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Bible Study Guides – Hebrews 11:17–19

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August 9, 2003 – August 15, 2003

Memory Verse

“Blessed [is] the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.” James 1:12.

Suggested Reading: Patriarchs and Prophets, 152–154.

Introduction

“In receiving Christ as our Captain, there must be a complete surrender of the human will to the divine will. The Lord can work out His will through those who have made this surrender, for they give prompt and cheerful obedience to His commands. God expects us to obey without questioning. We are to ask, ‘Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?’ Then, though the command may be as stern and startling as that given to Abraham, we are to obey. Abraham’s soul was rent asunder by the command, ‘Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and offer him for a sacrifice on one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.’ [Genesis 22:2.] But he did not hesitate to obey.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 20, 26.

1 How did God try Abraham? Genesis 22:1, 2. Compare James 1:2–4.

note: “What is temptation?—It is the means by which those who claim to be the children of God are tested and tried. We read that God tempted Abraham, that He tempted the children of Israel. This means that He permitted circumstances to occur to test their faith, and lead them to look to Him for help. God permits temptation to come to His people today, that they may realize that He is their helper. If they draw nigh to Him when they are tempted, He strengthens them to meet the temptation. But if they yield to the enemy, neglecting to place themselves close to their Almighty Helper, they are overcome. They separate themselves from God. They do not give evidence that they walk in God’s way.” The Signs of the Times, May 27, 1897.

2 What led Abraham to comply with God’s command? Hebrews 11:17.

note: “This act of faith in Abraham is recorded for our benefit. It teaches us the great lesson of confidence in the requirements of God, however close and cutting they may be; and it teaches children perfect submission to their parents and to God. By Abraham’s obedience we are taught that nothing is too precious for us to give to God.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 368.

3 What had been promised to Abraham? Genesis 13:16.

note: “As Abraham had no son, he at first thought that his trusty servant, Eliezer, should become his son by adoption, and his heir. But God informed Abraham that his servant should not be his son and heir, but that he should really have a son.” The Story of Redemption, 77.

4 Through whom had it been said that this numerous posterity should come? Genesis 21:12; Hebrews 11:18.

note: “Isaac was the one divinely appointed to succeed him [Abraham] as the keeper of the law of God and the father of the chosen people . . . .” Patriarchs and Prophets, 171.

5 In obeying the Lord’s command to sacrifice Isaac, what was Abraham apparently giving up? Genesis 22:17, 18; Galatians 3:16.

note: “Plain and specific prophecies had been given regarding the appearance of the Promised One. To Adam was given an assurance of the coming of the Redeemer. . . .

“To Abraham was given the promise that of his line the Saviour of the world should come.” The Acts of the Apostles, 222.

6 How did Abraham think the promise could be fulfilled? Hebrews 11:19; Romans 4:17–21.

note: “Abraham believed that Isaac was the son of promise. He also believed that God meant just what he said when he bid him to go offer him as a burnt-offering. He staggered not at the promise of God; but believed that God, who had in his providence given Sarah a son in her old age, and who had required him to take that son’s life, could also give life again, and bring up Isaac from the dead.” Spiritual Gifts, vol. 3, 106.

7 Of what was the offering of Isaac a striking figure? John 3:16.

note: “The offering of Isaac was designed by God to prefigure the sacrifice of His Son. Isaac was a figure of the Son of God, who was offered a sacrifice for the sins of the world. God desired to impress upon Abraham the gospel of salvation to men; and in order to make the truth a reality, and to test his faith, He required Abraham to slay his darling Isaac. All the agony that Abraham endured during that dark and fearful trial was for the purpose of deeply impressing upon his understanding the plan of redemption for fallen man.” The Youth’s Instructor, March 1, 1900.

8 Did Abraham know of Christ and His work? John 8:54–56.

note: “Abraham had greatly desired to see the promised Saviour. He offered up the most earnest prayer that before his death he might behold the Messiah. And he saw Christ. A supernatural light was given him, and he acknowledged Christ’s divine character. He saw His day, and was glad. He was given a view of the divine sacrifice for sin. Of this sacrifice he had an illustration in his own experience. . . . Upon the altar of sacrifice he laid the son of promise [Isaac], the son in whom his hopes were centered. . . . This terrible ordeal was imposed upon Abraham that he might see the day of Christ, and realize the great love of God for the world, so great that to raise it from its degradation, He gave His only-begotten Son to a most shameful death.” The Desire of Ages, 468.

9 What important lesson must Abraham have learned from his sore trial? Romans 8:32.

note: “God justly condemns all who do not make Christ their personal Saviour; but He pardons every soul who comes to Him in faith, and enables him to work the works of God, and through faith to be one with Christ. . . . The Lord has made every provision whereby man may have full and free salvation, and be complete in Him. God designs that His children shall have the bright beams of the Sun of Righteousness, that all may have the light of truth. God has provided salvation for the world at infinite cost, even through the gift of His only-begotten Son. The apostle asks, [Romans 8:32 quoted]. Then if we are not saved, the fault will not be on the part of God, but on our part, that we have failed to cooperate with the divine agencies. Our will has not coincided with God’s will.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 375.

10 What did Abraham’s works do for him and for his faith? James 2:21–24.

note: “James writes of Abraham and says, [James 2:21–24 quoted]. In order for man to be justified by faith, faith must reach a point where it will control the affections and impulses of the heart; and it is by obedience that faith itself is made perfect.” Faith and Works, 100.

“The apostle James saw that dangers would arise in presenting the subject of justification by faith, and he labored to show that genuine faith cannot exist without corresponding works. The experience of Abraham is presented. [James 2:22 quoted.] Thus genuine faith does a genuine work in the believer. Faith and obedience bring a solid, valuable experience.” The Faith I Live By, 115.

11 How should we react when trials come to us? 1 Peter 4:12, 13.

note: “Trial is part of the education given in the school of Christ, to purify God’s children from the dross of earthliness. It is because God is leading His children that trying experiences come to them. Trials and obstacles are His chosen methods of discipline, and His appointed conditions of success. He who reads the hearts of men knows their weaknesses better than they themselves can know them. He sees that some have qualifications which, if rightly directed, could be used in the advancement of His work. In His providence He brings these souls into different positions and varied circumstances, that they may discover the defects that are concealed from their own knowledge. He gives them opportunity to overcome these defects and to fit themselves for service. Often He permits the fires of affliction to burn, that they may be purified.

“God’s care for His heritage is unceasing. He suffers no affliction to come upon His children but such as is essential for their present and eternal good. He will purify His church, even as Christ purified the temple during His ministry on earth. All that He brings upon His people in test and trial comes that they may gain deeper piety and greater strength to carry forward the triumphs of the cross.” The Acts of the Apostles, 524, 525.

“The refining, purifying process, which is to be carried on by the Lord of hosts, . . . is most trying to the soul, but it is only through this process that the rubbish and defiling impurities can be removed. Our trials are all necessary to bring us close to our heavenly Father, in obedience to His will, that we may offer to the Lord an offering in righteousness. . . . You each need a new and living experience in the divine life in order to do the will of God. No amount of past experience will suffice for the present nor strengthen us to overcome the difficulties in our path. We must have new grace and fresh strength daily in order to be victorious.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 541.

12 What will be the result to the one who patiently endures trial? James 1:12.

note: “When trials come into our lives, when clouds darken the horizon, how ready we are to forget that Jesus is our Saviour, that behind the clouds the Sun of Righteousness is shining, that angels are close beside us, preserving us from harm. I would say to the despairing, Look and live. Hope thou in God, for on Calvary’s cross a complete sacrifice was offered for you. Jesus is the sinner’s Friend, the sinner’s Redeemer. Eternal joy—a life of undimmed happiness—awaits the one who surrenders all to Christ. Look away from yourself to Jesus, who is pleading before the throne of God in your behalf. Listen to His words, ‘Come unto me, . . . and I will give you rest.’ ‘Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out’ (Matthew 11:28; John 6:37). With the hand of faith grasp the promises of God. Appropriate these blessings to yourself, not at some future time, but today.” In Heavenly Places, 262.

Bible Study Guides – Hebrews 11:8–16

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August 2, 2003 – August 8, 2003

Memory Verse

“He looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker [is] God.” Hebrews 11:10.

Suggested Reading: Selected Messages, Book 1, 409, 410.

Introduction

“The message of God came to Abraham, ‘Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee.’ [Genesis 12:1.] In order that God might qualify him for his great work as the keeper of the sacred oracles, Abraham must be separated from the associations of his early life. The influence of kindred and friends would interfere with the training which the Lord purposed to give His servant. Now that Abraham was, in a special sense, connected with heaven, he must dwell among strangers. His character must be peculiar, differing from all the world. He could not even explain his course of action so as to be understood by his friends. Spiritual things are spiritually discerned, and his motives and actions were not comprehended by his idolatrous kindred. . . .

