salvation

Fitness Within

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A major theme of the New Testament is the concept that not only are we to be physically fit, but God wants us to be spiritually and morally fit. In fact, though salvation is a gift, the only people who will receive this gift are those who are spiritually and morally fit. The question that I want to ask you is, Are you spiritually and morally fit to receive the gift of salvation?

Many people only understand half of the gospel. They understand that you can be forgiven for all of the bad things that you have said and that you can receive a pardon through the blood of Jesus. We would be absolutely lost if Jesus had not made a way so that we could be forgiven; but friends, that is not all of the gospel. Jesus did not just provide a way to take care of all of my terrible past. He has also made provisions for the present and the future, to transform my life so that I do not have to go on living in my old, sinful way. The other half of the gospel is that there is grace sufficient to change my life into His image.

“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God. Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” 1 John 3:1–3. If you have the hope of being like Him, you are going to purify yourself as He is pure. He has enough grace to make this a reality in your life.

Several books written by the apostles toward the end of the first century emphasize this theme of spiritual fitness and its importance to us as individuals if we are to pass the judgment and be found fit to be taken to heaven. The book written by the apostle James is one of these. In this book he points out several things that we must do if we are to be spiritually and morally prepared for a place in heaven.

A Twenty Point Fitness Test

If you want to be spiritually fit, you must be willing to endure trials. Putting your body to the test and forcing it to exercise produces physical fitness . The same is true spiritually. You cannot be spiritually fit unless you endure some trials, and the result of enduring those trials is that you develop endurance or patience. “But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” James 1:4.

If you want to be spiritually fit, you must also be able to endure temptation. “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” James 1:12. Part of the preparation process in the workshop of this world is learning to endure temptation. By the things that they endue, God is polishing His people. This is part of becoming spiritually fit.

“So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.” James 1:19. It is all right to be as fast as you want to be when you are listening; that is fine; but when you start to return an answer, do not be too quick. Especially be sure that you are slow to become angry, because he says in verse 20, “For the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”

The Natural World Helps Illustrate Spiritual Truth

I have learned that we understand spiritual lessons by giving them a physical application. Physically, as you put your body under stress and your body endures, your endurance increases until you do not develop an oxygen deficiency because your heart and lungs have developed enough capacity to keep you going. How is your spiritual endurance? When you are under a stressful situation, can you maintain your patience and keep going? The person who is spiritually fit can maintain his patience under difficult situations.

To be spiritually fit, one must become gentle. In the Bible, gentle is translated as meekness. Meekness actually means two things. It means to be humble and to be gentle. “Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness [that is, gentleness] the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” James 1:21.

Jesus said, “Come unto Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28, 29. Gentleness produces tranquility and rest of soul. There is no strife in heaven, and a big factor is that everyone there is gentle. It is the meek, the gentle people, Jesus said, who will inherit the earth.

When Jesus met the devil, He said to him, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every work that proceeds from the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4. It is not enough to be hearers alone of the word; we must be doers. “But be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.” James 1:22–25.

While it is good to know what the Bible says, knowledge is not enough unless you actually do what it says. I cannot just talk about being gentle; I have to actually become a gentle person. My wife, my children, the people with whom I work must find out that I am a gentle person. I must actually act that way. There is enough grace, friends; that is what grace is all about.

If a person is going to gain spiritual fitness and moral fitness , the manner of speech must be transformed. “If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless [vain or useless; not worth anything].” James 1:26. Though you know the truth, if you do not control the way that you speak, your religion is not worth anything.

Ellen White, speaking of the angels, said, “The angels never fly into a passion, never are envious, selfish and jealous; no harsh and unkind words escape their lips.” Review and Herald, September 1, 1885. Oh, friends, are you ready to go and live with angels, or would your speech spoil heaven?

“For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.” James 3:2. When I come to the place that my speech is perfect and harshness, unkindness, anger, impurity, or untruthful speech no longer find a part in my speech, I am ready to be taken to heaven. I am spiritually and morally fit.

Has your tongue ever gotten you in trouble? “Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.” James 3:5, 6. No doubt the majority of wars began because of something that someone or a group of people said. Divorce is often caused by the tongue. All manner of problems result from the tongue. In fact, the tongue is so unruly that no one can control it unless the grace of Christ is in the life. “But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.” James 3:8.

I want to challenge you to do an experiment with the Lord. Say, “Lord, You know what I need to change in my speech, and I want Your grace to come into my life. I am yielding my life to You and I want Your grace to come into my life and help me to speak the way that You want me to speak.” If everyone would just pray that prayer, be in earnest, and start practicing it. There are families that are about to split up who could have a little heaven on earth in just a few days if they would change the way that they speak.

“Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.” James 1:27. In the social situation in which James was writing, the people in their society that were in the greatest difficulty were orphans and widows. They had no social security or pension benefits. They had no government programs to assist them financially. As a matter of fact, it was very difficult for women to find employment. This was one of the reasons that prostitution became a big business. James says that if you are really a Christian, if you really have “pure and undefiled religion,” you are gong to look around and find the people who are in trouble, and you are going to help them.

We are not to be partial. We are to love every human being and try to help every one that we can.

Love your neighbor as yourself. “If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you do well.” James 2:8. If you love your neighbor as yourself, you are going to have eternal life. Did you know that? The apostle John says that if you do not love your neighbor, your brother whom you can see, then you cannot love God whom you cannot see. (See I John 4:20.) The way that you learn how to love God and do His will is to love your neighbor as yourself. That is a test you can apply to yourself and ask, “Am I morally fit? Do I have spiritual fitness ?”

“For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.” James 2:10. You are going to be judged by the law of liberty. I took a class in graduate school in the area of physical fitness . One of the things that we learned in physical fitness is that if you are really going to be physically fit, you have to develop all of the muscles of the body. You cannot just do curls all of the time and develop your biceps. That is not being physically fit. To be really physically fit you have to develop the heart muscle, the diaphragm, the lungs, and all of the skeletal muscles of the body. It is the same thing with spiritual fitness . You cannot say, “Well, I keep all the law except for one point.” That is not good enough. You are not spiritually fit if there is one commandment that you are breaking.

“For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” James 2:13. Jesus said, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain [receive] mercy.” Matthew 5:7. If you want to receive mercy from God, you need to give mercy to others.
We must not just have faith, but our faith must work. This is discussed in detail in verses 14–26 in chapter 2.

Pride The Root of All Strife

In James 4, he is talking to people who profess Christianity, yet they are having strife. Now I want to ask you, friend, Do you see any strife in the Christian world today? There is a lot of strife today. Do you know where strife comes from? It is the result of pride. James makes that very, very clear in chapter 4:1–6. Pride produces strife. He says in verse 6, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” So if I want to be spiritually and morally fit, I must be striving for humility. How do I get this humility, this humbleness, that I must have if I am going to be spiritually or morally fit?

“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.” James 4:7–10. Make a decision and say, “Lord, I am choosing to humble myself before You. I am not going to be proud.” Do you know that in Christian churches, in homes, in families, and in the work place, if every single person would practice this and become humble, strife would vanish? This does not mean that we would have no problems, but we would not have strife as we try to deal with the problems. Pride produces strife, and in heaven everyone is humble.

“Do not speak evil of one another, brethren.” James 4:11. If you want to be morally and spiritually fit, you must stop speaking evil of others. “Oh,” you say, “but it is true.” It may be true. There are many things that are true that we could say about each other that are not necessary to be said.

“Oh,” you say, “but he is evil.” Well, he may be evil. The more you talk about it the worse it is going to be for both of you. Do no speak evil about your neighbor. This is part of being spiritually fit. By the way, if you want to read something interesting about evil speaking, study the life of Jesus and notice all of the different times when He restrained Himself from saying what He could have said. It is a very interesting study.

James says that if you want to be spiritually and morally fit, do not be a bragger or a boaster. (See James 4:16.) For some people, this is not a problem; but for others, it is. When you study the life of Christ, you will find no bragging or boasting. Of all people who could have boasted, He could have done so; but He did not.

Do you ever deliberately put your brother or your sister in a hard spot? The same hard-heartedness is often seen in those who may not actively oppress their brethren, but who just watch them without doing anything to help them. I have heard it said when someone makes a big mistake and gets himself into trouble, “Well, I am sorry he is in trouble, but it is his own fault.” James talks about people who, because they have money and power, oppress those who are poor. (See James 5:1–5.) He says that if you do this, you will be condemned in the Day of Judgment. In heaven, the powerful do not oppress, or refuse to come to the assistance of the weak.

“Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.” James 5:7, 8. Have you ever heard the saying, “Only the good die young?” Now that is not totally true. There are a lot of people who are alive today because God has preserved their life from injury, accident, or sickness. God has preserved them from dying because in the past, if they had died, they would have been lost. God lengthened their probation so that they could have a chance to be saved. Maybe God has preserved your life until now because He wants to make you morally and spiritually fit so that He can give you eternal life. An awareness of this fact gives life a very solemn importance.

“But above all, my brethren, do not swear.” James 5:12. The very thing that the Bible emphasizes over and over again is something that people do unconsciously, almost without thinking. Some people can hardly say a sentence without swearing.

“Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” James 5:16.

Oh, friend, has God put within you a desire to be spiritually healed and to be fit, spiritually and morally, for heaven? If so, confess your trespasses to one another. Make things right and pray for each other so that you may be healed.

Do you want to go to heaven? Oh, friend, it is your decision.

Judgment, Weighed In the Balance, part 3

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Do you remember from our earlier studies that we saw that when you come to the end, you are going to come to judgment? You are going to be placed on a scale; and unless your sins are forgiven and you are clothed with the righteousness of Christ, unless the Holy Spirit has worked a miraculous change in your heart and your life, you will never have eternal life.

I want to consider the subject of the Judgment. It is a serious subject, much more serious than death. The devil does not want you to study this subject. He wants to give it a bad name. He knows that if you think about it, it might change your whole life and you might get serious about your relationship with the Lord. It is absolutely astounding that in Adventism today people are trying to discredit the whole concept of the Judgment. Theologians begin by saying; “I cannot find the concept of the Investigative Judgment in the Bible.” What in the world are people thinking?

It is Time to Awake

“What shall I say to arouse the remnant people of God? I was shown that dreadful scenes are before us; Satan and his angels are bringing all their powers to bear upon God’s people. He knows if they sleep a little longer, he is sure of them, for their destruction is certain.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 263.

Many of you, at some time in your life, have stood beside a loved one who is dying; and it is a very, very solemn experience. The judgment, however, is a much more serious matter than that. When a person dies, if that person is a Christian, that separation is going to be temporary. But if you come up to the Day of Judgment and you are weighed in the balance and found wanting, it will be an eternal separation.

Self Examination

“I warn all who profess the name of Christ to closely examine themselves and make full and thorough confession of all their wrongs, that they may go beforehand to judgment, and that the recording angel may write pardon opposite their names. My brother, my sister, if these precious moments of mercy are not improved, you are left without excuse. If you will make no special effort to arouse, if you will not manifest zeal in repenting, these golden moments will soon pass, and you will be weighed in the balance and found wanting. Then your agonizing cries will be of no avail. Then will apply the words of the Lord: ‘Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out My hand, and no man regarded; but ye have set at nought all My counsel, and would none of My reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; when your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon Me, but I will not answer; they shall seek Me early, but they shall not find Me: for that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord: they would none of My counsel: they despised all My reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. But whoso hearkeneth unto Me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.” Ibid., 263, 264.

