Faith

Which Church is Going Through? Part III

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There is a text in the Bible that says, “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” Psalm 11:3. No matter how wonderful the building is that you build, if the foundation is not solid, if it is not secure, it can all go to ruin. Every one of you have seen instances, perhaps on television, when a flood swept away large houses. In Matthew 7, Jesus told a story about the man who built his house on the rock and the man who built his house on the sand. When the storm came, one house did not have a foundation. This is true not just for physical buildings. Jesus did not tell that story just so we would know how to build our house. What house was Jesus talking about? What does the Bible say is the house of God? Look at 1 Timothy 3:15 “…if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” If the church is built on the rock, it will stand the storm. But every church that is not built on the rock is going to get blown away. In Matthew 16:18 Jesus said to Peter, “…you are Peter, [Petros: that is a stone] and on this rock [petra: that is a large rock or boulder] I will build My church.” Jesus is the living rock. If the church is built on the right foundation, it will go through. Every church that is built on the right foundation will go through and every church that is not built on the right foundation will not go through. It is very important to know what the foundation is because otherwise we will not know which church is going through. Let me give you an illustration on that.

There are texts in the Bible that tell us to flee from Babylon. How can you flee from something if you do not even know what it is? Have you ever thought about that?

Who is the Church of God?

There are texts in the Bible that tell us that we should seek to find the way to Zion. We know Zion is a symbol of God’s church. But, how can you go to Zion if you do not know what Zion is? I receive many letters from historic Seventh-day Adventists who do not know what Zion is. I also have books on the subject. What these books and letters tell me is a common misconception and a common false theory about the foundation of the church. These letters and books tell me that the church organization is the church. Have you ever heard that? These people tell me that the church organization is the church, and they send me stacks of material with references from the Spirit of Prophecy or from the Bible. I have read all of these references very carefully and I have not found one statement yet that says that the church organization is the church. I have read the books where they have attempted to prove this point, and I have read all of the statements and all of the inspired statements in these books. There is not one statement, I believe, in the Spirit of Prophecy, which defines the church this way. Not even one! There are many statements in Inspired writings, however, that exactly define God’s church. We read some of those in our previous articles.

In Acts of the Apostles, page 11 Ellen White says, “from the beginning, faithful souls have constituted the church.” That is a statement that people have spent a tremendous amount of time trying to explain or get around. They say that is about something that is invisible. But if you read the whole context, it is not talking about anything invisible, it is talking about something very visible that you can see. Or the one in Manuscript Releases, vol. 1, page 296 that is also in the SDA Bible Commentary, page 949, tells us who it is that composes the church of God. It says it is those that keep God’s commandments. It is those that live by every word that proceeds out of the Lord’s mouth. That is who it is.

The Faith of Jesus

One of the commandments that first began to be broken in heaven by Lucifer was the ninth commandment. The ninth commandment says that you shall not bear false witness. Did you know that it is very possible for a person who comes to church, who is a Christian, and who is a member of a church to bear false witness? How does a person become a member of a church, and what does it mean to become a member of a church? When a person studies the Bible and they learn the truth of this Book, they learn about the commandments of God and decide that they are going to keep all the commandments of God, including the fourth one. They learn about the faith of Jesus. The faith of Jesus is a faith that gives you the power to change your life—to obey. You receive divine power through the Holy Spirit to live a new life. That is recorded all through the New Testament. (Romans 8; Romans 6; 1 John 3.) When a person studies those things and wants to be part of this group that it talks about in Revelation 14:12—those who keep the commandments of God, those who have the faith of Jesus, they will be one of those who will be ready to go to heaven when Jesus comes, and I want to be part of that group.

What does the Lord tell people to do if they want to be part of His church? What did He say to His disciples just before He left? He said, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved.” Mark 16:15, 16. So when a person decides they are going to live by every word in the Bible, and they say that is what they choose to do; they leave aside their sinful life. The apostle Paul spoke to people in the Corinthian church who had been involved in all kinds of sin, and I want to tell you, friend, if you want to be saved, you can be saved. There is nobody who cannot be saved because they are too bad of a sinner. God can save every single one of us. Look what it says in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11. “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.” Paul lists a whole bunch of terrible sins. He says these people are not going to be in the kingdom of God. But notice verse 11: “And such were some of you.” There were people in the Corinthian church who had been sodomites, thieves and adulterers; they had been involved in every kind of sin. Paul said those people are not going to inherit the kingdom of God. Some of them were like this, but notice what happened to them: “…but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.” Ibid. These people had been involved in every kind of sin that you can think of. He lists a whole bunch of awful ones right there in verses 9 and 10. He said the people who do these things are not going to be in the kingdom of God. You were like this, but you have been washed. Washed! What are you washed in? Revelation 1:5 says, “To Him Who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood.” Washed—you cannot get sin out of your life with just water. But Jesus came and washed us from our sins with His blood.

There may be some whom the devil has tempted so much that you have felt like you will have to give up. You think you are so bad you cannot make it. You are no worse than these people were. These people were saved. God is no respecter of persons. God can save you. Is that good news? I am so happy when I preach the gospel. In fact, if I could not share this good news, I do not know if I could preach. How would you like it if a preacher got up to preach and said, “Look, some of you here can be saved because you are in this category, and some of you are such bad sinners that you cannot be saved. You are just stuck. You might as well leave the church right now because you cannot make it.” How would you like to hear that? That would be bad news would it not? But the word ‘gospel,’ means the glad tidings, the good news, “…that Christ Jesus came [Paul said] into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.” 1 Timothy 1:15.

Paul was a bad sinner; he was a murderer. Can God save murderers? Yes! The apostle Paul is going to be in heaven, and he was a murderer. The people he murdered were not criminals. They were the most holy men and women on the face of the earth. But Paul was changed; he was washed. Do you want to be washed from your sins? Are you willing to commit your life to Christ and say, ‘Lord, I am committing my life to You. I will follow You. I am surrendering to You; please wash me from my sins.’ That is what it means to get baptized. When you are baptized, that is a symbol of the fact that your sins have been washed away by the blood of Jesus.

God’s People Have Two Qualifications

Remember we were looking at the ninth commandment? Is it possible for me to make all of that profession, and then not follow through? Is that possible? It not only is possible, but it has happened hundreds of millions of times. What if I make a profession but then I do not live according to my profession? You see, there is a church that is God’s people by profession. God’s remnant church, by profession, are those who call themselves Seventh-day Adventists. Seventh-day Adventists are the only people in the world who meet the specifications in Revelation 14:12. This text specifies who God’s people are going to be in the last days; and they have two qualifications.

First, they keep the commandments of God. James 2:10 says that if you keep all the law but you offend in one point you have broken it all. The Ten Commandments are not ten laws; the Ten Commandments are one law. Always remember that. (See Exodus 24:12.) If you break any one of the precepts, you have broken the whole law. God’s last day people will be people who keep all ten of the Ten Commandments.

Secondly, they have the faith of Jesus. I love to talk about the faith of Jesus. Do you have the faith of Jesus? What does the faith of Jesus do? If you have the same kind of faith that Jesus had, you are trusting God completely that He is going to get you through each test. Jesus prayed to His Father in the Garden of Gethsemane because He was afraid. Have you ever been afraid? Do you know why Jesus was afraid? Jesus was afraid that His humanity would not be able to stand the test, because He knew what test was coming; He knew He was going to the cross. He was afraid that His humanity would not endure. So He prayed. Did God answer His prayer? A mighty angel came from heaven to strengthen Him. Not to take away the test, but to strengthen Him. That is the faith of Jesus. Are you having any tests? Do you ever become afraid and say, “Oh, Lord, I will never make it. I will not be able to survive this test; I am going to fall; what am I going to do?” Do you ever feel like that? What is the faith of Jesus? The faith of Jesus is when you are depending on God and crying out to Him to give you the power and the strength to get you through whatever test it is that you are facing.

A Form of Godliness

There is a church that is God’s chosen people by profession. They claim to believe Revelation 14:12, to be part of that group; and some of these people really are that group. Unfortunately, some make a profession, but their profession is not true. They are breaking the ninth commandment. Often the professed church of God has gone so far in apostasy that it has persecuted the true church. This is predicted to happen at the end. “He [God] draws the dividing line between those who bear His name by profession and those whose character shows them to be His children.” Signs of the Times, June 30, 1881. God draws the dividing line, and some people are on one side of the line and some people are on the other side of that line. All the people make a profession, but where is the line? The line is between those who simply make a profession and those who show by their character that their profession is true. On which side of the line are you?

“Not their profession, but the fruit they bear, shows the character of the true. Many have a form of godliness, their names are upon the church records but they have a spotted record in heaven.” Appeal to the Battle Creek Church. It is not the profession, but the fruit. This is the difference between the wheat and the tares. The wheat bears fruit. The tares do not bear fruit. They look just like wheat for a long time, but in the harvest time there is no fruit. The Bible tells us what the fruit is in Galatians 5:22, 23. It talks about the fruit of the Spirit. If you really have the Holy Spirit inside and it is not just a profession, some fruit will appear in your life. Even if you have committed all of those sins that we just read about in 1 Corinthians 6:9 and 10, the Holy Spirit can purify your heart and give you love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, self-control, and temperance. All of those things the Holy Spirit can produce in your life no matter what your past has been. Is that good news? The gospel, Christianity, is a miracle religion. The person who has been beating his wife, stops. He does not just make a profession; he actually changes his behavior. The person who has been an alcoholic, stops using that poison. The person who has been a profligate, living an immoral life, becomes faithful and true. Their family, their spouse, can depend on them. The gospel actually changes their life. We all need to make the profession, but the profession needs to be true.

The Truth is to Change My Life

It would be better for us if we had never seen the light of truth than to profess to accept it and not be sanctified by it. If I profess to accept the truth, the truth is to change my life. Like we read in the last part of 2 Peter 2, it would be better if a person never even knew the truth than to know it and not be changed in character and in life. The good news of the gospel is that God wants to change your heart and mine through the Holy Spirit so that our profession becomes real and there is actually spiritual fruit in our lives. Because if there is not fruit in the life, the time is near when we are going to be separated. The wheat and the tares are going to be separated. It is a scary subject, but it is true and it is going to happen. It is not only going to happen, but it is happening right now. There is plenty of Inspired instruction that shows that clearly.

There is a reason that we have to spend so much time talking about who and what is the church, if you do not understand who and what it is, at the end you are going to be lost, because you will be going from the wrong place to the wrong place. Now if you are going from the wrong place and you are going to the wrong place, how can you be saved? In other words, if you think this is the church and you are running towards it, but it is not; and if you think that that is not the church and so you are running from it and it is the church, what is your situation? You are lost. Let us think this text through, and let us remember the inspired definitions of who and what the church is.

They Went Out From Us

The only thing that you can depend on is inspiration. There must be a “thus saith the Lord” for what you believe if you are going to be saved. In 1 John 2:19, it says, “They went out from us.” Who is the ‘us’? Is ‘us’ the church organization? Be careful! Who is the ‘us’? If you read from 1 John 1 up to 1 John 2:19, you should be able to figure out who the ‘us’ is, because it tells who the ‘us’ is. For instance, look at 1 John 2:13. It says, “…I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the wicked one.” Look at verse 14. He says again, “…and you have overcome the wicked one.” John calls these people His little children and he specifies in the first part of chapter 2, verses 3-11, the test of those who really know God. Notice, he says in verses 3 and 4, “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” Where is he drawing the line? It is those who keep the commandments. Does that sound similar to Revelation 14:12? Continuing in verse 6 we read, ” He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” He has the faith of Jesus. These are the people who are overcoming. These are the people who keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus. That is who the ‘us’ is.

