Law

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.

The Warp and the Woof

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Thus says the Lord [Who is speaking? What does He say?]: ‘Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness [grace], justice and righteousness [the law] on earth; for I delight in these things,’ declares the Lord.” Jeremiah 9:23, 24. NASB

“Mighty truths have been committed to human agencies, truths which, when unfolded, quicken into activity the minds of men and women who are in the darkness of error, and call to them, ‘Come; for all things are now ready’ [Luke 14:17]. The knowledge of truth is the great power of God unto salvation to all who believe. The atoning sacrifice, the righteousness of Christ, is to us the vital center of all truth. In the cross of Calvary, mercy and truth are met together, righteousness and peace have kissed each other. The law and the gospel are in perfect harmony; they are interwoven as the warp and the woof.” The Review and Herald, September 29, 1891.

The last expression in this quote caught my attention, and since I was not familiar with it, I decided to look it up. In the craft of weaving, the warp yarn is the vertical yarn. The weft or woof yarn is woven through the warp yarn to create the cloth.

To illustrate, let’s consider the law as the warp yarn, and the gospel, the true gospel, as the woof yarn. Neither can function independently of the other. If you were to remove all the warp yarn, there would not be any fabric; in fact, all that would be left is a pile of loose, tangled, useless yarn. In just the same way, if the law is removed from faith, there is no foundation, no basis, no cloth of faith left. And the same is true of the woof yarn. Remove it and again there is nothing left but loose yarn, nothing left that can be used as fabric. So it is with the law. Without the gospel, the true gospel, there is no foundation, no basis for our faith. There is no salvation.

Now let’s take this illustration one step further. Let’s say that the weaver used only half thickness yarn, or damaged, frayed yarn for the warp yarn. The fabric would be weak and unable to stand up to regular use. So it is with the law. If only part of the law is used, the fabric of our faith will be weak and unable to endure the test.

By the same token, even if there is a complete law, without the gospel, it produces a legalistic religion, the husk without the kernel. What a perfect illustration of the wending and weaving together of the law, and the gospel is presented in the “warp and woof” of the weaver’s craft. (And I need to emphasize here that it is crucial, eternal life or eternal death, to understand that there is a false gospel and to study out what is the true and what is the false.)

From the original meaning of warp and woof, another meaning, a metaphorical meaning, has evolved based on the initial usage. The expression “woof and warp” (“warp and weft”) is sometimes used metaphorically as one might use the word “fabric.” To give an illustration of this usage, if I were to speak of “the warp and woof of a student’s life,” what I mean is “the fabric of a student’s life.” The expression is used as a metaphor meaning the underlying structure on which something is built.

In this metaphorical meaning we find a very accurate representation of what the law and the gospel are to faith. They are the very basis, the very foundation of faith; the very basis of the mediation of Jesus on our behalf in the heavenly sanctuary. As Jesus is ministering in the heavenly sanctuary, let’s think a moment. If there was no law, there would not be any need of His ministration. And what if there was a law, but there was no gospel. Jesus would not be ministering on our behalf. The two are irrevocably twined together, and the two form the very fabric, the warp and the woof of our faith.

Now let’s return to The Review and Herald quote. The continuation provides an explanation of what the law and the gospel does for us.

“They [that is, the law and the gospel] shed a flood of light amid the moral darkness of the world, stimulating, renovating, sanctifying, all who will believe the truth, all who will gladly and gratefully accept the light coming from the throne of God.” Ibid. That is quite a statement. Do you want stimulating, renovating and sanctifying light shed in your life? Well, this statement explains where to find it and that is through the law and the gospel, the warp and woof of our faith.

“Thus says the Lord: ‘Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness [grace, in the gospel], justice and righteousness [the law] on earth; for in these I delight,’ declares the Lord.” Jeremiah 9:23, 24. NASB For in what does the Lord delight? Yes, the law and the gospel. Why would the Lord delight in these things? It is because, as we read earlier, “They shed a flood of light amid the moral darkness of the world, stimulating, renovating, sanctifying, all who will believe the truth.” This is and has been the purpose of God and of Jesus since sin first entered the world.

What is to be our relation to this stimulating, renovating, sanctifying light; the law and the gospel?

Speaking in reference to what John the Revelator was shown on the Isle of Patmos, we are told: “Here are themes worthy of our contemplation … . Behold the life and character of Christ [is not Jesus’ life and character the gospel?], and study His mediatorial work. [Remember, for mediatorial work there must be law and gospel.] Here is infinite wisdom [do you want to be wise?], infinite love [the gospel], infinite justice [the law], infinite mercy [grace]. Here are depths and heights, lengths and breadths, for our consideration. …

“We desire to lead the people to understand what Christ is to them and what are the responsibilities they are called upon to accept in Him. As His representatives and witnesses, we ourselves need to come to a full understanding of the saving truths gained by an experimental knowledge.

“Teach the great practical truths that must be stamped upon the soul. Teach the saving power of Jesus, ‘in whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins.’ Colossians 1:14. It was at the cross that mercy and truth met together, that righteousness and truth kissed each other. … Tell it over and over again. We may become the sons of God, members of the royal family, children of the heavenly King. Let it be known that all who accept Jesus Christ and hold the beginning of their confidence firm to the end will be heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ ‘to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.’ I Peter 1:4, 5.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 59, 60.

Then the quote continues by speaking of the third angel’s message being given with power and intensifying in power with the “loud cry” of Revelation 18.

Let’s spend just a little time looking at the third angel’s message in Revelation 14. In the first part, verses 9–11, we simply find a warning to all who reject the messages of the first two angels. They are the ones who will receive the mark of the beast. But I want to focus on verse 12 which says, “Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” Who are the saints? It says they are the ones who keep His commands [the law] and the faith of Jesus [the gospel]. How beautiful is this theme, this golden thread of the law and the gospel weaving through the entire Bible. This theme is also known as the plan of redemption, the plan of salvation; God calls it, “My covenant.”

The very essence of the law and the gospel are summed up in these few sentences from Patriarchs and Prophets, 63. See if you catch the warp and woof of the law and the gospel illustrated here. “Divine love had conceived a plan whereby man might be redeemed. The broken law of God demanded the life of the sinner. In all the universe there was but one who could, in behalf of man, satisfy its [that is, the law’s] claims. Since the divine law is as sacred as God Himself, only one equal with God could make atonement [the gospel] for its transgression. None but Christ could redeem [the gospel] fallen man from the curse of the law and bring him again into harmony with Heaven.” Isn’t that beautiful? Isn’t that what the law and the gospel are all about, restoring man to harmony with heaven?

“Our message is a life-and-death message, and we must let it appear as it is, the great power of God. We are to present it in all its telling force. Then the Lord will make it effectual. It is our privilege to expect large things, even the demonstration of the Spirit of God. This is the power that will convict and convert the soul.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 61.

Here is another beautiful explanation of how the law and the gospel are intertwined in a beautiful whole. “The law and the gospel are in perfect harmony. Each upholds the other. In all its majesty the law confronts the conscience, causing the sinner to feel his need of Christ as the propitiation for sin. The gospel recognizes the power and immutability of the law. ‘I had not known sin, but by the law’ (Romans 7:7), Paul declares. The sense of sin, urged home by the law, drives the sinner to the Saviour. In his need man may present the mighty arguments furnished by the cross of Calvary. He may claim the righteousness of Christ; for it is imparted to every repentant sinner.” God’s Amazing Grace, 15.

There is one more quote that at first may seem to be on a different topic, but is very relevant. We have lost our foothold regarding truth. We have lost the tight weave of the warp and woof of our fabric of faith. We have lost this golden thread, the law and the gospel woven through Scripture from Genesis to Revelation, and we must rediscover this present truth.

This quote from the Spirit of Prophecy gives much needed warning and counsel in this regard. Testimonies to Ministers, 30 says, “We have many lessons to learn, and many, many to unlearn. God and heaven alone are infallible. Those who think that they will never have to give up a cherished view, never have occasion to change an opinion, will be disappointed. As long as we hold to our own ideas and opinions with determined persistency, we cannot have the unity for which Christ prayed.”

We are running out of time. We are at the end of the end of time. Jesus is coming, soon. The message we so desperately need, the very same message that “turned the world upside down” in the apostles’ day, the message that is the warp and woof of the fabric of our faith is that of the law and the gospel; the plan of redemption. Time is short; awake and realize the dire situation and study deeply into the mysteries of the warp and woof of our faith, the law and the gospel.

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

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

Bible Study Guides – Statutes and Judgments

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July 22, 2012 – July 28, 2012

Key Text

“Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.” Malachi 4:4.

Study Help: The Desire of Ages, 307–310, 824.

Introduction

“That God who reads the hearts of everyone, will bring to light hidden things of darkness where they are often least suspected, that stumbling blocks which have hindered the progress of truth may be removed, and God have a clean and holy people to declare His statutes and judgments.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 333.

1 GOD’S LAW IN OUR LIFE

  • What item in the Ark of the Covenant reveals the character of our Creator? Matthew 22:36–40; I John 4:7, 8; 5:3.

Note: “The law of God is as sacred as God Himself. It is a revelation of His will, a transcript of His character, the expression of divine love and wisdom.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 52.

“God has set forth in His word the conditions upon which every soul will be elected to eternal life—obedience to His commandments, through faith in Christ. God has elected a character in harmony with His law, and anyone who shall reach the standard of His requirement will have an entrance into the kingdom of glory.” Ibid., 207.

  • Besides a clear understanding and belief of the truth, what else do we need in order to be saved? Matthew 5:20; 19:17–19; James 2:10; Galatians 5:6.

Note: “You may believe all the truth; yet if its principles are not carried out in your lives, your profession will not save you.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 161.

“The righteousness which Christ taught is conformity of heart and life to the revealed will of God.” The Desire of Ages, 310.

2 CLARIFYING THE DECALOGUE

  • Because of God’s great love for those who had lost their understanding of His law, what further clarification did He send? Deuteronomy 4:1, 2.

Note: “He [God] then came still closer to His people, who were so readily led astray, and would not leave them with merely the ten precepts of the Decalogue. He commanded Moses to write, as He should bid him, judgments and laws, giving minute directions in regard to what He required them to perform, and thereby guarded the ten precepts which He had engraved upon the tables of stone. These specific directions and requirements were given to draw erring man to the obedience of the moral law, which he is so prone to transgress.

“If man had kept the law of God, as given to Adam after his fall, preserved in the ark by Noah, and observed by Abraham, there would have been no necessity for the ordinance of circumcision. And if the descendants of Abraham had kept the covenant, of which circumcision was a token or pledge, they would never have gone into idolatry, nor been suffered to go down into Egypt, and there would have been no necessity of God’s proclaiming His law from Sinai, and engraving it upon tables of stone, and guarding it by definite directions in the judgments and statutes given to Moses.

“Moses wrote these judgments and statutes from the mouth of God while he was with Him in the mount. If the people of God had obeyed the principles of the ten commandments, there would have been no need of the specific directions given to Moses, which he wrote in a book, relative to their duty to God and to one another. The definite directions which the Lord gave to Moses in regard to the duty of His people to one another, and to the stranger, are the principles of the ten commandments simplified and given in a definite manner, that they need not err.” The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 1, 264, 265.

