Daily Living

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.

Thoughts to Ponder

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It is easier many times for the Christian to turn defeat into victory than it is to go from victory to victory. When defeated, the true child of God will humble his heart and seek God as he has never before sought Him, and thereby get so much nearer to the Master that he will gain greater triumph in the future. He has learned his own weakness and God’s mercy and love, and by the latter he wins. But victory is often but the prelude to defeat; not that it need be so. But because the soul has become over-confident, it neglects to realize that all victory is of God, and thus leaves open the heart for the enemy. If there is need of humility and prayer, it is after some great success has crowned one’s efforts.

Extreme sensitiveness is overwhelming selfishness coupled with great weakness. Sensitiveness, we mean, is always imagining personal slights, neglects, or insults. Surmise is ever fruitful with such. “Why, Brother A did not speak to me this morning;” “Brother B just nodded when I spoke to him last night”; “Sister C has been talking about me, for I saw her talking with Sister D and they looked over toward me and laughed; they must have been laughing at me”; “I am not appreciated and trusted.” So it goes, and the poor soul is constantly more or less miserable, brooding over a supposed something that some one thought or someone said, that someone never thought or never said or never had a thought of saying or thinking.

If the sensitive individual did not think so much of self, he would not care what folks said, without imagining that they did say what they didn’t say. If they were strong in character, had strong faith in God, or were absorbed in their legitimate work, they would have no time for surmises. If they did their own legitimate work first and sought some greater thing later, they would find it a blessing of strength. Legitimate work close at hand, even though made up of common, menial tasks, is work for God if done aright. Let the sensitive get a view of his own sinful heart and his own mental incapacity; let him get a, love for others, a disposition to do the work which God would be pleased with, faith that God will do just what is right whatever man may do or say, and the sensitiveness will depart and strength will come. After all, what does it matter what men may say if we are doing what is right? “If God be for us, who can be against us” [Romans 8:31]?

The Signs of the Times, vol. 5, No. 35, September 9, 1889.

The Destroying Effect of Evil Speaking and Gossip

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Gossip—small talk, hearsay, rumor, scandal—is the major element used by Satan to destroy love and unity within the church.

“Gossipers and news carriers are a terrible curse to neighborhoods and churches. Two thirds of all the church trials arise from this source.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 465.

We read from God’s holy word the following, “And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman.” Numbers 12:1.

From the pen of inspiration we are given an insight into this whole experience. God’s servant records: “Moses felt the importance of the great work committed to him as no other man had ever felt it. He realized his own weakness, and he made God his counselor. Aaron esteemed himself more highly, and trusted less in God. He had failed when entrusted with responsibility, giving evidence of the weakness of his character by his base compliance in the matter of the idolatrous worship at Sinai. But Miriam and Aaron, blinded by jealousy and ambition, lost sight of this. Aaron had been highly honored by God in the appointment of his family to the sacred office of the priesthood; yet even this now added to the desire for self-exaltation. ‘And they said, Hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? hath He not spoken also by us’ [Numbers 12:2]? Regarding themselves as equally favored by God, they felt that they were entitled to the same position and authority.

“Yielding to the spirit of dissatisfaction, Miriam found cause of complaint in events that God had especially overruled. The marriage of Moses had been displeasing to her. That he should choose a woman of another nation, instead of taking a wife from among the Hebrews, was an offense to her family and national pride. Zipporah was treated with ill-disguised contempt.

“Though called a ‘Cushite woman’ (Numbers 12:1, R.V.), the wife of Moses was a Midianite, and thus a descendant of Abraham. In personal appearance she differed from the Hebrews in being of a somewhat darker complexion. Though not an Israelite, Zipporah was a worshiper of the true God. She was of a timid, retiring disposition, gentle and affectionate, and greatly distressed at the sight of suffering; and it was for this reason that Moses, when on the way to Egypt, had consented to her return to Midian. He desired to spare her the pain of witnessing the judgments that were to fall on the Egyptians.

“When Zipporah rejoined her husband in the wilderness, she saw that his burdens were wearing away his strength, and she made known her fears to Jethro, who suggested measures for his relief. Here was the chief reason for Miriam’s antipathy to Zipporah. Smarting under the supposed neglect shown to herself and Aaron, she regarded the wife of Moses as the cause, concluding that her influence had prevented him from taking them into his counsels as formerly. Had Aaron stood up firmly for the right, he might have checked the evil; but instead of showing Miriam the sinfulness of her conduct, he sympathized with her, listened to her words of complaint, and thus came to share her jealousy.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 383, 384.

Evidence before us is the fact that Miriam’s jealousy produced evil speaking and gossip, but how did she and Aaron come to be affected by jealousy?

  1. In the appointment of the seventy elders, Miriam and Aaron had not been consulted, and their jealousy was excited against Moses.
  2. At the time of Jethro’s visit, while the Israelites were on their way to Sinai, the ready acceptance by Moses of the counsel of his father-in-law had aroused in Aaron and Miriam a fear that his influence with the great leader exceeded theirs.
  3. In the organization of the council of elders, they felt that their position and authority had been ignored.
  4. Because they had been chosen to aid Moses, they regarded themselves as sharing equally with him the burden of leadership, and they regarded the appointment of further assistance as uncalled for.

This seeming disregard of their authority by Moses fanned into operation the flames of jealousy or envy which ultimately gave rise to evil speaking and gossip, and this spirit of evil speaking and gossip that was now alive and active, due to irresponsible attitudes of Miriam and Aaron, would have soon leavened the whole camp of Israel. Ever keep in mind the fact that jealousy is an attribute of Satan, which means that gossip is of Satan and therefore will only produce a harvest of cruel deeds. We are counseled:

“Envy is one of the most satanic traits that can exist in the human heart, and it is one of the most baleful in its effects. Says the wise man, ‘Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy?’ Proverbs 27:4. … ‘Where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.’ James 3:16.

“It should not be regarded as a light thing to speak evil of others or to make ourselves judges of their motives or actions. ‘He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.’ James 4:11. There is but one judge—He ‘who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts.’ 1 Corinthians 4:5. And whoever takes it upon himself to judge and condemn his fellow men is usurping the prerogative of the Creator.” Ibid., 385.

As a name, Miriam belongs to a family of words having different root-form; all of which suggest bitterness, Mary, Maria. Miriam, then, the same as Mary, means bitterness or rebellion. This she lived out in the prime of her days!

