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The Church – Part I

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I Timothy 3:15 speaks about the church of the living God: “… the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” I would like to look, with you, at some aspects of the church of God, which will confirm in our minds that this is “the pillar and ground of the truth.”

I am sure that none of you would argue with me, if I were to plead that Jesus is the Foundation of His Church, but I would like to present an aspect of Jesus, something about His very nature, that is everything to the true believer. It is everything that is required in reuniting sinners to the God from Whom they have become alienated by sin.

The Incarnation of Christ

If I were to ask the question, What is this aspect of Jesus that is so important? many would answer, It is His love. I would agree. It is His love that motivated Him to assume the one thing that is absolutely vital for our salvation. In Selected Messages, Book 1, 244, we find the following inspired statement: “The humanity of the Son of God is everything to us.” Now “everything” does not leave out very much, does it?

“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. 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.’” Ibid.

When it comes to studying the incarnation of Christ, many have told us that these words, “Put off thy shoes from off thy feet” are an indication that perhaps we need to steer clear of the subject. I do not believe for one moment that is what God intended, as we shall see as we continue to read this quotation. You see, God wants His people to stand on holy ground and not on anything else. He does not want any shoe leather between our soles and holy ground.

How do we know that God wants us to study this subject? We read, “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 is the admonition given by our Lord to His people—that we need to study this subject, and we need to study it in depth.

In Matthew 16:6 we read that Jesus was on a foot journey with His disciples, and He was speaking to them along the way, telling them to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Scribes. Warning His disciples against the false doctrine promoted by these apostate spiritual leaders.

Who Am I?

And they arrived (verse 13) at Caesarea Philippi, and He said to them, “‘Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?’” Notice that He emphasized the title “the Son of man.” He did not say “. . .I the Son of God am; He said “. . .I the Son of man am,” emphasizing His humanity. Then we have the well-known reply of Peter, but before Peter’s reply, came the reply of the other disciples.

The other disciples said to Him, Well, some say that You are Elias; some say that You are Jeremias or some other prophet. Jesus brought the question a little closer to home for His disciples, because He was trying to separate their thinking from the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees, which He had warned them against earlier. “He saith unto them, ‘But whom say ye that I am?’” (Verse 15.)

Peter countered with that answer that we know so well: “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Verse 16.) Do you know, we all take that reply for granted?

I want you to put yourselves in the disciples’ shoes on that day. Peter knew without a shadow of a doubt that Jesus was a man. He knew it. He knew where His home was. He knew His mother, Mary. He saw the perspiration trickle down His forehead under the hot Palestinian sun. He saw the dust settle on His body. He saw Him get weary. He saw Him get hungry. He saw Him get thirsty. Peter knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that Jesus was a man. But Peter said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Peter recognized that, in the Man that was questioning him, there was divinity; this Man was not “just from the earth.” He was heaven come down to men.

Now, brothers and sisters, this truth, that Peter had just uttered, was the very truth that the Jewish nation absolutely refused to accept, particularly the Jewish leaders. We read in John 10:33, about the instance where they wanted to stone Jesus because of Him ascribing to Himself kinship to His heavenly Father.

Jesus asked them, “For what good work do you stone Me?” And the Jews answered Him, “For a good work we stone Thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that Thou, being a man, makest Thyself God.” That is a truth they would not accept, that Jesus was a union of their humanity with the divinity of God.

The Theology Satan Hates

It was on this very point of truth that those same leaders condemned Jesus to die on the day of His trial before Pilate. John 19:7 says, “The Jews answered him [Pilate], We have a law, and by our law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God.” Brothers and sisters, this truth, that Jesus accepted fallen humanity, took upon Himself the seed of Abraham, that He is a union of our humanity and Godhead divinity, is the truth against which Satan manifests his special hatred.

It is in opposition to this truth that Satan has raised up the citadel of sin, “Babylon,” in which a man, ununited to divinity, sits in the temple of God and attempts to show the world and himself that he is God. Satan’s counterfeit of this truth is the antichrist. It is because this truth is the foundation of the true believer’s faith, the very foundation of “salvation from sin,” that Satan has declared war on this truth and all who hold this teaching.

In Matthew 16:18, we find Jesus’ response to Peter’s tremendous declaration of faith. He says, “‘Thou art petros,’” (a rolling stone.) You see, the Greek word there is petros, and petros is a rolling stone. It is a stone that can be overturned. This is somebody who can be sifted like wheat, as was Peter’s experience.

“‘And upon this petra,’” upon this rock, this immovable, unshakable rock of truth that Peter has just uttered, that He (Jesus) was both human (like us) and divine (like His Father), a union of divinity with humanity, “‘I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.’”

In verse 19, Jesus plainly declared that anyone having this truth has the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Now, brothers and sisters, right here, what we have just read, is the foundation of the true church. The corrupt understanding of what we have just read is the foundation of all false religion, because it is on these very texts that the so-called “apostolic succession” is established, by which an erring man claims to have received the keys of Peter.

The Foundation of Faith

Let us look at divinely inspired commentary on what we have just read. “The truth which Peter had confessed is the foundation of the believer’s faith. It is that which Christ Himself has declared to be eternal life.” The Desire of Ages, 412. Jesus is the mysterious combining of our fallen humanity and God’s sublime divinity. It is He who is the first born of the totally new line of beings. In Jesus we find, for the first time in the history of creation, a Being Who is a combination of both creature and Creator.

“Christ could have done nothing during His earthly ministry in saving fallen man if the divine had not been blended with the human. The limited capacity of man cannot define this wonderful mystery—the blending [of] the two natures, the divine and the human. It can never be explained… Man is privileged to be a partaker of the divine nature [because of what Jesus did for us], and in this way he can to some degree enter into the mystery.… Divinity took the nature of humanity, and for what purpose?—That through the righteousness of Christ humanity might partake of the divine nature.” The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, 332.

“When He came to the world the first time, divinity and humanity were blended. This is our only hope. The Son of man is fully qualified to be the originator of a humanity that will blend with divinity by partaking of the divine nature.” The Signs of the Times, March 8, 1899.

The Second Adam

Looking through the Bible, some of the texts that come to mind are I Corinthians 15:45, 47. In them, we find Jesus being referred to as the second Adam. This is absolutely appropriate terminology. You see, Adam, when he was created, as he came forth from the hands of the Creator, was a unique creation; we are told by inspiration. When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, we had a unique Being, begotten through the agency of the Holy Spirit.

It is Jesus, Who is called the “only begotten of the Father.” Although He existed with His Father from all eternity, it was part of the divine plan that He would be “born.” This new creature that had never existed before in the history of the universe was not created, He was born. Psalm 2:7 records these inspired words: “This day have I begotten Thee.” And you can read more about it in Hebrews 1:4–6.

Now we know that Jesus’ earthly progenirator was the Holy Spirit and that His human mother was Mary. In His discourse with Nicodemus, who came to Him by night, Jesus set out the requirements necessary for a man or for a woman to enter the kingdom of heaven. He said, “‘Verily, verily I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of [heaven] God.’” John 3:5.

Reunited with God

Just as He came into this world with the Holy Spirit as His progenirator, so lost and fallen human beings, who come to Him in faith, can, through the Holy Spirit, be “born again” and become a union of humanity with divinity. They can become “sons and daughters” of the living God. And Jesus is in no wise ashamed to call them brethren.

Scripture tells us that when a man or a woman is born again, he becomes a “new creature. Behold, all things are become new” (See II Corinthians 5:7–9), and I John 5:4 tells us that “whosoever is thus born of God overcometh the world.” This is the gospel. It is a firm foundational truth that Jesus is our divine-human Saviour, having accepted our fallen nature so as to reach us where we are, He is able to reunite us with the throne of His heavenly Father.

That is the gospel of salvation, and upon that gospel His church is founded. In the book Upward Look there is a cogent definition of the church. Remember that the church Jesus established is established upon the truth that He in Himself accepted man’s fallen humanity and united it with divinity. Now here is the definition of the church as it continues into the ages.

God’s Church is Not the Great Cathedral

“God has a church. It is not the great cathedral, neither is it the national establishment, neither is it the various denominations; it is the people who love God and keep His commandments.” Upward Look, 315. Now the quote is a little longer than this, and we will consider the rest of that quote as we go further in our study. But I would like to stop here and look closely at the words in this quote.

“God has a church. It is not the great cathedral.” I have heard it said that these words, “It is not the great cathedral,” means it is not the great Church of Rome. Well, I would agree, but are we not also told through the pen of inspiration that many of God’s true children are still in that fold? And then I would also ask, are cathedrals the sole property of the Roman Church?

