grace

Bible Study Guides – Grace

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May 4, 2008 – May 10, 2008

Key Text

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth…. And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, [but] grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” John 1:14, 16, 17.

Study Help: The Desire of Ages, 167–177.

Introduction

“Those who labor for souls must attain to a deeper, fuller, clearer knowledge of God than can be gained by ordinary effort. They must throw all their energies into the work of the Master. They are engaged in a high and holy calling, and if they gain souls for their hire they must lay firm hold upon God, daily receiving grace and power from the Source of all blessing.” The Acts of the Apostles, 205.

1 What is grace? John 1:14–17.

Note: “Grace is unmerited favor, and the believer is justified without any merit of his own, without any claim to offer to God. He is justified through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, who stands in the courts of heaven as the sinner’s substitute and surety.” Amazing Grace, 182.

2 To whom is God’s grace offered? Titus 2:11.

Note: “In the council of heaven, provision was made that men, though transgressors, should not perish in their disobedience, but, through faith in Christ as their substitute and surety, might become the elect of God, predestinated unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself according to the good pleasure of His will. God wills that all men should be saved; for ample provision has been made, in giving His only-begotten Son to pay man’s ransom.” The Faith I Live By, 157.

3 What is the main purpose of God’s grace? Ephesians 2:8; Acts 15:11.

Note: “The Lord saw our fallen condition; He saw our need of grace, and because He loved our souls, He has given us grace and peace. Grace means favor to one who is undeserving, to one who is lost. The fact that we are sinners, instead of shutting us away from the mercy and love of God, makes the exercise of His love to us a positive necessity in order that we may be saved.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 347.

4 Who needs grace? 1 Timothy 1:15.

Note: “Without the grace of Christ, the sinner is in a hopeless condition; nothing can be done for him; but through divine grace, supernatural power is imparted to the man and works in mind and heart and character. It is through the impartation of the grace of Christ that sin is discerned in its hateful nature and finally driven from the soul temple. It is through grace that we are brought into fellowship with Christ, to be associated with Him in the work of salvation. Faith is the condition upon which God has seen fit to promise pardon to sinners; not that there is any virtue in faith whereby salvation is merited, but because faith can lay hold of the merits of Christ, the remedy provided for sin. Faith can present Christ’s perfect obedience instead of the sinner’s transgression and defection. When the sinner believes that Christ is his personal Saviour, then according to His unfailing promises, God pardons his sin and justifies him freely. The repentant soul realizes that his justification comes because Christ, as his Substitute and Surety, has died for him, is his atonement and righteousness.” Faith and Works, 100.

5 What poignant thought from a diary entry of Sister White relates to us all?

Note: “This day has been a day of perplexity and trial. We feel deeply our need of the grace of God. These small trials are worse to bear than heavy afflictions. Shall I ever learn to. be perfectly patient under minor trials? I know that I shall be tempted and proved until self shall be hid in Jesus. My earnest prayer to God daily is for divine grace to do His will.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 20, 209.

6 How can we overcome sin? Romans 6:14.

Note: “Before the believer is held out the wonderful possibility of being like Christ, obedient to all the principles of the law. But of himself man is utterly unable to reach this condition. The holiness that God’s word declares he must have before he can be saved is the result of the working of divine grace as he bows in submission to the discipline and restraining influences of the Spirit of truth. Man’s obedience can be made perfect only by the incense of Christ’s righteousness, which fills with divine fragrance every act of obedience. The part of the Christian is to persevere in overcoming every fault. Constantly he is to pray to the Saviour to heal the disorders of his sin-sick soul. He has not the wisdom or the strength to overcome; these belong to the Lord, and He bestows them on those who in humiliation and contrition seek Him for help. “The work of transformation from unholiness to holiness is a continuous one. Day by day God labors for man’s sanctification, and man is to cooperate with Him, putting forth persevering efforts in the cultivation of right habits. He is to add grace to grace; and as he thus works on the plan of addition, God works for him on the plan of multiplication. Our Saviour is always ready to hear and answer the prayer of the contrite heart, and grace and peace are multiplied to His faithful ones. Gladly He grants them the blessings they need in their struggle against the evils that beset them.” The Acts of the Apostles, 532.

7 What is promised to all who surrender to Christ? Romans 8:37.

Note: “The only safety for the youth in this age of pollution is to make God their trust. Without divine help they will be unable to control human passions and appetites. In Christ is the very help needed, but how few will come to Him for that help. Said Jesus when upon the earth, ‘Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.’ In Christ all can conquer. You can say with the apostle, ‘Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.’ Again, ‘But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection.’ [John 5:40; Romans 8:37; 1 Corinthians 9:27.]” Child Guidance, 467.

8 What is the fruit of a Christian, and how is it borne? Galatians 5:22, 23; 11 Corinthians 9:8.

Note: “The prayer of the living Christian will be ‘to be filled with the knowledge of His will, in all wisdom, and spiritual understanding, that they may walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God, strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering, with joyfulness;’ ‘In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.’ [Colossians 1:9–11; 2:3.] “Here is the true knowledge which should be desired and possessed by every Christian. This knowledge will not lead to ungodliness. It will not break down the constitution, nor bring a gloomy cloud over the mind; but will impart substantial joys and true happiness. This wisdom is divine, and flows ceaselessly from a pure fountain which gives peace, joy, and health.” An Appeal to Mothers, 32.

9 What enables us to continuously bear fruit? John 15:5.

Note: “As the graft receives life when united to the vine, so the sinner partakes of the divine nature when connected with Christ. Finite man is united with the infinite God. When thus united, the words of Christ abide in us, and we are not actuated by a spasmodic feeling, but by a living, abiding principle. The words of Christ must be meditated upon and cherished and enshrined in the heart. They should not be repeated, parrot-like, finding no place in the memory and having no influence over the heart and life.

“As the branch must abide in the vine to obtain the vital sap which causes it to flourish, so those who love God and keep all His sayings must abide in His love. Without Christ we cannot subdue a single sin or overcome the smallest temptation. Many need the Spirit of Christ and His power to enlighten their understanding, as much as blind Bartimaeus needed his natural sight. ‘As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me.’ [John 15:4.] All who are really in Christ will experience the benefit of this union. The Father accepts them in the Beloved, and they become objects of His solicitude and tender, loving care. This connection with Christ will result in the purification of the heart and in a circumspect life and faultless character.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 355.

10 How can believers grow in grace? 11 Peter 1:2, 3; 3:18.

Note: “It is the Lord’s desire that His followers shall grow in grace, that their love shall abound more and more, that they shall be filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the praise and glory of God….

“One of the divine plans for growth is impartation. TheChristian is to gain strength by strengthening others. ‘He that watereth shall be watered also himself.’ [Proverbs 11:25.] This is not merely a promise; it is a divine law, a law by which God designs that the streams of benevolence, like the waters of the great deep, shall be kept in constant circulation, continually flowing back to their source. In the fulfilling of this law is the secret of spiritual growth.” The Signs of the Times, June 12, 1901.

11 What do we need to do in order to grow in God’s grace? Psalm 119:105; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; Proverbs 4:23.

Note: “Diligent heart-keeping is essential to a healthy growth in grace.” Our High Calling, 161.

“How is it possible that we may grow in grace? It is possible to us only as we empty our hearts of self, and present them to Heaven, to be molded after the divine Pattern. We may have a connection with the living channel of light; we may be refreshed with the heavenly dew, and have the showers of Heaven descend upon us. As we appropriate the blessing of God, we shall be able to receive greater measures of His grace. As we learn to endure as seeing Him who is invisible, we shall become changed into the image of Christ. The grace of Christ will not make us proud, cause us to be lifted up in self, but we shall become meek and lowly in heart.” The Signs of the Times, January 16, 1893.

Additional Reading

“The Son of God came down to this earth that in Him men and women might have a representation of the perfect characters which alone God could accept. Through the grace of Christ every provision has been made for the salvation of the human family. It is possible for every transaction entered into by those who claim to be Christians to be as pure as the deeds of Christ. And the soul who accepts the virtues of Christ’s character and appropriates the merits of His life is as precious in the sight of God as is His own beloved Son.” Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 60.

“Often the question arises, Why, then, are there so many, claiming to believe God’s word, in whom there is not seen a reformation in words, in spirit, and in character? Why are there so many who cannot bear opposition to their purposes and plans, who manifest an unholy temper, and whose words are harsh, overbearing, and passionate? There is seen in their lives the same love of self, the same selfish indulgence, the same temper and hasty speech, that is seen in the life of the worldling. There is the same sensitive pride, the same yielding to natural inclination, the same perversity of character, as if the truth were wholly unknown to them. The reason is that they are not converted. They have not hidden the leaven of truth in the heart. It has not had opportunity to do its work. Their natural and cultivated tendencies to evil have not been submitted to its transforming power. Their lives reveal the absence of the grace of Christ, an unbelief in His power to transform the character.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 99, 100.

“Christ has given us no assurance that to attain perfection of character is an easy matter. A noble, all-round character is not inherited. It does not come to us by accident. A noble character is earned by individual effort through the merits and grace of Christ. God gives the talents, the powers of the mind; we form the character. It is formed by hard, stern battles with self. Conflict after conflict must be waged against hereditary tendencies. We shall have to criticize ourselves closely, and allow not one unfavorable trait to remain uncorrected.” Ibid., 331.

“By the life we live through the grace of Christ, the character is formed. The original loveliness begins to be restored to the soul. The attributes of the character of Christ are imparted, and the image of the Divine begins to shine forth. The faces of men and women who walk and work with God express the peace of heaven. They are surrounded with the atmosphere of heaven. For these souls the kingdom of God has begun. They have Christ’s joy, the joy of being a blessing to humanity. They have the honor of being accepted for the Master’s use; they are trusted to do His work in His name.” The Adventist Home, 535.

©2005 Reformation Herald Publishing Association, Roanoke, Virginia. Reprinted by permission.

Boundless Grace

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Unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.” Ephesians 4:7. The measure of the gift of Christ is “all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” [Colossians 2:9.] This is true whether viewed as the measure of the gift which God made in giving Christ, or as the measure of the gift which Christ himself gave. For the gift that God gave is his only begotten Son, and in “him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” [Colossians 2:9.] Therefore, from this standpoint, the measure of the gift of Christ being only the measure of the fullness of the Godhead bodily and this being only the measure of the grace that is given to every one of us, it follows that unto every one of us is given without measure, simply boundless grace.

