self

Keys to the Storehouse – The True Fast

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In a society of plenty where most people eat far more than what is necessary for good health, there is great benefit in fasting. There are many ways to fast, but it can be done simply by eliminating just one meal on one day each week, or by fasting for a whole day drinking only water or juice. Basically, by withholding some food or drink the body is given an opportunity to rest and heal, resulting in the well being of the person.

God asks us to enter into another fast; one from doing our own thing so that others may receive a spiritual blessing through us. So, how do we do that?

“Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens [instead of binding them on], and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?” Isaiah 58:6, 7.

The true fast is not mere formal service, but is spiritual. The Scripture, in Isaiah 58:6 and 10, describes this fast:to loose the bands of wickedness,

  • to undo the heavy burdens, and
  • to let the oppressed go free,
  • and that ye break every yoke;
  • to draw out your soul to the hungry,
  • and satisfy the afflicted soul.

Here is set forth the very spirit and character of the work of Christ. His whole life was a sacrifice of Himself for the saving of the world. Whether fasting in the wilderness of temptation or eating with the publicans at Matthew’s feast, He was giving His life for the redemption of the lost.

“Not in idle mourning, in mere bodily humiliation and multitudinous sacrifices, is the true spirit of devotion manifested, but it is shown in the surrender of self in willing service to God and man.” The Desire of Ages, 278.

“Let the sorrowful ones, who walk mournfully before the Lord, arise and help someone who needs help.” A Call to Medical Evangelism and Health Education, 25.

No more time should be wasted. Those who know Christ should never suffer depression or boredom. There are those in need; arise and help somebody who needs help! Remember, Christ’s whole life was one sacrifice for the saving of the world. What are you willing to give up in order to reach out to others in love and mercy?

“A legal religion can never lead souls to Christ; for it is a loveless, Christless religion. Fasting or prayer that is actuated by a self-justifying spirit is an abomination in the sight of God. The solemn assembly for worship, the round of religious ceremonies, the external humiliation, the imposing sacrifice, proclaim that the doer of these things regards himself as righteous, and as entitled to heaven; but it is all a deception. Our own works can never purchase salvation.” The Desire of Ages, 280.

Enter into the true fast—arise, reach out and help somebody!

Father: Help me to fast from myself. Show me how to reach out to others in such a way that they will receive that special blessing you have for them through me. Show me ways that will relieve the stress and burdens of another for whom You gave Your only begotten Son. Use me as an instrument of Your righteousness today. Amen.

Bible Study Guides – Simeon

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July 7, 2013 – July 13, 2013

Key Text

“He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.” Proverbs 16:32.

Study Help: Testimonies, vol. 4, 362–366; Ibid., 346–350.

Introduction

“The highest evidence of nobility in a Christian is self-control.” The Desire of Ages, 301.

1 SCENES FROM JACOB’S FAMILY LIFE

  • With what thought in mind did Leah conceive Jacob’s second son, Simeon? Genesis 29:33.
  • Relate the experience directly involving Jacob and Leah’s only daughter. Genesis 30:21; 34:1–4.
  • What lesson should our daughters learn from this experience? Proverbs 20:11.

Note: “The tarry of Jacob and his sons at Shechem ended in violence and bloodshed. The one daughter of the household had been brought to shame and sorrow, two brothers were involved in the guilt of murder, a whole city had been given to ruin and slaughter, in retaliation for the lawless deed of one rash youth. The beginning that led to results so terrible was the act of Jacob’s daughter, who ‘went out to see the daughters of the land’ (Genesis 34:1), thus venturing into association with the ungodly. He who seeks pleasure among those that fear not God is placing himself on Satan’s ground and inviting his temptations.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 204.

2 SELF-RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION

  • What deception and cruelty did Simeon employ with the help of his younger brother, Levi? Genesis 34:13–19, 24–26.
  • Describe the response of Jacob, and how Simeon and Levi tried to justify their actions. Genesis 34:30, 31.

Note: “The treacherous cruelty of Simeon and Levi was not unprovoked; yet in their course toward the Shechemites they committed a grievous sin. They had carefully concealed from Jacob their intentions, and the tidings of their revenge filled him with horror. …

“Jacob felt that there was cause for deep humiliation. Cruelty and falsehood were manifest in the character of his sons.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 204, 205.

  • How was the cruelty of Simeon’s nature further confirmed in the crime committed by the sons of Jacob against Joseph? Genesis 37:18–20.

Note: “In the cruel treatment of their brother [Joseph], Simeon had been the instigator and chief actor.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 226.

  • What warnings do we have against self-righteousness? Proverbs 26:12.

Note: “God cannot connect with those who live to please themselves, to make themselves first. Those who do this will in the end be last of all. The sin that is most nearly hopeless and incurable is pride of opinion, self-conceit. This stands in the way of all growth. When a man has defects of character, yet fails of realizing this; when he is so imbued with self-sufficiency that he cannot see his fault, how can he be cleansed? ‘They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick’ (Matthew 9:12). How can one improve when he thinks his ways perfect?” Testimonies, vol. 7, 199, 200.

“To know oneself is great knowledge. True self-knowledge leads to a humility that will open the way for the Lord to develop the mind and mold and discipline the character.” Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 419.

3 SCATTERED UNDER GOD’S JUDGMENT

  • What was prophesied about Simeon, and how was this fulfilled? Genesis 49:5–7.

Note: “They [Simeon and Levi] had been united in their cruelty toward the Shechemites, and they had also been the most guilty in the selling of Joseph. Concerning them it was declared—‘I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel’ (Genesis 49:7, last part). …

“Moses, in his last blessing, made no reference to Simeon. In the settlement of Canaan this tribe had only a small portion of Judah’s lot, and such families as afterward became powerful formed different colonies and settled in territory outside the borders of the Holy Land.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 235, 236.

  • How does God regard any manifestation of fierce passion against another person? Proverbs 25:28; 1 John 2:9; 3:15. How are we to overcome this problem?

Note: “True Christian politeness should be cultivated. No one else can lessen our influence as we ourselves can lessen it through the indulgence of uncontrollable temper. A naturally petulant man does not know true happiness, and is seldom content. He is ever hoping to get into a more favorable position, or to so change his surroundings that he will have peace and rest of mind. His life seems to be burdened with heavy crosses and trials, when, had he controlled his temper and bridled his tongue, many of these annoyances might have been avoided. It is the ‘soft answer’ which ‘turneth away wrath’ (Proverbs 15:1). Revenge has never conquered a foe.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 367, 368.

“So long as we are in the world, we shall meet with adverse influences. There will be provocations to test the temper; and it is by meeting these in a right spirit that the Christian graces are developed. If Christ dwells in us, we shall be patient, kind, and forbearing, cheerful amid frets and irritations. Day by day and year by year we shall conquer self, and grow into a noble heroism. This is our allotted task; but it cannot be accomplished without help from Jesus, resolute decision, unwavering purpose, continual watchfulness, and unceasing prayer. Each one has a personal battle to fight. Not even God can make our characters noble or our lives useful, unless we become co-workers with Him. Those who decline the struggle lose the strength and joy of victory.” The Ministry of Healing, 487.

4 SLAIN BY LICENTIOUSNESS

  • Compare the number of Simeonites counted at Sinai with the number calculated after the apostasy instigated by Balaam at Shittim. Numbers 1:22, 23; 25:1–5, 9; 26:2, 14. What does this imply?

Note: “At the numbering of Israel, just before their entrance to Canaan, Simeon was the smallest tribe.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 235, 236.

  • How does the tragic experience of Solomon warn us against the destructive nature of licentious passions? Nehemiah 13:26; Proverbs 7:1, 5, 26, 27. What special admonition is addressed today to all believers in the Advent message?

Note: “A terrible picture of the condition of the world has been presented before me. Immorality abounds everywhere. Licentiousness is the special sin of this age. Never did vice lift its deformed head with such boldness as now. The people seem to be benumbed, and the lovers of virtue and true goodness are nearly discouraged by its boldness, strength, and prevalence. The iniquity which abounds is not merely confined to the unbeliever and the scoffer. Would that this were the case, but it is not. Many men and women who profess the religion of Christ are guilty. Even some who profess to be looking for His appearing are no more prepared for that event than Satan himself. They are not cleansing themselves from all pollution.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 346.

“Even some who profess to keep all the commandments of God are guilty of the sin of adultery. What can I say to arouse their benumbed sensibilities? Moral principle, strictly carried out, becomes the only safeguard of the soul. If ever there was a time when the diet should be of the most simple kind, it is now. Meat should not be placed before our children. Its influence is to excite and strengthen the lower passions, and has a tendency to deaden the moral powers. Grains and fruits prepared free from grease, and in as natural a condition as possible, should be the food for the tables of all who claim to be preparing for translation to heaven. The less feverish the diet, the more easily can the passions be controlled. Gratification of taste should not be consulted irrespective of physical, intellectual, or moral health.” Ibid., 352.

5 OUR ONLY HOPE

  • What gave Simeon an opportunity to think about his wicked traits of character? Genesis 42:6, 7, 17, 24.

Note: “The three days in the Egyptian prison were days of bitter sorrow as the brothers [of Joseph] reflected upon their past sins.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 225.

“On his return [to the chamber where his brothers were] he [Joseph] commanded that Simeon be bound before them and again committed to prison.” Ibid., 226.

“[Later, the brothers’] anxiety was relieved, and when Simeon, who had been released from prison, joined them, they felt that God was indeed gracious unto them.” Ibid., 228.

  • What warnings and appeals does God make to violators of the commandments? Proverbs 16:32; Isaiah 1:16–19; Matthew 5:6, 9. What hope does He offer for souls seeking to overcome the carnal traits of Simeon? Revelation 7:7, first part.

Note: “Self is the enemy we most need to fear. No form of vice has a more baleful effect upon the character than has human passion not under the control of the Holy Spirit. No other victory we can gain will be so precious as the victory gained over self.” The Ministry of Healing, 485.

“Sensuality is the sin of the age. But the religion of Jesus Christ will hold the lines of control over every species of unlawful liberty; the moral powers will hold the lines of control over every thought, word, and action.” Medical Ministry, 142, 143.

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1 What were the consequences of Dinah’s indiscreet behavior?

2 Name the action that further hardened the cruelty of Simeon.

3 What should we be preparing for the heavenly Canaan where Simeonites and Levites are no longer kept separate from one another?

