Issue: 2016 March

Q & A – What Does it mean to be “dead” and your “life is hid” in Christ?

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You must be referring to Colossians 3:3: “For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.”

We are told: “The soul that loves God, rises above the fog of doubt; he gains a bright, broad, deep, living experience, and becomes meek and Christ-like. His soul is committed to God, hid with Christ in God.

  • He will be able to stand the test of neglect, of abuse and contempt, because his Saviour has suffered all this.
  • He will not become fretful and discouraged when difficulties press him, because Jesus did not fail or become discouraged.

Every true Christian will be strong, not in the strength and merit of his good works, but in the righteousness of Christ, which through faith is imputed unto him. It is a great thing to be meek and lowly in heart, to be pure and undefiled, as was the Prince of heaven when he walked among men.” The Review and Herald, December 3, 1889.

The following may also help to answer your question: “In the night season I was in a company of people whose hearts were filled with vanity and conceit. Christ was hid from their eyes. Suddenly in loud, clear accents, the words were heard, ‘Jesus is coming to take to Himself those who on this earth have loved and served Him, to be with Him in His kingdom forever.’ Many of those in the company went forth in their costly apparel to meet Him. They kept looking at their dress. But when they saw His glory, and realized that their estimation of one another had been so largely measured by outward appearance, they knew that they were without the robe of Christ’s righteousness, and that the blood of souls was on their garments.

“When Christ took His chosen ones, they were left; for they were not ready. In their lives self had been given the first place, and when the Saviour came, they were not prepared to meet Him.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 81.

“I awoke with the picture of their agonized countenances stamped on my mind. I cannot efface the impression. I wish I could describe the scene as it was presented to me. Oh, how sad was the disappointment of those who had not learned by experience the meaning of the words, ‘Ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God’ (Colossians 3:3).” Ibid.

[All emphasis added.]

Inspiration – The Reward of Earnest Effort

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If any man’s work abide, … he shall receive a reward” (I Corinthians 3:14). Glorious will be the reward bestowed when the faithful workers gather about the throne of God and of the Lamb. When John in his mortal state beheld the glory of God, he fell as one dead; he was not able to endure the sight. But when the children of God shall have put on immortality, they will “see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2). They will stand before the throne, accepted in the Beloved. All their sins have been blotted out, all their transgressions borne away. Now they can look upon the undimmed glory of the throne of God. They have been partakers with Christ in His sufferings, they have been workers together with Him in the plan of redemption, and they are partakers with Him in the joy of seeing souls saved in the kingdom of God, there to praise God through all eternity.

My brother, my sister, I urge you to prepare for the coming of Christ in the clouds of heaven. Day by day cast the love of the world out of your hearts. Understand by experience what it means to have fellowship with Christ. Prepare for the judgment, that when Christ shall come, to be admired in all them that believe, you may be among those who will meet Him in peace. In that day the redeemed will shine forth in the glory of the Father and the Son. The angels, touching their golden harps, will welcome the King and His trophies of victory—those who have been washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb. A song of triumph will peal forth, filling all heaven. Christ has conquered. He enters the heavenly courts, accompanied by His redeemed ones, the witnesses that His mission of suffering and sacrifice has not been in vain.

The resurrection and ascension of our Lord is a sure evidence of the triumph of the saints of God over death and the grave, and a pledge that heaven is open to those who wash their robes of character and make them white in the blood of the Lamb. Jesus ascended to the Father as a representative of the human race, and God will bring those who reflect His image to behold and share with Him His glory.

There are homes for the pilgrims of earth. There are robes for the righteous, with crowns of glory and palms of victory. All that has perplexed us in the providences of God will in the world to come be made plain. The things hard to be understood will then find explanation. The mysteries of grace will unfold before us. Where our finite minds discovered only confusion and broken promises, we shall see the most perfect and beautiful harmony. We shall know that infinite love ordered the experiences that seemed most trying. As we realize the tender care of Him Who makes all things work together for our good, we shall rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.

Pain cannot exist in the atmosphere of heaven. In the home of the redeemed there will be no tears, no funeral trains, no badges of mourning. “The inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity” (Isaiah 33:24). One rich tide of happiness will flow and deepen as eternity rolls on.

We are still amidst the shadows and turmoil of earthly activities. Let us consider most earnestly the blessed hereafter. Let our faith pierce through every cloud of darkness and behold Him who died for the sins of the world. He has opened the gates of paradise to all who receive and believe on Him. To them He gives power to become the sons and daughters of God. Let the afflictions which pain us so grievously become instructive lessons, teaching us to press forward toward the mark of the prize of our high calling in Christ (Philippians 3:14). Let us be encouraged by the thought that the Lord is soon to come. Let this hope gladden our hearts. “Yet a little while, and He that shall come will come, and will not tarry” (Hebrews 10:35–37). Blessed are those servants who, when their Lord comes, shall be found watching.

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.

It will not be long till we shall see Him in Whom our hopes of eternal life are centered. And in His presence, all the trials and sufferings of this life will be as nothingness. “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and He that shall come will come, and will not tarry” (verses 35–37). Look up, look up, and let your faith continually increase. Let this faith guide you along the narrow path that leads through the gates of the city of God into the great beyond, the wide, unbounded future of glory that is for the redeemed. “Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh” (James 5:7, 8).

Testimonies for the Church, vol. 9, 285–288.

Keys to the Storehouse – What is Your Delight

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There is Nero, that monster of cruelty and vice, beholding the joy and exaltation of those whom he once tortured, and in whose extremist anguish he found Satanic delight. His mother is there to witness the result of her own work; to see how the evil stamp of character transmitted to her son, the passions encouraged and developed by her influence and example, have borne fruit in crimes that caused the world to shudder.” The Story of Redemption, 424.

“Martin Luther [was] zealous, ardent, and devoted, knowing no fear but the fear of God, and acknowledging no foundation for religious faith but the Holy Scriptures, Luther was the man for his time; through him, God accomplished a great work for the reformation of the church and the enlightenment of the world.” Ibid., 340.

We are told that, “Above everything else he delighted in the study of God’s word. He had found a Bible chained to the convent wall, and to this he often repaired.” Ibid., 341.

“Now, for the first time, he looked upon the whole Bible. With mingled awe and wonder he turned the sacred pages; with quickened pulse and throbbing heart he read for himself the words of life, pausing now and then to exclaim, ‘Oh, if God would give me such a book for my own!’ ” Ibid., 340.

What is your delight?