“Abraham’s unquestioning obedience is one of the most striking evidences of faith to be found in all the Bible. To him, faith was ‘the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.’ Hebrews 11:1. Relying upon the divine promise, without the least outward assurance of its fulfillment, he abandoned home and kindred and native land, and went forth, he knew not whither, to follow where God should lead.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 126.

1 What caused Abraham to leave his native land and go to an unknown country? Hebrews 11:8.

note: “Abraham was called to go forth from his home, a light-bearer to the heathen. And without questioning, he obeyed. . . . So today God’s servants are to go where He calls, trusting Him to guide them and to give them success in their work.” Gospel Workers, 26.

2 What did Abraham do in the land of promise? Hebrews 11:9, first part.

note: “Abraham’s unquestioning obedience was one of the most striking instances of faith and reliance upon God to be found in the Sacred Record. With only the naked promise that his descendants should possess Canaan, without the least outward evidence, he followed on where God should lead, fully and sincerely complying with the conditions on his part, and confident that the Lord would faithfully perform His word. The patriarch went wherever God indicated his duty; he passed through wildernesses without terror; he went among idolatrous nations, with the one thought: ‘God has spoken; I am obeying His voice; He will guide, He will protect me.’ ” Testimonies, vol. 4, 524.

3 For what purpose was Abraham called? Genesis 12:1–4.

note: “God selected Abraham as His messenger through whom to communicate light to the world. The word of God came to him, not with the presentation of flattering prospects in this life of large salary, of great appreciation and worldly honor. . . . The patriarch obeyed, and ‘went out, not knowing whither he went,’ as God’s light bearer, to keep His name alive in the earth. He forsook his country, his home, his relatives, and all pleasant associations connected with his early life, to become a pilgrim and a stranger.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 523.

4 Why was Abraham continually sojourning in the land of promise? Hebrews 11:10.

note: “A better than earthly reward awaits those who, basing their work on the solid Rock, build up symmetrical characters, in accordance with the living word. For them is prepared ‘a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.’ Hebrews 11:10. Its streets are paved with gold. In it is the Paradise of God, watered by the river of life, which proceeds from the throne. In the midst of the street, and on either side of the river, is the tree of life, which yields its fruit every month; ‘and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.’ [Revelation 22:2.]” Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 63.

5 What city is referenced in Hebrews 11:10? Revelation 21:2.

note: “We are homeward bound. He who loved us so much as to die for us hath builded for us a city. The New Jerusalem is our place of rest. There will be no sadness in the city of God. No wail of sorrow, no dirge of crushed hopes and buried affections, will evermore be heard. Soon the garments of heaviness will be changed for the wedding garment. Soon we shall witness the coronation of our King. Those whose lives have been hidden with Christ, those who on this earth have fought the good fight of faith, will shine forth with the Redeemer’s glory in the kingdom of God.” Testimonies, vol. 9, 287.

6 Of what was Isaac the child? Galatians 4:28.

note: “To Abraham was given the promise that of his line the Saviour of the world should come: ‘In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.’ ‘He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.’ Genesis 22:18; Galatians 3:16.” The Acts of the Apostles, 222.

7 What was unusual about Isaac’s birth? Hebrews 11:11. Compare Genesis 18:11, 14; 21:2.

note: “When Abraham was nearly one hundred years old, the promise of a son was repeated to him, with the assurance that the future heir should be the child of Sarah. . . . The birth of Isaac, bringing, after a life-long waiting, the fulfillment of their dearest hopes, filled the tents of Abraham and Sarah with gladness. . . .” The Truth About Angels, 77.

8 What promise was given to Abraham? Genesis 18:18; 22:18; Acts 3:25.

note: “In the renewal of the covenant shortly before the birth of Isaac, God’s purpose for mankind was again made plain. ‘All the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him,’ was the assurance of the Lord concerning the child of promise. Genesis 18:18.” Prophets and Kings, 368.

9 In what state of mind did the patriarchs die? Hebrews 11:13.

note: “The heritage that God has promised to His people is not in this world. Abraham had no possession in the earth, ‘no, not so much as to set his foot on.’ Acts 7:5. He possessed great substance, and he used it to the glory of God and the good of his fellow men; but he did not look upon this world as his home. The Lord had called him to leave his idolatrous countrymen, with the promise of the land of Canaan as an everlasting possession; yet neither he nor his son nor his son’s son received it. When Abraham desired a burial place for his dead, he had to buy it of the Canaanites. His sole possession in the Land of Promise was that rock-hewn tomb in the cave of Machpelah.

“But the word of God had not failed; neither did it meet its final accomplishment in the occupation of Canaan by the Jewish people. ‘To Abraham and his seed were the promises made.’ Galatians 3:16. Abraham himself was to share the inheritance. The fulfillment of God’s promise may seem to be long delayed—for ‘one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day’ (11 Peter 3:8); it may appear to tarry; but at the appointed time ‘it will surely come, it will not tarry.’ Habakkuk 2:3. The gift to Abraham and his seed included not merely the land of Canaan, but the whole earth. So says the apostle, ‘The promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.’ Romans 4:13. And the Bible plainly teaches that the promises made to Abraham are to be fulfilled through Christ. All that are Christ’s are ‘Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise’—heirs to ‘an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away’—the earth freed from the curse of sin. Galatians 3:29; 1 Peter 1:4. For ‘the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High;’ and ‘the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.’ Daniel 7:27; Psalm 37:11.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 169, 170.

10 To what promises does Hebrews 11:13 refer? Genesis 13:14–17; 26:1–4; 28:13, 14; Romans 4:13.

note: “The patriarch [Abraham] begged for some visible token as a confirmation of his faith and as an evidence to after-generations that God’s gracious purposes toward them would be accomplished. The Lord condescended to enter into a covenant with His servant, employing such forms as were customary among men for the ratification of a solemn engagement. . . . The voice of God was heard, bidding him not to expect immediate possession of the Promised Land, and pointing forward to the sufferings of his posterity before their establishment in Canaan. The plan of redemption was here opened to him, in the death of Christ, the great sacrifice, and His coming in glory. Abraham saw also the earth restored to its Eden beauty, to be given him for an everlasting possession, as the final and complete fulfillment of the promise.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 137.

11 If the descendants of Abraham did not realize their inheritance on this earth, why were they not disappointed when they came to die? Hebrews 11:14–16.

note: “In the Bible the inheritance of the saved is called ‘a country.’ Hebrews 11:14-16. There the heavenly Shepherd leads His flock to fountains of living waters. The tree of life yields its fruit every month, and the leaves of the tree are for the service of the nations. There are ever-flowing streams, clear as crystal, and beside them waving trees cast their shadows upon the paths prepared for the ransomed of the Lord. There the wide-spreading plains swell into hills of beauty, and the mountains of God rear their lofty summits. On those peaceful plains, beside those living streams, God’s people, so long pilgrims and wanderers, shall find a home.” The Great Controversy, 675.

12 If we are Abraham’s children, how shall we regard ourselves here in this world? 1 Peter 2:11, first half.

note: “As you empty the heart of self you must accept the righteousness of Christ. Lay hold of it by faith. . . . If you open the door of the heart, Jesus will supply the vacuum by the gift of His Spirit, and then you can be a living preacher in your home, in the church, and in the world. You can diffuse light, because the bright beams of the Sun of Righteousness are shining upon you. Your humble life, your holy conversation, your uprightness and integrity, will tell to all around that you are a child of God, an heir of heaven, that you are not making the world your dwelling place, but that you are a pilgrim and a stranger here, looking for a better country, even an heavenly. . . .” That I May Know Him, 165.

Bible Study Guides – Hebrews 11:1–7

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July 26, 2003 – August 1, 2003

Memory Verse

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1.

Suggested Reading: Faith and Works, 47.

Introduction

“Faith is in no sense allied to presumption. Only he who has true faith is secure against presumption. For presumption is Satan’s counterfeit of faith. Faith claims God’s promises, and brings forth fruit in obedience. Presumption also claims the promises, but uses them as Satan did, to excuse transgression. Faith would have led our first parents to trust the love of God, and to obey His commands. Presumption led them to transgress His law, believing that His great love would save them from the consequence of their sin. It is not faith that claims the favor of Heaven without complying with the conditions on which mercy is to be granted. Genuine faith has its foundation in the promises and provisions of the Scriptures.” The Desire of Ages, 126.

1 What is faith? Hebrews 11:1.

note: “Often the Christian life is beset with dangers, and duty seems hard to perform. The imagination pictures impending ruin before, and bondage and death behind. Yet the voice of God speaks clearly, Go forward. Let us obey the command, even though our sight cannot penetrate the darkness. The obstacles that hinder our progress will never disappear before a halting, doubting spirit. Those who defer obedience till every uncertainty disappears, and there remains no risk of failure or defeat, will never obey. Faith looks beyond the difficulties, and lays hold of the unseen, even Omnipotence, therefore it cannot be baffled. Faith is the clasping of the hand of Christ in every emergency.” Gospel Workers, 262.

