Issue: 2005 October

The Ten Commandments, Part V: Idol Worship is Bad News

by

As we look at the various forms of idolatry which were practiced in Old Testament times by heathen worshippers, it seems almost inconceivable that the children of Israel could be caught up in something that was so obvious a departure from God. They knew who the true God was. They had revelations of the true God; they had prophets who told them about the true God, and yet it seemed almost too easy for them to get caught up in the worship of idols. The reason they got caught up in the worship of idols is, basically, the same reason why modern Israel gets caught up in idol worship today.

Ellen White wrote: “Through deceptive means and unseen channels, Satan is working to strengthen his authority and to place obstacles in the way of God’s people, that souls may not be freed from his power and gathered under the banner of Christ. By his deceptions he is seeking to allure souls from Christ, and those who are not established upon the truth will surely be taken in his snare.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 295.

The devil’s plan for each of us is to catch us in his snare. So the Lord, in an effort to prepare us to escape the snare of the devil, pleads with us to follow the counsels that He has given to us in His Word.

“Thou shalt not make thee [any] graven image, [or] any likeness [of any thing] that [is] in heaven above, or that [is] in the earth beneath, or that [is] in the waters beneath the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God [am] a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth [generation] of them that hate me, And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.” Deuteronomy 5:8–10.

We read in these texts that God is a jealous God. In a previous article, we considered this concept of jealousy. The original Hebrew word for jealousy, qanna’, indicates the jealousy of a husband for the purity of his wife, whom he loves with an affection that will not tolerate any rival. We find that all through the Scriptures the relationship between God and His people is represented by a marriage, a pure relationship that excludes all other gods. There are to be no rivals.

God does not expect us to love only Him and ignore all of our fellow human beings, but He wants us to focus on Him as our Husband. We are His bride; He is our Husband. This is the kind of relationship, the kind of divine jealousy, which runs throughout the whole Bible. We need to understand this.

The Song of Solomon and Psalm 45, as well as other places in Scripture, allude to this marriage relationship that we are to have with God. An elaborate illustration is given in Ephesians 5 of the husband/wife relationship Christ uses to teach His people of the love He has for them.

Idolatry, then, in its final analysis, is really infidelity to the most sacred of vows—the divine marriage vow. When we are born again, when we accept Jesus as our personal Saviour, we are counted as the bride of Christ, and we are to be faithful to Him in all that we do. When we are counted as His bride, we take vows in this marriage covenant which, in reality, are the Ten Commandments. This is God’s will for us. This is what God expects us to follow. But many times we find ourselves, like many others today, having eyes that are casting about in other directions from where God would have us to look, and we become unfaithful to our marriage vow to God.

If we have the covenant relationship, the Ten Commandments, ever before us, we are going to be faithful to Him—not because we have to be, but because we love Him as God. I have never known anyone who really loved his or her spouse to be unfaithful to the marriage vow. If they really love their spouse, every other consideration dims, as they focus on that relationship, and then there is no temptation to commit adultery.

Gross and Refined Forms

The gross forms of idolatry practiced in heathen lands are practically unknown in the United States. But we do have what we would term “refined forms of idolatry.” These refined forms can be just as captivating to us as the gross forms are to the heathen.

In heathen lands, we see this gross idolatry being practiced in the forms of images, temples, shrines, and altars that are of a very imposing nature. People are captivated by the beauty of these things, and they are drawn to them. In the United States, it is slightly different. We have refined idolatry, which is probably more displeasing to God, and because we have such great light shed upon these kinds of things, we are going to be held more accountable.

In review, the second commandment tells us that we are to have no images or anything that is to be in the place of God. We have learned that idolatry is serving or worshipping the creature more than the Creator. To worship the creature does not necessarily mean to worship a living organism, but it is inclusive of everything that has been created. Whatever or whomever we love and serve more than God becomes an idol to us. We can love someone, but it is when we love him or her more than we love God that the problem occurs. I would hate to think what a husband/wife relationship would be if it was devoid of love and if it was believed, “I cannot love you, because I have to love God instead.” God tells us not to love them more, not to put them in the place of Him. Are we guilty of idolatry, as far as the divine definition is concerned?

When the apostle Paul visited the city of Athens, the Bible says that his spirit was stirred when he saw that the whole city was given over to idolatry. (Acts 17:16.) I wonder how Paul would feel if he were to walk the streets of the United States today, such as New York City, Chicago, or Los Angeles. Would he recognize the forms of idolatry that are there, or would he just be looking for those gross forms of idolatry? Would these different forms of idolatry deceive him to the extent that he could not recognize them?

Let us look at some of the things the apostle Paul might see today, if he were on tour. Paul said, of the idolaters of his day, that they “became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.” Romans 1:21, 22.

How would Paul feel if he found himself in a sports arena where, as the teams ran out onto the field, the whole crowd stood to their feet screaming and yelling for them? Would he recognize this as a form of idolatry? Certainly it can become a form of idolatry.

How would he feel if he found himself at a rock concert? Many people today think nothing of a rock concert. When they started gaining popularity in the 1960s, people were appalled by what they saw. Now, when rock concerts are advertised, they just gather a protracted yawn from most people. Yet, when you consider what transpires at a rock concert, as far as the performers are concerned, is this, indeed, not a form of idolatry? Billions of dollars are spent annually to gather the music as a shrine, so it can be played over and over again.

What about movie stars? As they parade out on stage to receive their trophies at the annual awards shows, to the applause and cheering of the audience, would Paul recognize this as idolatry? Do we recognize some of these things as a violation of the commandment that says we should not bow down to these kinds of idols?

Those are some of the more obvious ones, but what about the marvelous discoveries of modern science that have increased the worship of the works of man? In this age of invention and discovery and scientific progress, we find that these categories can open up a violation of this commandment, when we see the exaltation and the deification of human achievements that present a god before which millions bow in reverence and admiration.

No longer do we need to depend upon God for life, health, or happiness. Are you growing old? Are you wearing out? Modern techniques of medicine can fix you up better than new. Do you need a new hipbone? Well, one can be put in that will last almost forever. What about a new lung? A new heart? Medical specialists can even give you a new heart, and we fall down and serve the creature rather than the Creator, in exalting medical technology.

But who is really responsible for all of the progress for which man takes credit? The Creator seems to stand humbly in the wings while the creature takes the bow on center stage.

Worship of Self

Although I have read 11 Timothy 3:1 many, many times, I present it now in an effort to bring this into a context in which we can understand the dangers that we face in light of this second commandment. “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.”

Often, people have the idea that these perilous times are referring to wars and rumors of wars. That is not what it is talking about. This is the thesis sentence of what is to follow, and Paul very specifically tells Timothy what those perilous times are all about: “For men shall be lovers of their own selves . . . .” In other words, there is going to be extreme selfishness. Self is all that is being considered.

“Men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous [desiring what belongs to someone else], boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God.” Verses 2–4. Do you suppose that is idolatry? “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” Verse 5.

This is a graphic description of idolatry. Every one of these words and phrases fall into a category of idolatry—worship of self. Probably one of the greatest problems we face today is coming into contact with people who are so selfish. I would much rather be in Iraq, feeling my way along through mine wires, than to be in a setting where all that is mentioned in these texts are present. You might be able to make it through the minefield, but you may not be able to make it through this minefield of idolatry.

Many marriages today fail, or are failing, because of the worship of self. Instead of the marriage relationship being that of total giving, it has become a total getting experience. “What can I get out of this relationship?” is usually the question being asked, rather than, “What can I give to this relationship?”

There is probably nothing more responsible for this than the modern media—music, films, and all the rest. What can I get out of this relationship? It is this concept that is pounded into the minds of young people today. It is a philosophy that comes directly from the headquarters of evil.

Christ is not able to find any corner to stand in or any chair to sit down on, in those whose hearts are filled with self, and unless Christ is the center of the marriage, it will become a “getting for self” experience rather than a “giving experience.” How wrong is this kind of philosophy!

