Chapter 10 Desire of Ages — Chapter 78

PROPHETIC PARALLELS
The Church “Then”. . . . . .and the Church Now

by Terry S. Ross

DA 741: “ ‘And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified Him. ’”

Who are the “they” in this quotation? Christ died for us all because we need a saviour but the Ancient Adventist Church should not have been the ones to murder Him.

DA 742: “The crowd that followed the Saviour saw His weak and staggering steps, but they manifested no compassion. They taunted and reviled Him because He could not carry the heavy cross. Again the burden was laid upon Him, and again He fell fainting to the ground. His persecutors saw that it was impossible for Him to carry His burden farther. They were puzzled to find any one who would bear the humiliating load. The Jews themselves could not do this, because the defilement would prevent them from keeping the Passover. None even of the mob that followed Him would stoop to bear the cross.”

No one who refuses to bear the humiliating load of Christ’s cross will share in the glory of Christ’s crown. Even though the “church” was literally killing the Son of God, they would continue business as usual and looked forward to keeping the Passover which represented the very Person whom they were killing! They had become so blind that they couldn’t recognize the Truth even when it was actually right before them! Do not be fooled into believing that something like this could not happen in the Seventh- day Adventist “Church.” It not only can happen, it has happened, and is happening for the last time right now.

DA 742- 43: “Not a few women are in the crowd that follow the Uncondemned to His cruel death. Their attention is fixed upon Jesus. Some of them have seen Him before. Some have carried to Him their sick and suffering ones. Some have themselves been healed. The story of the scenes that have taken place is related. They wonder at the hatred of the crowd toward Him for whom their own hearts are melting and ready to break. And notwithstanding the action of the maddened throng, and the angry words of the priests and rulers, these women give expression to their sympathy. As Jesus falls fainting beneath the cross, they break forth into mournful wailing.

“This was the only thing that attracted Christ’s attention. Although full of suffering, while bearing the sins of the world, He was not indifferent to the expression of grief. He looked upon these women with tender compassion. They were not believers in Him; He knew that they were not lamenting Him as one sent from God, but were moved by feelings of human pity. He did not despise their sympathy, but it awakened in His heart a deeper sympathy for them. ‘Daughters of Jerusalem, ’ He said, ‘weep not for Me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children. ’ From the scene before Him, Christ looked forward to the time of Jerusalem’s destruction. In that terrible scene, many of those who were now weeping for Him, were to perish with their children.”

Even these non- believing women are amazed at the hatred that the Conference Leadership has toward Christ! But Jesus tells them that they should be weeping for themselves. Why? He was looking forward and He knew that most of the people in the crowd would continue to be influenced by the apostate conference men who would continue to say “The ship is going through.” They, in turn, would continue to believe this and would be destroyed with that particular ship because it, in truth, was not the ship that was going through.

DA 743: “From the fall of Jerusalem the thoughts of Jesus passed to a wider judgment. IN THE DESTRUCTION OF THE IMPENITENT CITY HE SAW A SYMBOL OF THE FINAL DESTRUCTION TO COME UPON THE WORLD. He said, ‘Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us. For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry? ’ By the green tree, Jesus represented Himself, the innocent Redeemer. God suffered His wrath against transgression to fall on His beloved Son. Jesus was to be crucified for the sins of men. WHAT SUFFERING, THEN, WOULD THE SINNER BEAR WHO CONTINUED IN SIN? ALL THE IMPENITENT AND UNBELIEVING WOULD KNOW A SORROW AND MISERY THAT LANGUAGE WOULD FAIL TO EXPRESS.”

If Jerusalem is a symbol of the bigger destruction of the world, what then can we learn? Who made up the populace of that city? The headquarters of the “church” was also the headquarters of Rome in that part of the country. We will find in the near future that the headquarters of modern Rome will be located not too far from the Adventist structure’s headquarters. As they worked hand in hand for the destruction of Christ, in the future they will work hand in hand for the destruction of God’s last day people. This may be difficult to believe but not any more difficult than two thousand years ago. Only those who took God (Jesus) at His Word escaped the destruction of Jerusalem. We can expect that a similar group of believers that will escape the destruction to come, as it surely will.

Leaders who teach their congregations that they can continue in sin and cannot stop sinning either knowingly or unknowingly are leading these people to eternal damnation. If we truly love others, the exposure of this deadly heresy must take place and be openly challenged. People must be given the opportunity to know the truth to stop listening to the lies of these agents of Satan.

DA 743: “Of the multitude that followed the Saviour to Calvary, many had attended Him with joyful hosannas and the waving of palm branches, as He rode triumphantly into Jerusalem. But not a few who had then shouted His praise because it was popular to do so, now swelled the cry of ‘Crucify Him! crucify Him! ’ When Christ rode into Jerusalem, the hopes of the disciples had been raised to the highest pitch. They had pressed close about their Master, feeling that it was a high honor to be connected with Him. Now in His humiliation they followed Him at a distance. They were filled with grief, and bowed down with disappointed hopes. How were the words of Jesus verified: ‘All ye shall be offended because of Me this night; for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. ’ (Matt. 26: 31).”

To follow Christ for political reasons because it’s popular to do so or for any other reason than from conviction based on a love for God and His truth, will prove to be fatal! Every single person whose motivation and actions fall below the standard WILL betray, forsake, and be lost!

DA 744: “The Saviour made no murmur of complaint. His face remained calm and serene, but great drops of sweat stood upon His brow. There was no pitying hand to wipe the death- dew from His face, nor words of sympathy and unchanging fidelity to stay His human heart. While the soldiers were doing their fearful work, Jesus prayed for His enemies, ‘Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. ’ His mind passed from His own suffering to the sin of His persecutors, and the terrible retribution that would be theirs. No curses were called down upon the soldiers who were handling Him so roughly. No vengeance was invoked upon the priests and rulers, who were gloating over the accomplishment of their purpose. Christ pitied them in their ignorance and guilt. He breathed only a plea for their forgiveness, — ‘for they know not what they do. ’”

Here Jesus wonderfully demonstrates the balance of warfare and welfare. While He had exposed His enemies and denounced them with scathing rebukes, He had no human feelings of vengeance toward them, but only pity. He would have gladly forgiven them if they had repented; He had no pleasure in the thoughts of their future destruction. Today, although we are to do the same work, we can be guilty of murder ourselves if we enjoy the destruction of our enemies. We must do what we do for the purposes of salvation, not for the purpose of destruction. Jesus had the perfect balance of “not blind, nor bitter.”

DA 744- 45: “Had they known that they were putting to torture One who had come to save the sinful race from eternal ruin, they would have been seized with remorse and horror. BUT THEIR IGNORANCE DID NOT REMOVE THEIR GUILT; for it was their privilege to know and accept Jesus as their Saviour. Some of them would yet see their sin, and repent, and be converted. Some by their impenitence would make it an impossibility for the prayer of Christ to be answered for them. Yet just the same God’s purpose was reaching its fulfillment. Jesus was earning the right to become the advocate of men in the Father’s presence.

“That prayer of Christ for His enemies embraced the world. It took in every sinner that had lived or should live, from the beginning of the world to the end of time. Upon all rests the guilt of crucifying the Son of God. To all, forgiveness is freely offered. ‘Whosoever will’ may have peace with God, and inherit eternal life.”

Here is yet another description of the modern Adventist “Church.” No one has greater opportunity to learn about Jesus and His truth than those in the Adventist movement. The majority are ignorant of the weightier matters, but willfully so. Their ignorance will not be valid during the judgement period, but it does explain why they do what they do. Some, during this time of ongoing education, will see the truth, repent and be converted. Others (the majority) because of stubbornness, willful blindness, wanting to be popular, and love for cherished idols will refuse to be converted. This group is the reason why God inspired Sister White to write that we have more to fear from within than without.

DA 745: “Pilate then wrote an inscription in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, and placed it upon the cross, above the head of Jesus. It read, ‘Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews. ’ This inscription irritated the Jews. In Pilate’s court they had cried, ‘Crucify Him! ’ ‘We have no king but Caesar. ’ (John 19: 15.) They had declared that whoever should acknowledge any other king was a traitor. Pilate wrote out the sentiment they had expressed. NO OFFENSE WAS MENTIONED, EXCEPT THAT JESUS WAS THE KING OF THE JEWS. THE INSCRIPTION WAS A VIRTUAL ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF THE ALLEGIANCE OF THE JEWS TO THE ROMAN POWER. IT DECLARED THAT WHOEVER MIGHT CLAIM TO BE THE KING OF ISRAEL, WOULD BE JUDGED BY THEM WORTHY OF DEATH. The priests had overreached themselves. When they were plotting the death of Christ, Caiaphas had declared it expedient that one man should die to save the nation. Now their hypocrisy was revealed. In order to destroy Christ, they had been ready to sacrifice even their national existence.”

You will notice that the only offense charged to Jesus was, in fact, the truth. You will also notice that the Jews’ (Ancient Adventists who were in apostasy) allegiance was with Rome and not God. To declare that the truth of Christ was above the traditions of Rome meant sure death. In the not too distant future, the true and faithful who will stand for God’s Word and declare that the traditions of Rome are not valid will face the death decree. Until it’s forever too late, the other group who declares that the traditions of Rome are above God’s Word will also face the death decree. It is up to you to decide which death decree you want to face.

DA 746- 49: “And Satan with his angels, in human form, was present at the cross. The archfiend and his hosts were co- operating with the priests and rulers. The teachers of the people had stimulated the ignorant mob to pronounce judgment against One upon whom many of them had never looked, until urged to bear testimony against Him. Priests, rulers, Pharisees, and the hardened rabble were confederated together in a Satanic frenzy. Religious rulers united with Satan and his angels. They were doing his bidding.”

Just as Jesus was completing the first phase of the plan of salvation, Satan and his angels, in human form, appeared to deceive all who could be deceived. The same deception will take place just as Jesus is bringing the final phase of salvation to a close. We are told in Revelation and the book Great Controversy that Satan will appear as an angel of light to deceive the nations.

Most Adventists I’ve met realize that Satan will personate Christ in order to deceive, but I have met very few Adventists who understand that Satan will not come alone. Did you realize that he will bring the apostles with him? Let’s read it here in Great Controversy page 557: “The apostles, as personated by these lying spirits, are made to contradict what they wrote at the dictation of the Holy Spirit when on earth.” Maybe you can better understand that unless we have the mind of Christ, which can only be obtained by following Him all the way, this deception to come will be overpowering. Only those who are fully connected with Christ will make it through this time. The preparation time which we are now enjoying is quickly disappearing and we had better be paying attention.

DA 749: “In their mockery of the Saviour, the men who professed to be the expounders of prophecy were repeating the very words which inspiration had foretold they would utter upon this occasion. Yet in their blindness they did not see that they were fulfilling the prophecy.”

This same blindness is even now being repeated. This prophecy is having its fulfillment in our day. In their blindness, the leaders are preaching toward their own doom and fulfilling the prophecy of their own destruction.

DA 753: “Upon Christ as our substitute and surety was laid the iniquity of us all. He was counted a transgressor, that He might redeem us from the condemnation of the law. The guilt of every descendant of Adam was pressing upon His heart. The wrath of God against sin, the terrible manifestation of His displeasure because of iniquity, filled the soul of His Son with consternation. All His life Christ had been publishing to a fallen world the good news of the Father’s mercy and pardoning love. Salvation for the chief of sinners was His theme. But now with the terrible weight of guilt He bears, He cannot see the Father’s reconciling face. The withdrawal of the divine countenance from the Saviour in this hour of supreme anguish pierced His heart with a sorrow that can never be fully understood by man. So great was this agony that His physical pain was hardly felt.

“SATAN WITH HIS FIERCE TEMPTATIONS WRUNG THE HEART OF JESUS. The Saviour could not see through the portals of the tomb. Hope did not present to Him His coming forth from the grave a conqueror, or tell Him of the Father’s acceptance of the sacrifice. He feared that sin was so offensive to God, that their separation was to be eternal. CHRIST FELT THE ANGUISH WHICH THE SINNER WILL FEEL WHEN MERCY SHALL NO LONGER PLEAD FOR THE GUILTY RACE. It was the sense of sin, bringing the Father’s wrath upon Him as man’s substitute, that made the cup He drank so bitter, and broke the heart of the Son of God.”

Every soul who takes a stand for Jesus in these last days will have to go through a similar experience in their own sphere which He had to go through. But especially will the 144,000 understand by experience what price Jesus paid for our salvation. During the time of trouble after probation closes, this group will feel a similar anguish of soul that wrung the heart of their Saviour. This will be a terrible ordeal but in the end it will separate this group from any other in the entire universe. Theirs will be an elevated experience known only to them and their Lord.

On the other side of the coin, those who choose apostasy instead of Christ will feel a deepened terror that was only felt by those who killed Christ. There will not be another group of human beings who share in this same terror. To make a profession of Adventism and turn from what it really means (especially for the leadership) is serious business. Oh, Brothers and Sisters, we do not want to be a part of this “church!” To one day face the reality of this truth and know that eternity was in the palms of our hands, yet be forever lost! The terror will be indescribable. Let us choose rather to place our feeble selves in the hands of a caring Father for He will see us through the trouble ahead. I have always said that no one will escape persecution in the end anyway. A small group will be persecuted by man and Satan. The larger group will be persecuted by God. Let us choose the right group in which to be persecuted.

DA 756: “In silence the beholders watched for the end of the fearful scene. The sun shone forth; but the cross was still enveloped in darkness. Priests and rulers looked toward Jerusalem; and lo, the dense cloud had settled over the city, and the plains of Judea. The Sun of Righteousness, the Light of the world, was withdrawing His beams from the once favored city of Jerusalem. The fierce lightnings of God’s wrath were directed against the fated city.”

Jesus Christ Who had raised up Jerusalem with His own power had the power to reject it. According to this history, the fierce lightnings of God’s wrath will be directed against the apostate people of Jerusalem — Apostate Adventists.

DA 756: “Amid the awful darkness, apparently forsaken of God, Christ had drained the last dregs in the cup of human woe. In those dreadful hours He had relied upon the evidence of His Father’s acceptance heretofore given Him. He was acquainted with the character of His Father; He understood His justice, His mercy, and His great love. By faith He rested in Him whom it had ever been His joy to obey. And as in submission He committed Himself to God, the sense of the loss of His Father’s favor was withdrawn. BY FAITH, CHRIST WAS VICTOR.”

All immediate evidence suggested that the Heavenly Father had forsaken His Son, but Christ’s personal life experience with God had developed the faith that was victorious over all the assaults of Satan. This faith, the faith OF Jesus Christ, identifies His true people who ARE HIS TRUE CHURCH.

DA 756- 57: “Never before had the earth witnessed such a scene. The multitude stood paralyzed, and with bated breath gazed upon the Saviour. Again darkness settled upon the earth, and a hoarse rumbling, like heavy thunder, was heard. There was a violent earthquake. The people were shaken together in heaps. The wildest confusion and consternation ensued. In the surrounding mountains, rocks were rent asunder, and went crashing down into the plains. Sepulchers were broken open, and the dead were cast out of their tombs. Creation seemed to be shivering to atoms. Priests, rulers, soldiers, executioners, and people, mute with terror, lay prostrate upon the ground.

“When the loud cry, ‘It is finished, ’ came from the lips of Christ, the priests were officiating in the temple. It was the hour of the evening sacrifice. The lamb representing Christ had been brought to be slain. Clothed in his significant and beautiful dress, the priest stood with lifted knife, as did Abraham when he was about to slay his son. With intense interest the people were looking on. But the earth trembles and quakes; for the Lord Himself draws near. With a rending noise the inner veil of the temple is torn from top to bottom by an unseen hand, throwing open to the gaze of the multitude a place once filled with the presence of God. In this place the shekinah had dwelt. Here God had manifested His glory above the mercy- seat. No one but the high priest ever lifted the veil separating this apartment from the rest of the temple. He entered in once a year to make an atonement for the sins of the people. But lo, this veil is rent in twain. The most holy place of the earthly sanctuary is no longer sacred.

“All is terror and confusion. The priest is about to slay the victim; but the knife drops from his nerveless hand, and the lamb escapes. Type has met antitype in the death of God’s Son. The great sacrifice has been made. The way into the holiest is laid open. A new and living was is prepared for all. No longer need sinful, sorrowing humanity await the coming of the high priest. Henceforth the Saviour was to officiate as priest and advocate in the heaven of heavens. It was as if a living voice had spoken to the worshipers: There is now an end to all sacrifices and offerings for sin. The Son of God is come according to His word, ‘Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of Me,) to do Thy will, O God. ’ ‘By His own blood’ He entereth ‘in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. ’ (Heb. 10: 17; 9: 12).”

This terror and confusion spoken of in Desire of Ages is the same that will be on the earth and in the hearts of apostate pastors, leaders, and all who reject God’s warnings and mercies. The scenes that you have studied in this book are now being repeated and will continue to follow the same course viewed two thousand years ago.

When the veil in the temple was torn from top to bottom at the command of God, it was a signal and an invitation to all to understand that no pastor or priest would stand between man and God save Jesus Christ alone. In this study, inspiration has clearly demonstrated that God is not bound to any pastor, Conference Worker, Conference Leader, General Conference, or a people once chosen.

This book has been written in the honest hope that all who read it will come to a better understanding of not only what has been, but what is and what will be. The author of this book is convinced that our loving Saviour, Jesus Christ, is warning us about events just now happening and those about to happen so we are not deceived. We also understand that many statements in this book are “hard sayings,” but it is just as imperative that we take them into our lives as it was for the disciples.

“Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” says God’s Word, for we are told in the Spirit of Prophecy that the majority will be lost because they refused to take God at His Word.

Wherever you are or whatever you’re doing, no matter where your present loyalties lie, we would plead with you to take this study most seriously. If our understanding of the past is correct, we believe that your very life depends on how you choose to react to what you have read.

It’s decision time, dear Brothers and Sisters. What will it be? Will you go to man for your salvation or to God? Your destiny hangs upon your answer. Choose ye this day….

