Salvation

The Essence of Heaven, Part I

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What is heaven all about? When I was a child, the pastor of the church my family attended told me the following true story.

During World War II, he was a preacher in Europe. A Christian family he knew had a daughter who was not interested in Christianity. She was not interested in going to heaven. This preacher wanted to try to help this young lady; he wanted to arouse in her a desire to be a Christian and a desire to go to heaven. So he engaged her in conversation one day about this subject. She emphatically stated that she was not interested in Christianity, and why, if she did not want to go to heaven anyway, should she be a Christian? What was the point?

This girl told him, “I have heard about heaven. I have heard that it is a place where people float around on clouds, and they play harps.” And, she continued, “I am not interested. I do not even care for harp music! I certainly am not interested in floating around on a cloud, so I do not want to go there.” You see, she had no idea what heaven was really about.

There are many people like her. Even many Protestant Christians who go to church every week, if asked, “What is heaven? Please describe it to me,” could tell you almost nothing.

Abodes of Bliss

Many Seventh-day Adventist preachers, when talking about heaven, just tell people what it is not like. There is nothing wrong with this, because the Bible probably has more texts telling us what heaven is not like than any other thing.

For instance, it says in Isaiah, concerning that place, that no violence will be there. In Isaiah 33:24, we are told, “The inhabitants of that place will not say, ‘I am sick.’ ” Is that nice to know?

Revelation 21 gives us a number of descriptions in the first four verses. It says that in that place there is no sorrow, crying, or death. When we are in heaven, we will never attend a funeral. We will never go to a mortuary or pick out a tombstone or a casket. We will never go to a hospital; there will be no surgery there, because it is not needed.

There will be no pain in heaven. This is a great comfort to many people, such as drug addicts. Those who are trying to get off an
addictive substance experience extreme withdrawal pain. I have never been addicted to a substance like that, so I cannot explain or understand exactly how they feel, but one of their greatest pleasures is to read in the Bible that when they get to heaven, there will be no pain.

So, this is what preachers usually do. We tell people what heaven is by telling them what it is not¾there is no war; there is no crime; there are no prisons; there is no sickness. This is all good to know, but have you ever stopped to analyze the situation and think through that even if all those things were taken away, you would not necessarily be happy?

Heaven is a place described by Ellen White as having “the abodes of bliss.” (See Testimonies, vol. 8, 140.) Bliss! Do you know what bliss is? Bliss is an extreme, intense state of happiness. The angels, the intelligences in heaven, are in this bliss or this extreme, intense state of happiness all the time. The redeemed are going to be the same. Isaiah 35:10 says, “The redeemed of the Lord will come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads. They will obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.”

They are going to have joy. They are going to have intense happiness. You see, that actually is the essence of what heaven is about. It is this intense happiness that everybody has all the time that makes heaven heaven.

Self-Sacrificing Love

You see, heaven actually has more to do with something that is internal in your mind than something that is external. It is not just golden streets and music, although there is beautiful music, and there are golden streets. There is also wonderful food, but that is not what heaven is.

So, here is the question: What makes heaven heaven? We can answer that in one sentence: “The spirit of Christ’s self-sacrificing love is the spirit that pervades heaven and is the very essence of its bliss.” Steps to Christ, 77.

What is the very essence of the bliss, the intense happiness that is in heaven? What is the very core of it? It is the spirit of self-sacrificing love. Somehow this is a concept that it is very difficult for people in this world to comprehend, because we have had an opposite education of which the devil has been in charge. It is throughout all the educational system, it is in all the philosophy of man, and it is in our language. Have you ever heard someone talking about “taking care of No. 1”? When they refer to “taking care of No. 1,” of whom are they speaking? Self. In the devil’s program, I am No. 1, and you are to make me happy.

There are many illustrations that would help us understand this concept, but I will share just one. About 30 years ago, a beautiful, young, married lady was driving her car, and she had neglected to put on her seat belt. Unfortunately, she was in a collision, and because she did not have her seat belt on, she was thrown forward headfirst through the windshield of the car. As she went through the shattered glass, her face was terribly lacerated. When her husband came to see her in the hospital, can you imagine what happened? This man had married that beautiful face. That beautiful face made him happy, but when that beautiful face did not exist any more, there was nothing to hold that marriage together, so he divorced her. (By the way, men are not the only ones who do things like that. I could tell you other stories where women did almost the identical same thing, but we will not go there. You get the point.)

If I am No. 1, then you are to make me happy, and when the time comes that you do not make me happy anymore, then we are going to separate. This is one of the reasons there is such a huge divorce rate today. This is the devil’s philosophy, the devil’s program that has taken over almost the entire world.

Jesus came into this world to show us that this is a wrong idea, to show us that we are to sacrifice ourselves for the good of somebody else. They are not to sacrifice themselves for our good; we are to sacrifice ourselves for their good. If we could ever get it learned, we would see the divorce rate bottom out.

Jesus’ Mission

Let us read a few Scriptures so you can see that this is exactly what the New Testament teaches that Jesus came to do.

“On behalf of all He died, in order that those living no longer might live for themselves, but on behalf of Him who died and was raised again.” 11 Corinthians 5:15. What was the purpose of Jesus’ coming and of His death on the cross? So I would no longer live for myself.

Jesus Himself talked about this in Matthew 10:34-39. Verse 39 reads, “The one who finds his soul will lose it.” Who is the one who finds his soul? That is the one, I am No. 1; I actually do get what I want! The text continues, “The one who loses his life for My sake will find it.”

What does it mean to lose your life? That means your life is sacrificed for somebody else, and if you learn that principle, Jesus says that you are going to find eternal life. If you do not learn that principle, you are not going to find eternal life.

John 12:25 says, “The one who loves his soul will lose it, and the one who hates his soul in this world will keep it unto life eter-nal.” Of what is Jesus talking? One person makes his own life  No. 1; the other person sacrifices his whole life for somebody else. The one who gains his soul and loves his soul will lose it, but the one who hates his soul and sacrifices all of his soul for somebody else will keep it. This is what Jesus taught.

Some Rain Must Fall

I have many cousins, but of all my relatives, two male cousins were much more handsome than were any of the rest of us. Both of them had very pleasing personalities and were very popular wherever they went.

One of these cousins, as a young man in the late 1950s, decided that he was going to join the Navy. He wanted to become a Navy pilot. I remember that as he was traveling from Washington State to Pensacola, Florida, he stopped to visit my family, who was living in Colorado, on a Saturday afternoon. He was going to Florida to join the Navy; then he went to flying school there, and realized his dream of becoming a Navy pilot.

While he was in Florida, he married an absolutely beautiful woman. Not only was she beautiful, but she was intelligent. She was a psychologist. After they married, he was stationed in Hawaii. He became one of the chief pilots for the DC7 that took the Rear Admiral of the United States Navy all over the world visiting bases, but especially over the South Pacific.

So, he had the job of flying the Rear Admiral of the United States Navy all over the South Pacific; his wife was a professor of psychology at the University of Hawaii; they were stationed in Honolulu; they had it made! I mean, he had the kind of job, the kind of wife, the kind of life that men all over the world dream about but almost none of them ever have high status, high income, lots of friends, lots of official functions, lots of parties. But the saying goes, “Into each life, some rain must fall.”

One time when he was stateside, he was in a dreadful automobile accident. He was injured so badly that he was unconscious when he was taken to the Intensive Care Unit. Of course, his wife came to the hospital and talked with the physicians. They told her they did not know what would happen; they did not know if he would ever come to consciousness again, and if he did, whether or not he would have his faculties or if he would be a vegetable.

This beautiful, talented, intelligent lady knew lots of psychology, but she was not prepared for a situation like this. She could not handle it, so she divorced him. After the divorce, he did regain consciousness and improved, though he never could fly an airplane again because of the injuries he received.

This is what happens in this world when we make ourselves No. 1, but Jesus said, “If you gain your life, if you gain everything, you are going to lose it. But if you lose everything, if you lose your life, if you sacrifice your life for somebody else, you are going to keep your life unto life eternal.”

As a Mosquito

The greatest example of this is Jesus Himself. The more I study the story of Jesus, the more astonished I become. I am in absolute awe. I believe, personally, that I will tiptoe and walk in awe in His presence through all eternity, because I do not understand what He left. Talk about self-sacrifice! He did have everything. He had the whole universe, and He was not forced to come down here to earth. He was not ordered to come down here. He went to His Father and pled to come down here. He left everything¾the power and the glory.

There is no way to explain it. The best illustration I have ever heard is if you were to ask someone, “Do you want to become a mosquito?” That is pretty crude, I suppose. We just do not have any way to help people to understand what we are talking about when we talk about what He left behind to come down here to earth.

Jesus Christ is the only Person born in this world who planned out every detail of His life before He was born, with His Father. Every detail of His life was planned out before He ever came! It was not an accident that He was born in a stable. It was not an accident that He was born into a poor family.
It was not an accident that He was poor all of His life. Until He went to Jerusalem to die on the cross, He was one of the poorest men in Jerusalem. All He had left were His clothes, and they took those from Him. What was this all about? It was to teach us the principle that you sacrifice yourself for somebody else. Jesus said, “If you do not learn this, you will not have eternal life.”

A Happy Place

Now, what happens if you do learn the lesson? If you go to heaven, friend, here is what will happen. In this world, everybody is looking out for No. 1 first and, then, other people after that. But, in heaven, everybody is looking out for the happiness of somebody else. They get their joy and happiness from bringing joy and happiness to somebody else. So, everybody in the whole place will be interested in making someone else happy. It is a happy place!

When you are around somebody whose greatest desire is to give anything that they have to make you happy, then you are in a position to start to learn what heaven is about.

Ellen White said, concerning Jesus, that when He was here, “It was heaven to be in His presence.”
The Ministry of Healing, 18. Have you ever tried to analyze that? What was it that made it like heaven to be in His presence? Now, the road is going to get a little bit rough as we study this, so get your seat belt on!

The only people who are going to go to heaven are the people who are like Jesus Christ. Read Revelation 14:1-5; read 11 Corinthians 3:18; read 1 John 3:1-3. Now, Jesus Christ was a person, and it was heaven to be in His presence because of the self-sacrificing love that was in His heart. Remember, the spirit of self-sacrificing love is the spirit that pervades heaven, and it is the very essence of its bliss.

Now, notice carefully where we are going. Self-sacrificing love is the spirit that pervades heaven and is the very essence of its bliss. It was like heaven to be in Jesus’ presence, because He had that self-sacrificing love, and all the people who go to heaven will be people who are Christlike. They will have the spirit of self-sacrificing love like He had. Now, if we really have the spirit of self-sacrificing love like Jesus had, what will it be like to be in our presence? If you and I have become Christlike, it is going to be like heaven to be in our presence, because we have the spirit of self-sacrificing love inside.

The road is going to get rougher yet.

A Little Heaven

If the husband has the spirit of self-sacrificing love so that he is Christlike, it is going to be like heaven to be in his presence. If the wife has the spirit of self-sacrificing love like Jesus has, it is going to be like heaven to be in her presence. If both of them have the spirit of self-sacrificing love in their hearts, what is it going to be like in their home? Why, friend, it is going to be like heaven on earth!

I am glad Ellen White was so specific on this. “We may have a little heaven to go to heaven in, if Christ breathes upon us his Holy Spirit. His love will be with us, and we shall be acquainted with him, and can bring him into our families.” Review and Herald, April 21, 1891.

At another time, Mrs. White counseled: “Parents, make your home a little heaven on earth. You can do this, if you so choose. You can make home so pleasant and cheerful that it will be the most attractive place on earth to your children. Let them receive all the blessings of the household. You can so relate yourselves to God that His Spirit will abide in your home. Come close to the bleeding side of the Man of Calvary. Those who are partakers with Him in His sufferings will at last be partakers with Him in His glory.” Sermons and Talks, vol. 2, 200.

Now the road is going to get really hard.

Consequences

What if your home is not like a little heaven to go to heaven in? Oh, friend, this is what we did not want to hear. If your home is not like that, if your home is not a little heaven to go to heaven in, at least one of the people in that home cannot go to heaven in the condition in which they are right now. Something to think about, is it not?

This spirit of self-sacrificing love cannot be forced on anybody. A husband cannot force his wife to love him; a wife cannot force her husband to love her; parents cannot force their children to love them. You cannot force it. It cannot be commanded.

Ellen White wrote, “The exercise of force is contrary to the principles of God’s government; He desires only the service of love; and love cannot be commanded; it cannot be won by force or authority. Only by love is love awakened. To know God is to love Him; His character must be manifested in contrast to the character of Satan. This work only one Being in all the universe could do. Only He who knew the height and depth of the love of God could make it known.” The Desire of Ages, 22.

Let us consider this in a very practical way for a moment. Some of you will be able to relate to this because you have children. A human baby is born to be loved, but the baby does not understand very much about love. The mother is supposed to know about love, and if the mother knows about love, the mother starts giving love to the baby. It is a wonderful thing to see. Every day, several times a day, the mother gives love to the baby. It is expressed in many different ways¾by touching, by stroking, by the expression on the face, by the tone of the voice, by giving food, by giving water, by making the baby comfortable. There is a reason that God made human babies so they require a lot of care. It is in the process of receiving that care that they learn what love is.

But the time comes when the baby starts to really respond to the mother’s love. It is very interesting to see this response. Why is the baby responding to the mother’s love? Because the baby has received so much love from the mother that now this baby has love to give back to the mother.

Now, let me ask you a serious question, albeit an awful question, but we need to face reality. What if the baby is born to a woman who is angry and bitter and does not have very much love to give? Do you know what will happen?

Let us read about it: “The reason why there are so many hard-hearted men and women in our world, is because true affection has been regarded as weakness, and has been discouraged and repressed. The better part of the nature of those of this class was perverted and dwarfed in childhood; and unless rays of divine light can melt away their coldness and hard-hearted selfishness, the happiness of such is buried forever.” Review and Herald, June 22, 1886.

How awful this is! Their happiness is buried forever, unless divine love can break through that ice.

“If we would have tender hearts, such as Jesus had when he was upon the earth, and sanctified sympathy, such as the angels have for sinful mortals, we must cultivate the sympathies of childhood, which are simplicity itself. Then we shall be refined, elevated, and directed by heavenly principles.” Ibid.

There are people all around us (I do not say this to judge anyone) especially in our time much more so than 50 years ago, who are spiritually and emotionally crippled, and they will be spiritually and emotionally crippled until Jesus comes, because of the spiritual and emotional damage that was inflicted on them from babyhood up through childhood.

I am not saying that those people cannot be saved. God can save people whether or not they are physically crippled or spiritually and emotionally crippled, but the fact remains that in this world they are spiritually and emotionally crippled.

I mention these things to hopefully be a little bit of help to those of you who are parents of small children. Do not repress or neglect
to give affection to your small children. If you do, they will grow up to be hard-hearted men and women. They will be emotionally crippled for the rest of their lives in this world.

To be continued . . .

[Bible texts quoted are literal translation.]

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

Victory in Jesus, Part II

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Some of the hardest temptations to deal with are those that go with a natural drive or passion that God created but that has been perverted. They are hard because, for example, when gaining the victory over appetite you cannot just stop eating; you still have to eat some nourishment, unlike smoking where you must quit altogether.

“Of all the lessons to be learned from our Lord’s first great temptation none is more important than that bearing upon the control of the appetites and passions. In all ages, temptations appealing to the physical nature have been most effectual in corrupting and degrading mankind. Through intemperance, Satan works to destroy the mental and moral powers that God gave to man as a priceless endowment. Thus it becomes impossible for men to appreciate things of eternal worth. Through sensual indulgence, Satan seeks to blot from the soul every trace of likeness to God.

“The uncontrolled indulgence and consequent disease and degradation that existed at Christ’s first advent will again exist, with intensity of evil, before His Second Coming. Christ declares that the condition of the world will be as in the days before the Flood, and as in Sodom and Gomorrah. Every imagination of the thoughts of the heart will be evil continually. Upon the very verge of that fearful time we are now living, and to us should come home the lesson of the Saviour’s fast. Only by the inexpressible anguish which Christ endured can we estimate the evil of unrestrained indulgence. His example declares that our only hope of eternal life is through bringing the appetites and passions into subjection to the will of God.

“In our own strength it is impossible for us to deny the clamors of our fallen nature. Through this channel Satan will bring temptation upon us. Christ knew that the enemy would come to every human being, to take advantage of hereditary weakness, and by his false insinuations to ensnare all whose trust is not in God. And by passing over the ground which man must travel, our Lord has prepared the way for us to overcome. It is not His will that we should be placed at a disadvantage in the conflict with Satan. He would not have us intimidated and discouraged by the assaults of the serpent. ‘Be of good cheer,’ He says, ‘I have overcome the world.’ John 16:33.