4 Name some practical ways to escape today’s licentiousness.

5 What counsel could you offer a struggling Simeonite?

Copyright © 2007 Reformation Herald Publishing Association, 5240 Hollins Road, Roanoke, Virginia. Reprinted by permission.

Bible Study Guides – An Opportunity Treasured

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September 15, 2013 – September 21, 2013

Key Text

“They [the sons of Reuben, and the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh] cried to God in the battle, and He was entreated of them; because they put their trust in Him.” 1 Chronicles 5:20.

Study Help: Testimonies, vol. 2, 263–268; Christ’s Object Lessons, 296–299, 305, 306.

Introduction

“The warfare against self is the greatest battle that was ever fought. The yielding of self, surrendering all to the will of God, requires a struggle; but the soul must submit to God before it can be renewed in holiness.” Steps to Christ, 43.

1 PRIZING THE SPIRITUAL ASPECT

  • What blessing did Jacob pronounce upon Ephraim and Manasseh? Genesis 48:14–16. How can both young and old obtain similar blessings today?

Note: “You should feel an earnest desire for the Holy Spirit and should pray earnestly to obtain it. You cannot expect the blessing of God without seeking for it. If you used the means within your reach you would experience a growth in grace and would rise to a higher life.

“It is not natural for you to love spiritual things; but you can acquire that love by exercising your mind, the strength of your being, in that direction.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 263.

  • How did some from the tribe of Manasseh respond to calls for reformation on various occasions? Judges 6:11–15, 25–29; II Chronicles 15:1, 2, 8, 9; 30:1, 10,11. What can we learn from these events?

Note: “We all need to draw near to God. He will draw near to those who approach Him in humility, filled with a holy awe for His sacred majesty, and standing before Him separate from the world.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 3, 1136.

2 SEIZE THE CHANCE

  • How is our opportunity to be among the 144,000 spiritual Israelites similar to the privilege extended to the sons of Joseph to become direct sons of Israel? Romans 11:13, 17, 19–21.
  • What should be our attitude regarding this opportunity? Romans 11:18, 22–25.

Note: “Some feel their need of the atonement, and with the recognition of this need, and the desire for a change of heart, a struggle begins. To renounce their own will, perhaps their chosen objects of affection or pursuit, requires an effort, at which many hesitate and falter and turn back. Yet this battle must be fought by every heart that is truly converted. We must war against temptations without and within. We must gain the victory over self, crucify the affections and lusts; and then begins the union of the soul with Christ. As the dry and apparently lifeless branch is grafted into the living tree, so may we become living branches of the True Vine.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 47.

  • Realizing that the tribe of Dan was cut off for indulging in backbiting, envy, and jealousy—and Ephraim ultimately rejected the chance to step in—what should each of us consider? Hosea 4:6; Revelation 3:11, 16.

Note: “The words of God to ancient Israel have a solemn warning to the church and its leaders today. Of Israel the Lord said, ‘I have written to him the great things of My law; but they were counted as a strange thing’ (Hosea 8:12). …

“Shall the warnings from God be passed by unheeded? Shall the opportunities for service be unimproved? Shall the world’s scorn, the pride of reason, conformity to human customs and traditions, hold the professed followers of Christ from service to Him? Will they reject God’s word as the Jewish leaders rejected Christ? The result of Israel’s sin is before us. Will the church of today take warning?” Christ’s Object Lessons, 306.

3 THE MEANING OF ISRAEL

  • By the weakness of his human nature, Jacob had been a supplanter and a liar. Nonetheless, what was his determination with regard to the things of God? Genesis 32:24–26.

Note: “[Proverbs 26:2; Isaiah 3:10, 11; Jeremiah 6:19 quoted.]

“Terrible is this truth, and deeply should it be impressed. Every deed reacts upon the doer. Never a human being but may recognize, in the evils that curse his life, fruitage of his own sowing. Yet even thus we are not without hope.

“To gain the birthright that was his already by God’s promise, Jacob resorted to fraud, and he reaped the harvest in his brother’s hatred. Through twenty years of exile he was himself wronged and defrauded, and was at last forced to find safety in flight; and he reaped a second harvest, as the evils of his own character were seen to crop out in his sons—all but too true a picture of the retributions of human life. …

“Jacob in his distress was not overwhelmed. He had repented, he had endeavored to atone for the wrong to his brother. And when threatened with death through the wrath of Esau, he sought help from God.” Education, 146, 147.

  • Why was Jacob’s name changed to Israel? Genesis 32:27–29; Hosea 12:2–6.

Note: “The error that had led to Jacob’s sin in obtaining the birthright by fraud was now clearly set before him. He had not trusted God’s promises, but had sought by his own efforts to bring about that which God would have accomplished in His own time and way. As an evidence that he had been forgiven, his name was changed from one that was a reminder of his sin, to one that commemorated his victory. ‘Thy name,’ said the Angel, ‘shall be called no more Jacob [the supplanter], but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed’ (Genesis 32:28).” Patriarchs and Prophets, 197, 198.

“In the power of His [God’s] might the forgiven one [Jacob] stood up, no longer the supplanter, but a prince with God. He had gained not merely deliverance from his outraged brother, but deliverance from himself. The power of evil in his own nature was broken; his character was transformed.” Education, 147.

4 AN INEVITABLE CHARACTERISTIC

  • What does the Lord emphasize about seeking the kingdom of God with firm determination? Matthew 6:33; 11:12.

Note: “With the great truth we have been privileged to receive, we should, and under the Holy Spirit’s power we could, become living channels of light. We could then approach the mercy seat; and seeing the bow of promise, kneel with contrite hearts, and seek the kingdom of heaven with a spiritual violence that would bring its own reward. We would take it by force, as did Jacob. Then our message would be the power of God unto salvation.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 5, 1089.

“The characters we form here will decide our eternal destiny. What kind of material are we using in our character building? We must guard well every point, seeking to gain that purity which will make our lives harmonize with the saving truth we profess to believe. Our part is to put away sin, to seek with determination for perfection of character. As we thus work, God co-operates with us, fitting us for a place in His kingdom.” The Review and Herald, June 11, 1901.

  • How did the apostle Paul exemplify perseverance in spiritual matters? Philippians 3:7–14.

Note: “God calls upon you to no longer dally with the tempter, but to cleanse yourself from all filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit, perfecting holiness in His fear. You need to work fast to remove the defects from your character. You are in God’s workshop. If you will submit to the process of hewing and squaring and planing, that the rough edges may be removed, the knots and uneven surface smoothed and fitted by the planing knife of God, you will be fitted by His grace for the heavenly building. But if you cling to self, and are not willing to endure the trying process of fitting for the heavenly building, you will have no place in that structure which will come together without the sound of ax or hammer.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 258.

“The battle is yours. No one can fight it for you. Others can pray for you, but the work must be wholly your own.” Ibid.

5 AN INESTIMABLE TREASURE

  • What truths should we realize about the indescribable glory of Heaven? Matthew 13:44–46; I Corinthians 2:9.

Note: “At the day of judgment there comes to the lost a full realization of the meaning of the sacrifice made on Calvary. They see what they have lost by refusing to be loyal. They think of the high, pure association it was their privilege to gain. But it is too late. The last call has been made.” Testimonies, vol. 7, 16.

  • What can we learn from the way in which, on a difficult occasion, the hand of God was extended toward Manasseh? 1 Chronicles 5:18–20. What is the good news for the spiritual members of this tribe? Revelation 7:6, last part.

Note: “Heaven will be cheap enough, if we obtain it through suffering. We must deny self all along the way, die to self daily, let Jesus alone appear, and keep His glory continually in view. I saw that those who of late have embraced the truth would have to know what it is to suffer for Christ’s sake, that they would have trials to pass through that would be keen and cutting, in order that they may be purified and fitted through suffering to receive the seal of the living God, pass through the time of trouble, see the King in His beauty, and dwell in the presence of God and of pure, holy angels.

“As I saw what we must be in order to inherit glory, and then saw how much Jesus had suffered to obtain for us so rich an inheritance, I prayed that we might be baptized into Christ’s sufferings, that we might not shrink at trials, but bear them with patience and joy, knowing what Jesus had suffered that we through His poverty and sufferings might be made rich.” Early Writings, 67.

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1 How can we obtain spiritual blessings from God?

2 What should be our attitude as branches grafted into God’s olive tree?

3 Explain the spiritual significance of the term “Israel.”

4 What do Matthew 6:33 and 11:12 mean for each of us today?

5 Name some point which deeply impresses your mind about the value of the Christian’s goal.

Copyright © 2007 Reformation Herald Publishing Association, 5240 Hollins Road, Roanoke, Virginia. Reprinted by permission.

On Being a Christian

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The title Christian is adopted and used freely by millions of people today yet with a very shallow understanding of what it is all about! Rightly so, the greater number of adherents of the Christian faith are nowhere close to it in life and character, just as darkness is opposite to light. The great freedom fighter Marcus Garvey expressed his view of what he saw displayed as Christianity – “A form of religion practiced by the millions, but as misunderstood, and unreal to the majority as gravitation is to the untutored savage. We profess to live in the atmosphere of Christianity, yet our acts are as barbarous as if we never knew Christ. He taught us to love, yet we hate; to forgive, yet we revenge; to be merciful, yet we condemn and punish, and still we are Christian.

“If hell is what we are taught it is, then there will be more Christians there than the days in all creation. To be a true Christian one must be like Christ and practice Christianity, not as the Bishop does, but as he says, for if our lives were to be patterned after the other fellow’s all of us, Bishop, Priest and Layman would ultimately meet around the furnace of hell, and none of us, because of our sins, would see salvation.” (The Philosophy and Opinions of Marcus Garvey, Routledge, New York, New York, 1923, 27.)

John Monroe Gibson, Scottish, American Clergyman of the eighteen hundreds wrote: “One truly Christian life will do more to prove the divine origin of Christianity than many lectures. It is of much greater importance to develop Christian character, than to exhibit Christian evidences.” Another once prominent Christian leader, F. W. Robertson, concludes, “The Christian life is not merely knowing or hearing, but doing the will of Christ.”

It has really become a challenge in this present age to define the word Christian if we were to accept the many definitions given by professed Christians and Christian churches through their verbal confessions and/or by their overt influence. What does it really mean to be a Christian? What was Jesus’ definition and understanding of “on being a Christian”? How did the early followers of Christ understand the meaning of the name Christian?

