Salvation

Love, the Law and Heaven

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“Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart! They also do no iniquity; they walk in His ways.”  Psalm 119:2, 3

Understand the most basic requirement of heaven, the deciding factor of entrance into heaven.

If I am seeking something with my whole heart, it must be something that I value above all other things. It is something that I love. Why is this so important in whether I am seen fit to gain entrance into heaven? I believe that answer to this question is stated very succinctly, in fact in three words: “Love never fails” (1 Corinthians 13:8, first part). This is not speaking of human love, but divine love as is defined in the preceding verses.

Let’s think about this for a moment. If I am motivated to do something from any other motive than pure, true principled love, I believe that it is a given that sooner or later that motive would change, and as the motive changes, the action also changes. However, God never changes. His character is love, the basis of His government is love, His law is love, and we are told that He never changes.

If our lives, our words and actions are based on love, divine love, true love based on principle, will we ever change? No, so if my motivating factor is love, then I am safe to be in the kingdom of glory restored. If I live, speak, act, make decisions based on God’s principle of love, I will be a safe citizen of that heavenly realm. If the motive power for my obedience is not love of the purity, holiness, righteousness of God’s government, law, kingdom, I will not be a safe subject for that kingdom.

The universe has endured over 6,000 years of sin, of rebellion, of spurious, self-centered love. It can be unequivocally stated that God will not allow it a second time. And as He is not a God of force, the only option He has is to restrict entrance to only those who are motivated by the unchanging principle of divine love. Because as the Bible says “love never fails.”

1 Corinthians 13 elaborates on this: “If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing” (verses 1–3 NASB).

God says it doesn’t matter how great the deed, how wonderful the gift or talent, how mighty the power. If it is not motivated by love, it profits me nothing. Why? It is because of those three words we read earlier from 1 Corinthians 13:8 – “Love never fails.” That is the only motive that is sure. That is the only motive power that is safe. All other motives will eventually fail.

Immediately after these words “it profits me nothing” follows a description of true love. In our world today, basically what we know and see is Satan’s counterfeit for God’s true principle of love. So we need to be educated as to what true love is. 1 Corinthians gives a definition of true love, principled love. It is this divine, principled love that is expressed in the Ten Commandments. It is this love that is the basis of the government of God. It is His very character.

This principled love is the basic requirement of entrance into heaven. 2 Thessalonians 3:5 NASB also sheds some light as to why this is the case. It says, “May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ.” The love of God and of Christ are steadfast.

What does steadfast mean? Here is the first definition from Merriam-Webster: “firmly fixed in place; immovable.” Does that sound like something based on that love would be secure? Something based on that kind of “steadfast love” will not be changed.

Two more scriptures among many state clearly God’s requirement for those who would be citizens of His kingdom of glory.

Mark 12:30: “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.”

Deuteronomy 10:12 NASB: “Now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require from you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.”

The most basic problem of the human race is whether or not I sin. I would like to propose to you that love is involved in the motive of everything I do or choose. It is either self-love or love of God. Think about that for a moment. When man sinned he lost the natural goodness, the propensity for good, that total lack of propensity to do evil which was the condition in which he was created by God. He lost the ability to do good and became wholly depraved, evil, wicked. The Bible teaches that, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it” (Jeremiah 17:9)? As a result of that first sin, mankind is now under the power that is the exact opposite of love, the epitome of hatred, evil and death. There is one power alone that is stronger than death – love, pure, divine love. Therefore, there is only one power that is stronger than sin. In other words, there is one power alone that gives us the power to overcome sin – love.

“If God has given His only begotten Son to die, the just for the unjust, He wants every voice to proclaim it; for this is the truth that is to work counter to the lies of Satan. Christ’s death for man shows that his compassion and love are without a parallel. Christ’s resurrection proves that He has power over death and the grave. He is willing and able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by Him.” The Review and Herald, August 13, 1889.

“God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:1–3).

These are wonderful attributes – wonderful ability of speech, prophecy, understanding all mysteries and knowledge, faith even so strong as to move mountains, giving all you have to give to others, and even martyrdom. But God says all these are worth nothing without the motivating power of love.

There is another Scripture in the Bible that gives this exact same principle, but stated in the negative rather than in the positive, and in another setting. You all know these famous words of Christ. “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name have cast out devils? and in Thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:21–23 KJV).

Again we have a description of someone doing wonderful things in Jesus’ name. But Jesus says, “I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity.” What? Doing all these wonderful and good things, and Jesus says, “I never knew you?”

The problem here is one of motive. The issue is self-love, rather than love of God and the principles of His kingdom.

Inspiration says it this way: “No matter how high the profession, he whose heart is not filled with love for God and his fellow men is not a true disciple of Christ. Though he should possess great faith and have power even to work miracles, yet without love his faith would be worthless. He might display great liberality; but should he, from some other motive than genuine love, bestow all his goods to feed the poor, the act would not commend him to the favor of God. In his zeal he might even meet a martyr’s death, yet if not actuated by love, he would be regarded by God as a deluded enthusiast or an ambitious hypocrite.” The Acts of the Apostles, 318, 319.

Why? Why is this attribute of love so important? The crux of the matter is stated in these few words of Jesus recorded by John the Beloved. “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15 NASB). God does not say if you are afraid of Me, or if you know I exist, or if you obey because you have to, and the list could go on. Satan has myriads of counterfeit reasons. God says, “If you love Me.” Period.

Let’s think about this in a logical way for a moment. Would you want to be in heaven if heaven is like this earth? Of course not. In that case, you and I must change. Think of this from the perspective of God. Think of the extreme cost of putting into effect the wonderful plan of salvation by which alone you and I have hope of eternity. Will God allow sin to rear its head again? Never. If we are to be in that kingdom of glory restored, we must have the attributes that would make us safe to be there—for eternity. That means obedience from that most basic principle – love for God and for the principles of His kingdom.

Do you have that kind of love? How do we get that kind of love? The answer is very simple.

The inspired writer says, “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18 KJV). What is that glory of the Lord? It is self-sacrificing love.

“It will be seen that the glory shining in the face of Jesus is the glory of self-sacrificing love. In the light from Calvary it will be seen that the law of self-renouncing love is the law of life for earth and heaven; that the love which ‘seeketh not her own’ has its source in the heart of God; and that in the meek and lowly One is manifested the character of Him who dwelleth in the light which no man can approach unto.” The Desire of Ages, 20.

“But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13 NASB).

All quotes NKJV unless otherwise noted.

Brenda Douay is a staff member at Steps to Life. She may be contacted by email at: brendadouay@stepstolife.org.

Going Home

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“With the great truth we have been privileged to receive, we should, and under the Holy Spirit’s power we could, become living channels of light. We could then approach the mercy-seat; and seeing the bow of promise, kneel with contrite hearts, and seek the kingdom of heaven with a spiritual violence that would bring its own reward. We would take it by force, as did Jacob.” Review and Herald, February 14, 1899. Are you taking the kingdom of heaven by force? It is the taste of heaven here on this earth, for God is in the hearts of those who, with sufficient spiritual violence, take the kingdom by force. As Jacob was on his way back to his home land, he heard the news that Esau was coming to meet him with 400 armed men. He was virtually defenseless against such a force. He divided his family and flocks into two groups so that if one was destroyed, the other might survive. He then turned aside and went over the brook to wrestle alone in prayer with God. Ellen White tells us that we need to have this experience of wrestling with God.

Comparing the experience of Jacob to ours, we are told, “The season of distress and anguish before us will require a faith that can endure weariness, delay, and hunger—a faith that will not faint though severely tried. The period of probation is granted to all to prepare for that time.” The Great Controversy, 621. We are looking at a mature faith that we must have to endure this time. “Jacob prevailed because he was persevering and determined. His victory is an evidence of the power of importunate prayer. All who will lay hold of God’s promises, as he did, and be as earnest and persevering as he was, will succeed as he succeeded.” Ibid.

As Jacob was wrestling in prayer, a hand was suddenly laid on his shoulder—a strong hand. In the darkness he did not know who it was. He feared it might be a robber, or perhaps a member of Esau’s band. He wrestled for hours as the night dragged on. Usually the human body is exhausted in a matter of a very short time when it is putting out its full energy, wrestling for life; but Jacob was a very powerful man. As the light began to dawn in the east, he was aware of the divine character of his assailant. He then clung to Christ and said, “I will not let Thee go, except Thou bless me!” Genesis 32:26. This was not a presumptuous statement but one of supplication.

What is your prayer life like? Do you wrestle with God until you have the desired blessing? “Those who are unwilling to deny self, to agonize before God, to pray long and earnestly for His blessing, will not obtain it.” The Great Controversy, 621.

If we want the blessing of God and are willing to deny self, to agonize before God and to pray long and earnestly, then, as did Jacob, we can receive it. That blessing will sharpen our spiritual perception, allowing God to show us the things that we need to know; not only of the things taking place around us, but what is taking place inside us. We can go from faith to faith, from grace to grace, reaching new spiritual heights in Christ.

There is something that happens in the process of communing with God, something that takes place at no other time. We are changed in a way that we cannot fully understand. The divine superscription plays upon our hearts, and we come from that time refreshed. Rising above the petty problems that we confront in our daily lives—the harassments of Satan—we become a prince of God.

In the hour in which we live with the crisis that is coming, unimaginable in its ferocity, we need an inner experience that is deeper, broader, and higher than that experience that we are going to have to face.

“Wrestling with God—how few know what it is! How few have ever had their souls drawn out after God with intensity of desire until every power is on the stretch.” Ibid. That is the way it is when we wrestle, is it not? Every power is put on the stretch.

We will either receive the image of God or the image of the beast. When we begin the day with a mountaintop experience with God, having wrestled with Him, not letting Him go until we have the blessing, then we make progress in the divine science of the gospel of Jesus Christ. “When waves of despair which no language can express sweep over the suppliant, how few cling with unyielding faith to the promises of God. Those who exercise but little faith now, are in the greatest danger of falling under the power of satanic delusions and the decree to compel the conscience.” Ibid., 621, 622.

It is in the exercise of faith, this wrestling with God, this experience of saying to God, “I will not let You go until You bless me,” that God reveals to us His character which is at the foundation of Christianity. It is through the revelation of the Holy Spirit to our heart that we learn what the image of God is really like. Then that gives us a richness of faith and a spiritual perception and power to cope with satanic spirits.

For forty years Moses was in the wilderness guiding his flock, basically alone with God. When God finally came and spoke to him, he knew whom it was that was speaking to him. This is going to be, increasingly, the challenge for God’s people: to properly discern the spirits—to discern when it is the Spirit of God speaking as opposed to another spirit. That perception can only be achieved by a deep, living experience with God through His Word—an experience of wrestling and communing with Him.

“When this experience is ours, we shall be lifted out of our poor, cheap selves, that we have cherished so tenderly. We shall empty our hearts of the corroding power of selfishness, and shall be filled with praise and gratitude to God. We shall magnify the Lord, the God of all grace, who has magnified Christ. And He will reveal His power through us, making us as sharp sickles in the harvest field.” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 5, 1089.

I am reminded of the man in John Bunyan’s allegory, Pilgrim’s Progress, who had to enter through a gate that was barricaded, by men with swords. A sword was placed in his hand, and with spiritual violence he had to charge at those men, successfully wielding the sword and gaining the gate, through which he was then able to access further heights in his Christian life.

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, for Thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:35–39.

If you know what it means to wrestle with Christ and to not let Him go until you have His blessing, you have a treasure that is beyond anything in this world. You have a treasure that is eternal. There is nothing that can separate you from the love of God, which is Christ Jesus our Lord, as long as you maintain that relationship of faith and meet the conditions of faith. Heaven must begin here.

There is a yearning in the human heart for home that God has placed there. In Christ the heart finds its home. The hearts of all of those who are part of that true home have found their hearts anchored in the great heart of God—a heart that is so big and so deep that it is measureless.

There is not only love in a true home, but there is rest. It is a place where there is trust and peace, where the heart has rest. Jesus said, “Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 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.” Matthew 11:28, 29. The world is restless; it can find no peace. It cannot even begin to understand what it is really longing for in its heart. But Jesus says, “Come unto Me . . . and I will give you rest.” So that home is a place where there is rest, where you can be yourself and people are not looking at you with a jaundiced eye, but they understand you.

You know, it is amazing to me as the representatives of the various ministries work together how the Lord brings us into a oneness. Christ says, “That they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am [there is that home], that they may behold My glory which you have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. And I have declared unto them Your name, and will declare it, and that the love with which You loved Me may be in them and I in them.” John 17:22–26. So here on earth we have a type of the heavenly home where there is love. There is rest, and the Prince of Peace offers peace that the world cannot give or take away.

There is also security, a sense of security and trust. “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. The secret place of union with God—the secret place of communion. I love how it says it in the Hebrew: “He that dwelleth in the secret of God.” And I tell you; the secret of God is a very fascinating secret. It is there that He speaks His mysteries to us personally.

We each need an individual faith in these last days. We may be separated from friends and loved ones. We need an individual faith so that when everything else is stripped away, we have the most valuable thing that there is in the universe, that deep, living, and abiding experience with God.

Home is a place where there is shelter. During the great time of trouble, the faithful will be repeating Psalms 46 and 91. They will become living truth to them.

John the Baptist saw the necessity of dwelling in the secret of God, and from the time that he was a young man, he made the choice to go out into the wilderness and commune with God. There he read from the prophecies of Isaiah until his very soul was filled with the heavenly vision. Because he had bowed low before the King of kings, he was able to stand erect before earthly monarchs. He had things in their proper perspective. Is not that the perspective we need? But the fearful and unbelieving will not be in the kingdom. (See Revelation 21:8.) Those who have learned to wrestle with God, who have learned the reality of His power, who have learned to fear Him, and who have bowed low in His presence, are then prepared to stand erect before earthly kings and give an account of their faith.