2 What did the elders obtain by faith? Hebrews 11:2.

note: “Bible history stays the fainting heart with the hope of God’s mercy. We need not despair when we see that others have struggled through discouragements like our own, have fallen into temptations even as we have done, and yet have recovered their ground and been blessed of God. The words of inspiration comfort and cheer the erring soul. Although the patriarchs and apostles were subject to human frailties, yet through faith they obtained a good report, fought their battles in the strength of the Lord, and conquered gloriously. Thus may we trust in the virtue of the atoning sacrifice and be overcomers in the name of Jesus.” Conflict and Courage, 368.

3 What is the first great thing we understand by faith? Hebrews 11:3.

note: “The deepest students of science are constrained to recognize in nature the working of infinite power. But to man’s unaided reason, nature’s teaching cannot but be contradictory and disappointing. Only in the light of revelation can it be read aright.” Education, 134.

4 Why is the introduction of Creation at the beginning of a study of faith appropriate? Psalm 33:6; 11 Peter 3:5.

note: “[Hebrews 11:3 quoted.] There is no other way by which we can know anything about creation; for reason cannot grasp the idea of something brought from nothing. So-called scientific speculation concerning the origin of things always proceeds on the basis of something already existing, from which other things were evolved. How the first matter came into existence science cannot tell. Therefore since reason cannot settle the method by which the worlds came into existence, the most reasonable thing to do is to accept the inspired declaration that it was by the word of God. And this lies at the very foundation of faith. If we believe that God created the universe from nothing, we can believe that he has power to make something to his own glory out of us, who are ‘less than nothing and vanity.’ [Isaiah 40:17.] And so, in a discourse upon faith, it is eminently fitting that the power of God as manifested in creation should be the starting point.” International Sabbath School Quarterly, Pacific Press Publishing Co., Oakland, California, February 15, 1890, 17, 18.

5 How did it come to pass that Abel offered a better sacrifice than Cain? Hebrews 11:4.

note: “Abel was determined to worship God according to the directions God had given. This displeased Cain. He thought that his own plans were best, and that the Lord would come to his terms. Cain in his offering did not acknowledge his dependence upon Christ. He thought that his father Adam had been treated harshly in being expelled from Eden. The idea of keeping that sin ever before the mind, and offering the blood of the slain lamb as a confession of entire dependence upon a power outside of himself, was torture to the high spirit of Cain. Being the eldest, he thought that Abel should follow his example. When Abel’s offering was accepted of God, the holy fire consuming the sacrifice, Cain’s anger was exceedingly great. The Lord condescended to explain matters to him; but he would not be reconciled to God, and he hated Abel because God showed him favor. He became so angry that he slew his brother.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 77, 78.

6 Which was first, Abel’s faith or his sacrifice? Hebrews 11:4. See also Genesis 4:4; Proverbs 3:9.

note: “Abel brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat, as God had commanded; and in full faith of the Messiah to come, and with humble reverence, he presented the offering.” The Story of Redemption, 53.

7 What was the nature of Abel’s righteousness? Romans 3:22.

note: “Genuine faith will be manifested in good works; for good works are the fruits of faith. As God works in the heart, and man surrenders his will to God, and cooperates with God, he works out in the life what God works in by the Holy Spirit, and there is harmony between the purpose of the heart and the practice of the life. . . .

“Those who are justified by faith must have a heart to keep the way of the Lord. It is an evidence that a man is not justified by faith when his works do not correspond to his profession. . . .

“Imputation of the righteousness of Christ comes through justifying faith, and is the justification for which Paul so earnestly contends. . . . [Romans 3:20–31 quoted.]” Selected Messages, Book 1, 397.

8 How was Enoch translated? Hebrews 11:5, first part.

note: “In the midst of a life of active labor, Enoch steadfastly maintained his communion with God. The greater and more pressing his labors, the more constant and earnest were his prayers. He continued to exclude himself at certain periods from all society. After remaining for a time among the people, laboring to benefit them by instruction and example, he would withdraw, to spend a season in solitude, hungering and thirsting for that divine knowledge which God alone can impart.

“Communing thus with God, Enoch came more and more to reflect the divine image. . . .

“His faith waxed stronger, his love became more ardent, with the lapse of centuries. To him prayer was as the breath of the soul. He lived in the atmosphere of heaven.” Gospel Workers, 52.

9 What witness did Enoch have before he was translated? Hebrews 11:5, last half.

note: “Enoch walked with God. He honored God in every affair of life. In his home and in his business he inquired, ‘Will this be acceptable to the Lord?’ And by remembering God and following His counsel, he was transformed in character, and became a godly man, whose ways pleased the Lord. We are exhorted to add to godliness, brotherly kindness. O how much we need to take this step, to add this quality to our characters! . . . We should have that love for others that Christ has had for us. A man is estimated at his true value by the Lord of heaven. If he is unkind in his earthly home, he is unfit for the heavenly home. If he will have his own way, no matter whom it grieves, he would not be content in heaven, unless he could rule there. The love of Christ must control our hearts. . . . Seek God with a broken and contrite spirit, and you will be melted with compassion toward your brethren. You will be prepared to add to brotherly kindness, charity, or love. . . .” My Life Today, 98.

10 How alone is it possible to please God? Hebrews 11:6.

note: “The fact that unbelief prevails, that iniquity is increasing all around us, should not cause our faith to grow dim or our courage to waver. . . . If we will but seek God with all our hearts, if we will work with that same determined zeal, and believe with that unyielding faith, the light of heaven will shine upon us, even as it shone upon the devoted Enoch.

“Oh that I could impress upon all the importance of exercising faith moment by moment, and hour by hour! We are to live the life of faith; for ‘without faith it is impossible to please God.’ Our spiritual strength depends upon our faith.” My Life Today, 8.

11 What led Noah to build the ark? Hebrews 11:7.

note: “In consequence of Adam’s transgression, sin was introduced into the fair world that God had created, and men and women became more and still more bold in disobeying His law. The Lord looked down upon the impenitent world, and decided that He must give transgressors an exhibition of His power. He caused Noah to know His purpose, and instructed him to warn the people while building an ark in which the obedient could find shelter until God’s indignation was overpast. . . .” Fundamentals of Christian Education, 504.

12 What did Noah receive besides the saving of his family? Hebrews 11:7, last part.

note: “In Noah’s day, the inhabitants of the old world laughed to scorn what they termed the superstitious fears and forebodings of the preacher of righteousness. He was denounced as a visionary character, a fanatic, an alarmist. ‘As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.’ [Luke 17:26.] Men will reject the solemn message of warning in our day as they did in Noah’s time. They will refer to those false teachers who have predicted the event and set the definite time, and will say that they have no more faith in our warning than in theirs. This is the attitude of the world today. Unbelief is wide-spread, and the preaching of Christ’s coming is mocked at and derided. This makes it all the more essential that those who believe present truth show their faith by their works. They should be sanctified through the truth which they profess to believe; for they are savors of life unto life, or of death unto death.” Review and Herald, October 20, 1885.

Children’s Story – Tales of a Tennessee Chain Gang, Part I

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Bill Burchard jerked his head up and peered quizzically from among the cornstalks. What was that noise? He pushed a crumpled blue bandana slowly across his brow and then stood scanning the underbrush 40 yards away.

Seeing nothing, he moved to the next stalk and ripped the blades off. His family of seven had long since consumed the last of the corn, and now, early in September 1894, he was salvaging the blades to feed his scrawny cow.

Burchard worked five days a week in the Dayton Coal and Iron Mine. He ascended from the brutal bowels of the earth to go to church on Saturday, and this schedule left Sunday as his only day to catch up on work around his home.

He straightened up again. He had heard something. A screeching jay betrayed two men about to disappear over a low ridge.

Burchard thought nothing more about the incident until one evening a week or two later when he came home to find Sheriff Darwin sitting on his front stoop. The sheriff rose slowly as Burchard approached.

“Help ya ‘t all, Sheriff?” Burchard asked.

Darwin looked down, slipping the four fingers of each hand into his front pockets.

“I’m sorry, Bill,” he mumbled, “but I got to take ya in.”

“Take me in!” Burchard’s face paled in shock, even under the layer of coal dust. “But what in the world for?”

“Here,” said the sheriff, slipping a long folded piece of paper out from under his vest, “listen to this.”

“State of Tennessee, To the Sheriff of Rhea County, Greeting: You are hereby commanded to take the body of William S. Burchard, if found in your county, and him safely keep, so that you have him before the judge of our Circuit Court . . . at the Courthouse in the town of Dayton, on the first Monday in March next, then and there to answer the state for violating Sabbath. Herein fail not. . . . C. G. Gillespie, Clerk.”