Selfishness is a malicious ruler. It cannot be satisfied through simple appeasement. It clamors for more and still more, and the person who worships self is not even aware, many times, of the terrible dangers and eternal consequences that come through this kind of sin. If you look at the Law of God and make application of the second commandment, self dies, and Christ takes up residence.

We know that Jesus is the very embodiment of humility. On the opposite extreme, selfishness is the very spirit of the satanic. Indeed, I can say that perilous times have come upon our generation in the fulfillment of this Bible text.

Antidote for Selfishness

According to the Spirit of Prophecy, one of the greatest antidotes for the disease of selfishness is to work for the salvation of others. (See Review and Herald, August 16, 1881; December 10, 1901.) And, yet, this too can become a deception. If we think that we want to guard ourselves against selfishness by going out to work for others, we need to make sure that we have the right motive. If we do not have the right motive, it can turn into a system of works for self’s sake.

Fashion

Self can center its expression in fashion. Fashion, in its broadest sense, embraces idolatry. The word fashion means to conform to the prevailing modes, practices, and customs of the world.

We need to have more education with concern to fashion. I mean this in a loving way, but some Seventh-day Adventists and other Christians—and even historic Seventh-day Adventists—take the counsel relative to fashion and interpret it to mean that they have to go about looking like scarecrows! They think they have to dress like one in order to avoid being fashionable. We are made in His image, and God does not intend for us to look like scarecrows. We will scare everyone away to whom we are trying to witness if we look like that!

Fashion can become an idol when the thoughts and the intents are: How can I be like the world? How can I acclimate myself to all the customs and the traditions and the dress and the ornamentation of the world? This can, but does not need to, become an idol. You can look representative; you can look modest; you can have a pure deportment, but that does not mean that you are being fashionable. Let us make sure that we have a right understanding of what it means to be dressed as a Christian versus what it means to look like a scarecrow. We have to be able to know the difference, so we can rightly represent the Lord in all of this.

Worship of Others

Along with the worship of self comes the worship of others. For instance, there are many parents who make gods of their children. This is an area about which we must be very careful. Our children are never to become idols of worship to us, but there are many people who devote their lives, as parents, serving and obeying their children. In these homes, the children are indulged and pampered and defended until they become so self-centered and such bigots that they expect everybody to bow down to their every whim and to their every wish. You know them, and I know them. Where does it all start? It starts in the home where the children are made an idol of worship.

It is a travesty that children are allowed to control what happens in a home. The home is where the parents are to be in control and where the children are to be obedient to their parents. I have never read in the Bible or in the Spirit of Prophecy where parents are to be obedient to their children and are to honor them. It is the other way around. The children are to obey and honor their parents.

People can worship other people, and this is a form of idolatry. This is one of the reasons why the Lord Jesus stated, “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” Matthew 10:37. This revolves around the second commandment concept.

Can we love father and mother? Yes, we can. Can we love son and daughter? Yes, we can, but this love must be kept in its proper perspective.

Lovers of Pleasure

Paul mentions, in his list, those who, in the last days, are lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. What would he say today if he could see the advertising in the United States which seems entirely directed toward making us lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God? Professed Christians spend more time and money in the shrine of pleasure than they do in the house of God and at the altar of prayer. In this pleasure-mad age, thousands of people live only to satisfy their cravings for fun and frolic.

In the parable of the sower, the pleasures of this life are said to be thorns that cause the seed to become unfruitful. (Matthew 13:22.) Where, on any given day, do you suppose you would find most people if they had to choose between missionary work and play? What would most of them be doing? You would probably find most of them at play.

Is there anything wrong with taking time to play? No. It is not my intent to take away anyone’s playtime, but we need to make sure that we have things in their proper perspectives.

The kind of recreation, inspiration tells us, in which a Christian should participate is that which is of a quality that recreates the body and the mind. “There are modes of recreation which are highly beneficial to both mind and body. An enlightened, discriminating mind will find abundant means for entertainment and diversion, from sources not only innocent, but instructive. Recreation in the open air, the contemplation of the works of God in nature, will be of the highest benefit.” The Adventist Home, 496. “Recreation, when true to its name, re-creation, tends to strengthen and build up. Calling us aside from our ordinary cares and occupations, it affords refreshment for mind and body and thus enables us to return with new vigor to the earnest work of life.” Ibid., 512. This is what recreation or re-creation is all about. Unless it does this, it should not be labeled as recreation.

Perverted Appetite

One of the other plagues of idolatry can be found in perverted and uncontrolled appetite. Paul identifies this area, which is part of the refined idolatry of the day: “(For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, [that they are] the enemies of the cross of Christ: Whose end [is] destruction, whose God [is their] belly, and [whose] glory [is] in their shame, who mind earthly things.)” Philippians 3:18, 19.

The idolatry of appetite embraces, in its broadest application, all the appetites of the flesh. There are many people today—thousands, perhaps millions—who live to eat rather than eat to live. This is one of the reasons why many Americans experience such poor health. On every business street corner and even into suburbia, we find restaurants appealing to the appetites of the people.

There is nothing wrong with eating. I enjoy eating, but there are people who make eating the center of their lives. Many belong to supper clubs where the supposed finest cuisine is served—most of which should never be consumed.

Eating and drinking, as a means of health and strength, should be practiced by every Christian, but eating and drinking as an end in itself is a foolish, dangerous, and deadly practice. It is legitimate to satisfy a normal, temperate appetite, and doing so should be pleasurable.

The Lord has given us a tremendous amount of counsel concerning proper eating and drinking—not only from the standpoint of health but also from the standpoint that if this is a pleasure that has taken the place of God, then it is in violation of the second commandment.

Sensuality

Another idol that is worshipped today is the goddess of sensuality. There is no question in my mind that we have arrived at the anti-type of the days of Noah when the earth was destroyed with the flood—the time when the earth was so corrupt before God that every imagination, every thought, and every intent of the heart was only evil continually.

As we read, in the second commandment, the Lord will punish generation after generation after generation who hate Him and are not following His commandments. This does not mean that God is going to punish children for the sins of their parents. Ezekiel 18 is very, very clear about that. But what it does tell us is that there is a proliferation from one generation to another of the traits and the characteristics of the former generation. Just by virtue of beholding, we become changed into that which we behold.

We must make sure that we are always following the Lord and not following the dictates of the household, if they are different from what the Lord has instructed us. It is an unfailing rule of justice that the iniquities of parents are visited upon their children if they follow their footsteps.

Think about that for a moment. Parents’ ideas of religion are usually accepted by their children. This can be a sobering thought. We would wish that it would be wholly positive, but it can be just the opposite, if the parents’ ideas of religion are skewed.

The parents who say they will let their child decide what religion he or she wants to practice when he or she grows up, will usually find that their child will reflect their philosophy. Ultimately, no one is saved. The parents are lost, and the child is lost, because neither has a definite belief regarding the Saviour.

How do you worship God in your home? Is it consistent? Is it spiritual? Is sin rebuked, or is it condoned? Whatever attitude you are fostering is the attitude with which your children will grow up, whether you realize it or not.

The law that says, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it,” proves true every time. Proverbs 22:6. But there is a contrast. Sin is visited unto the third and forth generations (Exodus 34:7), but the contrast is greater than the sin. “Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” Romans 5:20. Notice what the commandment says: “Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God [am] a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth [generation] of them that hate me, And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.” Deuteronomy 5:9, 10. In other words, sin is visited unto the third and fourth generations, but the reward of obedience reaches to a thousand generations. I like this positive aspect that, if we are serving the Lord, these effects can be felt right on down through generations to come. Sin will eventually run its course; it will become extinct, but virtue and loyalty and righteousness will never, ever die. Obedience to God’s Law, both moral and those that involve our well-being, brings a rich reward in character and happiness.

“Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he [is] God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations.” Deuteron-omy 7:9. There is a limit to God’s wrath that will be poured out upon the sins of the third and fourth generations, but a thousand generations beyond that will experience His love and His mercy. His mercy reaches far beyond His wrath.

What is Permissible

We could go on about the prohibitions of image worship or idolatry, but let us look at one image that it is permissible to worship. This image of worship is not only permitted, but it is actually commanded as the only means of salvation.

Because the Father knew that it would be difficult for man to worship an invisible God, He sent His Son into the world to become Emmanuel—God with us. The incarnation of Jesus, as the Son of God, was God manifest in the flesh. Christ was declared to be the very image of the invisible God. (Colos-sians 1:15.) His character is described, and it is that which is promised to be reproduced in us as we worship Him. By beholding Christ, we become changed into His image. (11 Corinthians 3:18.) We must learn of His attributes, His character, His love, His long-suffering, and incorporate these into ourselves by beholding His image. This is the only acceptable image worship, because it is all righteousness.

The chief ambition of every Christian should be to worship the only true image of the invisible God, Jesus Christ, and have His character likeness reproduced in his or her life. This form of worship is not idolatry. It is Christianity.

“Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.” 1 Corin-thians 3:18. We have a tendency, as human beings, to think that our wisdom is okay if it centers upon the things of the world to the neglect of Christ. But we have become fools, if that is the case. We need to understand that there is a God in heaven Who has commanded us, Who expects us to respond to His command, and that by beholding Him, we can become changed into His likeness. That is where true wisdom is found. The rest is all foolishness. Solomon called it vanity: “Vanity of vanities; all [is] vanity.” Ecclesiastes 1:2.

The only responsibility of human beings is to “Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this [is] the whole [duty] of man.” Ecclesiastes 12:13. May that be our vow to God, and may we be determined to serve Him to the end.

To be continued December 2005 . . .

A retired minister of the gospel, Pastor Mike Baugher may be contacted by e-mail at : landmarks@stepstolife.org.

Levity and Cheerfulness

by

Proper communication is a part of the Christian experience. It is a skill, and one that is not easily mastered. The use of the voice can quickly become a tool of Satan by speaking untrue, foolish, or hasty words. One of the most common ways Christians abuse the talent of speech is by joking, jesting, and using levity.

In Titus 2, Paul says, “But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine: That the aged men be sober, grave, . . . The aged women likewise, that . . . they may teach the young women to be sober. . . . Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded . . . [showing] uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, Sound speech, that cannot be condemned.” Here is unquestionable evidence concerning how we should talk and act.

Ellen White wrote: “Let all who would form a right character choose associates who are of a serious, thoughtful turn of mind and who are religiously inclined.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 588. Not only should we talk and act soundly, but we should also have companions who share a similar standard.

In another writing, Mrs. White plainly stated just how serious this is: “Nothing can more effectually prevent or banish serious impressions and good desires than association with vain, careless, and corrupt-minded persons. Whatever attractions such persons may possess by their wit, sarcasm, and fun, the fact that they treat religion with levity and indifference is sufficient reason why they should not be associated with. The more engaging they are in other respects, the more should their influence be dreaded as companions, because they throw around an irreligious life so many dangerous attractions.” Ibid., vol. 3, 126.

Concerning socializing between men and women, she wrote: “Both brethren and sisters indulge in too much jovial talk when in each other’s society. Women professing godliness indulge in much jesting, joking, and laughing. This is unbecoming and grieves the Spirit of God. These exhibitions reveal a lack of true Christian refinement. They do not strengthen the soul in God, but bring great darkness; they drive away the pure, refined, heavenly angels and bring those who engage in these wrongs down to a low level.” Ibid., vol. 2, 455.

Foolishness is classified with pride, blasphemy, deceit, and evil thoughts in Mark 7:22. A preacher once said that someone who says they were “just kidding” is really lying. John 8:44 says, “Ye are of [your] father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. . . . When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” And in Proverbs 26:18, 19, we read: “As a mad [man] who casteth firebrands, arrows, and death, So [is] the man [that] deceiveth his neighbour, and saith, Am not I in sport?”

As can be seen from the previous references, Christians need to be sober and use serious words. But should we never smile? Should Christians be gloomy? Mrs. White answers these questions: “We may have true Christian dignity and at the same time be cheerful and pleasant in our deportment. Cheerfulness without levity is one of the Christian graces.” Ibid., vol. 4, 62. “There is nothing gloomy in the religion of Jesus. While all lightness, trifling, and jesting, which the apostle says are not convenient, are to be studiously avoided, there is a sweet rest and peace in Jesus that will be expressed in the countenance. Christians will not be mournful, depressed, and despairing. They will be sober-minded; yet they will show to the world a cheerfulness which only grace can impart.” Review and Herald, April 15, 1884.

While we need to be serious, we also need to manifest cheerfulness in our characters. There are many things in life that are funny, but one does not need to create artificial happiness or fun. True happiness does not consist of telling jokes or clever anecdotes.

“Pure and undefiled religion is not a sentiment, but the doing of works of mercy and love. This religion is necessary to health and happiness. It enters the polluted soul-temple, and with a scourge drives out the sinful intruders. Taking the throne, it consecrates all by its presence, illuminating the heart with the bright beams of the Sun of Righteousness. It opens the windows of the soul heavenward, letting in the sunshine of God’s love. With it comes serenity and composure. Physical, mental, and moral strength increase, because the atmosphere of heaven, as a living, active agency, fills the soul. Christ is formed within, the hope of glory.” Review and Herald, October 15, 1901.

May Noah writes from her home in Aitkin, Minnesota, where she lives with her sister and father. She may be contacted by e-mail at: landmarks@stepstolife.org.

Why Is Persecution Sleeping? Part II

by

A dictionary gives the definition of the word careless as: “without worry; negligent, slovenly; unvalued, disregarded.” To be careless means that I do not care about anybody, that I am negligent in doing that which is necessary to do.

God is not pleased with slothful servants. Slothful persons will not enter the kingdom of God, because they are ungodly; they are not concerned about a hereafter. They are not concerned about anything except themselves, what is theirs, and the right now.

Ellen White wrote: “When life is going on in its unvarying round; when men are absorbed in pleasure, in business, in traffic, in money-making; when religious leaders are magnifying the world’s progress and enlightenment, and the people are lulled in a false security—then, as the midnight thief steals within the unguarded dwelling, so shall sudden destruction come upon the careless and ungodly . . . .” The Great Controversy, 38. [Emphasis supplied.] Those who are careless in their Christian experience today are the ungodly of today.

If careless or ungodly persons are negligent in the things of the world, have they also neglected the things of God? Are they searching for truth? Are they following the counsel, “Study to show thyself approved unto God . . .”? 11 Timothy 2:15. If they have been careless in their position for Jesus Christ, they are in the ungodly group. Where do you stand? Each of us is on one side or the other. Are you with the ungodly or the godly?

Care Less

If we become careless in any aspect of the message that God has given us, we have begotten that care less attitude. The care less attitude occurs in the spiritual life, such as in our witnessing, as well as in the home life. We cannot be careless about anything that we do. If we are, it shows that we do not care about others; we do not care about God. Therefore, we have to tighten the grip that God wants us to have; we must not be careless or indifferent. Mrs. White wrote, “The Lord abhors indifference and disloyalty in a time of crisis in His work.” Prophets and Kings, 148.

To be indifferent in the hour in which we live is a sin against God. A number of Seventh-day Adven-tists are going to have to get off this rail fence, because they are getting splinters, and those splinters are becoming painful. God says, “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot.” Revelation 3:15. Each of us will have to get on one side of the fence or the other. We will each have to make a choice whether to be cold or hot.

Where is Persecution?

Where is persecution? Why are we not being persecuted today? There is something wrong, friend, with the fact that we are not experiencing persecution.