Copyright © 1999 Servants of the Saviour
Terry & Cathy Ross

Table of Contents
Acknowledgements and Forward
Chapter 1 Desire of Ages — Chapter 63
Chapter 2 Desire of Ages — Chapter 64
Chapter 3 Desire of Ages — Chapter 65
Chapter 4 Desire of Ages — Chapters 66 & 67
Chapter 5 Desire of Ages — Chapters 68 & 69
Chapter 6 Desire of Ages — Chapters 70, 71 & 72
Chapter 7 Desire of Ages — Chapter 73
Chapter 8 Desire of Ages — Chapters 74 & 75
Chapter 9 Desire of Ages — Chapters 76 & 77
Chapter 10 Desire of Ages — Chapter 78

Chapter 7 Desire of Ages — Chapter 73

PROPHETIC PARALLELS
The Church “Then”. . . . . .and the Church Now

by Terry S. Ross

DA 663: “While He was building mansions for them, they were to build characters after the divine similitude…

“There are not many ways to heaven. Each one may not choose his own way. Christ says, ‘I am the way…. No man cometh unto the Father but by Me. ’”

Today, many demonstrate either by word, action, or both that they believe there is more than one way to heaven. These leaders are using their influence to try to convince others that it really doesn’t matter how we worship God. Remember that Cain had this same attitude. These same folks are also saying that we need not worry so much about forming perfect characters because Jesus understands we are only human. Unfortunately, most people will continue to believe this lie. You see, Jesus DOES understand our humanity! And the problem isn’t Jesus, but us. We need to understand His divinity! Those who do and trust Jesus all the way will find the ONLY way to heaven. We will discover eventually that all of these “poor little me” arguments to excuse sin are in vain. What good will have been accomplished at that time? It will be forever too late when people see that God was right. We cannot afford to allow this to be our experience. You have all that is necessary for yours to be a success story in the books of heaven. All you need is a sanctified choice (will) and Jesus. If you will do your part, Jesus has given His life to prove, beyond a shadow of a doubt, He will do His part. What good will it have been to have gone to church or anything else if it’s all been wasted in the end? Won’t you determine just now that you will cast your lot with Christ no matter what any man says? Won’t you promise yourself, right this moment, that you will take God and not man at His word? Those who in the end are safe to be saved for eternity will be those who trusted God will all their minds, bodies, and souls. It is a law of the universe that if we choose to place our confidence in man instead of God; if we choose to doubt God’s ability to bring us all the way to a perfected character, then our doubts will be realized. It is all the way with Christ or none of the way with Him. Those who meet Jesus halfway will lose heaven all the way.

DA 664: “How earnestly and perseveringly our compassionate Saviour sought to prepare His disciples for the storm of temptation that was soon to beat upon them. He would have them hid with Him in God.”

It was education time in the Ancient Adventist Church and this education Christ came to impart to His disciples. Even these Independent Ministers who were to take this education to the Conference and laity alike were not prepared for the approaching storm that was to commence within the structure. The message that Jesus gave to these men to share would cause them much trouble but, nonetheless, it was the message they were to give if they would remain faithful. These same messages of warning and education are being brought again at the Lord’s command, for the last time. Only those, as in the Ancient Adventist days, who heed the messages will be protected in the end.

DA 664: “As Christ was speaking these words, the glory of God was shining from His countenance, and all present felt a sacred awe as they listened with rapt attention to His words. Their hearts were more decidedly drawn to Him; and as they were drawn to Christ in greater love, they were drawn to one another.”

Much emphasis is placed on unity these days within the circles of Adventism. Certainly Jesus prayed for His people to have unity and all heaven is waiting for this to take place. “Christ calls for unity. BUT HE DOES NOT CALL FOR US TO UNIFY ON WRONG PRACTICES. The God of heaven draws a sharp contrast between pure, elevating, ennobling truth and false, misleading doctrines. He calls sin and impenitence by the right name. He does not gloss over wrongdoing with a coat of untempered mortar. I urge our brethren to UNIFY UPON A TRUE, SPIRITUAL BASIS.” (1SM 175)

All this talk of unity will have no value in the sight of God if it isn’t based on His high standard. Unity in itself is against God’s kingdom if it’s based on any other foundation than to hold up truth and the pure principles of the heavenly kingdom. God will have some day soon this unity among His true people. Will you and I be among this group? No man can make us do otherwise if this is where we choose to be.

DA 664: “The Saviour was deeply anxious for His disciples to understand for what purpose His divinity was united to humanity. He came to the world to display the glory of God, that man might be uplifted by its restoring power. God was manifested in Him that He might be manifested in them. JESUS REVEALED NO QUALITIES, AND EXERCISED NO POWERS, THAT MEN MAY NOT HAVE THROUGH FAITH IN HIM. His PERFECT HUMANITY is that which all His followers may possess, if they will be in subjection to God as He was.”

Love for the pure truth of God is the glue that alone will bring this binding together of which so many speak. This unity will ONLY come to those who honestly have the eternal interests of God’s government in mind. ONLY those who protect God’s throne while on this earth of sin will share in His glory in the world made new. This class is the ONLY one who will survive the great controversy.

DA 667: “All who will go to work, trusting not in what they themselves can do, but in what God can do for and through them, will certainly realize the fulfillment of His promise. ‘Greater works than these shall ye do, ’ He declares: ‘because I go unto my Father. ’”

Oh, friend! Do you believe that Jesus has enough power to overcome all the sin in your life? Do you believe that Jesus is your only hope if you are to be an overcomer? Do you believe that Jesus will help you cease from liking whatever sin it is that you may be holding on to? Are you tired of playing Catholicism with your Adventism? If you can answer “yes” to the preceding questions, Brother or Sister, there is hope! But you and I must be willing to put it all on the altar of the Lord. We must be willing to agonize, if need be, in order to overcome. As Christ overcame through this agonizing in the garden, so we too must travel this road. Remember, God is not building for just a moment but for eternity.

There are three identifying marks of the remnant church. We hear of two quite often but we need to understand the third much more than we seem to. The last church will keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus, which is the spirit of prophecy. But this is not all. The last church also will have the faith OF Jesus Christ.

What does it mean to have the faith OF Jesus Christ? It means that the people who comprise the last church, the only church that’s going through, will have the same faith that Jesus had. This faith is much more than a profession of belief. This faith believes with the total soul. It’s THE faith that the entire universe possesses. This is the only faith that entrusts itself completely and totally to the Heavenly Father. It is total trust, total commitment, total partnership with the Creator. This faith is the secret ingredient, and the only one, that will ensure total victory. This living faith will, for eternity, bar sin from ever returning to God’s expansive domain. Only those who obtain this faith will be trusted with the responsibilities of the faithful. The wonderful, wonderful news of Adventism is that all of heaven is active in giving us all the help we need to make the faith of Jesus our own, if we want it more than anything else. But we must want it just as much as Jesus wanted it. We must want it enough to lay down our own lives for the Father, for he that loses his life for My sake, Jesus said, shall find it.

DA 667: “As yet the disciples were unacquainted with the Saviour’s UNLIMITED RESOURCES AND POWER. He said to them, ‘Hitherto have ye asked nothing in My name. ’ (John 16: 24.) He explained that the secret of their success would be in asking for strength and grace in His name. He would be present before the Father to make request for them. The prayer of the humble suppliant He presents as His own desire in that soul’s behalf. Every sincere prayer is heard in heaven. It may not be fluently expressed; but if the heart is in it, it will ascend to the sanctuary where Jesus ministers, and He will present it to the Father without one awkward, stammering word, beautiful and fragrant with the incense of His own perfection.”

If we are honestly seeking to follow God’s will, although we may not know how to ask properly, Jesus takes our personal requests upon Himself and presents them in such a manner that the Father is pleased to grant to us the blessing sought.

DA 667- 8: “ ‘In My name, ’ Christ bade His disciples pray. In Christ’s name His followers are to stand before God. Through the value of the sacrifice made for them, they are of value in the Lord’s sight. Because of the imputed righteousness of Christ they are accounted precious. For Christ’s sake the Lord pardons those that fear Him. He does not see in them the vileness of the sinner. He recognizes in them the likeness of His Son, in whom they believe.

“The Lord is disappointed when His people place a low estimate upon themselves. He desires His chosen heritage to value themselves according to the price He has placed upon them. God wanted them, else He would not have sent His Son on such an expensive errand to redeem them. He has a use for them, and He is well pleased when they make the very highest demands upon Him, that they may glorify His name. They may expect large things if they have faith in His promises.

“But to pray in Christ’s name means much. It means that we are to accept His character, manifest His spirit, and work His works. The Saviour’s promise is given on condition. ‘If ye love Me, ’ He says, ‘keep My commandments. ’ He saves men, NOT IN SIN, BUT FROM SIN; and those who love Him will show their love by obedience.

“All true obedience comes from the heart. It was heart- work with Christ. And if we consent, He will so identify Himself with our thoughts and aims, so blend our hearts and minds into conformity to His will, that when obeying Him we shall be but carrying out our own impulses. The will, refined and sanctified, will find its highest delight in doing His service. When we know God as it is our privilege to know Him, our life will be a life of continual obedience. Through an appreciation of the character of Christ, through communion with God, sin will become hateful to us.

“AS CHRIST LIVED THE LAW IN HUMANITY, SO WE MAY DO if we will take hold of the Strong for strength.”

It is true that we are not to be proud and selfish. We are to esteem others better than ourselves, as well. But the fact that heaven paid such a high price for our redemption should help us to realize that we are valued highly in the eyes of the Father. Have you ever had a friend who you KNEW valued you? You had been through a lot together, perhaps, and your friendship had stood the test. As a matter of fact, on reflection about some of the hard times, you have come to realize that these times helped to cement the relationship even more. This is how God feels about you, my friend. It is hard to explain the love of God, but He has proven to us this love is real.

The Father is not looking for people who have learned to follow a set of do’s and don’ts. The majority have been taught that God is lurking somewhere, everywhere, just waiting to pounce on them when they sin or even make mistakes. With this belief, is it any wonder that the requirements of God seem negative to most Christians? What the Father is really “lurking” around for is to find someone to appreciate Him, just as we would a true friend who has done much for us. God will have a people who finally realize their Best Friend has paid the supreme sacrifice because He so much wants them to be with Him. With this belief in tact, they will understand rightly that they are so much in His debt, they will literally do anything for Him. And this is exactly what they will be doing for eternity. Eternity with God will be living with your Best Friend forever.

Those who are saved out of this last generation, and especially the 144,000, will understand this love relationship better than any other generation before it. True obedience can never come from a heart that HAS to do what the Lord says. True obedience comes from a heart that WANTS to do what the Lord says because that heart wants to please their Best Friend.

DA 669: “When for the truth’s sake the believer stands at the bar of unrighteous tribunals, Christ stands by his side. All the reproaches that fall upon him, fall upon Christ. Christ is condemned over again in the person of His disciple. When one is incarcerated in prison walls, Christ ravishes the heart with His love.”

When the battle really heats up, as it surely will, the Lord has promised to bring the needed help. We are not to be concerned about this, for “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” (DA 670).

Already we are seeing examples of how family members and many in the structure follow the mandates of the leadership to shun or ignore the true and the faithful. We are now getting glimpses of our own future, Brothers and Sisters. The treatment of those who are preaching and standing for the plain truth is but a prelude of worse, much worse abuses to come. But Jesus has promised that though these things would happen and all would forsake us, as they forsook Him, He would NEVER leave us.

DA 670: “Jesus had opened before His disciples a vast tract of truth. BUT IT WAS MOST DIFFICULT FOR THEM TO KEEP HIS LESSONS DISTINCT FROM THE TRADITIONS AND MAXIMS OF THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES. THEY HAD BEEN EDUCATED TO ACCEPT THE TEACHING OF THE RABBIS AS THE VOICE OF GOD, AND IT STILL HELD A POSER OVER THEIR MINDS, AND MOLDED THEIR SENTIMENTS. Earthly ideas, temporal things, still had a large place in their thoughts. They did not understand the spiritual nature of Christ’s kingdom, though He had so often explained it to them. Their minds had become confused. They did not comprehend the value of the scriptures Christ presented. Many of His lessons seemed almost lost upon them.”

When I read this statement, I thought how nothing, absolutely nothing has changed since two thousand years ago. The trouble in Christ’s day and the trouble in our own is the same. I looked up four key words in the quotation and thought it very interesting. The word “maxims” — rules of conduct written in precise form. I thought about the “church” manual immediately. “Scribes” — official writers, copyists, editors. I immediately thought of the Review. “Pharisees” — (leaders) who insisted on the validity of the tradition of the Elders. I immediately thought about Conference Committees who enforce “commandments” by opinion or popular vote — putting man’s opinion above God’s requirements. “Sentiments” — a mental attitude or response to a person, subject or idea conditional entirely by feeling instead of reason. I knew this was speaking of the reason the “church” is in so much trouble. People are acting upon feeling instead of principle. After looking up these words, I put the above quotation into the modern day language and this is how it reads:

Jesus had opened before His Independent Leaders a vast tract of truth. But it was most difficult for them to keep His lessons distinct from the traditions and church manual and writings of the Review and Conference. They had been educated by these same people to accept the teaching of the Conference as the voice of God, and it still held a power over their minds and molded their feelings.

Of course, this was before the upper room experience but it demonstrates all too well just the situation in which most Adventists find themselves. Most Adventists are placing their confidence in the wrong place. Most Adventists are confused and are having a difficult time taking God at His Word. Most Adventists have been educated by the Conference Leaders to accept whatever they say as the voice of God. But here is what the prophet has to say about that:

“… We hear that the voice of the Conference is the voice of God, but IT IS NOT, because some in connection with it are not men of faith and prayer, they are not men of elevated principle.” (Manuscript Release # 365).

Two thousand years ago the disciples and the general populace of the “church” had some real problems with Jesus because they had been educated by their Conference Leaders to believe that the Conference was the voice of God. When Jesus tried to show them the truth, they were confused and upset that Jesus had such an apparent disregard for that which was sacred to them. Nonetheless, Jesus forged ahead with the work of re- educating the people who would listen.

The Conference was on one side and Jesus on the other. The Conference was telling the people that Christ was a liar and an imposter. They were telling the people that the “church” was going through. Of course, the people automatically equated the church with the Conference because of the way they had been taught by these men. Their sentiments (feelings) had been molded in such a fashion as to effectively block the work of Christ.

Today, the exact same thing is happening throughout the ranks of Adventism. The sentiments of the people are the same as in former days. The confusion is also the same, as well as the effectiveness of the Conference. But in former times, not all the people stayed confused. There were some who finally took Jesus at His word. It was (as it is now) these who went through; not the Conference. It was these who were the REAL church that went through and Biblical history dictates these facts. The Conference is NOT the church! God’s church is made up of people who follow Him; not traditions and maxims of Scribes and Pharisees who don’t follow Him.

It was not Christ’s purpose to be at odds with the very system He had raised up. Christ came to save the lost and make salvation sure for all those who would except His truth. But here’s where the rub comes in. Christ ended up at odds with the counter system because it stood directly in the way of His real purpose, which was saving people. The Conference of His day was leading the people contrary to His Father’s will and hence not to heaven, but to hell. This left Christ with no choice but to oppose this corrupt Conference.

Most of us who find ourselves in the exact position of Christ’s day have not purposed in life to be at odds with the system that Christ has raised up. We want to do the same work that Christ did and has called us to do which is bringing the truth of salvation to the people. But the Conference is standing directly in the way of truth. The modern Conference, like the ancient one, is leading the people contrary to the Father’s will and hence not to heaven, but to hell. This leaves us with no choice but to oppose this corrupt Conference. They may be proclaiming, “The church is going through.” But, as in the old days, they mean that the Conference is going through. Frankly, we know better because the principles of God have not changed since two thousand years ago. We understand that the same history WILL, without a doubt, bring the same result.

I realize the process of which I speak is sometimes painful and upsetting. It’s hard for us to change and come to some of these realizations. As the disciples said, “This is a hard saying; who can hear it?” But Jesus understands this all too well and He will help us if we seek it. If we don’t, we will never come to understand — “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.” (1 SM 37).

Whether we like it, whether we admit it, whether we choose to deal with — we are living in the mirror image of Christ’s day, His first coming. The situation is the same and our choices, as in the days of old, will determine not so much IF the church is going through, but IF we are in THE church that does!

Dear friends, I would never ask you to take my word for this. That’s what led most Ancient Adventists into trouble and that’s what is causing the trouble now — people taking a man at his word. The Bible says that the only way to prove things is to the law and to the testimony. Please don’t take any man’s word, but rather study to show yourself approved. This is our only safety. We can have confidence that Jesus is still leading and through the Holy Spirit, guide you into all truth, if this truly is your desire.

DA 671: “The Comforter is called ‘the Spirit of truth. ’ His work is to define and maintain the truth. He first dwells in the heart as the Spirit of truth, and thus He becomes the Comforter. There is comfort and peace in the truth, but no real peace or comfort can be found in falsehood. IT IS THROUGH FALSE THEORIES AND TRADITIONS THAT SATAN GAINS HIS POWER OVER THE MIND. BY DIRECTING MEN TO FALSE STANDARDS, HE MISSHAPES THE CHARACTER. Through the Scriptures the Holy Spirit speaks to the mind, and impresses truth upon the heart. Thus He exposes error, and expels it from the soul. It is by the Spirit of truth, working through the word of God, that Christ subdues His chosen people to Himself.”

Can you comprehend these words, Brothers and Sisters? Jesus is showing us how the deception comes. He is showing us not only how and why the Conference of His day rejected him but how and why we are living in the parallel time. Twenty years ago the Religious Liberty Department of the Seventh- day Adventist Church warned the Church to keep the Charismatic Movement OUT of the system! Now the Charismatic Movement is well received. We know it as the Celebration Movement. As a matter of fact, at this writing, one of the “king- pins” who helped to bring this whole movement into the Adventist system just got a call to the General Conference, coming from Oregon Conference. “By directing men to false standards, he misshapes the character.”

Through the New Theology and the Church Manual, Satan gains his power over the mind. This IS exactly what has happened in the structure and why it won’t go through. Oh, some, perhaps many, will say that I can’t possibly know what I am speaking about. After all, as defective as it is, the Lord has promised that the church is going through. What I fear that most do not realize are two things of premier importance. God’s promises to anyone, or any organization or any nation are always based on obedience. The one who expects the promise to come true is expected to hold to his end of the contract. Also, you have to realize what God’s church is. How will we know what His church is? Well the study that you are now doing in Desire of Ages is a good place to find out. It is in the inspired words which tell the history of our forefathers where the secret lies. Why do you suppose Jesus has been so particular in having these things written? Why do you think the Bible plainly says these things were written down for those whom the end of the Earth comes upon? These are not cunningly devised fables or just bedtime stories. Our very existence depends on our acceptance of God’s Word as it is stated. It is not God Who is trying to deceive us, but men. What we have such a hard time accepting is that “we have far more to fear from within than without.” It is inside the system we must fear the enemy the most. And if we look at the past with candor and an honest seeking for truth, we shall learn the lessons Christ desires us to know and which we must know.

