sin

Editorial – Will You be an Overcomer?

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“The last great day is right upon us. Let all consider that Satan is now striving for the mastery over souls. He is playing the game of life for your souls. Will there be sins committed by you on the very borders of the heavenly Canaan? Oh what revealings! The husband will know for the first time the deception and falsehood that have been practiced by the wife whom he thought innocent and pure. The wife for the first time will know the case of her husband, and the relatives and friends will see how error and falsehood and corruption have been clustering about them; for the secrets of all hearts will stand revealed. The hour of Judgment is almost here,—long delayed by the goodness and mercy of God. But the trump of God will sound to the consternation of the unprepared who are living, and awaken the pale nations of the dead. The great white throne will appear, and all the righteous dead will come forth to immortality. Whatever have been the little sins indulged will ruin the soul, unless they are overcome. The small sins will swell into the greater sins. Impure thoughts, private, impure actions, unrefined, low, and sensual thoughts and actions in the marriage life, the giving loose reins to the baser passions under the marriage vow will lead to every other sin, the transgression of all the commandments of God. Men that God has entrusted with noble talents will be, unless closely connected with God, guilty of great weakness, and not having the grace of Christ in the soul will become connected with greater crimes. This is because they do not make the truth of God a part of them. Their discipline has been defective, the soul culture has not been carried forward from one advance to another, inborn tendencies have not been restrained, but have degraded the soul. For all the natural weaknesses Jesus has made ample provision, that they may be overcome through his grace. If not overcome, the weakness will become a tyrant, a conqueror, to overcome them, and the heavenly light will become beclouded and extinguished.” Review and Herald, May 24, 1887.

“You may feel that you cannot meet the approval of heaven. You may say, ‘I was born with a natural tendency toward this evil, and I cannot overcome.’ But every provision has been made by our heavenly Father whereby you may be able to overcome every unholy tendency. You are to overcome even as Christ overcame in your behalf. He says, ‘To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.’ It was sin that imperiled the human family; and before man was created the provision was made that if man failed to bear the test, Jesus would become his sacrifice and surety, that through faith in him, man might be reconciled to God, for Christ was the lamb ‘slain from the foundation of the world.’ Christ died on Calvary that man might have power to overcome his natural tendencies to sin. But one says, ‘Can I not have my own way, and act myself?’—No, you cannot have your way, and enter the kingdom of heaven. No ‘my way’ will be there. No human ways will find place in the kingdom of heaven. Our ways must be lost in God’s ways.” Review and Herald, February 23, 1892.

“When there is a determined purpose born in your heart to overcome, you will have a disposition to overcome, and will cultivate those traits of character that are desirable, and will engage in the conflict with steady, persevering effort. You will exercise a ceaseless watchfulness over your defects of character; and will cultivate right practices in little things. The difficulty of overcoming will be lessened in proportion as the heart is sanctified by the grace of Christ. Earnest, persevering effort will place you on the vantage-ground of victory; for he who strives to overcome in and through the grace of Christ, will have divine enlightenment, and will understand how great truths can be brought into little things, and religion can be carried into the little as well as into the large concerns of life.” Youth’s Instructor, September 7, 1893.

“Every one who is to receive the overcomer’s reward must first overcome every sin; and not until he overcomes through divine grace, can he entertain hope of entering the haven of eternal bliss.” Testimonies to the Church Regarding Individual Responsibility and Christian Unity, 13.

The End

Inspiration – Days of Noah

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This is inspired testimony respecting the state of society in the days of Noah—an accurate description of the generation that perished in the waters of the flood. “God saw that the wickedness of man was great,” and that the “earth was filled with violence” [Genesis 6:5, first part, 11]. The fear of God had well-nigh died out of the hearts of the children of men. Lawlessness was rife, and almost every conceivable sin was practiced. The wickedness of men was open and daring, and the cries of the oppressed reached to heaven. Justice was trampled in the dust. The strong not only disregarded the rights of the weak, but forced them to commit deeds of violence and crime.

The wickedness of man was great; but this was not all. “Every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” [Genesis 6:5, last part]. The purposes and desires of the heart were corrupt from day to day.

Many flatter themselves that in this enlightened age men are superior in knowledge and talent to those who lived before the flood; but those who think this do not rightly estimate the physical and mental strength of that long-lived race. In those early ages, growth was slow and firm. Men did not, as at the present time, flash into maturity early, and quickly exhaust their vital forces. Their minds were of a high order, and were strong and clear. Had these men, with their rare powers to conceive and execute, devoted themselves to the service of God, they would have made their Creator’s name a praise in the earth, and would have answered the purpose for which he gave them being. But they failed to do this. “All flesh had corrupted his way on the earth” [Genesis 6:12]. There were many giants, men of great stature and strength, renowned for wisdom, skillful in devising the most cunning and wonderful work; but in proportion to their skill and mental ability was their great guilt because of unbridled iniquity.

These antediluvians had received many and rich gifts from God; but they used the bounties granted them by Divine Providence to minister to their own selfish desires, and turned them into a curse by fixing their thoughts and affections upon the gifts instead of the Giver. They had goodly trees of great variety and almost without limit; but of these they made temples, where they reveled in scenes of pleasure and wickedness. Gold, silver, and precious stones were in abundance; but they used these also to gratify the desires of their own proud hearts.

These sinful men could not deny the existence of God; but they would have been glad to know that there was no God to witness their deeds and call them to account. They delighted to put Him out of their minds. The children were not taught to fear and reverence their Maker. They grew up unrestrained in their desires, and destitute of principle or conscience. Their minds were absorbed in devising means to rival one another in pleasure and vice; and they neither looked nor cared for a heaven beyond this world.

Yet the whole world was not corrupt. There were a few faithful witnesses for God. Methuselah, Enoch, Noah, and many others labored to keep alive on the earth the knowledge of the true God, and to stay the tide of moral evil. God declared that his Spirit should not always strive with guilty men, but that their probation should be a hundred and twenty years; if they did not then cease to pollute with their sins the world and its rich treasures, he would blot them from his creation; and these faithful ministers of righteousness gave the warning message. But the light was not heeded, and the preaching of Noah and his co-laborers impressed hearts less and less. Many, even of the worshipers of God, had not sufficient moral power to stand against the corrupting influences of the age, and were beguiled into sin by the bewitching allurements that were constantly before them.

But at length the patience of God was exhausted. By their obstinate resistance to the reproofs of conscience and the warnings of God’s messengers, that generation filled up the measure of their iniquity, and became ripe for destruction. Because mankind had perverted his gifts, God would deface and destroy the things with which he delighted to bless them; he would sweep away the beasts of the field, and the rich vegetation which furnished such an abundant supply of food, and transform the fair earth into one vast scene of desolation and ruin. And guilty man should utterly perish in the overthrow of the world upon which he had set his affections.

Is not this picture of the antediluvian world reproduced in our time? Man has not grown more pure and holy since the days of Noah. His heart has not changed; it is still “deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” [Jeremiah 17:9]. The intense worldliness of that generation is exceeded by that of the generation now living. Money is lavishly spent for costly houses, fine horses and carriages, and other expensive articles of luxury and display, while the poor suffer for food and clothing. The fear of God is banished from the hearts of the children of men, and his law is treated with indifference and neglect.

Said Christ: “As in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came and took them all away, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” [Matthew 24:38, 39]. God did not condemn the antediluvians for eating and drinking; he had given them the fruits of the earth in great abundance to supply their physical wants. Their sin consisted in taking these gifts without gratitude to the Giver, and debasing themselves by indulging appetite without restraint.

It was lawful for them to marry. Marriage was in God’s order; it was one of the first institutions which he established. He gave special directions concerning this ordinance, clothing it with sanctity and beauty; but these directions had been forgotten, and marriage had been perverted to minister to passion. The godly mingled with the depraved, and became like them in spirit and in deeds. “The sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose” [Genesis 6:2].

A similar state of things exists now in relation to marriage. Marriages are formed between the godly and the ungodly, because inclination governs in the selection of husband or wife. The parties do not ask counsel of God, nor have his glory in view. Christianity ought to have a controlling, sanctifying influence upon the marriage relation; but husband and wife are not united by Christian principle; uncontrolled passion lies at the foundation of many of the marriages that are contracted at the present time.

In Noah’s day there were men who laughed to scorn his words of warning. They said that nature was governed by fixed laws which made a flood impossible, and that if there were any truth in what he said, the great men, the wise and prudent, would understand the matter. There was total disbelief in Noah’s testimony in regard to the coming judgments; but this unbelief did not prevent or hinder the gathering storm. At the appointed time, “the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened” [Genesis 7:11], and the earth was washed of its corruption. Only those who found shelter in the ark were saved.

Reader, another storm is coming. The earth will again be swept by the desolating wrath of God, and again sin and sinners will be destroyed. … Says the psalmist: “Because thou hast made the Lord, who is my refuge, even the Most High, thy habitation, there shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways” [Psalm 91:9–11].

The Bible Echo and Signs of the Times, July 1, 1887.

The Two Adams

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Most people at some time in their life have thought to themselves, “This isn’t fair,” or “I don’t deserve this.” I remember having this conversation in my mind. In reality I was questioning God and saying, “Why am I here? I didn’t choose to be here. I didn’t ask to be born. I didn’t choose to come into this world, and yet, here I am.”

The Bible describes only two destinies—heaven or hell. When younger, I thought I understood which way I was headed, but no matter what I did, it was like swimming upstream against the current. As much as I would struggle and fight to try to do what I knew was right, it seemed as if I was continually going deeper and deeper into sin. It was in this frame of mind that I began questioning God, asking, “Why am I here?”

In Deuteronomy 30:19 it says, “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.”