  • Since the statutes simply explain God’s law, do they include more than the writings of Moses? Isaiah 8:20; II Kings 17:13; Luke 24:44, 45. Would they be included in the restoration of the breach in the law? Isaiah 58:12.

Note: “The law of God has been given for the regulation of our conduct, and it is far reaching in its principles. There is no sin, no work of unrighteousness, that escapes the condemnation of the law. The great statute book is truth, and truth only.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 316.

3 STATUTES THAT ARE NOT GOOD

  • Did God ever give statutes that were not designed for the benefit of humanity— and if so, why? Ezekiel 20:19–26; Psalm 81:11, 12. Name one such example regarding the use of flesh meats. Deuteronomy 12:20, 21.

Note: “In this instance [when quails were blown into the Israelite camp] the Lord gave the people that which was not for their best good, because they would have it. They would not submit to receive from the Lord only those things which would prove for their good.” Counsels on Diet and Foods, 377.

“Because they [the Israelites] were so determined to have the flesh of dead animals, He [God] gave them the very diet He had withheld from them.” Medical Ministry, 277.

  • Why does God give certain laws that are in conflict with His eternal principles? Ezekiel 14:1–5; Mark 10:5.

Note: “Sin is the transgression of the law, and the arm that is now mighty to save will be strong to punish when the transgressor passes the bounds that limit divine forbearance. He who refuses to seek for life, who will not search the Scriptures to see what is truth, lest he should be condemned in his practices, will be left to blindness of mind and to the deceptions of Satan. To the same degree that the penitent and obedient are shielded by God’s love, the impenitent and disobedient will be left to the result of their own ignorance and hardness of heart, because they receive not the love of the truth that they might be saved.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 313.

“God is no respecter of persons; but in every generation they that fear the Lord and work righteousness are accepted of Him; while those who are murmuring, unbelieving, and rebellious, will not have His favor or the blessings promised to those who love the truth and walk in it. Those who have the light and do not follow it, but disregard the requirements of God, will find that their blessings will be changed into curses, and their mercies into judgments. God would have us learn humility and obedience as we read the history of ancient Israel, who were His chosen and peculiar people, but who brought their own destruction by following their own ways.” Counsels on Diet and Foods, 379.

4 EXAMPLES OF GOOD STATUTES

  • Since some of the good statutes have to do with dietary reform, what is the result of obeying them? Genesis 1:29; Exodus 15:25, 26.

Note: “The importance of caring for the health should be taught as a Bible requirement. Perfect obedience to God’s commands calls for conformity to the laws of the being.” Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 295.

“He [The Lord] made a covenant with them [His people], if they would obey Him in all things, He would preserve them from disease.” Selected Messages, Book 2, 412.

  • How does the New Testament show that the health statutes affect both body and soul? III John 2; I Corinthians 6:19, 20.

Note: “In the preparation of a people for the Lord’s second coming a great work is to be accomplished through the promulgation of health principles. The people are to be instructed in regard to the needs of the physical organism and the value of healthful living as taught in the Scriptures, that the bodies which God has created may be presented to Him a living sacrifice, fitted to render Him acceptable service. There is a great work to be done for suffering humanity in relieving their sufferings by the use of the natural agencies that God has provided and in teaching them how to prevent sickness by the regulation of the appetites and passions. The people should be taught that transgression of the laws of nature is transgression of the laws of God.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 224, 225.

“The science of education includes as full a knowledge of physiology as can be obtained. No one can properly understand his obligations to God unless he understands clearly his obligations to himself as God’s property. He who remains in sinful ignorance of the laws of life and health, or who willfully violates these laws, sins against God.” Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 295.

“Let it ever be kept before the mind that the great object of hygienic reform is to secure the highest possible development of mind and soul and body. All the laws of nature—which are the laws of God—are designed for our good. Obedience to them will promote our happiness in this life, and will aid us in a preparation for the life to come.” Christian Temperance and Bible Hygiene, 120.

5 ETERNAL STATUTES

  • What is said about the statutes in these last days—and the results which follow if God’s people obey them? Malachi 4:2, 4.

Note: “In consequence of continual transgression, the moral law was repeated in awful grandeur from Sinai. Christ gave to Moses religious precepts which were to govern everyday life. These statutes were explicitly given to guard the ten commandments. They were not shadowy types to pass away with the death of Christ. They were to be binding upon men in every age as long as time should last. These commands were enforced by the power of the moral law, and they clearly and definitely explained that law.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 1, 1104.

“As men, women, and children proclaim the gospel, the Lord will open the eyes of the blind to see His statutes, and will write upon the hearts of the truly penitent His law. The animating Spirit of God, working through human agencies, leads the believers to be of one mind, one soul, unitedly loving God and keeping His commandment—preparing here below for translation.” Ibid., vol. 7, 984.

  • Why are these statutes part of the restoration to be accomplished by the Elijah people in the last days? Malachi 4:5, 6; Matthew 11:14.

Note: “Those who are to prepare the way for the second coming of Christ are represented by faithful Elijah, as John came in the spirit of Elijah to prepare the way for Christ’s first advent. The great subject of reform is to be agitated, and the public mind is to be stirred. Temperance in all things is to be connected with the message, to turn the people of God from their idolatry, their gluttony, and their extravagance in dress and other things.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 62.

“Many are not obeying the commandments of God, yet they profess so to do. If they would be faithful to obey all the statutes of God they would have a power which would carry conviction to the hearts of the unbelieving.” Ibid., vol. 2, 446, 447.

“The instructions given to Moses for ancient Israel, with their sharp, rigid outlines, are to be studied and obeyed by the people of God today.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 1, 1103.

“How can we pass on so indifferently, choosing our own course, following the sight of our own eyes, and departing farther and farther from God, as did the Hebrews? God cannot do great things for His people because of their hardness of heart and sinful unbelief.” Counsels on Diet and Foods, 379.

REVIEW AND THOUGHT QUESTIONS

1 Why does God expect more than a mere intellectual assent to the truth?

2 How did God reacquaint His people with the principles of His law?

3 Because of rebellion against the revealed will of God, what was introduced to His people, and what were the results?

4 What are some specific examples of the good statutes?

5 Before Christ returns, what is included in the restoration process?

Extra Reading

“From Genesis to Revelation the conditions upon which eternal life is promised, are made plain. God requires that those who shall enter heaven shall be without spot or wrinkle or any such thing. Keep my commandments and live, is the requirement of God. But one says, ‘My conscience does not condemn me in not keeping the commandments of God.’ But in the word of God we read that there are good and bad consciences and the fact that your conscience does not condemn you in not keeping the law of God, does not prove that you are uncondemned in His sight. Take your conscience to the word of God, and see if your life and character are in accordance with the standard of righteousness which God has there revealed. You can then determine whether or not you have an intelligent faith, and what manner of conscience is yours. The conscience of man cannot be trusted unless it is under the influence of divine grace. Satan takes advantage of an unenlightened conscience, and thereby leads men into all manner of delusions because they have not made the word of God their counselor.” The Review and Herald, September 3, 1901.

“The statutes concerning marriage, inheritance, and strict justice in deal with one another, were peculiar and contrary to the customs and manners of other nations, and were designed of God to keep His people separate from other nations. The necessity of this to preserve the people of God from becoming like the nations who had not the love and fear of God, is the same in this corrupt age, when the transgression of God’s law prevails and idolatry exists to a fearful extent. If ancient Israel needed such security, we need it more, to keep us from being utterly confounded with the transgressors of God’s law. The hearts of men are so prone to depart from God that there is a necessity for restraint and discipline.” Ibid., May 6, 1875.

“We have the example of ancient Israel, and the warning for us not to do as they did. Their history of unbelief and rebellion is left on record as a special warning that we should not follow their example of murmuring at God’s requirements.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 172.

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

Bible Study Guides – Two Laws

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July 29, 2012 – August 4, 2012

The People of the Ark

Key Text

“Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” Galatians 3:24.

Study Help: Patriarchs and Prophets, 363–373.

Introduction

“[Galatians 3:24 quoted.] … The Holy Spirit through the apostle [Paul] is speaking especially of the moral law. The law reveals sin to us, and causes us to feel our need of Christ and to flee unto Him for pardon and peace by exercising repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 234.

1 THE ETERNAL MORAL LAW

  • What was one of the purposes for which Jesus came into the world? From what does He save us? Matthew 1:21. How can we recognize sin in our life? Romans 3:20; 7:7, 12; Psalm 19:7.

Note: “It was because the law was changeless, because man could be saved only through obedience to its precepts, that Jesus was lifted up on the cross.” The Desire of Ages, 763.

“By His [Christ’s] perfect obedience He has made it possible for every human being to obey God’s commandments.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 312.

“Without the law, men have no just conception of the purity and holiness of God or of their own guilt and uncleanness. They have no true conviction of sin and feel no need of repentance.” The Great Controversy, 468.

  • How did Christ relate to the moral law? Isaiah 42:21; Matthew 5:17–20, 27, 28; Luke 16:17, 18. What did Paul write about the moral law? Romans 2:12, 13, 17, 21–27; 3:31; 8:7.

Note: “Satan is seeking to destroy the force of the Ten Commandments, urging his agents to declare that Christ nailed them to His cross. The cross is an immutable argument of the unchangeable character of the law of God. Christ died in order that a way might be provided for saving the sinner, in meeting the demands of the broken law.” The Signs of the Times, March 12, 1896.

2 WHICH IS WHICH?

  • Which law is called “a schoolmaster,” and why? Galatians 3:24.

Note: “When the mind is drawn to the cross of Calvary, Christ by imperfect sight is discerned on the shameful cross. Why did He die? In consequence of sin. What is sin? The transgression of the law. Then the eyes are open to see the character of sin. The law is broken but cannot pardon the transgressor. It is our schoolmaster, condemning to punishment. Where is the remedy? The law drives us to Christ, who was hanged upon the cross that He might be able to impart His righteousness to fallen, sinful man.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 341.

“What law is the schoolmaster to bring us to Christ? I answer: Both the ceremonial and the moral code of ten commandments.

“Christ was the foundation of the whole Jewish economy. The death of Abel was in consequence of Cain’s refusing to accept God’s plan in the school of obedience to be saved by the blood of Jesus Christ typified by the sacrificial offerings pointing to Christ. Cain refused the shedding of blood which symbolized the blood of Christ to be shed for the world. This whole ceremony was prepared by God, and Christ became the foundation of the whole system. This is the beginning of its work as the schoolmaster to bring sinful human agents to a consideration of Christ the Foundation of the whole Jewish economy.

“All who did service in connection with the sanctuary were being educated constantly in regard to the intervention of Christ in behalf of the human race. This service was designed to create in every heart a love for the law of God, which is the law of His kingdom. The sacrificial offering was to be an object lesson of the love of God revealed in Christ—in the suffering, dying victim, who took upon Himself the sin of which man was guilty, the innocent being made sin for us.” Ibid., 233.

  • What does the Bible say about the ceremonial law? Ephesians 2:15; Colossians 2:14; Hebrews 10:1.

Note: “The ceremonial law was to answer a particular purpose in Christ’s plan for the salvation of the race. The typical system of sacrifices and offerings was established that through these services the sinner might discern the great offering, Christ.” The Faith I Live By, 106.

