sin

Jesus and the Sickle

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Revelation 14:14 describes a scene of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible says, “And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.” It is very clear that this text is talking about the coming of Christ, as many times the Bible describes His coming in clouds accompanied by all of His angels. He will come as King of kings with glory and power wearing a golden crown upon His head. Interestingly, He will come not only as a King, but also with a sharp sickle in His hand. A sickle is a tool of farmers, so why will Jesus come as a King of kings, and at the same time come as a farmer?

The season in which the farmer uses his sickle is at the time of harvest. Jesus Christ is coming back with a sickle in His hand because the second coming of Christ is the time of harvest. The harvest is the children of God, those who reflect His image. “And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.” Verse 15. A similar picture is seen in Mark 4:29: “But when the fruit is brought forth [ripe], immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.” These verses give us an idea that Jesus is coming back as soon as the earth is “ripe.”

With this in mind, who is waiting for whom? Is the farmer waiting for the fruits, or are the fruits waiting for the farmer? Are we waiting for Christ, or is Christ waiting for us? Christ is waiting for us to be ripe, although we can also say that we are waiting for Christ as well.

Virginia and South Carolina are two of the fruit growing states in the United States. If you were to go to an apple orchard around the end of September, you would see acres of apple trees all laden with an abundance of fruit, some red, some green, and some yellow. Even before the fruit is ripe, it looks as if it would be juicy and sweet and ready to eat. You may be hungry and reach out to pluck that apple when it is not ripe, but it will hang on tight to the branch, and you will have to pull at it, having a war with the branch, twisting and pulling it hard before you can pluck it and then bite into it. Only then do you realize it is not ripe; it does not taste good because it is very sour and if you eat it you may get a stomachache.

However, if you go to that same orchard around the beautiful time of autumn the fruit will be ripe. At the first bite the delicious sweet juice will run down your chin because it is ready with a sweet taste; it is ripe. Jesus Christ is coming back, not for sour people, but for sweet people. He is coming back, not to fight with the world over you, not to twist you, not to turn you, or pull you. All that Jesus needs to do when He returns the second time is just touch you, and you will be ready. Those are the kinds of people that Christ is waiting for—sweet people of God.

How then do we get ready for the Second Coming of Christ?

It is very simple! We must become ripe and sweet fruit. This can be confirmed one more time from the Bible to make it clear. “Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman [farmer] waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.” James 5:7.

There you have it. Christ is waiting for His people to become ripe fruit. But to become a ripe fruit, you have to receive the early and the latter rain. Before even considering the early and latter rain, a seed must be planted into the ground. Planting yourself into the ground is the beginning or the start of preparation for the coming of Jesus Christ. That tree is dependent upon how the seed grows in its first three years.

Once the seed is planted, it must die. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.” John 12:24. According to the Bible, to bring forth much fruit the seed must first go into the ground and die. Without the death of the seed, there is no life in that plant and hence no fruit.

The only way to be ready for the coming of Christ, to be harvested by the sickle of Jesus and be taken away by the heavenly Farmer, is to first die. As soon as a baby is born into this world, it begins to die. In this world, you are born to die.

However, in the Christian world, you die to live. The worldly philosophy is to ask what life is all about. Let us eat; let us drink; let us party and have a good time. If it feels good, do it; if it tastes good, eat it! If you want to get it, get it now and have a good time, because tomorrow you will die. But the Christian’s philosophy is totally opposite. It says, let us die with Jesus today that we may live with Him tomorrow.

A strong Biblical concept is that those who want to have life must experience death with Christ in baptism. “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?” Romans 6:3. Here we see that baptism represents death with Christ. So, baptism represents death to the old life and the beginning of the new.

The Bible says, “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” Verse 4.

The three most important ceremonies that you will celebrate in this life are your birthday, wedding, and funeral. All three of these events happen on the day you are baptized: birthday, marriage to Christ, and the most important aspect, the funeral to the old self. What kind of person is buried in the ground? A dead person! If a live person was buried it would be considered murder, so only those who are dead—dead to self—should be baptized. There are many people being baptized who can say, “I know the doctrines; I don’t eat pork; I don’t drink alcohol; I will keep God’s holy day, and I will pay my tithe; I know about the second coming, and I know about the law of God.” Yet they are still full of selfishness, impatience, jealousy and evil surmising; are still envious, revengeful, backbiting, gossiping and greedy, having all these things in their hearts.

To have doctrinal understanding only and be baptized is to be buried alive. When people are baptized alive, not understanding the meaning of dying to self by surrendering himself or herself to God, it brings trouble into the midst of Christian fellowship. Understanding the true meaning of baptism is essential to the new candidate, to prevent him/her from making such a solemn vow. Baptism is clear—dying with Jesus and living with Christ. “For if we have been planted [in the ground] together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, [you had better know this!] that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.” Verses 5, 6.

So what needs to die?

The old man! Whether you like it or not, all have an old man that must be slain day by day. You see, baptism is the occasion that you commit yourself to die to self, the day that you allow Christ to crucify the old man. But after baptism it does not feel as if the old man is completely dead. That is the reason why Paul says, “I die daily.” 1 Corinthians 15:31. That old man wants to live again and again and again. But, by the power of God you can keep him dead day by day. That is the power of the message of salvation for mankind.

But let us go a little deeper than this. What kind of man is the old man? The Bible says when the old man is dead, then you should not serve sin. So if the old man is alive, that means we are still serving sin. Consider this: If I am serving you, that would mean that I am your slave or servant and you are my master. So I have a master named old man. That master named old man is to die in order for me, as a servant of this master, to be free. When the master is dead, I am free. The Bible says, “For he that is dead is freed from sin.” Verse 7.

Is it possible to be free from sin?

The Bible answers this and reveals the secret how to be free from sin—to be dead. This means surrender, to be completely surrendered to God. He that is dead to the old man, it is he who is free from sin.

When first learning how to type, it seems so awkward and difficult to hit the right key, but with practice, doing it over and over again, you find that it is no longer necessary to look at the keys because it just happens automatically. Repetition forms habits. And when a habit is formed, it is acted upon without any thought. Habits can be good or dangerous. So what kind of old man is this? It is an old man that causes you to commit sin automatically, and the sins committed are habitual sins to which you are enslaved.

As a young person I had a bad habit of stealing. At first I found it very difficult. My heart pumped with fear as I looked at the storeowner and looked around making sure no one was watching as I grabbed the candy and put it in my pocket. My whole body shook, and I was sweating as I slowly walked out of the door when the owner was not watching. I took off and then stopped, looking around to make sure that no one was watching, before I ate my candy with fear and trembling. Each time after that it became easier and easier, until after years walking into a store, stealing became automatic without any nervousness. Sin becomes automatic, and you become a slave to it until it is impossible to give it up.

Some have habits of smoking or drinking alcohol, and others have a bad temper that they claim to have inherited from their family and it seems impossible to change. There are young people who are addicted to drugs, cocaine, crystal meth, marijuana, sex and alcohol, and some husbands are so addicted to anger that they beat up their wives. Children are addicted to video games that consume their every thought, playing games for hours each day. Some mothers are addicted to shopping, and that is all they can think about doing—shop, shop, shop, ’til they drop! All of these habits consume a person and take so much time and energy that those who are trapped often think they are too far in sin for God to change them, so they try to kill that old man themselves by making resolutions to quit their habit. They muster all of their strength, and with great effort tear that cigarette apart, flush it down a toilet, and then say, “Ok, from this day I’m not going to smoke!”

The first week is often fine and even the second week goes well, but on the third week the boss may speak as though they might get fired. The fourth week their child starts being a bother. Then on the fifth week the wife starts nagging because there is no money coming in. Nervousness sets in and then worry. Then starts the search for something to give some comfort. The old habit kicks in—just one time, one more! After all, isn’t there a reason? I am stressed out. I am full of anxieties; let me relax; just one more! And they do it. Next day they do it again, and then, in half a week they are back to where they were before, but even worse.

Because they tried to kill their old man with human strength, it did not happen. There are many ways to kill a person. You can shoot him, strangle him, hang him, poison him, cut him, beat him or drown him, but there is only one way to kill the old man. That old man must be brought to Jesus at the foot of the cross and see Him dying there; see Jesus bleeding for his/her sins; see Jesus suffering for his/her transgressions. See Jesus agonizing before God, “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Matthew 27:46.

That old man must be brought to the cross, not in your own effort alone. The only effort you can put forth is to drag that old man to the cross and fall at the feet of Jesus helplessly. Tell Him all about the pains in your life and the guilt that you face. Tell Him about the bondage that you are in. Tell Him you are sick of falling again, and again, into the same old sins, that you are tired of it. Jesus will cleanse you with the power of the love of God if you will allow Him, He will crucify that old man.

Christ has the power. “That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts. Ephesians 4:22.

When the Bible says, “put off,” it gives the idea of putting off a garment. It goes on to say, “And be renewed in the spirit of your mind.” Verse 23. Putting off the old man means the transformation of the heart and mind. The Bible says, “And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” Verse 24. Praise God! Through Christ you can put off the old man and put on the new man. But the question is, How do we put off the old man?

“Crucify him.” Paul says, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20.

When we pray as Paul prayed, we receive power to live a new life with Christ dwelling in our hearts. That old man must die. What is the condition of a dead person? “For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they anymore a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished.” Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6.

According to this Scripture, a dead person cannot talk, cannot love, and cannot hate. So when your old man is dead, he cannot hate; he cannot love, and he does not know anything.

We as human beings, living in this world, see, hear, smell, and feel temptations. Many times Satan is so clever that when he tempts, he tempts you in such a way that he causes you to think you have already committed sin while you are only being tempted. He turns your feelings, emotions and thoughts in such a way that he causes you to think you already committed the sin. The devil manipulates and plays with your mind. Temptation is not sin, but when yielding to that temptation, then it is sin. So, between the temptation and yielding, the Christian has the power to say, “Stop! Before I yield to this. I claim that I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live; but Christ liveth in me.” If Christ is living in you, you will respond just the way that Christ would respond to the temptation.

Christ was tempted in all points as we are, but without sin (See Hebrews 4:15). Christ must live within your heart and you must surrender to Him moment by moment to receive His power. But how is that possible when we see, feel, hear and even smell temptation? While living by feelings, it is impossible; you must live by faith. Faith and feelings are as different as east and west—totally different. Some people depend upon feelings to determine the strength of their faith. When feeling good, they have strong faith, but if they feel bad, they are low in spirituality. Feelings may fluctuate, but faith remains steady without listening to feelings, relying on the word of God. The power that is available can only be received by making the right choice.

Though temptations come, respond by faith in the love of Christ, which is the power and secret of the Christian life. When a body is buried, it is put six feet under the ground, and so should the old man be buried, six feet under, but why not make it seven feet under—a perfect burial, and then put a little mountain on top of it so that the old man will not come back up again.

If only a part of the old man is buried, then a foot or hand may come back out and grab something that he likes. That old man wants to live, but by faith you must tell Jesus, “Lord, keep my old man dead, every day, and by faith I live by You and not by him.”

If you have this kind of commitment with the Lord, you will have a victorious Christian experience. The old man has wounded some of you and some others make mistakes here and there, but Jesus is saying, “My child, come to Me. My son, come to me. Let Me explain to you how you can overcome your own self. Let’s walk together again. Die with Me so you can live with Me and walk with Me.”