Ever since sin entered into the universe, every created being has had to make a decision to ultimately choose life or death. It began in heaven when Lucifer rebelled against the government of God, resulting in all the angels having to choose to whom they would give their allegiance. When God created man, the devil charged Him with being an arbitrary ruler, not allowing His created beings the freedom of choice.

“And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Genesis 2:7.

Adam was created perfect when he was put in his garden home and given every advantage to know God. Immortality was not given to him at that time. His character had to be tested to see if he would remain faithful to God. It was no fault of God that sin entered into the universe, although He is generally blamed for its results.

“It certainly was not God’s purpose that man should be sinful. He made Adam pure and noble, with no tendency to evil. He placed him in Eden, where he had every inducement to remain loyal and obedient. The law was placed around him as a safeguard.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 1, 1084.

Everything he could have needed was provided for him, and the test God gave him was made as small as possible. After a time, had Adam been faithful, he would have been set apart and set outside of Satan’s temptations.

“God had power to hold Adam back from touching the forbidden fruit; but had He done this, Satan would have been sustained in his charge against God’s arbitrary rule. Man would not have been a free moral agent, but a mere machine.” Ibid.

God wants man to be free, and only in Him is there true freedom. Satan, however, has a different agenda; his “freedom” leads man into bondage.

“In what consisted the strength of the assault made upon Adam, which caused his fall? It was not his indwelling sin; for God made Adam after His own character, pure and upright. There were no corrupt principles in the first Adam, no corrupt propensities or tendencies to evil. Adam was as faultless as the angels before God’s throne.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 16, 8.

God not only created Adam in His own image, perfect without a taint of sin with no inclinations to sin, but He provided him everything he needed. The temptation was as small as possible, yet we know the story of what happened.

“And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.” Genesis 3:2–6.

Adam and Eve failed the simple test of loyalty that would assure them eternal security. Now the innocence they had before they fell, “they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed” (Genesis 2:25), was gone. Instead, “the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.” Genesis 3:7. When they sinned, they lost the robe of light, the robe of innocence. (See Christ’s Object Lessons, 311.)

They were no longer innocently naked, and their best effort to cover themselves was to sew together fig leaves. The results of Adam’s sin have affected the whole human race.

“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.” Romans 5:12. The decision Adam made affects each one of us through the inheritance we received from him. No other man was created separate to Adam. We are all part of that original creation and Adam could pass on to his posterity no higher character than what he possessed.

“When Adam and Eve were placed in the Garden of Eden, they were innocent and sinless, in perfect harmony with God. Enmity had no natural existence in their hearts. But when they transgressed, their nature was no longer sinless. They became evil, for they had placed themselves on the side of the fallen foe, doing the very things that God specified they should not do. Had there been no interference on the part of God, fallen humans would have formed a firm alliance with Satan against heaven.” Christ Triumphant, 28.

“The transgression of God’s law brought woe and death in its train. Through disobedience man’s powers were perverted, and selfishness took the place of love. His nature became so weakened that it was impossible for him to resist the power of evil; and the tempter saw being fulfilled his purpose to thwart the divine plan of man’s creation and fill the earth with misery and desolation. Men had chosen a ruler who chained them to his car as captives.” Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 33.

“Eve fell under the temptation, and Adam accepted the forbidden fruit from his wife’s hand. He fell under the smallest test that the Lord could devise to prove his obedience, and the floodgates of woe were opened upon our world. He was furnished with a holy nature, sinless, pure, undefiled; but he fell because he listened to the suggestions of the enemy; and his posterity became depraved.” Christ Triumphant, 246.

Depraved—wicked, corrupt, destitute of holiness or good principles. That is the result of Adam’s sin which has been passed on to us. Why did he fall? It was because he didn’t believe God could replace Eve. She had been given to him by God and he loved her so much that he thought he could not live without her; therefore he determined to share her fate.

In contrast, Abraham is called the father of the faithful. Considering the test Abraham endured, it is easy to see why he is referred to in this way.

Where Adam’s test was the simplest that God could give him, Abraham’s test was the most severe, yet in reality it was the same test. God had given Abraham a son in his old age, whom he loved dearly. Then God said, “I want you to sacrifice him” (Genesis 22:2). The father of the faithful passed the test that Adam had failed.

The Condition of the Human Heart

“The heart is deceitful above all things [incurable], and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Jeremiah 17:9.

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23.

“I am carnal, sold under sin.” Romans 7:14. This is the heritage we have been given from Adam, our first parent. As his offspring, born under sin, we are born in bondage. Paul said that there is none righteous (Romans 3:10) and that in our flesh nothing good dwells (Romans 7:18).

Looking at it from the most basic aspect of things, our natural state is to be filled with all unrighteousness (Romans 1:29).

“Nothing but His righteousness can entitle us to one of the blessings of the covenant of grace. We have long desired and tried to obtain these blessings but have not received them because we have cherished the idea that we could do something to make ourselves worthy of them. We have not looked away from ourselves, believing that Jesus is a living Saviour. We must not think that our own grace and merits will save us; the grace of Christ is our only hope of salvation. …

“There are conscientious souls that trust partly to God and partly to themselves. They do not look to God, to be kept by His power, but depend upon watchfulness against temptation and the performance of certain duties for acceptance with Him. There are no victories in this kind of faith. Such persons toil to no purpose; their souls are in continual bondage, and they find no rest until their burdens are laid at the feet of Jesus.” Counsels for the Church, 47, 49.

“For we know that the law is spiritual; but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do, I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members warring against the law in my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” Romans 7:14–24.

In this passage, Paul says he delights in the law of God after the inward man and he wants to do what is right, but how to perform it he is unable to find. This shows you that willpower is not enough, the reason being that it is sin that dwells in him. Sin is the transgression of the law. Jesus made a more specific application for sin being within the mind. He said that a bad tree cannot bare good fruit and a good tree cannot bare bad fruit. Either the tree is good and the fruit is good, or the tree is bad and the fruit is bad (Matthew 7:17–19).

We are told that there is a law, that when I would do good, evil was present. In Romans 8:2 it says, “The law of sin and death.” There are judicial laws and there are natural laws. Judicial law is implemented when a punishment is given relative to the crime. The consequence of violating the natural law is built into the law. It’s not an arbitrary thing but is a natural course of events.

When God’s law is violated, the natural result is death because we separate ourselves from God. It is not God that arbitrarily says, “If you sin, I’m going to kill you.” It does not say that. The law says that if you sin, you transgress the law and will die as a natural consequence. If you were to violate the law of gravity, which says, “whatever goes up must come down” and jump off a building and get killed, it is not God that killed you. Dying was the result of jumping off the building. It is the same with God’s law—defy it and the natural consequence is death.

Paul says in Romans 7 that there is a law in his members that when he would do good, evil was present with him. Compare this with the illustration of the law of gravity. You can jump up and even get off the ground for a little while, but there is no way to get around the law of gravity which forces you to come right back down.

You could climb up in a tree or climb to the top of a mountain or even get higher, but still the law of gravity exists. Many Christians try to do the impossible by good works. As far as being under the law of sin and death, there’s nothing we can do that can get us out from under it.

However, there is another set of laws, and if you come into harmony with those laws, you can actually defy the law of gravity, because you are under a different law. It is called the law of aerodynamics. While in harmony with those laws, the law of gravity has no claim on you.

In Romans 8:1–4, Paul says, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

In order to be free from the law of sin and death, we have to come under a different law, the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. So, now there are two laws—the law of sin and death and the law of the Spirit of life.

Man has two choices—life or death. Being under one is to be freed from the other. Jesus said, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” Matthew 6:24.

There is no middle ground and you are either going to be under one master or the other. So the decision to be made is, Which one will you be under?

“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: (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, who is the figure of Him that was to come.” Romans 5:12–14.

Adam is the figure of Him that was to come. “And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.” I Corinthians 15:45–47.

Adam was a figure of Christ. He stood at the head of the human race and in him the whole human race existed. Christ stands at the head of a new creation, a new race of people, those who are saved. What Adam did affected all of us. What Christ did, and still does, encompasses all of us.

In John 3:5, 6, Jesus said to Nicodemus, “Verily, verily I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” Here we have the flesh, Adam and the inheritance he gave us, and we have the Spirit and the inheritance that we have in Christ—two opposing sides.

“For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” Romans 8:5–12.

We either live in the flesh or in the Spirit. Romans 5:15–18 says, “(But not as the offence [contrasting the two Adams], 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, hath abounded unto many. 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.) 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.”

The words free gift recurs through those verses. When I began to understand this, I thought that God had to deal with lots of things that were unfair. We were not there when Adam chose to sin and could not cast our votes. But we were also not there when Christ lived a righteous life. God knew that it wasn’t really fair for us to be born into this world and sold under sin, so He offered His own Son as a free gift making the way of salvation as easy as possible for us. He sent Jesus into the same world where we live, in the same body with the same struggles, that through His righteousness we can be set free from sin.

“He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” Romans 8:32. Think about that for a moment. What an awesome God to give us such a gift!

“And He said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.” Revelation 21:6.

Paul sums up the whole thing, “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.” Romans 5:19.

Here we have two Adams—two realities, the law of sin and death and the law of the Spirit of life. We have righteousness and unrighteousness—two inheritances and two choices—life or death. When Adam was created, he did not have to choose life for that was already his. By his sin he chose death.

We inherit the sentence of death for all have sinned, but through the sacrifice Jesus made we can choose life. “Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.” Mark 9:23. This seems too good to be true. It doesn’t really seem possible that God is willing to freely give you His righteousness, but it is the truth.

Practical Application

How do we receive Christ and this new life? “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” I John 5:11, 12.

“It is the spirit that quickeneth [make alive]; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life.” John 6:63. We receive Christ by faith as we receive His word. And His word is a living Word. The Bible says that every word of God is God-breathed.