3 SHADOWS OF THINGS TO COME

  • Why did the ceremonial law—the shadow of future things—come to an end? Colossians 2:16, 17, 20; Hebrews 10:4; 9:11, 12, 15.

Note: “There are many who try to blend these two [legal] systems, using the texts that speak of the ceremonial law to prove that the moral law has been abolished; but this is a perversion of the Scriptures. The distinction between the two systems is broad and clear. The ceremonial system was made up of symbols pointing to Christ, to His sacrifice and His priesthood. This ritual law, with its sacrifices and ordinances, was to be performed by the Hebrews until type met antitype in the death of Christ, the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. Then all the sacrificial offerings were to cease. It is this law that Christ ‘took … out of the way, nailing it to His cross.’ Colossians 2:14.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 365.

“God’s people, whom He calls His peculiar treasure, were privileged with a two fold system of law; the moral and the ceremonial. The one, pointing back to creation to keep in remembrance the living God who made the world, whose claims are binding upon all men in every dispensation, and which will exist through all time and eternity. The other, given because of man’s transgression of the moral law, the obedience to which consisted in sacrifices and offerings pointing to the future redemption. Each is clear and distinct from the other.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 6, 1094.

  • Who was among the first to offer an animal sacrifice, and what did this represent? Hebrews 11:4; John 1:29; Hebrews 9:28.

Note: “The typical service and the ceremonies connected with it were abolished at the cross. The great antitypical Lamb of God had become an offering for guilty man, and the shadow ceased in the substance.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 6, 1061.

“Our Saviour, in His life and death, fulfilled all the prophecies pointing to Himself, and was the substance of all the types and shadows signified.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 231.

4 THE BLOOD OF CHRIST IN SYMBOLS

  • Why were animal sacrifices required? Hebrews 9:22; 10:10–14.

Note: “In the plan of redemption there must be the shedding of blood, for death must come in consequence of man’s sin. The beasts for sacrificial offerings were to prefigure Christ. In the slain victim, man was to see the fulfillment for the time being of God’s word, ‘Ye shall surely die’ [Genesis 2:17]. And the flowing of the blood from the victim would also signify an atonement.” The Review and Herald, March 3, 1874.

“The sacrificial offerings were ordained by God to be to man a perpetual reminder and a penitential acknowledgment of his sin and a confession of his faith in the promised Redeemer. They were intended to impress upon the fallen race the solemn truth that it was sin that caused death.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 68.

  • After the children of Israel had suffered under bondage in Egypt, what special service was introduced to be more specific in the representation of Jesus Christ? Leviticus 23:5; I Corinthians 5:7, 8.

Note: “It was Christ’s desire to leave to His disciples an ordinance that would do for them the very thing they needed—that would serve to disentangle them from the rites and ceremonies which they had hitherto engaged in as essential, and which the reception of the gospel made no longer of any force. To continue these rites would be an insult to Jehovah.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 5, 1139, 1140.

“He [Christ] kept the moral law, and exalted it by answering its claims as man’s representative. Those of Israel who turned to the Lord, and accepted Christ as the reality shadowed forth by the typical sacrifices, discerned the end of that which was to be abolished.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 231.

  • What was the blood of animals unable to accomplish? Hebrews 7:19; 10:4. How only is complete cleansing obtained? Acts 4:12.

5 DONE AWAY

  • On many occasions in the history of the Jewish nation, what was so very difficult for them to understand? Isaiah 1:11–15. Why? Isaiah 1:6. What did the early Christians therefore understand?

Note: “The Jews had prided themselves upon their divinely appointed services; and they concluded that as God once specified the Hebrew manner of worship, it was impossible that He should ever authorize a change in any of its specifications. They decided that Christianity must connect itself with the Jewish laws and ceremonies. They were slow to discern to the end of that which had been abolished by the death of Christ, and to perceive that all their sacrificial offerings had but prefigured the death of the Son of God, in which type had met its antitype rendering valueless the divinely appointed ceremonies and sacrifices of the Jewish religion. …

“He [Paul] knew that the typical ceremonies must soon altogether cease, since that which they had shadowed forth had come to pass, and the light of the gospel was shedding its glory upon the Jewish religion, giving a new significance to its ancient rites.” Sketches from the Life of Paul, 64, 65.

“[In Acts 15:13–29]. It was his [the apostle James’] sentence that the ceremonial law, and especially the ordinance of circumcision, be not in any wise urged upon the Gentiles, or even recommended to them.” Ibid., 69.

  • While the Jews used the sacrificial system as a license to sin, what type of sacrifices was God really seeking? Psalm 51:17–19; Isaiah 1:16–18.

Note: “Paul did not bind himself nor his converts to the ceremonies and customs of the Jews, with their varied forms, types, and sacrifices; for he recognized that the perfect and final offering had been made in the death of the Son of God. The age of clearer light and knowledge had now come. And although the early education of Paul had blinded his eyes to this light, and led him to bitterly oppose the work of God, yet the revelation of Christ to him while on his way to Damascus had changed the whole current of his life. His character and works had now become a remarkable illustration of those of his divine Lord. His teaching led the mind to a more active spiritual life, that carried the believer above mere ceremonies. …

“He preached the cross of Christ.” Sketches from the Life of Paul, 105.

REVIEW AND THOUGHT QUESTIONS

1 Why do we need to have a clear understanding of the principles of the Ten Commandments?

2 Why did the death of Christ make the entire ceremonial law no longer valid?

3 What are we actually doing if we continue to keep the ceremonial law—including the Passover—after the crucifixion?

4 Whose blood do we need in order to have actual cleansing from sin?

5 Because there are statutes directly connected to the ceremonial law, as well as to the moral law, which ones are we to study and implement today?

Extra Reading

“The Jews had become familiar with the offering of blood, and had almost lost sight of the fact that it was sin which made necessary all this shedding of the blood of beasts. They did not discern that it prefigured the blood of God’s dear Son, which was to be shed for the life of the world.” The Desire of Ages, 589, 590.

“The moral law was never a type or a shadow. It existed before man’s creation, and will endure as long as God’s throne remains. God could not change nor alter one precept of His law in order to save man; for the law is the foundation of His government. It is unchangeable, unalterable, infinite, and eternal. In order for man to be saved, and for the honor of the law to be maintained, it was necessary for the Son of God to offer Himself as a sacrifice for sin. He who knew no sin became sin for us. He died for us on Calvary. His death shows the wonderful love of God for man, and the immutability of His law.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 239, 240.

“The Sabbath commandment was not nailed to the cross. If it was, the other nine commandments were; and we are at liberty to break them all, as well as to break the fourth. I saw that God had not changed the Sabbath, for He never changes.” Early Writings, 33.

“After Christ died on the cross as a sin offering, the ceremonial law could have no force. Yet it was connected with the moral law, and was glorious. The whole bore the stamp of divinity, and expressed the holiness, justice, and righteousness of God. And if the ministration of the dispensation to be done away was glorious, how much more must the reality be glorious, when Christ was revealed, giving His life-giving sanctifying Spirit to all who believe?” Lift Him Up, 147.

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

Evidence Against Unbelief

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When crisis develops among God’s people, sometimes it is necessary to talk about things that we would not otherwise discuss.

Let us begin with a statement from The Desire of Ages, 458. It says, “God does not compel men to give up their unbelief. Before them are light and darkness, truth and error. It is for them to decide which they will accept. The human mind is endowed with power to discriminate between right and wrong. God designs that men shall not decide from impulse, but from the weight of evidence, carefully comparing scripture with scripture.”

The fact that a decision must be made based on the weight of evidence means there is evidence to be considered on both sides of the argument. This also implies that you do not know everything. Because God does know everything, He does not need to make a decision based on the weight of evidence. The apostle Paul said, “We know in part, and we prophesy in part.” I Corinthians 13:9, NKJV.

In weighing the evidence, for what should we look? We are told in The Great Controversy, 595, that, “God will have a people upon the earth to maintain the Bible, and the Bible only, as the standard of all doctrines and the basis of all reforms. The opinions of learned men, the deductions of science, the creeds or decisions of ecclesiastical councils [all church councils], as numerous and discordant as are the churches which they represent, the voice of the majority—not one nor all of these should be regarded as evidence for or against any point of religious faith. Before accepting any doctrine or precept, we should demand a plain ‘Thus saith the Lord’ in its support.”

It is very important to know what the word of God actually teaches and commands. Those who do not understand this principle can get misled on subjects, for example, the state of the dead.

We are living in interesting times. Ellen White said that the time would come when every wind of doctrine would be blowing. I cannot help but wonder if we are not living in that time now. There are many deceptive doctrines floating around today, and our only safety is to stand on the word of God.

There is a Scripture that has been confusing to many Seventh-day Adventists. It is something that we need to understand because we are facing a soon-coming Sunday law crisis, not just in the United States but worldwide, and this passage will be used against all Seventh-day Adventists. For this reason it needs to be understood. Many theologians who have written books believe that the Christian Sabbath has been changed to Sunday, and the passage of Scripture that we are going to study is one of their main proof texts.

To understand this text, attention must be given to the antecedents of the pronouns that are used. Many people get in trouble while reading their Bibles because of the use of pronouns. The apostle Paul is an expert at this, and careful attention must be given to what the pronoun refers or we can draw all kinds of conclusions to the text. We are going to look at the antecedent of the pronoun.

Reading Colossians 2:14 from the Greek New Testament, Paul talks about “wiping away the handwriting of the ordinances which was against us, which was contrary to us. And He took it out of the midst (out of the way), nailing it to the cross. And having stripped the rulers and the authorities, He made a display of them in public, boldly triumphing over them in Himself.”

Immediately you should know that the apostle Paul is not referring to the Ten Commandments here, as they were not handwritten. Moses, the prophets and the apostles all wrote by hand. The Bible is inspired, and handwritten, but the Ten Commandments were not handwritten.

It is recorded only three times in the Bible where God wrote something. Every time it says explicitly how He wrote—with His finger. One time He wrote in stone (Exodus 31:18). One time He wrote on a wall (Daniel 5:5), and one time He wrote on the ground (John 8:6). God doesn’t use handwriting; He writes with His finger.

Some may argue that your finger is on your hand, but your finger is not your hand. My late brother, while a teenager living on a farm, was involved in a tractor accident. His little finger was cut in such a way that it was just hanging by the skin. Though he was rushed to the hospital and underwent surgery to sew the finger back on and reattach the nerves, it had been too long since it was cut off, and the next day that finger was dead. So, he had to go to surgery again to have it cut off. Though my brother lost the end of that finger, he didn’t lose his hand. Your hand and your fingers are two different things.

Whatever the ordinance in Colossians 2:14 is referring to, it has been wiped away. The term wipe away means to be abolished, not existent anymore. Not only that, these are called ordinances which could also be translated as decrees. These ordinances, Paul says, were against us, contrary to us, and they were taken out of the midst. In other words, they were removed. They were nailed to the cross.

Are there ordinances that were nailed to the cross? Yes, that is what this Scripture says. These ordinances, Paul says, were against us, they were taken out of the midst, and they were blotted out or abolished. Because of this, the apostle Paul now is going to draw some conclusions. Notice what he says in verse 16: “Therefore [because of what I’ve told you already, this is the conclusion], do not let anyone judge you in food or in drink, or concerning a feast or a new moon or of sabbath days.”