Viewed from the measure of the gift in which Christ himself gives to us, it is the same; because “he gave himself for us;” (Titus 2:14) he gave himself for our sins, and in this he gave himself to us. And as in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and as he gave himself, then the measure of the gift of Christ on his own part is also only the measure of the fullness of the Godhead bodily. It therefore follows that from this standpoint also, the measure of grace that is given to every one of us is only the measure of the fullness of the Godhead, that is, simply immeasurable.

Thus in whatever way it is viewed, the plain word of the Lord is that unto every one of us he has given grace to the measure of the fullness of the Godhead bodily; that is, boundless, immeasurable grace—all the grace he has. This is good. But it is just the Lord, it is just like the Lord to do that; for he is good.

And this boundless grace is all given, given freely, to “every one of us.” [Ephesians 4:7.] To us it is. To you and me, just as we are. And that is good. We need just that much grace to make us what the Lord wants us to be. And he is just so kind as to give it all to us freely, that we may be indeed just what he wants us to be.

The Lord wants every one of us to be saved, and that with the very fullness of salvation. And therefore he has given to every one of us the very fullness of grace, because it is grace that brings salvation. For it is written, “The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men.” Titus 2:11. Thus the Lord wants all to be saved, and therefore he gave all his grace, bringing salvation to all. The marginal reading of this text tells it that way, and it is just as true as the reading in the verse itself. Here it is: “The grace of God that bringeth salvation to all men, hath appeared.” All the grace of God is given freely to everyone, bringing salvation to all. Whether all or any one will receive it, that is another question. What we are studying now is the truth and the fact that God has given it. Having given it all, he is clear, even though men may reject it.

The Lord wants us to be perfect: and so it is written: “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” [Matthew 5:48.] Desiring that we shall be perfect, he has given us, every one, all the grace that he has, bringing the fullness of his salvation, that every man may be presented perfect in Christ Jesus. The very purpose of this gift of his boundless grace is that we may be made like Jesus, who is the image of God. Even so it is written: “Unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ … for the perfecting of the saints … till we all come in the unity of the faith, and the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” [Ephesians 4:7, 12, 13.]

Do you want to be like Jesus? Then receive the grace that he has so fully and so freely given. Receive it in the measure in which he has given it, not in the measure in which you think you deserve it. Yield yourself to it, that it may work in you and for you the wondrous purpose for which it is given, and it will do it. It will make you like Jesus. It will accomplish the purpose and the wish of him who has given it. “Yield yourself unto God.” [Romans 6:13.] “I beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.” [II Corinthians 6:1.]

It can never be repeated too often, that under the reign of grace it is just as easy to do right, as under the reign of sin it is easy to do wrong. This must be so; for if there is not more power in grace than there is in sin, then there can be no salvation from sin. But there is salvation from sin; this no one who believes Christianity can deny.

Yet salvation from sin certainly depends upon there being more power in grace than there is in sin. Then, there being more power in grace than there is in sin, it cannot possibly be otherwise than that wherever the power of grace can have control, it will be just as easy to do right as without this it is easy to do wrong.

No man ever yet naturally found it difficult to do wrong. His great difficulty has always been to do right. But this is because man naturally is enslaved to a power—the power of sin that is absolute in its reign. And so long as that power has sway, it is not only difficult but impossible to do the good that he knows and that he would. But let a mightier power than that have sway, then is it not plain enough that it will be just as easy to serve the will of the mightier power, when it reigns, as it was to serve the will of the other power when it reigned?

But grace is not simply more powerful than is sin. If this were indeed all, even then there would be fullness of hope and good cheer to every sinner in the world. But this, good as it would be, is not all; it is not nearly all. There is much more power in grace than there is in sin. For “where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” [Romans 5:20.] And just as much more power in grace than there is in sin, just so much more hope and good cheer there are for every sinner in the world.

How much more power, then, is there in grace than there is in sin? … Whence comes grace?—From God, to be sure. “Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.” [Philemon 3.] Whence comes sin?—From the devil, of course. Sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. Well, then, how much more power is there in grace than there is in sin? It is as plain as A B C that there is just as much more power in grace than there is in sin, as there is more power in God than there is in the devil. It is therefore also perfectly plain that the reign of grace is the reign of God; and that the reign of sin is the reign of Satan. And is it not therefore perfectly plain also, that it is just as easy to serve God by the power of God as it is to serve Satan with the power of Satan?

Where the difficulty comes in, in all this, is that so many people try to serve God with the power of Satan. But that can never be done. “Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt.” [Matthew 12:33.] Men cannot gather grapes of thorns, nor figs of thistles. The tree must be made good, root and branch. It must be made new. “Ye must be born again.” [John 3:7.] “In Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.” [Galatians 6:15.] Let no one ever attempt to serve God with anything but the present, living power of God, that makes him a new creature; with nothing but the much more abundant grace that condemns sin in the flesh, and reigns through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. Then the service of God will indeed be in “newness of life;” [Romans 6:4] then it will be found that his yoke is indeed “easy” and his burden “light;” [Matthew 11:30] then his service will be found indeed to be with “joy unspeakable and full of glory.” [I Peter 1:8.]

Did Jesus ever find it difficult to do right? Every one will instantly say, No. But why? He was just as human as we are. He took flesh and blood the same as ours. “The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.” [John 1:14.] And the kind of flesh that he was made in this world, was precisely such as was in this world. “In all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren.” [Hebrews 2:17.] “In all things”! It does not say, in all things but one. There is no exception. He was made in all things like as we are. He was of himself as weak as we are; for he said, “I can of mine own self do nothing.” [John 5:30.]

Why, then, being in all things like as we are, did he find it always easy to do right?—Because he never trusted to himself, but his trust was always in God alone. All his dependence was upon the grace of God. He always sought to serve God, only with the power of God. And therefore the Father dwelt in him, and did the works of righteousness. Therefore it was always easy for him to do right. But as he is, so are we in this world. He has left us an example, that we should follow his steps. “It is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure,” [Philippians 2:13] as well as in him. All the power in heaven and in earth is given unto him; and he desires that you may be strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power. “In him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily”; [Colossians 2:9.] and he strengthens you with might by his Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your heart by faith, that you may be “filled with all the fullness of God.” [Ephesians 3:19.]

True, Christ partook of the divine nature, and so do you if you are a child of promise, and not of the flesh; for by the promises ye are partakers of the divine nature. There was nothing given to him in this world, and he had nothing in this world, that is not freely given to you, or that you may not have.

All this is in order that you may walk in newness of life; that henceforth you may not serve sin; that you may be the servant of righteousness only; that you may be freed from sin; that sin may not have dominion over you; that you may glorify God on the earth; and that you may be like Jesus. And therefore “unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. … Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” And I “beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.” [Ephesians 4:7, 13.]

Can every believer have grace enough to keep him free from sinning?—Yes. Indeed, everybody in the world can have enough to keep him from sinning. Enough is given; and it is given for this purpose. If any one does not have it, it is not because enough has not been given; but because he does not take that which has been given. For “unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.” Ephesians 4:7. The measure of the gift of Christ is himself wholly, and that is the measure of “all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” To the fullness of the Godhead there is, indeed, no measure; it is boundless, is it simply the infinity of God. Yet that is the only measure of the grace that is given to every one of us. The boundless measure of the fullness of the Godhead is the only thing that can express the proportion of grace that is given to every one who is in this world. For “where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” This grace is given in order that “as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through the righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord,” [Romans 5:20, 21] and in order that sin shall not have dominion over you, because you are under grace.

It is given also “for the perfecting of the saints.” The object of it is to bring each one to perfection in Christ Jesus to the perfection too, that is fully up to God’s standard; for it is given for the building up of the body of Christ, “till we all come in the unity of the faith, and the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” It is given to “every one of us,” “till we all come” to perfection, even by the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Again, this grace is given to every one where sin abounds; and it brings salvation to everyone to whom it is given. Bringing salvation in itself, the measure of the salvation which it brings to every one is only the measure of its own fullness, which is nothing less than the measure of the fullness of the Godhead.

As boundless grace is given to every one bringing salvation to the extent of its own full measure, then if any one does not have boundless salvation, why is it?—Plainly it can be only because he will not take that which is given.

As boundless grace is given to every one, in order that it shall reign in him against all the power of sin, as certainly as every sin reigned; and in order that sin shall not have dominion, then if sin still reigns in any one, if sin yet has dominion over any one, where lies the fault?—Clearly it lies only in this, that he will not allow the grace to do for him and in him that which it is given to do. By unbelief he frustrates the grace of God. So far as he is concerned, the grace has be given in vain.

But every believer, by his very profession, says that he has received the grace of God. Then if in the believer grace does not reign instead of sin; if grace does not have dominion instead of sin, it is plain enough that he is receiving the grace of God in vain. If grace is not bringing the believer onward toward a perfect man in the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, then he is receiving the grace of God in vain. Therefore the exhortation of the Scripture is, “We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.” II Corinthians 6:1.

The grace of God is fully able to accomplish that for which it is given, if only it is allowed to work. We have seen that grace being altogether from God, the power of grace is nothing but the power of God. It is plain enough therefore that the power of God is abundantly able to accomplish all for which it is given,—the salvation of the soul, deliverance from sin and from the power of it, the reign of righteousness in the life, and the perfecting of the believer unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,—if only it can have place in the heart and in the life to work according to the will of God. But the power of God is “unto salvation to every one that believeth.” Unbelief frustrates the grace of God. Many believe and receive the grace of God for the salvation from sins that are past, but are content with that, and do not give it the same place in the soul, to reign against the power of sin, that they did to save from sins of the past. This, too, is but another phase of unbelief. So as to the one great final object of grace—the perfection of the life in the likeness of Christ—they do practically receive the grace of God in vain.

“We then, as workers together with him beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) Giving no offense in anything, that the ministry be not blamed.” [II Corinthians 6:1–3.] Nor does this word “ministry” refer simply to the ordained ministry of the pulpit; it includes every one who receives the grace of God, or that has named the name of Christ. For “as every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” [I Peter 4:10.] Therefore he does not want any one to receive the grace of God in vain, lest that grace and its blessed working be misrepresented to the world, and so men be further hindered from yielding to it. He does not want his grace to be received in vain, because when it is, offense is given in many things, and the ministry of grace itself is blamed. Yet when the grace of God is not received in vain, but is given the place that belongs to it, “no offense” will be given “in anything,” and the ministry will not only be not blamed but will be blest.

