“I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.’ The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, ‘How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?’
“Then Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.’
“These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum. Therefore, many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, ‘This is a hard saying; who can understand it?’ ” John 6:51–60
This exchange between Jesus and His disciples was the catalyst that caused many, even most, of Jesus’ disciples to abandon Him. John wrote, “From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more,” (verse 66); despite Christ’s explanation found in verse 63 that His words were the flesh and blood that His disciples were to feed on.
Even today, when confronted with the qualifications to be met in conservative Adventism for walking the narrow way, many professed disciples of Christ likewise go back to the broad road and walk with Him no more. Sadly, many are probably unaware that they have made such a choice—equally unlikely to be aware of or concerned about the consequences of their choice.
There is an interesting two-part article in The Review and Herald, April 12 and 19, 1870, in which Mrs. White addresses the reaction of many when confronted by hard sayings.
“Some professed followers of Christ may be inclined to say, as did the disciples at a certain time as they listened to the earnest truths which fell from the lips of the divine Teacher, ‘This is an hard saying, who can hear it?’ Many may think that the way is made too straight; when we talk of self-denial and sacrifice for Christ’s sake, they think we dwell too much on these points.”
It seems that most professed followers of Christ prefer to hear of the Christian’s reward and the glories of heaven, and not of the narrow road they must walk to reach those glories. We know that those who are faithful will inherit all things, but the great question with us should be, “Who may abide the day of His coming; and who shall stand when He appears?” Who shall be counted worthy to receive the exceeding great and precious reward that shall be given to all who overcome?
The answer to who will inherit all things is both simple, and a hard saying. We are told that if we would be sharers in the glory of Christ, we would first be partakers of His sufferings. Paul alluded to this in his second letter to Timothy, when he wrote, “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” 2 Timothy 3:12
Paul also tells us that without holiness, no man can see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14). Without purity of life, achieved through the trials and sufferings of meeting life’s daily challenges, it is impossible for us to be polished into living stones and prepared to dwell with the saints and the holy, sinless angels in a pure and holy heaven.
John tells us that we must be pure, just as Jesus is pure (1 John 3:2, 3). We know from the counsel that has been so lovingly provided in the Spirit of Prophecy, no sin, no impurity of any kind can pass through the pearly gates of the golden city of God. So, the question for us to settle is, Will we turn from all sin and comply with the conditions God has given us so that we may become His sons and daughters? To become members of the royal family, He requires us to completely separate from the world. This is demonstrated in this hard saying: “Come out from among them and be separate.” 2 Corinthians 6:17. The context makes it clear that as believers we are to separate from unbelievers, even if that includes some degree of separation from our own family members.
If you are the only Adventist in your family, there is a similar hard saying, recorded in Matthew 10.
“ ‘Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to “set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law,” and “a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.” He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.’ ” Verses 34–37
Both Scripture and the Spirit of Prophecy make it clear that God must be first in the priorities of our lives.
“… [P]erhaps while one member of the family gives his heart to God, others do not. They are still under the control of the Saviour’s worst enemy, and they feel annoyed and angry that division has come into the household. He who has accepted Christ is no less dutiful than before; on the contrary, he is more kind, more faithful, more affectionate, because his nature is being purified, sanctified, and ennobled by the truth. But the Master of the Christian and the master of the unbeliever are in deadly conflict; and so, the contest goes on in many homes. While the Christians are pleading earnestly with God that their relatives and friends may be drawn to Christ, while their hearts are breaking with longing that their loved ones may share His joy and peace, the hearts of the unbelieving are bound as with fetters to Satan’s car, and they are asking, as did Pharaoh, ‘Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice?’ ” The Bible Echo, March 19, 1894
Without a doubt, faithful Seventh-day Adventists believe that Christ is coming soon, and believing this, we feel compelled to plead with family and friends to prepare for the coming of the Son of Man. We do not want any—especially our own family members—to be among those who will call for rocks and mountains to fall on them. Instead, along with us, we want them to be among those who will enter in through the gates into the city, arrayed with palm leaves of victory and crowned with starry crowns. We are compelled to plead with them to abandon their unchristlike character traits and habits and perfect holiness in the fear of the Lord. It is perfection that is required, and nothing short of perfection will enable anyone to see the King and enjoy the glories of eternity.
Once we have overcome our sins and put away all traces of lawlessness, we are then, and only then, in the condition needed to receive the finishing touch of immortality. Many are waiting and expecting that a more favorable opportunity than the present will come when we can put away sin more easily than now, when it will not require such great humility and sacrifice, and we will not have to make the effort required to perfect holiness in the fear of God. Can it be that while we are waiting for a better, more convenient time, our probation may close and we be found dead in trespasses and sin?
Our grasp, our view, should be fastened upon the eternal. We must realize that we have available to us the strength that is mighty to cling to, which will be to us a stronghold and fortress in the day of trouble, affliction, and peril. But will that better time and that more favorable opportunity ever come to those who would say to the Spirit of God, as did Felix, Go Thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season I will call for Thee? Is the opportunity ever to come when we can leave sin any more easily than at the present moment? Is the time coming when we can take hold of the truth any more easily than now? Satan has come down with great power and is working with great activity to weave his net around unguarded souls and thereby take them captive in his snares to prevent them from being partakers of the glories that are to be revealed at the appearing of Jesus Christ.
Are we willing that Satan should carry out his purposes? Many have yielded themselves willingly to his influence, and by their course of action tempt the devil to tempt them. It is for us to make every effort to turn from iniquity to the living God through the exercise of the free will bestowed upon us by a loving God.
As Christ continued this remarkable sermon, He clarified a bit later exactly where the emphasis must be placed in achieving the perfection that overcoming demands. “Therefore, you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” Matthew 5:48. Perfection in our position is what the Son of God requires. “Therefore, I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” Matthew 6:25
The life Jesus speaks of here is that life which measures with the life of God, the life that is to be eternal, a life forevermore in the kingdom of glory, without sorrow, without pain, without sickness, without distress, and without death.
As Christ thus presents the possibility of eternal life to His followers, is it not of more consequence than the life of this world? Our attention should not be turned in the direction of anxiety or fear, or in dread of obeying hard sayings.
This perfection that Christ called for in the Sermon on the Mount must be reached, in spite of the hard sayings that lie between here and the achievement of that perfection.
We must pray always. There is no resting spot here; there is no period when we can relax our efforts, no period when we can safely cease striving, agonizing, to enter in at the strait gate.
The truths found in God’s word must be brought to bear upon us, and we must lay hold of them. If we do this, they will have a sanctifying influence upon our lives; they will polish us as living stones for the kingdom of glory, so that when our probation closes, we will see the King in His beauty and dwell in His presence forevermore.
The question now is, Are we willing to make the sacrifice? Are we willing to eat of the bread of life? Are we willing to “Come out from among them, and be … separate?”
Obeying the truth requires us to stand alone in our position to serve God, even when others around us are not willing to yield to the claims that Christ has upon them, even if they are our closest friends and dearest relatives.
We must have our mind’s eye fixed upon eternal realities, the immortal inheritance. It should be our purpose in life to honor and glorify upon the earth Him who died that we might receive the immortal inheritance and enjoy the realities of eternity.
We can only do so when we comply with the hard sayings that He, in His love for us, has given us. Then our reward is assured.
John R. Pearson is the office manager and Steps to Life board member. He can be reached by email at johnpearson@stepstolife.org or by phone at 316-788-5559.