Adam and Eve “were charmed [delighted] with the little songsters around them, wearing their bright yet graceful plumage, and warbling forth their happy, cheerful music. The holy pair united with them and raised their voices in harmonious songs of love, praise, and adoration to the Father and His dear Son for the tokens of love which surrounded them. They recognized the order and harmony of creation, which spoke of wisdom and knowledge that were infinite. Some new beauty and additional glory of their Eden home they were continually discovering, which filled their hearts with deeper love and brought from their lips expressions of gratitude and reverence to their Creator.” Ibid., 22, 23.

“She [Eve] ate, and was delighted with the [forbidden] fruit. It seemed delicious to her taste, and she imagined that she realized in herself the wonderful effects of the fruit.” Ibid., 35.

Do you delight in what is forbidden?

“He [Satan] had delighted to control so powerful a race, and wished them to live to practice their abominations, and increase their rebellion against the God of heaven.” Ibid., 67.

What is your delight?

  • Is it satanic delight like Nero, watching wickedness, suffering, death in movies?
  • Is it studying God’s word and sharing it as Luther did?
  • Is it delight in God’s creation?
  • Is it delight in taking part in things that God’s word has forbidden?
  • Is it taking delight in control of people and things?
  • Or do you delight yourself in the Lord?

Do you honestly know the true desire of your own heart?

God’s word says, “Delight thyself also in the Lord and He shall give thee the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). [All emphasis added.]

Father: I do not want any of the devil’s attributes. Oh, what a terrible thing to be like Nero who delighted in watching wickedness and suffering. Remove any such delight from my heart and replace it with a heart like Jesus’, full of heavenly love. Help me to turn away from earthly pleasures and delight in the things pertaining to heaven. Amen.

Current Events – Time to Bury the Hatchet

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“The storm is coming, relentless in its fury. Are we prepared to meet it?”

Testimonies, vol. 8, 315

It is the purpose of the church to combine religion with the state in order to control the consciences of the people. Protestant Christians should look at their roots and ask themselves what the protest of the middle ages was about and whether or not it has been resolved since that time. There has been a change over time in the beliefs of the Protestant world. Today, through ecumenism Protestant churches have incorporated into their beliefs Roman Catholic doctrines that they once protested.

Rome’s Holy Year of Mercy which opened on December 8, 2015 is presented as creating an opportunity for the world to look upon the pope as a holy man as he is portrayed kneeling before the confessional.

The pope said, “I have chosen the date of 8 December because of its rich meaning in the recent history of the Church. In fact, I will open the Holy Door on the fiftieth anniversary of the closing of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council. …

“The Catholic Church, as she holds high the torch of Catholic truth at this Ecumenical Council, wants to show herself a loving mother to all; patient, kind, moved by compassion and goodness toward her separated children.”

Extraordinary Jubilee

The pope has “proclaimed an Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy as a special time for the Church, a time when the witness of believers might grow stronger and more effective. www.news.va/en/news/presentation-of-the-extraordinary-julilee-of-mercy

Indulgences, though this time not sold, are being offered to relieve the punishment of sins forgiven, but it should be remembered that it was the selling of indulgences that triggered the Reformation.

What can we expect in 2017?

In 2008 Jesuit Professor Eduard Kimman, then time General Secretary of the Netherlands Bishop’s Conference, proclaimed that there remains hardly any reason to remain a Protestant. He saw Protestantism as an action group that forgot to dissolve itself and a group that had not recognized the significance of a global, visible leadership personality such as that of the pope. Moreover, he stated that he doubted that the Reformation would still exist after 2017 (the year when Protestantism commemorates its 500th year of existence) and Protestantism, he said should return to the mother church.

Lutherans and Catholics Bury the Hatchet for Reformation’s 500th Anniversary

“The Vatican and the Lutheran World Federation released a joint document, From Conflict to Communion, in Geneva that said there is little purpose in dredging up centuries-old conflicts.

“In the document, the two churches recognize that in the age of ecumenism and globalization, the celebration requires a new approach focusing on a reciprocal admission of guilt and on highlighting the progress made by the Lutheran-Catholic dialogue over the past 50 years. …

“The document re-examines the history of the Reformation and the split it created, stressing that Luther ‘had no intention of establishing a new church, but was part of a broad and many-faceted desire for reform’ within the church.

“ ‘The fact that the struggle for this truth in the 16th century led to the loss of unity in Western Christendom belongs to the dark pages of church history,’ the document says. ‘In 2017, we must confess openly that we have been guilty before Christ of damaging the unity of the church.’

“After caricaturing each other’s beliefs for centuries, an honest theological confrontation between the two sides began after the modernizing reforms of the Catholic church’s Second Vatican Council (1962–65), the document says.

“It stresses that, thanks to the ecumenical dialogue of recent decades, Lutherans and Catholics ‘have come to acknowledge that more unites than divides them.’ ” http://ncronline.org/news/lutherans-and-catholics-bury-hatchet-reformations-500th

God’s Plan to Redeem Man

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“ ‘And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, “These things says He Who is holy, He Who is true, ‘He Who has the key of David, He Who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens’: “I know your works. See, I have put before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.” ’ ”

Revelation 3:7, 8 NJKV

“The central theme of the Bible, the theme about which every other in the whole book clusters, is the redemption plan, the restoration in the human soul of the image of God. … The burden of every book and every passage of the Bible is the unfolding of this wondrous theme—man’s uplifting—the power of God, ‘Which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.’ I Corinthians 15:57 KJV “He who grasps this thought … has the key that will unlock to him the whole treasure house of God’s word.” Education, 126

Judas did not understand the “unfolding” of the new covenant. He did not understand that the purpose of Jesus’ mission was indeed to give His life, to die for the forgiveness of sins, to shed His blood to ratify the covenant, and to provide the blood necessary for the opening of the “true tabernacle” in heaven. Judas did not study the Scriptures of his day, the Old Testament Scriptures, in the framework of the new covenant. He did not study each passage seeking to know what God was trying to teach in that passage about the “unfolding” of the plan of redemption.

There is a significant and very serious parallel to this situation in our day. We know that the Jewish nation as a whole did not have the understanding of Christ’s purpose. We are told in Inspiration what was the result. “Since the whole ritual economy was symbolical of Christ, it had no value apart from Him. When the Jews sealed their rejection of Christ by delivering Him to death, they rejected all that gave significance to the temple and its services. Its sacredness had departed. It was doomed to destruction. From that day sacrificial offerings and the service connected with them were meaningless. Like the offering of Cain, they did not express faith in the Saviour. In putting Christ to death, the Jews virtually destroyed their temple. When Christ was crucified, the inner veil of the temple was rent in twain from top to bottom, signifying that the great final sacrifice had been made, and that the system of sacrificial offerings was forever at an end.” The Desire of Ages, 165.