DA 671: “The power of evil had been strengthening for centuries, and the submission of men to this Satanic captivity was amazing. Sin could be resisted and overcome only through the mighty agency of the third person of the Godhead, who would come with no modified energy, but in the fullness of divine power. It is the Spirit that makes effectual what has been wrought out by the world’s Redeemer. It is by the Spirit that the heart is made pure. Through the Spirit the believer becomes a partaker of the divine nature. CHRIST HAS GIVEN HIS SPIRIT AS A DIVINE POWER TO OVERCOME ALL HEREDITARY AND CULTIVATED TENDENCIES TO EVIL, AND TO IMPRESS HIS OWN CHARACTER UPON HIS CHURCH.”

For forty centuries the power of evil had steadily strengthened before Jesus came the first time. It has now been sixty centuries and we are told the days in which we live are worse then when Jesus was here. Two thousand years ago, did the church that claimed to be THE church take on Christ’s character? Did the Ancient Adventist Conference? Was THAT Conference, which made the exact same profession that the modern- day Conference is now making, THE church? Is the same question directed at the current Conference any less valid simply because it lays at our own door? Who is God’s church? The Conference which refuses the high standards of Heaven or those who accept the character of Christ and become overcomers?

DA 672: “Christ has promised the gift of the Holy Spirit to His church, and the promise belongs to us as much as to the first disciples. But like EVERY OTHER PROMISE, IT IS GIVEN ON CONDITION. There are many who believe and profess to claim the Lord’s promise; they talk about Christ and about the Holy Spirit, yet receive no benefit. They do not surrender the soul to be guided and controlled by the divine agencies. We cannot use the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is to use us. Through the Spirit God works in His people ‘to will and to do of His good pleasure. ’ (Phil. 2: 13.) BUT MANY WILL NOT SUBMIT TO THIS. THEY WANT TO MANAGE THEMSELVES. This is why they do not receive the heavenly gift. Only to those who wait humbly upon God, who watch for His guidance and grace, is the Spirit given. The power of God awaits their demand and reception. THIS PROMISED BLESSING, CLAIMED BY FAITH, BRINGS ALL OTHER BLESSINGS IN ITS TRAIN. It is given according to the riches of the grace of Christ, and He is ready to supply every soul according to the capacity to receive.”

Those who claim to be “Christians” but continue to rule on the throne instead of God will come to their end. Their kingdom will perish. It is only by having the faith of Jesus (perfect trust in God) that God’s true and faithful can and will receive the blessings of the Early and Latter Rain.

In the gift of the early rain, all other blessings will follow in their train. God’s people will realize the gift of character perfection and become the reflection of Jesus. They will share in the experience of the overcomer and will at last be free indeed! The fruits of the Spirit will be seen in the character, not one missing. Heaven’s work for this people will be accomplished. God has promised, this WILL happen! There’s no question about it. The question is, will you and I choose to be a part of this experience?

In the blessing of the latter rain the fourth angel will combine his power with the third angel’s message, giving it convincing persuasion on the heart of the recipient. Those who have been totally engaged in the work of the early rain will be privileged at the time of the latter rain to bring others to the feet of Jesus. During Pentecost thousands were converted in a day! “These scenes are to be repeated, and with greater power. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost was the former rain, but the latter rain will be more abundant. The Spirit awaits our demand and reception. Christ is again to be revealed in His fullness by the Holy Spirit’s power. Men will discern the value of the precious pearl, and with the apostle Paul they will say, ‘What things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. ’” (COL 121, Phil. 3: 7,8.)

DA 675: “Israel had been represented as a vine which God had planted in the promised land. The Jews based their hope of salvation on THE FACT OF THEIR CONNECTION WITH ISRAEL. But Jesus says, I am the real Vine. Think not that through a connection with Israel you may become partakers of the life of God, and inheritors of His promise. Through Me alone is spiritual life received.”

The Jews (Ancient Adventists) based their hope of salvation on the fact their church had been handpicked by God. It was true that God had handpicked their church. It was also true that this same God was now standing directly in front of them, telling them plainly that they were lost unless they followed Him. Today, the Adventists (modern Jews, spiritually speaking) are claiming that their salvation is sure because their church was handpicked by God. It is true that God handpicked the Adventist church. It is also true that this same God is now for the last time, through His Word and the Spirit of Prophecy, standing directly in front of US, telling US plainly that we are lost unless we follow Him. It is ONLY by following Jesus that we are saved, not by following an apostate Conference. Our connection with “Israel” will not get us into heaven.

DA 675: “Many were attracted by the beauty of this Vine, and declared its heavenly origin. But to the LEADERS IN ISRAEL it appeared as a root out of a dry ground. They took the plant, and bruised it, and trampled it under their unholy feet. Their thought was to destroy it forever. But the heavenly husbandman never lost sight of His plant. After men thought they had killed it, He took it, and replanted it on the other side of the wall. The vine- stock was to be no longer visible. It was hidden from the rude assaults of men. But the branches of the Vine hung over the wall. They were to represent the Vine. Through them grafts might still be united to the Vine. From them fruit has been obtained. There has been a harvest which the passers- by have plucked.”

The Ancient Adventist Conference Leaders bruised, beat, and killed the Vine Stock (Jesus). The Father took Him back unto Himself and Jesus commissioned His Independent Leaders to bring His message of life to all who would listen. First to the Jews and then to the Gentiles was this message given. All who studied these things and believed the Ancient Independent Leaders came into the light of truth. Those who were faithful were saved although the Ancient Adventist Conference was lost.

DA 675: “Though He was about to be removed from them, their spiritual union with Him was to be unchanged. The connection of the branch with the vine, He said, represents the relation you are to sustain to Me. The scion is engrafted into the living vine, and fiber by fiber, vein by vein, it grows into the vine- stock. The life of the vine becomes the life of the branch. So the soul dead in trespasses and sins receives life through connection with Christ. By faith in Him as a personal Saviour the union is formed. The sinner unites his weakness to Christ’s strength, his emptiness to Christ’s fullness, his frailty to Christ’s enduring might. Then he has the mind of Christ. The humanity of Christ has touched our humanity, and our humanity has touched divinity. Thus through the agency of the Holy Spirit man becomes a partaker of the divine nature. He is accepted in the Beloved.”

We are accepted by the Father only if we, by our own free choice, are grafted into His Vine, Jesus Christ. When this happens, the life of the Stock becomes the life of the branch. The fruit comes from the Stock and is exemplified in the branch. Christ’s victory becomes our own.

DA 676: “This union with Christ, once formed, MUST BE MAINTAINED. Christ said, ‘Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, no more can ye, except ye abide in Me. ’ This is no casual touch, NO OFF- AND- ON CONNECTION. The branch becomes a part of the living vine. The communication of life, strength, and fruitfulness from the root to the branches is unobstructed and constant. Separated from the vine, the branch cannot live. No more, said Jesus, can you live apart from Me. The life you have received from Me can be preserved only by continual communion. Without Me you cannot overcome one sin, or resist one temptation.”

When anyone preaches a message that is anything short of what upholds total victory through the power of Jesus Christ, utilizing justification and sanctification, you may know that he is a false shepherd. The generation that is now in power to a great extent in the Adventist system is that generation that has always rebelled against authority. It was educated to do the precise work of destroying the moral fiber of Christianity. It believes, “if it feels good, do it!” The power structure of the Adventist system has shifted from one that paid attention to the high standards of God’s moral government to no standard, that of the world. This is why the Leaders are acting from policy in the place of principle. But I can assure you on the authority of inspiration that entrance into God’s kingdom will never be based on Conference Committee vote! Whether or not we choose to take God’s standard serious, He does! This and this alone will determine our entrance into His kingdom or the barring of us from it. God HATES sin and He is NOT going to allow anyone off this planet who will continue to pollute His creative work. He sets before us life and death. It may not be popular with the “now” generation, but soon enough it will be realized that the “now” generation will be the extinct generation! For one, I do not wish to be a part of the “now” generation. How about you? Wouldn’t you rather be popular with God than man if it has to be that way?

DA 676: “So long as the soul is united to Christ, there is no danger that it will wither or decay. …

“When we live by faith on the Son of God, the fruits of the Spirit will be seen in our life; not one will be missing.”

The precious news of true Adventism is, it matters not what background we have. It makes no difference who our parents are or what they stood for or didn’t stand for. It is not of supreme importance if they have German, Irish, Italian, Hispanic or African blood running through their veins. If we give ourselves over to Christ, the victory that He has gained for us will be ours. It is not excuses for our lack of faith that will be heard, but exercises in our faith that will be seen by those who see Jesus in us.

DA 676: “ ‘… Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit, He taketh away. ’ While the graft is outwardly united with the vine, there may be no vital connection. Then there will be no growth or fruitfulness. So there may be an apparent connection with Christ, without a real union with Him by faith. A profession of religion places men in the church, but the character and conduct show whether they are in connection with Christ. If they bear no fruit, they are false branches. Their separation from Christ involves a ruin as complete as that represented by the dead branch.”

Many, many Adventists have been taught that the fruits spoken of above indicate the number of people we have influenced into being baptized into the “church.” This is incorrect. The fruits spoken of are primarily the fruits of the Spirit found in 1 Corinthians 13, and the fruits of obedience. Personal character development with all the fruits of the Spirit, active and vibrant, is the evidence that we are co- laborers with Christ.

DA 678: “This love is the evidence of their discipleship. ‘By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, ’ said Jesus, ‘if ye have love one to another. ’ When men are bound together, not by force or self- interest, but by love, they show the working of an influence that is above every human influence. Where this oneness exists, it is evidence that the image of God is being restored in humanity, that a new principle of life has been implanted. It shows that there is power in the divine nature to withstand that supernatural agencies of evil, and that the grace of God subdues the selfishness inherent in the natural heart.”

The love for the truth and love for the salvation of souls creates the unity among His people that Christ prayed for. This Satan hates, and his agents, those who refuse this love and converting power of the gospel, will intensify the persecution until the end. Some of the most flagrant demonstrations of hatred will come from those within the “church.”

DA 678: “This love, manifested in the church, will surely stir the wrath of Satan. Christ did not mark out for His disciples an easy path. ‘If the world hate you. ’ He said, ‘ye know that it hated Me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own; but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept My saying, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for My name’s sake, because they know not Him that sent Me. ’ THE GOSPEL IS TO BE CARRIED FORWARD BY AGGRESSIVE WARFARE, IN THE MIDST OF OPPOSITION, PERIL, LOSS, AND SUFFERING. BUT THOSE WHO DO THIS WORK ARE ONLY FOLLOWING IN THE MASTER’S STEPS.”

Now are you sure you want to be just like Jesus? Many do not as yet comprehend or quite believe that there was war in Heaven. They do not realize that the way to eternal bliss is blocked by the devil and that we will have to overthrow him as Christ did to seize the promised land. There is NO OTHER WAY for this last generation but through this terrible struggle. We especially who have been spoiled by “civilization” are at a great disadvantage. If we are to gain the eternal prize at all, it will only be by aggressive warfare in the midst of opposition, peril, loss, and suffering. But praise the Lord! He has traveled this road before us and He knows the way to safety. If you want Him to guide you through this wilderness on to the promised land, you must be willing to follow Him wherever He leads. Are you willing?

DA 679- 80: “It is His purpose that the highest influence in the universe, emanating from the source of all power, shall be theirs. They are to have power to resist evil, power that neither earth, nor death, nor hell can master, power that will enable them to overcome as Christ overcame.

“Christ designs that heaven’s order, heaven’s plan of government, heaven’s divine harmony, shall be represented in His church on earth. Thus in His people He is glorified. Through them the Sun of Righteousness will shine in undimmed luster to the world. Christ has given to His church ample facilities, that He may receive a large revenue of glory from His redeemed, purchased possession. He has bestowed upon His people capabilities and blessings that they may represent His own sufficiency. The church, endowed with the righteousness of Christ, in His depositary, in which the riches of His mercy, His grace, and His love, are to appear in full and final display. Christ looks upon His people in their purity and perfection, as the reward of His humiliation, and the supplement of His glory,– Christ, the great Center, from whom radiates all glory.”

If you are convinced that what you are reading above is inspiration, then this has to be read as more than just a statement of purpose. It is also a promise of what church Christ will present before the universe and to the Father. We MUST decide if we will be a part of this church or not. This is our opportunity to do something in return for Him who gave us His all. Those who submit fully to Jesus will be to Him the long awaited reward. Then all His suffering and sacrifice will have been worth it. His heart will be satisfied.

DA 680: “As a consecrated high priest He intercedes for His people. As a faithful shepherd He gathers His flock under the shadow of the Almighty, in the strong and sure refuge. For Him there waits the last battle with Satan, and He goes forth to meet it.”

In the faithful of the Lord — the ONE AND ONLY true church of God — lies the last great battle between Christ and Satan. Those who develop a pure love for Christ will not desert Him because it costs them something. To the contrary! They firmly and resolutely engage in the warfare with one purpose — to vindicate the character of God.

Copyright © 1999 Servants of the Saviour
Terry & Cathy Ross

Table of Contents
Acknowledgements and Forward
Chapter 1 Desire of Ages — Chapter 63
Chapter 2 Desire of Ages — Chapter 64
Chapter 3 Desire of Ages — Chapter 65
Chapter 4 Desire of Ages — Chapters 66 & 67
Chapter 5 Desire of Ages — Chapters 68 & 69
Chapter 6 Desire of Ages — Chapters 70, 71 & 72
Chapter 7 Desire of Ages — Chapter 73
Chapter 8 Desire of Ages — Chapters 74 & 75
Chapter 9 Desire of Ages — Chapters 76 & 77
Chapter 10 Desire of Ages — Chapter 78

None Dare Call It Apostasy, Part II

Dr. Ralph Larson

Introduction

Since many have asked, the following is a statement that was prepared by Elder Ralph Larson to present to the “Prex- Ad” Council of the Pacific Union Conference on February 18, 1992. This is a group of about twenty administrators of conferences, colleges, hospitals and ethnic groups who consult together before meeting with the Union Committee.

Although Dr. Larson had been told that he would be given thirty minutes and had prepared his paper accordingly, he was cut off when fifteen minutes had passed and was told that the administrators could read the rest of the paper later. Yet the council made their decision to affirm their denial of his honorary ministerial credentials after Dr. and Mrs. Larson left the room, apparently without waiting to read the paper, a tragic lack of due process.

This information is being shared, not for purposes of malice or revenge, but so that others may understand what actually was said and what they may possibly encounter when placed in similar circumstances. Our trust must be wholly in the Lord and in His truth, and we must firmly resolve to stand for the right though the heavens fall.

Part two

We come before you today because we understand from the Lord’s counsels that this is our Christian duty. We are sure all would recognize that a hearing conducted after judgment regarding my credentials has already been made, would not be described as justice in any judicial system in the world. We find this principle expressed in the question put to the Pharisees by Nicodemus: “Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth?” John7: 51.

In our situation, the answer would appear to be, yes, it does. More troubling still, to those who are concerned about the principles of fairness, is the fact that this group is not the proper body to either conduct a hearing or make judgment regarding my case. Proper procedures would have required a hearing

We would do well to remember that in every’ judicial proceeding, not only is the accused on trial, but the court is also on trial.

before the Union Conference Committee, which has been empowered to issue credentials, and that such a hearing have been conducted before judgment was made.

And there is yet another cloud over these proceedings. Elder Castillo wrote to me:

“At our past Union Executive Committee, it was voted to deny your honorary ministerial credential.”

Yet, four members of the committee have stated that my name was not mentioned in their meeting, and so was neither discussed nor voted upon. Elder Mostert, while conceding that the minutes contain no record of an action denying my credentials, told me over the phone that my name was placed before the executive committee and the reasons for denying my credentials were fully explained. He suggested that the four committee members might have all happened to be out of the room at that particular time.

In any case, it would seem that basic principles of fairness would require that if a minister who has given his life to the service of the church, whose life and character have never been questioned, whose theology and preaching is the same as that presented in Seventh- day Adventists Believe, and whose ministry has resulted in more than five thousand persons being added to the church by baptism, is to be denied honorary ministerial credentials, this should be properly done by a duly authorized body, and the action and reasons for it should be fully and specifically stated in the committee records and announced to the church. This would, of course, require that a hearing be conducted before a decision is made, and that the accused be provided an opportunity to face his accusers and respond to their accusations.

This proper procedure has not been followed. Yet the editors of Ministry magazine have quickly seized upon the action that was taken, and in spite of the grievous irregularities, announced to its world- wide constituency that my credentials had been denied. Since no reason has been given, speculation is now arising as to whether I have been found guilty of financial fraud or gross immorality. Questions of this nature are reaching us and are very troubling, not only to us but also to our two children who are workers in God’s cause. We do not believe the Lord appreciates this manner of dealing with one who has rendered Him a lifetime of service and whose present problem is simply that he has been found defending the principles of our faith as set forth in the book Seventh- day Adventists Believe.

We would do well to remember that in every judicial proceeding, not only is the accused on trial, but the court is also on trial. We do not believe that you ~‘ gentlemen have served yourselves well by the manner in which you have dealt with this case. Neither have you served well the church or the Lord. We believe this group has a moral responsibility to set this matter right, and it should be done now, not after my death, as in the case of Elder M. L. Andreason. We believe I am entitled to a fair trial regarding my theology and ministry before the Union Executive Committee. If that committee, after a fair trial has been conducted, votes to deny my credentials, we believe a full statement of the specific reasons for that action should be made, and the statement published in Ministry magazine.

But now may we suggest that we lift our eyes from the individual tree we have been examining and spend a few moments considering the forest as a whole. it is apparent that there is division in the church. We would like to offer a few thoughts regarding:

Division: Its Nature, Its Causes, and Its Cure.

Division is most easily defined as the opposite of unity. We all believe that unity in the church is precious. It is priceless. Unity was the great burden of the last recorded prayer of Jesus for His disciples (John 17). Unity was what made possible the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Unity was one of the major factors that gave power to the Seventh- day Adventist Church as it emerged from the Millerite Movement.

What is the basis of this precious unity? Paul calls it “the unity of the faith” Ephesians 4: 13. He further describes it as “speaking the truth in love,” verse 15, and indicates that those who have this unity of the faith will not be “carried about with every wind of doctrine” verse 14.

Ellen White describes the search for unity in 1844:

“We would come together burdened in soul, praying that we might be one in faith and doctrine; for we knew that Christ is not divided” TM 24. [All emphasis supplied.]