Luke 9:23 identifies the terms for discipleship or what it really means to be a Christian: “And He said to them all, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” This same teaching is recorded both by Matthew and Mark (Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34). Notice that Matthew uses the same expression that Luke uses concerning who is being addressed, “If any man …” which some people will take to mean that Jesus was only addressing the male gender, but Mark explains it by the expression “Whosoever will come after Me … .” This word whosoever takes in every human being, male and female.

So Jesus lays the foundation principles for what constitute the true meaning of “on being a Christian.” He states emphatically, “If any man will come after me … .” That is to “follow Me” where I am going. To come after or behind Christ means to attach oneself to Jesus as a disciple, but the thought is deepened; it is to follow as a disciple this Messiah who is going into death and resurrection.

On being a Christian involves the engaging of the will of the person, for Jesus says, whoever wills to come after Me. There is no force involved in being a Christian. Christ does not pull His sheep by a rope; in His army are none but volunteers. Ellen White wrote, “Christ does not use force or compulsion in drawing men [people] to Him.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 16, 95. Also, she points out: “How much does God value man? I point you to Calvary. The most ignominious death my Lord suffered that He might rescue you, yet He does not force any of you to serve Him. He does not force the will or conscience of any soul.” Sermons and Talks, vol. 2, 105.

We must also bear in mind that God will not accept unwilling service; this we are told once again: “If men, after this great and merciful condescension on the part of God, maintain their position with the first apostate, no force will be used with them. God accepts no unwilling service.” The Review and Herald, September 13, 1898. Therefore, the decision to become a Christian, or follower of Christ, is left up to each individual!

Now having said that, whoever chooses to become a Christian must understand what is required in being a Christian. Look at what Jesus said as recorded by Luke: “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself.” Luke 9:23. The truest and most serious thought that Jesus is here conveying, with which we professed Christians are constantly struggling, is to turn someone off, to refuse association and companionship with, to disown. And the one who is here to be disowned is self, and that means self altogether, not merely some portion, some special habit or desire, some outward practice. What our Lord is addressing here is the natural, sinful self as it centers in the things of men and has no use for the things of God. Why must we disown self completely? Here are ten reasons:

  1. Ellen White puts it this way: “Self is a hard tyrant, and while this power rules in the life, we cannot do unto others as we would have them do to us.” The Review and Herald, April 9, 1908.
  2. Self also is our enemy. “Self is the enemy we most need to fear. No form of vice has a more baleful effect upon the character than has human passion not under the control of the Holy Spirit. No other victory we can gain will be so precious as the victory gained over self.” Ministry of Healing, 485.
  3. Another important reason why we must disown self is that no human being can become a Christian as long as self is cherished. God’s messenger states, “Man must be emptied of self before he can be, in the fullest sense, a believer in Jesus. When self is renounced, then the Lord can make man a new creature.” The Desire of Ages, 280.
  4. Self blinds people’s eyes. “But when the eye is blinded by the love of self, there is only darkness.” Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 91.
  5. Self brings unrest. “It is the love of self that brings unrest.” The Desire of Ages, 330.
  6. Self chills religious zeal. “There are many who give no decided evidence that they are true to their baptismal vows. Their zeal is chilled by formality, worldly ambition, pride, and love of self.” Testimonies, vol. 9, 155.
  7. Self destroys peace. “It is the love of self that destroys our peace.” Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 16.
  8. The love of self excludes the love of Christ. “Love of self excludes the love of Christ.” The Review and Herald, August 6, 1901.
  9. Self leads to the substitution of human theories and traditions. “It is the love of self, the desire for an easier way than God has appointed that leads to the substitution of human theories and traditions for the divine precepts.” The Desire of Ages, 409.
  10. Self opens the door that leads to ruin. “Through devotion to worldly interests, Satan receives all the homage he asks. The door is left open for him to enter as he pleases, with his evil train of impatience, love of self, pride, avarice, overreaching, and his whole catalogue of evil spirits. Man is charmed and treacherously allured on to ruin.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 45. What our Saviour focused on in this phrase “let him deny himself” is true conversion, one of the very first essentials of the Christian life. The person sees all the sin of self and the damnation and death bound up in this sin and turns away from it in utter dismay and seeks rescue in Christ alone. Self is thus cast out, and Christ enters in; henceforth the believer lives not unto himself but unto Christ who died for him.

To give an even more in depth definition of “to deny self,” the following is worth our careful observation: “Man is required to love God supremely, with his might, mind, and strength; and his neighbor as himself. This he cannot possibly do unless he denies himself. To deny self means to rule the spirit when passion is striving for the mastery; to resist the temptation to censure and to speak words of faultfinding; to have patience with the child that is dull, and whose conduct is grievous and trying; to stand at the post of duty even though others may fail; to lift responsibilities wherever and whenever duty requires, not to gain applause, not for policy, but for the sake of the Master, who has given each of His followers a work that is to be done with unwavering fidelity. To deny self means to do good when inclination would lead us to serve and please ourselves. It means to work patiently and cheerfully for the good of others, even though our efforts may not seem to be appreciated.” The Review and Herald, July 11, 1907.

So then for Jesus, on being a Christian means that you and I will lovingly and voluntarily submit our wills to Him, henceforth to live for Him rather than for ourselves. “What is specifically Christian,” according to Dr. Hans Küng “is the fact that all ethical requirements are understood in the light of the rule of the crucified Jesus Christ. … Jesus to whom we are subordinated once and for all in baptism by faith, must remain Lord over us. In following the Crucified it is a question of manifesting the rule of the risen Christ. Justification and sanctification go together in the sense that both mean assimilation to Christ.” On Being a Christian, SCM Press, Norwich, United Kingdom, 544.

To be a Christian in the truest sense of the word has to do with total subordination to the divine historical Christ and complete, ongoing demonstration of His lifestyle. “The Christian faith is one of those great religions the strength of which lies in being able to justify and substantiate in detail an attitude to life, a way of life and a life-style, by pointing to a quite definite, authoritative, historical figure. … Jesus of Nazareth is himself the personification of this new way of life.” Ibid. The apostle Paul understood it this way, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Philippians 1:21.

After self has been disowned, Jesus then states the next imperative which is, “… take up his cross daily.” It is impossible to take up the cross if self is not denied! What does Jesus mean by take up the cross? It has to do with assuming the responsibilities that come with being a Christian, even though by doing so he/she be called upon to pay the supreme price. In the context in which Christ here mentions cross bearing, He refers not so much to the minor difficulties and obstacles to be encountered by the Christian, but rather to the need to be ready to face death itself. The Christian must be prepared to give up earthly ease and comfort, and be ready to bear the sufferings which will be sure to fall on him if he struggles after holiness. This readiness to give up ease, this willingness to bear suffering, will be a matter of everyday experience.

The cross is that suffering alone which results from our faithful connection with Christ. Let us remember that each Christian will have his/her share of suffering. The solemn message that Jesus gives is that He leads with His cross, and all His disciples, each loaded with his/her cross, follow in one immense procession like men who are being led away to be crucified. Paul carries the figure further: “They that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh” (Galatians 5:24); and Paul himself is crucified with Christ” (Galatians 2:20).

Jesus, in Matthew’s gospel chapter 11 verses 28–30, states, “Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.”

There is a direct similarity between yoke wearing and cross bearing. “The yoke and the cross are symbols representing the same thing—the giving up of the will to God. Wearing the yoke unites finite man in companionship with the dearly beloved Son of God. Lifting the cross cuts away self from the soul, and places man where he learns how to bear Christ’s burdens. We cannot follow Christ without wearing His yoke, without lifting the cross and bearing it after Him.” The Review and Herald, October 23, 1900.

Christ, in His life here on earth, exemplified what it means to bear the cross: “By His own example the Saviour has shown that His followers can be in the world and yet not of the world. He came not to partake of its delusive pleasures, to be swayed by its customs, and to follow its practices, but to do His Father’s will, to seek and save the lost. With this object before him the Christian may stand uncontaminated in any surroundings. …

“Not in freedom from trial, but in the midst of it, is Christian character developed. Exposure to rebuffs and opposition leads the follower of Christ to greater watchfulness and more earnest prayer to the mighty Helper. Severe trial endured by the grace of God develops patience, vigilance, fortitude, and a deep abiding trust in God. It is the triumph of the Christian faith that it enables its followers to suffer and be strong; to submit, and thus to conquer; to be killed all the day long, and yet to live; to bear the cross, and thus to win the crown of glory.” The Acts of the Apostles, 467, 479.

One writer says that three things are necessary in traveling: first, to say farewell (to self); second, to carry one’s baggage (the cross); third, to proceed with the journey (follow Me). The question that needs to be answered is, Are we willing to make this journey? Following Christ shows that self has been disowned completely and the cross has been willingly taken up.

Dr. Hans Küng puts it this way: “The following of Christ is what distinguishes Christians from other disciples and supporters of great men, in the sense that Christians are ultimately dependent on this person, not only on his teaching, but also on his life, death, and new life.” On Being a Christian, 545.

“True religion,” Ellen white says, “is the imitation of Christ. Those who follow Christ will deny self, take up the cross, and walk in His footsteps. Following Christ means obedience to all His commandments. No soldier can be said to follow his commander unless he obeys orders. Christ is our model. To copy Jesus, full of love and tenderness and compassion, will require that we draw near to Him daily.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 949.

So what does it mean to be a Christian? “As Christians, we are to manifest to the world the character of Christ in all the affairs of life. To be a Christian means to act in Christ’s stead, to represent Christ.” The Southern Worker, 39. Following Christ or being a Christian means “Christ in you the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). This was the experience of the Antioch believers: “And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.” Acts 11: 26. And we are told why they were given this title: “It was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians. The name was given them because Christ was the main theme of their preaching, their teaching, and their conversation.” The Acts of the Apostles, 157. She further states, “It was God who gave to them the name of Christian. This is a royal name, given to all who join themselves to Christ.” Ibid.

In closing, are you a Christian? Have you disowned yourself and taken up the cross, Christ’s yoke, and are you following Him? If you haven’t or you had once done it but have given it up, today Jesus says to you, come unto Me!

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

Pastor Ivan Plummer ministers through the Emmanuel Seventh Day Church Ministries in Bronx, New York. He may be contacted by telephone at: 718-882-3900.

Self Deception

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Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.” 1 Corinthians 3:18. This is a curious concept. How can you be guilty of self deception ? Other people deceive us by withholding or giving wrong information to us. But how can you withhold information from yourself? I do not think that is possible. What about giving yourself wrong information? That is possible.

