Saviour

Editorial – Divorce, Part II

by

When man broke the first commandment of God’s Law in the Garden of Eden, the world was divorced from God. That could have been the end for us all. “There was no way of escape for the offender. The whole family of Adam must die.” Early Writings, 149. But, “It is a wonderful thing that after man had violated the law of God and separated himself from God, was divorced, as it were, from God—that after all this there was a plan made whereby man should not perish, but that he should have everlasting life.” The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, vol. 1, 74. “The world, divorced from God by sin, has been restored to favor by the sacrifice of his Son.” The General Conference Bulletin, April 8, 1901.

After this great sacrifice was made, if the church tampers with God’s Law or teaches people to break it, our covenant with God as Christians has been broken, and a divorce is pending. “Although those standing at the head of the papacy claim to have great love for God, He looks upon them as haters of Him. They have turned the truth of God into a lie. Tampering with God’s commandments and placing in their stead human traditions, is the work of Satan, and will divorce the religious world from God . . . .” Sermons and Talks, vol. 2, 182.

In the days of Caiaphas, the divorce of the Jewish nation became final. Although individuals could still be saved, the nation would never again be God’s chosen people. “Virtually Caiaphas was no high priest. He wore the priestly robes, but he had no vital connection with God. He was uncircumcised in heart. With the other priests he instructed the people to choose Barabbas instead of Christ. They cried out for the crucifixion of Christ and, as representatives of the Jewish nation, placed themselves under the Roman jurisdiction, which they despised, by saying, ‘We have no king but Caesar.’ When they said this, they unchurched themselves.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 12, 388.

The same fate that happened to the Jewish nation at the first advent is predicted to happen again at the second advent! “When the Saviour saw in the Jewish people a nation divorced from God, He saw also a professed Christian Church united to the world and the papacy. And as He stood upon Olivet, weeping over Jerusalem till the sun sank behind the western hills, so He is weeping over and pleading with sinners in these last moments of time.” Review and Herald, October 8, 1901.

By studying the type, we get a glimpse of the future. The Jewish church was a type of God’s professed people today. (See Selected Messages, Book 1, 406.) “In the Jewish nation we behold a chosen nation divorced from God because of unbelief. Jesus, the lover of humanity, was called upon to pronounce sentence against the people for whom he had lived and labored, but from whom he had borne insult, mockery, and rejection. He had borne everything from them, he had done all that was possible that he might save them from ruin. . . . The salvation of the Jews would have been the joy of Christ, the rejoicing of the angels, but they would not. No man will be saved against his will.” Review and Herald, April 18, 1893.

“When Jerusalem was divorced from God it was because of her sins. . . . And if God spared not His people that He loved, because they refused to walk in the light, how can He spare the people whom He has blessed with the light of heaven in having opened to them the most exalted truth ever entrusted to mortal man to give to the world?” Manuscript Releases, vol. 12, 319, 320.

[All emphasis supplied.]

Pen of Inspiration – An All-Powerful Saviour

by

Shall we choose darkness rather than light because the light shows us our sins and reproves us? Shall we refuse to come to the light, lest our deeds shall be made manifest? When the truth controls the life, there is purity, freedom from sin. The glory, the fulness, the completeness, of the gospel plan is fulfilled in the life. The light of truth irradiates the soul-temple. The understanding takes hold of Christ. The light is not hated because it reproves and warns, but it is accepted and rejoiced in.

Christ declared, “I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me” (John 12:32). If man’s will is submitted to the will of God, the man, though a sinner, will be drawn to Christ. He will realize something of the love manifested by God when He gave His Son to die on Calvary’s cross, to bring life and immortality within the reach of men. The acceptance of the Saviour brings perfect peace, perfect love, perfect assurance. The beauty and fragrance of the Christ-life, revealed in the character, testifies that God has indeed sent His Son into the world. No other power could bring about so marked a change in a man’s words, spirit, and actions.

Without Christ the heart of man is cold. But when one feels his need of the Sun of Righteousness; when he comes to Jesus, saying, Lord, I am sinful, unworthy, helpless; save me, or I perish, he is accepted in the Beloved, and his heart is warmed by the rays of divine love. By this sincere coming to Christ, he opens the door to Him who has long been saying: “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock. If any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me” (Revelation 3:20). He is accepted, and he knows what it means to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. God says, Let there be light; and there is light (Genesis 1:3). The soul possesses an abiding Christ, who is the light of life.

Christ humbles the proud heart by giving it a view of Himself, His generosity, His great love. He desires to save us, soul, body, and spirit, by uniting us to Himself. He desires us to behold His glory, as the glory of the only begotten of the Father. Then we can say, “Of His fulness have all we received, and grace for grace” (John 1:16). He who shows that he appreciates the grace he receives, by imparting it to others, receives increased grace, in proportion to the grace he imparts. And he is so full of joy that he exclaims, “Thy gentleness hath made me great” (Psalm 18:35, last part)!

The one great lesson all must learn—the poor sinner, dead in trespasses and sins, as well as the professed Christian, who has known the truth, but has clung to his unsanctified traits of character—is that God will save to the uttermost all who come to Him. “Him that cometh to Me,” He says, “I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:37). The poor, the suffering, the sinful, may find in Christ all they need. As soon as they receive Jesus as a personal Saviour, the cries of distress and woe are changed to songs of praise and thanksgiving.

All may share Christ’s grace if they will confess to the great sin-bearer, whose work it is to take away the sins of all who believe. You have the assurance that as you renounce your own righteousness, you will be clothed with His righteousness. Christ invites you, saying, “Let him take hold of My strength, that he may make peace with Me; and he shall make peace with Me” (Isaiah 27:5). The door is opened to all. No one is turned away. God proffers to all a priceless treasure—His peace—a peace that the world can neither give nor take away. The everlasting gates of pearl will not open to those who come with the symbols of power, but they will open wide to the trembling touch of the meek and lowly. To be great in the kingdom of God is to be as a little child in simplicity and love. The Lord is able and willing to work in our behalf, and He will work if we come to Him as children. He will lead us by the hand, upholding us that our feet shall not slip.

The Youth’s Instructor, September 28, 1899.