By the time Burchard finally returned home, he understood what his two secretive visitors had been doing that Sunday.

Burchard lived four and a half miles from Graysville, Tennessee, in a little valley called the Cove. In Graysville, a town of 600, about 20 percent of the town kept the seventh-day Sabbath. The religious community had built up around Graysville Academy, a school begun two years earlier by a Sabbath- keeping minister named G. W. Colcord. (The school was later moved and grew into what is now known as Southern Adventist University near Chattanooga.)

Not only Burchard but also Colcord and two of the Academy teachers, along with several other Sabbathkeepers, were under indictment for violating Tennessee’s Sunday law. Burchard was charged on two counts—stripping fodder and helping to dig a well on Sunday. Others were charged with such crimes as putting chicken wire around a garden or carrying a few boards.

The trials made it obvious that the chief instigator of the trouble was an angry coal miner named Wright Rains, who had been refused credit by the Sabbath-keeping proprietor of a local grocery store. Two of his friends had slipped out of the services in their Sunday church, just over the ridge from Burchard’s cabin, to spy on him.

For more than 15 years, Sabbathkeepers had been subjected to sporadic persecution for Sunday-law violations in various states. They believed at the time that to rest on Sunday was an admission of Sunday’s sacredness. They believed that that would be giving in to a false system of worship.

To be continued . . .

Nature Nugget – Troglomorphic Fishes

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There are 81 known species of subterranean fishes in the world. Some travel back and forth between the darkness underground and the light above, but many spend their entire lives in the pitch-blackness of subterranean rivers, streams, lakes, and springs. These are the troglomorphic species, and they have adapted to this harsh environment by the loss of their eyes and the development of numerous large sensory papillae on various parts of their bodies. These sensory papillae are sensitive to vibrations and touch and compensate for their lack of sight, permitting them to carry on life functions, such as finding food and avoiding predators, in total darkness. They also lack pigment in the skin and look pinkish because of blood vessels showing through their translucent skin.

There are two groups of troglomorphic fishes in the United States, the cavefishes of the family Amblyopsidae and the blindcats of the family Ictaluridae. The cavefishes are less than five inches in length and are found in the eastern United States. They have a large branchial cavity, which allows them to carry and incubate their eggs in the gill chamber. Because the cave systems they live in are energy poor, cavefishes eat infrequently and conserve energy by having slow metabolisms and remaining motionless most of the time. They are slow-growing and long-lived. Cavefishes feed on copepods, isopods, amphipods, crayfish, small salamanders, and even their own young.

The Alabama Cavefish is found only in Key Cave in Lauderdale County, Alabama. Its total known population is numbered at less than 100, making it one of the most endangered fishes in the world. In contrast, the Southern Cavefish is uncommonly found in caves over a fairly large area involving seven states. The two remaining troglomorphic species in this family are the Ozark Cavefish of the Springfield Plateau and the Northern Cavefish of south-central Indiana and central Kentucky. Both are considered rare, with the Ozark Cavefish being classified as a threatened species.

The blindcats consist of four species, of which two occur in the United States. These are known from five artesian wells penetrating the San Antonio Pool of the Edward’s Aquifer in and near San Antonio, Texas. They have been found to occur together in three of these wells. Both species are abundant in their habitat and occur in these subterranean waters at depths of 900–2,000 feet. The Toothless Blindcat, at four inches, feeds on fungal growths and detritus, while the Widemouth Blindcat, at five inches, is an opportunistic predator, feeding on shrimp, amphipods, and isopods.

Just as these subterranean fishes have lost their eyesight from living in total darkness, so the Christian is in danger of losing his spiritual eyesight by living in the darkness of sin. “In following the path of Satan’s choosing, we are encompassed by the shadows of evil, and every step leads into deeper darkness and increases the blindness of the heart. The same law obtains in the spiritual as in the natural world. He who abides in darkness will at last lose the power of vision. He is shut in by a deeper than midnight blackness; and to him the brightest noontide can bring no light. He ‘walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.’ 1 John 2:11.

“Through persistently cherishing evil, willfully disregarding the pleadings of divine love, the sinner loses the love for good, the desire for God, the very capacity to receive the light of heaven. The invitation of mercy is still full of love, the light is shining as brightly as when it first dawned upon his soul; but the voice falls on deaf ears, the light on blinded eyes.” Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, 92.

David Arbour writes from his home in DeQueen, Arkansas. He may be contacted by e-mail at incadove@ipa.net.

Ask The Pastor – Original Sin

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Question:

Dear Pastor Mike,

I was listening to a person teach about our human nature the other night. He said that we are all born sinners. I have always understood that sin is a choice. Can you help me understand this issue?

Answer:

There are many people who believe the doctrine that we are all born sinners. This comes from misunderstanding a false doctrine called “Original Sin.” The original sin doctrine teaches that when a human being is born, he inherits sin from his parent. Starting in the beginning, this of course would come from Adam. But the truth of the matter is that we do not inherit the sin of our parents. We inherit the sinful nature. There is a big difference!

The confusion comes by misinterpreting such texts as Ecclesiastes 7:20 which says: “For [there is] not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.” Also, Romans 3:23 tells us that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” While these texts tell us that this is the way that all the world has gone, they do not teach that we are born sinners or that we inherit the sin of our parents. We would have to inherit the sin of our parents in order to be born sinners. Sin does not come through bloodlines; it comes from transgression. (See 1 John 3:4.)

Ezekiel 18 gives us good counsel about this matter. While the whole chapter should be read, we cannot quote it here because of space limitations, but it deals very clearly with this doctrine. The heart of the chapter has these words to say in verse 20: “The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.”

This text very clearly tells us that the one who commits the sinful act bears the guilt. Guilt does not come through inheritance. Remember that this must be read in the context of the whole chapter, which clarifies this even more.

While we do come into this world with a sinful nature, we do not need to sin. Sin is a choice. The Bible tells us, in 11 Peter 1:3, 4, “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 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.” Many people leave us with the hopeless thought that we will be sinning until Jesus comes. Peter here says No! We do not need to remain in a sinful condition. We can become a partaker of the divine nature and be a victorious Christian. We need not be held captive to false teachings such as the “Original Sin” doctrine. I hope that this helps you in your understanding of this issue.

Pastor Mike Baugher is Associate Speaker for Steps to Life Ministry. If you have a question you would like Pastor Mike to answer, e-mail it to landmarks@stepstolife.org, or mail it to LandMarks, P. O. Box 782828, Wichita, KS 67278.

Restoring the Temple – The Reproductive System

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“Thou shalt keep therefore his statutes, and his commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong [thy] days upon the earth, which the Lord thy God giveth thee, for ever.”

—Deuteronomy 4:40.

In the beginning, God caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep. A rib was taken from his side, and from it, woman was created. God had a plan. Part of that plan included marriage and family. In Genesis 2, He said that man should leave his father and mother and cleave unto his wife. This was, of course, before there were any fathers or mothers, yet God mentions those relationships. Adam named his wife Eve, “because she was the mother of all living.” Genesis 3:20.

A female child is born with all the oocytes (eggs) that she will ever have—approximately 2 million, although only about 400 ever reach maturity. One egg is released—a process called ovulation—each month from puberty to menopause. Some women feel this when it occurs, experiencing a sharp pain or twinge in their lower abdomen. This phenomenon is called mittelschmerz, middle pain. When an egg is released from the ovary, it is “caught” by the fingerlike projections on the ends of the fallopian tubes. From there, the egg journeys through the tube to the uterus. If spermatozoa from the husband fertilize the egg (often in the fallopian tube), then the egg will implant in the wall of the uterus. Several hundred million spermatozoa are released from the male, but only a few thousand reach the woman’s body. If fertilization does not take place, then the egg continues to travel out of the body.

The definition of fertilization is the fusion of two distinctive cells into a totally unique DNA combination. Remember that DNA is what makes you specifically you. You are a unique blend of your father’s and your mother’s DNA. How many possible combinations of DNA can occur with fertilization? About 70 trillion. The only people that share the same DNA are identical twins (or other identical multiples). Most of us have at least seen a set of identical twins and know that although they may be incredibly alike in appearance, they are still very different in personality. Evolutionists like to say that this genetic variation enhances the survival of the population. I like to think that God makes us different so that we each can bring a unique talent and perspective in our relationships to God and to one another.

Normally, one sperm manages to fertilize one egg. When that one sperm gets through the outer barrier of the egg, the egg sends a chemical signal to shut out all the rest. However, there is the possibility of twins, or more. This happens in different ways. Identical twins occur when one egg is fertilized by one sperm, and afterwards, the cell splits into two. Fraternal twins occur when two eggs are released by the ovary and each is fertilized by a separate sperm. There is another possibility, called polar body twinning. This occurs when the egg splits prior to fertilization and two sperm fertilize the subsequent two eggs. These twins share 75 percent of their DNA and are sort of half-identical.