The devil did his best to persecute and to kill. The blood of the saints during the Reformation watered the seed that was sown. (See The Great Controversy, 78.) One historian wrote that the more the Christians were cut down, the thicker they became. The devil tried to destroy Christ’s followers, but more came. He decided that since he could not beat them he would join them.

Regarding this, Mrs. White wrote: “Thousands were imprisoned and slain, but others sprang up to fill their places. And those who were martyred for their faith were secured to Christ and accounted of Him as conquerors. They had fought the good fight, and they were to receive the crown of glory when Christ should come. The sufferings which they endured brought Christians nearer to one another and to their Redeemer. Their living example and dying testimony were a constant witness for the truth; and where least expected, the subjects of Satan were leaving his service and enlisting under the banner of Christ.

“Satan therefore laid his plans to war more successfully against the government of God by planting his banner in the Christian church. If the followers of Christ could be deceived and led to displease God, then their strength, fortitude, and firmness would fail, and they would fall an easy prey.” The Great Controversy, 42.

Devil in Church

You may think that the devil is not in your church. This is not realistic thinking! Do you know how the devil may come into your church? He may come in through you or another member experiencing depression. He may come in because you are aggravated or provoked about something, or perhaps because you have things on your mind that you should not have. Then the warfare begins. You leave the church services not knowing what was said. You do not remember anything, because in your mind, you were somewhere else. This is how the enemy comes in and the warfare begins.

But God will turn the world upside down for those people who are ready to meet with Him and whose hearts and minds are right—just as He came to His people who stood for Jesus in the past.

Forewarned

Jesus forewarned the people of the coming destruction of Jerusalem, but many did not believe or follow the signs of His warnings. (See Luke 21.) This is going to happen again in the last days. Jesus has told us what to expect, but many—even Seventh-day Adventists—will not believe.

Somehow we have the thinking that God is not going to let horrible things happen to His people. But consider what happened to Jerusalem: “Signs and wonders appeared, foreboding disaster and doom. In the midst of the night an unnatural light shone over the temple and the altar. Upon the clouds at sunset were pictured chariots and men of war gathering for battle. The priests ministering by night in the sanctuary were terrified by mysterious sounds; the earth trembled, and a multitude of voices were heard crying: ‘Let us depart hence.’ . . .
—Milman, The History of the Jews, book 13.

“For seven years a man continued to go up and down the streets of Jerusalem, declaring the woes that were to come upon the city. By day and by night he chanted the wild dirge: ‘A voice from the east! a voice from the west! a voice from the four winds! a voice against Jerusalem and against the temple! a voice against the bridegrooms and the brides! a voice against the whole people!’—Ibid. This strange being was imprisoned and scourged, but no complaint escaped his lips. To insult and abuse he answered only: ‘Woe, woe to Jerusalem!’ ‘woe, woe to the inhabitants thereof!’ His warning cry ceased not until he was slain in the siege he had foretold.

“Not one Christian perished in the destruction of Jerusalem. Christ had given His disciples warning, and all who believed His words watched for the promised sign.” The Great Controversy, 29, 30.

The man who stayed in Jerusalem for seven years sighed and cried for the abominations going on, and he warned, “Get out! The city is going to be destroyed.” History records that this man had the right motives; he wanted to do the right thing. He thought that if he stayed a little bit longer he could help somebody else, even though he knew he was supposed to leave. He was telling other people to get out, but he stayed and was killed.

Many people today are repeating this man’s actions. As they see error creep into their churches, they continue to attend, thinking they can warn others, even though they are aware of God’s warning against going where error is taught: “I was shown the necessity of those who believe that we are having the last message of mercy, being separate from those who are daily imbibing new errors. I saw that neither young nor old should attend their [professed Advent believers] meetings; for it is wrong to thus encourage them while they teach error that is a deadly poison to the soul and teach for doctrines the commandments of men. The influence of such gatherings is not good. If God has delivered us from such darkness and error, we should stand fast in the liberty wherewith He has set us free and rejoice in the truth. God is displeased with us when we go to listen to error, without being obliged to go; for unless He sends us to those meetings where error is forced home to the people by the power of the will, He will not keep us. The angels cease their watchful care over us, and we are left to the buffetings of the enemy, to be darkened and weakened by him and the power of his evil angels; and the light around us becomes contaminated with the darkness.” Early Writings, 124, 125.

Are you not sure on which side you should be? Be on God’s side! Oh, friend, how important your decision is. The devil is within the church, and he has brought paganism within the church.

Different Kind of Persecution

You may say that you do not believe this. Let me tell you that just through Sunday celebration worship services with rock music and pagan rites and rituals, such as Halloween rituals, paganism has been brought into the church.

Ellen White wrote: “Now the church was in fearful peril. Prison, torture, fire, and sword were blessings in comparison with this [compromise with paganism]. Some of the Christians stood firm, declaring that they could make no compromise. Others were in favor of yielding or modifying some features of their faith and uniting with those who had accepted a part of Christianity, urging that this might be the means of their full conversion. That was a time of deep anguish to the faithful followers of Christ. Under a cloak of pretended Christianity, Satan was insinuating himself into the church, to corrupt their faith and turn their minds from the word of truth.

“Most of the Christians at last consented to lower their standard, and a union was formed between Christianity and paganism.” The Great Controversy, 42, 43.

Did you get it, friend? When the devil took the church, after he had killed and maligned and persecuted with the sword, persecution stopped, and he got inside the church around God’s people. Oh, the church was in trouble. Prison, torture, fire, and the sword were a blessing compared to having the devil within the church!

Some people still think that the devil will not get them if they are in the church.

Compromise

Here is what happened—and is still happening today. One group declared that they would not compromise the truth of God’s Word. Another group brought with them their paganistic ideas and thoughts. They did not want to leave paganism. They did not want to leave their idolatry, but they wanted to join the popular Christian movement. In the end, both groups agreed to compromise.

Be cautious of this. In the last days, people will say, “Let us just agree on what we can agree, and let all the other issues go. Do not worry about doctrine; do not worry about teaching. We agree on this point; that is good enough; that is unity.” This is unity of the world. It is ecumenism.

One group in the early church, after persecution ceased and the devil had set up shop in the church, said, “Let us not worry about all the differences that we have. Let us just agree where we can agree and unite.” But then others said, “We do not want to do that.”

Mrs. White wrote that, at last, the majority of the Christians agreed to compromise. So what did the pagans do? They brought back their altars and their images. They brought their idols into the church, because the church was willing to compromise the principles of God’s Word. All they had to do was change the objects they worshipped. They brought in images of Jesus, of Mary, and of the saints, and they began to worship them. Idolatry comes in any time the church compromises.

The majority of the church began to agree with this form of worship. More and more of the care less, ungodly attitude came into the church. However, the true church would not compromise the truth of God’s Word. They declared that, if necessary, they would separate. Why? Because of the paganism and idolatry in the church.

Compromise has opened the door to the enemy. What we need now is unity—but more than unity. Because we believe in the seventh-day Sabbath, it is going to take more than that. We must be unified on the pillars of truth that God has given His last-day people. We must keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus.

Vital Godliness

In The Great Controversy, 48, Mrs. White states, “There is so little vital godliness in the church.”

What is something that is vital? I hear, when I visit patients in the hospital, the term “vital organ.” What does this mean? It refers to an organ that is necessary for life. Vital is something that you must have. There are some parts of the body you can get along without, but there are some parts you cannot. I would not, for example, say that you can get by without your heart or with just a little portion of it. No, it is vital. But there is little of something that is apparently vital to the church—godliness. That which is necessary for God’s church, for His people, to function is missing. We are eliminating God from the church and letting man rule and reign. We are setting God’s laws aside, and we are letting man make the rules and regulations. Vital godliness is not in the church.

