More Than One Road to Hell

“Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.”
1 Corinthians 10:12

The church is being sifted. As the winds of persecution and heresy unite to purge God’s threshing floor and all the chaff is blown out, the wheat remains. Regarding this time of shaking and sifting, Mrs. White writes, “As trials thicken around us, both separation and unity will be seen in our ranks. Some who are now ready to take up weapons of warfare will in times of real peril make it manifest that they have not built upon the solid Rock; they will yield to temptation. Those who have had great light and precious privileges, but have not improved them, will, under one pretext or another, go out from us.” Testimonies, Vol. 6, 400

Generally, there are two reasons for doing something—the reason given and the real reason. The reason given is pretext. Say a person is offended or hurt by something someone says or does, and this is the reason given for the person to stop coming to church. But if we were to look much deeper, we would find that the real reason is an unconverted heart. However, many will convince themselves to believe the pretext, and as a result, they will depart—go out—from God’s people.

“The days are fast approaching when there will be great perplexity and confusion. Satan, clothed in angel robes, will deceive, if possible, the very elect. … Those who have proved themselves unfaithful will not then be entrusted with the flock. In the last solemn work, few great men will be engaged. They are self-sufficient, independent of God, and He cannot use them. The Lord has faithful servants, who in the shaking, testing time will be disclosed to view. There are precious ones now hidden who have not bowed the knee to Baal. They have not had the light which has been shining in a concentrated blaze upon you. But it may be under a rough and uninviting exterior the pure brightness of a genuine Christian character will be revealed. …

“The time is not far distant when the test will come to every soul. The mark of the beast will be urged upon us. Those who have step by step yielded to worldly demands and conformed to worldly customs will not find it a hard matter to yield to the powers that be, rather than subject themselves to derision, insult, threatened imprisonment, and death. The contest is between the commandments of God and the commandments of men. In this time, the gold will be separated from the dross in the church. True godliness will be clearly distinguished from the appearance and tinsel of it. Many a star that we have admired for its brilliancy will then go out in darkness. Chaff like a cloud will be borne away on the wind, even from places where we see only floors of rich wheat. …

“The deeper the night for God’s people, the more brilliant the stars. Satan will sorely harass the faithful; but, in the name of Jesus, they will come off more than conquerors. Then will the church of Christ appear ‘fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners.’ ” Testimonies, Vol. 5, 80–82

That terrible description of the awful sifting time just ahead speaks of the test over the mark of the beast and the time when people will be unable to buy or sell unless they are willing to receive that sign of apostasy and rebellion. The mark of the beast will be urged upon us and if we have not yielded to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, we will find ourselves unable to stay true to God.

Let’s look at some of those downward steps, the various ways through which men arrive at last at the final jump from the church of God into Babylon.

In Line with the World

It is suggested that men take the journey to follow the world step by step—little by little—by yielding to worldly demands and conforming to worldly customs.

Inspiration tells us that our people are in constant danger of conforming to the world. “There is constant danger among our people that those who engage in labor in our schools and sanitariums will entertain the idea that they must get in line with the world, study the things which the world studies, and become familiar with the things that the world becomes familiar with. This is one of the greatest mistakes that could be made.” Fundamentals of Christian Education, 534

Our danger is being influenced by what we read, look at, and listen to. The longer we look to and listen to the world we will eventually come to many of their conclusions.

“Those who seek the education that the world esteems so highly are gradually led further and further from the principles of truth until they become educated worldlings. At what a price have they gained their education!” Ibid., 535, 536. Is it possible then that someone can be a man or woman of God at the start of their education, but end up a child of the devil? Yes, it is. And he need only, at each point, to take one step. “And there are some who, having secured this worldly education, think that they can introduce it into our schools. But let me tell you that you must not take what the world calls the higher education and bring it into our schools and sanitariums and churches. … I speak to you definitely. This must not be done.” Ibid., 536. It is dangerous, and it is one of the ways leading downward.

Now during the shaking, all those who have been thus influenced by the world will go out, unless they have had their hearts brought back like Paul’s experience in Arabia or Moses’ experience in the desert of Midian.

“Many a star that we have admired for its brilliancy will then go out in darkness.

“God will work a work in our day that but few anticipate. He will raise up and exalt among us those who are taught rather by the unction of His Spirit than by the outward training of scientific institutions. … God will manifest that He is not dependent on learned, self-important mortals.” Testimonies, Vol. 5, 81, 82

Being Good, but Good for Nothing

Now we will look at something that ought to come very close to each one of us as we examine ourselves. “Every selfish, covetous person will fall out by the way.” Early Writings, 269. You don’t have to go to a worldly university to learn to be selfish and covetous, for we are born that way and will stay that way unless we are born again (John 3:3).

“Like Judas, who sold his Lord, they [selfish, covetous persons] will sell good principles and a noble, generous disposition for a little of earth’s gain. All such will be sifted out from God’s people.” Early Writings, 269. Judas was part of Jesus’ inner circle, but he fell out because he was selfish and covetous—he wanted his own way and what others had—and this is another way that many people will be sifted out.

Is there any hope for me if I am selfish? Yes, but all the selfishness must be sifted out of me or else it will sift me out of God’s church. If I cling to my selfishness, I will be sifted out, but if I am willing to let the grace of God sift me, then I have hope.

Continual giving starves covetousness to death. The devil doesn’t like that, but Jesus does. He so loved that He gave Himself; the Father so loved that He gave His Son. And as we unite with Jesus in unselfish ministry for others and unselfish giving for God’s work to help the poor and needy, it helps to sift out our selfishness and covetousness.

Related to selfishness and covetousness is an idol that looks so sweet that many people think that it will never do much harm: the love of ease. “I know that many think far too favorably of the present time. These ease-loving souls will be engulfed in the general ruin.” Testimonies, Vol. 5, 80. Ease-loving souls are people who don’t want to do anything bad, they just don’t want to do anything at all. We are studying various roads to hell and one of them is the road of just being good—good for nothing, ease-loving, avoiding responsibility.

It is represented by the man in the parable of the talents in Matthew 25. The master had given one servant five talents, another servant two talents, and a third one talent. This third servant wrapped it in a napkin and put it in the earth. When the master came back, the servant thought he had played it safe, but the master didn’t commend him. He was not willing to exert himself to go beyond what had been imparted to him. I pray that God will deliver us from the ease-loving spirit that dodges and evades responsibilities.

Ease loving often masquerades as perfectionism—the idea that I am so conscientious that I don’t want to do anything unless I could do it the very best. The only way I can do anything very good is to have practically nothing to do. If I can’t do it perfectly, then I really shouldn’t do it at all. I warn you, this is one of the devil’s most subtle deceptions. And when men and women get to the judgment, some will be surprised how sanctimonious was the guise under which the enemy led them away. Fear can also cause people to spurn responsibility. “I just can’t do it because I might do it wrong.” Each of these is a ditch on opposite sides of the same road.

“The life of selfish ease and freedom from responsibility is the idol of others. These are Satan’s snares, set for unwary feet. But these slavish bands must be broken. … God’s watchmen will not cry, ‘Peace, peace,’ when God has not spoken peace.” Ibid., 83. So I’m not going to speak peace to people who desire to be good, but are largely good for nothing. My soul longs that God shall arouse every lackadaisical, half-hearted, ease-loving soul with the spirit to do more and more and more.

Too Much

There are also people who try to do too much and botch the job. But that is no reason why others should take any one of the talents God has given them and wrap it up nicely in a napkin and put it on a shelf. Sometimes pride is wrapped up with the talent. “What if I can’t do it perfectly?” “What if I fail?” God may allow failure for the express purpose of removing pride from the heart.

Dwight L. Moody was not an educated man, as the world counts it. He had been a shoe clerk before his conversion. He wasn’t a preacher, just a man who wanted to work to save souls. Ira Sankey was a cultured and well-educated man, known for the composition of many well-known hymns such as The Ninety and Nine, and for his strong baritone voice. Moody and Sankey had been invited to London to preach in a large theater before the royal family of England as well as lords and ladies from all around. Sankey led out with a song service. Moody, the simple shoe clerk, rose to speak to the thousands of people before him. As he started to read the Bible text he fumbled with it. He couldn’t get through it. He felt humiliated and started to read it again. Sankey tried to help him. Again and again he tried to read the text, but was unable to get through it. He broke down and wept. In silence, he reached out in prayer, “Oh Lord, if You can help a poor ignorant man like me to say something to these people that will help them, then, Lord, help me.” And with that, he began to talk to them. For 20 minutes all over that theater the Spirit of God was at work. The king and queen of England were weeping in their box. The human vessel had been broken and the light shone out.

If we would get away from our own ideas of how things should be done, God is willing and ready to do great things through us. But God works no miracle for the soul who, for whatever the reason, hugs the shore and loves the life of ease and freedom from responsibility. All such will eventually be sifted out.

Esau’s Problem

I am always saddened when I read about the life of Esau. Esau had a big problem—himself. “Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright.” Hebrews 12:16. Esau’s attention was focused to that spot just below the ribs, and to satisfy his appetite, he was willing to sacrifice his birthright for a bowlful of stew. Esau couldn’t control his appetite, so it controlled him.

“The controlling power of appetite will prove the ruin of thousands, when, if they had conquered on this point, they would have had moral power to gain the victory over every other temptation of Satan. But those who are slaves to appetite will fail in perfecting Christian character.” Testimonies, Vol. 3, 491, 492. The people who receive the latter rain and give the loud cry will be those who have gotten the victory over pride, selfishness, love of the world, every wrong word and action, and over appetite.

“Health reform is to do among our people a work which it has not yet done. … Many who are now only half converted on the question of meat eating will go from God’s people, to walk no more with them.” Counsels on Health, 575. This speaks directly to the effects uncontrolled appetite has on loyalty to God and His church. Only half converted regarding health reform, these people will be sifted out. This mentions specifically the question of meat eating and is linked definitely with the approaching sifting from God’s church. If anyone still hungers for the fleshpots of Egypt (sin), you must ask God to sanctify your appetite. He accomplishes this only after we turn away from eating meat and any other food that is eaten against counsel—anything that we cherish more than God. We must be watchful regarding good food for even it can become an idol. Our appetite must be converted here if we are to sit at the Lord’s table there.

Jesus went into the desert and fasted for 40 days, for me. He broke the power of appetite and He will enable me to do the battle on my own account. Yes, I can have—and so can you—victory over appetite.

A Fire and a World of Iniquity

James tells us that if a man can control the tongue, he is a perfect man who will be able to bridle the whole body (James 3:2). But the danger of the tongue is not what goes in, but what comes out of the mouth. You can disarm a man by taking his sword away, but you cannot get rid of the sword which pierces—the faultfinding, gossiping, and accusing tongue. Isaiah understood this, for when he caught a view of the Lord, he said, “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips.” Isaiah 6:5, first part. In response, an angel came and took a live coal from off the altar and put it on his lips. Imagine, if that had been a literal thing, it would have been very painful. Are you and I willing to have this radical treatment applied to us so that we can be cured of faultfinding, accusation, and criticism? People who may have no interest in the world, who are not controlled by their appetite, may be especially prone to the temptation to criticize.

Remember the prayer of the Pharisee? “God, I thank You that I am not like other men.” Luke 18:11. He went on to list all the things he didn’t do. He was a pretty good Pharisee, as Pharisees go, but he used his tongue to find fault and criticize even in prayer. It was a fixed habit with him. The publican on the other hand prayed, “God, be merciful to me a sinner!” Which of these men went down to his house justified? In this time, of all times, we need to be delivered from this spirit of criticism and faultfinding.

This is God’s church, His movement. We should view with suspicion anyone who comes with what they call light, new light, old light, any kind of light, all the while accusing and condemning those upon whom God has laid the burden of the work. No matter how it might try to conceal with the sheep’s clothing of longing for the latter rain and the loud cry in an effort to hide the wolf that would tear and divide the flock, we must not be misled by the sheep’s clothing when the growl of the wolf is still occasionally heard. The dragon cannot forever masquerade as a lamb.

“But men are to be condemned who start out with a proclamation of wonderful light, and yet draw away from the agents whom God is leading. This was the way in which Korah, Dathan, and Abiram did, and their action is recorded as a warning to all others. We are not to do as they have done—accuse and condemn those upon whom God has laid the burden of the work.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 56

As we have looked over some of the various ways of being sifted out, we see that one side of the road to heaven is worldliness—conformity, a drifting away from God’s standards—while on the other side of the road is pharisaical conformity to the standards of reform, yet with the spirit of criticism and self-righteousness.

Can the Blind Lead the Blind?

“And He spoke a parable unto them: ‘Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch?’ ” Luke 6:39. If we follow anyone other than Jesus Christ, then we might find that we have fallen into the ditch, and the only question is, in which ditch will you land?

How horrible it would be to be so loyal to a church or doctrine that I would be willing to follow it even if it embraced worldly trends and participated in the wickedness of the world, then to discover that in the crisis hour when the mark of the beast is enforced, that I have lost heaven? Equally as tragic, if, in the name of reform and standing for standards, I become so pharisaical that I pull away from my brothers and sisters who may not agree with me and find myself outside the church of God. Do you think it will matter in the Day of Judgment if you followed a preacher or an elder or a teacher? If you are not following the testimonies of the Holy Spirit and the Bible, you eventually will find yourself not only disloyal to God’s standards, but disloyal to His church as well.

Friend, the devil doesn’t care which of these downward steps you take. His only interest is that you take one, and that you do it so committedly that you ultimately leave God’s church and take up residence in Babylon. He wants you to believe that you are a good Pharisee, all while you criticize and find fault. He wants you to think that food is just something that you need to survive and not something that can control your life, until the decisions you make are no longer those that would lead you to heaven. He wants you to be afraid to fail or too proud to try, instead sitting back in ease, satisfied to have no responsibility at all. The devil wants us to look at, listen to, and see the things of this world until our sinful hearts become so much a part of it, that they no longer yearn for heaven.

There is only one thing that will take us through.

“ ‘I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, “I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing”—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.’ ” Revelation 3:15–17

This is Jesus’ message to the Laodicean church, to the church of the judgment hour—to you and me. No matter what we think of ourselves, our true condition is pathetic—wretched, miserable, blind, and naked. But Jesus has the answer for us.

“ ‘I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed, and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.’ ” Verses 18, 19

That gold is faith and love. If we love Jesus, we will in love cling to His standards no matter who goes against them. Love is the answer—love for God and love toward our fellow man.

“We must come up to a higher plane of action. Let the spirit of Jesus vitalize the souls of the workers. … Do not allow all your strength and energy to be given to worldly, temporal things … . We have not a moment’s time to use selfishly. Let all we do be done with an eye single to the glory of God.” Sabbath-School Worker, July 1, 1885

“In the instruction that Christ gave to His disciples, and to the people of all classes who came to hear His words, there was that which lifted them to a high plane of thought and action. If the words of Christ, instead of the words of men, were given to the learner today, we would see evidences of higher intelligence, a clearer comprehension of heavenly things, a deeper knowledge of God, a purer and more vigorous Christian life.” The Review and Herald, November 7, 1907

“Those who are looking for the Lord soon to come, looking for that wondrous change, when ‘this corruptible shall put on incorruption,’ should in this probationary time be standing upon a higher plane of action.” Counsels to the Church, 169

We must not be satisfied with doing only the minimum requirements in our work of developing perfection of character. God has an infinite purpose for us. He will show the points on which we must improve in order that we may measure up more perfectly with heaven’s high ideals. With a glad heart, we must endeavor to grow every day in grace and in the knowledge of heavenly things. Let us set a quiet example of Christian living that others may follow and let us be ever loyal to God and His church. With one hand we must cling to what our Lord has said through His word and the Spirit of Prophecy, and with the other cling to His true church which He has placed here in this world to carry on His work.

Pastor W. D. Frazee studied the Medical Missionary Course at the College of Medical Evangelists in Loma Linda, California. In 1942, he began a faith ministry that would become the foundation for the establishment of the Wildwood Medical Missionary Institute. Pastor Frazee passed to his rest in 1996.

