Paul

Life Sketches – Differences and Persecution

by

One may wonder why religious discussion and persecution provoke conflict on both a personal and often on an international level as well.  The worst wars of all time have been those that have been fought over religion. The imprisonment of the apostle Paul provides abundant testimony concerning the real issues that result in the white-hot heat of human conflict.

It is very common for people in the world to be proud of their race or nation of their birth. That is not a problem unless because of our pride we begin to look down on other people of other races or other nations and believe they are inferior to us. Eventually, as a result of those feelings, animosity and hatred develop between the people of different nations and different races. This happened in ancient times and is still happening today.

Ethnic prejudice and hatred is what caused the animosity against Paul when he was sent by the Lord as the apostle to the Gentiles. If you are non-Jewish and a Christian today, you owe a great debt of gratitude to the apostle Paul, who originally took the gospel to the Gentiles all over the world. His opening the gospel to the Gentiles caused the Jews to hate him. Eventually, he was captured in the temple by the outraged Jews who intended to kill him.

The Roman soldiers were oblivious to this intent. Being instructed by the Jewish leaders, the Roman commander figured that this fellow, Paul, must be a terrible criminal because of the way the Jews acted. So, as was customary in the Roman government, they decided to find out who this fellow really was. They would torture him until he told them the truth about what he had done. They stretched out Paul’s body to be scourged, but he had something at his disposal that the Roman commander did not know: the apostle was a citizen of Rome. The Bible says, “As they bound him with thongs, Paul said to the centurion who stood by, ‘Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and uncondemned?’ When the centurion heard that, he went and told the commander, saying, ‘Take care what you do, for this man is a Roman’ ” (Acts 22:25, 26).

Hearing that, the Roman commander was then very afraid. He knew that if Paul should report him to the authorities, he would be in trouble for even having bound an uncondemned Roman citizen. The commander asked Paul, “ ‘Tell me, are you a Roman?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ The commander answered, ‘With a large sum I obtained this citizenship.’ And Paul said, ‘But I was born a citizen’ ” (verses 27, 28).

Paul was now safe in the Roman barracks, but the next day the Roman commander wanted to know why he was accused by the Jews. The Roman commander commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear. Paul was released from his bonds and brought down before the council so the matter could be settled. “Then Paul, looking earnestly at the council, said, ‘Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day’ ” (Acts 23:1). When he said that, the high priest was livid and commanded those that stood by him to slap him on the mouth (verse 2). Now this was contrary, not only to Roman law, but also to Jewish law. Paul could not legally be punished as a Roman citizen and scourged when he had not been convicted of a crime.

The same is true in the law of Moses, recorded in Deuteronomy 25. A man could not be punished until he had been convicted of a crime. The high priest was acting contrary to the law of Moses in commanding that Paul be slapped when he had not been convicted of any crime. So Paul said, “ ‘God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! For you sit to judge me according to the law, and do you command me to be struck contrary to the law’ ” (Acts 23:3)?

When Paul said this, “Those who stood by said, ‘Do you revile God’s high priest?’ Then Paul said, ‘I did not know, brethren, that he was the high priest; for it is written, “You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people” ’ ” (verses 4, 5).

Paul’s prophetic denunciation that God would strike the high priest was not made because of human passion. It was made under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The judgment pronounced by the apostle was terribly fulfilled when this hypocritical and iniquitous high priest was murdered by assassins in the Jewish war just a few years later. So now, as the apostle looked over the people who had come to question him, he was able to penetrate their minds and perceive the group he was dealing with and understood that there was nothing he could do to explain anything concerning his mission, and whatever he said would make them white-hot with anger.

Paul decided his best move was to let them fight among themselves instead of fighting with him.  “When Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, ‘Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee; concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged’ ” (verse 6)!

Immediately at hearing these words a fight broke out among the people in front of him between the Sadducees and the Pharisees, as the former did not believe in the resurrection, while the Pharisees did. Why is it that religious discussion always stirs up such controversy and often passion? It is not only because of ethnic pride, but also because of the human tendency to say, “I’m right, and if you don’t think the way I do, you’re wrong.”

The Pharisees and the Sadducees belonged to the same Jewish faith, yet their beliefs were at the opposite ends of that spectrum of that faith. Today, the Pharisees would be called the conservative faction and the Sadducees would be called the liberal faction. The Sadducees did not believe in the inspiration of all the Old Testament, but only the Pentateuch or the law of Moses. The Sadducees claimed that there was no resurrection and also claimed that there were no angels or spirits. The Pharisees believed in angels and spirits and in the resurrection. When Paul said he was a son of a Pharisee and was there because of the resurrection which can only come through the grace and power of Jesus Christ, whom they were rejecting, it caused an argument between the two Jewish factions.

All Christians want to be in the first resurrection. The Bible says, “The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17). Dying is not a problem if you are a Christian. Death is just a moment of silence and darkness, a sleep until awakened at the resurrection to be taken to heaven with the Lord and with all the others who have died in Christ.

All of God’s children are going to be caught up together to meet the Lord in the clouds. Jesus made it very clear that everyone who dies is going to be raised at some time. John 5:28 and 29 say, “Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and will come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.”

Now, there was a fight between the Pharisees and the Sadducees. The religious discussion over Paul had progressed into a physical fight because some believed in the resurrection and some did not. The result was that the Roman soldiers looking on saw that in the midst of the fight Paul could get killed. So they intervened and pulled him out and brought him back again to the barracks ending the scenes of that eventful day.

Paul then was in essence in a Roman prison, a barracks with Roman soldiers. He had been rescued temporarily from the Jews and their contention, but he knew they were desperate to kill him and would do anything to put him to death. The question that arose in his mind was whether his work for the churches was now closed. Was it now the time that he had already predicted that ravening wolves were going to enter in and not spare the church? The cause of Christ was near to the heart of the apostle Paul. With deep anxiety he contemplated the perils of the scattered churches exposed to the persecutions of just such men as he had encountered in the Sanhedrin council.

The Lord was not unmindful of His servant. The Bible says that “The following night the Lord stood by him and said, ‘Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome’ ” (Acts 23:11). Now the Lord revealed that it was His will for Paul to bear witness to the gospel at Rome. At this time Paul had no idea that the way he would do that was by going to Rome as a prisoner. But the Jews had other things in mind for him. They decided that the very next day they were going to kill him. They had to find a way to get him out of the Roman barracks, for the Roman soldiers would not allow that to happen in the barracks. More than 40 men banded together and they said, “ ‘Now you, therefore, together with the council, suggest to the commander that he be brought down to you tomorrow, as though you were going to make further inquiries concerning him; but we are ready to kill him before he comes near’ ” (verse 15).

One question that needs to be asked is, “What was the church doing during this upheaval?” Remember, the reason Paul was in this predicament was because of the unwise course of some of the apostles and elders of the Christian church in Jerusalem. Were they praying for his release? When Peter was put in prison, the church prayed night and day for his release and the Lord answered their prayer. But there is no record of the church praying night and day for the apostle Paul, because many of the people, even in the Christian church, believed in keeping the ceremonial law and thought Paul was an apostate from Moses and a teacher of dangerous doctrines.

Paul did not owe his escape from violent death on this occasion to anybody in the Christian church except his sister’s son, his nephew, who heard about this plot, and came and told Paul about it. “Then Paul called one of the centurions to him and said, ‘Take this young man to the commander, for he has something to tell him’ ” (verse 17). The young man told the commander the plot that the Jews had in mind and the commander understood that they had an extremely dangerous situation. He instructed the young man, “ ‘Tell no one that you have revealed these things to me’ ” (verse 22). The commander then immediately made his plans. It says that, “He called for two centurions, saying, ‘Prepare two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen to go to Caesarea at the third hour of the night (9 o’clock); and provide mounts to set Paul on, and bring him safely to Felix the governor’ ” (verses 23, 24). And then he wrote a letter to the governor:

“ ‘Claudius Lysias, To the most excellent governor Felix: Greetings. This man was seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them. Coming with the troops I rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman. And when I wanted to know the reason they accused him, I brought him before their council. I found out that he was accused concerning questions of their law, but had nothing charged against him deserving of death or chains. And when it was told me that the Jews lay in wait for the man, I sent him immediately to you, and also commanded his accusers to state before you the charges against him. Farewell’ ” (verses 26–30).

The apostle Paul was taken that very same evening to Caesarea. It says, “The soldiers, as they were commanded, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris. The next day they left the horsemen to go on with him, and returned to the barracks. When they came to Caesarea and had delivered the letter to the governor, they also presented Paul to him” (verses 31–33). Paul then was at Felix’s headquarters in Caesarea, dozens of miles away from Jerusalem to appear before Felix, the governor, and be accused by the Jews before him. We see in this story many of the reasons for religious persecution.

When Jesus was on earth, He presented before His hometown, Nazareth, a fearful truth when He declared that with backsliding Israel there was no safety for the faithful messenger of God. They would not know his worth or appreciate his labors while they professed to have great zeal for the honor of God and the good of Israel. They were actually the worst enemies of both. These cutting reproofs that Jesus gave (see Luke 4), the Jews of Nazareth refused to hear. They had, but a moment before, acknowledged the gracious words which proceeded out of His lips. The Spirit of God was speaking to their heart, but the instant the possibility was cast upon them that persons of other nations, other religions, other races, could be more worthy of the favor of God than they, those proud, unbelieving Jews were enraged.

They would have taken the life of the Son of God right then had not angels interposed for His deliverance. The men of Nazareth manifested the same spirit toward Christ which their forefathers had manifested against Elijah. That same bigoted spirit was now being manifested against the apostle Paul. The same spirit is still in the world today. A neglect to appreciate and improve the provisions of divine grace has deprived God’s people of many a blessing.

O, friend, how is it with you? Are you looking to your own heart and asking yourself the question, “Am I really converted? Do I really love God with all my heart and my neighbor as myself?” Remember, your neighbor is the human being that needs your help. Or, are you a victim of religious prejudice, racial prejudice, national pride, looking down on others as not as good as yourself, so that eventually you have hatred in your heart toward certain groups, certain religions, certain races, certain nations?

It is easy to profess religion with the lips while the heart is contrary to the most basic principles of the Christian religion. We must not fool ourselves. We must ask, is my heart pure? Have I been converted? Am I filled with the Holy Spirit?

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

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

Bible Study Guides – “Many Members Yet But One Body”

by

October 30, 1999 – November 5, 1999

Memory Verse

“But now are they many members, yet but one body.” 1 Corinthians 12:20.

Study Help: Testimonies, vol. 4, 16–20.

Introduction

“The religion of Christ does not require us to lose our identity of character, but merely to adapt ourselves, in some measure, to the feelings and ways of others. Many people may be brought together in a unity of religious faith whose opinions, habits, and tastes in temporal matters are not in harmony; but if they have the love of Christ glowing in their bosoms, and are looking forward to the same heaven as their eternal home, they may have the sweetest and most intelligent communion together, and a unity the most wonderful. There are scarcely two whose experience is alike in every particular. The trials of one may not be the trials of another, and our hearts should ever be open to kindly sympathy and all aglow with the love that Jesus had for all His brethren.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 65, 66.