When God breathed into Adam, He breathed into him life, just as He breathes life into His word. “The creative energy that called the worlds into existence is in the word of God. This word imparts power; it begets life. Every command is a promise; accepted by the will, received into the soul, it brings with it the life of the Infinite One. It transforms the nature and re-creates the soul in the image of God.

“The life thus imparted is in like manner sustained. ‘By every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God’ (Matthew 4:4) shall man live.

“The mind, the soul, is built up by that upon which it feeds; and it rests with us to determine upon what it shall be fed.” Education, 126.

In every command and every promise of the word of God is the power, the very life of God by which the command may be fulfilled and the promise realized. He who by faith receives the Word is receiving the life and character of God. So God has given us through Christ the opportunity to choose life.

“Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, according as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue. Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” II Peter 1:2–4. (Emphasis supplied.)

It is through God’s promises, through His word that we receive by faith the divine nature. When we believe the promise, though we may not realize it at the time, we have the assurance that God will fulfill His promise to us. It is my prayer, not only for myself but for each one of us, that we will have this as a reality in our lives, to be in Christ, partakers of the divine nature, and be set free from the law of sin and death.

Jim Stoeckert is currently working as a Bible worker for Steps to Life. 

Editorial – Wholly Grace

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The same cause that produced the primitive godliness in the first century will produce primitive godliness just before the final outpouring of God’s judgments on this world (see The Great Controversy, 464); namely, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. It is by this means that the moral image of God is to be perfected in the character and we are to be wholly transformed into the likeness of Christ.

“It was by the confession and forsaking of sin, by earnest prayer and consecration of themselves to God, that the early disciples prepared for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. The same work, only in greater degree, must be done now. … Only those who are living up to the light they have will receive greater light. Unless we are daily advancing in the exemplification of the active Christian virtues, we shall not recognize the manifestations of the Holy Spirit in the latter rain. It may be falling on hearts all around us, but we shall not discern or receive it. …

“Divine grace is needed at the beginning, divine grace at every step of advance, and divine grace alone can complete the work. … A connection with the divine agency every moment is essential to our progress. … It will never do to cease our efforts. If we do not progress, if we do not place ourselves in an attitude to receive both the former and the latter rain, we shall lose our souls, and the responsibility will lie at our own door.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 507, 508.

“The convocations of the church, as in camp meetings, the assemblies of the home church, and all occasions where there is personal labor for souls, are God’s appointed opportunities for giving the early and the latter rain.” The Faith I Live By, 246.

“Everyone is to keep himself separate from the world, which is full of iniquity.  … No one of us will gain the victory without persevering, untiring effort, proportionate to the value of the object which we seek, even eternal life.  

“The dispensation in which we are now living is to be, to those that ask, the dispensation of the Holy Spirit. Ask for His blessing. It is time we were more intense in our devotion. …

“Pray without ceasing, and watch by working in accordance with your prayers. As you pray, believe, trust in God. It is the time of the latter rain, when the Lord will give largely of His Spirit.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 511, 512.

Children’s Story – How It Was Blotted Out

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For many years I had been a follower of strange gods, and a lover of this world and its vanities. I was self-righteous, and thought I had religion of my own which was better than that of the Bible. I did not know God and did not serve Him. Prayer was forgotten, public worship neglected; and worldly morality was the tree which brought forth its own deceptive fruit.

But when I married and our boy was growing up, our love for him made us very concerned about his welfare and future career. His questions often puzzled me and the sweet, earnest manner in which he inquired of his poor sinful father to know more about his Heavenly Father, and that “happy land, far, far away,” of which his nurse had taught him, proved to me that God had given me a great blessing in the child.

A greater distrust of myself and a greater sense of my inability to assure my boy of the truth contained in the simple little prayers that I had learned from my mother in childhood gradually caused me to reflect. Still, I never went to church, had not even a Bible in the house. What was I to teach my boy, Christ and Him crucified, or the doctrines I had tried to believe?

One of his little friends died, then another, then his uncle. All these deaths made an impression on the boy. He rebelled against it; wanted to know “why God had done it.” It was hard that God should take away his friends; he wished God would not do it. I, of course, had to explain the best I could.

One evening he was lying on the bed, and my wife and I were seated by the fire. She had been telling me that Willie had not been a good boy that day, and I had reproved him for it. All was quiet, when suddenly my son broke out in a loud crying and sobbing, which surprised us. I went to him, and asked him what the matter was.

“I don’t want it there, father; I don’t want it there,” said the child.

“What, my child, what is it?”

“Why, father, I don’t want the angels to write down in God’s book all the bad things I have done today. I don’t want it there; I wish it could be wiped out,” and his distress increased. What could I do? I did not believe, but yet I had been taught the way. I had to console him, so I said,

“Well, you need not cry; you can have it all wiped out in a minute if you want.”

“How, father, how?”

“Why, get down on your knees, and ask God, for Christ’s sake, to wipe it out, and He will do it.”

He jumped out of bed, saying, “Father, won’t you come and help me to pray?”

Now came the trial for me. The boy’s distress was so great, and he pleaded so earnestly, that I, the man who had never once bowed before God in spirit and in truth, got down on my knees beside that little child and asked God to wipe away his sins; and perhaps, though my lips did not speak it, my heart included my own sins too. We then rose, and he lay down in his bed again. In a few moments more he said,

“Father, are you sure my sins are all wiped out?”

Oh, how my response reacted upon my unbelieving heart, as the words came to my mouth, “Why, yes, my son; the Bible says that if from your heart you ask God for Christ’s sake to do it, and if you are really sorry for what you have done, it shall be all blotted out.”

A smile of pleasure passed over his face, as he quietly asked,

“What did the angel blot it out with? With a sponge?”

Again was my whole soul stirred within me, as I answered, “No, but with the precious blood of Christ. The blood of Christ cleanseth from all sin.”

The fountains had at last burst forth. They could not be checked, and my cold heart was melted within me. I felt like a poor guilty sinner, and, turning away, said, “My dear wife, we must first find God, if we want to show Him to our children. We cannot show them the way unless we know it ourselves.”

And in the silent hour of the night I bowed beside my dear boy, and prayed, “Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief!” My wife, too, united with me, and we prayed jointly for ourselves and our child. And God heard our prayers, and received us, as he always does those who seek him with the whole heart.

Adapted from Sabbath Readings for the Home Circle, by M. A. Vroman, South Lancaster Printing Co., South Lancaster, Massachusetts, 1905, 166–169.

Inspiration – Proffered Mercy?

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The tears of Christ on the mount of Olivet, when He was being escorted with triumph and hosannas into Jerusalem just prior to His crucifixion were wrung from a broken heart because His love was spurned, and His mercy despised. He saw just before Him, in His coming crucifixion, the consummation of the guilt of Jerusalem. Before Him was the sheep gate through which for centuries the victims for sacrifice had been conducted. It was soon to open for the great Antitype, who should be taken by wicked hands and slain for the sins of the world. It rent the heart of Christ to pronounce the doom of the city of His love. His body swayed like a cedar before the tempest. He then uttered in a voice broken by grief, “Oh that thou hadst known, even thou, in this thy day the things that belong unto thy peace.” He hesitated, must the irrevocable sentence be pronounced. “But now they are hid from thine eyes” [Luke 19:42].

This sentence of the Saviour and His tears were not alone for Jerusalem that lay before Him, its temple flashing in the sunlight, but for those in all time who slight the proffered mercies of Christ, reject present privileges, the voice of admonition and warning, and continue in disobedience to God. Present unbelief and impenitence are welding the fetters which bind souls in the bondage of doubt and despair. The temple of the soul is desecrated by sin, as the courts of the temple at Jerusalem was desecrated by unholy traffic and confusion. The heart of rebellious man is open to robbers, and has become a den of thieves. He who was purchased at the infinite price of the agony and death of the Son of God becomes like the blighted fig-tree, withered to its very roots under the righteous vengeance of a rejected God.

We are not responsible for the sin of the Jews in rejecting Christ, but the solemn period of our responsibility is when light, truth and warnings come directly to us. Christ said to Philip, “Have I been so long with you, and yet hast thou not known Me, Philip” [John 14:9]? It is not the servants of Christ, the bearers of His message whom we reject; but the Master who delegated them to act for Him, and sound His warning. Jesus Christ has been a long time with us in mercies and warnings, and yet we have not known Him. Christ says, Ye will not come unto Me that ye might have life. When entreaties, tears, and patient efforts are in vain, the terrible doom pronounced over Jerusalem must be pronounced over the sinner.

While mercy lingers, the golden opportunity still remains to repent and be saved through Christ. Has the temple of the soul been desecrated by unholy shrines? While the sun of righteousness still lingers, loath to remove His rays from those who have slighted His blessings, there is still time to repent, and make your peace with God. Christ calls the sinner, In this, thy day, seek those things which will make for your peace both in this life, and the life beyond the grave. He invites you who are stricken with sin to come with your burdens, and He will relieve you. He will cleanse you from the defilement of sin, and give you moral fitness for His kingdom. Despite your indifference or scorn He urges you to accept His love and mercy.

The Signs of the Times, August 15, 1878.

Desire

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The word desire is a big one and determines whether a person will be saved or lost. In Genesis 3, one of the saddest chapters in the entire Bible, it is used twice. The chapter begins with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. They could still be there except for the event that happened later in the chapter. While lingering around the tree of knowledge of good and evil, the devil, speaking through a serpent, acted the part of a salesman intent on selling Eve his product—sin. She fell for his seductive trick, and since that day he has been successful in recruiting millions of other salesmen throughout the world to seduce the masses and sell his product.

A good salesman knows there are just a few steps needed in securing a sale. First is to get the attention of the prospective customer. If they refuse to listen, then you are just wasting your time talking, but once you have their attention, they have to be convinced that they need the product. People very rarely buy something just because they need it. Need is not enough. After they are convinced that they need it, the third step in securing the sale is getting them to want it. If they desire it enough, they will buy it. Then, persuading them to take action on their desire is easy. There are many books on salesmanship describing these steps.