“ ‘In three days I will raise it up’ (John 2:19 NKJV). … By virtue of His death and resurrection He became the minister of the ‘true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man’ (Hebrews 8:2) …

“The sacrificial service that had pointed to Christ passed away; but the eyes of men were turned to the true sacrifice for the sins of the world. The earthly priesthood ceased; but we look to Jesus, the minister of the new covenant, and ‘to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.’ … ‘by His own blood He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us’ (Hebrews 12:24; 9:8–12).” Ibid., 165, 166.

“The Jews who rejected the light given at Christ’s first advent, and refused to believe on Him as the Saviour of the world, could not receive pardon through Him. When Jesus at His ascension entered by His own blood into the heavenly sanctuary to shed upon His disciples the blessings of His mediation, the Jews were left in total darkness to continue their useless sacrifices and offerings. The ministration of types and shadows had ceased. That door by which men had formerly found access to God was no longer open. The Jews had refused to seek Him in the only way whereby He could then be found, through the ministration in the sanctuary in heaven. Therefore they found no communion with God. To them the door was shut. They had no knowledge of Christ as the true sacrifice and the only mediator before God; hence they could not receive the benefits of His mediation.” The Great Controversy, 430.

There was another major change 170 years ago, another shift or move in this great “unfolding” of the new covenant. And just as had occurred with the Jews, a misunderstanding will cause many to be lost. On October 22, 1844, a door was opened, and another, a different door, was shut. Revelation 3:7, 8 says, “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: He Who is holy, Who is true, Who has the key of David, Who opens and no one will shut, and Who shuts and no one opens, says this: ‘I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name.’ ” Jesus moved from the holy place of the heavenly sanctuary to the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary—the sanctuary of the new covenant in heaven. As He left the holy place, He closed that door. No one has access to Jesus through that door any more. When that door was closed, a new door was opened, the door to the most holy place. We must understand the difference between Christ’s ministration in the holy place and that in the most holy place.

“Those who, with a knowledge of the truth from the Scriptures, had also the Spirit and grace of God, and who, in the night of their bitter trial, had patiently waited, searching the Bible for clearer light—these saw the truth concerning the sanctuary in heaven and the Saviour’s change in ministration, and by faith they followed Him in His work in the sanctuary above. And all who through the testimony of the Scriptures accept the same truths, following Christ by faith as He enters in before God to perform the last work of mediation, and at its close to receive His kingdom—all these are represented as going in to the marriage.” The Great Controversy, 427, 428.

Let’s read a little stronger description between these two classes of people—those who followed and those who did not. The setting is a vision in which God the Father and Jesus move from the holy place to the most holy for the investigative judgment as described, among other places, in Daniel 7:9, 10, 13. The Father has already arisen, left the holy place and moved to the most holy place. Then Jesus arises, and we continue reading from Inspiration, “Those who arose when Jesus did kept their eyes fixed on Him as He left the throne and led them out a little way. Then He raised His right arm, and we heard His lovely voice saying, ‘Wait here; I am going to My Father to receive the kingdom; keep your garments spotless, and in a little while I will return from the wedding and receive you to Myself.’ Then a cloudy chariot, with wheels like flaming fire, surrounded by angels, came to where Jesus was. He stepped into the chariot and was borne to the holiest, where the Father sat. … Those who rose up with Jesus would send up their faith to Him in the holiest, and pray, ‘My Father, give us Thy Spirit.’ Then Jesus would breathe upon them the Holy Ghost. In that breath was light, power, and much love, joy, and peace.

“I turned to look at the company who were still bowed before the throne; they did not know that Jesus had left it. Satan appeared to be by the throne, trying to carry on the work of God. I saw them look up to the throne, and pray, ‘Father, give us Thy Spirit.’ Satan would then breathe upon them an unholy influence; in it there was light and much power, but no sweet love, joy, and peace. Satan’s object was to keep them deceived and to draw back and deceive God’s children.” Early Writings, 55, 56.

My friends, if we want to avoid thinking we are praying to God, when in reality we are praying to Satan, we must understand Jesus’ change of ministration described in these paragraphs. What we must understand is something that we cannot see, touch, feel, hear; it is principles and ideas, concepts that we must understand. There is a clear and distinct difference between Jesus’ ministration in the holy place, and His ministration in the most holy place. This is taught and exemplified in the services of the earthly sanctuary. We are going to briefly study what Jesus’ ministration was in the holy place of the new covenant sanctuary in heaven, and what is His ministration in the most holy place of that same sanctuary.

Remember, understanding these concepts is the difference between praying to the God of heaven, and praying to Satan—the difference between eternal life, and eternal death.

In the holy place Jesus was doing four things:

  1. pleading His blood before the Father in behalf of repentant sinners
  2. presenting before the Father with the precious fragrance of His own righteousness, the prayers of penitent believers
  3. securing their pardon with the Father
  4. securing their acceptance with the Father

These four things Jesus continues in His ministration in the most holy place for individuals whose records have not been examined. But in addition, there is a very important and critical change that took place when He moved from the holy to the most holy place. This is the work of the final atonement and investigative judgment, the blotting out of the confessed sins of His true followers, the ones who, through faith in His new covenant have not only confessed their sins and had their records cleansed, but have also gained the victory over sin.

These individuals are the “wise virgins” of Matthew 25; they are the “saints” of Revelation 14:12; they are the faithful church of Philadelphia.

This is such a critical understanding. Not a one of us knows when our record is going to come up in review. If your record is reviewed while you are still lingering in sin, at that point it is all over; it is too late to change. There will be no second chance, no other opportunity.

In addition, there is going to be a period of time after the close of probation when God’s true followers will still be on this wicked, sinful earth, which is still under the usurped dominion of Satan, the archenemy of God. Are you ready? Are you pleading with the Saviour for power to develop the character required in order to stand in that day? Inspiration tells us: “Through the grace of God and their own diligent effort they must be conquerors in the battle with evil. While the investigative judgment is going forward in heaven, while the sins of penitent believers are being removed from the sanctuary, there is to be a special work of purification, of putting away of sin, among God’s people upon earth.” This is so critical at this point in time because God’s true followers, after the close of probation must “stand in the sight of a holy God without a mediator.” The Great Controversy, 425.