And now to show how complete and all-pervading the reign of grace will be in the life where it is not received in vain, the Lord has set down the following list, embracing “all things,” and in which we shall approve ourselves unto God. …

“In all things approving ourselves” unto God, “In much patience, In afflictions, In necessities, In distresses, In stripes, In imprisonments, In tumults, In labors, In watchings, In fasting, By pureness, By knowledge, By longsuffering, By kindness, By the Holy Ghost, By love unfeigned, By the word of truth, By the power of God, By the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, By honor and dishonor, By evil report and good report: As deceivers, and yet true; As unknown, and yet well known; As dying, and behold, we live; As chastened, and not killed; As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; As poor, yet making many rich: As having nothing, and yet possessing all things.” [II Corinthians 6:4–10.]

This list covers all the experiences that can ever enter into the life of any believer in this world. It shows that where the grace of God is not received in vain, that grace will so take possession and control of the life, that every experience that enters into the life will be taken by grace, and turned to making us approved unto God, and building us up in perfection unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. “We then, as workers together with him, beseech ye also that you receive not the grace of God in vain.” [II Corinthians 6:2.]

From the book, Lessons on Faith, 79-89.

©1995 by TEACH Services, Inc., used with permission. www.teachservices.com

In 1888, the Lord brought a message of righteousness to the church through Elders E.J. Waggoner and A.T. Jones. This message was identified as the beginning of the loud cry of the third angel whose glory was to fill the whole earth in preparation for the second coming of Jesus.

Bible Study Guides – Everlasting Grace

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May 13 – 19

Key Text

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8).

Study Help: Patriarchs and Prophets, 363–373; Faith and Works, 15–28.

Introduction

“Grace means favor to one who is undeserving, to one who is lost. The fact that we are sinners, instead of shutting us away from the mercy and love of God, makes the exercise of His love to us a positive necessity in order that we may be saved.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 347.

Sunday

 1   THE NEW COVENANT OF PROMISE

  •  In what way did God make the new covenant with Abraham—and what did God later do to confirm this covenant and why? Galatians 3:14–18; Hebrews 6:13–18.
  • What had Abraham done of himself to deserve these covenant blessings—and what does that teach us about God’s attitude toward sinners? Genesis 12:1–3; 1 Corinthians 1:26–31; Romans 3:10–12.

Note: “Grace is an attribute of God exercised toward undeserving human beings. We did not seek for it, but it was sent in search of us. God rejoices to bestow His grace upon us, not because we are worthy, but because we are so utterly unworthy. …

“It is His [God’s] glory to pardon the chief of sinners.” The Ministry of Healing, 161.

“The more unworthy the receiver, the more glorious the mercy of God.” General Conference Daily Bulletin, January 28, 1893.

Monday

 2   THE OLD COVENANT OF WORKS

  •  Why did God make another covenant through Moses 430 years later—and why can’t it disannul the new covenant of promise? Deuteronomy 4:12, 13; Exodus 19:5–7; Galatians 3:17; 1Peter 1:18–20.

Note: “In their bondage the people [of Israel] had to a great extent lost the knowledge of God and of the principles of the Abrahamic covenant. … God sought to reveal to them His power and His mercy, that they might be led to love and trust Him … that they might realize their utter helplessness, their need of divine aid; and then He wrought deliverance for them. …

“Living in the midst of idolatry and corruption, they had no true conception of the holiness of God, of the exceeding sinfulness of their own hearts, their utter inability, in themselves, to render obedience to God’s law, and their need of a Saviour. All this they must be taught.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 371.

“The ‘old’ covenant—was formed between God and Israel at Sinai, and was then ratified by the blood of a sacrifice. The Abrahamic covenant was ratified by the blood of Christ, and it is called the ‘second,’ or ‘new,’ covenant, because the blood by which it was sealed was shed after the blood of the first covenant.” Ibid., 371, 372.

  • How did the people react to God’s requirement under the old covenant? Exodus 19:8. How might we fall into the same danger?

Note: “The people did not realize the sinfulness of their own hearts, and that without Christ it was impossible for them to keep God’s law.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 371.

“Those who feel no need of the blood of Christ, who feel that without divine grace they can by their own works secure the approval of God, are making the same mistake as did Cain. If they do not accept the cleansing blood, they are under condemnation.” Ibid., 73.

“Self-righteousness is the danger of this age; it separates the soul from Christ. Those who trust to their own righteousness cannot understand how salvation comes through Christ. They call sin righteousness and righteousness sin. They have no appreciation of the evil of transgression, no understanding of the terror of the law; for they do not respect God’s moral standard.” Faith and Works, 96.

Tuesday

 3   FROM OLD TO NEW

  •  What was the moral law’s purpose in the old covenant and what purpose does it still serve today? Romans 7:7, 9–13, 20; 3:19–20.

Note: “The law was given to convict them [men] of sin, and reveal their need of a Saviour.” The Desire of Ages, 308.

  • In the new covenant, how does God change our attitude towards His law and what transformation will be seen in our life? Hebrews 8:10; Psalm 40:8; Ezekiel 36:26, 27; Colossians 3:9, 10.

Note: “The same law that was engraved upon the tables of stone is written by the Holy Spirit upon the tables of the heart. Instead of going about to establish our own righteousness we accept the righteousness of Christ. His blood atones for our sins. His obedience is accepted for us. Then the heart renewed by the Holy Spirit will bring forth ‘the fruits of the Spirit.’ Through the grace of Christ we shall live in obedience to the law of God written upon our hearts.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 372.

“The change in human hearts, the transformation of human characters, is a miracle that reveals an ever-living Saviour, working to rescue souls.” The Desire of Ages, 407.

  • How does the new covenant experience perfectly fulfill the spirit and intent of the law—and what was said of Abraham in this regard? Matthew 5:20–22, 27, 28, 31–48; Romans 13:8–10; Genesis 26:5.

Note: “Obedience is not a mere outward compliance, but the service of love. The law of God is an expression of His very nature; it is an embodiment of the great principle of love, and hence is the foundation of His government in heaven and earth. If our hearts are renewed in the likeness of God, if the divine love is implanted in the soul, will not the law of God be carried out in the life? When the principle of love is implanted in the heart, when man is renewed after the image of Him that created him, the new-covenant promise is fulfilled, ‘I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them’ (Hebrews 10:16). And if the law is written in the heart, will it not shape the life?” Steps to Christ, 60.

Wednesday

 4   BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH

  •  What free gift did God bestow on Abraham because he chose to believe? Romans 4:22; Galatians 3:6.

Note: “The thought that the righteousness of Christ is imputed to us, not because of any merit on our part, but as a free gift from God, is a precious thought. The enemy of God and man is not willing that this truth should be clearly presented; for he knows that if the people receive it fully, his power will be broken.” Gospel Workers, 161.

“The grace of Christ is freely to justify the sinner without merit or claim on his part. Justification is a full, complete pardon of sin. The moment a sinner accepts Christ by faith, that moment he is pardoned. The righteousness of Christ is imputed to him, and he is no more to doubt God’s forgiving grace.” The Faith I Live By, 107.

  • What did Abraham do to be declared righteous—and how alone are believers in like manner saved? Romans 4:1–5; Ephesians 2:8, 9.

Note: “Our acceptance with God is sure only through His beloved Son, and good works are but the result of the working of His sin-pardoning love. They are no credit to us, and we have nothing accorded to us for our good works by which we may claim a part in the salvation of our souls. Salvation is God’s free gift to the believer, given to him for Christ’s sake alone.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 5, 1122.

  • Even though faith itself is a gift (see Romans 12:3, last part), what are we to do with it? John 3:16; Luke 7:1–9; Romans 10:17.

Note: “Faith that enables us to receive God’s gifts is itself a gift, of which some measure is imparted to every human being. It grows as exercised in appropriating the word of God. In order to strengthen faith, we must often bring it in contact with the word.” Education, 253, 254.

“Men and women will not be saved unless they themselves exercise faith, and build on the true foundation, unless they allow God to re-create them by His Holy Spirit.” The Signs of the Times, February 14, 1900.

Thursday

 5   UNMERITED FAVOR

  •  What unmerited favor, promised under the new covenant, has God shown in order to save humankind? Genesis 12:3; 1John 4:14; Ephesians 2:4–8; Romans 5:15–18.

Note: “Although by our disobedience we have merited God’s displeasure and condemnation, He has not forsaken us.” God’s Amazing Grace, 10.

“Those who enter heaven will not scale its walls by their own righteousness, nor will its gates be opened to them for costly offerings of gold or silver, but they will gain an entrance to the many mansions of the Father’s house through the merits of the cross of Christ.” Ibid., 179.

  • How does a sinner access such a free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ? John 1:12; Romans 5:17; Hebrews 11:8.

Note: “All who believe that Christ is the atoning sacrifice may come and receive pardon for their sins; for through the merit of Christ, communication has been opened between God and man. God can accept me as His child, and I can claim Him and rejoice in Him as my loving Father. We must center our hopes of heaven upon Christ alone, because He is our substitute and surety.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 363.

  • What two things did God destroy by his marvellous grace? Romans 8:2; 1John 3:5, 8; 2 Timothy 1:10.

Friday

 PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

 1     Explain the word “promise” in light of God’s inability to lie.

2     Why was the old covenant given—and why was it devoid of faith?

3     How does God write His law of love within our hearts and minds?

4     Why can’t we claim credit for our good works in salvation?

5     Why will we never be able to boast of our faith?

God’s Covenant and Law

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People get the idea that the Law of God is unimportant. However, it is so important that rather than change it, God sent His Son to die. How can anything be more important than that?

There has been a lot of interest in the Ten Commandments the last few years in the public. But, what concerns me is that I have not seen the Ten Commandments in very many churches. In fact, it is the churches that have said it is really not important. Speaking of the Sabbath, the Catholics simply say, that is what the Bible says, but we changed it to Sunday. They admit this, claiming to have the authority to do so.

We do not believe that God has given anybody the authority to change this law. There are certain groups, rather than admitting that it has been changed by man, will try to twist their theology with certain Bible texts to make it look like God’s Law has been done away with. When you go through the Ten Commandments with them, you realize that there is only one law they are trying to get rid of and the other nine are okay. The only one they want to get rid of is the one that He wrote with His own finger and said remember. To think that the Fourth Commandment is not important should not even enter our minds.

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears.” II Timothy 4:3. In other words, teachers wanting to tell people what they want to hear rather than what God said. People want their Certified Public Accountant or attorney to tell them the truth; but they want preachers to tell them what they want to hear rather than what the Bible says.

What does the Bible really say? It says, “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” Revelation 14:12. The Commandments of God and the faith of Jesus are together and should always be together. There is no conflict between God and Jesus. Some people think that when Jesus came to this earth, He was a rebel and that He stood up against God’s law. Jesus not only taught the Law but He magnified God’s law.