Our Protestant friends get in trouble because they stop right there. We can get into trouble with documents if we just read to the middle of the sentence. Paul has mentioned five things: eating, drinking, feasts, new moons, and sabbaths, but that is just the first part of the sentence. The next part of the sentence, “which are shadows of things to come,” follows in verse 17. He is not condemning eating or drinking or feasts or new moons or sabbaths. What he is saying is, “Don’t let anybody judge you concerning these things which are shadows of things to come, but the body of Christ.” It could be translated, “but the body is of Christ.”

Let us stop there before we continue. In the Old Testament there were ordinances that had to do with eating. At certain times of the year it was forbidden to eat leavened bread. There were even food offerings. Paul told the Colossians not to let anybody judge them in regard to these things with eating, which were a shadow of things to come.

There were also ordinances in the Old Testament in regard to drinking and also feast days. (See Leviticus 23.) Some of these feast days were called sabbaths. There were also ordinances in regard to new moons. Paul says, “Don’t let anybody judge you in regard to these things which are a shadow of things to come.”

He continues, “Let no one pass judgment on you, wishing in humility and worshiping of angels which he has seen.” Verse 18. However, some manuscripts say, “worshiping of angels which he has not seen, pushing in vain, puffed up by his fleshly mind and not holding the Head from whom all the body through the joints and bands having been supplied and having been fitted together will grow with the growth of God. If then you died with Christ from the fundamental principles of the world, why, as living in the world, are you under ordinances?” Verses 18–20.

That’s a serious question. Christ was the fulfilling of these things. Paul is talking about the ordinances he has just mentioned, the ordinances that have to do with eating, drinking, feast days, new moons, and sabbath days which are a shadow of things to come. Then he makes a really strong statement. Do you remember back in the Garden of Eden what God told Adam and Eve about the forbidden fruit? I want to tell you, most Adventists have not come to grips with what we are going to read now in the Bible from verse 21. This is strong. I didn’t write it, but this is how it reads in the literal translation; “Do not touch, do not taste, do not finger.” In other words don’t even touch it with your fingertips. Some translations say: “Do not handle. Do not touch it. Do not taste it. Do not even put your finger on it, which things are all unto corruption in the using according to the injunctions and teachings of men.” Verses 21, 22.

In verse 23, the phrase “which things” is used. What are these things? Well, they are the ordinances that have been nailed to the cross. Paul says, “Don’t touch these things. Don’t taste them. Don’t even put your finger on it. They have a reputation, indeed of wisdom, in self-imposed worship.”

You see, when God hasn’t commanded something and you do it anyway, that is not of God; it is not divinely directed worship; it is self-imposed worship. “Which things have a reputation, indeed of wisdom, and self-imposed worship, in humility, and severe treatment of the body, not in any honor, but for the satisfaction of the flesh.” Verse 23.

These ordinances, that God gave to His people in the Old Testament, had been covered up with a mass of human tradition which made it almost impossible even for the Jews to keep. And then, there were teachers trying to get the Christians to keep all this tradition that the Jews had come up with over several hundred years since the captivity. Paul says not to have anything to do with it for it is man-made.

Many people confuse the moral law with the ceremonial law and use the same argument used by the Roman Catholic Church in their objection to Protestantism. Paul said, “Therefore, brothers, stand and hold the traditions which you have been taught, whether through word or letter from us.” II Thessalonians 2:15.

The Roman Catholic Church believes there are two kinds of tradition—verbal and written. They believe that the oral tradition they have that was handed down from the apostles is even more important than the written tradition—the New Testament. There are Adventists today using this same argument, insisting that the feast days should still be kept; however, decisions cannot be based on apostolic tradition but on a “thus saith the Lord.”

Adventists sometimes have done the same thing with Ellen White. I have received material that asks, Did you know that Ellen White, at a certain date, drank some cocoa? The tradition of Ellen White is not the standard of what to believe or how to eat. I look to the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy to find those instructions.

I once read an account of a pope back in the Middle Ages, the Dark Ages. He had fathered a child by adultery and attempted to justify himself by claiming he was not more holy than David or Solomon who both made many mistakes and still wrote part of the Old Testament.

There are other texts that people misinterpret. Paul, giving a defense before a judge, said, “And they neither found me in the temple disputing with anyone nor inciting the crowd, either in the synagogues or in the city. Nor can they prove the things of which they now accuse me. But this I confess to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the Law and the Prophets.” Acts 24:12–14, NKJV. Those advocating keeping of the feasts believe that because the ordinances of feasts were written “in the law and in the prophets,” Paul still kept them. Paul understood what those ordinances pointed forward to, and he kept the ordinances in the antitype, not the type, because Christ had already died on the cross.

Every single one of the feasts has an antitype.

The Passover—This was the first feast of the year. The antitype of the Passover is found in I Corinthians 5, and this is one of the principle passages about which people are really confused. This is the story of a man who was living with his father’s wife. Though Paul was absent, he told them he was there in spirit and very clearly said that the man needed to be disfellowshiped because of his open sin. (See I Corinthians 5:1–5.) In this context he said, “Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?” The little leaven—this man’s sin in living with his father’s wife—would affect the whole lump, the whole church, so he must be removed. “Therefore purge out the old leaven [disfellowship this person] that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened.” A church that is unleavened is a church that does not allow a member to be living in open sin and remain a member of that church. “For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast.” Verses 6–8, NKJV. Taken out of context, some believe this to mean that we are supposed to keep the feast days.

In The Desire of Ages, 652, when Christ instituted the Lord’s Supper, Ellen White wrote: “Christ was standing at the point of transition between two economies and their two great festivals. [One was the Passover and one was the Lord’s Supper.] He, the spotless Lamb of God, was about to present Himself as a sin offering, that He would thus bring to an end the system of types and ceremonies that for four thousand years had pointed to His death. As He ate the Passover with His disciples, He instituted in its place the service that was to be the memorial of His great sacrifice. The national festival of the Jews was to pass away forever. The service which Christ established was to be observed by His followers in all lands and through all ages.”

Paul speaks of the Lord’s Supper when he says that Christ is our sacrifice. “Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” Verse 8, NKJV.

“When he had come, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood about and laid many serious complaints against Paul which they could not prove, while he answered for himself, ‘Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar have I offended in anything at all.’ ” Acts 25:7, 8, NKJV. This is claimed as further proof that Paul continued to keep the feasts; however, it is not a clear “thus saith the Lord” and stretches the meaning of the verse like all other passages brought forth in this instance. The apostle Paul well understood what those feast days represented. The Passover represented the sacrifice on the cross.

The Feast of Weeks or Pentecost—This represented the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on God’s children that would occur 50 days after the first.

The Feast of Trumpets—This represented the prediction of prophecy of the worldwide awakening concerning the Second Advent movement that happened in the later part of the eighteenth and early part of the nineteenth centuries.

The Day of Atonement—We believe in keeping this festival in the antitype. We are at present living in the real Day of Atonement. A careful study of the Bible will reveal that we do not get involved in any other feast while in the Day of Atonement. The literal translation from the Greek New Testament of these texts says, “Neither in the law of the Jews, neither unto the temple or Caesar have I sinned anything at all.”

Sin is the transgression of the law—the Ten Commandments. If it was sin to break the ceremonial law, even Jesus Christ would have been a sinner, because in both the gospel and in the book The Desire of Ages He did not keep every aspect or specification of the ceremonial law at all times. For example, Jesus touched a leper, which was not in accordance with the ceremonial law that declared the leper unclean. (See Matthew 8:2, 3; Mark 1:40, 41.)

Another argument in favor of the feasts is Acts 28:17, NKJV, which says, “It came to pass after three days that Paul called the leaders of the Jews together. So when they had come together, he said to them: ‘Men and brethren, though I have done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans.’ ”

Paul did not lie here if he did not keep the ceremonial law because he did continue to keep those ceremonies, but in the antitype. In Acts 18:21, it does read that Paul kept the ceremonial feast in Jerusalem. However, when I looked up that verse in my Greek New Testament, I was shocked to find the evidence is just not there. The footnote in the Greek New Testament reads that this statement didn’t even appear in any of the ancient manuscripts and is absent from several of the oldest translations.

Another so-called proof text is found in Acts 20:16 where Paul hurried to be in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost. To be there was not a command to keep the feast. What if I said to somebody that I want to be in Atlanta for Thanksgiving? Is that a command to keep Thanksgiving as a holy day? Not at all. The Jewish Christians had planned the whole year around these different ceremonial feasts. Time was measured by them, and they would talk about before or after Passover, before or after the Feast of Trumpets, before or after the Atonement. The apostles could use that language and say they would be in such a place by this time. It certainly is not a command to keep these feast days as they were kept prior to their fulfillment at the cross of Calvary.

There are some who say they have evidence from the early Christian literature that the twelve apostles, not Paul but the others, kept the ceremonial law. In the book, Sketches from the Life of Paul by Ellen G. White, she says very clearly that among the Christians, the apostle Paul was thought to be a teacher of dangerous doctrines. She makes it very clear in that book, and also in The Acts of the Apostles, 199, that the apostle Paul had to stand alone amongst even the apostles.

The apostles of Jesus were very slow to understand the significance of what had happened when Jesus was crucified and, as such had fulfilled the ceremonial law, making it no longer in effect. There were many of the apostles that probably continued to keep the entire ceremonial law for the rest of their lives, which was a mistake on their part. Do you want to rest your faith on a mistake that somebody else made?

Ellen White says that the apostle Paul so desired to bring harmony and unity into the Christian church that at the end of his life he made a mistake. It is recorded in Acts 21:20–24 NKJV: “And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord. And they said to him, ‘You see, brother, how many myriads of Jews there are who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law [ceremonial law]; but they have been informed about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the customs. What then? The assembly must certainly meet, for they will hear that you have come. Therefore do what we tell you: We have four men who have taken a vow. Take them and be purified with them.’ ” In other words, show respect for the ceremonial law so we can have peace. The apostle Paul did what the apostles suggested, and it was the reason he was taken prisoner, cutting short his ministry.

Ellen White says definitely over and over again that it was a mistake. Do you want to base your religion on a mistake that Paul made or on a mistake that the apostles made?

The apostles were human just like us, and they made mistakes. I would never make a decision whether or not to drink cocoa on the basis that Ellen White at one time was seen to drink a cup of cocoa, would you? That is a dangerous way to make a decision. The answer to the question is, “What does God say in His Inspired word?” That should be the only basis for decisions.

“The very priests who ministered in the temple had lost sight of the significance of the service they performed. They had ceased to look beyond the symbol to the thing signified. In presenting the sacrificial offerings they were as actors in a play. The ordinances which God Himself had appointed were made the means of blinding the mind and hardening the heart. God could do no more for man through these channels. The whole system must be swept away.” The Desire of Ages, 36. This subject here is made clear in very strong language.

(Unless appearing in quoted references or otherwise identified, Bible texts quoted are literal translation.)

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.

Does My Flock Love a Lie?

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Life is a serious gift from our Creator. It is not to be taken lightly or wasted, for in the day of judgment all must give an account.