“How Good and How Pleasant It Is”

  1. How does David describe the blessings of unity among God’s people? Psalm 133:1–3.

note: “The apostles differed widely in habits and disposition. There were the publican, Levi-Matthew, and the fiery zealot Simon, the uncompromising hater of the authority of Rome; the generous, impulsive Peter, and the mean-spirited Judas; Thomas, true-hearted, yet timid and fearful, Philip, slow of heart, and inclined to doubt, and the ambitious, outspoken sons of Zebedee, with their brethren. These were brought together, with their different faults, all with inherited and cultivated tendencies to evil; but in and through Christ they were to dwell in the family of God, learning to become one in faith, in doctrine, in spirit. They would have their tests, their grievances, their differences of opinion; but while Christ was abiding in the heart, there could be no dissension. His love would lead to love for one another; the lessons of the Master would lead to the harmonizing of all differences, bringing the disciples into unity, till they would be of one mind and one judgement. Christ is the great center, and they would approach one another just in proportion as they approached the center.” The Desire of Ages, 296.

  1. What counsel did Paul give to the believers in Philippi? Philippians 2:1–5.

note: “Brethren and sisters, we have no time to dwell on little differences. For Christ’s sake, go to your knees in prayer! Go to God, and ask Him to give you a clean heart. Ask Him to help you to stand where He wants you to be. Labor in harmony with one another, even though you are not alike. Do you not know that of the leaves on a tree there are no two exactly alike? From this God would teach us that among His servants there is to be unity in diversity.” General Conference Bulletin, March 30, 1903.

“The Unity of the Spirit”

  1. What earnest plea did Paul make to the believers in Ephesus? Ephesians 4:1–3.

note: “I spoke upon the necessity of laboring for unity and cultivating Christian courtesy, ‘endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.’ The effect of truth upon the heart is to cleanse it from every defilement. It will not increase self-love, but will lead the receiver to humble his heart, and to ascribe nothing to self, but all to God. He ceases to esteem himself more highly than his brethren. His former sensitiveness to reproach, neglect, or contempt disappears, and he is not so easily irritated; he becomes gentle and condescending, and exemplifies the simplicity of Christ who was meek and lowly of heart. His own nation and personal friends are no longer the boundary lines of his love. He loves Jesus with all his heart, and all who are trying to be the children of God he loves as himself. There is an entire change in his life.” Review and Herald, November 3, 1885.

  1. What specific examples of the oneness of God’s people did Paul mention? Ephesians 4:4–6.

note: “There is but one body, and one Spirit, one Lord, one faith. As members of the body of Christ all believers are animated by the same spirit and the same hope. Divisions in the church dishonor the religion of Christ before the world and give occasion to the enemies of truth to justify their course. Paul’s instructions were not written alone for the church in his day. God designed that they should be sent down to us. What are we doing to preserve unity in the bonds of peace?” Testimonies, vol. 5, 239. (See also The Great Controversy, 379.)

“Unity in the Bond of Peace”

  1. What sound counsel did Paul give to those whose views were causing division? Romans 14:19.

note: “In union there is strength; in disunion there is weakness. God’s chosen ones are to reveal to the world their union one with another. It is not possible for a few to walk to heaven alone because they can agree with no others. God’s people are to be a unit. If some entertain ideas so peculiar that others cannot accept them, they should compare notes in a teachable spirit, and all should be willing to learn. They should make the most strenuous efforts to be one, to come into the unity of the faith in the bonds of peace.” Review and Herald,
April 27, 1897.

  1. What characteristics are we to cultivate in order to achieve unity in the bond of peace? Colossians 3:12–15.

note: “The apostle exhorts his brethren to manifest in their lives the power of the truth which he had presented to them. By meekness and gentleness, forbearance and love, they were to exemplify the character of Christ and the blessings of His salvation. There is but one body, one Spirit, one Lord, one faith. As members of the body of Christ, all members are to be animated by the same spirit and the same hope. Harmony and union existing among men of varied dispositions is the strongest witness that can be borne that God has sent His Son into the world to save sinners. It is our privilege to bear this witness. Our characters must be molded in harmony with His character, our wills must be surrendered to His will.” Review and Herald, November 12, 1908.

“The Unity of the Faith”

  1. What was one of the purposes for members being given the different spiritual gifts in the church? Ephesians 4:11–13.

note: “Honest souls will see the straight chain of present truth. They will see its harmonious connections, link after link uniting into a great whole, and will lay hold upon it. The present truth is not difficult to be understood, and the people whom God is leading will be united upon this broad, firm platform. He will not use individuals of different faith, opinions, and views, to scatter and divide. Heaven and holy angels are working to unite, to bring into the unity of the faith, into the one body. Satan opposes this, and is determined to scatter, and divide, and bring in different sentiments, that the prayer of Christ may not be answered: ‘Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on Me through their word; that they all may be one; as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in Us: that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me.’ John 17:20, 21. Jesus designed that the faith of His people should be one.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 327.

  1. Though God’s people have different gifts, what are we to do so that diversity does not become division? 1 Corinthians 1:10.

note: “Christ is leading out a people, and bringing them into the unity of the faith, that they may be one, as He is one with the Father. Differences of opinion must be yielded, that all may come into union with the body, that they may have one mind and one judgment. 1 Corinthians 1:10: ‘Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.’ Romans 15:5, 6: ‘Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be like-minded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: that ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ Philippians 2:2: ‘Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.’” Testimonies, vol. 1, 324.

“We, Being Many, Are One”

  1. How does Paul describe the diversity that exists among God’s people? Romans 12:4, 6–8.

note: “Study this scripture carefully. God has not given to every one the same line of work. It is His plan that there shall be unity in diversity. When His plan is studied and followed, there will be far less friction in the working of the cause.” Pacific Union Recorder, December 29, 1904.

  1. What picture did Paul use to demonstrate the importance of each individual member to the whole church? 1 Corinthians 12:12–21.

note: “The Lord desires His church to respect every gift that He has bestowed on the different members. Let us beware of allowing our minds to become fixed on ourselves, thinking that no one can be serving the Lord unless he is working on the same lines as those on which we are working. Never is a worker to say, ‘I do not want to work with such a one, because he does not see things as I do. I wish to work with some one who will agree with all I say, and follow out all my ideas.’ The one the worker thus refuses to connect with may have truths to present that have not yet been presented. Because of the worker’s refusal to accept the help provided by the Lord, the work is made one-sided. The work is hurt unless there are brought into it all the gifts that God has bestowed. Many times the progress of the work has been hindered because the laborers thought their gifts all that were necessary for its advancement. The Lord has not done for His people what He would have done if so many of the workers had not limited the development of the work by refusing to co-operate with laborers who should have been given standing room and encouragement. In self-sufficiency, men have ignored and pushed aside those to whom God has given a special work.” Pacific Union Recorder, December 29, 1904.

“By This Shall All Men Know…”

  1. What counsel does Paul give to Christians concerning those who bring division among God’s people? Romans 16:17.

note: “Let the suspicious ones, who think and speak evil of their brethren, remember that they are doing the devil’s drudgery. Let each member of the church work with earnest determination, and with prayer for help, to cure the diseased member, the tongue. Let every one feel that it is his duty and privilege to pass over little differences and mistakes without comment. Do not magnify the small mistakes made by some one, but think of the good that is in him. Each time these mistakes are thought of and talked about, they grow larger. A mountain is made out of a molehill. Ill-feeling and a lack of confidence is the result.” Australasian Union Conference Record, April 15, 1903.

  1. What did Christ say was convincing evidence that we are His disciples? John 13:35.

note: “The more closely we resemble our Savior in character, the greater will be our love toward those for whom He died. Christians who manifest a spirit of unselfish love for one another are bearing a testimony for Christ which unbelievers can neither gainsay nor resist. It is impossible to estimate the power of such an example. Nothing will so successfully defeat the devices of Satan and his emissaries, nothing will so build up the Redeemer’s kingdom, as will the love of Christ manifested by the members of the church. Peace and prosperity can be enjoyed only as meekness and love are in active exercise.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 168.

Life Sketches – Eternal Destiny

by

It has been a mystery to many that in all ages, God’s faithful children have often been the object of unfair and malicious attacks and persecution by both the church and the state. Some may wonder why God allows this and why He does not work miracles to deliver His children from difficult circumstances.

If the leaders of the Christian church in Jerusalem, which included the apostles of Christ, had fully surrendered their prejudices and feelings of bitterness toward the apostle Paul and accepted him as one who was specially called by God to bear the gospel to the Gentiles, the Lord would have spared him to continue his labor for the salvation of souls. But there is One in the heavens whom the Bible says sees the end from the beginning. He understands the hearts of all men and women and saw what would be the result of the envy and jealously that was cherished toward Paul. God had not in His providence ordained that Paul’s labors should so soon end. But He did not work a miracle to counteract the train of circumstances to which their own course of the early church leaders gave rise.

We need to be careful that we do not practice presumption, assuming that because we claim to be Christians serving the Lord, He will work a miracle to stop the consequences of our own decisions. Paul was advised by his brethren in the Jewish church to go with four men who had a Nazarite vow and to pay their expenses. The term of their Nazarite vow was almost expired, and Paul was a poor man who worked with his own hands for his daily bread, yet he was asked to bear the expenses of these people. He consented and accompanied the Nazarites to the temple to unite with them in the ceremonies of the seven days of purification. This concession was a mistake. It was not something that God had actually authorized him to do and it cut short his ministry.

Those who counseled Paul to perform this act of concession had not fully considered the great peril to which Paul would be exposed by this act. At this season there were strangers from all regions of the world thronging the streets of Jerusalem. They delighted to congregate in the temple courts. As Paul, in the fulfillment of his commission had borne the gospel to the Gentiles, he had visited some of the world’s largest cities, and he was well-known to thousands of foreigners who came to attend the feast.

Because of the hatred of the Jews against Christianity and Christian leaders, for Paul to enter the temple on such a public occasion was to risk his life. However, for several days he passed in and out among the worshipers apparently unnoticed. But, before the close of the specified period of purification, as he was conversing with the priests concerning the sacrifices to be offered, he was recognized by some Jews of Asia. Now these men had been defeated in their controversy with him in the synagogue in Ephesus and had become more and more enraged against him as they witnessed his success in raising up a Christian church in that city. When they saw him in the temple, where they did not expect him to be, they rushed upon him with the fury of demons.

“When the seven days were almost ended, the Jews from Asia, seeing him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd and laid hands on him, crying out, ‘Men of Israel, help! This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against the people, the law, and this place; and furthermore he also brought Greeks into the temple and defiled this holy place.’ (For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple)” (Acts 21:27–29). The result was that in a very short period of time the whole city of Jerusalem was in an uproar. The Bible says, “All the city was disturbed; and the people ran together, seized Paul, and dragged him out of the temple; and immediately the doors were shut. Now as they were seeking to kill him, news came to the commander of the garrison that all Jerusalem was in an uproar. He immediately took soldiers and centurions, and ran down to them. And when they saw the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. Then the commander came near and took him, and commanded him to be bound with two chains; and he asked who he was and what he had done. And some among the multitude cried one thing and some another. So when he could not ascertain the truth because of the tumult, he commanded him to be taken into the barracks. When he reached the stairs, he had to be carried by the solders because of the violence of the mob. For the multitude of the people followed after, crying out, ‘Away with him’ ” (verses 30–36)!