Let’s examine closer Miriam’s life in relation to this incident. Miriam was the eldest child of Amram and Jochebed, and the sister of Aaron and Moses. Miriam owed much to her ancestry. She was the daughter of godly parents and the sister of two of Israel’s greatest figures. We have no biblical evidence that Miriam was ever married. Her interests were not matrimonial; they were national. Her mission was not domestic; it was patriotic. Miriam is wellknown as a prophetess, and she was highly respected in Israel. The Bible, we can all agree, is an honest book that gives only the truth. It tells the naked truth of those it describes. Blemishes, as well as beauties, are revealed in spite of the person! Miriam, for instance, rebelled against the mission of her life, namely to protect and labor in association with God’s leader whom she had been the means of saving for his country.

Miriam was, above all things, a faithful patriot, with a love for her country greater than the love for her renowned brother. Jealousy led Miriam to reject both the position of Moses as the leader of Israel and his partner in the wife he took unto himself. She found the management and marriage of Moses most distressing, most annoying! Miriam as a church member and more so as a leader became careless and irresponsible because of envy, which led her to turn against her own brother. Isn’t this the same attitude that many of us who profess to be Christians display towards each other who are namely our brothers and sisters?

It was not so much feminine jealousy on Miriam’s part as patriotic jealousy, which gave rise to her gossiping spirit. She was a confirmed member of the Hebrew race and set against any foreign alliance. How often do we, as confirmed Seventh-day Adventists, become troubled concerning those who have come in and joined us who were of a different faith or of another Adventist church? How often are we affected because of their rise to authority within the precincts of the church? We share our burdens with each other about the intruders positioning themselves in our church to take away our positions and belittle our authority.

But Miriam’s greatest offense was her sarcastic rejection of the leadership of her brother, Moses. Hitherto she had been a symbol of unity, cooperation, and support as she shared in the triumphs and hopes of Israel. Now, unfortunately, she is prominent as a leader of discord, division and discontent. “It was envy,” Ellen White wrote, “that first caused discord in heaven, and its indulgence has wrought untold evil among men.” Ibid. So Miriam was now doing the service of Satan. Was this her original desire and intention? Did she desire to bring division, discord and strife between herself and her younger brother?

From the book The Desire of Ages, 323 is found sobering counsel: “Closely connected with Christ’s warning in regard to the sin against the Holy Spirit is a warning against idle and evil words. The words are an indication of that which is in the heart. ‘Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.’ [Matthew 12:34]. But the words are more than an indication of character; they have power to react on the character. Men are influenced by their own words. Often under a momentary impulse, prompted by Satan, they give utterance to jealousy or evil surmising, expressing that which they do not really believe; but the expression reacts on the thoughts. They are deceived by their words, and come to believe that true which was spoken at Satan’s instigation. Having once expressed an opinion or decision, they are often too proud to retract it, and try to prove themselves in the right, until they come to believe that they are.”

You will notice that Aaron is paired with Miriam in this ungodly ordeal. We know from the record that Miriam was the instigator and spokes-woman in the revolt. The Holy Scripture says, “And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses.” Numbers 12:1.

Why is it that Miriam did not seek out Moses and express to him her concern? Why did she seek out Aaron, in whom she found a listening ear? Well, it is no doubt because she and Aaron shared a closer relationship, because when Moses was away growing up in the palace and the wilderness, Aaron was there with her. Miriam knew well her brother’s weak and strong points of character, one who would quickly sympathize and agree even if it was wrong, and who would understand, one who would not be quick to oppose, condemn and rebuke.

Miriam understood Aaron and Aaron understood Miriam! For the little she knew of Moses, he was too exact, unbending and regimental as well as overly religious. Aaron was far easier to talk with! It is on this basis, against this background, that we have this cooperative effort.

Personal jealousy and fear of their own respective leadership are mingled in their question, “Hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us?” Numbers 12:2. What we see here is that Miriam and Aaron aspired to a joint partnership in state power and in the government of Israel, but they failed! Miriam’s chief error consisted in her effort to break down the God-given authority of Moses and thereby imperil the unity and hope of the nation. This would most effectively be accomplished through the same method that Lucifer used in heaven, namely gossip, evil surmising and evil speaking.

No doubt, this will be the result in every church in which members cherish the Miriam and Aaron Syndrome. In every church where the spirit of gossip and evil speaking is encouraged; unity, love, trust and hope are destroyed. It has been said that one of the torments of jealousy is that it can never turn away its eyes from the thing that pains it.

Up to this time Moses was unaware of the evil work being done by the two closest persons to him in his leadership, but God knew, for the Holy Scripture declares, “The Lord heard it.” Numbers 12:2. God heard the evil conversation of Miriam and Aaron. He will always hear the gossipers in conversation, and He will certainly pay for the work done by such individuals!

“And the Lord spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And they three came out. And the Lord came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth. And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house. With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the Lord shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses? And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them; and he departed. And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous.” Verses 4–10.

Many times gossipers seek to conceal themselves and their accomplice, but God in time will reveal such individuals the way He knows best and in most cases for their good and the benefit of His church. We are told in the book Patriarchs and Prophets that, “This manifestation of the Lord’s displeasure was designed to be a warning to all Israel, to check the growing spirit of discontent and insubordination. If Miriam’s envy and dissatisfaction had not been signally rebuked, it would have resulted in great evil.” Ibid., 385.

Notice that the very one whom Miriam was gossiping about was the same one who had to pray for her in order that she be spared. This spirit that Moses possessed should be the same spirit all share who are victims of gossip and evil speaking.

The significance of God’s attitude concerning the discipline of Miriam is worth noting. In spite of His forgiving mercies, she never escaped a lesser discipline; she, being a temporary leper, was shut out of the camp for seven days. Due to Miriam’s ungodly behavior the church was brought to a halt for one week at least! It’s no different today, for the progress of the church will be greatly affected by gossipers and evil-surmisers. Indeed, “Gossipers and news carriers are a terrible curse to neighborhoods and churches. Two thirds of all the church trials arise from this source.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 465.

Is it possible that the confidence Moses placed in Aaron and Miriam had been shaken as to make him walk alone from that point onward? Well, Miriam accepted her discipline, repented of her sins, and remained faithful until death.

“And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in mount Hor, by the coast of the land of Edom, saying, Aaron shall be gathered unto his people: for he shall not enter into the land which I have given unto the children of Israel, because ye rebelled against my word at the water of Meribah. Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up unto mount Hor: And strip Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son: and Aaron shall be gathered unto his people, and shall die there.” Numbers 20:23–26.

