The Mystery of Godliness

Covenant-Promised Power or The Value of Salvation

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In order to fully realize the value of salvation, it is necessary to understand what it cost. In consequence of limited ideas of the sufferings of Christ, many place a low estimate upon the great work of the atonement. The glorious plan of man’s salvation was brought about through the infinite love of God the Father. In this divine plan is seen the most marvelous manifestation of the love of God to the fallen race. Such love as is manifested in the gift of God’s beloved Son amazed the holy angels. ‘God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ ” Testimonies, Vol. 2, 200

The glory of God is His character, and His character can be summed up in one word—love. “Christ points us to the key of all His suffering and humiliation—the love of God.” The Review and Herald, July 17, 1900

God is love, and the fullness of His love was embodied and demonstrated in the human nature of His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ. “The obedience of Christ to His Father was the same obedience that is required of man. Man cannot overcome Satan’s temptations except as divine power works through humanity. The Lord Jesus came to our world, not to reveal what God in His own divine person could do, but what He could do through humanity.” The Signs of the Times, April 10, 1893

When people say they cannot overcome sin, they speak the truth. Humanity cannot conquer temptation without divine assistance.

“To attribute to His nature a power that it is not possible for man to have in his conflicts with Satan, is to destroy the completeness of His humanity.” Ibid.

“God has called His people to glory and virtue, and these will be manifest in the lives of all who are truly connected with Him. Having become partakers of the heavenly gift, they are to go on unto perfection, being ‘kept by the power of God through faith.’ 1 Peter 1:5. It is the glory of God to give His virtue to His children. He desires to see men and women reaching the highest standard; and when by faith they lay hold of the power of Christ, when they plead His unfailing promises, and claim them as their own, when with an importunity that will not be denied they seek for the power of the Holy Spirit, they will be made complete in Him.” The Acts of the Apostles, 530

The incorruptible, undefiled inheritance that Jesus has provided for us is the moral power of His pure divine love, imparted to us by the Holy Spirit through faith that works by love. “The faith that works by love is an active agent, and purifies the soul, separating from the character everything that is out of harmony with the standard of righteousness.” The Signs of the Times, April 2, 1896

“Today it is still His purpose to sanctify and cleanse His church ‘with the washing of water by the word, that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.’ No greater gift than the character that He revealed, can Christ ask His Father to bestow upon those who believe on Him.” Ibid., September 3, 1902

Christ asked His Father to bestow on us the character that He Himself revealed when He was here—the greatest gift He could give to humanity. “What largeness there is in His request! What fullness of grace every follower of Christ has the privilege of receiving!” Ibid. “God is love, and love is life” (Christ’s Object Lessons, 258) but “genuine faith is life” (The Desire of Ages, 347). Genuine faith manifests the power of pure divine love.

To further understand how Jesus was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin, we must revisit the temptations He faced. As the Son of God, it was impossible to tempt Him, so He took on humanity so that He could be tempted. However, His temptations were far stronger than anything we will face, and were pressed upon Him when He was at His weakest. “It was in the time of greatest weakness that Christ was assailed by the fiercest temptations.” The Review and Herald, May 14, 1908

“The Son of God placed Himself in the sinner’s stead, and passed over the ground where Adam fell, and endured the temptation in the wilderness which was a hundred-fold stronger than was or ever will be brought to bear upon the human race.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 6, 334

Christ’s temptations were far stronger than anything we will ever experience, but could He be tempted with every species of crime, violence, and corruption that sinful man is tempted with?

In previous studies, we have shown that humanity’s weakness is inseparably united with its wants and desires, and that the power of the temptation is determined by the strength of the desire—the stronger the desire, the stronger the temptation. Therefore, to be tempted with every species of crime, violence, and corruption that is common to man, Jesus would have had to desire evil.

“Until the requirements of the holy law were applied as the rule of life, fallen man could not understand his own guilt, nor realize his condemned, lost condition. Jesus made application of the law directly to the soul, and laid under its jurisdiction the will and desires and works of man. Wrongdoing and all thoughts and feelings condemned by the law are to be overcome.” Ibid., Vol. 9, 235, 236

A desire for evil is a desire for sin, and an evil desire is not in harmony with the law of God. Jesus was full of God’s love and therefore, evil or sinful desire was not part of His character. “Full of goodness, compassion, and love, He hated only one thing—sin, ‘the transgression of the law.’ ” The Signs of the Times, April 14, 1898

God cannot be tempted with evil because He hates sin, and it was this hatred that made it absolutely impossible for Jesus—God manifest in the flesh—to be tempted with every species of crime, violence, and corruption, all the wickedness that grows out of the three great leading temptations—appetite, presumption, and pride.

“He [Jesus] is a brother in our infirmities, but not in possessing like passions. As the sinless One, His nature recoiled from evil. He endured struggles and torture of soul in a world of sin.” Testimonies, Vol. 2, 202

To be tempted in all points like as we are does not mean that Jesus possessed the same evil passions that fallen humanity possesses, nor the selfishness that is the very foundation of our human nature. His human nature recoiled from evil. Even we do not desire something we hate, and as our Brother, neither did Jesus.

“Our Lord was tempted as man is tempted. He was capable of yielding to temptations, as are human beings. His finite nature was pure and spotless, but the divine nature that led Him to say to Philip, ‘He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father’ also, was not humanized; neither was humanity deified by the blending or union of the two natures; each retained its essential character and properties.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 16, 182

What was it that made Jesus capable of being tempted?

In Christ, the finite nature of man and the divine nature of God were united, blended in one Person. In this union, they both retained their essential character and properties. The finite nature of Christ, His human nature, was pure and spotless because it was united to His divine nature. It is essential that our character be pure and spotless if it is to be united with the divine nature; for it cannot unite with divine nature if it is defiled with sin.

“But here [the fact that Christ was capable of yielding to temptation] we must not become in our ideas common and earthly, and in our perverted ideas we must not think that the liability of Christ to yield to Satan’s temptations degraded His humanity and He possessed the same sinful, corrupt propensities as man.” Ibid.

Ellen White calls the idea that Christ’s human nature possessed our sinful, corrupt propensities to sin a perverted idea.

How was Satan able to tempt Christ?

“The divine nature, combined with the human, made Him capable of yielding to Satan’s temptations. Here the test to Christ was far greater than that of Adam and Eve, for Christ took our nature, fallen but not corrupted, and would not be corrupted unless He received the words of Satan in the place of the words of God. To suppose He was not capable of yielding to temptation places Him where He cannot be a perfect example for man, and the force and the power of this part of Christ’s humiliation, which is the most eventful, is no instruction or help to human beings.” Ibid., 182, 183

After 4,000 years of sin had devastated man, Jesus took our ruined physical nature, but He did not take our corrupted flesh—our carnal heart or nature. We learned in previous studies that heart, nature, and flesh are all used synonymously when speaking of man’s spiritual nature. Our sinful nature makes it impossible for us to obey the law of God and is contrary to, and out of harmony with, His character (Romans 8). However, the Bible tells us that Jesus’ character reflected the express image of God, that He was the physical embodiment of God’s law, and that He pleased God. It is this same miraculous union of divinity and humanity that God desires to accomplish in us.

To deny that Jesus could yield to temptation would rob Him of His greatest glory. Satan sought to strip Christ of His purity, holiness, and most importantly, His allegiance to God. Allegiance is a matter of the mind. We worship God in our heart and mind, or we worship Satan (See Fundamentals of Christian Education, 426). The battle, my friend, is for the mind.

“We are all under one or the other of two great captains. One, the Creator of man and of the world, is the greatest of all. All owe Him the allegiance of their whole being, the devotion of their entire affection. If the mind is given to His control, and if God has the molding and developing of the powers of the mind, new moral power will be received daily from the Source of all wisdom and all strength. Moral blessings and divine beauties will reward the efforts of everyone whose mind is heaven-bent.” Our High Calling, 80

Paul says that Jesus was tempted like we are. This doesn’t mean that Jesus possessed the same evil passions that fallen humanity possesses. So what did Paul mean?

Paromoios is the Greek word for “like,” which means “after the manner of, in the same manner as, in the same way.” So how did Satan tempt Christ? “The [same] way in which Satan tempted Christ, he is today tempting every soul.” The Review and Herald, May 3, 1906

Deception

To clearly see Satan’s purpose when he brought temptation to Christ and now brings it to us, we need to go back to the beginning. How did Satan tempt Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden? First, he tempted Eve
to distrust God’s love,

  • to doubt His wisdom, and
  • to transgress His law.

And then, through her, he was able to overthrow Adam (Patriarchs and Prophets, 57).

“When Satan and his rebel host were defeated and cast out of heaven, they did not give up the struggle against right. Satan’s work has been the same since the days of Adam to the present, and he has pursued it with great success, tempting men to distrust God’s love and to doubt his wisdom. And in the great closing work of the rebellion the powers of evil will unite in a desperate struggle to work out their deceptive plans to lead souls to ruin.” The Review and Herald, September 30, 1909. “Satan must deceive in order to lead away.” Ibid., September 14, 1897

“I say to all: Be on your guard; for as an angel of light Satan is walking in every assembly of Christian workers, and in every church, trying to win the members to his side.” Testimonies, Vol. 8, 294

“Satan has ever been ambitious to counterfeit the work of Christ and establish his own power and claims. He does not generally do this openly and boldly. He is artful and knows that the most effectual way for him to accomplish his work is to come to poor, fallen man in the form of an angel of light.” Ibid., Vol. 1, 293

I do not believe that Satan is dressed all in red, with horns, cloven hooves, and a pointy beard carrying a pitchfork; a common depiction of him for millennia. But if he were to come to you as Mrs. White describes him (The Story of Redemption, 46), I don’t think he would fool anyone. Sinful as we may be, without deception Satan would not be able to entrap us if we were to see his true countenance and hear his vile lies against the love and wisdom of God. Sadly, however, Satan seeks to hold man under his deceptive reasoning (The Review and Herald, May 3, 1906), and the unwary soul is led to doubt and distrust God. The result then is that man can be—will be—led into sin. Yes, friends, distrust of God’s love and doubting His wisdom always precedes transgression of His law.

Satan used this same method when he tempted Christ in the wilderness after He had fasted for 40 days. “There came to the Saviour, as if in answer to His prayers, one [Satan] in the guise of an angel from heaven. He claimed to have a commission from God to declare that Christ’s fast was at an end. As God had sent an angel to stay the hand of Abraham from offering Isaac, so, satisfied with Christ’s willingness to enter the bloodstained path, the Father had sent an angel to deliver Him; this was the message brought to Jesus. … Would God treat His own Son thus? Would He leave Him in the desert with wild beasts, without food, without companions, without comfort? He insinuates that God never meant His Son to be in such a state as this.” The Desire of Ages, 118

Satan was trying to tempt Jesus to doubt God’s leading. Forty days of fasting had left Jesus weak, exhausted, and hungry on the verge of death. Jesus had a natural appetite for food that was begging to be gratified. He had been praying for help from heaven, and this angel of light, this supposed messenger from heaven, points to nearby stones and says to Jesus, “If Thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.” Ibid., 118

This angel’s first words betray his character, “If Thou be the Son of God.” No heavenly being would insinuate distrust in God’s wisdom. Had Jesus done as Satan suggested, it would have been an expression of doubt. The tempter planned to overthrow Christ using the same means that he had been using so successfully with the human race from the beginning. While Satan tempted in the same manner that he used on Adam and Eve, the circumstances surrounding Christ were far less favorable. Adam didn’t eat the forbidden fruit of the tree because he was hungry.

“How artfully had Satan approached Eve in Eden! ‘Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?’ Genesis 3:1. Thus far the tempter’s words were truth; but in his manner of speaking them there was a disguised contempt for the word of God. There was a covert negative, a doubt of the divine truthfulness. Satan sought to instill into the mind of Eve the thought that God would not do as He had said; that the withholding of such beautiful fruit was a contradiction of His love and compassion for man.” Ibid. This deceptive reasoning may include words of truth, but the manner in which the truth is spoken reveals a disguised contempt for God’s word.

“In an insulting, taunting manner, Satan referred to the present weakness and the unfavorable appearance of Christ in contrast with his own strength and glory. He taunted Christ that He was a poor representative of the angels, much more of their exalted Commander, the acknowledged King in the royal courts. His present appearance indicated that He was forsaken of God and man. He said if Christ was indeed the Son of God, the monarch of heaven, He had power equal with God, and He could give him evidence by working a miracle, and changing the stone just at His feet into bread, and relieve His hunger. Satan promised that, if Christ would do this, he would at once yield his claims of superiority, and that the contest between himself and Christ should there be forever ended.” The Review and Herald, August 18, 1874

Jesus could have exercised His divine power and made the stones into bread as Satan suggested. That wouldn’t be a temptation for us because we do not possess the power to command a stone to become a loaf of bread. However, Jesus had the power. But had He used His divinity to in any way help Himself, the plan of salvation would have been broken. That was Jesus’ temptation. For each temptation Satan brought to Him, Jesus had to resist divinely helping Himself in any way that would not be available to man. Imagine the power of a temptation to prove that you were the Son of God!

Imagine being so hungry and the devil coming to you and telling you to simply turn this stone into bread and relieve your hunger. We would probably respond with a guffaw. Why? Because we have no power to change anything into anything. It would be no temptation for us at all. Yes, the power of the temptations that we face are beyond imagination sometimes, but God has promised us everything we need to resist the temptations of Satan and to turn away from him. The point is, when we are tempted, we need help from above to overcome. Jesus, as the Son of God, didn’t need help. But as the Son of Man, our Example, He could do nothing to resist temptation and live a pure and holy life here that would not be available to us.

This is My Son

“When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’ ” Matthew 3:16, 17

What was Christ’s assurance that He was indeed the beloved Son of God? God’s word was Christ’s assurance of His divine mission. “He had come to live as a man among men, and it was the word that declared His connection with heaven. It was Satan’s purpose to cause Him to doubt that word. If Christ’s confidence in God could be shaken, Satan knew that the victory in the whole controversy would be his. He could overcome Jesus.” The Desire of Ages, 119

The devil was determined to make Christ disbelieve the words from heaven. If he could shake Christ’s confidence in His Father, he could win. “He hoped that under the force of despondency [hopelessness] and extreme hunger, Christ would lose faith in His Father, and work a miracle in His own behalf. Had He done this, the plan of salvation would have been broken.” Ibid.

Satan’s hope was that while Jesus was suffering extreme hunger in His body and bearing the weight of the sins of the whole world, he could cause Him to lose courage and faith in His Father and work a miracle for Himself. Jesus could have performed this miracle, but instead, He relied upon the power given to Him by the Father to resist the devil’s suggestion. Inspiration says that this same moral power to resist the devil is available to you and me, just as it was to Him. We must study it, believe it, pray for it, and receive it.

“The enticements which Christ resisted were those that we find it so difficult to withstand. They were urged upon Him in as much greater degree as His character is superior to ours. With the terrible weight of the sins of the world upon Him, Christ withstood the test upon appetite, upon the love of the world, and upon that love of display which leads to presumption. These were the temptations that overcame Adam and Eve, and that so readily overcome us.” Ibid., 116, 117

“As one of us He was to give an example of obedience. For this He took upon Himself our nature, and passed through our experiences. ‘In all things it behooved Him to be made like unto His brethren.’ Hebrews 2:17. If we had to bear anything which Jesus did not endure, then upon this point Satan would represent the power of God as insufficient for us. Therefore Jesus was ‘in all points tempted like as we are.’ Hebrews 4:15. He endured every trial to which we are subject. And He exercised in His own behalf no power that is not freely offered to us. As man, He met temptation, and overcame in the strength given Him from God.” Ibid., 24

What was this strength that the Father gave Him? “He says, ‘I delight to do Thy will, O My God: yea, Thy law is within My heart.’ Psalm 40:8.” Ibid. The law, written in the heart, is the power of God in the human life. “The law of God is an expression of His very nature; it is an embodiment of the great principle of love, and hence is the foundation of His government in heaven and earth. If our hearts are renewed in the likeness of God, if the divine love is implanted in the soul, will not the law of God be carried out in the life? When the principle of love is implanted in the heart, when man is renewed after the image of Him that created him, the new-covenant promise is fulfilled, ‘I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them.’ Hebrews 10:16. And if the law is written in the heart, will it not shape the life? Obedience—the service and allegiance of love—is the true sign of discipleship.” Steps to Christ, 60

Christ’s spiritual brothers and sisters are those whom He makes holy. He sanctifies them through His love and the word, and the kingdom of righteousness is established in the heart.

“Love is power. Intellectual and moral strength are involved in this principle, and cannot be separated from it. The power of wealth has a tendency to corrupt and destroy; the power of force is strong to do hurt; but the excellence and value of pure love consist in its efficiency to do good, and to do nothing else than good.” Gospel Workers (1892), 311, 112

“Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.” 1 John 3:9

The strength given to Jesus from His Father was the covenant promise made in Eden that God would put enmity between the seed of the serpent and the Seed of the woman. That enmity is found in the law of righteousness, which is the expression of His very nature. God put enmity between Christ and Satan, but He will put that same enmity between His people and Satan. All who will take up their cross [the cross is all our natural propensities] and allow the law of self-sacrifice in love to be written in their hearts as it was in the heart of Jesus, will receive the promised power to resist the temptations of Satan. As Jesus was and is connected with and beloved by God, so may we be through the covenant-promised power.

In purity and holiness, connected with God and beloved by God, Jesus came to this world as a man to begin where the first Adam began, but not for one moment was there in Him an evil propensity. Satan was not able to accomplish his diabolical scheme of instilling in the mind of Christ his own sentiments, thoughts, passions, and feelings.

“By nature man has no love for God. It is not natural for him to think of heavenly things. Satan has worked against God and His government, leading men to attribute to God the traits which belong to the power of evil.” The Review and Herald, March 12, 1901

Satan leads men to attribute to God the traits which belong to the power of evil. This temptation, prepared for the very elect, has deceived many in the Adventist church today. Those who teach that Christ possessed the same tendencies to sin that we inherit from Adam, and that He was tempted with every species of crime, violence, and corruption that sinful flesh is tempted with, are unwittingly denying His divinity by attributing to God in the humanity of His Son, the sentiments and character traits of Satan.

We need to pray that the Father will reveal to us the truth as it in Jesus which is the robe of Christ’s righteousness. God embodied His own attributes in His Son, His power, His wisdom, His goodness, His purity, His truthfulness, His spirituality, His benevolence, and He wants to embody in our minds the same attributes that He embodied in His Son.

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

Divinity United with Humanity

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A couple hundred years ago, people believed that things were getting better in this world because of medical advancements, the discovery of drugs and antibiotics that would result in the eradication of disease, and many other medical and scientific advancements. The world looked with optimism at the theory of evolution to prove that as time passed, this world and the people in it would progress to higher and higher levels of development.