Do you know how to live the life of humility and obedience? “Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not.” I John 3:6. To dwell on the sin, saying, I cannot commit sin, I better not commit sin, keeps the focus always on the sin, but this misses the crucial point. In order to have strength to overcome sin, the first effort must be to abide with Christ, day by day learning to abide in Him: “nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.” Galatians 2:20.

Why then are there so many fights in the church?

Church members are so often not talking to each other, or competing with each other, or jostling over who will be the next head elder and fighting for position or power. They say, “Who’s paying the most money into church?” “Who has the best education?” Why is it that so often in the board meeting there is dissention, which ends up in fighting? The root of the problem is that we have not learned to die to self, daily. If the church members are dead to self and Christ is living in them, automatically and naturally there will be complete unity and power.

God arranged that there would be order. He planned it, and we must follow His example and follow His steps. Are you fighting for a position or power? How often we see the bigger brother pull rank on the younger brother, pushing the responsibilities his way. When young men show their muscle and their magnificence comparing themselves one against another, self is not dead. When girls gather together and compare who is the thinnest, who is the most beautiful, who has the best-looking boy friend, self is not dead. And then when watching television with every soap opera saturated with adultery, fornication, and self-exaltation by beholding, we become changed. Self is not dead. When young people play computer games of destruction, bloodshed and blowing things up, self is not dead. Do you understand?

Satan is in this world, and he is doing all he can to deceive the people. When Jesus was hanging on the cross, he caused the people watching to say, “If you are the Son of God, come down and save Yourself and we will believe You.” Matthew 27:40. But Christ said, “Forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Luke 23:34. They beat Him, whipped Him, spat upon Him, dragged Him, mocked Him, reviled Him, and nailed Him on the cross, but Jesus, ever so softly and tenderly looked down and said, “My child, I love you. I cannot come down because I want to save you.”

Oh, my brothers and sisters, look to Jesus. Look to Christ. If you do, your old man will become nothing. The only thing you will see is Jesus Christ Who is all in all. Jesus says, “Let us go; let us live together.”

Judy Hallingstad is part of the LandMarks team. She may be contacted by email at: landmarks@stepstolife.org.

Keys to the Storehouse – Ponder Thy Path

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Do you realize how much you are loved? God loves you so much that He “gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16.

There is a statement in Selected Messages, Book 1, 311 that is well worth thinking upon. It begins, “The Creator loves His creatures, but …” (Emphasis added.)

That little word but alters our whole thought process.

We are told to “Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.” Proverbs 4:26, 27.

Have you pondered the path of your feet lately? We are told, “Ye shall observe to do therefore as the Lord your God hath commanded you: ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.” Deuteronomy 5:32.

“Joshua, the commander of Israel, searched the books diligently in which Moses had faithfully chronicled the directions given by God—His requirements, reproofs, and restrictions—lest he should move unadvisedly. Joshua was afraid to trust his own impulses, or his own wisdom. He regarded everything that came from Christ, … as of sufficient importance to be sacredly cherished. “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 2, 993, 994.

Have you pondered the path of your feet lately? I ask this because we are told:

“The Creator loves His creatures, but he who loves sin more than righteousness, error more than truth, perpetuates the transgression that brought woe into our world, and cannot be regarded with favor by the God of truth. The way of truth and righteousness involves a cross.” (Emphasis added.) Selected Messages, Book 1, 311.

If you love sin more than righteousness or error more than truth, you perpetuate that sin—you preserve it from extinction, and you will never be allowed into the kingdom of heaven. Are you choosing to follow the heavenly path, pondering the path of your feet so that sin is not preserved?

“Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.” Joshua 1:7, 8.

“The highway of the upright is to depart from evil: he that keepeth his way preserveth his soul.” Proverbs 16:17.

When you sin, or violate the law,

  • you have chosen sin over righteousness;
  • you love error more than truth;
  • you perpetuate the transgression and preserve it from extinction.

When you want to “preserve” sin from extinction by your actions,

  • you cannot be regarded with favor by the God of truth.

“The Creator loves His creatures, but … .” If you were to place your name in the place of His creatures, would the word but appear after your name? Send up the prayer found in Psalm 139:23, 24 which says, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

Lord, I pray that I will always be regarded with favor by You. As I ponder the path of my feet, please give me spiritual discernment that I may see where the devil is deceiving me into preserving sin. I do not ever want to choose sin over righteousness or error over truth. Please hold up my goings in Thy paths that my footsteps slip not. Amen.

Principles of True Righteousness

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Those who put their trust and hope in Jesus will find that, day by day, their walk with Him will become closer and less in the world.

Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, recorded in Matthew 5, is one of the most misunderstood messages that He gave. Some believe that it summarizes God’s plan of salvation, that those desiring to be in heaven must obey the rules. Others believe it has no significance today, but that it will apply at some future time during religious trial and persecution.

The key is found in verse 20: “For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” The theme is righteousness.

The Pharisees taught a superficial, external righteousness based on law, but Jesus described a righteousness that comes from within, in the heart. Where the Pharisees were so concerned about minute details of conduct, tithing, fasting, and presenting themselves in holy robes, they neglected the major issues of character.

The lessons that Jesus taught to His followers and recorded in the Gospels were foreign to the rules they had come to believe necessary to be saved.

In the Beatitudes and the pictures of the believer, if you do not fix the inside, it does not matter what you do to the outside; it is not going to work. The crowd’s attention was fixed upon Jesus as He spoke the first word: “Blessed” Matthew 5:3. This was a powerful word to those who heard that day, one they had never heard from the Pharisees. To them it meant divine joy and perfect happiness. It was not a word used for humans; it described the kind of joy experienced only by the gods or the dead. “Blessed” implied an inner satisfaction and sufficiency that did not depend on outward circumstances for happiness. Jesus presented to them a message that would enter their hearts.

There are four attitudes described in Matthew 5 that are common among men and women today.

  1. Attitude toward self

“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Verse 3. To be poor in spirit means to be humble, to have a correct estimate of self.

“For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” Romans 12:3. It is not for anyone to consider himself any better than others, as all are equal in God’s sight. Jesus died for all. Attitude makes the difference; we must look at others with the sympathy and love with which God sees us. This does not mean to be without a backbone or have false humility saying, “I am not worth anything!” To be “poor in spirit” exhibits honesty and acceptance of self, putting into practice the best of one’s ability to the glory of God without self-praise and self-assertion that is common in the world.

  1. Attitude toward sin

“Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” Verses 4–6.

Meekness is not weakness, for both Moses and Jesus were meek men. The word translated “meek” was used by the Greeks to describe a horse that had been broken. It refers to power under control.

In Numbers 12:3 describing Moses, it says, “Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.” Moses surrendered his faculties to God, which enabled him to complete the assignments that God gave him. We also can become conquers over our own problems by surrendering our powers to God.

“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.” Matthew 11:29. This is the rest and contentment that Jesus had as He surrendered totally to His Father. This is available to all today. We struggle with the righteousness issue because we are not able to totally surrender. We mourn over our sins and think we need to have some control, but rest comes only after total submission and being under the control of God.

While the Pharisees claimed to be defenders of the law of Moses, they forced people to comply with those laws, demonstrating that they did not reflect the character of Jesus.

  1. Attitude toward the Lord

“Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” Matthew 5:7–9. We experience God’s mercy when we trust Christ. “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:4–9.

In very simple words that means that no matter how hard you try you will not achieve righteousness. No matter how hard you work or how dedicated you are to work, or how much you volunteer for work, you just do not have what it takes and never will—only Jesus has it. It is only through Him that we can reach that righteousness. It is only through Jesus Christ and Him in us that we can do anything. His righteousness is a free gift, His life in us. It is through Christ that we attain to eternal life.

  1. Attitude toward the world

“Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” Luke 18:10–14.

Sadly, this experience is often repeated in our church today. Many say, How dare these people come in here to worship; he is a tax collector. I am better; I fast twice a week; I pay tithe; I pray; what are they doing here? This is an attitude problem. In the story it was the man who humbled himself who went home justified, rejoicing with peace in his heart.

All need the infilling of Christ in the heart to have peace. It is in Christ that all become equal.

“Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 5:10–16.

It is not easy to be a dedicated Christian. Our society is not friendly to Christianity. If it is not friendly to God, it will not be friendly to God’s people either. There is a conflict between the principles of Christianity and the world—conflicting attitudes.

The amusements and fashions of the world do not reflect Christ’s righteousness. There is no Christianity in these things. As your plans for each day are consecrated to God to be carried out or given up as His providence indicates, your life will be molded more and more after the life of Christ. [See Steps to Christ, 70.] The Beatitudes represent an outlook radically different from that presented by the world. The world praises pride and not humility. Where the world endorses sin, especially if you can “get away with it,” God seeks to reconcile His enemies and make them His children. The world is at war with God so it must be expected that those living godly will be persecuted (II Timothy 3:12). But be sure that suffering is not due to personal foolishness or disobedience.

We are told: “All who serve God with purity of soul will know that He is jealous that His honor should be preserved. Many of the most glorious revelations recorded in the Bible were made by the Lord in the darkest days of the church’s history. The Lord has given these revelations of His glory in order that men may be deeply impressed regarding the sacredness of His service. Impressions have been made that should bear with solemn force on the mind, showing that God is God, and that He has not lost His glory. He requires the utmost fidelity in His service today. The impression must be left on human minds that the Lord God is holy, and that He will vindicate His glory.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, 1160.

“Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:31–33.

Note, seek first the kingdom of heaven and righteousness, the righteousness of Jesus, will be provided. There is absolutely nothing we can do to earn righteousness; we simply do not have what it takes to gain righteousness.

“Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings.” Isaiah 51:7.

“And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the Lord our God, as he hath commanded us.” Deuteronomy 6:25.

This instruction applies to you and me. We need to be willing to submit to Him. We must be willing to give all to Jesus in order to receive His righteousness. We have none of our own.

Christ’s righteousness, the wedding garment (Matthew 22:11, 12), the robe of righteousness (Isaiah 61:10), is the covering necessary to inherit the mansions that Christ is preparing in heaven. He went to prepare a place for us, and when He comes again He has promised to take us home with Him.

The indwelling of Christ transforms sinful man into humble, obedient and faithful people.

“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.

“For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

“Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

“For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:17–20.

In the law of Moses, God revealed His standard for holy living. The Pharisees defended it and sought to obey it, but Jesus said that the true righteousness that pleases God must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees. To the common people, the scribes and Pharisees were the holiest men in the community! If they had not attained, what hope was there for anybody else?

Jesus made it clear that He had come to honor the law and help God’s people to love it, learn it, and live it but He would not accept the artificial righteousness of the religious leaders that was merely an external masquerade. Their religion was a dead ritual, not a living relationship. It was artificial and did not reproduce itself in others in a living way but promoted pride instead of humility and led to bondage instead of liberty.

We can fulfill the Law by yielding to the Holy Spirit and allowing Him to work in our lives. The Holy Spirit enables us to daily experience the “righteousness of the law.” This does not mean we live sinlessly perfect lives, but it does mean that Christ lives out His life through us by the power of His Spirit (Galatians 2:20).

Within the Beatitudes, we see the perfect character of Jesus Christ. While Jesus never had to mourn over His own sins, He was still a “man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” Isaiah 53:3. He never had to hunger and thirst after righteousness since He was the holy Son of God, but He did delight in the Father’s will and find His satisfaction in doing it (John 4:34). The only way we can experience the righteousness of the Beatitudes is through the power of Christ.

