Editorial – When All Is Lost

When Adam and Eve sinned all was lost. Their innocence was replaced with guilt, which resulted in fear. They had no righteousness anymore. They were unrighteous and unholy and this is manifested immediately in the Bible account as erupting in self-justification and blaming somebody else for their actions.  Adam blamed Eve (since she had been given to him by God, this was an accusation against God Himself.) Eve blamed the serpent (since God had made the serpent this again was an accusation against God Himself.) This was not the first or last time for sinners to attempt to justify themselves and blame God. “The love of God does not lead Him to excuse sin. He did not excuse it in Satan; He did not excuse it in Adam or in Cain; nor will He excuse it in any other of the children of men. He will not connive at our sins or overlook our defects of character. He expects us to overcome in His name.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 316.

The peace and harmony Adam and Eve had experienced was immediately replaced with reproaches of each other and dissension in their home. They were alienated from the life of God, dead in trespasses and sins, doomed to death because they had voluntarily separated themselves from the life-giver.

Ellen White describes the fact that all was lost many times. A few examples follow: “Sorrow filled heaven, as it was realized that man was lost, and that world which God had created was to be filled with mortals doomed to misery, sickness, and death, and there was no way of escape for the offender. The whole family of Adam must die.” Early Writings, 149.

“All are lost unless they are transformed in character.” Signs of the Times, Janury 15, 1894.

“But the character of God was more fully revealed to angels and to men when God demonstrated that He would not leave man in this utterly lost and depraved condition.” (The Bible teaches the doctrine of total depravity of human beings—‘in my flesh there dwells no good thing.’ Romans 7:18—this is the chiefest of the apostles writing.) We were not left in hopeless misery.

We are still amidst the turmoil of earthly activities and troubles. Sickness and death, the division of families and the dissension originally brought in by sin surround the human family and the saints still today.  Many come to us feeling that all is lost, feeling hopeless.  All would be hopeless except for Jesus. Your case is not hopeless if you come to Him no matter what your family situation or your finances or your health or your surroundings: Do not entertain the thought that because you have made mistakes, because your life has been darkened by errors, your Heavenly Father does not love you and will not hear you when you pray. He says, ‘Him that cometh to Me

I will in no wise cast out.’ ‘The Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.’ His heart of love is touched by our sorrows, and even by our utterance of them. Take to Him everything that perplexes the mind. Nothing is too great for Him to bear; for He holds up worlds, He rules over the affairs of the universe. Nothing that in any way concerns our peace is too small for Him to

notice. There is no chapter in our experience too dark for Him to read; there is no perplexity too difficult for Him to unravel. None have fallen so low, none are so vile, that they can not find deliverance in Christ. The demoniacs of Gadara, in the place of prayer could utter only the words of Satan; but yet the heart’s unspoken appeal was heard. No cry from a soul in need is unheeded.” Signs of the Times, June 18,1902.