Then who are the ‘they’? Look at verse 19 again. “They went out from us.” Now the us are the people who are keeping God’s commandments. They are the people who have the faith of Jesus because they are walking like He walked. (See 1 John 2:6.) These are the people who keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus. That is who the us is in verse 19. Then who are the ‘they’? It says, “They went out from us.” They used to be part of us then. Or did they? Have you read the whole verse yet? They went out from us, but they were not of us. How do you explain that? They used to be here with us, but they were not of us. Continuing in verse 19 we read, “If ‘they’ had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.” How do you explain that? They were apparently church members; they were part of the church, but they were not really, they just professed to be. Apparently they were church members; they were apparently part of us, but not really. This verse is worth a lot of study. “They went out from us.” They left those who were keeping the commandments of God and had the faith of Jesus. They left them. That does not necessarily mean that they left the church building or quit going to church. The Spirit of Prophecy makes that very clear.

Bible Study Guides – Early Life in Canaan

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Lessons from the Book of Joshua

March 1 – 7, 2020

Key Text

“And the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of the congregation there. And the land was subdued before them” (Joshua 18:1).

Study Help:  Patriarchs and Prophets, 512–518.

Introduction

“The land to which we are traveling is in every sense far more attractive than was the land of Canaan to the children of Israel. They were led by the hand of God. Christ Himself gave them a description of the country in which they were to find a home; for He wished to place before them every incentive to press on with hope and courage. … They had need of courage and constant faith.” The Review and Herald, November 29, 1881.

Sunday

A MAN OF COURAGE

a. Before the land was distributed, what did Caleb testify of his experience from forty years prior? Joshua 14:6–9. How had he shown courage before?

b. What can we learn from God’s promise to Caleb? Numbers 14:22–24.

Note: “While the doubting ones talk of impossibilities, while they tremble at the thought of high walls and strong giants, let the faithful Calebs, who have ‘another spirit’ (Numbers 14:24), come to the front. The truth of God, which bringeth salvation, will go forth to the people if ministers and professed believers will not hedge up its way, as did the unfaithful spies. Our work is aggressive. Something must be done to warn the world; and let no voice be heard that will encourage selfish interests to the neglect of missionary fields. We must engage in the work with heart and soul and voice; both mental and physical powers must be aroused. All heaven is interested in our work, and angels of God are ashamed of our weak efforts.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 380, 381.

Monday

THE FAITH OF AN AGED WARRIOR

a. What refreshing request did 85-year-old Caleb make? Joshua 14:10–12. How is his amazing courage and trust in God inspiring to us?

Note: “Zeal and energy must be intensified; talents that are rusting from inaction must be pressed into service. The voice that would say, ‘Wait; do not allow yourself to have burdens imposed upon you,’ is the voice of the cowardly spies. We want Calebs now who will press to the front—chieftains in Israel who with courageous words will make a strong report in favor of immediate action. When the selfish, ease-loving, panic-stricken people, fearing tall giants and inaccessible walls, clamor for retreat, let the voice of the Calebs be heard, even though the cowardly ones stand with stones in their hands, ready to beat them down for their faithful testimony.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 383.

b. How was Caleb’s faithful claim blessed? Joshua 14:13–15.

Note: “Caleb’s faith now was just what it was when his testimony had contradicted the evil report of the spies. He had believed God’s promise that He would put His people in possession of Canaan, and in this he had followed the Lord fully. He had endured with his people the long wandering in the wilderness, thus sharing the disappointments and burdens of the guilty; yet he made no complaint of this, but exalted the mercy of God that had preserved him in the wilderness when his brethren were cut off. Amid all the hardships, perils, and plagues of the desert wanderings, and during the years of warfare since entering Canaan, the Lord had preserved him; and now at upwards of fourscore his vigor was unabated. He did not ask for himself a land already conquered, but the place which above all others the spies had thought it impossible to subdue. By the help of God he would wrest his stronghold from the very giants whose power had staggered the faith of Israel. It was no desire for honor or aggrandizement that prompted Caleb’s request. The brave old warrior was desirous of giving to the people an example that would honor God, and encourage the tribes fully to subdue the land which their fathers had deemed unconquerable.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 512, 513.

Tuesday

 FAITH THAT WORKS

a. Explain how Caleb’s courageous faith was demonstrated in works, even in his old age. Joshua 15:13, 14

Note: “Caleb obtained the inheritance upon which his heart had been set for forty years, and, trusting in God to be with him, he ‘drove thence the three sons of Anak’ (Joshua 15:14). Having thus secured a possession for himself and his house, his zeal did not abate; he did not settle down to enjoy his inheritance, but pushed on to further conquests for the benefit of the nation and the glory of God.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 513.

b. Explain the difference in outcome between the experience of Joshua and Caleb versus that of the unbelieving spies. Numbers 14:30–32; 1Corinthians 10:5.

Note: “The cowards and rebels had perished in the wilderness, but the righteous spies ate of the grapes of Eschol. To each was given according to his faith. The unbelieving had seen their fears fulfilled. Notwithstanding God’s promise, they had declared that it was impossible to inherit Canaan, and they did not possess it. But those who trusted in God, looking not so much to the difficulties to be encountered as to the strength of their Almighty Helper, entered the goodly land.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 513.

c. What does God want us to realize about the power of faith? 1John 5:4.

 Note: “All things are possible to him that believeth; and whatsoever things we desire when we pray, if we believe that we receive them we shall have them. This faith will penetrate the darkest cloud and bring rays of light and hope to the drooping, desponding soul. It is the absence of this faith and trust which brings perplexity, distressing fears, and surmisings of evil. God will do great things for His people when they put their entire trust in Him.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 140.

Wednesday

SHARING BURDENS IN UNITY

a. Which tribes were located (a) on the east side of the Jordan; (b) on the west side of the Jordan? (To view the division of Canaan among the twelve tribes, see a Bible map.) Numbers 34:14, 15; Joshua 13:7, 8.

Note: “Two of the tribes of Israel, Gad and Reuben, with half the tribe of Manasseh, had received their inheritance before crossing the Jordan. To a pastoral people, the wide upland plains and rich forests of Gilead and Bashan, offering extensive grazing land for their flocks and herds, had attractions which were not to be found in Canaan itself, and the two and a half tribes, desiring to settle here, had pledged themselves to furnish their proportion of armed men to accompany their brethren across the Jordan and to share their battles till they also should enter upon their inheritance. The obligation had been faithfully discharged. When the ten tribes entered Canaan forty thousand of ‘the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh … prepared for war passed over before the Lord unto battle, to the plains of Jericho’ (Joshua 4:12, 13). For years they had fought bravely by the side of their brethren. Now the time had come for them to get unto the land of their possession. As they had united with their brethren in the conflicts, so they had shared the spoils; and they returned ‘with much riches … and with very much cattle, with silver, and with gold, and with brass, and with iron, and with very much raiment’ (Judges 22:8), all of which they were to share with those who had remained with the families and flocks.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 517, 518.

b. Where was the headquarters of the nation? Joshua 4:19; 10:6, first part.

 Note: “Here [at the first encampment in Canaan], Joshua ‘circumcised the children of Israel’ (Joshua 5:3); ‘and the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and kept the Passover’ (verse 10). … And the Lord declared to Joshua, ‘This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you’ (verse 9), and in allusion to this the place of their encampment was called Gilgal, ‘a rolling away,’ or ‘rolling off.’ ” Patriarchs and Prophets, 485, 486.

Thursday

A NEW HEADQUARTERS

a. After the claim of Joseph’s children had been settled, to where was the tabernacle moved? Joshua 18:1, 10. Why? How long was it there?

Note: “Heretofore Gilgal had been the headquarters of the nation and the seat of the tabernacle. But now the tabernacle was to be removed to the place chosen for its permanent location. This was Shiloh, a little town in the lot of Ephraim. It was near the center of the land, and was easy of access to all the tribes. Here a portion of country had been thoroughly subdued, so that the worshipers would not be molested. [Joshua 18:1 quoted.] The tribes that were still encamped when the tabernacle was removed from Gilgal followed it, and pitched near Shiloh. Here these tribes remained until they dispersed to their possessions.

“The ark remained at Shiloh for three hundred years, until, because of the sins of Eli’s house, it fell into the hands of the Philistines, and Shiloh was ruined. The ark was never returned to the tabernacle here, the sanctuary service was finally transferred to the temple at Jerusalem.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 514.

b. What valuable practice was later instituted at Shiloh? Judges 21:19.

Note: “As a means of education an important place was filled by the feasts of Israel. In ordinary life the family was both a school and a church, the parents being the instructors in secular and in religious lines. But three times a year seasons were appointed for social intercourse and worship. First at Shiloh, and afterward at Jerusalem, these gatherings were held.” Education, 41, 42.

Friday

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1    Why did God say Caleb had “another spirit” suited to the promised land?

2    How can I develop an attitude more like Caleb than like Joseph’s children?

3    What do I need to realize about faith that perhaps I have not seen before?

4    What kind of faith was exercised by those tribes east of the Jordan?

5    Name some of the blessings reaped by the location of Shiloh.

© 2019, Reformation Herald Publishing Association, 5240 Hollins Road, Roanoke, Virginia 24019-5048, U.S.A.

Editorial – The Weight of Evidence

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Some Christians believe that everything should be absolutely proved, or they will not have anything to do with it. One Christian stated that it would not be fair if God had not given us a perfect Bible!

People had similar troubles in Ellen White’s time. Look at her response to a physician: “In your letter you speak of your early training to have implicit faith in the testimonies and say, ‘I was led to conclude and most firmly believe that every word that you ever spoke in public or private, that every letter you wrote under any and all circumstances, was as inspired as the Ten Commandments.’

“My brother, you have studied my writings diligently, and you have never found that I have made any such claims, neither will you find that the pioneers in our cause ever made such claims.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 24.

“We have many lessons to learn, and many, many to unlearn. God and heaven alone are infallible. Those who think that they will never have to give up a cherished view, never have occasion to change an opinion, will be disappointed. As long as we hold to our own ideas and opinions with determined persistency, we cannot have the unity for which Christ prayed.” The Review and Herald, July 26, 1892.

She is not claiming infallibility for herself, nor claiming infallibility for the words in the Bible either.

“The Lord speaks to human beings in imperfect speech, in order that the degenerate senses, the dull, earthly perception of earthly beings may comprehend His words. Thus is shown God’s condescension. He meets fallen human beings where they are. The Bible, perfect as it is in its simplicity, does not answer to the great ideas of God; for infinite ideas cannot be perfectly embodied in finite vehicles of thought. Instead of the expressions of the Bible being exaggerated, as many people suppose, the strong expressions break down before the magnificence of the thought, though the penman selected the most expressive language through which to convey the truths of higher education. [Notice the strong expressions are not exaggerations, but actually understatements because we do not have speech sufficient to express the thought.] It is not the words of the Bible that are inspired, but the men that were inspired. Inspiration acts not on the man’s words or his expressions but on the man himself, who, under the influence of the Holy Ghost, is imbued with thoughts.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 21.

Somebody may ask, how am I to believe if there is not something perfect upon which to place my faith?

Jesus is perfect and you can place your faith in Him, but everything in this world, including human language, is imperfect. God expects us to make our decisions, not on perfect knowledge, which we will never have in this world, but rather on the weight of evidence. If you are waiting for perfect knowledge you will never be saved: The unbelief that demands perfect knowledge will never yield to the evidence that God is pleased to give. He requires of His people faith that rests upon the weight of evidence, not upon perfect knowledge.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 258.

“Those who desire to doubt will have plenty of room. God does not propose to remove all occasion for unbelief. He gives evidence, which must be carefully investigated with a humble mind and a teachable spirit, and all should decide from the weight of evidence. God gives sufficient evidence for the candid mind to believe; but he who turns from the weight of evidence because there are a few things which he cannot make plain to his finite understanding will be left in the cold, chilling atmosphere of unbelief and questioning doubts, and will make shipwreck of faith.” Ibid., vol. 5, 675, 676.