I am a husband and a father; and someday, when I am called to account, God is going to ask me, “What has happened in your family? What has been the affect of your rulership and your influence in your home?” If I am the pastor of a church, God is going to come to me and ask, “Where is your flock?”

Found Wanting

“The church cannot measure herself by the world nor by the opinion of men nor by what she once was. Her faith and her position in the world as they now are must be compared with what they would have been if her course had been continually onward and upward.” Ibid., vol. 5, 83. That is an awesome thought. When each of us is put into the scale, God looks at what we might have been. Friends, there is no way that you can be saved unless the blood of Jesus covers all the sin of omission and poor choices. It is because we do not know when our last day will be that the apostle Paul speaks of the need to be praying always.

Do you believe that Seventh-day Adventists have had greater spiritual privileges than any other group of people in the world? If you believe that, then you believe that Seventh-day Adventists are the most privileged people in the world, as far as spiritual light goes. We are not saying that we are better than anybody else is, but we have received spiritual treasures that many other people do not have. It is according to these privileges and these advantages that we will be judged. Jesus said, “To whom much is given, from him much will be required.” Luke 12:48.

“If her spiritual experience does not correspond to the advantages that Christ, at infinite cost, has bestowed on her, if the blessings conferred have not qualified her to do the work entrusted to her, on her will be pronounced the sentence: ‘Found wanting.’ By the light bestowed, the opportunities given, will she be judged.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 247. Salvation is not something that you just drift into. Jesus said to struggle to enter in through the narrow gate. The Old King James says, “strive” to enter through the straight gate. “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Matthew 7:13, 14.

“We are exhorted to ‘fight the good fight of faith.’ We are to wrestle with unseen foes, to labor, to watch, to strive to enter in at the strait gate; for many will be content with simple seeking, and will fail of an entrance.” Signs of the Times, July 20, 1888. Heaven and eternal life are something that result from a definite aim and a definite commitment to the Lord of heaven to follow and obey and to take advantage of the light and privileges that He has placed in your pathway.

Unconditional Guarantee

I want to tell you, friends, there is no unconditional, celestial guarantee that what we call the Seventh-day Adventist Church is just going to go through like we think. As a matter of fact, there is a conditional prophecy that if we do not turn around, we are going to be spewed out of God’s mouth. There must actually be a turning around and a following of what God says to do or we are going to reap the consequences, regardless of what we call ourselves. It has happened once to the Jews; how do we think that it cannot happen again? It is not being critical to face spiritual reality.

“Our health institutions are of value in the Lord’s estimation only when He is allowed to preside in their management. If His plans and devisings are regarded as inferior to plans of men, He looks upon these institutions as of no more value than the institutions established and conducted by worldlings. God cannot endorse any institution, unless it teaches the living principles of His Law and brings its own actions into strict conformity to these precepts. Upon these institutions that are not maintained according to His Law, He pronounces the sentence, ‘Unaccepted. Weighed in the balances of the sanctuary, and found wanting.’” Manuscript Releases, vol. 7, 212.

Oh, I can put the name Seventh-day Adventist on the outside of the building. But God says, “If My plans are considered inferior to your plans, then your institution has no more value to Me than an institution that is run by the world, no matter what you call it.”

Position and Judgment

I would rather be a part of the smallest church or smallest ministry in this world and have the Lord say in the Day of Judgment, “You have allowed Me to preside, and I will endorse what you have done,” than to be the biggest and apparently the most successful Christian institution in this world and be found wanting. Have you ever thought about that? When you start thinking through the Day of Judgment, it changes the way everything looks around you.

I remember some years ago when my brother, Marshall, was going through a very difficult experience. In fact, he was fired for conscientious reasons. He had been the pastor of the largest church in the state of Kansas, which is right in the area where Steps to Life is located. There were all kinds of appeals and pressures to try and get him to change his mind. One of the appeals that were made was the consideration of what kind of a position he would have in another ten years. That was of no concern to him. Why? Because he had a view of the Judgment. He was more concerned about what would happen when God put him in the scale than what men would think of him right now. You see, once your mind really grasps this idea; it changes your whole outlook on life.

One of the most amazing things to me is that some people cannot seem to tell the difference between God’s church and the devil’s church. First, let us read something about the devil’s church. At a devotional meeting where Ellen White spoke, she said, “None are too high to fall. Sin originated with Satan who was next to Christ. Lucifer became the destroyer of those whom heaven had committed to his guardianship.” Australasia Union Conference Record, October 1, 1906. Satan was the highest angel, and he became the destroyer of those whom God had committed to his guardianship. She continues, “Satan has a church today. In his church are all the disaffected ones and the disloyal.” Disloyal to what? Disloyal to God and His Commandments. Many people think that all churches belong to the Lord, but she says that the devil has a church.

“Each one in the day of Investigative Judgment will stand in character as he really is; he will render an individual account to God. Every word uttered; every departure from integrity, every action that sullies the soul, will be weighed in the balances of the sanctuary. Memory will be true and vivid in condemnation of the guilty one, who in that day is found wanting. The mind will recall all the thoughts and acts of the past; the whole life will come in review like the scenes in a panorama. Thus everyone will be condemned or acquitted out of his own mouth, and the righteousness of God will be vindicated.” Review and Herald, November 4, 1884.

Confession and the Judgment

I have had people come to me worried about whether or not they should confess something because of the trouble that it might get them into. I have had to say to them, “Well, you are either going to confess it now or you are going to confess it later.” It is just that simple.

“From the light which God has given me, I know that the Lord would do far more for us as a people if we would walk in humility before Him. Every one of God’s people will be tested and proved, and we want you to be in a position where you will bear the proving of God, and not be found wanting when your moral worth is weighed in the balances of the sanctuary.” Review and Herald, June 18, 1889. You see, you are going to be put in the balances whether you are saved or lost. The only question is what the result is going to be.

We must come to the point where we say, “Lord, I am choosing to humble myself before You. Please show me what needs to be changed.” As long as we are not going to acknowledge anything, we are in a position where God cannot get us straightened out. Ellen White said, “If there was ever a place where self needed to die, it is here. Let us see the death struggle. Let us hear the dying groans. Self-exaltation never separates the soul from God; no matter in whom it is found, whether in those in responsible positions or in those who are in some less important place. Whatever has been done to attract the attention to self, has detracted from the glory that should have been rendered to God, and has brought leanness to your souls. It is through this avenue of self-esteem and self-sufficiency that Satan will seek to ensnare the people of God.” Review and Herald, June 18, 1889.

How is it that Satan is going to try to trap Seventh-day Adventists so that they will not be ready for the judgment? It is through self-esteem. By the way, is that a popular subject today? Very popular. The Spirit of God impressed Ellen White to write that self-esteem and self-sufficiency would be the very avenue that Satan would seek to trap the people of God.

The End of Mercy

“Mercy’s sweet call is now sounding; but it will soon die away. Probation’s hour will soon be ended. The seven last plagues will fall, and then those who have chosen the pleasures of the world and rebelled against God, will cry for mercy when there will be none to answer their prayers. But a voice will be heard, — “Thou art weighed in the balance and found wanting.’” Youth’s Instructor, January 1, 1854.

When probation’s hour is ended, it will then be too late to pray for mercy. Was there a time, before Noah entered the ark, when mercy could still be obtained which was no longer available at a later time? Yes, that was the experience in Noah’s day, and is an example, Jesus said, of the way that it will be at the end. Peter says the same thing.

“And as they [the lost] realize that they have no shelter from the dreadful storm of God’s wrath, they will plead for one little hour of probation that they may again hear the sweet voice, inviting ‘every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters.’ It will then fall upon the ear, in that dreadful hour. ‘Too late! Too Late!’ ‘Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out My hand, and no man regarded. But ye have set at nought all My counsel, and would none of My reproof. I will also laugh at your calamity, I will mock when your fear cometh.’” Ibid.

Friends, now is the day of salvation. Soon the day of salvation will be over. There is coming a time when you will not be able to offer the gospel invitation to anybody because the plan of salvation will be over. The handwriting is not yet on the wall. Now is the time to make a decision and say, “Lord, I am willing to surrender anything; I am willing to do anything; I am surrendering all. I am willing to humble myself. Show me anything that You want me to do. Please impart to me Your Holy Spirit so that my life can be changed.”

The Last Interview

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There was a small Seventh-day Adventist Church in North Dakota years ago that was located not far away from where I lived. One by one the members either moved away or died until there was only one man left. He was in his 80s, an interesting man who shared many stories about the past and was still operating his own farm. The time came when my wife and I were going to move, but we had planned to return in a couple of years. Becoming close friends with the man, I assured him that as soon as I returned from California, I would come and see him again. He said that would not happen because he would not be there. Believing him to be in very good health and still farming full time, I did not understand his reasoning. Many a person has had the last conversation with another without realizing it would be their last. We visited and had prayer together, and as it turned out, he knew the future a lot better than I did, for I never saw him again.

If you knew that the communication you were having would be the last, what would you say? My wife had a relative who, during the Civil War, was captured. He was told that he would be shot the next morning at sunrise. Whatever he had to say to his family or friends or anyone else would have to be communicated that night. What would you write to them? The time came in the life of Jesus when He would have the last interview with His disciples. The apostle John thought that this last interview was so important that he took five chapters in the gospel of John to record what Jesus said to His disciples on that occasion. (See John 13–17.)

life

  1. Never Alone – The first thing that I would say to my children is, “Even when I am gone, you are not going to be alone.” This is one of the major topics Jesus covered in His last interview with His disciples. Read it in John 14:16–24. Jesus said, “I am making a request to My Father, and He will send you the Holy Spirit Who will stay with you forever.” Jesus had just told them that He was going to leave, and they were terrified, as is a child when they find out that their parent is dying. Jesus said to them, “Do not let your heart be troubled, you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house there are many permanent dwellings. If it were not so, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you, and if I go, I will prepare a place for you, and I will come again and receive you to Myself that where I am, there you may be also.” John 14:1–3 literal translation. He said, “Believe Me, trust in Me, and you will not be left alone.”

In the book, The Desire of Ages, 669, 670, Ellen White comments on these words of Jesus promising His disciples that they would not be left alone. “At all times and in all places, in all sorrows and in all afflictions, when the outlook seems dark and the future perplexing, and we feel helpless and alone, the Comforter will be sent in answer to the prayer of faith. Circumstances may separate us from every earthly friend; but no circumstance, no distance, can separate us from the heavenly Comforter. Wherever we are, wherever we may go, He is always at our right hand to support, sustain, uphold, and cheer.” That is just wonderful news. You may lose your parent, spouse or best friend, but there is Somebody you will never lose and you will not be alone. Jesus said, “I am going, but you are not going to be alone.”

He is going to be with you forever. It is wonderful to know that whoever you may lose in this world, if circumstances separate you from every earthly friend and you feel helpless and alone and the future looks dark and perplexing, if you will pray and ask for it, Jesus will send His Holy Spirit to be right beside you to support you and to comfort and help you, and you need never be alone. God’s children will never be deprived of the Holy Spirit.

  1. Assurance of Salvation – Do you know for sure that your name is in the Book of Life? How can you be sure? The Bible makes it very clear, in Revelation 20, that you cannot have eternal life unless your name is in the Book of Life. Many Christians do not have this assurance. If it is not there, then you need to do something today so that it is.

In Luke 10, after the 70 disciples returned from their missionary work, Jesus said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold I give you authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” Verses 18–20. The people whose names were written in heaven were involved in evangelism.