The Basic Principles of God’s Kingdom

 

“Jesus came to this earth … to show us how to live so as to secure life’s best results.” The Ministry of Healing, 365

One of the most foundational principles of the great controversy between Christ and Satan is that the law of God is so basic, so fundamental, that it cannot be changed. It existed when Adam and Eve were created and it will last forever and will never be changed.

“And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail.” Luke 16:17

Not a Tittle

The word tittle comes from the Latin and was used to distinguish the letter i from the strokes of other letters nearby. Hence the word means the dot above the lowercase i or j. The Greek word for tittle is keraia, a diacritic (an accent sign) used in Greek writing meaning a hook or serif that looks similar to an apostrophe. The Hebrew letter daleth is made with two strokes of the pen. The tiny extension of the roof line of the letter is a tittle .

Luke 16:17 is one of the strongest statements in the whole of Scripture regarding the permanency of God’s law.

Think about this text. Jesus Himself is speaking. But, you might say, “There are a lot of texts spoken by Jesus in the Bible.” Jesus is the Creator. Just imagine how He created the entire universe and upholds all things by the word of His power (Hebrew 1). And when the Creator says that God’s law will never be changed, then we can be confident that nothing, not one word, not one dot of a letter will be changed.

God’s government has a foundation. The Bible tells us what that foundation is. We find it in the book of Psalms.

“Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne.” Psalm 89:14, first part

“For all Your commandments are righteousness.” Psalm 119:172, last part

Paul says, “Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.” Romans 7:12

The words just and righteous come from the same word in Hebrew and Greek. They are synonyms, so you can use just and righteous interchangeably and it would mean the same thing. All of God’s commandments are the definition of just and righteousness and are the very foundation of His government.

The great controversy began because Lucifer wanted God to change His law. Specifically, he wanted Him to change the first commandment. “You shall have no other gods before Me.” Exodus 20:3

The trouble was, Lucifer wanted a place in the Godhead, and God said “No.”

“For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ ” Isaiah 14:13, 14

But Jesus said He would destroy the entire universe before He would allow even a part of a letter of His law to fail. That is strong language, isn’t it?

The Bible says there is one God who has the ability to create and destroy; even the devil will find that out one day soon. We are told that the day is coming when God will destroy Satan and all those who follow him (Malachi 4:1).

The foundation of God’s government, His law, is based on two principles.

The first four commandments explain the first principle—to love God above all, the first and great commandment. And the last six commandments explain the second principle—to live to serve and help others, and to love them, affording to them the same value that God places on me (Matthew 22:34–40).

In simple language, the commandments teach us to love God and our fellow man more than we love ourselves, and that we are called to be servants to both God and man. Christ paid an infinite price to save sinners, all sinners. His painful death on the cross for humanity—no matter how deep in sin we may be—vividly demonstrates the immeasurable, incalculable value Jesus Christ and His Father places on us.

The basic principle of Satan’s kingdom is self-service. That’s it; and if I am living to please myself, to serve myself, to help myself get ahead, even if I call myself a Christian, then in the books of heaven it will be recorded that I am a member of Satan’s kingdom.

Mrs. White wrote many times that when Satan sees people serving themselves, he is satisfied. “They consent to live for the service of self, and Satan is satisfied.” The Desire of Ages, 130

If I am living for myself, I am a member of Satan’s kingdom, and he will be happy.

Conversely, if I love God and my fellow man, living for others and not myself, then it will be recorded in the books of heaven that I am a member of God’s kingdom.

Why Did Jesus Die?

“And He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.” 2 Corinthians 5:15

Jesus died so that you and I could learn how to deny self and live for others.

“ ‘Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be those of his own household. He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.’ ” Matthew 10:34–39

“Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.’ ” Matthew 16:24

Because of our sinful nature, we need specific instruction on this point, otherwise we would never think of this. The principle of the cross is self-denial, denying myself in order to help someone else. Jesus did that. He gave up His throne, power, and glory, and came to this world as a man. God was teaching the principle of self-denial through Jesus’s life here in this world (Counsels on Stewardship, 158; Matthew 19:29).

Born, not in a palace, but in a manger, Christ represented the principle of selflessness—“I gave up everything to save you.”

As one of the poorest men on earth—no money, property, possessions—the only one Jesus had to make provision for was His mother. For Mary’s care, he gave her into the hands of the one person who loved Him so much, knowing that He could trust John the beloved to care for her. With this one precious possession cared for, Jesus was ready to die so that mankind could be saved.

What did He leave behind when He left heaven? Denial requires giving up something. Christ left His throne, His position of leadership, His glory and the praise of angels, the companionship of His Father, to come here to be a man, so that He could know how to help me. He showed me by His life how to live my life, and then He gave up His life—fully separated from His Father and all of heaven—so that I would be able to deny myself and take up my cross and follow Him. After He died and ascended back to heaven, what did Jesus take with Him from this world? Some nail prints, perhaps scars on His forehead, a physical body like ours.

“He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.” John 12:25, 26

Jesus is saying that if I want to be part of His kingdom, I must understand the basic principles of His kingdom. “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your, soul, and with all your mind.’ … ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ” Matthew 22:37, 39, last part

In God’s kingdom, love reigns supreme, and love does no harm, it sacrifices, restores, and transforms. But in Satan’s kingdom, self reigns and selfishness abounds.

These two contradictory principles are the basis of the great controversy: the law of love and righteousness, the transcript of the character of God, that could not be changed, and the law of pride and selfishness that would not change.

God knew from eternity that when we fell, when we took on this selfish nature, it would be an uphill battle to overcome selfishness. Mrs. White says that selfishness is sin (The Signs of the Times, April 13, 1891), and it results in self-serving. I may profess to be a Christian, but if I am serving self, it won’t matter what I say, I am a member of Satan’s kingdom. Jesus came to this world and died to save me from the kingdom of selfishness. Will I accept this sacrifice? Will I come to understand that I must surrender my life to the Lord to be broken and converted?

God knows the battle that we must fight, and He is ready to provide strength and encouragement to those who choose to follow the narrow way and fight the battle.

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Matthew 7:13, 14

On the broad road, I can serve myself all I please—that is what comes naturally to me. But the broad road is Satan’s kingdom and I will lose my life when I follow that road. If I want to be a part of the kingdom of heaven, only the narrow road, the difficult way leads there, and that is the road I must take. Why is the way difficult and narrow? Because I have to overcome my sinful nature and my desire to serve myself.

God Our Father is Also Our King

It is a wonderful thing to live in America where we have no human king. The idea and desire for a human king came from the devil. But in heaven there is no republic or democracy, no elections to decide who our ruler will be. Heaven is governed by a King who has absolute, albeit benignant, authority.

Lucifer used this principle in his attack against God. He thought that if a king had absolute authority, then he could do whatever he pleases, and Lucifer wanted to do whatever he pleased. He told the angels that if they would join him, they would have absolute liberty, the ability to choose to do whatever they wanted to do.

This was the cause of the great controversy. Lucifer didn’t want to be under the authority of his Father and King. He wanted to be free to do as he pleased, and what would please him was to be a king himself, and so he protested against Jesus and God. He convinced thousands of angels to follow him in his protest. In spite of God’s efforts to win him back, to help him see the pride and selfishness that was developing more and more in his heart, Lucifer remained persistent, and ultimately, God was left with no choice but to expel him, and the angels who followed him, from heaven.

It should move all our hearts to understand what the rest of the universe has known for thousands of years. God, the King of all heaven and earth, with absolute authority, could exercise that authority to do whatever pleased Him. And what pleased the God of heaven and earth? To allow His Son to come into this world, to live a life of self-denial and self-sacrifice, and to finally die on the cross to save me.

Once Satan reached this world, he started telling people that if they would join his government, they could do whatever they wanted. Because man had inherited, since the fall of Adam, a selfish and sinful nature, that sounded great. It was the temptation in the garden of Eden and it is still the temptation today. Satan teaches that if I want to do something I shouldn’t, I should just do it, and that I can do it for my whole life, confess, and do it again … and still be saved. He says I can do as I please and still go to heaven. But that is a lie, a delusion, cooked up in the devil’s kitchen, and it is contrary to the law of God.

People wonder how they can ever resist the draw of their own selfish nature and the temptations that Satan brings to them every day. God knew these awful temptations would come. He provides encouragement through His word and this gives us faith and strength to overcome. We need only believe.

“ ‘To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.’ ” Revelation 2:7, last part

“ ‘He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the book of life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.’ ” Revelation 3:5

“ ‘To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.’ ” Revelation 3:21

“ ‘He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.’ ” Revelation 21:7

God says, “If you will choose to love Me with all your heart, soul, mind, and spirit, to serve and follow Me, to walk the narrow path, if you will deny self and love and serve your fellow man, if you will, by the power and grace I offer, overcome temptation and sin in the name of Jesus Christ, then I will send the Holy Spirit to work a miraculous transformation in your life, and I will give you the gift of eternal life. And for all your sacrifice in this life, I will repay you a hundredfold.”

Eternal life is a gift. You can’t earn it. You can’t buy it. You can’t take it by force. The devil will tell you that if you follow the Lord, you will lose all these things, worldly things. You won’t have fame or money, power, popularity. You won’t be able to do what you want to do nor can you do it with whomever you want to do it. Satan says that if you follow God, you will lose your freedom, but this, too, is a lie. God offers freedom from sin, freedom from the selfishness that rules your nature. Satan offers only slavery. God offers eternal life and compensation for what you sacrificed for Him. Satan offers only death.

How Do I Gain the Mastery Over Self?

Denying self is hard. There is nothing in the world that I will ever be asked to do that is more difficult. So how do I gain the mastery over my sinful nature? How do I continue to walk the narrow way? How do I keep from backsliding?

A backslider is a person who has been following God, but has slipped back to serving him or herself. They started up the narrow way, they were serving God and their fellow man, and they intended to always do so. But the devil came and flashed a shiny new temptation before them, and while they believed they couldn’t be tempted, they were, and they yielded to that temptation. When you go back to serving yourself, you have become a backslider.

We are living in a time when there are more backsliders than ever before, many of whom may not even realize they have backslidden. But we have a pattern that God’s word says we can follow with confidence. Jesus Christ is our pattern—the way we must follow, the truth in which we can place our confidence, the life we receive when we obey and trust Him. The shaking time is here. Will we stay true to God? Will we follow the pattern that Jesus has given us to follow?

“Jesus came to this earth to accomplish the greatest work ever accomplished among men. He came as God’s ambassador, to show us how to live so as to secure life’s best results.” The Ministry of Healing, 365

So, if that is what Jesus came for, then shouldn’t we be studying the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy, asking the Holy Spirit to open our hearts and minds to receive the lessons that we need in order to follow Jesus’ pattern?

If I am going to take a trip to a place I’ve never been before, I will take out a map and plan out the roads I need to follow. It is the same with following Jesus’ pattern. I can’t know how to follow it if I don’t have directions.

“The life of Christ that gives life to the world is in His word. It was by His word that Jesus healed disease and cast out demons; by His word He stilled the sea, and raised the dead; and the people bore witness that His word was with power. He spoke the word of God, as He had spoken through all the prophets and teachers of the Old Testament. The whole Bible is a manifestation of Christ, and the Saviour desired to fix the faith of His followers on the word. When His visible presence should be withdrawn, the word must be their source of power. Like their Master, they were to live ‘by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.’ Matthew 4:4

“As our physical life is sustained by food, so our spiritual life is sustained by the word of God. And every soul is to receive life from God’s word for himself. As we must eat for ourselves in order to receive nourishment, so we must receive the word for ourselves. We are not to obtain it merely through the medium of another’s mind. We should carefully study the Bible, asking God for the aid of the Holy Spirit, that we may understand His word. We should take one verse, and concentrate the mind on the task of ascertaining the thought which God has put in that verse for us. We should dwell upon the thought until it becomes our own, and we know ‘what saith the Lord.’

“In His promises and warnings, Jesus means me. God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that I by believing in Him, might not perish, but have everlasting life. The experiences related in God’s word are to be my experiences. Prayer and promise, precept and warning, are mine. ‘I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.’ Galatians 2:20. As faith thus receives and assimilates the principles of truth, they become a part of the being and the motive power of the life. The word of God, received into the soul, molds the thoughts, and enters into the development of character.

“By looking constantly to Jesus with the eye of faith, we shall be strengthened. God will make the most precious revelations to His hungering, thirsting people. They will find that Christ is a personal Saviour. As they feed upon His word, they find that it is spirit and life. The word destroys the natural, earthly nature, and imparts a new life in Christ Jesus. The Holy Spirit comes to the soul as a Comforter. By the transforming agency of His grace, the image of God is reproduced in the disciple; he becomes a new creature. Love takes the place of hatred, and the heart receives the divine similitude. This is what it means to live ‘by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.’ ” The Desire of Ages, 390, 391

Mrs. White isn’t talking about a cursory reading: this verse today, and another verse tomorrow. The Lord has instructed her to tell us that we must read the Scriptures and the words of Inspiration, and pray for understanding, daily, until the principles of truth have been assimilated into our lives. We are told to commit each word to memory, not to just memorize the words, but to fill our minds and hearts with their inspired meanings until there is no room for the world.

“The Old and the New Testament Scriptures need to be studied daily. The knowledge of God and the wisdom of God come to the student who is a constant learner of His ways and works. The Bible is to be our light, our educator.” Messages to Young People, 189

I loved to read as a child. I read so much, I believe I might have read myself into near-sightedness and had to start wearing glasses early in my life. As a teenager, I continued to read and I determined that I wanted to read the Bible and all the Spirit of Prophecy books I could, memorizing as much as my mind would hold. Later when I became a pastor, I learned to read the Bible in both Greek and Hebrew. I have to read more slowly in Greek and Hebrew, but I have found that, for me, in reading more slowly in any language, I have better comprehension of what the Lord is trying to tell me.

All of us in these last days—particularly our youth—should start a program of studying the life of Jesus Christ every day. This would involve reading the Gospels and The Desire of Ages.

“It would be well for us to spend a thoughtful hour each day in contemplation of the life of Christ. We should take it point by point and let the imagination grasp each scene, especially the closing ones.” The Desire of Ages, 83

Which Kingdom

We must learn the difference between God’s kingdom of love and Satan’s kingdom of selfishness. The primary principle of Satan’s kingdom is “me.” The primary principle of God’s kingdom is love for God and self-denial as demonstrated by loving service to others and by denying self.

One day very soon, heaven is going to be filled with people who lived on this earth to help and bless others just as Jesus did. No one who puts “me” first will be there. Only those who have struggled against their sinful nature and overcome by following after the pattern left by Jesus will be there.

Which kingdom will you be a part of?

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

No Excuse

Years ago, there was a comedian who portrayed a character that would often say, “The devil made me do it!” The character used this as an excuse for having done things that they knew they shouldn’t do. How many of us use the same excuse, whether we realize it or not? It seemed funny when spoken as part of the comedian’s skit, but there is nothing funny about sin or making excuses for it.

The Bible tells us that none of us is good, not one (Psalm 14:3), that the human heart seeks only to do evil (Genesis 6:5). Why is mankind so bad? Because our first parents chose to believe a lie rather than to trust in their Creator, and as a consequence they were changed and sin entered the world. This is made clear in the Spirit of Prophecy, “The beginning of yielding to temptation is in the sin of permitting the mind to waver, to be inconsistent in your trust in God. The wicked one is ever watching for a chance to misrepresent God and to attract the mind to that which is forbidden.” Mind, Character and Personality, Vol. 1, 31

God had created Adam and Eve in His own image, to be like Him. But disobedience changed them, and their nature became selfish and proud, self-serving and rebellious. Since this change in man’s nature, he naturally is, and seeks to do, evil. Man’s natural sinful tendencies lead him to pursue, nurture, just plain work hard at developing cultivated sins—things such as drinking alcohol, gambling, breaking the Sabbath, adultery, covetousness, jealousy, conceit, pride, and many other things.