“‘But there are some things that are not explained.’ Well, what if everything is not explained? Where is the weight of evidence? God will balance the mind if it is susceptible to the influence of the Spirit of God; if it is not, then it will decide on the other side. They will come just exactly where Judas came; they will sell their Lord for thirty pieces of silver or something else. They will sacrifice everything to unbelief.” Sermons and Talks, vol. 1, 145.

Bible Study Guides – Righteousness

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October 6, 2001 – October 12, 2001

 “Awake to Righteousness, and Sin Not”

Memory Verse: “For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth.” Ephesians 5:9.

Study Help: Christ’s Object Lessons, 310–316.

Thought to Remember: “Righteousness is right doing.”

Introduction

“There never was a time when it was so important that the followers of Christ should study the Bible as now. Deceptive influences are upon all sides, and it is essential that you counsel with Jesus, your best friend. The wayfaring man may find the way of life through faith and obedience, through abiding in the sunshine of Christ’s righteousness. But how shall we understand what is meant by these terms, if we do not understand the Bible? In the Word of God duty is made plain, and everything relating to the religious life is presented in a definite way. The whole plan of salvation is delineated, and the helps to the soul are pointed out. The way in which the believer may be complete in Christ is unfolded.” Youth’s Instructor, May 18, 1893.

“None Righteous, No, Not One”

1 Because of our sins, what is the state of the human heart? Romans 3:12. Read verses 9–18.

note: “The only definition we find in the Bible for sin is that ‘sin is the transgression of the law’ (1 John 3:4). The Word of God declares, ‘All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God’ (Romans 3:23). ‘There is none that doeth good, no, not one’ (Romans 3:12). Many are deceived concerning the condition of their hearts. They do not realize that the natural heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. They wrap themselves about with their own righteousness, and are satisfied in reaching their own human standard of character; but how fatally they fail when they do not reach the divine standard, and of themselves they cannot meet the requirements of God. We may measure ourselves by ourselves, we may compare ourselves among ourselves, we may say we do as well as this one or that one, but the question to which the judgment will call for an answer is, Do we meet the claims of high heaven? Do we reach the divine standard? Are our hearts in harmony with the God of heaven? The human family have all transgressed the law of God, and as transgressors of the law, man is hopelessly ruined; for he is the enemy of God, without strength to do any good thing.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 321, 322.

2 How does the Lord regard our attempts to make ourselves righteous? Isaiah 64:6.

note: “In their professed service to God, the Jews were really working for self. Their righteousness was the fruit of their own efforts to keep the law according to their own ideas and for their own selfish benefit. Hence it could be no better than they were. In their endeavor to make themselves holy, they were trying to bring a clean thing out of an unclean. The law of God is as holy as He is holy, as perfect as He is perfect. It presents to men the righteousness of God. It is impossible for man, of himself, to keep this law; for the nature of man is depraved, deformed, and wholly unlike the character of God. The works of the selfish heart are ‘as an unclean thing;’ and ‘all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.’ Isaiah 64:6.” Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 54.

“Hunger and Thirst After Righteousness”

3 What is righteousness? Psalm 1; Psalm 119:172.

note: “Righteousness is right doing, and it is by their deeds that all will be judged. Our characters are revealed by what we do. The works show whether the faith is genuine.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 312.

“Righteousness is holiness, likeness to God, and ‘God is love.’ 1 John 4:16. It is conformity to the law of God, for ‘all Thy commandments are righteousness’ (Psalm 119:172), and ‘love is the fulfilling of the law’ (Romans 13:10). Righteousness is love, and love is the light and the life of God. The righteousness of God is embodied in Christ. We receive righteousness by receiving Him.” The Faith I Live By, 109.

4 What is the relationship between obedience and righteousness? Romans 6:16.

note: “You need the true spirit of obedience to the Word of God. You must make decided reforms in your own customs and practices, conforming your life to the saving principles of the law of God. When you do this, you will have the righteousness of Christ which pervades that law, because you love God and recognize His law as a transcript of His character.” Child Guidance, 69.

“True obedience is the outworking of a principle within. It springs from the love of righteousness, the love of the law of God. The essence of all righteousness is loyalty to our Redeemer. This will lead us to do right because it is right, because right doing is pleasing to God.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 97.

“What is Man, That He Should be Clean?”

5 Because all have disobeyed God’s law, what way has God devised for accounting sinners as righteous? Romans 5:19.

note: “Righteousness is obedience to the law. The law demands righteousness, and this the sinner owes to the law; but he is incapable of rendering it. The only way in which he can attain to righteousness is through faith. By faith he can bring to God the merits of Christ, and the Lord places the obedience of His Son to the sinner’s account. Christ’s righteousness is accepted in place of man’s failure, and God receives, pardons, justifies, the repentant, believing soul, treats him as though he were righteous, and loves him as He loves His Son. This is how faith is accounted righteousness; and the pardoned soul goes on from grace to grace, from light to a greater light. He can say with rejoicing, ‘Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; that being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life’ (Titus 3:5–7).” Faith and Works, 101.

6 Will God account us as righteous if we do not forsake our sins? Isaiah 55:7; Zechariah 3:3, 4.

note: “No repentance is genuine that does not work reformation. The righteousness of Christ is not a cloak to cover unconfessed and unforsaken sin; it is a principle of life that transforms the character and controls the conduct. Holiness is wholeness for God; it is the entire surrender of heart and life to the indwelling of the principles of heaven.” The Desire of Ages, 555.

“Christ has paid the price of your redemption. There is only one thing that you can do, and that is to take the gift of God. You can come in all your need, and plead the merits of a crucified and risen Saviour; but you cannot come expecting that Christ will cover your wickedness, your daily indulgence in sin, with His robe of righteousness.” Bible Echo, May 15, 1892.

“Christ’s righteousness will not cover the unrighteousness of any one. ‘All unrighteousness is sin,’ and ‘sin is the transgression of the law,’ therefore, those who are breaking the law of God and teaching others to break it, will not be covered with the garments of Christ’s righteousness. He came not to save men in their sins; but from their sins. ‘And hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth His word, in him verily is the love of God perfected; hereby know we that we are in Him.’ These utterances are weighty, and should be duly considered.” Second Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, July 24, 1888.

“If we confess our sins…”

7 How may the unrighteousness that we have done be cleansed from our lives? 1 John 1:9; Jeremiah 3:13; Ezekiel 36:25.

note: “True confession is always of a specific character, and acknowledges particular sins. They may be of such a nature as to be brought before God only; they may be wrongs that should be confessed to individuals who have suffered injury through them; or they may be of a public character, and should then be as publicly confessed. But all confession should be definite and to the point, acknowledging the very sins of which you are guilty. Many, many confessions should never be spoken in the hearing of mortals; for the result is that which the limited judgment of finite beings does not anticipate.…God will be better glorified if we confess the secret, inbred corruption of the heart to Jesus alone than if we open its recesses to finite, erring man, who cannot judge righteously unless his heart is constantly imbued with the Spirit of God.…Do not pour into human ears the story which God alone should hear. The confession that is the outpouring of the inmost soul finds its way to the God of infinite pity. Your sins may be as mountains before you; but if you humble your heart, and confess your sins, trusting in the merits of a crucified and risen Saviour, He will forgive, and will cleanse you from all unrighteousness.…Desire the fullness of the grace of Christ. Let your heart be filled with an intense longing for His righteousness.” The Faith I Live By, 128.

8 Is forgiveness all that God promises the repentant soul? Acts 2:38; Ezekiel 36:25–27; Acts 3:19.

note: “There are those who listen to the truth, and are convinced that they have been living in opposition to Christ. They are condemned, and they repent of their transgressions. Relying upon the merits of Christ, exercising true faith in Him, they receive pardon for sin. As they cease to do evil and learn to do well, they grow in grace and in the knowledge of God. They see that they must sacrifice in order to separate from the world; and after counting the cost, they look upon all as loss if they may but win Christ. They have enlisted in Christ’s army. The warfare is before them, and they enter it bravely and cheerfully, fighting against their natural inclinations and selfish desires, bringing the will into subjection to the will of Christ. Daily they seek the Lord for grace to obey Him, and they are strengthened and helped. This is true conversion. In humble, grateful dependence he who has been given a new heart relies upon the help of Christ. He reveals in his life the fruit of righteousness. He once loved himself. Worldly pleasure was his delight. Now his idol is dethroned, and God reigns supreme. The sins he once loved he now hates. Firmly and resolutely he follows in the path of holiness.” Youth’s Instructor, September 26, 1901.

“The Righteousness of God which is by Faith of Jesus Christ”

9 What will be seen in the life of the one who accepts the righteousness of Christ? Philippians 1:9–11.

note: “It was impossible for the sinner to keep the law of God, which was holy, just, and good; but this impossibility was removed by the impartation of the righteousness of Christ to the repenting, believing soul. The life and death of Christ in behalf of sinful man were for the purpose of restoring the sinner to God’s favor, through imparting to him the righteousness that would meet the claims of the law and find acceptance with the Father.” Faith and Works, 118.

“Christ actually bore the punishment of the sins of the world, that His righteousness might be imputed to sinners, and through repentance and faith they might become like Him in holiness of character. He says, ‘I bear the guilt of that man’s sins. Let Me take the punishment and the repenting sinner stand before Thee innocent.’ The moment the sinner believes in Christ, he stands in the sight of God uncondemned; for the righteousness of Christ is his: Christ’s perfect obedience is imputed to him. But he must co-operate with divine power, and put forth his human effort to subdue sin, and stand complete in Christ. The ransom paid by Christ is sufficient for the salvation of all men; but it will avail for only those who become new creatures in Christ Jesus, loyal subjects of God’s everlasting kingdom. His suffering will not shield from punishment the unrepenting, disloyal sinner. Christ’s work was to restore man to his original state, to heal him, through divine power, from the wounds and bruises made by sin. Man’s part is to lay hold by faith of the merits of Christ, and co-operate with the divine agencies in forming a righteous character; so that God may save the sinner, and yet be just and His righteous law vindicated.” Fundamentals of Christian Education, 429, 430.

10 What fruit will be seen in the life of the one who has repented, receiving the Holy Spirit and the righteousness of Christ? Ephesians 5:9–11; James 3:17, 18.

note: “There is no human being in the world but bears fruit of some kind, either good or evil; and Christ has made it possible for every soul to bear most precious fruit. Obedience to the requirements of God, submission to the will of Christ, will yield in the life the peaceable fruits of righteousness. The inhabitants of this world are dear to God’s family.…He gave the richest gift that heaven could bestow, that men and women might return from their rebellion to His law, and accept into their hearts and lives the principles of heaven. If men would acknowledge the Gift, and accept His sacrifice, their transgressions would be pardoned, and the grace of God would be imparted to them to help them to yield in their lives the precious fruits of holiness. ‘Every good tree bringeth forth good fruit.’ We have a representation to make to the world of pure principles, holy ambitions, noble aspirations, that will distinguish us from all other people, making us a separate nation, a peculiar people.” God’s Amazing Grace, 249.

“The Fine Linen is the Righteousness of Saints”

11 How is righteousness received into the life? Romans 3:22; Philippians 3:9.

note: “By His perfect obedience He has made it possible for every human being to obey God’s commandments. When we submit ourselves to Christ, the heart is united with His heart, the will is merged in His will, the mind becomes one with His mind, the thoughts are brought into captivity to Him; we live His life. This is what it means to be clothed with the garment of His righteousness. Then as the Lord looks upon us He sees, not the fig-leaf garment, not the nakedness and deformity of sin, but His own robe of righteousness, which is perfect obedience to the law of Jehovah.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 312.