But the idea of this world becoming a utopia was shattered by World War I and even more so by World War II. The entire psychology of the world in the last hundred years, the optimistic view of a steadily progressing improvement, was completely turned on its head. Before, we thought we would be able to solve every problem as advancement upon advancement was achieved, new technology was discovered and developed. But the truth is, we now know that we are not able to solve all the world’s problems, not with technology, not even with all our advancements. And as a result, the world today has become pessimistic, with many voices in the public press talking about the end of the world.

But the problem for us, we who call ourselves Christians, is not that the world is ending, but that we are not prepared to be made ready for the end to come.

Over many months, we have studied so that we might have a correct knowledge and understanding of the mystery of godliness and how it will prepare a people to be ready for the end of the world. We must understand what Jesus intends to do for us. We require an inside change to be ready for the end of the world and only Jesus can make this change in us. Otherwise, we will be destroyed. God has big plans for us, bigger and higher than we can possibly imagine. And understanding His plans will lead each of us to say, “Lord, I want Your plan to be worked out in my life.”

When Jesus came to this world, His own people did not understand who He was nor what He had come to do for them. When Jesus asked them who they thought He was, some thought he was Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the other prophets, and others said He was John the Baptist risen from the dead. But Peter hit upon the truth exactly in his response to Jesus’ question. “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Matthew 16:16

Jesus blessed Peter for his understanding, pointing out that Peter could not have known this by himself, that only by the Holy Spirit could it have been revealed to him. Then He described Peter as being a rolling stone. But God’s church would be built upon the solid foundation of Jesus Christ, and this church would prevail against everything, even death (verses 17, 18).

The focus and basis of our study has been 1 Timothy 3:16. “Without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit.”

Let’s list some of the basic points that we have discussed during this series:

  • Jesus is touched with the feeling of our infirmities because He experienced the weaknesses of humanity, identified in Inspiration as the wants or desires of man.
  • The drawing of desire, or the terrible power of temptation, endured by Jesus was a hundred-fold stronger than any member of the human race would ever be asked to bear. Why was it so much stronger? Because “His spiritual nature was free from every taint of sin.” The Signs of the Times, December 9, 1897. This is the same as saying His spiritual nature was free from every taint of selfishness.
  • Hebrews 4:14–16 tells us that we have a great High Priest who is able to sympathize with our weaknesses and to whom we can boldly come in every time of need and He will extend grace and help.
  • Jesus was tempted on three specific points—appetite, presumption, and love of the world. These three temptations are the strongest temptations for us and encompass many other temptations, perhaps not as strong, but equally troublesome for man. “Christ endured these three great leading temptations and overcame in behalf of man, working out for him a righteous character, because He knew man could not do this of himself.” Testimonies, Vol. 3, 372

“Appetite and passion, the love of the world and presumptuous sins, were the great branches of evil out of which every species of crime, violence, and corruption grew.” The Review and Herald, August 18, 1874

Many people are seeking the answer to this question: “Was Jesus tempted with the same evils that sinful man is tempted with?” Some say yes, while others say no. But the truth is, Jesus was tempted like we are. Every evil, every sin comes under one of these three great branches and our High Priest was tempted in all of these points. Okay, but was Jesus tempted with every species of crime, violence, and corruption—adultery, lying, stealing, murder, idolatry, addiction, depression, discouragement—all the bad things that you can imagine?

“Christ was God manifest in the flesh.” The Signs of the Times, April 26, 1905

“Let no man say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted of God’; for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempts He any man.” James 1:13

From a surface reading of this Spirit of Prophecy quotation and Bible scripture it seems that they contradict each other, but the problem, as it always is when dealing with inspired writings, is our understanding. “We are led to make wrong conclusions because of erroneous views of the nature of our Lord.” The Signs of the Times, April 10, 1893. Notice the date this quotation was written—April 10, 1893. We will see its significance shortly.

The apparent dilemma that needs to be resolved is how could Jesus be tempted in all the three great branches of evil if Christ, who was God in the flesh, cannot be tempted with evil? Inspiration clearly reveals the answer to this apparent contradiction.

  1. God cannot be tempted with evil.
  2. Christ was God manifest in the flesh.
  3. Jesus was tempted in all of the three great branches of evil.

How does Inspiration tie these truths together in a harmonizing way?

Many Protestant theologians believe and teach that because He was God, it was impossible for Christ to yield to temptation. Mrs. White was once asked if Christ was capable of yielding to temptation and this was her response:

“The point you inquire of me is, in our Lord’s great scene of conflict in the wilderness, apparently under the power of Satan and his angels, was He capable, in His human nature, of yielding to these temptations?

“I will try to answer this important question: As God He could not be tempted: but as a man He could be tempted, and that strongly, and could yield to the temptations. …

“His human nature was created; it did not even possess the angelic powers. It was human, identical with our own. … He was now where, if He endured the test and trial in behalf of the fallen race, He would redeem Adam’s disgraceful failure and fall, in our own humanity.

“A human body and a human mind were His. … He came into our world to maintain a pure, sinless character, and to refute Satan’s lie that it was not possible for human beings to keep the law of God. Christ came to live the law in His human character in just that way in which all may live the law in human nature if they will do as Christ was doing.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 6, 110, 111

In order to be tempted, I must be capable of yielding to that temptation. Being capable and actually yielding are two different things, and this difference needs to be understood. Jesus became a man, and, as a man, was capable of being tempted. However, His divine nature played a major role not only in what He was tempted to do, but also in the strength of His temptations.

Theologians have argued for 1,500 years over the relationship between Christ’s humanity and His divinity. “Christ was God manifest in the flesh. In Him divinity and humanity were united.” The Signs of the Times, April 26, 1905. What does it mean for His divinity and humanity to be united? Unity means that separate things become one. In marriage, as an example, the Bible says that the man will leave his parents and home and unite with his wife, and the two become one in spirit (Matthew 19:5). Jesus came to this world—read this carefully—and became one flesh with us so that, being united with Him, we could become one Spirit with Him. This process of humanity uniting with divinity must occur if we want to spend eternity with Christ, and it must occur here. Not one person from this world will be in the kingdom of heaven whose humanity has not been united with divinity.

The apostle Peter writes in a clear and detailed way how this must happen in each life. “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” 2 Peter 1:2–4

Christ was God manifest in the flesh. In Him divinity and humanity were united [become one, cannot be separated]. “In Him dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” Colossians 2:9

Nobody in the world can fully explain or understand this unity between Christ’s humanity and divinity, or how our humanity can be united with divinity to become a changed person fit for heaven. But we find in inspired writing that it is possible and when God inspires a prophet or an apostle to say or write something to His people, then it is truth, even if it can’t be understood. There are mysteries about the incarnation of Christ that you and I cannot understand here, and will not be able to understand even throughout eternity.

“Was the human nature of the Son of Mary changed into the divine nature of the Son of God? No; the two natures were mysteriously blended in one Person—the man Christ Jesus. In Him dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 21, 418

“He united humanity with divinity, a divine spirit dwelt in a temple of flesh.” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol. 4, 1147. This is the mystery of godliness—a divine spirit dwelling in a temple of flesh.

The night Jesus was betrayed, Philip asked, “ ‘Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.’ Jesus said, ‘Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father … .’ ” John 14:8, 9

“Jesus encircled the race with His humanity, and united divinity with humanity; thus moral power is brought to man through the merits of Jesus.” The Review and Herald, March 1, 1892. Moral power is made available to man through our relationship with Jesus.

Many have said, “Lord, how can you save someone like me?” Jesus died on the cross to forgive your sins but forgiveness alone does not save you. The Holy Spirit must bring moral power into your life so that you can be changed on the inside. Jesus said to Nicodemus, “Unless a person is born of water and the Spirit there is no chance that he can enter the kingdom of God.” John 3:5. The gospel is not only about forgiveness of sins. Rebirth by the power of the Holy Spirit creates inside of you something that was not there before. This change, this new creation, is accomplished only by a member of the Godhead because it requires creative power. The Bible says that God had only to speak and the world was made (Psalm 33). We serve a God who speaks and things happen.

This change doesn’t have to happen months or years from now. If God speaks in your behalf, you will have a new heart and a new mind. Paul writes, “Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts … .” Hebrews 3:15. “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” 2 Corinthians 6:2, last part.  Friends, when you hear the Holy Spirit speak to your heart, don’t wait. There are multitudes of people in this world right now who intend to be saved, but because they still desire the pleasures of sin, they will likely be lost because they put off until tomorrow what must be done today, now.

When the world ends and burns up there will be millions of people who will be destroyed in hellfire who never intended to be there. We cannot let this happen to us.

“For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,  from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,  that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,  may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end.” Ephesians 3:14–21

“The glory of God is His character.” The Signs of the Times, September 3, 1902

“This Saviour was the brightness of His Father’s glory and the express image of His person. He possessed divine majesty, perfection, and excellence. He was equal with God. ‘It pleased the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell.’ ” Testimonies, Vol, 2, 200

God’s fullness is His glory, His character, and His love, and it was manifested in His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ.

“To human eyes, Christ was only a man, yet he was a perfect man. In His humanity, He was the impersonation of the divine character. God embodied His own attributes in His Son—His power, His wisdom, His goodness, His purity, His truthfulness, His spirituality, and His benevolence. In Him, though human, all perfection of character, all divine excellence, dwelt.” The Youth’s Instructor, September 16, 1897

This reference lists the attributes of God’s character and tells us that Jesus possessed all of them in His human nature. “Love is power. Intellectual and moral strength are involved in this principle, and cannot be separated from it. The power of wealth has a tendency to corrupt and destroy; the power of force is strong to do hurt; but the excellence and value of pure love consist in its efficiency to do good, and to do nothing else than good. Whatsoever is done out of pure love, be it ever so little or contemptible in the sight of men, is wholly fruitful; for God regards more with how much love one worketh, than the amount he doeth. Love is of God. The unconverted heart cannot originate nor produce this plant of heavenly origin, which lives and flourishes only where Christ reigns.” Gospel Workers (1892), 311, 312

Intellectual and moral strength cannot be separated from love. The power of God is His pure divine love, something we just do not understand unless we study the life of Christ. Only then can we understand, even just a little, the love of God. We do know that if we have God’s love in our hearts, then we will obey His commandments. True love always leads to obedience. The world has muddied up what love is, confused it with sexual passion, which is not love at all.

The obedience that springs from true love is the moral strength that God imparted to His only begotten Son so that we would have an example of what He wants to do in those who are willing to be adopted into His family and to prove that He has the power to unite His divinity with our humanity. We are born into this world as a child of the devil and therefore must be adopted into the family of God. But in order to be adopted into God’s family, we must allow the miraculous recreation of what we were meant to be when God created Adam and Eve. He will give each of us a new heart and a new spirit. He will change our minds. We will talk differently, think differently, act differently. Why? Because He has made us a different person. He has made us His child, a member of His holy family.

“And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.” 1 John 4:16

There is Always a Cost

Salvation has a cost. Yes, Jesus paid that cost when He died on the cross, but we tend to emphasize the physical aspects of the ransom that Christ paid for our salvation, and while we should not minimize the reality of that, it was the mental anguish that He endured to save us that we do not understand.

“In order to fully realize the value of salvation, it is necessary to understand what it cost. In consequence of the limited ideas of the sufferings of Christ, many place a low estimate upon the great work of the atonement.” Testimonies, Vol. 2, 200

Why do we place such a low estimate on the great work of the atonement? Because our limited ideas regarding His suffering tend to focus on His physical sufferings, and far less on the mental anguish He endured. The following quotes are referring to His suffering in Gethsemane and on Calvary.

“He ‘resisted unto blood’ in that hour when the fear of moral failure was as the fear of death. As He bowed in Gethsemane, in His soul agony, drops of blood fell from his pores, and moistened the sods of the earth. He prayed with strong crying and tears, and He was heard in that He feared. …

“Christ’s heart was pierced by a far sharper pain than that caused by the nails driven into His hands and feet. He was bearing the sins of the whole world, enduring our punishment—the wrath of God against transgression. His trial involved the fierce temptation of thinking that He was forsaken by God. His soul was tortured by the pressure of great darkness, lest He should swerve from His uprightness during the terrible ordeal.” Selected Messages, Book 3, 131, 132

“The wrath of God against sin, the terrible manifestation of His displeasure because of iniquity, filled the soul of His Son with consternation. … The withdrawal of the divine countenance from the Saviour in this hour of supreme anguish pierced His heart with a sorrow that can never be fully understood by man. So great was this agony that His physical pain was hardly felt.” The Desire of Ages, 753

Friends, in hell people are not going to live and burn forever; they will be destroyed. Not just their bodies, but their souls will be destroyed. To die in hellfire means that you will die alone, without God. It will be as if you had never existed. If you accept Christ as your Saviour, choosing to follow Him all the way, you will never have to pay the price of your sins because He’s paid it for you.

If you reject the sacrifice made by Christ on your behalf and refuse to welcome Him into your life, opting instead to pursue your own path rather than walking in His footsteps—a life He shared to demonstrate the potential of uniting your humanity with His divinity—then when He returns and the end of all things is at hand, you will bear the weight of your sins alone. You will die alone, without God, and with no hope of a resurrection.

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

Unrequited Love

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Again the Son of God was seized with superhuman agony, and, fainting and exhausted, He staggered back to the place of His former struggle. His suffering was even greater than before. Only a short time before, Christ had poured out His soul in songs of praise in unfaltering accents, as one who was conscious of His Sonship to God. He had spoken to His disciples in words of tenderness and love. Now His voice came to them on the still evening air, not in tones of triumph, but full of human anguish. So lately He had been serene in His majesty, He had been like a mighty cedar; now He was as a broken reed. The words of the Saviour were borne to the ears of the drowsy disciples, ‘O My Father, if this cup may not pass away from Me, except I drink it, Thy will be done.’ ” The Signs of the Times, December 2, 1897

A dictionary definition of agony is “pain so extreme as to cause writhing or contortions of the body; extreme pain of body or mind, appropriately the pangs of death; violent contest or striving.” Jesus suffered in His human body and mind. “The temptations of Christ, and His sufferings under them, were proportionate to His exalted, sinless character. But in every time of distress, Christ turned to His Father. He ‘resisted unto blood’ in that hour when the fear of moral failure was as the fear of death.” Selected Messages, Book 3, 131. Christ was not afraid to die for us. His fear was that He would fail, thus becoming an imperfect sacrifice. This was the devil’s intended purpose as he exerted all of his evil power against the humanity of Christ—a moral failure, an imperfect sacrifice, the plan of salvation ruined.

“Hear that agonized prayer of Christ in the garden of Gethsemane! While the disciples were sleeping beneath the spreading branches of the olive trees, the Son of man—a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief—was prostrate upon the cold earth. As the agony of soul came upon Him, large blood drops were forced from His pores, and with the falling dew moistened the sods of Gethsemane … .” The Signs of the Times, December 2, 1897. Notice the adjectives that Mrs. White uses—fear, sorrow, grief, agony of soul—all feelings of the mind.

“Christ was now standing in a different attitude from that in which He had ever stood before. Hitherto He had been as an intercessor for others; now He longs for an intercessor for Himself. In His soul anguish, He lay prostrate upon the cold earth. Christ had suffered insult at the hands of the men whom He came to bless and save; He had been charged with being linked with Beelzebub, that His miracles of healing were wrought through satanic agencies; but these things did not cause Him the intense agony of soul He was now suffering. He was bearing the penalty of transgression for a sinful world. This proceeded not from Satan nor from man. It is best described in the words of the prophet, ‘Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, and against the Man that is My fellow, saith the Lord of hosts.’ Christ was realizing His Father’s frown. He was now suffering under divine justice. He saw what justice meant. He felt that as man’s substitute and surety He must be bound to the altar. He had taken the cup of suffering from the lips of guilty men, and proposed to drink it Himself, and in its place give to men the cup of blessing.” Ibid. This is what Jesus did for us. He took the cup that was ours, and said, I will drink it for you. And in its place, He offers His own to us. He took the curse, and gives us the blessing.

“Satan urged upon Christ all the force of his temptations. He presented before Him that the sin of the world, so offensive to God, was chastisement too great. He would never again be looked upon as pure and holy and undefiled, as God’s only-begotten Son. He had Himself become a sinner, and would suffer the penalty of sin. The wrath that would have fallen upon man, was now to fall upon Him.” Ibid.

We cannot comprehend this kind of temptation.

“Christ sojourned thirty-three years in this world, and how was He treated? The world disowned Him, scorned Him, and pronounced sentence against Him in the judgment hall, and, as agents of the prince of darkness, acted out his spirit in putting Christ to death. It was the worst that humanity could do. It was unrequited love that broke the heart of the Son of God.” The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, 176

The heart of Jesus was broken because those whom He loved so dearly did not love Him in return.

“The Son of God placed Himself in the sinner’s stead, and passed over the ground where Adam fell, and endured the temptation in the wilderness which was a hundredfold stronger than was or ever will be brought to bear upon the human race.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 5, 112

What a contrast between His temptations and ours! Divine love was the foundation of Jesus’ human spiritual nature, and it was because of love that His human spiritual nature was free from every taint of sin. We find not one seed of selfishness in His human nature. When He was tempted in all points like as we are, His own desire for the removal of suffering was a hundredfold stronger than fallen man will ever be called upon to experience.

In the Wilderness – Appetite

Christ faced three specific temptations. “In the wilderness of temptation, Christ met the great leading temptations that would assail man. … The first great temptation was upon appetite; the second, presumption; the third, love of the world.” Testimonies, Vol. 4, 44

“Appetite and passion, the love of the world, and presumptuous sins, were the great branches of evil out of which every species of crime, violence, and corruption grew.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 280

Appetite is “a natural desire to satisfy a bodily need” or “a strong desire or liking for something.” Appetite typically refers to food or drink, but appetite can also refer to a strong desire and/or emotion, an eagerness or longing such as we see in love, sexual passion, anger, the desire for wealth and fame, envy and covetousness, addictions, and the desire for power and control. This type of appetite is directed toward something or someone. Passion does not exist without an object on which to focus it.

There are two kinds of appetite—natural and artificial. Jesus inherited natural appetites. Artificial appetites are cultivated. Appetite was the first temptation Jesus faced in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1–3). “When Christ bore the test of temptation upon the point of appetite, He did not stand in beautiful Eden, as did Adam, with the light and love of God seen in everything His eye rested upon. But He was in a barren, desolate wilderness, surrounded with wild beasts.” The Review and Herald, August 4, 1874

“Our Saviour fasted nearly six weeks, that He might gain for man the victory upon the point of appetite.”