Their prayers were answered. They did become one in faith and doctrine, and they bestowed that legacy of unity upon us. Our church has enjoyed a phenomenal degree of unity throughout most of its history. We who have spent years in soul- winning work have found it an enormous advantage to be able

“No one has any Independent authority apart from Christ and His word” SDA‘s Believe 146.

to tell our converts they were uniting with a worldwide church that had a oneness in faith and doctrine over all the earth.

But notice how God has warned us through His messenger that unity must be based upon faith and doctrine:

“Christ calls for unity. But He does not call for us to unify on wrong practices. The God of heaven draws a sharp contrast between pure, elevating, ennobling truth and fulse, misleading . . . . I urge our brethren to unify upon a true, scriptural basis” 1 SM 175.

“We are to unify, but not on a platform of error” Series B, “Freedom in Christ” 47. Our church has not unified upon a platform of error, but upon a platform of truth. Our doctrines have been the foundation of our unity, but if wrong doctrines are introduced, causing the foundation of truth to crumble, we will struggle in vain to preserve our unity. The wise man does not build his house upon the sand.

At various times in the history of Christianity, there have arisen tensions between Christians who had differing views of what constitutes sound declines. Instead of meeting this problem on the theological level, church officials have sometimes tried to resolve it on the basis of church authority. This has never been and never will be successful. Ecclesiology must be derived from theology. Theology cannot be derived from ecclesiology, lest it degenerate into ecclesiolatry.

Our doctrinal book states: “Christ exercises His authority through His church and its specially appointed servants, but He never transfers His power. No one has any independent authority apart from Christ and His word’ SDA ‘s Believe 146.

“Whatever the church does that is in accordance with the directions given in God’s Word will be ratified in heaven” 7T 263.

“The church . . . . must say about sin what God says about it. She must deal with it as God directs, and her action is ratified in heaven” DA 806.

This brings us immediately and specifically to the heart of our present problem. There is a wide- spread and rapidly growing conviction among many church members, especially in the North American Division, Australia and Europe, that some of our church leaders are emphatically not saying about sin what God says about It, but rather are saying that we will all keep on sinning until Jesus comes, at which time He will miraculously fix us so we will never sin again. This makes our sanctuary doctrine nonsensical and invalidates the Spirit of Prophecy, which repeatedly endorses the sanctuary doctrine.

These concerned church members recognize that this strange new doctrine is out of harmony with our historic faith, out of harmony with the Scriptures, and out of harmony with the Spirit of Prophecy in which there are literally thousands of statements affirming the reality of victorious Christian living, and at least forty- eight warnings against the idea that Christ will change our characters when He comes. (See our Tell of His Power.)

This is manifestly a theological problem, and it needs to be dealt with on a theological level. Church members do not see this as a minor issue. They see it as one which vitally concerns their eternal salvation. But when they question or challenge this strange new doctrine and ask, “Why is the church not saying about sin what God says about it as stated in Seventh- day Adventists Believe?” they often find, to their bewilderment, that they are accused of being divisive trouble- makers who are attacking the church.

More tragically still, the response of church officialdom to questions, appeals, and protests, consistently reflects a desire to ignore the theological dimensions of the problem and to issue appeals for unity, supported by stem admonitions about the authority of the church. Within the last thirty days I received a letter from a conference president which said frankly, “Most of my response will be from a practical point of view, rather than a theological approach,” yet the matter at hand was theological in nature.

Thus we see a tension between a concept of truth and a concept of church authority. When the disciples of Jesus were summoned to appear before the Sanhedrin, they went gladly, anticipating an opportunity to express their convictions of truth about Jesus. They found, however, that the Sanhedrin proposed one question only, Do you submit to our authority?

Result— the church was split.

When Martin Luther and his companions were summoned to appear before the emperor, they also went gladly, hoping for a discussion of the principles of scriptural truth. But they were confronted with the same question, Do you submit to our authority? Result— the church was split.

Today we find ourselves caught up in a similar situation, and we may well reflect about the past. It has been said that those who cannot learn from history are condemned to repeat history. Surely the lesson of history is clear that theological questions must be

There is a wide- spread and rapidly growing conviction. . . that some of our church leaders are emphatically not saying about sin what God says about it.

given theological answers, and that unity will result if the theological answers are sound and persuasive because they bear up well under scriptural investigation. The introduction of false doctrines into our platform of truth cannot but bring division. Fair- minded people everywhere will judge that the division is caused by those who introduce changes in our theology, not by those who prefer to maintain our historic theology unchanged.

It cannot be denied that, in a certain sense, truth is divisive. Note the words of Jesus on this point:

“Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter- in- law against her mother- in- law. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household” Matthew 10: 34- 36.

When truth and error meet, division may be the result, but should we blame the division on those who teach the truth?

This leads us to the questions of responsibility and guilt Jesus unquestionably created division when He came to this earth. But was this wrong? Should He have stayed in heaven in order to avoid creating division? Would the unity that might have resulted been desirable? Clearly the apostles created division wherever they went. But again we ask, Was this wrong? Would it have been better for them to have hushed their voices for the sake of unity?

One of the most bitter accusations hurled at us as a people has been that by preaching the Sabbath we created division among Christians. But has this been wrong and has not the accusation of divisiveness been hurled at all reformers? We read in Signs of the Times, January 28, 1886:

“Reformers of the present day will meet with the same discouragements as did their Master.”

Neither is there anything new about the same, strange misjudgment we meet today: “When controversy is awakened, the advocates of truth are accredited with causing disturbance” ST, 10- 17- 95.

The following counsel is timely: “Now as in former ages, the presentation of a truth that reproves the sins and errors of the times will excite opposition…. Elijah was declared to be a troubler in Israel, Jeremiah a traitor, Paul a polluter of the temple. From that day to this, those who would be loyal to truth have been denounced as seditious, heretical, or schismatic…. This spirit will increase more and more. . . .

“In view of this, what is the duty of the messenger of truth? Shall he conclude that the truth ought not to be presented, since often its only effect is to arouse men to evade or resist its claims? No; he has no more reason for withholding the testimony of God’s word, because it excites opposition, than had earlier Reformers” GC 458- 459.

When truth and error meet, division may be the result, but should we blame the division on those who teach the truth?

Several months ago we received an urgent request to conduct a seminar in a church in this Union. The people there had many questions, which we answered from the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy. As we were leaving, they gave us a tape and suggested we listen to it on the way home.

The tape turned out to be a message that had been presented to them by their conference president a few weeks before our visit. On several points, he had told them the exact opposite of what we had shown them. Here is a sampling of the president’s opinion regarding perfection of character.

“Is it not extremely discouraging to us to discover, as we look back through the annals of history, to discover [sic] that no one except Jesus has ever reached that perfect standard, at least so far as we know? If Jesus is the only one so far who has reached that perfect standard, it doesn’t give us a great deal of encouragement, does it, to be able to accomplish what the great spiritual giants of the past were not able to accomplish.”

We, of course, had known nothing about this, so we had walked right into trouble. We had shown them our research report entitled Tell of His Power, which contains 2,500 statements from Ellen White’s writings, all of which strongly affirm the possibility of character perfection through the power of Christ. Worse yet, we had shown them a chapter in our book which records 48 warnings from Ellen White that there will be no change of character when Christ comes. We had also shown them a chapter which contains 37 statements from Ellen White regarding persons who have achieved character perfection. Jesus was not the only one, according to the Lord’s messenger. Her list of champions includes the patriarchs, the apostles, Enoch, Elijah, Joseph, Daniel and John. She writes:

“Souls that have borne the likeness of Satan have become transformed into the image of God” AA 476.

“Thousands have set the Lord before them, and by beholding have been changed into the same image” COL 133- 134.

“Some few in every generation from Adam resisted his (Satan’s) every artifice and stood forth as noble representations of what it was in the power of man to do and to be— Christ working with human efforts, helping man in overcoming the power of Satan” RH 3- 3- 74.

“In every phase of your character building you are to please God. This you may do; for Enoch pleased Him though living in a degenerate age. And there are Enochs in this our day” COL 332.

This is only a sampling. We had shown them many other Spirit of Prophecy passages that could not be harmonized with the opinions of the president. As we were driving along and listening to the tape, Jeanne turned to me and said, “This is it, Ralph. This is going to cost you your credentials.”

So— on that day we began to prepare our minds for the experience through which we are now passing. Yet, what else could we have done? Should we have

Elder Mostert wrote me a letter which began with these words:
“I despair with you over the fact that so many of our church members are finding It necessary to turn to independent ministries in order to hear basic Adventist teaching. ”

withheld the truth from the people in order to protect our position? No doubt the president’s visit, followed by ours, created some division of thought in that district Who is responsible for that division? What would be a fair judgment? And what would be God’s judgment?

We are not suggesting that this is the only dynamic working in the situation. We had earlier incurred the displeasure of the officers of the Division. Elders Bradford, Crumley and Dale had asked Dr. Frank Holbrook of the Biblical Research Institute to prepare a theological rationale to be used against independent ministry leaders. This paper was then sent to Ron Spear, along with warnings that he must submit to the authority of the church.

But, unfortunately, Dr. Holbrook had spread his net in such a manner that the first victim would have been Elder Bradford himself. After comparing independent ministry leaders with the rebel Satan and the rebels Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, Dr. Holbrook had set forth two theological aberrations that called for disfellowshipping members from the church, views we historic Adventists hold regarding 1) the human nature of Christ, and 2) righteousness by faith.

When this paper came into my hands, I wrote to the Division leadership, pointing out that on November 16, 1988, Elder Bradford had written a letter to me containing the following lines:

. . . . my views on the human nature of Christ are almost identical with some that you and others have expressed. I have preached them at large gatherings and camp meetings around the world.”

This is precisely the fault for which Dr. Holbrook had recommended disfellowshipping— holding a “wrong” view about the human nature of Christ and disturbing church members in other countries about it. He had also argued that our view regarding righteousness by faith is not in the book Seventh- day Adventists Believe. It is actually stated in that book 140 times!

I pointed these things out in a letter to the officers of the Division, and they were most displeased. Therefore, when Elder Mostert told me that the Division officers were in favor of denying my credentials, I was not surprised.

This paper by a member of the Biblical Research Institute may be taken as a sampling of the incredible theological confusion that exists in the church today. It is beyond question a theological problem which urgently needs to be dealt with on a theological level. The longer this is delayed, the greater will be the damage to the church. Our people have historically had an orientation toward truth. Many have left other churches and united with our church for the sake of truth. They have recognized that placing confidence in church leaders above devotion to the truth is a danger to be avoided. They have accepted the principle of individual responsibility for studying and knowing the truth and have turned away from the concept that the church is the interpreter of Scriptures. They have accepted Ellen White’s statement that:

“The Bible with its precious gems of truth was not written for the scholar alone” ST 331.

Therefore, it is a serious mistake to meet their urgent questions and concerns about our “truths that have been held sacred” with evasions and dissimulations. Suggestions by leadership that historic Seventh- day Adventists think they are the only ones in the church who know the truth, or that they are setting themselves up to be the judges of the church, or that they consider themselves to be the only holy ones, are recognized by many church members as simply throwing dust into the air. These tactics have a disastrous effect upon their confidence in leadership.

The historic Adventists, numbering in the thousands, are most emphatically not a group of crackpots and weirdos. They are not a group of malcontents and fanatics who turn to independent ministries simply as an expression of their rebellious spirit They are, for the most part, loyal, steadfast church members who have faced Sabbath tests, endured opposition from families and friends and have persevered in their devotion to the Lord and His sacred truth in the face of formidable odds. They turn to the independent ministries for a reason that has been well stated by our own Union president, Elder Mostert. On May 1, 1990, Elder Mostert wrote me a letter which began with these words:

“I despair with you over the fact that so many of our church members are finding it necessary to turn to independent ministries in order to hear basic Adventist teaching.”

Where will they go to hear basic Adventist teaching when the independent ministries have been destroyed, as seems to be the intention of the present church leadership? No doubt you have heard of the addresses given by our General Conference president at such places as the camp meeting in Hope, British Columbia, in 1991, which seemed to be a declaration of open season on the independent ministries and those who support them. I have tapes of those messages, and some of the statements are as awesome as they are inaccurate, intemperate and inflammatory.

But these messages have apparently set the pace, and in response, equally inaccurate and intemperate tirades have already been published by two Union presidents in their Union papers. I am finding it increasingly difficult to persuade the church members to whom I minister that these false accusations are made in ignorance and not in malice.

If the independent ministries are successfully destroyed, what can we expect to happen then? Can anyone seriously suppose that those church members who, as stated by our Union president, have had to turn to independent ministries in order to hear basic Adventist teaching will then meekly submit to authority and give their support to those who have destroyed the independent ministries? Can we expect them to just forget that their theological questions have not been answered? And, are we remembering a fact that was expressed to me recently by a retired Union Conference president:

“I hope that our brethren will remember that our conservative members are the financial backbone of our church.”

Which leads us inexorably to the question of tithe. As I have testified that the historic Adventists are not weirdos and crack- pots who support independent ministries simply as an expression of their rebellious spirit, I also wish to testify that neither do they send tithe to independent ministries because they prefer to do so. They would much rather send their tithe through church channels but feel they cannot conscientiously support the preaching of false theology.

I wish to address myself to an enormous misunderstanding that I regard as one of the major factors in our present problem. We hear much talk and many accusations about the independent ministries soliciting tithe. No independent ministry of my acquaintance has ever solicited tithe. Brethren, I plead with you to believe me when I say that the independent ministries do not solicit tithe, because they do not need to solicit tithe. It comes to them unsolicited, unbidden, unrequested. It is freely and voluntarily contributed by church members who are trying to relieve their consciences of a heavy burden.

This is the effect. What is the cause? The cause is the lack of preaching basic Seventh- day Adventist truths in their home churches and often supplanting them with either empty pablum or errors borrowed from Babylon. The cause is emphatically not the eloquence and trickery of a group of skillful con men who are leading independent ministries, as some seem to believe. To suppose that crushing the independent ministries and leaving the problem in the churches unresolved is a fearful mistake.

It was in response to the many urgent questions of such church members that I researched the matter and published my findings in the September, 1991 edition of Our Firm Foundation, in an article entitled, “The Tithe Problem, Who Is Responsible?” This article was a straight- forward and factual report of my findings on that subject. I stand ready to modify or correct my conclusions at any time evidence is presented to me that would justify such a modification or correction.

Unfortunately, some of the responses to that article have been something less than straightforward and factual, so much so that the office of the White Estate has made clear that the article on tithe published in the Review was a private project of Roger Coon, done entirely independent of either the White Estate Board or the White Estate staff. Of the many problems in the Roger Coon article, I would mention two. Coon argued that when Ellen White used the word “means,” this generally referred only to offerings and not to tithe. We are presently aware of 168 occasions when Ellen White went into print using the word “means” in a way that included tithe. Why did an officer of the White Estate not know this?

Again, Coon faults those who make reference to the “Watson letter,” since Ellen White had stated she did not desire her diversions of tithe to be widely

“God has a church. It Is not the great cathedral, neither Is it the national establishment . . . It Is the people who bye God and keep His commandments ” UL 315.

advertised. This overlooks the fact that the entire relevant portions of the Watson letter were published by the White Estate itself in 1981 (see Ellen G. White, The Early Elmshaven Years, 395- 396), and again in 1987 (see 2MR 99- 100). Why did an officer of the White Estate not know this?

In summary, may I quote the second sentence of the letter written to me by Elder Mostert on May 1, 1990:

“Obviously, one of the most unmet needs in the church at the present time is the lack of opportunity for leaders to dialogue with members in a meaningful way that does not create further frustration.”

I agree with and heartily applaud this statement It echoes the cries we hear from hurting and bewildered historic Adventists all across the continent: Why will not our leaders talk to us? Why will they not listen to us? Why will they not investigate our condition to determine whether our appeals are valid? Why are we considered trouble- makers because we are holding to the doctrines that are set forth in the book Seventh-day Adventists Believe? Can our leaders not recognize that antagonistic doctrines are being preached in many of our pulpits, taught in many of our schools, printed in our publishing houses and circulated in the Review? Is it their intention to support these false doctrines?

Further, they ask, Why do our leaders identify us as evildoers and enemies of the church when we finally give up appealing to them and turn in despair to places where our historic faith is being defended? Why do they use their power and authority against a minister who is widely known as a defender of our historic faith, while the facilities of some of our largest churches remain open to one who is equally well- known as an enemy of our historic faith?

Jeanne and I are presently ministering, by their invitation, to thousands of historic Adventists in this country and in other countries. In the year 1991 we spent forty of the fifty-two weekends conducting seminars in defense of our historic faith. (We pause to mention that we receive no remuneration whatever for conducting these seminars. The people pay only our expenses. We are sure you can understand how perplexed the historic Seventh- day Adventists are when they read in a Union paper that we are doing this for our own financial benefit.) We are presently fully booked for 1992 and into 1993.

We are able to report to you that the conviction is spreading among these historic Adventists that they are going to be hounded out of the church. They feel this is the only possible understanding of the inflammatory tirades that are being published against them. They are observing closely those situations in which illegal church discipline is being applied and disfellowshipping has already begun in flagrant disregard of the provisions in the church manual. One of the most evident characteristics of these actions has been and is continuing to be a lack of “due process.”

The historic Adventists remember that when Dr. Desmond Ford launched a vigorous assault against our sanctuary doctrine, the principles of “due process” were carefully followed. Every effort was made to ensure his case was dealt with in a fair and prudent manner, and rightly so. The historic Adventists are also noting that even though Dr. Ford is now attacking much more than our sanctuary doctrine and contributing very largely to the present apostasy in the church, the facilities of some of our largest churches remain open to him.

They are contrasting this with the fact that in a Pacific Union Recorder of 1991 an announcement stated Ralph Larson would conduct a seminar in the Beaumont Church on July 26 and 27 entitled “In Defense of the Sanctuary.” Before six weeks had passed, he had lost his ministerial credentials, without due process. This speaks volumes to the historic Seventh- day Adventists. Why, they are asking, is there so much patient tolerance toward those who attack our faith and so little toward those who defend it?

These developments are causing historic Adventists to consider carefully the proper relationship between the truth, the church and church authority. They are asking, Is it a valid theology of church authority that requires us to surrender the truth and accept false doctrines or is this a misuse and abuse of church authority? Is it a valid theology of stewardship that requires us to give financial support to the preaching of false doctrines? Is it a valid theology of church order that brands the preaching of truth as

The present division in the church Is a tension between our true historic faith, as described In Seventh- day Adventists Believe, and the Incompatible doctrines of modern Calvinism.