12 What is the evidence that a person is righteous? 1 John 3:7.

note: “We have no righteousness of our own with which to meet the claims of the law of God. But Christ has made a way of escape for us. He lived on earth amid trials and temptations such as we have to meet. He lived a sinless life. He died for us, and now He offers to take our sins and give us His righteousness. If you give yourself to Him, and accept Him as your Saviour, then, sinful as your life may have been, for His sake you are accounted righteous. Christ’s character stands in place of your character, and you are accepted before God just as if you had not sinned. More than this, Christ changes the heart. He abides in your heart by faith. You are to maintain this connection with Christ by faith and the continual surrender of your will to Him; and so long as you do this, He will work in you to will and to do according to His good pleasure. So you may say, ‘The life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.’ Galatians 2:20. So Jesus said to His disciples, ‘It is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.’ Matthew 10:20. Then with Christ working in you, you will manifest the same spirit and do the same good works—works of righteousness, obedience. So we have nothing in ourselves of which to boast. We have no ground for self-exaltation. Our only ground of hope is in the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and in that wrought by His Spirit working in and through us.” Steps to Christ, 62, 63.

Bible Study Guides – Faith

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“The Just Shall Live by His Faith”

MEMORY VERSE

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

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

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

Introduction “God has called His people to glory and virtue, and these will be manifest in the lives of all who are truly connected with Him. Having become partakers of the heavenly gift, they are to go unto perfection, being ‘kept by the power of God through faith.’  1 Peter 1:5. It is the glory of God to give His virtue to His children. He desires to see men and women reaching the highest standard; and when by faith they lay hold of the power of Christ, when they plead His unfailing promises, and claim them as their own, when with an importunity that will not be denied they seek for the power of the Holy Spirit, they will be made complete in Him.” The Acts of the Apostles, 530.

“Justified by Faith”

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

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

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

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

“The Faith of Abraham”

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

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

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

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

“Exceeding Great and Precious Promises”

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

NOTE: See The Desire of Ages, 121.

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

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

“The Shield of Faith”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“The Just Shall Live by His Faith”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bible Study Guides – Faith and Acceptance

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January 27- February 2, 2002

MEMORY VERSE: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6.

STUDY HELP: Steps to Christ, 49–55.

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: “Do not wait to feel that you are made whole, but say, ‘I believe it; it is so, not because I feel it, but because God has promised.’” Steps to Christ, 51.

INTRODUCTION: “A great work is to be accomplished daily in the human heart by the study of the Word. We need to learn the simplicity of true faith. This will bring its returns. Let us seek for decided advancement in spiritual understanding. Let us make the precious Word the man of our counsel. We need to walk carefully every moment, keeping close to the side of Christ. The spirit and grace of Christ are needed in the life, and the faith that works by love and purifies the soul.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 224, 225.

God’s Desire to Receive Us

1 What is God’s desire for every sinner? 2 Peter 3:9.

NOTE: “The reason why the Bridegroom delays is because He is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. O the precious longsuffering of our merciful Saviour!” Sons and Daughters of God, 118.

“God does not desire the destruction of any. ‘As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die?’ Ezekiel 33:11. Throughout the period of probationary time His Spirit is entreating men to accept the gift of life.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 123. See also Patriarchs and Prophets, 105.

2 In the parable of the prodigal, how did Jesus portray His Father’s willingness to receive the sinner? Luke 15:18–20.

NOTE: “But even this parable, tender and touching as it is, comes short of expressing the infinite compassion of the heavenly Father. The Lord declares by His prophet, ‘I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee.’ Jeremiah 31:3. While the sinner is yet far from the Father’s house, wasting his substance in a strange country, the Father’s heart is yearning over him; and every longing awakened in the soul to return to God is but the tender pleading of His Spirit, wooing, entreating, drawing the wanderer to his Father’s heart of love.” Steps to Christ, 54.

“This parable was given by Christ to represent the manner in which our heavenly Father receives the erring and repenting.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 103.

Saving Faith Defined

3 What two absolute facts about God does saving faith acknowledge? Hebrews 11:6.

NOTE: “We should not present our petitions to God to prove whether He will fulfill His word, but because He will fulfill it; not to prove that He loves us, but because He loves us.” The Desire of Ages, 126.

“You have confessed your sins, and in heart put them away. You have resolved to give yourself to God. Now go to Him, and ask that He will wash away your sins and give you a new heart. Then believe that He does this because He has promised. This is the lesson which Jesus taught while He was on earth, that the gift which God promises us, we must believe we do receive, and it is ours.” Steps to Christ, 49, 50.

4 What principle of saving faith did Jesus declare when he healed the two blind men? Matthew 9:27–30.

NOTE: “Much of the faith which we see is merely nominal; the real, trusting, persevering faith is rare. Moses realized in his own experience the promise that God will be a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. He had respect unto the recompense of the reward. Here is another point in regard to faith which we wish to study: God will reward the man of faith and obedience. If this faith is brought into the life experience, it will enable everyone who fears and loves God to endure trials. Moses was full of confidence in God because he had appropriating faith. He needed help, and he prayed for it, grasped it by faith, and wove into his experience the belief that God cared for him.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 651, 652.

“Pray in faith. And be sure to bring your lives into harmony with your petitions, that you may receive the blessings for which you pray. Let not your faith weaken, for the blessings received are proportionate to the faith exercised.” Ibid, vol. 7, 274.

Focused on God’s Promises

5 To what must our faith be attached in order for our Christian experience to bear fruit? 2 Peter 1:4.

NOTE: “True faith lays hold of and claims the promised blessing before it is realized and felt. We must send up our petitions in faith within the second veil and let our faith take hold of the promised blessing and claim it as ours.” Early Writings, 72.

“We must cherish and cultivate the faith of which prophets and apostles have testified—the faith that lays hold on the promises of God and waits for deliverance in His appointed time and way.” Prophets and Kings, 387. See also The Great Controversy, 472.

6 What does Paul say about God’s promises? 2 Corinthians 1:20.

NOTE: “Let these blessed promises, set in the framework of faith, be placed in memory’s halls. Not one of them will fail. All that God hath spoken He will do. ‘He is faithful that promised.’” Testimonies, vol. 5, 630.

“Can you not trust in your heavenly Father? Can you not rest upon His gracious promise? ‘Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ Precious promise! Can we not rely upon it? Can we not have implicit trust, knowing that He is faithful who hath promised? I entreat you to let your trembling faith again grasp the promises of God. Bear your whole weight upon them with unwavering faith; for they will not, they cannot, fail.” Ibid., vol. 2, 497.

Biblical Examples of Saving Faith

7 What man, according to his faith, did Jesus forgive and heal? Luke 5:18–26.

NOTE: “Jesus healed the people of their diseases when they had faith in His power; He helped them in the things which they could see, thus inspiring them with confidence in Him concerning things which they could not see—leading them to believe in His power to forgive sins.” Steps to Christ, 50.

“Oh, wondrous love of Christ, stooping to heal the guilty and the afflicted! Divinity sorrowing over and soothing the ills of suffering humanity! Oh, marvelous power thus displayed to the children of men! Who can doubt the message of salvation? Who can slight the mercies of a compassionate Redeemer?” The Desire of Ages, 269.

8 What words of Jesus did the paralytic, beside the pool of Bethesda, believe and act upon whereby he was healed? John 5:1–9.

NOTE: “The poor sufferer was helpless; he had not used his limbs for thirty-eight years. Yet Jesus bade him, ‘Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.’ The sick man might have said, ‘Lord, if Thou wilt make me whole, I will obey Thy word.’ But, no, he believed Christ’s word, believed that he was made whole, and he made the effort at once; he willed to walk, and he did walk. He acted on the word of Christ, and God gave the power. He was made whole.

“In like manner you are a sinner. You cannot atone for your past sins; you cannot change your heart and make yourself holy. But God promises to do all this for you through Christ. You believe that promise. You confess your sins and give yourself to God. You will to serve Him. Just as surely as you do this, God will fulfill His word to you. If you believe the promise,—believe that you are forgiven and cleansed,—God supplies the fact; you are made whole, just as Christ gave the paralytic power to walk when the man believed that he was healed. It is so if you believe it.” Steps to Christ, 51.

Faith Versus Feeling

9 Upon what should our faith not be based? 2 Corinthians 5:7, 4:18.

NOTE: “We should daily dedicate ourselves to God and believe He accepts the sacrifice, without examining whether we have that degree of feeling that corresponds with our faith. Feeling and faith are as distinct as the east is from the west. Faith is not dependent on feeling. We must earnestly cry to God in faith, feeling or no feeling, and then live our prayers. Our assurance and evidence is God’s word, and after we have asked we must believe without doubting.” Selected Messages, Book 2, 243.

“Darkness and discouragement will sometimes come upon the soul, and threaten to overwhelm us; but we should not cast away our confidence. We must keep the eye fixed on Jesus, feeling or no feeling. We should seek to faithfully perform every known duty, and then calmly rest in the promises of God.” Messages to Young People, 111. See also Acts of the Apostles, 51.

10 What did Israel’s zeal not include? Romans 10:2, 3.

NOTE: “Many who profess sanctification are entirely ignorant of the work of grace upon the heart. When proved and tested, they are found to be like the self-righteous Pharisee. They will bear no contradiction. They lay aside reason and judgment, and depend wholly upon their feelings, basing their claims to sanctification upon emotions which they have at some time experienced. They are stubborn and perverse in urging their tenacious claims of holiness, giving many words, but bearing no precious fruit as proof. These professedly sanctified persons are not only deluding their own souls by their pretensions, but are exerting an influence to lead astray many who earnestly desire to conform to the will of God. They may be heard to reiterate again and again, ‘God leads me! God teaches me! I am living without sin!’ Many who come in contact with this spirit encounter a dark, mysterious something which they cannot comprehend. But it is that which is altogether unlike Christ, the only true pattern.” The Sanctified Life, 9, 10.

“In many of the revivals which have occurred during the last half century, the same influences have been at work, to a greater or less degree, that will be manifest in the more extensive movements of the future. There is an emotional excitement, a mingling of the true with the false, that is well adapted to mislead. Yet none need be deceived. In the light of God’s word it is not difficult to determine the nature of these movements.” The Great Controversy, 464.

Faith That Works by Love

11 To what does the Bible say genuine faith is always connected? James 2:17–22.

NOTE: “There are many who fail to understand the relation of faith and works. They say, ‘Only believe in Christ, and you are safe. You have nothing to do with keeping the law.’ But genuine faith will be manifest in obedience. Said Christ to the unbelieving Jews, ‘If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham.’ John 8:39. And concerning the father of the faithful the Lord declares, ‘Abraham obeyed My voice, and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.’ Genesis 26:5. Says the apostle James, ‘Faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.’ James 2:17. And John, who dwells so fully upon love, tells us, ‘This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments.’ 1 John 5:3.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 153, 154.

12 God tells us that saving faith will only work if it has what motivating it? Galatians 5:6.

NOTE: “None can depend upon their profession of faith as proof that they have a saving connection with Christ. We are not only to say, ‘I believe,’ but to practice the truth. It is by conformity to the will of God in our words, our deportment, our character, that we prove our connection with Him. Whenever one renounces sin, which is the transgression of the law, his life will be brought into conformity to the law, into perfect obedience. This is the work of the Holy Spirit. The light of the word carefully studied, the voice of conscience, the strivings of the Spirit, produce in the heart genuine love for Christ, who gave Himself a whole sacrifice to redeem the whole person, body, soul, and spirit. And love is manifested in obedience. The line of demarcation will be plain and distinct between those who love God and keep His commandments, and those who love Him not and disregard His precepts.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 92.