“Let him who is struggling against the power of appetite look to the Saviour in the wilderness of temptation. See Him in His agony upon the cross, as He exclaimed, ‘I thirst.’ [John 19:28.] He has endured all that it is possible for us to bear. His victory is ours.” The Desire of Ages, 122, 123.

“Temptations to the indulgence of appetite possess a power which can be overcome only by the help that God can impart. But with every temptation, we have the promise of God that there shall be a way of escape. Why, then, are so many overcome? ¾It is because they do not put their trust in God. They do not avail themselves of the means provided for their safety. The excuses offered for the gratification of perverted appetite are therefore of no weight with God.” The Signs of the Times, August 10, 1915.

“Satan comes to man, as he came to Christ, with his overpowering temptations to indulge appetite. He well knows his power to overcome man upon this point. He overcame Adam and Eve in Eden upon appetite, and they lost their blissful home. What accumulated misery and crime have filled our world in consequence of the fall of Adam. Entire cities have been blotted from the face of the earth because of the debasing crimes and revolting iniquity that made them a blot upon the universe. Indulgence of appetite was the foundation of all their sins.” Counsels on Diet and Foods, 153.

“The strength of the temptation to indulge appetite can be measured only by the inexpressible anguish of our Redeemer in that long fast in the wilderness. He knew that the indulgence of perverted appetite would so deaden man’s perceptions that sacred things could not be discerned. Adam fell by the indulgence of appetite; Christ overcame by the denial of appetite. And our only hope of regaining Eden is through firm self-control. If the power of indulged appetite was so strong upon the race, that, in order to break its hold the divine Son of God, in man’s behalf, had to endure a fast of nearly six weeks, what a work is before the Christian! Yet, however great the struggle, he may overcome. By the help of that divine power which withstood the fiercest temptations that Satan could invent, he, too, may be entirely successful in his warfare with evil, and at last may wear the victor’s crown in the kingdom of God.

“Through appetite, Satan controls the mind and the whole being. Thousands who might have lived, have passed into the grave, physical, mental, and moral wrecks, because they sacrificed all their powers to the indulgence of appetite. The necessity for the men of this generation to call to their aid the power of the will, strengthened by the grace of God, in order to withstand the temptations of Satan, and resist the least indulgence of perverted appetite, is far greater than it was several generations ago. But the present generation have less power of self-control than had those who lived then.” Ibid., 167, 168.

“One of the strongest temptations that man has to meet is upon the point of appetite. Between the mind and the body there is a mysterious and wonderful relation. They react upon each other. To keep the body in a healthy condition to develop its strength, that every part of the living machinery may act harmoniously, should be the first study of our life. To neglect the body is to neglect the mind. It cannot be to the glory of God for His children to have sickly bodies or dwarfed minds. To indulge the taste at the expense of health is a wicked abuse of the senses. Those who engage in any species of intemperance, either in eating or drinking, waste their physical energies and weaken moral power. They will feel the retribution which follows the transgression of physical law.” Counsels on Health, 122.

“Few temptations are more dangerous or more fatal to young men than the temptation to sensuality, and none if yielded to will prove so decidedly ruinous to soul and body for time and eternity. The welfare of his entire future is suspended upon the decision of a moment.” Letters to Young Lovers, 69.

Solution to our Condition

In the Scriptures, victory through Jesus is promised to us: “But thanks [be] to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:57. “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1:12, 13. “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.” Romans 7:24, 25.

“While the sinner cannot save himself, he still has something to do to secure salvation. ‘Him that cometh to Me,’ says Christ, ‘I will in no wise cast out.’ John 6:37. But we must come to Him; and when we repent of our sins, we must believe that He accepts and pardons us. Faith is the gift of God, but the power to exercise it is ours. Faith is the hand by which the soul takes hold upon the divine offers of grace and mercy.

“Nothing but the righteousness of Christ can entitle us to one of the blessings of the covenant of grace. There are many who have long desired and tried to obtain these blessings, but have not received them, because they have cherished the idea that they could do something to make themselves worthy of them. They have not looked away from self, believing that Jesus is an all-sufficient Saviour. We must not think that our own merits will save us; Christ is our only hope of salvation. ‘For there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.’ Acts 4:12.

“When we trust God fully, when we rely upon the merits of Jesus as a sin-pardoning Saviour, we shall receive all the help that we can desire. Let none look to self, as though they had power to save themselves. Jesus died for us because we were helpless to do this. In Him is our hope, our justification, our righteousness. When we see our sinfulness we should not despond and fear that we have no Saviour, or that He has no thoughts of mercy toward us. At this very time He is inviting us to come to Him in our helplessness and be saved. . . .

“If we are conscious of our needs, we should not devote all our powers to mourning over them. While we realize our helpless condition without Christ, we are not to yield to discouragement, but rely upon the merits of a crucified and risen Saviour. Look and live. Jesus has pledged His word; He will save all who come unto Him. Though millions who need to be healed will reject His offered mercy, not one who trusts in His merits will be left to perish.

“Many are unwilling to accept of Christ until the whole mystery of the plan of salvation shall be made plain to them. They refuse the look of faith, although they see that thousands have looked, and have felt the efficacy of looking, to the cross of Christ. Many wander in the mazes of philosophy, in search of reasons and evidence which they will never find, while they reject the evidence which God has been pleased to give. They refuse to walk in the light of the Sun of Righteousness, until the reason of its shining shall be explained. All who persist in this course will fail to come to a knowledge of the truth. God will never remove every occasion for doubt. He gives sufficient evidence on which to base faith, and if this is not accepted, the mind is left in darkness. If those who were bitten by the serpents had stopped to doubt and question before they would consent to look, they would have perished. It is our duty, first, to look; and the look of faith will give us life.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 431, 432.

“We may resist temptation, and force Satan to depart from us. Jesus gained the victory through submission and faith in God, and by the apostle He says to us, ‘Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you.’ James 4:7, 8. We cannot save ourselves from the tempter’s power; he has conquered humanity, and when we try to stand in our own strength, we shall become a prey to his devices; but ‘the name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.’ Proverbs 18:10. Satan trembles and flees before the weakest soul who finds refuge in that mighty name.” The Desire of Ages, 130.

Our Part

“Let no man present the idea that man has little or nothing to do in the great work of overcoming; for God does nothing for man without his cooperation. Neither say that after you have done all you can on your part, Jesus will help you. Christ has said, ‘Without me ye can do nothing’ (John 15:5). From first to last man is to be a laborer together with God. Unless the Holy Spirit works upon the human heart, at every step we shall stumble and fall. Man’s efforts alone are nothing but worthlessness; but cooperation with Christ means a victory. Of ourselves we have no power to repent of sin. Unless we accept divine aid we cannot take the first step toward the Saviour. He says, ‘I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end’ (Revelation 21:6) in the salvation of every soul.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 381.

“Let my brethren be very careful how they present the subject of faith and works before the people, lest minds become confused. . . .

“Never leave the impression on the mind that there is little or nothing to do on the part of man; but rather teach man to cooperate with God, that he may be successful in overcoming.” A New Life, 38, 39.

Our Will

We must place our will on the side of God’s will. We must be willing to fight.

“Will man take hold of divine power, and with determination and perseverance resist Satan, as Christ has given him example in His conflict with the foe in the wilderness of temptation? God cannot save man against his will from the power of Satan’s artifices. Man must work with his human power, aided by the divine power of Christ, to resist and to conquer at any cost to himself. In short, man must overcome as Christ overcame. And then, through the victory that it is his privilege to gain by the all-powerful name of Jesus, he may become an heir of God and joint heir with Jesus Christ. This could not be the case if Christ alone did all the overcoming. Man must do his part; he must be victor on his own account, through the strength and grace that Christ gives him. Man must be a co-worker with Christ in the labor of overcoming.

“The victims of evil habit must be aroused to the necessity of making an effort for themselves. Others may put forth the most earnest endeavor to uplift them, the grace of God may be freely offered, Christ may entreat, His angels may minister; but all will be in vain unless they themselves are roused to fight the battle in their own behalf. . . .

“Those who put their trust in Christ are not to be enslaved by any hereditary or cultivated habit or tendency. Instead of being held in bondage to the lower nature, they are to rule every appetite and passion. God has not left us to battle with evil in our own finite strength. Whatever may be our inherited or cultivated tendencies to wrong, we can overcome through the power that He is ready to impart.

“The strongest temptation cannot excuse sin. However great the pressure brought to bear upon the soul, transgression is our own act. It is not in the power of earth or hell to compel anyone to do evil. Satan attacks us at our weak points, but we need not be overcome. However severe or unexpected the assault, God has provided help for us, and in His strength we may conquer.” God’s Amazing Grace, 254.

Faith in Jesus’ Merits

“To talk of religion in a casual way, to pray without soul hunger and living faith, avails nothing. A nominal faith in Christ, which accepts Him merely as the Saviour of the world, can never bring healing to the soul. The faith that is unto salvation is not a mere intellectual assent to the truth. He who waits for entire knowledge before he will exercise faith cannot receive blessing from God. It is not enough to believe about Christ; we must believe in Him. The only faith that will benefit us is that which embraces Him as a personal Saviour; which appropriates His merits to ourselves. Many hold faith as an opinion. Saving faith is a transaction by which those who receive Christ join themselves in covenant relation with God. Genuine faith is life. A living faith means an increase of vigor, a confiding trust, by which the soul becomes a conquering power.

“True faith is that which receives Christ as a personal Saviour. God gave His only-begotten Son, that I, by believing in Him, ‘should not perish, but have everlasting life’ (John 3:16). When I come to Christ, according to His word, I am to believe that I receive His saving grace. The life that I now live, I am to ‘live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me’ (Galatians 2:20).” Ibid., 140.

Keys for Help in Overcoming

1) We must not place ourselves in the way of temptation. The Bible tells us: “Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.” Psalm 34:14. “I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?” Job 31:1.

For example, we should not jump off a cliff and expect the law of gravity not to work. So it is with temptation. We do not go where there is temptation and expect not to fall.

“We must keep close to the word of God. We need its warnings and encouragement, its threatenings and promises. We need the perfect example given only in the life and character of our Saviour. Angels of God will preserve his people while they walk in the path of duty; but there is no assurance of such protection for those who deliberately venture upon Satan’s ground. An agent of the great deceiver will say and do anything to gain his object. . . . Pretending great interest in their welfare, he casts a spell over his unsuspecting victims, charming them as the serpent charms the trembling bird. Soon they are completely in his power, and sin, disgrace, and ruin are the terrible sequel.” Christian Temperance and Bible Hygiene, 115, 116.

2) If we are placed in the way of temptation because of circumstances, God will be with us as He was with Daniel and Joseph. 1 Corinthians 10:13.

“He who understands well his own character, who is acquainted with the sin that most easily besets him and the temptations that will be most likely to overcome him, should not expose himself needlessly, and invite temptation by placing himself upon the enemy’s ground. If duty calls him where circumstances are not favorable, he will have special help from God, and can thus go fully girded for a conflict with the enemy. Self-knowledge will save many from falling into grievous temptations, and prevent many an inglorious defeat. In order to become acquainted with ourselves, it is essential that we faithfully investigate the motives and principles of our conduct, comparing our actions with the standard of duty revealed in God’s word.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 517, 518.

3) We should notice situations that bring temptation and try to stay away from such situations as much as possible. If we are placed in temptation, we must immediately ask God for help. This involves self-knowledge; we must know about ourselves. “But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to [fulfil] the lusts [thereof].” Romans 13:14. “But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.” Galatians 6:4. “The wisdom of the prudent [is] to understand his way: but the folly of fools [is] deceit.” “The simple believeth every word: but the prudent [man] looketh well to his going.” “A prudent [man] foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.” Proverbs 13:8, 15; 22:3.

If your temptation is to drink beer or other alcoholic beverages, do not go into or by a pub or saloon. Do not place yourself in the way of temptation. Consider another example: Mom says to little Johnny, “Come home right after school today; do not stop to swim.” Johnny may agree and commit that he will be home right after school, but when he returns home late with wet hair and admits that he has been swimming, Mom wants to know why he did not keep his word. Johnny replies that he was tempted. Persisting, Mom asks, “Why did you take your swimming clothes with you?” To which Johnny says, “Because I thought I might be tempted!” Johnny made provision to fall into temptation.

[All emphasis added.]

To be continued . . .

Jana Grosboll serves Steps to Life as its Network Administrator. She may be contacted by e-mail at: janagrosboll@stepstolife.org.

The Essence of Heaven, Part II

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Ellen White counseled: “Parents, make your home a little heaven on earth. You can do this, if you so choose. . . . You can so relate yourselves to God that His Spirit will abide in your home. Come close to the bleeding side of the Man of Calvary. Those who are partakers with Him in His sufferings will at last be partakers with Him in His glory.” Sermons and Talks, vol. 2, 200. If your home is not a little heaven to go to heaven in, at least one of the people in that home cannot go to heaven in the condition in which they are right now.

Love Not Forced

The spirit of self-sacrificing love cannot be forced on anybody. A husband cannot force his wife to love him; a wife cannot force her husband to love her; parents cannot force children to love them. You cannot force it. It cannot be commanded.

Ellen White wrote, “The exercise of force is contrary to the principles of God’s government; He desires only the service of love; and love cannot be commanded; it cannot be won by force or authority. Only by love is love awakened. To know God is to love Him; His character must be manifested in contrast to the character of Satan. This work only one Being in all the universe could do. Only He who knew the height and depth of the love of God could make it known.” The Desire of Ages, 22.

Let us consider this in a very practical way for a moment. Some of you will be able to relate to this because you have children. Now, a human baby is born to be loved, but the baby does not understand very much about love. Some of the babies you see today you would think know nothing about love. Be that as it may be, no baby knows very much about love, but the mother is supposed to know about love, and if the mother knows about love, the mother starts giving love to the baby. It is a wonderful thing to see. Every day, several times a day, the mother gives love to the baby. It is expressed in many different ways¾by touching, by stroking, by the expression on the face, by the tone of the voice, by giving food, by giving water, by making the baby comfortable. There is a reason that God made human babies so they require a lot of care. It is in the process of receiving that care that they learn what love is.

But the time comes when the baby starts to really respond to the mother’s love. It is very interesting to see this response. Why is the baby responding to the mother’s love? Because the baby has received so much love from the mother that now this baby has love to give back to the mother.

Now, let me ask you a serious question, albeit an awful question, but we need to face reality. What if the baby is born to a woman who is angry and bitter and does not have very much love to give? Do you know what will happen?

Let us read about it: “The reason why there are so many hard-hearted men and women in our world, is because true affection has been regarded as weakness, and has been discouraged and repressed. The better part of the nature of those of this class was perverted and dwarfed in childhood; and unless rays of divine light can melt away their coldness and hard-hearted selfishness, the happiness of such is buried forever.” Review and Herald, June 22, 1886.

How awful this is! Their happiness is buried forever, unless Divine love can break through that ice.

“If we would have tender hearts, such as Jesus had when he was upon the earth, and sanctified sympathy, such as the angels have for sinful mortals, we must cultivate the sympathies of childhood, which are simplicity itself. Then we shall be refined, elevated, and directed by heavenly principles.” Ibid.

There are people all around us¾I do not say this to judge anyone¾especially in our time much more so than 50 years ago who are spiritually and emotionally crippled, and they will be spiritually and emotionally crippled until Jesus comes, because of the spiritual and emotional damage that was inflicted on them from babyhood up through childhood.

I am not saying that those people cannot be saved. God can save people whether or not they are physically crippled or spiritually and emotionally crippled, but the fact remains that in this world they are spiritually and emotionally crippled.

I mention these things to hopefully be a little bit of help to those of you who are parents of small children. Do not repress or neglect to give affection to your small children. If you do, they will grow up to be hard-hearted men and women. They will be emotionally crippled for the rest of their lives in this world.

Feminist Movement

The principle of sacrificing yourself for the good of others has special meaning and implications when discussing the marriage institution. Through my studies, I understand a little bit about what has happened in society since ancient Rome.

In the world today is something that is called the Feminist Movement. Most Seventh-day Adventist preachers seem to delight in condemning and criticizing the Feminist Movement. I am not saying that it is good; I am not trying to promote it, but I think it is right to recognize that it came as a reaction to a different extreme. What was the different extreme? Men said to their wives, “I am the head of the house; you do whatever I say.”

In my studies, I was shocked to see how different society was in the time of John Wesley (1703-1791). A man and his wife came to Wesley, the wife saying that her husband had been beating her. Wesley had a lady examine her, and sure enough, she was black and blue from her neck down to her feet. The husband declared, “I was full of faith while I was doing it,” and he was excused. His actions were considered to be all right. As an outgrowth of such action, some of the Methodist Christians decided that they needed to make a rule. This just shows you how far the human mind can go astray¾they decided that a man should not beat his wife with a rod that was thicker than his thumb. What kind of society was that?

It was in reaction to this kind of thinking that the Feminist Movement arose. The Feminist Movement, of course, goes to a different extreme. This whole idea of who is the boss, who is the greatest, and all this, is something that destroys the homes and marriages. It can destroy the whole universe if it gets out of hand.