“Aaron’s work for Israel was done. Forty years before, at the age of eighty-three, God had called him to unite with Moses in his great and important mission. He had co-operated with his brother in leading the children of Israel from Egypt. He had held up the great leader’s hands when the Hebrew hosts gave battle to Amalek. He had been permitted to ascend Mount Sinai, to approach into the presence of God, and to behold the divine glory. The Lord had conferred upon the family of Aaron the office of the priesthood, and had honored him with the sacred consecration of high priest. He had sustained him in the holy office by the terrible manifestations of divine judgment in the destruction of Korah and his company. It was through Aaron’s intercession that the plague was stayed. When his two sons were slain for disregarding God’s express command, he did not rebel or even murmur. Yet the record of his noble life had been marred. Aaron committed a grievous sin when he yielded to the clamors of the people and made the golden calf at Sinai; and again, when he united with Miriam in envy and murmuring against Moses. And he, with Moses, offended the Lord at Kadesh by disobeying the command to speak to the rock that it might give forth its water. …

“For his sin at Kadesh, Aaron was denied the privilege of officiating as God’s high priest in Canaan—of offering the first sacrifice in the goodly land, and thus consecrating the inheritance of Israel.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 425, 426.

If there was hope for the gossipers Miriam and Aaron, then there is certainly hope for every gossiper today! Jesus stands today and says to each one, “Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the Lord. Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord; for I am married unto you.” Jeremiah 3:13, 14.

I firmly believe that Aaron and Miriam will be in heaven, simply because they repented and submitted themselves to God’s discipline. Why not follow in the footsteps of Aaron and Miriam? Amen!!!

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.

Lifestyle – Trust in God — Our Greatest Need

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The mental health of Americans could well be at an all time low with a large number of people complaining of stress, depression, suicide and other health problems directly related to stress.

It has been said that 75 to 90 percent of visits to primary care physicians are due to stress related problems. Job stress, or lack of a job, is taking its toll on many Americans today. Our contemporary stress tends to be more pervasive, persistent, and insidious because it stems primarily from psychological rather than physical threats. It has been said that one-fourth of Americans report major stress in their lives. One-third of Americans report that they are mentally healthy, and the rest fall between major stress and mental health. These statistics could well be higher with the changing economic conditions of the last two years.

Stress is actually necessary for human growth and development and is therefore an essential element of life. It becomes destructive when the intensity or duration under stressful conditions exceeds the ability to react constructively. So, the effects of stress on mental and physical health can be modified by the way we perceive and respond to it.

The foundation on which all of the laws of health rest is trusting in God. Each of the other seven laws—exercise, nutrition, temperance, pure air, sunshine, water, rest—when obeyed, will function in the way that physical and scientific laws react with our body. However, when trust is coupled with the blessing of God in the other seven laws of health, it has a synergistic effect on both health and wellbeing.

God has promised that we can trust Him in all circumstances and at all times. The Bible describes those without this hope: “Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.” Luke 21:26.

When trusting our eternal security with the Lord, regardless of how bad these circumstances, our hearts need never fail us for fear.

“Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by Him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4:10–12.

When things look bleak, be comforted by the promise given in Romans 8:28: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.”

When life seems hopeless and issues arise with those with whom we interact daily, either at work, in the community, and even in our churches and homes, pray as did David: “What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee. In God I will praise His word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.” Psalm 56:3, 4.

“Great peace have they which love Thy law: and nothing shall offend them.” Psalm 119:165.

The One Who created us and loves us with a never-ending love gives us opportunity to view every situation with a different attitude. Trusting in the promises of God gives us the ability to respond affirmatively to life’s stresses, resulting in improved mental and physical health.

What About Discouragement?

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It is not unusual for those who have chosen to follow the Lamb whithersoever He leadeth to experience discouragement from time to time. Often, when that occurs, the discouraged one can be tempted to question the sincerity of his commitment. He is prone to ask himself, “Am I failing in my Christian walk because I occasionally experience times of discouragement?” But didn’t some of our patriarchs go through times of discouragement?

Adam was undoubtedly a bit discouraged when he and Eve were banned from the Garden of Eden. More discouragement must have followed when Cain slew Abel.

Was Noah jubilant when the whole world rejected the message that God had told him to share? For 120 years, he delivered the message of warning to the world, to have only seven others accept it and join him on the ark.

How about Moses? The murmuring and complaining of the children of Israel during their wilderness journey surely discouraged him from time to time. There were certainly times when, although he was following specific directions from God, he was less than totally happy—the golden calf, the complaints about their diet, the blame heaped upon him because of the length of the journey, the lack of water!

Scripture tells us specifically that the Israelites themselves were discouraged. “And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.” Numbers 21:4.

Consider Job. When he lost all that he had––home, livestock, and children––and his own wife told him to curse God and die, how happy do you think he was? When even his three best friends tried to convince him that he was responsible for his afflictions, there were probably at least a few fleeting thoughts of discouragement from time to time.

Elijah fled in discouragement when Jezebel threatened his life, even though he had just seen fire come down from heaven as a testament to his faith in God.

Perhaps the most striking and memorable example of discouragement we have is that of the disciples after Christ’s crucifixion.

“After the death of Christ the disciples were well-nigh overcome by discouragement. Their Master had been rejected, condemned, and crucified. The priests and rulers had declared scornfully, ‘He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He be the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him.’ Matthew 27:42. The sun of the disciples’ hope had set, and night settled down upon their hearts. Often they repeated the words, ‘We trusted that it had been He which should have redeemed Israel.’ Luke 24:21.” The Acts of the Apostles, 25.

In each of these cases, however, let us not lose sight of the fact that faith eventually prevailed.

What if Elijah had given up in discouragement after praying six times? By faith he prayed the seventh, and rain came (I Kings 18:42–45).

Because of Job’s love for his persecutors and his unfailing faith in the resurrection, God restored to him two-fold his losses. “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.” Job 42:10.

The disciple Mark was so discouraged at one point that he gave up his evangelistic efforts and returned to Jerusalem. Mark had been a publican and was undoubtedly wealthy. His home was probably large and well-maintained, staffed with servants to do his bidding. For a brief time, he was overcome by culture-shock and abandoned the call to return to the comforts that he had known so well. We can read about that in The Acts of the Apostles, 169, 170:

“As faithful shepherds in search of the lost sheep, they [the disciples] gave no thought to their own ease and convenience. Forgetful of self, they faltered not when weary, hungry, and cold. They had in view but one object—the salvation of those who had wandered far from the fold.

“It was here that Mark, overwhelmed with fear and discouragement, wavered for a time in his purpose to give himself wholeheartedly to the Lord’s work. Unused to hardships, he was disheartened by the perils and privations of the way. He had labored with success under favorable circumstances; but now, amidst the opposition and perils that so often beset the pioneer worker, he failed to endure hardness as a good soldier of the cross. He had yet to learn to face danger and persecution and adversity with a brave heart. As the apostles advanced, and still greater difficulties were apprehended, Mark was intimidated and, losing all courage, refused to go farther and returned to Jerusalem.”

By faith he stepped into the field again and eventually wrote an inspiring account of Christ’s work. (See Ibid., 170.)