“The gold mentioned by Christ, the True Witness, which all must have, has been shown me to be faith and love combined, and love takes the precedence of faith. Satan is constantly at work to remove these precious gifts from the hearts of God’s people. All are engaged in playing the game of life. Satan is well aware that if he can remove love and faith, and supply their place with selfishness and unbelief, all the remaining precious traits will soon be skillfully removed by his deceitful hand, and the game will be lost.” Ibid., vol. 2, 36, 37.

By Craig Meeker

The Consecrated Way, Part I – Peter’s Ladder

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The Christian life is never on an even plain. If you are a Christian and you are walking on the level, there is something wrong with you. You must always be climbing in the development of Christian character. If you are not climbing, you are automatically going downhill. This article is designed to afford us the opportunity to do some climbing—a ladder, Peter’s ladder.

“Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus 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.” 2 Peter 1:1-4.

The Path to the Foot of Peter’s Ladder

I believe the Lord expects each and every one of us to climb that ladder in our development of Christian character. If there is any hope of us developing a character like that of our Lord Jesus Christ, such as Peter talks about, this is the process. Apparently there were some who had obtained that precious faith.

It is necessary for us to apply that which the Lord has given us in His Word so that we can become more and more like Him. Why do we go to church Sabbath after Sabbath? It is not to fellowship; it is not to be entertained; it is to learn the prescription that God has for us that moves us out of a sinful nature into a divine nature. There is a process that is necessary for us to go through so that we can indeed reflect the image of Jesus in our lives. That is why we go, so we might be able to glean some word, some help along that pathway to the kingdom of heaven.

There are several things that come to our attention in this passage. Notice verse three says, “According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness.”

Divine Power

Divine power, from which we may partake, is there. It is ready, and available for us. The Lord does not expect us to accomplish something that is impossible for us to do. He only asks us to accomplish that which is possible. If it is possible to accomplish divine principles, then He is going to give us the power to accomplish divine principles.

Our problem is that, much of the time, we try to accomplish divine principles in our own human strength. We cannot do it. It does not work. It takes divine power to accomplish divine principles. And so, He has given us that power. How do we grab hold of that divine power? It is through faith; faith that will allow us to do what God says to do.

All too often we find ourselves listening to the voice of the deceiver, paying attention to what he says and do nothing about the things that pertain to life and godliness that have been outlined for us. That divine power is ours, and it is backed by divine promises. Verse four tells us that divine promises allow us to come into the presence of God and to become a partaker of the divine nature.

That holds quite a challenge, coupled with the incentive that there is the possibility, through divine power, that we can become a partaker of the divine nature. I do not know how many of us can grasp that kind of challenge, that we do not just have divine power to live a natural life, but we have divine power that helps us to become partakers of the divine nature. That is what Peter is trying to convey to us.

If, somehow, that could just sink into our consciousness, I believe it would make a tremendous difference in the lives of Christians today. We can indeed become partakers of the divine nature. All of this, of course, is for the purpose of helping us climb the ladder, step by step, round by round, to lead us into an experience with our God and allow us to, as Peter says, escape “the corruption that is in the world through lust,” through desire.

“Giving All Diligence”

That is what is before us in this work. Verse 5 says: “And beside this,” or in addition to this, (in addition to the divine power that is given to us so that we can become a partaker of these precious promises, and then the divine nature,) “giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue.…”

We need to have faith in order to step up on the ladder. The first round is virtue, but we need to have faith to get there, for “without faith it is impossible,” the Bible says, “to please Him.” Verse 6.

What is diligence? I want to share with you what I found in Webster’s Dictionary. It has two definitions. The first definition is “persevering application,” and the second is “the attention and care legally expected or required of a person.”

“And beside this, giving all diligence [persevering application and attention and care legally expected or required of a person], add to your faith virtue.” In Christianity at large, we hear a lot of talk about love, grace, and believing today, but we hear too little of what God actually expects of us. According to what Peter is conveying, there is a legal responsibility resting upon each one of us as Christians.

A Binding Legal Agreement

When we accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour, it places us in a legal agreement with God. Do you know what the theological word for that legal agreement is called? It is called a covenant. God has made a new covenant with His people, a new legal agreement, if you please. He expects something of us and it does not take us too long, as we begin to read the Bible, to discover that God not only expects, but requires something of us.

In the book of Genesis, chapter three, you discover the fact that God has requirements upon His people that are based upon legal aspects. The Lord made, if you please, a legal agreement with Adam and Eve concerning the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It was a covenant. The cost of breaking that covenant, or that legal agreement, was death.

In reality, that same agreement is given to each one of us—obey and live. The Ten Commandments are the basis of obedience that God requires of us; they are the covenant. The covenant was ratified or sealed, with the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are to keep them.

The question we need to ask ourselves is, Are we really taking God seriously? Are we making a persevering application into our lives of these requirements, or do we make excuses instead? The apostle admonishes us to make persevering application to the “things that pertain unto life and godliness,…giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue.…” 2 Peter 1:3-5.

A Measure of Faith

Here again is a word that we have heard, that we are familiar with to a degree, but what does it really mean? What is virtue? Going again to Daniel Webster we read, “Virtue, conformity to a standard of right, morality; a particular moral excellence.” So what is Peter telling us? He is saying that the first thing that is necessary is faith, but you do not stop there. You add to it. Without faith, we cannot go any further. Without faith, we cannot climb any higher on the ladder of Christian character perfection.

Faith is essential. Faith grows. How much blood did you have when you were first born? All the blood you have now? No. I do not know the pint capacity of an infant, but I know as an adult it is normally about 13 pints. But you do not have 13 pints of blood as an infant.

When a person is born of the Spirit, a measure of faith is present. At first this measure is a small amount. When faith is exercised, it will grow. Just as the physical body grows. Faith grows as we exercise it and as we come more and more into conformity with what is right.

Of course, the standard of right is the Ten Commandments, the divine principles of God. Divine principles, accomplished by divine power, through divine promises. Do not let anybody ever tell you that you do not need to, or that you cannot, keep the Ten Commandments. Only Christianity in a state of apostasy would ever make such a statement, and it is for sure that the Bible does not teach such a thing.

Everywhere we look in the Bible, we find that we are to give diligence to the Words of God. As Verse 5 said, we are to “add to your [our] faith” a conformity to a standard of right. There are many examples we could look at in the writings of Inspiration to gather some direction concerning this matter of conformity to a standard of right.

Moral Excellence

One example is the life of Daniel. Certainly his was a supreme example of moral excellence, and because of his consecration to the God of heaven, he served as the Prime Minister of Babylon through several changes of government. That only happened to Daniel because of his conformity to the standard of right.

Then, of course, there was Joseph. Kidnapped, sold as a slave into Egypt, being made to do things that were strange to him, he was willing to do what he could to please God. Rather than taking the attitude that it was all God’s fault, Joseph had virtue. A lot of times we excuse ourselves by saying, Well, God put me there; God caused all of this, so why should I worry about it? Why do I not just go with the flow?

You were never called to go with the flow. You were called of faith to virtue. We so often hear of Joseph and Daniel, but there have been men all through the ages who have added virtue to their faith. We can read about them in Hebrews 11.

One we do not hear too much about is King Asa. This man’s life was nearly as exemplary as Daniel’s or Joseph’s, but the Bible does say in 1 Kings 15:11, 14, that “Asa did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, as did David his father.… [And] Asa’s heart was perfect with the Lord all his days.” What was it that prompted such a testimony to be written about Asa?

Would you not like Inspiration to record that about your life, that your life was perfect all the days of your life? I believe, in Asa’s life, that it was basically the result of climbing Peter’s ladder.

Prompted to do Right

2 Chronicles gives us an insight into what prompted Asa to do right.

“And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded: And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The Lord is with you, while ye be with Him; and if ye seek Him, He will be found of you; but if ye forsake Him, He will forsake you. Now, for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law. But when they in their trouble did turn unto the Lord God of Israel, and sought Him, He was found of them. And in those times there was no peace to him that went out, or to him that came in, but great vexations were upon all the inhabitants of the countries. And nation was destroyed of nation, and city of city: for God did vex them with all adversity. Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded.” 2 Chronicles 15:1-7.

These words had a great impact upon Asa’s life. He began to see that the Lord had great plans for him and for His people. “And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from mount Ephraim, and renewed the altar of the Lord, that was before the porch of the Lord.” Ibid., Verse 8.

There were many areas around him that he influenced by the change. There are some people, who are in administrative positions, who can make change possible through their administration. There are others who can make change by their influence. Asa made change by seeing that all the idols were taken away.

As Asa followed the Words of Inspiration, change began to take place. The question we need to ask ourselves today is, Does that apply to us individually? Of course, it does. But, you may say, I may not be able to make such a large impact as Asa did in removing all the idols of the land of Judah and Benjamin, so why should I try? You have been given divine promises, coupled with divine power, so that you can become a partaker of the divine nature. That rests with us individually.

Learning From Someone Else’s Experience

Asa made a change. 1 Corinthians 10:11 says, “Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.” Does that apply to us, then? Can what took place in Asa’s life happen in my life, if I follow the same direction that Asa did? Of course! God, in His great mercy, has left lessons for us who are living right down in the end of time.

Lessons were given by the lives of these people who lived in distant times, and the Lord expects us to study those lives and make application to our own life. He expects us to study them and learn. Paul evidently had anticipated the fact that some would make various forms of excuses to justify not following the counsel. So he goes on to say, “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” Verses 12, 13.

The Lord is not playing games with us. There are some very serious issues at stake. Those issues become more and more serious as we near the end of time, because the deception level raises significantly as well.

2 Chronicles 15:8 tells us that one of the important aspects of Asa’s reform, apart from tearing down the groves and the idols, was the re-establishment of the altar of the Lord. Although he renewed, or rebuilt, that altar, as reform was taking place, they did not drive out the Canaanites. They were content to live in those conditions.

Ephraim became as corrupted as the Canaanites, and later, in the days of Hosea, things were so bad that even the Lord could not move them away from their apostasy. Finally the Lord said, Leave Ephraim alone, let him be joined to his idols. (See Hosea 4:17.) Sadly, as a result, in Revelation 7, the tribe of Ephraim is not listed, they are eternally lost.

Before this time, they were in a state of decline, but there were still many who were faithful within the boundaries of Ephraim. The testimony is that “they fell to him out of Israel in abundance.” Verse 9. Just like falling out of a tree, we might say. When we make a commitment like that of Asa—to put the idols of the land away that have been influencing our lives and renew the altar of the Lord, not only in family worship but also in private personal worship—the Lord is going to move for us.

Look again at verse 8. “And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from mount Ephraim, and renewed the altar of the Lord, that was before the porch of the Lord.” Again, this is very important information for us, because I believe we are living in a time that parallels this stage of Israel very closely.

Scripture says, “…Believe His prophets, so shall ye prosper.”

2 Chronicles 20:20. If we do not care about the Bible and about the Spirit of Prophecy, that special counsel the Lord has been pleased to give us in these last days; if we are content to ignore what this counsel says, we are going to slide back further, and further, and further, just like Israel did when they did not pay attention to the words of Inspiration that had been given to them.

The testimony of the Bible and of the Spirit of Prophecy is what we need to stand in the strength, the might, and the power of the Lord. If we allow anyone to influence us away from what we know is right, we are going to lose out on eternal life. It is just that simple, regardless of whether or not we believe in the Lord. Jesus says, “Why do you call Me Lord, Lord, and not do the things that I ask you to do?” (See Luke 6:46.)

Breaking the Shackles of Sin

Do you claim to be a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ? Are there things that you are doing that you know are not in harmony with His will for you? Are you willing to change? Are you letting your husband or your wife hold you back from doing what you know you should? Are you letting your work or your friends hold you back? If you are, it is serious business. You are bound by the shackles of sin, and you need to break free.