The hour is coming when the attention of all Christendom will be drawn to God’s faithful ones. It is very clear from the Spirit of Prophecy that the final issue, which will be the great focus of attention, is the issue of the Sabbath. This issue will be brought to their attention by the defense of the faithful, made in courts of law.

“There is treasure to be desired, and oil in the dwelling of the wise, but a foolish man spendeth it up.” Proverbs 21:20. In the spiritual sense, in the kingdom of God, the child of God has the richest treasure—a treasure far beyond gold and silver, which no earthly panics can affect. A treasure that is beyond the reach of thieves and robbers. So in the true home, there are riches. In the heavenly home there are mansions prepared, but the greatest riches of all are the riches of Christ—to learn of Him throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity. To be able to personally go up to Christ, face to face, and speak to Him about the plan of salvation; about the cross of Calvary; about the science of salvation; about the mystery of redeeming love. There is treasure in the true home.

“For the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehmiah 8:10. There is also joy in a true home. There is joy in the heavenly home, and there is joy in the spiritual home of the kingdom of God.

In the home there is shelter from the storm. “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the protection [or the shelter] of the most High.”

And there is order in the home. “Here are they that keep the Commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” Revelation 14:12.

There is also freedom in the true home. “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” John 8:36. “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:32.

There is fraternity, or fatherhood of God in the true home of the faithful. Through all of these features of the home, God speaks to our hearts and says, “I want you, and you, and you in My heavenly home. I want you in the earth made new. I have a title for you, to Abraham’s farm.”

It rests with us to decide whether he [Satan] shall control our hearts and minds, or whether we shall have a place in the new earth, a title to Abraham’s farm.” Messages to Young People, 105.

What a wondrous expression from the Spirit of Prophecy. We have a title to Abraham’s farm. You may have the title deed taken away from your home here; but do not worry; you are only a pilgrim here. If you are justified by faith in Christ’s righteousness, you have a title—a deed—to Abraham’s farm. You have a spot waiting for you in the earth made new, which is more beautiful than is Eden. A title has been given to you by virtue of justification by faith in Christ. I want to have an experience of being on Abraham’s farm in the earth made new.

We need to cherish the longings of our heart for home. Home is found in the great heart of God. The dimensions of His wonderful character are all features of what it means to be dwelling at a place called home, and those characteristics will be disclosed every more fully as throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity we learn what it really means to be home. To be home with God forever and ever and ever and ever.

Let us be there.

Steps to Victory

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The word victory means to win a battle, to overcome, to conquer the enemy, to stand and not to fall. “But how shall this victory over the world be obtained? Go to your closet, dear reader, and there plead with God: ‘Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.’ Be in earnest, be sincere; Jacob-like, wrestle in prayer. Do not leave your closet until you feel strong in God. Remain until unutterable longings for salvation are awakened in your heart, and the sweet evidence is obtained of pardoned sin. Then when you leave your closet, watch; and so long as you watch and pray, the grace of God will appear in your life.” Signs of the Times, November 18, 1886.

The first step to victory is prayer. We cannot have victory without it. Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7. Then ask and believe what God has said. He will surely fulfill His word, brothers and sisters. The victory must be gained day by day, hour by hour, yea, even minute by minute. We are told that Jesus, our Example, spent entire nights in prayer. We also need to be in constant prayer. Paul tells us, “Pray without ceasing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17. The Psalmist says, “Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation. Give heed to the voice of my cry, my King and my God, for to you will I pray. My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning I will direct it to You, and I will look up.” Psalm 5:1-3 says that in our daily life, we can have that attitude of prayer. We can be continually sending up silent prayers to the Lord.

“The darkness of the evil one encloses those who neglect to pray. The whispered temptations of the enemy entice them to sin; and it is all because they do not make use of the privileges that God has given them in the divine appointment of prayer. Why should the sons and daughters of God be reluctant to pray, when prayer is the key in the hand of faith to unlock heaven’s storehouse, where are treasured the boundless resources of Omnipotence? Without unceasing prayer and diligent watching we are in danger of growing careless and of deviating from the right path. The adversary seeks continually to obstruct the way to the mercy seat, that we may not by earnest supplication and faith obtain grace and power to resist temptation.” Steps to Christ, 94

The second step to victory is the study of the Word of God. In Matthew 4:4 we read, “But He answered and said, ‘It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”’” Seventh-day Adventists used to be a people of the Bible, but this is no longer true. We are now a part of the television generation. The majority of Seventh-day Adventists spend more time watching television than they do reading the Word.

“The Saviour overcame to show man how he may overcome. All the temptations of Satan, Christ met with the word of God. By trusting in God’s promises, He received the power to obey God’s commandments, and the tempter could gain no advantage. To every temptation His answer was, ‘It is written.’ So God has given us His Word wherewith to resist evil. Exceeding great and precious promises are ours, that by these we ‘might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.’ 2 Peter 1:4.” Ministry of Healing, 181

Do you remember Peter’s experience in walking on the water? As long as he kept his eyes on Jesus, he was able to walk; but the minute he looked down and saw the waves, he became fearful. What happened? He sank. “Christ is uplifted in the pages of the Bible, that all may see that in Him alone there is ‘everlasting strength;’ and unless the sinner makes it his life-work to behold the Saviour, and by faith accepts the merits which it is his privilege to claim, he can no more be saved than Peter could walk upon the water unless he kept his eyes fixed steadily upon Jesus.” Review and Herald, September 29, 1896

One of my favorite passages of Scripture says, “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” Psalm 119:11. We need to be memorizing these Scriptures today, brothers and sisters. “The heart preoccupied with the Word of God is fortified against Satan. Those who make Christ their daily companion and familiar friend will feel that the powers of an unseen world are all around them; and by looking unto Jesus they will become assimilated to His image. By beholding they become changed to the divine pattern; their character is softened, refined, and ennobled for the heavenly kingdom.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 616. Is your character being refined, softened, and ennobled for the heavenly kingdom?

This Word will make us perfect if we will hide it in our hearts. We are told, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16, 17. We need to uplift the Scriptures and be studying them daily.

“Whoever has the Word of God, the appointed instrument of salvation, abiding in him, will overcome the wicked one, and he will grow up into Christ in all things. But of how many may it be said, ‘Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God’! Their weakness is found in the fact that they do not study the Scriptures for the purpose of practicing them in their daily life.” Signs of the Times, October 3, 1895. It is important, brothers and sisters, that we so fill our minds with the Scriptures that there is no room for the enemy, no temptation for him to even get a foothold in the door.

“Do we now obey the Word of God, and live by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God? Are we established and settled in the present truth? There is need of closely examining yourselves whether you are in the love of God; for except Christ be in you, you are reprobates. Self-deception is dangerous, and not one of us can afford to go in delusion.” Youth’s Instructor, May 18, 1893. As we draw closer and closer to the end, it becomes ever more important that we have Christ abiding in our minds and hearts, controlling all of our thoughts and actions.

The third step to victory is faith. “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17. As we study the Word of God, our faith will develop and grow. A.T. Jones defined faith as depending upon the Word of God only and expecting that Word only to accomplish what it says. “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap; He lays up the deep in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.” Psalm 33:6-9. That is the power we have available in our lives today.

“We must have that faith in God that takes Him at His word. We can have no victory without cloudless confidence; for ‘without faith it is impossible to please Him.’ It is faith that connects us with the power of heaven, and that brings us the strength for coping with the powers of darkness… In order to exercise intelligent faith, we should study the Word of God. The Bible, and the Bible alone, communicates a correct knowledge of the character of God, and of His will concerning us.” Review and Herald, September 22, 1910

The fourth step to victory is to cleanse ourselves, healthful living. We are told that, “the controlling power of appetite will prove to be the ruin of thousands, when, if they had conquered on this point, they would have had moral power to gain the victory over every other temptation of Satan.” Counsels on Health, 574. Many people spend a great deal of time in study and prayer, but they neglect themselves physically. We need to seek the Lord through the Spirit of Prophecy and the Bible to see what He would have us to do. Anything we allow to cloud our minds hinders our understanding of the Scriptures. God has given the eight laws of health to keep our bodies as a living, holy sacrifice unto Him.

The fifth step to victory is to educate our minds, thoughts, and habits. We must be educating our minds in the school of Christ.

“To restore in man the image of his Maker, to bring him back to the perfection in which he was created, to promote the development of body, mind, and soul, that the divine purpose in his creation might be realized—this was to be the work of redemption. This is…the great object of life.” Education, 15, 16

“There are hereditary and cultivated tendencies to evil that must be overcome. The training and education of a lifetime must be often discarded that the Christian may become a learner in the school of Christ, and in him who would be a partaker of the divine nature, appetite and passion must be brought under the control of the Holy Spirit.” Christian Education, 122. Are we doing that today?

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” Proverbs 1:7. Do we love the Lord so much that we want to have this knowledge? To educate and acquire knowledge and the beginning of knowledge is to fear God.

“Educate your mind to study the Word of God. Study it with your whole heart and pray much….Educate it to dwell on the life, the character and the lessons of Christ….But you must resist the devil. You must educate yourself to a different train of thought. Put no confidence in yourself.” Testimonies on Sexual Behavior, Adultery, and Divorce, 127

Why is it, brothers and sisters, that our people are so susceptible to every heresy that comes along? It is because we have not taught ourselves to think and to reason things out. The Bible is so simple that the common man can understand it. Take it as it reads. It is not complicated, and we do not have to be highly educated to understand it. As a matter of fact, very often education gets in the way of understanding simple Bible truth. “Many seem to have no power to think….some need to discipline their minds by exercise. They should force it to think.” Testimonies for the Church at Alcott, New York, 9

Now as we go into true education, we only have one Teacher, and that is Christ Jesus. He is to be our only instructor. “Jesus was the greatest teacher the world ever knew, and He chose men whom He could educate, and who would take the words from His lips, and send them down along the line to our time. So, by His Spirit and His Word, He would educate you for His work. Just as surely as you empty your mind of vanity and frivolity, the vacuum will be supplied with that which God is waiting to give you,—His Holy Spirit. Then out of the good treasure of the heart you will bring forth good things, rich gems of thought, and others will catch the words and will begin to glorify God. Then you will not have the mind centered upon self. You will not be making a show of self; you will not be acting self; but your thoughts and affections will dwell upon Christ, and you will reflect upon others that which has shone upon you from the sun of righteousness.” Review and Herald, March 15, 1892

The sixth step to victory is sacrifice. Christ sacrificed His position in heaven. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16. He became poor that we might have salvation. We are told that, “The Christian church was founded upon the principle of sacrifice. ‘If any man will come after Me,’ says Christ, ‘let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.’ He requires the whole heart, the entire affections.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 307

We need to sacrifice self daily, taking up the cross of Christ. In Testimonies to the Church, vol. 9, 53, we read, “Perfection of character cannot possibly be attained without self-sacrifice.” Paul says, “I die daily.” 1 Corinthians 15:31

The spirit of sacrifice leads us right into the seventh and final step to victory—Christian service. Matthew 20:26-28 says, “Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” We need to be servants one to another. As members of the body of Christ, we must all be involved in this work. “But no one will ever enter heaven who is not a laborer together with God.” Review and Herald, February 19, 1895

Jesus said, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19. We need to be following Christ. The fields are ripe for harvest. Let us take as many as we can into heaven with us, brothers and sisters.

Our home is where our mission is to begin, but it is to extend beyond to our neighborhood. “Everyone who receives the light of truth should be taught to bear the light to others….some may be so constituted as to see failure where God intends success; they may see only giants and walled cities, where others, with clearer vision, see also God and angels ready to give victory to His truth.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 392

As we press forward, we must not become weary along the way. There may be giants in the land, brothers and sisters. Some people see sin as an insurmountable giant; but praise the Lord, there is also victory as we apply these seven steps. “It was Caleb’s faith that gave him courage, that kept him from the fear of man, and enabled him to stand boldly and unflinchingly in the defense of the right. Through reliance on the same Power, the mighty General of the armies of heaven, every true soldier of the cross may receive strength and courage to overcome the obstacles that seem insurmountable.” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 1, 1113

God is preparing a land for us, and He wants each and every one of us to be there. Let us say, as did Caleb, “It is a goodly land, and we are well able to go up and possess it.” (See Numbers 13:30; 14:6-9.)

The End

The Reality of the Lost

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The purpose of the following passages and quotes is to paint a graphic picture of the dire consequences of sin. Some of these descriptions are yet future; some have passed and are part of history. This is tragic, yet factual history. Yet, the first two descriptions—one past and one future—are jarringly similar. The setting for the first description is found in Revelation.

“Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. … Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.” Revelation 20:7–9, 11, 12.

The Great Controversy, 666, 667, expounds on these verses, revealing what this multitude of people, these nations, are experiencing during this time. “As soon as the books of record are opened, and the eye of Jesus looks upon the wicked, they are conscious of every sin which they have ever committed. They see just where their feet diverged from the path of purity and holiness, just how far pride and rebellion have carried them in the violation of the law of God. The seductive temptations which they encouraged by indulgence in sin, the blessings perverted, the messengers of God despised, the warnings rejected, the waves of mercy beaten back by the stubborn, unrepentant heart—all appear as if written in letters of fire. …” This following sentence is the one I wish us to view with our mind’s eye, to experience in our imagination.

“And now before the swaying multitude are revealed the final scenes. …

“Satan, his angels, and his subjects have no power to turn from the picture of their own work. Each actor recalls the part which he performed.”

“Before the swaying multitude … .” What do you think causes them to sway? Keep this image in your mind: the vast multitude of Satan, his angels, and his subjects, swaying as they stand before the God of the universe, viewing the picture of their own work, with no power to turn from the scene.

As you retain this picture in your imagination, let’s turn to another picture—a picture in a drastically different time and place. In fact, this scene is separated from the previous one by about 3,000 years. The time is just after the last supper in the upper room; the place is the Garden of Gethsemane. “Then He (Jesus) said to them, ‘My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.’ ” Matthew 26:38; Mark 14:34. “And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” Luke 22:44.