Paul, writing from his prison cell, outlines the responsibility and job description of every man who is called to be a minister in the Christian religion. “I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given me for you, to fulfill the word of God, the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.” Colossians 1:24–28.

Paul understood his appointment as apostle and a minister to “present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.” His preaching was so powerful that there were people who heard only one sermon that changed their lives, and they will be in the kingdom of heaven because of what they heard. The apostle Paul is not the only one who will be asked about those the Lord put in their path, for since that time there have been thousands, actually millions of preachers who will be answerable.

On judgment day the Lord will ask every preacher, “Where is your flock, the people to whom you have been preaching?” I am well aware that someday the Lord is going to ask me, “Where are the people to whom you preached? Are they here? Are they perfect in Christ Jesus? Are they on My right hand or on the left? Where is your flock?” This puts a huge responsibility on those who minister to others to deliver messages that are sometimes very difficult or not popular.

To the Ephesian elders, Paul said, “Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.” Acts 20:26, 27.

Have you noticed that we are living in a time when all of the counsel of God is not popular? Paul predicted that would be the case and wrote to a young preacher, Timothy: “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.” II Timothy 4:3, 4.

Preachers are human. They want to be popular, and it is just a human desire to want to be accepted, so in order to be popular, many preachers do not preach everything. Many of them understand perfectly well what the Bible says about the seventh-day Sabbath, but they won’t preach it, fearing they may lose more than half of their congregation. I feel sorry for them. As for myself, I decided a long time ago that I would rather preach to six people and have them ready to go to heaven, than preach to 6,000 people and have them lost.

I receive many letters from people who say, “Your church isn’t perfect. You are preaching about perfection, but your people aren’t perfect. Don’t you sin? Don’t the people in your church sin?” God can bring a whole church full of people to perfection in Christ Jesus, for that is what the Bible teaches. The whole object of Paul’s preaching was to “present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.” To reach that goal the whole counsel of God must be preached. This consists of three things:

Doctrines—The apostle Paul taught that there are foundation doctrines as well as more advanced doctrines of which an understanding is needed. He said, “Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.” Hebrews 6:1–3.

The Gospel—This is one of the main themes of Paul’s preaching. “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. For do I now persuade men or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.” Galatians 1:6–10.

Practical Godliness—To explain this in the simplest possible language that even a child can understand, I’m going to quote a statement from the book The Ministry of Healing, 365. Ellen White said that, “He [Jesus] came as God’s ambassador, to show us how to live so as to secure life’s best results.” What we call practical godliness is simply, how to live and the condition of the people who are ready to meet Jesus when He comes in the clouds of heaven.

A practical Christian lifestyle is impossible without first knowing the gospel or the doctrines. Paul also wrote Timothy, “But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.” I Timothy 6:11. These are the attributes of Jesus to be reflected in His people.

John the revelator describes people who will be ready for Jesus to come in the last days: “Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” Revelation 14:12. Notice, these people have a practical experience in endurance and patience, and they keep the commandments.

In Revelation 14:1–5, there is mentioned a special group of people called the 144,000. These are described in some detail. They will live through the final judgments that will come upon the world and will be ready for Jesus to come. If we are going to be perfect in Christ Jesus and ready for His appearing, this is the group of people that we need to especially study. According to Revelation 14:12, they must be commandment keepers.

Look at Revelation 14:5; it says, “And in their mouth was found no deceit [guile], for they are without fault before the throne of God.” Notice this verse carefully. If in your mouth there is no deceit, you will be without fault before the throne of God. This is a fact that can be proven from several different places in the Bible.

In the Old Testament, Zephaniah 3:13 says, speaking about God’s remnant people in the very last days: “The remnant of Israel shall do no unrighteousness and speak no lies, nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth.” Twice in that one verse it says the remnant will not break the ninth commandment, which says, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” Exodus 20:16.

Facts Concerning the Ninth Commandment

ONE—The devil was the first liar and a skillful one who was able to turn one third of the angels against God and to rebel against His government. In the Garden of Eden, he caused the fall of Eve and Adam by his lies, mixing truth with his error making it more deceptive. The fallen angels have become demons who continue to harass and tempt people on this earth to also lie. Jesus said, “When he [Satan] speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.” John 8:44.

TWO—God never tells a lie. In fact, “It is impossible for God to lie.” Hebrews 6:18. That is an amazing text when you start to think it through. Anything that God tells you will turn out to be the truth. The devil may say the opposite, making it difficult to discern, but you can be certain that if God is speaking, it is always the truth, because God never tells a lie.

The Bible, written thousands of years ago, is true and dependable. Infidels have continually tried to prove it wrong, but it is still true. It’s impossible for God to lie, and those things that people are skeptical of now will eventually prove to be true.

THREE—A special identifying mark of the 144,000 is that they will be people who tell the truth. There is no deceit in their mouths (Revelation 14:5).

FOUR—This point is not so nice. Every person who is a liar will someday burn up. “All liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” Revelation 21:8.

This fact is so important that it is repeated three times in the last two books in the Bible. “There shall by no means enter it [the Holy City, New Jerusalem] anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.” Revelation 21:27.

The most scary one of all is found in Revelation 22:15: “Outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.” As I study this, I find out that it is very uncommon to find any human being that doesn’t love a few lies.

We are living in a time when lying has become more common than ever before. And this was predicted in the Bible. Paul said, “Evil men and imposters will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.” II Timothy 3:13. Notice, these people are going to deceive, and it is going to get worse and worse. They are going to deceive other people. As a liar engages in deceiving others, he also deceives himself.

Let’s consider this to better understand the ninth commandment. Remember, the 144,000 will be keepers of all the commandments, but especially the ninth commandment is emphasized and, according to Zephaniah 3, they are without deceit in their mouths not telling any lies. This is a special qualification of God’s remnant in the last time.

We have been commanded to “not bear false witness against your neighbor.” Exodus 20:16. In the book Patriarchs and Prophets, 309, Ellen White expounds on this commandment.

  1. Make sure that everything you say is absolutely true. We say things often that aren’t true without even thinking about it. I remember my grandfather had a pocket watch and he checked the time three times each day for the exact time. My grandmother and my wife were different than that, and if you asked them the time, it might be given as ten to eight or five to eight, but if you asked my grandfather, he would tell you, “It is 7:56 and a half.” I try to always be approximate when I tell the time, because I realize that people don’t really even know what the time is. Often times we give general answers that are not exactly right in every detail. In those cases we should be careful to make it known that our statements are approximate and not exact, being careful not to bear false witness.
  2. Making a statement with the purpose to deceive.
  3. An intentional overstatement. You may ask the evangelist how many people attended his meeting tonight and he may tell you 150. This could be an overstatement, unless the heads were counted. It is very difficult to look at a crowd and tell exactly how many people are there. An exaggeration breaks the ninth commandment.
  4. The ninth commandment is broken when by a hint or insinuation or expression you convey an erroneous message.
  5. An effort to injure our neighbor’s reputation by misrepresentation or by evil surmising breaks this commandment. A correct statement can be given either a negative or positive twist to change the meaning. Do Christians take things that other people say and do and give it a negative twist? Yes, unfortunately this happens far too often.

Listed along with an effort to injure our neighbor’s reputation by misrepresentation is evil surmising, slander, or tale bearing. Slander is repeating evil information about a person. By the way, slander is not necessarily false. The slander may be true, but do you realize if each one of us knew everything about everybody else, we could all say something about every single person that would be slanderous!

The Wise Man

In the book of Proverbs, the wise man deals many times with this subject in strong terms. Using the terms folly and fools, he says, “The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way, but the folly of fools is deceit.” Proverbs 14:8. Read through the book of Proverbs noticing everything it says about fools and folly and remembering that the folly of the fool is deceit.

“The thoughts of the righteous are right, but the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.” Proverbs 12:5. “He who speaks truth declares righteousness, but a false witness, deceit.” Verse 17. “Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who deal truthfully are His delight.” Verse 22.

Proverbs 6:16–19 says there are six things that God hates. Then he says, actually there are seven, and they are listed. Of those seven things that God hates, two of them relate to the ninth commandment.

Solomon explains why people fall into that sin: “Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, but afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.” Proverbs 20:17. “He who hates, disguises it with his lips, and lays up deceit within himself; When he speaks kindly, do not believe him, for there are seven abominations in his heart; Though his hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedness will be revealed before the assembly. Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and he who rolls a stone will have it roll back on him. A lying tongue hates those who are crushed by it, and a flattering mouth works ruin.” Proverbs 26:24–28.

Dig For a Deeper Meaning

A lie does not have to be spoken audibly. You can live a lie. In fact, your whole life can be a lie acted out—it is still a lie!

Some things really hit a tender nerve, but they need to be said if we are going to present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. All acting is lying. Did you understand that? I was involved in acting as a child. I was selected in school to play the part of the grandfather. Think this through. Was I a grandfather when I was in the eighth grade? No, I was acting out a lie; it was not the truth.

When watching movies or television or some DVDs of a theatrical performance, you are watching people act things out, and you are watching a lie. When I was at Southwestern Adventist College in Keene, Texas, we used to get what we thought were good movies, things like the life of Martin Luther. The actor in the movie who played the part of Martin Luther pretended to be him. Martin Luther had been dead for 400 years, so he was acting out a lie.

Remember that in Revelation 22:15 it said that outside the city is everybody who loves and practices a lie. Those people who watch the lie love it. If they didn’t love the lie, they wouldn’t be watching it. I know what I’m talking about, because I’ve been there and watched many movies. I’m not proud of that fact, but I know what happens when you watch a movie. Many Seventh-day Adventists believe that it is the environment of the movie theater that prohibits the Christian to watch movies, so they are brought into the school settings or other “safe” environments. One of the movies that we watched while I was in high school was about Peter Marshall, a very godly man who immigrated to the United States of America and became the chaplain of the United States Senate. He was one of the most brilliant preachers and orators of the twentieth century. It was clear that he had the gift of communication, but we were watching a lie. The actor was not Peter Marshall who had been dead for ten years, and neither was the actress his wife. So we were watching a lie. Mentally we entered into this thing, loving and practicing a lie. I remember when I got done watching that movie I could hardly sleep that night having entered into that experience.

Ellen White said to those who are preachers to avoid anything theatrical, in gestures, work, preaching or in evangelism. When she was alive, the only way a person could see theatrics was to actually go to a theater. This is what she wrote:

“Among the most dangerous resorts for pleasure is the theater. Instead of being a school of morality and virtue, as is so often claimed, it is the very hotbed of immorality. Vicious habits and sinful propensities are strengthened and confirmed by these entertainments. Low songs, lewd gestures, expressions, and attitudes, deprave the imagination and debase the morals. Every youth who habitually attends such exhibitions will be corrupted in principle. There is no influence in our land more powerful to poison the imagination, to destroy religious impressions, and to blunt the relish for the tranquil pleasures and sober realities of life than theatrical amusements. The love for these scenes increases with every indulgence, as the desire for intoxicating drinks strengthens with its use. The only safe course is to shun the theater, the circus, and every other questionable place of amusement.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 652, 653.

Soon we shall all stand before the judgment bar of God, and the Lord will ask us ministers, “Where’s your flock? Are they all perfect? Are they here, perfect in Christ Jesus?” Will we be able to say, “Yes, here they are”? That will not be the case if you don’t get over watching videos, movies, DVDs and programs on the Internet that some are still watching. It is time to take a careful look into this serious situation. The 144,000 have no deceit in their mouth. They are not watching it, or listening to it, or reading it, or speaking it; they are pure.