I noticed in my Bible studies that every time it referred to somebody whose name was in the book, it was somebody who was involved in helping somebody else to be saved. Someone who is saved will always be convicted to help others. Paul speaks of some women whose names were in the book. He said, “And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life.” Philippians 4:3. These women who were Paul’s fellow workers, laboring with him in the gospel, are going to have eternal life, and if you go to heaven, you will meet these people. They did what they could to help their fellow men to be saved. When you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour from sin and as the Lord of your life and have been baptized into the church, then at that time, your name is registered in the Book of Life. But this does not guarantee salvation, as your name could be taken out at any time. John the revelator tells us what to do so that our names will not be taken out. “He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.” Revelation 3:5. To be retained in the Book of Life, you must be an overcomer.

Another text, found in Revelation 21:27, describes the type of people who will not enter the New Jerusalem, the Holy City: “But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.”

To find out what things defile, go to the book of Leviticus. You will need to read the context, but you will see the conclusions. “Do not defile yourselves with any of these things; for by all these the nations are defiled, which I am casting out before you. For the land is defiled; therefore I visit the punishment of its iniquity upon it, and the land vomits out its inhabitants. You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations, either any of your own nation or any stranger who dwells among you.” Leviticus 18:24–26. The Israelites were not even to allow a stranger, a person who was not a believer in the true God or an Israelite, to do these things in the land of Israel, “(for all these abominations the men of the land have done, who were before you, and thus the land is defiled), lest the land vomit you out also when you defile it, as it vomited out the nations that were before you. For whoever commits any of these abominations, the persons who commit them shall be cut off from among their people. Therefore you shall keep My ordinance, so that you do not commit any of these abominable customs which were committed before you, and that you do not defile yourselves by them: I am the Lord your God.” Verses 27–30.

Today, particularly in the western world, by what we watch on television, videos and Internet, we are doing the very things that we were commanded not to do in this chapter, and then we wonder why there is so much crime. Leviticus 19:31 says, “Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after them, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God.” Young people are fascinated by and play all kinds of satanic games that defile. God said, “You shall therefore keep all My statutes and all My judgments, and perform them, that the land where I am bringing you to dwell may not vomit you out. And you shall not walk in the statutes of the nation which I am casting out before you; for they commit all these things and therefore I abhor them. But I have said to you, ‘You shall inherit their land, and I will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and honey.’ I am the Lord your God, Who has separated you from the peoples. You shall therefore distinguish between clean animals and unclean, between unclean birds and clean, and you shall not make yourselves abominable by beast or by bird, or by any kind of living thing that creeps on the ground, which I have separated from you as unclean. And you shall be holy to Me, for I the Lord am holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine.” Leviticus 20:22–26.

Notice that you can be defiled by what you eat, what you are looking at, what you are listening to and in what you are participating. Read the law of Moses. To be defiled is to be unclean. In Leviticus 22:32, it says, “You shall not profane My holy name, but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel. I am the Lord who sanctifies you [makes you holy].”

Nothing that is defiled, unclean or profane will enter the Holy City. Nothing that makes abomination will enter there. We are told some of the abominations in Proverbs 6:16–19: “These six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: a proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren.”

The condition of those entering the Holy City are clear, and those who want their names to remain in the Book of Life will not be engaging in any of these things that are described as an abomination. Lying has been mentioned as one of the things that God hates. Those who have entrance into God’s Holy City will overcome all guile; that is, all deceit. One of the characteristics of the 144,000 is that they have no deceit.

“The remnant of Israel shall do no unrighteousness and speak no lies, nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth; for they shall feed their flocks and lie down, and no one shall make them afraid.” Zephaniah 3:13.

We need to pray and plead for help because it is impossible for a human being to always tell the exact truth without the aid and direction of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit does not tell a lie, and if you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you will be able to always be honest.

  1. Secure Your Name in the Book of Life – Those whose names are not written in the book will have an eternal separation from those who are saved. If your name is in the book, it does not matter whether you live or die, because when Jesus returns, you will be together again.
  2. Knowing Where Jesus is Now – Another important thing to discuss in our last interview is, “Where is Jesus now?” I am well aware of the fact about what Seventh-day Adventists have been taught since the 1940s, and I believe that Jesus is ministering for the remnant and the whole world in the Most Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary. Can Jesus be in more than one place at a time? While talking to Nicodemus, Jesus said that no one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. (See John 3:13.) Jesus was in Judea at the time and speaks about the “Son of man Who is,” that is present tense, “in heaven.” Jesus is now ministering for us in heaven, but that is not the only place where He is. Ellen White wrote this on August 2, 1900: “God had a church when Adam and Eve and Abel accepted and hailed with joy the good news that Jesus was their Redeemer. These realized as fully then as we realize now the promise of the presence of God in their midst.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 4, 293. So, when Adam and Eve and Abel met together outside the Garden of Eden, they realized the presence of God in their midst—the Lord was right with them. Some may say that we are not talking about Jesus, but God the Father. She continues, “Whenever Enoch found one or two who were willing to hear the message he had for them, Jesus joined with them in their worship of God. In Enoch’s day there were some among the wicked inhabitants of earth who believed. The Lord never yet has left His faithful few without His presence nor the world without a witness.” Ibid.

Jesus joined those who came to worship Him. If I were leaving this place or this life, I would want people to know that it is important to meet with God’s people to worship on the Sabbath day to be where Jesus is present.

  1. A New Commandment – In Jesus’ last interview, He had so much on His mind. One of the first things He told His disciples was that He was going away, but He was going to give them a new commandment—to love one another as He had loved them. This was before He had gone to the cross, and they just did not realize what He meant when He said that by this all men will know that you are disciples to Me if you have love for one another (John 13:35).

We have the most wonderful truth in the world, but it does not have the impact on people that it should, because we do not love one another as Jesus loved us. If we did, the gospel would have a force and impact that we cannot imagine. This world is a cruel, cold, dark and awful place. There are people in this world that have never seen the love of Jesus. If they saw it, they would immediately want it. Jesus is depending upon His followers to show this love to the world.

One of the huge problems is that we say we love somebody when we do not love them at all, because we do not know what love is. People confuse sexual passion with love, and that is as far different as the east is from the west. Let’s see what the Bible says about love. “Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” Romans 13:10. There are many people who believe they are Christians, but who do not know that they are children of the devil. Remember when the disciples went to Jesus and said these Samaritans are not even inviting You home, so if You want us to, we will call down fire from heaven on these people and burn them up. Jesus had given these disciples power to work miracles. Ellen White says they were shocked when they saw the expression on His face, and they were even more shocked when He opened His mouth and said, “You don’t know what spirit you are of” (Luke 9:55). They were of the spirit of the devil, but since they were followers of Jesus, they thought everything was fine. In The Desire of Ages, 487, Ellen White said, “There can be no more conclusive evidence that we possess the spirit of Satan than the disposition to hurt and destroy those who do not appreciate our work, or who act contrary to our ideas.”

How do you feel toward those people who do not appreciate what you do or act contrary to what you think they ought to do? If you want to hurt them, then there is no more conclusive evidence than that you have the spirit of Satan. No church that tries to destroy another church is really a Christian church but has the spirit of the devil. Many professed Christians of all denominations will be shocked to hear Jesus say, “I never knew you; depart from Me.” Matthew 7:23.

It is impossible to have the spirit of the devil and have your name retained in the Book of Life. Our theme is Christ is love, Christ is forgiveness and Christ is purity. John says, in I John 3:3, “Every man who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (literal translation). No one will go into the Holy City that is not pure. The Bible says there is nobody in the world that is pure and that nobody can bring something pure out of something that is impure (Job 14:4). This requirement is impossible for us on our own merits, and that is why Jesus had to die on the cross. The Bible says it is essential to receive a new heart and a new spirit and the old man has to be crucified, because it is hopeless. Jesus said to Nicodemus that unless you are born from above, unless you receive a new heart and a new spirit, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. If you have received a new heart and a new spirit, you cannot remain pure if you stay connected with an organization, including a church organization, that is in open sin. There will be people in the last days who have a form of godliness and deny the power of it. Paul says to turn away from those people (II Timothy 3:5). By remaining with them, you will become like them. Paul tells us, “Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather rebuke them.” Ephesians 5:11. If you have fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, you will become like them.

  1. Are You a Member of the True Church – If I were having my last interview, I would want to ask, Are you a member of the true church? Many may say yes, but that is not always true. There is a wonderful promise, but it is only for certain people. “Speaking to His church Christ said, ‘Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of My Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them’ (Matthew 18:19, 20).” Manuscript Releases, vol. 17, 164.

You and I have the most wonderful privilege, the privilege of reading special testimonies given through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to the people that are living in the last days. In these testimonies the Holy Spirit opens things up to our eyes, just like putting a magnifying glass on the Bible so you can see exactly what it is saying. Ellen White continues, “The professing Christian who is not a Christian in practice, is not included in this promise. It is only when the voice of the church becomes the voice of Christ, that the promise can be received in its fullness.” Ibid.

Jesus says when two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there (Matthew 18:20). He is speaking to His church. But then He says that there are some Christians who are not included in this promise. They are the Christians who profess Christianity but they are not Christian in practice. A Christian in practice is a person who is living a Christlike life. There are many people who claim to be Christian, but they do not love their neighbor. The more you love somebody, the more it will change how you treat him/her.

I was always astonished at the stories I read in the history books about Christians. My brother was reading about some Christian ministers, who got together over a thousand years ago near Constantinople, and were arguing about doctrinal issues. Before the meeting was over, they were all in a big fist fight with each other. What does it matter who is right or wrong if you are in a fist fight? Someday the things that people fight about now they will wonder why in the world they ever fought about that.

The great need in Christianity today is to learn how to get along with others. The reason we don’t get along is because we do not love each other like we should. We need to pray that we will be converted, that we will have love in our heart for others, and that we be not Christians in name only but that we practice the principles of the Christian religion so we may become Christlike in character. We want our names to be retained in the Book of Life, so we will be ready to meet our Lord when He comes.

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

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

Who Shall Stand In The Judgment Of The Lord?

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“Behold, I will send My messenger and he shall prepare the way before Me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, He shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. Gut who may abide the day of His coming? And who shall stand when he appeareth? For He is like a refiner’s fire, and like fuller’s soap; and He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; and He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.” Malachi 3:1–3. The same question is asked in Psalm 15:1. “Lord, who shall abide in Thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in Thy holy hill?” The answer is then given, “He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbor, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbor. In whose eyes a vile person is condemned; but he honoreth them that fear the LORD. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not. He that putteth not his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved.” Psalm 15:2–5.

Of what coming is Malachi speaking? Is it at His Second Coming that the Lord will purify His people? No. It is the coming spoken of in Daniel 7. “I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of Days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hairs of His head like the pure wool: His throne was like the fiery flame, and His wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him: thousand thousands ministered unto Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.” “Daniel 7:9, 10.

“Cast down” is an old, English term. The New Kings James Bible correctly translates it, “The court was seated, and the books were opened.”

Do you notice that the Ancient of Days was sitting? If He was sitting down, what position was He in before He sat down? He was moving. Before something is set down, it is moving; and the throne of God moved into the judgment phase of the sanctuary in heaven.

“I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was lain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame. As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for q season and time. I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him.” Verses 11–13.

We see that, it is while the little horn is speaking great words against the Most High that the judgment is set and the books are opened, and that Christ does a work of purifying His people. Returning to Malachi 3, we read of the result of this work of purification. “Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in the former years.” Malachi 3:4.