“He knew that appetite would be man’s idol, and would lead him [man] to forget God, and would stand directly in the way of his salvation.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 284

“He [the devil] put forth his strongest efforts to overcome Christ on the point of appetite at a time when He was enduring the keenest pangs of hunger.” The Review and Herald, March 18, 1875

Some time ago, a health reformer wrote a book on fasting. He stated that 40 days appears to be the maximum amount of time that a human being can fast without sustaining lasting damage to the body. Jesus fasted for 40 days. More recently, the medical community says that fasting for more than three days without medical supervision is neither safe nor advisable.

When a person fasts for a few days, drinking plenty of water, the feeling of hunger dissipates. But if a person fasts for weeks, the hunger pangs return worse than before. In the first three days, the body will use up all of the glucose stored in the liver for energy. After that, the liver will begin to process body fat (ketosis). When the body fat has been depleted, the body enters the starvation stage during which it begins to “mine” the muscles and other vital organs for energy. Death from starvation typically results once 40-50% of the person’s original weight has been lost, within approximately 60-70 days. Those with a greater amount of body fat can last longer. (Source: wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunger_strike#Medical_view)

So, we can see that at the end of Jesus’ 40-day fast in the wilderness, He had already passed the stage where His liver had used up all the glucose it had stored, processed all His body fat, and He was now in the starvation stage. His body had begun to mine His muscles and vital organs for the energy to stay alive, and He was experiencing the keenest pangs of hunger. It was at this point that the devil came to Him.

Jesus experienced a hunger—a terrible power of temptation, and the drawing of desire—that we will never be asked to experience. Did Jesus desire something to eat after fasting 40 days? The power of appetite is determined by the degree of hunger and Jesus experienced the maximum degree of hunger that it is possible for a human being to have and not have permanent damage in the body.

The degree of extreme hunger that Jesus experienced far exceeded the craving desires of a drug addict, a smoker, an alcoholic, a glutton, or a person who is or has been a slave of any other vice. No one who has been a slave to appetite no matter the form it takes, can say that Jesus cannot understand how they feel. “The victory gained was designed, not only to set an example to those who have fallen under the power of appetite, but to qualify the Redeemer for His special work of reaching to the very depths of human woe.” The Review and Herald, March 18, 1875

We have a Saviour who wants to save and who is uniquely qualified to save everyone to the uttermost, even those who dwell at the very bottom of the pit of sin. When Christ was tempted on the point of appetite, He reached to the very depths of human woe.

“By experiencing in Himself the strength of Satan’s temptation, and of human sufferings and infirmities, He would know how to succor [help] those who should put forth efforts to help themselves.” Ibid.

When the devil came to Jesus in this first temptation, he assumed the form of an angel of light to deceive Jesus. He attempted to make Jesus believe that he was a messenger from the throne of God sent to lend aid and to tell Him that His fast was over.

“If You are the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread,” Satan taunted Jesus. Jesus could have spoken a word and it would have been done. But if He had, it would have broken the agreement He had made with His Father that while on earth as a man, He would never work a divine miracle for His own benefit making void the plan of salvation. Furthermore, He would have been accepting the devil’s statement of doubt, “If … .” You and I cannot speak and stones become bread, but Jesus could and because He could, it made the temptation to use His divine power to prove that He was the Son of God more powerful than any temptation that you or I will ever face.

In the Wilderness – Presumption

“The second temptation was on the point of presumption.” Sermons and Talks, Vol. 2, 218

“Only He who has true faith is secure against presumption. For presumption is Satan’s counterfeit of faith. Faith claims God’s promises, and brings forth fruit in obedience. Presumption also claims the promises, but uses them as Satan did, to excuse transgression. Faith would have led our first parents to trust the love of God, and to obey His commands. Presumption led them to transgress His law, believing that His great love would save them from the consequence of their sin.” The Desire of Ages, 126

Still today—6,000 years of sin later—millions of people believe that they can go through their lives sinning, but never overcoming, and God will save them anyway because He loves mankind so much He couldn’t bear to let anyone die. And they would be right that God loves man and that it was never His plan that anyone should die. But for the soul that sins, death is still the penalty, and no matter how much God loves the human race, He does not change, therefore, neither can His law be changed.

“It is not faith that claims the favor of heaven without complying with the conditions on which mercy is to be granted. Genuine faith has its foundation in the promises and provisions of the Scriptures.” Ibid.

True faith is based on trusting God, claiming His promises, and allowing His grace to work in the life to keep the believer from falling. Presumption is based on doubt and unbelief. It, too, claims God’s promises, but uses them to excuse transgression. Presumption believes that His love is greater than His justice and that God did not really mean that the soul that sins will die. But God says what He means and means what He says. Inspiration tells us that this is a hard lesson for man to learn.

Again, the devil approached Jesus as an angel of light. He took Jesus into the holy city up on the pinnacle of the temple, and, throwing doubt as to who Jesus really is, he said, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over You,’ and ‘In their hands they shall bear You up, lest You dash Your foot against a stone.’ ” Matthew 4:6

Satan quoted a Bible promise. Well, he quoted part of the promise, but not all of it.

“For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.” Psalm 91:11

“In all Your ways”—in other words, according to God’s way. “The wily foe himself presents words that proceeded from the mouth of God. … he makes it evident that he is acquainted with the Scriptures … .

“When he quoted the promise, ‘He shall give His angels charge over Thee,’ he omitted the words, ‘to keep Thee in all Thy ways’: that is, in all the ways of God’s choosing. Jesus refused to go outside the path of obedience. … He would not force Providence to come to His rescue, and thus fail of giving man an example of trust and submission.” The Truth About Angels, 174, 175

Jesus’ response—found in Deuteronomy 6:16—to Satan was, “ ‘It is written again, You shall not tempt the Lord thy God.’ ” These words were spoken by Moses to the children of Israel when they thirsted in the desert, and demanded that Moses should give them water, exclaiming, “ ‘Is the Lord among us, or not?’ ”  Exodus 17:7. God had wrought marvelously for them; yet in trouble they doubted Him, and demanded evidence that He was with them. In their unbelief, they sought to put Him to the test, and Satan was urging Christ to do the same thing.

When John the Baptist baptized Jesus, the Bible says that when He came up out of the water, the heavens opened and the Spirit like a dove descended upon Him. A voice spoke from heaven saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:17

After His baptism, the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness, where He was tempted for 40 days. This particular temptation—presumption—was a parallel of the experience of ancient Israel when in their unbelief they tempted God. “God had already testified that Jesus was His Son; and now to ask for proof that He was the Son of God would be putting God’s word to the test—tempting Him. And the same would be true of asking for that which God had not promised. It would manifest distrust, and be really proving, or tempting, Him.” The Desire of Ages, 126

Temptation is a test to prove something. “We should not present our petitions to God to prove whether He will fulfill His word, but because He will fulfill it; not to prove that He loves us, but because He loves us. ‘Without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.’ Hebrews 11:6.” Ibid.

Jesus did not yield to either of the first two wilderness temptations, but He knew that we would.

“… through no class of temptations does he [Satan] achieve greater success than through those addressed to the appetite. If he can control the appetite, he can control the whole man.” Temperance, 276

“If Satan cannot prevent persons from exercising faith, he will try to lead them to presume upon the willingness and power of God, by placing themselves unnecessarily in the way of temptation. Presumption is a most common temptation, and as Satan assails men with this, he obtains the victory nine times out of ten.” The Signs of the Times, September 29, 1887

Every Christian needs to study the subject of presumption because we are all in a fight that the devil wins 90% of the time. If we are to win in this fight, then we must be studying and praying to strengthen our offense in the fight.

In the Wilderness – Pride

Having failed with the first and second temptations, Satan changed things up for the third. Interestingly, he no longer attempted to deceive Jesus by coming as an angel of light sent from the throne of God. Throwing off the disguise he used in the first two temptations, he came to Jesus as himself. Then he took Jesus up on a high mountain, a vantage point from which all the kingdoms of the world could be seen. All of these are mine, he said, but I will give them to You “if You will fall down and worship me.” Matthew 4:9

Satan came to Jesus claiming to be the rightful ruler of the world, willing to confer this honor on Jesus if He would simply bow down and acknowledge that Satan had the authority to do as he promised. Absolute blasphemy! How this must have stung the heart of Christ. Jesus had already defeated Satan in heaven. Satan was the ruler of nothing but evil. However, here in this world in the guise of fallen humanity, He now stands confronted by His chief adversary and the enemy of man, this boastful fiend who so successfully usurps Christ’s place in the hearts of all mankind.

“In the first two great temptations Satan had not revealed his true purposes or his character. He claimed to be an exalted messenger from the courts of heaven, but he now throws off his disguise. In a panoramic view he presented before Christ all the kingdoms of the world in the most attractive light, while he claimed to be the prince of the world.

“This last temptation was the most alluring of the three. …

“The eye of Jesus for a moment rested upon the glory presented before Him; but He turned away and refused to look upon the entrancing spectacle. He would not endanger His steadfast integrity by dallying with the tempter. When Satan solicited homage, Christ’s divine indignation was aroused, and He could no longer tolerate the blasphemous assumption of Satan, or even permit him to remain in His presence. Here Christ exercised His divine authority.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 285, 286

Does that last sentence give you pause? There are many statements in the Spirit of Prophecy that tell us that Jesus, in His humanity, exercised no power on His own behalf that is not freely available to us. But this seems to suggest that divine power is available to us when we face temptations. (See Christ’s Object Lessons, 333.)

“By which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” 2 Peter 1:4

“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” James 4:7

“Placing Jesus upon a high mountain, Satan caused the kingdoms of the world, in all their glory, to pass in panoramic view before Him. The sunlight lay on templed cities, marble palaces, fertile fields, and fruit-laden vineyards. The traces of evil were hidden. The eyes of Jesus, so lately greeted by gloom and desolation, now gazed upon a scene of unsurpassed loveliness and prosperity. Then the tempter’s voice was heard: ‘All this power will I give Thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If Thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be Thine.’ ” The Desire of Ages, 129

“The strength of this temptation to the Saviour was greater than the human mind can understand.” The Review and Herald, May 14, 1908

“Satan brought all his strength to bear upon this last temptation, for this last effort was to decide his destiny as to who should be victor.” Ibid., September 1, 1874

Satan knew that if he was to win the great controversy, it had to be at that moment. He had to overcome Christ in His humanity, or he would be overcome. “This was the most subtle and overpowering temptation that Satan could bring against Christ in His human nature to unsettle His faith in His heavenly Father and to separate Him from God.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 18, 86

Jesus gazed upon the kingdoms of the world for but a moment, then He turned to Satan and said, “ ‘Away with you, Satan! For it is written, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.” ’ ” Matthew 4:10

Defeated, Satan left, and angels were sent to minister to Christ.

Ultimate Victory

Christ knew who He was and He knew things about His future, but this knowledge brought little peace to His life. “At every opportunity they manifested their bitter opposition against Christ. There was no more peace for Him; for the caviling of His enemies was continual, and their plans to entrap Him abundant.” The Signs of the Times, February 8, 1899

As He was our substitute and surety, all of our guilt and sin was laid upon Him. He was counted as a transgressor that we might be redeemed from the condemnation of the law. Jesus was to bear, on man’s behalf, the indignation and wrath of God against sin and sinners to the cross.

“Now with the terrible weight of guilt He bears, He cannot see the Father’s reconciling face. The withdrawal of the divine countenance from the Saviour in this hour of supreme anguish pierced His heart with a sorrow that can never be fully understood by man.” The Desire of Ages, 753

This was real. It was real when they pulled His beard until patches of it came out. The spit was real. The brutality was real. The crown of thorns was real. The hammer and nails used to nail Him to the cross were real. It was real when they slammed the cross into the ground tearing His flesh. Yet this intense, physical agony was as nothing compared to the mental agony He endured.

“Satan with his fierce temptations wrung the heart of Jesus. The Saviour could not see through the portals of the tomb. Hope did not present to Him His coming forth from the grave a conqueror, or tell Him of the Father’s acceptance of the sacrifice. He feared that sin was so offensive to God that Their separation was to be eternal. Christ felt the anguish which the sinner will feel when mercy shall no longer plead for the guilty race.” Ibid., 754

On the cross, Christ felt the horror of the people who will die the second death—absolute aloneness, total and eternal separation from God.

The sense of sin and the Father’s wrath were real and they broke Jesus’ heart. Jesus knew the sorrow and suffering that He would endure, and still He took each step to Calvary. Friends, there is coming a time when, because of our faith and love for God, we will experience suffering, scorn, rejection, and imprisonment, even death, but no mortal man will experience it to the degree that our Lord did.

“Christ’s mission could be fulfilled only through suffering. Before Him was a life of sorrow, hardship, and conflict, and an ignominious death. He must bear the sins of the world. He must endure separation from the Father’s love. … Christ might deliver Himself from the dreadful future by acknowledging the supremacy of Satan. But to do this was to yield the victory in the great controversy. It was in seeking to exalt himself above the Son of God that Satan had sinned in heaven. Should he prevail now, it would be the triumph of rebellion.” The Desire of Ages, 129

This last temptation was the most alluring of the three because Satan was offering Jesus a way out. No Gethsemane, no Calvary. Just an admission that He and God had been wrong when they threw him and his followers out of heaven. An acknowledgement that he was worthy of the praise and worship that he so craved, worthy of a seat next to the throne of God. It was just a simple thing.

“ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ” Matthew 4:10, last part

Jesus “who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2

What is this joy? That His love for us is returned, that we accept His salvation, and offer Him His rightful place in our hearts.

Never let it be said of us that “Christ pleaded, He invited; but His love was unrequited by the people He came to save.” Testimonies, Vol. 4, 189

Let us be part of the few in this world who go up the narrow road that leads to everlasting life and show to our Saviour the love that He has shown to us.

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

Tempted Like We Are

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“For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.”

Hebrews 4:15

This study will be on a very sacred, very emotional subject. Religion has an emotional aspect that is unavoidable. So we will study this emotional aspect as well as the spiritual and intellectual aspects of religion.

Hebrews 4:15 is a familiar and favorite text for many Christians. It tells us some wonderful things about the nature of our great High Priest in heaven. Mrs. White says that Jesus’ work as our great High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary is just as necessary to our salvation as His death on the cross. Today, the majority of the Christian world knows that Jesus died for our sins, but they do not understand that He is now ministering in heaven, and that without His ministration we would be lost even though He died on the cross.

The Baker Letter

Mrs. White addressed this text in a letter she wrote to Elder W. L. H. Baker and his wife in 1895. In Adventist circles, it is simply referred to as the Baker letter. One sentence from this letter reads: “It is a mystery that is left unexplained to mortals that Christ could be tempted in all points like as we are, and yet be without sin.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 13, 19

Mrs. White is very clear that how Christ can be tempted like we are and yet be without sin is a mystery, intentionally left unexplained to mortals. There are things in the Bible that we don’t understand all the time. We may understand a small amount of it, but there remains much that we do not understand.

Since it is this statement from the Baker letter that has led me in the past not to preach on Hebrews 4:15, perhaps it is most appropriate that I provide some background regarding Elder Baker. Elder Baker was a mid-westerner and a Seventh-day Adventist minister. He was a missionary, along with his wife, to Australia evangelizing throughout Australia and Tasmania and while there, he became president of a number of conferences in Australia. Later in life, he returned to the U.S. until his death in 1933. However, at the time Mrs. White’s letter was written, the Bakers had become discouraged in their evangelistic work. Mrs. White wrote the Baker letter, in part, to encourage them. God knows every detail about every discouragement that we may be going through, and at just the right time He sends encouragement to His children. But along with the encouragement, He may also send correction.

The Baker letter has become so well-known and equally controversial because it contains plain, explicit, and strong statements regarding the nature of Christ, and these statements completely contradict and destroy the theological position of many conservative Seventh-day Adventist ministers and teachers.

When I first read the Baker letter, the statements on the nature of Christ were no problem for me. I had already read the following in Testimonies, Vol. 2, 201, 202:

“In Christ were united the human and the divine. His mission was to reconcile God and man, to unite the finite with the infinite. This was the only way in which fallen men could be exalted through the merits of the blood of Christ to be partakers of the divine nature. Taking human nature fitted Christ to understand man’s trials and sorrows, and all the temptations wherewith he is beset. … Christ condescended to take man’s nature and was tempted in all points like as we, that He might know how to succor all who should be tempted. …

“Our Saviour identifies Himself with our needs and weaknesses, in that He became a suppliant, a nightly petitioner, seeking from His Father fresh supplies of strength, to come forth invigorated and refreshed, braced for duty and trial. He is our example in all things. He is a brother in our infirmities, but not in possessing like passions. As the sinless One, His nature recoiled from evil. He endured struggles and torture of soul in a world of sin. His humanity made prayer a necessity and privilege. He required all the stronger divine support and comfort which His Father was ready to impart to Him, to Him who had, for the benefit of man, left the joys of heaven and chosen His home in a cold and thankless world.”

However, that is not the case for almost everyone around me. Through the years I have listened and read and watched many times as Seventh-day Adventist ministers and theologians have attempted to explain away the Baker letter. To accept it would destroy their theology regarding the nature of Christ. All manner of methods have been devised to try to explain it away.

One explanation for why Mrs. White wrote the Baker letter was that Elder Baker might have believed in Adoptionism—an early Christian nontrinitarian theological doctrine most popular in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd centuries, which holds that Jesus was adopted as the Son of God at His baptism, His resurrection, or His ascension, denying the eternal pre-existence of Christ—and the letter was Mrs. White’s attempt at correcting this misconception. And that could easily be true. However, if that is all we get from the Baker letter, then we have completely missed other significant points.

My brother Marshall learned of the Baker letter at the Seventh-day Adventist seminary from certain conservative professors. In brief, they taught that we should not use just one private letter to establish doctrine. But that is a most interesting explanation since these very same ministers have used and would use a single private letter written to a prominent Seventh-day Adventist minister if it supported something that they agreed on, accepting the letter without question.

If you accept the Baker letter at face value, you will realize immediately that it completely destroys the positions on the nature of Christ held by a host of conservative Adventist ministers, theologians, and teachers, many of whom are and have been friends of mine for many years.

When I was young, the Baker letter was not available in its entirety. Excerpts could be found back then, but today, the entire letter is printed in Manuscript Releases, Vol. 13, 14–30, prefaced by an explanation about the letter.

Tempted in All Points as We Are, yet Without Sin

Let’s now go back to Hebrews 4:15, the text that no human being can understand, and see if there is any element of the verse that we can understand. “We do not have a High Priest who cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” This Bible text is used by many today as proof that Jesus had all the same natural tendencies and propensities to sin that fallen men have, which is what the Baker letter strongly and repeatedly contradicts.