That is just where the devil would hope that you would stay, but you do not have to remain there. Take that measure of faith that has been given to you. Step up to Peter’s ladder and place your foot on the first round of virtue—giving all diligence, step up on that round.

“The Lord demands uprightness in the smallest [matters] as well as the largest matters. Those who are accepted at last as members of the heavenly court will be men and women who here on earth have sought to carry out the Lord’s will in every particular, who have sought to put the impress of heaven upon their earthly labors.” Review and Herald, January 11, 1912. That should be the goal of every one of us in our walk.

“Ample provision has been made that the people of God may attain perfection of character.…Let every individual draw for himself from the inexhaustible source [divine power] “of all moral and intellectual power, in order that he may work the works of righteousness.…The Holy Spirit ever abides with him who is seeking for perfection of Christian character.” Ibid., November 30, 1897.

If you want perfection of Christian character, mark it down, the Holy Spirit is given so that it can become a reality. This is a promise given in Peter’s instruction to us in 2 Peter 1 . “The Holy Spirit ever abides with him who is seeking for perfection of Christian character.”

Are we looking for a greater abundance of the Holy Spirit, not just an abiding, but an outpouring? We all need to be looking for that outpouring. But we will never receive it until we are seeking for Christian perfection of character. The Holy Spirit will be falling, perhaps all around us. We can be right there in the pew, and it will miss us, and we will be as dry as the hills of Gilboa when we go out the door, while everybody else is soaking wet. That is sad!

Great and Precious Promises

“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.” 2 Peter 1:3, 4.

This is God’s plan. We have stepped on the first round. We are going to climb the ladder as we deal with other issues that move us toward Christian perfection.

To The Uttermost

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In the sight of God, is there a hopeless case in this world? There are five stories to which I would like to refer, which are found in the Word of God. They are true living experiences that Inspiration records for us.

The first story is about a young David, who went up against the giant, Goliath. The situation there was apparently hopeless. If a vote had been taken from the Philistines and the Israelites standing and watching what was about to happen, the vote would have been unanimous: Defeat for David. (See 1 Samuel 17.)

Second, is a story about Naaman, a man who had a hopeless, incurable disease—leprosy. He was in a situation that was seemingly hopeless. (See 2 Kings 5.)

The third story involves three young Hebrew men who were taken captive and, with a vast company of Babylonians, were told to bow down to an image which King Nebuchadnezzar had erected on the Plain of Dura. Everyone bowed down except the three young Hebrews. It was an apparently hopeless situation for those three young men. (See Daniel 3.)

The fourth story, is the experience of 13 men in a ship on the Sea of Galilee, in the midst of a storm. The ship was filling with water, and it was sinking. It appeared to be another hopeless situation. (See Luke 8.)

The last story is the experience of two men in a dungeon, chained to the wall at midnight. Another totally hopeless situation. (See Acts 16.)

God’s Lessons

God has three lessons to teach us from each of these experiences. Every situation, from the human standpoint, was apparently hopeless, but God intervened in each case, and He brought hope to the hopeless.

  1. God says, I can do the impossible for you. I am reminded what Gabriel said to Mary when he was talking to her about giving birth to the Son of God. He told her that there is nothing impossible with God. Not one thing. (See Luke 1:37.)
  2. In these five experiences, we see God’s hand. In every deliverance from man’s hopelessness, there is God. Whether that man has realized it or not, acknowledged it or not, it is only God who can turn hopelessness into hope. Man can do nothing apart from God in regard to such situations. Some people may call it coincidence, but where there is deliverance from hopelessness, there is always the providence of God!
  3. God wants us to remember that, through these physical experiences which He has left on record for us, He is able to give us deliverance in the spiritual, just as much as in the physical. By leaving these experiences on record, He seeks to encourage us with what He can do for us. Physical deliverance, in every case, was by the hand of God. He is also able to do that for us in our spiritual lives.

The Universal Dilemma

Man, universally, is in a hopeless situation. All men, on the face of this earth, face the same hopelessness that is revealed in this statement of inspiration: “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” Isaiah 64:6.

This is the universal, hopeless dilemma that is common to every man and woman who comes into this world of sin. Even our righteousness is as filthy rags to God. Whoever we are, at one time or another, we have all faced it, or we are facing it now.

This hopeless dilemma that we find ourselves in spiritually, because of sin, is increased. Job refers to it in Job 14:4. “Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.” Our hopeless dilemma in sin is increased with the reality that we, in and of ourselves, can do nothing for ourselves about this situation. Not one human being has ever been able to make themself clean. It is totally hopeless!

The Most Hopeless Human Being

Even though we are all hopeless, there are degrees of hopelessness. Romans 7:18, 19 tells of an experience which reveals the greatest hopelessness that man can experience. Paul describes the man who is the most spiritually hopeless in this world today: “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: [Now here is a man who has found out what Isaiah 64:6 says about all men. There is nothing good in me.] for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.” “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” Verse 24.

The most hopeless individual on the face of the earth is the person who has become aware of their hopeless state and somehow senses that there is a remedy, but they do not know how to experience the solution. They have a will, but they are finding that the will is not sufficient to cleanse them from sin, from their dilemma, from their hopelessness in sin.

How Do I Rid Myself of Sin?

A person who recognizes that they have sin in their life, but they do not know how to get rid of the sin, is one of the most hopeless individuals on the face of the earth. Millions of human beings go about every day, every year, year in and year out, never even realizing their true condition before God. They never respond to God’s Spirit. But here is a person who does respond. They realize their wretched hopeless state, but they do not know how to remedy the problem. Oh, what hopelessness. God has an answer!

There was a time when my life looked like a ball of knotted up yarn in apparent total hopelessness. Some of us still have a life like this, and God is here to tell us that it is not hopeless. We find that we can do nothing of ourselves. It is impossible for us to escape from the pit of sin, in which we are sunken, by ourselves. “Our hearts are evil, and we can not change them.…Education, culture, the exercise of the will, human effort, all have their proper sphere, but here they are powerless.” Steps to Christ, 18.

So not only the uneducated, but the educated as well are in this situation. Not only the untalented, but also the talented. Not only the uncultured, but the cultured. It does not matter inwhat strata of society we find ourselves, this is an apparently hopeless situation for all mankind. But God has the ultimate answer. It is found in Hebrews 7:25: “Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them.” Jesus lives right now; He exists right now, for you and for me. He will make intercession for us, if we will come to God through Him.

He is Able to Save to the Uttermost!

The word uttermost, has three meanings to the hopeless.

  1. Jesus Christ is able to save the most hopeless, to the uttermost. God has the ability to pick a man up out of the gutter and stand him on his feet. It is amazing what God is able to do in the life of a man whose heart opens toward Him.
  2. He is able to save us fully, completely from all sin. That is what uttermost means. God is not dealing with partial salvation. He is not dealing with an occasional experience of victory here and defeat there. God wants to give us an “uttermost” experience, a full deliverance from the hopelessness of sin.
  3. He is able to save us forever. Jesus wants to save us from sin, not only today, but forever. He is not only able to do that, He is willing.

“There must be a power working from within, a new life from above, before men can be changed from sin to holiness. That power is Christ. His grace alone can quicken the lifeless faculties of the soul, and attract it to God, to holiness.” Steps to Christ, 18. Our only help in this apparent, hopeless, spiritual dilemma in which we find ourselves, is in one Person only, one Being, and that is Jesus Christ. Is it any wonder that Satan, the enemy of Christ, the enemy of truth, will seek to malign His name before men?

An Oasis of Hope

There is only one place that we can go for help in our hopeless dilemma. Thank God there is a place, and there is a Person who can take care of the problem. Let us look at four distinct steps that a person, who finds themself in this hopeless, sinful condition must take to overcome with Jesus Christ. These steps must be taken, if we are going to have hope. It is like finding an oasis in the middle of the desert when you are dying of thirst. It seems like all is hopeless, then, all of a sudden, there is an artesian well in the midst of the dry, hot sand. God has that for us, if we choose to wake up and respond.

The first two steps are found in Romans 7:24:

We must first wake up to the realization of Paul, when he exclaims, “‘O wretched man that I am!” That is simple. We must realize that when God says we are sinners, when God says that we are wretched, we must choose to believe that and to respond. We choose to accept the light from heaven and see ourselves as God sees us. We must wake up and realize who we are and how hopeless is our situation.

The sad thing is, most human beings never get to step one. They never realize that they are hopeless. They realize that this world is a terrible place, and they walk through their whole life complaining, murmuring, and justifying themselves. But they never wake up to the reality of their true condition before God, their Creator, so they never seek Him. It is a wonderful thing to come to recognize your true need, your true condition.

“O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” Step two is that we seek deliverance. We are not satisfied with our condition. It is not only becoming aware of our condition, but also becoming dissatisfied enough with it to want help, to want to right the wrong that we see in ourselves. It is called determination.

Determination goes beyond good intentions. It goes beyond desires for relationship. It is determination to experience what we see in the light of God’s Word. We may be totally hopeless, but we know there is something else, and so we seek it. It is like the merchantman seeking for the goodly pearl.

The third step is the step that man takes from hopelessness to hope in Jesus Christ. Jesus says, “‘Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’” Matthew 11:28. I am going to give you rest from sin; I am going to give you a whole new experience; I am going to give you victory over sin.

Recognizing Our Need

There is only one place that we can go to exchange hopelessness for hope, and that is to Christ. We come to recognize our need; we determine that we are going to have a change, and then when we find out where we can go, we go!

When my gas tank is almost empty, I do not stop in front of the dentist’s office. I do not pull up to the Post Office. I pull up to a gas station, because I know that is where I can get what I need. The only place where we can get what we need, to get us out of hopelessness and into hope in our spiritual experience with sin, is Jesus Christ. We must go to Him, personally, individually. Jesus says, “Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

John 6:37 says, “him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.” Do you know that Jesus never turns down a case, no matter how hopeless it is? You come to Jesus, and He accepts you. That is a marvelous thing! You see, God stands behind His Word. These are not just empty, spoken words. Oh, no. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. (See Hebrews 13:8.) He stands behind His promise right now, this very moment in time.

Filled with Power

The fourth and final step is found in Matthew 11:29. Jesus says, “Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me.” Jesus says, Come to Me and I will relieve you of the burden of sin. And then He says, Take from Me. What does He want to give us? He wants us to carry a yoke. He wants us to serve Him. He empowers us to do that. That is what He is saying: “Take My yoke upon you.” Verse 29.

When He asks us to do something, He promises us the power to do it. Are you willing to do what God wants you to do? If you are not, you will not have power in your life. If you are, there will be power. It is as simple as that. In 1 John 3:7, John says, “little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous.”

If you and I are to be made righteous, we must do righteousness. That is what Jesus is saying when He says, Take My yoke. He is saying, I want to empower you to do My righteousness, to do what is right. You see, we will never be righteous without doing righteousness. God is calling us to do righteousness, not just be righteous. The Christian life is not one of passivity; it is one of action.

I Will Direct Your Path

Proverbs 3:5, 6, sums up all four of these steps. “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.” God wants us to trust Him fully and completely. He wants us to acknowledge Him at all times, which means respond to Him, obey Him, and He has promised to direct our paths.

He has promised to direct us out of our hopeless state into a state of hopefulness, into hope with Him. “When temptations assail you, when care and perplexity surround you, when, depressed and discouraged, you are ready to yield to despair, look to Jesus, and the darkness that encompasses you will be dispelled by the bright shining of His presence. When sin struggles for the mastery in your soul, and burdens the conscience, look to the Saviour.” The Ministry of Healing, 85.

When you need gas in your car, you go to a gas station. When you need hope in your hopeless life, you go to Jesus. It is as simple as that.