How do we get victory? By allowing Jesus to purify the desires of the heart and bring into subjection the actions of the body. “And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.” Matthew 5:30.

Obviously, this is not talking about literal surgery; for this would not solve the problem in the heart. Concerning sin, the eye and the hand are usually the two “culprits.” Jesus said, “Deal immediately and decisively with sin! Don’t taper off—cut off!” Spiritual surgery is more important than physical surgery, for the sins of the body can lead to eternal judgment. We think of passages like, “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience.” Colossians 3:5, 6.

“Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.” Romans 6:13.

We are never to retaliate. Jesus replaced a law with an attitude: be willing to suffer loss yourself rather than cause another to suffer. Of course, He applied this to personal insults, not to groups or nations. The person who retaliates only makes himself and the offender feel worse; and the result is a settled war and not peace.

In order to “turn the other cheek” (Matthew 5:39), we must stay where we are and not run away. This demands both faith and love. It also means that we will be hurt, but it is better to be hurt on the outside than to be harmed on the inside. It further means that we should try to help the sinner. We are vulnerable, because he may attack us anew; but we are also victorious, because Jesus is on our side, helping us and building our characters. Psychologists tell us that violence is born of weakness, not strength. It is the strong man who can love and suffer hurt; it is the weak man who thinks only of himself and hurts others to protect himself. He hurts others; then runs away to protect himself.

We are to love our enemies. Nowhere did the law teach hatred for one’s enemies. Passages like Exodus 23:4, 5 indicate just the opposite! Jesus defined our enemies as those who curse us, hate us, and exploit us selfishly. Since Christian love is an act of the will, and not simply an emotion, He has the right to command us to love our enemies. After all, He loved us when we were His enemies (Romans 5:10). We may show this love by blessing those who curse us, doing good to them, and praying for them. Praying for our enemies makes it easier to love them. It takes the “poison” out of our attitude.

There are several reasons given for Jesus’ admonition:

This love is a mark of maturity, proving that we are sons of the Father, and not just little children.

It is Godlike. The Father shares His good things with those who oppose Him. Matthew 5:45 suggests that our love “creates a climate” of blessings that makes it easy to win our enemies and make them our friends. Love is like the sunshine and rain that the Father sends so graciously.

It is a testimony to others. “What do ye more than others” (Matthew 5:47)? is a good question. God expects us to live on a much higher plane than the lost people of the world who return good for good and evil for evil. As Christians, we must return good for evil as an investment of love. We must remember that God is holy and we must do all we can to preserve His glory.

We rob ourselves of today’s joys when we worry about tomorrow. Worrying about tomorrow does not help either tomorrow or today. If anything, it robs us of our effectiveness today—which means we will be even less effective tomorrow. Someone has said that the average person is crucifying himself between two thieves: the regrets of yesterday and the worries about tomorrow. It is right to plan for the future and even to save for the future. In II Corinthians 12:14 it states, “Behold, the third time I am ready to come to you; and I will not be burdensome to you: for I seek not yours, but you: for the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children.” There is also counsel in 1 Timothy 5:8, which says, “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.” It is a sin to worry about the future and permit tomorrow to rob today of its blessings.

There are three things that point the way to victory:

Having faith in God to meet our needs. “Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?” Matthew 6:30.

Trust in our heavenly Father, knowing that He cares for His children. “(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.” Matthew 6:32.

Putting God first. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33. We must put God’s will first in our lives so that He might be glorified. If we have faith in our Father and put Him first, He will meet our needs.

All hypocrisy and anxiety must be put away. Hypocrisy and anxiety are sins. If we practice the true righteousness of the kingdom, we will avoid these sins and everything that goes against God’s word and allow the righteousness of Christ to be totally reproduced in us. The Lord said that without Him, no one can see the Father.

The number one priority in life is to have the righteousness of Christ. We each need to surrender all of our ways into the hands of our Redeemer right now while time lasts.

Pastor Domingo Nuñez is director of Outreach Ministry for Steps to Life. He is involved in the coordination of world mission projects and he travels extensively, encouraging the many home churches supported by Steps to Life. He may be contacted at: 316-788-5559 or by email at: domingonunez@stepstolife.org.

Keys to the Storehouse – Red Flags

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Every repentant sinner appears at the door of the Most Holy Place. Have you been to that door this morning—where Jesus is? Were you there last night?

“Day by day the repentant sinner brought his offering to the door of the tabernacle and, placing his hand upon the victim’s head, confessed his sins, thus in figure transferring them from himself to the innocent sacrifice.” The Great Controversy, 418.

Are you a sinner? It may be that you don’t recognize yourself as a sinner or have anything for which to be sorry. Or maybe you don’t think you have denied Him in any of your actions or words.

We are told in Romans 3:23 that, “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”—come short of God’s character.

Do you suppose that you may have overlooked something? Or are sins, because of repetition, no longer sins in your mind, and you are thinking all is well? God does not want us to be deceived. Several red flags are brought to our attention in the following paragraph so that we may ponder the path of our life before it is too late.

“A spirit contrary to the spirit of Christ would deny Him, whatever the profession. Men may deny Christ by evilspeaking, by foolish talking, by words that are untruthful or unkind. They may deny Him by shunning life’s burdens, by the pursuit of sinful pleasure. They may deny Him by conforming to the world, by uncourteous behavior, by the love of their own opinions, by justifying self, by cherishing doubt, borrowing trouble, and dwelling in darkness. In all these ways they declare that Christ is not in them.” The Desire of Ages, 357. (Emphasis supplied.)

Have you overlooked anything in your life that has not been brought to the door of the Most Holy Place where Jesus is waiting to hear from you?

Sinners do not have eternal life. Each time the law of God is broken, whether it be physical, mental or spiritual laws, that guilty person is living on “death row” waiting for execution, unless or until those sins have been confessed and repented of.

Have you been to the Most Holy Place today to confess, repent of and transfer that sin and guilt to the Most Holy Place and to receive the Holy Spirit, the life of Jesus, in your soul? Go to Him in sincerity, confess, repent, remove the clutter and invite Him into your heart and plead for His Holy Spirit. Why? Because, “The influence of the Holy Spirit is the life of Christ in the soul.” God’s Amazing Grace, 195.

“Those who are begotten unto a new life by the Holy Spirit, have become partakers of the divine nature, and in all their habits and practices, they will give evidence of their relationship to Christ. When men who claim to be Christians retain all their natural defects of character and disposition, in what does their position differ from that of the worldling? They do not appreciate the truth as a sanctifier, a refiner. They have not been born again.” The Review and Herald, April 12, 1892. (Emphasis supplied.)

Have you been to the Most Holy Place today?

My precious Jesus, I come humbly to the door of the Most Holy Place to repent of my behavior that has denied entrance of Thy life, through the Holy Spirit, into my soul. You have opened my eyes to see that I have sinned and fallen short of Thy character. Forgive me. As I lift my soul heavenward I sincerely desire to be filled with Your life through the influence of Thy Holy Spirit. I choose Your life and not death. Amen.

Enduring Trials

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In rightly dividing the word of truth, it is often necessary to look beyond the stated words to the symbolism represented by those words. By so doing, the deeper meaning of Scripture is revealed and the diligent student can see more clearly the promises and workings of God in the lives of His faithful children today. For example, in Exodus 6:6, 7, when we understand that Egypt is symbolic of sin, we recognize not only a promise that God made to literal Israel—which was indeed fulfilled—but also a wonderful promise that applies today to spiritual Israel—a promise which is now being fulfilled through faith in God’s word.

“Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments: And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.” Exodus 6:6, 7.

Understanding the symbolism in these two verses reveals one of the richest and most uplifting promises in Scripture. Here God promises to relieve us from the burden of sin, take us as His own people, and be to us a God, revealing to us that He is the Lord our God who releases us from the burden of sin. What a glorious promise!

But note how this work is to be accomplished: “with great judgments.” In verse 9, we are told that the children of Israel “hearkened not unto Moses.” Then Moses queried of God, “Behold, the children of Israel have not hearkened unto me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircumcised lips?” Verse 12.

It was not until the judgments began to fall on their overlords that the children of Israel realized that they were indeed to be delivered from their bondage. Similarly, many of God’s professed people will not understand the seriousness of the day until God’s judgments begin to fall today.

Even though as conservative, historic, faithful Seventh-day Adventists we make every effort to turn away from the world and keep our thoughts on things above rather than on things of this earth, regardless of how successful we may be at that, we would have to be living in a cave not to know that God is increasingly withdrawing His protecting hand from the earth. And even though His judgments are beginning to fall, His faithful children—spiritual Israel—can expect the same divine protection today that He manifested toward literal Israel when His judgments fell on Egypt. But just as the literal Israelites experienced trials and temptations all along their journey to the Promised Land, so too will the spiritual Israelites.

James 1:12 tells us, “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.”

The Greek word that is translated as temptation in this verse is the derivative of a root word that means to entice or discipline, often translated as try or trial.

Are there advantages to be gained from being tried by God? Clearly there are. Job noted in Job 23:10: “But He knoweth the way that I take: when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.”

Job understands that God knows, as the Hebrew reads literally, “the way that is with him,” that is, his character and what he needs to do to bring it in line with God’s character. The trials that Job faces are for the specific purpose of developing in Job a character that reflects the character of God.

Even Eliphaz, one of the “miserable counselors,” understood to some extent the purpose of the trials and chastenings of God. He said in Job 5:17, “Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty.”

But just as God delivered literal Israel from bondage in Egypt by the imposition of His judgments on the Egyptians, in a similar manner He will deliver spiritual Israel from the bondage of sin in this world through His judgments.

An examination of the trials and chastenings that literal Israel experienced in their journey out of Egypt prior to crossing the Jordan into the Promised Land will give us a fuller understanding of what we can expect on our journey out of sin as we draw closer to the spiritual crossing of the Jordan.

  1. The literal Israelites had to prepare their hearts and homes for the exodus from Egypt by literally sacrificing a lamb and applying the blood to the entrances of their houses.

The Israelites were told, as recorded in Exodus 12:3 and 6, to take a spotless lamb on the tenth day and keep it, safeguard it, until the fourteenth day. Why? During those five days of caring for the lamb, they would undoubtedly become emotionally attached to it. Just as literal Israel grew to know and undoubtedly gain some affection toward the sacrificial lamb, so must spiritual Israel know Christ—the true Lamb of God—and grow to love Him through familiarity with His life and character. How can we gain that familiarity without studying His life, continually and consistently?

“It would be well for us to spend a thoughtful hour each day in contemplation of the life of Christ. We should take it point by point, and let the imagination grasp each scene, especially the closing ones. As we thus dwell upon His great sacrifice for us, our confidence in Him will be more constant, our love will be quickened, and we shall be more deeply imbued with His spirit. If we would be saved at last, we must learn the lesson of penitence and humiliation at the foot of the cross.” The Desire of Ages, 83.

“Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” I Peter 1:18, 19.

We, as the citizens of spiritual Israel, indeed must prepare our hearts by accepting by faith the sacrifice of the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world, and by faith applying the blood of Christ to wash our filthy robes of character and make them whiter than snow.

  1. The literal Israelites had to kill and eat the sacrificial lamb.

“And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. … And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.” Exodus 12:6, 8.

By faith, spiritual Israel has to eat the flesh and drink the blood of the true Lamb.

“Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you.” John 6:53.