Sometime, after fertilization takes place, the brand new individual (currently a ball of cells) implants into the wall of the uterus. The placenta is a wondrous organ made by interlocking cells of the mother and child. The blood of the mother and that of the baby do not mix, but are separated by only a thousandth of a millimeter. Mother’s blood, hopefully rich in oxygen, water, and nutrients, releases this life-giving material across capillary walls into the capillaries of the fetus in the uterus, which then travel up through the umbilical cord and into the baby. Waste products from the baby are then released into the mother’s blood stream, where they exit her body along with her own wastes.

The period of time between fertilization and birth is usually nine months, divided into trimesters, each about three months in length. In the first trimester, cells become specialized, or differentiated. This means that a cell will permanently become a brain cell, or a liver cell, or maybe a cell on the skin of a toe. By the third week, these cells are forming into organs. The embryo becomes a fetus by the seventh week. By the second month, most of every major organ system is in place.

In the second trimester, the fetus increases in size and the bony part of the skeleton begins to form. The mother starts to feel the movement of her baby. During the last trimester the lungs and heart begin maturing in preparation for breathing air. Antibodies from the mother are transferred to the baby, conferring temporary immunity at birth.

After nine months comes the birth of the long awaited baby. This baby is the result of a combination of a genetic blueprint and what the mother puts into her body. Ellen White also said that fathers are a part of the responsibility of the physical and spiritual welfare of the unborn child. “[God] will enable her [the mother] to transmit to her offspring qualities that will help them to gain success in this life and to win eternal life. Fathers as well as mothers are involved in this responsibility, and they too should seek earnestly for divine grace that their influence may be such as God can approve. The inquiry of every father and mother should be, ‘What shall we do unto the child that shall be born?’ [Judges 13:8.] By many the effect of prenatal influence has been lightly regarded; but the instruction sent from heaven . . . shows how the matter is looked upon by the Creator.” The Signs of the Times, February 26, 1902.

Each of us is a wonder that God made and knew from the beginning. The Word tells us that our bodies are temples. Our loving Father gave us the choice to bring glory to Him by our thoughts and actions, made unique by our created individuality.

“With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought: they shall enter into the king’s palace. Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children, whom thou mayest make princes in all the earth. I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations: therefore shall the people praise thee for ever and ever.” Psalm 45:15–17.

Sheryle Beaudry, a certified teletriage nurse, writes from Estacada, Oregon where she lives with her husband and twin daughters. She may be contacted by e-mail at sbeaudryrn@hotmail.com.

Inspiration – The Crisis Imminent

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I am deeply exercised in mind in reference to the low standard of piety among our people. And when I think of the woes passed on Capernaum, I think of how much heavier will come the condemnation upon those who know the truth and have not walked according to the truth, but in the sparks of their own kindling. In the night seasons I am addressing the people in a very solemn manner, beseeching them to ask their own consciences; What am I? Am I a Christian, or am I not? Is my heart renewed? Has the transforming grace of God moulded my character? Are my sins repented of? Are they confessed? Are they forgiven? Am I one with Christ as he is one with the Father? Do I hate what I once loved? Do I now love what I once hated?

Do I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus? Do I feel I am the purchased possession of Jesus Christ, and that every hour I must consecrate myself to his service?

We are standing upon the threshold of great and solemn events. The whole earth is to be lightened with the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the channels of the great deep. Prophecies are being fulfilled, and stormy times are before us. Old controversies which have apparently been hushed for a long time will be revived, and new controversies will spring up; new and old will commingle, and this will take place right early. The angels are holding the four winds, that they shall not blow, until the specified work of warning is given to the world; but the storm is gathering, the clouds are loading, ready to burst upon the world, and to many it will be as a thief in the night.

Many smiled and would not believe when we told them, twenty and thirty years ago, that the Sunday would be urged upon all the world, and a law be made to compel its observance, and force conscience. We see it being fulfilled. All that God has said of the future will surely come to pass; not one thing will fail of all that he has spoken. Protestantism is now reaching hands across the gulf to clasp hands with [the] papacy, and a confederacy is being formed to trample out of sight the Sabbath of the fourth commandment; and the man of sin, who, at the instigation of Satan, instituted the spurious sabbath, this child of [the] papacy, will be exalted to take the place of God.

All heaven is represented to me as watching the unfolding of events. A crisis is to be revealed in the great and prolonged controversy in the government of God on earth. Something great and decisive is to take place, and that right early. If any delay, the character of God and his throne will be compromised. The armory of heaven is open; all the universe of God and its equipments are ready. One word has justice to speak, and there will be terrific representations upon the earth, of the wrath of God. There will be voices and thunderings and lightnings and earthquakes and universal desolation. Every movement in the universe of heaven is to prepare the world for the great crisis.

Intensity is taking possession of every earthly element; and as a people who have had great light and wonderful knowledge, many of them are represented by the five sleeping virgins with their lamps, but no oil in their vessels; cold, senseless, with a feeble, waning piety. While a new life is being diffused and is springing up from beneath and taking fast hold of all Satan’s agencies, preparatory to the last great conflict and struggle, a new light and life and power is descending from on high, and taking possession of God’s people who are not dead, as many now are, in trespasses and sins. The people who will now see what is soon to come upon us by what is being transacted before us, will no longer trust in human inventions, and will feel that the Holy Spirit must be recognized, received, presented before the people, that they may contend for the glory of God, and work everywhere in the byways and highways of life, for the saving of the souls of their fellow-men. The only rock that is sure and steadfast is the Rock of Ages. Those only who build on this Rock are secure.

Those who are carnally minded now, notwithstanding the warnings given of God in his word and through the testimonies of his Spirit, will never unite with the holy family of the redeemed. They are sensual, debased in thought, and abominable in the sight of God. They have never been sanctified through the truth. They are not partakers of the divine nature, have never overcome self and the world with its affections and lusts. These characters are all through our churches, and as the result the churches are weak and sickly and ready to die. There must be no indifferent testimony borne now, but a decided, pointed testimony, rebuking every impurity, and exalting Jesus. We must as a people be in the attitude of expectation, working and waiting and watching and praying.

This blessed hope of the second appearing of Christ needs to be presented often to the people, with its solemn realities; looking for the soon appearing of our Lord Jesus to come in his glory, will lead to the regarding of earthly things as emptiness and nothingness. All worldly honor or distinction is of no value, for the true believer lives above the world; his steps are advancing heavenward. He is a pilgrim and stranger. His citizenship is above. He is gathering the sunbeams of the righteousness of Christ into his soul, that he may be a burning and shining light in the moral darkness that has enshrouded the world. What vigorous faith, what lively hope, what fervent love, what holy, consecrated zeal for God is seen in him, and what a decided distinction between him and the world! “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” “Watch ye therefore, for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.” “Therefore be ye ready also; for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.” “Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments.” [Luke 21:36; Matthew 22:42; 24:44; Revelation 16:15.]

Special Testimony for our Ministers (1892), 37–40.

Will Thou Be Made Whole? Part I

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One concept that is essential to the principles of health is the intimate relationship between the spiritual and the physical. Those who are in medical missionary work need to understand this.

Owner’s Manual

The Bible is the greatest medical book that has ever been written. “Know ye that the Lord he is God: [it is] he [that] hath made us, and not we ourselves; [we are] his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” Psalm 100:3. There are two schools of thought in this world upon which hinge all other philosophies, thinking, and modalities—either creation or evolution. We believe that there is a Creator God. At the same time, since we believe that God is the author, the manufacturer, the producer, and the inventor of this fearfully and wonderfully made body of ours, then we realize also that He has given us an owner’s manual.

Every automobile that comes off the industrial line contains an owner’s manual. Would you think it logical for the Ford manufacturers to ask General Electric to produce the owner’s manuals for their automobiles? No, because General Electric did not make the product. The one who made the product is more knowledgeable about the product than anyone else. So if your car broke down, you would not consult General Electric. The same logic applies with the body. Since God made the body, He knows more about the body than anyone on the face of the earth. Those with whom He entrusted gifts of ministry should get their direction from Him.

Do you trust the preacher or anyone else with your salvation? No. So why should you trust anyone else with your health? Even though God raises up men and women to preach, to do Bible work, and to work in the medical field, He has not given them authority, absolute power, over you. We have a personal responsibility for our own lives. God has given us an owner’s manual. Its purpose is to give us instruction on how to operate the product—even how to troubleshoot the product if something happens.

Read the Instructions

Before I became a Christian, the hardest thing I had ever done was learning how to dribble a basketball. I did not know how to use a hammer; I thought beans grew in a can, until God thrust me into this work, out in the country. Then I told my wife that we were going to build a house. She looked at me like I was crazy, because we had never done anything like that before.