The will is stronger than both the imagination and memory. This may seem mysterious, but consider this situation. You have done something, about which you are not happy. As you remember the circumstances, you wish you had done differently. You think, “Well, this would have been a better way. If I had done this or if I had said this, it would have been much better.” Reconstructing the situation up to the point that you can be prepared for another situation of the same kind, and planning to handle it more skillfully the next time is okay. But do not go too far with this because if you keep remembering the better way, you may, after a while, persuade yourself that you actually have done it that way. That is extremely dangerous. James writes about that in James 1:26, “If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.” You can deceive your own heart.

Examples of Self Deception

It is a curious thing to notice that the Jewish leaders who rejected Christ, and Korah, Dathan, and Abiram who led the revolt against the directorship of Moses, thought themselves doing right. You could say they were sincere if you were not too particular how you define the word sincerity.

Speaking of the priests and rulers of Christ’s time, Ellen White writes in Desire of Ages, 541, “Satan told them that in order to maintain their authority, they must put Jesus to death. Yet such was their deception that they were well pleased with themselves. They regarded themselves as patriots, who were seeking the nation’s salvation.” This is a fearful self-deception.

Ellen White, says of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram in Patriarchs and Prophets, 397, “They ventured still further, and at last they really believed themselves to be actuated by zeal for God.” They were planning revolt against Moses and developed a plan far enough that they were ready to kill Moses, yet thought they were led by the Lord.

How does self deception happen? Does sincerity not provide an excuse? Are people judged and held guilty if they are sincere?

The process of self deception is slow. It takes, sometimes, quite a little time. And it can happen to anybody. The Jews had the Scriptures and were looking right at the Messiah in person, watching His miracles, and hearing His marvelous teachings, but they were not immune from self deception. Korah, Dathan, and Abiram had been in the mountain with Moses when God spoke to Moses personally on the mountaintop. Surely they would be immune from making such a mistake and getting into self deception. But that is not the case.

It begins with something small. The devil does not come out at once and urge you to murder somebody. He did not come at once at the very beginning to urge the Jewish leaders to murder Christ; or Korah, Dathan, and Abiram to murder Moses. Probably all of them would have rejected such a thought. Satan has to start with something smaller.

The Process of Self Deception

With Korah, self deception started with self pity. Patriarchs and Prophets, 395, tells us that Korah was part of the family of Levi. He was in some sense related to the tribe of Levi, but he was not chosen to be among the priesthood, which he resented. Self-pity, we are told, is a very pernicious emotion in the human heart. What starts with self-pity eventually comes to murder. It was this way with the Jewish priests. They had been upset over the fact that shepherds had heard the angels singing. Why had not the angels sung to the rabbis? When the shepherds came, why did they not come to the rabbis? They felt slighted, passed by, and that is where it began with them.

“Often the process is gradual, and almost imperceptible. Light comes to the soul . . . by the direct agency of His Spirit; but when one ray of light is disregarded, there is a partial benumbing of the spiritual perceptions, and the second revealing of light is less clearly discerned. So the darkness increases, until it is night in the soul.” Desire of Ages, 322

“A temptation, slight at first, had been harbored, and had strengthened as it was encouraged, until their minds were controlled by Satan.”Patriarchs and Prophets, 396. The mind can go completely under the control of Satan. Starting with a small temptation, there is no telling where it will lead. From a small temptation comes a redefining of events in a person’s thinking, “that’s the way it actually happened. I wish it would have happened like this.” As it becomes reinforced repeatedly, a person actually begins to think it did happen like that. Korah, Dathan, and Abiram thought over the unhappy experiences of their deliverance from Egypt. Passing by the happy thoughts, they thought about going back to the wilderness by the command of God. They thought about the various hardships and trials the people had had and reconstructed it in their minds until they came to believe it was Moses’ fault. Moses had done his best and had offered to sacrifice his life. But when the mind starts reconstructing the past, it can come to believe what did not happen at all.

Starting with a small temptation, you reconstruct things in the mind, wishing that it had been like this instead of the way it actually was, until you actually begin to believe events were according to your reconstruction. Now you are believing your lies and are literally deceiving yourself. The will, which wants it to be that way, is stronger than the memory of how it actually was. When the will and memory come into conflict, the will is going to win if the conflict lasts very long. The memory cannot resist the power of the will. When a person believes his own lies, he is what they call a pathological liar. He is in desperate shape.

“It is by sinful indulgence that men give Satan access to their minds, and they go from one stage of wickedness to another. The rejection of light darkens the mind and hardens the heart, so that it is easier for them to take the next step in sin and to reject still clearer light, until at last their habits of wrongdoing become fixed. Sin ceases to appear sinful to them.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 404

We are not excusable, if we walk in darkness when the light is available to us. We are responsible for everything we know of the will of God and for everything that He gives us opportunity to know. The Jews who rejected Jesus and the people who rebelled against Moses had ample opportunity to have things straight. They had enough experience to know. Jesus has given us all the information that we need about our situation. It is very dangerous to indulge in self-pity or an apparently tiny sin. It is very dangerous to indulge in self-justification, to disregard a small ray of light, or to utter doubts.

Zedekiah’s Mistake

Another outstanding Bible example of self deception is Zedekiah, the last king of Judah.

Zedekiah could not bring himself to stand for truth. Three Hebrews—Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego—refused to bow down to Nebuchadnezzar’s image on the Plain of Dura. You know that famous story by heart, but did you know that those three Israelites were not the only Israelites who were there that day? Zedekiah also went to Babylon. Why?

“Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.

Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together [notice] the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.” Daniel 3:1-3. The Babylonians considered Israel a province and they called it the Province Beyond the River with Zedekiah as the governor of the province. In Israel, of course, he was called king; but he knew he was no king. What was he doing in Babylon? He was there to stand on the Plain of Dura, and, if he obeyed the king’s command, he was to bow before that golden image.

Imagine Zedekiah anxiously looking around. He was aware there were other Israelites there. He probably saw the other three standing tall and wondered for a moment if he should stand tall too, but then his courage failed. He had had a lot of time to think about this.

It is a long, long journey from Babylon back to Jerusalem. Nebuchadnezzar, while prince of Babylon, had made a very fast journey across that Arabian desert. He had taken an army and had gone up the Euphrates River in the slow and normal manner and down the sea coast, planning to invade Egypt way down south. But when he was nearing Egypt a messenger came to him with the news that his father, the king of Babylon, had died. Nebuchadnezzar was prince of Babylon at this time. Because he naturally feared that somebody else might try to take the kingdom before he got back to assert his right to the throne, he left most of his army to fend for themselves, and took a few specially chosen men, and went straight across the desert toward Babylon. It took him three weeks even at that.

Zedekiah had three weeks of going that way to think about what he had done and to persuade himself that he had done the right thing. You know, he was reconstructing his memory, putting all of it together, convincing himself, persuading himself that he had done the right thing in bowing before that image on the Plain of Dura despite the fact he saw the deliverance that came.

He elected to follow the princes of the church instead of the prophet of the church. So then Jerusalem was besieged, burned, and the temple was destroyed. Thousands were slain. Zedekiah and some of his family tried to escape , but they were caught, and taken to Ribla, where Zedekiah was forced to watch while his sons were slaughtered. Then his eyes were put out and he himself was taken to Babylon to die. He died miserably. Can you imagine another six weeks going again to Babylon, his sightless eyes staring forever at the last thing they had seen, the slaughter of his sons?

Process Decisions

How do these things come to us? I call them process decisions. Very few people decide they are going to be lost. But people make process decisions. By a little rejection of light here, a little embracing of sin there, little by little people finally come to a place where they cannot turn back.

If we are to examine ourselves in the light of this biblical material, we ought to recognize the danger of the process decisions that are about us. We can make process decisions by deciding that it is perfectly all right for us to associate with sinners. Proverbs 1:10 says, “My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.” We have the experiences of Samson and Solomon. We have the experience of all Israel, and we have the experience of modern Israel seeking the embrace of the daughters of Babylon. A decision to fellowship and build a relationship with sinners, other than a saving relationship, can be a process decision. The one who decides to marry one who does not follow God needs to remember this counsel. If you would not have a home where the shadows are never lifted, do not unite your life with one who is an enemy of God.

A decision to seek the pleasures of the world can be a process decision—”it will not mean anything to go to the theater a few times. It will not hurt to just watch some fictional programs on television. It will not hurt to go to a few dances.” This can end with the destruction of your own life.

A decision to seek wealth instead of service, to serve yourself in this world instead of serving the Lord can be a process decision that is extremely dangerous. The Scriptures warn us in Ecclesiastes 5:10, “He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase; this is also vanity.” A decision to ignore missionary responsibilities, a decision to procrastinate, a decision to just wait a little longer may end in destruction. “God’s people cannot with safety enter into intimate associations with those who know the truth, but do not practice it.” Messages to Young People, 390. Inasmuch as there are ever more persons among us now who know the truth, but are not practicing it, we need to think about this as well.

The Effect of Our Words

The words are an indication of what is in the heart. “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh.” But the words are more than an indication of character, they have power to react upon the character. Did you follow that? The words are more than an indication of character. Words tell what kind of person you are. But also, they react on the character. You can talk yourself into things. You can say things that are not true until you believe them. “Men are influenced by their own words. Often under a momentary impulse, prompted by Satan, they give utterance to jealousy or evil surmising, expressing that which they do not really believe; but the expression reacts upon the thoughts. They are deceived by their words, and come to believe that true which was spoken at Satan’s instigation. Having once expressed an opinion or decision, they are often too proud to retract it and try to prove themselves in the right, until they come to believe that they are.” Desire of Ages, 323. This is how a person can become a pathological liar and become so self deceived that he loses contact with reality and believes his own imaginations to be true.

We are in a period of time in which we need to watch very, very carefully that we do not practice self deception upon ourselves. A time that we need to take very great care that we do not let anybody else practice deception on us. May the Lord bless us and help us to carry these words from His sacred word and from His inspired counsels into all of our thoughts and life practices.

The End

The Christian Life

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The Christian life is a life lived with Christ, abiding in Him (John 15: 4), a life rooted and built up in Him (Colossians 2:7). It is a life lived in the love of God (Jude 21), a life lived by the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:16, 25), a life led by the Spirit (Galatians 5:18). The Christian life is a life regenerated, a life made new by the power of God.