What about Saint Paul’s? What about Winchester Cathedral? They are Anglican. So I believe that when the pen of inspiration said, “It is not the great cathedral,” inspiration was simply telling God’s people (and using as an example the most prominent form of physical edifice used as a house of worship that we know), that the church is not the house or the building where men and women come together to worship.

God’s Church is Not the Official State Church

Now the next statement, “It is not the national establishment.” What could that possibly mean? A “state church” is a good example. In the country from which I come, the Dutch Reformed Church, which is a Calvinistic Church, was the official state church. That was the religion of the state, being endorsed or “established” by the state.

However, we have even more explicit examples. What about the religion that was established at the time of the French Revolution, where the state itself became the object of veneration? Today we have the example continued in Communism, where “the state” is the all-powerful object of veneration and God is excluded.

So those words cover a connotation of where there is either a union of church and state or where the state itself is the object of veneration. But Mrs. White says the church “is not the national establishment.”

God’s Church is Not the Various Denominations

Now the next statement gets a little trickier. It says, “Neither is it the various denominations.” We remember reading in the inspired writings that, among the congregations of the fallen churches, God’s children are still to be found. (See Early Writings, 261, 278.) So when we look at these words, “Neither is it the various denominations,” can we safely exclude ourselves?

God’s Church is the People Who Love and Obey God

I believe the very next word that follows gives us clarity on this issue, telling us what “the church” is. You see, up until this point the pen of inspiration has been delineating what “the church” is not. Now she begins to delineate what it is. The prophet says, “It [the church] is the people who love God and keep His commandments.” Brothers and sisters, this is the most difficult and the most sad question that I have to pose. Do all Seventh-day Adventists love God and keep His commandments?

You see, it is easy to say that we love God with our lips, but if we do not keep His commandments and if we teach that it is impossible to keep His commandments, then we have just nullified the Bible definition of love. I John 5:1–3 says, “Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth Him that begat loveth Him also that is begotten of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments: and His commandments are not grievous.”

To be continued …

No New Denomination – Part II

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The Denomination of Christ

In Part I we learned that the true church is made up of those who have the Word of God and are purified by it.

So, if somebody says, of what denomination are you a part? Well, we are not part of any new one; I will tell you that! We are part of a denomination that existed since the days of Adam and Eve, and we do not ever intend to start a new one. We just want to stay with the old one. What is it that makes us a part of this denomination?

People say, Oh, you are non-denominational.

Well, I beg your pardon. We are strictly denominational. Ellen White said that she was strictly denominational. Here are a couple of statements that explain why we are denominational and what makes us denominational. People are very confused about this. I find people tend to think that we are just self-supporting workers, out there somewhere on the fringes. No, we are strictly denominational, friend. This is what it means to be denominational. “As I was considering this matter in the night season, it seemed as if One stood up in the midst of us and pointed us back to the Israelites as an illustration of a distinct people, denominated of God. That which made them denominational, was the observance of God’s commandments.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 19, 38, 39.

Are you keeping God’s commandments? If you are, that is what makes you denominational. That is what Ellen White says. “We are strictly denominational,” she said. Testimonies, vol. 7, 109. We still are.

This next quote is even more pointed than the first one. “When you come to the point where you decide to serve God, you are denominational.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 19, 52. Now what do you think of that? Have you decided that? Are you denominational? You are strictly denominational!

I am not claiming to be perfect. We do not claim to be the church triumphant. We do not claim that we are not making mistakes, but we have decided to serve God, have we not? We are trying to serve Him in an organized way. Then we are strictly denominational. That is what makes you denominational, she says. Then she says, “You should not link up with men who have no faith… Such men are not to have a voice in your council-meetings. Even if they were very rich, I would not bind myself to them by a single thread. I would not seek their advice in regard to the business transactions and other matters connected with the management of the institution. The time has come when we must find our bearings. We must come to our senses, and know where we are standing. We are on the very borders of the eternal world. We cannot tell what may happen next.” Ibid.

So, are we denominational? We are strictly denominational on two counts:

  1. We have decided to keep God’s commandments, and
  2. We have decided to follow the Lord. When you make that decision, Ellen White says, you are denominational. You are not somebody out there on the fringes. All the people who have made those decisions are to press together and work for harmony and unity.

Back to the Beginning

You see, we are not founded on any new denomination or any new organization. We are founded on an organization that goes back, back, back to the beginning. Here is the way Ellen White expressed it: “God has a church, and these churches [local churches] are organized on the foundation.” Testimonies to Southern Africa, 7. To what foundation do you suppose she was referring? The foundation of 1863? The foundation of 1861? The foundation of 1517? The foundation of 1901? No, no, no!

These churches are organized on what foundation? “God has a church, and these churches are organized on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone.” Ibid.

So we belong to that same denomination for the very same reason that the Israelites did, because we decided to keep God’s commandments, and we have decided to follow the Lord all the way.

Now having said that, that does not mean that you will not have to organize some new churches. When you organize a new church, have you started a new denomination? Absolutely not! Was Paul starting new churches when he went all over Galatia? We do not even know how many churches they formed there. It could have been in the hundreds.

Remember, in those days they did not have automobiles. You could not travel to a church that was 20 or 30 miles away, so they organized little churches. They had many churches in the big cities. Paul told Barnabas to ordain elders in every city. Why did he have to do that? Because they had a church in every city.

Was Paul starting a new denomination when he organized these new local churches? Absolutely not. In fact, friends, we need to organize new churches and new conferences all over the world. Let us read what Ellen White said about this. This is not starting a new denomination. This is just organizing to finish God’s work, staying in the same organization.

Forming a New Conference

She says, “New conferences must be formed.” The General Conference Bulletin, April 5, 1901.

Oh, no, somebody says, that is starting a new organization! That is starting… No, it is not. Let us not be foolish. She was not talking about starting a new organization. Starting a new conference is not starting a new organization. It is not starting a new denomination. Ellen White does not contradict herself. She says starting a new organization would be apostasy from the truth. Was she telling people in the 1901 General Conference to go into apostasy against the truth by starting new conferences? Do you see, that starting a new conference and starting a new organization is not the same thing?

Is there any way, friends, that we can come to our senses and not just go contradicting ourselves and making the Spirit of Prophecy contradictory? You see, if the Spirit of Prophecy is the truth, it all has to agree with itself. Do you agree?

Ellen White says in Patriarchs and Prophets, 113, 114, that the truth is consistent with itself in all of its manifestations. If we really understand the truth, the Spirit of Prophecy will all agree. And Ellen White, while she said not to start a new organization, did say new conferences must be formed.

Oh, somebody says, that was 1901. We have all we need now.

No, we do not, friends. We need many new churches and these churches need to be organized into conferences to finish God’s work. Do you realize, that we still have billions of people to reach with the Third Angel’s Message? Are we going to be able to reach these people if we are not organized? To be organized is not starting a new organization. We are organized on the foundation of the prophets and the apostles, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone. Ellen White said, “New Conferences must be formed.” Local churches need to be established in all parts of the world.

The Message Must Go Out

When Evelyn and I were in India last year, we went out with the man we were visiting to look around. We were up in the mountains, out in the country, and there was a little village over there and another little village over there. There were not any Seventh-day Adventist churches in any of those villages.

I will tell you that when you go to a place like that, and you start looking around, you say, Lord, help us to get busy and to get organized so the work gets done. Those villages have to have the Three Angels’ Messages before Jesus can come. Do you believe that? So do not let the devil trick you.

This is the devil’s trick. The devil wants to keep God’s people from being organized so that God’s work can never be finished. That is the devil’s program. So he invents all kinds of philosophical tricks to try to make people think that if you organize to finish God’s work, then you are starting a new organization.

No, we are not! We believe and belong to the same denomination to which Adam and Eve belonged. The same one to which the disciples belonged. The same one to which Martin Luther belonged. The same one to which the Waldenses belonged. We are not starting anything new. All during all those times, God’s people were organized to do His work. We have the biggest job that anybody has had since the days of Noah.

We have the job of getting the Three Angels’ Messages to a world that is exploding in population. We are never going to do it, friends, unless we are organized. Becoming organized is not starting a new organization; it is getting back to the old principles that God taught us right in the Bible. In fact, Ellen White was so strong on this, that she said that the angels of God cannot bless His ministers if they work in an unorganized way. (See Testimonies, vol. 1, 49, 650.)

I do not want to work in a way so that angels cannot bless my work. How about you? If the angels are going to bless our work, we are going to have to be organized. That does not mean that we are going to start a new organization. We are going to start churches and organize conferences the same way that the apostle Paul did, the same way the Waldenses did, and the same way they did in the days of Ellen White.

New Testament Gospel Order

The same way! We are not starting anything new! What we are doing is exactly what you read about in the book of Acts. Is it all right to get back to New Testament gospel order? That is what we need, friends, and that is what we are going to have to do if the work is going to be finished quickly.