In Luke 2:49 when his parents found Him in the temple, He said, “Wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?” He said, “I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.” John 5:30. This is the will that He seeks, not His own will. Jesus is not in conflict with the Fourth Commandment because it refers to creation. This is right in the heart of the Ten Commandments and here is the Creator.

“All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” John 1:3. “All things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him.” Colossians 1:16. He created all things. Then speaking of Jesus Christ, it says, “There is one lawgiver.” James 4:12.

When Moses brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, there was a cloud protecting them by day and the pillar of fire by night. That was Jesus. “And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.” I Corinthians 10:4.

If Jesus were in conflict He would be in conflict with Himself. The Bible was given to us by God through His prophets. One part of it He wrote with His own hand and amazingly that is the part that some people want to say is no longer in effect.

He is so clear in Matthew 5:17: “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.” People have said that means to destroy. Does that say: Think not that I have come to destroy the law; I have not come to destroy but to fulfil? Jesus uses the word to fulfill in Matthew 3:15. When Jesus was baptized, John the Baptist said that he was not worthy to baptize Jesus. “And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness.”

Did Jesus do away with righteousness when He was baptized? Did He do away with baptism? No, remember His great commission in Matthew 28:19, 20: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” In other words, go and teach and baptize continually. The word fulfill means that He was bringing about a fulfillment of understanding and of knowledge.

Jesus said, “Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” Matthew 5:18. Take your right foot and stomp on the ground. Is the earth still there? Has heaven and earth passed away? Jesus says not one jot or one tittle, until all pass away. Jesus said as long as it is still here, the law will not pass away.

Jesus talked about those people who teach that the commandments have been done away with in Matthew 5:19, first part: “Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven.” Being called least in the kingdom of heaven means you are not going to be there. Being called least means that you are the least regarded which means that you are not going to be there.

Jesus said whosoever shall do. I am glad He added the word do because we could teach it but not do it. The talk and the walk must line up together. He says, “But whosoever shall do and teach them the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven” (verse 19, last part) which means they will be in the kingdom of heaven. God is so very clear. He continues to amplify this: “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment.” He does not say that you can kill all you want to. He says, “But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother.” Matthew 5:21. That really makes it serious.

He is talking about our heart, our response and how important that is. Jesus said, “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” Matthew 27, 28. Did He tell the woman caught in adultery that it was all right now to go ahead and keep doing it? No. He said, “That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” That should convict each and every one of us, if not on that particular subject, but it shows that the heart is what God is after. He does not want us to be able to simply quote the Ten Commandments or to just memorize them. He does not want us even to try in our human power to perform them. God wants a change in the spirit.

What is the purpose of God’s law? The Bible is clear that the law does not save us. But it tells us what the function of the law is. In James 1:23–25 it tells us, “For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.”

We all have mirrors at home. When I get up in the morning I wish I did not have a mirror. I drag myself in and I look and I start laughing. I have about 20 minutes to become a dynamic, enthusiastic individual and it is hopeless. The mirror tells me what kind of problems I have. I have another mirror also and she will tell me if this tie is perfect or if it goes with this suit. The law shows me that there is something wrong. The mirror can’t clean me up. The mirror can’t straighten me up. The mirror can’t tell me one thing. I can get rid of that mirror, but I am still as bad off. The law is how we know that there is sin. Roman 3:20 says, “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” Romans 7:7 says, “I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except through the law.” Verse 12: “Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.” “Sin is the transgression of the law.” 1 John 3:4.

People will say that the law was done away with 2,000 years ago. If you will stop and think about it, here we have the law and sin is the transgression of the law. Jesus is the One who brings us cleansing, forgiveness and grace. If the law was done away with 2,000 years ago, then nobody has sinned in the last 2,000 years. If the law is gone, there is no sin. Look around and you will see a lot of sin going on. The law is still being broken. If you get rid of the law, you have gotten rid of sin. You get rid of sin; you don’t need sin. Do you see how it breaks down when you take away God’s law?

The Bible tells me that there was something that was nailed to the cross. What was that?

One night I was in Washington D.C with a fairly well-known preacher who was preaching that the law had been done away with. We were talking and he asked me if I would attend a function with him on a specific date which happened to be on the Sabbath. I told him I would not be there and he asked me why not. I said because I keep the seventh day Sabbath. He said, “Oh, you do that?” I said, “Yes I do.” He said, “Don’t you know you do not need to do that?” I said to him, “I really do not want to be out of harmony with everybody. Why don’t you show me where I don’t have to do this.” I knew he could not do this. He had some new text that was in the Bible and I knew there was no new text because I had been all through the Bible. He asked me to come over to his hotel room because he had his Bible there and he was going to show me a text.

We got to his room and he read Colossians 2:14 to me. I said to him “Do you mean you brought me over here to read that text to me? That is not what that text says.” Let me read it: “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.” What is this talking about—the handwriting of ordinances? Remember God’s law was written with his finger. There has to be two laws. “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances.” There are no ordinances in the Ten Commandments. There is nothing about washing or certain feast days or things of that nature.

In verses 15, 16 it says, “Having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it. Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days.” There is nothing about meat in the Ten Commandments. There is nothing about drink in the Ten Commandments or respect of a holyday. It is not talking about the seventh day Sabbath. There is nothing about the new moon or of the sabbath days, those ceremonial sabbaths, that happen during those feast days, “which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.” Verse 17.

We went back through and looked at all of the scriptures. He said, “You just can’t get around this, can you.” I said, “No, you can’t.” He told me that in 1949 H.M.S. Richards held a crusade at Fort Worth, Texas, and he went and was convicted that he should keep the seventh day Sabbath. He went home and his family opposed him. He said he just did not have the courage to stand up to them and so he decided not to do it. I told him it was not too late. You can do it now. We had prayer together. After I left his room that night I tried to call him, and he never accepted my phone calls again.

You can turn your back on truth. You can take subjects and you can twist them so they seem to say something they don’t say. My friend, who I thought an awful lot of, had done just that. It is dangerous. He had encountered truth the first time and then God gave him another opportunity and he encountered it again. I am just praying that God gives him another opportunity.

James 2:10 says, “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” If we break the law we are guilty. In other words, if you keep nine of them and you don’t keep that fourth one, then you are guilty of not keeping them all. “For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.” Verses 11, 12.

Another text about abolishing is found in Ephesians 2:15: “Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances.” All those ordinances were beautiful and wonderful but they did not save you. This was a big problem because people began to put emphasis on all of the to dos to be saved. Paul talks about them as the school teacher or the school master that brings you to the cross. “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.” Matthew 5:17.

Isn’t there a text that says we are not under the law but under grace? Yes, Romans 6:14, 15 says, “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.” God forbid. We are not under the penalty of the law if we have accepted Jesus Christ and He has come into our lives. We are not under that penalty.

When you read the Ten Commandments, it makes you wonder why anybody would want to get rid of them. In the Old Testament, sin was the transgression of the law. What is it in the New Testament?—the transgression of the law. There is absolutely no doubt that it is still the transgression of the law. God said, “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.” 1 John 3:4. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23. When God has saved you, you want to be loyal to Him. You want to be His. “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.” John 15:10.

The Ten Commandments are written in stone but God wants to write them in our hearts and in our minds. He is going to change me and I really need changing. Hebrews 8:10 says, “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people.” Jesus desires a loving spiritual relationship. He wants to change us so effectively that we really have a relationship with Him.

“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.” John 15:4. Abiding in Him and receiving the gift. It changes our behavior and we become more like our indwelling Jesus. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:8–10. He wants to change us.

I met a young man who was telling me that nothing needs to happen when you accept the Lord. There will not be any change in your behavior. I told him if you accept the Lord, there will be a change. God wants to take us and change us. I don’t want my same habits. I don’t want these same problems that I have. I want to be changed. He says, I will change you. In Ephesians 2:10: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” That is how we walk.

He loves you and cares about you. We are not under law but under grace. We are not under the penalty of the law. We are not standing with the law on the outside; we are standing with the law on the inside because we have been born again. It is written in our hearts. As it was taken from the tables of stone to these tablets of our hearts and flesh, it did not drop one or two commandments on the way. All ten came to be written upon our hearts.

Paul says, “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. We are His workmanship.

Pastor Jim Gilley’s sermon was taken from the Ten Commandments Weekend, 2008 series aired on 3ABN. For more information contact www.3ABN.org.

Questions and Answers – What does it mean to grow in grace?

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But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever.” II Peter 3:17, 18.

To grow means something is increasing or developing in size by a natural process. Growing in grace is allowing the Divine influence to work upon the heart, which then reflects in the life. Changes will take place in conversation, appearance and lifestyle. These changes will not be seen all at once, but continue to develop by a natural process. As more time is spent with God in His word, the heart is changed.

The promise given in Ezekiel 36:26, 27 says, “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.”

“In giving us the privilege of studying His word, the Lord has set before us a rich banquet. Many are the benefits derived from feasting on His word, which is represented by Him as His flesh and blood, His spirit and life. By partaking of this word our spiritual strength is increased; we grow in grace and in a knowledge of the truth. Habits of self-control are formed and strengthened. The infirmities of childhood—fretfulness, willfulness, selfishness, hasty words, passionate acts—disappear, and in their place are developed the graces of Christian manhood and womanhood.” Counsels to Parents, Teachers and Students, 207.

While we are growing in grace we will be steadfast in the faith and moving forward. We will be living by every word of God and not returning to the old ways.

“Remember that you are daily weaving for yourself a web of habits. If these habits are according to the Bible rule, you are going every day in steps heavenward, growing in grace and the knowledge of the truth; and like Daniel, God will give you wisdom as He gave to him.” The Youth’s Instructor, August 25, 1886.

The life of those who cease to grow in grace and knowledge wither away and lose their connection with God. This falling away is reflected in returning to their old lifestyle.

“My brother, you have not been as God planned you should be—growing up into the full stature of a man in Christ Jesus. … You have ceased to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the truth. Do you not realize that you have lost your vital connection with God? Unless the matter is opened before you, you cannot now see the great good you might have accomplished had you kept in vital touch with God.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 3, 204.

We also grow by being tested. “Trials come to him; for unless thus tested, he would never know his lack of wisdom and experience. But if he seeks the Lord with humility and trust, every trial will work for his good. He may sometimes seem to fail, but his apparent failure may be God’s way of bringing him true advancement, and may mean a better knowledge of himself and a firmer trust in Heaven. He may still make mistakes, but he learns not to repeat these mistakes. He becomes stronger to resist evil, and others reap benefit from his example.” Gospel Workers, 142.

Just remember that growing in grace is a continuing process, one day at a time.

Bible Study Guides – Is It Easy?

