happen within us.

I grew up in Washington D.C. and this is typical in every large city. One Friday night when we got home, all of the lights were on in our home and all of the doors were open. My dad turned to us and said, “Why don’t you stay in the car; I need to check this out.” Our house had been simply ransacked. Every valuable possession that we could think of had been taken. Another time we were ransacked, our television was stolen, which turned out to be a blessing. Once we came home and someone had taken a chain saw from our storage unit and sawed through a door, taking our possessions.

When you have been robbed or mugged, there is a feeling of not only anger, but a sense of having been violated. Something within you cries out that this is wrong and somebody has disregarded your freedom of choice and entered into your private space. Stealing in the 21st century has become more sophisticated with the advance of technology. There are now different types of stealing which include: embezzlement, larceny, looting, robbery, mugging, trespassing, shoplifting, intrusion, fraud and one that is huge right now, identity theft. This is where people take your social security number and your mother’s maiden name and then take out loans or even commit crimes in your name. Often this is not discovered until applying for a loan and being denied, then finding out that someone has done all of these things. It then sometimes takes years to clean up your record. Some individuals have had to change their name and their identity, rather than go through the hassle of cleaning up their past.

Stealing has also become more impersonalized, meaning that no longer are people just stealing from one another, but also from corporations as well as organizations.

I heard the story of a man visiting Florida from Brazil. While there, he received a parking ticket in Miami for $20. He took that ticket home to Brazil and returned the bill with $22 in cash and mailed it to the city of Miami. The clerk of the city of Miami realized that he had overpaid his bill by $2 and instead of returning that $2 in cash, he wrote a check for $2. When the man received that check in Brazil, he got a bright idea. He took that check and scanned it onto his computer, changing the $2 to $2 million dollars and deposited it into his bank account. The check cleared. He virtually swindled $2 million dollars from the city of Miami. Because there is no extraditing agreement between the United States and Brazil, he got away with it. This may be impersonal stealing, but from a biblical standpoint, whether stealing from an individual, a corporation or a city, stealing is still considered stealing.

According to some statistics, four million people each year in America are caught stealing. For every one caught, thirty five go undetected. A hundred and forty million shoplifting incidents occur each year out of a population of three hundred million people. Furthermore, seventy percent of shoplifters are in the middle income bracket, twenty percent are in the high income bracket, and only ten percent are considered poor. Thirty percent of all business failures each year are the result of internal theft. Security officials estimate that nine percent of all employees steal on a regular basis and seventy five percent of those working in retail stores steal to some degree, taking three times as much as shoplifters. Hotel managers count that one out of three guests steals something. Frank Abignail, the former infamous con artist, stated that businesses lose four hundred billion dollars per year to fraud. That is twice the budget of the U.S. military. The amount is enough to pay off Social Security for the next hundred years. A third comes from employees stealing from their employers. Stealing has become so pervasive in western society resulting in low ethics. Honesty is not being taught and stealing is not even considered stealing anymore.

So what can I do if I have stolen in the past and how do I make things right with God as well as with our fellow man? I believe Jesus is coming very soon and there is going to come a time when there is no longer intercession in the heavenly sanctuary and all of those unconfessed sins will remain and the opportunity to make right with our brothers and sisters will be gone.

What is the solution? The first step in making things right with God and our brothers in relation to stealing is found in Acts 2:37. Peter had just been converted sometime previous to this and received the Holy Spirit and he preached this glorious sermon: “Now when they heard this [the sermon], they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Men and brethren, what shall we do?’ Then Peter said unto them, ‘Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.’ ” Acts 2:37, 38.

Notice that the first word out of Peter’s mouth was repent. The Biblical definition of repentance is a sorrow for sin and a turning away from it. Have you ever committed a sin in your life that you have not felt an ounce of remorse for? I remember before I came to Christ, I would commit sins and I would enjoy them, not feeling an ounce of sorrow. What are we to do if we don’t feel any remorse for what we have done? I remember growing up and getting into heated debates or in arguments with my younger sibling. My parents would try to mediate, getting us together demanding that we would say sorry to each other. I would say, “I’m sorry.” But is that true repentance?

The Bible tells us that we are to repent, have a sorrow for sin and a turning away from it. Repentance is often a barrier that keeps us from coming to Christ, thinking that we must first feel that remorse. One of the misconceptions in relation to repentance really deals with our response to the law. Luke 19:1–5 tells about a man who was a professional thief. In his relationship to Jesus you will see how this mode of repentance exactly works. “And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.” At this point Zacchaeus had not repented. Nor had Zacchaeus made full restitution. “The chief publican longed to look upon the face of Him whose words had brought hope to his heart.” The Desire of Ages, 553.

In one of my favorite books is the following statement: “Just here is a point on which many may err, and hence they fail of receiving the help that Christ desires to give them. They think that they cannot come to Christ unless they first repent, and that repentance prepares for the forgiveness of their sins. It is true that repentance does precede the forgiveness of sins; for it is only the broken and contrite heart that will feel the need of a Saviour. But must the sinner wait till he has repented before he can come to Jesus? Is repentance to be made an obstacle between the sinner and the Saviour?

“The Bible does not teach that the sinner must repent before he can heed the invitation of Christ, ‘Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.’ Matthew 11:28. It is the virtue that goes forth from Christ, that leads to genuine repentance.” Steps to Christ, 26.

Repentance is a gift. Without the Lord, we can’t even feel sorry on our own. I can tell you there have been instances in my life where I had to come to the Lord just the way I am and say, I love the sin, I enjoy the sin, I feel absolutely no remorse for the sin, help me to be sorry because I am not sorry. Give me the gift of repentance.

“Many are inquiring, ‘How am I to make the surrender of myself to God?’ You desire to give yourself to Him, but you are weak in moral power, in slavery to doubt, and controlled by the habits of your life of sin. Your promises and resolutions are like ropes of sand. You cannot control your thoughts, your impulses, your affections. The knowledge of your broken promises and forfeited pledges weakens your confidence in your own sincerity, and causes you to feel that God cannot accept you; but you need not despair. What you need to understand is the true force of the will. This is the governing power in the nature of man, the power of decision, or of choice. Everything depends on the right action of the will. The power of choice God has given to men; it is theirs to exercise. You cannot change your heart, you cannot of yourself give to God its affections; but you can choose to serve Him. You can give Him your will; He will then work in you to will and to do according to His good pleasure. Thus your whole nature will be brought under the control of the Spirit of Christ; your affections will be centered upon Him, your thoughts will be in harmony with Him.

“Desires for goodness and holiness are right as far as they go; but if you stop here, they will avail nothing. Many will be lost while hoping and desiring to be Christians. They do not come to the point of yielding the will to God. They do not now choose to be Christians.” Steps to Christ, 47, 48.

The first step is coming to Jesus just the way that we are. We may have stolen in our lives and may not even feel an ounce of remorse or repentance for what we have done, but we can come to Jesus just the way we are, give our wills to Him, believing that He will create within us a clean heart.

An illustration of how repentance works in relation to stealing is found in Luke 19:5–8: “And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, that he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.”

After Jesus had come into Zacchaeus’ life and into his heart, he stands up and says, “I want to make amends for what I have done—to make restitution for the things I have stolen.” I praise the Lord that Jesus accepts us just the way we are, because He loves us too much to leave us in that sinful condition.

Stealing not only deals with the sin between us and God, but it also deals with the sin between us and our brothers and sisters whom we have wronged. In this illustration, once Jesus had changed Zacchaeus’ heart he made restitution, giving back what he had stolen.

Once, I got involved with a group of individuals and we would steal on a regular basis. It got to the point that stealing was so common that it would not even bother me. In the beginning my conscience bothered me a little, causing me not to sleep at night, but the more I stole, the less it bothered me. That is the way the conscience works: the more you sin, the more your conscience becomes seared.

At one time I was involved in bike racing with a friend. One day we looked out in the parking lot and there parked was a vintage girl’s bike, a racing model. We eyed it for a few weeks and the bike was still there. So, we figured that since the owner did not claim it, we would. We backed up my friend’s van and put it into the van and took it to the woods, stripped it of all the components that we desired and threw the frame out into the woods to rot. We just went on our way and it did not bother me at all. As my life went on, years went by and I accepted the Lord Jesus Christ and Jesus accepted me just the way I was and I began my Christian walk with Him. A few days later when I got up to have my morning devotion, the Holy Spirit came to me and reminded me of the bicycle that I had stolen many years ago. He told me that I was forgiven for that, but He wanted me to go back, and as much as is humanly possible, make it right.

I said, Lord, you have got to be kidding; that was years ago. What about forgiveness and all of these things you promise in your Word? I must go back to make that thing right! How humiliating! I fought the Lord for days. During those days my devotional life went downhill because I was resisting the Holy Spirit. I knew I had to make it right if I wanted to progress in my Christian experience. I went home and found out the name of the individual from my friend and then got out the yearbook and looked her up. I went back home and found her telephone number and called her. My heart was beating very fast. When a lady answered I said, “Hello ma’am, is _____ home?” She said, “No, but she is my daughter; can I help you?” I asked her if her daughter owned a bicycle and she said, “Yes, she did and someone stole it and it was a horrible thing. Do you know where it is, or what happened to it?” I told her about my friend and me stealing it. She asked me if there was any way I could restore it because it had so much meaning to her. I told her it was impossible, but that whatever it would cost to restore that back into her home, I would pay it. When I got off that phone I felt like a thousand pounds had been lifted from my shoulders.

The Bible tells us that being justified by faith we have peace with God. God ultimately forgives us, but because it affects another individual we are called, as much as is humanly possible, to restore the loss and make that thing right.

“If we have injured others through any unjust business transaction, if we have overreached in trade, or defrauded any man, even though it be within the pale of the law, we should confess our wrong, and make restitution as far as lies in our power. It is right for us to restore not only that which we have taken, but all that it would have accumulated if put to a right and wise use during the time it has been in our possession.” The Desire of Ages, 556.

We are living at the very end of time. If God is convicting you about something in your life that you need to make right, then do not hesitate; make it right. Soon, Jesus will cease intercession in the heavenly sanctuary and by God’s grace I want to have a clear conscience on that day.

It is the goodness of God that motivates us and drives us to repentance, not guilt or fear of judgment.