“divisive,” while tolerating the preaching of untruth? And, in the ultimate sense, what is the church? Let the Lord through His chosen messenger provide us with the answer:

“God has a church. It is not the great cathedral, neither is it the national establishment . . . it is the people who love God and keep His commandments.” UL 315.

We are directing your attention to the reality that the present division in the church is a tension between our true historic faith, as described in Seventh- day Adventists Believe, and the incompatible doctrines of modern Calvinism. We hold that it is unreasonable and unfair to charge this division upon those ministers and church members who wish to cling to our historic faith. The responsibility for division should be laid at the door of those who are promoting the false doctrines of Calvinism among us.

We believe that every administrator has a sacred obligation to encourage and support those who are defending our historic faith and not let himself be manipulated or maneuvered into an attitude of opposition toward them by camouflaged accusations of divisiveness, etc.

We are presently hearing that Dr. Desmond Ford is broadcasting that many of our scholars and administrators are now accepting his theology. This charge cannot be well met by silence and inaction, which will cause people to conclude that the allegation must be true.

Kenneth Sample, successor to Walter Martin, reports that when he took a survey of fifty- six ministers in a single conference in this Union, fourteen admitted to disbelief in the biblical basis of our sanctuary doctrine and thirteen more passed by that question while answering the other questions in the survey. Thus, about half of those surveyed could not bear a positive testimony in regard to the doctrine of which Ellen White wrote:

“The correct understanding of the ministration in the heavenly sanctuary is the foundation of our faith” Letter 208, 1906; EV 221.

Surely it is time for the officers of this Union to resolutely lead the way in ascertaining what persons, in the classrooms of our schools and the pulpits of our churches, are teaching the doctrines described in Seventh- day Adventists Believe, and what persons are substituting for those doctrines antagonistic and incompatible doctrines.

And it is time for a thorough investigation of my particular case, and a full and fair trial to be conducted by the Union Conference Committee. At that trial I will submit evidence that

  1. I have appealed to our church leaders and scholars to recognize our theological problem by an investment of much time, many written appeals, and several thousand dollars worth of our two major research reports, The Word Made Flesh and Tell of His Power, that have been distributed among them.
  2. I have sought no speaking appointments anywhere, but have simply responded to urgent requests for help from the suffering historic Seventh- day Adventists.
  3. The evidence presented in our research reports has not been challenged by biblical or Spirit of Prophecy evidence from anyone. It has been met by sneers, jeers, and arguments against the man.
  4. My theology is precisely the theology that is set forth in Seventh- day Adventists Believe.

Therefore, those who oppose my ministry and our doctrinal book are the ones who are divisive.

We are to unite, but not upon a platform of error.

Order copies of “None Dare Call it Apostasy” from our bookstore.

Bible Study Guides – “They Overcame Him by the Blood of the Lamb and by the Word of Their Testimony”

MEMORY VERSE: “And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples and nations and tongues and kings.” Revelation 10:11.

STUDY HELP: Testimonies, vol. 1, 58–61.

INTRODUCTION: “The work is soon to close. The members of the church militant who have proved faithful will become the church triumphant. In reviewing our past history, having traveled over every step of advance to our present standing, I can say, Praise God! As I see what God has wrought, I am filled with astonishment and with confidence in Christ as leader. We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching in our past history.” Review and Herald, October 12, 1905.

  • How is the remnant of God’s church in the final generation described? Revelation 12:17.

NOTE: “Those who are living amid the perils of the last days, days which are characterized by the masses turning from the truth of God to fables, will have close work to turn from the fables which are prepared for them on every hand, and have an appetite to feast upon unpopular truth. Those who turn from these fables to truth are despised, hated, and persecuted by those who are presenting fables to the people for their reception. Satan is at war with the remnant who are endeavouring to keep the commandments of God and the testimony of Jesus. Evil angels are commissioned to employ men as their agents upon the earth. These can the most successfully exert an influence to make Satan’s attacks effective against the remnant whom God calls ‘a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.’ This, Satan is determined to hinder. He will employ everyone who will engage in his service to hinder the chosen people of God from showing forth the praises of Him who has called them from darkness into His marvelous light. To hide, to cover up this light, to cause people to distrust it, to disbelieve it, is the work of the great rebel and his host. While Jesus is purifying His people unto Himself, redeeming them from all iniquity, Satan will employ his forces to hinder the work and prevent the perfection of the saints. He does not exert his power upon those who are all covered up with deception and walled in by fables and error, and who make no effort to receive and obey the truth. He knows he is sure of them; but those who are seeking for truth, that they may obey it in the love of it, are the ones who excite his malice and stir his ire. He can never weaken them while they keep close to Jesus; therefore he is pleased when he can lead them in a course of disobedience.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 105.

  • Against what particular error are those who live in the last days warned? 2 Timothy 3:1 and 5.

NOTE: “We are living in perilous times, when those who profess to love and obey God deny Him in their daily lives. ‘For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.’ God does not want you to be found among this class . . . In His word you may learn how to shun these evils, and in the end be overcomers . . .It is not enough for you to avoid the appearance of evil; you must go farther than this; you must ‘learn to do well.’ You must represent Christ to the world. It must be your daily study how you can learn to work the works of God. His followers are to be living epistles, ‘known and read of all men.’ You can never secure a good character by merely wishing for it. It can be gained only by labour. Your desires in this direction must be expressed in earnest, honest endeavour and patient toil. By taking advance steps each day up the ladder of progress, you will find yourself at last at the top, a conqueror, yes, more than a conqueror, through Him who has loved you.” Youth’s Instructor, November 5, 1896.

  • What message must be proclaimed to the whole world before Jesus comes? Revelation 14:6–12.

NOTE: “In a special sense Seventh-day Adventists have been set in the world as watchmen and light bearers. To them has been entrusted the last warning for a perishing world. On them is shining wonderful light from the word of God. They have been given a work of the most solemn import, the proclamation of the first, second, and third angels’ messages. There is no other work of so great importance. They are to allow nothing else to absorb their attention. The most solemn truths ever entrusted to mortals have been given us to proclaim to the world. The proclamation of these truths is to be our work. The world is to be warned, and God’s people are to be true to the trust committed to them. They are not to engage in speculation, neither are they to enter into business enterprises with unbelievers; for this would hinder them in their God-given work. Christ says of His people: ‘Ye are the light of the world.’ Matthew 5:14. It is not a small matter that the counsels and plans of God have been so clearly opened to us. It is a wonderful privilege to be able to understand the will of God as revealed in the sure word of prophecy. This places on us a heavy responsibility. God expects us to impart to others the knowledge that He has given us. It is His purpose that divine and human instrumentalities shall unite in the proclamation of the warning message.” Testimonies, vol. 9, 19.

  • How does the prophecy of Revelation 10 picture the worldwide proclamation of the final message and the disappointment of those who first proclaimed it? Revelation 10:1–11.

NOTE: “The message of the coming of the Lord in the autumn of 1844 spread rapidly through America and other parts of the world. It greatly moved the hearts of men and stirred the Protestant churches of that time. Tens of thousands looked for the coming of the Lord at the close of the great prophetic period of 2300 days in 1844. Every preparation was made to greet Him with great joy and gladness, and then came the bitterness of disappointment, for the Lord did not come….The disappointment, however, was no evidence that the Lord was not in the movement, for in this tenth chapter of Revelation He anticipates this very experience, and in the last verse points His people to a task of world-wide extent He had yet for them to perform prior to His glorious appearing, for their work had not yet been finished.” Daniel and the Revelation, Uriah Smith, 528.

  • Against what development in the church in the last days are we warned? 2 Timothy 4:3.

NOTE: “The enemy of souls has sought to bring in the supposition that a great reformation was to take place among Seventh-day Adventists, and that this reformation would consist in giving up the doctrines which stand as the pillarsof our faith, and engaging in a process of reorganization. Were this reformation to take place, what would result? The principles of truth that God in His wisdom has given to the remnant church would be discarded. Our religion would be changed. The fundamental principles that have sustained the work for the last fifty years would be accounted as error. A new organization would be established. Books of a new order would be written. A system of intellectual philosophy would be introduced. The founders of this system would go into the cities, and do a wonderful work. The Sabbath, of course, would be lightly regarded, as also the God who created it. Nothing would be allowed to stand in the way of the new movement. The leaders would teach that virtue is better than vice, but God being removed they would place their dependence on human power, which, without God, is worthless. Their foundation would be built on the sand, and storm and tempest would sweep away the structure. Who has authority to begin such a movement? We have our Bibles. We have our experience, attested to by the miraculous working of the Holy Spirit. We have a truth that admits of no compromise. Shall we not repudiate everything that is not in harmony with this truth?” Battle Creek Letters, 81–82.

  • What will guard God’s people against such developments? Acts 17:11.

NOTE: “The fact that there is no controversy or agitation among God’s people should not be regarded as conclusive evidence that they are holding fast to sound doctrine. There is reason to fear that they may not be clearly discriminating between truth and error. When no new questions are started by investigation of the Scriptures, when no difference of opinion arises which will set men to searching the Bible for themselves to make sure that they have the truth, there will be many now, as in ancient times, who will hold to tradition and worship they know not what.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 707.

  • What are the Scriptures able to do for the one who has faith in Jesus? 2 Timothy 3:15.

NOTE: “The truth of God received into the heart is able to make you wise unto salvation. In believing and obeying it you will receive grace sufficient for the duties and trials of today. Grace for tomorrow you do not need. You should feel that you have only to do with today. Overcome for today; deny self for today; watch and pray for today; obtain victories in God for today. Our circumstances and surroundings, the changes daily transpiring around us, and the written word of God which discerns and proves all things—these are sufficient to teach us our duty and just what we ought to do, day by day.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 333.

  • What salvation did Jesus come to this world to offer? Matthew 1:21.

NOTE: “The work of gaining salvation is one of co-partnership, a joint operation. There is to be co-operation between God and the repentant sinner.” Acts of the Apostles, 482.

“Your only hope and salvation is in overcoming as Christ overcame.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 457.

“The Ten Commandments, ‘Thou shalt,’ and, ‘Thou shalt not,’ are ten promises, assured to us if we render obedience to the law governing the universe. ‘If ye love Me, keep My commandments.’ Here is the sum and substance of the law of God. The terms of salvation for every son and daughter of Adam are here outlined.” Bible Echo, June 17, 1901.

  • What responsibility does God place upon parents? Deuteronomy 6:6–7.

NOTE: “In every Christian home, God should be honoured by the morning and evening sacrifices of prayer and praise. Children should be taught to respect and reverence the hour of prayer. It is the duty of Christian parents, morning and evening, by earnest prayer and persevering faith, to make a hedge about their children. In the church at home the children are to learn to pray and to trust in God. Teach them to repeat God’s law. Concerning the commandments the Israelites were instructed: ‘Thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.’ Deuteronomy 6:7. Come in humility, with a heart full of tenderness, and with a sense of the temptations and dangers before yourselves and your children; by faith bind them to the altar, entreating for them the care of the Lord. Train the children to offer their simple words of prayer. Tell them that God delights to have them call upon Him. Will the Lord of heaven pass by such homes and leave no blessing there? Nay, verily. Ministering angels will guard the children who are thus dedicated to God.” Counsels to Parents, Teachers and Students, 110.

  • What promise is given concerning children taught in this way? Isaiah 54:13.

NOTE: “What can give you greater joy than to see children and youth following Christ, the great Shepherd, who calls, and the sheep and lambs hear his voice and follow Him? What can spread more sunshine through the soul of the interested, devoted worker than to know that his persevering, patient labour is not in vain in the Lord, and to see his pupils have the sunshine of joy in their souls because Christ has forgiven their sins? What can be more satisfying to the worker together with God, than to see children and youth receiving the impressions of the spirit of God in true nobility of character and in the restoration of the moral image of God—the children seeking the peace coming from the Prince of Peace?” Christian Education, 156.

  • What must be the foundation of every preacher’s message? 2 Timothy 4:2.

NOTE: “This solemn charge to one so zealous and faithful as was Timothy is a strong testimony to the importance and responsibility of the work of the gospel minister. Summoning Timothy before the bar of God, Paul bids him preach the word, not the sayings and customs of men; to be ready to witness for God whenever opportunity should present itself, before large congregations and private circles, by the way and at the fireside, to friends and to enemies, whether in safety or exposed to hardship and peril, reproach and loss.” Acts of the Apostles, 503.

“Ministers are not to preach men’s opinions, not to relate anecdotes, get up theatrical performances, not to exhibit self; but as though they were in the presence of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, they are to preach the word. Let them not bring levity into the work of the ministry, but let them preach the word in a manner that will leave a most solemn impression upon those who hear. Let them not present their own ideas and fanciful notions as God’s word, but let them present the pure word of God, in all sincerity.” Review and Herald, September 28, 1897.

“Our churches are dying for the want of teaching on the subject of righteousness by faith in Christ, and on kindred truths.” Gospel Workers, 301.

“Instead of discussing erroneous theories, or seeking to combat the opponents of the gospel, follow the example of Christ. Let fresh truths from God’s treasure house flash into life. ‘Preach the word.’ ” Christ’s Object Lessons, 40.

  • What will be the effect of the Word of God on those who are willing to receive it? Acts 20:32.

NOTE: “A revival of true godliness among us is the greatest and most urgent of all our needs. We must have the holy unction from God, the baptism of His Spirit. This is the only efficient agent in the promulgation of sacred truth. It is the Spirit of God that quickens the lifeless faculties of the soul to appreciate heavenly things, and attracts the affections toward God and the truth. What we need, what we cannot do without, is the power of the Holy Spirit to work with our efforts. All pampering of self must be at an end. There is a weakness of intellect, a lack of religious fervour, in those who want to lean upon others, to be petted, waited on, and propped up. There must be an earnest longing, a soul-hunger, for the presence of the Lord. Make Him your support, your front guard and your rearward.” Home Missionary, November 1, 1890.

  • Against what form of religion are God’s people warned to turn away? 2 Timothy 3:5.

NOTE: “Before the final visitation of God’s judgments upon the earth there will be among the people of the Lord such a revival of primitive godliness as has not been witnessed since apostolic times. The Spirit and power of God will be poured out upon His children. At that time many will separate themselves from those churches in which the love of this world has supplanted love for God and His word. Many, both of ministers and people, will gladly accept those great truths which God has caused to be proclaimed at this time to prepare a people for the Lord’s second coming. The enemy of souls desires to hinder this work; and before the time for such a movement shall come, he will endeavour to prevent it by introducing a counterfeit. In those churches which he can bring under his deceptive power he will make it appear that God’s special blessing is poured out; there will be manifest what is thought to be great religious interest. Multitudes will exult that God is working marvelously for them, when the work is that of another spirit. Under a religious guise, Satan will seek to extend his influence over the Christian world.” Great Controversy, 464.

Bible Study Guides – “ALL HAVE SINNED”

By Gordon Anderson

MEMORY VERSE: “Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous.” 1 John 3:7.

STUDY HELP: Education, 14–15.

INTRODUCTION: “There are many who in their hearts murmur against God. They say, ‘We inherit the fallen nature of Adam, and are not responsible for our natural imperfections.’ They find fault with God’s requirements, and complain that He demands what they have no power to give. Satan made the same complaint in heaven, but such thoughts dishonor God. And the Lord knoweth our thoughts afar off. He speaks to His people, saying, ‘O my people, what have I done unto thee? And wherein have I wearied thee? Testify against Me.’ ” Signs of the Times, August 29, 1892.

“IN THE IMAGE OF GOD”

  1. How was man originally created? Genesis 1:27.

NOTE: “When Adam came from the Creator’s hand, he bore, in his physical, mental, and spiritual nature, a likeness to his Maker. ‘God created man in His own image’ (Genesis 1:27), and it was His purpose that the longer man lived the more fully he should reveal this image, the more fully reflect the glory of the Creator. All his faculties were capable of development; their capacity and vigor were continually to increase. Vast was the scope offered for their exercise, glorious the field opened to their research. The mysteries of the visible universe, the ‘wondrous works of Him which is perfect in knowledge’ (Job 37:16) invited man’s study. Face-to-face, heart-to-heart communion with his Maker was his high privilege. Had he remained loyal to God, all this would have been his forever. Throughout eternal ages, he would have continued to gain new treasures of knowledge, to discover fresh springs of happiness, and to obtain clearer and yet clearer conceptions of the wisdom, the power, and the love of God. More and more fully would he have fulfilled the object of his creation, more and more fully have reflected the Creator’s glory.” Education, 15.

  1. How was that image marred? Romans 8:7.

NOTE: “Through sin the divine likeness was marred, and well-nigh obliterated. Man’s physical powers were weakened, his mental capacity was lessened, his spiritual vision dimmed. He had become subject to death.” Education, 15.

  1. Does sinful man still retain the image of God? 1 Corinthians 11:7; Genesis 9:5, 6.

NOTE: “Whatever may be the nation, kindred or tongue, whether a man is white or black, he still bears the image of God, and ‘the proper study of mankind is man,’ viewed from the fact that he is the purchase of the blood of Christ. To show contempt for, to manifest hatred toward any nation, is to reveal the characteristic of Satan. God has placed His estimate upon man in giving Jesus to a life of humiliation, poverty, and self-sacrifice, to contempt, rejection, and death, in order that man, His lost sheep, might be saved.” Signs of the Times, November 20, 1893.

  1. Does God impute guilt to a person for the sins committed by his ancestors? Ezekiel 18:19, 20.

NOTE: Though, because of the presence of sin in the human race, our physical powers are weakened, our mental capacities lessened and our spiritual vision dimmed by sin, yet the Lord does not hold any man but Adam to be guilty of Adam’s sin. We do not inherit sin or its guilt.

“It is inevitable that children should suffer from the consequences of parental wrongdoing, but they are not punished for the parents’ guilt, except as they participate in their sins. It is usually the case, however, that children walk in the steps of their parents. By inheritance and example, the sons become partakers of the father’s sin. Wrong tendencies, perverted appetites, and debased morals, as well as physical disease and degeneracy, are transmitted as a legacy from father to son, to the third and fourth generation. This fearful truth should have a solemn power to restrain men from following a course of sin.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 306.

  1. How did Paul express the truth that each man suffers death for his own personal sins? Romans 5:12.

NOTE: “God declared, ‘The soul that sinneth, it shall die.’ And, apart from the plan of redemption, human beings are doomed to death. ‘All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.’” Review and Herald, March 15, 1906.