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September 11, 2011 – September 17, 2011

Key Text

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.” Ephesians 6:10.

Study Help: Steps to Christ, 67–76; Patriarchs and Prophets, 453–461.

Introduction

“Rest in God. He is able to keep that which you have committed to Him. If you will leave yourself in His hands, He will bring you off more than conqueror through Him that has loved you.” Steps to Christ, 72.

1 THE ENEMY’S ATTACK

  • Who are we fighting if we are seeking to do God’s will? Ephesians 6:12.

Note: “There is little enmity against Satan and his works, because there is so great ignorance concerning his power and malice, and the vast extent of his warfare against Christ and His church.” The Great Controversy, 507.

  • Who is the enemy seeking to destroy and how does he propose to do this? Numbers 25:1, 2. What warning should we heed? I Corinthians 10:11, 12.

Note: “Satan is continually seeking to overcome the people of God by breaking down the barriers which separate them from the world. … All who are not decided followers of Christ are servants of Satan. In the unregenerate heart there is love of sin and a disposition to cherish and excuse it. In the renewed heart there is hatred of sin and a determined resistance against it.” The Great Controversy, 508.

“It was by associating with idolaters and joining in their festivities that the Hebrews were led to transgress God’s law and bring His judgments upon the nation. So now it is by leading the followers of Christ to associate with the ungodly and unite in their amusements that Satan is most successful in alluring them into sin.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 458.

2 PERSEVERE!

  • In this warfare, what must we remember? Luke 18:1.

Note: “Christian life is more than many take it to be. It does not consist wholly in gentleness, patience, meekness, and kindliness. These graces are essential; but there is need also of courage, force, energy, and perseverance. The path that Christ marks out is a narrow, self-denying path. To enter that path and press on through difficulties and discouragements, requires men who are more than weaklings.” Evangelism, 479.

  • What will enable us to endure in this warfare and develop perseverance? II Peter 1:4; John 14:14.

Note: “The Scriptures are to be received as God’s word to us, not written merely, but spoken. …

“So with all the promises of God’s word. In them He is speaking to us individually, speaking as directly as if we could listen to His voice. It is in these promises that Christ communicates to us His grace and power. They are leaves from that tree which is ‘for the healing of the nations’ Revelation 22:2. Received, assimilated, they are to be the strength of the character, the inspiration and sustenance of the life. Nothing else can have such healing power. Nothing besides can impart the courage and faith which give vital energy to the whole being.” The Ministry of Healing, 122.

“If we live according to His word, every precious promise He has given will be fulfilled to us. …

“But only as we live in obedience to His word can we claim the fulfillment of His promises. The psalmist says, ‘If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me’ Psalm 66:18. If we render to Him only a partial, halfhearted obedience, His promises will not be fulfilled to us.” Ibid., 226, 227.

  • What promises does our Father give us as we seek to develop families that will honor His name? Psalm 32:8.

Note: “Not only are the best beloved to receive particular attention, but also the restless, wayward children, who need careful training and tender guidance.” The Adventist Home, 276.

3 GOD’S GRACE

  • As we see our weakness and insufficiency, what promise is especially important to us? II Corinthians 12:9.
  • What is God’s grace? I Corinthians 1:4, 5; II Corinthians 9:8.

Note: “Grace is an attribute of God exercised toward undeserving human beings.” The Ministry of Healing, 161.

“To learn of Christ means to receive His grace, which is His character.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 271.

  • What other promises are there for the partakers of His grace? Colossians 1:11; Philippians 1:6; Ephesians 1:19.

Note: “You are to give all—your heart, your will, your service—give yourself to Him to obey all His requirements; and you must take all—Christ, the fullness of all blessing, to abide in your heart, to be your strength, your righteousness, your everlasting helper—to give you power to obey.” Steps to Christ, 70. [Emphasis author’s.]

  • What circumstances, if any, are very difficult and seemingly impossible to change? Philippians 4:13.

Note: “Men and women can reach God’s ideal for them if they will take Christ as their helper. What human wisdom cannot do, His grace will accomplish for those who give themselves to Him in loving trust. His providence can unite hearts in bonds that are of heavenly origin.” The Ministry of Healing, 362.

“The power of the love of Christ wrought a transformation of character. This is the sure result of union with Jesus. When Christ abides in the heart, the whole nature is transformed. Christ’s Spirit, His love, softens the heart, subdues the soul, and raises the thoughts and desires toward God and heaven.” Steps to Christ, 73.

4 HOW CAN I HAVE THIS HELP?

  • How can I, my family, and my church have this experience with Jesus Christ? John 15:4, 5.

Note: “Do you ask, ‘How am I to abide in Christ?’ In the same way as you received Him at first. ‘As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him’ (Colossians 2:6). …

“Consecrate yourself to God in the morning; make this your very first work. Let your prayer be, ‘Take me, O Lord, as wholly Thine. I lay all my plans at Thy feet. Use me today in Thy service. Abide with me, and let all my work be wrought in Thee.’ This is a daily matter. Each morning consecrate yourself to God for that day. Surrender all your plans to Him, to be carried out or given up as His providence shall indicate. Thus day by day you may be giving your life into the hands of God, and thus your life will be molded more and more after the life of Christ.” Steps to Christ, 69, 70.

  • What must be our attitude? Acts 9:6.

Note: “Many who are really conscientious, and who desire to live for God, he [Satan] too often leads to dwell upon their own faults and weaknesses, and thus by separating them from Christ he hopes to gain the victory. We should not make self the center and indulge anxiety and fear as to whether we shall be saved. All this turns the soul away from the Source of our strength. Commit the keeping of your soul to God, and trust in Him. Talk and think of Jesus. Let self be lost in Him. Put away all doubt; dismiss your fears. … Rest in God. He is able to keep that which you have committed to Him. If you will leave yourself in His hands, He will bring you off more than conqueror through Him that has loved you.” Steps to Christ, 71, 72.

“Then if Christ is dwelling in our hearts, He will work in us ‘both to will and to do of His good pleasure’ Philippians 2:13. We shall work as He worked; we shall manifest the same spirit. And thus, loving Him and abiding in Him, we shall ‘grow up into Him in all things, which is the head, even Christ’ Ephesians 4:15.” Ibid., 75.

“At times the heart may be ready to faint; but a living sense of the dangers threatening the present and future happiness of their loved ones should lead Christian parents to seek more earnestly for help from the source of strength and wisdom.” Child Guidance, 64.

5 CONSISTENCY

  • What commands are given to us who have received such great light and blessing? Ephesians 5:1–8.

Note: “It is the privilege of all to give to the world in their home life, in their customs and practices and order, an evidence of what the gospel can do for those who obey it. Christ came to our world to give us an example of what we may become. He expects His followers to be models of correctness in all the relations of life. He desires the divine touch to be seen upon outward things.

“Our own homes and surroundings should be object lessons, teaching ways of improvement, so that industry, cleanliness, taste, and refinement may take the place of idleness, uncleanness, coarseness, and disorder. By our lives and example we can help others to discern that which is repulsive in their character or their surroundings, and with Christian courtesy we may encourage improvement.” The Ministry of Healing, 196.

“The Lord’s workers cannot be too careful that their actions do not contradict their words; for a consistent life alone can command respect. If our practice harmonizes with our teaching, our words will have effect; but a piety which is not based upon conscientious principles is as salt without savor. To speak, and do not, is as a sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal. It is of no use for us to strive to inculcate principles which we do not conscientiously practice.” Counsels on Health, 559, 560.

“The consistent life, the patient forbearance, the spirit unruffled under provocation, is always the most conclusive argument and the most solemn appeal.” The Ministry of Healing, 494.

“The pure influence of truth will elevate the whole man. … He will carry the sanctifying influence of the truth into his family and let his light so shine before them that they by seeing his good works may glorify God.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 415, 416.

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1 What makes the upward walk difficult?

2 How can you persevere and endure unto the end?

3 What is God’s grace and what will it do for you?

4 How can you have a changed life?

5 What will be the result of converted members of the family?

Copyright © 2002 Reformation Herald Publishing Association, 5240 Hollins Road, Roanoke, Virginia. Reprinted by permission.

Merit or Grace

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In the beginning of Acts 16, it says that while Paul and Silas were answering the Macedonian call in Philippi, they were beaten and put in jail without a trial. That night there was an earthquake, and the jailer was also afraid that the prisoners would escape, which would result in him being under the death sentence, so he decided to kill himself. “But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, ‘Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.’ Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas, And he brought them out and said, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ ” Acts 16:28–30.

That is the most important question that any human being can ask: “What must I do to be saved?” Paul says, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved, you and your household” (verse 31). That night was a successful one night evangelistic series. No sermons were preached; it consisted only of a song service. Paul and Silas, in chains, sang in the prison praising the Lord. Then, suddenly, there was an earthquake. The jailer realized the prisoners had something that he did not have, and he wanted it; he wanted to be saved. They told him to, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.”

Salvation is not complicated. It is simple enough that a child can understand it. All you have to do is believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.

Believe is often translated faith in the Bible. The Greek word translated believe, means to believe something enough to make a commitment to it. It is not merely an intellectual knowledge; it is a commitment. To believe in Jesus is to make a commitment to Him.

United States citizens are proud that they live in the land of the free and the home of the brave and do not live under the servitude of lords. The Roman Empire did understand the meaning of the word lord, because approximately two-thirds of the population was in slavery, with only one-third free. Those who were unfortunate to be slaves had a lord. Their master was called their lord. And that master, or lord, had absolute authority over their lives. In fact, if the slave did something that the lord did not like, he had authority to kill him without a trial because he was a slave. When Paul said, “Believe in the Lord,” the jailer knew exactly what the word Lord meant.

In Western society today, there are many who say they believe in Jesus as their Lord, but He had something to say to them. “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do the things which I say?” Luke 6:46. Is Jesus really Lord to those who disobey Him and are they guaranteed salvation? Jesus predicted that in the last generation this very thing would happen.

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name? And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you: depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ ” Matthew 7:21–23.

Notice, these are people who call Jesus Lord, but they do not do what He says. They break His law. There is no nation in the world that does not have laws. Judges in the courts of all countries consider a person to be a loyal citizen if he keeps the laws. God also has laws, and He decides the loyalty of the citizen of His government by the keeping of His law. In the final judgment, God will ask the same question that worldly judges ask: “Have you kept the law?”

When countries make laws, they are ever changing them and updating them. It is estimated that there have been over 35 million different human laws made; however, in God’s government, He has made only one law that has ten parts. The whole universe can be governed with one law that a child can read and understand. Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” John 14:15.