This truth about Christ’s ministration in the most holy place concerning confession and overcoming is absolutely critical to understand. If we limit our understanding of Christ’s ministration to a holy place message, to only that of Christ’s pleading His blood before the Father in behalf of repentant sinners, presenting before the Father the prayers of penitent believers, of His securing pardon and acceptance with the Father, we will not complete the vital preparation needed.

The importance of acquiring this knowledge is shown in the services of the sanctuary on earth. “In the service of the earthly sanctuary, which, as we have seen, is a figure of the service in the heavenly, when the high priest on the Day of Atonement entered the most holy place, the ministration in the first apartment ceased. God commanded: ‘There shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when He goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place, until He come out’ (Leviticus 16:17). So when Christ entered the holy of holies to perform the closing work of the atonement, He ceased His ministration in the first apartment.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 428, 429.

For the Israelites it was a physical presence that was forbidden in the holy place. For us it is the understanding of the difference in ministration, and making sure that our sins are confessed, and that we gain the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:57). This is stated very clearly in The Great Controversy, 430, where it says, “It is those who by faith follow Jesus in the great work of the atonement, who receive the benefits of His mediation in their behalf, while those who reject the light which brings to view this work of ministration, are not benefited thereby.”

Oh, my friends, our time on this earth is truly running out. This “unfolding” of the new covenant is almost complete. Have you studied the Word through the lens of the new covenant? Do you understand the events in their order? Do you know where Jesus is, what He is doing, and how that relates to your life?

Stupendous events are just ahead of us. We must understand them if our desire is to not betray our Lord. Today, choose to “be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15 NKJV). How do we do that? We study one passage until its significance is clear to our mind and its relation to the plan of salvation is evident. May God and the Holy Spirit be your teacher and your guide as you seek to obey His will in the study of His Word in preparation for the closing scenes of this mighty and marvelous new covenant.

Brenda Douay is a staff member at Steps to Life. She may be contacted by email at: brendadouay@stepstolife.org.

God’s Promises

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Recently I chanced to run across this little bit of expression from some disappointed and disillusioned heart. It had been scrolled in a place where others could read it.

“In the dark I light a match and
watch it fight for existence,

But it will never win

and I again sit in darkness.”

What a picture of hopelessness. As I was thinking about it my mind went to the expression in Isaiah the 8th chapter, one of the chapters dealing especially with our time. The closing lines as translated by Moffatt read: “They shall roam through the land, hard pressed and hungry, hunger driving them to rage, … they shall gaze up to heaven, and look round upon earth, only to see distress and darkness, anguish and utter gloom—poor waifs of men!” Moffatt Translation, 757.

Jesus pictured it: “Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth” (Luke 21:26). Looking around us, looking at the darkness, we too might be driven to that hopeless frustration. Thank God we have something better. Jesus says, “When these things begin to come to pass,” then look where? “look up” (verse 28).

The text we will look at in this article is 2 Peter 1:2–4. Instead of hopelessness, this Scripture offers hope. Instead of gloom we are given joy. Instead of worry and frustration, peace. “Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus Christ our Lord. 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.” What a great constellation of truth shines here in these few lines.

Let us notice some of the bright stars. First He says, “Grace and peace be multiplied unto you.” God multiplies as we add. Our adding is mentioned in the fifth verse: “add to your faith virtue” and so on. When we add, God multiplies. That is why the Christian grows. “Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus Christ our Lord.” Peace and grace are multiplied to us through the knowledge of Him. You remember Christ said in His last prayer, “This is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, Whom Thou hast sent” (John 17:3). So to know God is life eternal, to know God is to have grace and peace multiplied to us.

2 Peter 1, verse 3: “According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness.” Notice the tense here. He does not say, these things are coming some day; He says we have them, according as His divine power hath given unto us, all things that pertain unto life and godliness. What a wonderful commissary to go in and help ourselves to. What a great storehouse, filled with all things that pertain unto life and godliness. And how do these come to us? Again, He stresses knowing God, because these things He says come through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue, whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises. What is a promise? It is God saying, “I will do this, I will do that; I will give you this, I will give you that.” Peter says that these promises are great promises, but that isn’t enough. He calls them “exceeding great and precious” promises.

When we study the 8th chapter of Daniel we stress the fact that the ram, Medo Persia, is spoken of as great; the rough goat, Greece, is spoken of as very great; but the little horn waxes exceeding great.

Here is something that is a brighter picture than Persia or Greece or Rome. Here are some promises that wax not only exceeding great, but they are precious. Precious means something valuable, something important, something that brings wealth to those who possess what is precious. We don’t find precious stones in the gutter or usually out in the brook or creek. Precious stones are rare. Thank God, in the Bible, we have a treasury of precious promises.

Notice what these things will do for us: “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.” To be a partaker means to take part. Partaker: take part. When we come to the communion table, each one receiving of the bread and the wine, we are partakers of the Lord’s table. We are partakers of His life, ministered to us through those emblems. That same precious life is ministered to us through His Holy word, through these exceeding great and precious promises. Oh, thank God we don’t have to be malnourished.

We become like that which we feed upon. If we eat heavenly food we will become heavenly minded. As the body is built up from what we put in the stomach, the mind, the character is built up from what we put into our thoughts through what we read and listen to. Oh, I’m glad that God has made it plain how we can be built up. “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.”

How does the world look to you anyway? Does it look like a place to escape from? If you have gotten out of the world, thank God you’ve escaped. The man who knows that does not look upon himself as a captive in jail but he looks upon himself as a ransomed captive out of jail because he has escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. Paul says, “For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret” (Ephesians 5:12). There is too much parading before the saints the sins of this wicked Sodom world. Those things do not help us. There “are given to 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.” [Emphasis added.] Can a person who has been deep down in the mire, the filth, the mess of this cesspool of a world be lifted up and ransomed? Can he be saved? Can he be delivered? Can he escape? Oh, yes. Thank God, friends. That is the glorious news of the gospel.

“We have heard the joyful sound, Jesus saves, Jesus saves;

Spread the tidings all around, Jesus saves, Jesus saves;

Bear the news to every land, Climb the steeps and cross the waves,

Onward, ‘tis our Lord’s command, Jesus saves, Jesus saves.”

Priscilla J. Owens, 1882.