As the apostle was carried up into a Roman barracks as a prisoner with the people wanting to kill him just as they had wanted to kill Jesus 30 years earlier, Paul made a request of the Roman commander. He addressed him in Greek. It says, “As Paul was about to be led into the barracks, he said to the commander, ‘May I speak to you?’ He replied, ‘Can you speak Greek? Are you not the Egyptian who some time ago stirred up a rebellion and led the four thousand assassins out into the wilderness?’ But Paul said, ‘I am a Jew from Tarsus, in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city; and I implore you, permit me to speak to the people’ ” (verses 37–39). It says in verse 40, “When he had given him permission, Paul stood on the stairs and motioned with his hand to the people. And when there was a great silence, he spoke to them in the Hebrew language.” He didn’t want to leave without making some type of a final appeal to his countrymen.

Because he addressed them in the Hebrew language, a great silence fell over the crowd and they stopped to listen to what he had to say. “ ‘Brethren and fathers, hear my defense before you now.’ And when they heard that he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, they kept all the more silent. Then he said: ‘I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the strictness of our father’s law, and was zealous toward God as you all are today. I persecuted this Way [that is, the Christians] to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women, as also the high priest bears me witness, and all the council of the elders, from whom I also received letters to the brethren, and went to Damascus to bring in chains even those who were there to Jerusalem to be punished’ ” (Acts 22:1–5).

Anything that has much importance is generally spoken of at least twice in the Bible. The story of Jesus is recorded four times. This story of the conversion of the apostle Paul is so important in the history of the Christian church that it is recorded three times. This speech Paul made from the stairs addressing the Jews who had just tried to kill him is the second time it is recorded. Paul relates the story of his journey to Damascus, about thirty years before, to bring the Christians back in chains, to be bound or to be killed, three times, each successive time in greater detail. He says, “It happened, as I journeyed and came near Damascus at about noon, suddenly a great light from heaven shown around me. And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ So I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’ And those who were with me indeed saw the light and were afraid, but they did not hear the voice of Him who spoke to me. So, I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Arise and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all things which are appointed for you to do.’ And since I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of those who were with me, I came into Damascus. Then a certain Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good testimony with all the Jews who dwelt there, came to me; and he stood and said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ And at that same hour I looked up at him. Then he said, ‘The God of our fathers has chosen you that you should know His will, and see the Just One, and hear the voice of His mouth. For you will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.’ Now it happened, when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I was in a trance and saw Him (Jesus) saying to me, ‘Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, for they will not receive your testimony concerning Me.’ So I said, ‘Lord, they know that in every synagogue I imprisoned and beat those who believe on You. And when the blood of Your martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by and consenting to his death, and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.’ Then He said to me, ‘Depart, for I will send you far from here to the Gentiles’ ” (verses 6–21).

At this point the crowd was so furious that they tried to rush against him again and kill him. Unable to understand the Hebrew language, the commander did not know what was going on.

Their prejudice against the Gentiles, those who were not Jews, was the cause of their anger. Prejudice is a terrible thing. It has existed in this world for thousands of years and is still present today. People of one race are prejudiced against those of another race, or another religion, or of a different social or economic level. If we cannot overcome our prejudices against other human beings, we will never be in the kingdom of heaven, no matter how much we go to church or how many religious rituals we take part in.

“You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:26–29).

Regardless of whether you are rich or poor, or whatever your social or economic condition is in this world, God views you the same. All the Lord wants to know is, “Whom are you accepting as your ruler? Who is the sovereign in your life? Who is the Lord of your life?” There is a great controversy going on in our world (see Revelation 12). It says war broke out in heaven and that war is still ravaging this world. It is a war over which supernatural power you yield allegiance.

Have you yielded to the Lordship of Jesus Christ? “He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8).

Paul taught that all men were made of one blood. Addressing the philosophical, highly educated audience in the city of Athens, He said, “God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings” (Acts 17:24–26).

Notice how he expressed this in Romans, the 13th chapter, verses 9 and 10.  He says, “For the commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ ‘You shall not covet,’ and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law” (Romans 13:9, 10).

O, friend, how do you measure up? How do you feel about the people around you? Do you love your neighbor as yourself? If not, then how do you expect to go to the kingdom of heaven? When Jesus was here, He told His disciples a story about the end of all things. He said that when He comes back to this world, He will sit on the throne of His glory and all nations will be gathered before Him. He is going to separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides the sheep from the goats. The sheep will be set on His right hand and the goats will be set on the left (see Matthew 25:31–46). What determines whether you have eternal life or eternal death is not if you have the right theology, or belong to the right church, or you were the right race.

Jesus said that your eternal destiny would turn on one point. “Then the king will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King shall answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to Me’ ” (Matthew 25:34–40).

A person’s eternal destiny will be determined in the final day by the way they have treated their fellow men, especially those who were in trouble. How do you treat people who are in trouble? Do you just walk by on the other side and hope that somebody in the government or in the church will step in to help them out without you getting involved? Or are you willing to get involved in helping those around you who are in trouble?

Then sadly, the King will address those He has labored for but have denied Him. The Bible says, “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (verses 41–46).

Where are you headed, friend? The way that you treat your fellow men is going to determine your eternal destiny.

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

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

The Ship

by

Seventh-day Adventists have always had a great appreciation for the books of Daniel and Revelation. This is because these books are books of prophecy. It is prophecy that established us as a people. It gives meaning and understanding to us concerning end-time events. Those times, when they come, will bring the world into crisis and then to an end. We have studied and studied these books until the pages have become worn. We have interpreted and re-interpreted them until it seems that nothing new could come. But in our study of these books we have, to a great extent, neglected other books, which have great prophetic relevance to us also.

One of the books to which I am referring is the book of Acts. Have you ever thought of the book of Acts as a prophetic book, which deals with end time events? Normally, we do not see this book as apocalyptic. We only see it as the history of the early Christian church. We see it recording the acts of the elders, deacons, and apostles, showing the events of how the early church got under way through the power of the Holy Spirit.

I would like to take you on a journey through a passage of Scripture, which I believe has prophetic significance. I hope by doing this, it will help you to read the book of Acts with a greater degree of interest in the future.

It is the normal understanding that as we look at a book of prophecy, that as we get closer to the end of that book, the more relevant it is to us, as far as the time is concerned. The closer we come to the end of the book of Revelation, for instance, the closer we come to the end of time and its importance to us as a people. I believe the same is true of the book of Acts. With this in mind, we want to look at the next to the last chapter, Acts 27.

Paul’s Arrest and Arraignment

The setting for this chapter centers on Paul’s arrest and arraignment before Agrippa. It is here that we have Agrippa’s famous statement, after listening to what Paul had to say, “Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.” Paul’s response was, “I would to God, that not only you, but everybody who has heard me today would be like me, except for these chains with which I am bound.” Acts 26:28, 29.

But no one was interested. Life had too much to offer. Why should they restrict themselves by becoming Christians? No, they would continue on just like they had before. But they had to deal with Paul. What are we going to do with this man? He has not committed any offense worthy of death. He has not killed anyone. He has not violated any law that we know of, and if he hadn’t appealed to Caesar, we could have set him free. (See Acts 26:31, 32.)

I will have to confess, at this point, that I do not understand everything that God does. But there is one thing that I do understand, and that is that God is working to save as many souls for the Kingdom as possible. And many times, the route that God takes is not the route that man would take to accomplish the same thing.

Here is Paul, at one time a criminal to the Kingdom of heaven, but now he is a converted man, one whose only desire is to serve the Lord Jesus Christ. And it seems, as a result of that service, that he has been arrested and charged with crimes that some have deemed worthy of death.

This is the way God works many times. Whatever trial we go through, however, He has promised to be with us. Jesus said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5. This was no easy occasion for Paul, but God was with him. Paul was a double prisoner. He was a prisoner of the state and a prisoner of Jesus Christ.

The reason that this event took place was so that Paul would have an opportunity to stand before the emperor of the world and confess his faith in Christ. Paul had appealed to Caesar, and it was to Caesar he would go. And so, preparations were made for the trip. Paul, along with a couple of hundred others, would make their way to Rome.

On a Ship Heading for Rome

We see in Acts 27:1, 2 that Paul is beginning his journey…on a ship taking the gospel to Rome, there to testify before the emperor of the world. As you read through this chapter, you will find some words that have been used to hold Seventh-day Adventists in bondage, which, if they are rightly understood, will free us to be and to do what God would have us to do. “Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, ‘Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved.’” Acts 27:31. It is this concept that has been distorted and turned on its ear and made to say what it does not mean.

We have taken this idea of the “Ship” and applied it to the denomination, and made it out to mean that unless we stay with the denominational churches, we can never make it through. But the truth of the matter is, that the “Ship” is not the church. I hope before we are through with this article, we will be able to see this concept, and also understand what the “Ship” is.

We want to go back and look at chapter 27 now. We want to take it apart in such a way as to understand what it is saying to those of us who are living in these last days. We’ll begin with Acts 27:2. Here we are told that Paul and his fellow prisoners boarded a ship of Adramyttium. This ship was just a regular ship, which was known for its stability and its serviceability for plying the seas, carrying cargo safely to its destination. It was dependable. It had a crew who was used to all kinds of travel, experienced seafaring men, the crew had wisdom, and when the going got tough they pulled into port so that the ship, crew, and cargo were kept safe.

There were at least three on this boat who had a mission for the Lord. There was Paul, Aristarchus, and Luke. Even though Luke does not mention his own name, he is writing in the first person, so we know that he was there recording these events.

Mark it down. Any time you are traveling for the Lord, the contrary winds are going to be blowing. Have you found this to be true in your own life? The Bible says that the winds blow. Satan does not want them to arrive safely, but the boat is sound. It is a solid, seaworthy vessel. Nothing is mentioned about leaks or problems which would cause them difficulties, and so they finally arrive at Myra, a city of Lycia.

They could not go any further at that time because the wind was blowing contrary to them. They had not yet arrived at their home port. I hope you are following me here, because there are things in this narrative, which should be speaking to us.

Changing Ships in the Midst of the Journey

Now Julius, the centurion who was in charge of the prisoners, had a decision to make. He could wait to complete his journey, which might mean spending the winter in Myra, or he could catch another ship and continue on. Here is where the story begins to take on meaning for us. They left the ship that was safe and sound, the ship that would have carried them to the destination of their journey without any difficulty. They left it and they boarded another ship. Now notice, the centurion was in charge. This centurion was an agent of Rome, and he made the decision to put everyone on board another ship. It was a ship from Alexandria. (See Acts 27:6–10.)

I do not know if this has any meaning for you or not, but let me give you some background. Alexandria was a metropolis of great learning. Alexandria had universities of higher education; a place where those of a simpler education could go and become introduced to greater depths of philosophy and theories of knowledge and critical study; a place where you could learn how to question what you had been taught as truth. It was Alexandria and its universities that prepared the way for the rejection of Jesus as the Messiah at His first coming. This happened after the Babylonian captivity. The Jewish nation had learned its lesson relative to the worshipping of false gods and idols. They had been chastised so hard during this time away from their homeland, that they would never be caught again doing that which would call for such punishment. They became so repulsed by the Gentiles and their worship of false gods, that they would not even go over and tell their neighbors about the soon coming Messiah. It finally came to the place where, if they had the shadow of the unclean [Gentile] fall across them during certain times of purification, they believed themselves to be unclean.