Who Is In Control?

You see, that is part of the original controversy. Who is going to be boss? Jesus addressed this problem in Matthew 20:20-23, “Then there approached Him the mother of the sons of Zebedee with her sons, worshipping and desiring a certain thing from Him. And He said to her, ‘What do you want?’ She said to Him, ‘Grant in order that these my two sons may sit one at Your right hand and one at Your left in Your kingdom.’ Jesus answering said, ‘You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink of the cup that I am about to drink of, and the baptism that I am about to be baptized with?’ They say, ‘We are able.’ And He says to them, ‘You shall indeed drink of My cup and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it shall be given to those for whom it is prepared by My Father.’ ”

At the time Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, suffering in terrible agony, if He had gone to James and John and asked them, “Are you able to drink the cup that I am drinking, and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” they would not have been so self-confident. But now, although He did not promise that He was going to give this honor to them, it still aroused trouble in the church. The apostles got very angry about it. We are told in verse 24, “And the ten, hearing, were indignant concerning the two brothers.”

Why were they angry? Because they wanted the top position too! This is the same thing that happens in the family. The husband and wife are fighting about who is going to get the final say on something.

Just Great or No. 1

Matthew 20 continues: “Jesus called them and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the nations lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. But it shall not be like this among you, but whoever wishes among you to be great, let him be your deacon.’ ” Verse 25. (A deacon is a middle-class servant.)

What if you do not want to be just great; what if you want to be No. 1? Jesus said, “If you want to be great, become a servant,” but then He goes on to say, in verse 27, “And whoever wishes among you to be first, let him be your doulos.” Now, a doulos was not a middle-class servant; a doulos was a slave or a bondservant. That was the lowest level of servanthood.

If you want to be great, Christ said that you should be a diakonos, a deacon. But if you want to be first, be a doulos, a bondservant. Are you catching on to what Jesus is saying? If you just want to be great, you can be a servant, but if you really want to be great, then you need to go even lower in servanthood.

Jesus demonstrated this in His own life. Who was the Majesty of heaven? Jesus Christ. He was the Majesty of heaven. The Father called Him, My One and only One¾He is Mine, and I am well pleased with Him. (11 Peter 1:17.)

Christ was the Majesty of heaven. He was equal with God the Father. There are still Christians arguing about this today. I am not interested in arguing about it, if somebody does not believe it. Inspired writings are very clear, in my understanding, that Jesus Christ is equal with the Father. (See Philippians 2:6.)

The One that is in first place in the universe left it all, and He came down to this earth for a wretch like me. And then, after He came down, He went to the cross for me. When He died on the cross, He had gone as low as anybody could go. You cannot go lower than that in servanthood.

If you read the New Testament in the Greek language, you will find that when Paul addresses the Christian churches, he refers to himself as a doulos of Jesus Christ every time except one—when he refers to himself as a deacon. He considered himself to be a bondservant, a slave of Jesus Christ.

If you and I do not learn the lesson being given here, we will never be in the kingdom of heaven. We can keep the Sabbath; we can pay tithe; but if we do not learn this, we will not be in the kingdom of heaven. This is the very essence of heaven. This is the essence of its bliss.

I do not know about you, but when I studied this subject, I recognized that I am not ready to go to heaven. I need a change inside; do you? Before we are ever going to have heaven on the outside, we have to have heaven on the inside.

Our Great Need

I would like to illustrate for you our great need and the great lack that we have of learning this principle in Adventism, because I know that we do not have it. I am not judging anybody, but I am going to show you now how I know we do not have it. Consider the words of Ellen White:

“We, living far down the passage of ages, have the privilege of studying the Old Testament in connection with the New. Our faith and courage should be strong as we see prophecies fulfilling. But how many there are who are unbelieving. How many there are who reveal selfishness and unkindness in their dealings with one another. How many professing Christians seem never to be satisfied unless they are engaged in strife. How many home circles are broken because the members receive and act upon Satan’s suggestions.

“No unpleasant words are spoken in heaven. There no unkind thoughts are cherished. There envy, evil surmising, hatred, and strife find no place. Perfect harmony pervades the heavenly courts.

“Well does Satan know what heaven is, and what the influence of the angels is. His work is to bring into every family the cruel elements of self-will, harshness, selfishness. Thus he seeks to destroy the happiness of the family. He knows that the spirit governing in the home will be brought into the church.

“Let the father and mother always be guarded in their words and actions. The husband is to treat his wife, the mother of his children, with due respect, and the wife is to love and reverence her husband. How can she do this if he treats her like a servant, to be dictated to, ordered about, scolded, found fault with before the children? He is forcing her to dislike him and even to hate him.

“May God help fathers and mothers to open the windows of the soul heavenward and let the sunshine of Christ into the homelife. Unless they do this, they will be surrounded by a mist and fog most injurious to spirituality.

“Fathers and mothers, bring sweetness and brightness and hopefulness into the lives of your children. Kindness and love will work wonders. Never punish a child in anger. When you do this, you are acting like grown-up children, who have not left behind them the unreasonableness of childhood. Will you strive earnestly to be able to say, ‘When I became a man, I put away childish things’?” The Upward Look, 163.

In every family the devil is trying to do something. He is trying to bring in dissension and the cruel principles of selfishness, because he knows that if he can bring his principles in¾that includes the principle where I am No. 1, and you have to make me happy—it will destroy the happiness of the family.

Devil’s Success

As a pastor, I visit families all over when I travel. I am sorry to tell you that the devil has been very successful among Seventh-day Adventist Christians. He has been so successful that the divorce rate among Seventh-day Adventists is about the same as it is in the world. (<en.allexperts.com/q/Seventh-Day-Adventists-2318/biblical-inquiry.htm> June 4, 2007.) If your home is a little heaven to go to heaven in, do you suppose divorce is going to happen? No, it will not.

Why is the devil so hard at work in every single family to bring in the cruel principles of selfishness, dissension, arguing and strife, and destroy the happiness of the family?

Ellen White, as we read in the book The Upward Look, has told us exactly what his goal and his objective is. He is not trying to bring in dissension and the cruel principles of selfishness and strife just because he wants to destroy your family. He has something much bigger in mind. She says that the devil knows that the same principles worked out in people’s families will be worked out in the church.

Now, let us think this through. If every family in the church has a little heaven to go to heaven in, because they are practicing the principles of self-sacrificing love with each other, then when all the families get together, is it going to be like hell or heaven? Of course, it is going to be like heaven! But the devil knows that whatever principles are acted out at home will be acted out in church.

As I travel and preach at different churches, I find that the churches are experiencing terrible trouble with strife and dissension. What does that tell us? We do not have to be real intelligent; we do not have to have a college education to figure it out; we do not have to be prophets. If there is strife and dissension in the church, that tells us that there is strife and dissension in the homes of the people in that church. What does that mean? It means we are not yet ready to go to heaven.

Prayer Needed

We have some praying to do. We need to pray that the Holy Spirit will come in and change our hearts. There is a passage from Ellen White’s writings that I repeat to myself every day: “The part of the Christian is to persevere in overcoming every fault. Constantly he is to pray to the Saviour to heal the disorders of his sin-sick soul.” The Acts of the Apostles, 532. I have told the Lord that if He has told me to pray that constantly, I am going to do it.

Do you want the disorders of your sin-sick soul to be healed? Oh, I want to tell you that when the disorder of the sin-sick soul of the wife is healed and when the disorder of the sin-sick soul of the husband is healed, something will change in the family. It will no longer be like purgatory in the home.

There will be a change within the church too. We are going to experience what the early believers called “the fellowship of the saints.” “We are to engage earnestly in a spiritual warfare which we do not consider as we should, and we fail to appreciate what it means. The confederacy of evil is arrayed against those who would fight the battles of the Lord.

“But we battle not alone. The fellowship of the saints in light is ours, the championship of the hosts of heaven is ours, and more than angels are on our side; for leading the ranks of his armies is the Captain of the Lord’s hosts. He is Commander of the battle, and as he leads his army to the fields of action, his voice is heard above the din of the battle and the strife, ‘Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ [John 16:33.] Our leader is a conqueror. Advance, then, to victory.” Review and Herald, March 14, 1893.

May we learn the lesson of self-sacrificing love, which is the very essence of the bliss of heaven.

[Bible texts quoted are literal translation.]

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

Victory in Jesus, Part III

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Last month (September 2007), we began a review of keys that will help us to overcome temptation and sin. The first three are:

1) We must not place ourselves in the way of temptation. The Bible tell us: “Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.” Psalm 34:14. “I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?” Job 31:1.

2) If we are placed in the way of temptation because of circumstances, God will be with us as He was with Daniel and Joseph. (1 Corinthians 10:13.)

3) We should notice situations that bring temptation and try to stay away from such situations as much as possible. For instance, If you are impatient, perhaps it is because you are intemperate. “It is impossible for intemperate persons to be patient. They must first reform bad habits, learn to live healthfully, and then it will not be difficult for them to be patient.” Mind, Character, and Personality, vol. 2, 393.

God allows us to struggle or to suffer sometimes so we may gain the victory. You may have noticed that this was often the case in the examples given in the Bible. For instance, God saved Daniel in the lions’ den, not from it.

Self-Knowledge

“He who understands well his own character, who is acquainted with the sin which most easily besets him, and the temptations that will be most likely to overcome him, should not expose himself needlessly and invite temptation by placing himself upon the enemy’s ground. . . . Self-knowledge will save many from falling into grievous temptations, and prevent many an inglorious defeat. In order to become acquainted with ourselves, it is essential that we faithfully investigate the motives and principles of our conduct, comparing our actions with the standard of duty revealed in God’s word.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 517.

“To know one’s self is great knowledge. . . . Self-knowledge leads to humility and trust in God; but it does not take the place of efforts for self-improvement. He who realizes his own deficiencies should spare no pains to reach the highest possible standard of physical, mental, and moral excellence.” Special Testimonies on Education, 50.

“True self-knowledge will lead to a humility that will allow the Lord to train the mind, and mold and discipline the character. The grace of humility is greatly needed by the workers for Christ in this period of the world’s history.” Fundamentals of Christian Education, 525.

“You need to cultivate watchfulness and humility, and to be diligent in prayer. The more closely you live to God, the more clearly will you discern your weaknesses and your dangers. A practical view of the law of God, a clear discernment of the atonement of Christ, will give you a knowledge of yourselves and will show you wherein you fail to perfect Christian character. In short, you . . . need a daily experience in God’s will concerning you. When you see your great spiritual lack you will realize the fact that human depravity, specified in the word of God, is true in your experience. . . .

“Self-knowledge you need so much. The ignorance of your own hearts leads you to overlook the necessity of a daily, living experience in the divine life. In a degree you overlook the necessity of having a divine influence constantly with you. . . . If you neglect this, and pass on in self-confidence and self-sufficiency, you will be left to make very great blunders. You need constantly to cherish lowliness of mind and a spirit of dependence. He who feels his own weakness will look higher than himself and will feel the need of constant strength from above. The grace of God will lead him to exercise and cherish a spirit of constant gratitude. He who is best acquainted with his own weakness will know that it is the matchless grace of God alone that will triumph over the rebellion of the heart.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 321, 322.

Self-Examination

“Many are in danger, after having preached to others, of themselves becoming castaways; for they do not see the importance of self-knowledge; they do not watch and pray lest they enter into temptation. By watchfulness and prayer they might become acquainted with those points in their character where they are most easily overcome by the enemy; by resistance of every attack, their weak points might become their strong points. Every follower of Christ should daily examine himself, and by constant prayer arm himself for conflict.

“There are many who neglect self-examination. This neglect is positively dangerous.” Review and Herald, July 30, 1901.

“The self-abasement manifested by the publican [Luke 18:10-13] is wholly acceptable to God. To know ourselves is to be humble. Self-knowledge will take away all disposition to entertain the Most High with a recital of our own excellent qualities. Realizing our sins and imperfections, we shall come to the feet of Jesus with earnest supplication, and our petitions will not be passed by unheard.” The Signs of the Times, February 19, 1885.

Practical Example

I remember as a child that when my family would be preparing to travel I was always ready to go before everyone else. I would have my bags packed, and I would be sitting in the car waiting on the others. I love to travel, and it does not take too much time for me to be ready. When I am ready, I have a hard time waiting for others.

I used to wonder why it took so long for everyone to get ready to go; it seemed like forever when I was young. As I grew older, I began to realize why it took so long to get our family on the road. First we had to mow the lawn, water the trees, change the oil in the car, clean the kitchen, pack a lunch and other food items, pick up in the house, and whatever else needed to be done. I soon realized that if I helped to get these things done around the house, we would get on the road sooner, and I would forget my frustration, because I would be busy. I also realized that other people in our house really liked the help. Instead of being impatient, waiting for people to be ready to go, I was making them happy by being helpful. Instead of being frustrated with everyone and the situation, I was happy.

Now, consider these additional keys to overcoming.

Where Temptation Starts

4) Temptation to sin starts in the mind. We must be ready to fight when the thought enters. Temptation is not a sin. Just because we are tempted with bad thoughts and sin does not mean that we are not Christians. Temptation is a problem when we yield to it. (11 Corinthians 10:5, 6.)

“All are free moral agents. And as such they must bring their thoughts to run in the right channel. Their meditations should be of that nature which will elevate their minds, and make Jesus and heaven the subjects of their thoughts. Here is a wide field in which the mind can safely range. If Satan seeks to divert the mind from this to low and sensual things, bring it back again, and place it on eternal things; and when the Lord sees the determined effort made to retain only pure thoughts, he will attract the mind, like the magnet, and purify the thoughts, and enable them to cleanse themselves from every secret sin. . . . The first work for those who would reform, is to purify the imagination. If the mind is led out in a vicious direction, it must be restrained to dwell only upon pure and elevated subjects. When tempted to yield to a corrupt imagination, then flee to the throne of grace and pray for strength from Heaven. In the strength of God the imagination can be restricted to dwell upon things which are pure and heavenly.” An Appeal to Mothers, 29.

Avoid Idleness

5) A key to overcoming is to stay busy, so you do not have time to be looking for temptation. Idleness is not sanctioned in the Bible. (See 11 Thessalonians 3:10; Proverbs 6:6-11; 24:30-34; Matthew 25:26; Hebrews 6:12; Genesis 3:19.) We are given the blessing of work to keep us from idleness.

“God could not have inflicted a greater curse upon men and women than to doom them to live a life of inaction. Idleness will destroy soul and body. The heart, the moral character, and physical energies are enfeebled. The intellect suffers, and the heart is open to temptation as an open avenue to sink into every vice. The indolent man tempts the devil to tempt him.” Our High Calling, 222.

“Law and service are a part of every true life. Idleness is sin. Money is supposed to carry its possessor above service, and because a man has money he is allowed to spend his time in idleness. But the devil engages all such in the meanest kind of work. It is the Lord who has a right to our service. The more an individual lives for himself, and the less for the good of others the less noble and pure will he be in his own life. His moral power degenerates while living for himself. Compare that idle life with the one who looks his responsibilities in the face, and takes up his life work for God and for his fellowmen.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 12, 237.

“Idleness and riches make the heart hard that has never been oppressed by want or burdened by sorrow. The love of pleasure was fostered by wealth and leisure, and the people [of Sodom] gave themselves up to sensual indulgence. ‘Behold,’ says the prophet, ‘this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty, and committed abomination before Me: therefore I took them away as I saw good.’ Ezekiel 16:49, 50. There is nothing more desired among men than riches and leisure, and yet these gave birth to the sins that brought destruction upon the cities of the plain. Their useless, idle life made them a prey to Satan’s temptations, and they defaced the image of God, and became satanic rather than divine. Idleness is the greatest curse that can fall upon man, for vice and crime follow in its train. It enfeebles the mind, perverts the understanding, and debases the soul. Satan lies in ambush, ready to destroy those who are unguarded, whose leisure gives him opportunity to insinuate himself under some attractive disguise. He is never more successful than when he comes to men in their idle hours.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 156.

6) Do not become discouraged if it takes a long time to overcome. (See Mark 16:9; Luke 18:1-8.)

“Mary [Magdalene] had been looked upon as a great sinner, but Christ knew the circumstances that had shaped her life. He might have extinguished every spark of hope in her soul, but He did not. It was He who had lifted her from despair and ruin. Seven times she had heard His rebuke of the demons that controlled her heart and mind. She had heard His strong cries to the Father in her behalf. She knew how offensive is sin to His unsullied purity, and in His strength she had overcome.

“When to human eyes her case appeared hopeless, Christ saw in Mary capabilities for good. He saw the better traits of her character. The plan of redemption has invested humanity with great possibilities, and in Mary these possibilities were to be realized. Through His grace she became a partaker of the divine nature. . . .