So, we may ask, If we are lacking, by the grace of God, should we not remedy it? How do we attain godliness? I am not content to say, “That is right; there is a lack of vital godliness, but that is the way it is.” I believe it can be changed. I believe the lack has to do with you and me. God is still the same God. Christ is still the same Christ. They have not changed one iota, nor will they. Then, as you may recall, the Bible tells us that all who live godly lives are going to suffer persecution. (See 11 Timothy 3:12.)

What We Need

What do we need in the church? Is it more preaching? No, it is not more preaching. It is not more meetings. It is not necessarily reading—not studying but just reading—God’s Word, praying a little more, giving a little more tithes and offerings. The Jews did all of those things, but they did not do them from the right motives of the heart. When they began to do them from the right motives of the heart, God blessed them richly.

When our works come from the right motives, God does great things. We, however, are so satisfied with the little things. We pray for the Lord to give us a soul this year. Well, it is a good thought, but why does our faith stop with only one? If faith were working in our lives, we would be praying for the Lord to give us countless opportunities to witness. But we have lost that vitality, that true godliness.

Conversion Needed

We have such a wavering faith today. This is why, in Acts 3:19, we are told to repent. “Repent ye therefore, and be converted.” The church needs to be converted. How sad it is that, among Seventh-day Adventists who should know the message, who should be studying it and accepting it, there are some who do not know if they are converted.

It is the same thing as saying, “I do not know if I am in a saving relationship with Jesus.” Friend, why are you thinking this way? Jesus said, “I will wash you whiter than snow, though your sins be as scarlet.” (Isaiah 1:18.) “If you confess your sins, He is faithful and just to forgive you and cleanse you from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9.) Ellen White, in her writings, says, “If they [men] confess their mistakes the Lord will forgive their sins, and pardon their transgressions. While they cannot say, We have never sinned, yet if they have the meekness and gentleness of Christ, the Lord will hold them more firmly than they can possibly hold the Lord.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 9, 133. The world will not do that. They will mess you up time and time again. They will crucify you for the same thing for years to come. But Jesus will treat you as though you never sinned.

With that good news in mind, then, if we are to be like Jesus, we must treat others the same way Jesus treats us. We must be as forgiving and as loving as He is. The world teaches all kinds of love, but it has no real concept of true love. We see only a little glimpse as we look to the cross of Calvary where Jesus was nailed because of His love for you and for me. He says, “Repent, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.” (Acts 3:19.) Friend, the church needs to be refreshed.

The Church

When I refer to the church, let me be very clear. The church is not a certain denomination. It is not the Seventh-day Adventists, the Baptists, the Catholics, or any other religion. The church is God’s people on earth—“Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them.” Matthew 18:20. Ellen White wrote: “From the beginning, faithful souls have constituted the church on earth.” The Acts of the Apostles, 11. “All down through the history of the world, faithful souls have constituted the church on earth.” Our High Calling, 172. “The church on earth, composed of those who are faithful and loyal to God . . . .” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 931. “God has a distinct people, a church on earth, second to none, but superior to all in their facilities to teach the truth, to vindicate the law of God.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 58. No, God’s church is not contained in a building or single religious group. “God has a church. It is not the great cathedral, neither is it the national establishment, neither is it the various denominations; it is the people who love God and keep His commandments.” The Upward Look, 315. This is very clear!

I often hear it said, “The church is moving on.” To what church does this refer? The true church of God will be moving on. It will go on through. But this does not mean the true church is a certain denomination. There are many who believe the Seventh-day Adventist denomination is God’s true church. If it is God’s church, it will speak as does God. If it does not speak as God speaks, it is not His church—regardless of its name or where it is located. God does not speak with a forked tongue; He is “the same yesterday, today, and for ever.” (Hebrews 13:8.)

The church has lost its vitalness, its power. Mrs. White makes it very, very clear in Testimonies, vol. 5, 100: “If the church pursue a course similar to that of the world, they will share the same fate. Nay, rather, as they have received greater light, their punishment will be greater than that of the impenitent.” Some may say that we are doing the best we can; we have a lot of faults and failures, and there is a lot of sin, but we are going on through anyway. However, God says that we cannot enter heaven with one unconfessed sin, although many denominations teach that you can go to heaven with unconfessed sins.

Get Rid of the Disease

Mrs. White considered the Laodicean church and compared it to Adventism. Of the Laodiceans she wrote: “The only hope for the Laodiceans is a clear view of their standing before God, a knowledge of the nature of their disease.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 87. And she declared that Adventists have a disease: “Many Seventh-day Adventists fail to realize the responsibility which rests upon them to cooperate with God and Christ for the saving of souls. They do not show forth to the world the great interest God has in sinners. They do not make the most of the opportunities granted them. The leprosy of selfishness has taken hold of the Church. The Lord Jesus Christ will heal the Church of this terrible disease if she will be healed. The remedy is found in the fifty-eighth chapter of Isaiah.” Review and Herald, December 10, 1901.

If you visit your doctor and, after examining you, he says, “You have a bad disease,” do you say, “Well, thank you, Doc. I will put the check in the mail”? No! You want to know what he means. What is the disease? Will it end in death? What treatments are available? You are not going to stay silent. You will want answers to your questions. All pride disappears. All manliness falls by the wayside. You ask innumerable questions—What is going to happen? What do I have? Can you treat it? Can you cut it out? Can you burn it out? Can you pull it out? How much time do I have to live?

We will go to great lengths to get rid of a disease. Why do we then, as Christians, not take such action spiritually? “God’s servants must, by laboring together with Christ, roll away the curse that has made the church so lukewarm.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 966. We must work with our Saviour to improve our vitalness. “A becoming zeal is called for by God on our part.” Ibid. God is calling for greater zeal, for excitement and involvement in the cause for right. We should be so excited that we will share the news of salvation with everyone we meet.

To be continued December 2005 . . .

Pastor Kenny Shelton is speaker for the television ministry of Behold the Lamb in Herrin, Illinois. He may be contacted by e-mail at: BTLM@GTE.net, or by telephone at: 1-800-238-2856.

Rendering to God His Own, Part III

by

“Never was there a more important time in the history of our work than the present. The message of the third chapter of Malachi comes to us, holding up before us the need of honesty in our relations to the Lord and His work. My brethren, the money that you use to buy and sell and get gain will be a curse to you if you withhold from the Lord that which is His.” Testimonies, vol. 9, 53.

“Wherever there is life, there is increase and growth; in God’s kingdom there is a constant interchange,—taking in, and giving out; receiving, and returning to the Lord His own. God works with every true believer, and the light and blessings received are given out again in the work which the believer does. Thus the capacity for receiving is increased. As one imparts of the heavenly gifts, he makes room for fresh currents of grace and truth to flow into the soul from the living fountain. Greater light, increased knowledge and blessings, are his. In this work, which devolves upon every church member, is the life and growth of the church. He whose life consists in ever receiving and never giving, soon loses the blessing. If the truth does not flow forth from him to others, he loses his capacity to receive.” “The man who will rob God is cultivating traits of character that will cut him off from admittance into the family of God above.” Ibid., vol. 6, 448, 391.

We as a people have always believed and taught that the message from God to the Laodicean church recorded in Revelation 3:14, finds its application in the denomination which is delivering to the world the warning message of Revelation 14:6 [see also verses 7–12]; in other words, the Seventh-day Adventists. We have looked on the Laodicean message as a sifting process that will remove from the ranks the wrong-doers, while preparing the true in heart for participation in the message of the loud cry.

For many years we have looked forward to the reformation that will be wrought by this message, but time and again we have been told by the Spirit of prophecy that the message was not yet doing its work. In 1873, the servant of the Lord stated plainly the preparation that must be made before the result presented in that message can be realized: “The people of God must see their wrongs and arouse to zealous repentance and a putting away of those sins which have brought them into such a deplorable condition of poverty, blindness, wretchedness, and fearful deception. I was shown that the pointed testimony must live in the church. This alone will answer to the message to the Laodiceans. Wrongs must be reproved, sin must be called sin, and iniquity must be met promptly and decidedly, and put away from us as a people.”

