What is a salvational issue? From the time that disobedience first entered the perfect and sinless Garden of Eden, man has been asking God that very question, in one form or another. In the sixteenth chapter of Acts, the Phillipian jailor asks of Paul and Silas, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” Do you remember their reply? “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” Acts 16:30, 31. Believe on Jesus and you shall be saved. That’s it. That’s all it takes. Jesus did it all for us. All we have to do is proclaim that Jesus is our Savior and we can go on with our lives as before—doing our own will, following our own inclination, living our lives for this world while claiming to be part of the next. Is that what Paul was saying? Is that what the Bible teaches? Surely not! Yet throughout the world you can hear this message proclaimed from the pulpits of many, many churches, both on Sabbath and Sunday.
James 2:19 says, “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: The devils also believe, and tremble.” Obviously James didn’t agree with the modern day “all you have to do is believe” preachers. Satan is very willing that the people would think they are Christians. “He is even anxious that they should believe in Jesus, His crucifixion, and His resurrection. Satan and his angels fully believe all this themselves, and tremble. But if this faith does not provoke to good works, and lead those who profess it to imitate the self-denying life of Christ, Satan is not disturbed; for they merely assume the Christian name, while their hearts are still carnal, and he can use them in his service even better than if they made no profession. Hiding their deformity under the name of Christian, they pass along with their unsanctified natures, and their evil passions unsubdued.” Early Writings, 227. No wonder Satan is so pleased with these “all you have to do is believe—peace and safety” messages. They allow and encourage people to think they are saved when truly they are lost and, through their unconverted, unsanctified actions, they are leading others to condemnation also.
In Matthew 19:16–21, we find the story of the rich young ruler. “And, behold, one came and said unto Him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life,” or what must I do to be saved? “And He said unto Him, Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.” “Christ did not lessen the claims of the law. In unmistakable language He presents obedience to it as the condition of eternal life—the same condition that was required of Adam before his fall. The Lord expects no less of the soul now than He expected of man in paradise, perfect obedience, unblemished righteousness.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 391.
“There are those who profess holiness, who declare that they are wholly the Lord’s, who claim a right to the promises of God, while refusing to render obedience to His commandments. These transgressors of the law claim everything that is promised to the children of God; but this is presumption on their part, for John tells us that true love for God will be revealed in obedience to all His commandments . . . John did not teach that salvation is to be earned by obedience; but that obedience is the fruit of faith and love.” Acts of the Apostles, 562, 563. “Doing, not saying merely, is expected of the followers of Christ. It is through action that character is built.” Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 149. We cannot earn salvation, but we are to seek for it with as much interest and perseverance as though we would abandon everything, in this world, for it.
The Yoke of Christ
“Today the invitation is given, ‘Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls.’ Matthew 28:28, 29. Christ has rest for all who will wear his yoke and learn His meekness and lowliness of heart. Here we are taught restraint and obedience, and in this we shall find rest. Thank God that in humility and obedience we shall find just that which we need so much—the rest that is found in faith and confidence and perfect trust. Let us take the yoke of Christ and in entire obedience draw with Him.” That I May Know Him, 293. “In accepting Christ’s yoke of restraint and obedience, you will find that it is of the greatest help to you. Wearing this yoke keeps you near the side of Christ, and he bears the heaviest part of the load.” Bible Commentary, vol. 5, 1090–1092. His yoke is indeed easy and His burden, light. When we work with the Lord, when we take His yoke upon us, His wisdom and strength are ours. There is nothing we will be called upon to do, no trial we will have to endure, that has the power to overcome us if we are wearing His yoke of service. Obedience will be a joy, sacrifice a blessing.
“Little” Sins
“If you love Me, keep My commandments.” This simple statement, recorded in John 14:15, is actually a very broad and far reaching command. “It is one of Satan’s most successful devices, to lead men to the commission of little sins, to blind the mind to the danger of little indulgences, little digressions from the plainly stated requirements of God. Many who would shrink with horror from some great transgression, are led to look upon sin in little matters as of trifling consequence. But these little sins eat out the life of godliness in the soul.” Bible Commentary, vol. 2, 1017. “In these little matters, some do not think it necessary to be so very exact, but this is the deception of Satan.” Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 325. “Every act of life is a revelation of character.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 218.