  1. The Israelites were not released from bondage until the first-borns of their masters were destroyed.

“And it came to pass, that at midnight the Lord smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle. And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead. And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the Lord, as ye have said.” Exodus 12:29–31.

Spiritual Israel is only released from the bondage of sin through accepting the sacrifice and death of the firstborn of God, His only begotten Son.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16.

  1. It was by means of the trials that the literal Israelites went through that the dross, the unbelievers, backsliders, and naysayers were purged from among them.

“Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice; surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it.” Numbers 14:22, 23.

If, when we are tried, the dross is not removed from us, we will be removed from the body of Christ, just as the unbelievers were purged from the literal Israelites during their wilderness sojourn.

“ ‘No one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.’ From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.” John 6:65, 66 NKJV.

  1. Just as the blood descendants of Abraham faced one final test involving lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, so must the spiritual descendants of Abraham face similar tests against those same temptations.

“And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. And Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel. And the Lord said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the Lord against the sun, that the fierce anger of the Lord may be turned away from Israel. And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, Slay ye every one his men that were joined unto Baalpeor.” Numbers 25:1–5.

“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” I John 2:16, 17.

Just as literal Israel had one last opportunity to choose between life and death, so too will spiritual Israel be given that same opportunity. “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.” Deuteronomy 30:19.

Paul provided a succinct summary of the journey of the Israelites to the promised land in I Corinthians 10:1–11.

“Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and did all eat the same spiritual meat; and did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.”

We would do well to hearken to Paul’s conclusion to that summary: “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” Verse 12.

John Pearson is the office manager and a board member of Steps to Life. After retiring as chief financial officer for the Grand Canyon Association, Grand Canyon, Arizona USA, he moved to Wichita to join the Steps team and may be contacted by email at: johnpearson@stepstolife.org.

Law and Judgment

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The inhabitants of the world are worried; there is so much confusion everywhere and no safety. People do not understand the course of all this political instability and are afraid. There are wars, famine in some places and the whole world is suffering under the financial crisis. Earthquakes are more frequent, tsunamis, floods and forest fires are blazing, and the list is endless recording disasters worldwide. Really, world news today describes the last days as highlighted by Christ in Mathew 24. These events are corrupting the minds of many living today. Where is the safety? Should the elect also be led astray? But the Bible says, “He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved” (verse 13).

Jesus, the true Shepherd is calling upon us to follow Him. He says, “I have kept My Father’s commandments” (John 15:10). He leads His sheep in the path of humble obedience to the Law of God. He never encourages any to transgress the law, which is as sacred as His throne, and by it, everyone who comes into the world is to be judged. Our characters are to be weighed in the balance of God’s law, which is the only standard by which to test character.

A pretended holiness allows one to devise his own standard, judging himself, other than the true standard—God’s law. Making a self-judgment will not sanctify, because when personal standards are set, the law of God is trampled underfoot.

The subject dealt with here is pretentious holiness and its effects on a person’s character and to understand how God watches all from His throne.

Is keeping the commandments a half duty of man?

God should not be taken lightly. It is not for man to set his own standards and feel secure thinking he is on the right side. This is a deception that will end in destruction. The law of God is the standard by which the characters and lives of men are to be tested in the judgment. “Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment.” Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14. The books of record in heaven, in which the names and deeds of men are registered, are to determine the decisions made in the judgment. In pretending, many often commit numerous secret sins with an argument that they are not revealed. This is very dangerous, for such sins are rarely confessed and repented of. The secret purposes and motives appear in an unerring register for God “bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts.” I Corinthians 4:5.

This calls for total faith. “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” Revelation 14:12. He who has not sufficient faith in Christ to believe that He can keep him from sinning does not have the faith that will result in an entrance into the kingdom of God. The faith of Jesus calls for keeping the law of God. The Word should not be just a lifeless theory, but a living force that changes the life. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:8–10.

Man’s devised laws only result in boasting and self-righteousness, thus revealing weakness. The great change that is seen in the life of a sinner after his conversion is miraculous and not brought about through any human goodness, thereby eliminating any human boasting. “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” Proverbs 14:12.

Keeping the law is the key to eternal life. Those who set their own standards are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold. Have you taken time to examine yourself? The Lord is speaking to you to be careful. Take time to understand the condition in which you find yourself. The hot have experienced the new birth and know the necessity of daily living by the Spirit. We are living in the time of judgment, and as the Lord looks at His people, He finds that the majority of them are lukewarm. The cold know they are not in a saving relationship and realize their lost condition: “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:15, 16), says the Lord.

“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in His law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.” Psalm 1. All who seek to be an evergreen tree planted by the river will produce fruits.

Sin is the transgression of the law. “Whosoever hath sinned [transgressed the law] against Me, him will I blot out of My book.” Exodus 32:33. “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.” James 2:10–12. Any unrepented of iniquity makes of no effect all previous righteousness. Through Christ we have been accepted into the family of God, and as children of God, we are to uphold His honor, His character. It will be great joy to do any act that will keep you in the family of God in conformity with the law of God. “There is no darkness, nor shadow of death, where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.” Job 34:22.

We have been saved by grace, but grace does not abolish the law of God. All who bear the name Christian are to reflect the character, actions, and words of Christ Jesus, Who is meek, lowly and tender in heart. We must keep ourselves worthy to be in the family of God here on this earth to prepare for the life to come. To be saved by grace and not under the law means to stop sinning, as it is by the law that we know sin. Jesus Christ is coming again to receive those who are ready to welcome Him at His second advent. This will take place immediately after the work of the investigative judgment has been accomplished. The reward He brings with Him is to give to every man according to his work. How important then should our minds contemplate the reward and whether the judgment shall place us on the right side of the controversy. Satan should never be given the opportunity to exult over his conquests.

Make haste to confess every known sin and decide today to put them away. “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper; but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” Proverbs 28:13. Do not allow Satan to corrupt your mind through defects in your character, but shun him and hold on to Jesus in order to have your character perfected as probation time nears its end. The many issues that are taking place in the world today should not be a source of confusion but give hope that our Lord is at the door and inspire us to be ready to receive Him. Will you receive Him or will you hide? “Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him. Even so, Amen.” Revelation 1:7.

Father, I am not worthy even to stand before You.

Thank you for saving me by the grace of Christ Jesus.

Help me Lord to value your advocacy from sin.

I yearn to love You more in my heart and do Your will.

Give me Your Spirit to be my guide each day of my life, Amen.

Bismark Nobert Emali (see testimony in LandMarks, October 2010) is a student working on his Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Kenya. His life is a testimony to many. He is a keen Bible student. During school breaks he writes numerous articles as well as helping out at Three Angels’ Messages Evangelistic Ministry in Bunyore, Kenya. His mission is to evangelize in Africa. He may be contacted by email at: emalinobert@yahoo.com.

Peace While War Rages

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“Great peace have they which love Thy law: and nothing shall offend them.”

Psalm 119:165

“The quest for inner calm and peace has been a universal struggle for mankind throughout the ages. Even for those who profess to be followers of the ‘Prince of Peace’ [Isaiah 9:6], it is difficult to realize with consistency that ‘God’s ways are always higher than our ways and His thoughts than our thoughts’ [Isaiah 55:9]. It becomes normal living much of the time to experience undue anxiety about our plans without ever consulting Him for His perfect will. If only we could learn this simple lesson: ‘Tis far, far better to let Him choose the way that we should take, if only we thus leave our life with Him, He will guide without mistake.’ ” 101 More Hymn Stories, by Kenneth W. Osbeck, Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, 261, 2.

Affecting the cross-section of humanity is the tension, unhappiness and storm that is constantly raging within the human soul. Even within the Christian world, the majority of those who profess to be followers of Christ are expressing ongoing unrest in the private recesses of their mind—they have no peace of mind!

It is noted that, “Those in the business world live with tension daily. One businessman was so overwhelmed with the tension, frustration, and turmoil that he sought advice from his pastor. As they talked, the man chain-smoked, fidgeted, and kept rubbing his chin nervously. Even the pastor’s advice to ‘slow-down’ brought the man more tension. ‘I know I need to unwind, but I just can’t right now,’ he said. ‘With all of the economic problems in my line of business, I’m under so much pressure to succeed that I honestly don’t know how to slow down and end this rat race.’ His frustration is typical of that faced by many other professionals in the business community. This man is the norm, not the exception.

“Those who work in the home don’t escape tension and frustration, either. A housewife recently went to her doctor, with complaints of feeling run down. After a thorough examination, the doctor told her, ‘Lady, you’re not run down. You’re too wound up.’

“Even children are affected by tension. A little girl once told her mother that she was nervous. ‘Honey, what do you mean?’ the mother asked. ‘I really don’t know, but I just feel in a hurry all over,’ the little girl replied. It seems that no particular age group or profession is exempt from the high pressures of today’s society.” Conquering the Kill-Joys, by Bill Weber, Word Books, (1986), 57.

Those who allow tension to be an ever-represent emotion in everyday life are inviting a powerful, destructive force to reign within them. Is the stress in your life temporary, or is it slowly destroying your life? Try the following test, answering each question as honestly as you can. Your answer could determine whether or not you are overly tense.

  1. Do minor problems throw you into a dither?
  2. Do you find it difficult to get along with people, develop friendships, or begin conversations with others?
  3. Do the small pleasures of life fail to satisfy you?
  4. Do you find it difficult or impossible to stop thinking about your personal anxieties?
  5. Do you fear new people and situations?
  6. Are you suspicious of other people or mistrust your friends?
  7. Have you picked up any bad, dangerous, or destructive habits that you have been unable to shake?

If you answered yes to most of the questions, you are probably finding it difficult to deal with a tension-ridden society. As stress and tension become a way of life, you will find that other people will not want to be around you because you have become uptight and nervous. You are no longer enjoyable to be around, and you will find that others will quickly cut off conversations with you or try to avoid you.

Tension not only can affect your relationship with others, but it can also affect you personally and physically. Dr. Herbert Vincent of the Harvard Medical School tells what effects stress has on our bodies: “… there is an increase within the body of a hormone called adrenaline. This, in turn, increases the blood pressure—that is, the amount of blood flowing to the muscles—and the rate of the heartbeat, causes excessive sweating, headaches and an upset stomach. This can create a ‘fight or flight’ response with the body. So, if you want to suffer the side results—possibly heart attack, premature death, stomach disorders, high blood pressure, nervous difficulties—you continue down the road of uptightness and tenseness.” Ibid., 58, 59.

I believe that it was in contemplation of such truths that these words were penned by God’s servant: “Many of the diseases from which men suffer are the result of mental depression. Grief, anxiety, discontent, remorse, guilt, distrust, all tend to break down the life forces and to invite decay and death.” The Ministry of Healing, 241.

In his epistle to the Galatians, the noted apostle to the Gentiles points out that the fruit of the Spirit is love! This is the fruit that grows on the Christian tree or is manifest in the Christian life when the Holy Spirit controls the believer. Joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance are the graces of the Holy Spirit that are products of the fruit of love. I would like to examine the element of the graces of the Holy Spirit, which is peace.