The word submission is a very appropriate word that sums up the attitude of the Christian in his or her relationship to Christ. The posture of the Christian is a surrendered will. F. E. Belden describes it in these words:

  • Thy way, not mine, O Lord, However dark it be; Lead me by Thine own hand, and choose the path for me. I dare not choose my lot; I would not if I might; Choose Thou for me, my God, so shall I walk aright.
  • The kingdom that I seek is Thine; so let the way that leads to it be Thine, else I must surely stray. Hold Thou my cup of life; with joy or sorrow fill as best to Thee may seem: Choose thou my good and ill.
  • Choose Thou for me my friends, my sickness or my health; choose Thou my cares for me, my poverty or wealth. Not mine, not mine the choice, in either great or small; Be Thou my Guide, my Strength, my Wisdom, and my All.

[F. E. Belden was the author of the famous Seventh-day Adventist church hymnal called Christ in Song. He was also a nephew of Ellen White, the son of Sarah Belden, Ellen’s sister.]

The idea cherished by the world is the self-reliant man. But what men call self-reliance never gets beyond man’s dependence on himself. Man’s claim to superior knowledge, the conceit of self-sufficiency, the flaunting of pride, is fatal to the Christian life. Any claim we make for the glory of man can only render our fall and depravity more complete. To be ruled by self-seeking means to lose everything.

There is only one possibility left for survival: to find our true self in Jesus Christ. You see, the Christian experience is not an improvement of the self-life that merits congratulations. We affirm our manhood and womanhood always in utter dependence on Christ.

Key Texts

The key texts for this message are recorded by the apostle John in chapter 6 of his gospel, verses 38–40: “For I came down from heaven, not to do Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent Me, that of all which He hath given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of Him that sent Me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.”

The scenes, which led up to Jesus uttering these words, are as follows: The day before He had fed five thousand men with five barley loaves and two fishes. Thereupon the people would have made Him king, but He withdrew Himself and afterward walked on the water to His disciples. The next day Jesus was teaching in Capernaum, and the people flocked to hear Him, but Jesus reproved them. “Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek Me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.” John 6:26. Then He declared Himself to be the bread of life to believers.

As the bread of life He came down from heaven on a definite mission, “… not to do Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me.” Verse 38. I would like to draw our attention briefly to the expression “Bread of Life” with emphasis on the word “Life.” It is said that bread is the staff of life, thus it could be considered the universal food for mankind. The life that Jesus referred to transcends the physical temporary life of all creatures on this earth. The life He spoke of is what the Greeks called Zoe, the life principle shared by all living things, the antithesis of death. It has to do with spiritual life and, more particularly, of everlasting life to which the one that receives Christ and believes in Him is given access.

So, as we focus on our key texts, Jesus taught that as the Bread of Life He came down from heaven not to do His own will but the will of Him that sent Him. In this statement is embodied the true meaning of what constitutes being a Christian. Jesus emphatically states the one and only purpose for coming to this earth, which is to do the will of My Sender. Christ declares that He has no separate will from His Father. The Christian must understand the reason for being a Christian, and that is to do the will of Him who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. Repeatedly our Saviour acknowledges the will of His Father: “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:10; “Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me, and to finish His work.” John 4:34; “I can of Mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and My judgment is just; because I seek not Mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent Me.” John 5:30; “Saying, Father, if Thou be willing, remove this cup from Me: nevertheless not My will, but Thine, be done.” Luke 22:42.

In order for us to know what it is to live the Christian life we need therefore to understand what is the Father’s will to which Jesus referred. We see Jesus’ explanation of the Father’s will in verses 39 and 40 of John’s gospel chapter 6: “And this is the Father’s will which hath sent Me, that of all which He hath given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of Him that sent Me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.”

Here Christ reveals the “Father’s will” as follows:

1

Every person who truly comes and surrenders to Christ and remains so, will be kept by Christ even to the last days. This statement speaks to the fact that “on being a Christian” means a complete surrender to the will of Christ instead of my will! It addresses a full and complete commitment to Jesus. This commitment means the point of no return. We place ourselves entirely at Christ’s disposal. We acknowledge His full claim as the Master of our lives. It is this lack of surrender and commitment to Jesus that prevents many a Christian from remaining true to Christ; consequently, He cannot keep them. So, bear in mind the fact that Christ works out His will in us only to the extent of our surrender and commitment. Without this surrender and commitment our Christian profession is in vain!

Illustration – Martin Luther, in one of his legends, tells of Satan, who called a council of his chiefs to defeat the Christian. Said one, “I let loose the wild beasts on many Christians. Their bones now bleach the sands in the arena.” “What of that?” said Satan. “Their souls are still saved.” Said another, “I drove the storm against a shipload of Christians, and they all perished in the sea.” “What of that?” said Satan. “Their souls are all saved.” Said another, “I have labored for ten years to lull Christians to sleep and get them to be neutral. At last I have succeeded.” Then Satan shouted for joy and all the angels of hell rejoiced together.

2

That everyone who seeth the Son and believeth on Him will have everlasting life. This implies beholding Christ with the eye of faith. Men must see Christ in order to obtain everlasting life. They are naturally blind. The Scripture proves that, “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” II Corinthians 4:3, 4. The Holy Spirit’s job is to open our eyes that we may see not merely ourselves, our sins, our helplessness; but Christ, His righteousness, His peace, His grace, His salvation. This emphasis on faith clearly shows that intellectual assent is not enough; those who will have part in the resurrection of the righteous are those who have faith acting beyond the limits of their natural senses.

Ellen White explains further the meaning of believeth: “Those who claim to believe the word of God, and yet cherish their own hereditary and cultivated traits of character, are the greatest stumbling blocks we shall meet as we present the grand, holy truths for this time. Those who believe present truth are to practice the truth, live the truth. They are to study the Word and eat the Word, which means eating the flesh and drinking the blood of the Son of God. They are to bring that Word, which is spirit and life, into their daily, practical life. It is the bread from heaven, and it will give life to the world. Power will be given to every man and woman who will eat of the bread that came down from heaven. Oh, cannot we take this in? Cannot we comprehend it? Why is our imagination so dull? ‘This is the will of Him that sent Me,’ said Christ, ‘that every one [how comprehensive, how far-reaching] that seeth the Son, and believeth on Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day’ (John 6:40). If this, the life of Christ, be in us, what may we not accomplish in His name? ‘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).” The Review and Herald, August 13, 1959.

3

I will raise him up at the last day. To all those who live the Christ life here on earth the promise is, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die.” John 11:25, 26. Here is pictured the salvation story, the redemption of the human race. The Father’s will was Jesus’ mission. This was the driving motivation of Christ, and it certainly will be the constraining force in the life of the true Christian. It may be summed up this way: to glorify God and to bless humanity. The servant of the Lord establishes the purpose of our being; she states, “Many misunderstand the object for which they were created. It was to bless humanity and glorify God, rather than to enjoy and glorify self.” Sons and Daughters of God, 289.

Jesus not only understood this but He lived it every day of His life and so it will be for the true follower of Christ! In The Youth’s Instructor, March 12, 1896, we are told the following: “The followers of Christ are to imitate His example, and scatter broadcast the seeds of divine truth. They are to tell all with whom they come in contact, that Jesus Christ came into our world and assumed our nature, in order that God might be glorified in humanity, in order that humanity might be uplifted and glorified in Christ. All heaven rejoices at the redemption of the lost race. Christ rejoiced in the secret consciousness of what He purposed to do for man. He desires to do far more abundantly than we are able to ask or think. The fountain of His inexpressible love is inexhaustible, and it flows toward all those who believe in Him, who are willing to practise self-denial and to suffer reproach for His name. When we submit to truth, we submit to its Author. The Holy Spirit works within us, casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and brings into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Through sin the heart and the mind have been defiled and enfeebled, but Jesus came to impart moral power, to reshape moral taste, to fashion man after the divine similitude, and to elevate humanity in the scale of moral value with God. If we would learn of Christ, we must have the faith which works by love and purifies the soul. Faith is valueless if it does not work by love and expel from the soul all selfishness, all pride and self-righteousness. Assent to the truth will never win heaven; but those who tremble at the word of the Lord, who desire to know and do His will, will not be disappointed in their hope of heaven.”

Jesus modeled what it truly means to be a Christian, for while here among us He perfectly subordinated His will to His Father, therefore leaving us a perfect example, and gained eternal life for us. We now must understand that by complete subordination of our will to Jesus we become agents of salvation to our fellowmen. By the practicality of our profession, people will be led to make total and permanent surrender and commitment to Christ. They will come to see and believe on Him who only is able to raise them up even though they die. This is really the only true and lasting hope that they have, that we have, that the world has. We are their hope, and that’s why Jesus commands us, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16.

The servant of the Lord affirms, “If all who have a knowledge of the truth will daily put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and by a well-ordered life and godly conversation correctly represent what they claim to believe, a work may be accomplished in the salvation of souls that will make Heaven rejoice.” The Review and Herald, February 12, 1889. Speaking of practical Christianity, she states, “The beauty of his (the Christian’s) well-ordered life and godly conversation inspires faith and hope and courage in others. This is Christianity in practice.” Ibid., August 28, 1897.

Pastor Ivan Plummer ministers through the Emmanuel Seventh Day Church Ministries in Bronx, New York. He may be contacted by telephone at: 718-882-3900.

Christianity-Not like Other Philosophies

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To be a true Christian means to completely disown self, giving up the will to God with the understanding that by complete subordination of our will to Jesus we become agents of salvation to our fellow men. This indeed fulfills the true object of our creation and existence namely, to bless humanity and to glorify God.

Robert Bruce Thurber, in his book Personal Power for the New Age, (Signs of the Times Publishing Association), 27, 28 seeks to clarify on being a Christian. He writes, “Being a Christian is not like being a Buddhist, or a Mohammedan, or an atheist, or a Liberal, or a Democrat, or an evolutionist or an osteopath. These are all systems of belief in religion, politics, science or healing. Christianity in its true sense is also a system of belief, but it is more: it is a system of release. It frees.

“All these others are professions which more or less influence men’s lives. Christianity is somewhat of a profession, but very much of a possession. Not that a man possess it, but it possesses a man. It is not a pose before men. It is a rest in Christ. But it rests in him that it may awake to power.”