Satan need not attack the whole law; “if he can lead men to disregard just one precept, his purpose is gained.” Desire of Ages, 763. “It is not the greatness of the act of disobedience that constitutes sin, but the fact of variance from God’s expressed will in the least particular; for this shows that there is yet communion between the soul and sin. The heart is divided in its service. There is a virtual denial of God, a rebellion against the laws of His government.” Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 51. When we love someone, we try to remember the little things. That’s why people who love the Lord don’t complain about the little things. You’ll hear people say “Diet is such a little thing,” or “The length of my dress is such a little thing.” When you love someone, it’s the little things that count. The big things take care of themselves if you’re diligent about the little things. “The work of the enemy is not abrupt; it is not sudden at the outset, and startling; it is a secret undermining of the strongholds of principle. It begins in apparently small things—the neglect to be true to God and to rely upon Him wholly, the disposition to follow the customs and practices of the world.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 717. “The importance of the little things is often underrated because they are small, but they supply much of the actual discipline of life.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 356. “Be careful how you build and what kind of material you put into the building. The characters you are now forming will be lasting as eternity.” Adventist Home, 297.
A Last Day People
We are living in the very last days of earth’s history. In Matthew 24, Jesus is speaking to His disciples on the Mount of Olives. They had asked Him about the Second Coming. In the verses that follow He tells them of the things that will happen in the last days. “Many shall come in My name . . . and deceive many . . . wars and rumors of wars . . . nation shall rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom . . . famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes . . . false prophets shall rise, and deceive many . . . this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations . . . there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” Matthew 24: 5–7, 11, 14, 24. This chapter reads like today’s newspaper, doesn’t it?
In Matthew 24:32, 33, we read the parable of the fig tree. It’s a short story, compared to some of the others in Scripture—just 2 verses—but the message is clear. “Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when you shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.” In verse 42, it states the lesson of the parable: “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.”
Do we believe we are living in the last days? Do we think that Jesus is coming back soon? In our lifetime? Do our lives testify to this belief? When people look at us, can they tell what time it is? Does the way we live our lives show that we believe that Jesus could return today? This hour? This minute? Are we living up to all the light we have been given? What is the purpose of having an end-time prophet and end-time prophecies if we are not going to listen in an end-time crisis? Amos 3:7 states, “Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth His secret unto His servants the prophets.” God provides the knowledge, it is our decision whether to accept or reject it. And we are held accountable for the choice we make. The only way that Satan can blind us is if we refuse to believe truth when it comes.
There are those who hear God’s Word and give some mental agreement to it, but delay action—they say to themselves, “Some day I’m going to do it.” Choosing to obey tomorrow means you’re choosing to live in sin today. In 2 Corinthians 4: 3–4 it says, “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” If God says to do it, and if we refuse to, then Satan can come in with darkness.
Conviction and Conversion
We like to read those verses that back us up, but those that take away our sweet little darling sins we decide, “I don’t believe that.” Satan cannot blind us if we make a habit of walking in the light as it is revealed. When we read something in the Bible or the Spirit of Prophecy and don’t follow the counsel, we often say it’s because “I’m not convicted on it.” Usually it’s not conviction we’re lacking, but conversion. When God speaks, that settles it, for a Christian! When we read from God’s inspired Word, it’s not up to us to try to reason it out, and question why, before we obey.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts, saith the Lord.” Isaiah 55:9. Did Abram ask questions when God told him to leave his home and go to some unrevealed lands? Did Noah say, “Well, I don’t know, God. I’m going to need a little more information about this rain situation before I start building the ark. I’m just not convicted about this yet.” If we wait until all doubts are removed, we will always have unbelief. There will always be room for doubt; that’s where faith comes in. “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1.