The Church Divided

As time went on, there were various parties that developed within the church. One group was very conservative…fundamental in their beliefs. They were known as the Pharisees. They had their problems, to be sure, but it was the Pharisees who preserved what truth the church of that day had. They rejected all attempts to introduce the new theology that was running rampant in those times.

As time drew near to the birth of Jesus, there was great persecution of the Pharisees. A persecution so great, that many of them were not only kicked out of their church offices and their memberships taken away, but many of them paid the ultimate price with their lives, because they believed in standing up for the truth as they understood it.

The other main party in the church at that time was the Sadducees. This group developed about the same time as the Pharisees. They were theologically similar, but they had some very major differences. The Sadducees came into being because those who were leading out in the Jewish denomination of that day felt that the membership, and those who they were trying to win to the faith, could be better served by an educated clergy. As a result of the vote of the committee, certain ones were chosen to go to Egypt, to Alexandria, to receive the benefits of higher education. They went, and they got what they went after, and what they learned they brought back to the nation of Judah and taught to others.

First of all, they learned liberal philosophies. Where the Pharisees were fundamental, the Sadducees were liberal. They learned, what today is called higher criticism, and this led them to reject most of the Scripture. The only books they accepted were the five books of Moses.

The Sadducees had no problem being of the world. The Pharisees were called separatists. They did not believe in being of the world. They knew we had to be in the world, but not get involved in all the trappings which came with it, so, they opted for traditions instead. It was here
that they ran head long into the teachings of Jesus.

The Sadducees loved the world and all that it had to offer them. They became involved in the politics of the day. They loved to rule. They had given up most of those characteristics which made them stand out from the rest of the Jews.

If you looked at a Pharisee, you could tell that he was a Jew. With the Sadducees it was a different story. They not only wanted to be in the world, but they wanted to look like the world and be everything that the world wanted them to be. They did not want to be too peculiar. Not being peculiar called for them to give up certain fundamental doctrines for the newer theology. This meant that they would no longer believe in the resurrection of the dead. They did not believe in angels or devils, or the punishment of those who were sinners. They were progressive and modernist in their thinking.

The Sadducees were the ones who held the ruling positions in the headquarters building of the Sanhedrin when Jesus began His ministry. It was a Sadducee who stood up during the discussion about what to do with Jesus and said it is better that one man die, than the whole nation perish. The Sadducees were thoroughly soaked in their new theology which they had obtained from Alexandria, down in Egypt.

Under the Direction of Rome, They Changed Ships

We are looking at Acts 27 as prophetic instruction to us in these last days just before Jesus comes again. They had changed ships here, under the direction of the leader of Rome. They boarded a ship from Alexandria, and after they had gotten under way, Luke records for us what was going on. “Now, when much time was spent and when much sailing was not dangerous because the fast was now already past, Paul admonished them and said unto them, ‘Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage.…not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives.’”

Acts 27:9, 10. This is a very significant verse. Paul goes to those who are in charge and he is, we notice, very respectful. He addresses them as “Sirs.” We have taken a boat that is going to cause us damage. We are not going to come out of this thing without loss. Three things were going to be damaged. The cargo of the ship, the ship itself, and the lives of those on board.

Now, it is at this point that we need to ask, “What is the Ship?” Many have tried to convince us that the “Ship” is the denomination. If we stay with the denomination, we are going to sail right into the harbor without a scratch. Just stay with the “Ship.”

I would like to suggest to you that the “Ship” is not the denomination at all, but the “Ship” is the truth of God! Jesus is the captain of this “Ship,” and truth is what carries us along. Let me share some quotations with you which I hope will clarify this issue.

“God’s people must give to the world a representation of the character of God, in Jesus Christ. The Christian churches are fast losing their knowledge of God. His character has been misunderstood and misinterpreted. But a message has come from God which must be proclaimed. The trumpet must give a certain sound. ‘I, Jesus, have sent Mine angel to proclaim these things to the churches.’ The truth, the revelation which Jesus gave to John, must be sounded forth everywhere. ‘Lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and His arm shall rule for Him; Behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him. He shall feed His flock like a Shepherd: He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.’” Signs of the Times, December 23, 1897.

“The only way in which men will be able to stand firm in the conflict, is to be rooted and grounded in Christ. They must receive the truth as it is in Jesus. And it is only as the truth is presented thus, that it can meet the wants of the soul. The preaching of Christ crucified, Christ our righteousness, is what satisfies the soul’s hunger.” General Conference Daily Bulletin, January 28, 1893.

The truth as it is in Jesus, is what carries us along in our experience of life as we go through this world. This is the only thing that makes any sense at all. We are not to depend upon anything here in this world to carry us through the various experiences of trial and torment as we go through life—it is only Jesus. We can depend upon the truth as it is in Jesus. It is with this in mind, that this next quotation can be understood.

“There is no need to doubt, to be fearful that the work will not succeed. God is at the head of the work, and He will set everything in order…” [Who is at the head of the work? God is!] “If matters need adjusting at the head of the work, God will attend to that, and work to right every wrong. Let us have faith that God is going to carry the noble ship which bears the people of God safely into port.” The Review and Herald, September 20, 1892.

The Noble “Ship” is the Truth!

The “noble ship,” which bears the people, is the truth! Nothing else can carry us into safe port, but the truth, and when we say that the “Ship” is the denomination, we have missed the whole point of what is being said. Denominations fail—the truth never fails. Men can disappoint us, but the truth never will. God will see to it. We need to get our thinking readjusted.

When we give up the words and counsels of inspiration we are going to get into trouble fast. I would like to suggest right here, that if this man from Rome had listened to Paul, they would not have had the problem that they did. (See Acts 27:11.) Even the truth, distorted as it may be, is going to run into winds designed to destroy it, and everyone who might be connected with it. Never forget that Paul is being held captive here. He is on board, but he is a prisoner bound, as it were, in chains. Unable to counsel, unable to reason, unable to take any kind of command over what is going on, the only thing left to do was to let the wind drive the ship.

Did Paul know what was going to happen? Of course he did. He told them that they would experience damage. They had changed from a sturdy ship to a ship from Alexandria. They had taken the word of Rome over the counsel of the prophet, and as they began to run into opposition because of this, they started throwing the tackling of the ship overboard. They are frantic to find a way to get out of the mess that they are in, and they do not know how. They are plunged into darkness. There is no light. They cannot tell what is going on. Theological darkness is a terrible experience to go through, but here they were, right in the midst of it all, and the situation was so bad that they thought, “This is it!” (See Acts 27:16-20.) All hope that they would be saved was taken away.

Does that say anything to us? Are we going to have an easy time of it? Are we going to sail into the harbor standing on the deck, with clowns and balloons and the band playing? I do not think that we will!

Paul begins to give them some counsel. No one is going to die, but the “ship,” the truth, is going to be broken up. I will not comment about that right now, but we will see how this works out as we continue. (See Acts:27:21, 22.)

Now they begin to listen to the prophet. We will see that counsel was the only thing which saved their lives. But when some of them saw the change in things, they wanted to abandon ship. These were not the ones in Paul’s party. They were not part of an offshoot, as such. Inspiration tells us that they were the heathen soldiers of Rome. They did not have any better wisdom than to leave. Paul tells the centurion about this, and says, “Except these abide in the ship, you cannot be saved.” Acts 27:30, 31.

Here is an important point to remember. God does not save heathens just because they follow the counsel of the prophet. Every person must have a personal relationship with Jesus as his Lord and Saviour. Truth, in and of itself, does not save. It is blessed by the Holy Spirit through the born again experience. Nicodemus had the truth. He was a Pharisee, but Jesus told him he had to be born again.

Staying With the “Ship”

To just stay with the ship was not enough. Sister White tells us that if these sailors had left the ship, it was certain death for them. They could not have survived the raging sea and the rocks where they would have ended up. Paul, wanting them all to be saved from death, said what he did. Staying with the ship was important. This was designed by God for giving them one last opportunity to see His wonderful grace. But seeing it still meant that they had to make their own decisions, not corporately, but individually!

In 1904, when the Alpha of apostasy was raging, Ellen White went to bed one night and God gave her a vision. She tells it this way, “A vessel was upon the waters in a heavy fog. Suddenly the lookout cried, ‘Iceberg just ahead!’ There towering high above the ship was a gigantic iceberg.
An authoritative voice cried out, ‘Meet it!’ There was not a moments hesitation.…The engineer put on full steam, and the man at the wheel steered the ship straight into the iceberg.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 205-208.

Under normal circumstances, if you tried that, you would go down for sure, but not with God. She says that the ship hit that iceberg with a tremendous crash, and it split the iceberg in such a way that ice thundered down upon the deck of the ship. The ship rebounded from the contact and was trembling like a living creature. It was damaged, but there were no lives lost, and it went right on through and kept on its course. Ibid.

The Iceberg of Error

Do you know what the iceberg represents? It represents error. What did the ship represent? The ship represents the truth. This comes through as you read the whole story. The ship had to meet error. The truth came into collision with error. Did the ship suffer some damage? Yes, it did, but she said that it survived. The “Ship” is the truth.

Paul and his shipmates’ problems were not over yet. It would take everyone at this point in time, working together, to pull this thing off. God makes it very plain, through inspiration, that the heathen will be used of God to further His cause, and here is another instance of it. They had been fasting, not eating anything, and now the time had come to take on some nourishment for what was just ahead. I believe this is prophetic. I believe we will experience this same thing before Jesus comes.

The Alexandrian ship had to lighten its load. That which had been taken on board, believing that it would be so profitable, now had to be abandoned, thrown overboard. The only way for truth to survive as truth, is to throw out all error. Cast it overboard, and then pray for God’s help.

I want to point out something else here. They began to cast out the ship’s load during the hours of darkness. That is when the search for truth seems to become the greatest. It is when it is the darkest. But even though they lightened the ship, they were still in a great deal of trouble. The darkness was beginning to give itself over to the light of day. Still, no one knew if they would be saved, even with all of the effort that had been put forth. (See Acts 27:33–38.) There comes a time when we have to take the words of the prophet, that we will make it through, by sheer faith. Pull the anchors, hoist the mainsail, and head for shore. (See Acts 27:39–40.)

This is going to be one of the most severe tests we ever endure at the time of the end. The Bible says that the just shall live by faith. It is not going to be because we have a clear picture before us. No! We are going to have to live by faith, because God said it.

The Broken “Ship” of Truth—A LifeSaver

And so, they hoist the sail and head for land. But notice what happens in Acts 27: 41–44. The ship runs aground. The truth is going to have to go through some terrible times. It is not going to go down to the bottom of the sea, but it will suffer some damage. The truth has already suffered damage. The only thing that went down to the bottom was the cargo and tackle. The ship, even though it was broken up, still served as a lifesaver to those who were willing to cling to it and who could not swim on their own.

What would have happened if no one listened to Paul, if his words fell on deaf ears? Evidently he made such an impression on the centurion, that this man from Rome was compelled, against the provision of the law, not to kill his prisoners. He spared their lives, and they all escaped to the safety of land. (See Acts 27:42–44.)