What is it that He saves from? It is sin and all the results of sin. Those who let Jesus in their hearts and receive these exceeding great and precious promises become partakers of His nature and escape the corruption that is in the world. We need to study more and more how to appropriate these promises, how to use them to get the benefit from them, because unless we do that, they are simply words here on the page.

Notice how God wants us to use His promises. Jesus, speaking in Mark 11:24, says, “Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” Now this believing that we receive what we ask for is akin to signing our name on a check. This is the appropriation of the promise. For example, God says, in Philippians 4:19, “My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

So far that is just a promise in the book. I can carry that around in my pocket printed on a card but it is still just a promise printed. But suppose I run into a situation where I need something, not just material things, but I need help to win the victory over a temptation. We all need deliverance from temptation at times. Well, my need is to get help and here is a promise, “My God shall supply all your need.” I can present that promise to Jesus.

But notice, it isn’t enough to present the promise. “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” That is what it means to sign your name. It means to present the promise to Jesus and say, Lord, I not only want your promise fulfilled but I am accepting it and I believe Your word that it is being fulfilled. I believe it because God says so and He cannot lie. He cannot fail. The bank of heaven, no matter how many checks are presented, no matter how many times there’s a run on the bank, it never runs dry and has plenty for every need “according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” The assets of some banks amount to billions and billions of dollars, but the capital of the bank of Heaven is infinite. Therefore there is no limit. However, in order to receive the benefit of these promises, I must bring them to God, and ask Him to fulfill them, meet the conditions, and claim the answer. “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”

In the light of these verses, notice three great facts concerning our Lord. The first is brought to us in Isaiah 40:11. Speaking of Jesus, “He shall feed His flock like a shepherd.” As the shepherd feeds his flock, so my Lord feeds me. Sheep graze and are fed every day. And my soul must be fed every day. God loves to feed those who come and let Him give them nourishment. Jesus said, “I am the Bread of life: he that cometh to Me shall never hunger” (John 6:35).

Day by day we eat. God sought to teach Israel this lesson by feeding them manna from heaven for 40 years in the desert. Manna from heaven. What food is to the body, God’s promises are to the soul. It is God Who feeds me day by day.

Revelation 7 gives a view of the heavenly land soon to be our eternal home. Here the One Who has fed us day by day on earth will continue to bring us sustenance and nourishment. “For the Lamb Which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them” (verse 17). Jesus Himself is going to feed us in heaven. The prophet wrote: “And I saw a table of pure silver; it was many miles in length, yet our eyes could extend over it. …” Jesus said, “Come, My people, you have come out of great tribulation, and done My will; suffered for Me; come in to supper, for I will gird Myself, and serve you.” Early Writings, 19.

Won’t it be wonderful to have Christ Himself come to the table where you are sitting and put His hand on your shoulder? You look up into His dear face and He says, “What would you like?” Jesus, interested in what you would like to eat? Oh, yes. And you might say, What’s on the menu? Well, we do not know everything that is going to be there, but we do know some of the things. There will be some grapes because He said I will not be eating those until you get here (Matthew 26:29). There will be figs and almonds and manna. I think I’ll ask Him to bring me some manna. Wouldn’t you like to taste some? There will be no shortage. The Lamb shall feed them. But those who eat with Him there will first eat with Him here. Those who sit down at supper with Him there will let Him sit down to sup with them here. That communion and fellowship is to begin here in this life. Those whom God feeds day by day here He will feed there for evermore.

There is something else in verse 17 to notice. Not only will He feed us but He will lead us. “The Lamb Which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them.” He is not only the One Who gives us nourishment, He is the One Who gives us guidance. Will we need it up there? Apparently. Do we need it here? Oh, yes. I suppose we would probably say we need it even more now. There won’t be any way to get lost up there like there is here. There will not be any devil to divert or distract or deceive us up there like there is here. So, if we appreciate the promise that He will lead us in the future, how doubly precious is His promise to lead us now. Compare this with Psalm 23: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” He leads me in the green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters. He leads me in the paths of righteousness. So feeding and leading, He meets my needs. What a shepherd! And how happy He is for those who follow where He leads, for a leader cannot accomplish much unless there is somebody to lead.

Psalm 25:9 says He will guide the meek, the humble, and those who want help. “The meek will He guide in judgment: and the meek will He teach His way.” Over in the third chapter of Proverbs we have a most wonderful promise of guidance. Remember it is by these exceeding great and precious promises that we become partakers of the divine nature and here we see some of these rich ones. There are conditions to every promise. Sometimes they are clearly stated and sometimes they are implied, but they are always conditional, allowing the opportunity to decide whether we choose to have them fulfilled to us. “In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:6). What is the promise? He shall direct thy paths. What is the condition? Acknowledging Him. What does that mean? It means look to Him for His direction. Stop and listen before you take this step. “Thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it” (Isaiah 30:21). But if we rush on, we will not get the guidance.

Often when we are going for a walk with a dog, it will run ahead and veer off onto a trail which is not the one that we are taking. Pretty soon after finding itself alone, it comes running back and catches up again. Some people are like that with the Lord. Before deciding what turn of the road to take, we are admonished to acknowledge Him. Say, “Lord, which way are You going? I want to go with You.” If in all our ways we acknowledge Him, He will direct our paths. But suppose a person says, I already know which way I want to go. Well, then, I may be like the dog; I may find myself all alone, for God has gone along another road. But oh how patiently He waits, how longingly He lingers sometimes, hoping that we will retrace our steps and let Him lead.

Proverbs 4:11: “I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths.” Can you say that? Is that what God has done for you? Praise His wonderful name. Now we have already noted that promise in Revelation 7:17 where the Lamb that feeds us will lead us. And in Revelation 14:4 the counterpart of that is the picture of the redeemed: “These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth.” The redeemed will follow Him out through the trackless fields of space, suns, and stars, through Orion and on to the throne of God. We are going to continually follow Him from world to world, but those who follow Him there will first have followed Him here.

There is a third fact to share here which is the most precious promise of all. God feeds me; God leads me; God needs me. In The Signs of the Times of April 22, 1903, the inspired messenger wrote: “We were brought into existence because we were needed.” Are you needed? Oh, somebody says, I think things would be just as well, maybe a little better, if I weren’t around. And if you say that or even think it down in your heart, it shows that you are hungry. The greatest need in the human heart is to be needed. My friend, you are needed. And the reason that God put a longing in your heart to be needed is so that you could understand how He feels about you. You not only need Him, He needs you. He needs you to be His friend, to share with Him the joy of companionship. We were brought into existence because we were needed.