“Our first parents by their disobedience opened the floodgates of woe to the race, and notwithstanding we have before us their sad experience in transgression, and the terrible result, we do not cease to sin; but while we deplore the sin of Adam, which was attended with such fearful consequences, we follow in the same course and realize the penalty of our own sins; for which suffering we alone are accountable.” Forest Park Reporter, March 30, 1879.

“CARNAL, SOLD UNDER SIN”

  1. How does Paul describe the struggle he experienced to keep the Law of God before he became a Christian? Romans 7:1, 24.

NOTE: “By sin we have been severed from the life of God. Our souls are palsied. Of ourselves, we are no more capable of living a holy life than was the impotent man capable of walking. There are many who realize their helplessness, and who long for that spiritual life which will bring them into harmony with God; they are vainly striving to obtain it. In despair they cry, ‘O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from this body of death?’ Romans 7:24, margin. Let these desponding, struggling ones look up. The Saviour is bending over the purchase of His blood, saying with inexpressible tenderness and pity, ‘Wilt thou be made whole?’ He bids you arise in health and peace. Do not wait to feel that you are made whole. Believe His word, and it will be fulfilled. Put your will on the side of Christ. Will to serve Him, and in acting upon His word you will receive strength. Whatever may be the evil practice, the master passion which through long indulgence binds both soul and body, Christ is able and longs to deliver. He will impart life to the soul that is ‘dead in trespasses.’ Ephesians 2:1. He will set free the captive that is held by weakness and misfortune and the chains of sin.” Desire of Ages, 203.

  1. What was the principle reason why Paul could find no victory in his struggle to keep the Law of God? Romans 7: 25, last part.

NOTE: The words “I myself” are the key to Paul’s dilemma as a Pharisee before he encountered the Lord Jesus. The two Greek words are “ego autos.” The first word simply means “I” but the two words together mean, emphatically, “I alone.” In the context of Romans 7, it effectively means “I on my own” that is, without Christ. Paul is saying, “I alone, without Christ, with the mind serve the Law of God but with the flesh the law of sin and death.” In contrast, notice Galatians 2:20, Philippians 4: 13, Ephesians 4: 23, Romans 8: 10. What “I alone” could never do can be done “through Christ which strengtheneth me.” (For a more detailed consideration of this point, read The Word Was Made Flesh by Ralph Larson, 351 – 364.) See also Christ’s Object Lessons, 201.

“VICTORY THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST”

  1. Who alone could bring Paul victory in his struggle to obey God’s Law? Romans 7:25, first part.

NOTE: “Paul realized his weakness, and well he might distrust his own strength. Referring to the law, he says, ‘The commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death.’ He had trusted in the deeds of the law. He says, concerning his own outward life, that as ‘touching the law’ he was ‘blameless;’ and he put his trust in his own righteousness. But when the mirror of the law was held up before him, and he saw himself as God saw him, full of mistakes, stained with sin, he cried out, ‘O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?’ Paul beheld the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. He heard the voice of Christ saying, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but by Me.’ He determined to avail himself of the benefits of saving grace, to become dead to trespasses and sins, to have his guilt washed away in the blood of Christ, to be clothed with Christ’s righteousness, to become a branch of the Living Vine. He walked with Christ, and Jesus became to him, not a part of salvation, while his own good deeds were another part, but his all in all, the first and last and best in everything. He had the faith that draws life from Christ, that enabled him to conform his life to that of the divine example. This faith claims nothing for its possessor because of his righteousness, but claims everything because of the righteousness of Christ.”Signs of the Times, November 24, 1890.

  1. Did Christ, when He came to earth, share the common inheritance of mankind? Hebrews 2:17.

NOTE: “Jesus accepted humanity when the race had been weakened by four thousand years of sin. Like every child of Adam He accepted the results of the working of the great law of heredity. What these results were is shown in the history of His earthly ancestors. He came with such a heredity to share our sorrows and temptations, and to give us the example of a sinless life.”Desire of Ages, 49. See also Desire of Ages, 24.

  1. What was a primary purpose of Christ coming to earth “in the likeness of sinful flesh”? Romans 8:3, 4.

NOTE: “Satan declared that it was impossible for the sons and daughters of Adam to keep the law of God, and thus charged upon God a lack of wisdom and love. If they could not keep the law, then there was fault with the Lawgiver. Men who are under the control of Satan repeat these accusations against God, in asserting that men can not keep the law of God. Jesus humbled Himself, clothing His divinity with humanity, in order that He might stand as the head and representative of the human family, and by both precept and example condemn sin in the flesh, and give the lie to Satan’s charges. He was subjected to the fiercest temptations that human nature can know, yet He sinned not; for sin is the transgression of the law. By faith He laid hold upon divinity, even as humanity may lay hold upon infinite power through Him.” Signs of the Times, January 16, 1896.

“IF I SAY I AM PERFECT”

  1. Why did Paul not claim perfection? (See Philippians 3: 12.) Job 9: 20, 21 and compare Job 1:1, 8; 2:3.

NOTE: Though God Himself described Job as a perfect man, Job himself would not make that claim. Aware of the inadequacy and deceptiveness of human judgment, he knew that he did not possess unerring insight into the state of his soul.

“Let those who feel inclined to make a high profession of holiness, look into the mirror of God’s law, which discovers to us the defects of our character. Those who see the far-reaching claims of the law of God, those who realize that it is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart, will not presume to make the boast of sinlessness, and venture to declare, ‘I am perfect, I am holy.’

‘If we,’ John says, not separating himself from his brethren, ‘say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.’” Signs of the Times, May 23, 1895.

  1. Once we have been justified by God’s grace, can we continue to sin? Romans 6:1. (Read verses 1–6.)

NOTE: “God’s will is expressed in His holy law, and Jesus says, ‘Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven.’ The law of God is the standard by which character is to be measured, and he whose life is in harmony with that law is worthy to be trusted, but of what value is the testimony of a man whose life and teaching contradict the law of Jehovah? He then measures himself by his

own finite standard, and may claim for himself as much as does the pope of Rome; but in the light of the detector of sin, his character may be wholly wanting. He may claim great spiritual riches, and think that he is in need of nothing, and may boast of the grace of Christ, but at the same time may have turned that precious grace into lasciviousness. This spurious character of religion is on the increase, and many whose hearts are carnal prate of the grace of Christ, while at the same time they openly blaspheme the name of the God of heaven by casting contempt upon the law of God, which rebukes their inconsistent course and detects their unchristlike character.” Review and Herald, August 28, 1894.

  1. What does sin in the life of the professing Christian reveal? 1 John 3:6. (Read verses 3–10.)

NOTE: “It is folly to bid the sinner come to Christ before being convicted of his sin by being brought before the mirror of the law of God. What is the sinner to be converted from? The transgression of God’s law to obedience of it. But if he is told that he cannot keep the law of God, and that, if he should attempt it, he would be brought into bondage, to what is he then converted, from transgression of the law to a continuance in that transgression? This is absurd. Yet professed ministers of Christ tell the sinner that he is guiltless while disloyal to the law of God. Such conversions are not ratified in heaven.” Signs of the Times, July 18, 1878.

Bible Study Guides – “TEMPTED OF THE DEVIL”

MEMORY VERSE: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Peter 5:8.

STUDY HELP: Steps to Christ, 43–48.

INTRODUCTION: “Satan knows better than God’s people the power that they can have over him when their strength is in Christ. When they humbly entreat the mighty Conqueror for help, the weakest believer in the truth, relying firmly upon Christ, can successfully repulse Satan and all his host. He is too cunning to come openly, boldly, with his temptations; for then the drowsy energies of the Christian would arouse, and he would rely upon the strong and mighty Deliverer. But he comes in unperceived, and works in disguise through the children of disobedience who profess Godliness.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 341.

“NOT AGAINST FLESH AND BLOOD”

  1. How did Paul describe the war in which the Christian is engaged? Ephesians 6:11, 12.

NOTE: “We fight in a warfare, not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, and against spiritual wickedness in high places. See Ephesians 6:12. In life’s conflict we must meet evil agencies that have arrayed themselves against the right. Our hope is not in man, but in the living God. With full assurance of faith we may expect that He will unite His omnipotence with the efforts of human instrumentalities, for the glory of His name. Clad with the armor of His righteousness, we may gain the victory over every foe.” Prophets and Kings, 111.

  1. What is our only hope of victory in this war against temptation and sin? Ephesians 6:13–18.

NOTE: “In this conflict of righteousness against unrighteousness, we can be successful only by divine aid. Our finite will must be brought into submission to the will of the Infinite; the human will must be blended with the divine. This will bring the Holy Spirit to our aid; and every conquest will tend to the recovery of God’s purchased possession, to the restoration of His image in the soul.”Review and Herald, August 25, 1896.

“LET THIS MIND BE IN YOU WHICH WAS ALSO IN CHRIST JESUS”

  1. How was Jesus tempted and how did He meet each temptation? Matthew 4:1–11.

NOTE: “Satan deals with men more guardedly than he dealt with Christ in the wilderness of temptation, for he is admonished that he there lost his case. He is a conquered foe. He does not come to man directly and demand homage by outward worship. He simply asks men to place their affections upon the good things of this world. If he succeeds in engaging the mind and affections, the heavenly attractions are eclipsed. All he wants of man is for him to fall under the deceitful power of his temptations, to love the world, to love rank and position, to love money, and to place his affections upon earthly treasures. If he secures this, he gains all that he asked of Christ. The example of Christ shows us that our only hope of victory is in continual resistance of Satan’s attacks. He who triumphed over the adversary of souls in the conflict of temptation understands Satan’s power over the race and has conquered him in our behalf. As an overcomer He has given us the advantage of His victory, that in our efforts to resist the temptations of Satan we may unite our weakness to His strength, our worthlessness to His merits. And, sustained by His enduring might under strong temptation, we may resist in His all-powerful name and overcome as He overcame.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 480.

  1. What three aspects of temptation did Christ meet and withstand? 1 John 2:16.

NOTE: “The world is given up to self-indulgence. ‘The lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life’ control the masses of the people. But Christ’s followers have a holier calling. ‘Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean.’ In the light of God’s word we are justified in declaring that sanctification cannot be genuine which does not work this utter renunciation of the sinful pursuits and gratifications of the world.” Great Controversy, 475.

  1. How does the Psalmist explain the secret of Christ’s victory? Psalm 119:11.

NOTE: “And how this is accomplished, Christ has shown us. By what means did He overcome in the conflict with Satan? By the word of God. Only by the word could He resist temptation. ‘It is written,’ He said. And unto us are given ‘exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.’ 2 Peter 1:4. Every promise in God’s word is ours. ‘By every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God’ are we to live. When assailed by temptation, look not to circumstances or to the weakness of self, but to the power of the Word. All its strength is yours. ‘Thy word,’ says the psalmist, ‘have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee.’ ‘By the word of Thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer.’ Psalm 119:11; 17:4.” Desire of Ages, 123.

“THE ENEMY . . . IS THE DEVIL”

  1. How far did Satan go in his hatred of Christ? Read one of the following thoughtfully and prayerfully: Matthew 26:47–27:50; Mark 15:43–15:37; Luke 22:47–23:46; John 18:1–19:30.

NOTE: “At the cross of Calvary, love and selfishness stood face to face. Here was their crowning manifestation. Christ had lived only to comfort and bless, and in putting Him to death, Satan manifested the malignity of his hatred against God. He made it evident that the real purpose of his rebellion was to dethrone God, and to destroy Him through whom the love of God was shown.” Desire of Ages, 57.

  1. How does this hatred affect also the followers of Christ? John 15:18; Revelation 12:13.

NOTE: “Every indignity, reproach, and cruelty that Satan could instigate human hearts to devise, has been visited upon the followers of Jesus. And it will be again fulfilled in a marked manner; for the carnal heart is still at enmity with the law of God, and will not be subject to its commands. The world is no more in harmony with the principles of Christ today than it was in the days of the apostles. The same hatred that prompted the cry, ‘Crucify Him! crucify Him!’ the same hatred that led to the persecution of the disciples, still works in the children of disobedience. The same spirit which in the Dark Ages consigned men and women to prison, to exile, and to death, which conceived the exquisite torture of the Inquisition, which planned and executed the Massacre of St. Bartholomew, and which kindled the fires of Smithfield, is still at work with malignant energy in unregenerate hearts. The history of truth has ever been the record of a struggle between right and wrong. The proclamation of the gospel has ever been carried forward in this world in the face of opposition, peril, loss, and suffering.” Acts of the Apostles, 84, 85.

“WAR WITH THE REMNANT”

  1. How does the Bible picture Satan’s war against the final generation of God’s people? Revelation 12:17.

NOTE: “In the near future we shall see these words fulfilled as the Protestant churches unite with the world and with the papal power against commandment keepers. The same spirit which actuated papists in ages past will lead Protestants to pursue a similar course toward those who will maintain their loyalty to God. Church and state are now making preparations for the future conflict. Protestants are working in disguise to bring Sunday to the front, as did the Romanists. Throughout the land the papacy is piling up her lofty and massive structures, in the secret recesses of which her former persecutions are to be repeated. And the way is preparing for the manifestation, on a grand scale, of those lying wonders by which, if it were possible, Satan would deceive even the elect.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 449.

  1. In what ways does Satan make war on the remnant? 2 Timothy 4:3, 4, Luke 8:12, Acts 10:38, Acts 13:10, 2 Timothy 2:26, Revelation 2:10, Revelation 12:9.

NOTE: Consider the following quotations: “Especially will his power be exercised upon the remnant. He will war against them, and seek to divide and scatter them, that they may grow weak and be overthrown.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 210. “He leads fallen man . . . to believe that he can do very well without an atonement, that he need not depend upon a crucified and risen Savior, that man’s own merits will entitle him to God’s favor. And then he destroys man’s confidence in the Bible, well knowing that if he succeeds here, and faith in the detector which places a mark upon himself is destroyed, he is safe. He fastens upon minds the delusion that there is no personal devil, and those who believe this make no effort to resist and war against that which they think does not exist.” Ibid., 294. “Satan has used as agents individuals professing to believe a part of present truth, while they were warring against a part. Such he can use more successfully than those who are at war with all our faith.” Ibid., 326. “Satan has originated fables with which to deceive.” Ibid., 342. “Satan fears that he will lose a captive, and he calls a reinforcement of his angels to hedge in the poor soul, and form a wall of darkness around him.” Ibid., 345. “Satan and his host are at war with commandment keepers, and will work to bring them into trying positions.”Ibid., 356.

“HEALING ALL THAT WERE OPPRESSED OF THE DEVIL”

  1. What work did Jesus do through the power of the Holy Spirit? Acts 10:38.

NOTE: “The power and malice of Satan and his host might justly alarm us, were it not that we may find shelter and deliverance in the superior power of our Redeemer. We carefully secure our houses with bolts and locks to protect our property and our lives from evil men; but we seldom think of the evil angels who are constantly seeking access to us, and against whose attacks we have no method of defense. If permitted, they can distract our minds, disorder, torment our bodies, destroy our possessions and our lives. Their only delight is in misery and destruction. Fearful is the condition of those who resist the divine claims and yield to Satan’s temptations until God gives them up to the control of evil spirits. But those who follow Christ are ever safe under his watchcare. Angels that excel in strength are sent from Heaven to protect them. The wicked one cannot break through the guard which God has stationed about his people.” Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 4, 336.

  1. Why were the disciples unable to cast out an evil spirit? Matthew 17:21.

NOTE: “It will be a close conflict. Satan will reinforce his evil angels who have controlled these persons; but if the saints of God with deep humility fast and pray, their prayers will prevail. Jesus will commission holy angels to resist Satan, and he will be driven back and his power broken from off the afflicted ones. Mark 9:29: ‘And He said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.’” Testimonies, vol. 1, 344.

  1. How does Jesus show that not all who claim to cast out evil spirits will enter the kingdom of heaven? Matthew 7:21–23.

NOTE: “The work of declaring persons possessed of the devil, and then praying with them, and pretending to cast out the evil spirits, is fanaticism which will bring into disrepute any church which sanctions such work.” Pacific Union Recorder, December 31, 1908.

  1. How great will be Satan’s deceptions? Revelation 12:9.

NOTE: “None are in greater danger from the influence of evil spirits than those who, notwithstanding the direct and ample testimony of the Scriptures, deny the existence and agency of the devil and his angels. So long as we are ignorant of their wiles, they have almost inconceivable advantage; many give heed to their suggestions while they suppose themselves to be following the dictates of their own wisdom. This is why, as we approach the close of time, when Satan is to work with greatest power to deceive and destroy, he spreads everywhere the belief that he does not exist. It is his policy to conceal himself and his manner of working.” The Great Controversy, 516.

Bible Study Guides – “Power to Become the Sons of God”

Bible Study Guide- Week 2

By Gordon Anderson

MEMORY VERSE: “But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.” John.1:12.

STUDY HELP: Christ’s Object Lessons, 307-319.

INTRODUCTION: “Remember that working with Christ as your personal Saviour is your strength and your victory. This is the part that all are to act. To those who do this comes the assurance: `As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God.’ John 1:12. Christ declares: `Without Me ye can do nothing.’ John 15:5. And the humble, believing soul responds: `I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.’ Philippians 4:13.” Testimonies, vol. 7, 39.

How does Paul describe the mind of those who are without Christ? Romans 8:5-8; Ephesians 2:1-3.

NOTE: “Today a large part of those who compose our congregations are dead in trespasses and sins. They come and go like the door upon its hinges. For years they have complacently listened to the most solemn, soul-stirring truths, but they have not put them in practice. Therefore they are less and less sensible of the preciousness of truth. The stirring testimonies of reproof and warning do not arouse them to repentance. The sweetest melodies that come from God through human lips, justification by faith, and the righteousness of Christ, do not call forth from them a response of love and gratitude. Though the heavenly Merchantman displays before them the richest jewels of faith and love, though He invites them to buy of Him `gold tried in the fire,’ and `white raiment’ that they may be clothed, and `eyesalve’ that they may see, they steel their hearts against Him, and fail to exchange their lukewarmness for love and zeal. While making a profession, they deny the power of godliness. If they continue in this state, God will reject them. They are unfitting themselves to be members of His family.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 426, 427.

What struggle takes place in the mind of the one who tries to live a good life without Christ? Romans 7:18-24.