“Jesus knows the circumstances of every soul. You may say, I am sinful, very sinful. You may be; but the worse you are, the more you need Jesus. He turns no weeping, contrite one away. He does not tell to any all that He might reveal, but He bids every trembling soul take courage. Freely will He pardon all who come to Him for forgiveness and restoration. . . . He is today standing at the altar of incense, presenting before God the prayers of those who desire His help.

“The souls that turn to Him for refuge, Jesus lifts above the accusing and the strife of tongues. No man or evil angel can impeach these souls. Christ unites them to His own divine-human nature. They stand beside the great Sin Bearer, in the light proceeding from the throne of God.” Conflict and Courage, 309.

“When temptations assail you, as they surely will, when care and perplexity surround you, when, distressed and discouraged, you are almost ready to yield to despair, look, O look, to where with the eye of faith you last saw the light; and the darkness that encompasseth you will be dispelled by the bright shining of His glory. When sin struggles for the mastery in your soul, and burdens the conscience, when unbelief clouds the mind, go to the Saviour. His grace is sufficient to subdue sin. He will pardon us, making us joyful in God.” God’s Amazing Grace, 259.

Invasion of Normandy

During World War II and the invasion of Normandy, some rangers were sent to the beach head ahead of the ground troops to disable the German guns. Unfortunately, they got a little off course and were late to their target, giving the Germans time to spot them and to be prepared for them. Consequently, instead of a surprise attack, the Germans were ready for them. As they came up the embankment, the Germans started shooting at them. One of the men who was in that group of rangers said that even though they were late and the Germans were shooting at them, they had to keep going and get their mission accomplished or more soldiers would die. So they kept at their assigned duty. We must have the same determination. If we give up, we will lose the battle.

Sir Winston Churchill once declared, “This is the lesson: never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.” <www.winstonchurchhill.org> July 22, 2007.

Stay Focused

7) We must keep our focus in the right direction instead of looking at the hopelessness of a situation. (See Matthew 19:29.) Look at the big picture! Is there anything to which we want to cling and for which we would give up heaven? Is there any experience too hard to pass through to make it to heaven?

“Oh! we must be terribly in earnest to impress upon every soul that there is a heaven to win and a hell to shun. Every energy of the soul must be aroused to force their passage, and seize the kingdom by force. Satan is active, and we must be active too. Satan is untiring and persevering, and we must be the same. There is no time to make excuses and blame others for our backslidings; no time now to flatter the soul [that] if circumstances had only been more favorable, how much better, how much easier [it would be] for us to work the works of God. We must tell even those who profess to believe in Christ, that they must cease to offend God by sinful excuses.

“Jesus has provided for every emergency. If they will walk where He leads the way, He will make rough places plain. He, with His experience, will create an atmosphere for the soul. He closes the door and brings the soul into seclusion with God, and the needy soul is to forget everyone and everything, but God. Satan will talk with him, but speak aloud to God and He will drive back the hellish shadow of Satan. With humble, subdued, thankful hearts they will come forth saying, ‘Thy gentleness hath made me great.’ [Psalm 18:35.] The sincere seeker comes forth from the alliance with God, rich in the assurance of His love, to go forth to distill a heavenly prayer wherever he goes. He can talk of the righteousness of Christ; he can talk [of] the love of God with sincerity. He has trusted and he knows the Lord is good.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 12, 336, 337.

“What is our aim? . . . Victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of terror; victory, however long the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival.” Sir Winston Churchill. <ezinearticles.com> July 22, 2007.

Memorize Promises

8) Memorize the promises in God’s Word and start to repeat them when tempted. “But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. Blessed [art] thou, O Lord: teach me thy statutes. With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth. I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as [much as] in all riches. I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways. I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.” Matthew 4:4; Psalm 119:11-16.

“Jesus met Satan with the words of Scripture. ‘It is written,’ He said. In every temptation the weapon of His warfare was the word of God. Satan demanded of Christ a miracle as a sign of His divinity. But that which is greater than all miracles, a firm reliance upon a ‘Thus saith the Lord,’ was a sign that could not be controverted. So long as Christ held to this position, the tempter could gain no advantage.” The Desire of Ages, 120.

“Compared with the Word, everything else is weakness itself. The Word of God is the weapon of our warfare. Educate, train the people to be doers of the Word, and they will then abide in Christ, and Christ will abide in them. Then they will discern the delusions of Satan; they will not be ignorant of his devices.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 14, 188.

If It Offends

9) A Bible principle states: “If thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast [it] from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not [that] thy whole body should be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast [it] from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not [that] thy whole body should be cast into hell.” Matthew 5:29, 30. In the Bible, it states that if your hand offends you to cut it off. For example, the right kind of music can be helpful and the wrong kind a hindrance. If the music to which you are listening is not helping in your spiritual experience, then perhaps it should be cut off and cast away.

In a personal testimony, Ellen White counseled: “The character of your music was not such as to encourage elevated thoughts or feelings, but rather to degenerate.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 321.

“Probably the most conspicuous ancient thought about music is the doctrine of ethos, which describes the effects of sound on human behaviour [sic] and therefore its moral influence. Aristotle, in his Politics, explains how the different kinds of music, imitating specific feelings (anger, kindness, love), can affect a human being with the same kind of feelings. Therefore, says Aristotle, someone who listens to the wrong kind of music will grow up to be a bad person, and vice-versa. Consequently, Aristotle (and also Plato) recommended the right kind of music in the education of young citizens.” <http://www.guitarpress.com> July 22, 2007.

“One reason that there is not more sincere piety and religious fervor, is because the mind is occupied with unimportant things and there is no time to meditate, search the Scriptures, or pray. If the consciences can be aroused to see the errors in the preparation of the food, and the influence upon the moral tendencies of our nature, there would be in every family decided reforms. Intemperance in desire resulted to our first parents in the loss of Eden. We generally find, even among Seventh-day Adventists, that inclination; habit; delicate, unhealthful preparations in cooking; and unhealthful habits of dress are weakening physical, mental, and moral efficiency, and making it impossible to overcome temptation. Now what shall we do? This subject is a sadly neglected matter. . . .” Counsels to Writers and Editors, 125.

“Envy, malice, evil thinking, evilspeaking, covetousness¾these are weights that the Christian must lay aside if he would run successfully the race for immortality. Every habit or practice that leads into sin and brings dishonor upon Christ must be put away, whatever the sacrifice. The blessing of heaven cannot attend any man in violating the eternal principles of right. One sin cherished is sufficient to work degradation of character and to mislead others.

“ ‘If thy hand cause thee to stumble,’ the Saviour said, ‘Cut it off: it is good for thee to enter into life maimed, rather than having thy two hands to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire. And if thy foot cause thee to stumble, cut it off: it is good for thee to enter into life halt, rather than having thy two feet to be cast into hell.’ Mark 9:43-45, R.V. If to save the body from death, the foot or the hand should be cut off, or even the eye plucked out, how much more earnest should the Christian be to put away sin, which brings death to the soul!” The Acts of the Apostles, 312, 313.

“Any habit or practice that would lead into sin, and bring dishonor upon Christ, would better be put away, whatever the sacrifice. That which dishonors God cannot benefit the soul. The blessing of heaven cannot attend any man in violating the eternal principles of right. And one sin cherished is sufficient to work the degradation of the character, and to mislead others.” The Desire of Ages, 439.

[All emphasis added.]

To be continued . . .

Jana Grosboll serves Steps to Life as its Network Administrator. She may be contacted by e-mail at: janagrosboll@stepstolife.org.

How to Overcome the Devil, Part I

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We do not know from day to day when the Lord may call us to a different job, to a different location, to a different country. He may call different individuals as workers in various parts of the world, but each one, as a stone in the wall, is building up the work of God. For each of us to do our part in His work, we must develop characters that will see us through any and every circumstance that may come into our lives. In this article, we will look at developing that experience that is going to get us through to the heavenly kingdom.

A Deceiving Dragon

“So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” Revelation 12:9.

Why do we have worries and disasters, tears, sorrow, pain, suffering, and death? The answer is given in this verse¾because Satan was cast out to this earth. There is a dragon, called the Devil and Satan, loose in this world, reeking havoc.

This text tells us that he deceives the whole world. Every man and woman who has ever been born has been deceived at some time by this arch deceiver.

Satan was cast out to the earth, and he was not cast out alone. The angels wbo chose to believe him were cast out with him. Together they go about to deceive the whole world.

If only we could just faintly, even in a small degree, understand the significance of this clause, “deceives the whole world.” Satan deceives. He has deceived you, and he has deceived me. In fact, every time we sin we have been deceived by Satan, deceived into thinking that his plan is superior to God’s plan. For whatever reason, he deceives us by one means or another, and he has many ways of deceiving.

Master Deceiver

Satan is a master artist of deception. From the time you were born, he has been studying your life. He has a careful record of your life.

At one time, I studied the Bible with a lady whose six-year-old daughter had recently passed away. Oh, how she grieved over the death of that daughter.

In her house there was a stairway leading up to the second story where the bedrooms were located. As she climbed those stairs one day, she looked up towards her daughter’s bedroom and there at the head of the stairs, for one fleeting moment she saw her daughter standing there looking at her and smiling, and then she vanished away. This mother just knew that her daughter was alright, that she was in heaven and had come down to give her assurance and peace.

This lady knew then that the Bible was wrong¾or at least the way we were interpreting the state of the dead was wrong. Of course, it was no one’s interpretation; it was what the Bible says! “The dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.” Ecclesiastes 9:5.

But because of this experience, she decided that everything else she had learned in the Bible was wrong. She rejected everything. She was deceived. The devil knew right where to strike at her heart to bring the deception that will cost her salvation, unless she chooses to change sometime.

Master File

Satan has a master file of your life. He has traced every event of your life. He has it all on his computer memory. He has studied it; his angels who are concerned with you have studied it. They know your special desires; they know your special weaknesses. They know your felt needs; they know your insecurities. They know your weaknesses; they know what offends and what irritates you the easiest. They know it all.

I often ask people, Is there anything or any circumstance in the world that could cause you to be lost? Is there anything that could cause you to give up the truth, cause you to be lost? If you know of anything in life that could cause you to give up your salvation, rest assured that Satan is going to use all his power to bring that very thing about in your life. He is here to cause your destruction.

Young lady, what is it that could cause you to be lost? Is it your looks? Are you proud of your looks? Could somebody come along and flatter you and sweep you off your feet, as the serpent did Eve? “It was Satan that spoke, not the serpent. Eve was beguiled, flattered, infatuated.” The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 1, 36. Satan first flattered her to gain her confidence. Are there needs in your life? Are you lonely at times? Do you need some kind of attention and affection? If the right young man should come along, could he cause your eternal destruction? Could he cause you to give up what you know to be right in the area of being unequally yoked? Could he cause you to transgress?

God wants you to be fulfilled; He wants you to be happy; but rest assured that if there is something you need or desire desperately, Satan will seek to fulfill it first.

You will be tested. What is it that could cause you to be lost? Is it money, or is it lack of money? Is it position, or is it lack of position? Is it vain philosophy, or is it something in the church? Is it somebody talking about somebody or is it something that the Nominating Committee could do? What is it that could cause your loss of confidence in God? What is it that could cause you to give up your experience?

Satan has a temptation – probably more than one – that is tailor made for you. Your temptation will probably not be the same as my temptation, because Satan knows that your temptation probably would not work on me. I have temptations, but my temptations probably will not be the same as your temptations, because mine are tailor made. Satan knows that the temptations he brings me probably would not work with you.

If anyone has the idea that you can get to those pearly gates by being spoon fed all the way, it will not, cannot happen. Someday, some way, we must take the field of the battle and meet the devil face to face alone, as far as humanity is concerned. However, we are never truly alone, because God’s power is ever with us if we choose and ask for it.

We must meet the battle of life, and we must be individually conquerors.

Where God Leads

And so it says, in Revelation 12:9, “The great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world.”

Yet there was One who was not deceived. Of all the people who have ever lived in the world, only One has never been deceived, Christ Jesus. At the same time, there has never been anyone who has been tempted more than He has.

As mentioned previously, Satan has a file folder on us that includes anything we have ever done. He knows what it is that can bring us to destruction, if it is possible. But for Christ, Satan had prepared for 4,000 years. He used all of his computers in figuring out how to cause Him to be lost. He put all of his energy into Christ’s destruction, into His deception. He knew Him like a book, and there in the wilderness he met Him face to face. He had been seeking to weaken Him, to cause Him to give up His faith and confidence, from the time He was born, but the time was right for that face to face confrontation that we must all meet some place, some time.

For 40 days Christ was without food. He had been led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 4:1, Mark 1:12; Luke 4:1.) He went where the Holy Spirit told Him to go. We all know, do we not, that if we go where God leads us, He will take care of us? The Bible assures us that our food and water will be sure. (See Isaiah 33:16.)

Jesus went where God led Him and left Him. He trusted His Father implicitly and completely to provide for His needs. He had a bed at home in Nazareth, and food awaited Him there, but that is not where God led Him. God led Him out to a wilderness in a foreign country, and there He left Him without food and shelter.

The Bible account of this experience states that there were also wild beasts in the wilderness. Christ was there without any visible means of protection. What should He do when the nighttime came? There was nothing to do but to lie down in the sand and go to sleep. When the morning came, the children of Israel, when they were led out into the wilderness, found a dew-like material that was food, manna, on the ground, but when Jesus awoke there was no manna.

When Elijah was sent out by the brook, ravens brought him food (1 Kings 17:1-6), but there were no ravens with food in their mouths when Jesus was in the wilderness. He knew all the promises in the Bible; He knew all the experiences of the Bible; He knew all the events of the Bible. He knew how God had cared for those before Him, but care was not given to Him. However, there He stayed, day after day.

Jesus was unique in that He had the power to provide for Himself, yet God had ordained that He should come down and live as a man among men and that He would trust in Him completely, and Him only, for His sustenance. That is what we have to do. Jesus could not be our example if He made things for Himself, if He so took care of Himself. He had to depend explicitly on God.

Day after day Jesus continued to pray and trust.

Temptation of Appetite

We do not know what all Satan said to Christ in the wilderness, but he was and still is a master deceiver. “And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, ‘If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.’ ” Matthew 4:2, 3. Ellen White, writing of this trying time, states:

“As man could not, in his human strength, resist the power of Satan’s temptations, Jesus volunteered to undertake the work, and bear the burden for man, and overcome the power of appetite in his behalf. He must show in man’s behalf, self-denial and perseverance, and firmness of principle that is paramount to the gnawing pangs of hunger. He must show a power of control over appetite stronger than hunger and even death.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 272.

“All was lost when Adam yielded to the power of appetite. The Redeemer, in whom was united both the human and the divine, stood in Adam’s place, and endured a terrible fast of nearly six weeks. The length of this fast is the strongest evidence of the extent of the sinfulness and power of debased appetite upon the human family.” Ibid.

Suppose you had gone a week or even two weeks without food. You had been praying day and night that God would take care of you; you had been claiming the promises of the Word of God. All you had in the house was a little tithe money, and an angel appeared to you and said, “The Lord has heard your prayer. He wants you to take the tithe money and buy yourself some food.”

Might it be a temptation to believe that was from God?

Jesus Not Deceived

Why was it that Jesus was not deceived like we usually are? The answer is given in 11 Thessalonians 2:8-10: “And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the [lawless one] is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.”

This passage clearly states that Satan possesses glory and power. It looks like righteousness, but in actuality it is unrighteousness. It is a deception. The Bible says that Satan comes down as an angel of light; he has power to work miracles. (See 11 Corinthians 11:14; Matthew 24:24.)

Jesus loved truth more than He loved life itself. He would rather die than sacrifice one precept of the Bible, sacrifice one aspect of truth.

All This May Be Yours

From the wilderness, the devil took Christ to the pinnacle of the temple. He again tempted Him, saying, “Demonstrate Your faith. Show me your faith.” (Matthew 4:5-7.)

Then he led Him out to the side of a hill and, from that elevated site, showed Him the kingdoms of the world. There they were laid out in all their glory¾the marble, the gold, the silver. Christ could see the most beautiful portions of Pompeii, of Rome, of Jerusalem, of Alexandria, and the other great cities of the day¾the seaport cities, the inland cities, the cities of India. He could see them all, with the mosques and temples, the gardens, and the hanging gardens.

He could see the people there, the beautiful women, the men, and the little children. Oh, Satan knew how He would love to hold the children on His lap and take them to heaven with Him. How He loved those children, those for whom He came to die and to save. Satan chided, “They are all Yours. I give them to You. I will quit deceiving them. You can have them all. You can be their King and Master; after all, that is why You came. All You need to do is bow down and worship me; just bow on one knee; that will do.” (Verses 8, 9.)

Perhaps Jesus turned from the panoramic scene of the kingdoms of the world to view another scene, the scene of Himself on a narrow path strewn with stones, thorns, and thistles. There was blood upon those rocks, and as that path stretched tortuously up, at the top of that path He saw a cross with splinters in it, and hanging on that cross was a man, and as He looked, He recognized that it was Himself.