In Asia, in times past, there used to be a custom called matchmaking. The families would take two individuals and unite them in holy matrimony irrespective of the individuals’ choice. There was a story of two families who were very close to each other and they decided that if one had a boy and the other a girl they would arrange to have them married so their families would be united through holy matrimony. As fate would have it, one had a girl and the other had a boy. True to the pact, before they moved far from each other they decided that they would go ahead with their plan. The day of the wedding came, and neither the boy nor the girl had ever met each other until the night of the wedding. After the ceremony the young man was curious to see what his bride looked like, as she had been covered by a veil throughout the ceremony. He reached over and anxiously pulled the veil from her and much to his sadness she was so unattractive that he ran out of the room in a rage, angry at God and at circumstances for putting him in this predicament. He now was compelled to live with the woman because they did not believe in divorce back then. Even though her outside appearance was not the most attractive, on the inside she was beautiful. He would come home in a rage, angry at God and the world and she would respond in the most Christlike manner. She did everything she could to make a pleasant home, showing her love toward him. They had a daughter, and as time passed they got older in age. One day as he was looking outside he noticed that he was losing his vision in one of his eyes. They were quite distraught and went to the hospital. The doctors told him that if he did not receive a cornea transplant in his eye he would lose total vision. So they looked all over the country for somebody who would donate a cornea. They just about gave up all hope of finding one when suddenly they got a phone call and there was a cornea for transplant and the surgery was a complete success. They came home for a celebration, all three of them. The wife had prepared his favorite meal and before they were about to sit down the daughter said to her mother, Why don’t you tell him? He said, tell me what? At that point he turned his wife toward him and he noticed that she had a patch over her right eye. She had given a part of herself for him. This woman, whom he had abused emotionally and mistreated for years, had given a part of herself for him, unconditionally.

Did her love change his behavior? Yes it did. The Bible says that it is the goodness of God that motivates us to repentance. When we see what Christ has done for us, it motivates us to change and to make things right, not only with our brothers and sisters, but with God. God is asking us to do this right here and now.

Jesus is about to come, but before He comes He will have a people who will keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus (Revelation 12:17). We can truly thank God for the gift of His grace which leads us to repentance.

David Shin’s article was taken from the Ten Commandment Weekend, 2008 series aired on 3ABN. For more information contact www.3ABN.org.

Destroying Love and Unity Among Believers

by

Deuteronomy 13:12-18

Most, if not all of us, have heard the word rumor before; however, I would like to strongly suggest that most of us who have heard the word do not fully understand the damaging effects and awful results of rumors. By definition, rumor means a story or statement in general circulation without confirmation or certainty as to facts. It means gossip or hearsay.

The word gossip, which is a well-known word to most of us, means idle talk or rumor, especially about the personal or private affairs of others. It means light, familiar talk or writing.

Synonyms for the word gossip are small talk, hearsay, palaver, chit-chat, rumor and scandal.

It was the American historian, George Bancroft, who rightfully concluded, “Truth is not exciting enough to those who depend on the characters and lives of their neighbors for all their amusement.” The New Dictionary of Thoughts, 242. (Tryon Edwards, C. N. Catrevas, Jonathan Edwards, and Ralph Emerson Browns, New York Standard Book Co., 1969, 1960.) And Hector Hugh Munro said, “Hating anything in the way of ill-natured gossip ourselves, we are always grateful to those who do it for us and do it well.” Familiar Quotation by John Bartlett, 812. (Little, Brown & Company, New York, 1989.)

Having said all this, by now you are aware of the thrust and focus of this message! I desire to address a passage of Scripture that will help us Christians to understand how to relate to and deal with hearsay, rumor, gossip, and related synonyms.

From the Holy Scriptures we read, “If thou shalt hear say in one of thy cities, which the Lord thy God hath given thee to dwell there, saying, Certain men, the children of Belial, are gone out from among you, and have withdrawn the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which ye have not known; Then shalt thou enquire, and make search, and ask diligently; and, behold, if it be truth, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought among you.” Deuteronomy 13:12–14.

In this passage the Lord gave to His people a divine principle based on strict justice, righteousness, integrity and love. It demonstrates a high regard for the rights of others and a profound measure of respect for our fellow human beings. If this divine principle were followed to the letter, what untold harm would have been prevented! How many estranged relationships would never have existed! How many enemies would never have been created!

The phrase hearsay conveys the understanding of a person avouching himself/herself concerning a report, which they have heard. This person boastfully certifies that what has been communicated is fact even though that which was reported has not been proven.

The phrase “children of Belial” literally means sons of evil, children of wickedness or ungodly men. The counsel given to the Israelites was this: If you hearsay that some of your brethren and sisters have severed association from the rest of Israel—the church—perhaps with the purpose of setting up a new church, and have made strong effort to draw away others with them, then some important steps must be followed before action is taken on these children of Belial.

What are the steps that must be followed in dealing with hearsay?

God through Moses commanded, “Then shalt thou enquire, and make search, and ask diligently; and, behold, if it be truth, and the thing certain. …” Verse 14.

The steps that must be followed are:

  1. Inquire
  2. Make Search
  3. Ask Diligently
  4. The Thing Certain

Let’s see what these mean.

To Inquire means to seek or to ask, to make inquisition. It is to investigate with the idea of demanding an answer.

To Make Search involves finding out, seeking out, to search out, to penetrate, to examine intimately. It has to do with use of intensive and minute investigation.

Ask Diligently conveys the idea of thoroughness; it is to make sure.

The Thing Certain literally means to substantiate, to verify, to establish after due investigation. It incorporates the phrase, without a shadow of a doubt. In the context of church discipline, it must be based on certainties, not on rumors. Hearsay should not be accepted as evidence. If one presumes to make an accusation, he/she should be required to provide proof in substantiation of it before action is taken.

This is how a person can ascertain the truth concerning a matter that is a floating rumor. These steps speak to the fact that it is absolutely necessary that all sides of the matter or issue be heard and examined carefully before conclusions are made and actions taken!

As far as the Israelites were concerned, they were required to search into the very heart of a matter. It would be a crime, a murder, if they should act judicially on mere rumor or through any evil bias. Certainty of the facts must precede any sentence of destruction.

Such instructions are repeated elsewhere in the book of Deuteronomy for emphasis. “If there be found among you, within any of thy gates which the Lord thy God giveth thee, man or woman, that hath wrought wickedness in the sight of the Lord thy God, in transgressing his covenant, And hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, either the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded; And it be told thee, and thou hast heard of it, and enquired diligently, and, behold, it be true, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought in Israel: Then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman, which have committed that wicked thing, unto thy gates, even that man or that woman, and shalt stone them with stones, till they die. At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.” Deuteronomy 17:2–6.

In Deuteronomy 19:15–19, the principle of hearing both sides of the matter is emphasized: “One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established. If a false witness rise up against any man to testify against him that which is wrong; Then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before the Lord, before the priests and the judges, which shall be in those days; And the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and hath testified falsely against his brother; Then shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother: so shalt thou put the evil away from among you.”

Jesus, while He was on earth, taught this important principle as recorded in Matthew 18:16: “But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.” The principle set forth here is that a perceived offender should be personally approached by one hearing of his or her possible or alleged wrongdoing with the sincere hope of hearing and understanding the other side of the story. The need for two or three witnesses has to do with the fact that they can bear witness to the efforts that have been put forth on the perceived offender’s behalf and also to the facts in the case. As convincing as a person’s story might be, the other individual’s testimony may be even more convincing and also may very well be the truth. Therefore, this is why it is so important to inquire, make search, ask diligently and see that the thing is certain!

Have you ever wondered what are the reasons why Christians practice or find delight in hearsay or gossip?

Well, here are several reasons:

  1. Actuated by curiosity
  2. Actuated by jealousy
  3. Many by hatred against those through whom God has spoken to reprove them
  4. Some conceal their real sentiments
  5. Others are eager to publish all they know, or even suspect, of evil against another. See Testimonies, vol. 5, 94.

It would do us much good to remember that as often as we engage in gossip or hearsay we literally grieve Jesus and sadden the angels. These words of Inspiration make this very plain: “You may feel it no sin to gossip and talk nonsense, but this grieves your Saviour, and saddens the heavenly angels.” Fundamentals of Christian Education, 457. It does not stop there, for this evil practice displeases the Holy Spirit to the degree that He will have little to do with such individuals or churches.

Some members who have been Christians for many years feel it their duty to gossip with the new converts, but this is not what God expects of us. Counsel is given on this matter: “The ministers may do their part, but they can never perform the work that the church should do. God requires His church to nurse those who are young in faith and experience, to go to them, not for the purpose of gossiping with them, but to pray, to speak unto them words that are ‘like apples of gold in pictures of silver.’ ” Testimonies, vol. 4, 69.

Here are some of the ways the church and individuals are affected by hearsay or gossip.

  1. The church becomes weak — “Christians should be careful in regard to their words. They should never carry unfavorable reports from one of their friends to another, especially if they are aware that there is a lack of union between them. It is cruel to hint and insinuate, as though you knew a great deal in regard to this friend or that acquaintance of which others are ignorant. … What harm has not the church of Christ suffered from these things! The inconsistent, unguarded course of her members has made her weak as water.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 186.
  2. Confidence destroyed and mischief created — “Confidence has been betrayed by members of the same church, and yet the guilty did not design to do mischief.” Ibid.
  3. Souls separated from God — “I saw that when sisters who are given to talk get together, Satan is generally present, for he finds employment. He stands by to excite the mind and make the most of the advantage he has gained. He knows that all this gossip, and tale-bearing, and revealing of secrets, and dissecting of character, separate the soul from God. It is death to spirituality and a calm religious influence.” Ibid., 185, 186. “The thoughtless, unkind words that are spoken grow with every repetition. One and another adds a word, until the false report assumes large proportions. Great injustice is done. By their unrighteous suspicions and unrighteous judgments the talebearers hurt their own experience and sow the seeds of discord in the church.” Ibid., vol. 8, 83.
  4. Faith is undermined, discord and strife created, friends are separated — “The spirit of gossip and talebearing is one of Satan’s special agencies to sow discord and strife, to separate friends, and to undermine the faith of many in the truthfulness of our positions. Brethren and sisters are too ready to talk of the faults and errors that they think exist in others, and especially in those who have borne unflinchingly the messages of reproof and warning given them of God.” Ibid., vol. 4, 195.

“Satan is working to crowd himself in everywhere. He would put asunder very friends. There are men who are ever talking and gossiping and bearing false witness, who sow the seeds of discord and engender strife. Heaven looks upon this class as Satan’s most efficient servants.” Ibid., vol. 4, 607.