He continues by affirming, “Christianity is not a ‘comparative religion.’ That is, it is not a religion among other religions, all of which have their strong and weak elements; so that if a person would get all the good, he must pick from each and combine. No, Christianity is all good, or it couldn’t be Christianity. Its very existence depends on the assertion that it is all good.”

What makes all the difference in Christianity? It is Christ and His matchless, perfect life, which makes all the difference! Jesus stated emphatically while here on this earth, “And He that sent Me is with Me: the Father hath not left Me alone; for I do always those things that please Him.” John 8:29.

Elements of Christianity

Jesus had just finished dealing with the Jews and the woman caught in adultery, then, He proclaimed Himself the light of the world and established His relationship with His father; this of course the Pharisees and Jewish people debated. It is out of this background that Jesus reveals another significant component concerning what it really means to be a Christian. These are His words to the Jews: “And He that sent Me is with Me: the Father hath not left Me alone; for I do always those things that please Him.” John 8:29.

Notice in this verse three important elements namely:

  • He that sent Me is with Me
  • The Father hath not left Me alone
  • For I do always those things that please Him

This doctrine that Jesus presented to the Jewish people establishes the totality of what it really means to be a Christian, a follower of Him. It shows clearly the fact that our Saviour is not asking any one of us to do something or be something that He has not modeled. Within these words of our Lord is embedded the secret of living the godly, holy life. Jesus strongly emphasized the reason for His sinless life and the reality of its constancy. Let us examine these three important elements stated by Christ in John’s gospel.

First element of Jesus’ statement on being a Christian

Our Saviour stated, “He that sent Me is with Me.” What does this mean and what is the message that Christ was seeking to convey? Jesus could confidently attest to the fact that the Father who sent Him is with Him, that from the moment of the sending up to the present moment the Father did not leave Him. The presence of God with the believer is significant in that it means the presence of power.

King David in his psalm of thanksgiving for God’s deliverance recorded, “For who is God, save the Lord? and who is a rock, save our God? God is my strength and power: and He maketh my way perfect.” II Samuel 22:32, 33. David’s use of the word power in relation to God means that this God is whatever he needs Him to be to him. Jesus acknowledges this fact in His model prayer, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.” Matthew 6:13. In Mark’s gospel chapter 9 verse 1 our Lord taught that the kingdom of God comes with power: “And He said unto them, Verily I say unto you, that there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.”

Now, this word power that is spoken of in Matthew and Mark is the Greek word dunamis which means miraculous power, power that is outside the realm of human ability, power that human beings do not possess. Power that can work the impossible; like, change a hardened sinner into a loving Christian; like, change a fully confirmed homosexual into a straight, happy, holy saint. It is power that can change a drunkard into a sober follower of Christ; power that can root out any and every addiction, hereditary or cultivated which sin may have produced. This is the truth wrapped up in the words of Jesus, “He that sent Me is with Me.” That’s why the apostle Paul states, “For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.” I Corinthians 4:20.

We are told from the pen of inspiration, “Man needs power outside of, and beyond, himself to restore him to the likeness of God, and to enable him to do the work of God; but this does not make the human agency unessential. Humanity lays hold upon divine power. Christ dwells in the heart by faith; and, through co-operation with the divine, the power of man becomes efficient for good.” The Signs of the Times, April 6, 1904.

Christ clearly taught that divine power is available to Him to perform whatever the One who sends Him requires of Him, and that same power will be given to all those who accept Him as Master. John in his gospel states, “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.

While on earth He gave this power to His followers, as recorded in Luke 10:19: “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” Notice that the word power to tread on serpents and scorpions is the Greek word exousia, which means authority or delegated influence. In the Scriptures, people who are obdurate [stubbornly persistent in wrongdoing] are likened to serpents and scorpions. God told the prophet Ezekiel, “And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.” Ezekiel 2:6.

John the Baptist also proclaimed, “O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” Matthew 3:7.

The Christian who is conscious of the presence of God with him or her will not and cannot be affected by the ungodly attitudes of those who regard not God. They will not allow their Christian influence to be tarnished or weakened because of the unchristlike attributes of those who desire to make of none effect their Christian witness. They will ever remember that because God’s presence is with them, He is able to keep them from falling, and to present them faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy (Jude 1:24), for His presence means power.

Going back to Luke 10:19, the second part of the text says, “… and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” The word power in this statement is the Greek word dunamis, which Satan has, but the authority or power that the Christian has by virtue of the presence of God with him or her makes it impossible for Satan to defeat him or her. So the reason why Satan could not overthrow Christ is as He stated, “… the Father hath not left Me alone.” John 8:29.

Second element of Jesus’ statement on being a Christian.

In coming to this earth, the Father was with Him. He came to this world on the Father’s mission. John 5:19 and 30 tell us that, “Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He seeth the Father do: for what things soever He doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. … I can of Mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and My judgment is just; because I seek not Mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent Me.” While on this earth Christ did not abandon His Father or His mission, for if this was done He would have separated Himself from His Father’s presence and therefore would have been overcome by the Devil. So, because He did not disregard His Father throughout His sojourn here, He could confidently say, “the Father hath not left Me alone.”

We cease being Christians when we stop following Christ. It’s good to begin with the Lord but it’s better to continue with Him, for it is only then that we are assured of His constant presence with us and it is only then that we have power over the enemy! The servant of the Lord made this statement: “We cannot for one moment separate ourselves from Christ with safety. We may have His presence to attend us at every step, but only by observing the conditions which He has Himself laid down.” The Review and Herald, May 3, 1881.

Here is another counsel that we need to think seriously about if we are going to remain Christians in the truest sense of the word: “If by associating with worldlings for pleasure, by conforming to worldly practices, by uniting our interests with unbelievers, we place our feet in the path of temptation and sin, how can we expect God to keep us from falling?

“Keep yourselves away from the corrupting influences of the world. Do not go unbidden to places where the forces of the enemy are strongly entrenched.

“Do not go where you will be tempted and led astray. But if you have a message for unbelievers, and if you live so near to God that you can speak to them a word in season, you can do a work that will help them and will honor God.” Messages to Young People, 81, 82.

Many professed Christians wonder why they are not advancing in the Christian life, why they keep on being overcome by the enemy. Well, the answer is simple; they have not made a wholehearted commitment to God. Yes, they started with Him, but somewhere along the journey they abandon Christ in order to satisfy self. Remember, it will be impossible to continue with God and for God to continue with us if we allow self to take over at some point in our Christian journey. We will utterly fail and fall under the power of the devil so long as we are separated from the presence of God. From the pen of inspiration we are reminded: “In giving ourselves to God, we must necessarily give up all that would separate us from Him. Hence the Saviour says, ‘Whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be My disciple’ (Luke 14:33). Whatever shall draw away the heart from God must be given up. Mammon is the idol of many. The love of money, the desire for wealth, is the golden chain that binds them to Satan. Reputation and worldly honor are worshiped by another class. The life of selfish ease and freedom from responsibility is the idol of others. But these slavish bands must be broken. We cannot be half the Lord’s and half the world’s. We are not God’s children unless we are such entirely.” Steps to Christ, 44.

Ellen White explains in The Review and Herald article dated June 28, 1887, that when we separate ourselves from God we automatically place ourselves on the side of the enemy. This means we stop working for God and are working for the devil. It means we cease receiving power from God, but power from the devil. It means we are no longer Christians but children of the devil. It is self evident then that by our own experiences, the majority of us who profess to be Christians are only Christians in name, having a form of godliness but denying the power (II Timothy 3:5). For many Christians, they have never experienced the power of God working in their lives, bringing about changes that will allow them to reflect the attributes of Christ in a most significant way to the degree that the lives of others will be totally transformed to the glory of God.

We need to answer the question as to why Jesus was successful in His righteous journey here on earth. Why is it that He did not sin? Is it a planned thing between Him and His Father that, no matter what, He would not sin? What made our Saviour defeat the devil and win the victory for us?

Third element of Jesus’ statement on being a Christian

This leads us to our third and final element as stated by Jesus in John 8:29, “And He that sent Me is with Me: the Father hath not left Me alone; for I do always those things that please Him.”

The question, Who am I? cannot be answered by man outside of Christ. From within our sinful state we are tempted to believe that our true self is the self apart from God. Such a life only distorts and warps our identity. Therefore man puts total stock in himself. Self is his chief interest and center of reference. His basic loyalty is to himself. The higher the position he occupies, the more important his status, the greater the desire for recognition, the more he exaggerates his own importance. This exaggerated importance attached to self is wholly contrary to our Lord and His chosen role as servant.

So the truth is, it will be impossible to please Jesus if we do not first deny or disown self completely and surrender totally our will to Him. Christ taught that the Father was with Him and that the Father did not leave Him alone because Jesus always did those things that were pleasing to Him. I, for my part, choose to do likewise. So, where we are concerned, for Christ to be with us always, giving us overcoming power to melt away every weight and the sins which doth so easily beset us (Hebrews 12:1) enabling us to be true Christians, we then must resolve in our minds that we will please Him.

The word please which Christ used in John 8:29 is the Greek word arestos meaning agreeable, hence Jesus was always in total agreement with His Father, and this was so throughout His life here on earth setting us an example. The prophet Amos asked the question, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” Amos 3:3. The answer is obvious! We will never be able to agree with God and His program as long as self is in control. Listen to what the servant of the Lord has to say about that:

“Half-hearted Christians obscure the glory of God, misinterpret piety, and cause men to receive false ideas as to what constitutes vital godliness. Others think that they, also, can be Christians and yet consult their own tastes and make provision for the flesh, if these false-hearted professors can do so. On many a professed Christian’s banner the motto is written, ‘You can serve God and please self—you can serve God and mammon.’ ” The Review and Herald, August 19, 1890.

Also, in The Review and Herald article dated June 11, 1901, we are further counseled, “If we constantly receive grace from God, we shall be vessels unto honor, sanctified and meet for the Master’s use. Daily receiving blessings, we shall daily impart blessings to those around us. But in order to be successful in this work, we must deny self. We cannot at the same time please self and serve Christ. We are not to follow our own inclinations, but look to Jesus, waiting to receive orders from our Captain.”

Here is one final statement that will make the matter clear to our minds: “Those who live to please and gratify self are dishonoring the Lord. He cannot work through them, for they would misrepresent Him before those who are ignorant of the truth.” Notebook Leaflets from the Elmshaven Library, vol. 1, 13.