Once we built our house, I began to learn a little bit about electricity. I did not know too much, but I began to install some electrical apparatus. This particular product had an instruction sheet with numbered steps. I assumed that I knew how to put a red wire with a red wire, so I saw no need to read the instructions. I thought I did not have time to go through all of the fine print, and that I was intelligent enough to put it together, until I began to blow out circuit breakers and so forth. There is an old saying, “When all else fails, read the instructions.”

We have tried everything else, except God. God has given us an owner’s manual, and in that manual He has given us some very basic instructions. “Thy hands have made me and fashioned me: give me understanding, that I may learn thy commandments.” Psalm 119:73. It is one thing to have knowledge, but we also need understanding—the ability to apply what we know. Sometimes we get a lot of knowledge, but we become spiritually constipated. We get overloaded, and we are not able to share that which we have received. Once we get knowledge, we need to learn how to make the right application of that which we have received. If we do not do that, it is all wasted.

God has given us principles, laws, and with those He wants to give us understanding. These principles are trust, air, exercise, sunshine, rest, water, temperance, and nutrition. All of these anyone in this world can afford. They are so simple that we do not see their impact. In my 25 years as a medical missionary, these principles have been all that I use.

As Thy Soul Prospereth

There is a favorite text of many Christians that is quite significant. It says, “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” 111 John 2. Notice the phrase, “even as.” What does that mean? It means to the same extent, proportionate. That text tells us that, as we grow spiritually, our physical awareness and willingness to preserve the integrity of these bodies will develop proportionately. No one who walks in the Christian life and grows in grace will neglect the house that God built for the dwelling of His Holy Spirit. If we say we are spiritual yet we are not conscious of our health and the house in which we live, then there is something wrong with our spirituality. This text tells us that, as we learn to know God, we will become more conscientious about our bodies. Health is not an option; it is an integral part of our walk with Jesus. Keeping the Sabbath, eating the right things, drinking the right things, or wearing the right clothes will not save us, but these are evidences of our love for Jesus, of our relationship with God. If anyone says that health is just a matter of fact, something is wrong with his or her spiritual barometer!

Mental, Spiritual, Physical

You cannot separate the gospel from the health message. No ministry or church can be successful without the health message. The health message does not take the place of the gospel. It is the very means by which the gospel finds entrance into the heart. God wants us to become awakened to this health message. The Bible tells us that since we grow spiritually and our health grows proportionately, then we need to know what God wants us to be like.

God took dirt, and He exalted that dirt by making it into His image. From that dirt He formed a man into a specimen of Himself. We are nothing but dirt, but we have been exalted by God’s grace. With the molecules and the atoms that God placed into the earth, He constructed a house. “And the Lord God formed man [of] the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Genesis 2:7. Man is made up of three aspects: mental, spiritual, and physical. The social and emotional are inclusive in those three aspects.

Made Whole

Do you want to be made whole? That sounds very inviting. The Bible says, “There was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep [market] a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time [in that case], he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?” John 5:1–6.

What does it mean to be made whole? The Bible answers that question: “[Jesus] saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Mark 2:17. Wholeness is the very opposite of being sick. This wholeness not only involves the physical aspect, but the spiritual, because Jesus is associating repentance with wholeness. Most medical missionaries focus primarily on the physical, but no one can be physically well unless they realize what Jesus is saying in Mark and in Deuteronomy 6:5: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart [that is mental], and with all thy soul [that is spiritual], and with all thy might [that is physical].” Again the Bible validates that man is physical, mental, and spiritual.

We can define whole as being complete, entire, and total. The word salvation means to save—to preserve from destruction, to heal. “That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations.” Psalm 67:2. To heal, to make whole—Christ came to restore the whole person.

The Blueprint

There is a wonderful book that transformed my life 25 years ago, before I even knew who wrote it. Some of you are familiar with the book—it is called The Ministry of Healing. Another title for it is Health and Happiness. If you do not have the book, please get it. If you have it, blow the dust off of it and read and study it. It is the blueprint. Inspiration says that that book contains the wisdom of the Great Physician. (See Testimonies, vol. 9, 71.) On the very first page of the very first chapter in that book, we are given our example. Christ came to restore the whole man, to bring him health, to bring him peace, and to bring him a moral regeneration. Christ came to restore the whole person.

Whole or Holistic

“They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.” Matthew 9:12. Again Jesus raises the question, wilt thou be made whole? True health is wholeness. The New Age community uses the word wholeness too—they say holistic. The devil does not come up with anything original; he always counterfeits. He speaks enough truth mixed with his error to make it all error. In the New Age philosophy, we find that they believe man is a unity, that he is departmentalized—his spirit is over here, his mind is over there, and his body is somewhere else. God says man is not a unity, man is a unit; he is complete.

If the world has mental problems, they consult a psychiatrist. When a person is physically sick, they see a physician. When they have a spiritual problem, they go to a preacher for counsel. We know, in a general sense, people trust their minds to psychiatrists, their bodies to physicians, and their spirituality to preachers. Do these professionals agree with one another? No, not usually. That is why people are still sick, because they put their minds in one area, their bodies in another, and their spiritual lives in another. The doctor does not agree with the preacher, and the preacher does not agree with the doctor; the psychiatrist does not agree with either one—and we wonder why we are still incomplete.

A true minister will be a medical missionary. A true physician will be a preacher. “The minister will often be called upon to act the part of a physician. He should have a training that will enable him to administer the simpler remedies for the relief of suffering. Ministers and Bible workers should prepare themselves for this line of work; for in doing it, they are following the example of Christ. They should be as well prepared by education and practice to combat disease of the body as they are to heal the sin-sick soul by pointing to the great Physician.” Medical Ministry, 253. “The presenting of Bible principles by an intelligent physician will have great weight with many people. There is efficiency and power with one who can combine in his influence the work of a physician and of a gospel minister. His work commends itself to the good judgment of the people.” Counsels on Health, 546. Any preacher who is not a medical missionary cannot be as effective as he should, and a physician who incorporates the gospel in his work is more effective than without it.

Do you think that God would lead me to give you a Bible study only, when you are sitting there with a headache, or with tumors? No! Jesus is the primary example. His ministry was more involved with teaching and healing than with preaching. Preaching is only the beginning for a minister. His work is outside of the pulpit; it is with the people; it is in their homes. Jesus is our example.

Humanism

Let us return to the pool of Bethesda (John 5). Here was a pool of water with impotent folk lying around it. Think of yourself in this position. You are lying beside this pool with a debilitating disease, and you know that if you get into that pool you might be healed, if you are first once the angel stirs the water. If that were a reality, would you do it? Yes, many of you would. So if there were 1,000 people around that pool, it would mean that only the strongest survived. Because we are so desperate, when we take our eyes off of Jesus, the world presents something that we think is better. The pool of Bethesda is what I call the pool of human philosophy and the pool of human message.

Humanism leads us to believe that we can solve our own problems. We go to human beings; we can solve our financial problems; we can solve our marriage problems; and when we have children who are going astray, we do everything we can to try to solve their problems. We cry; we weep; and we wonder what we have done to fail them, instead of trusting them to the Lord. Wipe those tears away. If you have given them to God, He knows how to care for them. He had a child who went wild, so God can relate to us. The pool of Bethesda is humanism—trusting in self, trusting in man, trusting in man’s inventions.

The Bible tells us, “For thus saith the Lord, Thy bruise [is] incurable, [and] thy wound [is] grievous. [There is] none to plead thy cause, that thou mayest be bound up: thou hast no healing medicines.” Jeremiah 30:12, 13. Man has no healing medicines; even in the medical field there are no healing medicines. The medicines may give some temporary relief, but there is no true, healing medicine.

At our lifestyle center in Tennessee, the majority of our guests are cancer cases. Prior to a recent session, a friend of mine was desperate to attend. Over a year before she had been diagnosed with cancer. She had had a year to come to the lifestyle center, but she chose not to come; she decided to go the traditional medicine route. Yes, sometimes surgery might be necessary, but she went through chemotherapy and radiation, and now she was dying and wanting to come to the center. If we do not seek God, before we take human action, things do not work out; then we want God to perform a miracle for us. If He does not perform a miracle, then we say that His Plan did not work. There are no healing medicines.

“The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved. For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt; I am black;”—He is touched with the infirmities of every suffering soul—“astonishment hath taken hold on me. [Is there] no balm in Gilead; [is there] no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?” Jeremiah 8:20–22.

God Heals

Who makes you whole? “Peter said unto him, Aeneas, Jesus Christ maketh thee whole.” Acts 9:34. “I [am] the Lord that healeth thee.” Exodus 15:26. Keep this in mind, no matter what—God is the one who heals you.

I used to be a professional athlete. God had to get my attention, because I would not listen to Him, so He allowed King Arthur to rule my life. King Arthur is arthritis. I was diagnosed at the age of 17, and it lasted until I was 27. It ruined my career, but it kept me out of the United States Army during the Vietnam War, for which I am eternally grateful. I could not have lasted a week in boot camp. My knees and joints were so bad, even steroids did not work anymore, and I began to take street drugs just so I could continue playing basketball.