This was the tactic used by the devil to arouse in Eve a desire for his product. Sin in its raw form is not desirable, so to be successful in selling it, the devil had to disguise it by lying. The devil is the father of lies. He succeeded in creating in Eve such a desire for his product that she was willing to disobey God to get it.

“So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.” Genesis 3:6.

There are gigantic industries in the world today whose purpose is to get you to desire something enough so that you will be willing to disobey God to get it. It is the goal of the devil to destroy the Kingdom of Christ and bring grief to the heart of God by destroying His creation. He knows that if he can present sin in an attractive way and awaken the desire for it, he has his victim in his snare and another soul will be lost. The method he uses is tried and successful—he is a super salesman. The product sold is never named sin, only the good points are emphasized and always the consequences are withheld.

Think this through. Because sin is a product with deadly side effects that will bring death, pain, suffering, and all kinds of trouble in a person’s life, in order to sell it, you have to figure out some way to sugar-coat it to disguise the truth.

In II Thessalonians 2:8–12, Paul says, “Then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie [that you can be saved in sin], that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

The two reasons these people are condemned is that they do not believe the truth and have pleasure in unrighteousness. What is unrighteousness? I John 5:17 says, “All unrighteousness is sin.” Simply said, people enjoy the pleasure of sin.

Eve very quickly lost the desire for what she was promised by the serpent when she saw the sad result of her choice. “To the woman He said: ‘I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband and he shall rule over you.” Genesis 3:16. Immediately the freedom she experienced in her paradise home was lost. Her desire now was going to be controlled by her husband. She lost what she had by listening to the devil’s sales pitch and by allowing him to arouse in her a desire for something that God had forbidden. The devil continues today, successfully in a multitude of ways, to awaken a desire in individuals for something that God has said is bad, in order to secure their destruction.

The Creator knows His creatures. The Bible teaches that God knows your every desire. David said, “Lord, all my desire is before You; and my sighing is not hidden from You.” Psalm 38:9.

Knowing each person intimately and the desire of every heart, God has the ability to gratify these desires. But you may ask, If God knows about my desires, why does He withhold them? I’ll give you six reasons.

Wrong Choices –

A person’s desire cannot be satisfied if that desire is wrong and they want an evil thing. That was Eve’s experience.

“The wicked will see it and be grieved; He will gnash his teeth and melt away. The desire of the wicked shall perish.” Psalm 112:10. People desire evil things, and therefore their desires are not satisfied. Actually, one of the most awful things that could happen to a person is if God fulfilled their desire. But God knows what awful things would happen to you if He did give you your desires, so in mercy He withholds what you want. (See James 4:1–4.)

Controllers –

For some it is their desire to always be first. “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” Mark 9:35.

This desire first manifests itself in the family and in the church when somebody wants to be in control. To those who want to be first, Jesus said that desire would not be gratified and they would be last. The devil wanted to control the angels, and it caused his expulsion from heaven. A study on the life of Jesus reveals that He who was in fact first, having all authority and power, gave it all up to demonstrate to us how we should live not wanting to control other people.

No one desiring to control another will be in the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus said to His disciples, “You just have one Lord.” If we have only one Lord, what are we? Oh, somebody says, “I’m an elder in the church. I’m a deacon in the church. I’m a pastor. I’m an evangelist.” If you are a Christian, you are a servant, first of the Lord and then a servant of other people.

There are certain texts in the Bible that are often made prominent and others near them that are left out. One such example is Ephesians 5:22, 23. It says, “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church.” For some reason, when people read that, they never read verse 21, because it is telling you that every one of us is to be in submission to others around us. Somehow we forget that one!

Talking to the elders, Peter said, “Nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; … Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for ‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’ ” I Peter 5:3, 5.

Bondage to Traditions –

Some people are not satisfied, because they desire to be in bondage to human traditions and regulations.

“But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage?” Galatians 4:9. These people desire to be in bondage! In Colossians 2:20–22, Paul again addresses the very same subject: “Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations—‘Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,’ which all concern things which perish with the using—according to the commandments and doctrines of men?”

This constitutes a large percentage of the world that wants to be controlled by the doctrines and the commandments of men, which are never satisfied. Being in subjection to tradition brings a bondage from which you can never get free or be satisfied. These people work constantly their whole life to get salvation and are never satisfied, because they are under bondage to human laws and traditions and the regulations of man. If you’ve died with Christ, you’ve been set free, so don’t bring yourself back into bondage.

Covetousness –

Another reason that some desires are not satisfied can be found right within the Ten Commandments that were repeated by Moses just before the children of Israel entered into the land of Canaan. The tenth commandment says, “You shall not covet” [Exodus 20:17], or it could be translated, “You shall not desire.” The word covet means to desire something you don’t have. “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife; and you shall not desire your neighbor’s house, his field, his male servant, his female servant, his ox, his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.” Deuteronomy 5:21.

Here God mentions seven things that we are not to desire, and all of them have to do with something that belongs to somebody else. The devil knows human nature and is in the full-time business of getting people to want somebody else besides their own spouse, somebody else’s wife, somebody else’s husband or things belonging to others. Many people think that unless you actually go and physically commit adultery you are innocent, but the commandment says do not covet.

Long before an action takes place the heart covets—wanting somebody or something that does not belong to him or her but belongs to someone else. This is so important that God put it in as the tenth commandment. Covetousness is at the root of every sin that is committed—wanting something that God does not want you to have. That is exactly what happened to Eve, also to King David and to Judas. The devil is a master in his art of deception.

This is a huge problem in Christendom today and in the churches. Ellen White wrote about this: “How many, even in the ranks of Sabbathkeepers, are forming unsanctified connections. Men who have wives and women who have husbands are showing affection and giving undue attention to each other [persons of the opposite sex].

“The heart that loves Jesus will not desire the unlawful affections of another.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 21, 381. Now that is an interesting statement. I read that statement over and over and over. If I desire the unlawful affections of another, it means that I don’t love Jesus.

“The woman who receives the least manifestation of affection from a man who is the husband of another woman, shows herself to be in need of repentance and conversion. And the man who allows his wife to occupy the second place in his affections is dishonoring himself and his God. This thing is one of the signs of the last days. … Christ will take charge of the affections of those who love and honor God, causing them to center upon proper objects.” Ibid., vol. 10, 185, 186.

I need to tell you something. You and I do not have the power or the ability to control our own affections. We do not have the ability to control our thoughts, or our affections, or our passions. One only has that power. “Christ will take charge of the affections of those who love and honor God causing them to center upon proper objects.” Testimonies on Sexual Behavior, Adultery, and Divorce, 200. That is a promise you can claim. He, Christ, can control your affections so they don’t go out on improper objects. Desire has everything to do with whether you will be saved or lost.

Patience –

Matthew 13:17 is a sad verse. It says, “Assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.” These prophets and righteous men had a desire that was not satisfied in their lifetime. Because of sin, even righteous desires often cannot be gratified until a later time. In the resurrection these faithful ones will see how the plan of salvation unfolded while they slept. Only then will they see the Messiah and His ministry and be delighted.

Desires Granted –

If you belong to Jesus Christ, every righteous desire that you have will be gratified.

“Then the Pharisees and the Sadducees came, and testing Him [some translations say desired Him] asked that He would show them a sign from heaven.” Matthew 16:1. His reply was that their request, or their desire was not going to be granted (verses 2–4). What was their problem? Unbelief! There are some people that God wants to do wonderful things for, but He cannot do it because of their unbelief.

Jesus cannot honor unbelief. He cannot answer the prayers of a person who doesn’t believe. One example of this is found in Matthew 13:55–58. Jesus could not do many mighty things in Nazareth because of their unbelief.

Some people’s desires are not gratified because of their unbelief. What you need is to say, “Lord, I’m choosing to trust You. This is what I want, and I’m choosing to trust You that everything that I want, that is a righteous desire, You’re going to give it to me; maybe not now, but You’re going to give it to me.” God gives people what they want. “He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him.” Psalm 145:19. But look at what it says in verse 16: “You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.”

That can be a very scary text if you demand of God something that in His wisdom He wants to withhold. He could give it to you with dire results! In the wilderness, God had put the children of Israel on a vegetarian diet. They bitterly complained about it and wanted flesh food to eat. They wanted it so bad that they were weeping, because they didn’t have any meat to eat. So God gave them their desire, and they were not deprived of their craving (Psalm 78:29). God gave them what they wanted, and many of them died as a result of eating it. Be careful what you want; you are going to get it!

“Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4. You might have some desires in your heart that the Lord is going to give you in heaven that He can’t give you right now. Have you ever known people that prayed that the Lord would make them wealthy? I’ve seen the Lord answer those kinds of prayers. The more you see the Lord answer those kinds of prayers, the more scared you are, because Jesus said, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.” Matthew 19:24. Many people lose their Christianity once they become wealthy. Be careful what you pray for.

Those who are saved will be far wealthier than any could hope to be; maybe not in this life but in the world to come. Peter said to the lame man, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” Acts 3:6.

It would always be wise to say, “Lord, this is what I want, but I want what You want.” Remember how Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane? He said, “This is what I want, but not what I will (want), but what You will (want)” (Luke 22:42, literal translation). The word will can also be translated want.

God’s Will –

God says, “I desire [want] mercy and not sacrifice.” Hosea 6:6. The man with leprosy came to Jesus and said, “If You want to, You can make me clean.” Jesus reached forth His hand and touched him, and said, “I want to.” (See Mark 1:40, 41.) God wants to have mercy and heal you from the leprosy of sin.