Inspiration teaches that our tendency to wrong doing is an imperfection of character and that imperfection of character is sin, but Paul says that even though Jesus was tempted just like as we are, He was without sin. So, if we cannot fully understand this text—remember, Mrs. White said, “It is a mystery that is left unexplained to mortals”—is there anything in the text that we can understand?

I believe there is.

“The Elder Brother of our race is by the eternal throne. He looks upon every soul who is turning his face toward Him as the Saviour. He knows by experience what are the weaknesses of humanity, what are our wants, and where lies the strength of our temptations … .” The Desire of Ages, 329. He knows why my temptations are so difficult for me to overcome, and why I feel like I just can’t overcome them. He understands, and that should give all of us confidence in Him because He promised that He would deliver us and make us victors over all sinful temptations.

Jesus knows our wants, He knows by experience the weaknesses of humanity, and He knows and understands just how strong our temptations are. How? Because He was tempted just like we are, though without sin.

The dictionary defines a want as “something that is desired, but not possessed.” Why do I want it? I desire something either because I need it, or because I derive pleasure from it. So a want is something that is desired, whether it be a desire for something needed or a desire for pleasure. So the weaknesses of humanity lie in the desire for life’s necessities and pleasures. David wrote about the wants of man in Psalm 23, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want … .”

Touched with Our Infirmities

What does it mean for Jesus to be touched with our infirmities and feelings?

A little background on how the Baker letter became so well known. For 88 years, it was just a letter among many that Mrs. White wrote during her lifetime, though unavailable in her published works. But in the early 1980s, the letter was released and published.

We as individuals do not always think the same way. Our experiences in life, our culture, even our gender can be filters through which we process, see, and understand things, but in different ways. That doesn’t mean that one person’s mind is inferior to another’s; it is simply that we think differently, but with the ability to arrive at the truth of an issue from different directions.

Christ was tempted in a way that we cannot imagine. For years I’ve wanted to know how He could be tempted as I am.

Touched means that He feels sympathy. It is comforting to know that we have someone in heaven, who has all power, and who is touched with our feelings standing at the throne of God. Jesus is able to sympathize with our problems so we can feel free to come to Him and talk to Him about any problem that befalls us. We need not go through life trying to bear our problems and burdens alone. So Paul says we need to come with confidence to the throne of grace because we will find there the mercy and grace to help in time of need.

How does Jesus know by experience what the weaknesses and wants of humanity are? Manuscript Releases, Vol. 16, 182, states “A man of our flesh, He was compassed with the weakness of humanity. The circumstances of His life were of that character that He was exposed to all the inconveniences that belong to men, not in wealth, not in ease, but in poverty and want and humiliation.” It says He was surrounded by these things. He personally experienced poverty, want, humiliation. “We know that the Lord Jesus was tempted in all points like as we are, and He knows how to succor [help] all who shall be tempted.” Ibid., Vol. 14, 334. We need to understand that when we are tempted, no matter what the temptation is, that Jesus knows how to help us. When we’re tempted and it seems like there is no way out—we’re never going to win—it is time, of all times, that we need to cry out to the Lord for the deliverance He has promised.

As human beings, our minds seem to think that helping us means that the temptation is taken away. Lord, we say, just deliver me from this temptation. Sadly, very often it just doesn’t work that way. Sometimes the Lord says that He will take a temptation away. I have known people who have smoked for many years, many packs of cigarettes per day. They have tried to quit smoking many times, but they just can’t do it. They cry out to the Lord for help, and help is supplied and they are freed from the addiction of cigarettes and no longer have any desire to smoke. It is true that sometimes the Lord takes the temptation away, but more often the Lord does not take it away. It is His will for you and for me not to yield to temptation, calling upon Him for the help needed to resist it.

Let’s take a short look at the three Hebrew worthies. They had this exact experience. They said our God is able to deliver us from you, King Nebuchadnezzar, but if He does not, then let it be known that we will not worship your image. The king was so angry that he had the furnace stoked until it was seven times hotter than it was before, and into the fire Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego were tossed. It was so hot that the soldiers who threw them into the furnace died instantly. Imagine it: their hands and feet are bound, and they are thrown into the flames like bundles of dried grass, but these young men were willing to die rather than to disobey God’s commandment not to worship idols.

It’s one thing to be able to walk around with the Lord. We likely think that He will prevent all the bad things from happening. But then, there you are, standing in front of a fiery furnace stoked seven times hotter than before and God doesn’t keep you from being thrown into the fire. Instead He joins you in the flames.

As we draw closer to the end of the world, it will appear that all of God’s children will be killed while standing firm in their faith. The Bible says it will happen. But if I am to be one of God’s children at the end of time, I must be His child right now—believing in Him, obeying His law, and worshiping no other god or idol. Then God will send the help I need to remain firm in my faith in Him.

We may be weak, hungry, and thirsty. We may experience sorrow and grief, pain and suffering. Jesus, our Creator, is the source of all strength and power. He holds up the universe and all the heavenly bodies it contains. So, friend, you can be sure that He can sustain you. He left all of it behind to become a man so that he could suffer as we suffer, and thereby be able to offer aid. Jesus experienced physical suffering, poverty, and humiliation so that He could understand us.

“In His humanity, He suffered physical weariness and weakness, hunger, thirst, and sadness.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 14, 334

“By experiencing in Himself the strength of Satan’s temptation, and of human sufferings and infirmities, He would know how to succor [aid] those who should put forth efforts to help themselves.” The Review and Herald, March 18, 1875

In our human nature alone, the power of temptation is too great for us to bear. “Feeling the terrible power of temptation, the drawing of desire that leads to indulgence, many a man cries in despair, ‘I cannot resist evil.’ ” The Ministry of Healing, 174

Sadly, a person with this mindset is fertile territory for a preacher preaching that you don’t need to overcome sin. This type of theology is so popular because that is man’s experience. A man may try a hundred, a thousand times, and still be unable to resist the temptation that his natural, sinful self drives him to desire, until he finally yields.

Desire is a power of the mind. The terrible power of temptation lies in the wants, the desires of man (James 1:13–15). Keep in mind that infirmities are related to either a weakness of the body or a weakness of the mind. There is an intimate relationship between the weaknesses of humanity and the power of temptation. The greater the desire the more powerful is the temptation.

“God requires every soul to be pure and holy. We have hereditary tendencies to wrong. This is a part of self that no one need carry about. It is a weakness of humanity to pet selfishness, because it is a natural trait of character. But unless all selfishness is put away, unless self is crucified, we can never be holy as God is holy.” The Faith I Live By, 140

Paul writes in Romans 6 about crucifying the old man. The crucifixion of the old man is the putting to death of our natural selfishness. Selfishness is a natural trait of character, and we desire, by nature, to hold it close, but the Bible says that we must crucify the old man and be reborn as a new man if we are to be one of God’s children.

A superficial reading of these passages by people who have permitted their minds to become clouded regarding what constitutes sin can lead to the gross error of attributing to the humanity of Christ the same tendencies to wrong that we inherited from Adam. “The sowing of seeds of selfishness in the human heart was the first result of the entrance of sin into the world.” The Workers’ Bulletin, September 9, 1902. On the very day that Adam and Eve sinned, the seeds of selfishness were sown in their hearts, and have been passed down in the hearts of all of Adam’s posterity since. It is crucial that we understand that our natural, sinful humanity is selfish, but the humanity of Christ had not one thread of selfishness.

What is selfishness? “All selfishness is covetousness, and is, therefore, idolatry.” The Review and Herald, May 23, 1907. Idolatry is the breaking of the second commandment and covetousness is the breaking of the tenth commandment. If all selfishness is covetousness and idolatry, then all selfishness is sin and sin is the transgression of the law in whatever form or fashion it is found. “The law requires righteousness—a righteous life, a perfect character; and this man has not to give.” The Desire of Ages, 762

By nature, we are not righteous, and we cannot be made righteous by anything that we do. It is only by the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit and our complete surrender to this transforming power in our hearts that we are able to be made righteous.

How does Jesus know what the weakness of humanity is like?

“For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.” Hebrews 2:18

“For we have not a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” Hebrews 4:15

“Thank God we have a High Priest who is touched with the feelings of our infirmities, for He was in all points tempted as we are.” Christ Triumphant, 218. In that sentence, the word for means “because.” Jesus was touched with the feeling of our infirmities because He was tempted and suffered in all points like as we are.

What caused Jesus to suffer?

“The human nature of Christ was like unto ours, and suffering was more keenly felt by Him; for His spiritual nature was free from every taint of sin. Therefore, His desire for the removal of suffering was stronger than human beings can experience.” The Signs of the Times, December 9, 1897

“Christ hates sin. From Him evil met with stern rebuke. But while He hates sin, He loves the sinner. Laying aside His riches and glory, He came to this earth to seek for us, sinful, erring, unhappy, that He might lead us to heaven. He humbled Himself, and took upon Him our nature, that He might make us like Himself, pure and upright, free from defilement. He suffered more than any of you will ever be called to suffer. He gave His all for you. What have you given for Him?” Ibid., July 9, 1902

“Christ made His soul an offering for sin. Thus He made it possible for man to hate sin—that which requires such an offering, such a sacrifice, to rescue the sinner from its terrible influence.” Pacific Union Recorder, July 3, 1902

Why did Jesus have to experience suffering to such a degree? All I know is that He had to go through it to save us. Because His spiritual nature hated sin, His desire for the removal of the suffering of His human body and mind was so much stronger than what you or I will ever experience that it made His temptation all the greater.

“Jesus was not insensible to ignominy [deep humiliation and disgrace]. He felt the disgrace of sin as much more keenly than it is possible for man to feel it, as His divine and sinless nature was exalted above the nature of man. We should never entertain the thought that the Majesty of Heaven, so holy and undefiled, was not acutely sensitive to scorn and mockery, abuse and pain.” The Signs of the Times, January 6, 1881

He came to endure temptation as we do so that He would know how we feel. He lived His human life so that we could know that there is no temptation so great that it cannot be rejected when we look to Jesus for help. His life was a perfect combination of divinity and humanity. “He … took upon Him our nature, that He might make us like Himself, pure and upright, free from defilement.” Ibid., July 9, 1902

“He is a brother in our infirmities, ‘in all points tempted like as we are’; but as the sinless one His nature recoiled from evil; He endured struggles and torture of soul in a world of sin.” A Call to Stand Apart, 26

Jesus endured struggles and torture of soul because His sinless nature was acutely sensitive to scorn, mockery, abuse, and pain. He went through all of this because He wanted to save you.

Do you understand how serious God is about saving you? It doesn’t matter what your past is. It doesn’t matter what other people think about you. Do you understand that if you surrender your life to Him, He will save you, not in, but from your sin?

“We say we do believe that Jesus Christ died, but is He your personal Saviour? Here is the faith part of it. … Do you grasp Him by the living hand of faith? Do you reach out your hand to Him and say, as did Peter, ‘Save, Lord, or I perish’? He will save you.” Reflecting Christ, 356

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

Jesus Saves to the Uttermost

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Our ongoing study of the mystery of godliness as outlined in Hebrews 2:14–18 has introduced us to one of the most profound mysteries of the Christian religion. We have seen that the children described as “partakers of flesh and blood” are those whom Christ is not ashamed to call His brethren, those He has sanctified through His word, which is represented by His flesh and blood (John 6). He has made us His brethren. As our merciful and faithful High Priest, He is making “reconciliation for the sins of the people.” Because He suffered being tempted as we are tempted, He is able to help us.

Sanctification is a key element in these verses. Jesus partook of the same flesh and blood when His mother taught Him the very words that He had spoken to Moses. This sheds light on what Jesus meant when He said, “And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.” John 17:19. Jesus gained knowledge as every child may gain knowledge. As the children are partakers of His word, they’re adopted into the family of God. Having the same Father as Christ, we are called Christ’s children of one Father, Christ’s brothers and sisters.

You and I are not born sons of God; we are born sons of Adam, and therefore have the fallen nature Adam acquired when he sinned. We must understand that there is only One who is the Son of God. For us to be sons and daughters of God, it must be by adoption. “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!’ Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” Galatians 4:4–7

“A complete offering has been made; for ‘God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son’—not a son by creation, as were the angels, nor a son by adoption, as is the forgiven sinner, but a Son begotten in the express image of the Father’s person, and in all the brightness of His majesty and glory, one equal with God in authority, dignity, and divine perfection. In Him dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” The Signs of the Times, May 30, 1895

To summarize our review:

  1. The law is the only correct standard of sanctification.
  2. Christ was the embodiment of the law of God.
  3. He began life with a sanctified will.
  4. Daily He died to His divinity while living the life of humanity on this Earth. In other words, a) In His humanity, Jesus was still God; b) In His humanity, He retained His divine power; but c) He never used His divine power to relieve His own human needs, wants, or sufferings. This was the very point on which the devil tried to tempt Him.
  5. True sanctification is a progressive work that goes on in the heart of an individual who dies daily to self in obedience to God’s law.

Jesus said, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” John 6:63. The eating of Jesus’ flesh and drinking His blood means to spiritually consume His word, but if we do not spiritually eat His flesh and drink His blood, then we will have no spiritual life. As His children spiritually partake of His flesh and blood, there is also a physical, literal meaning, and that is what we will study now.

Jesus Christ took literal flesh and blood, the same literal flesh and blood as His sanctified brethren, and suffered being tempted. “Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: ‘Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me.’ ” Hebrews 10:5

“We should consider the fact that to Christ our nature was a robe of humiliation and suffering. He humbled Himself to become a man, so that a body should be found, a Lamb without blemish should be provided as a sinless offering, that God might be just and the Justifier of him that believeth in Jesus.” The Signs of the Times, June 18, 1896

“He humbled Himself and took mortality upon Him. As a member of the human family He was mortal, but as a God He was the fountain of life to the world.” The Review and Herald, July 5, 1887

So Jesus took upon Himself the mortal body of man so that He could suffer a most cruel and humiliating death for every man.

The apostle John testifies, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14. Look carefully at this verse. The first part of the verse is referring to the physical nature of Christ–His flesh, His body. The second part of the verse is addressing His mental and spiritual nature–His glory, His character.

Ellen White links John 1:14 to the wilderness sanctuary, the same sanctuary that God commanded them to build in Exodus 25:8. She typically quotes from the King James Version when linking these two verses. But in The Desire of Ages, she quotes from the Revised Version. It is a fact that Ellen White quotes from the Revised Version many times.

“God commanded Moses for Israel, ‘Let them make Me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them’ (Exodus 25:8), and He abode in the sanctuary, in the midst of His people. Through all their weary wandering in the desert, the symbol of His presence was with them. So Christ set up His tabernacle in the midst of our human encampment. He pitched His tent by the side of the tents of men, that He might dwell among us, and make us familiar with His divine character and life. ‘The Word became flesh, and tabernacled among us (and we beheld His glory, glory as of the Only Begotten from the Father), full of grace and truth.’ John 1:14, R. V., margin.” The Desire of Ages, 23, 24

“The doctrine of the incarnation of Christ in human flesh is a mystery, ‘even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations.’ It is the great and profound mystery of godliness. ‘The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.’ Christ took upon Himself human nature, a nature inferior to His heavenly nature.” Lift Him Up, 74

The sanctuary of the Old Testament was a symbol of the humanity, the human nature, of Christ. There was a difference between the tent of the sanctuary and the tents of the children of Israel. Understanding this difference sheds much light on the difference between His humanity—the tabernacle of the only begotten Son of God—and the tents of men. When Jesus tabernacled among us His tent was full of grace and we beheld His glory. How was His grace and glory represented in the sanctuary that God commanded Moses to build? “In the tabernacle and the temple His glory dwelt in the holy shekinah above the mercy seat.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 288. His glory dwelt in the holy shekinah above the mercy seat in the most holy place of the sanctuary.

The glory of God is His character. So what does the holy shekinah represent? “The shekinah, the visible emblem of God’s presence, dwelt between the cherubim, and out of the perfection of beauty God shined.” Christ Triumphant, 154. The holy shekinah, located above the mercy seat, was the visible representation of God’s presence. What does the mercy seat represent? “He longs to see gratitude welling up in our hearts because we have access to the mercy seat, the throne of grace, because our names are written in the Lamb’s book of life, because we may cast all our care on Him who cares for us.” Australasian Union Conference Record, June 1, 1900

God’s glory represented by the shekinah rested upon the mercy seat, the representation of His throne of grace.

“In the temple in heaven, the dwelling place of God, His throne is established in righteousness and judgment. In the most holy place is His law, the great rule of right by which all mankind are tested.” The Great Controversy, 415. Here Mrs. White is speaking of the temple in heaven—the pattern followed by Moses in building the earthly sanctuary. Notice two important points regarding the temple in heaven:

  1. The place where God dwells is called His throne.
  2. In this place, His law is kept and is called the most holy place.

There is a connection between the shekinah and the humanity of Christ.

“The shekinah had departed from the sanctuary, but in the Child of Bethlehem was veiled the glory before which angels bow.” The Desire of Ages, 52. The shekinah glory represented the glory of God’s presence that was veiled in Jesus.

“Christ was about to visit our world, and to become incarnate [in the flesh]. He says, ‘A body hast Thou prepared Me.’ Had He appeared with the glory that was His with the Father before the world was, we could not have endured the light of His presence. That we might behold it and not be destroyed, the manifestation of His glory was shrouded. His divinity was veiled with humanity.” Ibid., 23

The veil with which Christ’s glory was veiled was so good that most people did not know who He was. You can see that very clearly in the Bible. “His divinity was veiled with humanity—the invisible glory in the visible human form.” Ibid.

The invisible glory of God was contained and veiled in the human form of Jesus Christ. “… God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself.” 2 Corinthians 5:19, first part

The glory of God is also spoken of as His divinity. “The glory of God is His character, and it is manifested to us in Christ.” Sabbath-School Worker, July 1, 1894

“The law of God is a transcript of His character; it portrays the nature of God. As in Christ we behold the brightness of His glory, the express image of His person, so also in the law the attributes of the Father are unfolded.” The Signs of the Times, December 30, 1889

“He [Christ] was the embodiment of the law of God, which is the transcript of His character.” Ibid., November 15, 1899Let’s summarize what we’ve just studied:

  1. The glory of God is His character.
  2. The law of God is a transcript of His character.
  3. Christ was the embodiment of the law.
  4. The holy shekinah represented the glory, that is, the divine character of Christ.
  5. His human nature veiled the shekinah glory that was in the most holy place.
  6. All of this represented the throne of His heart. Psalm 40:8, “I delight to do Your will, O my God. And, Your law is within my heart.”