Ah, there was a choice¾a mere act of homage or the cross. I am so happy that Jesus chose the cross, for it was through that choice that He gained the victory over temptation, gained the victory over deception, gained the victory over Satan, and brought us victory. For it is in that blood that we can be saved, that we can find salvation from the temptation and the deceptions of Satan.

Do you spend time at the cross every day? Do you suppose that you can overcome Satan on your own? Do you think you are strong enough to do so? There at the cross of Calvary Satan was overcome. That is where we must go if we want to find victory over Satan. If we want to be undeceived, we must go to the cross too.

To be continued . . .

Steps to Life was founded by Pastor Marshall Grosboll and his wife Lillian. In 1987, a television program was developed and started to air on the local Wichita, Kansas, television station. A Bible Correspondence School was also started which still exists today. Returning from a camp meeting in July 1991 held in Washington state, Marshall and his family met with tragedy as the airplane he was piloting went down, killing all aboard including his wife and two young children.

The Worthlessness of Creature Merit, Part I

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Ellen White stated that preachers should talk about the subject matter given in this article more than any other subject. It is something so simple that a little child can understand it, but the adults have difficulty understanding it. Jesus said one time that unless you receive the kingdom of heaven as a little child, you will not enter in. (Mark 10:15; Luke 18:17.) This is a subject with which adults, especially people like ministers, theologians, and those who have studied religion for a long time, have lots of trouble. The subject is the answer to this question: What must I do to be saved?

Regarding this question, Ellen White wrote: “In every congregation in the land there are souls unsatisfied, hungering and thirsting for salvation. By day and by night, the burden of their hearts is, What shall I do to be saved? They listen eagerly to popular discourses, hoping to learn how they may be justified before God. But too often they hear only a pleasing speech, an eloquent declamation. There are sad and disappointed hearts in every religious gathering.” Review and Herald, March 8, 1881. These disappointed individuals want to know whether or not they can be saved, and if so, how. Some of them think they cannot be saved because they are too wicked.

Zechariah 13:1 reads, “In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.” There is going to be opened, according to the prophet Zechariah, a fountain to Israel and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.

We are living in the time when that fountain has been opened and anybody, even the worst sinner, can be cleansed at it. However, that fountain is only for certain people. Now, that sounds like a contradiction. I just stated that it is for everybody, and yet it will only work for certain people. Well, who are the only people for whom it will work? We will start right at the beginning so you will see why so many people miss it, even when it is for everybody.

The Poor in Spirit

“One fountain only has been opened for sin, a fountain for the poor in spirit.” The Desire of Ages, 300. This is the fountain which is spoken of in Zechariah 13:1.

Who are the poor in spirit? The poor in spirit are the people who know they are lost, and they know that they are utterly helpless. Maybe they have tried a thousand times to overcome some bad habit, but they cannot do it. They recognize they are utterly helpless, and they know that they cannot do anything to save themselves. How, then, are they going to be saved?

The irony of it is, those are the only people who can be saved! The only people who can be saved are the ones who come to the realization that they are utterly helpless and cannot save themselves. Sometimes the reason it seems as though God is not answering your prayers is so you can get to that position. If you ever get to the position where you recognize that you are utterly helpless and that you cannot do anything to be saved, then you can be saved.

Simple as ABC

Regarding the answer to the question of how to be saved, Ellen White said, “We do not understand the matter of salvation. It is just as simple as ABC. But we don’t understand it.” Faith and Works, 64. How interesting! It is as simple as ABC, but we do not understand it. In fact, at another time, speaking of Seventh-day Adventists, she said, “We need also much more knowledge; we need to be enlightened in regard to the plan of salvation. There is not one in one hundred who understands for himself the Bible truth on this subject that is so necessary to our present and eternal welfare.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 360. That is pretty bad! How can something be as simple as ABC, yet there is not one in a hundred who understands it?

The question we are contemplating actually comes right out of the New Testament, in the Book of Acts, when the Philippian jailer sought an answer from Paul and Silas: “And coming to them outside, he said, ‘Lords, what is necessary for me to do so that I might be saved?’ And they said, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved, and your house.’ ” Acts 16:30, 31.

That is it! Easy, is it not? A child can understand it, but adults cannot, because we want something that is more complicated.

Message Rejected

In 1888, God sent this message to the Seventh-day Adventist Church, but almost all the people in the Church rejected it. So Ellen White began to write, and most of what is quoted in this article from her pen was written shortly after 1888 in regard to the fact of what God was trying to teach the people that they had rejected.

She wrote: “There is salvation for you, but only through the merits of Jesus Christ.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 97. That is the only way. Period!

In Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, Ellen White, on pages 91-93, goes over what it was that God tried to bring to the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Minneapolis in 1888. Several years ago, I studied those pages and listed all the things that God was trying to teach His people at that time. I identified seven things that Ellen White listed on page 92, but we are only going to study one of those seven things. One of the things that the Lord was trying to teach through Ellen White and through Jones and Waggoner to the Adventist Church in 1888 was about Christ’s merits.

Christ’s Merits

“There is salvation for you, but only through the merits of Jesus Christ.” That is all.

Now, this is the way people were saved in Old Testament times: “Through the sacrifices and offerings brought to the earthly Sanctuary, the children of Israel were to lay hold of the merits of a Saviour to come.” Spiritual Gifts, vol. 1, 160. What was the purpose of all those ceremonies? To help the people exercise faith in “the merits of a Saviour to come.” But we have a problem.

Creature Merit

“Discussions may be entered into by mortals strenuously advocating creature merit, and each man striving for the supremacy, but they simply do not know that all the time, in principle and character, they are misrepresenting the truth as it is in Jesus. They are in a fog of bewilderment. They need the divine love of God which is represented by gold tried in the fire; they need the white raiment of Christ’s pure character; and they need the heavenly eyesalve . . .” Why do they need the heavenly eyesalve? What is going to happen to Laodicea when they get the heavenly eyesalve? “. . . that they might discern with astonishment the utter worthlessness of creature merit to earn the wages of eternal life.” Faith and Works, 23.

Of how much worth is creature merit? Anything that you or I can do, past, present, or future, is absolutely worthless.

One of the reasons this message was rejected in 1888 is that people said, “You are going to do away with the law. We have been teaching people they have to keep the commandments, and you are telling people that all they have to do is trust in Jesus.” See, that is what happens when people study theology. They get all mixed up. A child can understand it. Why can the children understand it better than the adults? As soon as the adults hear, “Just put your trust in Jesus; He has merits; He will save you,” they think, “Oh, that could not be all there is to it.” Yes, it is! Everything else that you need will happen, but all you need to do is trust in Jesus.

Some people may think that I am going to destroy the Adventist Church, that I am going to destroy the revival and reformation movement within the Adventist Church, that I am preaching heresy or the new theology. No, I am not preaching the new theology. I am preaching the gospel.

Ellen White said, “They need the heavenly eyesalve that they might discern with astonishment the utter worthlessness of creature merit to earn the wages of eternal life.”

All Power Imparted

“I [Ellen White] ask, How can I present this matter as it is? The Lord Jesus imparts all the powers, all the grace, all the penitence, all the inclination, all the pardon of sins, in presenting His righteousness for man to grasp by living faith¾which is also the gift of God. If you would gather together everything that is good and holy and noble and lovely in man and then present the subject to the angels of God as acting a part in the salvation of the human soul or in merit, the proposition would be rejected as treason.” Ibid.

If you told the angels everything wonderful and good that a human being had ever done and asked if these things would add any merit to this person’s salvation, the angels would reject it all, saying, “That is treason against the government of God.” The angels know the plan of salvation. They understand what is involved. They understand the utter worthlessness of anything you and I can do to earn salvation.

Mrs. White continued, “Any works that man can render to God will be far less than nothingness.” Ibid., 24. The idea of humans doing anything to merit the grace of pardon is fallacy from beginning to end.

Through Faith Alone

“There is not a point that needs to be dwelt upon more earnestly, repeated more frequently, or established more firmly in the minds of all than the impossibility of fallen man meriting anything by his own best good works. Salvation is through faith in Jesus Christ alone.” Ibid., 18.

Do you get it? Children can understand it. Theologians usually cannot understand it. People who have studied the Bible for years and years do not get it figured out. The Philippian jailer was baptized early the next morning, and he had been a heathen.

“Many are losing the right way, in consequence of thinking that they must climb to heaven, that they must do something to merit the favor of God. They seek to make themselves better by their own unaided efforts. This they can never accomplish.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 368.

Can you ever do anything to merit the favor of God? No, never. Nothing. So, what must you do to be saved? All you have to do is trust yourself to the merits of Jesus Christ. Everything else will happen if you do this. And if you do not do this, the other things will not happen. You can struggle with sanctification, keeping the law, health reform and dress reform, and anything else, but you will never be saved doing all those things. There is only one way to salvation, and that is to trust yourself, to yield yourself to Jesus Christ, to trust His merits, not your own.

You Can Be Complete

Colossians 2:10 reads, “And you are complete in Him who is the head of all authority and rulers.” Who is this “you”? Are these the people who are ready for translation?

“We stand in favor before God, not because of any merit in ourselves, but because of our faith in ‘the Lord our righteousness.’

“Jesus stands in the holy of holies, now to appear in the presence of God for us. There He ceases not to present His people moment by moment, complete in Himself.” Faith and Works, 107. You can be complete in Christ right now, today, if you yield yourself to Him.

“Because we are thus represented before the Father, we are not to imagine that we are to presume upon His mercy and become careless, indifferent, and self-indulgent. Christ is not the minister of sin. We are complete in Him, accepted in the Beloved, only as we abide in Him by faith.

“Perfection through our own good works we can never attain. The soul who sees Jesus by faith, repudiates his own righteousness. He sees himself as incomplete, his repentance insufficient, his strongest faith but feebleness, his most costly sacrifice as meager, and he sinks in humility at the foot of the cross. But a voice speaks to him from the oracles of God’s Word. In amazement he hears the message, ‘Ye are complete in Him.’ [Colossians 2:10.]” Ibid., 107, 108.

Who is this? This is the person who has decided that he is hopeless. He sinks “at the foot of the cross,” but then he hears the voice, “Ye are complete in Him.”

“Now all is at rest in his soul. No longer must he strive to find some worthiness in himself, some meritorious deed by which to gain the favor of God.” Ibid., 108.

Basis of Protestant Reformation

What we are noting was the basis of the Protestant Reformation. It was what the Waldenses taught during the Dark Ages. Read the experience of the Vaudois missionary during the Dark Ages:

“With quivering lip and tearful eye did he, often on bended knees, open to his brethren the precious promises that reveal the sinner’s only hope. Thus the light of truth penetrated many a darkened mind, rolling back the cloud of gloom, until the Sun of Righteousness shone into the heart with healing in His beams. It was often the case that some portion of Scripture was read again and again, the hearer desiring it to be repeated, as if he would assure himself that he had heard aright. Especially was the repetition of these words eagerly desired: ‘The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.’ 1 John 1:7. ‘As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.’ John 3:14, 15.

“Many were undeceived in regard to the claims of Rome. They saw how vain is the mediation of men or angels in behalf of the sinner. As the true light dawned upon their minds they exclaimed with rejoicing: ‘Christ is my priest; His blood is my sacrifice; His altar is my confessional.’ They cast themselves wholly upon the merits of Jesus . . . .” The Great Controversy, 73, 74.

When they cast themselves completely on the merits of Jesus, not trusting in themselves at all, what happened?

“They cast themselves wholly upon the merits of Jesus, repeating the words, ‘Without faith it is impossible to please Him.’ Hebrews 11:6. ‘There is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.’ Acts 4:12.

“The assurance of a Saviour’s love seemed too much for some of these poor tempest-tossed souls to realize. So great was the relief which it brought, such a flood of light was shed upon them, that they seemed transported to heaven. Their hands were laid confidingly in the hand of Christ; their feet were planted upon the Rock of Ages. All fear of death was banished. They could now covet the prison and the fagot if they might thereby honor the name of their Redeemer.” Ibid., 74.

That is what the reformers found. That is the very thing that caused the Protestant Reformation.

Ellen White recorded the following experience of John Calvin: “In the Bible he found Christ. ‘O Father,’ he cried, ‘His sacrifice has appeased Thy wrath; His blood has washed away my impurities; His cross has borne my curse; His death has atoned for me. We had devised for ourselves many useless follies, but Thou hast placed Thy word before me like a torch, and Thou hast touched my heart, in order that I may hold in abomination all other merits save those of Jesus.’¾Martyn, vol. 3, ch. 13.” Ibid., 221.

Calvin became a Protestant Reformer because he cast aside his confidence and trust in everything else. He said that everything else is an abomination except the merits of Jesus Christ.

Martin Luther found out the same thing: “Luther was the one chosen to breast the storm, stand up against the ire of a fallen church, and strengthen the few who were faithful to their holy profession. He was ever fearful of offending God. He tried through works to obtain His favor, but was not satisfied until a gleam of light from heaven drove the darkness from his mind and led him to trust, not in works, but in the merits of the blood of Christ. He could then come to God for himself, not through popes or confessors, but through Jesus Christ alone.” Early Writings, 222, 223.

More Than Anything Else

Is it complicated? No, it is simple. Children can understand it, but theologians cannot understand it. Ellen White said that it is as simple as ABC, but we do not understand it, because we have so much trouble believing it; we always want to add something to it. But, you see, if we get this point, we are going to get everything else we need. Because it is so simple and, yet, because we do not understand it, it needs to be repeated, Ellen White said, more than anything else is. Then, how does it all come together? Let us consider some questions and answers.

  1. How can we be received by our heavenly Father and adopted into His family?

How? Just one way. God would like to accept us into His family, but He will only do it on one condition, that we will accept the merits of His Son. That is all. There is no other way. (See The Acts of the Apostles, 333.)

  1. Whom will God accept?

“God will accept every one that comes to Him trusting wholly [that is, completely] in the merits of a crucified Saviour.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 354.

God will accept every person who comes to Him, claiming the merits of a crucified and risen Saviour.

This is the gospel according to the Old Testament; this is the gospel Paul preached; this is the gospel the Waldenses preached; this is the gospel the Reformers preached; and this is the gospel that God tried to bring to the Seventh-day Adventist Church in 1888. But the Church would not take it, because the people thought, “You are going to destroy the law.” It does not destroy anything.

Oh, the people think that surely there has to be something else for us to do. Here is what we are supposed to do: Ellen White wrote, “Man’s part is to lay hold by faith of the merits of Christ.” Fundamentals of Christian Education, 430. Come to God and ask that the merits of Christ be applied to our accounts, because you and I do not have any merits.

  1. How much does the righteousness of Christ accomplish in our salvation?

Many people think that we are saved by faith and by our works. That was a major battlefield in the Protestant Reformation between the Catholics and the Protestants. The Catholics believe we are saved by faith and works. In fact, I heard a program recently on a Catholic radio station, and the topic of discussion was about why the Protestant doctrine of faith alone is false and how you must have good works to be saved. That is what the Pharisees thought; that is what the Catholics thought, and that is what the Adventists thought in 1888.

  1. How much does the righteousness of Christ accomplish in our salvation?

This can be answered in just four words: “Christ’s righteousness accomplishes everything.” Faith and Works, 26.

  1. So, what do we need to do to be saved?

Ellen White answers this question in this way: “The sinner must ever look toward Calvary; and with the simple faith of a little child, he must rest in the merits of Christ, accepting His righteousness and believing in His mercy.” Evangelism, 185.

We can only be saved like a little child. She said, “Just rest; just rest in Christ’s merits.” Trust Him. That is it.

“Oh, no,” the theologian declares, “There has to be something more than that.” No, there is nothing more than that. That results in everything else you need.

“Oh,” somebody may say, “but I am an Adventist, and I believe that we are living in the Day of Atonement, and my sins have to be blotted out.” Well, let us just ask that question.

  1. How are our sins going to be blotted out and we be clothed in Christ’s righteousness?

“The merits of Jesus blot out transgressions, and clothe us with the robe of righteousness woven in the loom of heaven.” Ibid., 186.

  1. What is the only plea we need to make to be saved?

“Present your case before Him, pleading the merits of the blood shed for you upon Calvary’s cross. Satan will accuse you of being a great sinner, and you must admit this, but you can say: ‘I know I am a sinner, and that is the reason I need a Saviour. Jesus came into the world to save sinners.’ ‘The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin’ (1 John 1:7). ‘If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness’ (verse 9). I have no merit or goodness whereby I may claim salvation, but I present before God the all-atoning blood of the spotless Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. This is my only plea.” Faith and Works, 106.

What is the only plea of the true Christian? “I present before God the all-atoning blood of the spotless Lamb of God.” That is it. That is our only plea.

“The name of Jesus gives me access to the Father. His ear, His heart, is open to my faintest pleading, and He supplies my deepest necessities.” Ibid.