There is a true-life story in the Bible, which reveals these four steps. It is the story of a man who had been an invalid for 38 years. That is a long time to be in a state of hopelessness. It does not matter how long you have been in a hopeless condition, Jesus can still give you hope.

“And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, He saith unto him, ‘Wilt thou be made whole?’” John 5:5, 6.

Was it the desire of Jesus to make this man whole, to make him happy, to fill him with hope instead of with hopelessness? Oh, yes. That is the desire that Jesus has for you and me every day. He wants to take our hopelessness and give us hope; He wants to take our sickness and give us health; He wants to take our weakness and give us strength, and He is able to do that because He is able to save us to the uttermost.

“The impotent man answered Him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. Jesus saith unto him, ‘Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.’ And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the Sabbath.” Verses 7, 8.

This man first realized his need. How could he not? He could not walk. Second, He determined that he wanted help. That is why he was there at the pool. Hopefully, somehow or other, he was going to be healed miraculously, if he could just get there first! And third, Jesus came along, and he trusted what Jesus said. Fourth, he obeyed what Jesus said, and he was made whole.

Acting on Faith Brings Results

It is as simple as that. Faith is not enough. Justification is not enough. God not only wants to forgive us, but He also wants to help us to walk in newness of life. It is only as we are able to walk in newness of life that we have hope for everlasting life, a blessed assurance in Him.

Mrs. White comments on this experience: “The poor sufferer was helpless; he had not used his limbs for thirty-eight years. Yet Jesus bade him, ‘Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.’ The sick man might have said, ‘Lord, if Thou wilt make me whole, I will obey Thy word.’ But, no, he believed Christ’s word, believed that he was made whole, and he made the effort at once; he willed to walk, and he did walk. He acted on the word of Christ, and God gave the power. He was made whole.” Steps to Christ, 50.

This experience defines true will power. It is our will linked with His power. That kind of power will enable us to move from hopelessness to hope.

Choosing Hope

There are three lessons that God wants us to learn from these experiences:

  1. God is able to save those who are the most hopeless. He wants us always to remember that. If you find yourself in that situation today, you can know that God is interested. His focus is on you, because He cares.
  2. He has the ability and the power to fully save us from all sin. We do not have to be burdened with guilt because of sin in our lives. We can be filled with peace as a result of His power working in us, enabling us to live righteously before Him, all the time.
  3. He wants to help us today, so that we might be with Him forever. He is able to save us evermore. Jesus said, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” John 14:1–3.

It is a full salvation that He is wanting for us, to take us from the most hopeless state into the most hopeful. The most hopeful state will be to someday see Jesus face to face, and walk into our Father’s house.

Do you want to be there? Do you choose to be there? Then choose to meet the four steps every day with Jesus Christ, to grow and receive the power that He wants to give to you. Choose to put your will with His power and be enabled to become everything He intended you to be as His created child.

The Seed, Part II

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What constitutes having our heart’s door stay open? Faith opens the door; obedience, or a positive response to what God says, keeps the door open. Obedience always follows true faith. They never walk apart from each other. If they do, it is because faith is not genuine but is presumption. There will always be obedience, a positive response to God’s Word, if there is true faith.

That is what is meant by a good-ground hearer, and that is the only thing we can offer God in our Christian experience. We have no power within ourselves to make ourselves new. There are many professed Christians relying upon something other than the power of God in their lives to make them Christians.

Eventually, the tempest is going to come; trouble is going to come; the storm is going to rage. What is going to happen to those people who are relying upon a supposed hope, leaning on a prop like a tomato plant leaning on a rotten stake? What is going to happen when the tempest breaks? They are going to fall!

Tremendous Exodus from Adventism

We are told, and we cannot be told too often, that in the times in which we find ourselves there is going to be a tremendous exodus from Adventism. Now the question is, Are we going to be prepared to stay within the truth, within this message—this tremendous light that we have? Are we going to allow Jesus to stay within our hearts and to work in us the kingdom of God, whereby when trouble comes, we are able to stand, no matter what?

The Psalmist says,

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.” Psalm 46:1–3.

Receive God’s Word

In regard to this matter of opening the door by faith and having the door remain open by obedience, Christ’s Object Lessons, 61, says, “Our part is to receive God’s Word and to hold it fast, yielding ourselves fully to its control, and its purpose in us will be accomplished.”

Our part is to receive the Word of God. We do that by faith, and we retain it by obedience. Do you want to know what those two are theologically? They are justification and sanctification. However, you can pick up books that have been written by Seventh-day Adventists today, that totally contradict what this says. May I say, it is very startling to read contradictions to the truth in Adventism today. It is unbelievable! I believe it is indeed the omega of apostasy that we see in our very midst.

Born Again Do Not Sin

If you want to be aroused out of your sleepiness or sluggishness, this will do it. It will startle you and cause you to awake. 1 John 3 gives us a tremendous statement. I do not know what New Theology does with this statement. It must sit there with an eraser trying to get it out of the way. They have to cut that out, because they do not know what to do with it! 1 John 3:9 says, “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for His seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.” So if the seed is allowed to remain in me, by faith and by obedience, allowing Jesus to do upon my heart that which only He can do, that seed is going to develop, and I am going to have a character that is perfect before God. Perfect in an imperfect world. A character that is righteous in an unrighteous world. Do you see that God has called us higher than merely sitting in pews? He has called us to something much higher than that, much higher than church membership, much higher than any position one can hold in the church.

God has called us to have a character like His. His seed is able to produce that. Tremendous statement—whosoever is born of God, whoever has that new nature, does not commit sin!

I think the New Theologians need to go back and study the simplicity of the Word of God. They may need to get a hoe and a rake and go out into the garden and learn the simple lesson of salvation as Jesus did. You and I need to learn the same. “First the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.” Mark 4:28.

Is that an echo of 1 John 3:9? “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin.” “First the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.” Do you see any disease there? Do you see any sin there in the growth of that plant? No! God says, let Me put My hand on it.

“The germination of the seed represents the beginning of spiritual life, and the development of the plant is a beautiful figure of Christian growth. . . . At every stage of development our life may be perfect; yet if God’s purpose for us is fulfilled, there will be continual advancement.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 65.

Perfect at Every Stage

We continually move onward as we grow. At each stage we can be perfect in our character before God. Righteousness in an unrighteous world. Perfection in a world of imperfection. Kindness in a world that is not kind. Love where the world knows only hatred. God’s people are to stand out. As true Christians, with God’s Word in our hearts, we reveal a nature that is contrary to our original nature.

God uses Paul again. Galatians 3:16: “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He [God] saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to Thy seed, which is Christ.” Christ is the seed, the incorruptible seed of God, whereby He is able to produce a new Creation in us.

Jesus Wants to Reproduce Himself in Us

The ultimate goal of every seed is to produce seed of its own kind. Who is the incorruptible Seed? Christ. He has put His seeds in the catalog book, the Holy Bible. He says, “The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” John 6:63. Whose spirit and whose life do you think that they are? They are Christ’s, the incorruptible Seed.

Jesus wants to reproduce His Seed in us. If that is true and if that happens, we will reflect in character the character of Jesus, because a seed only reproduces itself and its own kind. “Every seed brings forth fruit after its kind. Sow the seed under right conditions. . . .” Christ’s Object Lessons, 38.

When planting seeds, there are really, basically only four conditions. Three of them only God can deal with, we have no part, and one condition is ours. So we get 25 percent of the obligation. The conditions are sun, water, air, and good ground.

“Every seed brings forth fruit after its kind. Sow the seed under right conditions, and it will develop its own life in the plant. Receive into the soul by faith the incorruptible seed of the Word, and it will bring forth a character and a life after the similitude of the character and the life of God.” Ibid.

An amazing truth! Should we not be determined to make our calling and election sure by opening the door and keeping it open, allowing Jesus to do the work, through His Word, on our hearts whereby we become new creations?

I am more determined to become what He wants me to be and to do it in the manner which meets the conditions He has given. We are not to be satisfied with just being a professed Christian, not satisfied with just being baptized or having our membership in a church. The kingdom of God begins within us, and it works out from there!

It does not happen by observation. Jesus wants to reproduce us, and He can only do that through His Seed, the Word of God. Notice this promise that God made in the Garden after Adam and Eve chose to lay aside the incorruptible for the corruptible: “And I [God] will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” Genesis 3:15. It was going to cost God something. His heel was going to be bruised, and we know what that meant—Calvary. But I want you to notice that God was going to put enmity between Satan and the woman.

The woman, representing the spiritual church, would carry the incorruptible seed. Who is the incorruptible seed? Christ and His Word. Enmity or hatred towards sin and Satan only comes by our reception and our response to the Word of God. It does not come any other way. We can be on our knees all day, but if we get up and walk contrary to what God has told us and to what we know, we will never be at enmity with Satan or sin.

Where is the Power?

Genesis 3:15 is a tremendous promise God has given to us. The seed is spiritual; the woman is spiritual. It is in regard to the body of the believers. God has always had a body of believers who have chosen to be good-ground hearers, to open by faith and to keep open by obedience, the door to their heart, and He has them today. The question is, Are you one of them, or are you a membership Christian, or just a baptized Christian, or a pew-sitting Christian? Are you satisfied with a form that denies the power? Where is the power? It is in the Word of God. It is in the Seed, and God has promised to put it in our hearts, if we are willing to open them.

Let us link it up right with our time. “The dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Revelation 12:17.

Is God revealing a physical remnant here, in regard to the physical structure or physical church, or is He revealing a body of believers and a spiritual church? It is the spiritual. Why? Because it is the seed of the woman. God deals with a spiritual church in Revelation 12:17. You may say, Wait a minute, the Seventh-day Adventists have been given the testimony of Jesus Christ, which we are told in Revelation 19:10 is the Spirit of Prophecy.

Yes, I agree totally. The vessel into which God has put His truth in the last days, interestingly enough, has been a physical organization. But God reveals His true church as a spiritual church in Revelation 12:17. He does not want us to be deceived into thinking like the Jews in Jesus’ day were thinking.

What did they say? They demanded “. . . when the kingdom of God should come, He answered them and said, The Kingdom of God cometh not with observation.” Luke 17:20. It is not something you are going to be able to see.

It is not something you are going to be able to point out and to feel physical substance. He even clarifies it in verse 21: “Neither shall they say, Lo here [right over there, that church on the corner]! or, lo there [no, it is not that one over there; it is this one over here]! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” It is a spiritual seed; it is a spiritual church; it is a spiritual kingdom. God wants no one to be deceived in the last days in regard to this issue.

We have been given, with the Spirit of Prophecy, more light than the Jewish nation had in Jesus’ day, and to turn away from that light into darkness is a startling act. We do not have to walk in darkness; we do not have to walk in apostasy, if we open our hearts by faith and allow the Seed to have its way upon our hearts and, by obedience, continue to walk with Him.

Revelation 12:17 speaks about the testimony of Jesus, as pertaining to the Spirit of Prophecy, physically speaking. Spiritually speaking, it means the witness of Jesus Christ.

In the original Greek, the word testimony means witness. So we are seeing the Seed reproduced in His people. They have the witness of Jesus Christ in their lives. When other people listen to His people, when they watch them, they hear and see Jesus.

Growing in Jesus

When Jesus was on earth, He cleansed leprosy immediately. Leprosy is represented in the Word of God as sin. When we have sin in our lives, all we need to do is confess our sins, and He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us. (See 1 John 1:9.) How long do we have to wait? We do not have to wait. It is immediate. But sanctification, this growing in grace, this growing into His likeness and having His likeness reproduced in us, is a lifetime experience.