“He had not taken on Him even the nature of the angels.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 16, 182. Why do the apostle Paul and Mrs. White both tell us that Jesus did not take the nature of angels? “Angels are in nature superior to men.” The Great Controversy, 511. The psalmist says that man was made a little lower than the angels. “He had not taken on Him even the nature of the angels, but humanity, perfectly identical with our own nature, except without the taint of sin. A human body, a human mind, with all the peculiar properties, He was bone, brain, and muscle. A man of our flesh.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 16, 182. Notice that in this context Inspiration uses the word flesh in relation to the physical nature of man. It mentions bone, brain, and muscle, but it is not talking about the carnal mind of man. He was a “man of our flesh, He was compassed with the weakness of humanity.” Ibid. The word compassed means “surrounded.” He was surrounded by the weakness of humanity.

What were the weaknesses with which He was surrounded? “The circumstances of His life were of that character that He was exposed to all the inconveniences that belong to men, not in wealth [the foxes have holes, the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man does not have where to lay His head Matthew 8:20], not in ease [Jesus traveled everywhere on foot], but in poverty [He at times was hungry with not enough to eat] and want and humiliation. He breathed the very air man must breathe. He trod our earth as man. He had reason, conscience, memory, will, and affections of the human soul which was united with His divine nature.” Ibid. Jesus suffered with the same weaknesses of humanity that we do—the inconveniences of poverty, want, and humiliation.

“Christ did not make-believe take human nature; He did verily [certainly] take it. He did in reality possess human nature. ‘As the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same.’ He was the son of Mary; He was of the seed of David according to human descent. He is declared to be a man, even the Man Christ Jesus. ‘This One,’ writes Paul, ‘was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as He who hath builded the house hath more honor than the house.’ ” The Review and Herald, April 5, 1906

So Jesus did not pretend to be human. He did, in fact, take upon Himself our human nature. He had a real human body with all its peculiar properties. He was a man of our flesh. The word flesh in this context is referring to the physical nature of man, including a body with the senses of sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste—bone of our bone, muscle, and sinew. But He also possessed a human mind with the attendant ability to reason, a conscience, memory, human affections, and a human will.

“We have reason, conscience, memory, will, affections—all the attributes a human being can possess.” Selected Messages, Book 3, 130. These attributes are all powers of the mind. Concerning Jesus, Mrs. White said, “He employed the human faculties, for only [by] adopting these could He be comprehended by humanity.” The Review and Herald, June 25, 1895

The word faculty has three definitions according to the dictionary:

  1. the power of the mind or intellect which enables a person to receive, revive, or modify perceptions. It includes the faculty of seeing, hearing, imagining, and remembering. The faculties may be called the powers or capacities of the mind.
  2. the power to do anything; in other words, ability.
  3. the power to perform any action—natural, vital, or animal.

So a faculty is the power to do something, be it of the body or the mind, and Jesus employed both the human body and the mind. “Only humanity could reach humanity. He lived out the character of God through the human body which God had prepared for Him. He blessed the world by living out in human flesh the life of God.” Ibid.

God wants to live out the divine character in our flesh. And once we understand that then we will be very close to understanding the plan of salvation and why Jesus came to this world. “He blessed the world by living out in human flesh the life of God, thus showing that He had the power to unite humanity to divinity.” Ibid.

“Christ became one flesh with us, in order that we might become one spirit with Him.” The Desire of Ages, 388. If we want to be part of God’s kingdom, then we must have a personal relationship with Christ, His Spirit must be dwelling in our hearts, and our sinful, selfish nature must be replaced with Christ’s perfect nature—the joining of the divine with the human.

Jesus lived out the thoughts and feelings of God in human flesh. He lived so that man could see the character of God expressed in human flesh. “The body is a most important medium through which the mind and the soul are developed for the upbuilding of character.” Prophets and Kings, 488. Jesus has the power to unite divinity with humanity, and this was the purpose of His life. “And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.” John 17:19

Jesus stands ready to complete this work in every person who is willing to be sanctified. But a person might say that there is no way that they can overcome or live the Christian life. Again and again, he might say, “I can’t. I just can’t.” And this person would be right, except that Jesus says that He will sanctify anyone who comes to Him. No matter how much trouble you may have in your life or how bad you feel you may be, Jesus is stronger than all of that. He says, “For with God nothing will be impossible.” Not even you. Not even me. He will save us, if we will just let Him.

Remember the story of the rich, young ruler? Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” Matthew 19:21. What did the young man do? He turned and walked away. To His disciples, Jesus said, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” Verses 23, 24

The disciples were shocked. “Who then can be saved?” they asked. If you are discouraged, in trouble, if you think you cannot be saved, or that you have so many problems in your life that you just don’t know how you will ever get through or over or around them, remember Jesus’ reply to the disciples’ question: “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Verse 26

Don’t let the devil tell you that you cannot be saved, that you are too sinful, that you’ve done too many terrible things, or that you are not capable, because it doesn’t matter how bad your past may be, what sins you have committed, or how weak you are; Jesus can change all of that. He came to this world to make a way to offer you forgiveness and take away the guilt from your life, but more than that, He came to unite Himself with you, and then, through His power and grace, nothing will be impossible for you.

Friend, don’t let Satan discourage you. You can be saved. You can be in the kingdom of heaven. You have an all-powerful Mediator who promises, “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.” John 6:37. United together with Jesus there is no such thing as defeat. Jesus will save you. Surrender today to Him who is able to save to the uttermost (Hebrews 7:25). Let the miracle begin in your life right now.

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

The Glory of God Manifested in Man

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“The body is a most important medium through which the mind and the soul are developed for the upbuilding of character.”

Prophets and Kings, 488

Hebrews 10:5 tells us that Christ came in a human body, “A body You have prepared for Me.” He came in this way to show that He has the power to unite humanity and divinity in those who are willing to be sanctified.

Christ not only had a real physical body like man, but He also had a real human mind, the mental nature of man that was united with the mind of God. Did Jesus Christ also have a human spiritual nature? To answer this question, we need to look at five items.

  1. What is the grace of God?
  2. What is the spiritual nature?
  3. What is spiritual life?
  4. What is the glory?
  5. What do the crown and the throne represent?

What is the grace of God?

The grace of God is linked to the Holy Spirit. “The Holy Spirit comes to the soul as a Comforter. By the transforming agency of His grace, the image of God is reproduced in the disciple; he becomes a new creature. Love takes the place of hatred, and the heart receives the divine similitude.” The Desire of Ages, 391

“Cherish the grace of the Holy Spirit, else you will stand as hindrances in the way of the work of God. Make straight paths for your feet, lest the lame be turned out of the way.” Evangelism, 404

“Christ in the fullness of His grace is there [in the communion service, the foot washing service] to change the current of the thoughts that have been running in selfish channels. The Holy Spirit quickens the sensibilities of those who follow the example of their Lord.” The Desire of Ages, 650. So, the grace of God is the transforming agency, through the work of the Holy Spirit, to recreate in the heart of man the love of God so that the divine similitude, the image of God, will be manifested in the human character.

What is the spiritual nature?

“ ‘Sanctify them through Thy truth; Thy word is truth.’ Every moment of our probationary time is precious; for it is our time for character-building. We should give most diligent heed to the culture of our spiritual nature.” The Review and Herald, February 24, 1891. “The spirit, the character you have manifested has not been at all after the Pattern I have given you in My life and character, when I was upon the earth.” Ibid., October 16, 1894. “Our personal identity is preserved in the resurrection, though not the same particles of matter or material substance as went into the grave. The wondrous works of God are a mystery to man. The spirit, the character of man, is returned to God, there to be preserved. In the resurrection, every man will have his own character.” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol. 6, 1093. Spiritual nature is related to character.

What is spiritual life?

“Our Redeemer thirsts for recognition. He hungers for the sympathy and love of those whom He has purchased with His own blood. He longs with inexpressible desire that they should come to Him and have life. As the mother watches for the smile of recognition from her little child, which tells of the dawning of intelligence, so does Christ watch for the expression of grateful love, which shows that spiritual life is begun in the soul.” The Desire of Ages, 191

However, we find in the parable of the rich man recorded in Luke 12:16–21, there are those who have never had this experience. “In living for self, he has rejected that divine love which would have flowed out in mercy to his fellow men. Thus he has rejected life. For God is love, and love is life. This man has chosen the earthly rather than the spiritual, and with the earthly he must pass away.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 258

“Aside from Christ man cannot in spirit and in truth keep one of the commandments of God, but in Christ Jesus the claims of the law are met, because He transforms the nature of man by His grace, creates in the heart a new spiritual life, implants a holy nature, and men become Christlike in character.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 14, 86. It is impossible for us to keep the law because, “The law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin.” Romans 7:14. “To be carnally minded is death.” Romans 8:6. “By nature man has no love for God.” The Review and Herald, March 12, 1901

Spiritual life is divine love, and when the divine love of God has come into and fills the heart, selfishness is eradicated. It is the grace of God that creates in the heart this spiritual life.

What is the significance of the word heart?

“God has bought us, and He claims a throne in each heart.” Special Testimonies to Ministers and Workers, Series A, 39

“God is the owner of the body.” The Youth’s Instructor, September 14, 1893

Does God own your body? He’s bought your body and your soul and your life at a price. “… and when the body, purchased at infinite cost, is made to serve the customs and practices of this world, by following the fashions of this degenerate age, the testimony is borne to the world that pride and sin reign in the heart, that Christ does not abide in the soul temple. The Lord Jesus will not be made to serve with your sins. He claims the undivided throne of the heart, and would banish from the life every worldly, unsanctified action, whose influence would tell against the fact that you are His sons and daughters.” Ibid.

The heart is the throne in the temple of man where his spiritual life is created.

Let’s Review

  • The spiritual nature relates to the character.
  • The character consists of the thoughts and feelings.
  • Spiritual life is the divine love of God implanted in the heart by grace through the power of the Holy Spirit which is necessary if I’m to be like Christ.

What is the glory?

“Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same.” Hebrews 2:14, first part. Paul is writing here about Christ. Jesus possessed a real, literal human nature that possessed more glory than Moses. The glory of God is His character. “Our lives may seem a tangle; but as we commit ourselves to the wise Master Worker, He will bring out the pattern of life and character that will be to His own glory. And that character which expresses the glory—character—of Christ will be received into the paradise of God. A renovated race shall walk with Him in white, for they are worthy.” The Desire of Ages, 331

“Before men and angels Satan has been revealed as man’s enemy and destroyer; Christ, as man’s friend and deliverer. His Spirit will develop in man all that will ennoble the character and dignify the nature. It will build man up for the glory of God in body and soul and spirit. ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.’ 2 Timothy 1:7. He has called us ‘to the obtaining of the glory’—character—‘of our Lord Jesus Christ;’ has called us to be ‘conformed to the image of His Son.’ ” Ibid., 341

Jesus was crowned with the brightness of His Father’s glory—His Father’s character: “… being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person.” Hebrews 1:3

What then is our conclusion? The glory and the character conformed to the character of Christ, depending on the context, are synonymous terms.

What do the crown and the throne represent?

“In the kingdom of God, position is not gained through favoritism. It is not earned, nor is it received through an arbitrary bestowal. It is the result of character. The crown and the throne are the tokens of a condition attained—tokens of self-conquest through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The Acts of the Apostles, 543

The crown and the throne are symbols of self-conquest.

When was Jesus crowned with glory? “Then the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And, behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.’ Then said Mary to the angel, ‘How shall this be, since I do not know a man?’ And the angel answered and said to her, ‘The Holy Ghost will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One [Thing, KJV] who is to be born will be called the Son of God.’ ” Luke 1:30–35 KJV

“She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and to His throne.” Revelation 12:5. The word of God states that He was called that Holy Thing or Holy One at conception. In Him was life; not the kind of life that you and I have, but a life that has no beginning or end. “In Him was life, and His life was the light of men.” John 1:4. This life is the divine love of God that was in Christ the man from the moment of conception.

“The human nature of Christ was like unto ours. And suffering was really more keenly felt by Him, for His spiritual nature was free from every taint of sin. The aversion to suffering was in proportion to its severity. His desire for the removal of suffering was just as strong as human beings experience.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 11, 345

Jesus’ human nature was not only physical and mental, but also spiritual. However, the question that brings division among Adventists today is whether Jesus took the nature of Adam before his fall or after it.

Before the Fall or After

There is no division regarding the fact that Jesus took the deteriorated condition of man’s physical nature after the Fall. Steps to Life Ministry has received mail from all over the country since we began publishing this Mystery of Godliness series, and I have yet to find anyone who contradicts that. Remember, Hebrews 2 says that Jesus took part of the same flesh and blood as the children. So, the question we must address is Was His human mental or spiritual nature any different from any other man who has been born into this world?

Now when you ask that question among Adventists, some will say Yes, it was, and others will say No, it was not. So, we must be very careful that we search and study the Scriptures and Inspiration to find the truth about Jesus’ spiritual nature.

“Men estimate character by that which they themselves are capable of appreciating. The narrow and worldly-minded judged of Christ by His humble birth, His lowly garb, and daily toil. They could not appreciate the purity of that spirit upon which was no stain of sin.” The Desire of Ages, 196

Those who do not appreciate the purity of His spirit use the following texts as absolute proof that there was no difference between the human nature of Christ and the human nature of Adam and his posterity after the Fall. In every way, Christ’s physical, mental, and spiritual natures were the same as ours.

“…God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh.” Romans 8:3

“For as much then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same.” Hebrews 2:14

However, in our previous studies of this subject, we found that Romans 8:3 clearly stated that when God sent His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, Jesus took the fallen or ruined physical nature of man which is the result of sin.

Likeness, as found in Romans 8, means “in the form of.” So, Jesus took the physically deteriorated body of man which made it possible for Him to die. But it was also seen in Romans 8 that the term sinful flesh is referring to the carnal mind, the lower, corrupt mental nature of man. “So then, they that are in the flesh cannot please God.” Verse 8

The person who has the carnal mind, who is in the flesh, cannot please God. However, we find that the Bible records two occasions where God the Father testified out loud—verbally and publicly—that He was well pleased with Jesus. Both occasions occurred while Jesus was living in this world as a man.

“When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’ ” Matthew 3:16, 17

“And He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. … While he [Peter] was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!’ ” Matthew 17:2, 3, 5

Are Matthew and Paul contradicting each other? Paul has written that it is impossible for those who live in the flesh to please God. Yet Matthew writes that Jesus, who came to this world in the flesh, by God’s own words, pleased Him. That which seems to be a contradiction is made plain when the word flesh is appropriately defined according to the context in which it is used.

Let’s look at the context of the expression flesh and blood in Hebrews 2:14. Is it the same sinful flesh that we inherit from Adam? Was the human nature that Jesus took identical to ours?

“Christ’s perfect humanity is the same that man may have through connection with Christ. As God, Christ could not be tempted anymore than He was not tempted from His allegiance in heaven. But as Christ humbled Himself to the nature of man, He could be tempted. He had not taken on Him even the nature of the angels, but humanity, perfectly identical with our own nature, except without the taint of sin.” Manuscript Releases, Vol, 16, 181, 182

Ellen White talks about this repeatedly. She says that Jesus’ nature was identical to ours, then adds a qualifier so you don’t get mixed up. She says His nature was identical with ours except without the taint of sin. The humanity that Jesus took was perfectly identical to our own except for that one thing. And it was this difference, the fact that His humanity was not tainted with sin that made His suffering greater than any man will ever have to experience.

Jesus became a man so that He could suffer being tempted. Do you understand what this meant for Jesus?

“Human nature was to Him a robe of suffering; and when the crisis came, when He yielded Himself a victim to Satan’s rage, when He hung agonizing upon the cross, dying the cruelest, most ignominious of deaths, the hosts of evil exulted, but man was saved.” The Signs of the Times, August 17, 1891

“Would that we could comprehend the significance of the words, ‘Christ suffered, being tempted.’ While He was free from the taint of sin, the refined sensibilities of His holy nature rendered contact with evil unspeakably painful to Him. Yet with human nature upon Him, He met the arch apostate face to face, and single-handed withstood the foe of His throne. Not even by a thought could Christ be brought to yield to the power of temptation. Satan finds in human hearts some point where he can gain a foothold; some sinful desire is cherished, by means of which his temptations assert their power. But Christ declared of Himself, ‘The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in Me.’ The storms of temptation burst upon Him, but they could not cause Him to swerve from His allegiance to God.” The Review and Herald, November 8, 1887

What is the power of temptation?

“Feeling the terrible power of temptation, the drawing of desire that leads to indulgence, many a man cries in despair, ‘I cannot resist evil.’ ” Counsels on Health, 439. Desire is the terrible power of temptation.

“It was a continual pain to Christ to be brought into contact with enmity, depravity, and impurity; but never did He utter one expression to show that His sensibilities were shocked or His refined tastes offended. Whatever the evil habits, the strong prejudices, or the overbearing passions of human beings, He met them all with pitying tenderness.” The Ministry of Healing, 165. This is about as close to an incomprehensible statement as you could read.

“Prophecy had declared that the ‘Mighty One,’ the holy One from Mount Paran, was to tread the winepress alone; ‘of the people there was none’ with Him. His own arm brought salvation; He was ready for the sacrifice. The fearful crisis was past. That agony which none but God could endure, Christ had borne.

“The human nature of Christ was like unto ours, and suffering was more keenly felt by Him; for His spiritual nature was free from every taint of sin. Therefore His desire for the removal of suffering was stronger than human beings can experience. How intense was the desire of the humanity of Christ to escape the displeasure of an offended God, how His soul longed for relief, is revealed in the words, ‘O My Father, if this cup may not pass away from Me, except I drink it, Thy will be done.’ ” The Signs of the Times, December 9, 1897

Jesus’ desire for the removal of suffering was stronger than anything we will experience, therefore, His temptations were greater than we will ever experience. He could have, at any time, chosen to exercise His divine power and be free from all His pain. But had He done that, the entire human race would have been lost. He suffered being tempted to save us.

“The divine nature combined with the human, made Him capable of yielding to Satan’s temptations. Here the test to Christ was far greater than that of Adam and Eve, for Christ took our nature, fallen but not corrupted, and would not be corrupted unless He received the words of Satan in the place of the words of God.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 16, 182, 183. Jesus took our ruined physical nature so that He could die.

“He is a brother in our infirmities, but not in possessing like passions. As the sinless One, His nature recoiled from evil.” Testimonies, Vol. 2, 202. Not all passions are evil. But the passions referred to in that statement are evil because Christ did not possess evil passions.

The humanity of Christ was identical to ours except that it was untainted with the natural sin of selfishness. His faculties, the powers of His mind, were not perverted because Satan could not touch His mind unless He yielded to Satan rather than following the will of God. This is why Jesus could say, “The prince of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.”