The Greek word eirene (#1515 in Strong’s Concordance) is translated peace in our English language and gives the following descriptions:

  1. Harmonious relationships between man – Matthew 10:34; Romans 14:19
  2. Between nations – Luke 14:32; Acts 12:20; Revelation 6:4
  3. Friendliness – Acts 15:33; I Corinthians 16:11; Hebrews 11:31
  4. Freedom from molestation – Luke 11:21; 19:42; Acts 9:3
  5. Order, in the State – Acts 24:2
  6. Order, in the Church – I Corinthians 14:33
  7. The harmonized relationship between God and man, accomplished through the gospel – Acts 10:36; Ephesians 2:17
  8. The sense of rest and contentment consequent thereon – Matthew 10:13; Mark 5:34; Luke 1:79; 2:29; John 14:27

The Hebrew word salom or shalom (#7965 in Strong’s Concordance) gives us our English word peace. This word shalom primarily signifies “wholeness,” Joshua 8:31 “unhewn”; Ruth 2:12 “full”; Nehemiah 6:15 “finished”; Isaiah 42:19 “made perfect.” In the Septuagint shalom is often rendered by sotcria, meaning salvation, e.g., Genesis 26:31; 41:16, hence the “peace-offering” is called the “salvation offering.”

The words of our Lord and Saviour: “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27. You will notice in this verse that there are two kinds of peace open to our understanding, namely “My peace” and “wordly peace” or peace that the world giveth.

Here Jesus speaks of inward peace such as comes to him who is “justified by faith,” whose sense of guilt has been laid at the foot of the cross, and whose anxieties about the future have been swallowed up in his implicit trust in God. Such a peace Jesus terms “My peace.” Such a peace, with all its boast, science cannot bestow.

So we read the words of the apostle Paul to get a good understanding of what this peace involves. Romans 5:1 states, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

“As the penitent sinner, contrite before God, discerns Christ’s atonement in his behalf, and accepts this atonement as his only hope in this life and the future life, his sins are pardoned. This is justification by faith. Every believing soul is to conform his will entirely to God’s will, and keep in a state of repentance and contrition, exercising faith in the atoning merits of the Redeemer and advancing from strength to strength, from glory to glory.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 6, 1070.

“The grace of Christ is freely to justify the sinner without merit or claim on his part. Justification is a full, complete pardon of sin. The moment a sinner accepts Christ by faith, that moment he is pardoned. The righteousness of Christ is imputed to him, and he is no more to doubt God’s forgiving grace.” Ibid., 1071.

Paul speaks further in Romans 14:17: “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.”

“The promises are, ‘A new heart will I give you’; ‘I will put my Spirit within you’ [Ezekiel 11:19]. This provision is made for us through the merit of Christ’s righteousness: ‘And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.’ Isaiah 32:17. Those who experience the change spoken of in these words will find that their restlessness and disquietude are all taken away, and they will find rest unto their souls in Christ. His merit, His righteousness, are imputed to the believing soul, and the believer has inward peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.” The Faith I Live By, 121.

In the book Medical Ministry, 53, the question is asked, “What can make a heart so light, what can spread so much sunshine through the soul, as the sense of sins forgiven? The peace of Christ is life and health.”

Therefore, knowing that you are forgiven of your sins, knowing that you are justified and accepting by faith the pardon and justification—which of course is one and the self same thing—brings peace to the troubled mind. The converse is true; we are not experiencing the peace that passeth understanding because we do not possess the righteousness of Christ.

Some Effects Peace Produces in the Heart

“Nothing is more needed in our work than the practical results of communion with God. We should show by our daily lives that we have peace and rest in the Saviour. His peace in the heart will shine forth in the countenance. It will give to the voice a persuasive power. Communion with God will ennoble the character and the life. Men will take knowledge of us, as of the first disciples, that we have been with Jesus. This will impart to the worker a power that nothing else can give. Of this power he must not allow himself to be deprived.

“We must live a twofold life—a life of thought and action, of silent prayer and earnest work. The strength received through communion with God, united with earnest effort in training the mind to thoughtfulness and caretaking, prepares one for daily duties and keeps the spirit in peace under all circumstances, however trying.” The Ministry of Healing, 512.

Now, remember what the apostle Paul wrote: “But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace … .” We see an association with this in the following statement: “The same divine mind that is working upon the things of nature is speaking to the hearts of men and creating an inexpressible craving for something they have not. The things of the world cannot satisfy their longing. The Spirit of God is pleading with them to seek for those things that alone can give peace and rest—the grace of Christ, the joy of holiness.” Steps to Christ, 28.

Coupled with this statement is the following: “Those who really enjoy the love of God will have joy and peace. Religion was never designed to make one pleasureless. What can be productive of greater happiness than to enjoy the peace of Christ, the bright sunshine of His presence?” The Faith I Live By, 237.

These statements demonstrate that the grace or love of Christ and the joy of holiness are prerequisites to possessing the “My peace.”

Significantly, if a person has not submitted himself/herself to the Holy Spirit, then the Holy Spirit will not be able to do the work of regeneration whereby Christ can dwell in the life of that person, controlling, governing every impulse and motive and planting and causing to grow His love in the life of the believer. Consequently, there can be no joy in the Lord and if there be no joy, then there will certainly be no “My peace.”

Understandingly, therefore, the challenge that faces every professed Christian is to make a full surrender of himself/herself to the Holy Spirit; this is our first work!

“Our first and highest duty is to know that we are abiding in Christ. He must do the work. We are to seek to know ‘What saith the Lord,’ yielding our lives to His guidance. When we have the Spirit of an abiding Christ, everything will take on a changed aspect. The Saviour alone can give us the rest and peace we so much need. And, in every invitation He gives us to seek the Lord that He may be found of us, He is calling us to abide in Him. This is an invitation, not merely to come to Him, but to remain in Him. It is the Spirit of God that moves us to come. When we have this rest and peace, our daily worries will not lead us to be coarse and rough and uncourteous. We shall no longer follow our own way and will. We will want to do the will of God, abiding in Christ as the branches in the vine.” This Day With God, 140.

“When the Spirit of God takes possession of the heart, it transforms the life. Sinful thoughts are put away, evil deeds are renounced; love, humility, and peace take the place of anger, envy, and strife. Joy takes the place of sadness, and the countenance reflects the light of heaven.” The Desire of Ages, 173. And in the same book is stated, “Wherever His Spirit reigns, there peace abides. And there will be joy also, for there is a calm, holy trust in God.” Ibid., 153.

So the Holy Spirit is the agent through whom we may obtain peace. This is made possible when Christ is presented to us as our sin pardoning Saviour and by accepting Christ and His righteousness we give the Holy Spirit permission to do the work of regeneration in us in order that Christ may dwell within, and thereby gives us His love, joy, and peace.

Jesus records the highest work of the Holy Spirit: “He shall glorify Me: for He shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you.” John 16:14.

“Abiding peace, true rest of spirit, has but one Source. It was of this that Christ spoke when He said, ‘Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.’ Matthew 11:28. ‘Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you.’ John 14:27. This peace is not something that He gives apart from Himself. It is in Christ, and we can receive it only by receiving Him.” The Ministry of Healing, 247.

“When we believe in Christ as our personal Saviour, the peace of Christ is ours. The reconciliation provided for us in the atonement of Christ is the foundation of our peace.” Lift Him Up, 332.

What is the nature of the peace that Christ left for His people?

Is it something that is temporary? Is it the same thing that is only given to a select few or class in the church?

“Shortly before His crucifixion Christ had bequeathed to His disciples a legacy of peace. ‘Peace I leave with you,’ He said, ‘My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ John 14:27. This peace is not the peace that comes through conformity to the world. Christ never purchased peace by compromise with evil. The peace that Christ left His disciples is internal rather than external and was ever to remain with His witnesses through strife and contention.” The Acts of the Apostles, 84.

In Mark’s gospel, chapter 4:34–41, is recorded a most beautiful experience that is very beneficial to us Christians living on the brink of eternity. Jesus had a very busy day; things were going well until the multitude did not want to leave, thus the disciples had to send them away and then decided to go on the other side of the lake. Of course, while they were planning, Satan was also planning. The Scripture tells us that Jesus was so tired that He fell asleep while in the ship and then a storm arose that seriously threatened the lives of all on board. “And He was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake Him, and say unto Him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And He arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And He said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?” Verses 38–40.

“When Jesus was awakened to meet the storm, He was in perfect peace. There was no trace of fear in word or look, for no fear was in His heart. But He rested not in the possession of almighty power. It was not as the ‘Master of earth and sea and sky’ that He reposed in quiet. That power He had laid down, and He says, ‘I can of Mine own self do nothing.’ John 5:30. He trusted in the Father’s might. It was in faith—faith in God’s love and care—that Jesus rested, and the power of that word which stilled the storm was the power of God.

“As Jesus rested by faith in the Father’s care, so we are to rest in the care of our Saviour. If the disciples had trusted in Him, they would have been kept in peace. Their fear in the time of danger revealed their unbelief. In their efforts to save themselves, they forgot Jesus; and it was only when, in despair of self-dependence, they turned to Him that He could give them help.

“How often the disciples’ experience is ours! When the tempests of temptation gather, and the fierce lightnings flash, and the waves sweep over us, we battle with the storm alone, forgetting that there is One who can help us. We trust to our own strength till our hope is lost, and we are ready to perish. Then we remember Jesus, and if we call upon Him to save us, we shall not cry in vain. Though He sorrowfully reproves our unbelief and self-confidence, He never fails to give us the help we need. Whether on the land or on the sea, if we have the Saviour in our hearts, there is no need of fear. Living faith in the Redeemer will smooth the sea of life, and will deliver us from danger in the way that He knows to be best.

“There is another spiritual lesson in this miracle of the stilling of the tempest. Every man’s experience testifies to the truth of the words of Scripture, ‘The wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest. … There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.’ Isaiah 57:20, 21. Sin has destroyed our peace. While self is unsubdued, we can find no rest. The masterful passions of the heart no human power can control. We are as helpless here as were the disciples to quiet the raging storm. But He who spoke peace to the billows of Galilee has spoken the word of peace for every soul. However fierce the tempest, those who turn to Jesus with the cry, ‘Lord, save us,’ will find deliverance. His grace, that reconciles the soul to God, quiets the strife of human passion, and in His love the heart is at rest.” The Desire of Ages, 336.

What are some things that destroy our peace?

  1. Love of self – “It is the love of self that destroys our peace. While self is all alive, we stand ready continually to guard it from mortification and insult; but when we are dead, and our life is hid with Christ in God, we shall not take neglects or slights to heart. We shall be deaf to reproach and blind to scorn and insult.” Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 16.
  2. Sinful unbelief – “Nothing mars the peace of the soul like sinful unbelief.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 213.
  3. Evilspeaking and talebearing – “Many ask the Lord to humble them, but are unwilling to submit to the needful discipline. When the test comes, when trials or even annoyances occur, the heart rebels, and the tongue utters words that are like poisoned arrows or blasting hail.

“Evilspeaking is a twofold curse, falling more heavily upon the speaker than upon the hearer. He who scatters the seeds of dissension and strife reaps in his own soul the deadly fruits. How miserable is the talebearer, the surmiser of evil! He is a stranger to true happiness.” Ibid., vol. 5, 176.

  1. Discord, strife, censuring – “All is harmony, peace, and love in heaven. No discord, no strife, no censuring, no unloving words, no clouded brows, no jars there; and no one will be introduced there who possesses any of these elements so destructive to peace and happiness.” Ibid., vol. 1, 706.
  2. Criticism – “The peace of Christ cannot dwell in the mind and heart of a workman who criticizes and finds fault with another workman simply because the other does not practice the methods he thinks best, or because he feels that he is not appreciated. The Lord never blesses him who criticizes and accuses his brethren, for this is Satan’s work.” Evangelism, 102.