God wants you to become a partaker of His holiness. In His mercy He disciplines and chastens for our profit that we might be made “partakers of His holiness” (Hebrews 12:10). Often the only way that can be achieved is by going through the trials and struggles that we don’t like. Without holiness, no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14).

“And they shall call them The Holy People, the Redeemed of the Lord; and you shall be called Sought Out, a City Not Forsaken.” Isaiah 62:12.

Repentance –

Jesus said that there’s more gladness and rejoicing in heaven over one person that repents than over 99 people who don’t need repentance. (See Zephaniah 3:17; Luke 15:17.) God wants you to repent so that you can become holy. (See Acts 17:30.)

Righteousness –

“For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are His pleasant plant. He looked for justice, but behold, oppression; for righteousness, but behold, a cry for help.” Isaiah 5:7. God wants righteousness. He wants you to do what is right.

Compassion –

God wants you to help Him take care of His other children. (See Matthew 25:40–45.) Jesus will ask, Did you feed the hungry? Did you clothe the naked? Did you invite people that had no place to stay to your house? Did you visit the sick? Did you visit those in prison? Did you care about God’s other children? Ellen White, in The Desire of Ages, 825, describes the wrath of God and of the Lamb towards those who do nothing about those who are lost, using the illustration of how parents would feel if their son or their daughter was lost in a snowstorm and you, seeing it, did nothing to save that child.

What the Devil Wants

Jesus told Peter, “Satan has desired you, that he may sift you as wheat.” Luke 22:31, literal translation. Satan wants you too. Peter says, “The devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” I Peter 5:8. His only happiness is destroying souls that Jesus died for in order to bring grief to the heart of God. He is such a skillful tempter that without God intervening, not one of us would escape his deceptions. Pray, “Lord, please intervene in my life. I know I’ll never escape unless You work a miracle in my life.”

Your only safety is to implicitly follow divine instructions because the devil is on your track.

What Do You Want?

A careful self-examination of the desires of your heart defines whether you are saved or lost. We are not to judge each other, but we can judge ourselves by determining our desire. The Bible records the desire of many of the Bible characters.

  • David said, “I want to know God.” Psalm 73:25
  • Job said, “I want to reason with God. I want to have him explain my situation; I can’t figure it out.” Job 13
  • The righteous want only what is good. Proverbs 11:23

People say, “I want Jesus to come.” But be ready, for the Bible says of the people who are not ready for His return, “Woe to you who desire the Day of the Lord!” Amos 5:18.

Spiritual Perfection

In Hebrews 6, Paul discusses that desire for the believers to reach spiritual perfection.

Wisdom and Understanding

This is worth more than anything to be desired. (See Proverbs 3:15; 8:11.) Seek it, desire it, and crave for wisdom and understanding. This is not as the world understands wisdom and understanding, but the wisdom that can only be acquired by studying the Word.

The Desire of all Nations

Jesus! Jesus came to this world in order that He might make a way clear so that His children could be taken to a better country. The Bible says in Hebrews 11 that all the saints who lived in past ages considered that they were just pilgrims and strangers on the earth desiring a better country. So God isn’t ashamed to be called their God. He’s going to take them to a better land where He has prepared for them a city.

What do you desire today? Are you looking at what others have, or are you seeking a better land? Remember, Jesus said that if we commit our lives to Him, He will take charge of all our affections.

(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.

Cleansing the Soul Temple

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“And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves. And the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple; and He healed them.”
Matthew 21:12–14

Notice that it was after Jesus cleansed the temple, declaring it a house of prayer, that the blind and the lame came into the temple to be healed.

In Counsels on Diets and Foods, 25, Ellen White says, “In order to be purified and to remain pure, Seventh-day Adventists must have the Holy Spirit in their hearts and in their homes.” Keep that in mind. It goes on to say, “The Lord has given me light that when the Israel of today humble themselves before Him, and cleanse the soul temple from all defilement, He will hear their prayers in behalf of the sick.” Then, when we pray, He will hear.

Our churches are inundated with folks who are sick. Apparently our prayers are not being heard in behalf of the sick. Inspiration says, “He will hear their prayers in behalf of the sick, and will bless in the use of His remedies for disease. When in faith the human agent does all he can to combat disease, using the simple methods of treatment that God has provided, his efforts will be blessed of God.” Ibid. That promise is fulfilled when “the soul temple is cleansed from all defilement.”

In the very beginning of Christ’s work, He cleansed the temple (Matthew 21:12). At the end of His work, He said, “Your house is left unto you desolate.” Matthew 23:38.

The first chapter in the book The Ministry of Healing is called “Our Example.” If we are going to conduct evangelistic efforts, and if we are going to live a life according to heaven’s plan, we must pattern ourselves after the Great Gospel Medical Missionary. His example is our example. We need not study any other example but His.

Matthew 10 describes the mission of the church. One thing I learned in more than 30 years of evangelism is that many times we put our little placards out and our announcements, and we hope people will come. But I noticed that before Jesus began to do any public evangelism, He set the pathway; He put together a team.

The worst thing that can be done is to start an effort that cannot be finished. It is the worst thing, to get people excited and then not have any workers to work the field. I remember years ago we planted an acre of watermelon, honeydew melons, and cantaloupe on one of the pieces of property where we are living, about 25 miles from the ministry. Looking down from a helicopter I could see how organized and neat the rows were; it was pretty. That was a lot of effort for two families; what were we thinking? I tell you, the deer had a good time! That experience let me know that we planted far more than what we were able to manage and harvest. So, why start something that cannot be finished? It would be best not to start.

In Matthew 10:1, the Bible says, “And when He had called unto Him His twelve disciples, He gave them power.” He gave them what? That word power here means authority. He gave them authority. His own credentials came from God, and He gave this authority to His disciples.

Healing and Religion

Healing and religion are inseparable. My faith, my belief is the very basis of my position in dealing with health, and the two cannot be separated. The State has no right to interfere with that position. The only church that is recognized by the State to practice natural remedies is the Church of Scientology. We are a called people who have been entrusted with the saving truths that this world needs, and part of our religious experience is the ministry of healing. But legally we cannot carry out a health work apart from being licensed as allopathic doctors. Every religion has a healing message, whether it is Hindu, Buddhism or Confucius. Because we have been running a facility for years in the state of Tennessee, I have studied the laws pertaining to that state. The law they call “alternative medicine,” or naturopathy or naturopathic medicine says, “Anyone using sunlight, water, botanical plants, that has not been licensed is subject to a $500.00 fine every time they practice this.” Sunlight, exercise, water—those are part of the eight laws of health! The ministry we operated in Florida had to be closed down in Lake City, because just to talk about or tell a person to eat fruit, grains, nuts, and vegetables was against the law.

God has given the church the mission; notice what the Bible says: “He gave them power [authority] against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.” Matthew 10:1. The same God that called those twelve is the same God living today. “These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go, preach [that is the gospel], saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand, Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.” Verses 5–8.

Jesus said to preach the gospel and heal the sick. The mission of the church is to carry out the gospel connected with the health message. The health message is not the gospel, but it is the right arm. The arm is useless without a body! God has given this church spiritual gifts, as listed in I Corinthians 12:1–11, and specifically the gift of healing (verse 9). But most of us don’t believe those gifts; we have been falsely educated believing that this work is entrusted only to those who have been qualified as a physician.

Everyone should understand this house that God has built, your body, and the natural laws that govern it. The health message breaks down prejudices. At Missionary Education and Evangelistic Training (M.E.E.T.) Ministry, Huntingdon, Tennessee, we talk about movements. When you don’t have a movement, biologically, you become constipated. We belong to a movement, and all who are not moving are going to become spiritually constipated, which creates an environment for bacteria to grow. The Adventist Church is not only a church, not just another denomination, but we are also a movement. We have to be about God’s business.

There is going to be trouble in the land, much more than there is today, so pray. God has given the church the tools, the gift of healing, to preach the gospel with the medical missionary work. This is true healing based on faith, not to be mistaken by a false faith healing practiced by some popular churches today.

“And it came to pass on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them. And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before Him. And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude.” Luke 5:17–19

There was such a crowd of people that the man’s friends were blocked from bringing him in to Jesus. We too sometimes can crowd people out by our attitudes, with our thinking, with our lifestyle and other things that can prevent people from coming to Jesus. But this man’s friends did not give up, and they took the palsied man to the rooftop where they tore the roof open so they could let him down to Jesus. The Bible says Jesus looked up and saw their faith (verses 19, 20). This means I can bear up my own family, my community, my church, my wife or whoever, in the arms of my faith, and I can present them to Jesus and give Him the prerogative to divinely intervene in their lives.

I am here today as the result of my own mother bearing me up in the arms of her faith. And I remember one of my former workers that had been with us 14 years, and she prayed for her mother for 30 years to come into this message. She finally accepted the truth a little while before she died. Do not give up! If you have the faith of Jesus Christ, do not get anxious or sick over those folk, but bear them up in arms of faith, especially if they are old and you cannot preach to them anymore. Live the life yourself, bearing them up in your arms of faith, and watch God do something miraculous. Like my mother used to pray, “God, save the boy. Whatever it takes, save the boy.” And God sure did a work on me. My knees got weak, old arthritis moved in and stopped me cold. Did God answer my mother’s prayer? Yes He did, when He saw her faith.

“And when He saw their faith, He said unto him, ‘Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.’ ” Verse 20. Now understand this, healing and forgiveness go hand in hand, because sickness is the result of sin. This is not to say that you might have committed an act of injustice to bring it about. If there was no sin, there would be no cancer and no diabetes. So my focus as a medical missionary is to see people get well, but what good does it do for man to be free from sickness, and go to hell? God is not in the business of making healthy sinners. He wants to save people.

Now notice this in verse 21: “And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?” Now remember, the presence of God was there to heal, and here are leaders reasoning in their heart, questioning Jesus’ authority. They are about ready to impede the healing process. “But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts? Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk?” Verses 22, 23.