Human Pride

Read the first sentence again: “Present your case before Him, pleading the merits of the blood shed for you upon Calvary’s cross.” Can you do that? A six-year-old child can do that. Why is it so hard for adults to do?

The reason it is so hard is because of our human pride. We want to have some part in it so we can be elevated, so we can feel that we have done something. Ellen White wrote: “See how God wrought to abase the pride of men, and lay human glory in the dust.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 16, 335. No place is left for self-esteem or anything that we can do.

  1. How should you plead your case to the Father?

Do you want to be saved? How should you plead your case? Here it is again: “Present your case before Him, pleading the merits of the blood that was shed for you upon Calvary’s cross.”

  1. How often do we need to have the merits of Christ applied to our cases?

“If we are conscious of the weakness of self, we shall not be self-confident and reckless of danger, but we shall feel the necessity of seeking to the Source of our strength, Jesus our Righteousness. We shall come in repentance and contrition, with a despairing sense of our own finite weakness, and learn that we must daily apply to the merits of the blood of Christ, that we may become vessels fit for the Master’s use.” Faith and Works, 86.

Not only do we need the merits of Christ applied to our cases every day, but we need the merits of Christ applied to our cases every hour, every minute. You and I do not have any righteousness. No one who goes to the kingdom of heaven will talk about any righteousness and good deeds that he or she has done. There will not be one. Read the Book of Revelation. All glory will be given to the One who is righteous, to the only One who is holy. God only is holy and righteous.

Our Work

What is our work? There has to be some kind of work. That was asked of Jesus too. The conversation is recorded in John 6:28, 29: “Therefore they said to Him: ‘What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in the One that He sent.’ ”

That is the work! As Ellen White expressed it, “Our work is to hang our helpless souls on His merits.” (Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 247.)

To be continued . . .

[Bible texts quoted are literal translation.]

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

Victory in Jesus, Part IV

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In the September 2007 and October 2007 issues of LandMarks, we reviewed keys that will help us to overcome temptation and sin. In summary:

1) We must not place ourselves in the way of temptation. The Bible tells us: “Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.” Psalm 34:14. “I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?” Job 31:1.

2) If we are placed in the way of temptation because of circumstances, God will be with us as He was with Daniel and Joseph. (1 Corinthians 10:13.)

3) We should notice situations that bring temptation and try to stay away from such situations as much as possible. For instance, if you are impatient, perhaps it is because you are intemperate. “It is impossible for intemperate persons to be patient. They must first reform bad habits, learn to live healthfully, and then it will not be difficult for them to be patient.” Mind, Character, and Personality, vol. 2, 393.

4) Temptation to sin starts in the mind. We must be ready to fight when the thought enters. Temptation is not a sin. Just because we are tempted with bad thoughts and sin does not mean that we are not Christians. Temptation is a problem when we yield to it. (II Corinthians 10:5, 6.)

5) A key to overcoming is to stay busy, so you do not have time to be looking for temptation. Idleness is not sanctioned in the Bible. (See II Thessalonians 3:10; Proverbs 6:6–11; 24:30–34; Matthew 25:26; Hebrews 6:12; Genesis 3:19.) We are given the blessing of work to keep us from idleness.

6) Do not become discouraged if it takes a long time to overcome. (See Mark 16:9; Luke 18:1–8.)

7) We must keep our focus in the right direction instead of looking at the hopelessness of a situation. (See Matthew 19:29.) Look at the big picture! Is there anything to which we want to cling and for which we would give up heaven? Is there any experience too hard to pass through to make it to heaven?

8) Memorize the promises in God’s Word and start to repeat them when tempted. (See Matthew 4:4; Psalm 119:11–16.)

9) In the Bible it says that if your hand offends you to cut it off. (Matthew 5:29-30.) For example, the right kind of music can be helpful and the wrong kind a hindrance. If the music to which you are listening is not helping in your spiritual experience, then perhaps it should be cut off and cast away.

We continue with this important counsel.

Constant Prayer

10) Pray when the temptation first comes. (See Mark 14:38; Matthew 26:41.)

I have found that if I parlay with the devil, I am no match, but if I pray when the temptation first comes, God gives the power to resist. Usually, if I do not pray, then I am sunk, so to speak, as far as falling for temptation.

“In the daily life you will meet with sudden surprises, disappointments, and temptations. What saith the word? ‘Resist the devil,’ by firm reliance upon God, ‘and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you.’ ‘Let him take hold of My strength, that he may make peace with Me; and he shall make peace with Me.’ [James 4:7; Isaiah 27:5.] Look unto Jesus at all times and in all places, offering a silent prayer from a sincere heart that you may know how to do His will. Then when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard for you against the enemy.” The Adventist Home, 214.

“If you will only watch, continually watch unto prayer, if you will do everything as if you were in the immediate presence of God, you will be saved from yielding to temptation and may hope to be kept pure, spotless, and undefiled till the last.” Ibid., 338.

“There is no danger that the Lord will neglect the prayers of His people. The danger is that in temptation and trial they will become discouraged, and fail to persevere in prayer.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 175.

“If the Saviour of men, with His divine strength, felt the need of prayer, how much more should feeble, sinful mortals feel the necessity of prayer—fervent, constant prayer! When Christ was the most fiercely beset by temptation, He ate nothing. He committed Himself to God, and through earnest prayer, and perfect submission to the will of His Father, came off conqueror. Those who profess the truth for these last days, above every other class of professed Christians, should imitate the great Exemplar in prayer.” Counsels on Diet and Foods, 52, 53.

“None will be placed beyond the reach of temptation; for in every character there are weak points that are in danger when assailed… In earnest prayer and living faith is their only safety.” Counsels on Health, 411.

“If we look at the picture of the days that were before the flood, and then turn our attention to the habits and practices of society today, we shall see that our earth is fast ripening for the plagues of the last days. Men have corrupted the earth by their sinful course of action. Satan is playing the game of life for the souls of men. Those who are doers of the words of Christ will find that they will have to watch and pray continually in order that they may not be led into temptation.” Counsels on Stewardship, 135.

“Daily beset by temptation, constantly opposed by the leaders of the people, Christ knew that He must strengthen His humanity by prayer. In order to be a blessing to men, He must commune with God, pleading for energy, perseverance, and steadfastness. Thus He showed His disciples where His strength lay. Without this daily communion with God, no human being can gain power for service.” Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 323.

“While you pray, dear youth, that you may not be led into temptation, remember that your work does not end with the prayer. You must then answer your own prayer as far as possible by resisting temptation, and leave that which you cannot do for yourselves for Jesus to do for you.” God’s Amazing Grace, 166.

Replace and Praise

11) When overcoming a bad habit, we must replace it with something good. (See Romans 12:21; Luke 11:21–26.)

12) Praise the Lord for what He has done for you. (See Psalms 103:1–3; 107:13–15.) An attitude of gratitude will lift your spirits even when you do not feel like it and things are not going the best.

Choose Associates Carefully

13) We must choose those with whom we associate wisely, because those are the ones who have an influence on us for good or for evil. There is danger in worldly associations. “The righteous should choose his friends carefully, For the way of the wicked leads them astray.” Proverbs 12:26.

“There is danger in departing in the least from the Lord’s instruction. When we deviate from the plain path of duty, a train of circumstances will arise that seems irresistibly to draw us farther and farther from the right. Needless intimacies with those who have no respect for God will seduce us ere we are aware. The fear of offending worldly friends will deter us from expressing our gratitude to God, or acknowledging our dependence upon him.” Christian Temperance and Bible Hygiene, 115.

“Wrench yourself away from hurtful associations. Count the cost of following Jesus, and make it, with a determined purpose to cleanse yourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit. Eternal life is worth your all, and Jesus has said, ‘Whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.’ [Luke 14:33.] He who does nothing, but waits to be compelled by some supernatural agency, will wait on in lethargy and darkness. God has given his word. God speaks in unmistakable language to your soul. Is not the word of his mouth sufficient to show you your duty, and to urge its fulfillment?” Christian Education, 117.

“Great care should be taken by Christian youth in the formation of friendships and in the choice of companions. Take heed, lest what you now think to be pure gold turns out to be base metal. Worldly associations tend to place obstructions in the way of your service to God, and many souls are ruined by unhappy unions, either business or matrimonial, with those who can never elevate or ennoble. Never should God’s people venture upon forbidden ground. Marriage between believers and unbelievers is forbidden by God. But too often the unconverted heart follows its own desires, and marriages unsanctioned by God are formed. Because of this, many men and women are without hope and without God in the world. Their noble aspirations are dead; by a chain of circumstances they are held in Satan’s net.” Review and Herald, February 1, 1906.

“The association of the God-fearing with the unbelieving in these societies does not make saints of sinners. When God’s people voluntarily unite with the worldly and the unconsecrated, and give them the pre-eminence, they will be led away from Him by the unsanctified influence under which they have placed themselves. For a short time there may be nothing seriously objectionable; but minds that have not been brought under the control of the Spirit of God will not take readily to those things which savor of truth and righteousness. If they had had heretofore any relish for spiritual things they would have placed themselves in the ranks of Jesus Christ. The two classes are controlled by different masters and are opposites in their purposes, hopes, tastes, and desires. The followers of Jesus enjoy sober, sensible, ennobling themes, while those who have no love for sacred things cannot take pleasure in these gatherings, unless the superficial and unreal constitute a prominent feature of the exercises. Little by little the spiritual element is ruled out by the irreligious, and the effort to harmonize principles which are antagonistic in their nature proves a decided failure.” Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 542.

“Association with worldly-minded men and women dims the spiritual perception; for it is in direct disobedience to the plain injunctions of the word of God. In worldly society an earthly influence is at work, an atmosphere of poisonous miasma is there which is disastrous to personal piety. Those who truly love God will not cultivate the society of those who do not love Jesus. They will have some realization of their own individual weakness, and they will study prayerfully the word of God, that they may feed upon the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of God, and they will find that Christian society and conversation is food to the soul, that in the society of those who love God, they breathe in the atmosphere of heaven. Christians will exercise love and sympathy one for another. The encouragement given one to another, the esteem manifested one for another, the helps, the instruction, the reproofs, warnings, the Christian counsel that should be found among the followers of Christ, will further them in the spiritual life; for Christian fellowship is according to God’s plan. Christians are to cultivate self-restraint, love, forbearance, and unity one to another by the cords of brotherly love. Thus they will together exercise faith, hope, and love toward God; they will have tender consideration for all of like precious faith, and will draw toward those who love God. There will be fellowship such as the world knows not of.” Review and Herald, November 27, 1894.

Surrender to God

14) Surrender to God when you first wake up, before you jump out of bed, before the devil has time to start sending you temptations. Ask God for help throughout the day. “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 5:3.

“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.” The Faith I Live By, 125.

“The Christian life is one of daily surrender, submission, and continual overcoming. Every day fresh victories will be gained. Self must be lost sight of, and the love of God must be constantly cultivated. Thus we grow up into Christ. Thus the life is fashioned according to the divine model.” Lift Him Up, 65.

Study Christ’s Life

15) We must spend time studying the life of Christ. As we study His life, we become like Him and are changed. “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.” Acts 4:13.

“The power of evil is so identified with human nature that no man can overcome except by union with Christ. Through this union we receive moral and spiritual power. If we have the spirit of Christ we shall bring forth the fruit of righteousness, fruit that will honor and bless men, and glorify God.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 230.

“It is the will of God that each professing Christian shall perfect a character after the divine similitude. By studying the character of Christ revealed in the Bible, by practicing His virtues, the believer will be changed into the same likeness of goodness and mercy. Christ’s work of self-denial and sacrifice brought into the daily life will develop the faith that works by love and purifies the soul.” Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 249.

“It is only by acquaintance and association with Christ that we can become like him, the one faultless example.” The Signs of the Times, September 10, 1885.

Take Care

16) Work for others. Get your mind off yourself and your situation. Jesus our example went about doing good, helping others. (Acts 10:38.)

17) Take care of your body so you can have the best possible health. “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.” III John 2.

“One of the greatest aids in the perfecting of pure and noble characters in the young, and strengthening their capacity to resist temptations to do evil, to indulge appetite or to fall into any debasing excesses, is the possession of sound physical health. The mind and body are intimately connected. If the former is to be firm and well-balanced, the latter should be in the best possible condition. Conscience and right principles of life should be sustained by firm, quiet nerves, a healthful circulation, and the activity and strength of general health.” The Health Reformer, November 1, 1877.

Favorite Promise

My personal favorite promise for help in fighting temptation and overcoming the devil is I Corinthians 10:11–13:

“Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God [is] faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear [it].”

“With the consecrated worker for God, in whatever place he may be, the Holy Spirit abides. The words spoken to the disciples are spoken also to us. The Comforter is ours as well as theirs. The Spirit furnishes the strength that sustains striving, wrestling souls in every emergency, amidst the hatred of the world, and the realization of their own failures and mistakes. In sorrow and affliction, when the outlook seems dark and the future perplexing, and we feel helpless and alone,—these are the times when, in answer to the prayer of faith, the Holy Spirit brings comfort to the heart.

“It is not a conclusive evidence that a man is a Christian because he manifests spiritual ecstasy under extraordinary circumstances. Holiness is not rapture: it is an entire surrender of the will to God; it is living by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God; it is doing the will of our heavenly Father; it is trusting God in trial, in darkness as well as in the light; it is walking by faith and not by sight; it is relying on God with unquestioning confidence, and resting in His love.” The Acts of the Apostles, 51.

“All are accountable for their actions while in this world upon probation. All have power to control their actions, if they will. If they are weak in virtue and purity of thoughts, and acts, they can obtain help from the Friend of the helpless. Jesus is acquainted with all the weaknesses of human nature, and if entreated, will give strength to overcome the most powerful temptations. All can obtain this strength if they seek for it in humility. Jesus gives all a blessed invitation who are burdened, and laden with sin, to come to him, the sinner’s friend.” An Appeal to Mothers, 31, 32.

“You may see that you are sinful and undone; but it is just on this account that you need a Saviour. If you have sins to confess, lose no time. These moments are golden. ‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness’ (I John 1:9). Those who hunger and thirst after righteousness will be filled; for Jesus has promised it. Precious Saviour! His arms are open to receive us, and His great heart of love is waiting to bless us.” God’s Amazing Grace, 139.

“Abundant grace has been provided that the believing soul may be kept free from sin; for all heaven, with its limitless resources, has been placed at our command. We are to draw from the well of salvation.…

“We are living in the day of preparation. We must obtain a full supply of grace from the divine storehouse. The Lord has made provision for every day’s demand.” Ibid., 181.

“He who repents of his sin and accepts the gift of the life of the Son of God, cannot be overcome. Laying hold by faith of the divine nature, he becomes a child of God. He prays, he believes. When tempted and tried, he claims the power that Christ died to give, and overcomes through His grace. This every sinner needs to understand. He must repent of his sin, he must believe in the power of Christ, and accept that power to save and to keep him from sin. How thankful ought we to be for the gift of Christ’s example!” A New Life, 40.

“He who through His own atonement provided for man an infinite fund of moral power, will not fail to employ this power in our behalf…. In the whole Satanic force there is not power to overcome one soul who in simple trust casts himself on Christ.” Ibid., 41.

Results

Weak points can become strong ones. From the heroes of faith chapter, Hebrews 11, we read, “… 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.” Verse 34. “And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” II Corinthians 12:9.

It is like exercising. If you want strong muscles, you must exercise them, or they will be weak. As your muscles become strong when you exercise them, so also does the Christian experience become strong as it is exercised.

“Before honor is humility. The Lord can use most effectually those who are most sensible of their own unworthiness and inefficiency. He will teach them to exercise the courage of faith. He will make them strong by uniting their weakness to His might, wise by connecting their ignorance with His wisdom.” Conflict and Courage, 126.

“The Lord sees and understands, and He will use you, despite your weakness, if you offer your talent as a consecrated gift to His service; for in active, disinterested service the weak become strong and enjoy His precious commendation. The joy of the Lord is an element of strength. If you are faithful, the peace that passeth all understanding will be your reward in this life, and in the future life you will enter into the joy of your Lord.” Testimonies, vol. 8, 34.

“There is no limit to the usefulness of one who, putting self aside, makes room for the working of the Holy Spirit upon his heart and lives a life wholly consecrated to God. All who consecrate body, soul, and spirit to His service will be constantly receiving a new endowment of physical, mental, and spiritual power. The inexhaustible supplies of heaven are at their command. Christ gives them the breath of His own Spirit, the life of His own life. The Holy Spirit puts forth its highest energies to work in mind and heart. Through the grace given us we may achieve victories that because of our own erroneous and preconceived opinions, our defects of character, our smallness of faith, have seemed impossible.

“To everyone who offers himself to the Lord for service, withholding nothing, is given power for the attainment of measureless results.” God’s Amazing Grace, 208.