NOTE: “There are many who will be lost, because they depend on legal religion, or mere repentance for sin. But repentance for sin alone cannot work the salvation of any soul. Man cannot be saved by his own works. Without Christ it is impossible for him to render perfect obedience to the law of God; and heaven can never be gained by an imperfect obedience; for this would place all heaven in jeopardy, and make possible a second rebellion.” Signs of the Times, December 30, 1889.

“By sin we have been severed from the life of God. Our souls are palsied. Of ourselves we are no more capable of living a holy life than was the impotent man capable of walking. Many realize their helplessness; they are longing for that spiritual life which will bring them into harmony with God, and are striving to obtain it. But in vain. In despair they cry, `O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from this body of death?’ Romans 7:24, margin.” Ministry of Healing, 84.

In his despair what cry for help did Paul make and who answered his cry? Romans 7:24, 25, first part.

NOTE: “If we are conscious of our needs, we should not devote all our powers to mourning over them. While we realize our helpless condition without Christ, we are not to yield to discouragement, but rely upon the merits of a crucified and risen Savior. Look and live. Jesus has pledged His word; He will save all who come unto Him.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 432.

“Let these desponding, struggling ones look up. The Savior is bending over the purchase of His blood, saying with inexpressible tenderness and pity, `Wilt thou be made whole?’ He bids you arise in health and peace. Do not wait to feel that you are made whole. Believe the Savior’s word. Put your will on the side of Christ. Will to serve Him, and in acting upon His word you will receive strength. Whatever may be the evil practice, the master passion which through long indulgence binds both soul and body, Christ is able and longs to deliver. He will impart life to the soul that is `dead in trespasses.’ Ephesians 2:1. He will set free the captive that is held by weakness and misfortune and the chains of sin.” Ministry of Healing, 84, 85.

How is the sinner’s cry for help answered? Ephesians 2:4-6.

NOTE: “It is His love that encircles us, bringing us back to the fold. His love gives us the privilege of sitting together with Him in heavenly places. When the blessed light of the Sun of Righteousness shines into our hearts, and we rest in peace and joy in the Lord, then let us praise the Lord; praise Him who is the health of our countenance and our God. Let us praise Him, not in words only, but by the consecration to Him of all that we are and all that we have. `How much owest thou unto my Lord?’ Compute this you cannot. Since all that you have is His, will you withhold from Him that which He claims? When He calls for it, will you selfishly grasp it as your own? Will you keep it back and apply it to some other purpose than the salvation of souls?” Testimonies, vol. 6, 479, 480.

What change takes place in the life of the converted Christian? Romans 6:1-6.

NOTE: “`How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?’ And John declares: `This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments: and His commandments are not grievous.’ Romans 3:31; 6:2; 1 John 5:3. In the new birth the heart is brought into harmony with God, as it is brought into accord with His law. When this mighty change has taken place in the sinner, he has passed from death unto life, from sin unto holiness, from transgression and rebellion to obedience and loyalty. The old life of alienation from God has ended; the new life of reconciliation, of faith and love, has begun. Then `the righteousness of the law’ will `be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.’ Romans 8:4. And the language of the soul will be: `O how love I Thy law! It is my meditation all the day.’ Psalm 119:97.” The Great Controversy, 468.

In what way did Jesus describe the change that must take place in the life of the one who becomes a Christian? John 3:3-7.

NOTE: “Though we cannot see the Spirit of God, we know that men who have been dead in trespasses and sins, become convicted and converted under its operations. The thoughtless and wayward become serious. The hardened repent of their sins, and the faithless believe. The gambler, the drunkard, the licentious, become steady, sober, and pure. The rebellious and obstinate become meek and Christlike. When we see these changes in the character, we may be assured that the converting power of God has transformed the entire man. We saw not the Holy Spirit, but we saw the evidence of its work on the changed character of those who were hardened and obdurate sinners. As the wind moves in its force upon the lofty trees and brings them down, so the Holy Spirit can work upon human hearts, and no finite man can circumscribe the work of God. The Spirit of God is manifested in different ways upon different men. One under the movings of this power will tremble before the word of God. His convictions will be so deep that a hurricane and tumult of feeling seem to rage in his heart, and his whole being is prostrate under the convicting power of the truth. When the Lord speaks forgiveness to the repenting soul, he is full of ardor, full of love to God, full of earnestness and energy, and the life-giving Spirit which he has received cannot be repressed. Christ is in him, a well of water springing up into everlasting life. His feelings of love are as deep and ardent as was his distress and agony. His soul is like the fountain of the great deep broken up, and he pours forth his thanksgiving and praise, his gratitude and joy, until the heavenly harps are tuned to notes of rejoicing. He has a story to tell, but not in any precise, common, methodical way. He is a soul ransomed through the merits of Jesus Christ, and his whole being is thrilled with the realization of the salvation of God. Others are brought to Christ in a more gentle way. `The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth; so is every one that is born of the Spirit.’ You cannot see the operating agency, but you can see its effects.” Review and Herald, May 5, 1896.

How does Paul describe this change? 2 Corinthians 5:17. (Compare Galatians 2:20.).

NOTE: “But those who are satisfied to carry with them a vast amount of selfishness, fault-finding, suspicion, distrust, and strife, will be so deceived that they will not know their short measurement. They are filled with their own doings. They have not the least idea of what it means to be crucified with Christ. To humble self is an experience strange to them. Before they can serve God acceptably, self must die. Christ’s words, `Ye must be born again. Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God,’ must come home to them with power.” Southern Watchman, December 5, 1899.

What will be the result of the life of the one who abides in Christ? What does sin in the life reveal? 1 John 3:6; 1 John 2:5, 6.

NOTE: “This conformity to Jesus will not be unobserved by the world. It is a subject of notice and comment. The Christian may not be conscious of the great change; for the more closely he resembles Christ in character the more humble will be his opinion of himself; but it will be seen and felt by all around him. Those who have had the deepest experience in the things of God are the farthest removed from pride or self-exaltation. They have the humblest thoughts of self, and the most exalted conceptions of the glory and excellence of Christ. They feel that the lowest place in His service is too honorable for them.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 223.

Though it is not God’s purpose that His followers should continue to sin, what provision has He made for those who fall? 1 John 2:1.

NOTE: “There are those who have known the pardoning love of Christ and who really desire to be children of God, yet they realize that their character is imperfect, their life faulty, and they are ready to doubt whether their hearts have been renewed by the Holy Spirit. To such I would say, Do not draw back in despair. We shall often have to bow down and weep at the feet of Jesus because of our shortcomings and mistakes, but we are not to be discouraged. Even if we are overcome by the enemy, we are not cast off, not forsaken and rejected of God. No, Christ is at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.” Steps to Christ, 64.

What will be the outcome when we lay hold of the spiritual weapons provided by God? 2 Corinthians 10:3-5.

NOTE: “The work of gaining salvation is one of co-partnership, a joint operation. There is to be co-operation between God and the repentant sinner. This is necessary for the formation of right principles in the character. Man is to make earnest efforts to overcome that which hinders him from attaining to perfection. But he is wholly dependent upon God for success. Human effort of itself is not sufficient. Without the aid of divine power it avails nothing. God works and man works. Resistance of temptation must come from man, who must draw his power from God. On the one side there is infinite wisdom, compassion, and power; on the other, weakness, sinfulness, absolute helplessness. God wishes us to have the mastery over ourselves. But He cannot help us without our consent and co-operation. The divine Spirit works through the powers and faculties given to man. Of ourselves, we are not able to bring the purposes and desires and inclinations into harmony with the will of God; but if we are `willing to be made willing,’ the Saviour will accomplish this for us, `Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.’ 2 Corinthians 10:5.” Acts of the Apostles, 482.

What is God’s purpose in our Christian life? Ephesians 4:13-15; 2 Corinthians 3:18; 1 John 3:2; Matthew 5:48.

NOTE: “The ideal of Christian character is Christ-likeness. There is opened before us a path of constant advancement. We have an object to gain, a standard to reach, that includes everything good and pure and noble and elevated. There should be continual striving and constant progress onward and upward toward perfection of character.” Testimonies, vol. 8, 64.

“The tempter’s agency is not to be accounted an excuse for one wrong act. Satan is jubilant when he hears the professed followers of Christ making excuses for their deformity of character. It is these excuses that lead to sin. There is no excuse for sinning. A holy temper, a Christ-like life, is accessible to every repenting, believing child of God. The ideal of Christian character is Christ-likeness. As the Son of man was perfect in His life, so His followers are to be perfect in their life. Jesus was in all things made like unto His brethren. He became flesh, even as we are. He was hungry and thirsty and weary. He was sustained by food and refreshed by sleep. He shared the lot of man; yet He was the blameless Son of God. He was God in the flesh. His character is to be ours. The Lord says of those who believe in Him, `I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.’ 2 Corinthians 6:16.” The Desire of Ages, 311.

Where does the power for victory over temptation and sin come from? John 1:12; Matthew 6:13; Romans 1:16; 2 Corinthians 4:7.

NOTE: “Only the covering which Christ Himself has provided can make us meet to appear in God’s presence. This covering, the robe of His own righteousness, Christ will put upon every repenting, believing soul. `I counsel thee,’ He says, `to buy of Me . . . white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear.’ Revelation 3:18. This robe, woven in the loom of heaven, has in it not one thread of human devising. Christ in His humanity wrought out a perfect character, and this character He offers to impart to us. `All our righteousness are as filthy rags.’ Isaiah 64:6. Everything that we of ourselves can do is defiled by sin. But the Son of God `was manifested to take away our sins; and in Him is no sin.’ Sin is defined to be `the transgression of the law.’ 1 John 3:5, 4. But Christ was obedient to every requirement of the law. He said of Himself, `I delight to do Thy will, O My God; yea, Thy law is within My heart.’ Psalms 40:8. When on earth, He said to His disciples, `I have kept My Father’s commandments.’ John 15:10. By His perfect obedience He has made it possible for every human being to obey God’s commandments. When we submit ourselves to Christ, the heart is united with His heart, the will is merged in His will, the mind becomes one with His mind, the thoughts are brought into captivity to Him; we live His life. This is what it means to be clothed with the garment of His righteousness.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 311.

Bible Study Guides – Delivering Our Neighbor

May 17 – 23, 2020

Key Text

“Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over” (Luke 6:38).

Study Help: The Ministry of Healing, 161–182.

Introduction

“He who owns the world is rich in resources, and will bless everyone who is seeking to bless others.” The Ministry of Healing, 200.

Sunday

FOLLOWING JESUS’ EXAMPLE

  • What was the new commandment Jesus gave to His disciples? John 13:34.

Note: “The Saviour’s example is to be the standard of our service for the tempted and the erring. The same interest and tenderness and long-suffering that He has manifested toward us, we are to manifest toward others. … If Christ dwells in us, we shall reveal His unselfish love toward all with whom we have to do. As we see men and women in need of sympathy and help, we shall not ask, ‘Are they worthy?’ but ‘How can I benefit them?’ ” The Ministry of Healing, 162.

Note: “We need to put ourselves in the place of the tempted ones. Consider the power of heredity, the influence of evil associations and surroundings, the power of wrong habits. Can we wonder that under such influences many become degraded? Can we wonder that they should be slow to respond to efforts for their uplifting?” The Ministry of Healing, 168.

  • How did Jesus teach the value of the soul? Luke 15:4–10. What can we learn from this?

Note: “The lost coin, in the Saviour’s parable, though lying in the dirt and rubbish, was a piece of silver still. Its owner sought it because it was of value. So every soul, however degraded by sin, is in God’s sight accounted precious. …

“The love of Christ, manifested in word and act, will win its way to the soul, when the reiteration of precept or argument would accomplish nothing.

“We need more of Christlike sympathy … for poor, suffering, struggling souls, who are often overtaken in fault, sinning and repenting, tempted and discouraged.” The Ministry of Healing, 163, 164.

Monday

WORKING FOR THE TEMPTED

  • With what urgency should we work for those outside the fold? Luke 14:23.

Note: “Christian motives demand that we work with a steady purpose, an undying interest, an ever-increasing importunity, for the souls whom Satan is seeking to destroy. Nothing is to chill the earnest, yearning energy for the salvation of the lost.” The Ministry of Healing, 164.

  • What attitude should we have toward those struggling with sin? Why? Galatians 6:1; Romans 14:10.

Note: “It was a continual pain to Christ to be brought into contact with enmity, depravity, and impurity; but never did He utter one expression to show that His sensibilities were shocked or His refined tastes offended. Whatever the evil habits, the strong prejudices, or the overbearing passions of human beings, He met them all with pitying tenderness. As we partake of His Spirit, we shall regard all men as brethren, with similar temptations and trials, often falling and struggling to rise again, battling with discouragements and difficulties, craving sympathy and help. Then we shall meet them in such a way as not to discourage or repel them, but to awaken hope in their hearts. …

“With a sense of our own infirmities, we shall have compassion for the infirmities of others. …

“A tender spirit, a gentle, winning deportment, may save the erring and hide a multitude of sins.” The Ministry of Healing, 165, 166.

  • What teaching of Jesus should we ever keep in mind while trying to help the tempted? Matthew 7:12.

Note: “We need to put ourselves in the place of the tempted ones. Consider the power of heredity, the influence of evil associations and surroundings, the power of wrong habits. Can we wonder that under such influences many become degraded? Can we wonder that they should be slow to respond to efforts for their uplifting?” The Ministry of Healing, 168.

Tuesday

HELPING THE INTEMPERATE

  • What should we remember when trying to help those overcome by besetting sins? Galatians 6:9; Jude 23.

Note: “In dealing with the victims of intemperance we must remember that we are not dealing with sane men, but with those who for the time being are under the power of a demon. Be patient and forbearing. Think not of the repulsive, forbidding appearance, but of the precious life that Christ died to redeem. As the drunkard awakens to a sense of his degradation, do all in your power to show that you are his friend. …

“Open the Bible before the tempted, struggling one, and over and over again read to him the promises of God. … Patiently continue your efforts, until with grateful joy the trembling hand grasps the hope of redemption through Christ.

“You must hold fast to those whom you are trying to help, else victory will never be yours. They will be continually tempted to evil. Again and again they will be almost overcome by the craving for strong drink; again and again they may fall; but do not, because of this, cease your efforts.” The Ministry of Healing, 172, 173.

  • How can those who are caught up in evil habits have victory? Psalm 119:11; 17:4.

Note: “Bid the tempted one look not to circumstances, to the weakness of self, or to the power of temptation, but to the power of God’s word.” The Ministry of Healing, 181.

“The victims of evil habit must be aroused to the necessity of making an effort for themselves. … All will be in vain unless they themselves are roused to fight the battle in their own behalf. …

“God calls upon them to arouse and in the strength of Christ win back the God-given manhood that has been sacrificed through sinful indulgence.” Ibid., 174.

  • In order to gain victory, what should their focus be? Philippians 4:8; Ecclesiastes 9:10, first part.

 Note: “Occupation of mind and body in useful work is essential as a safeguard against temptation.” The Ministry of Healing, 177.

Wednesday

MINISTRY FOR THE POOR

  • Whom first and foremost among the needy should we help? Galatians 6:10.

Note: “In a special sense, Christ has laid upon His church the duty of caring for the needy among its own members. He suffers His poor to be in the borders of every church. They are always to be among us, and He places upon the members of the church a personal responsibility to care for them.

“As the members of a true family care for one another, ministering to the sick, supporting the weak, teaching the ignorant, training the inexperienced, so is ‘the household of faith’ (Galatians 6:10) to care for its needy and helpless ones. Upon no consideration are these to be passed by.” The Ministry of Healing, 201.

  • What do the poor often lack? Proverbs 13:23.

Note: “By instruction in practical lines we can often help the poor most effectively. As a rule, those who have not been trained to work do not have habits of industry, perseverance, economy, and self-denial. …

“Real charity helps men to help themselves. … True beneficence means more than mere gifts. It means a genuine interest in the welfare of others. … To give thought and time and personal effort costs far more than merely to give money. But it is the truest charity.

“Those who are taught to earn what they receive will more readily learn to make the most of it.” The Ministry of Healing, 194, 195.

  • What promise is there for those who help the poor? Proverbs 28:27.

Note: “None need fear that their liberality would bring them to want. Obedience to God’s commandments would surely result in prosperity.” The Ministry of Healing, 187.

“It is God’s purpose that the rich and the poor shall be closely bound together by the ties of sympathy and helpfulness. Those who have means, talents, and capabilities are to use these gifts in blessing their fellow men.” Ibid., 193.

Thursday

HELPING THE HELPLESS

  • What other Christian work is always a part of true religion? James 1:27; Deuteronomy 10:18. What blessing is attached to this work?

Note: “When all has been done that can be done in helping the poor to help themselves, there still remain the widow and the fatherless, the aged, the helpless, and the sick, that claim sympathy and care. Never should these be neglected. They are committed by God Himself to the mercy, the love, and the tender care of all whom He has made His stewards.” The Ministry of Healing, 201.

“The Lord provides for the widow and the fatherless, not by a miracle in sending manna from heaven, not by sending ravens to bring them food; but by a miracle upon human hearts, expelling selfishness, and unsealing the fountains of Christlike love.” Ibid., 202.

“There is a blessing in the association of the old and the young. The young may bring sunshine into the hearts and lives of the aged. … And the young may be helped by the wisdom and experience of the old.” Ibid., 204.

  • What do we know about the helpless and poor? Mark 14:7; Deuteronomy 15:11. Why does God allow this?

Note: “In placing among them the helpless and the poor, to be dependent upon their care, Christ tests His professed followers. By our love and service for His needy children we prove the genuineness of our love for Him. To neglect them is to declare ourselves false disciples, strangers to Christ and His love.” The Ministry of Healing, 205.

Friday

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1    How can we follow Jesus’ example in working for the erring?

2    What can we learn from how Jesus met depravity and impurity?

3    How can we help those battling with addictions? What should we remember?

4    What class of needy people should we never neglect?

5    Why has God placed the poor among us? How can we best help them?

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

Bible Study Guides – The Ministry of Deliverance

May 10 – 16, 2020

Key Text

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; He hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound” (Isaiah 61:1).

Study Help: The Desire of Ages, 547–551.

Introduction

“Through yielding to sin, man placed his will under the control of Satan. He became a helpless captive in the tempter’s power. God sent His Son into our world to break the power of Satan, and to emancipate the will of man.” Australasian Union Conference Record, June 1, 1900.

Sunday

ESTABLISHING GOD’S KINGDOM

  • What question did Jesus ask regarding God’s kingdom? Mark 4:30. To what did He desire to draw the people’s attention?