It is with reference to this cleansing process that we read, “Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.” Daniel 8:14. This great work of cleansing, as we all know, began at the close of the 2,300 prophetic days that ended in 1844. For one-hundred and fifty years this work has been going forward; and the questions that I want each of us to consider are these: When this work is completed, who will be left standing? Who can abide in the temple of the Lord when He appears? Do you have clean hands, a pure heart? Are you free of the sin of backbiting against your neighbor? We cannot collectively be a pure people until we are purified individually.

Paul picked up the same theme in Ephesians 5:25–27. “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it; that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word, that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or say such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” As verse 25 points out, the Lord wants to change us by love. He gave Himself for us that He might cleanse us by His Word. Are you deep in His Word? This is where the cleansing comes from. If we are not deep in the Word, we will not be found without spot or wrinkle.

“Every man’s work passes in review before God and is registered for faithfulness or unfaithfulness. Opposite each name in the books of heaven is entered with terrible exactness every wrong word, every selfish act, every unfulfilled duty, every secret sin, with every artful dissembling. Heaven-sent warnings or reproofs neglected, wasted moments, unimproved opportunities, the influence exerted for good or for evil, with its far-reaching results, all are chronicled by the recording angel.” The Great Controversy, 482. Friends, we are not living at the beginning of the Investigative Judgment; we are living at the close! We need to pray that the Lord will show us things in our lives as He views them, now, before it is forever too late to change. Ask Him about the reproofs and warnings that you have neglected. Ask Him to show you if you have wasted moments that you need to confess, if you have unimproved opportunities, or if you have lent your influence in the wrong direction.

The good news is that He will reveal to us, as we can stand it, the areas of our life that need to be changed. “For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” Matthew 7:8. Jesus’ greatest desire is to be the Lord and Saviour of your life. His promise is that, “If any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous.” I John 2:1. We have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous!

The Lord has not kept a record so that He can condemn us, but so that He can save us. You see, friends, if you or I have unconfessed sin in our life, it would destroy all of heaven; so the Lord has kept a list of the things in our lives that must be corrected if we are to be made safe for heaven. If we ask Him, He will not only forgive us, but also work in our lives to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. “Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession them.” Hebrews 7:25.

Regardless of how we perceive our experience, if unconfessed sins are a part of our record, all of the right things that we have done will be of no consequence. “But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.” Ezekiel 18:24. It is not our names, however, that Jesus wants to blot out. “I, even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for Mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.” Isaiah 43:35. What He longs to blot out is our sins. John 3:17.

You see, we have a choice. We can either plead with the Lord to reveal our faults to us now, while we can confess and be cleansed of them, or we can choose to go on in our spiritual pride, blind to our deficiencies, until it is forever too late. Satan knows that there is grace to conquer even pride, so he “invents unnumbered schemes to occupy our minds, that they may not dwell upon the very work with which we ought to be best acquainted. The archdeceiver hates the great truths that bring to view an atoning sacrifice and an all-powerful Mediator. He knows that with him everything depends on his diverting minds from Jesus and His truth.” The Great Controversy, 488. “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.

Salvation is free, but it costs me something. “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” Psalm 51:17. This is the only thing that we own that God will not despise. Everything else, friends, has been corrupted by sin. There is no other offering that He will accept. There is a time of probation granted to all; but the time is coming very soon when the opportunity will be gone forever. It is the nature of sin that, if allowed to remain in your heart, it will harden your heart to the point that the gift of a broken and contrite heart will forever be out of your reach. “His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins.” Proverbs 5:22.

Jesus is all-powerful; and the devil knows that if your mind is totally surrendered to Him, He will save you. There is nothing that can stop the work of your salvation aside from your decision to not avail yourself of the power that Jesus makes available to each one of us. But Satan is an opportunist. He knows that each day that he can divert your mind from the great work that Jesus is desiring to accomplish in your life during these closing hours of probationary time, brings you that much closer to failing to make a decision in favor of accepting the cleansing in your life, that must take place before Jesus comes. Satan realizes that which we must never forget, and that is, that to put off the time of our decision is, by default, to choose to be lost; so he has invented unnumbered schemes to divert our attention, to take our minds off of the great theme of the Investigative Judgment, the atoning blood of Christ.

“Satan has many devices whereby he holds us back from rendering prompt and unquestioning obedience to God. We have often had strong promptings and conviction of duty, but have shrunk back from fulfilling them. Yet Jesus says, ‘If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it.’ How many have been deeply stirred at times, yet because duty demanded a sacrifice, they have tampered with their conscience, seated themselves in the enemy’s debating chair, and have not made the decision that God sought to have them make. They have not broken away from the associates whose seductive influence for evil, led them to follow their own carnal reasoning, and because there was not evidence of any immediate danger, they have rested in their false security. They have debated in their minds, saying, Shall I obey the voice of God that bids me shake off the lethargy of the world, and escape from the world as did Lot from Sodom, or shall I listen to the voice of the world that cries peace and safety to my soul? Shall I wait for a more convenient season? All the sophistry of Satan is bound up in that one word, ‘wait.’ O that those who are now moved by the Spirit of God, would make a decided stand for God and for the truth…

Editorial – Salvation Faith, and Works

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I has been a source of perplexity to many that the Bible teaches that while we are saved by grace, through faith alone, we are judged according to our works, and that everything we have done, including our words and thoughts, will be evaluated according to God’s Law. (See Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14; James 2:8–12; I Corinthians 4:5.) Furthermore, the Bible is clear that our reward is given according to our works. (See Revelation 22:11, 12; Matthew 10:42.)

This can best be understood when we realize that salvation is a gift of grace, but it is not an unconditional gift—everybody in the world will not receive it. It is a gift that is given on certain explicit conditions, and the condition that the person saved must develop a Christ-like character through the grace provided through the Holy Spirit. (See Colossians 1:27; Romans 8:1–17; I John 3:1–24.) “Man has fallen; and it will be the work of a lifetime, be it longer or shorter, to recover from that fall, and regain, through Christ, the image of the divine, which he lost by sin and continued transgression. God requires a thorough transformation of soul, body, and spirit in order to regain the estate lost through Adam.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 448.

It is because the judgment will examine our character in detail to determine whether we are to receive the gift of salvation that Paul says, “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” Philippians 2:12. Peter also referred to this when he said, “be diligent, without spot and blameless, to be found by Him in peace.” II Peter 3:14. The person who keeps God’s Word is the one in whom God’s character has been perfected (I John 2:5) and who therefore will have assurance in the Day of Judgment (I John 4:17.) “All should bear in mind that it is only those who are without spot or wrinkle who can stand acquitted before God. The temper, the taste, the thoughts, the feelings, —all must be brought to the test of God’s Word.” Signs of the Times, May 19, 1887.

We are not rewarded according to our works, because God owes us anything.”The capital was the Lord’s; the improvement is His. Had not the Saviour bestowed upon them His love and grace, they would have been bankrupt for eternity. But when the Master receives the talents, He approves and rewards the workers as through the merit were all their own. His countenance is full of joy and satisfaction. He is filled with delight that He can bestow blessings upon them. For every service and every sacrifice He requites them, not because it is a debt He owes, but because His heart is overflowing with love and tenderness.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 361.

“We must each have an experience for ourselves. The work of our salvation lies between God and our own souls. Though all nations are to pass in judgment before Him, yet He will examine the case of each individual with as close and searching a scrutiny as though there were not another being on the earth. Every individual has a soul to save or to lose. Each has a case pending at the bar of God. Each must meet the great Judge face to face. How important, then, that every mind contemplate often the solemn scene when the Judgment shall sit and the books be opened, when, with Daniel, every individual must stand in his lot at the end of the days.” Signs of the Times, October 8, 1885.

We each have a case pending at the bar of God, and although Noah, Job, and Daniel were in the land, they could not save son or daughter. They could only save their own souls by their righteousness. It is an individual work for you and me. There will be every attraction to draw us away from Christ’s righteousness, and the human heart is inclined to selfish gratification. Every soul who seeks righteousness will meet with perplexities; but shrink not at reproach or trial. Jesus was reproached by the sons of men, and can those of His household expect a better portion? There is help for everyone who in humble faith seeks it. When you put all your powers to the stretch that you may become acquainted with God, you will have His power added to your weakness. Every soul that enters through the gates into the city will go in as a conqueror.” Signs of the Times, November 17, 1887.

Friend, are you serious enough about salvation? Do you realize how solemn and serious our short life in this world really is? Are you, day by day, preparing for the Judgment, which started in 1844 and will soon be over, with no further opportunity for salvation forever?

John J. Grosboll

The 13 Impossibilities

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“Who will enter in through the gates into the City?—Not those who declare that they cannot break the force of appetite.” Christian Temperance and Bible Hygiene, 19.

“One of the highest attainments in the Christian life is to control appetite. . . . Without this victory, all hope of Heaven is vain.” Christian Temperance and Bible Hygiene, 206.

  • “It is impossible for a man to present his body a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, while continuing to indulge habits that are depriving him of physical, mental and moral vigor.” Counsels on Health, 23.

 

  • “It is impossible to present our bodies a living sacrifice to God when we continually fill them with corruption and disease by our own sinful indulgence.” Counsels on Health, 24.

 

  • “It is impossible for the spirit and power of the truth to sanctify a man soul, body, and spirit, when he is controlled by appetite and passion.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 570.

 

  • “A diseased body and a disordered intellect, because of continued indulgence in hurtful lust, make sanctification of the body and spirit impossible.” Counsels on Diet and Foods, 44.

 

  • “It is impossible for those who indulge the appetite to attain to Christian perfection.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 400.

 

  • “It is impossible for men and women, while under the power of sinful, health-destroying, brain-enervating habits, to appreciate sacred truth.” Counsels on health, 21.

 

  • “It is impossible for an intemperate man to be a Christian, for his higher powers are brought into slavery to the passions.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 51.

 

  • “In order to render to God perfect service, we must have clear conceptions of His will. This will require us to use only healthful food, prepared in a simple manner, that the fine nerves of the brain be not injured, making it impossible for us to discern the value of the atonement, and the priceless worth of the cleansing blood of Christ.” Our High Calling, 308.

 

  • “It is impossible for those who make free use of flesh meats to have an unclouded brain and an active intellect.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 62.

 

  • “It is impossible for any to enjoy the blessing of sanctification while they are selfish and gluttonous.” Counsels on Health, 66.

 

  • “It is impossible for you to increase in spiritual strength while your appetite and passions are not under perfect control.” Counsels on Diet and Foods, 63.

 

  • “It is impossible for those who give the reins to appetite to attain to Christian perfection.” Counsels on Diet and Foods, 236.

 

  • “It is impossible to work for the salvation of men and women without presenting to them the need of breaking away from sinful gratifications, which destroy the health, debase the soul, and prevent divine truth from impressing the mind. Men and women must be taught to take a careful review of every habit and practice, and at once put away those things that cause an unhealthy condition of the body.” Counsels on Health, 445.

The Most Expensive Bridge

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The Brooklyn Bridge in New York City is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States. It was completed in 1883, and with a main span of 1,595 feet (486.3 m) it was the longest suspension bridge in the world from its opening until 1903, and the first steel-wire suspension bridge at a cost of $15.5 million. Twenty-seven people died during its thirteen year construction.