“As they approached the garden, the disciples had marked the change that came over their Master. Never before had they seen Him so utterly sad and silent. As He proceeded, this strange sadness deepened; yet they dared not question Him as to the cause. His form swayed as if He were about to fall. … Every step that He now took was with labored effort. He groaned aloud, as if suffering under the pressure of a terrible burden. Twice His companions supported Him, or He would have fallen to the earth.” The Desire of Ages, 685, 686.

Here again, a swaying form—agony beyond description. What causes this terrible agony, this weakness, this swaying as if to fall? Let’s revisit our first scene again. There we witnessed a vast multitude swaying. Why? Because of their sin. We read that they were “conscious of every sin which they have ever committed.” Not only that, but they were seeing a panorama of their lives of sin. You may be wondering what this has to do with Jesus, and His form swaying. Can there be any similarity, any comparison between the pure, spotless, perfect Majesty of Heaven and that wicked, defiled, stained multitude outside the New Jerusalem?

The Desire of Ages, speaking of Jesus, continues: “He went a little distance from them—not so far but that they could both see and hear Him—and fell prostrate upon the ground. He felt that by sin He was being separated from His Father. The gulf was so broad, so black, so deep, that His spirit shuddered before it. This agony He must not exert His divine power to escape. As man He must suffer the consequences of man’s sin. As man He must endure the wrath of God against transgression.” Ibid., 686.

The consequences of sin are clear. Sin creates blackness, darkness, separation from the only Source of life. It is spiritual suffocation, which in reality causes physical death, just as real as if you were drowning. If you were suffocating, your form would eventually sway and collapse. This is the reality of the consequences of sin—literal, agonizing death. Here is another quote expressing this same idea, but in different words. “He endured our punishment—the wrath of God against transgression. … His soul was tortured by the pressure of a horror of great darkness.” Our Father Cares, 259. The consequences of sin are hideous, terrible, beyond our comprehension.

Let’s turn to another description of the consequences of sin. The first scenario with the swaying multitude takes place after the millennium. This next one takes place at Jesus’ second coming, so soon to transpire. This portrayal comes from The Great Controversy, 656, 657. “ ‘The Lord cometh out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain’ (Isaiah 26:21). ‘And this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth. And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the Lord shall be among them; and they shall lay hold everyone on the hand of his neighbor, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbor’ (Zechariah 14:12, 13). In the mad strife of their own fierce passions, and by the awful outpouring of God’s unmingled wrath, fall the wicked inhabitants of the earth—priests, rulers, and people, rich and poor, high and low. ‘And the slain of the Lord shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried’ (Jeremiah 25:33).”

I fear that my words will be too tame, too mild, too soft to express the depth of the reality that we are facing. This is not fantasy as on TV or in some video game. This is reality–stark, severe, unbending reality.

The Israelites felt this truth at Sinai when they, in confidence in their own ability to do well, made a covenant with God to keep His commandments on their own and in just a few weeks broke that covenant. After Moses came down the mountain and saw their terrible sin, he cast down the tablets of the Ten Commandments, written with God’s own hand. The people were terror stricken, recognizing they were without hope! “They had no true conception of the holiness of God, of the exceeding sinfulness of their own hearts, their utter inability, in themselves, to render obedience to God’s law, and their need of a Saviour. …

“The people did not realize the sinfulness of their own hearts, and that without Christ it was impossible for them to keep God’s law; and they readily entered into covenant with God. Feeling that they were able to establish their own righteousness, they declared, ‘All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient’ (Exodus 24:7). … They could not hope for the favor of God through a covenant which they had broken.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 371, 372. They were doomed, and they knew it.

Our very first parents felt this dire situation almost immediately after they sinned. We know how Genesis 3:6–13 chronicles the terrible and immediate consequences for sin. Patriarchs and Prophets, 57, expands and deepens our understanding in these words: “They felt a sense of sin, a dread of the future, a nakedness of soul. The robe of light which had enshrouded them, now disappeared, and to supply its place they endeavored to fashion for themselves a covering; for they could not, while unclothed, meet the eye of God and holy angels.

“They now began to see the true character of their sin.”

Why have I dwelt so pointedly on this dreadful reality? Why contemplate so fixedly the pending, grim reality awaiting the sinner? There are two reasons. The first is simply this: If we are to escape the doom of the sinner, we must first recognize ourselves as sinners; we must feel this terrible truth in our souls. Without the recognition of this fact, we will never be free. We must recognize that we are sinful, wicked, and evil. Even our righteousness is as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). The sinner “has nothing of his own but what is tainted and corrupted, polluted with sin, utterly repulsive to a pure and holy God.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 342. “It was sin that separated man from his God, and it is sin that maintains this separation.” Ibid., 253, 254. The Spirit of Prophecy tells us that we must recognize this if we are to be saved. “Men … must feel themselves sinners, exposed to the wrath of God, before they will realize their need of a Saviour.” Ibid., 219.

Jesus Himself spoke the same reality in Matthew 5:3. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” On the surface this text looks so gentle and benign, but Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 7, sheds a different light on this text. “Those who know that they cannot possibly save themselves, or of themselves do any righteous action, are the ones who appreciate the help that Christ can bestow. They are the poor in spirit, whom He declares to be blessed.”

This brings me to the second purpose for dwelling on the serious and absolutely certain end for the sinner. Matthew 5:3 begins with the word “blessed.” Blessed! Oh, my friends, we have in our minds and imaginations experienced the doom of the wicked. I would also suggest that you read the chapters in The Great Controversy, Chapter 40, “God’s People Delivered,” Chapter 41, “Desolation of the Earth,” and Chapter 42, “The Controversy Ended.” As we recognize the horribleness of what is awaiting the sinner, and that Jesus voluntarily chose to suffer those consequences in our place, “blessed” is a weak, feeble, insipid word to describe our state, if we become poor in spirit and escape the rightful consequences of our sin when we consider the reality of what we deserve.

I would like to share a quote revealing a little more clearly what Jesus bore on our behalf. Have you contemplated the reality that God, the Father Himself, inflicted the penalty for our sin on Jesus? “Christ had come to give His life a ransom for many. As the Good Shepherd, He had laid down His life for the sheep. It was the righteousness of God to maintain His law by inflicting the penalty. This was the only way in which the law could be maintained, and pronounced holy, and just, and good. It was the only way by which sin could be made to appear exceeding sinful, and the honor and majesty of divine authority be maintained.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 301, 302.

Remember the swaying multitude, remember the swaying form of our Divine Saviour in the Garden? Jesus bore that for you! And at such tremendous risk! Did you know that if Jesus Himself had sinned, the Father, Himself, would have had to inflict that eternal death on His own Son? “Could Satan in the least particular have tempted Christ to sin, he would have bruised the Saviour’s head. As it was, he could only touch His heel. Had the head of Christ been touched, the hope of the human race would have perished. Divine wrath would have come upon Christ as it came upon Adam.” Ibid., 256. Can we possibly think that our lives will be spared if we do not recognize in the depth of our being our unrighteousness? God would not, could not have spared, even His own Son had He sinned! Who are we that we should be spared if we do not cling with deeply humble, broken, and contrite hearts to the great heart of love that poured out all heaven for us in the inestimable gift of His own Son?

Do you really take in the severity, the horror, the utter abject terror and desperation awaiting the unrepentant? Now, compare that reality with the inexpressible joy, the perfect peace, the blissful rest which the “poor in spirit” are given. As we recognize the absoluteness of our doom as sinners, and the severity of that doom, and as we see our Jesus taking the consequences of our sin, paying the price in our behalf, what joy, what gratitude, what inexpressible love fills our heart.

Whatever then takes place in your life, whether in the world it would be considered something “good” or something “bad,” we can truly give thanks from hearts filled with gratitude and joy because of what our Lord and Saviour has done for us. We will with Paul be able to say, “I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content” (Philippians 4:11). And this, from a Roman prison! These realities, the wretchedness of our sinful state, and the hope we have in Jesus our Redeemer provide for us an “anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever.” Hebrews 6:19, 20. These truths keep us safe, joyous and at peace through all the temptations, the trials, the difficulties that Satan can place in our path. What a gift God has given to us.

Let us first recognize, in humility of soul, our true condition–that we as sinners have “nothing of his [our] own but what is tainted and corrupted, polluted with sin, utterly repulsive to a pure and holy God.” And then, as we contemplate that Jesus bore the penalty, the terrible consequences of that sin, becoming “utterly repulsive” to His beloved Father, on our behalf, let this fill our hearts with love for Him. Let us return to Him the truest form of gratitude through obedience to His laws of mercy and love.

[All emphasis supplied]

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

Brenda Douay is a staff member at Steps to Life. She may be contacted by email at: brendadouay@stepstolife.org

Who Reigns Supreme?

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”When a comparison is made between the attitudes of those possessing high or low self-esteem and Lucifer’s attitude, which he displayed in Heaven that led to rebellion, it can be seen indeed that the principle of self-esteem originated with him and that it is anti-God in its nature. Lucifer imparted this devilish attribute to Adam’s fallen race. People possessing high or low self-esteem compare to Lucifer’s attitude.

Humans with High or Low Self-esteem …

  1. Live in a social world in which they believe that people value and respect them.
  2. Dismiss negative feedback as unreliable or biased. The motivation to protect feelings of self-worth leads to a rigid, closed mind-set that cannot tolerate alternative viewpoints known as ‘‘need for cognitive closure.’’
  3. Trivialize failures or attribute them to external causes.
  4. Take less personal responsibility for harmful actions and develop an inaccurate self concept, hindering growth and change.
  5. Become angry and aggressive toward those who threaten their ego.
  6. Want people to feel sorry for them, to pay attention to them, to comfort them.
  7. Engage in downward social comparisons, a process that underlies prejudice and discrimination.
  8. Sometimes engage in dysfunctional behaviors.
  9. See the world through a more negative viewpoint.

Lucifer’s Attitude that Caused Rebellion in Heaven:

  1. “He was beloved and reverenced by the heavenly host.” The Great Controversy (1888), 495.
  2. “Angels that were loyal and true sought to reconcile this mighty, rebellious angel to the will of his Creator.” The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 1, 19.

“Satan refused to listen. And then he turned from the loyal and true angels, denouncing them as slaves.” Ibid., 20.

  1. “As one aggrieved, he related the preference God had given Jesus to the neglect of himself.” Ibid., 19.
  2. “But the warning, given in infinite love and mercy, only aroused a spirit of resistance.” The Great Controversy (1888), 494. “He persistently defended his own course, maintained that he had no need of repentance, and fully committed himself, in the great controversy, against his Maker.” Ibid., 496.
  3. “Lucifer allowed jealousy of Christ to prevail, and he became the more determined.” Ibid., 495. “… his heart was filled with envy and hatred. …

“He left the immediate presence of the Father, dissatisfied, and filled with envy against Jesus Christ.” The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 1, 18.

  1. “He sought to create sympathy for himself, by representing that God had dealt unjustly with him in bestowing supreme honor upon Christ.” The Great Controversy (1888), 495.
  2. “He told them that henceforth all the sweet liberty the angels had enjoyed was at an end. For had not a ruler been appointed over them, to whom they from henceforth must yield servile honor?” The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 1, 19.
  3. “For all had heretofore been peace and harmony, and what could occasion this dissenting, rebellious voice?” Ibid., 20.
  4. “He claimed that in aspiring to greater power and honor he was not aiming at self-exaltation, but was seeking to secure liberty for all the inhabitants of Heaven, that by this means they might attain to a higher state of existence.” The Great Controversy (1888), 495. “He promised them a new and better government than they then had, in which all would be freedom.” The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 1, 20.

Self-esteem!

The cardinal principle which governs Satan’s kingdom is self-esteem that says to all its subjects, “Look away from Christ and look to self!” It is self-centered. “For thou hast said in thine heart … I will be like the most High.” Isaiah 14:13, 14.

Self-denial!

The cardinal principle that governs Jesus’ kingdom is self-denial rooted in divine love which says, “Look away from self and look to Jesus!” It is Christ-centered. Luke 9:23 tells us, “And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”

Lucifer Educates the Angels

  • “He left the immediate presence of the Father, dissatisfied, and filled with envy against Jesus Christ. Concealing his real purposes, he assembled the angelic host. He introduced his subject, which was himself. As one aggrieved, he related the preference God had given Jesus to the neglect of himself. He told them that henceforth all the sweet liberty the angels had enjoyed was at an end. For had not a ruler been appointed over them, to whom they from henceforth must yield servile honor? He stated to them that he had called them together to assure them that he no longer would submit to this invasion of his rights and theirs; that never would he again bow down to Christ;
  • that he would take the honor upon himself which should have been conferred upon him, and would be the commander of all who would submit to follow him and obey his voice. There was contention among the angels. Satan and his sympathizers were striving to reform the government of God. They were discontented and unhappy because they could not look into His unsearchable wisdom and ascertain His purposes in exalting His Son Jesus, and endowing Him with such unlimited power and command. They rebelled against the authority of the Son.” The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 1, 18, 19.

Lucifer’s aim in the re-education of the angels of heaven was to change their “world view” of the kingdom of God! To create a paradigm shift in their minds. This is the same principle he follows through the educational institutions of earth.

“World-view” has to do with the overall perspective from which one sees and interprets the world, a comprehensive conception or image of the universe and of humanity’s relation to it.

American educational institutions were founded upon the word of God. Therefore their “world-view” was defined by the Holy Scriptures.

Harvard University was founded in the year 1636 in Massachusetts by Congregationalists to train ministers of the gospel. Its educational philosophy was defined in two mottoes:

  1. “For Christ and the Church.”
  2. “For the glory of Christ.”

Harvard’s Directive to Students: “Let every student be plainly instructed and … consider well that the main end of this life and study is to know God and Jesus, which is eternal life (John 17:3) and therefore to lay Christ in the bottom as the only foundation of all sound knowledge and learning.