  1. Majority of church trials arise from gossip — “Gossipers and news carriers are a terrible curse to neighborhoods and churches. Two thirds of all the church trials arise from this source.” Ibid., vol. 2, 466.

“Difficulties are often caused by the vendors of gossip, whose whispered hints and suggestions poison unsuspecting minds and separate the closest friends. Mischief-makers are seconded in their evil work by the many who stand with open ears and evil heart, saying: ‘Report, … and we will report it.’ This sin should not be tolerated among the followers of Christ. No Christian parent should permit gossip to be repeated in the family circle or remarks to be made disparaging the members of the church.” Ibid., vol. 5, 241, 242.

  1. The reclaiming of backsliders is hindered by hearsay —Ellen White wrote to a particular church to counsel them concerning some of their brethren who had backslidden and especially one brother A. She told them: “There was more gossiping over his case than sincere sorrow for him. All these things kept him from the fold and caused his heart to be separated farther and farther from his brethren, making his rescue still more difficult.” Ibid., vol. 2, 218.
  2. Has a twofold curse — “Evilspeaking is a twofold curse, falling more heavily upon the speaker than upon the hearer. He who scatters the seeds of dissension and strife reaps in his own soul the deadly fruits. How miserable is the talebearer, the surmiser of evil! He is a stranger to true happiness.” Ibid, vol. 5, 176.

I leave with you some wise counsels from the Word of God:

  1. “He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, is a fool. In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise. The tongue of the just is as choice silver: the heart of the wicked is little worth.” Proverbs 10:18–20.

“An hypocrite with his mouth destroyeth his neighbour: but through knowledge shall the just be delivered.” Proverbs 11:9.

  1. “A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter.” Verse 13.

“He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets: therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips.” Proverbs 20:19.

  1. “He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.” Proverbs 13:3.
  2. “An ungodly man diggeth up evil: and in his lips there is as a burning fire. A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends.” Proverbs 16:27, 28.

“He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends.” Proverbs 17:9.

  1. “The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.” Proverbs 18:8.

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” Proverbs 18:21.

  1. “A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall perish.” Proverbs 19:9.
  2. “Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.” Proverbs 21:23.
  3. “But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” Matthew 12:36, 37.

I appeal to you with the words of the apostle Paul to the Philippian Christians: “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Philippians 4:8.

It is only through total reliance on Christ, surrendering ourselves to Him daily, that we will be delivered from the sin of gossip, hearsay, and talebearing. None need be discouraged because Jesus is waiting to give each one victory. All we need to do is claim the promise, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Verse 13.

Pastor Ivan Plummer ministers through the Emmanuel Seventh Day Church Ministries in Bronx, New York. He may be contacted by telephone at: 718-882-3900.

What Brings Success

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Everyone desires to be successful, whether it is in marriage, in business, or in family relationships, i.e., between parents and their children, siblings, or other relatives. We want successful relationships with our friends and success to come our way when we face trials, disasters or crises. No one enjoys being down-and-out for long. For some, above all is to be financially successful.

The reality is that God created every human being to be happy and successful in all the pursuits of life.

Jesus, our example, was successful in everything He did. We may not measure some of the things He did in the context of what we understand success to be, but everything He pursued was perfect. We understand from the word of God that it is also possible for us today to be as He was in all things.

The question rings out, “What brings success?” The key and basis to success is to please God. This can be proven through the Scriptures as in the case of Naaman, who wanted to be healed of leprosy. He was told what to do in order to be healed. Because of his high position, he was offended at the simplicity of the requirement and refused to believe (II Kings 5:1–12). I hope you are not as Naaman but that your heart and mind are open to recognize that God works with simplicity, and even though it may sound too simple, it works.

Another example is found in the story of Esther. The incident involved Esther, Mordecai and a very cruel man, Haman, who hated the Jews with a passion. There is a phrase repeated in the book of Esther, which explains how Esther was enabled to be successful in all of her dealings with the king.

“Then the king held out the golden sceptre toward Esther. So Esther arose, and stood before the king, And said, If it please the king, and if I have found favour in his sight, and the thing seem right before the king, and I be pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to reverse the letters devised by Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews which are in all the king’s provinces.” Esther 8:4, 5.

You will see the word please in these verses, and a careful study of the book of Esther reveals how many times she keeps repeating the need to please the king or to do that which was pleasing in his eyes. Every time she did so, she received what she wanted. This lesson, I believe, is in the Bible to teach us a particular science, a science that works with God as much as it works with man.

Regarding ancient Israel, the Bible states, “But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.” I Corinthians 10:5, 6. Verse 5 tells us the reason why the children of Israel, over a 40-year period in the wilderness, were destroyed. Over and over again you will see in the Scriptures that whenever Israel pleased God, they obtained whatever they wanted. Whenever they displeased God, they did not get what they wanted; actually they received what they deserved in the form of punishment. Pleasing men is one thing, but pleasing God is a whole different story. When Balaam sought to curse Israel, he knew that in order to bring Israel’s downfall he would need to cause the people to displease God by falling into sin. As long as they pleased God they had a shield, and the continued blessings of God were upon them (Numbers 22–24, 31:8, 16).

The way in which God dealt with Israel in times past is the same way He will deal with His people today. We have to learn what it is to please God in the same way we please people. Often we go out of our way to please men, but there is much more value in pleasing God above all else. The Bible says that God has created us for His pleasure. Not until He can get a people who will seek to please Him will God in turn bestow upon them every blessing that He has available.

It is not too difficult to be successful in this life, but we often lose faith in God’s way and try to pursue success on our own and in the way of the world. Too often we try to please our friends, even to the extent of disregarding God and His ways, yielding to peer pressure, just to please people versus pleasing God. Consequently, the success is limited.

Concerning the pleasing of Christ, the Bible says, “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” Romans 8:6–9.

We can say, “I am a son of God” or “I am a daughter of God” as much as we like, but if we are not seeking to please Him, the Spirit of God is not going to stay with us. He cannot dwell in those of the flesh, because those who are in the flesh do not make it their earnest effort to please Him. Relationships ought to be carefully chosen. To hang out constantly with the worldly-minded that tend to pull us down to the level of the carnal mind is very dangerous.

All good things come from God, whether it is in the context of material, physical, or spiritual blessings, and all of these gifts bring success. Even the wicked man depends upon the mercy of God to gain a blessing. Everything he has is only by God’s grace. Look at Nebuchadnezzar, the world ruler—king of Babylon; he lost everything because he did not recognize the source of his power. Because he took it upon himself to exalt himself as being the god and lord of the whole world instead of giving glory to the true God, he became like an animal. The Bible says he was out in the pasture for seven years eating grass, and his nails and hair grew long (Daniel 4:30–33). He failed to please God and did not acknowledge the true source of all his blessings.

What would we be and what could we attain if we decided to do only that which we know would be pleasing in God’s sight? A parent, especially a Christian parent, will usually do almost anything for a child who lives to please him. This same thing applies in the context of God’s people, not just in the context of our relation with family or friend. Until we are doing our best to please God instead of ourselves or other individuals, we will lose out on the blessings that God wants to bestow upon us.

The apostle declared, “For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.” Galatians 1:10. Is this the attitude we have when we come up against situations that involve pleasing friends or pleasing others? Do we, like the apostle, recognize that if we fail to please God in our efforts to please others, we are not going to be considered His servants?

God is looking for a people on whom He can bestow all of His blessings. This world is lacking a true representation of God on this planet, with so many professed Christians not resembling Christ. Christian means follower of Christ, and we need to understand how Christ conducted himself, how the apostles and the patriarchs and prophets acted. They lived their lives seeking to please God, even if they turned everybody else against themselves. God, in turn, was always ready to give them whatever they needed.

In the context of marriage, Paul says, “He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord: But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife.” I Corinthians 7:32, 33. This is the only big challenge that is cited regarding marriage. Marriage involves becoming one. That means forsaking father, mother and all others to become fully aligned with your mate. Even though the Bible says that marriage is highly exalted and honorable, it leaves this warning for us. Whether married or unmarried, be aware of the greatest danger in such an experience; a married person is generally inclined to seek to please the person with whom they are married. Actually, that is a good thing, because love is self-sacrificing. Love is a principle that makes itself manifest in seeking the best interest and happiness of others at the expense of oneself. Nothing is wrong with seeking to please the other. But there is a danger, and that is placing a spouse before God, and by so doing, the need to first consider God’s happiness is forgotten. We are warned, because many times we compromise even in marriage, though we know our spouse to be in the wrong and we know that God is not pleased. Be careful! The most important thing in life is the need to establish ahead of time that your boyfriend/girlfriend knows that God comes first with you. If he/she makes objection, then it does not make sense to pursue the relationship further. God must come first in our pursuit of genuine happiness, and true friendship is based upon whether we will live to please God.

Every so often, if we are not looking to please somebody else, we look to please ourselves instead of God. We think that rubbing shoulders against a person, who is powerful, wealthy and knowledgeable in everything, will ensure getting what is needed to be successful. To that end, some grovel, bend over backwards and become total puppets just to please people and get the necessary help to climb the ladder of success they desire, never realizing the true source—God. Man knows that pleasing people helps people to like them, so they will at times compromise their own morals to please people to get certain positions in life. In their heart they know they are not being true; they lie. They know they are just using those people, but they know they must profess to please in order to be benefitted.

Use this same principle in the context of God. If we seek to please God, He, in turn, will show approbation and bestow His blessing upon us. We will not have to grovel at the feet of mankind because our Source is more powerful and more capable than any human being in supplying all of our needs.

Most churches today want to be culturally relevant. They will tell you that if you want to keep the young people in church you must worship the way they enjoy it. What then is going to happen to the church? What is going to happen to the principles of righteousness? What is going to happen to exalting the truth, if that truth is watered down in order to keep the members? Whom are we thinking to please? We want to be successful, but we do not want to do it God’s way.

We need to realize this most important step towards success. Putting God first does not in any way eliminate love for one another and treating one another right. How would God be pleased if we were to betray the brethren? What God wants from us is to live and speak in harmony with that which He is willing to hear and willing to see. When we can please God, we can then please our fellow man. Sometimes they may not like it, but the truth of the matter is, God must come first.

In regard to the church, when God allocates a responsibility, it needs to be taken seriously. This is not done to please the pastor or an elder, but it is done to please God. We would not grumble if asked to do a task for an employer because we know that it would affect our job, but some think we can grumble with God and it is okay—no, it is not okay!