One More Thing

“He who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk just as He walked.” I John 2:6. It was in Antioch that men and women were first called Christians, because they continually talked about Jesus and His life. With tear-dimmed eyes and quivering lips, they would tell about His suffering in Gethsemane, how He was scourged and crucified for the human family, offering the invitation to believe on Him as Lord and Saviour, to deliver them from both the guilt and power of sin. They taught that He is in heaven right now interceding for His children and that He is going to come back again to take those who have received Him out of this world. Constantly they spoke about Jesus, His life, death and ministry for His chosen ones. As people listened to this over and over, it seemed like that was all they talked about. The people said they were just like the person they talked about, so they began calling themselves Christians. A Christian is one who is a disciple, a follower of Jesus Christ. They have been called Christians from that day to the present.

Christianity has now been around for about 2,000 years. But why is it that there are hundreds of millions of people in the world who hate all Christians? It is because of hypocrisy—there are many people who profess to be Christians, but they are far from being Christlike. Professing the name Christian, but not being like Christ, is to lie. I may not say anything, but I am acting a lie.

The 144,000 will have no deceit in their mouth. They are truly Christians—like Christ. I’ll confess this to you, that when I first studied this out, it made me scared to call myself a Christian, and I realized that I had a lot of praying to do. In Revelation 12:17, it talks about the followers of Jesus, the last ones left on the earth. It says, “The dragon [the devil] was enraged with the woman [the true church], and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”

Notice the word remnant. Seventh-day Adventists love to call themselves the remnant of Revelation 12:17. The remnant, besides keeping the commandments of God must also have the testimony of Jesus Christ. To call myself a Seventh-day Adventist and part of the remnant means that my life should be in harmony with the Spirit of Prophecy. If I call myself a Seventh-day Adventist and my life is not in harmony with the Spirit of Prophecy, what am I doing? I am acting out a lie. To take it to the final conclusion, if you call yourself a Seventh-day Adventist church and your church is not living out the teachings of the Spirit of Prophecy, your church is acting out a lie.

The Lord is going to have a people that are Christlike, and I want to be one of them. I hope by God’s grace that each one of you can be one of them, too.

(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.

Current Events – Union Trouble

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“The time is fast coming when the controlling power of the labor unions will be very oppressive.

“The trades unions will be one of the agencies that will bring upon this earth a time of trouble such as has not been since the world began.” Country Living, 9, 10.

“The trades unions and confederacies of the world are a snare. Keep out of them, and away from them, brethren. Have nothing to do with them.” The Adventist Home, 136.

“These unions are one of the signs of the last days. Men are binding up in bundles ready to be burned. They may be church members, but while they belong to these unions, they cannot possibly keep the commandments of God; for to belong to these unions means to disregard the entire Decalogue. …

“Those who claim to be the children of God are in no case to bind up with the labor unions that are formed or that shall be formed. This the Lord forbids.” Maranatha, 182.

Utility crews from several states East of the Mississippi River hit the road this week to volunteer their time and talents in Northeastern states hit hard by Hurricane Sandy. But crews from Alabama got the shock of their lives when other workers in a coastal New Jersey town told them they couldn’t lend a hand without a union card. Crews in Seaside Heights, New Jersey turned them away, saying they couldn’t do any work there because they’re not union employees. Electric repair work for public utilities in New Jersey is dominated by the International Brotherhood Of Electrical Workers, a unit of the politically powerful AFL-CIO. www.dailycaller.com/2012/11/02.

A New Jersey power company denied Friday that it is turning away nonunion volunteer crews who want to travel great distances to help reconnect power supplies severed by Hurricane Sandy. But an Alabama utility is clarifying that it was the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers [IBEW]—not the company—that turned them away. www.dailycaller.com/2012/11/04.

“Amid Sandy’s devastation, a Long Island union sent written demand to Florida utilities: Pay dues or stay home. In a two-page October 29 contract, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) local 1049 demanded union dues, pay hikes and benefit contributions from Florida electric utilities before its workers would be permitted to help reconnect power to Long Island communities. The demand came as Hurricane Sandy was bearing down on the Northeastern United States, stranding tens of millions without electricity.

“The unions, steeped in international socialism, need to be controlled. In normal times, they hold citizens and their children hostage to their demands. They corrupt politicians and force the taxpayer away from the bargaining table. If they don’t get their evil ways, children suffer and we find criminals being released into the public. But now, in a time of grave emergency, unions are demanding tribute from volunteers and workers who are paid by other utilities. Outrageous. Time to purge the democrats and their unions—return America to prosperity and eliminate political extortion, blackmail and corruption.” www.onecitizenspeaking.com/2012/11/04.

A Defiled Sanctuary

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The book of Revelation is written in sign language or symbolic language to show what must shortly take place (Revelation 1:1). “And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring [also translated the remnant of her seed], who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Revelation 12:17.

The dragon is a symbol of an angel that once was one of the leading angels of heaven who fell and has become what we call the Devil, or Satan, a fallen angel. Verse 9 says, “So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” So, “the dragon was angry with the woman” means Satan is angry with the church.

In the Bible, whole chapters have been written using a woman as a symbol; for example, Ezekiel 16 and 23. Jeremiah 6:2 says, “I have likened the daughter of Zion to a lovely and delicate woman.” Isaiah 51:16 tells us who Zion is: “And I have put My words in your mouth; I have covered you with the shadow of My hand, that I may plant the heavens, lay the foundations of the earth, and say to Zion, ‘you are My people.’ ” Zion is God’s people and is represented by a lovely and delicate woman.

Paul uses the same terminology addressing the church of God in Corinth: “For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste [pure] virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.” II Corinthians 11:2, 3.

In both the Old and New Testaments the church is likened to a woman. If the woman is pure, she represents a pure church, but if the woman becomes a prostitute or harlot, that woman is used to represent a corrupt church that is in apostasy. Revelation 17 and 18 describe a great prostitute that, in the last days, affects the whole world.

The woman of Revelation 12 is a pure woman; she is clothed with the sun, and she brings forth a male child that is to rule all nations (verse 5). This is a pure woman, a pure church, and refers to God’s people. “The dragon was enraged with the woman [God’s people in the last days], and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring [the last church], who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Revelation 12:17. “The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” Revelation 19:10.

In everyday English a translation of the symbols would read: “And the devil, or Satan, was enraged with the church, or with God’s people, and he went to make war, or try, to destroy the last church, God’s people, who keep the commandments of God and have the spirit of prophecy.”

Years ago, evangelists always said that to find God’s people in the last days, you would need to find a church that keeps all ten of the commandments. And secondly, it must have the gift of prophecy. These qualifications narrow down the choice. Many churches worship on a day different than what has been commanded, and people bow before representations of the virgin Mary holding baby Jesus and images of Jesus hanging on the cross. The commandments prohibit this action and eliminate those churches from being pure. (See Exodus 20:8–11.)

The Seventh-day Adventist Church is not the only church that advocates keeping all of the commandments, and there are also several other churches that claim to have the gift of prophecy.

Paul told the Thessalonian church to “prove all things.” I Thessalonians 5:21. This admonition should be applied in the search for the true church. There is one doctrine found in Daniel 8:14 that, as far as I know, is unique to Adventism. It says, “And he said to me, ‘For two thousand three hundred days; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed.’ ”

Point #1 – Adventists have believed that this text refers to the time of the end, something that is going to happen in the last epochal period of earth’s history, because of what the angel told Daniel: “Understand, son of man, that the vision refers to the time of the end” and “for at the appointed time, the end shall be.” Verses 17 and 19.

Point #2 – The sanctuary is going to be cleansed after this period of time and in the time of the end.

Point #3 – The earthly sanctuary was a type of the real sanctuary in heaven. (See Hebrews 8.) Daniel 8:14 would have to be referring to the heavenly sanctuary, because there is no earthly sanctuary in the time of the end.

Point #4 – This verse would then mean, that in the time of the end the heavenly sanctuary is going to be cleansed. This seems incredible for some people to believe—that there would be something in heaven needing cleansing, but the Bible says that there is—the heavenly sanctuary.

Paul says, “Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens [the earthly sanctuary] should be purified [or cleansed] with these.” Hebrews 9:23. To what do “these” refer?

In chapters 8 and 9 we see that the earthly sanctuary was cleansed with the blood of animal sacrifices. Again, in chapter 10:1–4, Paul says that the blood of bulls and goats that was offered every year could not take away sins. The earthly sanctuary was cleansed with these animal sacrifices, “but the heavenly things themselves [the sanctuary in heaven, of which the earthly sanctuary was a type] with better sacrifices than these.” Hebrews 9:23. The “better” sacrifice refers to the sacrifice Christ made when He died on the cross. It says, in verse 24, “For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies [that is, the earthly sanctuary] of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.” Paul is saying that the heavenly sanctuary has to be cleansed. But in order for something to be cleansed, it first had to have been defiled, for you don’t purify or cleanse something that is already clean. How is it there is defilement in heaven?

In Daniel 7:9, 10 is a description of the judgment. “I watched till thrones were put in place, and the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head was like wool. His throne was a fiery flame, its wheel a burning fire; a fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; ten thousand times ten thousand [that is a hundred million] stood before Him. The court was seated, and the books were opened.”

This portrays a judgment scene in heaven, with books. David gives insight into what is recorded in these books. “You number my wanderings; put my tears into Your bottle; are they not in Your book?” Psalm 56:8. God keeps account of all the events of our lives.

Malachi 3:16 says, “Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened and heard them; so a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who meditate on His name.” When God’s people meet together and speak together, God doesn’t just hear it, but He has it recorded in a book.

In Matthew 12:35, 36, it says, “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.”

God has a record of every word that we have ever spoken, the good words and also the idle words. God knows a lot more than just our words, though. The psalmist understood this very, very clearly. In Psalm 139:1–4, it says, “O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up [He knows what time you go to bed and what time you get up]; You understand my thought afar off. [God understands your thought before you even think it. He knows what you are going to think tomorrow, what you have not even thought yet, and understands.] You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.” God knows our thoughts!

The Lord says, in Isaiah 66:18, “For I know their works and their thoughts.” In Jesus’ sermon on the mount, He explained that sin started in the mind; it was possible to commit adultery with a woman in your mind. Murder also starts in the mind; to hate is recorded as murder.

Detailed records of each life, every thought and act, is kept in the throne room of the heavenly sanctuary. Because all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), those records have defiled God’s sanctuary. But in the end of time, the sanctuary is going to be cleansed. This will happen in two distinct ways. “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come [the latter rain] from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ [the Second Coming], Who was preached to you before, Whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.” Acts 3:19–21.

Peter says that, in the time of the latter rain, there will be some people whose sins are going to be blotted out. The pollution of their record of sinful thoughts and actions will be gone forever.

The other way the sanctuary will be cleansed is to remove the names of those who remain unrepentant of their thoughts and actions; their names will be blotted out. Moses pled with the Lord for the children of Israel: “Yet now, if You will forgive their sin, but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written. And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book.’ ” Exodus 32:32, 33. Moses understood that God had a book and that his name, as well as those of the children of Israel, was in there. He could not bear the thought that God would wipe out the nation because of their rebellion, and he consented to be lost, if he could not get the people saved.