James 1:14 describes it this way: “Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.” Since Adam and Eve sinned, each subsequent generation is born to want to do evil and Satan is more than happy to help us continue living that way. “Why is there so much misery and suffering in the world today? Is it because God loves to see His creatures miserable? Oh, no! It is because the immoral habits of man have weakened his physical, mental, and moral powers.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 9, 234

Satan has at his disposal a large arsenal that he uses against us with great effectiveness. To begin with, he hates God. God loves us so much that He gave His Son to save us, so consequently, Satan hates us, too. He will do anything and use any means to keep us under his control. He deceives, lies, manipulates, promises, accuses, forces, berates, insinuates, demeans, and tempts. He has spent the last 6,000 years mastering the art of temptation and wielding the other weapons in his armory.

“If he can, he will fasten the mind upon the things of the world. He will endeavor to excite the emotions, to arouse the passions, to fasten the affections on that which is not for your good; but it is for you to hold every emotion and passion under control, in calm subjection to reason and conscience. Then Satan loses his power to control the mind.” Mind, Character and Personality, Vol. 1, 31

First of all, let’s look at what sin is not. Temptation is not sin. You can be tempted all day long, but if you do not yield to temptation, then you have not sinned. Yielding to temptation is sinning.

How many times have you thought your life was all but wasted because of all the sinful things you have done, the wrong choices you have made, the many times you have turned to do your desires rather than to follow God? A hundred times? A thousand? How many times have you thought, “How in the world can God even want me after all I’ve done?” That’s devil talk. Satan is telling you that God cannot love you because you are too bad.

Read the following quotation carefully and, maybe, read it again, “The strongest temptation is no excuse for sin. However great the pressure brought to bear upon the soul, transgression is our own act. It is not in the power of earth or hell to compel anyone to sin. The will must consent, the heart must yield, or passion cannot overbear reason, nor iniquity triumph over righteousness.” Maranatha, 225

Did you get that? You cannot be compelled to sin against your will! You can’t even blame it on the devil. If you or I sin, it is a result of our own action.

“It is not because there is any flaw in the title which has been purchased for you that you do not accept it. It is not because the mercy, the grace, the love of the Father and the Son is not ample, and has not been freely bestowed, that you do not rejoice in pardoning love. … If you are lost, it will be because you will not come unto Christ that you might have life.” Our Father Cares, 92

“ ‘According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness.’ Then if you are lost, you will be left without excuse.” Peter’s Counsel to Parents, 11

“Temptation is not sin unless it is cherished. Looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith, will fill the soul with peace and abiding trust. ‘When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him’ [Isaiah 59:19].” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 2, 343

The devil knows us very well. He knows how to tempt us and he will find every possible way to do it. I grew up watching television—what we called good, wholesome family shows in those days—kid shows, nature shows, and family movies. However, as I got older I began to watch other programs. This opened a whole Pandora’s box of worldly things to see and hear and wonder about. There was hardly a day that went by that the TV wasn’t on in my house, even if I wasn’t watching it. I used the excuse that it provided me with company.

The negative influence that TV programs and movies have had on my life is incalculable. So many of my likes and dislikes, the things that drove many of my decisions in life can, to a large degree, be traced back to the hours and hours I spent watching television. All of these did their work over the years to diminish my desire for prayer and Bible study, and also provided the devil with fertile material to use against me. “Decisions may be made in a moment that fix one’s condition forever. … But remember, it would take the work of a lifetime to recover what a moment of yielding to temptation and thoughtlessness throws away.” My Life Today, 322. Think of all the days and hours thrown away that can never be retrieved again and how much work is now required in order to recover.

“By a momentary act of will you may place yourself in the power of Satan, but it will require more than a momentary act of will to break his fetters and reach for a higher, holier life. The purpose may be formed, the work begun, but its accomplishment will require toil, time, and perseverance, patience, and sacrifice. The man who deliberately wanders from God in the full blaze of light will find, when he wishes to set his face to return, that briars and thorns have grown up in his path, and he must not be surprised or discouraged if he is compelled to travel long with torn and bleeding feet. The most fearful and most to be dreaded evidence of man’s fall from a better state is the fact that it costs so much to get back. The way of return can be gained only by hard fighting, inch by inch, every hour.” Ibid.

These are all sobering thoughts and quotations, but my purpose for this writing is not to discourage or cause anguish of heart. Yes, we are tempted. Yes, we have yielded, but, praise God, we don’t have to yield. “There is no excuse for man to remain in transgression and sin, because strength has been provided for him in Jesus, that he may overcome. The God of heaven Himself is working by His Spirit.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 9, 233. Imagine! God Himself is working on your behalf to make us strong enough to resist temptation.

Christ came to this world to pay the penalty for sins on behalf of every man, woman, and child, but He also came to live the very life that God has promised to every man. God doesn’t just say, “Do this.” Or “Be this.” No. He says I have shown you the way, walk in it. I have provided everything you will need, including My promise that you will be able to do it (Christ’s Object Lessons, 333).

“Not only did Christ give explicit rules showing how we may become obedient children, but He showed us in His own life and character just how to do those things which are right and acceptable with God, so there is no excuse why we should not do those things which are pleasing in His sight. …

“In Him was found the perfect ideal. To reveal this ideal as the only true standard for attainment; to show what every human being might become; what, through the indwelling of humanity by divinity, all who received Him would become—for this, Christ came to the world. He came to show how men are to be trained as befits the sons of God; how on earth they are to practice the principles and to live the life of heaven.” Our Father Cares, 310

“We are ever to be thankful that Jesus has proved to us by actual facts that man can keep the commandments of God, giving contradiction to Satan’s falsehood that man cannot keep them. The Great Teacher came to our world to stand at the head of humanity, to thus elevate and sanctify humanity by His holy obedience to all of God’s requirements showing it is possible to obey all the commandments of God. He has demonstrated that a lifelong obedience is possible. Thus He gives men to the world, as the Father gave the Son, to exemplify in their life the life of Jesus Christ.” Lift Him Up, 170

Some have said that Christ did this because He was God. But if Jesus had had a single advantage that is not available to us, how could we follow what He says, live as He lived?

“We need not place the obedience of Christ by itself as something for which He was particularly adapted, by His particular divine nature, for He stood before God as man’s representative and [was] tempted as man’s substitute and surety. If Christ had a special power which it is not the privilege of man to have, Satan would have made capital of this matter. The work of Christ was to take from the claims of Satan his control of man, and He could do this only in the way that He came—a man, tempted as a man, rendering the obedience of a man.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 6, 340

“Our Lord was tempted as man is tempted. He was capable of yielding to temptations, as are human beings. His finite nature was pure and spotless, but the divine nature that led Him to say to Philip, ‘He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father’ also, was not humanized; neither was humanity deified by the blending or union of the two natures; each retained its essential character and properties.

“The divine nature, combined with the human, made Him capable of yielding to Satan’s temptations. Here the test to Christ was far greater than that of Adam and Eve, for Christ took our nature, fallen but not corrupted, and would not be corrupted unless He received the words of Satan in the place of the words of God. To suppose He was not capable of yielding to temptation places Him where He cannot be a perfect example for man, and the force and the power of this part of Christ’s humiliation, which is the most eventful, is no instruction or help to human beings.” Ibid., Vol. 16, 182, 183

“Obedience is the outgrowth and fruit of oneness with Christ and the Father. …

“Bear in mind that Christ’s overcoming and obedience is that of a true human being. In our conclusions, we make many mistakes because of our erroneous views of the human nature of our Lord. When we give, to His human nature, a power that it is not possible for man to have in his conflicts with Satan, we destroy the completeness of His humanity. His imputed grace and power He gives to all who receive Him by faith. The obedience of Christ to His Father was the same obedience that is required of man.” Ibid., Vol. 6, 340, 341

Wait, I am to give the same obedience to God as Christ gave? How is that possible?

Man cannot overcome Satan’s temptations without divine power to combine with his instrumentality. So with Jesus Christ, He could lay hold of divine power. He came not to our world to give the obedience of a lesser God to a greater, but as a man to obey God’s holy law, and in this way He is our example.

“The Lord Jesus came to our world, not to reveal what a God could do, but what a man could do, through faith in God’s power to help in every emergency. Man is, through faith, to be a partaker in the divine nature, and to overcome every temptation wherewith he is beset. The Lord now demands that every son and daughter of Adam through faith in Jesus Christ, serve Him in human nature which we now have.

“The Lord Jesus has bridged the gulf that sin has made. He has connected earth with heaven, and finite man with the infinite God. Jesus, the world’s Redeemer, could only keep the commandments of God, in the same way that humanity can keep them. ‘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.’ 2 Peter 1:4. …

“… by thinking and talking of Jesus we become charmed with His character, and by faith we become changed from character to character. ‘And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.’ … We must practice the example of Christ, bearing in mind His Sonship and His humanity. It was not God that was tempted in the wilderness, nor a god that was to endure the contradiction of sinners against himself. It was the Majesty of heaven who became a man—humbled Himself to our human nature.” Ibid., 341, 342

Because of the example set forth in the life of Jesus Christ we “need not retain one sinful propensity. …

“Christ was obedient to every requirement of the law. …

“By His perfect obedience He has made it possible for every human being to obey God’s commandments. When we submit ourselves to Christ, the heart is united with His heart, the will is merged in His will, the mind becomes one with His mind, the thoughts are brought into captivity to Him; we live His life. This is what it means to be clothed with the garment of His righteousness. Then as the Lord looks upon us He sees, not the fig-leaf garment, not the nakedness and deformity of sin, but His own robe of righteousness, which is perfect obedience to the law of Jehovah.

“Through the plan of redemption, God has provided means for subduing every sinful trait, and resisting every temptation, however strong.

“The strongest temptation is no excuse for sin. However great the pressure brought to bear upon the soul, transgression is our own act. It is not in the power of earth or hell to compel anyone to sin. The will must consent, the heart must yield, or passion cannot overbear reason, nor iniquity triumph over righteousness. …

“As we partake of the divine nature, hereditary and cultivated tendencies to wrong are cut away from the character, and we are made a living power for good. Ever learning of the divine Teacher, daily partaking of His nature, we cooperate with God in overcoming Satan’s temptations. God works, and man works, that man may be one with Christ as Christ is one with God. Then we sit together with Christ in heavenly places. The mind rests with peace and assurance in Jesus.” Maranatha, 225

“By faith and prayer all may meet the requirements of the gospel. No man can be forced to transgress. His own consent must be first gained; the soul must purpose the sinful act, before passion can dominate over reason, or iniquity triumph over conscience. Temptation, however strong, is no excuse for sin.” The Signs of the Times, February 8, 1883

“The work to which Christ calls us is to the work of progressive conquest over spiritual evil in our characters. Natural tendencies are to be overcome. … Appetite and passion must be conquered, and the will must be placed wholly on the side of Christ.” The Review and Herald, June 14, 1892

Friends, this is good news. Never again do you have to feel like a failure. Never again do you have to believe that you are too great a sinner and therefore are unable to change. Never again will the devil be able to say that you are his.

“If you will stand under the bloodstained banner of Prince Emmanuel, faithfully doing His service, you need never yield to temptation; for One stands by your side who is able to keep you from falling.” Maranatha, 225

David is an example of one who was tempted, and who yielded with grave and horrible consequences. When darkness was brought upon his soul by his sins with Bathsheba and his desire to have her at all cost, he offered no excuse. Immediately, he accepted responsibility for what he had done and the painful results that would follow.

“David awakens as from a dream. He feels the sense of his sin. He does not seek to excuse his course, or palliate his sin, as did Saul; but with remorse and sincere grief, he bows his head before the prophet of God, and acknowledges his guilt. …” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol. 2, 1023

Christ met Satan, a defeated foe, and prevailed. “The humanity of Christ received the fallen foe and engaged in battle with him. He was sustained in the conflict by divine power just as man will be sustained by his being a partaker of the divine nature. He gained victory after victory as our Champion, the Captain of our salvation … .

“All heaven rejoiced because humanity, the workmanship of God, was placed in an elevated scale with God by the signal victory gained. Christ was more than conqueror, leaving the way open that man may be more than conqueror through Christ’s merits, because He loved him. …” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 16, 183, 184

“Temptation and trial will come to us all, but we need never be worsted by the enemy. Our Saviour has conquered in our behalf. Satan is not invincible. … Christ was tempted that He might know how to help every soul that should afterward be tempted. Temptation is not sin; the sin lies in yielding. To the soul who trusts in Jesus, temptation means victory and greater strength.” Our High Calling, 87

Do you want to walk with Jesus in truth and righteousness? Then claim the promise “It is not in the power of earth or hell to compel anyone to sin.” It is in the time of trial and temptation that we are able to measure our faith in God and the firmness of our character.

“Do not say, ‘It is impossible for me to overcome.’ Do not say, ‘It is my nature to do thus and so, and I cannot do otherwise. I have inherited weaknesses that make me powerless before temptation.’ In your own strength you cannot overcome, but help has been laid upon One that is mighty. …

“God has given His Holy Spirit as a power sufficient to subdue all your hereditary and cultivated tendencies to wrong-doing. By yielding the mind to the control of the Spirit, you will grow into the likeness of God’s perfect character, and will become an instrumentality through which He can reveal His mercy, His goodness and His love.

“Whatever may be your defects, the Holy Spirit will reveal them, and grace will be given you to overcome. Through the merits of the blood of Christ you may be a conqueror, yes, more than a conqueror. Will you who read these words resolve never again to excuse your defects of character by saying, ‘It is my way’? Let no one again declare, ‘I cannot change my natural habits and tendencies.’ Let the truth be admitted into the soul, and it will work to sanctify the character.” The Youth’s Instructor, October 2, 1902

“All the satanic legions cannot injure you unless you open your soul to the arts and arrows of Satan. Your ruin can never take place until your will consents. If there is not pollution of mind in yourself, all the surrounding pollution cannot taint or defile you.” Our Father Cares, 96, 97

“I must continually have my strength in God. My dependence must not waiver. No human agency must come between my soul and my God. The Lord is our only hope. In Him I trust, and He will never, no never, fail me.” That I May Know Him, 266

Judy Rebarchek is the managing editor of the LandMarks magazine. She may be contacted by email at: judyrebarchek@stepstolife.org

A Declaration of War

In all my 43 years on this earth, of all the experiences I have had—every line of work, every effort for success, every hardship, every good idea poorly executed, every blessing taken for granted—there has been no trial as great as following in the shadow of Christ. To follow after such a man as He, the Bread of heaven, is to go against one’s very own nature. It is to look into a mirror and choose to willfully go to war with one’s self. It is written that we are to love our neighbors as ourselves, but if we are to fully surrender our lives to Christ, we must hate the very flesh that we selfishly protect and serve. We must willfully choose to deprive ourselves of the very things our bodies and minds crave.

This is the great race—a declaration of war—that Paul wrote about in 2 Timothy 4:7, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” Are you going through that glorious contest right now? Are you running the race? Are you guarding the faith? Are you fighting the good fight? Do each of you covet that crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give on that day to all who love His appearing?

If any of us are to have any hope of entering the rest promised to us, we must learn to overcome. We must learn to lean completely and fully on the strength and faith of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. We cannot afford, especially in the times in which we are now living, to be like Peter upon the roaring waves of the Sea of Galilee.

Following the occasion of the feeding of the five thousand, Jesus instructed His disciples to board a ship and cross the Sea of Galilee while He remained behind to send away the multitude and to pray. A windstorm arose on the sea during the voyage, and the small ship was tossed among the waves. To add to their distress, the disciples were confronted with what they thought was a spirit, and they cried out in fear. What they saw was Jesus walking on the water. Although the Saviour announced that it was He, that they need not fear, some on the ship were skeptical. Peter challenged, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” And Jesus responded, “Come.” Matthew 14:28, 29

Peter left the boat and, like Jesus, walked on the water. But when Peter looked away from his Master to the buffeting winds around him, his faith wavered, and he began to sink helplessly into the water.