Our attitude in returning God’s tithe reveals how much we are living for self, versus living for God. Some even hold God ransom in the way His church is held ransom by saying, “They did not do what I wanted, so I will teach them a lesson and hold back my tithe from them.” God gives each of us an opportunity to prove whether we love Him or not, whether we believe His word or not, whether we will please Him or please ourselves. Every action performed that is contrary to God’s principle of righteousness is recorded. Are we taking time to faithfully record and calculate our tithe in the way that we should to make sure that we do not rob God? If God makes a command known to us, it is a command, a requirement, and we will be judged based upon our faithfulness to that knowledge. This principle applies not only to tithing but also to all of His commands.

It is not just a matter of whether or not we keep the Sabbath holy. We allow Satan to fool us into thinking that because we keep the Sabbath while we disregard the other commandments God will still be pleased with us.

In regard to success even in finances, most people are accustomed to reading the familiar passage where the Lord promises that if we believe, He will open the windows of heaven and pour us out a blessing, which we will not be able to receive (Malachi 3:7–10). Most of the time we do not believe that God means what He says, and when we don’t see the blessing pouring out upon us, we tell ourselves that we cannot really believe the Bible. How can God turn around and bless those who do not consistently comply with His will? God sees the end from the beginning, and He can tell if we are going to keep on doing the right thing or not. Why then should He bestow a blessing upon us when He knows that in two weeks or two months we are going to stop?

“Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the Lord’s house should be built. Then came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet, saying, Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste? Now therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways. Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.” Haggai 1:2–6.

This was a lesson the Lord was trying to teach through the experience of Israel. His brethren had disregarded the house of God. The church was not as important to them as their own homes, forgetting that the key to success was to first please God. Matthew 6:33 says, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” They did not believe that principle, so they were putting all of their earnings into bags with holes. Malachi 3:10, 11 says, “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts.” God’s concern is that there is meat in due season for the saving of souls. God says, “Bring ye all.” Either we obey or disobey. The Lord says, “I will take care of you but you must please Me first.”

The secret to be truly successful in life is to live to please God first and believe He will provide for all other needs. Nothing else will bring happiness into our lives or into our families or homes.

Truth often hurts, and in times past, prophets were stoned to death because they said things that the people did not want to hear. They did not live to please the people and neither should we be afraid to speak and live the truth. Today, stoning takes on a new guise than in times past. Those who are hid in Christ and doing the will of the Father will not be hurt by the stones, but the one who does the throwing will be.

It is time to make changes. God is in need of genuine Christians—not fakes, hypocrites, or jokers. We are growing closer and closer to the end of time and need the Lord to be near. Living a selfish life pleasing either ourselves or other people is what has brought this planet to where it is today. Instead of looking to please God, her Creator, Eve decided to please the serpent, believing his lies. Then Adam, deciding to please his wife, went ahead and ate the forbidden fruit, knowing it was wrong and not pleasing to God.

We do the same, not realizing that the closest and most beneficial relationship possible is one with God. “The tithe is sacred, reserved by God for Himself. It is to be brought into His treasury to be used to sustain the gospel laborers in their work. For a long time the Lord has been robbed because there are those who do not realize that the tithe is God’s reserved portion.” Counsels on Stewardship, 93.

Paul said, “For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God.” Colossians 1:9, 10.

These brethren understood that they needed to live a righteous life. We need a relationship with the Lord like we have never seen or had before to understand the secret of their success. We are being prepared for a time of trouble such as never was, and we need to have an experience such as never was. We need the success of those who went ahead of us. They knew that God was pleased when they were seeking for His knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. If we cannot find the time to make earnest efforts to study but still find time to watch TV, play games, hang out with our friends and do other things that we enjoy, how can we be pleasing in His sight? We can always seem to make time for the things we consider important. “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Hebrews 11:6. “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17. It is impossible to please God without faith and impossible to have faith without knowing Him. God always tells us the truth; He never lies, and He is hurt when we do not believe and trust Him. To doubt God is nothing less than calling Him a liar.

“In our work for God there is danger of relying too largely upon what man with his talents and ability can do. Thus we lose sight of the one Master Worker. Too often the worker for Christ fails to realize his personal responsibility. He is in danger of shifting his burden upon organizations, instead of relying upon Him who is the source of all strength. It is a great mistake to trust in human wisdom or numbers in the work of God.” The Desire of Ages, 370.

God wants a people who are searching for truth, for only truth can sanctify and transform lives. “Successful work for Christ depends not so much on numbers or talent as upon pureness of purpose, the true simplicity of earnest, dependent faith. Personal responsibilities must be borne, personal duties must be taken up, personal efforts must be made for those who do not know Christ. In the place of shifting your responsibility upon someone whom you think more richly endowed than you are, work according to your ability.” Ibid.

It is essential that each member of the church see that he/she has a personal responsibility in the success of that church. No matter how many relinquish their responsibilities, we have to say to ourselves, “I will do it.” We are not here to please ourselves but to please God. We were created for His pleasure.

“Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.” Colossians 3:20. Here we see that to please God is to obey. “When a man’s ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.” Proverbs 16:7. No one wants their family or their neighbors to be their enemies. At times they may not like us, but they will avoid having confrontation because of the connection we have with Somebody mightier than they, just as ancient Israel’s enemies were afraid because they knew that the Israelites were the friends of a God whom they did not know. There are many examples where the heathen tried to make peace with them and stay out of their way.

The wise man said, “I applied mine heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason of things, and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness: And I find more bitter than death the woman, whose heart is snares and nets, and her hands as bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her.” Ecclesiastes 7:25, 26. There is a time of trouble coming, and we need God’s protection and blessings.

Pleasing God brings success. Jesus’ success came from His Father. He declared, “And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.” John 8:29. Jesus pleased His Father by always doing His will. He had the assurance of His Father’s presence continually. That same experience is available to all who diligently seek after Him with all of their heart and obey His word.

“And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.” I John 3:22.

Pastor Patrick Herbert is the pastor of Tucker-Norcross Free Seventh-day Adventist Church, located in the state of Georgia. He also pastors several sister churches in North Carolina, Michigan, and elsewhere. He is the director of The Gilead Institute of America, an outreach and medical missionary evangelistic training institute started in 1990, and is presently the chairman of the Executive Committee of the International Association of Free Seventh-day Adventists, a worldwide network of historic self-supporting churches and ministries. Pastor Herbert holds a doctorate in religion and has written a number of books and articles on religious and health topics. He also travels throughout the United States and internationally to promote present truth. He has a monthly sermon CD and newsletter with topics covering end-time events and practical Christian living. He may be contacted by e-mail at: gilead.net@usa.net.

What is Sin?

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This subject, even though so simple, has been the subject of a great amount of controversy. What is sin? What does sin do? What are the complications of sin? The Bible explanation of sin is not complicated.

The most common definition is given in I John 3:4, which says, “Sin is the transgression of the law” or “lawlessness,” breaking the law. You can see the same definition in the Old Testament in Leviticus 4 and many other places where it says that anybody sins by doing something contrary to the commandments of God. Simply said, sin is breaking God’s law.

Notice how sin started: “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. … He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.” I John 3:4, 8.

The great controversy is over sin. The devil sinned from the beginning and rebelled. “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.” Isaiah 14:12–14.

The issue that started the controversy was jealousy. Lucifer wanted to be like God, but there are some prerogatives that only God has. We see an example of this when the apostle John was so overcome from what he had just seen, that he said, “I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” Revelation 19:10. That same experience was repeated: “And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things. Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.” Revelation 22:8, 9.

The angels of God refuse to accept worship. None of the servants of God will allow anyone to worship them either.

In Acts 10:25, 26, Luke says, “And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and worshipped him. But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up; I myself also am a man.” The question on worship is dealt with in the first commandment that says, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” Exodus 20:3. Concerning images, it says, “Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.” Verses 5, 6.

Both the first and the second commandments deal with false worship. The instruction is to have no other god or worship any likeness of God. Lucifer wanted the first commandment changed; he wanted to be like God, and in that way, he successfully tempted and deceived Eve. The devil told Eve, in Genesis 3:3, that she would not die if she ate the fruit of the tree in the midst of the garden. In verse 5 he continued, “For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” He told her she would be like God!

There are religions today that believe you can and will eventually become like God, but that is not what the Bible teaches. We will always be creatures, and we will never be like God in the sense of being the Creator or receiving worship.

Lucifer, before the fall, was the covering cherub, the highest position under the Godhead, and he was used to getting whatever he pleased. But when he made the request to be like God, God said no. He wanted to be included in God’s secret counsels. When God said no, that prompted the great controversy.

The law of God is very near to His heart; it is a transcript of His character, and when that law is attacked, God himself is being attacked.

In the first chapter of Hebrews, the Father is talking to the Son. It says, in Hebrews 1:8, 9, “But to the Son He says, ‘Your throne, O God, [the Father calls the Son, God] is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your Kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions.’ ” (NKJV)

Concerning Jesus Christ, he loves righteousness. The law of God defines what righteousness is in Psalm 119:172, last part, “All Your commandments are righteousness.” And in verse 142 it says, “Your righteousness … and your law is truth.” (NKJV) The law is the truth. The law is righteousness. Jesus loves righteousness and He hates lawlessness—that is, breaking the law.

If the characteristics of the law and the characteristics of God are the same, then what is the moral law? The law is a description or a transcript of the character of God. If the law is a transcript of the characteristics of God and I violate the law, that places me in a condition where I am contrary to the will and character of God, and I am in a sinful condition.

The law is so short that it is amazing that it covers what it covers. Paul tells us in Hebrews 4:12, “The word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (NKJV).

The law of God covers every relationship, not only between human beings but also with God himself. For example, the first, second and tenth commandments regulate human desires. One way that word desires is translated is covetousness. To covet means to want something, to have a desire for something. In the New Testament it is also translated as lust—to have a strong desire for something.

The third and the ninth commandments regulate our words. The fourth commandment regulates our time. The fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth commandments regulate our actions. Any action a human being can do, any word that a human being can speak and any desire that a human being can have is regulated by the law of God.

The awful thing about sin is that when you transgress (break) the law of God, you place yourself in a condition that is contrary to the will and character of God, and that causes you to be in a sinful condition. Notice what this sinful condition involves: “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear: For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue has muttered perversity.” Isaiah 59:1–3 (NKJV). This chapter goes on to describe the awful spiritual condition of the people. This is the sinful condition—separation from God. The separation from God is not the sin itself; it is the result of sin. This sinful condition can be transmitted, and is universally transmitted, to our children so that even if the child has not sinned on its own account, he has inherited a sinful nature so that children are born with a propensity to sin. A child can be born with a propensity to drink alcohol, to smoke tobacco or to have a violent temper. Ellen White says a child can be born with a perverse temperament. (See Testimonies, vol. 4, 499.)