As we read this story, which I feel is prophetic, there is certainly enough here for us to make some intelligent decisions.

The “Ship” is not the denomination. The “Ship” is not even the people. The “Ship” is the truth of God, and it is this noble truth of God, which carries the people of God safely into port. The truth, as it is in Jesus, is the only thing, dear people, to which we need cling; we must cling, as we enter the raging seas of these last days. My prayer is that we will have the strength to cling to him in all things.

Bible Study Guides – “Let Us Go Again”

by

September 17-23, 2000

MEMORY VERSE: “And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they do.” Acts 15:36.

STUDY HELP: Evangelism, 334–340.

INTRODUCTION: “The work should not be left prematurely. See that all are intelligent in the truth, established in the faith, and interested in every branch of the work, before leaving them for another field. And then, like the apostle Paul, visit them often to see how they do. Oh, the slack work that is done by many who claim to be commissioned of God to preach His word, makes angels weep.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 256.

“See How They Do”

1 What proposal did Paul put to Barnabas regarding those they had brought to Christ? Acts 15:36.

NOTE: See Acts of the Apostles, 201.

2 How did Paul express his love for those he had brought to Christ? Philippians 4:1.

NOTE: “The ‘care of all the churches’ still rested upon him. He deeply felt the danger that threatened those for whom he had labored so earnestly, and he sought as far as possible to supply by written communications the place of his personal instruction. He also sent out authorized delegates to labor among the churches he had raised up, and also in fields which he had not visited. These messengers rendered him faithful service, and being in communication with them, he was informed concerning the condition and dangers of the churches, and was enabled to exercise a constant supervision over them.” Sketches from the Life of Paul, 281.

“Elders in Every Church”

3 In order to protect the congregations of new believers, what did the apostles do? Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5.

NOTE: “In all those places were many that believed the truth; and the apostles felt it their duty to strengthen and encourage their brethren who were exposed to reproach and bitter opposition. They were determined to securely bind off the work which they had done, that it might not ravel out. Churches were organized in the places mentioned, elders appointed in each church, and the proper order established there.” Sketches from the Life of Paul, 62, 63.

4 What sort of person did Paul regard as fitted to oversee a church? 1 Timothy 3:1–7.

NOTE: The word the King James Bible translates as “bishop” means an overseer, an officer in charge of a church.

“In fulfilling your duties as an elder of the church, be true to God in the person of the erring ones in His church. Fail not, my brother, to heed the admonition of the Spirit of God to bring into your heart the kindness, the tenderness, the love that Christ ever manifested. Cherish not a cold, unsympathetic spirit. Let your words be carefully chosen. Speak and act in such a way that you will have an influence for good over the church members. God desires you to avoid all harshness. Cover yourself with the robe of Christ’s righteousness. By speaking the truth in love, you can bring a blessing to many hearts. Allow not a condemnatory spirit to prompt your words. May the Lord soften and subdue your heart, that your words shall be a blessing to the entire church.” Atlantic Union Gleaner, September 9, 1903.

“He Continued There”

5 After a church had been established in Corinth, what did Paul do? Acts 18:11.

NOTE: “When men and women accept the truth, we are not to go away and leave them and have no further burden for them. They are to be looked after. They are to be carried as a burden upon the soul, and we must watch over them as stewards who must render an account.” Evangelism, 345.

6 When Paul planned to go to Macedonia, what work did he give to Timothy? 1 Timothy 1:3, 4.

NOTE: “Our efforts are not to cease because public meetings have been discontinued for a time. So long as there are interested ones, we must give them opportunity to learn the truth. And the new converts will need to be instructed by faithful teachers of God’s Word, that they may increase in a knowledge and love of the truth, and may grow to the full stature of men and women in Christ Jesus. They must now be surrounded by the influences most favorable to spiritual growth.” Review and Herald, February 14, 1907.

“Confirming the Churches”

7 When Paul went back to the churches he had helped to establish, what work did he do among them? Acts 14:21, 22; Acts 15:41.

NOTE: See Acts of the Apostles, 186.

8 When unable to visit his beloved churches, how did Paul express his care for them? 1 Corinthians 4:14; 2 Corinthians 2:9.

NOTE: See Acts of the Apostles, 471.

“Collection for the Saints”

9 How did Paul encourage new believers to care for other Christians? Romans 12:10, 13.

NOTE: “The Lord does not need our offerings. We cannot enrich Him by our gifts. Says the psalmist: ‘All things come of Thee, and of Thine own have we given Thee.’ Yet God permits us to show our appreciation of His mercies by self-sacrificing efforts to extend the same to others. This is the only way in which it is possible for us to manifest our gratitude and love to God. He has provided no other.” Review and Herald, December 6, 1887.

10 What spirit does God love to see in those who bring their offerings? 2 Corinthians 9:6, 7.

NOTE: See Testimonies, vol. 3, 413.

“Make this glorious theme plain to your children; and as their young hearts expand with love to God, let them present their little offerings, that they may act their part in sending the precious light of truth to others. Thus the children may become little missionaries for the Master. Their little offerings coming into the treasury, like many tiny rivulets, may swell the stream to a river that shall refresh many souls who are thirsting for the truth of God; and even these children may see some souls saved in the kingdom of God as the result of their self-denial.” Review and Herald, December 11, 1888.

“Come Ye Yourselves Apart”

11 After they had been working for God, what provision did Jesus make for His disciples? Mark 6:30, 31.

NOTE: “Today there is need that God’s chosen workmen should listen to the command of Christ to go apart and rest awhile. Many valuable lives have been sacrificed, that need not have been through ignorance of this command.… Though the harvest is great, and the laborers are few, nothing is gained by sacrificing health and life..… There are many feeble, worn workmen who feel deeply distressed when they see how much there is to be done, and how little they can do. How they long for physical strength to accomplish more; but it is to this class that Jesus says, ‘Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest awhile.’” Review and Herald, November 7, 1893.

12 What counsel should those who witness for the Lord heed? Psalms 46:10, first part.

NOTE: “All who are under the training of God need the quiet hour for communion with their own hearts, with nature, and with God. In them is to be revealed a life that is not in harmony with the world, its customs, or its practices; and they need to have a personal experience in obtaining a knowledge of the will of God. We must individually hear Him speaking to the heart. When every other voice is hushed, and in quietness we wait before Him, the silence of the soul makes more distinct the voice of God. He bids us, ‘Be still, and know that I am God.’ Psalm 46:10. This is the effectual preparation for all labor for God. Amidst the hurrying throng, and the strain of life’s intense activities, he who is thus refreshed will be surrounded with an atmosphere of light and peace. He will receive a new endowment of both physical and mental strength. His life will breathe out a fragrance, and will reveal a divine power that will reach men’s hearts.” Ministry of Healing, 58.

13 What balance must be achieved in the life of the effective worker for God? Exodus 34:21.

NOTE: “The Christian life is not made up of unceasing activity, or of continual meditation.… Christians must work earnestly for the salvation of the lost, and they must also take time for contemplation, for prayer, and the study of the Word of God. It will not do to be always under the strain of the work and excitement, for in this way personal piety is neglected, and the powers of mind and body are injured.” Review and Herald, November 7, 1893.

Life Sketches – Courageous Journey

by

Have you ever been anxious while on a journey wondering whether or not you would reach your destination and what would happen when you arrived? These kinds of problems also happened to Bible characters.

In Acts 20 and 21 the Bible records the last journey that the apostle Paul made to Jerusalem. It took a long time, with several ships making several stops, and involving several meetings. Acts 21 gives the following record of the journey after the ship set sail. It says, “We came to Cos, the following day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara. And finding a ship sailing over to Phoenicia, we went aboard and set sail. When we had sighted Cyprus, we passed it on the left, sailed to Syria, and landed at Tyre; for there the ship was to unload her cargo. And finding disciples, we stayed there seven days. They told Paul through the Spirit not to go up to Jerusalem” (verses 1, last part–4).

One of the interesting things we find when we study the history of the apostolic church during the first century is that in those days, the church had not yet apostatized. The church was pure, and as a result, throughout the world it had the ministration, guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit. In Colossians the first chapter, Paul talks about the spread of the gospel and he says that the gospel has been preached to every creature under heaven (verse 23) and that was in just 20 or 30 years, an example of what can happen when the Holy Spirit is guiding the church.

The time came when by departing from the truth of the Bible and by imitating heathen rites and customs, the church lost the spirit and power of God. The church no longer had the gift of prophecy. However, in the first century, the church was guided by the Holy Spirit and when Paul visited this place, the disciples told him through the Spirit that he should not go up to Jerusalem.

The Bible says, “When we had come to the end of those days, we departed and went on our way; and they all accompanied us, with wives and children, till we were out of the city. And we knelt down on the shore and prayed. When we had taken our leave of one another, we boarded the ship, and they returned home. And when we had finished our voyage from Tyre, we came to Ptolemais, greeted the brethren, and stayed with them one day. On the next day we who were Paul’s companions departed and came to Caesarea, and entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him. Now this man [that is, Philip] had four virgin daughters who prophesied” (Acts 21:5–9).

There were many evangelists, prophets, and apostles in the early apostolic church. Philip was the first one who had been able to break away from Jewish customs to go and preach the gospel to the Gentiles, not treating them as though the truth of the gospel was only for the Jewish people. He went down to Samaria and through his preaching, a multitude of the Samaritans had become Christians. Paul and Philip had a lot in common. They both ministered and preached to the Gentiles.

While Paul was visiting with Philip during the last days of freedom that he would enjoy for a long time, they were visited by another prophet. It says, “As we stayed many days, a certain prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. When he had come to us, he took Paul’s belt, bound his own hands and feet, and said, ‘Thus says the Holy Spirit, “So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt, and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles” ’ ” (verses 10, 11).

Now this was a fearsome prophecy, not just that Paul would be bound by the Jews, but that he was going to suffer the horrors of a Roman imprisonment. Agabus told Paul that he would be delivered to the Gentiles, indicating that he was to be turned over to the Roman authorities. “Now when we heard these things, both we and those from that place pleaded with him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, ‘What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.’ So when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, ‘The will of the Lord be done’ ” (verses 12–14).

Paul had been warned many times that if he went to Jerusalem, the Jews would deliver him to the Romans and he would suffer Roman imprisonment. Why was it that the apostle Paul felt, in spite of all these perils and dangers, that he had to go to Jerusalem? He wanted to heal a schism, a division in the Christian church that has never been totally healed, even to the present day. It was a division that occurred between Jews and Gentiles over certain theological teachings. There were Jews who had become Christians and had held on to certain Jewish customs and had therefore opposed the apostle Paul in teaching the Gentiles that they no longer needed to observe the ritual laws of the Jews. The Judaizing Christians also had gone all over the world stirring up division and trouble in every church that Paul had raised up.

Paul desperately wanted to try and heal this schism that had developed between the groups of Christians. He believed that the Jewish rites and ceremonies pointed forward to the Messiah and since the Messiah had come, and fulfilled them there was no more need of animal sacrifices or observance of feast days.