So, let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter. The apostle Paul sums it up wonderfully, “So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.” Romans 8:8. May we remember that the whole adventure of living the Christian life is a continual challenge to die to self and live for Christ. This problem is not solved by human wisdom, but by the power of God. Nothing but a miracle can free us from self-centeredness. But God is used to working miracles of this kind.

I encourage us all; let us accept the challenge of every day allowing Christ to live His life in and through us. Our personal failure, the discouragement resulting from self-will and pride, this sensitiveness that is always getting hurt—face it with Christ. Life with Christ provides us with a margin of power greater than the self-life. Paul wrote, “Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.” I Thessalonians 4:1. Knowing “For even Christ pleased not Himself; but, as it is written, the reproaches of them that reproached Thee fell on Me.” Romans 15:3.

The words of the song, “Yes Lord Yes” (www.hymnlyrics.org), sums up what I believe God wanted to convey to us in this message:

Yes, Lord, yes, to Your will and to Your way.
Yes, Lord, yes, I will trust You and obey.
When Your Spirit speaks to me,
With my whole heart I’ll agree,
And my answer will be, yes Lord, yes!

May it be said of us as was said of faithful Enoch, “By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.” Hebrews 11:5. Thus I say to all of us, being a Christian means in the truest sense pleasing God, always agreeing fully and completely with Jesus!

Pastor Ivan Plummer ministers through the Emmanuel Seventh Day Church Ministries in Bronx, New York. He may be contacted by telephone at: 718-882-3900.

Identifying the Christian

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In previous articles in this series (LandMarks September 2013 – January 2014), the focus was concentrated on the paradigm for Christianity that Jesus exemplified in His life here on earth. This message looks at one of Paul the apostle’s statements concerning who really is a Christian and what this religion called Christianity is all about.

Jonathan Edwards, the great Puritan preacher and theologian who lived in the early eighteenth century made the following remarks in one of his sermons: “They who give themselves to God, He’ll give Himself to them, and only those who refuse to give themselves to God shall fail to have Him for their portion. The truly righteous dedicate themselves to God; they give themselves up, body and soul, with all that they have. To such, God gives Himself, with all that He is and has, to be their heritage. He gives Himself with all His glory and perfection, so far as they are capable of enjoying them or receiving good by them. His power shall be theirs to deliver them from evil and to promote their welfare. His wisdom shall be theirs to guide and instruct them, and to contrive and to order things for them. His holiness, His beauty, and His love shall be theirs to be seen and enjoyed by them.” A Just and Righteous God, (Soli Deo Gloria Ministries, Michigan), 130.

In my analysis of true Christianity there is a word which keeps popping up in my mind which I never liked and which from my observation most human beings do not like, that word is submit or submission. To submit, according to Webster’s Dictionary, means to yield, as something, in surrender, compliance, or obedience; to subject to imposed conditions or treatment; to allow oneself to be subjected to something imposed or to be undergone; to yield to the decision or opinion of another. Synonyms for submit or submission are subject or subjection and this word subjection is what I would like to focus on as it relates to being a Christian. The word subject or subjection, according to Webster’s Dictionary, means to bring under dominion, rule, or authority.

Paul Sets an Example

In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian Christians, we read these words: “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” I Corinthians 9:27. In this verse we see the apostle emphasizing the absolute importance for the Christian, bringing his or her being under authority, under rule! It was necessary for Paul to speak plainly and pointedly to these believers. The Corinthians, who considered themselves mature Christians, had been claiming that they are in such a privileged position that they are free to eat meat offered to idols if they like. Their Christian freedom gives them—as they think—a special position in which they could do things, which might not be permissible to other men. Paul’s way of answering that argument was to set forth the many privileges, which he himself had a perfect right to claim, but which he did not claim, in case they should turn out to be stumbling-blocks to others and hindrances to the effectiveness of the gospel.

So, after Paul had addressed the Corinthian Christians concerning frictions in the church; the practice of incest among them, their practice of litigation in secular courts, issues concerning marriage and issues concerning meats offered to idols, he then seeks to establish the way of life in which the Christian should conduct himself. The apostle wanted to correct the false notion that the Corinthian Christians held about what it really means to be a Christian! Fundamentally, the Christian is not free to please himself or herself, to do whatever he or she wishes, inspite of how it might impact others!

Here is Paul’s argument, I Corinthians 9:19–27: “For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; to them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. And this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you. Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: but I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”

Notice what the apostle states in verse 19: “For though I be free.” Paul returns to his theme of chapter 8:9–13 that he will not permit his liberty to become a stumbling block to them that are weak. Simply put, being a Christian is interpreted to mean living for Jesus, which means living for others! Therefore the true Christian will always seek to possess a Christlike attitude in order to influence non-Christians to Christ. The emphasis in his or her life is not self-gratification, rather it will be as Paul states, “For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.”

The apostle was willing to enslave himself for the salvation of his fellowmen, total self-renouncement, total self-forgetfulness so that by his Christlike life he may win some to Christ! This is the challenge we all have today, to forget about ourselves and to remember who we are and whose we are. Dr. Albert Schweitzer describes the kind of moment that brought him the greatest happiness. Someone suffering intensely is brought into his hospital. He soothes the man by telling him that he will put him to sleep and will operate on him and all will be well. After the operation he sits beside the patient waiting for him to regain consciousness. Slowly he opens his eyes and whispers in sheer wonderment, “I have no more pain.”

If, by a life of selfless love, you and I can mend one shattered life, restore one wanderer to the right way, heal one broken heart, bring back one lost soul to Christ, to find ourselves at last in eternity and to have one person say to us I have no more pain, all the self-denial and self-sacrifice we made would have been worth it!

Paul makes it very clear to the Christian that we are in a real fight. “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: but I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” I Corinthians 9:24–27.

Paul insists to those Corinthians who wanted to take the easy way that no man will ever get anywhere without the sternest self-discipline. Just as how the athlete must discipline himself/herself if he or she intends to win the game, how much more should the Christian discipline himself/herself to win the crown, which is eternal life. In verse 27 the apostle uses the word subjection, he states, “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”

In relation to the word subjection, the apostle says, “I keep under my body … .” The Greek word hupopiazo literally means to strike under the eye, or to give one a black eye. Here we now learn who Paul’s opponent is, namely his own body with its desires and its weak inclinations, which are so ready to militate against his high calling. So, likewise, the Christian’s opponent is self. Paul therefore states, I give myself a black eye. The boxing gloves worn by the fighters were not gloves in the modern sense of the word; they were often made of oxhide bands, which were sometimes fortified with brass knuckles. Hupopiazo vividly portrays the severity and harshness that the genuine Christian is to exercise towards his sinful nature. It shows the rigid discipline and self-denial that must be exercised in order that victory may be gained over all the corrupt passions of man’s evil tendencies.

Paul also states, “bring it into subjection.” The literal meaning is to lead into slavery, hence, to make a servant of. The picture the apostle has painted is this, to hit a powerful blow under the eye is to knock the body out; this is a momentary victory. The more forceful point is, “I make my body a slave” and keep it as a slave so that it is unable to assert itself again and to regain any mastery over me even as much as to my control for one moment. This for Paul is permanent victory!

Therefore, bringing one’s self under subjection, is the acknowledgment of another’s authority over you, over me. Paul frequently uses the term servant or slave to express his relationship as a believer to Christ. We see this in a few verses of Scripture: “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God.” Romans 1:1. “For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.” Galatians 1:10. “Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons.” Philippians 1:1. “Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness.” Titus 1:1.

The Greek word for servant in all these texts just quoted is doulos meaning slave, or one bound, hence a bond servant. The word involves the idea of belonging to a master and rendering bondman service to him. Paul taught that Christians belong to Christ by purchase, hence are His slaves. Here are a few texts: “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” I Corinthians 6:20. “For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord’s freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ’s servant. Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.” I Corinthians 7:22, 23. “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.” Ephesians 1:7. “Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart.” Ephesians 6:6. “But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.” Romans 6:22.

So then, for all of us who declare ourselves to be Christians it is most important that we understand that we are subjected to Jesus Christ and that for us to remain Christians we must constantly bring ourselves under His authority. Therefore such expression as “doing my own thing,” “I do whatever I want” or “I take orders from no one” and “I listen to no one” is not a part of the vocabulary of the Christian. The true Christian does whatever Christ, his/her Master desires and orders him/her to do!

In conclusion, in I Corinthians 9, the apostle points out to the believers a brief philosophy of the Christian life.

  1. The Christian life is a battle.
  2. To win the fight and to be victorious in the race demands discipline. From the pen of inspiration we are told: “Those who enter into a contest of physical strength for a corruptible prize realize the necessity of rigid abstinence from every indulgence that would weaken the physical powers. They eat simple food at regular hours.
    “How much more should those who enter for the gospel race, restrain themselves from the unlawful indulgence of appetite and ‘abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul’ ( I Peter 2:11). They must be temperate at all times. The same restraint that gives them the power to obtain the victory at one time will, if practiced constantly, give them a great advantage in the race for the crown of life.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 6, 1089.
  3. We need to know our goal.
  4. We need to know the worth of our goal. Why are we Christians? What are we working towards? Paul says it beautifully, “I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air.” I Corinthians 9:26. Also, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” I Corinthians 15:19.
  5. We cannot save others unless we master ourselves. Sigmund Freud once said, “Psycho-analysis is learnt first of all on oneself, through the study of one’s own personality.” The Greeks declared that the first rule of life is, “Man know thyself.” Certainly we cannot save others until we have mastered ourselves, we cannot teach what we do not know; we cannot bring others to Christ until we ourselves have found Him.

In quoting I Corinthians 9:24-27, the servant of the Lord commented as follows: “Thus Paul presents the conditions which God imposes upon every soul who enlists in His service. The apostle fears for himself, lest he shall fail of bearing the examination test, and be found wanting, and he places himself under severe training. So the Christian today needs to keep strict guard over his appetite. He needs to subject himself to severe training, that he may not run uncertainly or at random, without seeing his standard and striving to reach it. He must obey the laws of God. The physical, mental, and moral powers must be kept in the most perfect condition if he would obtain the approval of God. ‘I keep under my body,’ the apostle says. This means literally to beat back its desires and impulses and passions by severe discipline, even as did those competing for an earthly prize.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 6, 1089.

Pastor Ivan Plummer ministers through the Emmanuel Seventh Day Church Ministries in Bronx, New York. He may be contacted by telephone at: 718-882-3900.