The heavenly sanctuary is cleansed in two ways—either the sins are blotted out of the records, leaving the names of the repentant, or the whole record, including the names of the unrepentant, is removed. For 150 years, this is the way that Adventists have explained the cleansing of the sanctuary, but the teaching has not been made practical enough so people can understand it. All through the Bible, the sanctuary or God’s temple has always been a symbol and not just a building.

Ellen White describes the beginning of Christ’s ministry when He first cleansed the temple. She wrote that the sanctuary, the building that the Jews regarded with so much pride, was a symbol of what God wanted to do for every human being. (See The Desire of Ages, 161, 162.)

Paul said, “Do you not know that your body is the temple [sanctuary] of the Holy Spirit Who is in you, Whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price [and what a price!]; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” I Corinthians 6:19, 20. The Corinthian church had a problem with sexual immorality, and Paul wrote to them in this context. He said they could not do as they wished to please their bodies, for the body is supposed to be a temple for the Holy Spirit.

That being the case, and in the last days the temple is going to be cleansed, that would mean our body, our spirit and our mind is to be cleansed. Our thoughts, feelings, words and actions are all to be purified so the Holy Spirit can dwell in our mind. The Holy Spirit cannot dwell with sin, so a cleansing must take place. If we remain in sin we make our body and our mind a temple for the dwelling place for evil angels. “Satan takes the control of every mind that is not decidedly under the control of the Spirit of God.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 79.

Ellen White said that though it was manifested in a different way, the priests and the religious leaders in the time of Christ were just as much possessed of the devil as the demoniacs. The devil was in control. How is it in your life?

Paul told King Agrippa about his experience on the road to Damascus and the work the Lord told him to do, “to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.” Acts 26:18.

The Corinthians did not know that in worshiping their idols and sacrificing to them they were, in fact, worshiping devils. Today, though they may not be aware, those who are living in sin are under the control of the devil. I John 3:8 says that everyone “who sins is of the devil.”

The cleansing of the temple has an even broader meaning than how it applies to each individual Christian.

In I Corinthians 3:16, 17, Paul says, “Do you [plural word meaning the church] not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him.” This sentence has a parallel construction, which should be translated with the same verb. Either it should read, “If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will defile him” or “If anyone destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him.” I personally believe the second translation is the more correct one. This is one of the most powerful verses in the New Testament talking about health reform. “If you defile the temple of God, if you destroy it, God will destroy you.” Now he’s talking to the whole church. “If anyone destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.”

The cleansing of the sanctuary does not just apply to individuals but it applies to the church as a whole. Some people think that the church is just going to get worse, and then, in some way, when Jesus comes, like pushing a magic button, it will all be cleansed and purified. I call that the “magic button theology,” but it is not found in the Bible.

As the disciples came down from the Mount of Transfiguration, they asked Jesus, “ ‘Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things. But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands.’ ” Matthew 17:10–12.

The Jewish people thought they could prove that Jesus could not be the Messiah, because the Scriptures taught that before the Messiah would come, Elijah the prophet had to come first. Jesus said Elijah has already come, and they didn’t know it. They were looking forward to something to happen in the future that had already been happening.

We are in the identical situation today. The average Adventist is looking forward to the purification of the church in the future, but it has already started and may be almost over. The Bible is very clear that God is going to have a church that has been cleansed and purified before He returns.

Look at Ephesians 5:25, 26. This passage refers literally to husbands and wives; however, Paul uses this relationship of husbands and wives simply as an illustration for the church. He says, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word.” Now notice that the cleansing of the church, the cleansing of the sanctuary and the purification of the church is all the same thing. It does not occur by a magic button when Jesus comes, but is a process like taking a bath, and it occurs through the word of God.

As the word of God is preached, and we find our life is not in harmony with it, we say, “Lord, change me so my life can be harmony with this book.” The Holy Spirit starts working on our mind and the cleansing process takes place. Verse 27 continues, “that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.”

In Early Writings, 118, Ellen White told us which angel will purify the church. In Revelation 14:9 it says, “A third angel follows them … .” An understanding of the third angel’s message cleanses and purifies the church.

When Jesus returns, He is coming to receive His church. Many will be resurrected who were led by the Holy Spirit and lived up to the light they had, though it may have never been part of the church in this world. But among the people who are alive when Jesus comes again, that live through the time of trouble and will go up with Him, are the people who are in the church that has been cleansed and purified. They will be without any blemish or spot; they will be without fault and holy.

If you have never felt defiled, you had better start praying, for when the Holy Spirit starts working on a person’s mind, they know immediately their condition. One ray of light from the Holy Spirit and the degradation and defilement of the human soul is manifest. You never need to tell somebody that they are defiled, because they already know it, for that is the work of the Holy Spirit.

These texts mean that God is going to take a defiled people and cleanse them till there is no defilement, until they are pure and holy without a single blemish. The people that are taken to heaven will not be going as pardoned criminals but as though they had never sinned. All of their sins will be gone forever and blotted out, for they will be thoroughly cleansed. What a promise, what a thought, to be made clean by Jesus!

Don’t be deceived by the magic button theology, the idea that you can just keep sinning and when Jesus comes, all of a sudden, everything will be turned around, because that is not the way it works. That is not the way you take a bath. Paul said that, “He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word.” This is not something that is to happen in the future, but now. The Jews did not recognize the Messiah, expecting Elijah to come first, and they missed him. Many of us are looking for something to happen in the future, when it is happening right in front of us, and we don’t recognize what’s going on. The church is being purified right now. The sanctuary is being cleansed now, and many will not realize it until it is all over, and probation is closed, and the plagues are falling. Then they will wake up and say, “We didn’t realize this, but now it’s too late.” (See Early Writings, 71.)

“Now is the day of salvation.” II Corinthians 6:2. Don’t put it off, waiting for a national Sunday law to be passed and for the other events to take place. There is no time to delay. The signal to get ready has been given. Make peace with your Saviour and be cleansed today. Plead with Him to reveal your darling sins, the ones you intend to give up one day, so you can lay them on the altar and be saved. Let them go and be cleansed by the Word.

Jesus said to the Jews, “If you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” John 8:24. I have prayed about this verse many times; not that I will not have to die, but that by His grace I will never die in my sins. To die in sin is a risk that no one can afford to take.

Each person and every church is going through a purification process. Angels pass by any church that refuses to be purified and let that church go. They surround those who desire the cleansing and bring divine help, leaving those who refuse to be left to their own devises.

God is going to have a church. It will be without blemish and holy, a church where God’s love is manifest. We can all be a part of it if we will stop resisting the Holy Spirit and want to be clean.

(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.

Conquering Problems

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There are many interesting things in the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy dealing with trouble. When the children of Israel were returning from Babylon and they were commissioned to rebuild the city of Jerusalem, the Bible says, “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times.” Daniel 9:25.

Jerusalem was desolated with the wall broken down and the city in total ruin. The children of Israel were captives in foreign lands, but the prediction was that a time was coming when the streets and the wall were to be rebuilt, but it would be in times of trouble.

After a period of time in captivity, the children of Israel were given an opportunity to go back home. Out of over a million Israelites that were in Babylon and Medo-Persia at the time, just a handful returned, and because of the small number, they had trouble.

Another Babylonian captivity was predicted, not for 70 years, but for 1260 years. Daniel speaks of this, and in the prophecies of Revelation, John speaks of it six or seven times. Just as when, at the end of the 70-year captivity, the people needed to go back and rebuild the city, the street and the wall, at the end of the 1260-year captivity, the church that had been driven into the desert would also need to do some rebuilding.

Isaiah speaks about it. “Those from among you shall build the old waste places; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; and you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach.” Isaiah 58:12.

To understand the meaning of the breach you need to understand the meaning of the wall. When God established His people, He put a wall around them for their protection. This wall, the Ten Commandments, hedged His children in to protect them from destroying themselves by sin.

A breach was made in that wall during the Babylonian captivity that lasted from A.D. 538 to A.D.1798. That breach was the fourth commandment. It was torn down so thoroughly that the people were unaware they were disobeying it. But the prophecy predicted that at the end of the captivity, there would come repairers of the breach to raise up the foundation of many generations and build the old waste places.

Isaiah said, “You shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, the Restorer of Streets to Dwell In. If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy day of the Lord honorable, and shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words, then you shall delight yourself in the Lord; and I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the Lord has spoken.” Isaiah 58:12–14.

Just as Nehemiah’s workers had to deal with trouble when they built the wall and the streets in their day, there has been trouble in the attempt to repair the breach in God’s law today.

The devil has created unbelievable antipathy or hatred against God’s law, particularly the Sabbath. Millions of Christians claim to love Jesus, but mention the Sabbath and you will most often get a vehement response that they want nothing to do with that Jewish Sabbath. The devil has created this hatred to hinder the work of rebuilding. It will be done, but in troublous times.

In the days of Christ people knew all about the justice of God and His law, but they rejected His Son. Today, people want only to hear about the mercy of God and not His justice, which includes His law containing the Sabbath. The wall is to be rebuilt, but it will be in trouble.

The Bible has a lot to say about how to deal with trouble.

Number 1 – You need protection and help that will not fail.

The Bible writers knew that we, as human beings, would need this help and protection, so they address it.

You might believe that the law of God is for our protection, and if all human beings kept it at all times, we would not be in the trouble that we are. This fact is true even in our own personal lives. Often the reason that we find ourselves in trouble is because at some point in the past we have broken one of the Ten Commandments. So, the wall is for our protection, but not everybody in the world keeps the law. What do we do when we are in trouble?

David addresses this: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1. This whole chapter is about the help that God has promised His people.

Isaiah says, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10.

God has promised help to people that are in trouble. One of my favorite texts in this regard is in Psalm 89:19: “Then You spoke in a vision to Your holy one, and said: ‘I have given help to one who is mighty.’ ” It is so encouraging to know that God is bigger than we are. We cannot make bigger trouble than God is able to provide a solution. Nebuchadnezzar thought he could get the three Hebrew worthies into a situation where it would be too much for the Lord. He had the furnace heated up so much that the soldiers fell down dead at the front of it while throwing the men in. But Jesus was there in the fire with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednigo. (See Daniel 3.) There is no situation so severe that God can’t deal with it.

As a child, I often wondered why the Lord allowed the martyrs to be burned at the stake. Read this account of one man who died for his faith:

“Brother Andrews related an instance of a faithful Christian about to suffer martyrdom for his faith. A brother Christian had been conversing with him in regard to the power of the Christian hope—if it would be strong enough to sustain him while his flesh should be consuming with fire. He asked this Christian, about to suffer, to give him a signal if the Christian faith and hope were stronger than the raging, consuming fire. He expected his turn to come next, and this would fortify him for the fire. The former promised that the signal should be given. He was brought to the stake amid the taunts and jeers of the idle and curious crowd assembled to witness the burning of this Christian. The fagots were brought and the fire kindled, and the brother Christian fixed his eyes upon the suffering, dying martyr, feeling that much depended upon the signal. The fire burned, and burned. The flesh was blackened; but the signal came not. His eye was not taken for a moment from the painful sight. The arms were already crisped. There was no appearance of life. All thought that the fire had done its work, and that no life remained; when, lo! amid the flames, up went both arms toward heaven. The brother Christian, whose heart was becoming faint, caught sight of the joyful signal; it sent a thrill through his whole being, and renewed his faith, his hope, his courage. He wept tears of joy.