Sometimes, when I see the opposition to it, I say, Lord, what is going to happen? If You do not help us get organized, we are going to be in this world for another 50 or 100 years. If something does not happen so that God’s people can get organized to finish His work, we will be. But it is going to happen, and if you and I do not get involved in it, it will still happen. God will just finish His work with somebody else.

I have talked to the Lord many times about the thing that is scary to me. I have said, Lord, I do not need to be a leader, and I do not need to be known by anybody. I am not asking for any position or name or any title or anything else. But I just ask you one thing, Lord, since I see the evidence that You have decided to finish Your work in the world. Please, I know I am a sinner, and I know I need a powerful amount of grace so that I can overcome and do what is right, but Lord, please do not pass me by. I am willing to have the smallest part. I am willing to be the doorkeeper. I am willing to do whatever needs to be done. I am willing to take a lowly place and have nobody know anything about me; that is fine. But, Lord, please do not pass me by. Help me to have just a little part in Your work.

Do you want to have a part in God’s finishing work? If we are going to have a part in it, we are going to have to quit fighting New Testament Church organization and start getting organized the way the apostles were organized. They were organized, and they took the gospel to the whole world in just one generation. It can happen again. It can happen very quickly, when God’s people are ready.

Let me tell you it is already happening in some other countries, where they have almost no resources, faster than it is happening in the United States. I think that is a shame! With all the resources we have, I think we ought to be more organized than any other country in the world. But we are not. Could this be changed? Well, that is up to you and to me.

Editorial – Living by Every Word, Part IV

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In the previous editorial, we briefly reviewed the first two positions on the Bible taken by the Council of Trent, which distinguishes Roman Catholics and Protestants. Now we will look at the last two.

The third position taken by the Council of Trent has even been abandoned by the Roman Catholic Church, at least since 1943, according to the introduction to the New Catholic Bible! Unfortunately, although Catholic scholars recognized the mistake made by their church on this issue, fundamentalist Protestants have not yet learned the lesson that the Catholic Church learned, during which time she lost 100’s of millions of adherents, partly because of this false position. The third position condemned the idea that the Bible needed to be studied in the original languages. The reason this was condemned was because they believed they already had an inerrant or infallible Bible, the Latin Vulgate. Fundamentalist Protestants are in almost the same quandary today. There is the same distrust of scholarship in Biblical study and some feel that only scholars can understand the scriptures, and it is a waste of time and energy for anybody to study Greek and Hebrew. The reason is the same too—just as the papacy felt in the mid-16th century, that they did not need to study the original languages in which the Bible was written because they already had a perfect Bible. So Fundamentalist Protestants feel the same today about the King James Version of the Bible. The same reasoning will result in the same kinds of errors.

Ellen White was not in this group, and neither should we be in this group. She used other versions hundreds of times in her writings and felt free to correct the King James Version in places where it was in error. All other Bible students should have the same freedom which has been delivered to us by the Protestant Reformation.

Notice the practice of Martin Luther (who of course was able to read the Bible in Latin), “I am going through the Bible in Hebrew and Greek. I mean to write a discourse in German touching auricular confession, also to continue the translation of the Psalms, and to compose a collection of sermons.” Signs of the Times, October 11, 1883.

“Nearly every minister in the field, had he exerted his God-given energies, might not only be proficient in reading, writing, and grammar, but even in languages. It is essential for them to set their aim high. But there has been but little ambition to put their powers to the test to reach an elevated standard in knowledge and in religious intelligence. Our ministers will have to render to God an account for the rusting of the talents He has given to improve by exercise. They might have done tenfold more work intelligently, had they cared to become intellectual giants.” Testimonies to Ministers, 194.

The Council of Trent’s fourth condemnation of Protestantism was the Catholic rejection of their claim that the Bible was a book, plain in meaning, that could be understood, without use of commentary, by the help of God’s Spirit. This, until the present day, is one of the key differences between Catholics and Protestants and we will have to devote an entire editorial to that subject.

The Latin Vulgate was a very accurate translation when Jerome translated it, but it had become full of errors as a result of repeated copying. Modern scholars recognize that the Latin Vulgate was the most corrupted of all extant manuscripts of the New Testament. It was apparently copied more than any other Bible, judging from the extant copies, even more than the Byzantine text-type of the Greek New Testament, the Bible of the Greek Orthodox Church. Part of the schism between the Catholic Church and the Greek Orthodox Church involves the difference between their Bibles, with each group attempting to prove that theirs is best.

Bible Study Guides – Faith

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“The Just Shall Live by His Faith”

MEMORY VERSE

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20.

STUDY HELP: The Faith I Live By, 122–126.

Thought to Remember: Faith is simply taking God at His word—believing that He will fulfill His promises because He said He would.

Introduction “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 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.

“Justified by Faith”

1 How only may we be forgiven [justified]? Galatians 2:16.

NOTE: “You cannot atone for your past sins; you cannot change your heart and make yourself holy. But God promises to do all this for you through Christ. You believe that promise. You confess your sins and give yourself to God. You will to serve Him. Just as surely as you do this, God will fulfill His word to you. If you believe the promise,—believe that you are forgiven and cleansed,—God supplies the fact; you are made whole, just as Christ gave the paralytic power to walk when the man believed that he was healed. It is so if you believe it. Do not wait to feel that you are made whole, but say, ‘I believe it; it is so, not because I feel it, but because God has promised.’” Steps to Christ, 51.

2 Does this mean that there is no place for good works in the life of the Christian? James 2:20–24.

NOTE: “Righteousness is right doing, and it is by their deeds that all will be judged. Our characters are revealed by what we do. The works show whether the faith is genuine. It is not enough for us to believe that Jesus is not an impostor, and that the religion of the Bible is no cunningly devised fable. We may believe that the name of Jesus is the only name under heaven whereby man may be saved, and yet we may not through faith make Him our personal Saviour. It is not enough to believe the theory of truth. It is not enough to make a profession of faith in Christ and have our names registered on the church roll. ‘He that keepeth His commandments dwelleth in Him, and He in him. And hereby we know that He abideth in us, by the Spirit which He hath given us.’ ‘Hereby we do know that we know Him if we keep His commandments.’ 1 John 3:24; 2:3. This is the genuine evidence of conversion. Whatever our profession, it amounts to nothing unless Christ is revealed in works of righteousness.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 312, 313.

“The Faith of Abraham”

3 What example of faith do we find in the experience of Abraham? Hebrews 11:17–19. Read Genesis 22:1–14.

NOTE: “There are many who have never made an unreserved surrender of themselves to God. They have not a right idea of the infinite sacrifice made by God to save a ruined world. If God should speak to them as He did to Abraham, they would not be sufficiently acquainted with His voice to know that He was calling upon them to make a sacrifice, in order to test the depth of their love and the sincerity of their faith. The plague spot of selfishness is as contagious as leprosy. Those who enter the heavenly courts must be purified from every vestige of this plague.…The Lord has a great work for us to do, and He invites us to look to Him, to trust in Him, to walk with Him, to talk with Him. He invites us to make an unreserved surrender of all that we have and are to Him, that when He shall call upon us to sacrifice for Him, we may be ready and willing to obey. We shall enjoy the fullness of divine grace only as we give all to Christ. We shall know the meaning of true happiness only as we keep the fire burning on the altar of sacrifice. God will bequeath the most in the future to those who have done the most in the present.…Each day, under different circumstances, He tries us; and in each true-hearted endeavor He chooses His workers, not because they are perfect, but because they are willing to work unselfishly for Him, and He sees that through connection with Him they may gain perfection.” Our High Calling, 191.

4 What experience did Jesus hold up as an example of great faith? Matthew 8:5–10.

NOTE: “We need a living experience. In faith we are only like little children learning to walk. As a child takes its first steps, it often totters and falls; but it gets up again, and finally learns that it can walk alone. We must learn how to believe in God. We are not to look at our feelings, but to know God by living faith. Look at the centurion who came to Christ for an example of genuine faith.…What kind of power did this centurion think was vested in Jesus? He knew it was the power of God. He said, ‘I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth.’ The centurion saw with the eye of faith that the angels of God were all around Jesus, and that His word would commission an angel to go to the sufferer. He knew that His word would enter the chamber, and that his servant would be healed. And how Christ commended this man’s faith! He exclaimed, ‘I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.’” The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, 559, 560.

“Exceeding Great and Precious Promises”

5 In order to be a partaker of the divine nature and to escape the corruption of sinful lusts, in what must we put our faith? 11 Peter 1:4.

NOTE: See The Desire of Ages, 121.