This is one of the most profound illustrations in the Bible about how we all must approach every minute of every day, every trial, every tribulation, every season of blessing or hardship—by beholding the goodness of Christ.

Though met with storms, defeat, fear, temptation, failure, when our hearts grapple with the darkness of surmounting hopelessness, Jesus bids us to come to Him. Above all else, our eyes must diligently and faithfully remain on Him, and our feet be placed in His footsteps.

I want to share a true story that made national news back in 2013. Larry Swilling and his wife, Jimmie Sue lived in Anderson, South Carolina. Jimmie Sue was born with only one kidney, creating a serious problem when that kidney began to fail. Doctors told them that Jimmie Sue’s only hope would be a kidney transplant, but 96,000 other Americans were already on the wait list.

Of course, Larry would have gladly offered one of his kidneys, but unfortunately, he was not a match. After 57 years of marriage, he was not about to give up. He created a large cardboard sign to wear over his shoulders with the words “Need Kidney 4 Wife,” along with a phone number. He then began to walk the streets of Anderson, South Carolina, pleading for someone to donate a kidney to save the love of his life. On some days, for an entire year, the then 77-year-old Larry walked as many as 15 miles in the sweltering heat—with bad knees, after completing a full day of work!

Eventually, a local news station ran his incredible story. More than 2,000 phone calls came in, and about 100 people went through testing to see if they were a match. Finally, a retired Navy lieutenant, Commander Kelly Weaverling, age 41, was found to be a match. The successful operation took place on September 11, 2013, and both parties fully recovered. Most people would not even give their pocket change to panhandlers, but Kelly was willing to give one of her vital organs to save a stranger—all because Larry would not quit asking.

Source: www.cbsnews.com/news/after-taking-to-the-streets-sc-man-finds-kidney-for-wife

The Bible says that if you ask persistently, you will receive. “I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs. So, I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you.” Luke 11:8, 9, first part

One of the hardest and near impossible feats for a prideful heart to accomplish is a total and complete surrender to humbleness. Pride does not seek assistance. It does not relinquish recognition, nor does it subscribe to admitting failure. But in order for there to be a renewing of Spirit, in order for there to be rebirth, our cups must be emptied so that the Lord can pour into us a newness of life. There is no hope for any of us if we do not ask the Lord for assistance, if we do not ask for His victory over sin and the strength to overcome the snares of the fowler through the power of the Holy Spirit. We must allow ourselves to become broken vessels made afresh, restored, and ready for new wine.

“Solomon was never so rich or so wise or so truly great as when he confessed, ‘I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in.’ ” Prophets and Kings, 30

“ ‘Keep thy heart with all diligence,’ is the counsel of the wise man; ‘for out of it are the issues of life.’ As man ‘thinketh in his heart, so is he.’ The heart must be renewed by divine grace, or it will be in vain to seek for purity of life. He who attempts to build up a noble, virtuous character independent of the grace of Christ, is building his house upon the shifting sand. In the fierce storms of temptation, it will surely be overthrown. David’s prayer should be the petition of every soul: ‘Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.’ And having become partakers of the heavenly gift, we are to go on unto perfection, being ‘kept by the power of God, through faith.’ ” Messages to Young People, 285

“Yet we have a work to do to resist temptation. Those who would not fall a prey to Satan’s devices must guard well the avenues of the soul; they must avoid reading, seeing, or hearing that which will suggest impure thoughts. The mind should not be left to wander at random upon every subject that the adversary of souls may suggest. ‘Girding up the loins of your mind,’ says the apostle Peter, ‘Be sober, … not fashioning yourselves according to your former lusts in … your ignorance: but like as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye yourselves also holy in all manner of living.’ Says Paul, ‘Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.’ This will require earnest prayer and unceasing watchfulness. We must be aided by the abiding influence of the Holy Spirit, which will attract the mind upward, and habituate it to dwell on pure and holy things. And we must give diligent study to the word of God. ‘Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to Thy word.’ ‘Thy word,’ says the Psalmist, ‘have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee.’ ” Patriarchs and Prophets, 460

“Through nature and revelation, through His providence, and by the influence of His Spirit, God speaks to us. But these are not enough; we need also to pour out our hearts to Him. In order to have spiritual life and energy, we must have actual intercourse with our heavenly Father. Our minds may be drawn out toward Him; we may meditate upon His works, His mercies, His blessings; but this is not, in the fullest sense, communing with Him. In order to commune with God, we must have something to say to Him concerning our actual life.

“Prayer is the opening of the heart to God as to a friend. Not that it is necessary in order to make known to God what we are, but in order to enable us to receive Him. Prayer does not bring God down to us, but brings us up to Him.

“When Jesus was upon the earth, He taught His disciples how to pray. He directed them to present their daily needs before God, and to cast all their care upon Him. And the assurance He gave them that their petitions should be heard, is assurance also to us.

“Jesus Himself, while He dwelt among men, was often in prayer. Our Saviour identified Himself with our needs and weakness, in that He became a suppliant, a petitioner, seeking from His Father fresh supplies of strength, that He might come forth braced for duty and trial. He is our example in all things. He is a brother in our infirmities, ‘in all points tempted like as we are;’ but as the sinless One His nature recoiled from evil; He endured struggles and torture of soul in a world of sin. His humanity made prayer a necessity and a privilege. He found comfort and joy in communion with His Father. And if the Saviour of men, the Son of God, felt the need of prayer, how much more should feeble, sinful mortals feel the necessity of fervent, constant prayer.” Steps to Christ, 93, 94

Are you spending your time in fervent prayer and supplication? Do you take time out of your day to seek the Lord? Do you pour out your heart to Him with all sincerity, an intimate honesty, and desperate need? Do you give Him everything, holding nothing back, but laying every dirty, ugly, and wretched rag before His throne, seeking spiritual cleansing and righteousness?

“Our heavenly Father waits to bestow upon us the fullness of His blessing. It is our privilege to drink largely at the fountain of boundless love. What a wonder it is that we pray so little! God is ready and willing to hear the sincere prayer of the humblest of His children, and yet there is much manifest reluctance on our part to make known our wants to God. What can the angels of heaven think of poor helpless human beings, who are subject to temptation, when God’s heart of infinite love yearns toward them, ready to give them more than they can ask or think, and yet they pray so little and have so little faith? The angels love to bow before God; they love to be near Him. They regard communion with God as their highest joy; and yet the children of earth, who need so much the help that God only can give, seem satisfied to walk without the light of His Spirit, the companionship of His presence.

“The darkness of the evil one encloses those who neglect to pray. The whispered temptations of the enemy entice them to sin; and it is all because they do not make use of the privileges that God has given them in the divine appointment of prayer. Why should the sons and daughters of God be reluctant to pray, when prayer is the key in the hand of faith to unlock heaven’s storehouse, where are treasured the boundless resources of Omnipotence? Without unceasing prayer and diligent watching we are in danger of growing careless and of deviating from the right path. The adversary seeks continually to obstruct the way to the mercy seat, that we may not by earnest supplication and faith obtain grace and power to resist temptation.

“There are certain conditions upon which we may expect that God will hear and answer our prayers. One of the first of these is that we feel our need of help from Him. He has promised, ‘I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground.’ Isaiah 44:3. Those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, who long after God, may be sure that they will be filled. The heart must be open to the Spirit’s influence, or God’s blessing cannot be received.” Ibid., 94, 95

In 1526, while on the second of three expeditions to conquer Peru, explorer Francisco Pizarro heard that his weary crew wished to take a relief ship from Peru back to Panama. He unsheathed his sword, drew a line in the sand, and said, “Comrades, on that side are toil, hunger, desertion, and death. On this side, ease and pleasure. There lies Peru with its riches; here Panama with its poverty. Choose each man what best becomes a brave Castilian. For my part I go to Peru.”

With these words, he crossed the line and was followed by thirteen shipmates. They went on to discover the vast riches of the remarkable Inca Empire. By remaining vigilant to the end, even in the face of adversity, Christians will also find their rich reward at the end of time. “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” James 1:12

“He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.” Revelation 21:7

It should be our greatest hope that we will endure all temptations and find ourselves approved, and able to receive a crown of life. I trust that this is the hope of each one of us today.

Let us daily pray and ask God to give us strength and make us a people after His own heart so that we may not be found wanting on the day of His judgment. So that we may say on that glorious day, as Paul did, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race. I have kept the faith.”

Jerry Dillon and his family stepped out in faith and moved to Wichita from Washington State. He and his wife Sunny joined the staff at Steps to Life in November, 2021. Jerry is a Bible Worker, studying to become a minister, and is the Ministry’s Director of Audio & Video. He may be contacted by email at: digitalmedia@stepstolife.org.

Avenues of the Soul

(Access Points for Satan) 

When I first began reading the Spirit of Prophecy, I came across an interesting phrase that really piqued my interest. It appears in many places, and one where it is given fullest treatment is in The Acts of the Apostles, pages 518, 519:

“Those who would not fall a prey to Satan’s devices must guard well the avenues of the soul; they must avoid reading, seeing, or hearing that which will suggest impure thoughts. The mind must not be left to dwell at random upon every subject that the enemy of souls may suggest. The heart must be faithfully sentineled, or evils without will awaken evils within, and the soul will wander in darkness. ‘Gird up the loins of your mind,’ Peter wrote, ‘be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; … not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: but as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.’ ”

The more I have contemplated this passage, the more value I have seen in it. The first thing that interested me was the admonition to “guard well the avenues of the soul.” My initial thought was “What are these avenues that I need to guard?”

Thankfully, a search of the Spirit of Prophecy gave an answer: “All should guard the senses, lest Satan gain victory over them; for these are the avenues to the soul.” Testimonies, Vol. 3, 507

If I had studied that initial paragraph from The Acts of the Apostles a bit more thoroughly, perhaps I would have understood what the avenues of the soul are, at least partially, for it says, “… avoid reading, seeing, or hearing that which will suggest impure thoughts.” We read and see with our eyes. We hear with our ears. And sight and hearing are two senses that Satan has used successfully for thousands of years to lead folks astray.

We are given a similar warning in Counsels for the Church, 166:

“So far as in us lies, we should close every avenue by which the tempter may find access to us.

“Every Christian must stand on guard continually, watching every avenue of the soul where Satan might find access.”

Another warning is found in Selected Messages, Book 2, 324:

“Satan is watching every avenue whereby he can take advantage to enter with his specious temptations to spoil the soul.”

For over six thousand years, Satan has been studying the human race as a whole to determine how to most successfully use those avenues to cause its ruin. And since birth, he has been watching us individually to find ways to appeal to our senses so that we will think, speak, and act contrary to God’s will.

Think of how Satan appealed to our first mother to cause not only her downfall, but the downfall of the entire human race. “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. Sight, taste, and touch—three of the avenues skillfully used by Satan.

In commenting on this tragedy, Inspiration notes, “It seemed a small matter to our first parents, when tempted, to transgress the command of God in one small act and eat of a tree that was beautiful to the eye and pleasant to the taste. To the transgressors this was but a small act, but it destroyed their allegiance to God and opened a flood of woe and guilt which has deluged the world. Who can know, in the moment of temptation, the terrible consequences which will result from one wrong, hasty step! Our only safety is to be shielded by the grace of God every moment, and not put out our own spiritual eyesight so that we will call evil, good, and good, evil. Without hesitation or argument, we must close and guard the avenues of the soul against evil.” Testimonies, Vol. 3, 324

Had Adam and Eve closed and guarded the avenues of the soul, mankind might still be living in the splendor of Eden.

Now let’s look at the second sentence in our opening paragraph:

“The mind must not be left to dwell at random upon every subject that the enemy of souls may suggest.”

There are two things worth noting here. First, it is imperative that we exercise control over our thought process. 2 Corinthians 10:5 gives us this warning:

“Casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ … .”

What we think has such a profound effect on our character that there are many, many warnings in the Spirit of Prophecy about controlling our thinking.

The second caution this sentence provides is that Satan can indeed place thoughts in our minds. He cannot read our minds, but he can influence what we think about.

“The adversary of souls is not permitted to read the thoughts of men; but he is a keen observer, and he marks the words; he takes account of actions, and skillfully adapts his temptations to meet the cases of those who place themselves in his power. If we would labor to repress sinful thoughts and feelings, giving them no expression in words or actions, Satan would be defeated; for he could not prepare his specious temptations to meet the case.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 122, 123

An obvious question would be, “Who are those who place themselves in Satan’s power?” It is those who fail to repress sinful thoughts and feelings by giving them expression in words or actions. Satan could not tailor his efforts specifically to our character weaknesses and besetting sins if he does not know what those are as revealed by our words and actions.

Let’s now consider a few Bible characters who fell through a failure to guard these avenues that Satan uses so successfully. We have already considered Adam and Eve. Think now of David. How did Satan get to David? “Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king’s house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold.” 2 Samuel 11:2

We don’t know how long David gazed at Bathsheba, but we do have some idea of what he was thinking, based on the record in 2 Samuel 11. The consequences of David’s failure, or even refusal, to guard the avenue of sight and reign in his thoughts made David guilty of not only breaking the seventh commandment, but ultimately the sixth as well. This story should be a powerful lesson to those who gaze unadvisedly at inappropriate scenes depicting immoral behavior.

Another familiar example we have of Satan’s use of our senses to bring about mankind’s destruction lies in the story of Sodom. In Testimonies, Vol. 3, 476, we read, “The senses of many are benumbed by the indulgence of appetite and familiarity with sin.” A few pages later, we read, “To indulge the taste at the expense of health is a wicked abuse of the senses. Those who engage in any species of intemperance, either in eating or drinking, waste their physical energies and weaken moral power. They will feel the retribution which follows the transgression of physical law.” Ibid., 486

That is exactly what happened in Sodom. Here is how Ezekiel makes note of it:

“Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me; therefore I took them away as I saw fit.” Ezekiel 16:49, 50

Indeed, their moral power was weakened and they felt “the retribution which follows the transgression of physical law.”

There is a very enlightening passage regarding the care we need to exercise in guarding the avenues of the soul:

“We have been bought with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish. What a price is this, unparalleled, infinite! But though Christ has bought us, and invites us to come to Him, still the world holds out its attractions to us, and strives for the mastery. Shall love for God, or love for the world, triumph in the conflict? Satan and his evil angels are watching at every avenue leading to the human heart, seeking to force souls to accept evil suggestions. The enemy presents bribes to win us to the world, as he presented bribes to Christ in the wilderness of temptation. Unless we depend upon a power out of and above ourselves, the enemy will succeed in accomplishing our ruin. But in looking to Jesus, by studying His life and character, by earnestly desiring to be like Him, our minds will be balanced in the right direction, that we may overcome selfishness, and choose a course of righteousness.” The Youth’s Instructor, October 27, 1892

Notice that this counsel ends with the sobering conclusion that Satan’s success is made possible because of our inherent selfishness. Truly, the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately, incurably wicked!

“Now is the time to have every piece of the armor on. ‘We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.’ Ephesians 6:12. Here is our work, and Satan will come in through every avenue that is left unguarded, to blind minds as to the true and vital interests that are at stake for this time.” The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, 930

“Let every soul be wide awake to close every avenue of the soul to the sophistry of Satan, as revealed in heaven and in Eden. Let us be armed with that vigilance that shall resist his enchantments.” Loma Linda Messages, 88

“Our only safety is in being shielded by the grace of God every moment, and not putting out our own spiritual eyesight so that we call evil good, and good, evil. Without hesitation or argument, we must close and guard the avenues of the soul against evil.” Gospel Workers (1892), 205

“Guard well the avenues of the soul. Place sentinels at the eyes, the ears, the lips. When prevarications and conjectures are brought before you, and your minds are disturbed, go to Jesus, and pray for help that you may not be ensnared by the wiles of Satan.” The Review and Herald, August 28, 1883

“Thoughts and meditations upon the goodness of God to us would close the avenues of the soul to Satan’s suggestions.” Testimonies, Vol. 4, 222

If we are following the instructions that Paul gave to both the Colossians and the Corinthians to do all in the name of the Lord and to the glory of God, the avenues of the soul would remain beyond the reach of Satan and his emissaries.