Finally brethren, “It is the spirit cherished which gives coloring to all our actions. A man at peace with God and his fellow men cannot be made miserable. Envy will not be in his heart; evil surmising will find no room there; hatred cannot exist. The heart in harmony with God is lifted above the annoyances and trials of this life. But a heart where the peace of Christ is not, is unhappy, full of discontent; the person sees defects in everything, and he would bring discord into the most heavenly music. A life of selfishness is a life of evil. Those whose hearts are filled with love of self will store away evil thoughts of their brethren and will talk against God’s instrumentalities. Passions kept warm and fierce by Satan’s promptings are a bitter fountain, ever sending forth bitter streams to poison the life of others. …

“Let each one who claims to follow Christ esteem himself less and others more. Press together, press together! In union there is strength and victory; in discord and division there is weakness and defeat. These words have been spoken to me from heaven. As God’s ambassador I speak them to you.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 488.

“I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Ephesians 4:1–3. Amen!

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.

Q&A – The Unpardonable Sin, Is There any sin that cannot be forgiven?

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God is love and it is His will that all would accept His invitation of mercy. However, this world cannot continue in the state it is in and His mercy will reach its limit. The sin against the Holy Ghost is to reject to the uttermost all the means of salvation in Christ Jesus, the only name given under heaven among men whereby we can be saved. (See Acts 4:12.)

The apostle Paul said, “Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?” Hebrews 10:29.

We are told: “There are none so hardened as those who have slighted the invitation of mercy, and done despite to the Spirit of grace. The most common manifestation of the sin against the Holy Spirit is in persistently slighting Heaven’s invitation to repent. Every step in the rejection of Christ is a step toward the rejection of salvation, and toward the sin against the Holy Spirit.

“In rejecting Christ the Jewish people committed the unpardonable sin; and by refusing the invitation of mercy, we may commit the same error. We offer insult to the Prince of life, and put Him to shame before the synagogue of Satan and before the heavenly universe when we refuse to listen to His delegated messengers, and instead listen to the agents of Satan, who would draw the soul away from Christ. So long as one does this, he can find no hope or pardon, and he will finally lose all desire to be reconciled to God.” The Desire of Ages, 324, 325.

“Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.” Matthew 12:31.

“Whatever the sin, if the soul repents and believes, the guilt is washed away in the blood of Christ; but he who rejects the work of the Holy Spirit is placing himself where repentance and faith cannot come to him. It is by the Spirit that God works upon the heart; when men willfully reject the Spirit, and declare it to be from Satan, they cut off the channel by which God can communicate with them. When the Spirit is finally rejected, there is no more that God can do for the soul.

“It is not God that blinds the eyes of men or hardens their hearts. He sends them light to correct their errors, and to lead them in safe paths; it is by the rejection of this light that the eyes are blinded and the heart hardened. Often the process is gradual, and almost imperceptible. Light comes to the soul through God’s word, through His servants, or 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.” God’s Amazing Grace, 215.

It is not an enviable position to be in this world without hope or pardon and to lose all desire to be reconciled with God. There is a line that can be crossed from which there is no return. Only God knows when that is. There is no more time to waste; maybe the next invitation will be your last!

The Last Years of Earth’s History

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I believe that we are living in the last years of Earth’s history. Ellen White says in Manuscript Releases, vol. 13, 379, “In His Word the Lord declared what He would do for Israel if they would obey His voice. But the leaders of the people yielded to the temptations of Satan, and God could not give them the blessings He designed them to have, because they did not obey His voice but listened to the voice and policy of Lucifer. This experience will be repeated in the last years of the history of the people of God, who have been established by His grace and power. Men whom He has greatly honored will in the closing scenes of this earth’s history pattern after ancient Israel.”

That is a startling statement when considering their final stages and that it would be repeated. We are living in the last years, and we need to press together and help each other get ready for the kingdom of heaven. Ellen White says that the prophecy Jesus gave in Luke 21:34 was especially for those who live in the last days. Jesus says, “But take heed [pay attention] to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly.” That word translated carousing, which the King James Version translates surfeiting can be translated dissipation, or sensual indulgence. Be careful that you don’t get weighed down because of sensual indulgence, drunkenness, or the cares of this life.

We all suffer with the cares of this life. All over the world people are struggling—the poor with poverty, the rich with other worries and everyone in between. Jesus says, “Watch out! Don’t let the cares of this life crush you.”

I have known people who purchased land in the country and decided to save money by building their own house while at the same time running a business. They are so busy that when Sabbath morning comes around, they are just too tired to get up and go to church. We are creatures of habit. Sometimes we don’t realize how strong these habits can become. Once you start sleeping in, you will do it again and again until you’re in the habit of working hard all week and then require the weekend to catch up on missed sleep. We all have the power to choose our own lifestyle and prioritize.

On one occasion when everyone had left Jesus, He asked His disciples, “Do you want to go, too?” (See John 6:60, 61.) He gave them the choice; they could either stay or go. This is a choice we all have. Some people struggle with sensual gratification while others struggle with drunkenness, which is the use of alcohol, drugs or mind-altering substances. There are others who are not tempted by any substances but still have many cares just in daily living that occupy all of their time.

This has taken a tremendous toll within Adventism. In the early days, yearly camp meetings were held for ten days covering two weekends. Then, as life became busier and numbers decreased, it was cut down to start Wednesday or Thursday night and go through the weekend. Steps to Life camp meeting is two days shorter this year than it has been in the past. Why is that? God’s people are so busy with the cares of this life; they don’t have time to come to camp meeting. This is a serious problem and something we need to study and pray about. Are we so busy that we don’t have time to pray? Are we so busy that we don’t have time to go to church? Are we so busy that we don’t have time to go to camp meeting? Are we so busy that we don’t have time to attend prayer meeting? Do we allow time at all to talk to the Lord?

“And as we near the close of time, Satan’s temptation to indulge appetite will be more powerful and more difficult to overcome.” Counsels on Diet and Foods, 164. Notice, one of the things Jesus mentioned was dissipation or sensual gratification, which is regarding appetite.

“As we near the close of time, we must rise higher and still higher on the question of health reform and Christian temperance, presenting it in a more positive and decided manner.” A Call to Medical Evangelism and Health Education, 41.

“As our first parents lost Eden through the indulgence of appetite, our only hope of regaining Eden is through the firm denial of appetite and passion.” Counsels on Diet and Foods, 59.

Spiritual concepts are often unable to be understood by people because of their poor physical condition due to the way they eat, drink, smoke, and use drugs, alcohol, or other substances. The mental power needed to think clearly about spiritual things is directly affected by a person’s physical condition.

Ellen White wrote, in The Review and Herald, April 1, 1875, the following: “Satan is a cunning foe. And it is not difficult for the evil angels to represent both saints and sinners who have died, and make these representations visible to human eyes. These manifestations will be more frequent, and developments of a more startling character will appear as we near the close of time.”

We need to be on our guard in regard to spiritualism. You may see representations that claim to be the apostles. And eventually, as stated in The Great Controversy, 624, Satan himself is going to impersonate Christ, and when he does that, almost the whole world is going to fall down and worship him. You and I are going to be commanded to fall down and worship him. This will be more startling, more dazzling, more glorious, Ellen White says, than anything that human eyes have yet beheld.

Unless we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we will be mesmerized, or hypnotized, and we will not realize what we are doing. I realize more and more that we must pray daily that we might receive the Holy Spirit, which is the only means by which we can be kept from being deceived.

We have the example of another development that will happen, as we draw near the end of time, in the rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. (See Numbers 16.) Paul tells us that, “These things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages are come.” I Corinthians 10:11.

“Satan has led persons to imitate the example of Korah, Dathan and Abiram, in raising insurrection among the people of God. Those who permit themselves to rise in opposition to the plain testimony, become self-deceived, and have really thought that those upon whom God laid the burden of His work were exalted above the people of God, and that their counsels and reproofs were uncalled for.” Testimony Studies on Diets and Foods, 149. Mrs. White speaks here in regard to rebellion against the Spirit of Prophecy. The children of Israel under the direction of Korah, who led Dathan and Abiram to help him, with 250 princes, rebelled against the authority of Moses. Remember, God had already said, “If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream. Not so with My servant Moses; He is faithful in all My house. I speak with him face to face.” Numbers 12:6–8.

In the wilderness, the Israelites had somebody in their midst that was more than a prophet. Do we have someone who is more than a prophet? Yes we do. Throughout the history of the Great Controversy since the fall of man, in addition to the sending of Jesus Christ, three times God has sent to His people someone that was more than a prophet.

The first was Moses. God said, “Moses My servant is not so.” Numbers 12:6, literal translation. In other words, he is more than a prophet.

The second was John the Baptist. “Among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist.” Luke 7:28. (See also Matthew 11:9.) He was more than a prophet.

The third time, just as God sent someone that was more than a prophet to His people to prepare them for the First Advent, he also sent someone to them to help prepare for the Second Advent. People asked Ellen White, “Why is it that you don’t claim to be a prophet?” She said, “My work includes much more than the word ‘prophet’ signifies.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 32.

But people will always arise to oppose the plain testimony. How does that happen? How does a church go into apostasy? It is usually without anybody in the church knowing about it. But by the time you get to the point that people are outwardly opposing the straight testimony, the church is not just approaching but actually is already in apostasy.

Jesus said, “This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:14. That prophecy was fulfilled before the destruction of Jerusalem, and it will be fulfilled again before the Second Coming. It is predicted, in Revelation 14:6 and 7, that the everlasting gospel will go to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. Taking the gospel to every nation, kindred, language, and people requires money. Notice what Ellen White said about this: “The wants of the cause will continually increase as we near the close of time.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 156.

“We are placed on trial in this world, to determine our fitness for the future life. None can enter heaven whose characters are defiled by the foul blot of selfishness. Therefore, God tests us here, by committing to us temporal possessions, that our use of these may show whether we can be entrusted with eternal riches.” Counsels on Stewardship, 22. As we near the close of time, God’s work is going to need more money, and we need to pray that the Lord will help us to acquire the funds we need to do bigger projects and get the work finished. There’s a lot of work that has to be done before Jesus can come.

In a special testimony to the Battle Creek church in 1882, Ellen White wrote: “As we near the close of time the demarcation between the children of light and the children of darkness will be more and more decided. They will be more and more at variance. This difference is expressed in the words of Christ, ‘born again’—created anew in Christ, dead to the world, and alive unto God. These are the walls of separation that divide the heavenly from the earthly and describe the difference between those who belong to the world and those who are chosen out of it, who are elect, precious in the sight of God.” Last Day Events, 215, 216.

When Jesus comes, those waiting for Him are going to be like Him and not like the world. But those who decide to be a friend of the world are enemies of God (James 4:4). Revelation 19:19 says, “I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.” All of the forces in the world will be united to fight Jesus Christ when He comes in the clouds of heaven. So, all who have become like Jesus, reflecting His character, will find the whole world at variance with them.

This demarcation between the children of light and the children of darkness will be more and more decided, and they will be more and more at variance as time goes on. The devil is trying everything, especially with our young people, to persuade them of some advantage of becoming like the world. If you are getting ready for Jesus to come, you are going to become more and more different than the world. The gap widens—some people becoming more like the world while others becoming more like the Lord. That difference causes splits, separations, strife and variance among God’s professed people. I do not want to speak from the standpoint of unbelief, but I want to be realistic in my faith and my understanding of religion and the times in which we live.