6 What exceeding great and precious promises may we rely on in times of temptation? 1 Corinthians 10:13; Psalm 50:15; 37:39; 11 Peter 2:9; James 4:7; Hebrews 2:18.

NOTE: “Satan is watching to ensnare your feet. You must have help from above if you would escape his devices. By faith and prayer all may meet the requirements of the gospel. No man can be forced to transgress. His own consent must be first gained; the soul must purpose the sinful act before passion can dominate over reason or iniquity triumph over conscience. Temptation, however strong, is never an excuse for sin. ‘The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and His ears are open unto their prayers.’ Cry unto the Lord, tempted soul. Cast yourself, helpless, unworthy, upon Jesus, and claim His very promise. The Lord will hear. He knows how strong are the inclinations of the natural heart, and He will help in every time of temptation.” Testimonies,vol. 5, 177.

“The Shield of Faith”

7 What will protect us when we are assailed by the devil? Ephesians 6:16. Compare 1 John 5:4.

NOTE: “We are not worthy of God’s love, but Christ, our surety, is worthy, and is abundantly able to save all who shall come unto Him. Christ delights to take apparently hopeless material, those whom Satan has debased and through whom he has worked, and make them the subjects of His grace. He rejoices to deliver them from suffering and from the wrath that is to fall upon the disobedient. If the enemy can lead the desponding to take their eyes off from Jesus, and look to themselves, and dwell upon their own unworthiness, instead of dwelling upon the worthiness of Jesus, His love, His merits, and His great mercy, he will get away their shield of faith and gain his object; they will be exposed to his fiery temptations. The weak should therefore look to Jesus, and believe in Him; they then exercise faith.” God’s Amazing Grace, 185.

8 What precious promises do we have when we make the Lord our shield? Psalm 119:114–117. Compare Proverbs 30:5.

NOTE: “It is the privilege of Christians to obtain strength from God to hold every precious gift. Fervent and effectual prayer will be regarded in heaven. When the servants of Christ take the shield of faith for their defense, and the sword of the Spirit for war, there is danger in the enemy’s camp. Amidst the snares to which all are exposed, they need strong and trustworthy defenses on which to rely. Many in this corrupt age have so small a supply of the grace of God, that in many instances their defense is broken down by the first assault, and fierce temptations take them captives. The shield of grace can preserve all unconquered by the temptations of the enemy, though surrounded with the most corrupting influences. By firm principle, and unwavering trust in God, their virtue and nobleness of character can shine, and, although surrounded with evil, no taint need be left upon their virtue and integrity.” Ibid., 33.

“Yea, Though I Walk Through the Valley of the Shadow of Death”

9 What example of faith is seen in the life of Job? Job 13:15, first part. Compare Romans 8:38, 39.

NOTE: “When depression settles upon the soul, it is no evidence that God has changed. He is ‘the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.’ Hebrews 13:8. You are sure of the favor of God when you are sensible of the beams of the Sun of Righteousness; but if the clouds sweep over your soul, you must not feel that you are forsaken. Your faith must pierce the gloom. Your eye must be single, and your whole body will be full of light. The riches of the grace of Christ must be kept before the mind. Treasure up the lessons that His love provides. Let your faith be like Job’s, that you may declare, ‘Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him.’…The most trying experiences in the Christian’s life may be the most blessed. The special providences of the dark hours may encourage the soul in future attacks of Satan, and equip the servant of God to stand in fiery trials. The trial of your faith is more precious than gold. You must have that abiding confidence in God that is not disturbed by the temptations and arguments of the deceiver. Take the Lord at His word. You must study the promises, and appropriate them, as you have need.” Our High Calling, 324.

10 What is the positive outcome when our faith is tested? 1 Peter 1:7.

NOTE: See The Acts of the Apostles, 467, 468.

“The Just Shall Live by His Faith”

11 If we are to be accounted just in the judgment, how are we to live? Romans 1:16, 17.

NOTE: “How to exercise faith. This is the science of the gospel. The Scripture declares, ‘Without faith it is impossible to please God.’ The knowledge of what the Scripture means when urging upon us the necessity of cultivating faith, is more essential than any other knowledge that can be acquired. We suffer much trouble and grief because of our unbelief, and our ignorance of how to exercise faith. We must break through the clouds of unbelief. We can not have a healthy Christian experience, we can not obey the gospel unto salvation, until the science of faith is better understood, and until more faith is exercised. There can be no perfection of Christian character without that faith that works by love, and purifies the soul.” Review and Herald, October 18, 1898.

12 How does faith lead to righteousness in the life of the Christian? Revelation 14:12.

NOTE: “Genuine faith in Jesus leads to denial of self; but however high the profession may be, if self is exalted and indulged, the faith of Jesus is not in the heart. The true Christian manifests by a life of daily consecration that he is bought with a price, and is not his own. He realizes that an infinite sacrifice has been made for him, and that his life is of inestimable value, through the merits of Jesus’ blood, intercession, and righteousness. But while he comprehends the exalted privileges of the sons of God, his soul is filled with humility. There is no boasting of holiness from the lips of those who walk in the shadow of Calvary’s cross. They feel that it was their sin which caused the agony that broke the heart of the Son of God, and their comeliness is turned to corruption. Those who live nearest to Jesus, feel most deeply their own unworthiness, and their only hope is in the merits of a crucified and risen Saviour. Like Moses, they have had a view of the awful majesty of holiness, and they see their own insufficiency in contrast with the purity and exalted loveliness of Jesus.” Review and Herald, March 6, 1888.

13 What is the ultimate purpose of our faith? 1 Peter 1:9. Compare Hebrews 12:1, 2.

NOTE: “When souls are converted their salvation is not yet accomplished. They then have the race to run; the arduous struggle is before them to do, what? ‘To fight the good fight of faith,’ to press forward to the mark for the prize of the high calling which is in Christ Jesus. There is no release in this warfare; the battle is lifelong, and must be carried forward with determined energy proportionate to the value of the object you are in pursuit of, which is eternal life. Immense interests are here involved. We are made partakers of Christ’s self-sacrifice here in this life, and then we are assured that we shall be partakers of all its benefits in the future immortal life, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end. Think of this.” My Life Today, 313.

“Faith, saving faith…is the act of the soul by which the whole man is given over to the guardianship and control of Jesus Christ. He abides in Christ and Christ abides in the soul by faith as supreme. The believer commits his soul and body to God, and with assurance may say, Christ is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day. All who will do this will be saved unto life eternal. There will be an assurance that the soul is washed in the blood of Christ and clothed with His righteousness and precious in the sight of Jesus.” In Heavenly Places, 104.

Food for Life – Nut Banana Loaf

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“The word organic has a specific meaning in chemistry and describes any compound based on carbon. Carbon dioxide, methane, and butane, as well as fat, starch, sugar, and protein are examples of natural organic compounds. In addition to compounds found in nature, modern science has created synthetic organic compounds. Nylon, for example, is a synthetic made from compounds found in oats. Most synthetic fibers and plastic products are made from natural raw materials, and are thus called synthetic organic compounds.

“Drinking water contains both natural and synthetic organic compounds, and they can create health problems. Some organics are what nightmares are made of.

“The Hudson River Valley in New York State is a place of great scenic beauty. . . . The land rises in palisades on one side of the river, affording magnificent views. . . . The Sunday sailors who take their snarks and snipes for a run in the summer breeze can look into the water and see fish swimming in large schools. In fact, the number of fish seems to be increasing each year….Indeed, the Hudson looks as if it has defied the odds and remained pristine in spite of the chemicals dumped by the riverside industries. But looks are deceptive.

“The Hudson River is so polluted with chemicals that the river’s fishing industry was shut down by the state in February 1976. Toxins such as benzene, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), tetrahydrofuran, toluene, and chloroform (among others) were found in such high quantities that fish caught in the Hudson are considered unfit to eat.

“A 1977 study by the Environmental Protection Agency identified 280 organic compounds in the waterways. A joint study by two environmental activist groups,…found that some of the most potent cancer-causing toxins and chemicals known to cause birth defects were present in the water that served 150,000 people in and around Poughkeepsie. And if the plans set forth by the Army Corps of Engineers are accepted, this water will serve 10 million additional people of the New York metropolitan area.

“Other guests at the chemical feast include: Philadelphians, who drink water from the Delaware River and are subjected to varying amounts of PCBs, a dangerous toxin. The former residents of Love Canal, a small housing development built on a filled-in canal near Niagara Falls. Their drinking water was contaminated by a landfill containing 82 chemical compounds, including 11 known or suspected carcinogens. Some residents of Canton, Connecticut, have been advised to buy bottled water because seven of the town’s wells contain extremely high levels of chemicals known to cause cancer in laboratory animals. Water is to Drink, by Carol Keough, 7–9.