“I saw that many who profess to be keeping the commandments of God are appropriating to their own use the means which the Lord has entrusted to them and which should come into His treasury. They rob God in tithes and in offerings. They dissemble and withhold from Him to their own hurt. They bring leanness and poverty upon themselves and darkness upon the church because of their covetousness, their dissembling, and their robbing God in tithes and in offerings.

“I saw that many souls will sink in darkness because of their covetousness. The plain, straight testimony must live in the church, or the curse of God will rest upon His people as surely as it did upon ancient Israel because of their sins. God holds His people, as a body, responsible for the sins existing in individuals among them. If the leaders of the church neglect to diligently search out the sins which bring the displeasure of God upon the body, they become responsible for those sins.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 260, 269.

These statements lose nothing of their force because of the years that have passed since they were made. Their application and necessity are more evident now than they were forty-three years ago. That the revival of the straight testimony will do its work and prepare a people to give the warning to Babylon, is clearly shown in the description of a vision given to Sister White. In this vision a great reformatory movement passed before her. The people of God were aroused from their lethargy, and were hastening in every direction, engaged in various lines of missionary labor. They were so spiritually minded that the sick were healed at their solicitation, and miracles witnessed to the genuineness of their work, while the covetous, refusing to be converted, were sifted out. See Testimonies, vol. 9, 126.

From this it is evident that this reformatory movement will be the result of the application of the Laodicean message, and according to the Testimony just referred to, it will be accomplished by the revival of the pointed and straight testimonies. A careful study of the Testimonies will show that one of the main reasons, if not the principal one, for unfaithfulness in the payment of tithe, lies in the lack of systematic methods for its collection.

God holds the church officers responsible for the collection of tithe. . . . The elders and church officers are expected to visit and labor with the delinquents. Briefly presented, the instruction is as follows: “Ministers have neglected to enforce gospel beneficence. The subject of tithes and offerings has not been dwelt upon as it should have been.” Ibid., vol. 5, 382. . . .

In an article published in the Church Officers’ Gazette for January 1915, Elder G. B. Thompson quotes from the Supplement to the Review and Herald of December 1, 1896, the following from the servant of the Lord: “Let the church appoint pastors or elders who are devoted to the Lord Jesus, and let these men see that officers are chosen who will attend faithfully to the work of gathering in the tithe. If the pastors show that they are not fitted for their charge, if they fail to set before the church the importance of returning to God his own, if they do not see to it that the officers under them are faithful, and that the tithe is brought in, they are in peril. They are neglecting a matter which involves a blessing or a curse to the church. They should be relieved of their responsibility, and other men should be tested and tried.”

Elder Thompson then comments as follows: “I hope this instruction from the servant of the Lord will not fall on stony ground, but bear fruit. If all the officers in our churches will take up this burden, many thousands of dollars of tithe will be gathered for the work of God. This means greater blessing to those who are faithful, more laborers sent into the fields, and more souls saved. Shall not this long-neglected matter receive attention without further delay?” No one, however, can be compelled to obey God, neither can any be questioned as to the amount of income or increase to be tithed. The individual is to be left free to tithe his income, but God requires a tenth to be turned in to the treasury. If he makes a false statement, it will appear in the judgment against him; it is a personal matter between God and the individual.

“Men are not naturally inclined to be benevolent, but to be sordid and avaricious, and to live for self. And Satan is ever ready to present the advantages to be gained by using all their means for selfish, worldly purposes; he is glad when he can influence them to shirk duty, and rob God in tithes and offerings. But not one is excused in this matter.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 382.

“Systematic benevolence should not be made systematic compulsion. It is freewill offerings that are acceptable to God.” “As to the amount required, God has specified one tenth of the increase. This is left to the conscience and benevolence of men, whose judgment in this tithing system should have free play. And while it is left free to the conscience, a plan has been laid out definite enough for all. No compulsion is required.” Ibid., vol. 3, 396, 394.

“Voluntary offerings and the tithe constitute the revenue of the gospel. Of the means which are entrusted to man, God claims a certain portion—a tithe; but He leaves all free to say how much the tithe is, and whether or not they will give more than this. They are to give as they purpose in their hearts.” Ibid., vol. 5, 149.

“The first Christian church had not the privileges and opportunities we have. They were a poor people, but they felt the power of the truth. The object before them was sufficient to lead them to invest all. They felt that the salvation or the loss of a world depended upon their instrumentality. They cast in their all; and held themselves in readiness to go or come at the Lord’s bidding.

“We profess to be governed by the same principles, to be influenced by the same spirit. But instead of giving all for Christ many have taken the golden wedge and a goodly Babylonish garment and hid them in the camp. If the presence of one Achan was sufficient to weaken the whole camp of Israel, can we be surprised at the little success which attends our efforts when every church and almost every family has its Achan?” Ibid., 156, 157.

“As a people professing to be reformers, treasuring the most solemn, purifying truths of God’s word, we must elevate the standard far higher than it is at the present time. Sin and sinners in the church must be promptly dealt with, that others may not be contaminated. Truth and purity require that we make more thorough work to cleanse the camp from Achans. Let those in responsible positions not suffer sin in a brother. Show him that he must either put away his sins or be separated from the church.” Ibid., 147.

In a Testimony concerning the guilt of Achan, and its effect on the camp of Israel, the following statements are made: “I have been shown that God here illustrates how He regards sin among those who profess to be His commandment-keeping people. Those whom He has specially honored with witnessing the remarkable exhibitions of His power, as did ancient Israel, and who will even then venture to disregard His express directions, will be subjects of His wrath. He would teach His people that disobedience and sin are exceedingly offensive to Him and are not to be lightly regarded. He shows us that when His people are found in sin they should at once take decided measures to put that sin from them, that His frown may not rest upon them all. But if the sins of the people are passed over by those in responsible positions, His frown will be upon them, and the people of God, as a body, will be held responsible for those sins. In His dealings with His people in the past the Lord shows the necessity of purifying the church from wrongs. One sinner may diffuse darkness that will exclude the light of God from the entire congregation.” Ibid., vol. 3, 265.

Reprinted from The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald,Vol. 93, No. 24, May 11, 1916, 8–10; No. 25, May 18, 1916, 7, 8; No. 26, May 25, 1916, 9, 10; No. 27, June 1, 1916, 9, 10.

The Black and White Christian, Part II

by

Is the work you are doing authorized by God? If you do not know whether or not God has been leading you in the past, then there is no point in looking at the present. To become more than black and white in your thinking, to be able to reason through things that are a little more difficult than two plus two, you must learn to understand the providence of God and how it has led in certain movements up to this present time.

Do you understand how the providence of God has been working in the last 150 years to finish the mystery of godliness in this world? Have you studied it? At one time, Ellen White said, “We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching in our past history.” Selected Messages, Book 3, 162.

How is it with you today? Have you forgotten how God has led you in the past? If you have forgotten, you will be all mixed up about the present. You will not know what is what. If you have forgotten, I appeal to you to go to your own closet or wherever you do your studying, and say, “Lord, help me to understand what Your providence from past history shows me about where I am today and how I reached this point. Help me to understand where I should be and what I should be doing.”

Cornered

Throughout His ministry, the Pharisees attempted to trick Jesus by asking Him impossible questions that no one could answer and about which they argued all the time. On one occasion, they were certain they had cornered Him. They were going to ask Him a question, and they figured that no matter how He answered it, they would have Him. They were going to get Him into trouble either with the Jewish people or with the Roman people.