The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, 4,200 feet (1,280.2 m) and holding the record of the longest span until 1964, is heralded as one of the top ten construction achievements of the twentieth century. It opened in 1937 at a cost of $35 million. By 1971, when the last of the construction bonds were retired, the principle as well as nearly $39 million in interest had been raised entirely from bridge tolls. The cost to construct a new Golden Gate Bridge in 2003 was estimated to be approximately $1.2 billion. One can only imagine the cost ten years later!

However, there is another bridge that is far more valuable than anything man could even hope to construct. It spans between heaven and earth, bridging the gap that has been caused by man’s sin.

The Bible says that God is love (I John 4:8). John, called the beloved disciple, wrote more about love than any of the other disciples or Bible writers. The amazing aspect of God’s love is that it does not give up. An illustration of that love is seen when God saw Adam and Eve rebel against Him by disrespecting His command to not eat of the forbidden fruit. It would have been an easy thing for God to just say, Goodbye, let Me start over! I will start again and create another couple and see if they can obey instructions. Had He done that it would not have reflected His true character. He had another plan; He was not willing to give up that easily; He would reach them in their fallen condition and demonstrate to them His love.

I remember hearing the story of a little girl who had brain cancer. After a long and painful fight, her mother was told by the doctors that there was nothing more they could do. Because of the love she had for her child, she refused to give up and determined to find another doctor to help. If that doctor had the same opinion, she would continue to search for another. Love and her unwillingness to give up spurred her on while ever there was even a slim hope that her precious child could be saved. That is the way it is with God. He could have wiped out this race and started all over, but He did not, in the hope that some could be saved. What did it cost? His only begotten Son, Jesus, the darling of heaven was sent to this earth to bridge the gap.

Jacob saw this bridge in a dream. He had tricked his brother Esau into selling him the birthright of the firstborn and had obtained the blessing, deceiving his father by covering his arms with goat’s skins and providing his father’s favorite food and pretending to be Esau.

When Esau found out he had been tricked he was so angry that he threatened to kill Jacob. Rachel, who was outside Esau’s tent and heard his threat decided to protect her favorite son from his brother’s wrath. She told Jacob that he must pack a few belongings and leave immediately. Exhausted from his flight and afraid of his brother’s retaliation, Jacob became discouraged. His mind was filled with guilt because of what he had done to both his brother and his father, and wondering how God could even accept him, he made himself a bed on the ground and taking a stone for his pillow he fell asleep.

While he slept, “He dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.” Genesis 28:12. John tells us more about the ladder that linked heaven with earth on which the angels ascended and descended. “And He [Jesus] saith unto him, Verily, verily I say unto you, hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.” John 1:51. The use of the word hereafter indicates that at one time heaven must have been closed to the earth.

Jesus is the ladder on which Jacob saw angels ascending and descending. We can call this ladder a bridge because that is the purpose of a ladder, to make it possible to reach places that are otherwise inaccessible.

Christ is the ladder that reaches heaven. He bridged the gap between heaven and earth, making heaven accessible to man. As Jesus came up out of the water after His baptism, the Bible says that heaven was opened and a voice was heard saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:17. A link had been made between heaven and earth. Because of God’s gift in the life of His Son, the gap between heaven and earth was closed. It is now possible to get to the other side, which, without the bridge, would be impossible. Christ will take us places that are not possible to go by ourselves. Love does not give up but finds a way!

The most important consideration we should have in life is how to get from earth to heaven. “Jesus said unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man can cometh unto the Father, except through Me.” John 14:6. Jesus is the only way. Only by obeying the truth, as taught by Him, is it possible to cross over and enter the new life. Let us analyze the construction of that bridge.

Pier #1: Jesus came to this world

It was not after Adam and Eve sinned that God instituted the plan of salvation. This plan had been formulated before the foundations of this earth were laid and was ready to come into operation in case any man should sin. This plan was not an afterthought; it was something that God thought through eons ago.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made. … And the Word [Christ] was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” John 1:1–3, 14. “He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not.” Verse 10. That is amazing!

Jesus, the Creator, comes to His own people and nobody knows Him. The fact that the One Who has power to speak things into existence actually became a human being in order to save us is beyond computation. What did that cost? “It would have been an almost infinite humiliation for the Son of God to take man’s nature, even when Adam stood in his innocence in Eden. But Jesus accepted humanity when the race had been weakened by four thousand years of sin.” The Desire of Ages, 48.

David says, “When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained; what is man that Thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that Thou visitest him?” Psalm 8:3, 4. When you look at the scheme of our entire universe, our whole solar system is but an atom, and we are nothing but a drop in a bucket by comparison, but Jesus saw fit to come to this planet and save a rebellious people. It is incomprehensible!

Though the time and place of His birth had been predicted, there was no place and no one ready to receive Him. The innkeeper missed the opportunity to host the Saviour of mankind and turning away Joseph and Mary caused their precious Baby to be born in a stable amongst the animals.

God’s Son has been given to the human race (Isaiah 9:6), and He will remain our brother throughout all eternity. Jesus retains human nature forever. He returned to heaven in a glorified, human body.

Pier #2: He lived a sinless life

For a bridge to reach from earth to heaven it required One who lived without sinning—Christ. He came to this world, born of a woman, and lived a sinless life. This is so important for us today because the entire human race was under the control of Satan until love wrestled this world out of Satan’s hands. Satan is not giving up easily but Jesus has reclaimed His rightful possession; He created it, and will save all those who desire to be saved.

When Jesus asked, “Which of you convinceth Me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe Me?” John 8:46. There was not one person who spoke up. Jesus came and lived a sinless life so that you and I, in His power, can live sinless lives. Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil in us so that we don’t sin. “Whoever is born of God doth not commit sin.” I John 3:9. Christ lived in unity with His Father, Who gave Him the power to resist the devil. That same experience is available to all who believe in Him.

The mother of Genghis Khan, clan chief of the Mongolian Empire that exceeded even that of the Roman Empire, understood the strength of unity. When he was a little boy, his father was poisoned. According to Mongol culture, when the father died, the rest of the family was forsaken by the community. Kahn’s mother gathered her children together and taught the great Kahn how they could remain intact. She told him to take an arrow and break it, which he did with ease. She then handed him a bunch of arrows, which he was not able to break. That same illustration teaches us about the unity Christ had with His Father that kept Him from every temptation, enabling Him to live a sinless life.

If a microscope was put on Jesus’ life, it would not reveal one wrong thing. Jesus “was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” And it says, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:15, 16. Christ relied fully upon His Father. He said, “I can of Mine own self do nothing.” John 5:30. Jesus said the same thing about us, “Without Me ye can do nothing.” John 15:5. But Paul said, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Philippians 4:13.

Jesus relied upon power from His Father, and the key for our success is to rely upon Christ for our power. A battle raged against the entire demonic force as this bridge was being built. It was so fierce that while bowed upon the earth praying for hours in the midst of His struggle in the Garden of Gethsemane, Christ prayed, “Let this cup pass from Me: nevertheless not as I will, but as Thou wilt.” Matthew 26:39. The Bible says He sweat great drops of blood (Luke 22:44). There are known cases in history of this condition called hematohidrosis. The struggle was so fierce that He “resisted unto blood.” Hebrews 12:4. Whatever your struggle, look to Christ. He understands and can give you deliverance. Nothing is impossible with God; Jesus has already won the victory for us. Jesus came to this planet and lived a sinless life so you and I could. Without an example for a world of sinful, human beings, we wouldn’t be able to do it, but Jesus did it for us and led the way.

Pier #3: He died

Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death.” All have sinned and are under the penalty of death. Have you ever thought of yourself as being on death row? Isaiah saw a vision of God in heaven (Isaiah 6), and while in this vision he fell down and said, “I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips.” Verse 5. He was heartbroken when he saw the purity and righteousness of God in contrast with his own character. We are all guilty and on death row, and without someone to intercede in our behalf, we are in trouble. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:3 that Jesus died for our sins according to the Scriptures.

When Jesus died on the cross of Golgotha, it appeared to the ignorant that He had lost the battle, but how wrong they were. Isaiah 53 clearly describes the chronological events of Christ’s life. He came to establish a kingdom of grace that all who believe in Him could be saved.

It is the death of Jesus that draws us to Him. When we spend time at the cross it will be the central theme in our lives. It will no more matter what football team wins or what’s happening with the Grammy awards. The things held with such importance in this world will be foolishness for us. When we look to Jesus and the cross, everything else just pales into insignificance. “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up.” John 3:14.

Pier #4: The Resurrection

A Christian and Muslim were discussing the attributes of their religion. The Islam man, talking about the glories of Islam, said, We still have Mohammed with us today. The Christian said, I have a God who doesn’t live in a tomb, He is in heaven, He is a living God and He conquered death.

The empty tomb sets Jesus apart from every other false god. “Jesus said to her [Martha], I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.” John 11:25. This gives each one of us hope. Even Paul said that if we didn’t have any hope that we would rise from the grave we would all be a bunch of miserable people (1 Corinthians 15). Jesus was prepared to carry the weight of sin and die without the assurance that His sacrifice would be enough to bridge the gulf between sinful man and a holy God. It was an act of faith. His sacrifice was accepted and He arose again.

Pier #5: The Ascension

When Jesus died on the cross, the plan of salvation was not yet over though it is a common belief by many theologians that the atonement was finished on the cross. There’s something else that Jesus needed to do. Look at Romans 4:24, 25: “But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on Him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.” He paid the penalty for our sins on the cross, but He was raised again for our justification. Without the resurrection we could never be justified.

To be justified means to be forgiven. Unlike many of us who like to remind people of what they have done, Jesus Christ forgives us for our past sins and treats us as if we had never sinned. He “was raised again for our justification.”

There was a reason that He ascended. Jesus said, “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you.” John 16:7. “Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, He hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.” Acts 2:33. Jesus ascended on high, and was accepted by the Father, and He shed forth the power of the Holy Spirit in Pentecost.

Now there are many involved in the plan of salvation to build this bridge. We have Jesus, the Father, angels and now the Holy Spirit. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to convince the world that they are sinners and have need of a Saviour. “And when He is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.” John 16:8. Without the work of the Holy Spirit we would be lost.

Pier #6: Christ’s Intercession

Hebrews 8 tells us that Christ is the minister of the sanctuary in heaven. “Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them.” Hebrews 7:25. No matter how bad we have fallen, we simply need to come to Him, and ask for help.

During the Civil War a man neglected his duty and fell asleep while on guard duty. It was a crime punishable by death. The circumstances were very interesting. The soldier had helped his friend all day in the battlefield, carrying him back wounded. The wounded man had been assigned guard duty that night but he began to come down with a fever. His friend offered to take his place, but being exhausted from the day’s activities he fell asleep while on guard.

The parents of the guilty man received a letter informing them that their son was to be executed on a certain date. The father took the letter and went to Washington, D.C. to the White House and requested to see President Lincoln. Without a pass he was refused an audience. The desperate father pled with the doorman the urgency of his request but to no avail and was pushed away from the door that closed behind him. Totally discouraged, the father went a little way and sat down under a tree where he wept bitterly. Soon a little boy came and tugged on his shirt asking, “Mister, mister, what’s wrong?” Through tears he told the little boy the story about his son who had fallen asleep and was going to be executed. The little boy said, “Well, I’ll go see President Lincoln. I’ll get in there, you watch.”

“I’ve already tried that and they pushed me out,” said the father.

“You come with me,” replied the boy. So they went together, the distraught father trailing the little boy who boldly ascended the steps and opened the White House door without even knocking. The same guard was standing right there objecting to the intrusion. “We need to see the President,” said the little boy.