Some people do not believe that this is true. We are told that, “Adam was required to render perfect obedience to God, not only in his own behalf, but in behalf of his posterity. God promised him that if he would stand the test of temptation, preserving his allegiance to the Creator during the great trial to which he would be subjected; his obedience would ensure his acceptance and favor with God. He would then be forever established in holiness and happiness, and these blessings would extend to all his posterity. But Adam failed to bear the test. And because he revolted against God’s law, all his descendants have been sinners.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 9, 229.

If Adam remained faithful, his posterity would inherit these blessings of holiness and happiness, but because he failed, all of his descendants have been sinners. So that nobody will get confused, Adam was not the father/progenitor of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ had a different father.

Ellen White goes on to say, “God’s law had once been written in the hearts of men and women. But their cherished sins dimmed and nearly effaced that writing. The impressions made by sin gradually wore away the impressions of the law. …

“But we must be assured of the malignity of a disease before we feel our need of a cure. Those who do not realize the sinfulness of sin are not able to appreciate the value of the atonement and the necessity of being cleansed from all sin.” Ibid.

People don’t recognize that when they commit any sin, they are placing themselves in violation of and in a contrary position to the government and character of God and to God himself, because the law is a transcript of His character. Since God is the only Lifegiver, when they place themselves in opposition to Him or contrary to Him, they are in a position as Jesus said in Proverbs 8:36, “All they that hate me love death.”

“Many have tried to prove that there was some peculiar quality in the tree which called for this prohibition, but this was not the case. The fruit of the tree of knowledge was not in itself injurious. It was used merely as a test of their obedience to God. Will they be obedient to God’s requirements, or not? We find that Satan came then, just as he comes today, with temptations upon the point of appetite.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 9, 232.

“Adam and Eve found that they had met with terrible loss, and so will everyone in our world who yields to the temptations of the enemy to indulge appetite, find that it is a fearful loss to them.

“The transgression of our first parents was the cause of woe to our world. We have had to labor under the oppressive load of sin ever since that sin. But a provision was made for the fallen race.” Ibid., 233.

“Why is there so much misery and suffering in the world today? Is it because God loves to see His creatures miserable? Oh, no! It is because the immoral habits of man have weakened his physical, mental, and moral powers. We mourn over Adam’s transgression, and seem to think that our first parents showed great weakness in yielding to temptation. But if Adam’s transgression were the only evil that we had to meet, this world would be in a much better condition than it is. There has been a succession of falls since Adam’s days.” Ibid., 234.

The “immoral habits of man” refers to a habit that is contrary to the Ten Commandments—remember, the Ten Commandments are the moral law. So why is there so much misery? Because “there has been a succession of falls.” Adam fell, and after he fell, his posterity fell, and their posterity fell. There has been a succession of falls through the generations, causing misery in the world today.

“Well, then, what was the matter with Adam? Adam ventured to transgress one prohibition of God, which was the test that God gave to man to try his loyalty and obedience. There was nothing in the fruit of the tree of knowledge that was a point in itself, but the point was in Adam’s listening to Satan, and venturing to transgress. Here was Eve listening to the voice of the tempter. ‘Ye shall not surely die’ [Genesis 3:4]. God said, ‘If ye eat of it, ye shall die’ [Genesis 2:17]. Whom shall we believe?” Ibid., 235.

Whom shall we believe? God’s law requires obedience to the Law Giver. That is the first commandment. When man fell, Adam and Eve could not, by themselves, realize how serious it was in what they had done. Ellen White writes about this: “Until the requirements of the holy law were applied as the rule of life, fallen man could not understand his own guilt, nor realize his condemned, lost condition. Jesus made application of the law directly to the soul, and laid under its jurisdiction the will and desires and works of man. Wrongdoing and all thoughts and feelings condemned by the law are to be overcome.” Ibid.

I have heard some very godly people make statements that are directly contrary to the following, and I will not make comment about it, but you can study it on your own. “Parents have a more serious charge than they imagine. The inheritance of children is that of sin. Sin has separated them from God. Jesus gave His life that He might unite the broken links to God. As related to the first Adam, men receive from him nothing but guilt and the sentence of death [we are born under the sentence of death]. But Christ steps in and passes over the ground where Adam fell, enduring every test in man’s behalf. He redeems Adam’s disgraceful failure and fall by coming forth from the trial untarnished. This places man on vantage ground with God. It places him where through accepting Christ as His Saviour, he becomes a partaker of the divine nature. Thus he becomes connected with God and Christ. Christ’s perfect example and the grace of God are given him to enable him to train his sons and daughters to be sons and daughters of God.” Ibid., 236. Through that commitment we can bring our life into harmony with the character of Christ.

This helps us to understand how important it is for all to accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. If you have not accepted Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, you are under the condemnation of death. It says, “The inheritance of children is that of sin,” as related to the first Adam. Men received from him nothing but guilt and the sentence of death. You are under the death sentence, and the only way you can get out from under that is through Jesus Christ.

That is an interesting statement made about “broken links.” If you are hanging on to a chain and one link is broken, you will go down. Every link does not need to break, but just one.

“It is by teaching them, line upon line, precept upon precept, how to give the heart and will up to Christ, that Satan’s power is broken. ‘As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name’ (John 1:12). This is the work, the grand and holy work of parents. They are to keep before their children the great and vital work of receiving Christ, of believing on Christ as their Redeemer, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. This is the instruction they are to give to their children. All who will accept Christ by living faith will take His life as their pattern.” Ibid. They will become like Him in character in this present world.

This quotation is especially talking to parents concerning children and how Satan’s power can be broken.

So after Adam fell, Christ instructed him about these things. “After the fall Christ became Adam’s instructor. He acted in God’s stead toward humanity, saving the race from immediate death. He took upon Him the office of mediator. Adam and Eve were given a probation period in which to return to their allegiance, and in this plan all their posterity were embraced.

“In the fullness of time Christ was to be revealed in human form. He was to assume the position of head of humanity by taking the nature, but not the sinfulness of man.” Ibid., 237.

Sin is a dreadful, dreadful evil. One of our greatest dangers as Christians is that we will not realize how sinful, how dreadful, how awful, and how terrible sin is and by not realizing that, we are not being prepared to resist it and overcome it.

As a result of sin the devil became God’s enemy. Concerning the devil’s sin, Ellen White writes: “Implacable hatred against God fills Satan’s mind. Persistently he has used his influence to efface from the human family God’s image, and in its place to stamp his own satanic image. His effort to deceive our first parents was successful. Made in the image of God, the human family lost their innocence, became transgressors, and as disloyal subjects began their downward career. Satan gained control of man’s power of action. Through the senses he influenced the mind.

“Thus it has been from the beginning of the world. Instead of remaining under God’s influence in order that he might reflect the moral image of his Creator, man placed himself under the control of Satan’s influence, and was made selfish. Thus sin became a universal evil. And what a dreadful evil is sin!” Ibid., 237.

“What a dreadful evil is sin!” This evil that began in the Garden of Eden has extended through every generation down through the ages. Adam and Eve’s own family became divided. The older son killed the younger. Because of the consequences of sin, we can never redeem ourselves; we can do no good thing of ourselves. There is no way to escape other than Christ, and it is only by accepting Him as our personal Saviour that we can be uplifted.

“Beware of any theory that would lead man to look for salvation from any other source than that pointed out in the Word. Only through Christ can men, sunken in sin and degradation, be led to a higher life. Theories that do not recognize the atonement that has been made for sin, and the work that the Holy Spirit is to do in the hearts of human beings, are powerless to save.” Ibid., 239.

That is quite a statement. It is easy sometimes as Christians, when trying to teach somebody else, to spend a lot of time studying doctrines. It is not bad to study doctrines. But unless you make a commitment to Jesus Christ, to surrender to Him, choose to follow Him, and ask Him to give and send the Holy Spirit to change your heart, you are hopeless. You can know all the doctrines and know all about theology, but you cannot get yourself out of the pit of sin. We all have a sinful nature, and we cannot escape ourselves unless the Lord provides a way of escape, and the Holy Spirit comes in and gives us a new heart and a new mind.

Ellen White wrote a similar letter to John Harvey Kellogg at a time when he was all mixed up with Pantheism. She said, “As we see the condition of mankind today, the question arises in the minds of some: ‘Is man by nature totally and wholly depraved?’ The answer comes: ‘He is hopelessly ruined by his refusal to do the will of the Lord.’

“Men have sold themselves to the enemy of all righteousness. They cannot redeem themselves. Of themselves they can do no good thing. But there is a way of escape. When man sinned, Christ offered to stand as his substitute and surety, in order to provide a way whereby the guilty race might return to loyalty. The Son of the living God took humanity, and passed over the ground where Adam stumbled and fell. Without swerving from His allegiance, He met the temptations wherewith man is beset.

“Only by accepting Christ as a personal Saviour can human beings be uplifted. Beware of any theory that would lead men to look for salvation from any other source than that pointed out in the Word. Only through Christ can men, sunken in sin and degradation, be led to a higher life. Theories that do not recognize the atonement that has been made for sin, and the work that the Holy Spirit is to do in the hearts of human beings, are powerless to save.” Ibid., 240, 241.

What an amazing statement! If the theory does not teach them to put their trust in the merits of Christ’s atonement and to understand the work that the Holy Spirit does in the heart to bring a transformation or change in the character, she says that it is powerless; there is no hope. Jesus said, “There is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4:12 (NKJV).

In reference to Adam’s fall, we are told, “In what consisted the strength of the assault made upon Adam, which caused his fall? It was not indwelling sin; for God made Adam after His own character, pure and upright. There were no corrupt principles in the first Adam, no corrupt propensities or tendencies to evil. Adam was as faultless as the angels before God’s throne. These things are inexplainable, but many things which now we cannot understand will be made plain when we shall see as we are seen, and know as we are known.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 1, 1083.

“Intellect, position, wealth can never, never take the place of moral qualities. Clean hands, a pure heart, and noble, earnest devotion to God and the truth the Lord esteems above the golden wedge of Ophir. An evil influence has a perpetuating power. I wish I could set this matter before God’s commandment-keeping people just as it has been shown me. Let the sad memory of Solomon’s apostasy warn every soul to shun the same precipice. His weakness and sin are handed down from generation to generation.” Ibid., vol. 2, 1031.