John R. Pearson is the office manager and a board member of Steps to Life. He may be contacted by email at johnpearson@stepstolife.org

What Do We Mean by the Blueprint?

God often uses illustrations to bring us a lesson, and in Amos 7:7, 8, we find a vivid and graphic one.

“Thus He shewed me: and, behold, the Lord stood upon a wall made by a plumbline, with a plumbline in His hand. And the Lord said unto me, ‘Amos, what seest thou?’ And I said, ‘A plumbline.’ Then said the Lord, ‘Behold, I will set a plumbline in the midst of My people Israel: I will not again pass by them anymore.’ ”

A plumbline is used to see whether a wall is straight or not, but there is an interesting thing about a plumbline: no matter what the person using it thinks, or whether they have something to gain or lose, the plumbline always points straight up and down. That is why it is used.

A builder friend of mine once told me about a church that was being built. A general contractor had been hired to oversee the project, but certain parts of the building’s construction had been sourced out to various subcontractors. One of those contractors was responsible for the masonry work on the building.

One morning the general superintendent came to the job site. He thought one of the walls didn’t look straight. When the foreman for the masons came, the superintendent expressed his concern about the wall. The foreman said, “Well, let’s get the plumbline.” They did, and sure enough, the wall was not true; it was out of line.

Now, the wall had already been built up to a certain point. Do you suppose they decided that the wall wasn’t a whole lot out of alignment, and since it would take a lot of time and money to pull it down and do it right, they would just keep building on that wall even though it was out of line, but do it right on the other walls? Wouldn’t it be strange to argue that if it had been built according to the blueprint in the first place, it would have been better, but now it is too late to go back and start over?

There is only one right thing for them to do—tear it down and start over again, using the plumbline more often and more carefully. In material things, nobody questions what to do in a case like this.

But, in our text above, God is talking about something infinitely more important. Another translation states it this way: “ ‘Amos, what do you see?’ ‘A plumbline,’ I replied. The Eternal said, ‘With a plumbline I test My people.’ ”

The Seventh-day Adventist church is unique. It isn’t some sect or a cult. It is a movement established by God with a God-given message, and its destiny is to allow God to use it to prepare a people to be ready for His soon coming. But there is a question to consider: God has waited a long time, spiritually building this last-day movement. He has spent 6,000 years testing it. Unless His church is built according to the blueprint and is perfect according to its standard, what profit is it to keep building it?

Key to this message, and the foundation and central pillar of the advent movement, is the following text: “And he said unto me, unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.” Daniel 8:14. It is the event highlighted in this prophecy that has made us a people, and will keep us on our job.

There are three critical things about this text. One is that great period that began in 457 B.C. and reached down to the autumn of 1844. October 22, 1844, is the birthday of God’s last-day people. It designates the beginning of the cleansing of the sanctuary in heaven, and the blotting out of the sins of God’s people. God will never enter a false record in His heavenly bookkeeping. And when He says that He will cleanse the sanctuary in heaven, that includes an accompanying work of cleansing His church on earth. As the Investigative Judgment continues in the most holy place in the sanctuary above, as the lives of men are measured by His ten-commandment law—His plumbline—God wants us to be measuring our lives according to the plumbline to be certain that we are straight and true.

“For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” James 2:10. We primarily think about the fourth commandment when we read this verse because the Sabbath is the seal of the law and the seal of God’s work in the hearts of His people—the sign of a completed work in which all His people have all the law written in their hearts and revealed in their lives. But there are ten commandments and behind those ten are the two great commandments: love to God and love to fellow man—God’s blueprint as well as His plumbline. In order to have a people in whose hearts and lives the ten commandments are fully revealed, God has given us a message of physical healing and restoration so that our blood streams may be pure and our brains thinking straight. That is why we have health reform and medical missionary work in this movement.

In order that we might know what this law reveals, God gave us a set of lenses—the Old and New Testaments—which magnify the law. And because some of us down here in this last generation have such poor eyesight, He’s given us, along with His law and the Bible to magnify it, a great magnifying glass in the Spirit of Prophecy. The Spirit of Prophecy magnifies the Bible, the Bible magnifies the law and thus we can see the whole duty of man.

Why is this law so important? It is the revelation of God’s will, His character. He spoke it with His lips, He wrote it with His finger. It is the only part of the Bible given to us in these ways. In the Bible, we have this same Creator who writes His will on the tables of stone, speaking to us through the prophets and apostles, and telling us in simple language what He means by every precept of His law. Now in the word of God, we find the last-day promise that He will have a remnant church that keeps His law—the ten commandments—and have the testimony of Jesus—the Spirit of Prophecy.

If the Spirit of Prophecy is the testimony of Jesus, then who is speaking to us as we read books such as The Ministry of Healing, Counsels on Diet and Foods, Counsels on Health, and the Testimonies? Jesus is speaking. We often hear it said that the messages found in the Spirit of Prophecy are out of date. Isn’t it strange that we believe that the messages in a book given to us 2,000 years ago are still valid, but messages given by the same voice over a hundred years ago, are not? I don’t believe it, do you? I believe that the One who gives us light through the Bible has given us light in the Spirit of Prophecy, and both sources of light will help, guide, and bless us all the way to the end.

There are those who believe in the writings of Ellen G. White as found in The Desire of Ages, Patriarchs and Prophets, Steps to Christ, or Christ’s Object Lessons, but they find it difficult to attach the same inspired authority to the details dealing with physiology, dietetics and nutrition, medical practice, and sanitariums and hospitals. So, the question we need to ask is, “What do we mean by the blueprint?”

I am not telling any secret when I say that we have good men in leadership who believe that there is good counsel in the writings of Ellen G. White. However, they also believe that at least some of what she wrote, while relevant to her time, is not relevant to our time. With all my heart I believe they are mistaken. I do not believe that we can treat some of the Spirit of Prophecy as guidance for a bygone age only, and jettison other guidance which we feel is outmoded or obsolete for this time in earth’s history. The truth is, friends, we have to make sure that we are right according to the plumbline.

The higher the wall, the more important it is for the continued use of the plumbline to keep the wall straight. And if in our ignorance or carelessness, in our desire to keep up with the Joneses, we have built different from the blueprint and contrary to the plumbline, then we must repent and start over again in our individual work for God. God’s patience has endured for more than 6,000 years, and He continues to wait until He gets what He wants. No matter how high we build our walls, unless God accepts our work, what profit is it?

To the point of just exactly what we mean by the blueprint, I’d like us to read the following classic statement. It relates to the Bible, but is equally applicable to the inspired instruction which has been given to us through the Spirit of Prophecy. “It is one thing to treat the Bible as a book of good moral instruction, to be heeded so far as is consistent with the spirit of the times and our position in the world; it is another thing to regard it as it really is—the word of the living God, the word that is our life, the word that is to mold our actions, our words, and our thoughts. To hold God’s word as anything less than this is to reject it.” Education, 260

Are the writings of the Bible and of Ellen G. White the blueprint for our work, or are they merely some guiding principles to apply as we think best? This is the question, and on this issue will come a confrontation in this denomination that we have yet to meet.

In 1904, Mrs. White was given a vision of an iceberg. We understand that this vision came at the same time as an open attack against the Spirit of Prophecy by the people in Battle Creek. In vision, Mrs. White was told that she was to give the order to “Meet it!”

Our controversy in the world is over the Sabbath and keeping the ten commandments, but the great controversy within this movement in the coming days is over the Spirit of Prophecy. Books have been written with the intention of debunking the authority of Ellen G. White. Now is the time for those who believe in and hold fast to the Spirit of Prophecy to come out in the open and stand up for Jesus and His testimony.

Let me illustrate what I mean in this matter of implicit faith in Mrs. White’s writings. In U.S. News and World Report, there is occasionally a page on the latest in health and medicine. One article is titled, “Alcohol’s Link to Cancer.” This was reported to Congress, and it says, “Government research has shown that there is now evidence from science that the heavy use of alcohol brings an added risk of cancer.” That supports inspired writings. But now notice what it says as the article closes. “ ‘On the other hand,’ the doctor in charge said, ‘there is no evidence that moderate use of alcohol is harmful. In fact, according to the institute’s report, moderate drinkers, as a statistical group, live longer than abstainers or ex-drinkers.’ ”

My dear friends, I plead with your hearts, while it is all very well to gather scientific evidence in support of what the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy say, we need to spend our time with major emphasis in studying the writings themselves and believing them whether science confirms them or not. We do not believe because we understand, we understand because we believe. “Through faith we understand.” Hebrews 11:3. And just as there is danger that some of our scientific men may lose their way while trying to correlate, using the scientific theories and so-called scientific data available in the scientific world today, the teachings of the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy on Creation with science, we must beware that we do not evaluate what is given us in the Spirit of Prophecy according to what man has confirmed or not.

More than a hundred years ago, the writings of the Spirit of Prophecy were far in advance of the science of that time. Could it be that it is the same today? We know a lot of things today that people didn’t know then. If this light through the Spirit of Prophecy is our blueprint, let us be content to wait for the world to catch up.

Let me illustrate it in another way. Many years ago, when I was a student in the medical missionary work, the only people who did not use butter were those in the Seventh-day Adventist Church who were fanatics zealously following the writings of Ellen G. White, and were looked upon by many as extremists. People didn’t talk much about cholesterol and atherosclerosis caused by a high animal fat diet in those days, but do not miss this point: Those fanatics determined to do just what the prophet said about abstaining from eating butter and the result was fewer heart attacks. There are a hundred other details in the Spirit of Prophecy that, if we searched them out and followed them, whether there is any scientific support for them or not, we would not only be showing our faith in God, but we would also reap benefits for doing what God says.

Following the blueprint means taking both the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy at face value and accepting what we read and following their counsels whether we see any reason for it or not.

Let’s look at walking, for example. “Walking, in all cases where it is possible, is the best remedy for diseased bodies, because in this exercise all the organs of the body are brought into use. … There is no exercise that can take the place of walking.” The Retirement Years, 133, 134. Walking is better for our health than all the medicine the doctors can prescribe. Hold the head erect and the shoulders back. The lungs are forced into healthy action, circulation is improved, and many muscles are brought into exercise by walking. Walking can be a safeguard against colds. It is also good to cultivate the habit of talking with Jesus while you walk.

Here is another item of specific counsel on what we mean by the blueprint. “Sickness of the mind prevails everywhere. Nine tenths of the diseases from which men suffer have their foundation here. … The physician needs more than human wisdom and power that he may know how to minister to the many perplexing cases of disease of the mind and heart with which he is called to deal. If he is ignorant of the power of divine grace, he cannot help the afflicted one, but will aggravate the difficulty.” Counsels on Health, 324, 325. What would this do to our practice of medicine if we really believed this statement? Will we dare to refer to an unconverted psychologist or psychiatrist?

The blueprint tells us that if the physician is ignorant of the power of divine grace, he cannot help, but will instead aggravate the difficulty. If my mind ever goes off the beam, let me go insane, raving mad, and die, rather than put me in the hands of some pagan, heathen psychiatrist who does not believe in God and freewill. I would rather die insane in the Lord than be under the influence of one of these worldly psychiatrists or psychologists. Most do not understand that what is called science in the field of psychiatry and psychology goes contrary to the counsels of the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy.

“We may well distrust the ungodly physician. … How terrible to trust our loved ones in the hands of an impure man, who may poison the morals and ruin the soul!” Ibid., 326. Let no medical ethics rob you of the convictions that come from this inspired blueprint.

“Our institutions are to be entirely under the supervision of God. They were established in sacrifice, and only in sacrifice can their work be successfully carried forward.” Ibid., 316

Oh, but we now know how to run the work without sacrifice. Peter tried to help Jesus learn how to run His program without the sacrifice of the cross (Matthew 16). Jesus’ response was, “Get thee behind me, Satan.” Verse 23

Shall I venture another specific example of the blueprint? “It is the purpose of God that a health institution should be organized and controlled exclusively by Seventh-day Adventists; and when unbelievers are brought in to occupy responsible positions, an influence is presiding there that will tell with great weight against the sanitarium.” Counsels on Health, 401. What does “exclusively” mean? Nobody but. Of course, this counsel must be out of date. It was written over a hundred years ago.

God has given us a specific Seventh-day Adventist health message. We are not to be run-of-the-mill medical practitioners who happen to belong to the Seventh-day Adventist church. We have been given counsel to guide us in the way we are to do our work and run our institutions. Is that counsel still relevant? Yes, it is.

A full demonstration of God’s blueprint will soon be on full display. We are invited to have a part in that demonstration of all the counsel found in the Bible and given by Mrs. White, but God does not force anyone. He gives everyone an opportunity to be part of this last-day work. We must go to Him saying, “Dear Lord, I want the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. I will seek for it as silver, search for it as pure gold, and I’ll follow it.” There is no limit to what God can do when He has a people willing to go all the way with Him. We must say and believe as did Elijah on Mount Carmel: “If the Lord be God, follow Him, but if it be the world, then follow it.” (1 Kings 18:21).

What is God’s blueprint? His holy law, the Bible, and the Spirit of Prophecy. “Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe His prophets, so shall ye prosper.” 2 Chronicles 20:20

[All scripture from the KJV]

Pastor W. D. Frazee studied the Medical Missionary Course at the College of Medical Evangelists in Loma Linda, California. He was called to Utah as a gospel medical evangelist. During the Great Depression, when the church could not afford to hire any assistants, Pastor Frazee began inviting professionals to join him as volunteers. Thus began a faith ministry that would become the foundation for the establishment of the Wildwood Medical Missionary Institute in 1942. He believed that each person is unique, specially designed by the Lord, of infinite value, and has a special place and mission in this world which only he or she can fill. His life followed this principle and encouraged others to do the same.

He Hears and Answers

Cancer. Heart disease. Covid-19. Mental illness. Repeated hospital stays. Day after day, prayer after prayer, asking God for healing. But too often there is no healing, and it is death that comes. Why didn’t God answer these prayers?

“God knows the end from the beginning. He is acquainted with the hearts of all men. He reads every secret of the soul. He knows whether those for whom prayer is offered would or would not be able to endure the trials that would come upon them should they live. He knows whether their lives would be a blessing or a curse to themselves and to the world. This is one reason why, while presenting our petitions with earnestness, we should say, ‘Nevertheless not my will, but Thine, be done.’ Luke 22:42. …

“The consistent course is to commit our desires to our all-wise heavenly Father, and then, in perfect confidence, trust all to Him. We know that God hears us if we ask according to His will. But to press our petitions without a submissive spirit is not right; our prayers must take the form, not of command, but of intercession.

“There are cases where God works decidedly by His divine power in the restoration of health. But not all the sick are healed. Many are laid away to sleep in Jesus.” The Ministry of Healing, 230

My mother told me an old story of a son and his father. The boy was a Christian who loved the Lord. One day he became very ill; in fact, he was dying. The father prayed and pleaded with God to spare the life of his son. He went so far as to demand that God restore his son to good health. God answered the father’s prayer, and the son was healed. Sadly, as he grew into young manhood, he chose a course that took him away from God. He went so far away that he committed terrible crimes and ultimately spent the rest of his life in prison, unrepentant. Imagine how that father felt. If the son had died as a young, Christian boy, he might have been saved, but because of the father’s plea that God heal the boy, he lived, but was lost.