When the faithful in Corinth were experiencing discouragement, Paul wrote to them to remind them of the experiences of the children of Israel. Because of their sin and rebellion, the judgments of God had come upon them. The apostle instructed the Corinthian believers to heed the lesson contained in Israel’s experiences. “Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.” I Corinthians 10:6.

Paul showed how love of ease and pleasure had prepared the way for sins that had brought the vengeance of God upon the Israelites.

Yet Paul would not have them yield to despondency or discouragement. He gave them the assurance: “God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” I Corinthians 10:13.

Well, how is it with us today? Do we sometimes allow ourselves to be led into discouragement and despair by failing to grasp the sure promises of God? It is only by faith that we can grasp those promises, and it is only by faith that we can meet the condition on which those promises are given: obedience. When we turn from the path of righteousness and for one reason or another disobey the counsels, precepts, and commandments in God’s word, He must then breach His promises. (See Numbers 14:34.) And it is then, overcome with discouragement and depression, that we are most susceptible to falling under Satan’s shadow.

In The Acts of the Apostles, 363, we read the following:

“Satan’s craft is most successfully used against those who are depressed. When discouragement threatens to overwhelm … spread out before God [your] necessities. It was when the heavens were as brass over Paul that he trusted most fully in God. More than most men, he knew the meaning of affliction; but listen to his triumphant cry as, beset by temptation and conflict, his feet press heavenward: ‘Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen.’ II Corinthians 4:17, 18. Paul’s eyes were ever fastened on the unseen and eternal. Realizing that he was fighting against supernatural powers, he placed this dependence on God, and in this lay his strength. It is by seeing Him who is invisible that strength and vigor of soul are gained and the power of earth over mind and character is broken.”

“Into the experience of all there come times of keen disappointment and utter discouragement––days when sorrow is the portion, and it is hard to believe that God is still the kind benefactor of His earthborn children; days when troubles harass the soul, till death seems preferable to life. It is then that many lose their hold on God. … Could we at such times discern with spiritual insight the meaning of God’s providences we should see angels seeking to save us from ourselves, striving to plant our feet upon a foundation more firm than the everlasting hills, and new faith, new life, would spring into being. …

“For the disheartened there is a sure remedy––faith, prayer, work. Faith and activity will impart assurance and satisfaction that will increase day by day. … In the darkest days, when appearances seem most forbidding, fear not. Have faith in God. He knows your need. He has all power. His infinite love and compassion never weary. … And He will bestow upon His faithful servants the measure of efficiency that their need demands. …

“Did God forsake Elijah in his hour of trial? Oh, no! He loved His servant no less when Elijah felt himself forsaken of God and man than when, in answer to his prayer, fire flashed from heaven and illuminated the mountaintop.” Conflict and Courage, 213.

There is no spiritual strength for us in constantly brooding over our weaknesses and backslidings and bemoaning the power of Satan. The great truth of the worth of the offering made for us must be established as a living principle in our minds and hearts—that God can and does save to the uttermost all who come unto Him, complying with the conditions specified in His word.

I would like to suggest that that is the great failing of a great number of churches today. Little if any emphasis is placed on complying with the conditions specified in God’s word. We must confess our sins to Jesus as He pleads our cause in the Most Holy Place. That confession must be accompanied by repentance––turning from our sins and following the Lamb.

“Our work is to place our will on the side of God’s will. Then, through the blood of the atonement, we become partakers of the divine nature; through Christ we are children of God, and we have the assurance that God loves us even as He loved His Son. We are one with Jesus. We walk where Christ leads the way; He has power to dispel the dark shadows which Satan casts across our path; and, in place of darkness and discouragement, the sunlight of His glory shines into our hearts.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 741.

“Then let us not gather together all the unpleasant pictures—the iniquities and corruptions and disappointments, the evidences of Satan’s power—to hang in the halls of our memory, to talk over and mourn over until our souls are filled with discouragement. A discouraged soul is a body of darkness, not only failing himself to receive the light of God, but shutting it away from others. Satan loves to see the effect of the pictures of his triumphs, making human beings faithless and disheartened.” Ibid., 744, 745.

It is by beholding that we become changed (II Corinthians 3:18). By dwelling upon the love of God and our Saviour, by contemplating the perfection of the divine character and claiming the righteousness of Christ as ours by faith, we can be transformed into the same image and dispel the doubt and discouragement that Satan so ruthlessly longs to cast over us.

John Pearson is currently the office manager and a board member of Steps to Life. After retiring as chief financial officer for the Grand Canyon Association, he moved to Wichita to join the Steps to Life team and may be contacted by email at: johnpearson@stepstolife.org.

Lifestyle – Developing Trust, Our Greatest Need

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“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.”
Proverbs 3:5, 6

What a promise of love and care the Father has given us in this one text! Sometimes, when we are in the midst of trouble, we wonder why this has happened to my family or my church or me, and we pray for the problem to be resolved. There is nothing wrong with this, but we must realize that if we have been trusting in the Lord and not leaning to our own understanding, if we are acknowledging Him in all our ways, that He is directing our paths. Whether we are on the mountaintop of life or in the valley, we can have physical, emotional and spiritual peace knowing that He is directing our paths. If He is directing and we believe this, then we can know, as Christ knew that, “The Father’s presence encircled Christ, and nothing befell Him but that which infinite love permitted for the blessing of the world. Here was His source of comfort, and it is for us. He who is imbued with the Spirit of Christ abides in Christ. The blow that is aimed at him falls upon the Saviour, who surrounds him with His presence. Whatever comes to him comes from Christ. He has no need to resist evil, for Christ is his defense. Nothing can touch him except by our Lord’s permission, and ‘all things’ that are permitted ‘work together for good to them that love God.’ Romans 8:28.” Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 71.

It is easy to believe and trust when on the mountaintops, but much harder to believe and trust when we are in the valleys of our experience suffering from doubt, depression, hurt, anger, and feeling attacked, alone and abandoned. So how can we develop this life giving trust such that through all of the experiences of life we can have physical, emotional, and spiritual peace?

We cannot have trust in anyone whom we don’t know and we cannot know God or His Son, Jesus, without connection and conviction of the truth through His word and the Holy Spirit. Many churches and pastors promote a feel good, emotional religious experience but this is very shallow. Our religious experience has to go beyond feelings and this can only come from the conviction of the Holy Spirit as we read and study the Word, knowing it is truth. We need to know that the experience of the people whose stories are recorded in the Bible are there for examples to us (I Corinthians 10:11). Their joys and sorrows, their strengths and weaknesses were recorded for us to learn that wrong choices always have consequences.

As a result of his failure to trust God, David made poor choices in regard to his relationship with Bathsheba and the consequent murder of Uriah, causing his family to greatly suffer through many valley experiences. Once he was convicted of his wrong course of action and fully repented, God forgave him and he could be used again of God.