Many preachers talk about the unity and harmony that will be in the church when the latter rain falls. Those who are going to be ready for Jesus to come will be in harmony and unity, but don’t think there will be harmony and unity between everybody.

Yes, within the same church there will be harmony and unity within one group, but also variance and division within another. Research the expression, nominal Adventists. When I was studying theology, we were taught that the nominal Adventists were the first day Adventists after 1844 that did not accept the Sabbath. But, over and over again Ellen White says that at the time of the latter rain, the loud cry, when the work of God is finishing in the world, there are going to be some nominal Adventists, and that they will be our most bitter enemies.

“As we near the close of time, the human mind is more readily affected by Satan’s devices. He leads deceived mortals to account for the works and miracles of Christ upon general principles.” Messages to Young People, 57.

You and I are not going to make it unless we study Inspired writings and accept what is said there and follow it. One of the things we need to emphasize is that the people who are lost are going to really think that they are saved until they come right up to the end. That is scary, but it is a fact. Within the Adventist church as well as the Christian world at large, the people who are lost will think that they are saved until they come right up to the end.

“We make a few feeble efforts to do right, and then go back to our old life of sin. If we ever enter the kingdom of God, we must enter with perfect characters, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing. Satan works with increased activity as we near the close of time. He lays his snares, unperceived by us, that he may take possession of our minds. In every way he tries to eclipse the glory of God from the soul.” The Youth’s Instructor, January 4, 1900.

Satan lays his plans, unperceived by us, and is working as we draw near the close of time with increased activity. We cannot see what he is doing, but let me tell you, if you are a preacher or if you are involved in evangelism, you should be able to see today the results of his work.

I have never seen anything like what we are going through today, either in the church or in the world. People think that no matter what they believe, we are all going to the same place in the end. But we are not all going to the same place.

Ellen White wrote: “Through the pleasures and ambitions of the world, the enemy is working to draw the youth into his ranks, and he has much success. As we approach nearer to the close of time, he will invent every possible attraction to draw their minds into worldly channels.” The Review and Herald, February 1, 1912.

We have seen this happen. We are losing almost all of our young people. What is responsible? “Human nature is still the same. And Satan is as active, earnest, and persevering now as at any period in the past. Nay, rather, the word of God declares that his power and enmity increase as we near the close of time.” The Signs of the Times, January 24, 1884.

The devil will work upon human imagination. He has been more successful than we could ever imagine in stealing the young people from among God’s people.

“The repeated murmurings of the Israelites, and the visitations of God’s wrath because of their transgressions, are recorded in sacred history for the benefit of God’s people who should afterward live upon the earth; but more especially to prove a warning to those who should live near the close of time.” The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 1, 270.

All those things that happened to the children of Israel were recorded especially for those that would live near the close of time. Especially mentioned are their repeated murmurings. There were 600,000 men over 20 years of age that left Egypt, and out of those 600,000, only two went into the Promised Land. What happened to the rest? They murmured their way into the wilderness. Today we would describe it as grumbling or complaining. They complained about the food and the leadership. Moses was continually blamed for all their troubles.

They became so unhappy with Moses that at one point they wanted to stone him. They planned to select another leader who would take them where they wanted to go—back to Egypt. They were unhappy about the leadership that God chose for them.

Today, God is raising up men and women to lead the people to the Promised Land, but history is being repeated. “With a malicious spirit they attack the character and motives of those who stand in defense of unpopular truth. Though very unbelieving in regard to the sure word of prophecy, they manifest the utmost credulity in accepting anything detrimental to the Christian integrity of those who dare to reprove fashionable sins. This spirit will increase more and more as we near the close of time.” Ibid., vol. 4, 292.

We are living in a time when you have to decide whether you will be in trouble with either men or with God. You will not be able to get along with both. “The devil has come down to you having great wrath because he knows that he has a short time.” Revelation 12:12.

The devil commenced his destructive work in heaven with the angels by making accusations against the Father and the Son, the government of God and the law of God. He knows his time is short so he turns up the heat. “As we near the close of time, Satan comes down with great power, knowing that his time is short. Especially will his power be exercised upon the remnant. He will war against them, and seek to divide and scatter them, that they may grow weak and be overthrown.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 210. This can be seen in our churches.

A united group of people working harmoniously can do far more in God’s work than all of those people working separately and alone, so the devil causes people to argue and disagree to cause division “that they may grow weak and be overthrown.” One of the most successful ways the devil does that is through gossip, which is the cause of two-thirds of church trials. Satan’s first claim in heaven was that he was not treated right! He didn’t get the job he thought he should have! Can anyone relate to that?

There are so many people who say they believe the Three Angels’ Messages but who will not worship with this one or that one over the most incidental things. But the bottom line is often, “They didn’t treat me right, so I can’t go to church with those people.” We had better sort it out soon, because there is only one church in heaven, and if we can’t worship together here, some of us won’t be there.

There is another group of people who believe that we will continue to sin right up until the Lord comes, and then, miraculously, every sinful desire will be taken away from them, all rifts will be healed, and those who could not worship together before will become best friends.

What a delusion! Jesus is not going to come and take a bunch of separate groups of people who can’t get along here to heaven. We might as well face up to it, because that is not going to happen. Now, before probation closes, is the time to work out our differences. Do not give up on each other but pray for one another, press together and don’t allow the devil to have his way in dividing and scattering us so we will “grow weak and be overthrown.”

When Jesus comes, those who are saved will be united and a part of God’s one church. They will receive a new immortal body when He comes, but the attitude they have on the first day in heaven will not be any different than their last day on earth.

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

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

The Two Ones, Adam and Christ

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We cannot say that we have not been warned. The apostle Peter, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, warned us very clearly: “Even as our beloved brother Paul also, according to the wisdom given unto him, hath written unto you; As also in all of his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to be understood, which they who are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.” 2 Peter 3:15, 16.

What shall we do then, with the writings of Paul? Shall we just lay them aside? Certainly not, they are scriptures, and we need them. But let us not approach them carelessly, and let us carefully abide by our basic rule of all Bible study, that a passage which is not clear to us at first reading must be understood in the light of other passages on the same subject. Thus the Bible interprets itself to us, and we do not place a private interpretation on the Bible. And since the Holy Spirit is the ultimate author of the scriptures, it follows that all Spirit inspired writings should be included in our study. Peter did not say that some of Paul’s writings are impossible to understand—he just said that they are difficult.

So with all due caution and care, let us address ourselves to one of those difficult passages, Romans 5:12–19. Many people have started to read this scripture, and after a few verses have given it up and gone on to the next chapter. But just now this passage is being placed before us as the cornerstone of a false theology. We are going to be hearing a great deal about this false theology, and if we do not have an understanding of Paul’s message in these verses, we are in danger of being deceived. We note in passing that false teachers quite customarily seize upon obscure passages as a vehicle for their errors, but we do not have time to enlarge on that point and cite examples just now.

In Romans 5:12 Paul sets up a comparison, which might be called The Comparison of the Two Ones, since he uses the term “one” repeatedly, and in the comparison itself does not use names. Then he does something a bit out of the ordinary. Before finishing his comparison, he stops in the middle of it to make some explanations and state some qualifications. Having done this in verses 13–17, he then returns to his comparison and completes it in verses 18 and 19.

The King James translators took note of this unusual circumstance, and put verses 13–17 in parentheses, as you will see if you look at them carefully. Paul himself also took note of it, and used a word in verse 18 which, in the Greek language, signifies a return to a line of thought which has been interrupted. This is not indicated in the King James translation, where verse 18 is introduced with the word “therefore.” But Paul did not use the single word ara, which means “therefore.” He used the compound form, ara oun, which means “therefore, to return to my interrupted subject.” (Refer to any Greek-English lexicon.)

Phillip Schaff offers this comment: “The Apostle might have spared the commentators a great deal of trouble, if he had, according to the ordinary rules of composition, first stated the comparison in full, and then given the explanations and qualifications.” Quoted in Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 6, 529.

Having now made ourselves aware of Paul’s arrangement of his ideas, let us read the comparison in full, in verses 12, 18 and 19, passing by, for the moment, the explanations and qualifications in verses 13–17: “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned . . . Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life; For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.”

Let us make a list of the comparisons and contrasts between the accomplishments and influences of “The Two Ones,” who are obviously Adam and Christ:

One (Adam): One (Christ):

·Disobedience ·Obedience

·Sin ·Righteousness

·Condemnation ·Justification

·Death ·Life

·Many made sinners ·Many made righteous

Now we understand his comparison, so let us go back and examine the explanations and qualifications that Paul had put in verses 13–17. Verses 13 and 14 are an explanation of what he had said in verse 12: “and so death passed upon all men.”

Nothing else that he had said in verse 12 called for any explanation, but this did. How did death pass upon all men? How about the Gentiles, who had not had the law? Were they not exceptions? If not, why not?

Paul denies that they are exceptions, though conceding that they had not sinned “after the similitude of Adam’s transgression,” that is, not in defiance of a direct and specific command, such as God had given to Adam about the tree of good and evil. Nevertheless he holds them accountable for such light as they had, insisting that “death reigned from Adam to Moses,” even over the Gentiles who did not have the written law of Moses.

“For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression.” Romans 5:13, 14.

Paul is arguing that the Gentiles, even though they were not being held accountable for disobeying the laws of Moses, which they had not known, were nevertheless being held accountable in the manner that he had already described in Romans 2:14–16: “For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves . . . their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another. In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.”

This is a reflection of the same truth that had been expressed by the Apostle John in John 1:9: “[Jesus] was the true light, that lighteth every man that cometh into the world.”

Having thus explained in verses 13–14 what he had meant by the words, “death passed upon all men,” in verse 12, he moves on to state, in verse 15, a qualification of his comparison of “The Two Ones,” using the words “but not,” and “much more:” “But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one, many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, had abounded unto many.”

The Grace of God

He recognizes that his comparison is lopsided, because the act of God in Christ is so much greater than the act of Adam, so he puts in this much more qualification, then follows it by another qualification of a similar nature in verses 16–17: “And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.”

So the act of Adam and the act of Christ are not equal, even though both brought far-reaching results. The saving act of Christ far surpasses and transcends all other acts, and can only be compared with them if qualifications are stated. Having made this clear, he now returns to his comparison, and finishes it, in verses 18–19, which we have already examined.

The tragic act of Adam brought disobedience, sin, condemnation, death and the making of many sinners. The glorious act of Christ brought obedience, righteousness, justification, life, and the making of many righteous.

So where is the problem? How is this scripture being used as the cornerstone of a false theology?

First or the Second Death?

The problem is in the short phrase in verse 12: “and so death passed upon all men.”

Is this referring to the first death, or to the second death? We remember that the first death comes to all, as a result of Adam’s sin. We pause to reflect that others die as a result of Adam’s sin, not because they are responsible for it. Your cat, your dog, and your horse will all die as a result of Adam’s sin—not because they were responsible for it.

We remember that the second death is total annihilation. This creates a question: How could death pass from an annihilated person to other persons? Can annihilation be passed from one to another?

And in verse 15 Paul writes: “For if through the offence of one many be dead.”

Obviously these persons were already dead when Paul was writing, but had they been annihilated? No. And carrying this point a step further, Had Adam himself been annihilated? Again we must answer, No. If we choose to believe that the death referred to in Romans 5 is the second death of annihilation, we are confronted with insurmountable difficulties. How could an annihilated Adam pass on annihilation to others? Impossible.