Note: “Christ found the kingdoms of the world corrupt. … When Christ came to the world to establish a kingdom, He looked upon the governments of men, and said, ‘Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God’ (Mark 4:30)? Nothing in civil society afforded Him a comparison. …

“In striking contrast to the wrong and oppression so universally practised [sic] were the mission and work of Christ. … He planned a government which would use no force; His subjects would know no oppression. … He came as the divine Restorer, bringing to oppressed and downtrodden humanity the rich and abundant grace of Heaven, that by the power of His righteousness, man, fallen and degraded though he was, might be a partaker of divinity.” God’s Amazing Grace, 14.

“Christ was establishing a kingdom on different principles. He called men, not to authority, but to service, the strong to bear the infirmities of the weak. Power, position, talent, education, placed their possessor under the greater obligation to serve his fellows.” The Desire of Ages, 550.

Monday

THE MISSION OF CHRIST

  • How is the character of the coming Deliverer described? In what power did He work? Isaiah 42:1–4.

Note: “The dimly burning wick of faith and hope, He [Christ] would encourage, and not quench. He would feed His flock like a shepherd; He would gather the lambs with His arms, and carry them in His bosom.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, 1146.

  • What royal title was the Messiah to carry? Isaiah 9:6.

Note: “Christ is ‘the Prince of Peace’ (Isaiah 9:6), and it is His mission to restore to earth and heaven the peace that sin has broken. … Whoever consents to renounce sin and open his heart to the love of Christ, becomes a partaker of this heavenly peace. …

“The heart that is in harmony with God is a partaker of the peace of heaven and will diffuse its blessed influence on all around.” Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 27, 28.

  • What sums up Christ’s lifework? Acts 10:38. What practical things did Christ’s work include? Matthew 4:23, 24.

Note: “With a heart ever touched with the feelings of our infirmities, an ear ever open to the cry of suffering humanity, a hand ever ready to save the discouraged and despairing, Jesus, our Saviour, ‘went about doing good’ (Acts 10:38).” God’s Amazing Grace, 14.

“The sick came to the places through which He would pass, that they might call on Him for help. Hither, too, came many anxious to hear His words and to receive a touch of His hand. Thus He went from city to city, from town to town, preaching the gospel and healing the sick—the King of glory in the lowly garb of humanity.” The Ministry of Healing, 22.

“Tender, compassionate, sympathetic, ever considerate of others, He [Christ] represented the character of God, and was constantly engaged in service for God and man.” Ibid., 423.

Tuesday

CHRIST’S WORK IS TO BE OUR WORK

  • How extensive was the work Christ did under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit? Isaiah 61:1–3.

Note: “The mission described by the prophet is the mission of every disciple of Christ. We are to practice the words of Christ, and present before others the covenant of grace, the righteousness of Christ. We are to make it manifest to the world that we have the oil of grace in our vessels in our lamps. The work of every representative of Christ, both in the ministry and among the laymen, is to tell of the great salvation brought to them as God’s free gift.” The Review and Herald, March 27, 1894.

  • What are we called to do as followers of Christ? Isaiah 58:6, 7.

Note: “All who are members of the kingdom of Christ will represent Him in character and disposition.” God’s Amazing Grace, 14.

“Through yielding to sin, man placed his will under the control of Satan. He became a helpless captive in the tempter’s power. God sent His Son into our world to break the power of Satan, and to emancipate the will of man. He sent Him to proclaim liberty to the captives, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free.” Our High Calling, 104.

“Find out what the poor and suffering are in need of, and then, in love and tenderness, help them to courage and hope and confidence by sharing with them the good things that God has given you. Thus you will be doing the very work that the Lord means you to do.” The Medical Missionary, June 1, 1891.

“Christ’s work is to be our example. Constantly He went about doing good. In the temple and the synagogues, in the streets of the cities, in the marketplace and the workshop, by the seaside and among the hills, He preached the gospel and healed the sick. His life was one of unselfish service, and it is to be our lessonbook. His tender, pitying love rebukes our selfishness and heartlessness.” Testimonies, vol. 9, 31.

  • What promise did Christ make to His disciples concerning the power which was to attend the spreading of the gospel? Acts 1:8.

Wednesday

WITNESSES TO DELIVERANCE

  • What encouraging words should inspire us to follow in Jesus’ footsteps in reaching out to others? Isaiah 52:7; 61:6–9.

Note: “He [God] wants you to go forth to our churches to labor earnestly for Him. He wants you to institute meetings for those outside the churches, that the people may learn the truths of this last message of warning. There are places where you will be gladly received, where souls will thank you for coming to their help. May the Lord help you to take hold of this work as you have never yet taken hold of it.” Testimonies, vol. 9, 107.

“It will require moral courage to do God’s work unflinchingly. Those who do this can give no place to self love, to selfish considerations, ambition, love of ease, or desire to shun the cross.” The Review and Herald, February 7, 1893.

  • What is a wonderful example of what Jesus wants those who have been delivered from sin to do? Matthew 8:28; Mark 5:6–8, 18–20.

Note: “The two restored demoniacs were the first missionaries whom Christ sent to preach the gospel in the region of Decapolis. For a few moments only these men had been privileged to hear the teachings of Christ. Not one sermon from His lips had ever fallen upon their ears. They could not instruct the people as the disciples who had been daily with Christ were able to do. But they bore in their own persons the evidence that Jesus was the Messiah. They could tell what they knew; what they themselves had seen, and heard, and felt of the power of Christ. This is what everyone can do whose heart has been touched by the grace of God. John, the beloved disciple, wrote: ‘That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; … that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you’ (1 John 1:1–3). As witnesses for Christ, we are to tell what we know, what we ourselves have seen and heard and felt. If we have been following Jesus step by step, we shall have something right to the point to tell concerning the way in which He has led us. We can tell how we have tested His promise, and found the promise true. We can bear witness to what we have known of the grace of Christ. This is the witness for which our Lord calls, and for want of which the world is perishing.” The Desire of Ages, 340.

Thursday

WORKING IN HUMILITY

  • What attitude did Jesus have as He worked for others, and what can we learn from this? John 6:38; James 4:6, 10.

Note: “The greatest possible kindness and freedom are to be granted to the purchase of the blood of Christ. Over and over again in His teaching, Christ presented the value of true humility, showing how necessary it is that we exercise helpfulness, compassion, and love toward one another. …

“No confidence can be placed in human greatness, human intellect, or human plans. We must place ourselves under the guidance of an infinite mind, acknowledging that without Jesus we can do nothing.” The Review and Herald, August 18, 1896.

  • How far should we go in reaching out to those in need? Job 29:15, 16; Matthew 25:34–40.

Note: “Notice, you are not to comfort only the few whom you are inclined to regard with favor, but all that mourn, all who apply to you for help and relief; and more, you are to search for the needy. Job says, ‘The cause which I knew not I searched out’ (Job 29:16). He did not wait to be urged, and then turn away, saying, ‘I will not help him.’ ” The Review and Herald, October 15, 1901.

“The world is full of men and women who carry a heavy burden of sorrow and suffering and sin. God sends His children to reveal to them Him who will take away the burden, and give them rest. It is the mission of Christ’s servants to help, to bless, to heal.” Ibid., October 29, 1903.

Friday

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1    How is Christ’s kingdom different from worldly kingdoms?

2    How can I be a part of Jesus’ mission to restore the peace that sin has destroyed?

3    As we are rescued from the slavery of sin, what is our duty?

4    How can I show my gratitude for God’s unselfish interest in me?

5    Whom should I help? What should my mission be?

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

Victory—the Christian’s Privilege

Few doctrines cause more ire and disdain within the ranks of Seventh-day Adventists than God’s call to Christian character perfection.

Christian character perfection is best defined by referring to its synonyms—

  • The character of Christ in the life (Philippians 2:5)
  • Sanctification (2 Thessalonians 2:13)
  • Holiness (1 Peter 1:15)
  • Surrender of the will to Christ (Romans 6:13, 16, 19)
  • Love to Christ which leads to obeying His commandments (John 14:15)
  • Victory over sin (1 John 5:4)
  • Complete trust in Christ (2 Corinthians 3:4)
  • A character filled with the Holy Spirit (John 20:22; Acts 1:8; 4:8, 31)
  • Overcoming the world (1 John 5:4)
  • Walking in God’s way (1 Kings 8:58)
  • The inclination of the heart of God (1 Kings 8:58)

God’s promise of Christian character perfection is one of the great promises of Scripture. The purpose of the gifts of the Spirit is to bring character perfection to those who desire salvation. “And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” Ephesians 4:11–13.

We notice that the perfection of God’s saints gives them an effective ministry; it edifies Christ’s church; it results in unity of the brethren and increases our knowledge of God and His goodness. Those who allow this transformation to take place in their lives are promised that they will be raised to the stature of the fullness of Christ.

Why Some Despise Christian Perfection

With such immeasurable results of Christian character perfection, well may we pose the question, Who among Christians would despise such an offer and call those who seek the fulfillment of the promise, in their own lives, deceived? Who indeed? But thousands upon thousands of Christians, including not a few Seventh-day Adventist administrators, pastors and lay-people, scorn the concept of Christian character perfection. Why? Surely there can only be one significant reason—sin and worldliness remain dear to their hearts. Yet never has sin brought a single blessing to any one of us.

Sin separates us from God. “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear.”
Isaiah 59:2. No prayer to God is heard while our hearts willfully harbor sin unconfessed and unforsaken unless we kneel to confess our sins and to request the power to forsake them. This is a dire state for any Christian; yet Isaiah and King David declare this fact. “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” Psalms 66:18.

We must never forget the power of God. “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear:” Isaiah 59:1. He has called mankind to perfection in all ages. Abraham was thus called. “And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before Me, and be thou perfect.” Genesis 17:1. The Lord also called Israel to character perfection. “Thou shalt be perfect with the Lord thy God.” Deuteronomy 18:13. And His call to Seventh-day Adventists is “Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.” 2 Corinthians 13:11.

The Spirit of Prophecy, in words so plain that none need doubt, states: “God requires perfection of His children. His law is a transcript of His own character, and it is the standard of all character. This infinite standard is presented to all that there may be no mistake in regard to the kind of people whom God will have to compose His kingdom. The life of Christ on earth was a perfect expression of God’s law, and when those who claim to be children of God become Christlike in character, they will be obedient to God’s commandments. Then the Lord can trust them to be of the number who shall compose the family of heaven.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 315.

The Spirit of Prophecy refers to Christian character perfection numerous times. On each occasion we are exhorted to seek God for the bestowal of just such a character. Without it our salvation is unsecured.

Then, again, we ask, Why do such large numbers of church leaders, pastors and lay-people abhor that which God requires and which it is their privilege to receive? Again the answer is sin. There is no abhorrence of sin and no love of righteousness.

Today, numerous pastors are destroying the faith of their congregations by preaching that we will not have victory over sin until the Second Coming. As they preach this message, they are servants of Satan, for it is he and not Christ who declares this diabolical falsehood. Listen to the inspired word. “The holy life of Abel testified against Satan’s claim that it is impossible for man to keep God’s law.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 77.[Emphasis supplied.]

(If Abel had not kept God’s law his life could not possibly have testified against the arch-deceivers claim.)

“Satan had claimed that it was impossible for man to obey God’s commandments; and in our own strength it is true that we cannot obey them. But Christ came in the form of humanity, and by His perfect obedience He proved that humanity and divinity combined can obey every one of God’s precepts.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 314.

It is a fearful matter for ministers, ordained to preach the precious truths of God, to promote the soul-destructive fabrications of Satan. Yet, today numerous pastors do so without the least concern that they will receive retribution in the day of judgement. How dare they delude the flock on a matter so plain in the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy! How dare they! But dare they do. It is the duty of every layperson, not merely to ignore such sophistries of the devil, but to stand up in the might and power given to Elijah and to earnestly warn their fellow believers sitting in the pews. Such pastors should be excused from setting messages before the congregation. They are unfaithful servants and thus have forfeited their right to stand in the pulpit.

Christian Perfection Is Not Perfectionism

While Sister White always promoted Christian character perfection, she soundly condemns perfectionism on the sole occasion she refers to it. “God will not entrust the care of His precious flock to men whose mind and judgment have been weakened by former errors that they have cherished, such as so-called perfectionism.” Early Writings, 101. (Unfortunately, some translations of this passage translate the word “perfectionism” as “perfection.” One example is the Dutch translation.) On page 301 of the same book, the editors explain that perfectionism refers to the holy flesh movement which arose at the turn of the twentieth century in the state of Indiana. These people held that they had reached a state of moral perfection beyond which there was no further progress to be made and, secondly, that they could never fall from this elevated state of perfection. No wonder the servant of the Lord rejected such spiritual arrogance and error. Yet, those subscribing to the Biblical concept of Christian character perfection are frequently charged with believing perfectionism. How shallow and misleading are the words of those who deny Scripture! It is time for such confusion between Christian character perfection and the ruinous doctrine of perfectionism to be dispelled.

Seventh-day Adventists have never promoted a fanatical view of Christian character perfection. A man possesses a perfect character when he lives up to all the light God has presented to him. Jesus, Himself, stated: “Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, ‘We see;’ therefore your sin remaineth.” John 9:41.

It is only when we possess light and disobey it that sin is recorded against us. When we are “blind” to a truth because God has not yet seen us to be ready for it, despite our seeking for further truth, He does not condemn us. He takes us step by step along the Christian pathway. That is why Paul declared to the Athenians, “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent.” Acts 17:30.

We must never forget that sin is an act of the will. It is the making of a decision to flaunt God’s expressed commandments. Knowledge of God’s will is required before sin is recorded against the soul. “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” James 4:17.

In the early days of the Seventh-day Adventist movement, the Sabbath was observed from 6:00pm Friday until 6:00 pm Saturday. After some time, Sister White received a vision which revealed the correct timing of the Sabbath. She was shocked, for the company of Sabbath-keepers had been greatly blessed as they had kept the Sabbath, while breaking the “edges” of that holy day. In reply to Sister White’s concern, the angel replied, “ ‘If light comes, and that light is set aside, or rejected, then comes condemnation and the frown of God; but before the light comes there is no sin, for there is no light for them to reject.’” Testimonies, vol. 1, 116.

Thus, some people who are oblivious of God’s law will be found in God’s kingdom. “Among the heathen are those who worship God ignorantly, those to whom the light is never brought by human instrumentality, yet they will not perish. Though ignorant of the written law of God, they have heard His voice speaking to them in nature, and have done the things that the law required.” The Desire of Ages, 638.

More Than the Crucifixion

Since Christian character perfection is developed through obedience to every word of admonition which God has revealed to us at any given point in our Christian experience, is this a genuine possibility for us today? The glorious news is that Christ demonstrated that this is so.

If the single purpose of Christ’s incarnation was to die on Calvary and be raised from the dead, that was accomplished in three days. If, in addition, He needed to train His disciples, this He completed in 3 ½ years. Yet, Christ spent over 33 years upon the earth. Why? So that He could give us an example that as a child, teenager and adult, a man, filled with the Holy Spirit, could overcome sin. “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth.” 1 Peter 2:21, 22.

“The world’s Redeemer passed over the ground where Adam fell because of his disobeying the expressed law of Jehovah; and the only begotten Son of God came to our world as a man, to reveal to the world that men could keep the law of God.
Satan, the fallen angel, had declared that no man could keep the law of God after the disobedience of Adam.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 5, 112.

Bible Examples of Perfection

Has any man reached God’s standard of Christian character perfection? The Scriptures answer emphatically in the positive. “And Enoch walked with God: and he was not, for God took him.” Genesis 5:24.

Does “walking with God” equate with obedience to every commandment? Certainly it does. “Blessed are they that keep His testimonies, and that seek Him with the whole heart. They also do no iniquity: they walk in His ways.” Psalms 119:2, 3. “And hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in Him. But whoso keepeth His word, in Him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in Him.” 1 John 2:3–6.

In these passages we note that walking as Christ walked and in His ways demonstrate the fact that we keep His testimonies, we seek Him whole-heartedly, we do no iniquity, we keep His commandments, the love of God is perfected in us and we abide in Him.

Noah was selected for his holy work because he was such a man. “These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.” Genesis 6:9. So, too, was Job. “There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.…And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered My servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?” Job 1:1, 8.

Job eschewed evil and sinned not. God, Himself, proclaimed these facts. Even Satan, the father of liars, could not dispute God’s evaluation of His servant. Satan was compelled to fall back to his claim that Job only possessed a perfect character because God had so abundantly blessed him. Satan claimed that in adversity Job’s perfect character would be seen to be only a fair-weather feature. But despite the worst the devil could bring, “Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.” Job 1:22. Job demonstrated, through the power of God, that perfection of character could be maintained even during severe adversity.

I have often been asked in a churlish manner, “Are you perfect?” Am I? The answer to this question is provided by Job. He was perfect. God declared so on three occasions. But did he boast of his character? Did he even have the slightest inkling of God’s evaluation of his character? He said, “If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me: if I say, I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse. Though I were perfect, yet would I not know my soul: I would despise my life.” Job 9:20, 21.

All who possess Christian character perfection will only see the sinfulness of their lives as they view the totally sinless life of their Redeemer. They will ever place their total trust in Him, recognizing their human frailties. No boast, no sense of superiority will mar their characters, for they will have fixed their eyes totally upon Jesus.

The 144,000 and Perfection

But one matter is certain, those who will compose the 144,000 will possess Christian character perfection. Review 1 Peter 2:21, 22, quoted earlier. Here we discern that Christ’s character consisted of two characteristics:

  1. He did not sin.
  2. No guile was found in His mouth.

Now let us compare the character of the 144,000. Revelation 14:5 says of this number, “And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.”

It will be seen that these have developed the character of Christ—they have no guile in their mouths and they are faultless before the throne of God. No individual with sin unconfessed and unforsaken in his heart can ever stand faultless before the throne of God. “The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid.” Zephaniah 3:13.

Christian character perfection is the condition God has prescribed for salvation. The basis for our salvation will ever be the grace (mercy) of our God. “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.” Ephesians 2:8, 9.

I am burdened for God’s precious flock as I am for my dearest loved ones and myself. It is time that daily, moment by moment, we seek the character of Christ. “God’s ideal for His children is higher than the highest human thought can reach. ‘Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.’ This command is a promise. The plan of redemption contemplates our complete recovery from the power of Satan.” The Desire of Ages, 311.

“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.” Review and Herald, September 3, 1901.

Russell Standish is a Seventh-day Adventist minister and physician who has offered long service to the Lord’s work. He currently travels extensively from his home in Australia to speak and evangelize around the world.