“He who is fully consecrated to the service of God will be made strong for the battle. He will be strengthened with ‘all might.’ He who feels his weakness, and wrestles with God as did Jacob, saying, ‘I will not let thee go, except thou bless me’ (Genesis 32:26), will go forth with the fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit. The atmosphere of heaven will surround him. He will go about doing good. His influence will be a positive force in favor of the religion of Christ.” In Heavenly Places, 314.

“Men’s weakness shall find supernatural strength and help in every stern conflict to do the deeds of Omnipotence, and perseverance in faith and perfect trust in God will ensure success. While the past confederacy of evil is arrayed against them He bids them to be brave and strong and fight valiantly for they have a heaven to win, and they have more than an angel in their ranks, the mighty General of armies leads on the armies of heaven. As on the occasion of the taking of Jericho, not one of the armies of Israel could boast of exercising their finite strength to overthrow the walls of the city, but the Captain of the Lord’s host planned that battle in the greatest simplicity, that the Lord alone should receive the glory and man should not be exalted. God has promised us all power; for the promise is unto you and your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” Conflict and Courage, 118.

“The Redeemer of the world came from heaven to help man in his weakness, that, in the power which Jesus came to bring him, he might become strong to overcome appetite and passion and might be victor on every point.” Counsels on Health, 125.

“If the Christian feels his weakness, his inability, by putting his trust in God, he will find the grace of Christ sufficient for every emergency….

“Man has little power, and can accomplish but a small work at his very best… God is omnipotent, and at every point where we need divine help and seek for it in sincerity, it will be given. God has pledged His word that His grace will be sufficient for you in your greatest necessity, in your sorest distress. Christ will be to you a present help if you will appropriate His grace.” God’s Amazing Grace, 260.

Summary

Why is overcoming important? It is the key, if we are going to go to heaven. Through our overcoming experiences, we can help others by sharing with them what God has done for us.

There are three things we must fight against as we become overcomers: the world, the flesh, and the devil.

We must acknowledge that our condition is that of hopeless sinners in need of help. Christ and His merits is the solution. We must cooperate with Him.

“Never give up your faith and hope in God. Cling to the promises. Do not trust in your feelings, but in the naked word of God. Believe the assurances of the Lord. Take your stand upon the plain thus saith the Lord, and rest there.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 4, 410.

[All emphasis added.]

Jana Grosboll serves Steps to Life as its Network Administrator. She may be contacted by e-mail at: janagrosboll@stepstolife.org.

How to Overcome the Devil, Part II

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In Revelation 12, we are told that the devil deceives the whole world, but there are some who gain the victory: “Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now salvation and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb.” Verses 10, 11, first part. As we come to the cross where Christ gained the victory, we can have the victory too. The verse does not end there. Another word follows—and. “… and by the word of their testimony.”

Gaining the victory over Satan takes the efficacy of the cross, the victory of Christ, but we must also have the same victory in our lives. The union of the Divine with the human must be present. We must unite our lives with Christ’s.

What did Jesus say to those who desire to be His disciples? “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” Matthew 16:24–26. Oh, how few today have found that personal victory over Satan, but we may have the experience in our lives that happened in Jesus’ life!

Experimental Religion

“The young want just what they have not; namely, religion. Nothing can take the place of this. Profession alone is nothing. Names are registered upon the church books upon earth, but not in the book of life. I saw that there is not one in twenty of the youth who knows what experimental religion is.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 504.

What is “experimental religion”? That is when it becomes yours. That is when you have experimented with the promises of God and found them to be true. That is when you develop a personal testimony. Not one in twenty, we are told, have an experimental knowledge of religion. Oh, they may know how God delivered the Israelites from Egypt; they may know about Jesus in the wilderness; they may know a lot about Bible stories such as Daniel and the lions’ den, but they have never been delivered from the lions’ den. They have never been delivered from Egypt. They have never surrendered all of their life or self to the naked promises of God.

Not one in twenty knows what an experimental religion is, “but unless the spell which is upon them be broken, they will soon realize that the portion of the transgressor is theirs.” Ibid., 505.

“Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.” Revelation 12:12.

How can we overcome the devil? From verse 11 we read that, “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” There must be a union of the Divine with the human. Jesus’ experience must become ours. We must be able to testify that God is true. We must stand the test; we must overcome; we must have a testimony.

We cannot be saved by good sermons. We cannot be saved by listening to tapes and CDs or by watching videos and DVDs. They might all be right and good in themselves, but consider the example Jesus left for us. After He was with the disciples for three and a half years, He left them, and they each had to develop an experience of their own.

His experience was no longer sufficient for them. They had to develop their own experience. And so it is that God gives us various experiences and various trials to teach us and to give us this experience that we need, to teach us to trust Him.

Testimony of Victory

The question is, Do you have this experience? Do you have a testimony of victory in your own life?

This is a very serious question. Think of the three Hebrew slaves who were in Babylon when the decree went forth to worship the golden image set up on the plain of Dura. How easy it would have been for them to find it convenient at that particular moment to kneel down and begin to pray to God for help. They would not, after all, have been worshipping the image,
you understand; they would have been praying to the God of heaven. Do you think you could have rationalized like that? What would you have done? Would you have kneeled down and begun to pray to God?

If that had occurred, you could have come from that experience saying, “The Lord saved me from death,” but you would not have had a testimony. The three Hebrews received their testimony by going to the fiery furnace.

When we are at the point of an experience such as losing our job because we will not work on the Sabbath, and we step out on God’s promises, that is when we have a testimony. It is when we come to the place where everything is against us, we have nothing but the promises of God upon which to rely, and we take the stand that God can work. That is when we find that He is true. That is when we receive a testimony.

Too many of us do not have a testimony to bear for God because we have never tried Him. We have always knelt down when the decree went forth. Of course, we are pacified; we still think we are good Christians because we are not praying to the idol—we are praying to God, but we are kneeling down to the idol. We are afraid of that fiery furnace.

The testimony comes when we stand the test through the strength of God, and the test comes to everyone. Satan deceives the world, but we overcome him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimony, through the union of the Divine with the human. Jesus’ experience must become ours.

A Different Spirit

Peter noticed that there was something different about Mary, as she attended his meetings, conducted in the Portuguese language, in Quebec. Mary spoke Portuguese. But Peter noticed she had a far away look in her eyes, so he arranged to visit her as he visited all the interests from his meetings.

As Peter visited with Mary, he reviewed things the meeting attendees had been learning. Oh, she was thrilled about what she was learning; she believed the truths he was presenting, but there was something he had said that last night that bothered her, and that was when he saw that far away look in her eyes. The topic that brought that look to her eyes was about the state of the dead.

Mary, like a lot of young girls, had needed some attention, someone to love her, some years before when she was living in Paris alone. Through a friend, she met John, a tall, young man—blond, well mannered, muscular. He was everything that she ever wanted. He was respectful, and he understood her. She fell in love with him. They saw each other a number of times, and even though he visited her in her apartment, she remained pure. They were not cohabiting together. Then the time came that she moved to Quebec, Canada, and he moved with her.

What could be wrong with this boyfriend? It so happened that he was a spirit boyfriend. She did not know at first, but he turned out to be a spirit that had supposedly lived in ages past. Oh, the devil is working so hard on our young people to entrance them through their relationships. Usually, the devil can find a human being, too, that he can work through—just the right one, through whom he can create infatuation within a young man or a young woman whom God wants for His service, and who will distract them from God. In Mary’s case, it appeared as though Satan could not find anyone else, so he sent one of his angels.

Cost of a Testimony

Now, Mary had had this relationship for many years. Her heart was entwined around her boyfriend. But as Peter studied with her, the Spirit of the Lord worked, and this young woman wanted the victory that Jesus had. She wanted salvation. Consequently, she did something that I find very few young people are willing to do, sad to say. She broke the relationship. She and Peter knelt down and prayed, and she committed herself to the Lord.

The spirit boyfriend visited her that night. First, he tried to sweet talk her. When that did not work, he did something he had never before done. He became upset with her; in fact, he hit her in the mouth.

In spite of his warnings, she decided to go forth and be baptized. When the time came for her baptism, she told the evangelist, Peter, as she came into the baptismal pool, “He is here. He is right here in the baptistry with us.” She knew his presence; she had lived with him in her life for a long time.

As Peter commenced with the baptism, he tried to immerse her in the water of the baptistry, but a force held her up. Three times he tried to baptize her; he pushed with all of his might to get her under the water, but something pushed her up. The third time, she lifted right up out of the baptistry and landed in the congregation—wet, dripping, but not baptized.

What would you have done? Would you have continued with the baptism? Mary did. She walked back into the baptistry, and she was baptized.

She was asked to give her testimony at camp meeting that year, and she agreed to do it. As she was preparing, writing down her thoughts, the devil visited her again through her spirit boyfriend, John. He tore up her notes, and told her, “If you give that testimony, you will be dead in two weeks.”

Now, you and I have all heard stories like this, and we know when the devil says it, it happens, right? The person in some way is dead in two weeks. The devil has us all believing. But she decided to give her testimony anyway. She went ahead and gave it. She did not die in two weeks.

The devil is only as strong as God allows him to be. There is a protection that God puts around us. Do not believe everything Satan says. I am sure he would have liked to cause her death. I am sure he would have done anything to bring it about. But day by day she lives under the protection of the Lord Jesus Christ, the same as you and I do.

Ah, dear friend, the devil is seeking to deceive the whole world; he is deceiving the whole world today. But he can be overcome by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimony.

I invite you to come to the foot of the cross. Allow some of that blood to drip on you as you meditate upon the sacrifice of Christ. Then step out on the promises of God and determine to do what God says, come what may, and see how the Lord will work so that you might have a testimony also.

Steps to Life was founded by Pastor Marshall Grosboll and his wife Lillian. In 1987, a television program was developed and started to air on the local Wichita, Kansas, television station. A Bible Correspondence School was also started which still exists today. Returning from a camp meeting in July 1991 held in Washington state, Marshall and his family met with tragedy as the airplane he was piloting went down, killing all aboard including his wife and two young children.

The Worthlessness of Creature Merit, Part II

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The subject matter of this article—the answer to the question, What must I do to be saved?—is one upon which Ellen White told ministers they should dwell more than any other subject. Since she said to dwell on this subject more than any other subject, how much do you think it would be profitable for you and me to think about this subject? Ellen White told us something interesting about that: “Habitually dwelling upon Christ and His all-sufficient merits, increases faith, quickens the power of spiritual discernment, strengthens the desire to be like Him, and brings an earnestness into prayer that makes it efficacious.” Gospel Workers, 166.

Efficacious means that it works—“having the power to produce a desired effect.” Your prayers work! Would you like to have that experience? Would you like to become like Christ? Would you like your prayer life to become so earnest that your prayers will actually accomplish something? Well, she says that the way that will happen is if you are “habitually dwelling upon Christ and His all-sufficient merits.”

Do not forget that adjective, “all-sufficient.” It is everything that you need to be saved; it is the only thing you need to be saved. It is the thing that will save you, when you start to dwell on it. People become alarmed when preachers start talking about this. They say, “Oh, you are doing away with sanctification!” No, we are not doing away with sanctification. This is the way it happens.

God’s Blessings

Do we not all desire to have God’s blessings in our lives? How can we have God’s blessings in our lives? Here is the way:

“Looking unto Jesus and trusting in His merits we appropriate the blessings of light, of peace, of joy in the Holy Ghost. And in view of the great things which Christ has done for us, we are ready to exclaim: ‘Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.’ [1 John 3:1.]

“Brethren and sisters, it is by beholding that we become changed. By dwelling upon the love of God and our Saviour, by contemplating the perfection of the divine character and claiming the righteousness of Christ as ours by faith, we are to be transformed into the same image.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 744.

How are you ever going to come into the image of Christ? You will never come into the image of Christ by trying in your own strength, but if you contemplate the Divine character, if you spend your time thinking about the merits of Christ and the love of God, something is going to happen inside that is going to change you. It is something that you cannot do, but something that He will do.

In Part I of this article (October 2007), we began to consider some questions as to how this comes together. In summary:

  1. How can we be received by our heavenly Father and adopted into His family? (See The Acts of the Apostles, 333.)
  2. Whom will God accept? (See Selected Messages, Book 1, 354.)
  3. How much does the righteousness of Christ accomplish in our salvation? (See Faith and Works, 26.)
  4. So, what do we need to do to be saved? (See Evangelism, 185.)
  5. How are our sins going to be blotted out and we be clothed in Christ’s righteousness? (See Ibid., 186.)
  6. What is the only plea we need to make to be saved? (See Faith and Works, 106.)
  7. How should you plead your case to the Father? (See Ibid.)
  8. How often do we need to have the merits of Christ applied to our cases? (See Ibid., 86.)

Our Work

  1. What is our work? There has to be some kind of work. That was asked of Jesus too. The conversation is recorded in John 6:28, 29: “Therefore they said to Him: ‘What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in the One that He sent.’

That is the work! As Ellen White expressed it, “Our work is to hang our helpless souls on His merits.” (Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 247.)

The Faith That Benefits

  1. What is the only faith that will benefit us?

Ellen White answers this question: “The only faith that will benefit us is that which embraces Him [Christ] as a personal Saviour; which appropriates His merits to ourselves.” The Desire of Ages, 347.

What an interesting statement! You see, you must choose to believe in Jesus as your personal Saviour and choose to appropriate—that is, claim—His merits, because you do not have any merits of your own. I am not getting after you; I do not have any merits either. None of us have any, and we never will have any of our own.

In Part I we read, “There is salvation for you, but only through the merits of Jesus Christ.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 97. We also learned the worth of human, or creature merit: “Discussions may be entered into by mortals strenuously advocating creature merit, and each man striving for the supremacy, but they simply do not know that all the time, in principle and character, they are misrepresenting the truth as it is in Jesus. They are in a fog of bewilderment. They need the divine love of God which is represented by gold tried in the fire; they need the white raiment of Christ’s pure character; and they need the heavenly eyesalve that they might discern with astonishment the utter worthlessness of creature merit to earn the wages of eternal life.” Faith and Works, 23.

Sanctification

Our merit, she says, is “utter worthlessness.” But Christ has merits. It is through His merits that our sins are blotted out. It is through His merits that we are adopted into the family of God. It is through His merits, when we put our trust in Him, that changes take place in our minds through the Holy Spirit. That is what sanctification is. In sanctification, your mind is changed through the Holy Spirit.

Some people have a very shallow view of sanctification. They think that sanctification is when you change what you do on the outside. That is rubbish. Sanctification is when the Holy Spirit changes the inside of your mind. If you make all the external changes that you can make, you can only say like Paul could say when he was a Pharisee, “according to the righteousness which is of the Law, I was blameless.” He said, “I found out that was all absolutely worthless, and I considered it less than dung that I might win Christ.” (Philippians 3:6, 8.)

All the external is worthless unless the Holy Spirit changes the mind. This is what we need to work with our children too. Some people think that the way to raise children is that you train them to do the right things. No, friend, the way children need to be trained is so that they are transformed in mind by the Holy Spirit, and when the mind is changed, then they will start saying and doing the right things.

It is the same with adults. A story is related about Ellen White in the Spalding and Magan Collection, 92. Some people wrote to her one time, and they thought that Ellen White ought to do something to get the women in the Adventist church to change their dress. She wrote back to them and said, “Changing the dress will not change the heart.” I wish we could get that figured out—that changing the external will not change the heart. You have to get the heart changed, and then the outside can change.

Living Faith

  1. What is living faith?

“That living faith is essential for our salvation that we should lay hold upon the merits of the blood of the crucified and risen Saviour, on Christ, our righteousness.” Faith and Works, 64.

What is living faith? Living faith is when you lay hold of the merits of Christ. The merits of Christ, friend, are the only thing that can forgive your sins; it is the only thing that can blot out your sin; it is the only thing that can change your life. He wants to minister His merits to you through the Holy Spirit.

One of the great purposes that God through His Son gave to us the Holy Spirit is so the Holy Spirit could work in the human mind and administer the merits of Christ. Please do not say that this is not talking about sanctification or that we do not believe in it. This is it!

  1. Where is your dependence if you have living faith?

“You cannot explain this faith that lays hold upon the merits of the blood of a crucified and risen Saviour to bring Christ’s righteousness into your life. Clothed with the righteousness of Christ and not your own righteousness, you will not depend upon what you can do or what you will do.” Faith and Works, 65, 66.

You will not depend on anything that you can do or anything that you will do in the future. Do you not know that you cannot do anything without Christ?

The Latter Rain

  1. What will be the one subject that will swallow up every other subject during the time of the Latter Rain?

We pray about the Latter Rain; we long for the Latter Rain to come. We know that when the Latter Rain comes the work is going to be finished very, very quickly, and the Lord is going to come. That is why we want the Latter Rain.

Would you like to get out of this world? Would you like to get to a place where you do not have any of the problems, trials, troubles, struggles, and awful things that happen to you and everyone else on a regular basis? We cannot get out of this world until Jesus comes, and Jesus is not going to come until the gospel goes to all the world. The Latter Rain will actually take the gospel to every single person in the world. How is that going to happen, and what is going to happen?