What do we conclude when we read these things? “That He might accomplish His purpose of love for the fallen race, He became bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh. ‘As the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same.’ …

“Through the agency of the Holy Spirit, a new principle of mental and spiritual power was to be brought to man, who, through association with divinity, was to become one with God.” The Signs of the Times, September 24, 1902. Jesus became one flesh with us so that we might become one spirit with Him.

“Christ, the Redeemer and Restorer, was to sanctify and purify man’s mind, making it a power that would draw other minds to Himself.” Ibid. When Christ has sanctified and purified our minds, then our mind will be used by Him to draw other minds to Himself. “Jesus Christ is our example in all things. He began life, passed through its experiences, and ended its record, with a sanctified human will. He was tempted in all points like as we are, and yet because he kept His will surrendered and sanctified, He never bent in the slightest degree toward the doing of evil, or toward manifesting rebellion against God.” Ibid., October 29, 1894

One of the most powerful texts explaining the true nature of Christ as a man is found in James 1:13. “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.” So, if someone says that Christ was tempted with evil, then they deny Jesus’ divinity.

Jesus brought His divinity into humanity giving us an example of what God meant when He said, “ ‘And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed.’ ” Genesis 3:15

When Jesus prayed for those whom He sanctifies, those whom He is not ashamed to call His brethren, He explains the purpose of sanctification. “That they all may be one, as you, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one.” John 17:21, 22. The glory, the character that the Father gave to Jesus, is the glory that Jesus wants to give to you and me.

“To human eyes Christ was only a man, yet He was a perfect man. In His humanity, He was the impersonation of the divine character. God embodied His own attributes in His Son—His power, His wisdom, His goodness, His purity, His truthfulness, His spirituality, and His benevolence. In Him, though human, all perfection of character, all divine excellence, dwelt.” The Youth’s Instructor, September 16, 1897

Though Jesus took upon Himself the form of sinful man, clothing His divinity with humanity, He was holy even as God is holy. If He had not been—having no stain of sin—He could not have been the Saviour of mankind. He was the sin bearer needing no atonement. One with God in purity and holiness of character, He could make propitiation for the sins of the whole world.

“In Christ dwelt the fullness of the Godhead bodily. This is why, although He was tempted in all points like as we are, He stood before the world, from His first entrance into it, untainted by corruption, though surrounded by it. Are we not also to become partakers of that fullness, and is it not thus, and thus only, that we can overcome as He overcame?” Our High Calling, 364

“Christ came to this earth, taking humanity and standing as man’s representative, to show in the controversy with Satan that he was a liar, and that man, as God created him, connected with the Father and the Son, could obey every requirement of God.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 16, 115

God wants to put the principles of His own character in your mind, to make you a new creature. This is why Jesus came. Will you let Him?

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

Not Ashamed to Call Them Brethren

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“Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham. Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.  For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.”

Hebrews 2:14–18

We want to learn the answers to three questions found in these scriptures.

  1. Who are the children?
  2. What did Jesus mean when He said we would not have eternal life unless we eat His flesh and drink His blood?
  3. What enabled Jesus to experience suffering while being tempted?

Who are the Children?

“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the author of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of One, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren.” Verses 9–11

Human beings who have the same father are called brothers. Paul is very specific that those Jesus has sanctified and given His character are the children of His Father, adopted into the family of God. He calls them His brethren because He and they now have the same Father. That is why Paul describes them as being “all of One.”

However, there is a restriction regarding those whom Jesus calls His brothers. Just before He went into the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed for those whom His Father had given Him saying, “I pray for them. I pray not for the world but for them whom You have given Me, for they are Yours.” John 17:9. Not for the world, but for those whom God had given to Him—two completely different groups of people. If you miss that point or misunderstand this vital truth, then you will fall prey to Satan’s constant efforts to misrepresent the character of God. (See The Great Controversy, 568.) You also will not understand the true nature of sin nor the real issues of the great controversy. Paul assures us that Jesus tasted death for every man, but only those He has sanctified—reproduced in them His own character—will He call His brethren, and bring to glory.

“I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.” Verse 14. “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” Verse 17

“The truths of the Bible, received, will uplift the mind from its earthliness and debasement. If the word of God were appreciated as it should be, both young and old would possess an inward rectitude, a strength of principle, that would enable them to resist temptation.” Testimonies, Vol. 8, 319. This is the result of sanctification. But what is this rectitude that Mrs. White speaks of?

“Rectitude of mind is the disposition to act in conformity to any known standard of right, truth, or justice. Rectitude of conduct is the actual conformity to such a standard.” Webster’s Dictionary 1828. Inward rectitude is the disposition or natural tendency to do what is right.

“All true obedience comes from the heart. It was heart work with Christ. And if we consent, He will so identify Himself with our thoughts and aims, so blend our hearts and minds into conformity to His will, that when obeying Him we shall be but carrying out our own impulses. The will, refined and sanctified, will find its highest delight in doing His service. When we know God as it is our privilege to know Him, our life will be a life of continual obedience. Through an appreciation of the character of Christ, through communion with God, sin will become hateful to us.” The Desire of Ages, 668. This rectitude is a hatred for sin. Thus if I do not understand what sin is, and if it is not hateful to me, then I am not sanctified.

The very essence of the gospel is forgiveness of sin, but it also involves restoration. “By looking constantly to Jesus with the eye of faith we shall be strengthened. God will make the most precious revelations to His hungering, thirsting people. They will find that Christ is a personal Saviour. As they feed upon His word, they find that it is spirit and life. The word destroys the natural, earthly nature, and imparts a new life in Christ Jesus. … By the transforming agency of His grace, the image of God is reproduced in the disciple.” Ibid., 391

“The mind gradually adapts itself to the subjects upon which it is allowed to dwell. It becomes assimilated to that which it is accustomed to love and reverence.” The Great Controversy, 555

By beholding Jesus, studying His life, and relying solely upon Him, “the believer advances from grace to grace, from strength to strength, from character to character. He conforms to the image of Christ, until in spiritual growth he attains unto the measure of the full stature in Christ Jesus. Thus Christ makes an end of the curse of sin, and sets the believing soul free from its action and effect.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 395

“Christ became a man that He might mediate between man and God. He clothed His divinity with humanity, He associated with the human race, that with His human arm He might encircle humanity, and with His divine arm grasp the throne of Divinity. And this humiliation on His part was that He might restore to man the original mind, the image of God … .” The Signs of the Times, October 14, 1897

Let us consider for a moment this love that would condescend to leave glory and come to this world as one of us. “Love is power. Intellectual and moral strength are involved in this principle, and cannot be separated from it. … The excellence and value of pure love consist in its efficiency to do good, and to do nothing else than good. Whatsoever is done out of pure love, be it ever so little or contemptible in the sight of men, is wholly fruitful; for God regards more with how much love one worketh, than the amount he doeth. Love is of God.” Gospel Workers (1892), 311, 312

Christ prayed for those whom His Father had given Him. He gave them His word and promised them His Holy Spirit. Why? Because

  1. it would destroy the natural, carnal nature;
  2. it would impart strength and inward rectitude (the disposition of the mind);
  3. it would reproduce the image, the character of God in His disciples by imparting to the heart the divine similitude;
  4. it would implant divine love in the heart, the principle that empowers the sinner to overcome sin;
  5. it would impart new life, spiritual life in Christ. “God is love, and love is light.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 258

Genuine sanctification is, “nothing less than a daily dying to self, and daily conformity to the will of God.” The Signs of the Times, September 12, 1878

Paul was in constant conflict with self. He said, “I die daily.” His own will and desires conflicted with duty and the will of God every day (Romans 7:18), but instead of following his own inclinations, he strove to do the will of God (2 Timothy 4:7, 8).

“The will is the governing power in the nature of man, bringing all the other faculties under its sway. The will is not the taste or the inclination, but it is the deciding power, which works in the children of men unto obedience to God, or unto disobedience. …

“The will is … the power of decision, or choice.

“Every human being possessed of reason has power to choose the right. … Everyone may place his will on the side of the will of God, may choose to obey Him, and by thus linking himself with divine agencies, he may stand where nothing can force him to do evil.” Child Guidance, 209

“The tempted one needs to understand the true force of the will. This is the governing power in the nature of man—the power of decision, of choice. Everything depends on the right action of the will. …

“Your will is the spring of all your actions. This will, that forms so important a factor in the character of man, was at the Fall given into the control of Satan; and he has ever since been working in man to will and to do of his own pleasure, but to the utter ruin and misery of man.” Mind, Character, and Personality, Vol. 2, 685

We must understand just how hopelessly helpless we are to make any decided change in our hearts, but God has guaranteed us the power of choice. And when we choose to give our wills to Christ, He will then perform an act of restoration.

“Your promises and resolutions are like ropes of sand. You cannot control your thoughts, your impulses, your affections. The knowledge of your broken promises and forfeited pledges weakens your confidence …, and causes you to feel that God cannot accept you; but you need not despair. What you need to understand is the true force of the will. This is the governing power in the nature of man, the power of decision, or of choice. Everything depends on the right action of the will. The power of choice God has given to men; it is theirs to exercise. You cannot change your heart, you cannot of yourself give to God its affections; but you can choose.” Steps to Christ, 47

But we must be cautious for many Christians have been snared in a terrible trap. “Desires for goodness and holiness are right as far as they go; but if you stop here, they will avail nothing. Many will be lost while hoping and desiring to be Christians. They do not come to the point of yielding the will to God. They do not now choose.” Ibid., 47, 48

“The warfare against self is the greatest battle that was ever fought. The yielding of self, surrendering all to the will of God, requires a struggle; but the soul must submit to God before it can be renewed in holiness.” The Faith I Live By, 87

We are sanctified through the truth and by the Holy Spirit. “The law of God is ‘holy, and just, and good,’ a transcript of the divine perfection, it follows that a character formed by obedience to that law will be holy. Christ is a perfect example of such a character. … The followers of Christ are to become like Him—by the grace of God to form characters in harmony with the principles of His holy law. This is Bible sanctification.” The Great Controversy, 469

“The only correct standard of sanctification is the law of God.” The Review and Herald, December 1, 1895

Our thoughts and feelings combined make up our moral character (Testimonies, Vol. 5, 310). So we have to ask ourselves, “Are my mind, my thoughts, my feelings, my words, my actions all in harmony with the law of God?” If not, don’t be discouraged. We can be sanctified if we surrender our wills to Him who has promised to sanctify us.

“God sent His Son into the world … to make known in His life and character the attributes of the Father, that men might bear the image of the invisible God. He was the embodiment of the law of God … .” The Signs of the Times, November 15, 1899

“We have only one perfect photograph of God, and this is Jesus Christ.” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol. 7, 906

God’s law is the standard of sanctification; not just the law of God as it was written in tables of stone, but the law of God as exemplified in the humanity of Christ.

There is no such thing as instant sanctification. Justification may happen in an instant, but “There is no such thing as instantaneous sanctification. True sanctification is a daily work. … Continuing as long as life shall last.” The Faith I Live By, 116

“True sanctification is progressive. … [improving] every privilege and opportunity to gain more knowledge of the life and character of Christ.” The Youth’s Instructor, September 1, 1886

“But this work cannot go on in the heart while the light on any part of the truth is rejected or neglected.” The Review and Herald, June 17, 1890

“The formation of a noble character is the work of a lifetime and must be the result of diligent and persevering effort.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 223

Sadly, seeking for sanctification is not a popular subject because if religion requires too much, people today, even those who call themselves Christians, want a smooth and easy path to heaven. The formation of a noble character requires surrender, diligent and persevering effort, and is a lifelong struggle against self. We will never be sanctified if Satan is allowed to reign in our lives. “God gives opportunities; success depends upon the use made of them.” Ibid.

“The yielding of self, surrendering all to the will of God and being clothed with humility, possessing that love that is pure, peaceable, and easy to be entreated, full of gentleness and good fruits, is not an easy attainment. And yet it is his privilege and his duty to be a perfect overcomer here. The soul must submit to God before it can be renewed in knowledge and true holiness.” Testimonies, Vol. 3, 106, 107

If I believe in Jesus, deny Satan’s influence in my life, if I daily die to self (1 Corinthians 15:31) and abide in Him, growing in grace, and progressing in sanctification, then Jesus will implant in my heart the fruit of the Holy Spirit. It is then that He can and will call me His brother for He sees what the finished product will be.

“Christ is coming to establish His kingdom in the earth. Let our tongues be sanctified, and used to glorify Him. As a people we need to be reconverted, and our lives sanctified to declare the truth as it is in Jesus.” The New York Indicator (1900), June 12, 1907

Christ is coming to establish His kingdom—His robe of righteousness implanted in the hearts of all His children, making them spotless and unblemished. “When the heart is cleansed from sin, Christ is placed on the throne that self-indulgence and love of earthly treasure once occupied. The image of Christ is seen in the expression of the countenance. The work of sanctification is carried forward in the soul. Self-righteousness is banished. There is seen the putting on of the new man, which after Christ is created in righteousness and true holiness.” The Review and Herald, September 11, 1900

Thus the new man becomes the seed of Abraham.

What did Jesus mean when He said that we must eat His flesh and drink His blood?

“In giving us the privilege of studying His word, the Lord has set before us a rich banquet. Many are the benefits derived from feasting on His word, which is represented by Him as His flesh and blood, His spirit and life. By partaking of this word, our spiritual strength is increased; we grow in grace and in a knowledge of the truth.” Child Guidance, 505, 506

When Jesus said a person must eat His flesh and drink His blood or he would lose out on eternal life, He had a specific message in mind. The term flesh and blood, especially in the New Testament, has both a spiritual and a literal physical meaning.

“All believers who pass through a natural death, have, through eating the flesh and drinking the blood of the Son of God, eternal life in them, which is the life of Jesus Christ. In dying, Jesus has made it impossible for those who believe on Him to die eternally. …” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol. 7, 926

“For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.” John 17:19. Jesus sanctified Himself that we might be sanctified. He partook of the same flesh and blood we have. He learned from His parents just as we do.

“The child Jesus did not receive instruction in the synagogue schools. His mother was His first human teacher. From her lips and from the scrolls of the prophets, He learned of heavenly things. The very words which He Himself had spoken to Moses for Israel He was now taught at His mother’s knee. …

“Since He gained knowledge as we may do, His intimate acquaintance with the Scriptures shows how diligently His early years were given to the study of God’s word. …

“From the first dawning of intelligence He was constantly growing in spiritual grace and knowledge of truth.

“Every child may gain knowledge as Jesus did. As we try to become acquainted with our heavenly Father through His word, angels will draw near, our minds will be strengthened, our characters will be elevated and refined. We shall become more like our Saviour.” The Desire of Ages, 70

Amos 3:3 says, “Can two walk together except they be agreed?”

“Holiness is not rapture: it is an entire surrender of the will to God.” The Acts of the Apostles, 51. The crucifixion of self, of the old man, is the 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.” Ibid.

“Holiness is wholeness for God; it is the entire surrender of heart and life to the indwelling of the principles of heaven.” The Desire of Ages, 556

“Holiness is constant agreement with God.” In Heavenly Places, 33

If God and I do not agree, who do you think should change their mind? (W. D. Frazee)

How was Jesus able to experience suffering while being tempted?

“He [Jesus] began life, passed through its experiences, and ended its record, with a sanctified human will.” The Signs of the Times, October 29, 1894

You and I are not born with a sanctified human will, and it is necessary for us to daily die to self so that our will can be sanctified. When Jesus became a man, He voluntarily laid aside the outward manifestation of His divinity and condescended to take the humiliating form of deteriorated, mortal humanity. This was just the beginning of a far greater dying to self than you and I will ever be required to undergo.

“The humanity of the Son of God is everything to us. It is the golden chain that binds our souls to Christ, and through Christ to God. This is to be our study. Christ was a real man; He gave proof of His humility in becoming a man. Yet He was God in the flesh.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 244

“Yet this was but the beginning of His wonderful condescension. It would have been an almost infinite humiliation for the Son of God to take man’s nature, even when Adam stood in his innocence in Eden. But Jesus accepted humanity when the race had been weakened by four thousand years of sin.” The Desire of Ages, 49

“He was not only made flesh, but He was made in the likeness of sinful flesh. His divine attributes were withheld from relieving His soul anguish or His bodily pains.” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol. 5, 1124. In this humiliating, external condition, He still possessed the omnipotent powers of His divinity; He was still God.

When Satan said to Jesus, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” (Matthew 4:3), He could have commanded it, and instantly the stones would have become bread. But He had agreed with His Father that He would not use the powers of His divinity for His own benefit; He would come and live in this world only as a man. These statements reveal that Christ was born in the likeness or physical form of sinful flesh, but He was still God. This was Jesus’ greatest temptation, not using His divine power to outwardly prove who He was. You and I will never experience this, and we cannot understand it.

“It was a difficult task for the Prince of Life to carry out the plan which He had undertaken for the salvation of man, in clothing His divinity with humanity. He had received honor in the heavenly courts, and was familiar with absolute power. It was as difficult for Him to keep the level of humanity as it is for men to rise above the low level of their depraved natures, and be partakers of the divine nature.” The Review and Herald, April 1, 1875

Read that again, “It was as difficult for Him to keep the level of humanity as it is for us with our depraved natures to be partakers of the divine nature.” It was as difficult for Him to be like us, as it is for us to be like Him.

Man can only resist temptation when his humanity is united with divinity. That is the example that Christ gave us. His humanity was united with divinity. It is only when, by faith, we unite our humanity with the divine nature of Christ that we are able to resist the efforts of the enemy of man to lead us astray.

“Christ was put to the closest test, requiring the strength of all his faculties to resist the inclination when in danger, to use His power to deliver Himself from peril and triumph over the power of the prince of darkness.” Ibid.

Jesus fought this temptation constantly His whole life; He suffered with temptations to a degree that man cannot comprehend so that you and I could be saved. His greatest tests were in the wilderness of temptation and in Gethsemane.

In Gethsemane, Jesus could have stood up, wiped the blood from His brow and left man to his own devices and ultimate death. Again and again, Satan attempted to cause Him to walk away from the plan of redemption and let man suffer his own fate.

On the cross, they jeered, “If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” And Jesus could have done that. But had He come down, you and I would have been lost.

He could have used His divine power at any time and instantly triumphed over the devil. But every day of His life He died to that inclination. Jesus is our example in sanctification.

His sanctified will was unperverted by selfishness, unlike the natural, selfish nature that we possess. Every day, partaking of the physical flesh and blood of man, growing in stature and intelligence, He also constantly grew in spiritual grace and the knowledge of the truth. As we surrender our will to Him, consume His spiritual flesh and blood, and receive His righteousness, we become partakers of His righteous and holy nature, and become, by adoption, His brethren, sons and daughters of God.