Jesus told a wonderful story to help us to understand just how important we are to Him. “He spake this parable unto them, saying, What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance” (Luke 15:3–7).

How many sheep were lost? One—the least that can be numbered. What is Jesus seeking to tell us? That one soul that is lost is more precious to Him than all the world beside, that Christ will leave the ninety and nine that went not astray and He will come after one. That’s this world; that’s you; that’s me.

“It was not thought of any gold that hundredth sheep might bring

That sent the keeper of the fold back into weariness and cold when home was beckoning.

It was His love that could not think of that poor willful one unmindful by the canyon’s brink

Or in despair about to sink with strength and courage gone.

It was not any grace of mine that drew my Lord to me;

In heaven spotless angels shine that vie to do His will divine and here was Calvary.

It was His love that could not bear to think of my distress;

He knew the pride of life would wear away and leave me bleating there in utter wretchedness.

Oh if He had not come for me, forever I would roam, alone and lost in misery,

But up and over Calvary the shepherd bears me home.

Why – He needed me; He wanted me; He couldn’t bear to live without me.

I’m not just a sheep, a shepherd loves his sheep, but I’m a man, a human being formed in God’s image.” Author unknown.

Friends, may I say it very simply — He cannot live without me. He would rather die to get me than live without me. That is love, isn’t it? He needs me. The simple message for each of us is this: God feeds me; God leads me; God needs me—here and now and through eternity.

“My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). Do you need food? Physical, spiritual? He will supply it. Do you need wisdom? “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally” (James 1:5). He will supply it. And do you need to be needed? Oh indeed, and that need He will supply. He needs you. He comes close to assure you of His love, His desire for your love. He says to each one, “My son, [my daughter], give me thine heart” (Proverbs 23:26). Thank God, friends, we can give Him something He needs – our choice, our decision, our response to all He has done for us. Would you like to send Him the word, “Yes, Lord, I will meet Your need”?

“With Christ we shall walk beside the living waters. He will unfold to us the beauty and glory of nature. He will reveal to us what He is to us and what we are to Him.” The Adventist Home, 547. What will it be like to have Jesus take me on a special walk down by the river of life? I look up and see that golden fruit hanging from those lovely boughs. I walk with Him and He begins to explain to me things that I never understood in this life. He begins to show me the things in nature and explain to me. But oh, something more wonderful than that. This says He’s going to tell me what He means to me and what I mean to Him. I must not miss it, not just for my sake, but for His sake.

Elder W.D. Frazee studied the Medical Missionary Course at the College of Medical Evangelists in Loma Linda, California. He was called to Utah as a gospel medical evangelist. During the Great Depression, when the church could not afford to hire any assistants, Elder Frazee began inviting professionals to join him as volunteers. This began a faith ministry that would become the foundation for the establishment of the Wildwood Medical Missionary Institute in 1942. He believed that each person is unique, specially designed by the Lord, of infinite value, and has a special place and mission in this world which only he can fill. His life followed this principle and he encouraged others to do the same.

The Divine Nature

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We are told in 2 Peter 1:4 KJV that we are to become “partakers of the divine nature,” or literally, we are to become partakers of the Godhead. That would be blasphemous for me to say, but this wonderful doctrine was taught by the apostle Peter and has been the subject of a great deal of theological controversy for many years. To understand it, we need the direction of the Holy Spirit. Scripture may be read a hundred times without understanding, but then, all of a sudden, the light comes on and we see the meaning clearly.

In Revelation the third chapter, it is a thrill to read of the Philadelphia church, which is one of only two of the seven churches concerning whom Jesus gives no condemnation or reproof. During the second advent movement in the 1840s, the people had an experience in brotherly love that I myself have never witnessed in Adventists in my whole life. However, this is the experience that is needed if we are going to be ready for the second coming of Jesus.

The Philadelphia church is followed by the Laodicean church. Philadelphia is a Greek word that means brotherly love. Laodicea means the judging of the people. The church of Laodicea is the church that is alive during the time of the judgment. Revelation 3:17 and 18 says, “Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’— and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.”

Notice that these people are spiritually naked. When you are naked you usually want to put on clothes. That was the experience of Adam and Eve after they ate from the forbidden fruit. However, the problem they faced was that the clothing they prepared for themselves was inadequate. Jesus said to the Laodicean church, “You don’t know your real condition. You are naked and you do not know it. You need clothes and only I have the clothing that you need.” A surface reader can find the book of Revelation difficult to understand because it is written in symbolic language, but the Bible itself explains all of its symbols. What does the clothing represent? Isaiah 61:10 says, “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.”

Ellen White comments on this same subject in The Review and Herald, August 7, 1894. She says, “What is it that constitutes the wretchedness, the nakedness of those who feel rich and increased with goods?—It is the want of the righteousness of Christ. In their own righteousness they are represented as clothed with filthy rags, and yet in this condition they flatter themselves that they are clothed upon with Christ’s righteousness. Could deception be greater?”

Jesus came to offer the clothes of righteousness, His own righteousness, to all who would receive Him. This gift was not for the Jews alone. There were people who called themselves “the chosen people of God” who refused to accept Him, being satisfied with their own righteousness. Those who rejected His offer will not be in heaven. Although some of them had memorized and could quote the whole Pentateuch, it will avail them nothing in the end. Nobody can be taken to heaven from Adam down through all his descendants unless they are clothed with these pure garments which are heaven’s gift.

Yet there is more than one garment that must be put on. “He [Jesus] is waiting to strip them of their garments stained and polluted with sin, and to put upon them the white robes [plural] of righteousness; He bids them live and not die.” Steps to Christ, 53.

This is mentioned many times in the writings of Ellen G. White. Sometimes it is referred to simply as a robe, but very often it is referred to in the plural form, garments. There is a reason for that. One example is found in Revelation 16:15 where Jesus says, “Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.” Garments here is plural.

Let’s look at the first garment that is needed. It is found in Messages to Young People, 35: “The [robe of] righteousness by which we are justified is imputed.” Justified means you have been pardoned, forgiven and pronounced free of guilt. Imputed means that righteousness has been attributed or reckoned to you. This is our title to heaven. The word title means that you have a legal right to possess something.

Here is an illustration of this concept. As some of you know, I have been threatened with blindness in my life and it is by the grace of God that I can see and I am very thankful for that blessing. Suppose I was blind and that I would have enough money to go to the auto dealer to buy a new car. I choose my car, sign the papers and get the title to my car. Can I drive it? No. I may have the title, but because of blindness I am not fit to drive the car.