The story is recorded in Matthew 22: “Then the Pharisees go into counsel how they might trap Him in His talk. And they sent to Him their disciples, the Herodians, saying, ‘Teacher, we know that You are true, and the way of God You teach in truth, and it is not a concern to You concerning anyone, for You see not the face of man. Therefore, tell us, what do You think? Is it permitted to give tribute [pay taxes] to Caesar or not?’ ” Verses 15–17.

If Jesus answered, “Yes,” to this question, they immediately could discredit Him to the Jews, because Caesar was an idolater. In fact, the Roman Caesar was the personification of the sun god and was worshipped as the sun god. The rabbis believed that if you were supporting Caesar with your taxes, you were supporting idolatry. Surely, they reasoned with Jesus, “You know what happened to the Jews because of idolatry throughout the Old Testament. Are you not aware of all the warnings in the Scriptures against idolatry? Do you not know the second commandment? If you support this system, you are supporting idolatry.”

By the way, this was true. The pagan Roman government was a union of church and state. The church, of course, was an idolatrous, pagan church, so some of the taxes supported idolatrous worship. If you have studied the worship of idolatry, you know the awful things that were involved in such worship; more than the second commandment was broken.

The Pharisees believed that the Jews should not support a government that participated in idolatry. They reasoned that the head of the government was practicing and teaching idolatry; thus some of their taxes were supporting this idolatrous worship.

Many, many Christians were later martyred, on this account. The authorities would force the people to come into the town square where an altar had been placed. A fire would be burning on the altar, and beside it there would be a box of incense. The people were required to take just a pinch of incense, throw it on the fire, and say, “Caesar is Lord.” A Christian would not say this. We will never know until the Day of Judgment how many Christians lost their lives because they would not say, “Caesar is Lord.” They said, “Christ is Lord.”

If Jesus answered, “No, you should not support this idolatrous government by paying taxes,” immediately the Pharisees would report Him to the Romans, and He would be in trouble with the government. This is one of those black and white questions by people who are black and white in their thinking.

Peace and Harmony

The story continues, “And Jesus, knowing their wickedness, said, ‘Why do you tempt Me, hypocrites? Show Me the tribute money.’ And they brought to Him a denarius. And He said to them, ‘Whose is this image and this superscription?’ They say to Him, ‘Caesar’s.’ Then He said to them, ‘Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.’ And hearing, they were astonished and left Him; they went away.” Verses 18–22.

How interesting! The question which none of the rabbis could answer, about which they were constantly arguing, Jesus answered in one sentence. He also gave to the world a profound truth, which has changed it entirely. It is one of the reasons for a country today that we call the United States of America.

Jesus taught, in this brief response, that people with diverse persuasions, who worshipped different gods in different temples, could still get along together in the marketplace. They could still live together in peace and harmony.

The early Christian evangelists did not go out and try to force the people in the various countries in which they lived to stop worshipping idols and begin worshipping the true God. This is not the way it happened. The Christian religion was introduced as leaven into society, and it worked to influence society, not to control society. The Christian religion is not a religion of control but rather a religion of influence, so people have a choice of whom they will worship and of what they will do.

Jesus said, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s.” He drew a sharp line of distinction between that which is civil and that which is religious. Paul drew the line even sharper in Romans 13 and 14, showing that the state (he is speaking of the pagan state) has the authority from God to enforce the last six commandments in the law. He shows, in Romans 14, that the state does not have authority to enforce the first four commandments of the law, which is man’s relationship between himself and God.

Where do you suppose you would have been if you had been living back in that time? This black and white thinking, which the Pharisees repeatedly displayed, is not uncommon to the human race.

Ellen White described Phariseeism as the religion of human nature: “Christ ever rebuked the Pharisees for their self-righteousness. They extolled themselves. They came forth from their religious services, not humbled with a sense of their own weakness, not feeling gratitude for the great privileges that God had given them. They were exalted to heaven in point of opportunity, in having the Scriptures, in knowing the true God, but their hearts were not filled with thankfulness to God for his great goodness toward them. They came forth filled with spiritual pride, and their theme was self—‘myself, my feelings, my knowledge, my ways.’ Their own attainments became the standard by which they measured others. Putting on the robes of self-dignity, they mounted the judgment seat to criticise and to condemn. But no human being has been authorized of God to do this work. It is the very essence of Phariseeism. It is gathering about the soul the very shadows of darkness so that the light of life cannot penetrate the darkness. Satan deluded the Jews with a natural or legal religion, which was full of selfishness and hypocrisy, and thus were light and knowledge perverted; but this exalting of self, this self-righteousness, is nothing short of deception and self-destruction.” The Signs of the Times, December 17, 1894.

We could look at several more examples in the Bible of attempts to entrap Jesus. There is the question, in Matthew 22:23–33, about the resurrection that the Sadducees posed. Then, in John 8, is the story of a woman who was taken in the very act of adultery. This, again, was a trick case; the trick was simply this: When the scribes and Pharisees brought this woman in, they planned to defend what they thought Jesus would answer by appealing to Moses. They said, “Moses taught that such a person should be stoned; what do you say about it?” Verse 5. This was a trick.

If Jesus would say, “This woman should be stoned,” immediately they could get Him into trouble with the Romans, because the Romans had made a very strict law that people of other nations, such as the Jewish nation, were not allowed to practice capital punishment. The Jewish leaders were not going to bribe the Romans to keep Jesus out of trouble. They were going to have Him arrested by the Romans.

But if Jesus should say, “This woman should not be stoned,” if He was going to exercise mercy upon her, then they were going to say to the Jews, “This man does not believe in the law of Moses.” They were going to discredit Him in front of all the Jews.

This was a black and white situation. Either way Jesus answered the question could get Him into trouble. He responded, “The one that is without sin among you, let him first pick up a stone and cast it.” Verse 7. Then He began to write on the ground, and when they looked at what He was writing, they left, which was what He had in mind.

God’s Writings

There are only three recorded events in the Bible when God wrote something. The first was the Ten Commandments; He wrote it on tables of stone. The second is given in Daniel 5, when a bloodless hand appeared and wrote Hebrew characters—mene, mene, tekel, upharsin—on the wall. Any time God writes something, it is very significant.

This situation is the third time that God wrote. The difference between this time and the others is that we do not know specifically what He wrote. We know from the writings of Ellen White that the people who brought this woman to Jesus were the ones responsible for getting her into the situation so they could trap her and, ultimately, trick Jesus. It was a setup from beginning to end. (See The Ministry of Healing, 86–89.)

Someday you are going to see the verdict that God has written by your name through the recording angel. When you see the secrets of your life revealed, are you going to want to stand there before the Lord, or will you want to slink away? These men left.

Continuing in John 8:11, we read, “Then Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on, no longer sin.’ ” This was the beginning of one of the most vehement controversies between Jesus and the Pharisees that is recorded in the gospels.

Who is Your Father?

Let us look at one last example of the Pharisees’ black and white thinking as this controversy proceeded. The controversy is over who is the father of the Jews, and in verse 37, the situation really becomes heated. The Jews say, “Abraham is our father.” This is equivalent to saying, “I am a Seventh-day Adventist, and I belong to a conference church.” If you could say that Abraham was your father, that was equivalent to having all the qualifications of God’s people.

In the conversation with Jesus, the Jews declared, in verse 33, “We are Abraham’s descendants.” Jesus denied this. He told them that they were Abraham’s descendants according to the flesh, but, He continued, “If Abraham was your father, then you would do the works of Abraham. But now you seek to kill me, a man that has told you the truth, which I have heard from God. Abraham did not do anything like this.” Verses 39, 40. Jesus denied that Abraham was their spiritual father.

It would be amusing, if it were not so serious. Have you ever heard people argue about whether or not an individual is a Seventh-day Adventist? Yes, he or she is a Seventh-day Adventist; no, he or she is not, because if they were, they would not be doing . . . . God has a book up in heaven in which He keeps records. In God’s record book in heaven, are you a Seventh-day Adventist, or what are you?