Not only were many of the Christians still practicing these rites and ceremonies, but even were some of the apostles and elders. Because of his teaching on this subject, Paul was known by many Christians all over the world at that time as a teacher of dangerous doctrines. He was the focal point of attack himself, but he desired to bring healing between the different churches. One of the things he did, since many of the Jewish Christians were in poverty as a result of accepting Christianity, he had gone to the different Gentile churches and persuaded them to give money to help the poor Jews in Judea. When he came on this last journey, he had a large sum of money for their support. He also brought with him representatives from the principle churches in the world to give these offerings to the Jewish Christians. He was willing to take any kind of danger necessary to try and heal this schism.

This is why he said he was ready to die, if that was what it would take for the churches to have unity. When they saw that he could not be persuaded otherwise, they said, “the will of the Lord be done.” The Bible continues, “After those days we packed and went up to Jerusalem. Also some of the disciples from Caesarea went with us and brought with them a certain Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we were to lodge. And when we had come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly. On the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present” (verses 15–18).

Here he is, meeting with the elders to present to them the large sum of money that he has raised from the Gentile churches to help the poor Jewish Christians. Paul knows well that if he goes down to Jerusalem he will be captured, bound, and delivered to the Romans. Since his conversion, his visits to Jerusalem had always been accompanied with anxiety. As he was in the city, he would look at the synagogue where he used to worship and at the apartment of the high priest where he had received his commission to go to Damascus. This was the very spot where he himself had debated with Stephen and approved his martyrdom. He would recollect his former life, especially this time, his last journey to Jerusalem, and as he thought about what had happened to Stephen at his own consent, he wondered, “Will I meet the same fate as Stephen met here on this journey?”

He had never walked the streets of Jerusalem with as sad a heart as this time, because he knew he would find few friends and many enemies. In the crowds that were there for the feast, there were thousands of people, who, if you even mentioned his name, would be excited to madness and fury. This was the city which had been the murderer of the prophets, that had rejected and crucified the Son of God, and over which there now hung threatenings of divine wrath. As the apostle Paul remembered how bitter his own prejudice had been against the followers of Christ, he felt the deepest pity for his deluded countrymen, yet he had little hope he would be able to benefit them, because they had the same blind wrath which had once burned in his own heart, and which was now telling with untold power upon the hearts of a whole nation against him.

The apostle Paul could not count upon even the sympathy and the support of his own brethren in the Christian faith. The unconverted Jews had so closely followed upon his track and had not been slow to circulate the most unfavorable reports at Jerusalem, and these reports concerning Paul and his work, communicated both personally and by letter, had affected even the apostles and elders in the Christian church. Some had received these reports as true, making no attempt to contradict them or manifest any desire to harmonize with him.

But yet, in the midst of all these discouragements, the apostle was not in despair, because he was trusting that the same voice he had heard on the Damascus road that had spoken to his own heart would speak to the hearts of his countrymen. Have you ever wondered why that voice doesn’t speak more to men today? Friend, that voice is trying to speak today, but many people are so busy and the noise in their life is so loud that they don’t hear the still small voice speaking in the conscience.

Read the story of Elijah. God does not usually speak to people in a whirlwind, or a fire, or an earthquake. His usual method of speaking to mankind is through what is called “the still small voice,” the voice of the Holy Spirit in the conscience. Is your life so loud and is there so much noise in your life that you don’t have any time to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking to your conscience?

The next day after he arrived at Jerusalem, Paul had a meeting with the elders. It says, “On the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present. When he had greeted them, he told in detail those things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry” (verses 18, 19). The apostle related how that in the worldwide center of heathenism, Ephesus, the Holy Spirit had used him to raise up a very large church. He also told about his experiences with the churches in Galatia, in what we call Turkey today. He told about his experiences with raising up the church in Corinth. He had to tell certain disagreeable things that Judaizing teachers had done to the churches in Galatia and Corinth which had caused him to write some very severe letters to these churches. He told them in detail what had been done, and when they found out, they could not help but see that the signet of God was upon his ministry, and that the Holy Spirit had worked through him in a marvelous way to raise up Christian churches and convert people from heathenism to the gospel all over the world.

“When they heard it, they glorified the Lord. And they said to him, ‘You see, brother, how many myriads of Jews there are who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law’ ” (verse 20). Now when the apostle Paul made known to the elders in Jerusalem all of these churches and Gentile believers he had raised up, and they presented the gifts, which was much more than they had anticipated, this was the golden opportunity for the apostles, the elders, and the leaders to confess that they had been prejudiced, and that they should lay their prejudices aside and acknowledge the work of the apostle Paul as being of God. But, instead of confessing their own errors and their own prejudices, and acknowledging that God had been at work in the ministry of the apostle Paul, they threw the burden wholly back upon Paul to solve the problem between the Jews and the Gentiles.

In fact, they actually asked the apostle Paul to do something that would be conceding that he had gone too far in his teaching the Gentile Christians that they did not need to do anything about observing the ceremonial law. Notice the council that they gave. It says, “You see, brother, how many myriads of Jews there are who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law [the ceremonial law of Jewish rites and ceremonies]; but they have been informed about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the customs. What then? The assembly must certainly meet, for they will hear that you have come. Therefore do what we tell you: We have four men who have taken a vow. Take them and be purified with them, and pay their expenses so that they may shave their heads, and that all may know that those things of which they were informed concerning you are nothing, but that you yourself also walk orderly and keep the law [that is, the ceremonial law]. But concerning the Gentiles who believe, we have written and decided that they should observe no such thing, except that they should keep themselves from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality” (verses 20–25).

They hoped that if the apostle Paul would make this concession, it would solve the problem. They were saying that if a Jew becomes a Christian, he should still keep all of the Jewish rites and ceremonies. But if a Gentile becomes a Christian, then it is not necessary. This is directly contrary to what the apostle Paul taught. Read the book of Romans. Read the book of first Corinthians. Read the book of Galatians. Not only was it directly contrary to what Paul taught but it was directly contrary to what they themselves had agreed to at the Jerusalem council (see Acts 15). Yet, the apostle Paul conceded, and this is very difficult today for some people to understand. Why would Paul make this concession, which was so contrary to what he had written and taught wherever he went? He wanted desperately to solve the division, to bring harmony among the Christians all over the world so there would not be this continual division and strife between the Gentile and Jewish Christians.

However, Paul conceded more than he should have, for this concession was not in harmony with his teachings. It was not in harmony with the firm integrity that had been manifested in the past in his character. We have to remember that his advisors were not infallible, and though some of these men wrote parts of Scripture under the Spirit of God, yet when not under its direct influence, they sometimes erred. It should be remembered that on one occasion, the apostle Paul withstood Peter to his face in public, because Peter was acting a double part. Because Paul had such a great desire to be in harmony with his brethren, so much tenderness of heart toward the weak in faith, and so much reverence for the apostles who had been with Christ while He had been on the earth, so much reverence for James, the brother of the Lord, and so much a desire to be all things to all men, it is less surprising then, that he deviated from his normal strict integrity to try to conciliate and placate his Jewish brethren and bring harmony into the church.

Unfortunately, this decision on his part did not solve the problem at all but hastened his own capture and imprisonment. Dear friend, whether you’re an apostle, or church leader, whoever you are, it never pays to deviate from strict integrity, even when pressed with anxiety on a courageous journey.

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

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

Editorial – In Search of the Apostle Paul

by

When Jesus ascended to heaven in 31 a.d., the man that would become the chiefest of the apostles, the one who would write more than half of the books of the New Testament, was not yet a Christian. In fact, he was a bitter opponent who became so insolent against Christians that he was responsible for murdering many of the believers.

But the Spirit of God was in search of this man’s soul. In the first paragraph of the book Sketches from the Life of Paul, Ellen White describes it this way: “Beneath the blindness and bigotry of the zealot and the Pharisee, Infinite Wisdom discerned a heart loyal to truth and duty. And the voice from Heaven made itself heard above the clamors of pride and prejudice. In the promulgation of the gospel, Divine Providence would unite with the zeal and devotion of the Galilean peasants, the fiery vigor and intellectual power of a rabbi of Jerusalem. To lead the battle against pagan philosophy and Jewish formalism, was chosen one who had himself witnessed the debasing power of heathen worship, and endured the spiritual bondage of Pharisaic exaction.”

The Spirit of God is still in search of men like this—men who have theological training and are highly educated, whose education has been influenced by the popular religious teachers of today. The Spirit of God is searching for these men just as He searched for the apostle Paul nearly 2,000 years ago. Some are being found. The writer was happy, several weeks ago, to meet a pastor from Tennessee and another from Florida who not only have begun to keep the Sabbath but also are leading the faithful of their flocks to do the same. God has many more of these people that He is going to reach. Many minds are searching the Scriptures and being pricked in conscience that they are not completely following all of the Bible’s teachings.

We are told that the apostle Paul “had struggled entire nights against conviction.” Ibid., 24, 25. Many people, today, are in this struggle. Maybe there is one near you. They may not respond right away—it took a few years and some very rocky road before the apostle Paul responded. But if we are afraid of clergymen and never give them any literature to help them, how will they find the truth?

We recently learned of a church whose pastor is using material in his worship services from the Steps to Life television programs. As we keep sowing our seed, the Lord will send a harvest. Do not be afraid of the pastors in your area. Become friends with them—take them a loaf of homemade bread to open your friendship, and ask the Lord to lead you to an “apostle Paul” who can multiply your efforts a hundred-fold.

This will happen, and we want to cooperate with the Lord in making it happen. That is why, as 2004 begins, we are starting to provide academic training for people who are or who want to become ministers. There are many ministers desiring more academic training, and the training offered by Steps to Life is being used right now to help preachers from other churches learn about the Three Angels’ Messages and about God’s last-day people. If you know or meet a minister who is interested in further training, call or write to Steps to Life for enrollment information.

We are looking for the apostle Pauls of our time—those who right now are the bitterest enemies of the truth but who will in the future become its champions. Will you join us in the search?

Bible Study Guides – The Blessings Derived from Faithful Stewardship

by

March 12, 2006 – March 18, 2006

Key Text

“For if there be first a willing mind, [it is] accepted according to that a man hath, [and] not according to that he hath not.” 11 Corinthians 8:12.

Study Help: Christ’s Object Lessons, 390–404.

Introduction

“However short our service or humble our work, if in simple faith we follow Christ, we shall not be disappointed of the reward. That which even the greatest and wisest cannot earn, the weakest and most humble may receive. Heaven’s golden gate opens not to the self-exalted. It is not lifted up to the proud in spirit. But the everlasting portals will open wide to the trembling touch of a little child. Blessed will be the recompense of grace to those who have wrought for God in the simplicity of faith and love.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 404.

1 In the building of the sanctuary in the wilderness, what spirit was necessary on the part of those who gave the materials? Exodus 25:2. In the time of the judges, what did the same spirit lead the people to do? Judges 5:2.

note: “For the building of the sanctuary great and expensive preparations were necessary; a large amount of the most precious and costly material was required; yet the Lord accepted only freewill offerings. ‘Of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take My offering’ [Exodus 25:2] was the divine command repeated by Moses to the congregation. Devotion to God and a spirit of sacrifice were the first requisites in preparing a dwelling place for the Most High.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 343.