Astonishing statement! Solomon’s weakness and sin was handed down from generation to generation. In another statement, she says, “The human heart is naturally inclined to idolatry and self-exaltation.” Ibid., 996.

“Christ received His death wound, which was the trophy of His victory, and the victory of all who believe in Him. These wounds annihilated the power of Satan over every loyal, believing subject in Jesus Christ. By the suffering and death of Christ, human intelligences, fallen because of the sin of Adam, are through their acceptance of Christ and faith in Him, elevated to become heirs of immortality and an eternal weight of glory. The gates of the heavenly Paradise are thrown open to the inhabitants of this fallen world. Through faith in the righteousness of Christ, rebels against the law of God may lay hold upon the Infinite, and become partakers of everlasting life.” Ibid., vol. 7A, 466, 477. [Emphasis author’s.]

It is a wonder why God decided to pay such a price to save a world of rebels, but that is just what He did. Paul says, “For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:7, 8. Notice that it was while we were yet rebels, Christ died for us.

We do not need to continue in the way of sin being enslaved by the sinful nature. The Son sets us free from our bondage.

Everybody does not engage in every kind of sin that there is, but everybody does have a besetting sin. It is impossible to get free from that besetting, entangling sin, unless the Son sets you free. We have a desperate need, because without Him we are stuck in bondage, and there is no way we are ever going to get ourselves free.

Jesus came to set us free. He said that whoever commits sin is the servant of sin, and the servant does not remain in the house, but the Son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you shall be free indeed (John 8:34–36).

Pray to the Lord, saying, “I want to be set free from sin.” Sin is what we have inherited. It has come down through every generation. Jesus has promised to wash us from sin and to set us free from sin.

We are not going to receive holy flesh in this life so that we have no inward temptations. Martin Luther explained it this way: “You can’t stop the birds from flying over your head, but you can stop them from making a nest in your hair.” (<www.christianitytoday.com/iyf/2004/janfeb/> November 2010.) The Lord can set you free from the power of sin in your life so that you do not need to go on sinning even though you have temptations from without and from within.

This teaching about sin is the difference between the true and the false theology in Adventism today. This is the difference between the easy religion and what is called legalism in the Christian world today. There are a lot of people who believe that you can just go on, live like the devil and live in sin, and Jesus will just forgive you. New Testament religion is not just forgiveness from sin; it is being set free from sin so that you do not live the same way as before. What we need is the religious experience that Jesus will acknowledge when He comes. Having the wrong idea about sin puts your eternal salvation at risk. We must be set free from sin if we are going to be saved, and this is a condition to be praying about every day. We are told, in Gospel Workers, 53, “For three hundred years Enoch had been seeking purity of heart, that he might be in harmony with heaven.” We do not have 300 years. We need to follow His example as long as we are in this world. We need to be seeking purity every day. We need to be praying and acting on the belief that the Lord is going to set us free.

Most want an easy religion. They think that all you have to do is confess your sin, be forgiven, and you are saved. If you are saved by grace, this grace is the work in your life so that you live a new life, a life overcoming sin. Salvation is promised only to the overcomer.

We must realize that sin places us in a position contrary to the character and government of God. In this position, we cannot be saved unless we yield our heart and life to Jesus Christ.

Pastor John J. 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.

What Does God Really Mean?

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The Sabbath is a time for reflection, a time to stop and consider whether we are gaining ground and better prepared for that pure kingdom in which no transgressor will enter. Are we better prepared today than we were last Sabbath? It is a time to consider how it is with my soul. Has the past week been a week of spiritual gain, or a week of spiritual loss?

Jesus Christ came to this world to give us a pattern of how to live. In The Upward Look, 184, it says, “Christ came to the earth to give to men the pattern of the perfect character that all must obtain who would be welcomed to the future heavenly world.”

Most Christians believe that if you come to the Lord and confess Him as your Saviour from sin, the battle is won and you are saved. However, the truth is that you are saved if you don’t turn your back on Him. Jesus has promised to save the repentant sinner and deliver him from his sins so that his character might reflect His own. Matthew 1:21 says, “… and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.”

Character reflects who you are, not just what you profess. A perfect character is one that is Christ-like. When the Lord returns, He is coming for His pure church, described as “without spot or wrinkle” (Ephesians 5:27 RSV). It will be “holy and without blemish.” Ibid.

Many believe they will continue in their bad habits and sin until the return of Jesus and miraculously those things will somehow be taken away in a flash of light. There is no magic button to eliminate sin. Our best efforts to transform our own lives will never be good enough. So how can we obtain that perfect character? The following statement explains the process:

“God leads His people on, step by step. He brings them up to different points calculated to manifest what is in the heart. Some endure at one point, but fall off at the next. At every advanced point the heart is tested and tried a little closer. If the professed people of God find their hearts opposed to this straight work, it should convince them that they have a work to do to overcome, if they would not be spewed out of the mouth of the Lord. Said the angel: ‘God will bring His work closer and closer to test and prove every one of His people.’ ” Testimonies, vol. 1, 187.

If you are one of God’s children, this will be your experience. Do not be discouraged when it does not happen in an instance. It is a process. God is going to bring various situations to you for you to grow in the power of the Holy Spirit. Not many people like tests, but they are very important. You would never want to fly on an airplane with a pilot who had not been tested and proven worthy to fly. You would never want to have surgery by a surgeon who had not been tested and proven that he is fit to operate on you. I hope you would not want an accountant to keep your books who had not been tested. Tests are necessary for us to know our true condition and to get us from where we are to where we need to be.

“ ‘God will bring His work closer and closer to test and prove every one of His people.’ Some are willing to receive one point; but when God brings them to another testing point, they shrink from it and stand back, because they find that it strikes directly at some cherished idol.” Ibid.

On the Christian journey, you will meet many trials or tests. When you conquer on one point and keep walking with the Lord, you will find another temptation will come your way. This is the way life is, a continual battle with trials and tests. However, you need never face these tests and temptations alone. You may come to a place where you think you can not go any farther. “I can’t do that,” you may think to yourself. When that happens, you stop right there and do not advance until you overcome that trial. The Lord may bring you around and give you that same test again; each time it becomes more difficult but He wants to save you.

Jesus talked about this situation in John 12:35, 36: “Then Jesus said to them, ‘A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of the light.’ ”

We do not know just how much time we have in this life and it is therefore dangerous to reject opportunities to know Jesus. Walk in the light, because the light is moving and pretty soon it will be dark.

“Here they have opportunity to see what is in their hearts that shuts out Jesus. They prize something higher than the truth, and their hearts are not prepared to receive Jesus. Individuals are tested and proved a length of time to see if they will sacrifice their idols and heed the counsel of the True Witness. If any will not be purified through obeying the truth, and overcome their selfishness, their pride, and evil passions, the angels of God have the charge: ‘They are joined to their idols, let them alone,’ and they pass on to their work, leaving these with their sinful traits unsubdued, to the control of evil angels. Those who come up to every point, and stand every test, and overcome, be the price what it may, have heeded the counsel of the True Witness, and they will receive the latter rain, and thus be fitted for translation.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 187.

God is in the process of perfecting, of purifying His church. If the people in that church will not allow it to happen, then the angels will pass on and let them go.

Ellen White wrote, “Will the church that professes to keep the commandments of God keep them in truth?” The Present Truth, January 26, 1893. The church that professes to keep the commandments of God is the Seventh-day Adventist church, the Free Seventh-day Adventist churches, the Reformed Seventh-day Adventist church, the Advent Christian Church, and the Church of God, Seventh-day. All of those churches claim, and profess, and say, “We are commandment keepers.” But are they really?

We know from Bible prophecy that at the end of time there is going to be an attack against all commandment keepers. But that attack is not going to come from the true church.

In The Signs of the Times, April 22, 1889, it says, “… it is not the true church of God that makes war with those who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. It is the people who make void the law, who place themselves on the side of the dragon, and persecute those who vindicate God’s precepts.”

If you really love Jesus, you will love the law of God. Jesus said He delighteth in the law of God (Psalm 40:8). When God’s law is written in a person’s heart, that person will not be fighting somebody else who is a commandment keeper.

There are many learned people, professional people and even ministers with doctorates who do not know the spiritual meaning of the ten commandments, even though it is not complicated. It is appalling that so many Seventh-day Adventists could be so far off in their understanding when we have so much information. In the book Patriarchs and Prophets, 305, Ellen White goes through each one of the commandments explaining in exquisite detail their spiritual meaning.

Regarding the first commandment, she wrote, “Man is forbidden to give to any other object the first place in his affections or his service.” Many men and women are guilty of violating this commandment while making gods of their spouses. The Creator is to have the first place in our affections.

It was reported that Dwight Eisenhower, the 34th president of the United States, elected in 1952 and president until 1961, once said to his wife Mamie that she had the third place in his affections. The reporter did not say what or how she responded. Eisenhower told her that his first allegiance was to the God of heaven. Secondly, his allegiance was to his country, and she was third.

Whatever you think about his statement, President Eisenhower at least was not breaking the first commandment if in reality he acted in accordance with his statement. “Whatever we cherish that tends to lessen our love for God or to interfere with the service due Him, of that do we make a god.” Ibid.

The second commandment is about images. Remember, to have a perfect character, God’s commandments will be written in my heart and my mind. I will live my thoughts. My speech and my actions will be in perfect harmony with God’s precepts. This commandment forbids the use of images in the worship of God.

Most people who do use images in their worship will tell you that they do not worship the images but just use them as a visual representation of God to enhance their worship. That is what all educated heathen have said for thousands of years.

Roman Catholics or those from the Greek Orthodox church will all tell you that they do not worship their images. However, the second commandment forbids the making of them and also bowing down to them. When I read the Roman Catholic literature about this, it states that they don’t worship the virgin Mary; they just “adore” her. The problem is that this is a violation of the second commandment.

The third commandment says, “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain” (Exodus 20:7). There are many people who will tell you they never violate the third commandment, when they are violating it every day of their lives, because they have not studied out what it truly means. Obviously, it refers to false oaths or to common swearing. Everybody understands that, but is that all it means?