Ellen White wrote, “Let this point be fully settled in every mind: If we accept Christ as a Redeemer, we must accept Him as a Ruler. We cannot have the assurance and perfect confiding trust in Christ as our Saviour until we acknowledge Him as our King and are obedient to His commandments. Thus we evidence our allegiance to God.” Faith and Works, 16.

Is Jesus the Lord of your life? Many people today in the Western world want Jesus to be the Saviour of their life, but they do not want Him to be the Lord of their life. In essence they are saying, “We won’t have this man reign over us” (Luke 19:14).

  • Paraphrasing John 3:16, it is seen to have seven parts after recognizing God:
  • “God” – brings us to acknowledge an Almighty Authority, Himself, He
  • “so loved the world” – the strongest motive, love
  • “that He gave” – at ultimate cost
  • “His only begotten Son” – that resulted in the greatest gift that has ever been given
  • “that whoever” – this is the widest welcome that has ever been given
  • “believes in Him” – that is the easiest escape that has ever been given
  • “should not perish” – assuring divine deliverance
  • “but have everlasting life” – they will receive a priceless possession

Putting it all together, John 3:16 would read, “The One who has Almighty authority, motivated by the strongest motivation, gave the greatest gift, to give us the widest welcome, and the easiest escape, and divine deliverance, so that we might have a priceless possession.”

It is this subject that we are admonished to talk about the most. Ellen White wrote, “There is not a point that needs to be dwelt upon more earnestly, repeated more frequently, or established more firmly in the minds of all, than the impossibility of fallen man meriting anything by his own best good works. Salvation is through faith in Jesus Christ alone. …

“Let the subject be made distinct and plain that it is not possible to effect anything in our standing before God or in the gift of God to us through creature merit.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 3, 420.

If we are going to inherit eternal life, we need to understand that there is nothing we can ever do to provide any part of the merit. It is a gift that comes through grace alone, to the person who believes. One of the greatest deceptions of all time, that has permeated all heathen religions and also the Christian world, is the idea that we are saved by faith and works.

Martin Luther fought this idea during the reformation. The belief that a person is saved by faith and works opens the door for believing that not only your own good works, but also those of others and even the saints give merit to salvation.

The book of James says that, “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:20, 26). True faith produces works; however, those works have no merit and have no saving power.

“Should faith and works purchase the gift of salvation for anyone, then the Creator is under obligation to the creature. Here is an opportunity for falsehood to be accepted as truth. If any man can merit salvation by anything he may do, then he is in the same position as the Catholic to do penance for his sins. Salvation, then, is partly of debt that may be earned as wages. If man cannot, by any of his good works, merit salvation, then it must be wholly of grace, received by man as a sinner because he receives and believes in Jesus. It is wholly a free gift.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 3, 420.

When you work or have a job, your employer is obligated to give you the appropriate wages. But if a man cannot, by any of his good works, merit salvation, and it is received by him, as a sinner, just because he receives and believes the promise in Jesus, then it is completely by grace—a free gift.

The apostle Paul wrote about this a great deal in the books of Romans, Galatians and Ephesians. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Ephesians 2:8, 9. “If Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’ Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes on Him Who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imparts righteousness apart from works.” Romans 4:2–6 (Literal translation).

Paul emphasized this point because of the error being taught in Christ’s day that a person was saved by grace, but they needed to do something first; they needed to be circumcised first, and then they would receive the grace.

That same teaching is very popular in churches today, including the Protestant churches, but it is not called circumcision. Some say first you need to repent, and that is true, but there are no merits in repentance. Some say that you need to have faith—belief. There is no merit just because you have faith. Salvation is through grace alone; it is a free gift and does not come because of anything that you do.

“It [salvation] is wholly a free gift. Justification by faith is placed beyond controversy. And all this controversy is ended, as soon as the matter is settled that the merits of fallen man in his good works can never procure eternal life for him.” Faith and Works, 20.

But the devil pulls another trick on those who do understand that there is nothing you can do to save yourself. Hundreds of millions of Christians in the world today believe that the church can save you if you are a member or are baptized. If you are a member of the Catholic Church, you need to be an active participant in the seven sacraments, which, if observed, enable you to receive the grace.

Stated bluntly, the church is unable to save anyone, and there will be billions of people lost who have been baptized. Billions of people who have partaken of the communion supper will not be in the kingdom of heaven. We cannot save ourselves, and the church cannot save us either. This same deception that is popular today was also popular in the days of Christ. The people believed that if they were not connected to Israel, the church, they would not be saved. Even Christ’s disciples believed this.

John records an incident when Jesus gave sight to the man who was born blind. There was a big church trial, and before it was over, because the man confessed Christ, he was disfellowshiped. “The Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind and received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight. And they asked them, saying, ‘Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?’ His parents answered them and said, ‘We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but by what means he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know. He is of age; ask him. He will speak for himself.’ ” John 9:18–21.

Everybody in town, including his parents, knew what had happened, because the news had gone all over town, so why did they lie? They must have known it was wrong to lie and that no liars will be in heaven (Revelation 21:8). “His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, because the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed He was the Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue.” John 9:22 (Literal translation).

They were under one of the most powerful delusions that can happen to a person. They had been taught that if you were disfellowshiped from the synagogue, you would not have eternal life. Ironically, the very thing they did do, lie, would keep them out of the kingdom of God. They thought that as long as they stayed in and had that connection with the church, they would be saved.

If they really wanted to be saved, they would have had to allow themselves to be disfellowshiped and not lie. This story is important, because this has happened millions of times since then. The very thing that people think will assure them of eternal life is the very thing that guarantees their destruction. Jesus’ own disciples believed this.

“ ‘I am the true Vine’ [John 15:1]. The Jews had always regarded the vine as the most noble of plants, and a type of all that was powerful, excellent, and fruitful. Israel had been represented as a vine which God had planted in the Promised Land. The Jews based their hope of salvation on the fact of their connection with Israel.” The Desire of Ages, 675.

Jesus says, “I am the real vine. Think not that through a connection with Israel you may become partakers of the life of God and inheritors of His promise. Through Me alone is spiritual life received.” Are you connected with the True Vine? Baptism with water is a symbol and important, but if you do not have what it represents, the symbol will not save you.

Peter explains what baptism represents. “Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of apostles, ‘Men and brethren, what shall we do?’ Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’ ” Acts 2:37, 38. Baptism by water represents baptism by the Holy Spirit.

Even though church will not save you, it is important to belong to one. “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body (the church)—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.” I Corinthians 12:13. Baptism, water baptism, is the door into the church. But water baptism is a symbol that won’t save you if you don’t have what it represents.

You become a member of the body of Christ when you are baptized by the Holy Spirit. Paul met some people in Acts 19 who had been baptized, and he asked if they had received the Holy Spirit. They said they had been baptized into John’s baptism and were told they needed to be baptized again. This clearly indicates that baptism is not really valid if you have not received the Holy Spirit.

There are many who have attended church all their life and decide to be rebaptized because they did not know before what they were doing or were not prepared. They did not receive the Holy Spirit.

If you have not received the Holy Spirit, the church cannot save you. The big question is, Are you connected with Jesus? Jesus said, “I am the true Vine.” There are two things working to connect the branches to the grape vines. The outer connection, the lignite in the wood, just holds them physically to the vine. The outer connection could be likened to church membership. When a person is baptized with water and makes a profession, they are now a “member” of the church, outwardly. It has an outer connection, but if the life sap does not flow through the inner part of that vine into the branch, it will die. This is described in John 15.

The dead branch is a person who is a member of the church, professing to be a Christian. They profess to be getting ready for Jesus to come, and they look like they are connected, but the only trouble is, there is no life in them.

When working with grape vines, you learn to trim and tie up the vines. Every dead branch is cut off. Jesus said, “That’s what My Father does.” Notice what He says in John 15:2–5: “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away, and every branch that bears fruit He prunes [cleanses/purifies], that it may bear more fruit. You are already purified or cleansed, because of the word which I have spoken to you. ‘Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing’ ” (Literal translation).

Is the life of Christ coming into your life and is the Holy Spirit working a transformation in your life, changing the way you think and the way you act? Do others recognize you as a Christian?

There have been many discussions about creature merit. Theologians have been arguing these things for hundreds of years. Ellen White wrote about these discussions. She said,

“Discussions may be entered into by mortals strenuously advocating creature merit, and each man striving for the supremacy, but they simply do not know that all the time, in principle and character, they are misrepresenting the truth as it is in Jesus. They are in a fog of bewilderment. They need the divine love of God which is represented by gold tried in the fire; they need the white raiment of Christ’s pure character; and they need the heavenly eyesalve that they might discern with astonishment the utter worthlessness of creature merit to earn the wages of eternal life.” Faith and Works, 23.

How much is creature merit worth? She calls it utter worthlessness.

“The Lord Jesus imparts all the powers, all the grace, all the penitence, all the inclination, all the pardon of sins, in presenting His righteousness for man to grasp by living faith—which is also the gift of God. If you would gather together everything that is good and holy and noble and lovely in man and then present the subject to the angels of God as acting a part in the salvation of the human soul or in merit, the proposition would be rejected as treason.” Ibid., 24. Even the angels would say it was treason against the government of God.

Salvation is not complicated. It is a natural human tendency to want to do something to gain merit, so that we can be saved, but we can never be saved that way. Ellen White says, “He need not wait until he has made a suitable repentance before he may take hold upon Christ’s righteousness. We do not understand the matter of salvation. It is just as simple as ABC. But we don’t understand it.” Ibid., 64.

How can you receive the gift of salvation? Just say, “Lord, I’m choosing to believe in Jesus as the Lord of my life and Saviour from sin.” Jesus stated it in that simple language, over and over again. The apostle John, more than any other apostle, quoted Jesus’ words on that subject. For instance, he said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.” John 5:24. “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.” John 6:47. That is not complicated. Jesus said, “If you believe in Me, you have eternal life.”

There is much to be thankful for. “The people had not been destroyed by the serpents in their long travels through the wilderness. They had been an ungrateful people.

“We are just so. We do not realize the thousand dangers that our heavenly Father has kept us from. We do not realize the great blessing that He has bestowed upon us in giving us food and raiment, in preserving our lives by sending the guardian angels to watch over us. Every day we should be thankful for this. We ought to have gratitude stirring in our hearts and come to God with a gratitude offering every day. We ought to gather around the family altar every day and praise Him for His watchcare over us. The children of Israel had lost sight that God was protecting them from the venomous beasts. But when He withdrew His hand their sting was upon them.” Ibid., 69.