“Everyone shall so exercise himself in reading the Scriptures twice a day that he shall be ready to give such an account of his proficiency therein.” (Source: The American Heritage Collection by David Barton, Four Centuries of American Education.)

Yale University was founded in the year 1701 at New Haven, Connecticut, by the Congregationalists for training ministers of the gospel.

Yale Counseled Students: “Above all, have an eye to the great end of all your studies, which is to obtain the clearest conception of Divine things and to lead you to a saving knowledge of God in His son, Jesus Christ.”

Yale’s requirement of all students: “All the scholars are required to live a religious and blameless life according to the rules of God’s word, diligently reading the Holy Scriptures … and constantly attending all the duties of Religion.” Ibid.

Princeton University was started in the year 1746 at Elizabeth, New Jersey, by the Presbyterians to train ministers of the gospel.

Princeton’s requirement of all students: “Every student shall attend worship in the college hall morning and evening … [and] shall attend public worship on the Sabbath. … There shall be assigned to each class certain exercises for their religious instruction … and no student belonging to any class shall neglect them.” Ibid.

The American educational system was founded upon three main elements namely,

  1. Religion
  2. Morality
  3. Knowledge

Religion was first. It formed the basis for the other two. It had to do with the fear of the Lord. Morality cannot exist without religion and the knowledge contemplated was the inculcating and incorporating of the principles of the Bible in education.

In the eighteen hundreds, the State of Kansas’ Superintendent of public education said, “If the study of the Bible is to be excluded from all State schools, if the inculcation of the principles of Christianity is to have no place in the daily program, if the worship of God is to form no part of the general exercise of these public elementary schools, then the good of the State would be better served by restoring all schools to church control.” Ibid.

In 1890 a survey revealed that over 90% of all state universities had chapel services. In the year 1860, 262 out of 288 college and university presidents were ministers of the gospel.

Dr. Benjamin Rush (1745-1813) known as the father of American Public School, said, “Without religion I believe that learning does mischief to the morals and principles of mankind. If you take religion out of education, education becomes a negative force.” (The American Heritage Series, David Barton, DVD #8)

As time moved on, Satan did to the educational institutions what he did in heaven, a re-educating. He caused a paradigm shift and a change of “world-view” in the philosophical principles of the educational institutions so that they would become his agents to promulgate the doctrine of “SELF-ESTEEM.”

Satan Used the Supreme Court

  • In 1962 the United States Supreme Court ruled that voluntary school prayer was unconstitutional in America’s public Schools.
  • In 1963 the United States Supreme Court ruled that Bible reading in America’s schools was unconstitutional.
  • In 1985 the United States Supreme Court outlawed silent prayer in our nation’s public schools.

The educational shift focused on an ego-centric philosophy where the end justifies the means. “Students are trained to use their minds but we will not teach any right or wrong, that is up to their choice whatever the students think is right or wrong. There is no absolute right or wrong.

“Nothing matters in this world but me so I am going to take what I learn to get what I want. That means that if you get hurt, if I need to lie to get what I want that’s fine.” Ibid.

The Fruitage of the Paradigm Shift in the Educational Institutions

  • An ego-centric education
  • An ego-centric individual
  • An ego-centric home
  • An ego-centric country
  • An ego-centric society
  • An ego-centric church
  • An ego-centric world

An article entitled, “The Problem With Self-Esteem” by Paul C. Vitz, highlights this point. “Today, the largest and most familiar part of American Psychology is the popular psychology of self-esteem, now found throughout American society. Self-esteem and the obsession that so many have with it, is familiar to almost all of us these days. Self-esteem programs affect the lives of countless school children, because this idea, really an ideal, has been taken and applied primarily in education.”

It continued by stating, “Self-esteem seems to be the common denominator pervading the writings of such varied theorists as Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers, ego-strength psychologists, and moral educators especially recently. In any case, the concern with self-esteem hovers everywhere in the US today. It is, however, most reliably found in the world of education—from professors of education, to principals, teachers, school boards, and the television programs that are concerned with education, particularly those programs concerned with preschool education like Sesame Street.”

According to this writer “self-esteem is a deeply secular concept, not one with which Christians should be particularly involved. Nor need they be. Christians should have a tremendous sense of self worth. God made us in His image, He loves us, He sent His Son to save each of us, our destiny is to be with God forever. Each of us is of such value that the angels rejoice over every repentant sinner. But on the other hand, we have nothing on our own to be proud of. We were given life along with all of our talents, and we are all poor sinners. There is certainly no theological reason to believe that the rich or the successful or the high in self-esteem are more favored by God and are more likely to reach heaven. Indeed, blessed are the humble, blessed are the meek.”

William James, who coined the phrase “self-esteem” was not a committed Christian. His religious persuasion was western philosophy. In his biography these words are recorded: “His interest is not in religious institutions, ritual, or, even for the most part, religious ideas, but in ‘the feelings, acts, and experiences of individual men in their solitude, so far as they apprehend themselves to stand in relation to whatever they may consider the divine.’ ” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

William James was a contemporary of Ellen White. Evidently this teaching of self-esteem was impacting the Adventist church as well as Christianity on the whole during that time. Accordingly Ellen White had to address it and expose it.

Ellen White Addresses the Evils of Self-Esteem

  1. The Spring of Self-Esteem – “The evils of self-esteem and an unsanctified independence, which most impair our usefulness, and which will prove our ruin if not overcome, spring from selfishness.” Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 92.
  2. The Results of Harboring Self-Esteem – “There is in man a disposition to esteem himself more highly than his brother, to work for self, to seek the highest place; and often this results in evil surmisings and bitterness of spirit.” The Desire of Ages, 650.
  3. Self-Esteem Leads Men Away From God – “It is self-esteem that leads men and women away from God and away from those who need their help and tender sympathy.” The Review and Herald, August 5, 1909.
  4. Those Who Cherish Self-Esteem are Ignorant of the Scriptures – “Men who turn away from the knowledge of God, have placed their minds under control of their master, Satan, and he trains them to be his servants. … Evil angels are ever on the alert that they may exalt before the minds of the youth that which will do them injury, and as books expressing infidel and pagan sentiments are read, these unseen agents of evil seek to impress those who study them with the spirit of questioning and unbelief. Those who drink from these polluted channels do not thirst for the waters of life; for they are satisfied with the broken cisterns of the world. They think they have the treasures of knowledge, when they are hoarding that which is but wood and hay and stubble, not worth gaining, not worth keeping. Their self-esteem, their idea that a superficial knowledge of things constitutes education, make them boastful and self-satisfied, when they are, as were the Pharisees, ignorant of the Scriptures and the power of God.” Fundamentals of Education, 168, 169.
  5. Self-Esteem a Poisonous Weed – “But when the garden of the heart is neglected, poisonous weeds of pride, self-esteem, self-sufficiency, obtain a rank growth. We individually must watch unto prayer.” Evangelism, 342.
  6. Self-Esteem Kills Spiritual Life – “Self-esteem and self-sufficiency are killing spiritual life. Self is lifted up; self is talked about. Oh, that self might die! ‘I die daily,’ said the apostle Paul. When this proud, boasting self-sufficiency and this complacent self-righteousness permeate the soul, there is no room for Jesus. He is given an inferior place, while self swells into importance and fills the whole temple of the soul.” Lift Him Up, 310.
  7. Harboring Self-Esteem, Christ is not in the Heart – “Let no one deceive his own soul in this matter. If you harbor pride, self-esteem, a love for the supremacy, vainglory, unholy ambition, murmuring, discontent, bitterness, evil-speaking, lying, deception, slandering, you have not Christ abiding in your heart. … You must have a Christian character that will stand.” Maranatha, 50.
  8. People Christ Does Not Countenance – “The one class that He would never countenance was those who stood apart in their self-esteem and looked down upon others.” The Ministry of Healing, 164.
  9. That Which Stands Between the Soul and God – “It is self-esteem that stands between the human agent and his God and impedes the vital current that flows from Christ to enrich every human being.” Our High Calling, 114.
  10. A True Christian Cannot Possess Self-Esteem – “If one is a follower of Christ, he cannot be sharp in deal, he cannot be hardhearted, devoid of sympathy. He cannot be coarse in his speech. He cannot be full of pomposity and self-esteem. He cannot be overbearing, nor can he use harsh words, and censure and condemn.” Ibid., 121.

How Can a Person Overcome Self-Esteem?

“As Christ the Pattern is constantly kept before the mind’s eye, new habits will be formed, powerful hereditary and cultivated tendencies will be subdued and overcome, self-esteem will be laid in the dust, old habits of thought will be constantly resisted, love for the supremacy will be seen in its real, despicable character, and will be overcome.” Ibid., 99.

Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

John 15:5 – “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”

Luke 9:23 – “And He said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”

Self-Esteem and Self-Denial Contrasted

Isaiah 14:13, 14 – “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.”

Galatians 2:20 – “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.”

Man’s Perfect Example of Self-Forgetfulness!

“The religion of Christ uplifts the receiver to a higher plane of thought and action, while at the same time it presents the whole human race as alike the objects of the love of God, being purchased by the sacrifice of his Son. At the feet of Jesus, the rich and the poor, the learned and the ignorant, meet together, with no thought of cast or worldly pre-eminence.

“All earthly distinctions are forgotten as we look upon Him whom our sins have pierced. The self-denial, the condescension, the infinite compassion of Him Who was highly exalted in heaven, put to shame human pride, self-esteem, and social caste. Pure and undefiled religion manifests its heaven-born principles in bringing into oneness all who are sanctified through the truth.” Gospel Workers, 313.

Not I But Christ

Not I, but Christ, be honored, loved, exalted;
Not I, but Christ, be seen, be known, be heard;
Not I, but Christ, in every look and action,
Not I, but Christ, in every thought and word.
Not I, but Christ, to gently soothe in sorrow,
Not I, but Christ, to wipe the falling tears;
Not I, but Christ, to lift the weary burden,
Not I, but Christ, to hush away all fear.
Christ, only Christ! No idle words e’er falling,
Christ, only Christ; no needless bustling sound;
Christ, only Christ; no self-important bearing;
Christ, only Christ; no trace of I be found.
Not I, but Christ, my every need supplying,
Not I, but Christ, my strength and health to be;
Christ, only Christ, for body, soul, and spirit,
Christ, only Christ, here and eternity.

Fannie E. Bolton

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.

Growing Up Into Christ

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“If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” II Corinthians 5:17

Once an individual has consecrated his life to God and accepts by faith that God forgives him, the next step is the test of discipleship, and then to grow in a relationship with God.

How do we know that we are truly disciples of Jesus—that our old life is gone and a new life has taken its place? Many look at the change that was wrought in Saul who, after his conversion became known as Paul. This kind of conversion is not the only true conversion.

“A person may not be able to tell the exact time or place, or trace all the chain of circumstances in the process of conversion; but this does not prove him to be unconverted.” Steps to Christ, 57.

Although Saul had a dramatic, immediate conversion, this statement outlines another conversion process that is every bit as genuine and effective. Jesus talks of this type of conversion in John 3:8 where we read about Nicodemus’ night interview in which Jesus told him that the Spirit was like the wind. We can hear the wind, and we can see the effects of its moving, but we cannot see it. This is an illustration of the kind of conversion that Jesus spoke about while here on earth. “Like the wind, which is invisible, yet the effects of which are plainly seen and felt, is the Spirit of God in its work upon the human heart. That regenerating power, which no human eye can see, begets a new life in the soul; it creates a new being in the image of God. While the work of the Spirit is silent and imperceptible, its effects are manifest. If the heart has been renewed by the Spirit of God, the life will bear witness to the fact. While we cannot do anything to change our hearts or to bring ourselves into harmony with God; while we must not trust at all to ourselves or our good works, our lives will reveal whether the grace of God is dwelling within us. A change will be seen in the character, the habits, the pursuits. The contrast will be clear and decided between what they have been and what they are. The character is revealed, not by occasional good deeds and occasional misdeeds, but by the tendency of the habitual words and acts.” Ibid., 57, 58.

But there is some clarification needed here. Sometimes there is an outward change for the better that is not conversion. “It is true that there may be an outward correctness of deportment without the renewing power of Christ. The love of influence and the desire for the esteem of others may produce a well-ordered life. Self-respect may lead us to avoid the appearance of evil. A selfish heart may perform generous actions. By what means, then, shall we determine whose side we are on?” Ibid., 58. Here is the key. Here are concrete questions we can ask ourselves to determine if a genuine conversion has taken place in our hearts: are we truly a disciple of Jesus? Ask yourself these questions and answer them honestly. Remember God, Who knows all things, searches the heart. He will answer truthfully whether you do or not. “Who has the heart? With whom are our thoughts? Of whom do we love to converse? Who has our warmest affections and our best energies? If we are Christ’s, our thoughts are with Him, and our sweetest thoughts are of Him. All we have and are is consecrated to Him. We long to bear His image, breathe His spirit, do His will, and please Him in all things.” Ibid.

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

“There is no evidence of genuine repentance unless it works reformation. If he restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, confess his sins, and love God and his fellow men, the sinner may be sure that he has passed from death unto life.” Ibid., 58, 59.

And last, but certainly not least is the fact that once truly converted, these manifestations of change will not be a burden, but rather a joy. “When, as erring, sinful beings, we come to Christ and become partakers of His pardoning grace, love springs up in the heart. Every burden is light, for the yoke that Christ imposes is easy. Duty becomes a delight, and sacrifice a pleasure. The path that before seemed shrouded in darkness, becomes bright with beams from the Sun of Righteousness.” Ibid., 59. Jesus gives us joy in sins forgiven and confessed, the grace received. The resulting love, the duties fulfilled, and the sacrifices made on His behalf are a pleasure. We truly walk in the light of God.