I ask the same question to you. Which is easier for Jesus to do? To say, “Thy sins be forgiven thee,” or “pick up thy bed and walk”? Sin, healing and forgiveness are all tied together. There is nothing too hard for God. In order to have healing, there has to be forgiveness. So the Pharisees began to reason in their heart, because they were not in the same place that Jesus was. They were trying to prevent the healing, and that’s what takes place in the church. There are those who question the authority of God, and that often prevents the healing.

We have people who simply do not believe, who question, or who say, “That does not work,” or “God did not say that. You cannot use this; that is not of God.” No Scripture reasons are offered, just opinions. But we do not base our moves on opinions. It must be, “Thus saith the Lord.” It is not, “Thus saith the church” or “Thus saith the state.” It is only “Thus saith the Lord.”

Jesus Casts out the Evil Spirit

In Mark 9:17–25 it says, “And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto Thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to Thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not. He answereth him and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto Me. And they brought him unto Him: and when he saw Him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming. And He asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if Thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.’ ” Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief. When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.” And we understand the story how it ended.

In verses 28, 29 it says, “And when He was come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, Why could not we cast him out? And He said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but prayer and fasting.” Prayer and fasting. Healing crisis. We are holding on to known sin in our lives; we are not communing with God; we are sinners. The power of God is in every occasion such as this present to heal. God said in Matthew that, “My house shall be called the house of prayer.” He was quoting Isaiah 56:7. There is power in prayer. We need to become men and women of prayer. Less talking and more prayer and we will find there is healing power.

“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye might be healed.” Now notice what the Bible says: “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” James 5:16. What kind of man? When we think of a righteous man, we think about a person who is living up to the light. We are not talking about a person who is holding on to known sins.

In the work that we are called to do, we cannot afford to have our prayers not heard in behalf of the people with whom we are dealing. I must take inventory of my own life. Lord, search my heart and see if there is any sin in me. Know my thoughts; Father, I do not want my prayers to be hindered. (See Psalm 139:24; I Peter 3:7.)

“Satan is enraged at the sound of fervent prayer, for he knows that he will suffer loss.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 295. If we want to shake Satan’s kingdom, let us be men and women of fervent prayer. When God flooded the earth with water, the devil feared for his life. By fervent prayer we will transfer our anxiety from us to Him.

God Restores

“God is just as willing to restore the sick to health now as when the Holy Spirit spoke these words [Psalm 107:17–20] through the psalmist. And Christ is the same compassionate physician now that He was during His earthly ministry. In Him there is healing balm for every disease, restoring power for every infirmity. His disciples in this time are to pray for the sick as verily as the disciples of old prayed. And recoveries will follow; for ‘the prayer of faith shall save the sick’ [James 5:15]. We have the Holy Spirit’s power, the calm assurance of faith, that can claim God’s promises. The Lord’s promise, ‘They shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover’ (Mark 16:18), is just as trustworthy now as in the days of the apostles.” The Ministry of Healing, 226.

We are still living in the days of the apostles. We are His people, and there needs to be power in God’s church. We should become the head and not the tail. And once again, we can bear them up in the arms of our faith.

“It presents the privilege of God’s children, and our faith should lay hold of all that it embraces. Christ’s servants are the channel of His working, and through them He desires to exercise His healing power.” Through whom? Through us! He didn’t say through just certain people, He said, “Through them He desires to exercise His healing power. It is our work to present the sick and suffering to God in the arms of our faith. We should teach them to believe in the Great Healer.

“The Saviour would have us encourage the sick, the hopeless, the afflicted, to take hold upon His strength. Through faith and prayer the sickroom may be transformed into a Bethel.” Ibid.

Keep it Simple and Live It

I tell our staff at our little lifestyle center that’s why we keep it small and simple. I tell them it is not just about the herbs, it is not about the fever bath, it is not about all that we cleanse. As soon as clients walk on these grounds, they should know that they are in the presence of God. And when you walk into that room, they should sense the presence of God with you. It is not your herbs, it is not your vitamins, it is the Spirit that empowers you, and we have seen results of that, whether they are Jehovah’s Witnesses, whether they are atheists, they come out of that place serving God.

That is the key. Every facility should become a Bethel, and those people who minister are the ones that make it that way. You can have all the experience, all the medical techniques, and all the herbs, but if the spirit of God is not working, it avails nothing. “The prayer of faith will move the arm of God.” The Signs of the Times, September 4, 1879. When God’s arm moves, all heaven and earth have got to shake; then you tell me, if my prayer can move the arm of God, nothing is impossible.

Prayer the Key

The prayer life of Jesus was in constant communing with God. He could not function without communing with His Father. It was not two-minute prayers. He agonized; He stayed there; it was a dialog with God, and He was embraced. That is the prayer life that we all need, an intense prayer life. And you know what hinders our prayers? If we regard iniquity in our heart, if we have ought against a brother over anything, God will not hear our prayers (Psalm 66:18).

We need to be cleansed, for judgment first begins at the house of God. God wants to remove every encumbrance. We are living in the great Day of Atonement when our sins are by confession and repentance to go beforehand to judgment. God does not now accept a tame spiritless testimony from His ministers, for such a testimony would not be present truth. The message for this time must be meat in due season to feed the church of God. But Satan has been seeking gradually to rob this message of its power that the people may not be prepared to stand in the Day of the Lord.

At this time, while we are living in the antitypical day of atonement, Christ has come into His temple; He wants to cleanse the temple from all that separates us from God—our sins, jealousy, murmuring—so we can be one with Him. He will purify the sons of Levi as silver (Malachi 3:1–3). It takes fire and water to purify silver. God says He wants to purify you, He wants to see a reflection of Himself in you.

“When the character of Christ shall be perfectly reproduced in His people, then He will come to claim them as His own.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 69. Christ is looking for the picture of Himself in you. He’s not looking so much for many more buildings to be erected, but for a portrait of Himself in you.

Leper Cleansed

“And it came to pass, when He was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought Him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.” Luke 5:12. When the leper said to Jesus, “If thou wilt,” he said, “Jesus, You can choose to make me clean, if You want to.” He didn’t ask, “Is it possible?” He said, “Lord, You can make me clean.” So we need to understand that God can make us clean, and we know it is His will.

I want you to notice something in verse 13: “And He put forth His hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him.” How long did it take for Jesus to cleanse the leper? He did it immediately. I hope we can get this point.

Of all the diseases to which mankind is heir, there is none more loathsome than leprosy. I remember seeing a documentary on a leper colony. We saw a leper smoking his cigarette and fire was burning his finger, but the man could not feel the fire. Leprosy gets to the very nerves and desensitizes. The individual lives for years with this dread disease slowly eating away portions of his body until he longs for death as a relief. The trials we experience are nothing compared to that. From the earliest times, leprosy has been a type of sin. It is a very fitting type. It is of that loathsome spiritual disease which destroys the soul.

When God’s voice speaks to us, or when the word of God convicts us, and we say, “Not now, Lord,” every time we violate our conscience it becomes dead, dead, dead. Sin eats us away while we do not even feel it. It is not safe to ignore the voice of God. Leprosy is a very contagious disease and everything the leper touches is contaminated. Sin is also a dreadful disease and the earth, the air, and the water are all cursed by its touch. It affects our flesh, our garments, and our home. Leprosy affects every aspect of our lives. In the book of Jude 23, it says that we have spots in our flesh—selfishness, pride; flesh deals with our character, who we are. Therefore, this leprosy of sin, affects our moral disposition. It contaminates our whole life.

Leprosy a Type of Jealousy

We read in Numbers 12:1–15 the story of Miriam the sister of Moses. The illustration here is of her complaining and murmuring that caused her to become leprous. So, leprosy is a type of jealousy and murmuring. God will not hear our prayers in behalf of the sick while ever we suffer with the leprosy of sin. He wants to cleanse us first and then use us to help others.

Leprosy a Type of Covetousness

We find in II Kings 5:1–27 the story of Naaman who was a leper. The prophet Elisha told him to go and dip in the Jordan seven times, and he came out whole. Elisha refused the payment that Naaman offered him, but not Elisha’s covetous servant who caught up with Naaman, lied and accepted gifts on Elisha’s behalf. The gifts did him no good. Leprosy is a type of covetousness. If we are holding on to covetousness desiring something that does not belong to us, we have leprosy.

In Leviticus 13:45, the leper had to go around and put his hand over his mouth, meaning that the very breath that he breathed was contaminated. Our words, if we are not careful how we speak, can hurt somebody, because life and death is in the tongue.

It is our tongue, our words, our influence that are contagious. They affect the whole person. Our tongues and our whole lives need to be cleansed. God wants to remove the leprosy out of our characters, move into our body temples and bring healing so He can hear our prayers.

Jesus said, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” I John 1:9. Do not continue to hold on to known sin, such as pride, selfishness, self-exaltation, or any resentment but pray, “Father turn the tables; please, cleanse this temple so I can become a house of prayer. I want my life to be a dwelling place.”

Cleansing the Leper

Two birds were to be taken to the priest. One was to be killed in an earthen vessel over water and the other was to be dipped in the blood before being set free. (See Leviticus 14:4–7). The bird that was set free represents you and me, dipped in the blood of that dead bird which represents Jesus. The work of Christ in cleansing the leper from his terrible disease is an illustration of His work in cleansing the soul from sin. The man who came to Jesus was full of leprosy, and the deadly poison permeated his whole body. The disciples sought to prevent their Master from touching him, for he who touched a leper became unclean himself. But in laying His hands upon the leper, Jesus received no defilement. His touch imparted life-giving power, and the leper was cleansed.

Thus it is with the leprosy of sin which is deep-rooted and deadly and impossible to be cleansed by human power. “The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores.” Isaiah 1:5, 6.