2 On what basis is our service and sacrifice acceptable to God? What alone commends our service to Him? 11 Corinthians 8:12.

note: “It is not the length of time we labor but our willingness and fidelity in the work that makes it acceptable to God. In all our service a full surrender of self is demanded. The smallest duty done in sincerity and self-forgetfulness is more pleasing to God than the greatest work when marred with self-seeking. He looks to see how much of the spirit of Christ we cherish, and how much of the likeness of Christ our work reveals. He regards more the love and faithfulness with which we work than the amount we do.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 402.

3 What is said of him who sows sparingly? Bountifully? How should one give? Upon whom is the love of God placed? 11 Corinthians 9:6, 7. How bountifully has God given both temporal and spiritual blessings to His earthly children? Verses 9–11.

note: “God will furnish facilities so that the faithful steward of His entrusted means shall be supplied with a sufficiency in all things, and be enabled to abound to every good work. [11 Corinthians 9:9, 10 quoted.] The seed sown with full, liberal hand is taken charge of by the Lord. He who ministers seed to the sower gives His worker that which enables him to co-operate with the Giver of the seed.” Testimonies, vol. 9, 132.

4 What instruction does the apostle Paul command Timothy to give to those who are blessed with this world’s goods? 1 Timothy 6:17, 18. By following this counsel, for what are they preparing? Verse 19.

note: “God desires us to choose the heavenly in place of the earthly. He opens before us the possibilities of a heavenly investment. He would give encouragement to our loftiest aims, security to our choicest treasure. He declares, ‘I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.’ Isaiah 13:12. When the riches that moth devours and rust corrupts shall be swept away, Christ’s followers can rejoice in their heavenly treasure, the riches that are imperishable. . . .

“Then let your property go beforehand to heaven. Lay up your treasures beside the throne of God. Make sure your title to the unsearchable riches of Christ.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 374, 375.

5 What did Paul say to the Philippians concerning his own experience? Philippians 4:15–17. What kindness shown to the apostle Paul did he say was “well pleasing” to God? Of what was Paul assured for them? Verses 18, 19.

note: “Whenever God’s people, in any period of the world, have cheerfully and willingly carried out His plan in systematic benevolence and in gifts and offerings, they have realized the standing promise that prosperity should attend all their labors just in proportion as they obeyed His requirements. When they acknowledged the claims of God, and complied with His requirements, honoring Him with their substance, their barns were filled with plenty.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 395.

6 With what parable did Jesus illustrate God’s dealing with His workers? Matthew 20:1. What was the reward promised to the first laborers hired? Verse 2.

note: “There is work for everyone in the vineyard of the Lord. None should be idle. Angels of God are all astir, ascending to heaven and descending to earth again with messages of mercy and warning. These heavenly messengers are moving upon minds and hearts. There are men and women everywhere whose hearts are susceptible of being inspired with the truth. If those who have a knowledge of the truth would now work in unison with the Spirit of God, we would see a great work accomplished.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 64.

7 What promise did the householder make to those called at the third, sixth, and ninth hours? Verses 3–5. At the eleventh hour, whom did he find in the market place? What arrangement did he make with them? Verses 6, 7.

note: “The words of Christ apply to the church: ‘Why stand ye here all the day idle?’ [Matthew 20:6.] Why are you not at work in some capacity in His vineyard? Again and again He has bidden you: ‘Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.’ [Verse 7.] But this gracious call from heaven has been disregarded by the large majority. Is it not high time that you obey the commands of God? There is work for every individual who names the name of Christ. A voice from heaven is solemnly calling you to duty. Heed this voice, and go to work at once in any place, in any capacity. Why stand ye here all the day idle? There is work for you to do, a work that demands your best energies. Every precious moment of life is related to some duty which you owe to God or to your fellow men, and yet you are idle!” Testimonies, vol. 5, 203, 204.

8 When the time of rewards came, what procedure did the householder follow? How much did each worker receive? What complaint was made? Verses 8–12. What reply did the householder make? Verses 13–16.

note: “The first laborers of the parable represent those who, because of their services, claim preference above others. They take up their work in a self-gratulatory spirit, and do not bring into it self-denial and sacrifice. They may have professed to serve God all their lives; they may have been foremost in enduring hardship, privation, and trial, and they therefore think themselves entitled to a large reward. They think more of the reward than of the privilege of being servants of Christ. In their view their labors and sacrifices entitle them to receive honor above others, and because this claim is not recognized, they are offended.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 399, 400.

9 In what way will the saints of God have made a covenant with the Lord? Psalm 50:5.

note: “Church-members are to contribute cheerfully toward the support of the ministry. They should practice self-denial and economy, that they may come behind in no good gift. We are pilgrims and strangers, seeking a better country, and every soul should make a covenant with God by sacrifice. The time for saving souls is short, and whatever is not needed in supplying positive necessities, should be brought as a thank-offering to God.” Gospel Workers (1915), 454.

10 What will be the reward of all who have willingly and loyally consecrated their all to Christ’s service? Romans 2:6, 7; Revelation 22:12.

note: “There are many who have given themselves to Christ, yet who see no opportunity of doing a large work or making great sacrifices in His service. These may find comfort in the thought that it is not necessarily the martyr’s self-surrender which is most acceptable to God; it may not be the missionary who has daily faced danger and death that stands highest in heaven’s records. The Christian who is such in his private life, in the daily surrender of self, in sincerity of purpose and purity of thought, in meekness under provocation, in faith and piety, in fidelity in that which is least, the one who in the home life represents the character of Christ—such a one may in the sight of God be more precious than even the world-renowned missionary or martyr.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 403.

11 Of what was the apostle Paul assured as he neared the close of his ministry? To how many is the same assurance given? 11 Timothy 4:8.

note: “The one who stands nearest to Christ will be he who on earth has drunk most deeply of the spirit of His self-sacrificing love,—love that ‘vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, . . . seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil’ (1 Corinthians 13:4, 5),—love that moves the disciple, as it moved our Lord, to give all, to live and labor and sacrifice, even unto death, for the saving of humanity.” The Desire of Ages, 549.

“Those who have brought into their service the spirit of true sacrifice, of self-abasement, are the ones who will stand first at last. The laborers who were first hired, represented those who have an envious, self-righteous spirit, and claim that, for their services, preference should be given to them rather than to others. The householder said to the one who questioned his right to give more to others than to him, ‘Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny?’ [Matthew 20:13.] I have kept my part of the agreement.

“In a subordinate sense we should all have respect unto the recompense of the reward. But while we appreciate the promise of blessing, we should have perfect confidence in Jesus Christ, believing that He will do right, and give us reward according as our works have been. The gift of God is eternal life, but Jesus would have us not so anxious concerning rewards, as that we may do the will of God because it is right to do it, irrespective of all gain.

“Paul kept in view the crown of life to be given him, and not only to be given to him, but to all who love His appearing. It was the victory gained through faith in Jesus Christ that made the crown so desirable.” Counsels on Stewardship, 339, 340.

12 What do those become who accept of the salvation bought by the blood of Jesus? 11 Corinthians 6:1, first part; 1 Corinthians 3:9, first part.

note: “There must be an awakening among the people of God. The entire church is to be tested. The worldly-wise man, who meditates and plans, and whose business is ever in his mind, should seek to become wise in matters of eternal interest. If he would put forth as much energy to secure the heavenly treasure and the life which measures with the life of God as he does to secure worldly gain, what could he not accomplish?

“The unfaithful steward did not enrich himself with his master’s goods; he merely wasted them. He let idleness take the place of sincere, wholehearted labor. He was unfaithful in the appropriation of his lord’s goods. Unfaithful steward, do you not see that you will lose your soul if you do not co-operate with God and make the most of your talents for the Master? Your mind was given that you might understand how to work. Your eyes were given that you might be keen to discern your God-given opportunities. Your ears are to listen for the commands of God. Your knees are to bow three times a day in heartfelt prayer. Your feet are to run in the way of God’s commandments. Thought, effort, talent, should be put into exercise, that you may be prepared to graduate into the school above and hear from the lips of One who has overcome all temptations in our behalf the words: ‘To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne.’ ‘Thus saith the Lord of hosts; If thou wilt walk in My ways, and if thou wilt keep My charge, then thou shalt also judge My house, and shalt also keep My courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by.’ Revelation 3:21; Zechariah 3:7. If you do not co-operate with the Lord by giving yourself to Him and doing His service you will be judged unfit to be a subject of His pure, heavenly kingdom.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 297, 298.

Vain Promises of the World

by

The story of a shipwreck is recorded in Acts 27. The apostle Paul was shipwrecked as he journeyed to Rome, a prisoner awaiting trial before Caesar. In verse 4, we can read that the ship’s captain avoided difficulty, caused by contrary winds, by taking a different course. As a result, we see that they “sailed slowly.” Verse 7. It would seem that they just sailed along, not worrying too much about where they were going or what they were doing. They refused to accept the counsel given them by God’s messenger. Paul cautioned that if the voyage were made, there would be hurt, not only to the ship and to the goods, but also of life. But because the centurion would rather believe the owner of the ship than God’s messenger, he did not follow Paul’s counsel. (Verses 10, 11.) Because it was a more comfortable setting to travel, they did not heed the messenger’s voice.

Soft Wind

Read Acts 27:13: “And when the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained [their] purpose, loosing [thence], they sailed close by Crete.” What happens next in the story? It says that the “wind blew softly,” and when it blew softly, they thought it was safe. It says that they thought they had “obtained their purpose,” and so they set sail. They thought that now they could disobey what God’s messenger had said, because the wind was now blowing softly. It was perfect for sailing, they thought. They could now make it to the place in which they wanted to harbor, because the south wind was softly blowing.

To what in our lives might we liken that south wind softly blowing? Here God had sent them a message through His prophet, the apostle Paul, but they did not want to follow it. They then thought that they had verification for not following that about which God had warned them, because it looked like the wind that was blowing would take them to where they desired to be. The south wind softly blowing was giving promise of smooth sailing! And so they set out.

Devil’s Promises

We speak often about the promises of God, and we should, but do you know that the devil has promises too? Here the devil is promising, we could say, a safe trip; a safe journey without being shipwrecked; a safe trip in violation of what God had said. And they accepted this false promise and set sail, expecting a safe trip. They trusted the deceiving promises of the enemy.

Does the enemy have promises for soft south winds blowing for us today? What do you think some of those promises might be? It is good to identify some of these promises so that we are not deceived by the south wind as it softly blows.

Has the temptation or the thought ever come to you that if you would get out into the world you would have more fun? It is a soft wind blowing. The devil prompts, “You would have a lot more fun if you would do this or something else. You will not shipwreck. You will just have more fun.” We all would like to have fun, would we not?

The devil tries to blow a soft south wind; he tries to give some promise that in the world it is going to be more fun, more exciting; there is going to be more pleasure. Many, many people set sail in the wrong direction, because they are listening to the promises that the devil brings.

Some things that the devil wants us to think are fun in this world include music and movies. They are not that bad, you may think; they will not hurt; they just provide a good time. And they hoist their sails because of the soft south winds—the promises of more fun, of more pleasure in the world, and they do not realize that it is leading them forward to shipwreck. The devil does not care why or how you start sailing towards shipwreck; he just wants to get you sailing into the tempestuous winds, that you might go down into the ocean.