We ought to have such gratitude that we gather around the family altar every day and praise Him for His watchcare over us. The children of Israel had lost sight that God was protecting them from the venomous beasts, but when He withdrew His hand, their sting was upon them. If we could just comprehend how simple the plan of salvation is. All you have to do is choose to believe. Some may say they cannot. Remember the man who came to Jesus and He said, “If you can believe, everything is possible” (Mark 9:23). The man then said, “Lord, I believe,” but he was struggling with doubt, just the way people are today. It is the devil’s intention to try to destroy all who believe by causing doubt. This man was struggling with doubt, and he said, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief” [verse 24].

Ellen White says that if you pray that prayer you can never perish. The plan of salvation is that simple. If we really believed it, we would be happy; we would be thankful; we would be rejoicing; we would be praising God every day for what He has done for us.

In the wilderness, the children of Israel were told to look at the brass snake and be saved (Numbers 21:8, 9). The Lord says, “Look unto Me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and none else.” Isaiah 45:22 (Literal translation). This is not complicated. Are you willing to look? A dead snake, a brass snake, cannot save anybody. The Lord says, “If you will look, I will save you.” The problem we have is that we live in a world where the religion of Cain is more popular than the true religion. The religion of Cain says you have to do something for the Lord to save you. That is a deception. Just come to Jesus, just the way you are right now, with all of your sins, with all of your weaknesses. You cannot make yourself better.

Jesus said, “He who comes to Me, I will in no case cast out” (John 6:37). If you will come, He will save you. If you look, He will save you. You don’t have to do something first; just come to Jesus right now, just the way you are, with all of your sins, with all of your guilt, with all of your failings, with all of your past; come with everything that is wrong with you. He just says, “Look to Me. Come to Me, I will save you. You do the coming, I will do the saving.”

We cannot save ourselves; the church cannot save us, and no human being can save us. Only Jesus can save us.

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

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

Law and Judgment

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The inhabitants of the world are worried; there is so much confusion everywhere and no safety. People do not understand the course of all this political instability and are afraid. There are wars, famine in some places and the whole world is suffering under the financial crisis. Earthquakes are more frequent, tsunamis, floods and forest fires are blazing, and the list is endless recording disasters worldwide. Really, world news today describes the last days as highlighted by Christ in Mathew 24. These events are corrupting the minds of many living today. Where is the safety? Should the elect also be led astray? But the Bible says, “He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved” (verse 13).

Jesus, the true Shepherd is calling upon us to follow Him. He says, “I have kept My Father’s commandments” (John 15:10). He leads His sheep in the path of humble obedience to the Law of God. He never encourages any to transgress the law, which is as sacred as His throne, and by it, everyone who comes into the world is to be judged. Our characters are to be weighed in the balance of God’s law, which is the only standard by which to test character.

A pretended holiness allows one to devise his own standard, judging himself, other than the true standard—God’s law. Making a self-judgment will not sanctify, because when personal standards are set, the law of God is trampled underfoot.

The subject dealt with here is pretentious holiness and its effects on a person’s character and to understand how God watches all from His throne.

Is keeping the commandments a half duty of man?

God should not be taken lightly. It is not for man to set his own standards and feel secure thinking he is on the right side. This is a deception that will end in destruction. The law of God is the standard by which the characters and lives of men are to be tested in the judgment. “Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment.” Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14. The books of record in heaven, in which the names and deeds of men are registered, are to determine the decisions made in the judgment. In pretending, many often commit numerous secret sins with an argument that they are not revealed. This is very dangerous, for such sins are rarely confessed and repented of. The secret purposes and motives appear in an unerring register for God “bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts.” I Corinthians 4:5.

This calls for total faith. “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” Revelation 14:12. He who has not sufficient faith in Christ to believe that He can keep him from sinning does not have the faith that will result in an entrance into the kingdom of God. The faith of Jesus calls for keeping the law of God. The Word should not be just a lifeless theory, but a living force that changes the life. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:8–10.

Man’s devised laws only result in boasting and self-righteousness, thus revealing weakness. The great change that is seen in the life of a sinner after his conversion is miraculous and not brought about through any human goodness, thereby eliminating any human boasting. “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” Proverbs 14:12.

Keeping the law is the key to eternal life. Those who set their own standards are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold. Have you taken time to examine yourself? The Lord is speaking to you to be careful. Take time to understand the condition in which you find yourself. The hot have experienced the new birth and know the necessity of daily living by the Spirit. We are living in the time of judgment, and as the Lord looks at His people, He finds that the majority of them are lukewarm. The cold know they are not in a saving relationship and realize their lost condition: “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:15, 16), says the Lord.

“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in His law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.” Psalm 1. All who seek to be an evergreen tree planted by the river will produce fruits.

Sin is the transgression of the law. “Whosoever hath sinned [transgressed the law] against Me, him will I blot out of My book.” Exodus 32:33. “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.” James 2:10–12. Any unrepented of iniquity makes of no effect all previous righteousness. Through Christ we have been accepted into the family of God, and as children of God, we are to uphold His honor, His character. It will be great joy to do any act that will keep you in the family of God in conformity with the law of God. “There is no darkness, nor shadow of death, where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.” Job 34:22.

We have been saved by grace, but grace does not abolish the law of God. All who bear the name Christian are to reflect the character, actions, and words of Christ Jesus, Who is meek, lowly and tender in heart. We must keep ourselves worthy to be in the family of God here on this earth to prepare for the life to come. To be saved by grace and not under the law means to stop sinning, as it is by the law that we know sin. Jesus Christ is coming again to receive those who are ready to welcome Him at His second advent. This will take place immediately after the work of the investigative judgment has been accomplished. The reward He brings with Him is to give to every man according to his work. How important then should our minds contemplate the reward and whether the judgment shall place us on the right side of the controversy. Satan should never be given the opportunity to exult over his conquests.

Make haste to confess every known sin and decide today to put them away. “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper; but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” Proverbs 28:13. Do not allow Satan to corrupt your mind through defects in your character, but shun him and hold on to Jesus in order to have your character perfected as probation time nears its end. The many issues that are taking place in the world today should not be a source of confusion but give hope that our Lord is at the door and inspire us to be ready to receive Him. Will you receive Him or will you hide? “Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him. Even so, Amen.” Revelation 1:7.

Father, I am not worthy even to stand before You.

Thank you for saving me by the grace of Christ Jesus.

Help me Lord to value your advocacy from sin.

I yearn to love You more in my heart and do Your will.

Give me Your Spirit to be my guide each day of my life, Amen.

Bismark Nobert Emali (see testimony in LandMarks, October 2010) is a student working on his Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Kenya. His life is a testimony to many. He is a keen Bible student. During school breaks he writes numerous articles as well as helping out at Three Angels’ Messages Evangelistic Ministry in Bunyore, Kenya. His mission is to evangelize in Africa. He may be contacted by email at: emalinobert@yahoo.com.

Cheap Grace or Costly Grace?

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One of the most beautiful verses in all the Bible is found in Psalms 85:10. “Mercy ( Grace ) and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.”

Let us start by analyzing the word truth. God declares in His Word that truth is the righteousness of God’s law. “Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and Thy law is truth.” Psalms 119:142. Righteousness and truth are two of the attributes of our eternal God. We know from reading the Scriptures that God is holy and the law is holy. See Romans 7:12. In Psalms 19:7 we find that the law is as perfect as God. He is also just, and Romans 7:12 says that the law is just. In the Bible we find that God is pure just as “the commandment of the Lord is pure.” Psalms 19:8. We read that God is forever and we find that the ten commandments are forever, for we read in Psalms 111:8, that the commandments are sure, “they stand fast for ever and ever.”

It is no wonder that in Signs of the Times, January 9, 1879, we read: “God . . . exalted them equal to Himself.” “The ten holy precepts spoken by Christ upon Sinai’s mount were the revelation of the character of God.” Bible Commentary, vol. 1, 1105. So the law is the righteousness of God Himself.

Now let us examine the other attributes mentioned: mercy and truth. We find in Scripture that there is no clearer discernment of mercy than in what Jesus did on Calvary. Peter was so impressed with this that he wrote, “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God.” 1 Peter 3:18. “Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things . . . but with the precious blood of Christ.” 1 Peter 1:18, 19.

I think it is very beautiful how Ellen White put it all together in Bible Echo, March 15, 1893. “At the cross, mercy and truth met together; righteousness and peace kissed each other. As the sinner looks upon the Savior dying on Calvary, this great sacrifice, and realizes that the Sufferer is divine, he asks why this great sacrifice was made; and the cross points to the holy law of God, which has been transgressed. The death of Christ is an unanswerable argument to the immutability and righteousness of the law.”

The law could not save, it only points out our defects and leads us to Christ, who becomes our substitute. Jesus meets the need of the sinner. “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5.

The law and grace had to be separate attributes in order to meet together at the cross. They met together, they kissed each other, revealing that they are inseparably joined together in wedlock.

“Christ shows that in God’s plan they are indissolubly joined together; the one cannot exist without the other. ‘Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.’ ” God’s Amazing Grace, 74. So the love of God, His grace, does not do away with the divine law. If God was only love, there would be no need for the atonement. There are conditions that come with the costly Gift. Justice demands holiness, and mercy opens the gates of eternal life to the obedient. “Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.” Revelation 22:14.

This costly grace is being undermined today by a new theology called cheap grace. It’s invading every Protestant church in the world, including the Seventh-day Adventist church. The people are being taught that they are under grace, so they do not have to be a believer in obedience.

“God’s love has been expressed in His justice no less than in His mercy. Justice is the foundation of His throne, the fruit of His love. It had been Satan’s purpose to divorce mercy from truth and justice. He sought to prove that the righteousness of God’s law is an enemy to peace. But Christ shows that in God’s plan they are indissolubly joined together; the one cannot exist without the other. ‘Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.’ By His life and His death, Christ proved that God’s justice did not destroy His mercy, but that sin could be forgiven, and that the law is righteous, and can be perfectly obeyed.” The Desire of Ages, 762.

Satan is coming with a new belief which is very disarming in its approach. If he can just get the ministers to preach only half the truth, he can fill the church. Such preaching ignores or minimizes sanctification, the High Priest ministry of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary and the justice of God in demanding absolute obedience.

The book, Beyond Belief, by Jack Sequeira, which is being promoted by the General Conference, comes along and very quietly implants within your mind deadly errors. I have never read a book from our presses like this before.

In this article we will examine nine teachings of cheap grace theology that are in this book.