Now notice this: “But Jesus, coming to dwell in humanity, receives no pollution. His presence has healing virtue for the sinner. Whoever will fall at His feet, saying in faith, ‘Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean,’ shall hear the answer, ‘I will; be thou made clean’ [Matthew 8:2, 3].” The Desire of Ages, 266.

This statement is so dear to my heart. It says, “In some instances of healing, Jesus did not at once grant the blessing sought. But in the case of leprosy, no sooner was the appeal made than it was granted. When we pray for earthly blessings, the answer to our prayer may be delayed, or God may give us something other than we ask, but not so when we ask for deliverance from sin.” Ibid.

You can pray for a car, for a van, for a house, and God may say, “Wait,” but when it comes down to sin in our life, God does not wait. He is ready to answer instantly.

“It is His will to cleanse us from sin, to make us His children, and to enable us to live a holy life. Christ ‘gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father.’ [Galatians 1:4].” Ibid.

We can be made whole. God will hear our prayers.

Thomas Jackson is a health evangelist and Director of Missionary Education and Evangelistic Training (M.E.E.T.) Ministry in Huntingdon, Tennessee. He may be contacted by email at: godsplan@meetministry.org or by telephone at: 731-986-3518.

When God’s People Will Be Sealed

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Nicodemus was a ruler of the Jews. Rumors had reached him of the new miracle-working teacher and his interest was stirred, so he sought out Jesus under the cover of night. He said to Jesus, “ ‘Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ ” John 3:2, 3. Nicodemus became a little sarcastic, so Jesus made His point more emphatic: “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” Verse 5.

If you have been born again and received the Holy Spirit into your life, eternal life has already begun for you. Every other gift that God wants to give to you comes through the gift of the Holy Spirit. In The Desire of Ages, 388, it says, “It is through the Spirit that Christ dwells in us; and the Spirit of God, received into the heart by faith, is the beginning of the life eternal.” If the Holy Spirit is not in you, eternal life has not yet begun for you and never will begin, until the Holy Spirit comes into your life.

Amazing things happen when you receive the Holy Spirit. “In describing to His disciples the office work of the Holy Spirit, Jesus sought to inspire them with the joy and hope that inspired His own heart. He rejoiced because of the abundant help He had provided for His church. The Holy Spirit was the highest of all gifts that He could solicit from His Father for the exaltation of His people. The Spirit was to be given as a regenerating [to bring something back to life] agent, and without this the sacrifice of Christ would have been of no avail.” Ibid., 671.

Without receiving the Holy Spirit, the sacrifice of Jesus will be of no avail to you.

“The power of evil had been strengthening for centuries, and the submission of men to this satanic captivity was amazing. Sin could be resisted and overcome only through the mighty agency of the Third Person of the Godhead, who would come with no modified energy, but in the fullness of divine power. It is the Spirit that makes effectual what has been wrought out by the world’s Redeemer. It is by the Spirit that the heart is made pure. Through the Spirit the believer becomes a partaker of the divine nature. Christ has given His Spirit as a divine power to overcome all hereditary and cultivated tendencies to evil, and to impress His own character upon His church.” Ibid.

Whatever inherited tendency to evil you struggle with, if you receive the Holy Spirit you can overcome all inherited and cultivated tendencies to evil. Isn’t that exciting news? You are not stuck if you receive the Holy Spirit.

It is amazing how much the apostles dwelt upon this subject. If you go through the different letters and books of the New Testament, you will find them making some reference or statement in regard to the Holy Spirit over and over again. Let’s look at several:

“But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” Romans 8:11–16.

It is through the power of the Holy Spirit that we put to death the deeds of the body and overcome sin. We cannot do it by ourselves. None can overcome unless they receive the Holy Spirit.

Paul had a lengthy discussion about the Holy Spirit to the church in Corinth: “But as it is written, ‘Eye has not seen nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.’ But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so, no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” I Corinthians 2:9–14.

In I Corinthians chapters 12, 13 and 14, the apostle Paul has three chapters devoted to a discussion of the Spirit, the gifts of the Spirit, and the things the Spirit wants to do in each person. He makes it very clear in I Corinthians 12:4 and 7 that every Christian is to receive the Holy Spirit.

Paul teaches that it is through the Holy Spirit that we are sealed. A special seal is placed on all those who live to see Jesus come again. This is described in Revelation 7 and 14. “Who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.” II Corinthians 1:22. It is the evidence that you have eternal life. Paul says the same in Ephesians 1:13: “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in Whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.” The Holy Spirit is the seal, the guarantee, the down payment, the assurance that you are going to have eternal life. Without the Holy Spirit you have no assurance.

In talking of the Holy Spirit, Paul also mentions the danger of some who will receive the wrong spirit. He said, “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!” II Corinthians 11:3, 4.

There is going to be a great deception at the end of the world. The whole world will feel and believe that they have received the Holy Spirit. Jesus said this was going to happen: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ ” Matthew 7:21, 22. Notice how these people prophesy. They really believe they have received the Holy Spirit, which tells them that they prophesy through the Spirit. The problem is, the spirit under which these people prophesy is not the Holy Spirit, but a different spirit.

Sadly, Jesus explains, “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ ” Verse 23. All who receive the Holy Spirit into their lives will be led to keep the law of God, and if the spirit you have received is not leading you to keep the law of God, it is a spurious spirit.

There are two supernatural spirits contending to take control of the world. In the last ten chapters of the book of Revelation it is very clear that in the last days almost the whole world will be following the wrong spirit. It is critical to ask yourself the question, Is the spirit that I have received leading me to keep the law of God or not?

To the many different churches, Paul wrote over and over again about the Holy Spirit in his letters. He told the Galatians about the Holy Spirit: “I say then: walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” Galatians 5:16–18. This is misinterpreted as meaning the law no longer has to be kept. But what Paul says here is that if the Spirit is leading, you will keep the law and not be under its condemnation.

He told them, “Do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation.” Ephesians 5:18. It is almost impossible to translate with one English word. It means that a person is so debauched, or so defiled or ruined, that there is no hope for them anymore. It is a very strong word, one without an exact equivalent in the English language. Paul says, “Don’t be drunk with wine” [that is, utter moral depravity], but rather “be filled with the Spirit” (verse 18, last part).

To the Thessalonian church he wrote, “For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake.” I Thessalonians 1:5. The gospel that Paul preached was with the power of the Holy Spirit.

He further said, “Do not quench the Spirit.” I Thessalonians 5:19. So it is possible to quench the Spirit. Ellen White confirms this: “When the early church became corrupted by departing from the simplicity of the gospel and accepting heathen rites and customs, she lost the Spirit and power of God.” The Great Controversy, 443. Once they had lost the Spirit and found they had no power, they sought the power of the state to control the people.

Anytime the church seeks the power of the state to enforce their will on their own people or on others, you can know for sure that it has lost the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit governs the church, that church will not need the power of the state to enforce its will, because the people will be under conviction and do God’s will without force. They won’t need it. The apostles did not need it. After Paul describes the great apostasy that is coming, he then says, “But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.” II Thessalonians 2:13.

Notice that salvation comes through the Holy Spirit. Sanctification comes through the Holy Spirit. In the New Testament the Holy Spirit acknowledges that there are other spirits that are not holy. “Now the Spirit [the Holy Spirit] expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.” I Timothy 4:1. That has already happened, and it is not over yet. Look at what Paul said: “That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit Who dwells in us.” II Timothy 1:14. Remember, every command in the Bible is a promise.

God never gives a command without making the way possible to fulfill that very command in your life. This is a wonderful promise. Writing to Timothy, Paul tells him that he has received certain knowledge of truth and spiritual blessings through the power of the Holy Spirit and to keep what he has received. There are a lot of Christians today who do not keep what they have received, and they are losing it. It is important that when you have received spiritual truth and knowledge that you don’t lose it, that you keep it.

One way people lose the blessings that God has given to them is to understand truth, but fail to implement that truth into their lives. There is a saying that if you don’t use it, then you will soon lose it!

“Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.” I John 3:24.

Jesus Christ wrote to the seven churches and to each it is said, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Revelation 2:7. In Revelation 22:17 we read: “And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.”

The Spirit of God says to the people of this world, “Come!” We live in a world where often there are signs that say, “Stay Out” or “Do Not Enter.” We build all kinds of fences and barricades and lock our doors to keep people away from us. But God, the sovereign of heaven, through the Holy Spirit, at the very end of the Bible says to the inhabitants of this world, “Come!” He loves us and wants us to abide with Him.

Are you willing to do whatever you need to do so you can receive the Holy Spirit? Paul says, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit.” Ephesians 4:30. It is by the Holy Spirit that we are to be “sealed for the day of redemption” (verse 30, last part), so it is necessary to know how not to cause this grief.

We are told that, “The willful commission of a known sin silences the witnessing voice of the Spirit and separates the soul from God. Jesus cannot abide in the heart that disregards the divine law. God will honor those only who honor Him.” The Signs of the Times, June 19, 1884.

There will be many who say to Jesus, “Well, I had the Spirit; I was working miracles, and I was prophesying, and I was casting out demons in Your name.” Jesus will say, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!”

A while ago I knew of a lady who was into the New Age movement. She was not married to the man with whom she lived. Somehow they were induced to go to a Christian meeting. It was not a Seventh-day Adventist meeting, and when the preacher made an altar call inviting the audience to surrender their lives to Jesus and follow Him and have eternal life, this couple went forward and made a commitment to follow Christ. Putting aside their New Age ideas, they gave their hearts to the Lord. Now, they were Christians! They were both given Bibles, and that night when they got in bed, before they went to sleep, the lady opened her new Bible to read something. The first text she opened was about not committing adultery. Immediately she slammed it shut.