“Well, I’m sorry son, but this man doesn’t have a pass and we cannot let him in,” was the stern reply.

At that, the little boy started yelling at the top of his lungs, “Pa! Pa!” President Lincoln came out from his office, looked at the little boy, Tadd, his little son, and the father was able to tell his story to President Lincoln. That very day, President Lincoln wrote a letter of pardon.

You see, that is what Jesus does for us. We are all under the death penalty, but Jesus pleads in our behalf. He wants to get us all off death row, but we must be willing to confess and forsake our sins.

Pier #7: A Home Prepared

The bridge is almost complete. Jesus is coming back, and at that time it will be finalized. We will be able to span that bridge with Jesus and go to heaven with Him. John 14:1–3 tells us that He went to prepare a place for us, and He is going to come again and take us with Him wherever He goes.

Hebrews 9:28 tells us, “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation.”

During Abraham Lincoln’s presidency a little cartoon was published in the newspaper. It was a picture of the White House on top of a cliff, and at its base was a cabin. A ladder was between the two, indicating that Abraham Lincoln had gone from poverty to the White House. The caption read, “The ladder is still there.”

There is still a ladder for us to climb today. But we have to be willing to get on it and accept the pardon that is offered.

During Andrew Jackson’s administration a political enemy of his was tried and sentenced to death. President Jackson heard about this man, whom he knew well, and wrote him a letter of pardon to stay his execution.

The man was given the letter and after he read it, he said, “You can have your piece of paper, I don’t want to be pardoned.” This confused the officials who did not know what to do, so they took it to John Marshall who was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court at the time for further instruction. He read the letter over, and after he talked to the prisoner, he said, “We cannot force you or anybody to accept a letter of pardon.” Because the pardon was refused, the prisoner was taken out and shot for his crime.

Friends, don’t refuse the pardon that has been made available. It does not matter how far we have fallen, or what sin we have committed; Jesus has provided a pardon. The Bible says all manner of sin can be forgiven unto man, except the unpardonable sin against the Holy Spirit, which is the only Source provided to convict us of sin. When we respond to His calling Jesus will give us deliverance. Jesus is coming soon. When He comes it will not be to forgive sin. When He returns it will be as a conqueror, King of Kings and Lord of Lords to deliver His people. Do not neglect this great salvation and let it slip away.

Mike Bauler was ordained into the ministry in 2005 and serves as pastor of the Historic Message Church in Portland, Oregon. Prior to locating in Portland, Pastor Bauler served as a Bible worker for Steps to Life Ministries. His goal is to help give the gospel to the greater Portland area with an emphasis in helping his Bible students discover the truths in Bible prophecy, which are so often neglected today. His wife, Amanda, a family nurse practitioner, and their daughters Hannah, Esther and Abigail assist him in his ministry.

Bible Study Guides – Character as a Sweet Fragrance

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November 8, 2014 – November 14, 2014

Key Text

“Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of His knowledge by us in every place.” II Corinthians 2:14.

Study Help: Messages to Young People, 417–424.

Introduction

“Character is power. The silent witness of a true, unselfish, godly life carries an almost irresistible influence. By revealing in our own life the character of Christ we co-operate with Him in the work of saving souls.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 340.

1 THE ATMOSPHERE OF GRACE

  • What attribute of God is the ground for our salvation, and how has it been manifested? Ephesians 2:8, 9; Romans 5:20, 21.

Note: “In the matchless gift of His Son, God has encircled the whole world with an atmosphere of grace as real as the air which circulates around the globe. All who choose to breathe this life-giving atmosphere will live and grow up to the stature of men and women in Christ Jesus.” Steps to Christ, 68.

  • What happens to those who respond to the drawing power of God’s grace? John 12:32; Ephesians 2:10.

Note: “As the sinner, drawn by the power of Christ, approaches the uplifted cross, and prostrates himself before it, there is a new creation. A new heart is given him. He becomes a new creature in Christ Jesus. Holiness finds that it has nothing more to require.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 163.

2 THE FRAGRANCE OF GOD’S KNOWLEDGE

  • When those living under the sacrificial laws offered a burnt sacrifice, what made the aroma a “sweet savor,” or “sweet fragrance” unto God? Exodus 29:18; Ephesians 5:2.

Note: “His [Christ’s] offering is complete, and as our Intercessor He executes His self-appointed work, holding before God the censer containing His own spotless merits and the prayers, confessions, and thanksgiving of His people. Perfumed with the fragrance of His righteousness, these ascend to God as a sweet savor. The offering is wholly acceptable, and pardon covers all transgression.” The Signs of the Times, February 14, 1900.

  • What does God use to manifest the knowledge of Himself as a sweet fragrance to those who are in ignorance of Christ? II Corinthians 2:14.

Note: “Every soul is surrounded by an atmosphere of its own—an atmosphere, it may be, charged with the life-giving power of faith, courage, and hope, and sweet with the fragrance of love. Or it may be heavy and chill with the gloom of discontent and selfishness, or poisonous with the deadly taint of cherished sin. By the atmosphere surrounding us, every person with whom we come in contact is consciously or unconsciously affected.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 339.

  • What is required of us that our life may be accepted as a “sweet savor” unto God? Ezekiel 20:41; Romans 12:1, 2.

Note: “God despises a dead offering; He requires a living sacrifice, with intellect, sensibilities, and will fully enlisted in His service. Every distinctive faculty should be devoted to this work—our feet swift to move at the call of duty, our hands ready to act when work is to be done, our lips prepared to speak the truth in love, and show forth the praise of Him who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. We should continue this consecration, not taking anything from the altar; for this is sacrilege. When His people thus consecrate themselves in sincerity and humility, they are accepted of God; and they become to Him a sweet-smelling savor, diffusing a rich fragrance throughout all the earth.” The Review and Herald, February 5, 1884.

3 A SAVOR OF LIFE OR OF DEATH?

  • Explain how our influence may be a “sweet fragrance” for life unto some while, at the same time, it may be an influence for death unto others. II Corinthians 2:15, 16; I Corinthians 1:18; I Peter 2:7.

Note: “[The effect of our influence upon others] is a responsibility from which we cannot free ourselves. Our words, our acts, our dress, our deportment, even the expression of the countenance, has an influence. Upon the impression thus made there hang results for good or evil which no man can measure. Every impulse thus imparted is seed sown which will produce its harvest. It is a link in the long chain of human events, extending we know not whither. If by our example we aid others in the development of good principles, we give them power to do good. In their turn they exert the same influence upon others, and they upon still others. Thus by our unconscious influence thousands may be blessed.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 339, 340.

  • How is it possible for the savor of our influence to become a stink unto death to those around us? Ecclesiastes 10:1.

Note: “But never should it be forgotten that influence is no less a power for evil. To lose one’s own soul is a terrible thing; but to cause the loss of other souls is still more terrible. That our influence should be a savor of death unto death is a fearful thought; yet this is possible.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 340.

  • How careful should we be in choosing our close companions? Why? I Corinthians 6:14, 15; Ephesians 5:11; I Corinthians 5:6.

Note: “There are mysterious links that bind souls together, so that the heart of one answers to the heart of another. One catches the ideas, the sentiments, the spirit, of another. This association may be a blessing or a curse. The youth may help and strengthen one another, improving in deportment, in disposition, in knowledge; or, by permitting themselves to become careless and unfaithful, they may exert an influence that is demoralizing.” Messages to Young People, 411.

4 THE SALT OF THE EARTH

  • How did Christ illustrate the value of the saving influence that God’s people are to have upon the world? What warning did He give in doing so? Matthew 5:13. (Compare Matthew 8:12.)

Note: “By these words of Christ [“ye are the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13)] we gain some idea of what constitutes the value of human influence. It is to work with the influence of Christ, to lift where Christ lifts, to impart correct principles, and stay the progress of the world’s corruption. It is to diffuse the grace which Christ alone can impart. It is to uplift, to sweeten, the lives and characters of others by the power of a pure example united with earnest faith and love. God’s people are to exercise a reforming, preserving power in the world. They are to counterwork the destroying, corrupting influence of evil.” In Heavenly Places, 239.

  • How only can we manifest a saving influence upon the world? Ephesians 5:2.

Note: “The saving salt, the savor of the Christian, is the love of Jesus in the heart, the righteousness of Christ pervading the soul. If the professor of religion would keep the saving efficacy of his faith, he must ever keep the righteousness of Christ before him, and have the glory of God for his rearward. Then the power of Christ will be revealed in life and character.” The Bible Echo and Signs of the Times, February 15, 1892.

“There is nothing in us of ourselves by which we can influence others for good. If we realize our helplessness and our need of divine power, we shall not trust to ourselves. We know not what results a day, an hour, or a moment may determine, and never should we begin the day without committing our ways to our heavenly Father. His angels are appointed to watch over us, and if we put ourselves under their guardianship, then in every time of danger they will be at our right hand. When unconsciously we are in danger of exerting a wrong influence, the angels will be by our side, prompting us to a better course, choosing our words for us, and influencing our actions. Thus our influence may be a silent, unconscious, but mighty power in drawing others to Christ and the heavenly world.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 341, 342.

5 A POWER TO MOVE THE WORLD

  • What promised gift of Christ has enabled men and women in all ages to be a faithful witness for Christ? Acts 1:8.

Note: “From the Day of Pentecost to the present time, the Comforter has been sent to all who have yielded themselves fully to the Lord and to His service. To all who have accepted Christ as a personal Saviour, the Holy Spirit has come as a counselor, sanctifier, guide, and witness. The more closely believers have walked with God, the more clearly and powerfully have they testified of their Redeemer’s love and of His saving grace.” The Acts of the Apostles, 49.

  • How will our influence be instrumental in finishing this work of preaching the “everlasting gospel” to the world? Matthew 25:4; Revelation 18:1.

Note: “Character is power. The silent witness of a true, unselfish, godly life carries an almost irresistible influence. By revealing in our own life the character of Christ we co-operate with Him in the work of saving souls. It is only by revealing in our life His character that we can cooperate with Him. And the wider the sphere of our influence, the more good we may do. When those who profess to serve God follow Christ’s example, practicing the principles of the law in their daily life; when every act bears witness that they love God supremely and their neighbor as themselves, then will the church have power to move the world.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 340.

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1 How may I breathe in the spiritual atmosphere that surrounds the earth?

2 Why is the spirit of sacrifice essential to imparting the knowledge of God?

3 Explain the difference between being a savor of life or a savor of death.

4 What is required in my own heart to be a savor of life?

5 What power will enable the church to move the world?

Copyright © 2013 Reformation Herald Publishing Association, 5240 Hollins Road, Roanoke, Virginia. Reprinted by permission.

Battle for the Mind: Cybernetic Warfare, part 2

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Before attempting to exercise some form of mind control, you have to know something about who you are going to try to control. You need to discover something about their spiritual and psychological makeup.

Based on their studies of American soldiers, the Chinese Communists found that American soldiers had a very weak sense of loyalty. They found that their concept of right and wrong was poorly formed, predisposing them to be opportunistic. They learned that when they are alone, they are frightened and insecure. They also found that the American soldiers, even those who were well educated, were ignorant of social values and had a poor understanding of the American political system and how it worked. Not only were these men uneducated regarding their own system but they had little understanding of other countries and other systems. They discovered that the Americans held an unrealistic concept of America’s eternal and inherent, rather than earned or proven, superiority and absolute military invincibility. This, they believed, was their most vulnerable weakness.