Look at Joseph who went through much suffering, but the final outcome was an entire nation saved from famine and he was reunited with his family. God is faithful to see that we, as well as others, are blessed by all the events of our life if we trust in Him and lean not upon our own understanding. We may not know how this will happen, but we know that as we look back on our life, we would not want to have been led any other way than as He directed. “God never leads His children otherwise than they would choose to be led, if they could see the end from the beginning, and discern the glory of the purpose which they are fulfilling as co-workers with Him. Not Enoch, who was translated to heaven, not Elijah, who ascended in a chariot of fire, was greater or more honored than John the Baptist, who perished alone in the dungeon. ‘Unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake.’ Philippians 1:29. And of all the gifts that Heaven can bestow upon men, fellowship with Christ in His sufferings is the most weighty trust and the highest honor.” The Desire of Ages, 224, 225.

Just as we must eat good food on a regular basis each day to maintain health, so also it is imperative to spend time each day in study, prayer and meditation on the Word and how it is to be translated into our daily walk in order to have spiritual health. Then we will understand that the Ten Commandments are not just a rule of action or against an action, but take on new meaning and are a guide for our hearts. Very few would admit that they have violated the law, “Thou shalt not kill” (Exodus 20:13), but Jesus expanded this when He said not to be angry with our brother. There is probably not a person alive who, at some time, has not felt some anger at another individual. It takes meditation upon the Word to really understand and know how to apply to the daily life the deeper concepts of the Lord’s teaching. “The word must be daily received, believed, and acted upon.” The Review and Herald, October 1, 1901.

Another critical aspect of developing trust, obedience and peace is to develop a regular prayer life. In our own flesh we can do nothing, but prayer helps us understand the Word and brings light. “If students would read the word of God more, and pray over it, the light of heaven would shine upon them.” Ibid., July 6, 1905. Prayer helps us to overcome and truly acknowledge God in all that we do. “Send up your prayers to heaven that you may be delivered from temptation. Pray, pray, and put your will on the side of God’s will. Oh, be sure to pray for the Lord to give you His grace to resist the devil, who caused the fall of Adam and Eve in Eden, and [who] with all his deceptive power will try to make of none effect the restrictions and commandments of God.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 14, 74. It has been said that knowledge is power, but knowledge of good is powerless without prayer and the grace of Christ to help us overcome temptation and do good.

Memorization of Scripture is also very important in overcoming the enemy of souls and developing trust that God will see you through all circumstances. When tempted of the devil, one of the best responses is a rebuke from the Lord and this can be done through quoting the Word. Jesus met the temptations of the devil with “It is written.” So we too can obtain power as we pray and meet Satan with “It is written.”

As we study, meditate, bring the Word into our life, pray for spiritual power and memorize Scripture, meeting Satan with “It is written,” we will begin to find that nothing will shatter our trust in the Lord’s ability to see us through any trial. We will have a peace that only the Lord can give and it will be evident in our life and our countenance, and in our interaction with others during difficult times. This experience will bring such joy into our lives that we will want to share it with others.

“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust.” Psalm 91:1, 2. Oh to have that quiet assurance that God is in control and He will care for me. “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7. It is my prayer that this may be your experience of trust and peace in the Lord.

The School of Christ

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Those who want to learn about law, attend the school of law. To learn about art, you go to the school of art, or to become a doctor and learn about medicine you go to medical school. If you want to know about Christ, you must go to the school of Christ. This school does not exist physically with a building or special location nor does it have many teachers, but it exists spiritually for the salvation of all who attend.

The concept of the school of Christ is revealed in Matthew, where an invitation is given to all to enroll. “Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28. In My school, says Jesus, you can bring your burdens, all of your problems, and you will find rest. In no other school, with its assignments and homework, will you find rest.

Some people today pay thousands of dollars to therapists, hoping to learn how to solve their problems, while others spend their money on alcohol or drugs so they can forget them. Their minds are so stressed that they question the meaning and purpose of life. Often they try to manufacture a meaning for themselves by finding the perfect relationship, only to be let down and disappointed when their expectation is not reached. That dream is like sand. The harder you try to grab it, the faster it flows through your fingers, leaving a feeling of misery and emptiness. Whatever problems you have, whether physical, mental, emotional, psychological, social or spiritual, Jesus has the only answer. He bids, “Come unto Me, and I will give you rest.”

Attendance at the school of Christ is completely voluntary and there is no graduation. You can attend your whole life and never run out of subjects to study. The teacher is Jesus. The textbook is the Bible, which tells about Him.

“Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me.” John 5:39. It is almost impossible to get a good grade without opening that textbook.

Without studying the textbook all that is left is man’s opinions or human philosophy, which is worthless and like building on sand without a firm foundation.

When you come to His school, Jesus promises you rest. But there is a condition. Remember, with every promise of God there is a condition. Why? Because there is God’s part and also man’s part. God cannot twist your arm to save you, nor can He twist your neck to force you to obey Him or twist your ears to get you to listen to Him. He offers you power and gives you promises. He tells you what He can do, but it is up to you, and it is your choice to listen to Him.

The Condition

“Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:29, 30.

  1. take My yoke
  2. learn of Me
  3. accept My meekness and My lowliness

If you allow Him to fulfill all these things in your life, then “ye shall find rest unto your souls.”

The Bible says, “I will give you rest.” The secret of rest is right there, taking the yoke of Christ, to learn from Jesus to be meek and lowly. This is hard for some men or women to take, but there is a power in meekness. There is a power in humility, not to be hateful when someone else takes the ball away from you and makes more points than you do, or to be happy when someone else achieves ahead of you.

We live in a competitive world and we are pushed and shoved into being better than other people until the mentality is “I have to be the best.” Yes, God asks you to be the best, but to be best is to learn to do well at the lowest point in life and to be meek and humble. When you learn to say, “I am nothing and God is everything,” you will have power. The higher you try to climb, the dizzier you get, and the more likely you are to fall. You had better stay low, because you are nothing but dust! You had better humble yourselves, for when you die you return to the dust from which you came. The school of Christ teaches humility. There is no other university that can teach meekness and humility like the school of Christ.

This discourse is not to discourage education because knowledge and good science is essential, but caution must be exercised against the pride, strife and the competition. To be the best, yet without that perfect rest, is not the best. Jesus said to take His yoke in order to find that perfect rest.

The Yoke of Jesus

A yoke is an instrument that puts two oxen or two animals together, so they can work and move together. When Jesus says, “Take My yoke upon you,” it means to be bound up with Him. By not wearing the yoke of Christ, we wear another yoke by default—the yoke of sin. This yoke is heavy.