There are prayers that the Bible says are an abomination to God because the answer is directly related to the relationship that a person has, or does not have, with God. It is a fearful thing to come to God asking for His blessing and healing when our hearts are unwilling to obey His law (Conflict and Courage, 159). “One who turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination.” Proverbs 28:9

“We must become intelligent as to the conditions upon which God will hear and answer prayer. There are many useless, meaningless words employed in prayer, but these heartless petitions are not acceptable, and cannot prevail with God. If the soul is stained with impurity, if iniquity is cherished in the heart, the offering of prayer is an abomination to God.” The Signs of the Times, December 16, 1889

“While some who profess to know God remain in their present state, their prayers are an abomination in His sight. They do not sustain their faith by their works, and it would have been better for some never to have professed the truth than to have dishonored their profession as they have done. While they profess to be servants of Christ, they are servants of the enemy of righteousness; and their works testify of them that they are not acquainted with God, and that their hearts are not in obedience to the will of Christ. They make child’s play of religion; they act like pettish children. They serve God at will and let it alone at pleasure.” Ibid., August 11, 1887

But why doesn’t God answer my prayer? I have committed my life to Him. I study my Bible and pray every day. I seek to do His will. I have asked, but it seems that He does not hear.

It is with love and mercy that God answers our prayers. He may answer with a firm yes or no. The answer may be to wait. He may not answer in the way we have asked or feel He should or maybe even have demanded, but God never ignores the prayer of a faithful penitent; an answer will always come.

“The prayer of faith is never lost; but to claim that it will be always answered in the very way and for the particular thing we have expected is presumption.” Testimonies, Vol. 1, 231

“At all times and in all places, in all sorrows and in all afflictions, when the outlook seems dark and the future perplexing, and we feel helpless and alone, the Comforter will be sent in answer to the prayer of faith.” The Desire of Ages, 669, 670

“We all desire immediate and direct answers to our prayers, and are tempted to become discouraged when the answer is delayed or comes in an unlooked-for form. But God is too wise and good to answer our prayers always at just the time and in just the manner we desire. He will do more and better for us than to accomplish all our wishes.” The Ministry of Healing, 230, 231

“That prayer which comes forth from an earnest, believing heart is the effectual, fervent prayer that availeth much. God does not always answer our prayers as we expect, for we may not ask what would be for our highest good; but in His infinite love and wisdom He will give us those things which we most need.” Gospel Workers (1892), 32

“Make your requests known to your Maker. Never is one repulsed who comes to Him with a contrite heart. Not one sincere prayer is lost. … God hears the cries of the weakest human being. We pour out our heart’s desire in our closets, we breathe a prayer as we walk by the way, and our words reach the throne of the Monarch of the universe. They may be inaudible to any human ear, but they cannot die away into silence … Nothing can drown the soul’s desire. … It is God to whom we are speaking, and our prayer is heard.” In Heavenly Places, 82

“We have a God whose ear is not closed to our petitions; and if we prove His word, He will honor our faith. … God does not always answer our prayers the first time we call upon Him; for should He do this, we might take it for granted that we had a right to all the blessings and favors He bestowed upon us.” Our Father Cares, 100

We have a responsibility to do those things that God instructs us to do. How can we pray for and expect to be in good health if we are violating the laws of health, to be safe when we deliberately put ourselves in danger, to have strength against yielding when we place ourselves in the path of temptation?

“In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh, and strength to your bones.” Proverbs 3:6–8

“But [from] those who have no sense of the goodness and mercy of God, [those] who refuse His merciful warnings, who reject His counsels to reach the highest standard of Bible requirements, who do despite to the Spirit of grace, the Lord would remove His protecting power.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 14, 2, 3

“Sickness is caused by violating the laws of health.” Healthful Living, 60

“Disease never comes without a cause. The way is prepared, and disease invited, by disregard of the laws of health.” The Ministry of Healing, 234

I am frequently reminded of my favorite Spirit of Prophecy quotation found in the chapter titled, “The Privilege of Prayer” in Steps to Christ, 100:

“Keep your wants, your joys, your sorrows, your cares, and your fears before God. You cannot burden Him; you cannot weary Him. He who numbers the hairs of your head is not indifferent to the wants of His children. ‘The Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.’ James 5:11. His heart of love is touched by our sorrows and even by our utterances of them. Take to Him everything that perplexes the mind. Nothing is too great for Him to bear, for He holds up worlds, He rules over all the affairs of the universe. Nothing that in any way concerns our peace is too small for Him to notice. There is no chapter in our experience too dark for Him to read; there is no perplexity too difficult for Him to unravel. No calamity can befall the least of His children, no anxiety harass the soul, no joy cheer, no sincere prayer escape the lips, of which our heavenly Father is unobservant, or in which He takes no immediate interest. ‘He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.’ Psalm 147:3. The relations between God and each soul are as distinct and full as though there were not another soul upon the earth to share His watchcare, not another soul for whom He gave His beloved Son.”

With references like that, there is no reason we should doubt God’s responses to our prayers. He longs to give us the best things. It is not His will that people are sick and lonely, desperate and dying, but these are the things that human beings face in this world of sin.

The day my husband died, I begged God to bring him back. I did everything I knew how to do to restart his heart, to help him breathe, but God said no. I asked “Why?” He said, “Trust Me.”

God will always answer the prayer of a faithful, contrite heart. It may not be how we want, but it will always be what we most need and always according to His good will for our lives or maybe for the good of someone else.

My mother also told me this story:

A church minister was about to begin the evening service, but before he gave his sermon, he introduced a guest minister who was one of his dearest childhood friends, giving him a few moments to share whatever was on his heart. The elderly minister related the following story.

A father, his son, and his son’s friend went sailing. They were enjoying the day when a fast-moving storm blew in and made it impossible for the father to get the boat back to shore. The waves were so turbulent that, even as an experienced sailor, the father was unable to keep the boat upright and it capsized, throwing all three into the raging waters.

The father grabbed the one and only lifeline and had to make the most terrible decision a parent could make: to which boy would he throw the end of the lifeline? His son was a Christian, but his friend was not. In seconds, the father made his decision. He yelled to his son that he loved him and then threw the lifeline to his son’s friend, pulling him to the relative safety of the capsized boat. When he turned to throw the lifeline to his son, the boy had disappeared, and his body was never found.

The father knew his son would be saved when Jesus came, but he could not bear the thought that his son’s friend would not be, so he had sacrificed his son’s life to save his friend.

The elderly minister took his seat, and the young minister gave a brief sermon. However, as soon as the service ended, two young boys came to the old minister. They said they thought that was a nice story, but they didn’t think it was very realistic that a father would let his own son die in hopes that someone else would become a Christian. The old minister smiled and allowed that it might not be very realistic, but that he could attest to the truth of the story because he was that father, and their minister was the young man he saved.

Just as this father saved the wayward friend at the cost of the life of his son, so God sacrificed the life of His Son so that sinful mankind would have the opportunity to be saved.

Friend, the Lord conducts so much of His business in the realms that we cannot see with human eyes, and that is why we must always trust Him. Perhaps a prayer of healing isn’t answered, and a person dies because they might not be able to withstand trial later, or it may be to save a life that has not yet found God.

When I was a child, my mother would tuck me into bed at night, kiss me on the forehead and tell me she loved me, that she would always take care of me, and everything would be all right. I believed that completely as I closed my eyes and fell asleep. And until the day she closed her eyes in death, to wait for the coming of the Lord, she kept that promise to me. God has promised that we can always trust and depend on Him, and He keeps that promise.

He says, “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with loving-
kindness I have drawn you.” Jeremiah 31:3

And “He [the Lord] will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 31:8, last part

“Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him … Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him.” Psalm 37:5, first part, 7, first part

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6, 7

“And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.” 1 John 3:22

While we ask and wait for God’s answer, let us remember that no matter the trial or hardship, no matter the pain or sadness, no matter the loss, in spite of the temptation to wonder if God has abandoned us or isn’t interested, we can with confidence know that we never have to bear it alone.

“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13

Judy Rebarchek is the managing editor of the LandMarks magazine. She may be contacted by email at: judyrebarchek@stepstolife.org

The New Birth Experience

“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 3:3

Many people today say that they are Christians. They had an experience once in their lives that makes them feel like they have been converted. They may believe all the correct doctrines that are espoused in the Bible, they may go to church weekly, and they may believe in Jesus as their personal Saviour. These are all signs that the Holy Spirit has touched their hearts and the Father has drawn them to Him.

However, as I have studied and continue to study this “new birth” experience Jesus speaks of, I have come to believe that we all should question whether we have truly had this experience. We cannot rely on a feeling or the knowledge that we believe Jesus is the God of heaven as our evidence that we have had it, for the devil himself believes that God is the Ruler of the universe. “You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!” James 2:19

When Jesus said “unless one is born again” to Nicodemus, this learned leader of Israel did not understand it. With a bit of sarcasm, he asked Jesus how he could physically be reborn from his mother’s womb. Yet, because of his ignorance regarding the nature of God, he could not fathom this new concept. Jesus was not offended, but asked a cutting question, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?” John 3:10

Nicodemus, a religious leader in the church of God, had no idea what a new birth experience was all about, and today there are many leaders of the churches who still have no idea of the gravity or extent of becoming renewed in Christ. Jesus tried to explain it to Nicodemus in as simple a way as He could. “ ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.’ ” John 3:5, 6

What did Jesus mean when He said that we must be born of water? This concept was introduced by John the Baptist. John was a man specifically chosen just for the purpose of preparing the way for Jesus’ first appearance on earth. He was the one about whom Isaiah said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.’ ” Isaiah 40:3

It was John the Baptist’s mission to prepare the people to recognize and accept the Saviour when He came. John’s message was simple. “In those days, John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!’ ” Matthew 3:1, 2. He knew that to be ready for Jesus, all must turn away from their sins and be cleansed from iniquity. Even King David knew this. He prayed, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10

Repentance of sin is a turning away from wrongdoing. It is not a one-time thing. It is an everyday task. A daily commitment to work by the power of the Holy Spirit to remove all sin from our lives and receive a Christlike spirit. Jesus wants to give us clean hearts, but it is our part to daily die to sin. When Jesus told Nicodemus that a man must be born of water, He was talking about baptism. Baptism is an outward expression of this renewed, inward change effected by God.

Paul tells us that we must die so that the new person we become can prosper. “Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him [Jesus], that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.” Romans 6:6

When we die to self, we are spiritually crucifying our old self so that the new self might live. The old self is then buried in the water of baptism as Jesus was buried with the sins of the world upon Him in the tomb.

“Baptism is a most sacred and important ordinance, and there should be a thorough understanding as to its meaning. It means repentance for sin, and the entrance upon a new life in Christ Jesus.” Counsels for the Church, 296. As Jesus rose from the tomb without the sins of the world upon Him, we are raised from the watery death of baptism to newness of life. Through our repentance, confession, and baptism, Jesus cleanses us from our iniquity. This public exercise is not only symbolic, but if we have truly repented, it is a cleansing act of God.

When Jesus went to John and asked to be baptized, He was giving us the example of how we are to begin a new life in Him. Jesus told Nicodemus, after His own baptism, that a man must be born of water and the Spirit to be born again, to emphasize that we must first repent of our sins before the new birth can even begin. We must make the commitment to God and therefore “die daily” in Christ Jesus. “I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.” 1 Corinthians 15:31

Baptism does not mean that we will never sin again, rather it is a public confession that we are sinners in the sight of God and need cleansing through our repentance. If we look at the disciples of Jesus, we can see many instances where they sinned. For example, they contended with each other to see who would be the greatest in heaven (Matthew 18). These disciples had all been baptized, but still were controlled by selfishness. They had not yet had the second part of the new birth experience. They had not learned the lesson of “dying daily” as Paul relates to us.

The water Jesus talks about is just the beginning of the new birth experience. Nicodemus did not even understand the first part of the new birth, so how was he to understand the spiritual side of it? Jesus says to him, “If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?” John 3:12. Nicodemus, like most of us, was slow to understand and believe. We say that we believe in Jesus, but like Satan and his demons, we believe, but do not obey. Nicodemus needed to be converted, and each of us, without that experience, will never see the kingdom of God. We can claim to be Christians, but our hearts are far from God, just as the hearts of the children of Israel.

“Therefore the Lord said: ‘Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men.’ ” Isaiah 29:13

As we accept the fact that we are sinners and in need of a change in our life, baptism is the first step in a new walk with Christ. We must make the decision to turn away from sin and confess to God for the cleansing process to start. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9.

If we have died to self in the watery grave of baptism, we will receive the Holy Spirit in our lives. But a true conversion must take place, a change of heart not only to believe, but also to do. Many people make the confession of belief in Jesus but fail to continue the walk with Him. There immediately is a feeling of renewed vigor, one of “first love.” Once the feeling begins to wear off, new Christians start seeing trouble in their lives. Old habits are cherished that were not totally put away. Sin revives and their faith wavers.

That is why the second half of the new birth experience is so important. Jesus said we must be “born of water and the Spirit.” It is the Holy Spirit that makes the changes in a person’s life. It does not happen all at once, but is a continual, daily process. If we are daily walking with Christ, the Spirit will make changes in the way we think. He connects us with God through Jesus Christ. Without this connection, there is no real conversion. What is it that the Spirit does for us? First, it convicts the heart of sin, of righteousness, and coming judgment. “ ‘Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper [Holy Spirit] will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.’ ” John 16:7–11. The Spirit of God is given to help us overcome our sinful tendencies.

Jesus was crucified and presented His sacrifice to the Father. He became our High Priest in heaven to offer Himself as our sacrifice for sin. He was our justification for the penalty of sin so that we would not be required to die the eternal death. Jesus also promised not to leave us alone, therefore, He sent the Holy Spirit to be our Helper in place of Jesus on earth. The Spirit could be many places where Jesus could only be in one place because of His now begotten humanity.

Jesus wants to clean out our hearts so that the Spirit can live within us and give us better things. Jesus said the “Spirit is spirit.” This allows Him to come to each person and impart His holy attributes in us. As we gain this change through the new birth process, we become a new creature in Christ. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17. This is the conversion process that each day changes us to become more like Jesus. The Holy Spirit is also a teacher of truth. Jesus calls Him the Spirit of truth. “ ‘But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.’ ” John 15:26. It was for our advantage that Jesus returned to heaven and sent the Holy Spirit to us in His stead.

The Spirit will continue the new birth experience by imparting new character traits. The Holy Spirit will produce new traits that are not naturally occurring in mankind. Once we are plucked from the clutches of Satan, these new traits will begin to develop a godly character in us. These traits are found in 2 Peter. The Holy Spirit will add to us—if we are submissive to His will—faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and Christlike love. By daily dying to self, we are giving up our own will and letting the Spirit join His will to ours to make significant changes in our lives.

The Father requires perfect faith, so the converted Christian will endure trials and temptations, allowing the Holy Spirit to help him overcome, thereby developing his faith, and perfecting his character to be like Jesus. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we gain strength as we overcome temptation and trial, and in this way, we learn to trust in God and obey His word. God knows what we can endure and does not give us more than is necessary for character growth. But if we do not trust in God, and do not pray for help, we will be overcome by our trials and temptations.

Once converted to the Spirit of God, He will produce love in our hearts for every person, whether good or evil. Jesus loves all of us, even before we come to Him. We are all wicked, evil in the sight of God, yet He loves us without reservation. He died for this evil race so that we can understand the goodness of God. He wants us to experience this goodness through the Holy Spirit. Conversion produces other traits of character as well. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” Galatians 5:22, 23. Paul also says that “the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth.” Ephesians 5:9

The new birth experience is an ongoing, continual changing of one’s character by the Holy Spirit. Profession is the beginning, but the end is a spotless character. Our character will be washed and scrubbed, purged by the fire of trials and temptations until we are free from sin, reflecting only the image of God. The Holy Spirit will be with us through each issue of life making it possible to weather every trial and temptation while our character is being perfected. After all, our character is the only thing we take from this life to heaven, and God will only allow a spotless and cleansed Christian character in heaven.