If we have truly received the love of Jesus in our hearts it will flow out to others. How deep is this love? Well, of Jesus it is said: “So devoted was our Redeemer to the work of saving souls that He even longed for His baptism of blood.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 132. Have you considered Jesus’ “baptism of blood”? Have you contemplated what He endured that night in Gethsemane and the following day? Would you long for that experience if you knew that by it you could save a soul? Do you have that kind of love? That is the kind of love God wants us to have. First of all Jesus commands, “Love one another, as I have loved you.” John 13:34; John 15:12. And in the book, Our High Calling, 176, we read the same thing. “ ‘Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour.’ Ephesians 5:1, 2. This is the height of the love we are required to reach. And the texture of this love is not tainted with selfishness.” It was for the goal of saving souls that Jesus longed for His baptism of blood. That is love.

But before you get discouraged by the high standard, read these words of Inspiration: “There are those who have known the pardoning love of Christ and who really desire to be children of God, yet they realize that their character is imperfect, their life faulty, and they are ready to doubt whether their hearts have been renewed by the Holy Spirit. To such I would say, Do not draw back in despair. We shall often have to bow down and weep at the feet of Jesus because of our shortcomings and mistakes, but we are not to be discouraged. Even if we are overcome by the enemy, we are not cast off, not forsaken and rejected of God. No; Christ is at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Said the beloved John, ‘These things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.’ I John 2:1. And do not forget the words of Christ, ‘The Father Himself loveth you.’ John 16:27. He desires to restore you to Himself, to see His own purity and holiness reflected in you. And if you will but yield yourself to Him, He that hath begun a good work in you will carry it forward to the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6). Pray more fervently; believe more fully. As we come to distrust our own power, let us trust the power of our Redeemer, and we shall praise Him Who is the health of our countenance.

“The closer you come to Jesus, the more faulty you will appear in your own eyes; for your vision will be clearer, and your imperfections will be seen in broad and distinct contrast to His perfect nature. This is evidence that Satan’s delusions have lost their power; that the vivifying influence of the Spirit of God is arousing you.

“No deep-seated love for Jesus can dwell in the heart that does not realize its own sinfulness. The soul that is transformed by the grace of Christ will admire His divine character; but if we do not see our own moral deformity, it is unmistakable evidence that we have not had a view of the beauty and excellence of Christ.

“The less we see to esteem in ourselves, the more we shall see to esteem in the infinite purity and loveliness of our Saviour. A view of our sinfulness drives us to Him Who can pardon; and when the soul, realizing its helplessness, reaches out after Christ, He will reveal Himself in power. The more our sense of need drives us to Him and to the word of God, the more exalted views we shall have of His character, and the more fully we shall reflect His image.” Ibid., 64, 65.

What hope, what confidence we can have in God and in Jesus. “Although the human soul may cling to Jesus with all the desperate sense of his great need, Jesus will cling to the souls bought by His own blood with a firmer grasp than the sinner clings to Him.” That I May Know Him, 80. He will never let us go. He is there to help and aid in our growth to Him.

But from here, from a true, genuine conversion and discipleship, there is a continuous process of growing. After all, we are told that, “The work of sanctification is the work of a lifetime; it must go on continually.” The Review and Herald, June 17, 1890.

We learn of the truths of this process through the illustration of nature. When we plant a seed, it is not a mature plant overnight. It has to grow. And just as there is nothing that we can do to make the seed germinate, or make the plant grow, but rather it is God that gives the life and the growth, so the same is true in the Christian life. Steps to Christ, 67, 68 says, “As with life, so it is with growth. It is God who brings the bud to bloom and the flower to fruit. It is by His power that the seed develops, ‘first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.’ Mark 4:28. And the prophet Hosea says of Israel, that ‘he shall grow as the lily.’ ‘They shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine.’ Hosea 14:5, 7. And Jesus bids us ‘consider the lilies how they grow.’ Luke 12:27. The plants and flowers grow not by their own care or anxiety or effort, but by receiving that which God has furnished to minister to their life. The child cannot, by any anxiety or power of its own, add to its stature. No more can you, by anxiety or effort of yourself, secure spiritual growth. The plant, the child, grows by receiving from its surroundings that which ministers to its life—air, sunshine, and food. What these gifts of nature are to animal and plant, such is Christ to those who trust in Him. He is their ‘everlasting light,’ ‘a sun and shield.’ Isaiah 60:19; Psalm 84:11. He shall be as ‘the dew unto Israel.’ ‘He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass.’ Hosea 14:5; Psalm 72:6. He is the living water, ‘the Bread of God … which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.’ John 6:33.

“In the matchless gift of His Son, God has encircled the whole world with an atmosphere of grace as real as the air which circulates around the globe. All who choose to breathe this life-giving atmosphere will live and grow up to the stature of men and women in Christ Jesus.” That is a promise. “All who choose to breathe this life-giving atmosphere will live and grow up to the stature of men and women in Christ Jesus.” It doesn’t say maybe, or probably. It says “will.” That is a promise. “As the flower turns to the sun, that the bright beams may aid in perfecting its beauty and symmetry, so should we turn to the Sun of Righteousness, that heaven’s light may shine upon us, that our character may be developed into the likeness of Christ.”

How beautiful are these truths that as we turn our faces to the Sun of Righteousness, and drink of the “living water” that only Jesus can provide, but that in abundance, He brings about the growth.

What does it mean “so should we turn to the Sun of Righteousness, that heaven’s light may shine upon us, that our character may be developed into the likeness of Christ”? There is nothing we can do to “make” ourselves live right. Jesus Himself said, in John 15:5, “Without Me you can do nothing.”

“Our growth in grace, our joy, our usefulness—all depend upon our union with Christ. It is by communion with Him, daily, hourly—by abiding in Him—that we are to grow in grace. He is not only the Author, but the Finisher of our faith. It is Christ first and last and always. He is to be with us, not only at the beginning and the end of our course, but at every step of the way. David says, ‘I have set the Lord always before me: because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.’ Psalm 16:8.

“Do you ask, ‘How am I to abide in Christ?’ In the same way as you received Him at first. ‘As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him.’ ‘The just shall live by faith.’ Colossians 2:6; Hebrews 10:38. You gave yourself to God, to be His wholly, to serve and obey Him, and you took Christ as your Saviour. You could not yourself atone for your sins or change your heart; but having given yourself to God, you believe that He for Christ’s sake did all this for you. By faith you became Christ’s, and by faith you are to grow up in Him—by giving and taking. You are to give all—your heart, your will, your service—give yourself to Him to obey all His requirements; and you must take all—Christ, the fullness of all blessing, to abide in your heart, to be your strength, your righteousness, your everlasting helper—to give you power to obey.

“Consecrate yourself to God in the morning; make this your very first work. Let your prayer be, ‘Take me, O Lord, as wholly Thine. I lay all my plans at Thy feet. Use me today in Thy service. Abide with me, and let all my work be wrought in Thee.’ This is a daily matter. Each morning consecrate yourself to God for that day. Surrender all your plans to Him, to be carried out or given up as His providence shall indicate. Thus day by day you may be giving your life into the hands of God, and thus your life will be molded more and more after the life of Christ.” Steps to Christ, 69, 70.

When two people first meet each other, they can talk for hours about all kinds of things. What are they doing? They are getting to know each other. As they talk and get to know one another, often likes and dislikes are adjusted or changed.

In our relationship with God, the same principle takes place, only God is not the one who will change. James 1:17 says that God changes not. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” No shadow of turning; that means that He does not change. Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” We are the ones who need to do the changing. This is the only logical thinking. Do you want to go to a heaven that is simply a continuation of what this earth is like? That thought is not even to be considered. Well, if we want heaven to be different from this earth, then those inhabiting it need to be different from those inhabiting this planet. In reality, it is other humans in our lives that make life like a heaven on earth, or like hell on earth. Our relationships are the most important part of what life is like.

Just think, if there were no greed, no selfishness, but rather generosity, concern, a thinking of others first, there would be no poverty, hunger, nakedness, or want. So what is necessary is that we do the changing and allow God to work the miracle in our lives of being brought into harmony with Him, with His character.

Do you remember the definition of the new covenant, the plan that established the kingdom of grace? It is simply “an arrangement for bringing men again into harmony with the divine will, placing them where they could obey God’s law.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 371.

We have studied this plan in previous articles, this kingdom of grace, sufficiently to gain some understanding of how deep, how broad, how beautiful and self-sacrificing it is. If we all had the same kind of love that fostered this plan, what a world it would be in which to live. In fact, that is exactly what has to happen in order for us to be prepared and fit so God can take us to be in His holy presence. This is what it means to “grow up into Christ.” It means to be changed into His likeness. How does this change happen?

“A life in Christ is a life of restfulness. There may be no ecstasy of feeling, but there should be an abiding, peaceful trust. Your hope is not in yourself; it is in Christ. Your weakness is united to His strength, your ignorance to His wisdom, your frailty to His enduring might. So you are not to look to yourself, not to let the mind dwell upon self, but look to Christ. Let the mind dwell upon His love, upon the beauty, the perfection, of His character. Christ in His self-denial, Christ in His humiliation, Christ in His purity and holiness, Christ in His matchless love—this is the subject for the soul’s contemplation. It is by loving Him, copying Him, depending wholly upon Him, that you are to be transformed into His likeness.

“Jesus says, ‘Abide in Me.’ These words convey the idea of rest, stability, confidence. Again He invites, ‘Come unto Me … and I will give you rest.’ Matthew 11:28. The words of the psalmist express the same thought: ‘Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him.’ And Isaiah gives the assurance, ‘In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength.’ Psalm 37:7; Isaiah 30:15. This rest is not found in inactivity; for in the Saviour’s invitation the promise of rest is united with the call to labor: ‘Take My yoke upon you … and ye shall find rest.’ Matthew 11:29. The heart that rests most fully upon Christ will be most earnest and active in labor for Him.

“When the mind dwells upon self, it is turned away from Christ, the Source of strength and life. Hence it is Satan’s constant effort to keep the attention diverted from the Saviour and thus prevent the union and communion of the soul with Christ. The pleasures of the world, life’s cares and perplexities and sorrows, the faults of others, or your own faults and imperfections—to any or all of these he will seek to divert the mind. Do not be misled by his devices. Many who are really conscientious, and who desire to live for God, he too often leads to dwell upon their own faults and weaknesses, and thus by separating them from Christ he hopes to gain the victory. We should not make self the center and indulge anxiety and fear as to whether we shall be saved. All this turns the soul away from the Source of our strength. Commit the keeping of your soul to God, and trust in Him. Talk and think of Jesus. Let self be lost in Him. Put away all doubt; dismiss your fears. Say with the apostle Paul, ‘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. Rest in God. He is able to keep that which you have committed to Him. If you will leave yourself in His hands, He will bring you off more than conqueror through Him that has loved you.” Steps to Christ, 70–72.

Brenda Douay is a staff member at Steps to Life. She may be contacted by email at: brendadouay@stepstolife.org

You or Me?

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Dr. Sutherland in his book Living Fountains or Broken Cisterns, page 40 wrote concerning God’s spiritual paradigm for the development and happiness of humans. He states, “The God-given system, as found among the Hebrews, rested upon faith, and developed the spiritual side of man’s nature, making it possible in the highest sense for divinity to unite with humanity. The result of this union of the human and the divine – the Immanuel – is the highest creation of the universe. It in itself was a power before which men and demons bowed.”

God’s program of salvation demands self-abnegation for it is only then that man can be used by God. Ellen White wrote, “What is justification by faith? It is the work of God in laying the glory of man in the dust, and doing for man that which it is not in his power to do for himself. When men see their own nothingness, they are prepared to be clothed with the righteousness of Christ.” The Faith I Live By, 111.

Dr. Sutherland reveals the central theme in the religion of the pagans; he maintains, “As to paganism and its system of education, what was the religion of the pagan world? And what were the ideas it strove to propagate? First, it placed above God the study and worship of self.” Living Fountains or Broken Cisterns, 40.

On page 41 of the book he further states, “The thought which must be borne in mind is that man turns from God and worships himself. He can conceive of no power higher than his own mind, no form more lofty than his own. His first idol is the human form, male and female. He endows this with human passions, for he knows no heart but his own.”

The core of self-esteem is the worship and uplifting of self. It is totally devoid of the worship of God. Jesus made it very clear when He said, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.” Matthew 6:24.

Deny Self and Follow Christ

Fundamentally each of us worships either “Self” or “Christ” making us either pagans at heart or Christians at heart! One must ask who is the supreme authority in his or her life. The answer will reveal who he or she worships, who is his or her idol.

The self-esteem doctrine acknowledges and praises people with high self-esteem while it boosts people with low self-esteem. Thus the central thought is that we are good within ourselves, we are masters of our own destiny, we are gods!

This “you are god” philosophy was what Satan injected Eve with in the Garden of Eden: “And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 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.” Genesis 3:4, 5.

Ellen White, the servant of the Lord, remarked concerning the forbidden tree: “It was called the tree of knowledge, because in partaking of that tree, of which God had said ‘Thou shalt not eat of it,’ they would have a knowledge of sin, an experience in disobedience.” The Review and Herald, February 24, 1874.

She also states, “The first great moral lesson given Adam was that of self-denial.” Ibid.

The experience of Adam and Eve opened the door to self-love, self-esteem, self-acceptance, self-justification, self-righteousness, self-actualization, self-denigration, self-pity and other forms of self-focus and self-centeredness.

The word of God presents a different picture of human beings; it tells us of our true condition. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Jeremiah 17:9.

The psalmist David wrote, “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” Psalm 14:1–3.

The Prophet Isaiah depicts man’s true condition: “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” Isaiah 64:6.

And the prophet Jeremiah reminds us: “Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.” Jeremiah 9:23, 24.

The apostle Paul tells us our true state: “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23.

There is nothing good in us that sets us apart as worthy of recognition and commendation. Jesus made this clear when He said to His disciples, “But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat? And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink? Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not. So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.” Luke 17:7–10.

In our lost and hopeless condition where is the reason for self-exaltation, self-recognition, boasting and self-esteem? Remember, the message of the Bible is addressing a sinful, lost, and otherwise hopeless human race. Every individual is shown to be a desperate sinner, because of Adam’s sin and disobedience.