Using the name of God in a light, careless manner or thoughtlessly mentioning the name of God in common conversation is breaking the third commandment. Imagine having a conversation with someone and every other sentence you say that person’s name and then about twenty words later you say their name again, and then again. After you have said that name about fifteen times it would sound really strange, but there are people who, when they pray, say God’s name every other sentence, over and over, ten or twenty times. Ask yourself the question, Is that polite? We should treat God with courtesy and kindness in accordance with the third commandment. Do we make appeals to Him in trivial matters, by frequent and thoughtless repetition of His name? Also, burning words of passion are written down in heaven as a species of swearing which is breaking the third commandment.

The fourth commandment, the longest commandment, is the one that Adventists are known for more than any of the others. People who know almost nothing about Seventh-day Adventists, will often times know that they keep the seventh-day Sabbath.

The command is to keep the Sabbath holy. Have you ever thought that through and realized that it is impossible to keep the Sabbath holy unless you are a holy person? God has told us that the Sabbath is a sign between Him and us and that He will make us holy. I love that promise found in Ezekiel 20:12 and in Exodus 31:13.

When our children were small, especially on Friday evening, my wife and I used to gather our family together, and I would claim those promises for my family. I would pray, “Lord, You have promised that if we would keep this day to You, that You would make us holy. You have promised, Lord. We can’t make ourselves holy, but You have promised that if we do this, and you can see that we have laid aside all of our secular business, You have promised us that if we do this, You will make us holy.”

Sabbath keeping involves more than physical preparation. In Isaiah 58:12–14 it says, “Those from among you shall build the old waste places; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; and you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, the Restorer of Streets to Dwell in.” Daniel 11 speaks of a power that is going to make a breach of God’s people. This power was mentioned in Daniel 11:13 and 14 several hundred years before it came into existence. However, Isaiah prophesied that God’s people in the last days are going to repair that breach.

Isaiah 58:13 says, “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy day of the Lord honorable, and shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words …”

This has been one of the most difficult things that I have ever faced as a Seventh-day Adventist minister, because it is very difficult and gut-wrenching to me to have to rebuke somebody. I don’t like to do it. I don’t want to do it. The Spirit of Prophecy has given us instructions that ministers are to rebuke those who speak their own words on the Sabbath. I often say to myself, “Lord, do You want me to say something now, or do You want me to just change the conversation? What do I do in this situation?”

Ellen White writes about this in Patriarchs and Prophets, 307, where she says, “Those who discuss business matters or lay plans on the Sabbath are regarded by God as though engaged in the actual transaction of business. To keep the Sabbath holy, we should not even allow our minds to dwell upon things of a worldly character.”

Paul wrote, “Examine yourselves, whether you are in the faith” (2 Corinthians 13:5, literal translation). Are you really a Sabbath keeper? Is your mind keeping the Sabbath? We have some praying to do when our mind wanders onto all sorts of worldly business or pleasure on the Sabbath.

The fifth commandment says that there is a duty of respect and love due to our parents that are due to no other person. Disobedience to parents is one of the signs of the last days, according to 2 Timothy 3. Because of the complicated situations that some children are in today, there needs to be an explanation. In Ephesians 6:1, the New Testament puts a qualification on the fifth commandment. It says, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord.” That means that if your parent commands you to do something that is in violation of the ten commandments, you are not to obey, because your earthly father does not have more authority than your heavenly father. However, even in that situation, we should ask the Lord to teach us and show us how to bring honor to even our ungodly parents. Who knows that if you keep the fifth commandment, and show honor and respect to your ungodly parent, maybe you will be able to save them in the kingdom of heaven.

The sixth commandment in the Hebrew language is only four words, “You shall not kill” (Exodus 20:13). Most people would not even think to break that one. However, there are many ways this is violated. In the book, Patriarchs and Prophets, 308, Ellen White mentions eight different ways people constantly break this commandment. They include:

  • all acts of injustice that tend to shorten life
  • a spirit of revenge
  • a spirit of hatred
  • the indulgence of any passion that leads to injurious acts towards others, or causes us even to wish them harm
  • the selfish neglect of caring for the needy or suffering
  • self-indulgence
  • unnecessary deprivation
  • excessive labor that tends to injure health

A person may not murder or kill anyone but they continually violate the commandment by holding onto habits that will shorten their life. Research shows that by smoking just one cigarette, you are shortening your life by at least six minutes. To abuse health principles knowingly is to be in violation of the sixth commandment.

The seventh commandment is also short and to the point. “You shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14). Everybody knows this refers to acts of impurity, but it extends to sensual thoughts and desires, or any practice that tends to excite. (See Patriarchs and Prophets, 308.) Many believe that you can think whatever you want as long as you do not act on it. That may be what the world thinks, but it is not what the Lord thinks. Today, there is so much entertainment available that stimulates sensual desire. People willingly engage in it and then wonder why they cannot control their thoughts.

Then we are commanded not to steal. This is also huge. It includes kidnapping or man stealing. Surely it includes slave dealing. No human being has a right to make a slave of another human being. It surely would forbid wars of conquest, which is one of the main causes of wars. The other main cause is difference of religion.

The eighth commandment forbids the overreaching in trade, which is almost universal in our society. It seems everybody wants to buy something for less than it is worth, and they want to sell it for more than it’s worth. When buying and selling, ask the Lord to help you know what is fair and what is right, and not take advantage of anyone.

In regard to the payment of just debts or wages, we are told that, “… every attempt to advantage oneself by the ignorance, weakness, or misfortune of another is registered as fraud in the books of heaven.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 309. In this society, to buy goods for ten cents on the dollar is called a fire sale, but be careful not to take advantage of someone in need. You would not want that on your page in the books of heaven.

The ninth commandment forbids false speaking, or the attempt to deceive. There is more to this than what I do with my tongue. You can break this law without saying a thing by just a glance of the eye, a motion of the hand, an expression of the countenance. A falsehood may thus be told just as effectively as with the tongue. Intentional overstatements, any hint or insinuation calculated to convey an erroneous or exaggerated expression or statement of facts in such a manner as to mislead, is a falsehood.

Any effort to injure my neighbor’s reputation by misrepresentation or by evil surmising, or by slander, or by tale bearing, breaks this law. In fact, just by being silent, thereby suppressing the truth, is dishonest.

The tenth commandment reaches down to the root of every sin there is. The selfish desire is what is wrong. Are you praying that the Lord will divest you from selfishness?

We are told: “Let our daily prayer go up to God that He will divest us of selfishness.” Our High Calling, 242. The Lord would not tell me to pray about something every day if I didn’t have a problem.

“Jesus said, ‘The Father has not left Me alone, because I do always those things that please Him’ ” (John 8:29, literal translation). This infuriated the Jews to the point that they wanted to kill Him.

When Jesus comes again, He is going to have a church, a people of whom He can say, They always do what pleases Me. Make it your goal to be part of that church, part of that group of people.

Jesus said, “I have kept My Father’s commandments” (John 15:10).

He invited His disciples to have the very same experience that He had and that invitation is still open today. Your past may all be a jumble of one sin after another, but the Lord wants to deliver you from your guilt and give you a new heart, a new spirit, and a new life. When He comes, He wants to be able to say about you, “That person always does what pleases Me. My law is written in his heart.” That is the promise of the new covenant.

We each need to have that experience for ourselves. We are not saved as families; we are saved as individuals. The fact that your mother, your father, your son, or your daughter is saved has nothing to do with whether or not you are going to be saved. It is wholly between you and the Lord.

Do you want that law written in your heart, so that when Jesus comes He will be able to say that you always do what pleases Him? The law of God tells you what pleases Him. Pray that these principles may be written in all of our hearts.

(Unless appearing in quoted references or otherwise identified, Bible texts are from the New King James Version.)

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

Jesus and the Sickle

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Revelation 14:14 describes a scene of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible says, “And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.” It is very clear that this text is talking about the coming of Christ, as many times the Bible describes His coming in clouds accompanied by all of His angels. He will come as King of kings with glory and power wearing a golden crown upon His head. Interestingly, He will come not only as a King, but also with a sharp sickle in His hand. A sickle is a tool of farmers, so why will Jesus come as a King of kings, and at the same time come as a farmer?

The season in which the farmer uses his sickle is at the time of harvest. Jesus Christ is coming back with a sickle in His hand because the second coming of Christ is the time of harvest. The harvest is the children of God, those who reflect His image. “And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.” Verse 15. A similar picture is seen in Mark 4:29: “But when the fruit is brought forth [ripe], immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.” These verses give us an idea that Jesus is coming back as soon as the earth is “ripe.”

With this in mind, who is waiting for whom? Is the farmer waiting for the fruits, or are the fruits waiting for the farmer? Are we waiting for Christ, or is Christ waiting for us? Christ is waiting for us to be ripe, although we can also say that we are waiting for Christ as well.

Virginia and South Carolina are two of the fruit growing states in the United States. If you were to go to an apple orchard around the end of September, you would see acres of apple trees all laden with an abundance of fruit, some red, some green, and some yellow. Even before the fruit is ripe, it looks as if it would be juicy and sweet and ready to eat. You may be hungry and reach out to pluck that apple when it is not ripe, but it will hang on tight to the branch, and you will have to pull at it, having a war with the branch, twisting and pulling it hard before you can pluck it and then bite into it. Only then do you realize it is not ripe; it does not taste good because it is very sour and if you eat it you may get a stomachache.

However, if you go to that same orchard around the beautiful time of autumn the fruit will be ripe. At the first bite the delicious sweet juice will run down your chin because it is ready with a sweet taste; it is ripe. Jesus Christ is coming back, not for sour people, but for sweet people. He is coming back, not to fight with the world over you, not to twist you, not to turn you, or pull you. All that Jesus needs to do when He returns the second time is just touch you, and you will be ready. Those are the kinds of people that Christ is waiting for—sweet people of God.

How then do we get ready for the Second Coming of Christ?

It is very simple! We must become ripe and sweet fruit. This can be confirmed one more time from the Bible to make it clear. “Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman [farmer] waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.” James 5:7.

There you have it. Christ is waiting for His people to become ripe fruit. But to become a ripe fruit, you have to receive the early and the latter rain. Before even considering the early and latter rain, a seed must be planted into the ground. Planting yourself into the ground is the beginning or the start of preparation for the coming of Jesus Christ. That tree is dependent upon how the seed grows in its first three years.

Once the seed is planted, it must die. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.” John 12:24. According to the Bible, to bring forth much fruit the seed must first go into the ground and die. Without the death of the seed, there is no life in that plant and hence no fruit.

The only way to be ready for the coming of Christ, to be harvested by the sickle of Jesus and be taken away by the heavenly Farmer, is to first die. As soon as a baby is born into this world, it begins to die. In this world, you are born to die.