So how do we receive this character from the Holy Spirit? Through prayer and the study of His holy word. Jesus said to some of His critics, “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.” John 5:39. The Scriptures that Jesus was talking about were the Old Testament. None of the New Testament had even been written, yet Jesus said they all testified of Him. He was the One who created the worlds, who spoke to Moses and wrote the ten commandments with His own finger. He shut the mouths of the lions to save Daniel from being killed, and He employed His Spirit to give testimony of future events to His prophets. The Spirit of truth testified of Jesus and what was to happen hundreds of years before His birth.

The Holy Spirit is the sanctifying power from the Godhead. We are justified by Christ’s sacrifice, and by the Holy Spirit we are sanctified by the changing of our character to be like Jesus. The new birth becomes complete when every wrong thought, action, and word is no longer part of us. Each day the Holy Spirit is working to perfect us. His goal is to “bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5, last part

We should never be discouraged in Christ as He has promised to complete the changes in us, even as we see our faults so clearly. This is the purging power of the Holy Spirit. Paul gives us this word of encouragement, “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:6. The Holy Spirit will not let us go unless we let go of Him. What a wonderful promise!

“Keep your wants, your joys, your sorrows, your cares, and your fears before God. You cannot burden Him; you cannot weary Him. He who numbers the hairs of your head is not indifferent to the wants of His children. ‘The Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.’ James 5:11. His heart of love is touched by our sorrows and even by our utterances of them. Take to Him everything that perplexes the mind. Nothing is too great for Him to bear, for He holds up worlds, He rules over all the affairs of the universe. Nothing that in any way concerns our peace is too small for Him to notice. There is no chapter in our experience too dark for Him to read; there is no perplexity too difficult for Him to unravel. No calamity can befall the least of His children, no anxiety harass the soul, no joy cheer, no sincere prayer escape the lips, of which our heavenly Father is unobservant, or in which He takes no immediate interest. ‘He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.’ Psalm 147:3. The relations between God and each soul are as distinct and full as though there were not another soul upon the earth to share His watchcare, not another soul for whom He gave His beloved Son.” Steps to Christ, 100

If this has not been our experience in our walk with Christ, then we have a work to do. We submit our will to Him, and He will work together with us. We must believe His truth and His truth is His word. “Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and Your law is truth.” Psalm 119:142

His truth will set us free from the sinful passions of worldliness. Jesus will help us overcome all sin in our lives and His Spirit will prepare us for our eternal life with the Father. Jesus said, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31, 32

As Jesus showed His character and how His Spirit could change their lives, the disciples and Nicodemus were broken down by His goodness and mercy. They realized that all selfishness and pride of life must be put away. They hung their “old man” on the cross with Jesus and took up a new life in Christ. They were born not only of the water, but also of the Spirit of God that now rested in them. They “overcame by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” Revelation 12:11. We, too, can have this experience by fully submitting all in our lives to God.

Michael C. Wells is the director of Anointing Oil Ministries.

The Great Controversy

On the day when Jesus comes, as we look back over our lives at the things we’ve done, what will we see? A lot of things that are important today will then seem unimportant and worthless. But before that day, Satan is, and will be, working with great power (2 Thessalonians 2:9, 10) to keep us from seeing the truth. However, God is working with a greater power than is Satan.

This great controversy, this all-out war, between God and Satan for the souls of mankind, is being fought beyond the sight of mortal eyes, but we must not be fooled, for the enemy of God and man is a great strategist. He has many plans with which to deceive and tempt every man, woman, and child to follow him, but God will make the hidden visible.

“There is nothing that the great deceiver fears so much as that we shall become acquainted with his devices.” The Great Controversy, 516. If we know the devil’s plans, then how can we be deceived? And this he fears the most.

“So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world. … Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.” Revelation 12:9, first part, 12

Satan is the master deceiver. For 6,000 years, he has studied man. He comes in ways we least expect. His wisdom, knowledge, and power are bent to just one thing: How can I cause each one to be lost? He plans actual strategy, intelligently arranging affairs and circumstances that will cause us to be confused, discouraged, deceived, and hopefully, lost. And, unfortunately, he has been and is very successful. The Bible says that soon he will come as an angel of light, his greatest deception of all, and almost the whole world will be deceived, including many who say they know and love Christ.

Lucifer was created by Jesus, the Creator (Colossians 1:16; James 1:17), just as Adam was created, not born like we are. “You were perfect in your ways.” Ezekiel 28:15. Lucifer was created perfect in his love, loyalty, humility, and reverence toward God. His character was maturing, as Adam’s character was maturing. But at that stage of his development, before he changed, he was perfect in his thinking, actions, and the motives of his heart. He was perfect in all his ways from the time that he was created.

Everything that comes from the hand of Jesus is good. When Jesus created Lucifer, he was holy. Jesus loved him. “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!” Isaiah 14:12, first part. In prophecy, morning is a symbol of Jesus. So, Isaiah is really speaking of Lucifer as “O son of Jesus.”

We know that Lucifer was the highest angel in heaven. Being called the son of Jesus could very well mean that he was the first created. So his betrayal in heaven caused great sorrow for Jesus. He had developed a deep friendship with Lucifer, as deep as His friendship with you or me. Lucifer was Jesus’ special friend. “Son of man [Jesus], take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre [Lucifer].” Ezekiel 28:12. A lamentation is a “passionate expression of grief or sorrow; weeping.” Here the Bible depicts Jesus as weeping over Lucifer’s betrayal.

“You were the anointed cherub.” Ezekiel 28:14, first part. God Himself anointed Lucifer to be the covering cherub. In the sanctuary service in heaven, you find there were two covering cherubs. They were the two angels closest to God, His special messengers. But Ezekiel says: “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty.” Verse 17, first part. Lucifer became proud—proud of his intelligence, his beauty, his physique, his ability and wisdom, and his position, forgetting it had all come from God.

Soon pampered pride became raging jealousy. “For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ ” Isaiah 14:13, 14

Lucifer wasn’t perfect one day and then prideful and jealous the next. The transformation from a perfect being to a selfish creature warring against God took time, likely a long time. At first, he felt only the desire to be equal with the Creator, to be included in counsels with God and His Son. But then, no longer content with just equalness, the tiny seeds of jealousy and resentment were nurtured day after day, maybe for hundreds or thousands of years, until he desired the unthinkable—to be greater than God. He said, “I will be like the Most High.”

“Little by little Lucifer came to indulge the desire for self-exaltation. … Not content with his position, though honored above the heavenly host, he ventured to covet homage due alone to the Creator.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 35

As his own pride and jealousy grew, he began a behind-the-scenes campaign among the angels, to drive a wedge between them and God.

“Taking advantage of the loving, loyal trust reposed in him by the holy beings under his command, he had so artfully instilled into their minds his own distrust and discontent that his agency was not discerned. Lucifer had presented the purposes of God in a false light—misconstruing and distorting them to excite dissent and dissatisfaction. He cunningly drew his hearers on to give utterance to their feelings; then these expressions were repeated by him when it would serve his purpose, as evidence that the angels were not fully in harmony with the government of God. While claiming for himself perfect loyalty to God, he urged that changes in the order and laws of heaven were necessary for the stability of the divine government. Thus while working to excite opposition to the law of God and to instill his own discontent into the minds of the angels under him, he was ostensibly seeking to remove dissatisfaction and to reconcile disaffected angels to the order of heaven. While secretly fomenting discord and rebellion, he with consummate craft caused it to appear as his sole purpose to promote loyalty and to preserve harmony and peace.

“The spirit of dissatisfaction thus kindled was doing its baleful work. While there was no open outbreak, division of feeling imperceptibly grew up among the angels.” Ibid. 38

Pride is never satisfied. The richest person is never rich enough; the powerful person craves still more power; the most famous person must have more adulation. More money, more power, more, more, and still more.

“Instead of seeking to make God supreme in the affections and allegiance of all created beings, it was his [Lucifer’s] endeavor to secure their service and loyalty to himself. And coveting the glory with which the infinite Father had invested His Son, this prince of angels aspired to power that was the prerogative of Christ alone.” Ibid., 35

God made everyone on earth to be accountable to someone. It doesn’t matter who you are—however important or insignificant—we all answer to someone, and ultimately, to God. This was a lesson that Lucifer did not learn. He answered only to God, and he was jealous of Him. He sought praise, attention, power, and control. But he could not let the angels see his selfishness, so he began to clothe God with his own attributes claiming that God craved all the power, demanded all the praise, controlled everything with an iron fist.

Lucifer was so insidious and skillful—Mrs. White calls it mysterious secrecy—in implanting these ideas in the minds of the angels, that it appeared to them that what he was saying was true by the very fact that Jesus and the Father were actually in charge.

“He worked with mysterious secrecy, and for a time concealed his real purpose under an appearance of reverence for God.” Ibid., 37. He himself of course was loyal. He was simply interested in the welfare of heaven, simply interested in God’s glory and the welfare of the angels. His purposes were all so noble. “He began to insinuate doubts concerning the laws that governed heavenly beings. … It was his object to secure freedom for all.” Ibid. He, after all, only had the welfare of heaven at heart, and sadly, many of the angels were blinded by his deceptions. There were no open accusations, only insinuations. He asked only honest questions that needed to be answered.

Imagine how he went about it. He first sought out his best friends. First one and then another, and then to this group of angels and the other group of angels. Lucifer was perfect, they had no reason to question his motives. They completely trusted him. He simply asked a few questions, which instilled some doubts, until to many of the angels it seemed that discontent could be seen everywhere. His words gave the impression that he wished to end the discontent when in reality it was his purpose to foment it and spread it as far as he could, to build an army of malcontents to rise up against the government of God and make him, Lucifer, their leader.

“He cunningly drew his hearers on to give utterance to their feelings [feelings he had instilled]; then these expressions were repeated by him when it would serve his purpose, as evidence that the angels were not fully in harmony with the government of God.”

“While claiming for himself perfect loyalty to God, he urged that changes in the order and laws of heaven were necessary for the stability of the divine government.” Ibid.

Mrs. White says that Lucifer sought most for unity and harmony, not to the government and law of God, but to his own leadership and government.

“While secretly fomenting discord and rebellion, he with consummate craft caused it to appear as his sole purpose to promote loyalty and to preserve harmony and peace.” Ibid.

Lucifer was proud and selfish, seeking to serve only himself, and to have, if possible, all the angels of heaven to serve him in opposition to the government of God.

However, that isn’t what he told the angels. To them he gave flowery speeches about loyalty and harmony, peace, and unity. Something was wrong in heaven and God wouldn’t see it, so he, Lucifer, had to do something because he loved God and heaven too much to just sit by and let things fester.

His real purpose was to dispute the supremacy of the Son of God and he bent all his energies to it behind a mask of concern and benevolence. He insinuated doubt about the commandments. They might be necessary for the people of the worlds, but as exalted angels, there was no need for such restraint; their own wisdom was a sufficient guide. It was not possible for them to dishonor God because they were holy just as God was holy (Patriarchs and Prophets, 37).

“The spirit of dissatisfaction thus kindled was doing its baleful work.” Ibid.

And Lucifer suggested that it was because God wanted absolute control. Once all of heaven was filled with happiness and praise, but now the angels had become discontented and unhappy. That should have told them that something was wrong with what Lucifer was saying.

“Lucifer had presented the purposes of God in a false light—misconstruing and distorting them to excite dissent and dissatisfaction.” Ibid.

God knew what Lucifer was doing. Lucifer’s desire to see the singular supremacy of the Son removed and himself made an equal to Him, God would not grant. And He did not leave the angels unaware of Lucifer’s sophistry and malicious intent.

“But He who would have the will of all His creatures free, left none unguarded to the bewildering sophistry by which rebellion would seek to justify itself. Before the great contest should open, all were to have a clear presentation of His will, whose wisdom and goodness were the spring of all their joy.” Ibid., 36

“The spirit of discontent and dissatisfaction had never before been known in heaven. It was a new element, strange, mysterious, unaccountable. Lucifer himself had not at first been acquainted with the real nature of his feelings; for a time he had feared to express the workings and imaginings of his mind; yet he did not dismiss them. He did not see whither he was drifting.” Ibid., 39

As the affections of some of the angels began to be drawn from Jesus to Lucifer, God had to make it plain that Jesus is the head of all things and all beings in the entire universe, even head over Lucifer. Jesus had been with God from the beginning. Lucifer was a created being, albeit an exalted one. All praise and honor were to be given to Jesus, the same as to the Father Himself.

With love and adoration, the angels fell to their knees and with great joy acknowledged the supremacy of Christ. Even Lucifer bowed with them, though his heart remained conflicted. And when the angels rose and lifted their voices in songs of praise to the Son, Lucifer joined them. The spirit of evil seemed to have disappeared and unspeakable love took its place in Lucifer’s heart, but only for a short time. Pride and envy returned once again.

God bore long with Lucifer. Love and reason, mercy and justice pleaded with him. The angels who remained loyal to Jesus, and Jesus Himself, tried to reach him, but to no avail. He continued to spread discontent until the time came that God had to take open measures against him, and he was removed from his position as the head of the angels and a covering cherub.

A significant number of the angels sympathized with Lucifer, even shed tears at this unfair change of circumstances. They listened to him as he took them into his confidence. They took his side against God. Thus, he and these angels—and soon most of mankind with them—became known as “Satan and his sympathizers.”

 “There are ever to be found those who will sympathize with those who are wrong. Satan had sympathizers in heaven, and took large numbers of the angels with him. God and Christ and heavenly angels were on one side, and Satan on the other. Notwithstanding the infinite power and majesty of God and Christ, angels became disaffected. The insinuations of Satan took effect, and they really came to believe that the Father and the Son were their enemies, and that Satan was their benefactor.” Gospel Workers (1892), 86

Lucifer took four steps that took him from being a “son of the morning” to becoming Satan, the great deceiver:

he became proud;

he became jealous;

he worked to influence others and gain sympathizers;

he made war.

Once he was removed from his position in heaven and his sympathizers were secured in his grasp, he declared war against God. “Then war broke out in heaven: Michael and His angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought.” Revelation 12:7

“God permitted Satan to carry forward his work until the spirit of disaffection ripened into active revolt. It was necessary for his plans to be fully developed, that their true nature and tendency might be seen by all. …

“It was therefore necessary to demonstrate before the inhabitants of heaven, and of all the worlds, that God’s government is just, His law perfect. Satan had made it appear that he himself was seeking to promote the good of the universe. The true character of the usurper and his real object must be understood by all. He must have time to manifest himself by his wicked works.

“The discord which his own course had caused in heaven, Satan charged upon the government of God. All evil he declared to be the result of the divine administration. He claimed that it was his own object to improve upon the statutes of Jehovah. Therefore God permitted him to demonstrate the nature of his claims, to show the working out of his proposed changes in the divine law. His own work must condemn him. Satan had claimed from the first that he was not in rebellion. The whole universe must see the deceiver unmasked.

“Even when he was cast out of heaven, Infinite Wisdom did not destroy Satan. Since only the service of love can be acceptable to God, the allegiance of His creatures must rest upon a conviction of His justice and benevolence. The inhabitants of heaven and of the worlds, being unprepared to comprehend the nature or consequences of sin, could not then have seen the justice of God in the destruction of Satan. Had he been immediately blotted out of existence some would have served God from fear rather than from love. The influence of the deceiver would not have been fully destroyed, nor would the spirit of rebellion have been utterly eradicated. For the good of the entire universe through ceaseless ages, he must more fully develop his principles, that his charges against the divine government might be seen in their true light by all created beings, and that the justice and mercy of God and the immutability of His law might be forever placed beyond all question.

“Satan’s rebellion was to be a lesson to the universe through all coming ages—a perpetual testimony to the nature of sin and its terrible results. The working out of Satan’s rule, its effects upon both men and angels, would show what must be the fruit of setting aside the divine authority. It would testify that with the existence of God’s government is bound up the well-being of all the creatures He has made. Thus, the history of this terrible experiment of rebellion was to be a perpetual safeguard to all holy beings, to prevent them from being deceived as to the nature of transgression, to save them from committing sin, and suffering its penalty.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 41–43

And so began the great controversy between God and Satan.