“One interest will prevail, one subject will swallow up every other,—Christ our righteousness.” Review and Herald, December 23, 1890.

Simple as Possible

I am just a sinful human being, and I have no ability to touch your heart or explain the gospel so you can understand it. I have tried to make it as simple as I know how. Do you understand that it is only the merits of Christ that can save your soul and that every sinful person can be saved if he or she is willing to claim those merits and surrender himself or herself to Him?

It is not complicated. Do not let anybody tell you that it is complicated. We make the plan of salvation too complicated until people think that there must be a list a mile long of what they have to do to be saved. That is Phariseeism; that is also Roman Catholicism.

You cannot do it on your own merit, but Jesus can save you. Just put your trust in Him. If you only accept Him, no matter how bad you are, you will be saved. “Jesus came into the world,” Paul says, “to save sinners, of whom I am chief.” 1 Timothy 1:15.

To be continued . . .

[Bible texts quoted are literal translation.]

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

The Worthlessness of Creature Merit, Part III

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In this continuation of “The Worthlessness of Creature Merit,” the writer will attempt to deal with the problems that arise in the minds of many Seventh-day Adventists, as they arose in the minds of the church pioneers, when the gospel as presented in Parts I and II was the major part of the presentations in 1888. It was the way Ellen White understood the gospel and what she presented.

Many of the pioneer Adventists objected to this; “You are throwing out the law,” they accused. “This means that you do not believe in good works, and you do not believe in sanctification.” They almost accused Jones and Waggoner of trying to destroy the church. These very same objections still come up among Seventh-day Adventists today. Through this series it is hoped that we will see some connections.

The gospel does not do away with sanctification. It makes it possible. The problem was, and still is for many people, that, like the common saying, we get the cart before the horse. We cannot get the results before we have the cause, and that is one of the reasons many Seventh-day Adventists are utterly discouraged.

Often, I have people contacting me who are afraid they cannot be saved. Now, when a person thinks they cannot be saved, do you know what that means? They do not know the gospel. They do not understand that Christ can save the chief of sinners through His merits, if they will call upon Him and believe in Him. How do they get this misunderstanding?

Hebrews 7:25 tells us: “Whence also He is able to save perfectly those that come through Him to God, always living to make intercession on their behalf.” What a wonderful promise!

The King James Version of the Bible translates the Greek word panteles as “uttermost”; it actually more correctly means, “completely or perfectly,” as translated above. Quite often when the word uttermost is used, people think that God can reach clear to the bottom of the pit of sin to rescue an individual. That is true, but it is also true that He can save you perfectly. In other words, He can get you clear to the top of the pit.

As further introduction to this study, contemplate the following passage from the writings of Ellen White:

“Jesus is officiating in the presence of God, offering up His shed blood, as it had been a lamb slain. Jesus presents the oblation offered for every offense and every shortcoming of the sinner…

“The religious services, the prayers, the praise, the penitent confession of sin ascend from true believers as incense to the heavenly sanctuary, but passing through the corrupt channels of humanity, they are so defiled that unless purified by blood, they can never be of value with God. They ascend not in spotless purity, and unless the Intercessor, who is at God’s right hand, presents and purifies all by His righteousness, it is not acceptable to God. All incense from earthly tabernacles must be moist with the cleansing drops of the blood of Christ. He holds before the Father the censer of His own merits, in which there is no taint of earthly corruption. He gathers into this censer the prayers, the praise, and the confessions of His people, and with these He puts His own spotless righteousness. Then, perfumed with the merits of Christ’s propitiation, the incense comes up before God wholly and entirely acceptable. Then gracious answers are returned.

“Oh, that all may see that everything in obedience, in penitence, in praise and thanksgiving, must be placed upon the glowing fire of the righteousness of Christ. The fragrance of this righteousness ascends like a cloud around the mercy seat.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 343, 344.

Everything we do, even our prayers, comes from the corrupt channels of humanity. One of the reasons people are confused about this is that they do not understand their sinful condition; they think that they are no longer sinful, but that they are now saints.

To help in our understanding, we will continue to ask questions and answer the questions from inspired writings.

Merits of Christ

  1. What is our only hope of salvation?

We should know the answer to this question. What is our only hope of salvation? Ellen White declared: “My only hope is in a crucified and risen Saviour. I claim the merits of the blood of Christ. Jesus will save to the uttermost all who put their trust in Him.” Review and Herald, November 1, 1881.

  1. Will anybody perish who trusts in Christ’s merits?

“Nothing but the righteousness of Christ can entitle us to one of the blessings of the covenant of grace. There are many who have long desired and tried to obtain these blessings, but have not received them, because they have cherished the idea that they could do something to make themselves worthy of them. They have not looked away from self, believing that Jesus is an all-sufficient Saviour. We must not think that our own merits will save us; Christ is our only hope of salvation. ‘For there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.’ Acts 4:12.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 431.

As a human being, I do not understand how all this works. All I know is, according to this statement, God cannot give you what you want, the blessings of the new covenant, as long as you are cherishing the idea that you can do something. You have to reach the point where you realize you are absolutely helpless, and you must have Someone outside yourself save you completely; then God can help you.

“When we trust God fully, when we rely upon the merits of Jesus as a sin-pardoning Saviour, we shall receive all the help that we can desire. Let none look to self, as though they had power to save themselves. Jesus died for us because we were helpless to do this. In Him is our hope, our justification, our righteousness. When we see our sinfulness we should not despond and fear that we have no Saviour, or that He has no thoughts of mercy toward us.” Ibid.

This is a problem that many Seventh-day Adventists are having. The Holy Spirit is speaking to people and revealing to them their sins, their sinful condition. This is good, but because they do not understand the gospel, when they see their sinful condition, they are ready to give up. But Mrs. White says, “When we see our sinfulness we should not despond and fear that we have no Saviour, or that He has no thoughts of mercy toward us. At this very time He is inviting us to come to Him in our helplessness and be saved. …

“If we are conscious of our needs, we should not devote all our powers to mourning over them. While we realize our helpless condition without Christ, we are not to yield to discouragement, but rely upon the merits of a crucified and risen Saviour. Look and live. Jesus has pledged His word; He will save all who come unto Him. Though millions who need to be healed will reject His offered mercy, not one who trusts in His merits will be left to perish.” Ibid., 431, 432.

This is an astonishing promise. Did you get it? How many people who choose to trust in the merits of Christ will perish? Not one! That is wonderful! This is a promise for everybody—even the chief of sinners. It does not matter what your problem may be. It matters not what kind of bad habits you have or what your background is. None of this matters, if you choose to put your trust in Christ’s merits.

Did you notice in this passage that Mrs. White used words such as helpless and helplessness? So, when we realize our sinfulness, we need to pray, “Lord, I know I am bad. I know I am helpless.” We need to come to Christ and say, “Lord, I know I cannot save myself. I know I am helpless. I know there is nothing I can do, but I am choosing to trust in Your merits.” And the promise is that if we trust His merits, we will not be lost.

Jacob’s Experience

“God thus taught His servant [the night when Jacob had the fight with the Lord at the river Jabbok] that divine power and grace alone could give him the blessing he craved. Thus it will be with those who live in the last days. As dangers surround them, and despair seizes upon the soul …” Friends, that is happening right now. We are approaching the end of time. There are dangers all around us, and when we begin to realize how helpless we are, we become scared. Have you ever seen a Seventh-day Adventist who was scared? Have you ever been scared yourself?

She continues, “As dangers surround them, and despair begins to seize the soul, they must depend solely [that is, entirely] upon the merits of the atonement.” Ibid., 202, 203. When we realize how sinful we are and that we cannot overcome on our own, what are we supposed to do? We are supposed to depend completely, “solely upon the merits of the atonement.”

Then she says, “We can do nothing of ourselves. In all our helpless unworthiness we must trust in the merits of the crucified and risen Saviour. None will ever perish while they do this.” Ibid., 203. How wonderful!

If we realize we are helpless, well, thank the Lord we have got that figured out! That is one of the biggest problems with a number of Christians; they do not know that yet. But if we realize we are helpless, then, she says that we should put our trust in the merits of the crucified and risen Saviour and we will not perish. That is an absolute promise.

Stand in Favor

  1. How can we stand in favor with God?

“We stand in favor before God, not because of any merit in ourselves.” Faith and Works, 107.

“… not because of any merit in ourselves.” In other words, not because of anything we have done or are doing. That is not what brings us into favor with God. Well, what is it, then?

“We stand in favor before God, not because of any merit in ourselves, but because of our faith in ‘the Lord our righteousness.’” Ibid.

  1. How may we stand unscathed amid the fires of temptation and trouble?

“If we are conscious of the weakness of self, we shall not be self-confident and reckless of danger, but we shall feel the necessity of seeking to the Source of our strength, Jesus our Righteousness. We shall come in repentance and contrition, with a despairing sense of our own finite weakness, and learn that we must daily apply to the merits of the blood of Christ, that we may become vessels fit for the Master’s use.

“While thus depending upon God we shall not be found warring against the truth, but we shall always be enabled to take our stand for the right. We should cling to the teaching of the Bible and not follow the customs and traditions of the world, the sayings and doings of men.

“When errors arise and are taught as Bible truth, those who have a connection with Christ will not trust to what the minister says, but like the noble Bereans, they will search the Scriptures daily to see if these things are so. When they discover what is the word of the Lord, they will take their stand on the side of the truth. They will hear the voice of the True Shepherd saying, ‘This is the way, walk ye in it.’ [Isaiah 30:21.] Thus you will be educated to make the Bible the man of your counsel, and the voice of a stranger you will neither hear nor follow.

“If the soul is to be purified and ennobled, and made fit for the heavenly courts, there are two lessons to be learned—self-sacrifice and self-control. Some learn these important lessons more easily than do others, for they are exercised by the simple discipline the Lord gives them in gentleness and love. Others require the slow discipline of suffering, that the cleansing fire may purify their hearts of pride and self-reliance, of earthly passion and self-love, that the true gold of character may appear and that they may become victors through the grace of Christ.

“The love of God will strengthen the soul [that is the result of putting your trust in the merits of Christ], and through the virtue of the merits of the blood of Christ we may stand unscathed amid the fire of temptation and trial; but no other help can avail to save but Christ, our righteousness, who is made unto us wisdom and sanctification and redemption.

“True sanctification is nothing more or less than to love God with all the heart, to walk in His commandments and ordinances blameless. Sanctification is not an emotion but a heaven-born principle that brings all the passions and desires under the control of the Spirit of God; and this work is done through our Lord and Saviour.

“Spurious sanctification does not glorify God but leads those who claim it to exalt and glorify themselves. Whatever comes in our experience, whether of joy or sorrow, that does not reflect Christ and point to Him as its author, bringing glory to Him and sinking self out of sight, is not true Christian experience.

“When the grace of Christ is implanted in the soul by the Holy Spirit, its possessor will become humble in spirit and will seek for the society of those whose conversation is upon heavenly things. Then the Spirit will take the things of Christ and show them unto us and will glorify, not the receiver, but the Giver. If, therefore, you have the sacred peace of Christ in your heart, your lips will be filled with praise and thanksgiving to God. Your prayers, the discharge of your duty, your benevolence, your self-denial, will not be the theme of your thought or conversation, but you will magnify Him who gave Himself for you when you were yet a sinner. You will say: ‘I give myself to Jesus. I have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write.’ As you praise Him you will have a precious blessing, and all the praise and glory for that which is done through your instrumentality will be given back to God.” Ibid., 86, 87.

Every Adventist who is studying Bible prophecy knows that we are drawing near the end of time; we cannot help but see it. Just look around at what is happening, and we know, as a result, what is to come. We have prophecy, but so many Adventists are scared to death. “What are we going to do? How are we going to get ready? How are we going to be ready?” The only answer is given: “. . . no other help can avail to save but Christ, our righteousness.” There is no one else. There is nothing else. That is it. That is where we must put our trust.

Atonement

  1. How does this relate to 1844 and the atonement? This is a question that Seventh-day Adventists ask.

In Faith and Works, 100–102, Mrs. White discusses this in detail. We will here only look at several short passages from those pages.

“Without the grace of Christ, the sinner is in a hopeless condition; nothing can be done for him; but through divine grace, supernatural power is imparted to man and works in mind and heart and character. It is through the impartation of the grace of Christ that sin is discerned in its hateful nature and finally driven from the soul temple.” Ibid., 100. Notice that unless we receive Christ’s merits, we will never overcome sin. It will never happen.

There are Seventh-day Adventists who have been struggling for years and have become discouraged to the point that they want a different gospel, because they do not understand how atonement works.

“The only way in which he can attain to righteousness is through faith. By faith he can bring to God the merits of Christ, and the Lord places the obedience of His Son to the sinner’s account. …

“Again: it is written, ‘But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God’ (John 1:12, 13). Jesus declared, ‘Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God’ (John 3:3). ‘Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God’ (verse 5). …

“Many are losing the right way, in consequence of thinking that they must climb to heaven, that they must do something to merit the favor of God. They seek to make themselves better by their own unaided efforts. This they can never accomplish. Christ has made the way by dying our Sacrifice, by living our Example, by becoming our great High Priest. He declares, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life.’ [John 14:6.] If by any effort of our own we could advance one step toward the ladder, the words of Christ would not be true. But when we accept Christ, good works will appear as fruitful evidence that we are in the way of life, that Christ is our way, and that we are treading the true path that leads to heaven.” Ibid., 101, 102.

We absolutely cannot get the cart before the horse. When we accept Jesus, when we receive His merits, when we receive His grace, when the Holy Spirit works on our minds, good works result. Do not ever get confused. The works are the result of the Holy Spirit working on our minds and our hearts; they are never the cause of our salvation. It is not something we can work out. It is the result of God working in us. This is why we must get the emphasis on receiving the merits of Christ, on receiving the grace of Christ. Good works will result.

“Christ looks at the spirit, and when He sees us carrying our burden with faith, His perfect holiness atones for our shortcomings. When we do our best, He becomes our righteousness.” Ibid., 102.

Hopefully, we will now better understand how this relates to the atonement. It is more important at this time to receive the grace and merits of Christ than at any time before, because only the grace and merits of Christ can result in the good development of character—ultimately in perfect character.

Repentance

  1. Should we wait for repentance before we take hold of Christ’s righteousness?

The answer is no. Do not wait. We cannot repent. Repentance is a gift. Speaking of this, Ellen White wrote: “He who will lay hold of Christ’s righteousness need not wait one moment that he himself may blot out his own sins. He need not wait until he has made a suitable repentance before he may take hold upon Christ’s righteousness. We do not understand the matter of salvation. It is just as simple as ABC. But we don’t understand it.

“Now, how is it that a man will repent? Is it anything of himself? No; because the natural heart is at enmity with God. Then how can the natural heart stir itself up to repentance when it has no power to do so? What is it that brings man to repentance? It is Jesus Christ. How does He bring man to repentance? There are a thousand ways that He may do this.” Ibid., 64.

We can come to the Lord; we can claim His righteousness; we cannot repent. Only the Lord Jesus can bring us to repentance. We should not wait until we experience repentance or feel sorry; do not wait for some kind of a feeling. We must just come to the Lord the way we are. Do not wait for repentance.

Choose Christ

  1. What is the only thing that will obtain salvation for you?

Here is the answer:

“Your birth, your reputation, your wealth, your talents, your virtues, your piety, your philanthropy, or anything else in you or connected with you will not form a bond of union between your soul and Christ. Your connection with the church, the manner in which your brethren regard you, will be of no avail unless you believe in Christ. It is not enough to believe about Him; you must believe in Him. You must rely wholly upon His saving grace.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 48, 49. [Author’s italics.]

Nothing else will help. Nothing else will avail, unless we lay hold, by faith, on the merits of Jesus Christ. That is the only thing that will obtain salvation for us.

When you read this, you may be aghast. You may say, “How can this be? How can it be that this is the way to get salvation? Most of the world is going to be lost.” Friends, I cannot explain all that.

When we see how simple salvation is, it does cause us to question, “Why does not everybody accept it?” We cannot stop the majority of the people in the world from going to destruction, just as Noah could not. But we can make a decision for ourselves, and we can encourage people around us and show others how they can be saved. There are people all around us who are attending churches, but who do not know how to be saved.

“In every congregation in the land there are souls unsatisfied, hungering and thirsting for salvation. By day and by night the burden of their hearts is, What shall I do to be saved? They listen eagerly to popular discourses, hoping to learn how they may be justified before God. But too often they hear only a pleasing speech, an eloquent declamation. There are sad and disappointed hearts in every religious gathering.” Faith and Works, 32.

What do we do? We choose to put our trust in the merits of Christ. Like Paul said to the Philippian jailer, “You believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, you will be saved.” (Acts 16:31.)

Salvation is too simple, is it not?

To be continued …

[Bible texts quoted are literal translation.]

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