“The yoke of my transgressions is bound by His hand.” Lamentations 1:14. Jesus said that he that commits sin is a servant to sin. So this yoke of transgression binds you to commit to, to go after, or to work for sin and transgression. Before you can wear the yoke of Christ, the yoke of transgression needs to be broken. When you come to Christ and ask for forgiveness, when you confess, and repent, Jesus will forgive you and break the yoke of transgression.

Wearing the yoke of Christ means you go wherever He goes. When you have the yoke of Christ, you will never say, “I will do.” You will say, “I submit to the working of God’s grace in my heart.” You stop saying, “I will do this, and I will do that. I will be good, I will walk the ways of righteousness. I will obey.” Instead you will say, “With Christ, all things are possible,” because you are not depending upon yourself. You are not carrying the load alone. You will say, “With Christ’s help, I shall experience His righteousness working in me,” because you are not depending upon yourself. You are not carrying the load alone. With Christ, you are yoked up and walk together.

Having your yoke of transgression broken is one thing, but to put on the yoke of Christ is another. People like to be forgiven of their sins, but we need to learn how to wear the yoke of Christ and to walk in His ways. Jeremiah 2:20 says, “… when upon every high hill and under every green tree thou wanderest.” These people were wandering because their yoke of transgression had been broken, but they did not wear the yoke of Christ.

If you go where Jesus goes you will not wander away from Him playing the harlot. Speaking of the Israelites the Bible says, “For of old time, I have broken thy yoke.” Here God is speaking to the Israelites. “For of old time I have broken thy yoke [of transgression], and burst thy bands; and thou saidst, I will not transgress.” Ibid. Here is described a life depending upon self. They declare to God that they will not transgress. This sounds like the Israelites before Mount Sinai when God said, “If you keep My commandments, I will make you a holy nation.” And they say, “All that You have said we will do.” (See Exodus 19:6–8.)

Without the yoke of Christ, all wander away. The Bible says, “under every green tree.” What does it mean, “every green tree”? Many times, pagan temples were set up under the trees. That is still practiced in India and Japan and in some other countries in the world. So they wander away from God and they commit spiritual adultery. The Bible says, “playing the harlot.” Ibid. Playing the harlot is the most disgraceful sin that the church can commit. It is essential to have the yoke of Christ, so that we will not wander away from God and become spiritual harlots. That yoke must be put on every day.

Whether you like it or not, you have a yoke. Either you have the yoke of transgression, or you have the yoke of Christ. Either you serve God as your Master or you serve the world as your master. There is no middle ground. Attempting to walk in the middle ground makes a most miserable person, because it is being double-minded and very unsettling with absolutely no rest. The only way to have rest in this life is to wear the yoke of Christ, which has the power to keep you as a pure virgin, committed only to Christ.

Learn of Me

Jesus said, “Learn of Me.” To learn of Jesus is to learn from His example of meekness and lowliness. “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps.” I Peter 2:21. Jesus also set an example of suffering, that we should follow His steps. If there is one thing that this generation has a hard time accepting, it is a life of suffering. Everything has to be comfortable, easy and relaxing.

There’s a lot to be learned from suffering and God purposefully puts some thistles and thorns in the ground. He allows the ground to be a little bit rough and rocky to give man some sweat, to give him some callouses on his hands, and some roughness in his life so that his life can be molded according to the character of God. If you are suffering for Christ’s sake, rejoice! That suffering will mold and shape your image according to the image of God.

“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into diverse temptations” (James 1:2), or may I include trials and problems. Let us rejoice when we suffer for Christ’s sake. Follow His example. Even in suffering, Jesus says, “Learn of Me for I am meek and lowly in heart.” Meekness is keeping yourself loving, kind and patient, even when you feel it is your right to be unloving to someone who does not deserve your kindness.

Mothers, do you have some pressure in your home from your children? Do you have pressure from your coworkers? The meekest man in the Bible, besides Jesus, was Moses. We often find it hard raising two children, but Moses led more than one million people, most of whom complained and murmured for the whole 40 years in the wilderness. There was a lot of pressure upon Moses’ shoulders, yet he learned to say, “God, this is your people. If you destroy them, please take my name out of the book of life, because I love them.” Moses had all the right reasons to let them be burned by the wrath of God, but he would rather die eternally for them than let God give up on them. When you are that meek, lowly and humble, then you are experiencing the power of God.

Sometimes we think that to be angry, shouting and screaming means power. But having true power is to know how to put your power under submission to the power of God. When injustice is done to you and you think you have the right for revenge, submit your rights to God, allowing Him to work for you and the other person. It is real power when you exercise patience and pray for them.

Follow My Example

Jesus says, “Follow Me.” Jesus set an example of living a pure life without sin. We should follow His steps in the school of Christ, where Jesus will teach you that this is possible, but not by your own power or wisdom. Your persevering and sweating efforts are good, but not good enough. It is not by your interpretation of what you think a Christian should be. No word of envy, jealousy, or revenge will come out of your mouth, no words of evil surmising that destroy another person’s character. Beautiful words can be spoken, but if your heart is not connected with Jesus it can be seasoned with jealousy, hatred and selfishness. We can be very deceptive and full of guile!

When Jesus was reviled He reviled not again. When He suffered, He threatened not, but committed Himself to Him Who judges righteously. When provoked, the natural reaction is to be angry. In that moment, pray to the Lord: God, take my life. I want to walk where you are. Please help me to be meek and humble.

And when you are threatened—no revenge! This is a really important lesson to learn, especially as we are in the very last days of earth’s history. “And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God, and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, saying, Hurt not the earth neither the sea nor the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.” Revelation 7:2, 3.

We understand that four angels are holding back the four winds, which represent worldwide destruction. This is talking about the great time of trouble, the great tribulation when probation has closed and the Holy Spirit will be withdrawn from this world, but not from God’s people.

Without the Holy Spirit the world will be under the full control of Satan. And when that takes place, the people will be possessed with the deceptions of Satan. They may walk and talk intelligently, but they will have Satanic hatred for God’s people. What you see in many of the cities of today—rape, murder and kidnapping—is only the tip of the iceberg compared to what Satan can do when he has full control over the people. But the Bible says God will protect His people. No plagues can come nigh to God’s people (Psalm 91:10). Thousands will fall on the right side, ten thousand will fall on the left side, but God will protect His people (Psalm 91:7), those who have the seal of the living God.

The seal is equal to a sign (Romans 4:11). The sign is the Sabbath (Ezekiel 20:12, 20). Those who have the seal of the living God in their forehead will accept the Sabbath. However, this does not mean that just keeping the seventh-day Sabbath will save you.

Not every person who keeps the seventh-day Sabbath, right now, will be protected in the time of trouble. It’s not only keeping the seventh-day Sabbath, but living the true meaning of the word Sabbath. The word Sabbath means rest. So when you have the seal of the living God in your forehead, you have the Sabbath in your forehead. If you have the Sabbath in your forehead, you have rest in your forehead. But where do we get the rest in our forehead? Jesus says, “Take My yoke upon you, learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your soul.”