There is great danger in “waiting for conviction.” Each time we go against the Holy Spirit, each repetition, makes it easier to yield the next time. Every repetition of sin lessens our power of resistance, blinds our eyes, and stifles conviction. Patriarchs and Prophets, 268. The word stifle means, “to suppress, to smother, to suffocate.” Did you notice the progression there? Suppress, smother, suffocate. While we continue in sin, “waiting for conviction,” we grieve the Holy Spirit and eventually harden our hearts against Him.
What are Nonessentials?
Sometimes you will hear people say, “It’s not a salvational issue”. “In the sight of Omnipotence, every duty is important.” Messages to Young People, 148. “In the life of a true Christian, there are no non-essentials.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 356. It is the work of Satan to make plausible excuses for not obeying God implicitly. “Many close their eyes to the plainest teachings of His Word . . . They hesitate and question and search for some excuse whereby they may disregard the light. Satan is ever ready to present to them reasons why it would not be best to obey the Word of God just as it reads. The soul is fatally deceived.” Faith and Works, 42. Many times, when we read something that condemns one of our pet sins, we search the Scriptures looking for a “balancing statement,” or something that appears to allow us to do as pleases us. If we are searching for a “balancing statement,” doesn’t that imply that the Scripture we have read is unbalanced? Surely none of us believe that!
Recently I heard, mentioned in a sermon, an excuse we often hear and/or use: “I just don’t see it yet.” “In deciding upon any course of action, we are not to ask whether we can see that harm will result from it but whether it is in keeping with the will of God.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 634. You have heard people say, “It is not a test of fellowship.” This is usually when speaking about a standard the Adventist Church does not require to be met before baptism, such as vegetarianism. We have been told that “the very last great deception of Satan will be to make of none effect the testimony of the Spirit of God.” Selected Messages, vol. 1, 48. Let us not have a part in this deception by allowing Satan to provide us with excuses that encourage us to ignore a plain “thus saith the Lord.”
We have a job to do. “The work that the Lord has given us at this time is to present to the people the true light in regard to the testing questions of obedience and salvation—the commandments of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Ibid., 165. “It should be understood that perfect unity among the laborers is necessary to the successful accomplishment of the work of God . . . Study the second chapter of Acts. In the early Church the Spirit of God wrought mightily through those who were harmoniously united. On the day of Pentecost, they were all with one accord in one place.” Testimonies, vol. 9, 196. Unity of believers is vital to the work we have to do in these last days. The only way we are going to achieve unity is through individual daily conversion and surrender to the will and ways of the Lord. “The reason for all division, discord and difference is found in separation from Christ.” Selected Messages, vol. 1, 259.
Disregarding Light
The prophet wrote, “The subject of health reform has been presented in the churches; but the light has not been heartily received. The selfish, health-destroying indulgences of men and women have counteracted the influence of the message that is to prepare a people for the great day of God . . . If the churches disregard the light on this subject, they will reap the sure result in both spiritual and physical degeneracy. And the influence of these older church members will leaven those newly come to the faith. The Lord does not now work to bring many souls to the truth because of the church members who have never been converted, and those who were once converted and have backslidden. What influence would these unconsecrated members have on new converts? Would they not make of no effect the God-given message which His people have to bear?” Counsels on Diets and Foods, 455.
When we disregard the light we’ve been given, whatever the reason, we not only risk our own salvation but we create disunity and discord among church members and hinder the work we are called of God to do. As Christians, our actions should always reveal the grace that God has given us and His love within our heart. There are really no nonessentials in the Christian’s life; no “ifs” in God’s requirements; His word is “Yea” and “Amen.”
“Do you ask, what shall I do to be saved? You must lay your preconceived opinions, your hereditary and cultivated ideas, at the door of investigation. If you search the Scriptures to vindicate your own opinions, you will never reach the truth. Search in order to learn what the Lord says. If conviction comes as you search, if you see that your cherished opinions are not in harmony with the truth, do not misinterpret the truth in order to suit your own belief, but accept the light given. Open mind and heart that you may behold wondrous things out of God’s Word.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 112. What must I do to be saved? It’s a question of eternal consequence. We should ask it each day, on our knees, with our heart open to receive the reply.
The End