Keys to the Storehouse – Spiritual Disorders

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Spiritual disorders are similar to physical disorders in that both have consequences. The disorder that affects the spiritual life is sin. However, there is one specific sin that, if indulged, will cause a separation from God and produce much contagious unruly behavior. What is this one sin?

“The sin which is indulged to the greatest extent, and which separates us from God and produces so many contagious spiritual disorders, is selfishness.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 132.

Once this sin is indulged, the spiritual life is in danger of death. “There can be no returning to the Lord except by self-denial. Of ourselves we can do nothing; but, through God strengthening us, we can live to do good to others, and in this way shun the evil of selfishness.

“We need not go to heathen lands to manifest our desire to devote all to God in a useful, unselfish life. We should do this

  • in the home circle,
  • in the church,
  • among those with whom we associate
  • and with whom we do business.

“Right in the common walks of life is where self is to be denied and kept in subordination. Paul could say: ‘I die daily’ (I Corinthians 15:31). It is the daily dying to self in the little transactions of life that makes us overcomers. We should forget self in the desire to do good to others.” Ibid.

If you are suffering from this spiritual disorder and its many side effects, you must mourn the consequences, confess and repent toward God and then, by His grace, begin to bless others.

“God positively enjoins upon all His followers a duty to

  • bless others with their influence and means,
  • and to seek that wisdom of Him which will enable them to do all in their power to elevate the thoughts and affections of those who come within their influence.

“In doing for others, a sweet satisfaction will be experienced, an inward peace which will be a sufficient reward. When actuated by a high and noble desire to do others good, they will find true happiness in a faithful discharge of life’s manifold duties. This will bring more than an earthly reward; for every faithful, unselfish performance of duty is noticed by the angels and shines in the life record.” Ibid.

Do you want your life record to shine? Ask God to remove the shadow of selfishness and bring spiritual order to your life.

“Every act of our lives affects others for good or evil. Our influence is tending upward or downward; it is felt, acted upon, and to a greater or lesser degree reproduced by others.

  • 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 beneficial influence upon others, and thus hundreds and thousands are affected by our unconscious influence.
  • If we by acts strengthen or force into activity the evil powers possessed by those around us, we share their sin, and will have to render an account for the good we might have done them and did not do, because we made not God our strength, our guide, our counselor.” Ibid., 133.

Father: Remove the sin of selfishness and its shadow from my life. Allow me to live by Your holy principles so that my life can be used to influence others to a saving knowledge of truth and any evil influence be put to death. Amen.

Bible Study Guides – Underlying Motives

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August 31, 2014 – September 6, 2014

Christian Stewardship

Key Text

“[Charity] doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own.” I Corinthians 13:5.

Study Help: Testimonies, vol. 2, 50–60.

Introduction

“The road to paradise is not one of self-exaltation but, of repentance, confession, humiliation, of faith and obedience.” The Review and Herald, December 23, 1890.

1 WATCHING OUR BEHAVIOR

  • Name one characteristic of charity, as far as general behavior is concerned. I Corinthians 13:5, first part.
  • What examples of unseemly behavior should we take as a warning? Galatians 2:11–13; James 2:1–4, 8, 9.
  • How is the Christian steward warned against another common type of unseemly behavior? Proverbs 14:29; 18:23, second part.

Note: “One class have come up without self-control; they have not bridled the temper or the tongue; and some of these claim to be Christ’s followers, but they are not. Jesus has set them no such example. When they have the meekness and lowliness of the Saviour, they will not act out the promptings of the natural heart, for this is of Satan. Some are nervous, and if they begin to lose self-control in word or spirit under provocation, they are as much intoxicated with wrath as the inebriate is with liquor. They are unreasonable, and not easily persuaded or convinced. They are not sane; Satan for the time has full control. Every one of these exhibitions of wrath weakens the nervous system and the moral powers, and makes it difficult to restrain anger on another provocation. With this class there is only one remedy—positive self-control under all circumstances.” The Youth’s Instructor, November 10, 1886.

2 CHARITABLE PRUDENCE

  • How are we exhorted to develop a Christlike demeanor, especially toward those who may provoke us unjustly? James 1:19–21; Proverbs 15:1; 19:11.

Note: “He [Christ] was wrongfully accused, yet He opened not His mouth to justify Himself. How many now, when accused of that of which they are not guilty, feel that there is a time when forbearance ceases to be a virtue, and losing their temper, speak words which grieve the Holy Spirit.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, 1148.

“If pride and selfishness were laid aside, five minutes would remove most difficulties. Angels have been grieved and God displeased by the hours which have been spent in justifying self.” Early Writings, 119.

  • How does the Christian steward display charitable prudence? Acts 9:36–39.

Note: “At Joppa, which was near Lydda, there lived a woman named Dorcas, whose good deeds had made her greatly beloved. She was a worthy disciple of Jesus, and her life was filled with acts of kindness. She knew who needed comfortable clothing and who needed sympathy, and she freely ministered to the poor and the sorrowful. Her skillful fingers were more active than her tongue.” The Acts of the Apostles, 131.

“Preaching is a small part of the work to be done for the salvation of souls. God’s Spirit convicts sinners of the truth, and He places them in the arms of the church. The ministers may do their part, but they can never perform the work that the church should do. God requires His church to nurse those who are young in faith and experience, to go to them, not for the purpose of gossiping with them, but to pray, to speak unto them words that are ‘like apples of gold in pictures of silver’ (Proverbs 25:11). …

“It is the duty of God’s children to be missionaries for Him, to become acquainted with those who need help. If one is staggering under temptation, his case should be taken up carefully and managed wisely; for his eternal interest is at stake, and the words and acts of those laboring for him may be a savor of life unto life, or of death unto death.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 69.

3 WHOM DO YOU REALLY LOVE?

  • When does true love for others become rare—and how is this problem to be overcome? Matthew 24:12; Revelation 2:2–4; Hebrews 12:2–4.

Note: “The love of God has been waning in the church, and as a result, the love of self has sprung up into new activity. With the loss of love for God there has come the loss of love for the brethren.” The Review and Herald, March 20, 1894.

“Let this life, so stormy with conflicts and worries, be brought into connection with Christ, and then self will no longer clamor for the supremacy.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 3, 1161.

“Pride and self-worship cannot flourish in the soul that keeps fresh in memory the scenes of Calvary.” The Desire of Ages, 661.

  • What is a great reason that makes the Christian steward shine in this world? I Corinthians 10:24.

Note: “Unselfishness, the principle of God’s kingdom, is the principle that Satan hates; its very existence he denies. From the beginning of the great controversy he has endeavored to prove God’s principles of action to be selfish, and he deals in the same way with all who serve God. To disprove Satan’s claim is the work of Christ and of all who bear His name.

“It was to give in His own life an illustration of unselfishness that Jesus came in the form of humanity. And all who accept this principle are to be workers together with Him in demonstrating it in practical life. To choose the right because it is right; to stand for truth at the cost of suffering and sacrifice—‘this is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of Me, saith the Lord’ (Isaiah 54:17).” Education, 154, 155.

“In heaven none will think of self, nor seek their own pleasure; but all, from pure, genuine love, will seek the happiness of the heavenly beings around them. If we wish to enjoy heavenly society in the earth made new, we must be governed by heavenly principles here.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 132, 133.

4 WORDS OF CAUTION

  • What should the Christian steward consider in choosing priorities? I John 2:15–17.

Note: “If all the money that is used extravagantly, for needless things, were placed in the treasury of God, we should see men and women and youth giving themselves to Jesus, and doing their part to co-operate with Christ and angels. The richest blessing of God would come into our churches, and many souls would be converted to the truth.” The Review and Herald, December 23, 1890.

“When the cases of all come in review before God, the question, What did they profess? will not be asked, but, What have they done? Have they been doers of the word? Have they lived for themselves, or have they been exercised in works of benevolence, in deeds of kindness and love, preferring others before themselves, and denying themselves that they might bless others? … Christ has been grieved and wounded by your marked selfish love and your indifference to the woes and needs of others.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 525.

  • What unfortunate attitude can affect all of us who are entrusted with great light—and to obtain victory, what must we realize? Isaiah 58:2–4, 10–12.

Note: “In our work we shall find a high profession of piety and much outward exactness bound up with great inward wickedness. The people represented in Isaiah 58 complain that the Lord allows their services to go unnoticed. This complaint is the expression of hearts unsubdued by grace, rebellious against the truth.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, 1148, 1149.

“Many receive applause for virtues which they do not possess. The Searcher of hearts weighs the motives, and often deeds highly applauded by men are recorded by Him as springing from selfishness and base hypocrisy. Every act of our lives, whether excellent and praiseworthy, or deserving of censure, is judged by the Searcher of hearts according to the motives which prompted it.” Gospel Workers, 275.

5 FOLLOWING CHRIST IN SELF-DENIAL

  • What principle is basic to genuine Christian service? Acts 20:35.

Note: “There is a work to be done in our cities—work to be done in every place. God will take men from the plow, from the sheepfold, from the vineyard, and will put them in the place of those who think that they must have the highest wages. Those who grasp for high wages will find in the money they get all the reward they will ever receive. Such ones can not be expected to feel a burden for the salvation of perishing souls. The Lord can not use such ones in His work. Until they banish selfishness from their hearts, their efforts are worthless.” The Review and Herald, December 15, 1904.

“The heavenly intelligences can co-operate with him who is seeking, not to exalt self, but to save souls.” The Desire of Ages, 436.

  • What should inspire the Christian steward with pure, fresh motivation for service? II Corinthians 8:8, 9.

Note: “Jesus left His home in glory, clothed His divinity with humanity, and came to a world marred and polluted by the curse of sin. He might have remained in His heavenly home, and received the adoration of angels; but He came to earth to seek and save the lost, the perishing. ‘For your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich’ (II Corinthians 8:9). He, the Majesty of heaven, who was one with the Father, denied Himself, made every possible sacrifice, in order that man might not perish, but have everlasting life. Christ lived not to please Himself. If He had pleased Himself, where would we be today?” The Review and Herald, December 23, 1890.

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1 How might we be guilty of behaving unseemly?

2 What can we learn about charity from Christ and His followers?

3 How is a vibrant love for Christ to be manifested in us?

4 Why must we always examine our own priorities and motives?

5 What should we do to more fervently promote God’s work?

Copyright © 2012 Reformation Herald Publishing Association, 5240 Hollins Road, Roanoke, Virginia. Reprinted by permission.