There is no hope in “self”; we cannot make ourselves good or righteous. Ellen White tells us, “Man needs power outside of, and beyond, himself to restore him to the likeness of God, and to enable him to do the work of God; but this does not make the human agency unessential. Humanity lays hold upon divine power. Christ dwells in the heart by faith; and, through co-operation with the divine, the power of man becomes efficient for good.” The Signs of the Times, April 6, 1904.

“It is impossible for us, of ourselves, to escape from the pit of sin in which we are sunken. Our hearts are evil, and we cannot change them. ‘Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.’ ‘The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.’ Job 14:4; Romans 8:7. Education, culture, the exercise of the will, human effort, all have their proper sphere, but here they are powerless. They may produce an outward correctness of behavior, but they cannot change the heart; they cannot purify the springs of life. There must be a power working from within, a new life from above, before men can be changed from sin to holiness. That power is Christ. His grace alone can quicken the lifeless faculties of the soul, and attract it to God, to holiness.” [Emphasis supplied.] Steps to Christ, 18.

The Futility of Self-esteem

A few years ago the California legislature passed a bill creating the California Task Force to Promote Self-Esteem and Personal and Social Responsibility. The legislature funded the bill with $245,000 a year for three years, for a total of $735,000. The twofold title of the task force was quite an assumption. No one has ever demonstrated that promoting self-esteem is in any way related to personal and social responsibility. Nor has anyone proved that all those who exhibit personal and social responsibility have high self-esteem. Self-esteem and social and personal responsibility actually appear to be negatively rather than positively related. The mission statement of the task force is as follows: Seek to determine whether self-esteem, and personal and social responsibility are the keys to unlocking the secrets of healthy human development so that we can get to the roots of and develop effective solutions for major social problems and to develop and provide for every Californian the latest knowledge and practices regarding the significance of self-esteem, and personal and social responsibility.

The task force believed that esteeming oneself and growing in self-esteem would reduce “dramatically the epidemic levels of social problems we currently face.”

Is There a Positive Relationship Between High or Low Self-Esteem and Personal and Social Responsibility?

In order to investigate this relationship the state task force hired eight professors from the University of California to look at the research on self-esteem as it relates to the six following areas:

  1. Crime, violence and recidivism
  2. Alcohol and drug abuse
  3. Welfare dependency
  4. Teenage pregnancy
  5. Child and spousal abuse
  6. Children failing to learn in school

The Result of the Research

Even though they searched for a connection between low self-esteem and problematic behavior, they could not find a cause and effect link. However, more recent studies indicate a definite relationship between violent behavior and high self-esteem. (See www.psychoheresy-aware.org/selfestm.html)

The apostle Paul wrote in Romans 14:7, 8, “For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.”

Horatius Bonar the great preacher and hymn writer wrote concerning the importance of laying self aside. “The words ‘none of us’ show that the apostle is speaking of those who have been delivered from a present evil world. He is contrasting them with the men of earth. Once, our life, he means to say, was the same as theirs; now all is changed; and instead of resemblance, there is unlikeness in every feature. He does not count it pride to say, we are unselfish, they are selfish; we are of God, and the whole world lies in wickedness. …

“I do not mean annihilating self, as some speak. There is no such thing, except in the dreams of a vain philosophy, or a self-righteous mysticism. I speak of giving self its proper place—the place recognized by our Lord, when He said, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’ (Matthew 19:19 NASB). Lawful self-love is not selfishness; yet we may say that selfishness is diseased self-love; and, as such, is the master-sin, the master-curse of man. He lives for self; his estimate of everything is its bearing upon self; the gloss which he casts over everything is one derived from self. Self is the horizon which limits all his views.” [Emphasis author’s.]

Accordingly, Horatius Bonar continues, “The Christian is done with self, at least, in the way in which we have hitherto been connected with it. Self is displaced. It is brought down to its true position and level; it is set aside entirely as an end, or motive; and this, not in one thing—but in everything; … This displacement of self, then, is carried through man’s whole being, from one extremity to the other. From his life and from his death, as well as from all between, this self has been displaced.”

Ellen White also fully understood the importance of the setting aside of self; that is why she wrote, “Selfishness and self-esteem should be guarded against as your bitterest enemy. But how easily self finds opportunities to exhibit itself, and how Satan exults at the exhibitions, and how sorrowful and ashamed are the angels of God of man’s foolishness.” Upward Look, 250.

She also admonishes us: “… the more self-esteem we have, the more we are puffed up by the devil. May God help us to put away self and cling to Jesus; then we will spring up and bear fruit to the glory of God.” Sermons and Talks, vol. 1, 104. “Ye cannot serve self and at the same time be servants of Christ.” The Review and Herald, August 10, 1886.

  1. E. Green in The Youth’s Instructor, January 18, 1894, page 158 wrote this beautiful poem:

“Strip Me of Self”

Strip me of self and make me mild –
Obedient as a little child;
For none but such can hope to win
a home the pearly gates within.
Strip me of self, and let me be, my
Blessed Saviour, just like Thee;
Strip me of self, and let me show to
others, Christ in all I do.
Self has in me too long held place, but
now I am a child of grace;
I long to be from sin set free and
serve, Dear Lord, not self, but thee.

Horatius Bonar explains further the necessity of setting self aside. “The first setting aside of self is in the matter of justification before God; for, previously, self was the main ingredient in man’s theory of justification. His object was to amend self, to improve self, or it might be, to mortify self, in order that thereby he might recommend himself to God. Thus self, in the matter of his justification before God, occupied the chief place. The first thing which the Holy Spirit does, when He convinces a man of sin, is to show that this cannot be; that self can contribute nothing towards his acceptance with God.”

Then he shows the comprehensive nature of this setting aside of self. “From that point it proceeds onwards throughout a man’s whole life. From life, in all its parts and movements, great and small, his inner life, his outer life, his domestic life, his social life, self is displaced. Life is no longer tinged or shaded, or discolored by self as it had once been. And then the close of his life, in like manner, exhibits the setting aside of self. On a sick-bed self is set aside; in dying, self is not allowed to come in.

“Nor in dying, are we to exhibit self or turn the eye either of ourselves or others to it; or to think merely of enjoyment, or comfort, or reputation among men, our good name, our fame after death—posthumous fame, as men vainly call it. In reference to all these points self is set aside—‘None of us lives to himself, and no man dies to himself.’ Others may live to themselves—but not we who have been ‘bought with a price’ 1 Corinthians 6:20. Others may die to themselves—but not we who have been ‘redeemed with the precious blood of Christ.’ ” Self or Christ; Which Is It?, Horatius Bonar, 1867.

The self-esteem doctrine is to promote self and as we have seen this is not of Christ. Significantly Ellen White wrote, “Let no one deceive his own soul in this matter. If you harbor pride, self-esteem, a love for the supremacy, vainglory, unholy ambition, murmuring, discontent, bitterness, evil speaking, lying, deception, slandering, you have not Christ abiding in your heart, and the evidence shows that you have the mind and character of Satan, not of Jesus Christ, who was meek and lowly of heart.”Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 441.

Mortifying Self Yet Valuing Self

How are we to value ourselves? “The Lord is disappointed when His people place a low estimate upon themselves. He desires His chosen heritage to value themselves according to the price He has placed upon them. God wanted them, else He would not have sent His Son on such an expensive errand to redeem them.” The Desire of Ages, 668.

“The worth of a soul cannot be fully estimated by finite minds.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 15, 144.

“The worth of a human soul can be estimated only by the light reflected from the cross of Calvary. So terrible was the doom of the lost race, so great the glory to which the redeemed might be exalted, that the Father is satisfied with the infinite price which He pays for their redemption.” The Signs of the Times, February 24, 1887.

“We should better appreciate the worth of the soul; for every soul converted to God means a vessel dedicated to a holy use, a depositary for truth, a bearer of light to others.” The Review and Herald, November 24, 1891.

“The redemption of the soul is precious. Christ has paid an infinite price for our salvation, and no one who appreciates the value of this great sacrifice or the worth of the soul will despise God’s offered mercy because others choose to do so.” Conflict and Courage, 54.

The Church of Laodicea Has a Problem

“Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.” [Emphasis supplied.] Revelation 3:17.

Ellen White wrote concerning what blinds our spiritual eyes: “The people of God should be firmly united in love, strengthening one another against temptations and trials; but how often Satan diverts the mind to selfish objects. He knows our wrong traits of character, and he takes advantage of every opportunity to arouse them to activity. He excites contention, and leads professed Christians to seek for the supremacy, while through pride and self-esteem he blinds their eyes to their own defects of character.” [Emphasis supplied.] The Signs of the Times, January 15, 1885.

Those Only Who Will Enter the Pearly Gates

“Everyone who enters the pearly gates of the city of God will enter there as a conqueror, and his greatest conquest will have been the conquest of self.” Testimonies, vol. 9, 183.

Yet there will be bitter disappointment for many. “Among those to whom bitter disappointment will come at the day of final reckoning will be some who have been outwardly religious, and who apparently have lived Christian lives. But self is woven into all they do. They pride themselves on their morality, their influence, their ability to stand in a higher position than others, [and] their knowledge of the truth, for they think that these will win for them the commendation of Christ.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 81, 82.

Our Perfect Example of Selflessness

Jesus said, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 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 11:28–30.

“My brother, the lesson of meekness and lowliness of heart you must learn more fully than you ever yet have done, or you will never see the kingdom of heaven. In your present condition you would even think in heaven that you could improve upon the management of Christ. In learning in Christ’s school, ambition, pride, self-esteem, will all be subdued, self will be hid in Christ, and you will find peace and rest to your soul. We are to look constantly upon the meek and holy Sufferer who in His own body bore our sins, who knew our griefs, who has carried our sorrows.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 20, 94.

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.

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

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Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

“Who can know, in the moment of temptation, the terrible consequences that will result from one wrong step?” Patriarchs and Prophets, 61

Many times a day, a person encounters a situation in which he/she has to make a decision of some sort. Most of the time, we do so without too much effort or anxiety. Often the consequences of the decision are not life-changing, though they may affect the way the day ends for us. However, there occasionally comes a time when we have to put some serious thought into what we are going to do next, because the decision we make has eternal consequences.

One decision we are told about in Scripture had eternal consequences, not only for the person who made the decision, but consequences for every person who has ever lived since that fateful decision was made. It is arguably the second most critical decision ever made in the history of this world and perhaps the universe.

“Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, ‘Has God indeed said, “You shall not eat of every tree of the garden”?’ And the woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, “You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.” ’

“Then the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.” Genesis 3:1–6.

Here in six relatively short verses, consisting of only 171 words in the NKJ version, lies the story of what I consider to be the second most critical decision that was ever made in the entire history of the universe. Although Scripture describes the fall in only 171 words, Inspiration fleshes out the story in far more detail, using several thousand words to help us understand more clearly what an ill thought-out and fateful decision our first parents made when they chose to act contrary to the instructions the Lord gave them.

We know from inspired writings that Adam and Eve had been warned that Satan would tempt them. We know that they were not hungry. We know that Eve had wandered away from Adam, contrary to the counsel she had been given. We know that this test was the easiest, mildest, test that could have been given. And we know that this was to be the only test that they were to be given. If they successfully passed this test, there would not have been another.

Nevertheless, they failed the test. Eve took of the fruit—and note that she took it. She made the fateful decision. Then when she offered it to Adam, he likewise took it. Both failed on this critical decision point, and the world has not been the same since.

Let’s look at another example in the Old Testament of a decision point at which one’s fate was determined for eternity.

“The Lord showed me, and there were two baskets of figs set before the temple of the Lord, after Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and the princes of Judah with the craftsmen and smiths, from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon. One basket had very good figs, like the figs that are first ripe; and the other basket had very bad figs which could not be eaten, they were so bad. Then the Lord said to me, ‘What do you see, Jeremiah?’ And I said, ‘Figs, the good figs, very good; and the bad, very bad, which cannot be eaten, they are so bad.’ Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: “Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge those who are carried away captive from Judah, whom I have sent out of this place for their own good, into the land of the Chaldeans. For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land; I will build them and not pull them down, and I will plant them and not pluck them up. Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the Lord; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart. And as the bad figs which cannot be eaten, they are so bad”—surely thus says the Lord—“so will I give up Zedekiah the king of Judah, his princes, the residue of Jerusalem who remain in this land, and those who dwell in the land of Egypt. I will deliver them to trouble into all the kingdoms of the earth, for their harm, to be a reproach and a byword, a taunt and a curse, in all places where I shall drive them. And I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence among them, till they are consumed from the land that I gave to them and their fathers.” ’ ” Jeremiah 24:1–10.

There is a great deal worth studying in these texts. One obvious conclusion is that when one decides to cooperate with the Lord, even if the initial result may be unpleasant, the eventual outcome will be a blessing. Note the promise given in verses 6 and 7: “For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land; I will build them and not pull them down, and I will plant them and not pluck them up. Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the Lord; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart.”

In Jeremiah 27:17, Jeremiah tells the children of Israel in no uncertain terms: “Do not listen to them [the false prophets]; serve the king of Babylon, and live! Why should this city be laid waste?”

Did they listen? Did they decide to abide by the instructions the Lord gave them? Or did they, like Adam and Eve, decide to follow their own inclinations? Unfortunately, it was the latter. And the consequences? Inspiration provides the answer.

“Why did the Lord permit Jerusalem to be destroyed by fire the first time? Why did He permit His people to be overcome by their enemies and carried into heathen lands? It was because they had failed to be His missionaries, and had built walls of division between themselves and the people around them. The Lord scattered them, that the knowledge of His truth might be carried to the world. If they were loyal and true and submissive, God would bring them again into their own land” [which is just what we read in Jeremiah 24]. The Publishing Ministry, 176.