“As Brother Andrews spoke of the blackened, burned arms raised aloft amid the flames, he, too, wept like a child.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 657, 658.

God is a very present help in trouble; He is more powerful than the fire. The devil and his agents can never put you in a position where God cannot give you all the help you need. “But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in the time of trouble. And the Lord shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in Him.” Psalm 37:39, 40.

Psalm 33:20 says, “Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield.” In Nahum 1:7 we read, “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him.” Do you trust Him? God knows how to give you all the help you need, and He is waiting and watching over you, looking for an opportunity to bless you when you are in trouble.

Number 2 – When in trouble we need wise counsel.

People have found themselves in a lot more trouble than they ever should because they would not listen to counsel. This is one of God’s biggest problems. God said, concerning the children of Israel right after He gave the Ten Commandments, “Oh, if there was just a heart in them to listen to Me, then it could be well with them and their children forever.” Deuteronomy 5:29, literal translation.

God says of the wicked, “They would have none of My counsel and despised My every rebuke.” Proverbs 1:30. If you are not willing to take counsel from the Lord, you are getting ready to get into more trouble than you are in already. “He is the Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice, a God of truth and without injustice; righteous and upright is He.” Deuteronomy 32:4.

Isaiah called Jesus the wonderful Counselor (Isaiah 9:6). When in trouble, you need counsel from somebody who knows you or you could end up in more trouble. When a colleague of mine faced a problem, he would enquire from his superiors if they knew of any counsel from the Lord on the subject either in the Bible or Spirit of Prophecy.

When in trouble and you need counsel, seek it from somebody who knows and is able to give you wise counsel. There are many people in other churches that scoff at the writings of Ellen White, but I have so much confidence in the Spirit of Prophecy and have personally tested the writings over and over again when I’m in trouble. In it you will find wise counsel every time, and if you follow that counsel, the Lord will show you the way to lead you out of the trouble you are in.

Number 3 – You need direction.

When people get in trouble, they often get bewildered. I remember the story of a man who was a leader of young people. One Sabbath afternoon he led a group on a hike, but they became lost. Finally some people found them and led them back to the camp, and on returning they described seven fences that they had crossed. In fact, there was only one fence there, and the group had been circling. The leader needed direction and guidance.

Proverbs 3:5 and 6 states, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” This is a promise!

The Lord wants to direct you. If you are going to receive His direction and guidance, it would be a good thing to ask for it. Ellen White wrote great encouragement to a widow who had just lost her husband and was in deep trouble because she had children to raise: “There is not a single instance in which God has hidden His face from the supplication of His people. When every other resource failed He was a present help in every emergency.” This Day with God, 194.

Jesus said that if you ask, you will receive. If you seek, you will find. If you knock, the door will be opened (Matthew 7:7). God is waiting with myriads of angels that are at His command to help you and to give direction and guidance, even if you think you are in too much trouble and think your case is hopeless. The Bible tells us that David had that experience several times. If you are willing to accept counsel from the Lord, you will be surprised to find that the situation you thought was forever was just temporary because you accepted the counsel.

Number 4 – You need comfort just to get through the day.

I well recognize that even if you come to the Lord there may be some difficulty that is not going to leave you in one day but may take longer than a day, even a week or a month. Immediate help is available.

“At all times and in all places, in all sorrows and in all afflictions, when the outlook seems dark and the future perplexing, and we feel helpless and alone, the Comforter will be sent in answer to the prayer of faith. Circumstances may separate us from every earthly friend; but no circumstance, no distance, can separate us from the heavenly Comforter. Wherever we are, wherever we may go, He is always at our right hand to support, sustain, uphold, and cheer.” The Desire of Ages, 669, 670. That is good news!

In II Corinthians 1:4 Paul says, “God has comforted us. We were in so much trouble in Asia, we despaired of life itself, but God comforted us so we could comfort others that are in trouble.” Literal translation.

Jesus said to His disciples, “If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.” John 14:15–18. The comfort provided is through the Holy Spirit.

Number 5 – Do not yield to despondency and give way to mourning.

If you do, your trouble could very easily get a lot worse. I was disturbed for many years, trying to figure out what the Bible meant when Paul said, “Rejoice always.” I Thessalonians 5:16. I wondered had the apostle Paul read the book of Job? No matter what happens, you can refuse to give way to discouragement, despondency or mourning. To go around with a cloud over your head will depress your immune system and things will tend to worsen and look darker.

The person who talks faith will have faith. Recently, at a funeral of a very dear friend, we talked about the good things that we remembered about the person’s life and of the future. His disciples were bound down with despair when Jesus told them He was going to leave, and He told them, “Do not let your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house there are many permanent dwellings. If it wasn’t so, I would have told you. I’m going to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come and receive you unto Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.” John 4:1–3, literal translation.

The disciples did not know that within the next 24 hours Jesus would be led to the cross, but they couldn’t even bare the thought of Him being gone. Jesus did not dwell upon that thought; He directed their minds to the wonderful future. If you are a Christian, you have a wonderful future, and you must never let the devil get you into such a frame of mind to think only about your troubles. Keep your mind on the future and on what God is going to do for you. The Bible clearly illustrates that any trouble that you find yourself in is only temporary. David understood it. (See Psalm 42.) Paul talked about it over and over again. (See Philippians 4; Colossians 3:15–17.)

Number 6 – Have patience.

If you are in trouble, read Romans 2:7 which says, “Eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality.” If you will patiently continue in doing good and in doing what is right, God will lead you through this dark world of sorrow and strife to glory, honor, and eternal life. Do not make your situation worse by using your troubles to excuse wrong behavior.

Number 7 – You are not alone.

We need to remember when we are in trouble, that we are never alone. Guardian angels protect each child of God all the days of his or her life. Not only is your guardian angel with you in this life, but if you should die before Jesus comes, he marks and guards the place where you are buried. God never forgets His own. You are not alone and never will be alone, because you are God’s child. “For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ ” Hebrews 13:5. Paul quotes there from Deuteronomy. So, we boldly say: “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” Psalm 118:6. It is a very comforting thought to know that you are never alone. God has promised to be with you.

An Experience

A man returned home after serving in World War II. He was physically uninjured, but like so many others who have come back from war, he could not free his mind of the death and carnage that he had witnessed in Europe. He became so discouraged that early one morning he decided to get his gun and take his own life, ending his misery. God knew what he was about to do, and suddenly a light appeared that distracted him. He never pulled the trigger. Later, this man became a Seventh-day Adventist minister. Recalling the story, he said he could never figure out what that light was, except that maybe an angel just decided to light up right then to distract him so he would not kill himself. God had a bigger plan for his life.

The Lord will never leave you alone. The apostle Paul told the Athenians, “We need to grope after Him, if perhaps we might find Him, though He is not far from every one of us. In Him we live, and move, and have our being.” Acts 17:27, 28, literal translation. He’s right there. He’s not somewhere else. You are not alone.

Number 8 – The school of life.

The Christian life is one of meaning, including all of the trials and troubles. Life in this world is actually a school of discipline and training, and all of the experiences, including the troubles, form a Christian character.

When trials come, ask yourself what it is that the Lord is trying to teach you through it. Sometimes I’ve been tempted to say to the Lord, “I wish I could learn the lesson I need to learn without going through this.” But the Lord knows; He is out to save you. I used to tell my students, when I taught at Southwestern Adventist College in Keene, Texas, “If the Lord knows that the only way He can save you is to allow you to go through a suffering experience, you might be surprised how much suffering He may allow you to go through, because He wants to save you.” We need to think about that when we are in trouble.

When Jesus got in trouble, He remained courteous. He still told the truth, even when He was going to be crucified because of it. This world is a school. I learned a long time ago, as a teacher, that students do not like tests. But a student cannot achieve and get to where he wants to be without tests. Tests are a necessary part of all education that is worth anything.

God is conducting a school, and He has an objective to reach. How can God expect somebody that is a wretch like me to become “like Christ”? I don’t know; I just say, “Lord, You’ve told me what You are going to do in my life and I’m trusting that You can do it.” But sometimes, God has to allow me to have some trouble, so I will learn the lessons He knows I need. If you pray about it, God might teach you a lot of lessons right in the midst of the troubles that you’re going through.

The Bible says that when Jesus comes, we are going to be like Him, so in order to achieve that we must develop His mind. Paul said that, “We have the mind of Christ.” I Corinthians 2:16. He said to the church in Philippi, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 2:5.

This world is a school of discipline and training, and through all of our experiences, including our troubles, we are to form characters like the character of Christ, and to acquire the habits and the language of the higher life.

Different people have different lessons to learn. But we all are to acquire the habits and the language of the higher life. Enoch learned to do it. Ellen White says that while he was living on this earth he, by faith, dwelt in the abodes of light. He learned how to talk, think, and live the way heavenly beings lived, so God took him. “Enoch’s heart was upon eternal treasures. He had looked upon the celestial city. He had seen the King in His glory in the midst of Zion. His mind, his heart, his conversation, were in heaven. The greater the existing iniquity, the more earnest was his longing for the home of God. While still on earth, he dwelt, by faith, in the realms of light.” Heaven, 99.

Number 9 – Ask for help.

When you are in trouble, one of the things that you should be asking is, Lord, is there a way for me to overcome this problem? Some people wait for somebody else to solve everything. But the Lord is looking for people who will ask Him. In fact, Ellen White says that part of the work of true education is to teach the students to overcome obstacles. (See Manuscript Releases, vol. 8, 199, 200.)

I once knew a conference president who would not allow any pastor to say that he had a problem. He would say, “We do not have problems in this conference; we only have challenges. You are welcome to tell me whatever your challenge is, but we do not have problems here and I don’t want you to use that word, because we do not have them. Any problem we have here, we are going to overcome.”

The Bible talks about people who conquer or overcome. The Lord expects you to call on Him, and say, “Lord, help me. You promised me that I could overcome by Your grace, and I’m depending on You to help me.” Remember the glory that is awaiting the overcomer. The one who overcomes will be clothed in white raiment. Jesus says, in Revelation 3:5, “I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.” The Father says, “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.” Revelation 21:7.

Allow God to control your mind. Keep Christ always in view, and consider what the Lord would do in your place. Jesus did not just look at the trouble, He worked out a solution. The Devil presented a problem that he thought God Himself could not solve, but the Lord solved it. It required Jesus to go to the cross, but in that act, God was able to solve the sin problem. Because of it, He is able to solve whatever trouble you experience.

Number 10 – God’s promises are for all who receive Him.

“As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become the children of God, to those who believe in His name.” John 1:12.

Disobedience must and will be punished. In Christ your weakest point can become your strongest if only you go to the Lord and ask for help.

Jesus said, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” Mark 9:23. “He that believes on Him has eternal life, but he that is disobedient to the Son does not have life, but the wrath of God remains upon him.” John 3:36, literal translation. If you believe, victory is certain, and all of your troubles will be temporary.

(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.