My team physician looked in my eyes and said, “Tom, you are a good basketball player, but you will never be able to overcome arthritis.” He was a medical doctor, so I accepted what he said. He told me, “You are going to be on drugs the rest of your life.” He also told me there was no known cause for it. As I look back on this I ask, How do you prescribe a remedy for something you do not understand? Sometimes the remedy is worse than the cure.

Different Team

But God got my attention, and He told me He wanted me to trade my basketball for a Bible. Instead of going down the hardwood court, He coached me to go up and down the earth court, to be on a team that will never lose. For 25 years I have been on that team, and I have the best Coach. The pay is wonderful, and the retirement plan is out of this world.

When I picked up the Word of God, I was not a Christian. I grew up in a single-parent Baptist home; and I had a very loving, Christian mother who instilled biblical principles in me. “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6. The child may go out of the way, but when he is old, he will return. My mother saw her youngest child return back to the Lord. I am 54 years of age; it has been 27 years, and I have no traces of arthritis. I realized that it was Jesus who had the answer to every disease, to every cause, when man did not know. I went first to the Word of God.

“And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and [I pray God] your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thessalonians 5:23. What does that say? Spirit, soul, and body. When we are talking about holy flesh, about this flesh becoming perfect, we are talking about this body becoming a fit vessel so that it can run the race. We are not going to get new bodies until Christ breaks the clouds of glory, but at the same time, that final church, the 144,000, will be health reformers. Each one of us has the privilege to be part of that elite group, whether we are young or old. God’s grace is sufficient. God said, “As thy days, [so shall] thy strength [be].” Deuteronomy 33:25.

No Healthy Sinners

Man is made up of three aspects—mental, physical, and spiritual. Jesus asks, “Wilt thou be made whole?” We cannot enjoy true physical health without mental and spiritual health. Many medical missionaries might do a little praying and talk a little about Jesus, enough to say they are Christians, but their whole focus is on the physical. Why is it that a man will gain the whole world and lose his soul? Why is it that a man can be healed of cancer of the body but still have cancer of the soul, so he dies, to just die again? God is not in the business of producing healthy sinners. I am not in the business, as a medical missionary, to get you well so that you can turn a gun on me. My point is this: The business of a medical missionary is to prepare people for eternity, and a Christian should not fear dying. If I have cancer, I am going to go God’s way, and if I die with cancer in the Lord, I have been victorious, because healing continues in the resurrection. If my focus is only on giving the person the physical therapy apart from the spiritual and mental, I have done nothing but contribute to Satan’s army.

Only God can teach us His true message. I thank God for the way that He led me. Before I read any other man’s book on health, I read the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy. I challenge every medical missionary to spend more time studying the principles from the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy, for then you have a barometer by which to interpret or decipher all of the other things that you read from other books. I challenge every medical missionary to go back to the Manual.

To be continued . . .

Thomas Jackson is a health evangelist and Director of Missionary Education and Evangelistic Training (M.E.E.T.) Ministry in Huntingdon, Tennessee. He may be contacted by e-mail at godsplan@meetministry.org or by telephone at 731-986-3518.

Unity Among God’s End-Time People

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From the beginning of time, it has been God’s ideal for His people to be united. It is one of the most important teachings of the Scriptures, being the paramount concern of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, even as He shrank from the horrors of the cross, just moments away. (See John 17.) But as we near the close of time, unity assumes more critical significance because of the perils confronting God’s true church. Here is how Inspiration states it: “As we approach the last crisis, it is of vital moment that harmony and unity exist among the Lord’s instrumentalities. The world is filled with storm and war and variance. Yet under one head—the papal power—the people will unite to oppose God in the person of His witnesses. This union is cemented by the great apostate.” Testimonies, vol. 7, 182.

It is therefore clearly essential for all who claim to be God’s children to earnestly consider how they might achieve the unity for which Jesus prayed. This is the purpose of this study. It is not designed to be exhaustive by any means but merely to stimulate thought and, hopefully, action in the right direction.

They May Be One

The first point we must consider, as we look at this topic, is what exactly is comprehended in the prayer of Jesus. What did He have in mind for His disciples when He prayed “that they may be one, even as we are one”? John 17:22. The Holy Spirit offers a clue through Ellen White: “In these first disciples was presented marked diversity. They were to be the world’s teachers, and they represented widely varied types of character. In order successfully to carry forward the work to which they had been called, these men, differing in natural characteristics and in habits of life, needed to come into unity of feeling, thought, and action. This unity it was Christ’s object to secure. To this end He sought to bring them into unity with Himself.” The Acts of the Apostles, 20.

Here we have a brief, yet profound, insight into God’s mind. All three levels of one’s character are comprehended in Jesus’ prayer for His people! He desired that they be united at the deepest level of thought and feeling, so they could demonstrate genuine outward unity of action. Anything short of this would be a counterfeit from the workshop of the enemy. It is alluded to in the first quote from volume 7 of the Testimonies above and is sometimes referred to as “confederacy,” which is a forced, superficial alliance binding otherwise incompatible parties, often for a very narrow objective. Once the objective is attained, the alliance usually breaks down. Commonly the domain of the political arena, such leagues are also seen in every apostate system of religion as well.

With Christian unity encompassing the very thoughts and feelings of individuals, it is not surprising that it is unattainable without perfection of character. This is why we are told:

“Unity is the sure result of Christian perfection.” The Sanctified Life, 85.

Now we have an explanation for the chaos we observe among God’s professed people. Perfection of character is still a distant, elusive goal for most of us! The reason for this sorry state is suggested in The Acts of the Apostles quote on the previous page—we are not united to Christ! No matter how spiritual we may appear to others, our separation from one another is an undeniable indicator of our separation from Jesus!

Unity not Uniformity

This excerpt also refers to another important point: Unity of thought, feeling, and action does not mean uniformity in every respect, as if we were clones of one another. The disciples of Jesus “presented marked diversity . . . [and] represented widely varied types of character.” The Acts of the Apostles, 20. Their unity was to be in spite of their differences. This may seem paradoxical, but it is in the study of this seeming inconsistency that we will find the solution to our own unity here at the end of time. Inspiration explains: “The unity that exists between Christ and His disciples does not destroy the personality of either. In mind, in purpose, in character, they are one, but not in person.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 5, 1148.

“The branches in the True Vine are the believers who are brought into oneness by connection with the Vine.

“The connection of the branches with one another and with the Vine constitutes them a unity, but this does not mean uniformity in everything. Unity in diversity is a principle that pervades the whole creation. While there is an individuality and variety in nature, there is a oneness in their diversity; for all things receive their usefulness and beauty from the same Source.” Ibid., 1143.

Now we must try and answer the difficult question, Where is the line where diversity becomes incompatible with unity? We turn again to the words of Inspiration. “Our minds do not all run in the same channel, and we have not all been given the same work. God has given to every man his work according to his several ability. There are different kinds of work to be done, and workers of varied capabilities are needed. If our hearts are humble, if we have learned in the school of Christ to be meek and lowly, we may all press together in the narrow path marked out for us.” Ibid., 1148.

“There is altogether too little of the love of Christ in the hearts of those who claim to believe the truth. While all their hopes are centered in Jesus Christ, while His Spirit pervades the soul, then there will be unity, although every idea may not be exactly the same on all points.” Counsels to Writers and Editors, 82.

These passages indicate that legitimate diversity may exist not only in the realm of responsibilities, abilities and talents, but in ideas as well. Unfortunately it is in accepting another person’s ideas that many Christians balk. They feel their own ideas superior, and if things are not according to their liking, they would rather not participate at all. For such individuals the Lord has strong counsel: “The spasmodic, fitful movements of some who claim to be Christians are well represented by the work of strong but untrained horses. When one pulls forward, another pulls back, and at the voice of their master one plunges ahead and the other stands immovable. If men will not move in concert in the great and grand work for this time, there will be confusion. It is not a good sign when men refuse to unite with their brethren and prefer to act alone. Let laborers take into their confidence the brethren who are free to point out every departure from right principles. If men wear the yoke of Christ, they can not pull apart; they will draw with Christ.” Testimonies, vol. 9, 258.

Unity Not Possible

However, we have not yet defined the line where diversity is so great that true unity is impossible. Again we must turn to the words of Divine Inspiration for counsel in this sensitive area. We find help in the history of the church of The Dark Ages. “There is no union between the Prince of light and the prince of darkness, and there can be no union between their followers. When Christians consented to unite with those who were but half converted from paganism, they entered upon a path which led further and further from the truth. . . . None understood so well how to oppose the true Christian faith as did those who had once been its defenders; and these apostate Christians, uniting with their half-pagan companions, directed their warfare against the most essential features of the doctrines of Christ.