So how can we prepare ourselves to receive the seal of the living God?

We must go to the school of Christ. And what of the number that were sealed with the seal of the living God? “And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand” [Revelation 7:4]. Whether that number is literal or symbolic we need to have the seal of the Sabbath rest.

The hundred and forty-four thousand have the characteristics of the school of Christ. The Bible says, “And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with Him an hundred forty and four thousand, having His Father’s name written in their forehead.” Revelation 14:1. One hundred and forty-four thousand standing with the Lamb! The Lamb is meek and humble. The only way the hundred and forty-four thousand are able to stand with the Lamb is because they have learned to be meek and lowly.

They had learned those characteristics in the school of Christ. And they had “their Father’s name written in their forehead.” That means they had their Father’s character in their foreheads or in their minds. “And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps [victory] and they sung as it were a new song” [verses 2, 3]. They sang a new song, the song of victory.

Two things are necessary to write a song—words and melody. They were singing a new song, which means they were singing new words and a new melody. Words are the expression of thoughts and melody expresses feelings. Singing a new song is the expression of thoughts and feelings. Thoughts and feelings combined together determine the moral character. The hundred and forty-four thousand know how to sing a song, the song of Jesus, the song of God’s character.

“These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins” [verse 4]. Remember, when you have the yoke of Christ, you don’t wander away, playing the harlot, but you stay a virgin. This lesson is learned in the school of Christ. “For these are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth” [verse 4]. Why do they follow “the Lamb whithersoever He goeth”? Because they have the yoke of Christ. Where did they learn that lesson? In the school of Christ.

“And in their mouth was found no guile.” Jesus, our example, had no guile found in His mouth. And, “they are without fault, before the throne of God” [verse 5]. That means without sin. In the school of Christ they learned to follow the example of Jesus.

Will there be people who truly follow the example of Jesus and attend the school of Christ? They do not graduate, but they remain in the school and reflect God’s character before the Second Coming of Christ. Will there be a group of people? Yes, the hundred and forty-four thousand. These will see Jesus without experiencing death; they will be translated as was Enoch (Genesis 5:24). There will be many others who study in the school of Christ who will not live but rest until Jesus comes.

Jesus says, “Come to My school. I want to prepare you to become part of the hundred and forty-four thousand.”

Tuition Fee

“If any man come to Me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.” Luke 14:26. This means God comes first above everything, even above yourself, even above your family members. This Bible text is not teaching hate. Jesus simply says it will seem as if you hate them if you follow God first, when it goes against their wishes, and hopes and dreams for you. To attend the school of Christ is to have a determination. In a quiet place on your knees pray:

Jesus, I know I have to attend Your school; otherwise, there is no rest in my soul. I’ve been wandering around, playing the harlot; I’m just going anywhere and everywhere that I like to go. And I know every time I looked for some kind of rainbow, it was invisible; it wasn’t there. I looked for some hope and dream and I gave my money and my effort, but at the end all I found were broken cups and broken hearts. O, God, I have tried everything; the only thing that I know that can help me is You. Jesus, take me; I’m already broken and wounded; heal me. My mind is going everywhere; please stabilize me. Make me strong in Your love and in Your trust. Give me Your rest. I need Thee every hour.

The very first class in the school of Christ begins as you open up your eyes in the morning. Jesus is right there waiting for you to attend His first class. And throughout the day, He not only gives you homework, but He will walk with you and do your homework with you. And every evening, He reviews the assignments and the homework with you to teach you how you can do better the next day.

School is not a one-day thing; it lasts a lifetime. Let’s learn to follow Christ so that others will also see the power of God working in our lives and someday we can be part of the hundred and forty-four thousand and sing the song of triumph and victory.

This message was shared by Judy Hallingstad. She is part of the LandMarks team and may be contacted by email at: judyhallingstad@stepstolife.org.

Joy in Suffering

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She was born in southeast New York, on March 24, 1820, and died in Bridgeport, Connecticut, on February 12, 1915, having lived ninety-five years.

Being blinded when six weeks old through an improper medical treatment, she was able, however, to distinguish between day and night. She never considered blindness a handicap, but rather a blessing and always insisted that blind people can accomplish almost everything sighted people can.

She lived a normal, happy childhood and wrote, “I could climb a tree like a squirrel and ride a horse bareback.”

Early in life, she began memorizing the Bible and eventually could repeat, by rote, the entire Pentateuch, all four Gospels, many of the Psalms, all of Proverbs, as well as the entire books of Ruth and Song of Solomon. She stated at the close of her life, “The Holy Book has nurtured my entire life.”

She spent twelve years as a pupil in the New York Institution for the Blind and served as a teacher there from 1847 to 1858, teaching language and history and was known for her musical abilities as well as a talent for writing poetry. She had a fine soprano voice as well as being accomplished in playing the guitar, harp, piano, and organ. Being well-versed in the great classics of music, she wrote some tunes for her texts but generally did not want them used, for she felt that they were too complicated for ordinary people to sing.

She married a blind musician and teacher from the school, Alexander Van Alstyne, in 1858, but very little is told of this marital relationship or of Mr. Van Alstyne other than that he was known as a very capable organist in the New York area. The Van Alstynes had a child born the following year, who evidently died in early infancy. This event was something that Fanny Crosby would never discuss with anyone throughout her life.

Fanny Crosby was very small in appearance, less than five feet tall, and she weighed no more than one hundred pounds. She was said to have been a physically unattractive person—a long face, prominent front teeth with a gap between them, thick, wavy hair parted in the middle and pulled backward in curls that hung to the shoulders and always the dark, rectangular glasses obscuring her sightless eyes. Yet, when she spoke, it is said that there was an unusual charisma about her, as her face lit up with an expression that gave her great charm and attractiveness.

Though always devout and religious from childhood, on November 20, 1850, Fanny Crosby had a dramatic conversion experience at a Methodist revival meeting. “My very soul was flooded with celestial light … for the first time I realized that I had been trying to hold the world in one hand and the Lord in the other.” Years later, when speaking of her November conversion experience, she said, “The Lord planted a star in my life and no cloud has ever obscured its light.” (Adapted from 101 Hymn Stories by Kenneth W. Osbeck, Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, 239–240.)

This woman, Frances Jane Crosby, had every reason to be unhappy, discouraged, sad and complaining. Having lived a life of misfortune from infancy spanning ninety-five years, she had not much reason to be joyful, yet she led a most outstanding evangelistic/gospel ministry for the better part of her life.