They found that the American soldiers did not see the value of any form of order and discipline, they had a low level of patriotism, and they did not see the necessity of military service but viewed it as a hateful, though unavoidable form of servitude, to be escaped as soon as possible. On the basis of these facts, they found the reeducation of American prisoners a relatively easy and very successful form of control.

As I have thought about this situation, I have realized that there are supernatural agencies that are on our track and that they are doing an analysis of each of our spiritual and mental makeups, trying to figure out what type of mind control technique will work best.

The first point that the Communists’ report mentioned was the weak loyalties that the American soldier held for his family, his community, his country, his religion, and to his fellow soldier; and they capitalized on that weakness.

Several years ago I read the book, Fee the Captor. It tells the story of a young lady who was taken captive by the Gestapo in Nazi Germany. Unfortunately, she had on her person a list of people who were working in the underground. They took her to where they were beating a man who was strapped down to the table. They told this young lady, “You either tell us what these names are in this little booklet that you have, or you are going to the table.” She gave them the information they wanted, and, as a result, there was a large number of people who were taken prisoner and lost their lives. You see, her loyalty was not strong enough to the people she was working with that when she was put to the test, she could remain faithful.

There is a decision of loyalty that is going to be made by the whole world. Everyone will be called to choose between the Law of God and the laws of men. There is going to be some pressure applied. You will not be able to buy or sell, and eventually there will be a death decree. Is your love for God and you loyalty to Him so strong that you will be able to say, “I am going to be faithful to the Lord and obey Him whatever takes place”? Have you asked the Lord to help you develop a loyalty that will stand up under pressure and will not give way?

“All will be called to choose between the Law of God and the laws of men. Here the dividing line will be drawn. There will be but two classes. Every character will be fully developed; and all will show whether they have chosen the side of loyalty or that of rebellion.” Desire of Ages, 763.

A second weakness of the American soldiers was their poorly formed concepts of right and wrong. Are your concepts of right and wrong hazy and ill-formed, or are they crystal clear in your mind?

Some years ago I was attending a class in a Seventh-day Adventist university in which we were studying behavioral psychology. The lecture this particular day was on values clarification. I was already a minister at the time, so I was older than most of the students in the class. As the teacher was lecturing, I looked around at the other students, intently watching the teacher and taking notes on all that was being said. I began to wonder if there were any other students in the room who were thinking. In our educational process, we shoot information at people so fast and so heavy and with such pressure to memorize things that they have no time to think.

I began to evaluate what was taking place and asked myself, “Why do I need to be interested in this? After all, I am a Seventh-day Adventist minister and I know the Ten Commandments, but I do not know anything in them that is not clear, or that needs to be clarified. I have a value system and I do not need someone to explain and clarify it. The Ten Commandments is an all-inclusive value system that works.”

How is it in your mind? Is your concept of right and wrong crystal clear? or does someone need to clarify your values for you so that you now what right and wrong is?

“A government, of whatever character, requires a governor. This world has a Governor—the God of the universe. His guardian-care is universal, extending to man and beast, reaching even to the little sparrow; for Christ declares, ‘Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? And one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.’

“In God’s moral government, which is a government based upon a distinction between right and wrong, law is essential to secure right action. God’s Law is the expression of His character, and in His Word it is pronounced holy, just, and good. David says, ‘The Law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.’

“Lucifer took the position that as a result of the Law of God, wrong existed in heaven and on this earth. This brought against God’s government the charge of being arbitrary. But this is a falsehood, framed by the author of all falsehoods. God’s government is a government of free will, and there is no act of rebellion or obedience which is not an act of free will.” Signs of the Times, June 5, 1901.

Though it is a total contradiction to behavioral psychology, the truth that God’s government is a government of free will and there is no act of rebellion or disobedience that is not an act of the free will is a truth that it is very important to understand.

“As Creator of all, God is Governor over all, and He is bound to enforce His Law throughout the universe. To require less from His creatures than obedience to His Law would be to abandon them to ruin. To fail to punish transgression of His Law would be to place the universe in confusion. The moral Law is God’s barrier between the human agent and sin, thus infinite wisdom has placed before men the distinction between right and wrong, between sin and holiness.

“God is supreme. It is not for finite men to question His right to govern the universe. God asserted His right to rule when He declared, ‘Thou shalt have no other gods before Me;’ ‘for in six days the Lord make heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is.’ He is the Creator and Preserver of the worlds. He upholds the universe by the Word of His power. Nature and science bear witness that He has a right to govern His own creation. Angels are subject to His rule; therefore let man bow in adoration before Him.

“The Scriptures make it plain that God is Ruler, and that man is under the highest obligation to acknowledge this, and to obey His Law with heart and mind, trusting in His power for help and protection. This Law, which man is called upon to obey as a standard of right for the universe, is the wise and holy counsel of God. It is a moral law, and has its foundation in the difference between right and wrong. Moral law is universal; positive law is not necessarily universal, but may be restricted or extended according to the will of the lawgiver. Moral law must be immutable, while positive law may be changed or abolished, as the lawgiver may choose.

“The Decalog, or moral code of God, consists of ten precepts, engraven on stone by the finger of God. These precepts contain the whole duty of man. . . .

“To admit that God made a law so imperfect that it needed to be changed would be to stamp God as changeable and imperfect. God has spoken on this point. Let us heed what He says: ‘My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that has gone out of My lips.’ Psalm 89:34.” Ibid.

The whole Sabbath-Sunday controversy is not over just a day. At the root of the whole thing is the issue of God’s Law and who is going to be God.

The third point that they discovered about the American soldier is that when he is alone, he is frightened and insecure. Can you maintain yourself when you are all by yourself? Now for the Christian, we have the assurance that we are never totally alone; and we need to remember this or we are not going to make it through the times that are coming when we may be separated from every earthly friend. “The perversity and cruelty of men will reach such a height that God will reveal Himself in His majesty. Very soon the wickedness of the world will have reached its limit, and as in the days of Noah, God will pour out His judgments.

“But even when wickedness is at its height, we may knowthat our Helper is close by our side.” Upward Look, 334.

The commander of a concentration camp once became so angry with a Bulgarian pastor who would not yield his Christian convictions that he told him, “I am gong to throw you down into a dark hold and you are never going to come out of there. You are going to rot in there.” They put him in a dungeon where there was no light. One of the things that takes place when you are in total darkness is that you become totally disoriented in regards to time, and this affects every system in the body, because your whole body is regulated by the sun. Under these circumstances, your mind becomes completely disoriented; and you can very easily go crazy.

One day it got so bad that he began to wonder what he was going to do to keep from going crazy? As he was praying, he saw a light. That light, which was a Person, came over to him, picked him up, and held him in His arms. “After that,” he said, “I was all right.” Oh, friends, the worse things become, the more help you are going to receive if you put your faith and trust in Jesus.

The fourth point that was mentioned in the Communists’ findings about the American soldiers was their lack of understanding of social problems and tensions. Jesus said,

“And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake.” Matthew 10:22. Is that social tension and conflict? “We ought to be thankful that these words are left on record. Every child of God that is brought into difficulty and trial because of his faithfulness to Jesus, may claim the promise, and will receive sufficient grace for every emergency.” Review and Herald, April 15, 1890.

You are preparing day by day to either stand or to fall when the test is applied. Will you be loyal to the cause of God? Will you be able to clearly determine the difference between right and wrong? When you are all alone and you are told that everyone is giving in, will you have the strength to stand and say, “Lord Jesus, by Your grace, I am going to be faithful and true. Help me”?

A fifth weakness that the Communist psychologists learned about our soldiers was their lack of understanding of our political system and how our government works, and they used that to tremendous advantage. Let me ask you, Do you understand the character, the government, and the purpose of God? If you do not, you will not be able to stand through the time of test that we are approaching. We are to be the people of God, and we need to know the system that we are operating in. We need to understand God’s character, the nature of His government. Ellen White says that if you do not understand the character of God, His government, and His purposes, you will not be able to honor Him. (See The Great Controversy, 593.) You will not be able to make it. “None but those who have fortified the mind with the truths of the Bible will stand through the last great conflict. To every soul will come the searching test: Shall I obey God rather than men?” The Great Controversy, 593.

There are those who do not believe that God will actually burn people up. They use the life of Christ to try to prove it. Listen, friends, Jesus spoke about the terrors of hellfire more graphically than the prophets. It was Jesus Christ who said that it would be better to cut off your hand or poke out your eye than to be cast into hellfire, because when you go there, the fire will not be quenched, and the worm will not die. Do not take any of this soft, syrupy talk that is all one-sided about the character of God based on a partial understanding of what Jesus is like. Read all of the Scriptures of what He said. Yes, Jesus is loving and kind and merciful, but He is just, and He will not connive with our sins. He expects us to overcome. Do you see that a misunderstanding of the character of God prepares people to fall? If people believe that you can just go on sinning and that when Jesus comes everything will be all right, when the pressure is applied to break the Law of God, what defense do they have? They are prepared to believe that you cannot keep it anyway.

A sixth point that these people learned by studying the American soldier was this: he has little or no idea of the problems and aims of other countries. In other words, he does not understand the enemy that he is fighting against. God wants us to understand the enemy that we are fighting against and to be alert and on guard at all times. We are to be like a soldier that has armor on from head to foot. (See Ephesians 6.) “We should study the nature, character, and extent of this spiritual wickedness in high places, lest we become the dupes of the powers of darkness. But how difficult it is to awaken minds to realize the continual activity and great earnestness of our wily foe, notwithstanding the warnings and cautions of the Bible, and the experience of many who have been overthrown by subtlety. The testimony loses its force; the warning passes out of the mind. Men cease to watch and pray; they do not solicit the aid of holy angels, who would lift up for them a standard against the enemy.” Signs of the Times, August 5, 1886. This is the reason for our study of this subject, that we may be better able to understand what is going on and the attempt that is being made to gain control of our mind without our even being aware of it.

The seventh point, and the one on which they believed the American soldier was most vulnerable, was his unrealistic concept of America’s eternal and inherent, rather than earned or proven, superiority and absolute military invincibility. How is this applicable to us today? Have you ever heard, “Oh, the church is going through”? Do you see why it is important to know who and what the church is? If you think that something is going through and you cannot prove from the Scriptures and the Spirit of Prophecy that that thing is going through, you might be headed for a terrible disappointment. I have been asked, “Do you believe that the church is going through?” Yes, I believe that the church is going through; but the question is, Who and what is the church?

Concerning the American soldier, they said, “He fails to appreciate the meaning and the necessity for military or any form of organization or discipline.” Do you understand the meaning and necessity for organization and discipline among God’s people, or are you one of those people who think that everyone can just go their own way? We do not have time to fully consider this point here, but this was one of the items of information that they were able to capitalize on and bring our men into absolute mental submission. You cannot successfully resist unless you are organized. Ellen White has a lot to say about organization.

There probably are some people who are quaking, wondering how they are going to make it. Here are some wonderful promises.

“The soldier of Christ must meet many forms of temptation, and resist and overcome them. The fiercer the conflict, the greater the supply of grace to meet the need of the soul.” Review and Herald, June 16, 1896.