This lesson of obeying divine counsel—of deciding to follow the Lord regardless of the immediate consequences—is oftentimes a tough lesson to learn. But if we remember that we have a loving God, One Who is fair beyond our ability to comprehend, we can have the faith we need to trust in Him completely, to trust that what He has promised, He will deliver. He explains that in many places to us, perhaps most frequently in the book of Psalms. The word “trust” or some form of it occurs 69 times in the book of Psalms in the NKJV. A study of those occurrences makes for a pleasant and uplifting personal devotional.

The promises in God’s word are abundant, uplifting, reassuring, comforting, and give us great hope, but if we don’t have faith in them, why do we, as Seventh-day Adventists, bother to worship on the day He has told us to?

Let’s read one of the wonderful promises God gives us in the fascinating book of Jeremiah. Although Jeremiah is often referred to as the prophet of doom, his writings contain some of the richest promises in the entire Bible for those who choose to obey.

“ ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,’ says the Lord, ‘thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.’ ” Jeremiah 29:11–13.

If there were no other promise in the entire Bible, that one alone would be sufficient to gladden the heart of any believer. But there are others—lots of others.

As Christ was nearing the end of the Sermon on the Mount, He gave a promise similar to the one we just read in Jeremiah.

“ ‘Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.’ ” Matthew 7:7, 8.

In verses 9–12, Jesus explains again how loving and fair God is. Then as He concluded this most wonderful sermon ever given, He gave three separate examples of contrasting outcomes or critical decision points at which we have the opportunity to decide for ourselves our ultimate fate. And as is the case in every example, the choice is up to us as to which path we choose to follow. Let’s continue in Matthew 7 and look at these examples.

The first fork in the road that Christ discusses as He concludes His sermon is in verses 13 and 14: “ ‘Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.’ ”

I would submit that because you are reading this article, you have at some point in the past chosen the narrow gate and the difficult way that leads to eternal life. However, it is very important to realize that because you chose that narrow gate yesterday does not mean that the wide gate is closed today.

In the Review and Herald, April 1, 1875, is this statement: “Vain philosophy is employed in representing the path to hell as a path of safety. With the imagination highly wrought, and voices musically tuned, they picture the broad road as one of happiness and glory.”

“Come on over and join us on the broad road,” they say—perhaps not in words, but in action. “It’s wide and easily traveled and there are many folks headed to the magic kingdom on it. Snow White, Cinderella, Tinkerbelle, Mickey Mouse—all are waiting to greet you. It will be fun. Come on over.”

That wide gate—much to our detriment—is always open. Remember that Inspiration tells us that people will fall off the path all the way to the Holy City. We must be on our guard at all times.

“Tests are placed all along the way from earth to heaven. It is because of this that the road to heaven is called the narrow way. Character must be tested, else there would be many spurious [false, fake, counterfeit, imitation, illegitimate, phony, inauthentic] Christians who would keep up a fair semblance of religion until their inclinations, their desire to have their own way, their pride and ambition, were crossed. When by the Lord’s permission sharp trials come to them, their lack of genuine religion, of the meekness and lowliness of Christ, shows them to be in need of the work of the Holy Spirit.” In Heavenly Places, 266.

In The Youth’s Instructor, we are given a description of the journey of those who remain on the path, following the light that streams so faithfully from the cross.

“We are pilgrims and strangers on this earth, looking for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. The path in which we travel is narrow, and calls for self-denial and self-sacrifice. We meet with trial and conflict. But God has not left us to travel without help.” The Youth’s Instructor, January 23, 1902.

Let’s look now at the second decision point Christ discussed as He concluded the Sermon on the Mount.

“ ‘Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.’ ” Matthew 7:15–20.

The fruit that one bears is of such significance that Christ mentions it again in Matthew 12:33. “ ‘Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.’ ”

It’s important to note that, unlike a tree in an orchard, which always bears the same kind of fruit, man has the ability to decide what kind of fruit he bears. That’s clear from this text in Matthew 12: “ ‘Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad.’ ” [Emphasis supplied.] Give some thought to what kind of tree you have decided to be—and recognize that the decision is indeed yours to make.

Christ follows this contrast between the good tree and the bad tree with one of the scariest warnings in all of Scripture:

“ ‘Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord,” shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?” And then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” ’ ” Matthew 7:21–23.

Imagine how devastating it will be to hear those words from Jesus.

Let’s look now at the third decision point that Christ presents to His listeners as He concludes His sermon.

“ ‘Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.’ ” Matthew 7:24–27.

In alluding to these verses, Sister White wrote in the Bible Echo, November 5, 1894: “It is not a matter of little consequence to us as to how we hear and how we treat the truth of God. To misunderstand the truth, or fail to appreciate it, because we do not cherish light that comes to us, will be to build upon the sand. The wise builder builds upon the Rock Christ Jesus, no matter what may be the inconvenience. He builds not upon human, but upon divine merit, accepting the righteousness of Christ as his own, and as his only hope of salvation. The foolish builder built upon the sand, and through his carelessness, or prejudice, or through the deceptions of the natural heart, he cherishes a self-righteous spirit, and places human wisdom in the place where God’s wisdom should have the supremacy; and how terrible are the consequences!

“There are many unwise builders, and when the storm of temptation comes and beats upon them, it is made evident that their foundation is only sliding sand. They are left in gross darkness, without faith, without principles, and without foundation.”

Let’s look now at another of the clearest examples of two different outcomes in Scripture, again from the book of Matthew: “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’ … Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’ ” Matthew 25:31–34, 41.

In this parable, Jesus explains very clearly the difference between two character types—one that is centered on self and one that is centered on the great commandment of love to God and to the brethren.

In verses 35 through 40, Jesus explains the decisions one must make to be among the sheep: feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, cloth the naked, give shelter to the stranger, visit the sick and shut-ins and those in prison. In principle, manifest toward others the same degree of disinterested benevolence that Christ manifested to mankind when He was here on earth and which He continues to manifest to His children today. Remember that the sun shines and the rain falls on the unjust and evil just as it does on the just and the good.

It is important to realize that it is up to each of us individually to determine whether we will be among the sheep or the goats, just as it is up to each of us individually to determine what kind of fruit we will bear, and just as it is up to each of us to decide for ourselves whether to travel the broad road or the narrow way.

References have been made earlier to the second most critical decision ever made in regard to the fate of mankind. Now let’s look at that decision which may be the most critical. This decision is referred to only tangentially in the Bible, but—praise God—we have the Spirit of Prophecy to provide wonderful detail about it.

The Bible calls it a “counsel of peace.”

“Yes, He shall build the temple of the Lord.

He shall bear the glory,

And shall sit and rule on His throne;

So He shall be a priest on His throne,

And the counsel of peace shall be between them both.”

Zechariah 6:13

In the third chapter of Patriarchs and Prophets, “The Temptation and Fall,” we are given amazing detail about the second most critical decision—really a series of decisions—that Eve and Adam made in the garden of Eden … an account that includes details that could only have been provided by someone who was shown the details by an all-knowing and all-wise God through divine vision. (Are we not blessed as a people to have this account?) Here we see in greater detail than the sacred canon gives us the points made earlier—the lightness of the test, the error made by our first parents in allowing themselves to be separated from one another, the fact that if they passed this first test, there would be no further temptations, the folly and the absolute danger of engaging in controversy with the enemy of souls.

In the following chapter of Patriarchs and Prophets, “The Plan of Redemption,” we are provided detail about what in my opinion is the most important decision ever made. This, it seems upon study of the details, was a decision that had to have been made once and then reaffirmed when it became necessary to implement it, as this paragraph seems to tell us.

“Before the Father He pleaded in the sinner’s behalf, while the host of heaven awaited the result with an intensity of interest that words cannot express. Long continued was that mysterious communing—‘the counsel of peace’ (Zechariah 6:13) for the fallen sons of men. The plan of salvation had been laid before the creation of the earth; for Christ is ‘the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world’ (Revelation 13:8); yet it was a struggle, even with the King of the universe, to yield up His Son to die for the guilty race. But ‘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. Oh, the mystery of redemption! the love of God for a world that did not love Him! Who can know the depths of that love which ‘passeth knowledge’? Through endless ages immortal minds, seeking to comprehend the mystery of that incomprehensible love, will wonder and adore.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 63, 64.

May it be your decision to be among those who have the privilege of wondering about and adoring that incomprehensible love through endless ages.

Bible texts are from NKJV unless otherwise noted.

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

Two Gates

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Reader, step back a few paces, and study these gates.

One of them stands upon a rugged hilltop. It is a “strait gate.” Above its arch gleam the momentous words, “UNTO LIFE.” They are words of intense import to mankind; words of meaning unfathomable to human readers. They open a vista without bounds, into the eternal future.

The road leading to the gateway is “narrow,” rough, steep in some places. It winds through dense thickets of test and trial; through close tangles of struggle and effort; through gloomy clusters of pain and sorrow; through thick patches of attempts at well-doing and sad failures; through dark clumps of sudden, thoughtless yielding to evil.

And yet, it is a way of such influence, such uplift that at every mile the traveler may make headway in moral power, in mental might, in spiritual force. But at every step, effort of a high type is in demand. Before the gate is reached, there is call for the traveler’s supreme endeavor, for his utmost steadfastness, for character true, unfeigned, uncounterfeited.

But the gateway gained, success unimaginable awaits him; for it opens into LIFE — life real, life nobler, more potent, more blessed, than we can now conceive. “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.” I Corinthians 2:9.

Moreover, notwithstanding the disheartening thickets, tangles, and patches, this ascending roadway contains remarkable attractions. Here and there may be plucked the exquisite flowers of patience, gentleness, kindliness, and that royal bloom faith, opening out daily more regal, more radiant, as the struggler approaches the gateway.

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

“By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks.

“By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, ‘and was not found, because God had taken him’; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

“By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.

“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

“By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude—innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.

“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.

“By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, ‘In Isaac your seed shall be called,’ concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.

“By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.

“By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.

“By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel, and gave instructions concerning his bones.

“By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s command.

“By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.

“By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible. By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, lest he who destroyed the firstborn should touch them.

“By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land, whereas the Egyptians, attempting to do so, were drowned.

“By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days. By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace.

“And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again.

“Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented—of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth.

“And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.” Hebrews 11:1–40.

Then, too, this narrow, arduous avenue to the hilltop is bountifully lighted by day and by night. From those two short words glowing over the gateway, streams a glory, a splendor, which illuminates even the starting point, at the busy valley in the distance. Less brilliant at the starting point, the light deepens, intensifies, as the climber urges his feet toward the realm of peace, of glory, of beatitude, inside the gate.

The Wide Gate

At the other gate one’s interest does not wane, but changes, differs immensely. The circumstances vary vastly. The conditions are the reverse. Instead of a cheering, animating ascent from the beginning of the roadway thereto, there is a slope, a descent, an incline, steep at some points, with never an upward trend. The way is broad and alluring, but halts, ceases at a large, open, inviting gateway, closed neither night nor day. “Wide is the gate, and broad is the way,” are the words that fell from the lips of the divine Master during that matchless sermon delivered on a mountainside.

Two words, as in the other case, but fearfully suggestive in their import, are inscribed above this gate, “To Destruction.” Sufficient light illumines them to publish to the crowding, urging multitude which throngs that way, its certain danger.

Strive to Enter In

Many in that doomed company never heed these startling words. Scores do not even glance at them. Hundreds fail to realize that, when a thing reaches “destruction,” that ends its existence. Thousands of uninstructed believers in intrinsic immortality assured that the term means simply death — the ending only of the present phase of being, and the stepping out upon another and higher plane of existence — rush on to the absolute total extinguishment of life.

When Christ, the mightiest of human word painters, touched the first gate, 1900 years ago, with His brush of fadeless dyes, He left gleaming above it the stimulating, encouraging sentence, “STRIVE to enter in at the strait gate” (Luke 13:24), thus publishing to all the race with which He had allied Himself, the inspiring possibility of entering thereat.

Nor was this needless urgency, nor prodigal use of counsel. While Christ knew that eternal LIFE is the gift of God through faith in the Saviour’s great sacrifice of Himself, yet He well understood that winning the imperial prize would cost man’s utmost efforts at upright living, at that most remunerative of all work—character building: Therefore He added His reason for the advice—“Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, that leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” (Matthew 7:14). [Emphasis added.]

Every day there may be seen many illustrations of the fact that before the vast assembly of mankind, are set forth numerous attractive prizes, true recompenses, worthy compensations, for noble striving, for arduous endeavor in the race of life; and yet, how few, compared with the vast multitude of men and women, make the effort absolutely necessary to attain the regal climax, to reach the acme of the struggle!

This lamentable fact also Christ well understood; and hence with gracious forethought, mercy, and love He gave to every person before whose eyes or into whose ears the momentous words should fall, the ringing advice and warning: “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat.” (Matthew 7:13).

In this great trial day, when millions of our rushing race seems to take no thought for the final consequence of conduct, these salutary words might well be set up before the doorway of every home, and in all byways and highways for human feet.

But how shall one hold himself in the narrow way, that he may enter the strait gate and find LIFE? The word of God contains countless directions for securing this supreme result. Notice a few of them.

Proverbs 3:1, 3, 23: “My son, … let thine heart keep My commandments: … bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart. … Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble.” Proverbs 7:1-3: “My son, … keep My commandments, and LIVE. … Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart.”

Moses, the “friend of God,” in his masterful review, before Israel’s great host, of the laws, statutes, and commandments which God delivered to him on Sinai, urged them with intense fervor, to obey these laws that they might LIVE. “Thou shalt … talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way. … Thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes” (Deuteronomy 6:7, 8).

No safer policy of life insurance can man carry, in these stressful days, than the unswerving resolution to live out daily the straight principles of the Word of God. “That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey His voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto Him: for He is thy LIFE, and the length of thy days” (Deuteronomy 30:20).

The Signs of the Times, March 6, 1911.