Now we can begin to understand God’s final warning to His people that in the last days everything will be polluted, the air, the water, and the animals . . . everything! So people beware! It is an unsafe world out there, but for the protection of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ over His chosen ones.

Recipe – Nut Banana Loaf

½ cup nuts, ground fine

½ cup Uncle Sam’s Cereal Flakes

½ cup ground dates

1 cup raisins, ground fine

2 ripe bananas

Mix ingredients thoroughly and put into baking pan.

Bake at 300–325° for 45 minutes.

Children’s Story – Don’t You Go to Church?

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A little girl, when her father was sick, went to the post office and said in a sweet, childish voice, “Please give me my father’s letters.”

“Who is your father?” inquired the post office clerk.

“Don’t you know my father?” she asked in astonishment.

“Of course I don’t,” he answered, “Why should I?”

“Everybody knows my father,” she said.

“Well, there is certainly one person who does not,” he replied.

“Don’t you ever go to church?” she asked.

“No, I don’t go to church.” he said.

“What! You never go to meetings? That is why you don’t know my father. He is the minister.”

“If you tell me his name, I will see if there are any letters for him.”

She did so, and when he told her there were none, she said, “Did you say you never go to meetings?”

“That is what I said,” he answered, turning away. He had become worse than careless about these things. The child walked away, looking sad.

Next day she came bouncing into the post office again. Again, the clerk told her there were no letters yet, and turned away. But she was not to be changed in her purpose, and said, “You never saw my father did you?”

“Not to know him,” he replied.

“Everybody likes him that knows him, and they say he is such a nice preacher.”

The man laughed and said that he had no doubt about that.

“You would like to hear my father. Everybody does.”

The statement came too close for him, and he turned away.

The next day the post office clerk offered the little girl a letter addressed to her father, saying, “It has come at last.”

“He will be glad to have it,” she said, thanking the clerk. Then with earnestness she continued, “I wish you knew my father; you would like him, too.”

“I have no doubt I would, if he is anything like his daughter.”

“I wish you would come to church next weekend and hear him preach. I know you would be pleased.”

“I don’t know anyone there. I would feel like a stranger.”

“You’ll know me, and I shall be happy to see you. You can come to the row where mother and I have our seats.”

He objected again and again, but she persisted in her childish way until he promised to go. He did not look entirely pleased, but she ran off pleased enough for both of them.

Sabbath morning she anxiously looked out of her window to see if the day would be sunny. She was early in her seat that day and turned eagerly towards the door several times. At last she beckoned with her little hand. The tall post office clerk came forward and took a vacant seat by the child. She nestled up to his side and placed her little hand in his.

She thought her father never preached better; God certainly helped him that morning. She looked up into the gentleman’s face and saw tears starting from his eyes, and she pressed his hand tightly in hers. When the sermon was finished, he hurried out of the church after thanking her for saving him a seat.

The next week, however, he came to see her father and had a long talk with him. After he had gone, the minister told her that the post office clerk wanted to join the church.

“You have brought a lost soul to Jesus,” her father said.

And the post office clerk had now found rest and peace in his life, because a little child cared.

Restoring the Temple – Divine Power Created Us

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If you believe that Divine Power created us, then you can and must believe that that same power can make us whole. If God made the earth, the seas, the stars, and each intricate particle of living creatures, then how much more simple for Him to cure illness, if He wills it.

Not until recently have there been any formal studies on the power of divine intervention. These studies themselves should not be used as a basis for faith, but they provide interesting anecdotal evidence. One study showed that prayer reduced the amount of complications of coronary patients.1 Other studies have revealed that individuals who attend church have better medical outcomes. Those who believe in God and pray during their illness fare better, in addition to reducing their stress.2 Prayer has been shown to affect self-esteem, anxiety and depression.3 These results are not surprising to those who have developed a relationship with Jesus and have seen their own prayers answered time and time again.

Certainly, any study is by definition limited, for how can one pretend to qualify and quantify God’s power? The fact that man feels he must do studies in order to prove or disprove God’s power says a lot about the condition of the modern human mind. Faith is rendered powerless in the scientific model. The Taber’s Medical Dictionary describes the scientific approach as the “observation, measurement of entities that can be quantitated, the accumulation of data, and analysis of finding.” True, most of us use this approach regularly, for it is essentially how we all learn, even as infants. But faith is not quantifiable. Spiritual things do not fit the scientific approach. It is the nature of fallen man to want to find a solid explanation for everything and to avoid divine trust and faith. “The tenor of the Bible is to inculcate distrust of human power and to encourage trust in divine power.” Conflict and Courage, 177.

Religion and medicine used to be intrinsically linked, but during the Renaissance Era we began to make large strides in scientific discovery. This led to a change in how people viewed the world. This change, beginning much, much earlier, did not become prevalent until the advent of the printing press made knowledge more available to the common person. Before, most people believed in God; after, they became enamored with their own powers of reasoning and began to seek out ways to deny God. If God maintains our every breath, who better to seek for help when the body fails? Better yet, seek Him before it fails.

Faith, however, does not supplant our own ability to care for ourselves and others.

“Those who seek healing by prayer should not neglect to make use of the remedial agencies within their reach. It is not a denial of faith to use such remedies as God has provided to alleviate pain and to aid nature in her work of restoration.…God has put in our power to obtain a knowledge of the laws of life. This knowledge has been placed within our reach for use. We should employ every facility for the restoration of health, taking every advantage possible, working in harmony with natural laws. When we have prayed for the recovery of the sick, we can work with all the more energy, thanking God that we have the privilege of co-operating with Him and asking His blessing on the means which He Himself has provided.”4

God has given us the faculties for caring for ourselves, but without faith that He will do the best for us—even if we do not always understand His methods—we miss out on the power of His grace, which is the ultimate cure.

“The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.” Psalm 18:2.

Inspiration – Heaven’s Part in Life’s Conflict

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Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.

Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Ephesians 6:10–17.

“Now do we do it?…Do we take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God?

“I wish to call your attention…to the importance of everyone understanding that we cannot keep ourselves, that God has angels. These angels from heaven communicate with the children of men, and not one of us, by anything we may do, can uphold or keep ourselves. We are where we are, kept every moment by the power of God. I have thought that we do not make the ministration of heavenly angels as important as we should.

“We do not…keep in remembrance that every soul with whom we are connected has the guardianship of heavenly angels, sent forth to minister unto those who shall be heirs of salvation.

“I want you to consider this point, What should we do without them? I want you to consider what kind of position we should be left in if we had not the ministry of holy angels.

“From my text we see that ‘we wrestle not against flesh and blood.’ We meet the opposition of men, but there is someone behind that opposition. It is the prince of the powers of darkness, with his evil angels, who is constantly at work. We want to consider, all of us, that our warfare is against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world.

“Who is it that is ruling the world today? And who is it that has chosen to stand under the banner of the prince of darkness? Why, it is nearly the whole world at large. All the world that has not accepted Jesus Christ has chosen for their leader the prince of darkness, and just as soon as they stand under his banner, they have connection with evil angels.

“Either the evil angels or the angels of God are controlling the minds of men. Our minds are given to the control of God or to the control of the powers of darkness, and it will be well for us to inquire where we are standing today—whether under the blood-stained banner of Prince Emmanuel or under the black banner of the powers of darkness. We must make every preparation in our power in order to resist the enemy of souls. Every provision has been made; everything in God’s plan has been arranged so that man should not be left to his own impulses, to his own finite powers, to carry on the warfare against the powers of darkness in his own finite strength, because he would certainly fail if he were thus left to himself. I thank the Lord that we have a power provided for us.

“When Christ bowed on Jordan’s banks He encircled the race with His own human arm, while with His divine arm He grasped the throne of the Infinite. And what does that mean? It means that finite man, who is connected with the earth, is again united with God through the merits of Christ, and earth is again united with heaven.…

“In the Psalms David speaks of God’s being a refuge and a strong tower, a refuge and a fortress; unto Him we can run and we can be saved. How precious is the thought that God is our refuge and that He will be our helper in all times and in all places, and that in every emergency we have God with us. He says that He will give His angels charge over us to keep us in all our ways.

“But why can we not take this matter in? As we walk the streets, or wherever we are, Satan is on our track. When Christ engaged to fight the battles for man on this little speck of a world, He engaged to stand as our substitute and surety, and God put all heaven into His hands, with all the facilities and all the powers that heaven could afford. Now heaven is open to man, and the light and the glory of heaven is imparted to him through the merits of Jesus Christ our Lord.