These people could not stand being told that Abraham was not their father, just as people today cannot stand it if they are told, “If you truly were a Seventh-day Adventist, you would not be doing this and this and this.” They cannot stand it if you tell them that! This is what Jesus was saying.

The people said, “We are the children of Abraham. We are the true church.” But Jesus said, “No, you are not. If you were, you would be doing the works of Abraham; you would have a character like Abraham.” This, more than anything else, reveals their black and white thinking. They said, “We are not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.” What they were saying was, “We know how You came into the world. We know that Your mother was not married until a short time before You were born. We know how babies come into the world. You do not have to tell us. We know how that works.”

Character, not Profession

This is what happens when you have black and white thinking. Because of your knowledge base, you know how something has to be. Black and white thinking is dangerous, friends, and when you read this story, you will come to understand that we are all guilty of it. We will never escape it except through the Holy Spirit.

The Jews thought that, from a human point of view, there was no other way a baby could come into the world. So they said, “We are not born of fornication ourselves; we have one Father, even God.” Jesus’ reply to this was: “If God was your Father, you would love Me. You would not be trying to kill Me, if God was your Father. If God was your Father, you would love Me, because I proceeded forth and came from God.” Verses 41, 42, first part. Notice that He again denies that God is their Father. He tells them from where He came; He did not come from fornication. “Neither did I come for Myself, but He sent Me. Why can you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to endure My word. You are of your father, the devil.” Verses 42–44.

These were the leaders of God’s professed people. Jesus said, “Not only are you not God’s people, not only are you not the true church, but you are of your father, the devil. The devil is your father. You belong to the synagogue of Satan.”

If you want to do an interesting study, and if you have access to an Ellen G. White CD-ROM, search on the phrase, “synagogue of Satan.” You will find some very interesting statements. This was not the last generation in which there were people who thought that God was their Father, that they were the children of God, and that they were the true church when, actually, they were part of the synagogue of Satan.

How did Jesus prove that these leaders were children of the devil? In verse 44, we read, “Because the lusts of your father you wish to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and did not remain in the truth. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own, because he is a liar and the father of it.” He is the father of lies, and he is also the father of murder.

In other words, it is your character and not your profession that determines whether or not you are a genuine Seventh-day Adventist. It is your character and not your profession that determines whether God is your Father or whether the devil is your father. In the great controversy, it is your character and not your profession that determines on whose side you are.

Black and White Conclusions

  1. A black and white thinker interprets Scripture in the context of his own culture, and this becomes for him absolute truth. This is dangerous, friend. Be careful that you do not read your own culture into what the Scripture says, and then say that it says a certain thing, when it actually does not say that at all. You are just putting your own cultural meaning into it.
  2. A black and white thinker interprets Scripture in the context of his own feelings and attitudes, and this becomes for him absolute truth. This is what the Pharisees did with the divorce issue. (Matthew 19:3, discussed in Part 1.) They were interpreting the Scripture in the context of their own emotions, attitudes, and feelings, and that became, for them, absolute truth, but it was wrong.
  3. A black and white thinker interprets Scripture according to his own knowledge base, and, for him, this becomes absolute truth. This is why the Pharisees said to Jesus, “We are not born according to fornication.” They interpreted events according to their total knowledge base, and they said, “It cannot be any other way but this.” Be careful, friend. This is why the Scripture says that the “natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God; they are foolishness to him,” because they are outside his knowledge base. 1 Corinthians 2:14. There is more involved than just your knowledge base. This is where faith should be applied.
  4. A black and white thinker uses the words of Scripture to support his preconceived opinions or ideas. Here is an issue over which Adventists have repeatedly stumbled. It is not the words of Scripture that were inspired, but the men who wrote the Scripture were inspired. Their thoughts were inspired, and they used the best human language at their command to convey these thoughts. For this very reason, if a person is going to understand Scripture, he must study it sufficiently, so he grasps the thought being conveyed that the prophet or apostle had in mind, and is not just depending on the interpretation, which he may be wresting from the words. It is for this very reason that it becomes essential to study how the words of Scripture were used by the people of that time. We need to know what the words meant to those people in the culture to which the apostle or prophet was speaking or writing and not simply read into them our own cultural meanings, which may make them say something completely opposite from what the apostle or prophet had in mind.

A powerful text, if you understand what it means, is 1 John 2:21: “I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and that no lie is of the truth.” Ellen White also wrote a comment on this idea: “All truth, whether in nature or in revelation, is consistent with itself in all its manifestations.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 114. The truth, whether in nature or revelation, is always consistent with itself. The truth never contradicts itself. If we think we know something, but there is even one text in Scripture that seems to say something different, we had better be careful. The truth is consistent with itself in all its manifestations. This is why we need to ask, whenever there are any new teachings, Do all the texts of Scripture and do all the Spirit of Prophecy statements point clearly, explicitly in this direction? If we do not do this, friend, we are liable to get into the same trap that the Pharisees got into.

I hope you will pray about what we have studied and say, “Lord, help me to study and search to find the weight of evidence and not just be a black and white thinker, as is so common today.”

[Bible texts quoted are literal translation.]

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

Editorial – Types and Shadows, Part V

by

Concerning the teaching of the apostle Paul in regard to feast days, he commanded to the Galatian church that anyone who still adhered to the keeping of feast days be disfellowshipped. So we know for certain what the apostle Paul was teaching in regard to the religious practices that, evidently, some in the church in Colossae, as well as the churches in Galatia, were still practicing. These feast days included monthly feast days (new moons) as well as yearly feast days and also old covenant ceremonial practices on the seventh-day Sabbath such as the morning and evening sacrifice.

Ellen White had some very helpful insights in regard to the change in the law when the old covenant was superseded by the new covenant. “The symbols of the Lord’s house are simple and plainly understood, and the truths represented by them are of the deepest significance to us. In instituting the sacramental service to take the place of the Passover, Christ left for his church a memorial of his great sacrifice for man. ‘This do,’ he said, ‘in remembrance of me.’ [1 Corinthians 11:24, 25.] This was the point of transition between two economies and their two great festivals. The one was to close forever; the other, which he had just established, was to take its place, and to continue through all time as the memorial of his death.” Review and Herald, May 31, 1898.

“In this last act of Christ in partaking with his disciples of the bread and wine, he pledged himself to them as their Redeemer by a new covenant, in which it was written and sealed that upon all who will receive Christ by faith will be bestowed all the blessings that heaven can supply, both in this life and in the future immortal life.

“This covenant deed was to be ratified with Christ’s own blood, which it had been the office of the old sacrificial offerings to keep before their minds. This was understood by the apostle Paul, who said: [Hebrews 10:1–12 quoted].” Ibid.

“In this ordinance, Christ discharged his disciples from the cares and burdens of the ancient Jewish obligations in rites and ceremonies. These no longer possessed any virtue; for type was meeting antitype in himself, the authority and foundation of all Jewish ordinances that pointed to him as the great and only efficacious offering for the sins of the world. He gave this simple ordinance that it might be a special season when he himself would always be present, to lead all participating in it to feel the pulse of their own conscience, to awaken them to an understanding of the lessons symbolized, to revive their memory, to convict of sin, and to receive their penitential repentance. He would teach them that brother is not to exalt himself above brother, that the dangers of disunion and strife shall be seen and appreciated; for the health and holy activity of the soul are involved. . . .

“It was Christ’s desire to leave to his disciples an ordinance that would do for them the very thing they needed,—that would serve to disentangle them from the rites and ceremonies which they had hitherto engaged in as essential, and which the reception of the gospel made no longer of any force. To continue these rites would be an insult to Jehovah. Eating of the body, and drinking of the blood, of Christ, not merely at the sacramental service, but daily partaking of the bread of life to satisfy the soul’s hunger, would be in receiving his word and doing his will.” Ibid., June 14, 1898.