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

Self Must Die

by

“Let every word and each desire and all my days be Thine.”
My Maker and My King*

Do you believe that every word you speak and every desire you have should be in harmony with God’s will? Or do you have desires that are not in harmony with God’s will?

While the fundamental principle of God’s law is divine love, and the two great commandments are love to God and love to man—which are the ten commandments in action—we still must cooperate with Him and take up our cross and follow Jesus. When Adam and Eve sinned, the natural selfishness that took the place of God’s principle of righteousness in their hearts was passed on to their subsequent generations, making all of mankind sinful, but not just in action. Sin is a part of the human race, just as much as an arm or an eye; sinful is what we are. Man cannot cut it out; there is no medicine he can concoct that can cure it. Sin can only be removed by the miraculous recreative power of the almighty God. And that miracle began 6,000 years ago.

We find in Genesis 3:15 God promises that the devil would not have control over mankind forever. He said that if a man chose to return his loyalty to God, then He would change that man’s heart and mind, replacing his selfishness with His law of love, and would supernaturally give the man the ability to hate sin, going against his carnal nature. He further promised that He would send His Son to be man’s Saviour, who, though killed by the very people He came to save, would rise again and at the end of the present world, completely destroy sin and Satan. Restoration to the image of God and the absolute destruction of sin—this was the covenant promise of God to His people.

How does God supernaturally put this hatred—this enmity—for sin in the heart? “By looking constantly to Jesus with the eye of faith, we shall be strengthened. God will make the most precious revelations to His hungering, thirsting people. They will find that Christ is a personal Saviour. As they feed upon His word, they find that it is spirit and life. The word destroys the natural, earthly nature, and imparts a new life in Christ Jesus.” The Desire of Ages, 391

“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” John 6:63

“God is love and love is life.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 258

Satan Misrepresents the Character of God and Deceives the World

During our study of the mystery of godliness, we have found that this mystery deals directly with the nature of Jesus Christ.

“Never before had there been a being upon the earth who hated sin with so perfect a hatred as did Christ. He had seen its deceiving, infatuating power upon the holy angels, causing them to revolt, and all His powers were enlisted against Satan. In the purity and holiness of His life, Christ flashed the light of truth amid the moral darkness with which Satan had enshrouded the world. Christ exposed his falsehoods and deceiving character, and spoiled his corrupting influence.

“It was this that stirred Satan with such an intense hatred of Christ.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 16, 118

So, what caused the revolt? “With his [Satan’s] hosts of fallen beings he determined to urge the warfare most vigorously; for there stood One in the world who was a perfect representation of the Father, and in His character and practices was a refutation of Satan’s misrepresentations of the character of God.” Ibid.

And he continues still to misrepresent God’s character in the world today.

“It was the purity and sinlessness of Christ’s humanity that stirred up such satanic hatred. His truth revealed their falsehoods. Satan saw God, whom he had charged with the attributes which he himself possessed, revealed in Christ in His true character—a compassionate, merciful God, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to Him in repentance and have eternal life.” Ibid.

Jesus came to this world and lived a life that was the very essence of God’s true nature. Satan could lie all he wanted, but Jesus came as a man, compassionate, loving, merciful, pleading with all to choose to return to their Maker—He was God’s law personified and thus could not lie.

But Satan still charges God with his own attributes, and people all around the world believe that if there is a God in heaven, He must not be very loving or merciful. Many so-called Christian doctrines are devices of the devil to misrepresent the character of God to deceive people, but these doctrines are totally contradictory to the Bible’s description of God’s true character.

God Offers Transformation

Many people believe, including many Adventists, that God sent His Son in the same sinful flesh as fallen man, and thereby are unwittingly echoing the very same accusations against God that the devil has been making for thousands of years. Satan said that God was unfair and unjust, even cruel because it was impossible for man to keep the law, to offer perfect obedience to God. And God knows that, but demands it anyway. But God sent Jesus to prove that man, with his human nature, could keep the law and could become a partaker of the divine nature, both of which existed in Jesus—the fleshly nature we have, and the holy nature that God offers to sinful, fallen mankind.

“He [Jesus] came not to our world to give the obedience of a lesser God to a greater, but as a man to obey God’s holy law, and in this way He is our example.” Selected Messages, Book 3, 140

“Satan is ever seeking to bring about a state of things in which righteousness may be termed unrighteousness, and unrighteousness righteousness.” The Review and Herald, April 15, 1890

“If this matter were rightly understood and closely guarded, God’s servants would feel a continual burden of responsibility to counterwork the efforts of the men who do not know what they are about, because they are enchanted by the delusive allurements of Satan. When God’s people are fully awake to the danger of the hour, and work fully on Christ’s side, there will be seen a sharp contrast between their course and that of those who are saying, ‘Good Lord, and good devil,’ and we shall see much firmer and more decided work done to counterwork the schemes of satanic agencies.” Testimonies for the Church Containing Letters to Physicians and Ministers Instruction to Seventh-day Adventists, 11

In the humanity of Christ, the covenant promise was fulfilled. God prepared for His Son a human body and inscribed in His human heart His own divine attributes—the principles of righteousness and His law of love. The covenant promise was forever established and ratified when Jesus died on the cross, and the penalty demanded for man’s transgression was paid.

This natural enmity, this hostility that exists in the natural heart of man hates God’s law and the principles of righteousness and the love on which that law is founded. Man cannot love both selfishness and righteousness; the principles are diametrically opposite. If man is willing to return his loyalty to God, then He has promised to supernaturally give to man this enmity against sin through the process of sanctification, which begins with justification by faith. We are told that by studying God’s word, our natural, carnal nature will be destroyed and, in its place a new life in Christ Jesus will be found. This is sanctification.

The Example of Cain

Genesis 4 tells us that in response to God’s request for a burnt sacrifice, Cain brought an offering of fruit from his field. The Bible tells us that there is no remission of sin without the shedding of blood, so did Cain’s offering meet that requirement? And what are the implications of his offering?

  1. There was no confession of sin. The apostle John said “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1John 1:9. According to this verse you cannot expect to be forgiven if you do not confess.
  2. There was no acknowledgment that he was in need of a Saviour.

Yes, Cain brought an offering, but his offering did not meet God’s requirements, instead, it showed a reliance on self. Today, there are tens of thousands of people making the same mistake as Cain. Trusting to themselves and to their own wisdom, their self-righteousness prevents them from realizing their own spiritual poverty. The Lord addressed this problem in Revelation 3:17 when He said, “Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.” If we fail to see the spiritual nature of the law and therefore fail to recognize our own spiritual poverty and sinfulness, then we are in the Laodicean condition. “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” 1 John 1:8–10

“Those who have permitted their minds to become beclouded in regard to what constitutes sin are fearfully deceived. Unless they make a decided change, they will be found wanting when God pronounces judgment upon the children of men. They have transgressed the law and broken the everlasting covenant, and they will receive according to their works.” Testimonies, Vol. 9, 267

This fearful, Laodicean deception involves breaking the everlasting covenant. Jesus counsels those in the Laodicean church to come to Him for a change of clothing—putting off their own filthy rags and putting on His white raiment—so that they are properly dressed for the wedding supper of the Lamb. We cannot attend the wedding supper clothed in our man-made, natural, fig-leaf garments. We must have a garment woven in the loom of heaven, and this we cannot make for ourselves.

Cain was not an atheist. He came to worship God, but he came to worship Him in his own way rather than according to God’s instruction. He decided that God should be satisfied with what he offered.

The Example of Paul

Before Paul was a Christian, he was an exemplary Pharisee, stringent in his belief that he followed the law implicitly. And in his outward life, Paul was blameless in terms of his outward actions (Philippians 3; Acts 26:5). It would be difficult to find anything that he had said or done that was contrary to the law of God, but true obedience involves more than just how a person behaves on the outside.

The problem with the religion of the Pharisees was that it did not touch the soul. Paul was not seeking Godlikeness of character, or for a heart filled with love and mercy. He was satisfied with the religion that touched only the outward life. His righteousness was the fruit of his own works.

But, when Paul was convicted of the spiritual nature of the law he said, “I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died.” Romans 7:9. He was alive as a Pharisee without the law and thought he was perfect, but when he understood the spiritual nature of the law, he could see that his heart was evil. “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.” Verse 18. When Paul understood the spirit of the law, he could see himself for the sinner he was, and then self was able to die.

“When the spiritual character of the law was discerned, when he [Paul] looked into the holy mirror, he saw himself a sinner. Judged by a human standard, he had abstained from sin, but when he looked into the depths of God’s law, and saw himself as God saw him, he bowed in humiliation, and confessed his guilt.” The Review and Herald, July 22, 1890

When sin is limited narrowly to a choice of action, rather than regarded as encompassing every aspect of our existence, the spiritual character of the law is not discerned, and a human standard is set up in the place of the great moral standard of righteousness.

Paul was convicted by the tenth commandment. “I had not known sin except by the law. I had not known lust except the law had said, ‘You shall not covet.’ ” Romans 7:7. How is the sin of covetousness related to false gods and false worship?

“All covetousness is condemned as idolatry.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 261

“All selfishness is covetousness, and is, therefore, idolatry.” The Review and Herald, May 23, 1907

“No selfishness is of Christ. Selfishness lies at the foundation of all sin.” The Signs of the Times, April 11, 1900

A person who is not selfish will never commit a sin. You see, this is our problem: we believe that sin is just something we do, but really sin is what is on the inside. Our outward actions are simply an expression of our inward condition. If I have a selfish heart, then I am a sinner, and because of that selfish heart, I will covet what my neighbor has; I will be prideful, desiring worldly fame and fortune, power, and recognition; I will resent that my friend has a better job than I do or a bigger house. These are all feelings, part of a person’s sinful nature and character. They don’t require action to be sin.

“Never should we lower the standard of righteousness in order to accommodate inherited or cultivated tendencies to wrongdoing. We need to understand that imperfection of character is sin.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 330

“The time demands greater efficiency and deeper consecration. … ‘Raise up and send forth messengers filled with a sense of their responsibility, messengers in whose hearts self-idolatry, which lies at the foundation of all sin, has been crucified.’ ” Testimonies, Vol. 9, 27

We see, then, that selfishness is not only a natural human trait of character, it is an imperfection of character that must be crucified. Since imperfection of character is sin, our natural selfishness is sin. All selfishness is covetousness and is therefore idolatry. Self was the idol of Cain and his descendants, and also the Pharisees. Laodicea believed they were worshiping God, but in fact were worshiping at the idol of self.

“Self must be crucified, else sin will remain to defile the whole being. The Cain-spirit must not be allowed to enter the heart; for the hatred it brings is next of kin to murder. …

“They love themselves and their own ways, failing to realize that their ways, their words, and their characters are opposed to God. Such can never reach perfection unless they see themselves as they are.” The Youth’s Instructor, September 21, 1899

Once I understood the spiritual nature of the law, I could see that unless I allow a change in my heart and mind, I am lost, even though I profess to be religious. It was then that I went to the Lord, admitting that I am totally lost unless He saves me. I must put my trust in Him for I cannot save myself.

“Blessed is the soul who can say, ‘I am guilty before God: but Jesus is my Advocate. I have transgressed His law. I cannot save myself; but I make the precious blood that was shed on Calvary all my plea.’ ” Sons and Daughters of God, 120

On the road to Damascus, Paul met Jesus and realized that he was a sinner in need of a Saviour. He also realized that if his natural disposition wasn’t miraculously changed, he would be lost.

While in prison, Paul wrote the book of Philippians and in its chapters we find Paul’s story of transformation—no longer a Pharisee, but now a disciple of Christ.

“For we are the circumcision who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh, though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

“But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

“Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:3–14

The Example of Christ

While Jesus possessed the likeness of sinful flesh in the mortal body of man, He did not possess the same sinful flesh, the disposition of the carnal mind (Romans 8:3; Philippians 2:7; 3:21). Suffering was more keenly felt by Him, for His spiritual nature was free from every taint of sin, and it is this nature, the character of Christ, that He wants to give to you and me.

“Christ’s perfect humanity is the same that man may have through connection with Christ.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 16, 181. “It is the privilege of every believer in Christ to possess Christ’s nature, a nature far above that which Adam forfeited by transgression.” The Upward Look, 18

“The law of God is an expression of His very nature; it is an embodiment of the great principle of love, and hence is the foundation of His government in heaven and earth. If our hearts are renewed in the likeness of God, if the divine love is implanted in the soul, will not the law of God be carried out in the life? When the principle of love is implanted in the heart, when man is renewed after the image of Him that created him, the new-covenant promise is fulfilled.” Steps to Christ, 60

In the old covenant, the law was written on tables of stone, but in the new covenant, God says that He will put His law in the hearts of His people, and when the law is written in your heart, you will want to always seek to do what is right. “And if the law is written in the heart, will it not shape the life? Obedience—the service and allegiance of love—is the true sign of discipleship.” Ibid.

It is the love of self that brings unrest. Jesus invites us to accept from Him a new heart and mind. When we are reborn from above, we will have the same mind as Jesus, only then will we find the peace that He offers. “ ‘Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’ ” Matthew 11:28

It is the glory of God to give His virtue to His children. Jesus said to His disciples, “ ‘Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you.’ ” John 14:27, first part. The peace that Jesus gives is the result of His love for the law of God and the principles of righteousness written in His human heart, just as they were written in the heart of Adam before his fall.

“From eternal ages it was God’s purpose that every created being, from the bright and holy seraph to man, should be a temple for the indwelling of the Creator.” The Desire of Ages, 161 That was God’s purpose from eternal ages. “Because of sin, humanity ceased to be a temple for God. Darkened and defiled by evil, the heart of man no longer revealed the glory of the Divine One. But by the incarnation of the Son of God, the purpose of heaven is fulfilled.” Ibid.

Friends, we were meant to be a temple for the indwelling of our Creator. It is sin that has made us unfit to be His dwelling place.

It is Christ’s mission to deliver you from sin and to make your heart and mind a temple for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Will you let Him?

* The words to My Maker and My King, were written by Anne Steele as an “expression of praise to her Maker and a heart of thankfulness for all the blessings of life.” Christianmusicandhymns.com/2019/09/my-maker-and-my-king-hymn-story

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

The Original Mind

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Our study of Romans 8:3 over the last few months has been divided into four major parts. We have covered three of the four. Let’s do a quick summary.

Part 1

It was clearly seen that sinful flesh is the sinful nature, the fallen nature entailed upon man by Adam’s disobedience, and because of this sinful nature, man is unable to keep God’s law.

“Those who have permitted their minds to become beclouded in regard to what constitutes sin are fearfully deceived.” Testimonies, Vol. 9, 267. Mrs. White is writing to the church and its ministers, making this a truly terrible indictment of the church and its leaders. They have forgotten the spiritual nature of God’s law. Sin is the transgression of the law, but you cannot understand what sin is unless you understand the spiritual nature of the law; and if you don’t understand the spiritual nature of the law, then the relationship of the humanity of Jesus Christ to the law is also obscured. This is a major problem in Adventism. What was the relationship of the humanity of Jesus Christ to the law? “In His [Jesus’] humanity, He was the impersonation of the divine character. God embodied His own attributes in His Son.” The Youth’s Instructor, September 16, 1897

The dictionary gives four definitions for the word embody. They are as follows:

  1. To invest with or in a bodily form.
  2. To represent in a concrete form.
  3. To personify (a quality or concept in physical form).
  4. To make something part of a system or part of a whole.

What were the attributes of God that were embodied in His Son? “His power, His wisdom, His goodness, His purity, His truthfulness, His spirituality, and His benevolence. In Him, though human, all perfection of character, all divine excellence, dwelt.” Ibid.

Jesus was an exact replica of the divine character, born with the law of self-sacrificing love written in His human heart, full of holiness, grace, and the Holy Spirit. The law is a transcript of God’s character. Christ came as a man to be the embodiment of the law. He was the law of God, walking and talking, loving and caring.

In contrast, you and I are born with the law of selfishness written in our hearts and the natural selfishness of our nature is sin. “Selfishness is sin, and it grieves away the Spirit of Christ.” The Signs of the Times, April 13, 1891

Part 2

It was seen that the word likeness means “a form” and is therefore primarily referring to the body, the physical nature that the Father had prepared for Jesus. (See Hebrews 10:5.)

Paul wrote, “What the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh.” Romans 8:3. “The humanity of the Son of God is everything to us. It is the golden chain that binds our souls to Christ, and through Christ to God. This is to be our study.” The Youth’s Instructor, October 13, 1898. This is not talking about His divinity. However there are Adventists today who are as confused about Jesus’ divinity as they are about His humanity.

Great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh (1 Timothy 3:16). “Christ was a real man; He gave proof of His humility in becoming a man. Yet He was God in the flesh. When we approach this subject, we would do well to heed the words spoken by Christ to Moses at the burning bush, ‘Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.’ We should come to this study with the humility of a learner, with a contrite heart. And the study of the incarnation of Christ is a fruitful field, which will repay the searcher who digs deep for hidden truth.” Ibid. This mystery is so deep that we will study it throughout eternity, but still will be unable to fully understand it.

Part 3

It was revealed that there are several warnings applicable to those who believe that the word likeness means “the same” and how this belief is a barrier to true justification and ultimately to sanctification, so the result is that a person never enters into the rest spoken of in Hebrews 4.

Confession is a prerequisite to justification. Without a correct understanding of what sin is, how can we make the type of confession that is required. Without justification there is no sanctification. The Sabbath is a sign that God is restoring—sanctifying—His righteousness and character in man by separating him from his natural selfishness.

“Let us therefore fear lest a promise being left us of entering into His rest, any of you seem to come short of it.” Verse 1. A spurious justification will lead to a spurious sanctification which will prevent one from entering into His rest, the true sanctification of the Sabbath. Someone might make an outward show of keeping the Sabbath, but if a person’s heart is not touched, they are only keeping the Sabbath out of a sense of legal obligation, and is not impressed with their need of being sanctified in preparation for the second coming of Christ.

Part 4

Our study of the fourth part of Roman 8:3 will show us how the first three parts relate to the offering of Cain and the idol sabbath or Sunday-keeping. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.” Hosea 4:6. It may seem harsh when you first read this text, but God is speaking of a specific knowledge that, if lacking, demonstrates the inability to understand the spiritual character of the law of God.

“The law of God has been largely dwelt upon and has been presented to congregations, almost as destitute of the knowledge of Jesus Christ and His relation to the law as was the offering of Cain.” Faith and Works, 18

Mrs. White is saying that Adventist preachers have largely dwelt upon the law of God, but that their preaching is destitute of the knowledge of Jesus Christ and His relation to the law. When this was written, Adventist preachers had been preaching the three angels’ messages and the law of God for over 40 years, so naturally they thought that they understood it. Sadly, Mrs. White says they did not, and you cannot solve a problem if you do not recognize that there is one. Multitudes of Seventh-day Adventists today, like the Jews of old, have forgotten the relationship of Christ’s humanity to the law, and the result is that many are rejecting knowledge regarding this relationship.