Later she told the story: “I couldn’t open the Bible any day without it telling me something was wrong with committing adultery, or being in fornication, and living in sin.” Each time the same thing happened, and it was evident that the Holy Spirit was working on her heart. She decided to go all the way with Jesus. Unfortunately, her partner was not under the same commitment, and their relationship ended. It was the Holy Spirit that convicted her to quit her former life of adultery and be filled with the Spirit.

If there is some sin in your life that you are tightly holding on to, it will prevent you from receiving God’s precious gift, His Spirit. Be willing to let it loose and get away from it today, before the voice is silenced forever.

A mother was counseled, “Constant faultfinding is wrong, and the Spirit of Christ cannot abide in the heart where it exists.” The Adventist Home, 272. Constant faultfinding is wrong.

A physician was counseled. “We are not to allow our perplexities and disappointments to eat into our souls and make us fretful and impatient. Let there be no strife, no evil thinking or evil-speaking, lest we offend God. My brother, if you open your heart to envy and evil surmising, the Holy Spirit cannot abide with you.” Counsels for the Church, 175.

Paul told the church in Corinth that they could not have fellowship with both God and the devil; they must choose. “Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons.” I Corinthians 10:20, 21.

“I heard another voice from heaven saying, ‘Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.’ ” Revelation 18:4. God separates His people from sin and sinners to protect them from the plagues that will fall at the end of time. The Holy Spirit will not abide with sin, period. Sin must be gotten rid of both in the life of the Christian and also the church to have the presence of Christ.

“We are bidden of God to hold ourselves separate and distinct from these men who have not given heed to His warnings.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 7, 196. We are to be a separate and distinct people.

Every soul who, in the light now shining on their pathway, continues in sin will be blinded and will accept Satan’s delusions. Paul taught this in II Thessalonians 2:1–12.

Personal religious experience is needed in every church. We have the assurance that in this age of the world the Holy Spirit will work with mighty power unless, by our unbelief, we limit our blessings and thus lose the advantage we might obtain. “Unless the revival of the Spirit of God shall come, all their profession will never make the members of the church Christians. There are sinners in Zion who need to repent of sins that have been cherished as precious treasures. Until these sins are seen and thrust from the soul, until every faulty, unlovely trait of character is transformed by the Spirit’s influence, God cannot manifest Himself in power.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 1, 366.

God wants to give His Holy Spirit to His people. And we are going to receive it just as soon as we are in a condition to receive it.

“There is more hope for the open sinner than for the professedly righteous who are not pure, holy, and undefiled. …

“The spiritual anointing of the Lord will never come to self-sufficient men and women. … You will certainly be weighed in the golden scales of the heavenly sanctuary and be found wanting.” Ibid., vol. 1, 366, 367.

“What kind of witnesses are we for truth and righteousness? Are we striving with all our God-given powers to reach the measure of the stature of men and women in Christ? Are we seeking for His fullness, ever reaching higher and higher, trying to attain to the perfection of His character?

“When God’s servants reach this point, they will be sealed in their foreheads. The recording angel will declare, ‘It is done.’ ” Ibid., vol. 1, 370. Would you like to be in that group of people?

When that happens, it will not be generations until Jesus comes; it will be right around the corner. Jesus wants to come more than you want Him to come. We talk about being disappointed because the Lord hasn’t come. Jesus Christ is the One Who is disappointed. He has the power to raise all the dead in the cemeteries, but He delays till His people are ready.

“Satan is working that the history of the Jewish nation may be repeated in the experience of those who claim to believe present truth.” Ibid., vol. 17, 13. Whether he will succeed depends on the choices that you and I are making today.

“The great burden of every soul should be, Is my heart renewed? Is my soul transformed? Are my sins pardoned through faith in Christ? Have I been born again? Am I complying with the invitation, ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest [Matthew 11:28]?’ ” Ibid. vol. 17, 23.

Ask yourself, Have I received the Holy Spirit, or am I just pretending religion? Without the Holy Spirit, all religion is a pretense and worth nothing.

“Sin is degrading, and there is no place for it in heaven.” Ibid., vol. 16, 274. All the trouble we have in this world is because of sin. Ellen White wrote a letter August 13, 1900. It says, “As the last conflict with Satan will be the most decisive, the most deceptive and terrible that has ever been, so also will his overthrow be the most complete.” Ibid., vol. 10, 317.

My mother used to tell me over and over again that the path of truth and the path of error is going to be so close together that you will not be able to tell the difference without the Holy Spirit.

After quoting Revelation 18:1–8, Ellen White said, “This terrible picture drawn by John to show how completely the powers of earth will give themselves over to evil, should show those who have received the truth how dangerous it is to link up with secret societies or to join themselves in any way with those who do not keep God’s commandments.” Ibid., vol. 14, 152.

Are you willing to forsake your sins so you can receive the Holy Spirit?

(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.

Inspiration – Joshua and the Angel

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If the veil which separates the visible from the invisible world could be lifted, and the people of God could behold the great controversy that is going on between Christ and holy angels and Satan and his evil hosts concerning the redemption of man; if they could understand the wonderful work of God for the rescue of souls from the bondage of sin, and the constant exercise of His power for their protection from the malice of the evil one, they would be better prepared to withstand the devices of Satan. Their minds would be solemnized in view of the vast extent and importance of the plan of redemption and the greatness of the work before them as colaborers with Christ. They would be humbled, yet encouraged, knowing that all heaven is interested in their salvation.

A most forcible and impressive illustration of the work of Satan and the work of Christ, and the power of our Mediator to vanquish the accuser of His people, is given in the prophecy of Zechariah. In holy vision the prophet beholds Joshua the high priest, “clothed with filthy garments” (Zechariah 3:3), standing before the Angel of the Lord, entreating the mercy of God in behalf of his people who are in deep affliction. Satan stands at his right hand to resist him. The high priest cannot defend himself or his people from Satan’s accusations. He does not claim that Israel are free from fault. In his filthy garments, symbolizing the sins of the people, which he bears as their representative, he stands before the Angel, confessing their guilt, yet pointing to their repentance and humiliation, relying upon the mercy of a sin-pardoning Redeemer and in faith claiming the promises of God.

Then the Angel, who is Christ Himself, the Saviour of sinners, puts to silence the accuser of His people, declaring: “The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire” (Zechariah 3:2)? As the intercession of Joshua is accepted, the command is given, “Take away the filthy garments from him,” and to Joshua the Angel declares, “Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.” “So they set a fair miter upon his head, and clothed him with garments” (Zechariah 3:4, 5). His own sins and those of his people were pardoned. Israel was clothed with “change of raiment”—the righteousness of Christ imputed to them.

As Satan accused Joshua and his people, so in all ages he accuses those who are seeking the mercy and favor of God. In the Revelation he is declared to be the “accuser of our brethren,” “which accused them before our God day and night” (Revelation 12:10). The controversy is repeated over every soul that is rescued from the power of evil and whose name is registered in the Lamb’s book of life. Never is one received from the family of Satan into the family of God without exciting the determined resistance of the wicked one. Satan’s accusations against those who seek the Lord are not prompted by displeasure at their sins. He exults in their defective characters. Only through their transgression of God’s law can he obtain power over them. His accusations arise solely from his enmity to Christ. Through the plan of salvation, Jesus is breaking Satan’s hold upon the human family and rescuing souls from his power. All the hatred and malignity of the archrebel is stirred as he beholds the evidence of Christ’s supremacy, and with fiendish power and cunning he works to wrest from Him the remnant of the children of men who have accepted His salvation.

He leads men into skepticism, causing them to lose confidence in God and to separate from His love; he tempts them to break His law, and then he claims them as his captives and contests the right of Christ to take them from him. He knows that those who seek God earnestly for pardon and grace will obtain it; therefore he presents their sins before them to discourage them. He is constantly seeking occasion against those who are trying to obey God. Even their best and most acceptable services he seeks to make appear corrupt. By countless devices, the most subtle and the most cruel, he endeavors to secure their condemnation.

Man cannot meet these charges himself. In his sin-stained garments, confessing his guilt, he stands before God. But Jesus our Advocate presents an effectual plea in behalf of all who by repentance and faith have committed the keeping of their souls to Him. He pleads their cause and vanquishes their accuser by the mighty arguments of Calvary. His perfect obedience to God’s law, even unto the death of the cross, has given Him all power in heaven and in earth, and He claims of His Father mercy and reconciliation for guilty man. To the accuser of His people He declares: “ ‘The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan.’ These are the purchase of My blood, brands plucked from the burning” (Zechariah 3:2). Those who rely upon Him in faith receive the comforting assurance: “Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment” (Zechariah 3:4).

All that have put on the robe of Christ’s righteousness will stand before Him as chosen and faithful and true. Satan has no power to pluck them out of the hand of Christ. Not one soul that in penitence and faith has claimed His protection will Christ permit to pass under the enemy’s power. His word is pledged: “Let him take hold of My strength, that he may make peace with Me; and he shall make peace with Me” (Isaiah 27:5). The promise given to Joshua is made to all: “If thou wilt keep My charge, … I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by” (Zechariah 3:7). Angels of God will walk on either side of them, even in this world, and they will stand at last among the angels that surround the throne of God.

The fact that the acknowledged people of God are represented as standing before the Lord in filthy garments should lead to humility and deep searching of heart on the part of all who profess His name. Those who are indeed purifying their souls by obeying the truth will have a most humble opinion of themselves. The more closely they view the spotless character of Christ, the stronger will be their desire to be conformed to His image, and the less will they see of purity or holiness in themselves. But while we should realize our sinful condition, we are to rely upon Christ as our righteousness, our sanctification, and our redemption. We cannot answer the charges of Satan against us. Christ alone can make an effectual plea in our behalf. He is able to silence the accuser with arguments founded not upon our merits, but on His own.

Counsels for the Church, 350–352.