Yet some theologians and some among us are arguing for that position. What shall we do when confronted with a problem like this? Go to the Spirit of Prophecy. That is what it is for. And if someone casts the senseless accusation at us, that we are putting Ellen White above the Bible, just look them in the eye and firmly set them straight. We are not putting Ellen White above the Bible, we are putting her above all earthly interpreters. We are saying that Ellen White had a better understanding of the Scriptures than anyone else since the Apostle Paul.

As quickly as we turn to her writings, we find that she understood clearly the difference between the first death and the second death, and that she understood which death Paul was referring to when he wrote in Romans 5:12 that “death passed upon all men.”

She discusses the matter on pages 533 and 544 of The Great Controversy. She quotes certain scriptures on page 544, including Romans 6:23: “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” She then writes: “The death referred to in these scriptures is not that pronounced upon Adam, for all mankind suffer the penalty of his transgression. It is the ‘second death’ that is placed in contrast with everlasting life.”

That makes sense. It would hardly be sensible to place eternal life in contrast with the earthly, temporary death. To contrast eternal life with eternal death would be much more logical. Then she enlarges on the subject of the first death, and in a precise parallel with Romans 5:12 she writes: “In consequence of Adam’s sin, death passed upon the whole human race.”

Here she uses three of Paul’s words, “death passed upon.” On page 533, dealing with the same subject, the first death, she uses a longer quotation from Romans 5:12: “While ‘death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned,’ Christ ‘hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.’”

On page 544 she continues in the same vein, stating what happens after the first death: “In consequence of Adam’s sin, death passed upon the whole human race. All alike go down into the grave [the first death]. And through the provisions of the plan of salvation, all are to be brought forth from their graves. ‘There shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust;’ (Acts 24:15) ‘for as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.’ (1 Corinthians 15:22) But a distinction is made between the two classes that are brought forth. ‘All that are in the graves shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.’ (John 5:28, 29) They who have been ‘accounted worthy’ of the resurrection of life are ‘blessed and holy.’ ‘On such the second death hath no power.’ (Rev 20:6) But those who have not, through repentance, and faith, secured pardon, must receive the penalty of transgression,—‘the wages of sin.’ They suffer punishment varying in duration and intensity, ‘according to their works,’ but finally ending in the second death.”

So God’s inspired messenger answers our questions about Romans 5, and clears away our problems, just as she did in the early Bible conferences of our pioneers, and in countless other situations where divine insight was needed to protect God’s people from scriptural error. Now we know beyond question that the death described in Romans 5, that began with Adam and passed upon all men, is the first death, not the second death of annihilation.

What did not pass?

Another simple means of determining what passed from Adam to others is to pose the question, What did not pass from Adam to others? Ellen White, with crystal clear consistency, deals with this question in The Great Controversy, 533, 534: “Adam could not transfer to his posterity that which he did not possess . . . Had man after his fall been allowed free access to the tree of life, he would have lived forever, and thus sin would have been immortalized. But cherubim and a flaming sword ‘kept the way of the tree of life,’ (Genesis 3:24) and not one of the family of Adam has been permitted to pass that barrier and partake of the life-giving fruit. Therefore there is not an immortal sinner.”

A prominent Seventh-day Adventist theologian, one of those who were trying to introduce the falsehoods of Calvinism into Adventism, once challenged me with the question: If guilt is not passed from Adam to his children, why do babies die? He obviously was not familiar with the above passages from the scriptures and the Spirit of Prophecy, or else just did not accept them.

Beyond Belief

It is even so today. Those who refuse to permit God’s chosen messenger to correct their thinking, and protect them from misunderstanding the scriptures, go blindly on, stumbling from one error to another, blundering in the darkness of their own presumed wisdom. An outstanding example may be seen in the recent book, Beyond Belief, by Jack Sequeira. In a chapter entitled The Two Adams—Romans 5, he argues most strenuously for six and a third pages that the death referred to in Romans 5 is the second death. Thus he firmly rejects the Spirit of Prophecy, placing his own judgment above the light that has come to us from God, and uses this as a foundation pillar in a fearfully false theology.

Substitutionary Atonement

Sequiera’s false theology is built upon three main pillars. The first pillar is his misuse of Romans 5, as already noted. The second pillar is a rejection of the substitutionary atonement, which we will consider next. The third is a total rewriting of the gospel into the incomprehensible gibberish of metaphysical language. But before I share with you anything from this book, I must caution you that the book abounds in inglorious self-contradictions. Whatever you read from it to a friend, you must be prepared to have the friend say, “Oh no, that is the opposite of what he believes,” and then actually read to you, from a different page, the exact opposite of what you read. We will have reason to note this as we go along.

Sequeira’s false theology’s rejection of the substitutionary atonement, the great truth that Christ took our punishment and died for our sins, is found on pages 39–49 of his book, Beyond Belief. There we find the following remarkable statements, attributed to Catholic scholars (but with no documentation):

“No law allows one person to assume the guilt or punishment of another. Righteousness cannot be passed from one person to another.” Beyond Belief, 39.

“It is a fundamental principle of all law, God’s or man’s, that guilt or punishment cannot be transferred from the guilty to the innocent, nor can the righteousness of one person be legally transferred to another.” Ibid., 40.

“No law of God or man will allow guilt or righteousness to be transferred from one person to another . . . Law simply will not allow sin to be transferred from the guilty to the innocent.” Ibid., 42.

What then of the following scripture?

“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all . . . he shall bear their iniquities . . . he bare the sin of many.” Isaiah 53:5, 6, 11, 12.

I just made a quick scan of the writings of Paul, and counted sixteen references saying that Christ died for us. Are these all in error? And what of the sanctuary service, which is entirely built around the concept of a transfer of sin and guilt from the sinner to a sin bearer, a substitutionary atonement? Is this all nonsense? I have just counted seventeen references in the Spirit of Prophecy which use the word transfer in describing how our guilt is laid on Jesus, and His righteousness is credited to us. Here is a sample:

“The iniquity is transferred to the innocent, the pure, the holy Son of God; and man, all undeserving, stands before the Lord cleansed from all unrighteousness, and clothed with the imputed righteousness of Christ.” Bible Commentary, vol. 4, 1178.

In my CD-ROM I found more than five hundred passages where Ellen White uses the word substitute in a similar manner. She firmly believed in the substitutionary atonement, that Christ took our punishment and died for our sins. Sequeira with equal firmness denies this, except as the word substitution is defined by himself as something other than substitution. See page 48, where he contradicts himself in a single paragraph. In a similar self-contradiction, he refers to Jesus as our sin-bearer, after redefining the term as something other than sin-bearing. (See pages 14, 124, 131, et. al.)

We have now noted two of the basic principles, the foundations, or pillars, upon which Sequeira’s false theology is based: the misuse of Romans 5 and the denial of the substitutionary atonement. We have noted that he contradicts himself in regard to the substitutionary atonement. He also contradicts himself in regard to the second death, advancing the argument that Romans 5 applies to both the first and the second death.

Metaphysical Gibberish

There is a third principle of his false theology which is made necessary by these two. This third basic principle is a virtual rewriting of the plan of salvation into the incomprehensible gibberish of metaphysical language. (Metaphysical means part physical and part nonphysical.) Consider these examples:

“All three aspects of our salvation—justification, sanctification, and glorification—have already been accomplished in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Ibid., 30. (Then why are we still here? Glorified persons are in the kingdom of God.)

“All mankind, as a corporate unit, participated in Adam’s fall.” Ibid., 36. (Jesus, according to Sequeira, was a part of corporate humanity. Did Jesus participate in Adam’s fall?)

“In Him we lived a perfect life. . .” Ibid., 43. (Before we were born?)

“In Him we died the penalty for sin.” Ibid., 43. (Were we our own saviors?)

“All humanity corporately obeyed the law in one Man, Jesus Christ.” Ibid., 48. (Then why are they called sinners?)

“Every baby is born subjectively under the reign of sin, condemnation, and death because of Adam’s fall.” Ibid., 61. (What happens if they die soon after birth? And what about the baby Jesus?)

“Our eternal destiny depends on which humanity we have chosen.” Ibid., 62. (Are there two humanities, and do we have a choice?)

“Thus the life we receive at birth is a life that has sinned.” Ibid., 63. (Is this reincarnation?)

“On the cross, Christ actually experienced the second death on behalf of fallen humanity.” Ibid., 75. (This statement is not qualified, so it must include annihilation. Did Jesus experience annihilation? Ellen White indicates that Jesus did in a certain manner experience the anguish of the second death (See The Desire of Ages, chapter 74.) but she does not introduce that concept into Romans 5.)

“The whole human race, which originated in the first Adam, died in Christ, the last Adam.” Ibid., 86. (But there are still seven billion of us here.)

“God will never help the flesh to be good, because the flesh is Satan’s domain, and unalterably opposed to God.” Ibid., 94. (What about the flesh of Jesus? For the shocking answer, read on.)

“Christ’s flesh, being our corporate sinful flesh, lusted after sin.” Ibid., 147. (Is that clear enough? Ellen White says that the flesh, of itself, cannot sin. Adventist Home, 127.)

“A believer is no longer under the law’s authority.” Ibid., 164. ( Then how can we sin? and what about James 2:12: “So speak ye and so do as they who shall be judged by the law of liberty?”)

“I believe the Bible teaches that God actually and unconditionally saved all humanity at the cross.” Ibid., 8. (But the conditions are stated in the next sentence.)

We could go on, but is it necessary? In a statement that is exceptional for its accuracy, Sequeira writes in his preface: “This book presents the plan of salvation in a new light and, therefore, will require the reader to put aside all preconceived ideas in order to appreciate its message.” Ibid., 7. (It will also be helpful to put aside your reasoning faculties. This is tacitly conceded on page 8.)

“In studying the truth of the gospel, you will discover much that contradicts human reasoning.” Ibid., 8. (This is emphatically true of Sequeira’s gospel, but not of the true gospel.)

If one should put one or more of these questions directly to Sequeira, as I have done, there will be an immediate and fluent answer, but the answer will be just as incomprehensible as the statements themselves. We are reminded of Ellen White’s response to persons who asked her to explain the writings of John Harvey Kellogg in his pantheistic book, The Living Temple. They cannot be explained, she said. They are unexplainable. All in all, Sequeira’s book is a tragic conglomeration of false reasoning, contradictions of scripture, contradictions of the Spirit of Prophecy, and even contradictions of itself. What is strongly affirmed on one page is with equal firmness denied on another. The book appears to be bringing about a striking fulfillment of the solemn warning by Ellen White: “God will arouse His people. If other means fail, heresies will come in among them, separating the chaff from the wheat.” Testimonies to the Church, vol. 5, 707.

The heresies are here, pouring forth from our publishing houses and being preached from the pulpits of our churches. How can we hope to analyze them all and decipher their incomprehensible mysteries? Here is a practical suggestion. Don’t bother with the intricate arguments, the convoluted concepts, the false reasoning. Just look at the bottom line. If the bottom line tells you that you don’t need to stop sinning, that is all that you need to know. Throw the book away, even if other pages tell you that you should stop sinning, and do not pollute your mind with its mixture of truth with falsehood. Then fortify your soul by drinking from the pure fountains that flow from the throne of God, the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy. Here are the strong towers in which we may find safety. May God be with you.

The End