Seventh-day Adventists have been entrusted with the oracles of God. They have been called to give the three angels’ messages to the world, to repair the breach that has been made in the law, which involves far more than just what day you go to church. However, because many people fail to see how the humanity of Jesus is related to the spiritual nature of the law, they present this relationship as the offering of Cain. Inspiration links the offering of Cain-type worship to both the Pharisees and to Laodicea. And my hope is that we will see that—just as the Pharisees of old accused Jesus of breaking the letter of the law, of being a Sabbath-breaker—Laodicea, who is spiritually blind (Revelation 3), is unwittingly accusing Jesus of breaking the Sabbath in its spiritual realm, presenting the law apart from Jesus.

What was wrong with Cain’s offering? “The sacrificial offerings were instituted to be a standing pledge to man of God’s pardon through the great offering to be made, typified by the blood of beasts. Through this ceremony man signified repentance, obedience, and faith in a Redeemer to come. That which made Cain’s offering offensive to God was his lack of submission and obedience to the ordinance of His appointment.” The Review and Herald, March 3, 1874

Cain obeyed by offering the sacrifice, but by offering the fruit of the ground, wrought by the toil of his own hands, he disobeyed, denying his dependence upon Jesus for salvation. Cain was not a humble man. He did not like expressing his weaknesses and sinfulness, nor did he accept that he needed someone else to save him. In giving the offering of his choice rather than the offering God required, Cain slighted the blood of the atonement. “Cain brought of the fruit of the ground unto God, instead of bringing the blood of a slain lamb, the type of Christ, slain for the sins of the world.” The Signs of the Times, June 1, 1891

What is the significance of the blood of the Lamb? The great promise—enmity between the devil and God’s church—and the prophecy—He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel—found in Genesis 3:15 is fulfilled by the blood of Jesus Christ. “By virtue of His blood the enmity is abolished.” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol. 5, 1109

“With Christ the enmity was in one sense natural; in another sense it was supernatural, as humanity and divinity were combined. And never was the enmity developed to such a marked degree as when Christ became a resident of this earth. Never before had there been a being upon the earth who hated sin with so perfect a hatred as did Christ.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 16, 118

“This enmity is supernaturally put, and not naturally entertained. When man sinned, his nature became evil, and he was in harmony, and not at variance, with Satan.” The Review and Herald, July 18, 1882. Once man sinned, he was no longer in harmony with God, nor at variance with Satan. Satan had deceived angels and caused the downfall of Adam and Eve. He thought that he would have control over all of the human race, becoming the god of this world, and waging a worldwide rebellion against God with the full cooperation of all mankind.

But God said, “I am going to put hatred between you [Satan] and the woman [the church] and between your seed and her Seed [Christ].”

“When man sinned, all heaven was filled with sorrow; for through yielding to temptation, man became the enemy of God, a partaker of the Satanic nature. The image of God in which he had been created was marred and distorted. The character of man was out of harmony with the character of God; for through sin man became carnal, and the carnal heart is enmity against God, is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be [Romans 8:7].” The Signs of the Times, February 13, 1893

“By the transforming agency of His grace, the image of God is reproduced in the disciple; he becomes a new creature. Love takes the place of hatred, and the heart receives the divine similitude.” The Desire of Ages, 391. The definition of to reproduce is “to produce something that has been destroyed.” The reproduction of the character of God in man is the purpose of the plan of redemption.

Man’s nature had been ruined by sin, but God said that He would restore, through the humanity of Christ, His image, His character, in the heart of man.

“Man was originally endowed with noble powers and a well-balanced mind. He was perfect in his being, and in harmony with God. His thoughts were pure, his aims holy. But through disobedience, his powers were perverted, and selfishness took the place of love.” Steps to Christ, 17

When the divine similitude is reproduced, divine love takes the place of hatred in the heart. There is a direct reversal of what happened to man; God undoes what Satan did to man as a result of the Fall.

“When Satan heard that the Seed of the woman should bruise the serpent’s head, he knew that though he had succeeded in depraving human nature, and assimilating it to his own, yet by some mysterious process, God would restore to man his lost power, and enable him to resist and overcome his conqueror.” The Review and Herald, July 18, 1882

“Christ became a man that He might mediate between man and God. He clothed His divinity with humanity, He associated with the human race, that with His human arm He might encircle humanity, and with His divine arm grasp the throne of Divinity. And this humiliation [becoming a human being] on His part was that He might restore to man the original mind, the image of God, which he lost in Eden through Satan’s alluring temptations, that man might realize that it is for his present and eternal good to obey the requirements of God.” The Signs of the Times, October 14, 1897

“The excellence and value of pure love consists in its efficiency to do good, and to do nothing else but good. Whatsoever is done out of pure love, be it ever so little or contemptible in the sight of men, is wholly fruitful; for God measures more with how much love one worketh, than the amount he doeth. Love is of God. The unconverted heart cannot originate nor produce this plant of heavenly growth.” Testimony for the Church at Battle Creek, 37

The unconverted heart of man cannot originate or produce love. It is a gift that Jesus wants to give to you and it lives and flourishes only where Christ reigns. So divine love is the inherent power in the image of God.

“The law of God from its very nature is unchangeable. It is a revelation of the will and the character of its Author. God is love, and His law is love. Its two great principles are love to God and love to man. ‘Love is the fulfilling of the law.’ ” The Great Controversy, 467. When God embodied His own attributes in the humanity of His Son, His love became a tangible, living form, an exact replica of the Father’s character.

“God, who at various times and in different ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.” Hebrews 1:1–4

“When God gave His Son to our world, He endowed human beings with imperishable riches—riches compared with which the treasured wealth of men since the world began is nothingness.” The Ministry of Healing, 37. When God gave His Son, He endowed human beings with the possibility of receiving a wealth of riches that this world cannot even conceive of. It is deeply saddening to see people who choose not to follow Christ because they prefer a business or a piece of real estate or a partner. Jesus said, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” Mark 8:36

“Christ came to the earth and stood before the children of men with the hoarded love of eternity, and this is the treasure that, through our connection with Him, we are to receive, to reveal, and to impart.” The Ministry of Healing, 37. Try to imagine it—the hoarded love of eternity! And this Christ offers to every man, woman, and child who will accept it.

The law of God and His divine love are directly opposed to Satan’s law of selfishness. Through the promise to place enmity between the seed of the serpent and the Seed of the woman, God’s covenant to put His law and love in the hearts and minds of His people was fulfilled. It was manifested in the life of Jesus Christ, who is the living example of what God wants to do for His church. However, we have a part in this covenant as well. We must cooperate with Him by taking up our cross (Luke 9:23). It is an unpopular thing, taking up our cross, but when we do, God has promised to supernaturally instill in the hearts of His people the same hatred for sin that was manifested in the life of Jesus.

Jesus came to this world so that God could reproduce His character in the heart of man. The world can make no better offer than the one that Jesus is making to you today. Take up your cross, follow Him, and experience the miracle as God reproduces His character in your life.

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

The Spiritual Nature of the Law

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We have studied many things regarding the mystery of godliness. Our eternal destiny is directly affected by this sacred subject.

God gave to Martin Luther, one of the great heroes of faith, the work of reminding the entire Christian world of the doctrine of justification by faith. This important doctrine had been almost forgotten, and Christians needed to be brought back to an understanding of it.

Let’s say this very clearly: Justification by faith is the only way that we can be saved. It doesn’t matter what you do, how religious you are, that you go to church and pay tithe, how much you sing and pray, how much you read your Bible, or the amount of missionary work and good deeds you do, unless you are justified by faith you are lost.

“The danger has been presented to me again and again of entertaining, as a people, false ideas of justification by faith.” Faith and Works, 18. Mrs. White wrote this in 1888, at a time of great crisis in the Adventist church. Even today, we are in danger of accepting false ideas regarding justification by faith. Have we seen that in the Christian world, in Adventism, today? “I have been shown for years that Satan would work in a special manner to confuse the mind on this point.” Ibid. It is the devil’s direct purpose to muddy the spiritual waters as much as he possibly can. He takes special measures, especially on this point, to bring in confusion.

Even though some people will say that Mrs. White wrote more than a hundred years ago, thus these counsels were for her time, they are, in fact, just as true today as when she first wrote them. “The law of God has been largely dwelt upon and has been presented to congregations, almost as destitute of the knowledge of Jesus Christ and His relation to the law as was the offering of Cain.” Ibid. As bad as the offering of Cain? That is a strong rebuke. We must have a knowledge of Jesus Christ and His relationship to the ten commandments.

For over 40 years after the above statement was written, Adventist ministers preached the three angels’ messages, God’s last message of warning and mercy to the world. The Second Advent Movement was to reach out to a fallen world that was, and still is, rapidly heading toward destruction. The three angels’ messages offered to the people of the world a choice—listen and have life; don’t and be destroyed.

Seldom is there anything revealed that is more important than when God says to listen. We have a problem with listening. Adam and Eve didn’t listen. Cain didn’t listen. The people of the Antediluvian world didn’t listen. The people of Sodom didn’t listen. People today are listening, just not to God. Messages are being given by strange voices, but they are not messages from heaven. These voices are so attractive. They say that man will not die. They say that man can know everything that God knows. They say that man can be and do and have whatever he wants. They say that man can be like God. But these voices are lying, and they lead all who listen to them to destruction.

Ellen White was a prophet. God spoke to her and gave her visions regarding the things He needed for her to share with His people. “I have been shown that many have been kept from the faith because of the mixed, confused ideas of salvation, because the ministers have worked in a wrong manner to reach hearts.” Ibid. She is talking about Seventh-day Adventist ministers in this passage. Sadly, many people have been kept from accepting Jesus as their Saviour because of what these ministers have taught. What a terrible indictment against Adventist ministers!

How much is salvation worth to you? What would it mean if you could have a life with God that would never end—a life with no pain or sorrow, no death or funerals, no troubles or disappointments, no violence—instead there would be songs and praises, everlasting joy and gladness? Then it should be important to us to have a correct understanding of salvation.

At the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus, speaking of the last days, said that there will be many Christians who would think they were saved, but who, in fact, would be lost. They would come right up to the very end, believing that they were doing the work of God, only to find out it wasn’t true.

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ ” Matthew 7:21, 22

They are absolutely sure that they are saved. They have prophesied, cast out demons, performed miracles and wonders, all in the name of Jesus. Their prophesies have come true, and when they admonished demons, they departed. They healed the sick and did many other miraculous things. But here is the problem:

“And then I declared to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’ ” Verse 23. In spite of all the things they have done, believing that the power was coming from Jesus, He says He did not know them at all. Why? Because they were still sinning. So where was the power to perform all these things coming from? The devil can give prophesies and then make them come true. He can make people sick and then heal them. A demon can certainly allow himself to be cast out so that it looks like the work of the Holy Spirit. These Christians had a power, but it wasn’t a power from God. They had claimed to have worshipped God for years, but Jesus will say that He doesn’t know them.

The Greek word anti plus the Greek word Christos is anti-Christos. From these two Greek words comes our word antichrist. Friend, there is an antichrist in the world. The Greek word anti in its primitive sense means “someone who stands in the place of someone or something else.”

The apostle John writes that there are many antichrists who have stood and are standing in the place of Christ (1 John 2:22). The chief antichrist is the devil. Revelation predicts that a time is coming when almost the whole world will think they are worshiping Christ, but they will be worshiping the antichrist.

How can you tell whether you are worshiping Christ or the antichrist? Matthew 7:23, last part, tells us. “ ‘Depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ ” These people who claim to be Christians are breaking God’s law. The antichrist teaches people to break God’s law. Christ teaches people to keep God’s law. “Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.” 1 John 3:6. Those who transgress God’s law do not know Jesus and Jesus does not know them.

The Bible is clear that sin is the transgression of the law. “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. And you know that He [Jesus] was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him. Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who sins is of the devil.” Verses 4–8, first part. If I am living in sin, I am serving the devil, not Christ. Everyone who is living in sin is a child of the devil. “… the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” Verse 8, last part

Christ came to this world as a man to destroy sin. It was decided thousands of years ago that sin could not be tolerated and would have to be destroyed. He has allowed it to continue for so long so that the entire universe can see just how bad sin really is, how it destroys lives.

God hasn’t destroyed sin yet because there are people all around the world who have sin in them. If He destroyed sin now, then they would be destroyed, too. God doesn’t want to destroy anyone, but anyone who clings to sin will be destroyed when sin is destroyed. There is only one way to avoid the destruction that will come when sin is destroyed: if we allow Jesus to take the sin out of us. Understand, I can never take the sin out of myself. Neither can you take the sin out of yourself.

When I was a child, people didn’t understand this. They thought if they prayed enough and studied their Bibles enough, if they went to church every Sabbath and paid their tithe, if they told people about Jesus, that sin would be booted out of their lives. But there is no amount of praying, studying, church attending, tithe paying, or witnessing that will remove sin from my life. All of these things are needful, and are the outworking of a transformed life, but by themselves, they will not remove sin from my life. Only God can take the sin out of me and replace it with the righteousness of Jesus in my heart. That is why Jesus died on the cross. Without His death, it would have been impossible for God to take the sin out of me.

Romans 6:23 tells us, that ”the wages of sin is death.” Death is the natural consequence of sin, so when a person sins, they are guilty and cannot receive eternal life. Jesus died on the cross to bear my guilt for me and free me from the penalty of sin.

“The point that has been urged upon my mind for years is the imputed righteousness of Christ.” Faith and Works, 18. That is how God takes the sin out. There are several things that have to happen. What should happen when a person sins? They should die. Remember, “The wages of sin is death.” That is the natural consequence of sin—if you are guilty of sin you deserve death and you cannot be given eternal life. So, the first thing that has to happen if you are going to have eternal life is the guilt in your conscience has to be removed. Sin and the guilt we bear is so awful that the only way it could be removed was for Jesus Christ to die on the cross, bearing your guilt for you.

“I have wondered that this matter was not made the subject of discourses in our churches throughout the land, when the matter has been kept so constantly urged upon me, and I have made it the subject of nearly every discourse and talk that I have given to the people.” Ibid.

Let’s look at the following three points to help us better understand Jesus’ relationship to God’s law.

  1. We must understand the spiritual nature of the law. The main thrust of the Sermon on the Mount was the spirituality of the law (Romans 7:14).
  2. We want to understand Jesus Christ and His relationship to the law—the ten commandments (The Signs of the Times, November 15, 1899).
  3. If you don’t understand the first two points, here’s what will happen:
  4. You will have a wrong idea about justification by faith.
  5. If you have a wrong idea about justification by faith, you will have a wrong idea about sanctification.
  6. If you have a wrong idea about sanctification, you will not know what to do to be ready for Jesus to come.

The foundation of truth in all of these doctrines begins with a correct understanding of the knowledge of Jesus Christ and His relationship to the law. Before a sinner is justified, he must be convicted of sin and confess it.

The experience of Paul reveals that it is the moral law that brings conviction of sin. “I was alive once without the law.” Romans 7:9, first part. Paul had been taught by Gamaliel. He was a strict Pharisee. In the Jewish church, he was called a doctor of the law and a teacher of it. He could quote the law perfectly in three languages. He could explain all the tenants of the ten commandments. But in this text, Paul admits, without realizing it, that he did not understand the spiritual nature of the law. He knew the words, but he did not know the part the law played in the spiritual transformation of his heart.

Paul engaged in hunting down, persecuting, and killing Christians, breaking the sixth commandment in the name of God, until one day, as he journeyed along the Damascus Road, on his way to hunt down more Christians, God struck him down. A brilliant light shone all around him, brighter than the sun. He fell to the ground, and he “heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ And he said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ Then the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ So he, trembling and astonished, said, ‘Lord, what do You want me to do?’ Then the Lord said to him, ‘Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.’ ” Acts 9:4–6

Before he truly understood the law, Paul believed that he was doing God’s work. He believed he was a good Jew, a good Pharisee, doing good work in hunting down those who allegedly spread blasphemy—those who, in Paul’s view, were sinners. Although most of the people of this world, because of their sins, are children of the devil, and yet, they still belong to God. The way we treat them, shows how we would treat Jesus. Thus unknowingly, Paul’s treatment of faithful Christians reveals how he might have treated Christ.

“ ‘Then He will also say to those on the left hand, “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.” ‘Then they also will answer Him, saying, “Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?” Then He will answer them, saying, “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.” And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.’ ” Matthew 25:41–46

Paul is saying in Romans 7:9 that, for the first time in his life, the law revealed to his conscience that he was a sinful man. Only then did he begin to understand the spiritual nature of the law. He never understood it before. He lived in the world without the law, but now he was able to see himself as he truly was—a sinner with a character filled with sin. He believed himself to be a righteous person, but the law showed him that he was exactly the opposite. What was his response to this revelation? “I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died.” Recognizing that he is totally devoid of righteousness, devoid of all spiritual life, he says, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells.” Verse 18, first part

“The law revealed to Paul his defects of character; but he did not seek to abolish the law because he stood condemned before it. He said, ‘I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came [home to his conscience], sin [in his character] revived, and I died. … Wherefore the law [that worked so sharply against the natural propensities] is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.’ To his quickened conscience, sin became exceedingly sinful. This is the work of the law and the Holy Spirit, that convict of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment.” The Home Missionary, October 1, 1897

When the moral law comes home to the conscience and the spiritual nature of the law is discerned, the sinner will realize that he is condemned because of his natural, sinful propensities. Notice the law not only convicts of sin, it also convicts of the righteousness found only in Jesus.

“Even the moral law fails of its purpose, unless it is understood in its relation to the Saviour.” The Desire of Ages, 608

If we fail to recognize this relationship, we are in danger of embracing false ideas of justification by faith. Many today fail to recognize the relationship between Christ and the law, and therefore, they are not convicted that man is born a sinner. The definition of sin is limited to simply a choice. They deny that we have sin within—that we are sinners by nature—so they ascribe to the humanity of Christ the same sinful flesh [carnal nature] that we inherited from Adam.

Jude warns us against this danger—ascribing our sinful nature to Christ’s humanity—admonishing us to contend earnestly for the faith which was once delivered to the saints.

My dear friend, the plan of salvation provides for the removal of sin from your life. Jesus, more than anything else in the world wants to take the sin out of your life so that He can replace it with His righteousness, and give you eternal life.

Are you willing to let Him do it? Are you willing to do whatever it takes to allow Jesus to come into your heart and mind and change you? To save you requires a creative act of God. He speaks and our sinfulness is removed and He creates in us a new heart, a new mind, a new spirit, a new character.

“Behold! I stand at the door and knock.”

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