We need to think clearly about Bible truth. Today there are people telling others that all that is needed is a title to heaven to be able to go there. That is a delusion of the devil. No unfit person will be allowed to pollute the perfect peace of heaven. “The righteousness by which we are sanctified is imparted.” This is said to be “… our fitness for heaven.” Ibid., 35.

Justified means we are pardoned. Sanctified means that we have been made holy. It is impossible to make ourselves holy, but God says in Exodus 31:12 and Ezekiel 20:12, “If you keep the Sabbath, I will make you holy.” The righteousness by which you are sanctified, made holy, is imparted. Imparted means that it is actually given to you. The people that are ready for Jesus to come not only have on the robe, but they also have on the wedding garment. The righteousness that is imparted is the wedding garment.

Revelation 19:7, 8 says, “Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready. And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.” The word saint means holy one. Did you notice here that it does not say it is the righteousness of Jesus Christ, but that of the saints? How can this be when man has no righteousness of his own? Jesus says, “I am going to give you My righteousness.” When it is given to you it is imputed—that is justification. However, in sanctification righteousness is actually imparted; His righteousness becomes mine.

There are serious things to consider in regard to this subject. Jesus has a garment, the robe of His righteousness, that He will impute to me to give me a title to heaven. But before I can actually go there I must be made fit. I have to have on the wedding garment to be allowed into the feast. The saints actually have the righteousness. If you are given a garment it will be of no benefit to you unless you put it on.

“The work of preparation is an individual work. We are not saved in groups. … Though all nations are to pass in judgment before God, yet He will examine the case of each individual with as close and searching scrutiny as if there were not another being upon the earth. Everyone must be tested and found without spot or wrinkle or any such thing.” The Great Controversy, 490.

The wedding garment is described as follows:

The “garment was a gift from the king.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 309. It is not something that I can generate by myself. It is a gift.

“… the wedding garment represents the character.” Ibid., 307.

“Christ in His humanity wrought out a perfect character, and this character He offers to impart to us.” Ibid., 311.

“By the wedding garment in the parable is represented the pure, spotless character which Christ’s true followers will possess.” Ibid., 310.

“In order that we may have the righteousness of Christ, we need daily to be transformed by the influence of the Spirit, to be a partaker of the divine nature.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 374. Unless you are a partaker of the divine nature, you are not going to have this experience. My dear friend, one of our problems in Laodicea is that we do not realize how much is actually involved in salvation. It involves much more than we as human beings think. It is common for us as human beings to think that if we could just overcome certain things, then we would be ready to go to heaven.

The Lord sees what you and I do not. We need much more than we think to be ready to go to heaven. “He [Christ] makes an end of the controlling power of sin in the heart … for it is necessary that every believer should be delivered from pollution, as well as from the curse and condemnation of the law. … for Christ works within us, and His righteousness is upon us. Without this, no soul will be entitled to heaven.” Ibid., 395.

If I am not delivered, not only from law-breaking but from all pollution, I will not be going to heaven. That is exactly what the Lord wants to do for me, through the Holy Spirit—clean me up. The following quote is worth repeating: “Christ’s humanity was united with divinity, and in this strength He would bear all the temptations that Satan could bring against Him, and yet keep His soul untainted by sin. And this power to overcome He would give to every son and daughter of Adam who would accept by faith the righteous attributes of His character.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 223.

This offer is just for you. Even if you are the weakest and most sinful person, it is still for you but, remember, you have to put it on. You have to do your part and sometimes that seems to be exceedingly hard. In the book Christ’s Object Lessons, 331, Ellen White wrote that becoming like Christ and developing the perfect character is through “… hard, stern battles with self.” First, we must put on the robe and be justified. Then we will be enabled to put on the wedding garment. “Through the merits of Christ, through His righteousness, which by faith is imputed unto us, we are to attain to the perfection of Christian character.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 744. Is this the experience you desire?

“Let no one despair of gaining the victory. Victory is sure when self is surrendered to God.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 1, 1095. Everyone may be saved if self is surrendered to God.

Every heresy that had to be opposed in the past will have to be dealt with again, including perfectionism. The Bible does not teach holy flesh but does teach that you can receive power from Christ and develop a holy character. “The Christian will feel the promptings of sin, but he will maintain a constant warfare against it.” The Great Controversy, 470. Do not be discouraged and think you are lost if you feel promptings of sin. We live in a temple of fallen human nature. Therefore we will feel the temptations and promptings of sin. Paul says, “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish” (Galatians 5:16, 17). It is not safe to simply do whatever comes naturally but by diligence, control the carnal nature.

“But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law” (Galatians 5:18). Notice, many of our Protestant friends are very confused about this and they say, “Oh, we are not under the law.” People that say they are not under the law are actually under it, because whoever breaks the law is under it. Romans 3:19 states: “Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.” The whole world is under the law. Everybody that breaks the law is under it and under the condemnation of eternal death.

Many years ago when I was in interdenominational jail ministry in Fort Worth, Texas, a friend and I would sometimes car pool while driving up there weekly. One day he asked me, “Have you ever thought what it would feel like if there were no plan of salvation?” This was a question I had never thought about, for I had grown up in a Seventh-day Adventist Christian home where my parents understood and taught me the three angels’ messages.

If there were no plan of salvation, not one of the descendants of Adam and Eve would be able to experience eternal life. Everyone would have to die. When our first parents sinned, the angels were very troubled because they understood well that Adam and Eve and all of their posterity would have to die.

“Throughout the heavenly courts there was mourning for the ruin that sin had wrought.

“The Son of God, heaven’s glorious Commander, was touched with pity for the fallen race. His heart was moved with infinite compassion as the woes of the lost world rose up before Him. But divine love had conceived a plan whereby man might be redeemed. …

“Before the Father He [Jesus] pleaded on the sinner’s behalf, while the host of heaven awaited the result with an intensity of interest that words cannot express. Long continued was that mysterious communing—‘the counsel of peace’ (Zechariah 6:13) for the fallen sons of men. The plan of salvation had been laid before the creation of the earth; for Christ is ‘the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world’ (Revelation 13:8); yet it was a struggle, even with the King of the universe, to yield up His Son to die for the guilty race. But ‘God so loved the world, that He gave up His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth Him should not perish, but have everlasting life’ (John 3:16). Oh, the mystery of redemption!” Patriarchs and Prophets, 63, 64.