By Beholding We Become Changed

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“How can a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed according to Your word. With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You. Blessed are You, O Lord! Teach me Your statutes. With my lips I have declared all the judgments of Your mouth. I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, as much as in all riches. I will meditate on Your precepts, and contemplate Your ways. I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word.” Psalm 119:9–16 NKJV

It is very important to study God’s word to memorize and to saturate our minds with the eternal truths God has given us in His word. In Gospel Workers, 250, we are told the following:

“The life of God, which gives life to the world, is in His word. It was by His word that Jesus healed disease and cast out demons. By His word He stilled the sea and raised the dead; and the people bore witness that His word was with power. He spoke the word of God as He had spoken it to all the Old Testament writers. The whole Bible is a manifestation of Christ. It is our only source of power.”

This is a packed paragraph. What is it that gives life to the world? It is the life of God. Does not the entire Bible bear out this concept, that God is the Creator, the life-giver? Beginning with Genesis 1:1 through to Revelation, God is revealed as the Creator, the Life-giver. Sin has caused a rift in our connection, our communion with God and it is actually only because of His mercy that we live. God, in His mercy, His grace, His long-suffering, and His love, has ordained (shall we say, created?) a means by which we may regain that connection with Him. “The life of God, which gives life to the world, is in His word.”

God has ordained that through the study of His word He restores His life to each one of us and through us to others. There is no mystery, no mystical way to a connection with God. It is achieved only through a practical, earnest, consistent, deep, long-term study of His word.

Do you want life? We all say we want life. But let’s think about the reality of our desire. If there is a banquet of food on my dining room table and I say I want to eat because I am hungry, what is the real truth if I find myself doing innumerable other things and simply not going over to the table and eating the food? Do I really want the food? Am I really hungry? No. So, in the same way is the statement about wanting life. Think about this. Where do we find life? “The life of God, which gives life to the world, is in His word.”

Are you as intent upon “life,” eternal life, as you are upon your daily temporal bread? This is a question to answer before your God and in the honesty of your inmost soul. God already knows the answer, but it is important for you to know for yourself the answer to that question.

Since sin is the basic problem in this world, the issue that separates us from God and causes death, what is necessary and what is the means God has provided in order to recover us from this situation?

What does His word (which contains the life of God) say about this? “How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.” Psalm 119:9–11. We must study this Word; we must hide this Word in our hearts.

Jesus, the example for our lives, lived out the principle of sin having no more dominion over us. The Desire of Ages, 123, tells us how He was able to do this: “And how this is accomplished, Christ has shown us. By what means did He overcome in the conflict with Satan? By the word of God. Only by the word could He resist temptation. ‘It is written,’ He said. And unto us are given ‘exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust’ (II Peter 1:4). Every promise in God’s word is ours. ‘By every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God’ (Matthew 4:4) are we to live. When assailed by temptation, look not to circumstances or to the weakness of self, but to the power of the word. All its strength is yours. ‘Thy word,’ says the psalmist, ‘have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee.’ ‘By the word of Thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer’ (Psalms 119:11; 17:4).” [Emphasis supplied.]

Jesus, Divinity in human flesh, lived by and through the word of God. It was His means of resisting temptation, His power for victory. Who are we to believe that we have less need of this word, this feast of salvation, other than our Saviour? Today, if in reality, the “tree of life” from the Garden of Eden was within your physical grasp, would you not drop anything you were doing to eat of the fruit of that tree? I say to you that this tree is within your physical grasp. Today we call it the Bible or the Spirit of Prophecy. In Western countries, Bibles and even most books of the Spirit of Prophecy are available to the majority of people. “The life of God, which gives life to the world, is in His word.” The “tree of life” gave life; God’s word gives life. But do we grasp as readily after “His word” as we would were the tree of life from the Garden of Eden within our grasp? Sobering thought.

My Life Today, 28 gives us this insight: “It is of the greatest importance that you continually search the Scriptures, storing the mind with the truths of God. … You need the treasures of God’s word hidden in your heart.” When are we to search the Scriptures? God says continually.

“The heart that is stored with the precious truths of God’s word is fortified against the temptation of Satan, against impure thoughts and unholy actions.

“Keep close to the Scriptures. The more you search and explain the Word, the more your mind and heart will be fortified with the blessed words of encouragement and promise.

“Let us commit its precious promises to memory.” My Life Today, 28.

“The great and essential knowledge is the knowledge of God and His word. … There should be a daily increasing of spiritual understanding; and the Christian will grow in grace, just in proportion as he depends upon and appreciates the teaching of the word of God, and habituates himself to meditate upon divine things.

“In giving us the privilege of studying His word, the Lord has set before us a rich banquet. Many are the benefits derived from feasting on His word, which is represented by Him as His flesh and blood, His spirit and life.” God’s Amazing Grace, 303. [Emphasis supplied.]

“The word of God is the standard of character. In giving us this word, God has put us in possession of every truth essential to salvation.” Gospel Workers, 250.

What is the central theme of the Bible? The book Education, 125, says, “The central theme of the Bible, the theme about which every other in the whole book clusters, is the redemption plan.” This redemption plan is not left undefined. The definition follows immediately. The redemption plan is “the restoration in the human soul of the image of God.” In other words, it is the getting rid of sin from our lives so that we can be reunited with God! Then it goes on to say, “He who grasps this thought has before him an infinite field for study. He has the key that will unlock to him the whole treasure house of God’s word.” Ibid., 126.

The central theme of God’s word, and remember that God’s word is “the life of God, which gives life to the world,” is the plan of salvation. And if we understand this thought we have the key which unlocks the “whole treasure house of God’s word.”

“The life of God, which gives life to the world, is in His word. It was by His word that Jesus healed disease and cast out demons. By His word He stilled the sea and raised the dead; and the people bore witness that His word was with power. He spoke the word of God as He had spoken it to all the Old Testament writers.” What tremendous food for thought is contained in those sentences. But I want to focus on what follows in the next sentence. It says, “The whole Bible is a manifestation of Christ. It is our only source of power.” Gospel Workers, 250.

Our only source of power is the whole Bible, the central theme of which is the plan of salvation. It is important to rightly know and understand what is in this book. In fact, as we read earlier, it is “the great and essential knowledge.” If something is essential, it is not possible to do without that something.

Let’s read some instruction about the study and meditation of God’s word directly from Scripture. Deuteronomy 6:6–9 NIV: “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” This pretty much encompasses all of life and makes perfect sense when we understand that it is sin that causes separation from God and ultimately eternal death and that it is by His word that God “gives life to the world.” Should not the study of His word be at the center of our lives? That is the instruction that God has given to His people, and that instruction been never changed.

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.” Psalm 1:1, 2 NKJV. Again, God’s word is the meditation day and night. Why? The psalmist gives us the answer.

He says, “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them Your servant is warned, and in keeping them there is great reward.” Psalm 19:7–11 NKJV. Do you want to be converted, wise, rejoicing, enlightened, clean? Do you desire God’s word, His means of restoring life, more than you desire gold? Is that borne out by your actions? Is His word truly sweeter to you than honey?

We have learned that it is God’s word that gives life. If we are going to partake of this life, we need to study His word, which itself tells us that it is to be our “meditation day and night”; we are to talk of it “when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” So God’s word is to be our life. I am not saying that we should not have jobs, take care of gardens, and take care of the daily necessities of life. But whatever we are doing “our thoughts and desires can always be upward.” Our High Calling, 161.

What will this do for us practically in our Christian walk? Christ’s Object Lessons, 355, answers this question. It says, “Looking unto Jesus we obtain brighter and more distinct views of God, and by beholding we become changed.” Do you want to become like Jesus? Do you want to be changed? That is what we have to do if we want eternal life with Him. So that means that we must behold Him. How do we behold Jesus? The Scriptures tell us in John 5:39 KJV, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me.” It is through this earnest, diligent study that we gain a knowledge of God and become changed into His likeness.

Are there guidelines as to how we are to study God’s word? We have already mentioned the need to store God’s word in our hearts, and we might first think of memorization, and that is good and necessary. But before we look at memorization, there is another aspect of studying the word of God that I would like to address.

Steps to Christ, 90, has some wonderful instruction on how to study the Word so that we receive the necessary benefit. “There is but little benefit derived from a hasty reading of the Scriptures. One may read the whole Bible through and yet fail to see its beauty or comprehend its deep and hidden meaning. One passage studied until its significance is clear to the mind and its relation to the plan of salvation is evident, is of more value than the perusal of many chapters with no definite purpose in view and no positive instruction gained.”

We read earlier in the book Education, 125, “The central theme of the Bible, the theme about which every other in the whole book clusters, is the redemption plan, the restoration in the human soul of the image of God.” We can read the whole Bible through without thought or care in a hasty manner and gain no benefit. God longs for your salvation, so He instructs us to study one passage of the Bible until we understand how it relates to this plan.

“Keep your Bible with you. As you have opportunity, read it; fix the texts in your memory. Even while you are walking the streets you may read a passage and meditate upon it, thus fixing it in the mind.” Steps to Christ, 90. In this way, through the guidance and teaching of the Holy Spirit (remember that we are always to pray before studying the Word), we come to understand how each passage relates to the plan of salvation, or the new covenant, and we fix it in the mind, or in other words, memorize.

Here are some practical suggestions how to memorize.

Practical Memorization Techniques

“The life of God, which gives life to the world, is in His word. It was by His word that Jesus healed disease and cast out demons. By His word He stilled the sea and raised the dead; and the people bore witness that His word was with power. He spoke the word of God as He had spoken it to all the Old Testament writers. The whole Bible is a manifestation of Christ. It is our only source of power.” Gospel Workers, 250.

My Life Today, 28: “It is of the greatest importance that you continually search the Scriptures, storing the mind with the truths of God. … You need the treasures of God’s word hidden in your heart.”

“The great and essential knowledge is the knowledge of God and His word. … There should be a daily increasing of spiritual understanding; and the Christian will grow in grace, just in proportion as he … habituates himself to meditate upon divine things.” God’s Amazing Grace, 303. [Emphasis supplied.]

These references are a small sampling of those we could cite as evidence that searching and studying God’s words and committing them to memory with a soul hunger for God and His truth is of the utmost importance to our lives, not only our temporal lives, but even more importantly, our eternal lives.

I suspect that to some of us, the very word memorize creates an immediate mental block. But I don’t believe it needs to. From the study that we have just done, it is very clear that we need to store God’s word in our hearts, and that God commands us to do so. So a logical question would then be, would God require something of me that is not possible? No, God is a God of tender mercy, love and patience. He would not command us to do something that is impossible. Therefore, if God will not ask us to do something it is impossible for us to do, then the only other option is that it is something we can do. So we can feel positive toward this memory work. There are many studies that prove the fact that if we have a positive attitude towards something, we are more successful in doing it. So I am going to ask that you discard your doubts, your dread, your reservations and fears, and even your ideas of can’t and replace them with “God asks me to do this, so I know that through His strength I can do this.”

Just do it. If you don’t feel like doing it, do it anyway, because you love your Saviour and Lord and because you want to become like Him. If you don’t have the desire, ask the Lord for the desire. After all, God says that if we ask anything of Him that is His will, He will do it. We have already studied out the fact that memorizing Scripture is His will for us. Therefore, if you don’t have the desire to memorize Scripture, here is some encouragement.

  1. Do it anyway because God asks you to.
  2. Do it because you love your Lord and Saviour.
  3. Ask Him for the desire to do it. Remember, He may not answer right away. He may want to see how serious you are about doing what He asks because He asks. Don’t give up! Trust Him.
  4. Keep in mind that your eternal life depends on obedience.

Before you begin pray for God to help you understand with spiritual understanding what you want to memorize, that He will be your teacher and for the Lord to help your memory. Again, realize that He may not answer right away to test your commitment.

Do what you can to help your own memory. Here are some suggestions.

  1. Analyze what the passage or text is saying so that it makes sense and so that you understand it and it is logical to you.
  2. Is there a sequence of events? If so, outline the passage at least in your mind.
  3. Does one line expand on or explain the previous one?
  4. Memorize one line or section at a time and add to it as you master each section or line.
  5. Repeat the passage out loud. There is value in speaking the words out loud as well as in contemplation of the thought of what they are saying.
  6. Write out what you want to memorize. You can take it with you to pull out anytime you have an opportunity to practice.
  7. Review frequently. Studies show that three 5-minute sessions of memory work throughout the day are more effective than one 15-minute session.
  8. Take the time to write and rewrite the chosen passage, thinking about it and what it says while you write.
  9. Work on memorizing with a friend by repeating the passage or quote to each other.

These are just a few memorizing techniques that you might try to commit God’s word to memory, to hide it in your heart. I am sure you will come up with some on your own as you work toward this goal. As you do this in obedience to God’s command, God will bless you. That is a promise.

Remember, the main goal, the key objective in studying and storing the word of God is to learn of Christ, our only means of salvation. “The life of God, which gives life to the world, is in His word. … The whole Bible is a manifestation of Christ. It is our only source of power.”

But there are other wonderful benefits as well. Do you want to be wise? Would you like a strong intellect? Do you want a breadth of mind, and a nobility of character? Where can you get these characteristics? Here is the answer: “There is nothing more calculated to strengthen the intellect than the study of the Scriptures. No other book is so potent to elevate the thoughts, to give vigor to the faculties, as the broad, ennobling truths of the Bible. If God’s word were studied as it should be, men would have a breadth of mind, a nobility of character, and a stability of purpose rarely seen in these times.” Steps to Christ, 90. This is just a hint of the wonderful effects that the study of God’s word has on the life and mind.

Today, make a commitment for your life’s sake and for the sake of the Saviour Who left all of heaven for you. Make a deliberate decision to choose life. How do you do that? By partaking of the feast that God has set before you in His word, by which He brings life to the world. Choose to study His word. Choose to hide His word in your heart, for in His word “God has put us in possession of every truth essential to salvation.” Gospel Workers, 250.

Brenda Douay is a staff member at Steps to Life. She may be contacted by email at: brendadouay@stepstolife.org.