“Then in our God we have a helper, and we will trust in Him. We must constantly look in that direction, believing that the angels of God are round about us, and that heaven is in communication with us, because these heavenly messengers are…watching and guarding the children of men. They keep us from the influence of sin and sinning, and when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord lifts up for us a standard against the enemy.…

“There will be constant temptations that will come to a church, large or small, no matter where it is, and the temptations will come just according to the circumstances. How is it with us? Are we standing with the whole armor on, so that we can work in harmony with the angels of God who are working for us? If we separate ourselves from these angels by taking our own course of action, then we place ourselves where the wicked one can tempt us.…

“Curiosity is something bewitching, as says the apostle: ‘Who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth?’ [Galatians 3:3]. Do you think the devil is asleep? He is not asleep, he is wide-awake, and he is on the track of every one of us. We are right upon the very borders of the eternal world. While some are at strife on little points of doctrine—oh my soul!—they had better be fasting and praying and seeking God with all their hearts that they may find Him.…

“We are nearing the end; we are nearing the judgment; and every power that can break up our unity, our harmony, our pressing together, is at work to hinder our sustaining…[what] God has established. Every influence that can be brought to bear to bring us in connection with tendencies that are evil will arise, and Satan will use his power to confuse the minds. We want to stand as men and women of God.…

“Brethren and sisters, we need a great deal more of God. The angels of God are in our midst, and we want to put ourselves under their guardianship. We must be pressing together, and sustaining one another. In the place of drawing one another down, in the place of beating on the wrong track, we want to work where God works; we want to exert a telling influence in behalf of God’s people, and we want to listen for the voice of God. We want to hear what it saith.

“We are now coming down to the last days, and the devil wants to shake and confuse the confidence of His people.…He wants to bring persons where they will have a bad influence, where they have no love for the truth and things which we believe to be of God.

“Those who are doing…missionary work had better find out from whom they get their orders; they had better find out who has commissioned them to do this wonderful missionary work. We want to see that they are sailing under the proper colors. We want to see that they are laboring in harmony with the influence of the Spirit of God.…

“We want to stand as a unit, and those who stand ready to quibble over little points of doctrine to maintain their ideas are not really converted. Just as soon as you are truly converted, this quibbling will cease. You need to go to God with your Bible, with fasting and prayer. God wants us to be united in bringing this people up to a right standard,…for Satan is playing a deep game for their souls and many will be ensnared.

“Angels of God are all around us. You do not discern them with your human vision. Satan and his angels are here…today. Oh, we want to know these things, and fear and tremble, and to think much more of the power of the angels of God that are watching over and guarding us than we have done hitherto.

“We want to place ourselves under the blood-stained banner of Prince Emmanuel. We do not want to be serving Baal. We do not want to be giving ourselves up to the powers of darkness. Angels of God are commissioned from heaven to guard the children of men, and yet they draw away from their restraining influences and go where they can have communication with the evil angels. And then the evil angels fasten impressions in their minds that they will never get rid of so long as they live, just as going to the theater, billiard hall, and all such places lead them from the path of God to stand under the black banner of the prince of darkness. Oh, that we might all obey the injunction of the apostle (read 2 Corinthians 6:17, 18).…

“The vials of God’s wrath and the sprinkling of them, are already coming. What is the matter that we do not discern it? It is because the light of truth does not affect the heart. The Spirit of God is being withdrawn from the world.

“You hear of calamities by land and by sea, and they are constantly increasing. What is the matter? The Spirit of God is taken away from those who have the lives of men in their hands, and Satan is coming in to control them, because they give themselves to his control. Those who profess to be the children of God do not place themselves under the guardianship of the heavenly angels, and as Satan is a destroyer, he works through those men and they make mistakes.…

“And see the storms and tempests! Satan is working in the atmosphere; he is poisoning the atmosphere, and here we are dependent upon God for our lives—our present and eternal life. And being in the position that we are, we need to be wide-awake, wholly devoted, wholly converted, wholly consecrated to God. But we seem to sit as though we were paralyzed. God of heaven, wake us up!

“Don’t you read the newspapers and see the casualties? And don’t you feel afraid to place yourself out of the guardianship of the holy angels, under the control of the evil angels by going right where they are? Will you invite them to connect with you? Can we afford it? Why, you insult the living God if you do; and you are not converted, whoever you may be, rich or poor, high or low, in office or out of office; it is an abomination in the sight of God. And not only is it an abomination in the sight of God, but it is an abomination in our land. Let us stand clear from all these things, that the converting power of God may come into our midst.

“May God help us, brethren and sisters, to realize that this is missionary soil. We claim to be missionaries and workers for Christ, but while you are laboring, be sure that you are seeking to build up what God is building up. Be sure that you are working with all the powers of your being to build up the church, to establish it, and to bring all the piety and all the devotion that the Spirit of God will impart to you, into the church that it may be a living church, and that you may be light bearers to the world.…

“Shall we take hold of this work? Shall we take hold of it right? God help us to work where the angels work; God help us to work where Christ works; God help us to work where God works, that we may see the salvation of God.—Manuscript 1, 1890.” [Sermon at Battle Creek, Michigan, February 1, 1890.]

Sermons and Talks, vol. 2. 57–70.

Do You Want Freedom?

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Do you feel trapped? Are you weighed down with unwanted habits? Do you want freedom from smoking, overeating, a hot temper, etc.? Have you tried again and again to stop, but do not know how? Do you find yourself doing what you do not want to do, and not being able to do what you want to do? Well you are not alone; Paul expresses the same feelings, in Romans 7:15–18. “That which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I…for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.”

Is this how you feel? Do you want to do good but do not know how? Do you feel like you are in bondage, a slave to habits? Paul goes on to say, “For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.” Romans 7:19–23.

Paul is saying there is within us a law or power holding us in bondage to sin. This is terrible. Is there any hope? Can you ever be free from this bondage? In the next verse Paul says, “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”

Christ is Our Deliverer

Paul goes on to say, “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. . . . For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” Romans. 7:25; 8:2. “If the Son therefore shall make you free [from serving sin], ye shall be free indeed. John 8:36.

To bring us freedom is the whole purpose of the life of Christ. When Jesus began His ministry, He announced His mission in the sanctuary, He read, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent Me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.” Then Christ said, “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.” Luke 4:18, 21.

Christ’s work is a work of deliverance and liberty. “Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?” Isaiah 58:6,7.

Life in Christ is Freedom

“The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:2.

Obedience to Truth (Christ) Makes us Free

“Jesus [said] to those Jews which believed on Him, ‘If ye continue in My word, then . . . ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’” John 8:31, 32. “God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.” Romans 6:17, 18. “[How] shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word.” Psalms 119:9.

Freedom from the Bondage of Sin

“Ye also are become dead to the law by the body [death] of Christ.…” Romans 7:4. “We are buried with Him by baptism into death…our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Romans 6:3–7.

Buried with Christ — Surrender Thy Will to God

“…if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection.” Romans 6:5. When Christ died, He prayed, saying, “‘O My Father, if this cup may not pass away from Me, except I drink it, Thy will be done.’” Matthew 26:42 “‘.…as I hear, I judge: and My judgment is just; because I seek not Mine own will, but the will of the Father.…’” John 5:30.

Surrender (Death to Self) — To Obey the Spirit

“…when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members.…But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit.” Romans 7:5.

Obedience to the Spirit — Freedom From Sin

“Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For…if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law [of sin].” Galatians 5:16, 18. “…sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law [of sin], but under grace.” Romans 6:14.

Through the Spirit Put to Death the Deeds of Sin

“For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.” Romans 8:13. “They that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.” Galatians 5:24.

Jesus said “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself [die to self], and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.’” Luke 9:23.

Freedom Applied to Daily Living

Know and Claim Bible Promises

“Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” 2 Peter 1:4. “Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into His rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.” Hebrews 4:1.

Remember, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise.…” 2 Peter 3:9. And “God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13.

Read the Bible Every Day

“‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’” Luke 4:4. “‘Search the scriptures.’” John 5:39. “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” Romans 15:4.

Guard Your Thoughts, Your Eyes and Ears

Temptation is stimulated by what you see and hear. “Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Philippians 4:8. Keep your heart and mind stayed upon Christ. “Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” Galatians 5:16.

Give Yourself to God and Run From the Devil

When temptation comes, give yourself to God. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7.

Resist Temptation with the Word of God

In Matthew 4:3–10 we read of Jesus being tempted of the devil again and again. And every time Jesus resisted, with a ‘thus saith the Lord.’ In verse 4 we read, “He answered and said, ‘It is written . . .’” In verse 7, “Jesus said unto him, ‘It is written again.’” In verse 10, “Then saith Jesus unto him, ‘Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written…’”

Be Prepared, Watch for Temptation Before it Comes

“‘Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape…’” Luke 21:36. Be prepared, watch for the things that trigger your habits (temptation). If the desire for a cigarette comes right after a meal, be prepared with prayer and Bible verses, and disrupt the habit with a change of routine. “Be sober, be vigilant [watch]; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Peter 5:8.