The plan of salvation does not just involve forgiving people for what they have done wrong. From its very inception, it involved restoring everything that had been lost by sin. In fact, it would be more than restored. We are told that as a result of the incarnation—the life and the death of Jesus Christ—that we are going to be more closely united to Christ than if we had never fallen. We are told in 2 Peter 1:4 literal translation: “… exceeding great and precious promises, that we might become partakers of the Godhead.” I cannot comprehend that, but that is what has to happen in order for me to be ready to go to heaven.

Putting on the wedding garment means that the character of Christ becomes my character; the way He thinks becomes the way I think; the way He talks becomes the way I talk; the way He acts becomes the way I act. Until that happens I am not ready and it would not be safe to take me to heaven because I have not yet put on the wedding garment.

When we talk about being a perfect reflection of the character of Christ, we are not in any sense implying that we will ever be equal with Him. Let me explain it this way. Suppose that you have a mirror and the mirror is perfect. You hold up the mirror to the sun and it gives a perfect reflection from the sunlight. Is the mirror equal to the sun? No, it just gives a reflection of the sun. Our character must reflect the character of Christ. We are never equal to Him but we may perfectly reflect His character. “As he advances toward perfection, he experiences a conversion to God every day; and this conversion is not completed until he attains to perfection of Christian character, a full preparation for the finishing touch of immortality.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 505.

The following is a ten-point summary that may help some people to be able to follow this line of reasoning:

  1. Laodicea is naked and cannot go to the wedding supper unless she becomes clothed.
  2. The nakedness of Laodicea is the lack of the righteousness of Christ.
  3. There are two garments. The first garment is the robe of righteousness, imputed to us, by which we are justified. It is attributed to us and we are declared righteous at conversion. But that is not enough; there is another step.
  4. We are to put on the garments of Christ’s righteousness by which we are sanctified. This is imparted, given to us, so that His righteousness becomes mine.
  5. I begin to think the way He thinks; talk the way He talks; act the way He would act in my place. To be sanctified means to be made holy.
  6. Individually we must first put on the robe of righteousness. The merits of Christ’s righteousness is imputed to us so that we may then become perfect reflections of His character and be ready to put on the wedding garment. The wedding garment representing character is imparted righteousness.
  7. As we accept by faith the righteous attributes of His character, the Holy Spirit gives us power to keep untainted by sin and thereby put on the wedding garment which represents the character of Christ that has now become ours. This also involves stern, hard battles with self. Very often we see that self is our worst enemy.
  8. The Holy Spirit is to deliver every saint from all pollution. This deliverance is not just from breaking the law, but from all pollution. “But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life” (Revelation 21:27).
  9. Developing a Christ-like character, a perfect character, can only be done by a union of divinity and humanity. Jesus Christ came to this world, not as an angel but as a human being, uniting divinity with humanity.
  10. This is possible for all of us if self is surrendered fully to the sovereignty of Jesus Christ.

Unfortunately, everybody who claims title to heaven will not be seen as fit. Matthew 22:14 describes the man who tried to go to the wedding feast without the wedding garment. Jesus said, “Many are called, but few are chosen.” Ellen White writes this: “This is a true statement of the final outcome.” The Review and Herald, May 8, 1900.

Many are called. These are the people that have accepted the gospel. However, few are chosen. Few submit to the working of the Holy Spirit to perfect a Christ-like character. We can look around and see a multitude calling Christ their Saviour, but do they all want Him as their Lord? There are so many who know the truth. They have heard it preached; they know the gospel. Yet many will lose their soul because they have neglected to put on the wedding garment.

“ ‘Many are called but few are chosen.’ This is a true statement of the final outcome. Man is very dear to the heart of God, and all are invited to this feast. But many come not having on the wedding garment. They do not accept Christ’s righteousness. They have not repented and made peace with God. They have not received His free gift.

“Christ must be all and in all to every soul. Those who try in their own strength to solve the mystery of the creation of man, the mystery of redemption, the mystery of eternity, will be baffled. But those who put on the garment provided for them at an infinite cost, find an abundant entrance to the rich feast of spiritual blessings.” The Review and Herald, May 8, 1900.

There is much time today being spent in useless theological controversy. However, even if you have all the right theology you cannot attain heaven without the wedding garment. We are not saved in groups. I cannot put the wedding garment on you and you cannot put the wedding garment on me. Each one must go to the Lord in prayer and say, “Lord, help me to put on the wedding garment. I am making a decision to change my garments. Help me, Lord, to do it.” We cannot do this in our own strength. We need the help of the Holy Spirit.

(Unless appearing in quoted references or otherwise identified, Bible texts are from the New King James Version.)

Pastor John J. Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church of Free Seventh-day Adventists in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by email at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

Editorial – Students of Prophecy

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“As a people, we should be earnest students of prophecy; we should not rest until we become intelligent in regard to the subject of the sanctuary, which is brought out in the visions of Daniel and John. This subject sheds great light on our present position and work, and gives us unmistakable proof that God has led us in our past experience. It explains our disappointment in 1844, showing us that the sanctuary to be cleansed was not the earth, as we had supposed, but that Christ then entered into the most holy apartment of the heavenly sanctuary, and is there performing the closing work of his priestly office, in fulfillment of the words of the angel to the prophet Daniel, ‘Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed’ (Daniel 8:14).” The Review and Herald, November 27, 1883.

“In history and prophecy the word of God portrays the long continued conflict between truth and error. That conflict is yet in progress. Those things which have been will be repeated. Old controversies will be revived, and new theories will be continually arising.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 1, 47.

Often we concentrate our attention on trying to understand from prophecy the meaning of events taking place in our world and that is all right to do. However, it is even more important to understand what is happening in heaven.

Concerning what is happening on earth, “we are to consider the dealings of God with the nations of the earth. We are to see in history the fulfillment of prophecy, to study the workings of Providence in the great reformatory movements, and to understand the progress of events in the marshaling of the nations for the final conflict of the great controversy.” Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 379, 380.

“Those who are living upon the earth when the intercession of Christ shall cease in the sanctuary above are to stand in the sight of a holy God without a mediator. Their robes must be spotless, their characters must be purified from sin by the blood of sprinkling. Through the grace of God and their own diligent effort, they must be conquerors in the battle with evil. …

“When this work shall have been accomplished, the followers of Christ will be ready for his appearing.” The Southern Watchman, January 24, 1905.

“The present activity of Satan in working upon hearts, and upon churches and nations, should startle every student of prophecy. The end is near.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 537.