We must do our part by keeping the door of our heart open by faith and letting it stay open by obedience, allowing God to do His work, because it is not going to happen, apart from Him. He is the one Who has the power over the seed. So let us determine to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and never forget that the kingdom of God begins in us.

The Irish Protestant and Heaven

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Do you have faith in God? That was a question Jesus used to ask. It is one thing to say, “Yes, I have faith in God,” when everything is going well—you have money in your bank account; your physical exam showed you were healthy; you are current on your house payment; none of your children are sick, and you are not having a major crisis at work. It is another thing to say, “Yes, I trust in God,” when things are not going so well—you have been diagnosed with a very serious disease; your job is uncertain; there is not enough money to pay the bills; somebody is sick, and one wrong thing piles up on another. Do you trust in God? Do you really trust Him now—or is your trust in something else?

The Bible says a “rich man’s wealth is his strong city.” Proverbs 10:15; 18:11. His confidence and trust are in his wealth. That is very common. Jesus, speaking about rich men, said, “‘Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.’” Matthew 19:23, 24.

Do we realize that, in comparison to people in many other countries, most people in the United States are rich? David said when a person is rich, he trusts his riches. If you have your trust in riches or anything other than Jesus Christ, you cannot be saved. (See Psalm 49:6, 7.) It is impossible.

Learning Trust

The Lord had to teach some lessons of trust to the children of Israel. For this purpose, He put them through a rigorous 40-year training course, during which time they had no way to get food. Have you ever been without food? It is bad to be without food when there is a grocery store nearby, but it is worse to be without food in the desert. For a while they did not know from where their food would come. So Moses told them that the Lord was going to provide for them. (See Exodus 16:8.) The Lord let them go in the desert a few days until they ran out of food, before He started providing manna. Have you ever been in a situation where you were looking for a job and you said, “Lord, are you going to let me spend my last dollar before I find a job?”

When the Lord sent the manna, He did not send enough for a week—He only sent enough for one day. They were never more than one day away from being out of food. The next day the Lord sent a little more. If they kept it for more than a day, it spoiled. The only exception was on Friday; then the Lord sent a two-day supply so that on Sabbath they did not have to gather food. (See Exodus 16:14–31.) The Lord taught them to put their trust in Him. We are also going to have to learn to trust in God alone. God has given us principles of living to help us learn to trust in Him.

Won to the Faith

Miss Clancy was an elderly, Irish Protestant lady. She will be surprised when she gets to heaven, because people have heard about her in many places. They will come to her from all over and say, “I learned to have faith in God from you.”

Her story began in 1919, when Carlyle B. Haynes, a Seventh-day Adventist minister, was having evangelistic meetings in a canvas tent in New York City on 95th Street and Broadway. Miss Clancy came to these tent-meetings and listened.

Whenever Pastor Haynes would preach something from the Bible, she would look it up, take notes, and check to see if that was really what the Bible said. If that was what the Bible said, she believed it and would do it. She soon started getting ready for baptism. She accepted everything the Bible taught until Elder Haynes preached on tithing. He noticed, after that, that Miss Clancy did not seem so happy. She became sad, gloomy, and upset, and he wondered what had happened.

Notes on Tithing

Miss Clancy finally requested a personal interview with Elder Haynes. When she came to see him, she had her notes. Together they reviewed the notes of his sermon. There were seven points she had listed. Here they are:

  1. The tithing plan explained. Leviticus 27:30–32. (The word tithe means a tenth, or ten percent.) It says, “‘And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s.’” It belongs to the Lord. “‘It is holy to the Lord. If a man wants at all to redeem any of his tithes, he shall add one-fifth to it. And concerning the tithe of the herd or the flock, of whatever passes under the rod, the tenth one shall be holy to the Lord.’” The tithe or the tenth is holy. It does not belong to us; it belongs to the Lord.
  2. Tithe, anciently, was used for the support of those who ministered about holy things. In Numbers 18:20–24, we read, “Then the Lord said to Aaron: ‘You shall have no inheritance in their land, nor shall you have any portion among them; I am your portion and your inheritance among the children of Israel. Behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tithes in Israel as an inheritance in return for the work which they perform, the work of the tabernacle of meeting. Hereafter the children of Israel shall not come near the tabernacle of meeting, lest they bear sin and die. But the Levites shall perform the work of the tabernacle of meeting, and they shall bear their iniquity; it shall be a statute forever, throughout your genera-tions, that among the children of Israel they [the Levites] shall have no inheritance.’” Anciently, the tithe was used for those who worked in holy service.
  3. The New Testament teaches that this tithing plan has been ordained for the support of the gospel ministry. In 1 Corinthians 9:13, 14, Paul refers to the passage in Numbers 18 and says, “Do you not know that those who minister the holy things eat of the things of the temple, and those who serve at the altar partake of the offerings of the altar? Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel.” The New Testament says that the tithing plan has been ordained for the support of the gospel ministry.
  4. Jesus endorsed the tithing plan. Jesus said, “‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.’” Matthew 23:23.
  5. God promises to bless the faithful payment of tithe. “‘Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And prove Me now in this,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,’ says the Lord of hosts; ‘And all nations will call you blessed, For you will be a delightful land,’ says the Lord of hosts.” Malachi 3:10–12.
  6. Those who do not do as God commands will not prosper. “Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Consider your ways! You have sown much, and bring in little; You eat, but do not have enough; You drink, but you are not filled with drink; You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; And he who earns wages, Earns wages to put into a bag with holes.’ Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Consider your ways! Go up to the mountains and bring wood and build the temple, that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified,’ says the Lord. ‘You looked for much, but indeed it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why?’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘Because of My house that is in ruins, while every one of you runs to his own house.’” Haggai 1:5–9.
  7. God’s curse is upon men, money and property when God is not honored and obeyed. “‘Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, “In what way have we robbed You?” In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation.’” Malachi 3:8, 9.

As Elder Haynes listened to her, he thought, “Well, now, what is she going to say? To what is she going to object?”

The Test

Miss Clancy asked, “Do I have to do this?”

Elder Haynes replied, “Why would there be an exception for you? I am not the one who told you to do this; this is what God’s Word says.”

To this reply, Miss Clancy stated, “Well, you don’t understand my circumstances. Now, I don’t enjoy telling you this, but I must tell you because you need to understand why I don’t see how I can do this. First of all,” she said, “I am not employed. I don’t have a job. I really don’t have any means of support. But,” she explained, “I have a son-in-law, and he sends me $6.00 a week.”

Elder Haynes was listening—$6.00 a week, even in 1919, was not much money.

Miss Clancy continued, “I’m renting a little kitchenette apartment. I’ve been there ten years, and the rents have gone up with the other apartments all around, but the Lord has been good to me. My landlord has not increased my rent.”

“How much is your rent?” inquired Elder Haynes.

“My rent is $4.50 a week.”

Miss Clancy receives $6.00 a week from her son-in-law on which to live. Her rent is $4.50 a week, leaving $1.50 for all other expenses, including food. Elder Haynes was aghast! “That’s impossible! You can’t live on that!”

“I know. I know you can’t live on that, but the Lord’s been good to me and has helped me to live on that. I have been living on that for many years. But now you’re telling me that I need to pay a tithe, which is 60 cents on $6.00, and then my rent is still going to be the same. So are you telling me that instead of living on $1.50 a week, now I’m to live on 90 cents a week?”

What would you do if you were the preacher? Would you say, “Well, sister, I recognize that you’re in a very difficult situation, and God doesn’t expect you to pay tithe”? Elder Haynes felt so bad. Now he knew why she was going through a trial. When all you have to live on is $1.50 a week, and now you are going to have only 90 cents a week, what are you going to eat? Does God make exceptions for the poor? No, there are no exceptions in the Bible. And he had to say to her, “I’m not the one who made the rules. God said that He will open the windows of heaven and that He will bless you. If you will do what He says to do, He will take care of you. I don’t know how He’s going to do it. All I know is that God will not fail you.”

Stepping Out in Faith

She thought it over and finally said, “Well, God’s taken care of me before. I’ll do it!”

The next week when she came to church, she handed Elder Haynes 60 cents for tithe. In writing about it later, he said that 60 cents was the hardest to accept of any amount he ever had anybody put in his hand. He did not want to take it, but God had commanded it, so he took it. Every Sabbath, from then on, she would come to church, go up to him and hand him 60 cents. In his mind he would get a sinking feeling. “What is happening to this lady? Is she going hungry?” Once he bent down and whispered in her ear, “Miss Clancy, how are you getting along? Are you all right?”

“Praise the Lord, I am!” was all she replied.

The preacher wondered what was happening. Finally, he again inquired, “Miss Clancy, are you sure everything is all right?”

Strange Things Are Happening

“Pastor, something strange has been happening,” she beamed. “I never knew before that the neighbors could be so kind and thoughtful. I’ve never had this happen before. They never did the things before that they are doing for me now.”

“Well, what are they doing?”

“They bring me little presents—a loaf of bread, a pound of butter. A neighbor will come over and give me some flour; another will give me some cereal; another will give me a quart of milk, and another will give me some fruit. They even come over and give me cake,” she continued. “I’m living better on 90 cents a week than I used to live on $1.50.”

“Do you think somebody has been putting them up to this?” the pastor asked.

“Yes I do. I think somebody has put the neighbors up to this.”

“Who do you think it is?”

“Do you need to ask me that, Pastor? If you had not counseled me to pay tithe like you did, I would have been robbed of God’s blessing.”

Living Humbly

“Miss Clancy, I have reached the conclusion that you are the ablest financier in New York City, and I have long wanted to ask you how you could possibly make 90 cents a week cover your weekly needs.”

“Ah, Pastor, I’ve told you the neighbors help it to stretch, but aside from that, my needs are simple. I have learned to live on porridge and oatmeal and these are cheap. To me, now, it seems that I’m getting along better than I was before.”

Every week she came and put in 60 cents. This went on for three or four months, but one day there was a knock on the door of his study. Elder Haynes opened the door and there stood Miss Clancy with a playful smile on her face.

The Windows of Heaven Open

“Pastor, now you are going to have to give me some respect. Because now I am a woman of means.”

“Well, what has happened?” asked the pastor.

“My son-in-law wrote a letter the other day and told me that he had been feeling for some time that he really should send me more money. It was just too difficult to live on just $6.00 a week. He said that from now on he was going to send me $10.00 a week. Pastor, do you know what that means? My tithe on $10.00 will be $1.00; my rent will be $4.50 a week, so that will give me $4.50 left. My income has just gone from 90 cents a week to $4.50 a week. My disposable income has gone up five times! I don’t know what I’m going to do with all that money! I guess I’m going to have to give large offerings to help the gospel go to the mission field.” (See “The Strange Case of Miss Clancy” by Carlyle B. Haynes, Signs of the Times, December 28, 1954.)

Someday, if you are faithful, you will get to meet Miss Clancy. Maybe you will have a story to tell her about how God helped you, how God opened the windows of heaven for you. Do you know, friends, you can trust God! Do you believe that? Miss Clancy discovered that when you do what God says, He opens up the windows of heaven. No one knew how God was going to open the windows of heaven, but as soon as she started paying tithe, something changed, and she started getting along better than she had before. The same thing will happen to you! When you are faithful to return to God His own, God opens the windows of heaven and takes charge of your life.

Notice what Jesus said about this, “‘Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore, do not worry, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.’” Matthew 6:30–33.

When you make God first in your life, and you choose to follow Him, He takes responsibility for you. God is going to see to it that you have food and clothing and shelter. Would you like to see God open the windows of heaven in your life? Would you like to be blessed? The Lord says, “Return the tithes and offerings into the storehouse and try Me out. And I will open the windows of heaven to you and all people will call you blessed.” Malachi 3:10.

There is nothing in this world that is as good or as wonderful as being blessed by God.

[Bible texts quoted are literal translation.]