“It required a desperate struggle for those who would be faithful to stand firm against the deceptions and abominations which were disguised in sacerdotal garments and introduced into the church. The Bible was not accepted as the standard of faith. The doctrine of religious freedom was termed heresy, and its upholders were hated and proscribed.

“After a long and severe conflict, the faithful few decided to dissolve all union with the apostate church if she still refused to free herself from falsehood and idolatry. They saw that separation was an absolute necessity if they would obey the word of God. They dared not tolerate errors fatal to their own souls, and set an example which would imperil the faith of their children and children’s children. To secure peace and unity they were ready to make any concession consistent with fidelity to God; but they felt that even peace would be too dearly purchased at the sacrifice of principle. If unity could be secured only by the compromise of truth and righteousness, then let there be difference, and even war.” The Great Controversy, 45.

Here we have an example of legitimate separation due to incompatible diversity. The church in the wilderness found it impossible to unite with those who were seeking to overthrow “the most essential features of the doctrines of Christ.” This is where they drew the line, and defended their stand with their blood. What is the lesson for us here? We must determine again “the most essential features of the doctrines” that define us as Seventh-day Adventists and be willing to die in their defense if necessary.

Essential Features

It is in the area of “the most essential features of our doctrines” that the wily devil has a trap laid out for the unwary. This trap explains the chaotic landscape of historic Adventism to date. It lies in the understanding of “the most essential features” of our faith. Each little group has its own list of doctrines, which it considers non-negotiable. Having convinced themselves that they are in the center of God’s will, they are smug in their isolationism. Numerous examples of deceptive reasoning may be cited that result in driving a wedge between brethren, creating division and discord. Clearly, this cannot be from God.

The question now is, How shall we solve the dilemma of this unfortunate standoff between members of the same faith? With each party claiming Spirit of Prophecy support, and refusing to budge, the task is daunting. It is the opinion of this author that harmony will never come about until two necessary criteria are fulfilled.

United With Christ

First, and most importantly, we must all be united with Jesus, as the following quote emphasizes:

“The secret of true unity in the church and in the family is not diplomacy, not management, not a superhuman effort to overcome difficulties—though there will be much of this to do—but union with Christ.” The Adventist Home, 179.

The need for this vertical union with Jesus all would readily agree to and even fervently pray for. But somehow horizontal unity still proves elusive, because consciously or otherwise, the blame for the lack of unity always seems to lie with those who happen to be outside an arbitrarily drawn circle. Rightly or wrongly, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” provides the universal justification for every separation. Amos 3:3.

Clearly, then, we need a more objective method of delineating the proper sized circle. This is the second criterion that must be fulfilled before God’s people can come into harmony. The circle must include everybody whom God, from His infallible perspective, would consider His true son or daughter, and exclude everyone else.

Elevated Importance

Where can we look for help in this regard? Surprisingly, to the experience of the church in 1888. Here, hidden beneath the surface, we find the divine solution to our dilemma. It will be recalled that the law in Galatians was at the heart of a contentious debate between A. T. Jones and E. J. Waggoner on the one hand, and the senior leadership of the church on the other. The leadership was decidedly of the opinion that if the new views were adopted, it would mean the end of the doctrinal orthodoxy of our faith. The old landmarks, they demurred, were in jeopardy. Fortunately, however, there was a living prophet around to give heaven’s assessment of the matter. The remark was made, about that famous dispute, “ ‘If our views of Galatians are not correct, then we have not the third angel’s message, and our position goes by the board; there is nothing to our faith.’

“I [Ellen White] said, ‘Brethren, here is the very thing I have been telling you. This statement is not true. It is an extravagant, exaggerated statement. If it is made in the discussion of this question I shall feel it my duty to set this matter before all that are assembled, and whether they hear or forbear tell them the statement is incorrect.

“The question at issue is not a vital question and should not be treated as such. The wonderful importance and magnitude of this subject has been exaggerated, and for this reason—through misconception and perverted ideas—we see the spirit that prevails at this meeting, which is unchristlike, and which we should never see exhibited among brethren. There has been a spirit of Pharisaism coming in among us which I shall lift my voice against wherever it may be revealed.’ ” Selected Messages, Book 3, 174, 175.

Notice that the leading brethren had elevated the importance of their views on Galatians to that of a “most essential feature” of our faith, even tying them with the third angel’s message. They had in effect constructed a circle so tightly that Jones and Waggoner, and Mrs. White too, were excluded. A major crisis was in the offing, threatening to split the church down the middle. But the Lord, speaking through His prophet, dismissed their fretting as mere hyperbole. They had seriously erred, not only in their understanding of Galatians, but as well in defining the old landmarks. These alone could properly constitute the line of separation.

Most Essential Features

Mrs. White then enumerated for us “the most essential features” of our faith, which were to demarcate true Adventism till the end of time. Here is that most important passage: “In Minneapolis God gave precious gems of truth to His people in new settings. This light from heaven by some was rejected with all the stubbornness the Jews manifested in rejecting Christ, and there was much talk about standing by the old landmarks. But there was evidence they knew not what the old landmarks were. There was evidence and there was reasoning from the word that commended itself to the conscience; but the minds of men were fixed, sealed against the entrance of light, because they had decided it was a dangerous error removing the old landmarks when it was not moving a peg of the old landmarks, but they had perverted ideas of what constituted the old landmarks.

“The passing of the time in 1844 was a period of great events, opening to our astonished eyes the cleansing of the sanctuary transpiring in heaven, and having decided relation to God’s people upon the earth, [also] the first and second angels’ messages and the third, unfurling the banner on which was inscribed, ‘The commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.’ One of the landmarks under this message was the temple of God, seen by His truth-loving people in heaven, and the ark containing the law of God. The light of the Sabbath of the fourth commandment flashed its strong rays in the pathway of the transgressors of God’s law. The nonimmortality of the wicked is an old landmark. I can call to mind nothing more that can come under the head of the old landmarks. All this cry about changing the old landmarks is all imaginary.” Counsels to Writers and Editors, 30.

The lesson for us is unmistakable: Not even an understanding of the law in Galatians, important as it may be, is to separate brother from brother, so long as each stays within the bounds circumscribed by the landmarks of our faith, of Adventism. The corollary is likewise equally clear: Not one peg of the landmark truths God has given us as a people, “the most essential features” of our faith, is to be moved or altered. This would constitute treason against heaven and provide legitimate grounds for separation.

God has thus spoken in language that we can understand. Woe to us, therefore, who are separating over the most trivial of matters. Matters that pose no threat whatsoever to the landmarks of our faith. We have been deceived by the enemy—a disgrace to God, and a laughing stock of the devil. How shall we stand in the judgment, and defend our decision to hold at arm’s length brethren who differ from us merely on a nonessential point?

Doing Satan’s Work

We might call to mind many points of difference, which have all been blown out of proportion to divide brothers. Each, boldly willing to battle and die for the same Advent message, is yet strangely unwilling to embrace the other. God forgive our hard spirits. Our frigid Pharasaism must be a stench in His nostrils. Notice how precisely we have fulfilled the following description of the work of Satan, who must surely be exulting in his unqualified success: “By our unity we are to bear strong, indisputable evidence that Christ came to this world to save sinners. Satan works with all his ingenuity to prevent human beings from bearing this evidence. He wants them to develop an unsanctified individuality so that they shall not love one another. Too often professing Christians yield to him, and then the merest trifle causes a difference to spring up among them. Men and women professing godliness build walls of separation between them and their fellow workers, because not all think in exactly the same way, or follow exactly the same methods. Those who stand apart, refusing to harmonize, dishonor God before the world.” The Upward Look, 271.

The challenge before us is inarguable: Shall we set aside our self-made differences, come into line and unite on the foundation God has laid for true Seventh-day Adventists? Or will we remain the pawns of Satan, and go our separate ways? How much greater would be the glory to God if we came together now, voluntarily, in times of relative quiet, than later when we are forced by circumstances to link arms for our very survival! From the perspective of the time of trouble it is hard to imagine that there will be a seperate cave for each group and their nonessential points! Assuredly, this is when only “the most essential features” of our faith will matter. Every other consideration will be swept aside as a nonessential. Let us today adopt the mindset of the time of trouble to aid us in rightly applying Amos 3:3. For too long we have dishonored God by loosely using this text to build unwarranted barriers. God grant us grace to this end for His own name’s sake! Amen.

[All emphasis supplied.]

Sudhir K. Pandit is a full-time physician in Hot Springs, Arkansas, specializing in internal medicine and cardiology. He is also leader of a home church in Bismarck, Arkansas, and with the help of faithful believers, operates the Madison-style “Green Pastures Home School and Orphanage” in India under the ministry name “Salute Ministries.” He may be contacted by e-mail at sudpan@earthlink.net.