“In the period of 1870 to her death in 1915, it is estimated that Fanny Crosby wrote between 8,000 and 9,000 gospel hymn texts—more than any other known hymn writer. The majority of her lasting favorites were written in her mid-life during the decade of the 1870s. These include such popular hymns, still found in our hymnals, as “Safe in the Arms of Jesus”; “Blessed Assurance”; “Pass Me Not O Gentle Savior”; “Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross”; “I Am Thine, O Lord”; “All the Way My Savior Leads Me”; “Close to Thee”; “Praise Him, Praise Him”; “To God Be the Glory,” and “Rescue the Perishing.” Fanny Crosby’s favorite motto was, ‘I think life is not too long, and therefore I determine that many people will read a song who would not read a sermon.’ ” Ibid., 237.

“Saved by Grace” was one of the choice, later hymns written by Fanny Crosby in 1891, when she was seventy-one years of age. It goes like this:

Some day the silver cord will break,
And I no more as now shall sing;
But O the joy when I shall wake
Within the palace of the King!

Chorus –

And I shall see Him face to face,
And tell the story – Saved by grace;
And I shall see Him face to face,
And tell the story – Saved by grace.

Saved by grace, saved by grace! I am convinced that this was the propelling force in the life of Fanny Crosby that kept her ministering for God for the greater part of her life in spite of the unfortunate set-backs, the trials, the obstacles and crippling situations that plagued her.

To be able to say with absolute conviction:

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
O, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

Refrain –

This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long;
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long.

Perfect submission, perfect delight,
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight.
Angels descending bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.

Perfect submission, all is at rest,
I in my Savior am happy and blest,
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.

The “Blessed Assurance” is the joy that anchors the Christian and keeps him steadfast in any given situation. This is the seeming paradox of the Christian experience, that in the midst of trials and very discouraging situations he/she can be joyful!

For many, many Christians there is something that is destroying their joy, and that something is trial. “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” James 1:2–4.

“Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part He is evil spoken of, but on your part He is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.” I Peter 4:12–16.

David confesses that, “It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.” Psalm 119:71.

“When trials come to us, let us not dwell upon the greatness of the difficulties and feel that we cannot have joy in the Lord. It is true we will have changes of feelings. There will come to us times of discouragement and depression. But shall we live by feeling or by faith? When our brethren and friends speak unadvisedly, and cause us grief, let us not be cast down. Let us remember that we are in a world of trial and grief, of sorrow and disappointment. When these experiences come to us, they should drive us to Christ. If they do not, we meet with loss.” The Upward Look, 252.

When tempted to give up under discouragement and difficulty, let us study the life and experiences of Christ. He had to contend against the powers of darkness that He might not be overcome. We have the same battle to fight, the same victories to win. “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16. It is our privilege to lay hold on the strength of One who is able to save unto the uttermost all that come unto God by Him. He invites you to present your case at the throne of grace, and cast your helpless soul on Him.

The purging is not pleasant, but let us remember that Christ came to our world and took humanity that He might bear the afflictions that humanity must bear and be an example of faithful endurance under every form of trial. God wants us to realize that we are a part of the great human family, and that we must bear its tests. Let your humanity lay hold of divinity. Go to the footstool of God’s grace, and say, “Lord, I hang my helpless soul on Thee. Help me to control my speech. Teach me to overcome.” Christ will give you a spirit of overcoming. “They overcame him,” we read, “by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony.” Revelation 12:11.

Why should we not sink under trials?

“Trials are Christ’s workmen to perfect the Christian graces. … These tests are not to sink the believers’ faith, but raise it equal to the occasion, that unto all it may be made to appear more precious than gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire. Every trial permitted is designed to exalt the truth to a higher appreciation, that praise to God alone shall be upon the lips of the true disciple of Christ. And the growth in grace is to the honor and glory of God at the appearing of Jesus Christ, ‘whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you’ (I Peter 1:8–10).” Ibid., 324.

“We grieve the Spirit of Christ by our complaints and murmurings and repinings. We should not dishonor God by the mournful relation of trials that appear grievous. All trials that are received as educators will produce joy. The whole religious life will be uplifting, elevating, ennobling, fragrant with good words and works.” God’s Amazing Grace, 325.

Ponder these words: “So far from causing grief, persecution should bring joy to the disciples of Christ, for it is an evidence that they are following in the steps of their Master.

“While the Lord has not promised His people exemption from trials, He has promised that which is far better. He has said, ‘As thy days, so shall thy strength be.’ ‘My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Deuteronomy 33:25; II Corinthians 12:9. If you are called to go through the fiery furnace for His sake, Jesus will be by your side even as He was with the faithful three in Babylon. Those who love their Redeemer will rejoice at every opportunity of sharing with Him humiliation and reproach. The love they bear their Lord makes suffering for His sake sweet.” Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 30.

There is no real joy in disobedience.

“Man is doing the greatest injury and injustice to his own soul when he thinks and acts contrary to the will of God. No real joy can be found in the path forbidden by Him who knows what is best, and who plans for the good of His creatures. The path of transgression leads to misery and destruction; but wisdom’s ‘ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.’ Proverbs 3:17.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 600.

David’s prayer after his great sin.

“Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation; and uphold me with Thy free spirit.” Psalm 51:12.

“The sweetest joy comes to man through his sincere repentance toward God because of the transgression of His law, and faith in Christ as the sinner’s Redeemer and Advocate.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 481.

Three things that constitute the greatest joy.

“To honor Christ, to become like Him, to work for Him, is the life’s highest ambition and its greatest joy.” Education, 296.

“In view of what Christ has done for us, and what He suffered for sinners, we should, out of pure, disinterested love for souls, imitate His example by sacrificing our own pleasure and convenience for their good. The joy set before Christ, which sustained Him in all His sufferings, was the salvation of poor sinners. This should be our joy, and the spur of our ambition in the cause of our Master. In so doing we please God, and manifest our love and devotion to Him as His servants.” Sons and Daughters of God, 150.

Why is it so necessary that we experience this joy that comes from knowing Christ?

Because we are planning to make heaven our home and “Heaven is full of joy. It resounds with the praises of Him who made so wonderful a sacrifice for the redemption of the human race. Should not the church on earth be full of praise? Should not Christians publish throughout the world the joy of serving Christ? Those who in heaven join with the angelic choir in their anthem of praise must learn on earth the song of heaven, the keynote of which is thanksgiving.” Testimonies, vol. 7, 244.

A well known chorus goes like this,

I have the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart, down in my heart, down in my heart.
I have the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart, down in my heart to stay.
I know the devil doesn’t like it but it’s down in my heart, down in my heart, down in my heart.
I know the devil doesn’t like it but it’s down in my heart, down in my heart to stay.

Is the joy of the Lord your strength? Do you have the joy of the Lord down in your heart?

“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.” Hebrews 12:1–3.

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.