Total Abstinence

“Abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul.” 1 Peter 2:11. Put away sinful indulgences (such as cigarettes) completely and immediately.

Do Not Put Yourself in a Situation to be Tempted

“Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.” Romans 13:14. If you are trying to stop smoking, throw away all cigarettes and do not purchase any. Do not “make provision” to be tempted.

Fellowship and Worship with God’s People

“And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together…but exhorting one another.…” Hebrews 10:24, 25. “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” James 5:16. “We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak.…” Romans 15:1.

Continue to Grow — Add to Your Christian Experience

“Add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience;…if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.…give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall.” 2 Peter 1:5–10.

Victory is Through Faith and Obedience

“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him [faith], ‘If ye continue in My word [obedience], then…the truth shall make you free.’” John 8:31, 32.

Obedience to Christ Wherever He Leads

“Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” Galatians 5:16. “These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth. These were redeemed from among men.…” Revelation 14:4.

Faith in Christ to Keep Us From Sinning

“…and thou shalt call His name Jesus: for He shall save His people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21. “…and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.” 2 John 5:4. “Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.” Jude 1:24, 25.

“…now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.” Romans 6:22.

Apostasy and Revival

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The Anatomy of Apostasy

“The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, Stand in the gate of the Lord’s house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the Lord, all ye of Judah, that enter in at these gates to worship the Lord.” Jeremiah 7:12.

Jeremiah was sent to speak to God’s people, and he was to speak to them in God’s house. These people came to worship God regularly, Sabbath after Sabbath.

And God said, Jeremiah, I want you to go and talk to My people. Let us see what God asked Jeremiah to tell them. “Thus saith the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, are these. For if ye throughly amend your ways and your doings; if ye throughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbor; If ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your hurt: Then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, forever and ever. Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit.” Verses 3–8.

They undoubtedly had turned away from God’s Word to listen to somebody else’s word, because we know that God’s Word never lies. He is the same yesterday, today and forever, and what God says, He means. And what God means, He says, and it is truth. It is as endurable as is God. But here was a people who professed to be God’s people, but they were believing lying words.

“Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not?” (Verse 9.) Do you see how deep this apostasy has become? They professed to be worshippers of the living God, yet they were committing murder, stealing, and worshipping images.

After you have done all this, God says, “And come and stand before Me in this house, which is called by My name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations? Is this house, which is called by My name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the Lord.” (Verses 10, 11.)

He Watches Us, In Love

The statement, “Behold, even I have seen it”, is very interesting. Does God see everything? Oh, yes, He does. Yet, in all our weakness of humanity, we need to be constantly reminded of that fact—not that we should fear and tremble under condemnation, but so we know there is a God who is so concerned that He watches us. He is interested in us.

There was a time that I thought otherwise. I thought God wanted to watch me to see when I made a mistake. Some of us still carry that concept. In Psalm 40:5 we find that God’s thoughts toward us are a multitude that cannot be numbered. Jeremiah points out that God’s thoughts toward us are not thoughts of evil, but of expectation of the end that He wants to give us.

We see Israel just before they went into the 70-year Babylonian captivity. God is seeking to deliver His people from such captivity, and with His mercy and pity, He pleads with Israel through Jeremiah. Let us see how bad things had become. “They hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.” Jeremiah 7:24. “Yet they hearkened not unto Me, nor inclined their ear, but hardened their neck: they did worse than their fathers.” (Verse 26.)

Apostasy Does Not Diminish

“They did worse than their fathers.” The sad reality is that apostasy does not diminish; it grows. It is a malignancy with which man cannot deal—apart from God. If we separate ourselves from God, we are definitely headed toward apostasy, and there is no cure apart from God. They did worse than their fathers did, and the apostasy grows, not only through the years, but through the decades and the centuries, until we find ourselves today in deep darkness.

In Jeremiah 6:19, we find clearly delineated the cause of this apostasy. God is speaking: “Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto My words, nor to My Law, but rejected it.”

What had they rejected? They had rejected the words and counsel of God, and they had rejected the Law of God. Every subsequent apostasy by God’s people has followed this same anatomy. Not only as a group, but also as individuals. When we reject the Law of God, we start walking in a way that is contrary to God.

It is a marvelous and wonderful Law! It is actually the very transcript of God’s character. Paul refers to that in Romans 7:12, where he describes the Law of God as holy, just, and good. That is a description of our God, the God who created us.

He is holy. He is altogether whole. As Solomon put it, “He is altogether lovely.” Song of Solomon 5:16. He is a God of justice, and we live in a generation where justice seems to be nonexistent. We live in a very unjust, unfair world, but we serve a God Who is just and who someday will make things right.

He is a good God. Has He been good to you? He has been good to me. We bend, sometimes, to the weakness of the flesh. It is easy to look at the enormity of the injustice, unfairness, trials, temptations and trouble that comes into our lives through various sources and forget the goodness of God.

Overcoming by the Grace of God

If we would be mindful of the goodness of God in regard to those things that we take for granted, a problem that we think is a huge mountain, will become less than a mountain. It will become something that, by the grace of God, we can overcome. Let us focus on the goodness that God gives to us.

Let us look away from those things that trouble us and we may find victory a lot easier. He is mindful of our weakness. He knows us. Two thousand years ago He sent His Son into this world, and Hebrews 4 tells us that Jesus took upon Himself our flesh. He was tempted in all points as we are, yet without sin.

He knows what it means to be tired; He knows what it means to be hungry; He knows what it means to be tempted; He knows what it means to be misunderstood, and He knows what all this weakness means. Yet He overcame, and He wants to give us that victory.

The reason for the apostasy was that Israel turned away from God’s holy, just, and good Law. They found themselves in darkness. However, they did not think they were in darkness.

What are we really rejecting when we reject the Law of God?

Rejecting Knowledge

God says, through the prophet Hosea, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to Me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. As they were increased, so they sinned against Me: therefore will I change their glory into shame.” Hosea 4:6, 7.

When we walk away from God’s Law, the result is a lack of knowledge. We come into an experience where we do not have the knowledge that God wants to give us. What knowledge does the Law give, that, when we reject it, we lose? Paul clearly states in Romans 3:20, that the Law of God reveals to us our sins.

The Law of God is a revelation to us of sin. But if you and I are oblivious to what sin is, then we do not know we need a Saviour. We do not know we need One to save us from our sins. As we look out over the Christian community today, we can see that this is their experience. They have rejected the Law of God in one manner or another.

Knowing Christ’s Righteousness

God wants us to have knowledge, not only of what sin is, but a knowledge of truth. Psalm 119:142 tells us that the law of God is the truth of God. It also tells us that all of God’s “commandments are righteousness.” (Verse 172.) So, we not only see from the Law of God what sin is, but we see also what is righteousness.

God has created us as free moral agents. He has given us the ability to think, to reason, and to choose. Marvelous, indeed! Is it any wonder that the Psalmist said, “I am fearfully and wonderfully made”? Psalm 139:14. God will not trespass that marvelous gift of free choice that He has given us. He honors it; even if it costs us our salvation. This was part of the price paid at Calvary. Christ died that we might have a choice of something other than sin.

Israel rejected the Law. Once they rejected the knowledge needed to understand God and themselves, what happened to their thinking? “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; they put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” Isaiah 5:20. What was Israel thinking? They were thinking; I am all right. I am in the light. But God said, What you are doing is calling light darkness, and darkness light.

The ultimate result of rejecting God’s Law is confusion. It is confusion concerning what constitutes God’s righteousness, and once we are in confusion and we have no standard for righteousness, we start setting up our own standard of righteousness, even as we continue to profess to be the people of God. So it was with Israel.

Sounds Right —All Wrong

There is a very interesting statement in Scripture, which says, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” Proverbs 14:12. It seems right; so if it seems right, it should be right. Is that right? Oh, no, that is not what God says. God says, It may look right, it may sound right, but it may be all wrong!

Have you ever come to the realization that if we are saved at last in the kingdom of God, it will not be by our own wisdom or by our own power? But it will be by our own decision!

We find that when we reject God’s Law we reject the knowledge that we need to determine what is right and what is wrong. The consequence of this rejection is confusion of mind. The ultimate result is rejection of God. “But My people would not hearken to My voice; and Israel would none of Me.” Psalm 81:11.

It is very hard to read those words once you come to know Him and know that He is everything He says He is. It is very hard to reject the individual who loves you the most. But what is harder, is to understand what this rejection means to Him. We catch glimpses of it in the life of Jesus.