1. Cheap grace teaches that sanctification is not a requirement for heaven.

“We often describe the first aspect of salvation—the objective gospel—as the imputed righteousness of Christ. This is what qualifies the believer for heaven, both now and in the judgment. We describe the second aspect of salvation—the subjective gospel—as the imparted righteousness of Christ. This is what gives evidence of the reality of the imputed righteousness of Christ in the life. It does not contribute in the slightest way to our qualification for heaven; it witnesses or demonstrates what is already true of us in Christ. Imparted righteousness does not qualify us for heaven.” Beyond Belief, 32.

You notice he uses some terms you will never find in the Bible: the subjective and the objective gospel. That is foreign to the Bible. “We describe the second aspect as the imparted righteousness,” so he is talking about the imparted righteousness of Christ, and he says “it does not contribute in the slightest way to our qualification for heaven.” Ibid. He is taking away our very fitness for heaven in this kind of teaching.

“The righteousness by which we are justified is imputed; the righteousness by which we are sanctified is imparted. The first is our title to heaven, the second is our fitness for heaven.” Messages to Young People, 35.

As you read on, you will find that this kind of attack is really against obedience, for in Selected Messages, vol. 1, 367, it says that “righteousness is obedience.” He is telling us, “You don’t have to obey, it has no significance to God, it has nothing to do in qualifying you for heaven.”

2. Cheap grace teaches that all babies are born guilty of Adam’s sin, therefore Jesus was born with the unfallen nature of Adam.

“‘By one man, sin entered into the world, and death by sin and so death passed upon all men for all have sinned’ . . . Did Paul mean that all die because ‘all have sinned’ personally as did Adam? Or did he mean that all die because ‘all have sinned’ in Adam? . . . It simply isn’t true that everyone dies because they have personally sinned as Adam did . . . ‘All have sinned’ most naturally refers to a single past historical event (Adam’s sin) and not to the continuing personal sins of his descendants over the centuries.” Beyond Belief, 52, 53.

That is the Catholic doctrine of the original sin. I do not worship a God that condemns me for something that I had nothing to do with. The Bible says: “The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father.” Ezekiel 18:20. That is the kind of God that I like!

One of the foundation principles of cheap grace is the Catholic doctrine of original sin. It teaches that when Christ came, He did not come to this earth as you and I, He came in the unfallen nature of Adam, and that is why He could overcome. Cheap grace teaches that Jesus is not our example, because He overcame differently from you and I.

On page 54 of Beyond Belief, Mr. Sequeira contradicts what he says here, and on page 146 he says just the opposite again. What is he doing? He is using a form of N.L.P. He has implanted within you an error and then later on he says, No, I did not say that at all! But he implanted it in your mind.

3. Cheap grace does away with obedience to God’s law as essential to salvation.

“If a person does not believe that full and complete salvation has already been obtained in Jesus Christ, if a person believes that salvation ultimately depends to some decree on his or her behavior, then the faith such a person is able to generate will naturally be polluted with self-concern.” Beyond Belief, 91.

What is behavior? Behavior is obedience or disobedience. Obedience is the condition to which eternal life is granted. “Christ did not lessen the claims of the law. In unmistakable language He presents obedience to it as the condition of eternal life—the same condition that was required of Adam before his fall. The Lord expects no less of the soul now than He expected of man in Paradise, perfect obedience, unblemished righteousness.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 391.

4. Cheap grace teaches that we may obtain advance forgiveness (this is the Catholic doctrine of indulgences).

“Justification is the work of a moment although it remains effective in all our believing lives . . . It’s true that one important truth about justification is the forgiveness of our past sins but justification involves far more than that. The righteousness of Christ includes the fact that He endured the just penalty of the law on behalf of our sins, past, present, future. But in a positive sense Christ also kept the whole law on our behalf. All this becomes ours the moment we become justified by faith. Justification means all of Christ’s righteousness that He provided for us so that nothing more is required of us to qualify for heaven.” Beyond Belief, 103.

Here he tells us that God has already forgiven us of all future sins. If this was true, we could go to the priest and pay him money to excuse our sin in advance, and then we could go out and steal or commit any other type of sin.

5. Cheap grace teaches that it is legalism to believe or to teach obedience.

“The devil has deceived many Christians into believing that justification by faith does not fully qualify them for heaven. That something more is necessary, that they must keep the law and do good works. As a result, many sincere Christians are trapped in a subtle form of legalism.” Beyond Belief, 104. If that is legalism, then God was the greatest legalist that ever existed, for He gave the law. And Jesus Christ believed in legalism for He kept the law and He taught others to be obedient. He said, “If you love Me, keep my commandments.”

“As a result, many sincere Christians are trapped in a subtle form of legalism. Living in fear and insecurity. Every time we fall or sin we become unjustified. This is another common misunderstanding about justification. It is a monstrous teaching that has no support from the Word of God. God does not reject us every time we make a mistake or fall into sin.” Ibid.

If I only believe, I can go ahead and steal, I can commit adultery with my neighbor’s wife, I can do anything and God does not reject me!

God still loves the sinner and He wants him to be saved, so He pleads with him, but this does not mean that He does not reject the sinner. When David took Bathsheba and committed adultery and then killed the husband, was he rejected of God? Yes, he was! It was not until the Lord, because of His love, sent the prophet in and told him, “You are the man!” When David saw his sin, he fell on his knees and pleaded with God for forgiveness. But during that time he was lost.

“In order for man to retain his justification, there must be continual obedience, through active, living faith that works by love and purifies the soul.” Selected Messages, vol. 1, 366.

6. Cheap grace teaches that salvation was completed on the cross.

Therefore, there is no need for Jesus to intercede in the heavenly sanctuary nor is there need for an investigative judgment and the blotting out of our sins.

“The sanctuary of the old covenant was divided into three parts—the courtyard, the Holy Place, and the Most Holy Place. Likewise, the believer who represents God’s temple on earth is divided into three parts spiritually—spirit, soul and body.” Beyond Belief, 139.

Now where did he ever concoct such an idea? There is an heavenly sanctuary and Jesus Christ is in the heavenly sanctuary. Let me read it, “For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.” Hebrews 9:24. What is He doing up there? He is presenting us to the Father as though we had never sinned—He is blotting out our sins. This is the investigative judgment. This is all done away with, if you believe that everything was completed at the cross.

7. Cheap grace teaches that we are no longer under the law but under grace.

Careful now! If you are not under God’s authority, whose authority are you under? “According to Paul, it is impossible for someone who truly understands salvation by grace, and who appreciates Christ’s cross, to go on condoning sin. Righteousness is by faith and if the faith is there, the righteousness is sure to be there as well and there is no sin in righteousness . . . but that sin no longer has authority to condemn or to control a believer because such a person is no longer under the law’s control but under grace.” Beyond Belief, 163, 164. Finally, he is throwing the law out the window.

“Since a believer is no longer under the law’s authority, sin can no longer bring the believer under the law’s condemnation of eternal death. The believer is delivered from the power of sin . . . there is a world of difference between sinning under the law and sinning under grace.” Ibid., 164, 165.

“You see, in this sense, the law and Christ differ radically.” Ibid. Oh, no they do not! The very character of my Lord is His law. Cheap grace divorces the righteousness from grace.

8. Cheap grace teaches that we can sin without punishment.

“Stumbling under grace, falling into sin, does not deprive us of justification. Neither does it bring condemnation.” Beyond Belief, 166. There is nothing in the Bible or Spirit of Prophecy that teaches this. It is Calvinism!

He talks about the law as a standard. May I remind you that standards change, but God’s law does not. “How should we Christians view the law? Is it still binding on us? The answer is emphatically No; the law is not binding on us as a means of salvation. But the answer is a most definite yes if you are speaking of the law as a standard for Christian living.” Ibid., 173.

The law is a means of salvation, for “the law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.” Psalms 19:7. It shows us our guilt, it shows us our need, and so it guides us to One who can help us.

9. Cheap Grace teaches that Sabbath-keeping is nothing but a work as a requirement of salvation.

“When we make Sabbath-keeping a requirement of salvation. . .” Beyond Belief, 183. What does the Bible say? “Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.” Revelation 22:14.

If you believe that Sabbath-keeping is legalistic and that God does not require it for salvation, then in the coming days of persecution you will find it very easy to worship on Sunday.

It says on page 185 of Beyond Belief that there are “two opposing methods of salvation.” I totally agree with this, for there is the truth and there is a counterfeit. One leads you to heaven, the other leads you to hell. Never forget the words of Christ, “If ye love Me, keep My commandments.” That is why Ellen White wrote these words in Selected Messages, vol. 1, 367, “Righteousness is obedience to the law.” No one will go to heaven without righteousness.

Cheap grace destroys the beautiful relationship between mercy and truth. Do not let anybody try to break that relationship in your life.

Beyond Belief is a book that will prepare you to receive the mark of the beast if you believe it. Now is the time for us to take hold of the Bible and study it, for it is our only guide. Let us hold fast to these truths. Let us be faithful to God that we may be ready to meet Him when He comes.

The End

Editorial – Wholly Grace

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The same cause that produced the primitive godliness in the first century will produce primitive godliness just before the final outpouring of God’s judgments on this world (see The Great Controversy, 464); namely, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. It is by this means that the moral image of God is to be perfected in the character and we are to be wholly transformed into the likeness of Christ.

“It was by the confession and forsaking of sin, by earnest prayer and consecration of themselves to God, that the early disciples prepared for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. The same work, only in greater degree, must be done now. … Only those who are living up to the light they have will receive greater light. Unless we are daily advancing in the exemplification of the active Christian virtues, we shall not recognize the manifestations of the Holy Spirit in the latter rain. It may be falling on hearts all around us, but we shall not discern or receive it. …

“Divine grace is needed at the beginning, divine grace at every step of advance, and divine grace alone can complete the work. … A connection with the divine agency every moment is essential to our progress. … It will never do to cease our efforts. If we do not progress, if we do not place ourselves in an attitude to receive both the former and the latter rain, we shall lose our souls, and the responsibility will lie at our own door.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 507, 508.

“The convocations of the church, as in camp meetings, the assemblies of the home church, and all occasions where there is personal labor for souls, are God’s appointed opportunities for giving the early and the latter rain.” The Faith I Live By, 246.

“Everyone is to keep himself separate from the world, which is full of iniquity.  … No one of us will gain the victory without persevering, untiring effort, proportionate to the value of the object which we seek, even eternal life.  

“The dispensation in which we are now living is to be, to those that ask, the dispensation of the Holy Spirit. Ask for His blessing. It is time we were more intense in our devotion. …

“Pray without ceasing, and watch by working in accordance with your prayers. As you pray, believe, trust in God. It is the time of the latter rain, when the Lord will give largely of His Spirit.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 511, 512.