However, in the Christian world, you die to live. The worldly philosophy is to ask what life is all about. Let us eat; let us drink; let us party and have a good time. If it feels good, do it; if it tastes good, eat it! If you want to get it, get it now and have a good time, because tomorrow you will die. But the Christian’s philosophy is totally opposite. It says, let us die with Jesus today that we may live with Him tomorrow.

A strong Biblical concept is that those who want to have life must experience death with Christ in baptism. “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?” Romans 6:3. Here we see that baptism represents death with Christ. So, baptism represents death to the old life and the beginning of the new.

The Bible says, “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” Verse 4.

The three most important ceremonies that you will celebrate in this life are your birthday, wedding, and funeral. All three of these events happen on the day you are baptized: birthday, marriage to Christ, and the most important aspect, the funeral to the old self. What kind of person is buried in the ground? A dead person! If a live person was buried it would be considered murder, so only those who are dead—dead to self—should be baptized. There are many people being baptized who can say, “I know the doctrines; I don’t eat pork; I don’t drink alcohol; I will keep God’s holy day, and I will pay my tithe; I know about the second coming, and I know about the law of God.” Yet they are still full of selfishness, impatience, jealousy and evil surmising; are still envious, revengeful, backbiting, gossiping and greedy, having all these things in their hearts.

To have doctrinal understanding only and be baptized is to be buried alive. When people are baptized alive, not understanding the meaning of dying to self by surrendering himself or herself to God, it brings trouble into the midst of Christian fellowship. Understanding the true meaning of baptism is essential to the new candidate, to prevent him/her from making such a solemn vow. Baptism is clear—dying with Jesus and living with Christ. “For if we have been planted [in the ground] together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, [you had better know this!] that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.” Verses 5, 6.

So what needs to die?

The old man! Whether you like it or not, all have an old man that must be slain day by day. You see, baptism is the occasion that you commit yourself to die to self, the day that you allow Christ to crucify the old man. But after baptism it does not feel as if the old man is completely dead. That is the reason why Paul says, “I die daily.” 1 Corinthians 15:31. That old man wants to live again and again and again. But, by the power of God you can keep him dead day by day. That is the power of the message of salvation for mankind.

But let us go a little deeper than this. What kind of man is the old man? The Bible says when the old man is dead, then you should not serve sin. So if the old man is alive, that means we are still serving sin. Consider this: If I am serving you, that would mean that I am your slave or servant and you are my master. So I have a master named old man. That master named old man is to die in order for me, as a servant of this master, to be free. When the master is dead, I am free. The Bible says, “For he that is dead is freed from sin.” Verse 7.

Is it possible to be free from sin?

The Bible answers this and reveals the secret how to be free from sin—to be dead. This means surrender, to be completely surrendered to God. He that is dead to the old man, it is he who is free from sin.

When first learning how to type, it seems so awkward and difficult to hit the right key, but with practice, doing it over and over again, you find that it is no longer necessary to look at the keys because it just happens automatically. Repetition forms habits. And when a habit is formed, it is acted upon without any thought. Habits can be good or dangerous. So what kind of old man is this? It is an old man that causes you to commit sin automatically, and the sins committed are habitual sins to which you are enslaved.

As a young person I had a bad habit of stealing. At first I found it very difficult. My heart pumped with fear as I looked at the storeowner and looked around making sure no one was watching as I grabbed the candy and put it in my pocket. My whole body shook, and I was sweating as I slowly walked out of the door when the owner was not watching. I took off and then stopped, looking around to make sure that no one was watching, before I ate my candy with fear and trembling. Each time after that it became easier and easier, until after years walking into a store, stealing became automatic without any nervousness. Sin becomes automatic, and you become a slave to it until it is impossible to give it up.

Some have habits of smoking or drinking alcohol, and others have a bad temper that they claim to have inherited from their family and it seems impossible to change. There are young people who are addicted to drugs, cocaine, crystal meth, marijuana, sex and alcohol, and some husbands are so addicted to anger that they beat up their wives. Children are addicted to video games that consume their every thought, playing games for hours each day. Some mothers are addicted to shopping, and that is all they can think about doing—shop, shop, shop, ’til they drop! All of these habits consume a person and take so much time and energy that those who are trapped often think they are too far in sin for God to change them, so they try to kill that old man themselves by making resolutions to quit their habit. They muster all of their strength, and with great effort tear that cigarette apart, flush it down a toilet, and then say, “Ok, from this day I’m not going to smoke!”

The first week is often fine and even the second week goes well, but on the third week the boss may speak as though they might get fired. The fourth week their child starts being a bother. Then on the fifth week the wife starts nagging because there is no money coming in. Nervousness sets in and then worry. Then starts the search for something to give some comfort. The old habit kicks in—just one time, one more! After all, isn’t there a reason? I am stressed out. I am full of anxieties; let me relax; just one more! And they do it. Next day they do it again, and then, in half a week they are back to where they were before, but even worse.

Because they tried to kill their old man with human strength, it did not happen. There are many ways to kill a person. You can shoot him, strangle him, hang him, poison him, cut him, beat him or drown him, but there is only one way to kill the old man. That old man must be brought to Jesus at the foot of the cross and see Him dying there; see Jesus bleeding for his/her sins; see Jesus suffering for his/her transgressions. See Jesus agonizing before God, “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Matthew 27:46.

That old man must be brought to the cross, not in your own effort alone. The only effort you can put forth is to drag that old man to the cross and fall at the feet of Jesus helplessly. Tell Him all about the pains in your life and the guilt that you face. Tell Him about the bondage that you are in. Tell Him you are sick of falling again, and again, into the same old sins, that you are tired of it. Jesus will cleanse you with the power of the love of God if you will allow Him, He will crucify that old man.

Christ has the power. “That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts. Ephesians 4:22.

When the Bible says, “put off,” it gives the idea of putting off a garment. It goes on to say, “And be renewed in the spirit of your mind.” Verse 23. Putting off the old man means the transformation of the heart and mind. The Bible says, “And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” Verse 24. Praise God! Through Christ you can put off the old man and put on the new man. But the question is, How do we put off the old man?

“Crucify him.” Paul says, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20.

When we pray as Paul prayed, we receive power to live a new life with Christ dwelling in our hearts. That old man must die. What is the condition of a dead person? “For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they anymore a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished.” Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6.

According to this Scripture, a dead person cannot talk, cannot love, and cannot hate. So when your old man is dead, he cannot hate; he cannot love, and he does not know anything.

We as human beings, living in this world, see, hear, smell, and feel temptations. Many times Satan is so clever that when he tempts, he tempts you in such a way that he causes you to think you have already committed sin while you are only being tempted. He turns your feelings, emotions and thoughts in such a way that he causes you to think you already committed the sin. The devil manipulates and plays with your mind. Temptation is not sin, but when yielding to that temptation, then it is sin. So, between the temptation and yielding, the Christian has the power to say, “Stop! Before I yield to this. I claim that I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live; but Christ liveth in me.” If Christ is living in you, you will respond just the way that Christ would respond to the temptation.

Christ was tempted in all points as we are, but without sin (See Hebrews 4:15). Christ must live within your heart and you must surrender to Him moment by moment to receive His power. But how is that possible when we see, feel, hear and even smell temptation? While living by feelings, it is impossible; you must live by faith. Faith and feelings are as different as east and west—totally different. Some people depend upon feelings to determine the strength of their faith. When feeling good, they have strong faith, but if they feel bad, they are low in spirituality. Feelings may fluctuate, but faith remains steady without listening to feelings, relying on the word of God. The power that is available can only be received by making the right choice.

Though temptations come, respond by faith in the love of Christ, which is the power and secret of the Christian life. When a body is buried, it is put six feet under the ground, and so should the old man be buried, six feet under, but why not make it seven feet under—a perfect burial, and then put a little mountain on top of it so that the old man will not come back up again.

If only a part of the old man is buried, then a foot or hand may come back out and grab something that he likes. That old man wants to live, but by faith you must tell Jesus, “Lord, keep my old man dead, every day, and by faith I live by You and not by him.”

If you have this kind of commitment with the Lord, you will have a victorious Christian experience. The old man has wounded some of you and some others make mistakes here and there, but Jesus is saying, “My child, come to Me. My son, come to me. Let Me explain to you how you can overcome your own self. Let’s walk together again. Die with Me so you can live with Me and walk with Me.”

Do you know how to live the life of humility and obedience? “Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not.” I John 3:6. To dwell on the sin, saying, I cannot commit sin, I better not commit sin, keeps the focus always on the sin, but this misses the crucial point. In order to have strength to overcome sin, the first effort must be to abide with Christ, day by day learning to abide in Him: “nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.” Galatians 2:20.

Why then are there so many fights in the church?

Church members are so often not talking to each other, or competing with each other, or jostling over who will be the next head elder and fighting for position or power. They say, “Who’s paying the most money into church?” “Who has the best education?” Why is it that so often in the board meeting there is dissention, which ends up in fighting? The root of the problem is that we have not learned to die to self, daily. If the church members are dead to self and Christ is living in them, automatically and naturally there will be complete unity and power.

God arranged that there would be order. He planned it, and we must follow His example and follow His steps. Are you fighting for a position or power? How often we see the bigger brother pull rank on the younger brother, pushing the responsibilities his way. When young men show their muscle and their magnificence comparing themselves one against another, self is not dead. When girls gather together and compare who is the thinnest, who is the most beautiful, who has the best-looking boy friend, self is not dead. And then when watching television with every soap opera saturated with adultery, fornication, and self-exaltation by beholding, we become changed. Self is not dead. When young people play computer games of destruction, bloodshed and blowing things up, self is not dead. Do you understand?

Satan is in this world, and he is doing all he can to deceive the people. When Jesus was hanging on the cross, he caused the people watching to say, “If you are the Son of God, come down and save Yourself and we will believe You.” Matthew 27:40. But Christ said, “Forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Luke 23:34. They beat Him, whipped Him, spat upon Him, dragged Him, mocked Him, reviled Him, and nailed Him on the cross, but Jesus, ever so softly and tenderly looked down and said, “My child, I love you. I cannot come down because I want to save you.”

Oh, my brothers and sisters, look to Jesus. Look to Christ. If you do, your old man will become nothing. The only thing you will see is Jesus Christ Who is all in all. Jesus says, “Let us go; let us live together.”

Judy Hallingstad is part of the LandMarks team. She may be contacted by email at: landmarks@stepstolife.org.