Alone and Rejected

Jesus came into a world that He had created altogether good. He came unto His own, and His own rejected Him. At the end of His ministry, just prior to Calvary, we find Him on the hill of Olivet, preparing to go into Jerusalem on that triumphant entry. He paused and He wept. He wept not only for what He saw was coming to the people who had rejected Him, but, I believe, in response to their rejection of Him.

Each one of us played a part in that rejection. Each of us knows wherein, in times past, we have rejected Him. We may know some areas wherein we are rejecting Him today. But He is pitiful and merciful, and He is willing to forgive to the uttermost.

He wants us to become a reflection of His Law—holy, just and good. That is what He wants from you and from me. Is it any wonder that the psalmist says, I delight to meditate day and night upon the Law of God? (See Psalm 1:2.) Maybe there is something that we have not seen in that Law. Maybe we all need to study the Law in the light of Calvary, because that is where the Law takes on its significance. Christ thought enough of that Law to die for us. The anatomy of apostasy stands before us as a lesson of the past, but what about the present?

Let us look at Laodicea. 2,000 years ago, the prophet John, while on the Isle of Patmos, received a revelation from Gabriel and from Jesus Himself. In Revelation 2 and 3, Jesus portrays the dispensation from the beginning of the Christian Church all the way down to the very end, where we find ourselves today.

Seven Churches depict seven different periods in the Christian Church. Laodicea is what we are concerned with, because it is the one in which we find ourselves. What does God see? John takes us back to the fact that God sees everything. “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of My mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched.…” Revelation 3:15–17.

Here we find a counterpart to ancient Israel. This is the sad reality that God foresaw 2,000 years ago. There is an attitude among Laodicea which says, We are all right, when they are indeed all wrong—not only in the manner that they are walking, but also in the attitude they are taking.

A Vast Deception

The Spirit of Prophecy tells us that this message is more specifically applicable to those to whom God has entrusted the special messages which are to be given to the world for the end time. (See Review and Herald, March 10, 1904.) It is us! I am not sharing anything new. We need to become riveted in the old ways. We need to go back to the paths that were traveled by the people of God—the faithful and true, the prophets of old who walked in all the truth. That is the path that God is lifting up before His people today. A path filled with truth, but also filled with sorrow and sighing.

So Laodicea finds itself doing as did ancient Israel and suffering the same delusion. It is interesting to note that this apostasy in Laodicea has the same ultimate consequence in regard to Jesus Christ.

“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock.…” (Verse 20.) Notice where He is standing; He is outside; just as surely as ancient Israel put Jesus outside and would have none of Him, so Laodicea has done the same thing. The reason they have done the same, is because, like Israel, they are rejecting the Law of God while professing to uphold it.

What a vast deception! To profess something, to do something totally contrary to what you are professing, yet believe that you are doing what you are professing, is deception! It almost gets mind boggling! It is confusion! “Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door.…” Ibid.

There again, God is not going to trespass your decision, your will that He has given to you. He wants you to consent. Let us open that door by which He can come in and do for us that which we cannot do for ourselves. “I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me.” Ibid.

It is a marvelous thought that our God, the mighty God, the wonderful God, the One who is altogether lovely, not only wants to talk to us, but He wants to walk with us.

Apostasy

Paul had a tremendous burden for Israel. Paul had been caught up in apostasy for years. But one day light came, a bright and brilliant light, for that is what our God is. On the road to Damascus, Paul experienced a conversion. He came to see things in an altogether different light, and he no longer called darkness light and light darkness. He was no longer confused. He wanted to share that experience with those who were still in the apostasy. In Romans 10 he tells us his burden, but he also tells us what Israel was doing in regard to this apostasy.

“Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.” Verses 1, 2.

Now we know what that is. We know why they do not have this knowledge. He continues in verse 3, “For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.” God’s righteousness is linked up with God’s Law.

So here was a people professing great things about the Law of God, but Paul comes along and says, You are totally ignorant about that law; you do not understand the righteousness of God that is found in that Law. They were adding and subtracting from God’s righteousness, which is found in His Law. That is what we do if we only have a profession of religion without the possession. If we are subtracting from what God has said, then we are adding our own opinion, our own standard, our own manuals. We are turning away from God’s manuals. Where there is subtraction there is always addition.

Tradition

Mark tells us more descriptively what Israel was doing in regard to this apostasy. Speaking concerning Israel, Jesus said, “‘Howbeit in vain do they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.’” Mark 7:7.

Israel was replacing the commandments of God with the commandments of men. “‘Making the word of God of none effect.’” (Verse 13.) How did they do that? “. . . through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.” Ibid.

Jesus said that Israel was putting tradition above the word of God. We live in a dispensation of earth’s history in which the majority of professed Christianity today are doing the same thing. If we are basing our experience on the past experience of our forefathers, who may have walked contrary to some of God’s Laws, it follows that we, too, will be contrary to those Laws. This is what happened to ancient Israel and is now happening to professed Christiandom..

There was a time, and I say this sadly, when my life was full of apostasy, and I walked away from God totally and completely. And I can tell you, not only from God’s Word but also from my own experience, that God can save a person out of apostasy. Paul would tell you the same thing. Yes, you can be brought out of apostasy, whether it is in an organization or whether it is in your own heart. God help us not to be deceived into thinking that if we hold the truth, externally, in our hands that we have it in our hearts. I hope you understand that you can actually hold it in your hands and not have it in your heart.

What is the Solution?

What is the solution to apostasy, whether it is on a corporate level or whether it is in our personal lives?

What was God’s plea to Israel in the days of Jeremiah? “Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls.” Jeremiah 6:16. God is calling us back to His Law. He turns us back to those truths that have been riveted upon the Rock of our salvation by His people in past generations who have chosen to walk in those paths.

God calls for us to get back on the path of truth—not merely to look at it, not merely to observe it, not merely to hear it, but to walk in it. That is the experience to which God is calling us—an experience of walking in His Law, a Law that is holy, just, and good.

Micah enlarges upon this: “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” Micah 6:8. This is what the whole plan of redemption entails. It is a call from our wonderful God in heaven, to walk humbly with Him!

God not only wants to talk to us, He wants to walk with us. He created us for that purpose. He has made a way by which we can walk with Him. Romans 5:8 says that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Sin is transgression of the Law. While we were rejecting God’s Law, He was dying for us. Oh, we cannot comprehend it all! But what we can comprehend will be sufficient for His grace to save us. We are told that through eternal ages we will constantly be looking and reflecting upon this subject and never come to the fullness of His infinite goodness! (See Steps to Christ, 109.)

This story is an eternal story, and God wants us to be a part of telling that story through eternity. He has made a way, and it cost Him everything.

“Come Unto Me”

Jesus gives us a solution to our predicament in apostasy. He gives us two invitations. He is the One who created us. He is the only One who can re-create us into His likeness, and so, with mercy and pity in His voice, knowing the weakness of our flesh, He says, “‘Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’” Matthew 11:28. He will give us rest, and if there is one thing that we need, it is rest. It is the peace and confidence of knowing that we are right with Him.

We need that experience because what stands before us in the remaining time of this earth’s history is a very dark and troublesome time. God wants to give us confidence, right now, that when we walk into that trouble, we shall be at peace. He is preparing a people. He is calling a people, one by one.

Is He calling you? Is He inviting you? Oh, yes, “Come unto Me.” And then He asks us to do something more. He says, “Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me.” (Verse 29.) We will never learn of Jesus unless we become laborers together with Him. We will never learn the burden that He carries for this world until we take the yoke. And it is interesting to find that His yoke is involved in service and it is the very Law of God, because the Law of God is a manifestation of God’s divine love. It is a love that is constantly being revealed in heaven, as we minister unto one another of the love of God. This, and only this, will banish apostasy from the midst of our churches and from the midst of our hearts.

That is what the Law of God does in our hearts. That is why Paul could say, in Romans 13:10, that love is the fulfilling of the Law. We now know how God is able to solve the apostasy problem, but when will this happen?

“For He saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” 2 Corinthians 6:2. God has called us. He continues to call us, because He continues to love us.

Brothers and sisters, God tells us that we do not have to wait another year or another month. No, we need not wait even another day to receive the solution to the apostasy that may be found in some of our hearts as a result of compromising God’s Laws. He tells us that the “acceptable time” (See Isaiah 49:8.) is now. He tells us that He “is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (See 2 Peter 3:9.) We can choose today, right now, to turn from compromise to commitment, from darkness to light, from apostasy to “walking humbly with thy God.” (See Micah 6:8.) He invites us today to “come now, and let us reason together…though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” Isaiah 1:18. May we determine to receive the invitation and allow Him to make us bright and shining lights in these last days of earth’s apostasy.