 “Satan has the same power and the same control over minds now, only it has increased a hundred-fold by exercise and experience. Men and women today are deceived, blinded by his insinuations and devices, and know it not. By giving place to doubts and unbelief in regard to the work of God, and by cherishing feelings of distrust and cruel jealousies, they are preparing themselves for complete deception. They rise up with bitter feelings against the ones who dare to speak of their errors and reprove their sins.” Gospel Workers (1892), 86

Satan succeeded in heaven. Even the honest and loyal angels were affected to a certain extent by his insinuations—by quoting what others said, by creating feelings of sympathy, by appearing to try to help. In fact, so well did Satan succeed, that it took 4,000 years to undo the harm done to these angels; not until Jesus’ death on the cross was the extent of Satan’s malice and hatred, his lies and deception, finally and completely revealed to them.

At Calvary, Satan’s disguise was torn away and his administration was laid open before the unfallen worlds and the angels of heaven. Satan revealed himself to be a murderer. “By shedding the blood of the Son of God, he had uprooted himself from the sympathies of the heavenly beings. Henceforth his work was restricted.” The Desire of Ages, 761

So successful were Satan’s insinuations and so strong the sympathy for his circumstances, that a horrible price had to be paid to show Satan for who he truly is—the great deceiver, the father of lies, and the murderer of Jesus Christ. “The last link of sympathy between Satan and the heavenly world was broken.” Ibid.

Satan, who began in glory next to Christ, attempted to exalt himself above Christ, and ended up with nothing. We are told that the day is coming, burning like an oven, in which all the proud will be burned up. Satan, the root, along with all those who follow him, the branches, will then be ashes under our feet (Malachi 4:1).

Satan left glory and will soon become ashes. However, Jesus began life on this earth as a humble babe born in a barn, to become the Saviour of the world, and will soon return as triumphant King.

There are only two paths to follow in this world. One is the path of selfishness which leads to self-exaltation and eternal death. The other is the path of humility, the path that Jesus followed. This path leads us to a perfected character, one like Jesus’ character, one that we must have if we are to be with Him in glory. “To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” Revelation 3:21

Which path will you choose?

Pastor Marshall Grosboll, with his wife Lillian, founded Steps to Life. In July 1991, Pastor Marshall and his family met with tragedy as they were returning home from a camp meeting in Washington state, when the airplane he was piloting went down, killing all on board.

Garment of Grace

The book of Genesis deals with beginnings—the beginning of the world, the beginning of life, the beginning of sin, the beginning of God’s plan of salvation. In the first two chapters, we have nothing but a perfect world, but in the third chapter, the serpent comes and as men listen to him, trouble is the result. Trouble always comes when listening to the serpent. But Jesus didn’t leave us with the sad choice that humanity had made. He came to reveal Himself.

Before sin entered, Adam and Eve were clothed with beautiful garments of light, a token of their fellowship with God in heaven, but when they sinned, when they broke God’s law, their beautiful garments faded away. Sin and light do not belong together. Sin is associated with darkness, nakedness, and so the scripture says that Adam and Eve came to realize that they were naked. They sensed that they had lost something and, sooner or later, every sinner realizes that he’s lost something, too.

I’ve thought about it as something like this bloom on the grape, that beautiful, silvery something that’s on the skin of a grape. When you look at a bunch that hasn’t been handled you see it. Can you rub it off? Yes, easily. Then how do you get it back on? You don’t, for eating of that tree of knowledge of good and evil takes the bloom of innocence away.

In their endeavor to fix themselves, Adam and Eve got busy making clothes. Many people today try to fix themselves up in the same way. And quite often they succeed just about as well as Adam and Eve—very partial, very incomplete, totally inadequate. This is the first time we see sewing in the Bible.

The next time that we see garment preparation in the Bible, we find God Himself is in the clothing business. “Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skins, and clothed them.” Genesis 3:21. The garments Adam and Eve had fashioned were called aprons. Genesis 3:7 calls them, “Things to gird about.” The Jewish translation says girdles.

Notice that God did not accept those fig leaf girdles. And whether literally or spiritually, He won’t accept them today either. It is a wonderful thing to think that our literal clothing is to symbolize and represent the spiritual clothing that Jesus clothes us with. If there were no other reason for having adequate covering, I think this would be a most wonderful, beautiful, and sublime reason, because the garments Jesus makes are garments of grace provided at an infinite cost.

Our first parents’ garments were prepared by God from animal skins. For the first time, death had come into the world and their clothing would be a frequent reminder of the fact that to be clothed in the eyes of God, something had to die. Someone had to die. Every lamb and bullock slain in sacrifice represented Jesus. So every time Adam and Eve looked at their clothing made of skins, they remembered that their covering would be purchased by the death of Jesus, the Son of God.

“The white robe of innocence was worn by our first parents when they were placed by God in holy Eden.” There were four garments. The first was the garment of light that God gave Adam and Eve in Eden. But they lost that when they sinned. Then they knew that they were naked. So they sewed fig leaves together, but when God came, He clothed them in the garments of skins, the skins of the animals, slain in sacrifice. So there are four conditions: the Eden condition of innocence with the garment of light, the sinful condition of nakedness, the attempt by human works to sew together something to cover up. All this is futile and fatal, but if men will accept the gift of God, they will be clothed in this world with these garments of skins which represent the covering righteousness of Jesus, the Lamb of God.

“The white robe of innocence was worn by our first parents when they were placed by God in holy Eden. … A beautiful soft light, the light of God, enshrouded the holy pair. This robe of light was a symbol of their spiritual garments of heavenly innocence. Had they remained true to God it would ever have continued to enshroud them. But when sin entered, they severed their connection with God, and the light that had encircled them departed. Naked and ashamed, they tried to supply the place of the heavenly garments by sewing together fig leaves for a covering.”

“This is what the transgressors of God’s law have done ever since the day of Adam and Eve’s disobedience. They have sewed together fig leaves to cover the nakedness caused by transgression. They have worn the garments of their own devising, by works of their own they have tried to cover their sins, and make themselves acceptable with God.

“But this they can never do. Nothing can man devise to supply the place of his lost robe of innocence. No fig-leaf garment, no worldly citizen dress, can be worn by those who sit down with Christ and angels at the marriage supper of the Lamb. …

“Everything that we of ourselves can do is defiled by sin. …

“Christ in His humanity wrought out a perfect character, and this character He offers to impart to us.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 310–312

To impart means to give. Jesus gives to us a most precious gift. “Then as the Lord looks upon us He sees, not the fig-leaf garment, not the nakedness and deformity of sin, but His own robe of righteousness, which is perfect obedience to the law of Jehovah.” Ibid. God sees as He looks at us the precious robe of Jesus’ righteousness.

“But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; we all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” Isaiah 64:6

Just imagine how long a fig leaf garment would last. It would fade as a leaf does and then the wind blows it away. Revelation 16 tells us what will happen to the garments of man’s making in the last days. “Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.” Verse 15. The whole world will be found naked when Jesus comes except those who have on the robe of Christ’s righteousness.

The bride of Christ, His people, will be found wearing the wedding garment, arrayed in fine linen. “Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready. And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.” Revelation 19:7, 8

Righteousness is not earned, it is a gift. As sinners, we do not deserve it—we didn’t yesterday, we don’t today, and we won’t tomorrow. But, unworthy as we are, God gives us this most precious gift when we surrender to Him.

“Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him.” Zechariah 3:1

Joshua is the high priest representing the people of God. He stands before the angel of the Lord. We see that Satan is also there. Satan means an adversary. An adversary is an enemy or opponent. Satan has no timidity, no modesty, or inhibitions. He presses right in to cause trouble.

“And the Lord said unto Satan, ‘The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?’ ” Verse 2

The Lord said, “Is this not …” What is this? The Lord is speaking of Joshua. Joshua represents all of us, so what are we? Brands plucked out of the fire. What a terrible, painful thing it was when Jesus plucked us out of the fire and was then plunged into the fire in our place. He will bear the marks of that rescue all through eternity.

“Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the Angel. Then He [God] answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, ‘Take away the filthy garments from him.’ And to him He said, ‘See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes.’ ” Verses, 3, 4

God gave Joshua a new garment. “And I said, ‘Let them put a clean turban on his head.’ So they put a clean turban on his head, and they put the clothes on him. And the Angel of the Lord stood by.” Verse 5

First we see Joshua clothed in filthy garments. Then we see him clothed in beautiful garments. God made the change, and there was Satan trying to trouble the people of God. Do you know, that every time God tries to do something for us the devil tries to cause trouble?

I was in a court of law once waiting for my turn to testify as a witness. I observed with much interest the trial proceedings of the case that preceded the one that I was there for. A witness would be put in the chair, the defense attorney would ask him some questions, then the prosecuting attorney would cross examine. Back and forth the questions went, first one attorney and then the other. I realized that in many cases, it all comes down to whom you choose to believe.

What clothes do you have on? If you listen to and believe the devil, he will keep you clothed in filthy garments. He will keep testifying that you are a sinner lost, a failure unworthy of anything better, and he will keep up that testimony as long as there is any breath in him. There is no shaking his testimony. For 6,000 years he has cultivated this spirit to accuse.

In Revelation 12:10, we find a different picture. “Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, ‘Now salvation and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ is come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.’ ”

In this world, you and I must sleep. But neither God nor the devil ever sleep. Day and night Satan keeps up the barrage of accusation, fault finding, and criticism; charging the people of God with being sinners, and keeping them clothed in filthy garments. If you and I are wearing filthy garments and and are tightly clinging to them, the devil usually has no interest in accusing us. He doesn’t need to.

But the man or woman, boy or girl who turns to God—gives up their filthy, fig-leaf garment of self-righteousness, their nakedness of sin, and accepts Christ’s robe of righteousness bought by His precious blood—is accused by the devil as he stands up before God and all the world to make sure that every mistake ever made is right out there for all to see. Has he ever come to you, figuratively digging his thumb into your side, reminding you, “I know what you did”? I think of what Martin Luther once said to the devil when he came around reminding him of some sin and casting doubt as to whether he was really forgiven or not. Martin Luther said to him, “That’s none of your business.”

The devil is not your friend. He is your enemy, and the only strong feelings he has for you or any one of us is hatred. He wants to see us dead, not saved. And that is why he continues, never ceasing, to bring up all the wicked things we have done and how we are not worthy of the gift of righteousness that Jesus is so willing to give to us if we will give up our own filthy rags.

Jesus, our own Attorney, our Mediator, is the One we need to listen to. It is He who has done everything, paid our debt, to secure our salvation and He waits now to take away our filthy rags of sin and in their place give us His own robe of righteousness.

If you have read The Great Controversy, then you know that a great time of trouble, called the time of Jacob’s trouble, is just ahead of us. It will be a fearful time of trouble. Whether you believe the testimony of Satan or that of Jesus will be the awful test of this time. Even after probation has closed, even after we have the seal of the living God, and in heaven all our sins have been blotted out and our names are enrolled for eternity in the book of life, the devil will still keep urging upon our souls the fact that we are clothed with filthy garments.

But friends, we won’t have to point to the shame of our own nakedness or hold up the fig-leaf garments of our own making. We will be able to hold up the merits of Jesus and point to Calvary, His blood shed there on the cross, and sprinkled in the most holy place to blot out our sins. By faith, and faith alone, we will be able to hide under the precious covering of Jesus’ life.

Faith is believing what God says, believing the testimony of Jesus, instead of believing Satan. Even though you turn to God and chose Christ as your Saviour, Satan will still tell you that you are filthy, wicked, no good, clothed with filthy garments, unredeemable, and unworthy. But Jesus says that He will take away our filthy garments and clothe us with a change of raiment. Which will you believe?

Jesus is a witness on our behalf. Satan is a witness against us. The Bible tells us there is another witness who testifies against us. Even if the devil were to die today, you and I would still have a problem on our hands because of this witness. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” Jeremiah 17:9

The heart is wicked; it tells lies. My heart, yours, everyone’s. We are all as an unclean thing. The heart, the mind, are deceitful above all things. If you were on trial for your life, would you want that kind of witness on the stand to speak against you? Would you want the testimony of your own heart to be accepted if your life was hanging in the balance? If I cannot trust my own thoughts, what can I trust?

“For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.” 1 John 3:20

There is a better witness to listen to than my own deceitful heart. My thoughts and feelings constantly change. Today I may feel wonderful. I may have received such a blessing. But what about tomorrow? Tomorrow, your heart may condemn you, and only God can change your heart.

A man stole $5 from his neighbor. In the night, his conscience condemned him so bad that he couldn’t sleep. Should it condemn him? Yes. Should he listen? Yes. So he goes to God, “Lord, I’ve broken the eighth commandment of Your law. Please forgive me.” Then he goes to his neighbor and confesses that he stole the money and gives it back, and then asks, “Neighbor, please forgive me.” And the neighbor does. He has received forgiveness from both God and man, but then the devil says, “You don’t dare come to church. Church is for the saints and you are a thief. You don’t deserve to be there. Maybe if you’re good for a year or two you might get back, but don’t dare go today.”

Now, what if this man’s own heart agrees with the devil. It forgets that the man did pray and ask God for forgiveness and that he believed he was forgiven. It forgets that the man went and confessed to his neighbor and received forgiveness. His own heart and the devil, too, tell him he really couldn’t be forgiven because he is a terrible sinner. Imagine how dark and discouraged the thoughts of this man would be after listening to this sort of testimony. The Bible tells us that “on the testimony of two or three witnesses …” (Deuteronomy 17:6, last part) every word is established. Now he is filled with doubt and darkness.

But suppose that he listens to God instead of listening to the devil or his own heart. “If our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.” God knows that he stole, but He also knows that he gave up this sin and confessed, and now he is forgiven and covered with the precious life of Jesus.

Here are some witnesses that are a lot better witnesses than the deceitful devil and the deceitful human heart. “And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree in one. If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater.” 1 John 5:8, 9, first part. If men will listen to men in matters brought before a court of law, why should he not listen to God when his soul is at stake? God says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

So dear friend, when my heart condemns me, when the devil urges his accusations against me, when my own heart condemns me and my mind is weary with a restless striving, I must turn off those other voices, and listen to these three Witnesses—the Spirit and the water and the blood of Christ. I must look to Calvary and say, “Yes, Jesus died for me.” I will look to the sanctuary and see the sprinkled blood and say, “That blood speaks for me, and I will believe that it covers me.”

God teaches us the lesson of being fully covered in the ordinance of baptism by immersion, not sprinkling. In the watery grave, the water speaks and says, “Yes, your sins are covered.” The ordinances of communion and foot washing are regular renewals of cleansing.

The Spirit speaks to our hearts through the inspired word. The Bible says, “You are clean.” It tells us that our filthy garments are taken away, and we are accounted righteous. It tells us that we are the sons and daughters of God and we are covered with the robe of Jesus’ righteousness. Listen as God speaks peace to our troubled hearts and His voice echoes and reechoes down the halls of time to, “This is My beloved child in whom I am well pleased.”

If we will listen to these three Witnesses, what our poor, natural mind and the devil say won’t make any difference. If we will do that now, we will be able to do it when Jacob’s trouble comes.

One way or the other, we all testify. What will be your witness? Where do you place your will? Can we believe the word of God?

The Bible says that the just shall live by faith; they live by believing God. We cannot see this new garment, but we know that there is one for each of us when we believe in God and His witnesses.

Pastor W. D. Frazee studied the Medical Missionary Course at the College of Medical Evangelists in Loma Linda, California. He was called to Utah as a gospel medical evangelist. During the Great Depression, when the church could not afford to hire any assistants, Pastor Frazee began inviting professionals to join him as volunteers. Thus began a faith ministry that would become the foundation for the establishment of the Wildwood Medical Missionary Institute in 1942. He believed that each person is unique, specially designed by the Lord, of infinite value, and has a special place and mission in this world which only he or she can fill. His life followed this principle and encouraged others to do the same.