“The important future is before us. To meet its trials and temptations, and to perform its duties, will require great faith, energy, and perseverance. But we may triumph gloriously; for not one watching, praying, believing soul will be ensnared by the devices of the enemy. All heaven is interested in our welfare, and waits our demand upon its wisdom and strength. Neither wicked men nor evil spirits can hinder the work of God or shut out His presence from His people, if they will, with subdued, contrite hearts, confess and put away their sins, and in faith claim His promises. Every opposing influence, whether open or secret, may be successfully resisted, ‘not by might, not by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.’ If the Lord had a company of workers who would rely wholly upon Him, He would accomplish a great work through them. One could chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight. God is just as willing now as anciently to work through human efforts, and to accomplish great things through weak instrumentalities. We shall not gain the victory through numbers, but through full surrender of the soul to Jesus. We are to go forward in His strength, trusting in the mighty God of Israel.” Review and Herald, January 11, 1887.

Oh, friend, do you want to have that experience? When you receive the Holy Spirit in your life and Jesus is abiding within, He put His love into your heart and into your mind; and a divine miracle takes place inside your mind so that your mind will be a fortress for Jesus Christ that will be impregnable to all of the assaults of Satan.

The World Class Straw Man, part 1

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The “straw-man” technique has been very widely used in recent years by those who are laboring to introduce Calvinistic doctrines into our Seventh-day Adventist faith, but never on such a grand scale as in the recent publication, The Nature Of Christ, by Roy Adams, associate editor of the Review.

We pause to explain that in dialogue and debate, the straw-man technique is used like this: First, you misstate and misrepresent the position of your opponent, thus setting up and artificial “straw man” of your own creating. Second, you vigorously attack your misrepresentation, your straw man, and shoot it to pieces. The hoped for result is that the listeners to or readers of your attack will conclude that you have demolished the position of your opponent, when in fact you have only demolished your own misrepresentation, your artificial straw man. It must be conceded that his is an effective debating technique, but its use creates troubling ethical questions in many minds.

Previous Examples

It was the straw-man technique that was being used, for example, when the anonymous writers of the huge Issues book, which Adams endorses, alleged that:

We Historic Adventists are attacking the church, when we are actually attacking apostasy in the church;

We are setting ourselves up as examples, when we are actually setting up Jesus as the example;

We are defending our personal opinions, when we are actually defending the historic faith of our church as set forth in all of its published statements of faith, and in the new SDAs Believe, etc.

But these straw men are only dwarfs of pygmies by comparison with the world-class straw man that is being set before us in the recent volume by Adams, which requires nothing less than a rearrangement of the realities of our history, a replacement of facts with fantasies.

The Roots Question

Adams directs our attention to the two major theological issues that are troubling our church today regarding the nature of Christ and character perfection. He then poses the question, Where did these problems originate? The theses of his book is that their roots are found in the teachings of A.T. Jones and E.J. Waggoner in the 1890s, were learned from them and urged upon the church by M.L. Andreason, and were foisted upon the modern church by Robert Wieland. This places a newer and richer meaning upon the phrase “simplistic reasoning.” Here are his words, as found on the first page of a chapter entitled “Examining the Roots, the Legacy of Jones and Waggoner:”

“My thesis throughout is that the theology of these three men [Jones, Waggoner, and Andreason] has provided the spawning ground for the position on righteousness by faith and perfection held by certain Adventists today….

“Without a doubt, the roots of the present agitation go all the way back to Jones and Waggoner.” —page 29
And again on page 37:

“The perfectionist agitation within the Seventh-day Adventist Church today had its genesis in the post-1888 teachings of A.T. Jones and E.J. Waggoner. In this chapter I wish to show that the linkage of sanctification, perfection, and Christ’s nature that has become dominant among certain groups is a direct legacy of M.L. Andreason’s theology.”

To those who know that God’s chosen Messenger to the Adventist people, Ellen White, published far more material on these subjects than any or all of these men ever did, these are indeed bold and breath-taking assertions. Were the teachings of Jones and Waggoner actually the roots, the origin, of the doctrine that Christ came to earth in the human nature of fallen man and the doctrine that character perfection through God’s power is possible? Had the church members no previous acquaintance with these teachings? Can evidence be produced that they held other or opposite views? The answer to all of these questions is No.

The Evidence

Let the evidence speak. Jones and Waggoner set forth their views on these subjects primarily during the ten year period of 1891-1901. Ellen White had been vigorously promoting the same doctrines for well over thirty years, since 1858. By the end of the year 1898, she had gone into print regarding the nature of Christ a total of 141 times. (The publications, the dates, and the statements are all recorded in our research volume, The Word Was Made Flesh.)

Had all of these publishing endeavors failed of their purpose? Did they all escape the attention of the Adventist people? The journals in which she wrote were primarily the Review and the Signs, to which were added her own books. Did these journals and books have no circulation among the Adventist people? and were they unknown to Jones and Waggoner?

Not exactly. In the year 1895, when Jones made his major presentation on the subject of the nature of Christ at a General Conference session, he quoted the following lines from an as yet unpublished manuscript of Ellen White’s The Desire of Ages. (What does his possession of this manuscript indicate about his relation to her beliefs?)

“In order to carry out the great work of redemption, the Redeemer must take the place of fallen man….

“When Adam was assailed by the tempter, he was without the taint of sin. He stood before God in the strength of perfect manhood, all the organs and faculties of his being fully developed and harmoniously balanced; and he was surrounded with things of beauty, and communed daily with holy angels. What a contrast to this perfect being did the second Adam present, as He entered the desolate wilderness to cope with Satan. For four thousand years the race had been decreasing in size and physical strength, and deterioration in moral worth; and in order to elevate fallen man, Christ must reach him where he stood. He assumed human nature, bearing the infirmities and degeneracy of the race. He humiliated Himself to the lowest depths of human woe, that He might sympathize with man and rescue him from the degradation into which sin had plunged him….

“Christ took humanity with all its liabilities. He took the nature of man with the possibility of yielding to temptation, and He relied upon divine power to keep Him.”
(There are six other places in The Desire of Ages where Ellen White testifies to her belief about the human nature of Christ. See pages 25, 112, 117, 174, and 311.)
The simple fact is that Jones and Waggoner, like virtually all of our church leaders, had been guided in their thinking about the two doctrines of the nature of Christ and character perfection by God’s special messenger, Ellen White. This is clearly attested by two evidences that are a matter of record and can be easily verified by anyone who cares to visit the archives. These two evidences are, 1.) Ellen White published profusely her convictions that Christ came to earth in the human nature of fallen man and that character perfection, by the power of God, is possible; and, 2.) our other church leaders accepted these doctrines as correct and responded by publishing articles and books of their own which echoed her testimonies, and not infrequently quoted from them.

By the end of the year 1898, other church leaders had published their own views on the nature of Christ, not different from hers, a total of 76 times. (See The Word Was Made Flesh.) This number does not include statements from Jones and Waggoner. It does include statements from such other church leaders as James White, Uriah Smith, Stephen Haskell, W.W. Prescott, J.H. Waggoner, M.C. Wilcox, R.A. Underwood, Alton Farnsworth, Elgin Farnsworth, W.H. Glenn, J.E. Evans, William Covert, J.H. Durland, G.C. Tenney, G.E. Fifield, and others. These writers did not mute their messages. The total includes nine editorials and five front page editorials.
Are we to believe that all of these writers, some of whom published before Jones and Waggoner, found the roots of their beliefs in the teachings of Jones and Waggoner? And what of Ellen White? Were their teachings the roots of her beliefs? Or was it actually the other way around, that they all, including Jones and Waggoner, drew their inspiration from the writings of God’s messenger?

And let us not overlook the fact that while Jones and Waggoner were co-editors of the Signs of the Times (1885-1891), they published in that journal three statements by Ellen White that Christ had come to earth in the human nature of fallen man. In the years 1890-91, Waggoner, as sole editor of the Review (1887-91), published eleven such statements in that journal.

The Mainstream

Jones and Waggoner, far from being innovators or teachers of new doctrines, were actually standing firmly in the mainstream of Seventh-day Adventists theology regarding the nature of Christ and character perfection. Their teachings were emphatically not the root of those doctrines; they were rather the fruit.

In the years following 1901, other church leaders united with Ellen White in propaganda these doctrines with ever increasing emphasis and clarity. In our The Word Was Made Flesh, we document 1200 statements on the nature of Christ that were published by our church leaders between the years 1852 and 1952, 400 of them by Ellen White. During that same period, until her death in 1915, Ellen White published 4500 statements regarding character perfection. (See Tell of His Power.)

A Host of Witnesses

This leads us directly to the other proposition in the structure of straw erected by Adams. Was M.L. Andreason a person who accepted strange and new doctrines from Jones and Waggoner and urged them upon the church, or was he only one among a host of witnesses to generally accepted truths? The number of names presented in the previous paragraph should answer that question. We would only add enough names to the previously supplied list to demonstrate that those whose voices joined with the voice of Andreason were among Adventism’s first line of leadership.

In regard to the nature of Christ, we have documented statements by General Conference presidents Daniells, Watson, Branson, and McElhany; vice-presidents Underwood, Farnsworth, Slade, and Turner; local conference presidents Farnsworth and Evans; Signs and Review editors and associate editors M.C. Wilcox, G.C. Tenney, W.H. Glenn, Uriah Smith, F.D. Nicholl, Oscar Tait, Alonzo Baker, C.M. Snow, and F.M. Wilcox; the first president of our theological seminary M.E. Kern; seminary teacher L.E. Froom; college president W.E. Howell; other teachers and leaders including T.M. French, Merlin Neff, L.C. Wilcox, Meade Macguire, C.L. Bond, and J.E. Fulton; and many, many others. Statements in regard to the generally accepted truth of character perfection are simply too numerous to collate or count.
To view the question from its other side, in the massive research project that we engaged in and reported on in our The Word Was Made Flesh, we did not find a single evidence that any of our leaders or believers held a different view from the mainstream on either the nature of Christ or character perfection until the mid 1900s—not one. And let it be remembered that we made it our goal to examine every article or book that had been published in the English language during the period 1852-1952. We had no CD rom, we examined every page. On the basis of what we saw on those pages, we view the announced purpose of George Knight, whose work Adams applauds, to prove that before the 1920s our people held Calvinistic views of the gospel as utterly preposterous.

Simplistic Reasoning

So in the construction of his world-class straw man, Adams has apparently arbitrarily selected two persons, Jones and Waggoner, from among a large group of Adventist thought leaders, including Ellen White, and assigned to them the responsibility for creating doctrinal attitudes that were actually shared by them all and had been witnessed to by some of them before Jones and Waggoner came along. In similar fashion he selected M.L. Andreason from among an even larger group and assigned to him the responsibility for propagating views that were, in fact, shared and earnestly taught by them all. To cap the strange structure, he has then looked at the Historical Adventists of our time and selected from among them an individual minister named Robert Wieland who holds to certain views about corporate personality and corporate repentance that very few among the Historic Adventists share with him, and has set him forth as the type of and spokesman for us all.

The Technique

This is the traditional first step in the use of the straw-man technique, the use of misstatement and misrepresentation in order to set up an artificial straw man which is alleged to be the position of your opponents. The second step is to vigorously attack the straw man of your own creating in the hope that observers will believe that you have demolished the position of your opponents, whereas you have actually only demolished you own artificial straw man.

Adams faithfully follows the formula and devotes many pages to arguing against the ideas of Jones, Waggoner, Andreason, and Wieland. But what does this have to do with us? Really, nothing. Our faith is not fastened to the thinking of any of these men. Our faith is firmly anchored in the Bible and in the Spirit of Prophecy, and we may rest secure in the confidence that these bulwarks will never be overthrown.

In our next article, we will examine some of the individual and specific straw bundles that are used by Adams in the construction of his world-class straw man.

The End