Wisest Man

There was a young man in the Bible who had one of the most promising beginnings of anyone. His father was a prophet. His father wrote portions of the Bible, and this young man wanted, especially in his youth, to follow and obey God. So much did he want to do this that, as he was praying, the Lord appeared to him and said, “Ask Me. What do you want?” The young man asked for wisdom! The Lord told him that he could have fame, riches, whatever he desired; and Solomon said that what he wanted and needed was wisdom. God gave him wisdom; he was the wisest man. (11 Chronicles 1:7–12.)

Seven years later, after the temple was finished being rebuilt, the Lord appeared to Solomon again to renew that vow with him, saying that if he would follow Him, not only would He give to him wisdom, but everything else. So Solomon continued to follow the Lord. (11 Chronicles 7:17–22.) Solomon, who began on such a good course, who had more promise than perhaps any other young person in the Bible, ended up shipwrecking his life. What does the Bible give as the reason why Solomon shipwrecked his life? Nehemiah 13:26 says that “outlandish women” caused Solomon to sin.

Solomon did not think he was going to end up with 300 wives and 700 concubines. If you would have told him that at the beginning, he would have said, “No way; that is ridiculous!” What was it that started Solomon down that wrong course? He listened to the soft south wind blowing. Solomon listened to the promises of the devil—“Oh, you can have more fun! It will not matter; it is not a big deal! It makes perfect sense for you to take the King of Egypt’s daughter for your wife, and, besides, she may become converted!”

Depressing Book

Some people think that the Book of Ecclesiastes is a depressing book, and I can understand why, because a man who knew what he could have achieved wrote it—a man wrote it who came to the end of his life and realized that his life was ruined. We perhaps cannot even fathom coming to the end of our lives, but Solomon came to the end of his life and realized that he had wasted the best of everything.

Solomon repented, but notice what counsel he gives to us in Ecclesiastes 2:1–11. He is telling his experience, and I believe it is very instructive for us, especially for young people: “I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also [is] vanity. I said of laughter, [It is] mad: and of mirth, What doeth it? I sought in mine heart to give myself unto wine, yet acquainting mine heart with wisdom; and to lay hold on folly, till I might see what [was] that good for the sons of men, which they should do under the heaven all the days of their life. I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards: I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all [kind of] fruits: I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees: I got [me] servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me: I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, [as] musical instruments, and that of all sorts. So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me. And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour. Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all [was] vanity and vexation of spirit, and [there was] no profit under the sun.”

Grasping the Wind

Did Solomon have anything this world had to offer? Did he have everything this world had to offer? Sometimes we think, Oh, if I just had this amusement, then I would be happy. Solomon did not just listen to CDs; Solomon had the bands performing in front of him! Was he happy? Sometimes young people think, Oh, if I just had a boyfriend or a girlfriend, then I would be happy. Did Solomon have quite a few of these? Was he happy? No! He still was not happy! We think, Oh, if I just had what my friend has, then I would be happy. Did Solomon have everything that his friends had? Yes, he did, and a lot more; but he was not happy. He was only happy when he was following God.

Solomon lamented, “I had all the money a person could want. I had all the girlfriends a man could want. I had all the pleasure and all the music anyone could want.” But as he looked at it, what was it to him? Nothing! In one place he calls it grasping for the wind. (Proverbs 30:4.) Have you ever tried to grasp the wind? Do you get much when you reach out for the wind? You only get a handful of air. And Solomon said that was all everything was; it was just like grasping for the wind. It was nothing!

The devil, however, saw that this trap was successful with Solomon, and the devil is still using this game to win your soul and mine. He says, “You would be happy if you just had this; you would find enjoyment in listening to this music,” or whatever it is. Perhaps he entices you with alcohol. Some people may think it is fun for a while, but when they wake up the next morning, the resulting hangover or headache is not fun. Thinking about alcohol rationally, it would not make any sense at all to use it. Why would anyone want to have a little fun so that they can feel terrible the next day?

That is what everything in the world is like. Oh, it looks fun! It looks inviting! And the devil encourages, “Just do it! It will not matter. It will be fun; you will enjoy it! Everybody is doing it!” The devil promises pleasure, but Solomon tells us that there is no true pleasure apart from obedience to the Lord. His life is on record that we might know not to be deceived by the soft south wind blowing.

A Thousand Days

Notice what Solomon’s father, David, said in Psalm 84:10, 11: “For a day in thy courts [is] better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the Lord God [is] a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good [thing] will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.”

David said, “I would rather spend one day in God’s favor than one thousand days outside of it.” How many years are in 1,000 days? Almost three years. David said, “I would just rather spend one day with God’s blessing than three years outside of it.” The only lasting, true happiness in this world is in God’s court. He said, “I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. I would rather be a janitor with the Lord’s blessing than to be in that beautiful palace of this world without it.” And then he tells us why; because “no good [thing] will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.” How many things that are good does the Lord withhold from us? Not one thing!

So, if the Lord asks us not to do something—not to turn the television on to the shows that everybody is watching or not to listen to the music to which everybody is listening—is it a good thing that the Lord is withholding? It is not. It is just something that is going to bite us in the end.

God tells us that He has our best good in mind. He wants us to be happy; He wants us to know what true happiness and true joy are. That is why He is warning us about the deceiving pleasures of this world.

The pleasure may be anything of this world, and it may be different for different individuals. Whatever it might be, the devil has a promise for each one of us. He has a temptation for each one of us, and it is going to be different for everyone. For some of us, the pleasures of this world might have no attraction, but something else does, and the devil whispers, like that soft south wind blowing, “It is all right; you can sail; you can go; try it just once.”

Fool’s Gold

Are you familiar with fool’s gold? In 1849, there was a gold rush in the United States. That is how California became the most popular state in this country; it was from that gold rush. There was a man at a mill, and he looked down and saw a pretty, gold rock. He picked it up to examine it more closely, and he discovered it was a nugget of gold. When the word got out, everybody started going to California to find gold.

The miners that looked for the gold had a way in which they could tell the difference between fool’s gold and real gold. Fool’s gold looks good. It is pretty; it is shiny; it looks like real gold; but the way to know if it is real is to bite down on it. Gold is a soft metal. When you bite down on it, it will leave an imprint. You cannot do that with fool’s gold. If you bite down on it, you will break your teeth!

The devil has lots of fool’s gold in this world. It looks good; it looks pretty; it looks shiny; but it is worthless. You cannot sell fool’s gold for anything. And when you really bite down into the world’s fool’s gold, it breaks your teeth.

God has true riches; God has true pleasures; God has true joys. But those true riches, pleasures, and joys come only by refusing to listen to those soft-whispering promises that the devil gives. God has our best good in mind.

Tempestuous Winds

Let us look at Acts 27 again, and read what the result was of listening to the soft whispering promise of the devil—that soft south wind blowing he made sound so inviting and so good. “But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon.” Verse 14.

At first the wind blew softly, and it seemed like they had obtained their purpose. It seemed like they were going to be able to do what they wanted to do, but then a tempestuous wind came up very quickly. Those smooth promises—the soft wind—that the devil gives sound sweet and beautiful at first, but then they turn into tempestuous trouble.

I had a friend, much older than I, and he listened. We had given Bible studies together, but he listened to the deceiving promises of the devil. He thought it was the only way he was going to be happy. After a little while, he made a statement that I will never forget. He said, “The broad road is pretty rocky too!” There are lots of bumps and trouble in the broad road, even though it, at first, seems so sweet, so soft, and so pleasant. But, then, that tempestuous wind comes up.

“When neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on [us], all hope that we should be saved was then taken away.” Verse 20. Because they listened to those sweet, whispering promises that the devil gave, what was the result? Not only did a tempestuous wind come up, but also they did not see the sun or stars for days.

We may read that and say, “So what?” But travelers in those days were dependent upon seeing the sun or the stars for guidance. What did it mean if they could not see these things? It meant that they were lost. They had no GPS (global positioning system). Using the stars as guides, those living in the Southern Hemisphere looked for the Southern Cross. Those in the Northern Hemisphere looked for the Big Dipper and North Star. They would guide their boats and their travels by the stars. But in an ocean in the middle of nowhere, without chart or compass, these sailors had no idea where they were going. This is also the result of listening to the promises of the devil.

Then, notice that although it began with a soft wind that was blowing and the thought that they could make it to their desired destination, hope departed. That is what the devil wants to do to each of us. He begins with a soft wind, saying, “Do not worry; you will have fun. You will make more money.” And then a tempestuous wind starts to blow, and we find ourselves out in the middle of the sea with no guidance. He wants us to lose all hope, and the end result is shipwreck.

Safety

Do you want to be shipwrecked? The only safety is to determine in your heart right now that you are not going to listen to those soft south winds. You are not going to listen to the promises of the devil that you will have more fun or make more money, that you will have more pleasure or more honor or whatever it is. Do not listen to him! You have an anchor—an anchor sure and steadfast, an anchor of the blessed hope, an anchor of Jesus who has died and resurrected and is interceding for you and is coming again for you.

I am sure you do not want to bite into the fool’s gold of this world. We have to make a decision every day that we are not going to follow the promises of the world, so we might truly escape shipwreck. Thousands and probably millions of people will be lost and shipwrecked because they listened to the promises of the world. Will you choose in your heart not to be one of them? Will you decide by God’s grace not to listen to those vain promises but to say with David, “A day in your courts is better than a thousand without your blessing”?

Cody Francis is currently engaged in public evangelism for Mission Projects International. He also pastors the Remnant Church of Seventh-day Adventist Believers in Renton, Washington. He may be contacted by e-mail at: cody@missionspro.org.

The More Excellent Ministry, Part I

by

The Book of Hebrews contains a lot of information in an area to which we need to give a little thought. This article will address the Christology of the Book of Hebrews, the Christology of the apostle Paul in Hebrews. When you think of the word Christology, you think of theology—theos is God; logos is wisdom and knowledge. Hence, theology is the knowledge of God. We use that to talk about the nature of God and the work of God. Christology is the nature of Christ and the work of Christ.

Hebrews is the treatise on Christology given to us by the apostle Paul, and it is unique; it is different from the others. In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, we have what you could call a Christology by narration. These books of the Bible tell the story of what Jesus did. Oh, yes, they tell you things that He said as well, but it is a little different from John. So, you have a Christology that builds their case for the work and nature of Christ by telling you what He did.

John shifts the emphasis quite a bit toward what Jesus said, so we would call that a Christology by quotation. He builds his case for the Christology of the nature and work of Jesus Christ by telling us so many, many things that Jesus said about His own ministry, about His own relationship with His heavenly Father and with us here upon this earth. This provides a different kind of Christology.

In Hebrews, we have a Christology by comparison. Paul sets up ten comparisons for us to examine, but there is a reason for this. The apostle Paul was by far, as we recognize, the best educated of the apostles. He was trained in the rabbinical schools. You might say that he went to the Harvard of his time and place, sitting at the feet of Gamaliel. He was very, very well versed in the Scriptures and in the teachings of the faith. He knew it much better than did any of the other apostles.

Special Class

Not only that, he had a two-year special class in Arabia. When he was on his way to Damascus, the Lord confronted him and told him to do what He said. Now, let me explain again. The apostle Paul was much more educated than any of the other apostles. He had the training of the Rabbis; he sat at the feet of Gamaliel; in addition to that, he was trained by Jesus Himself in that two years in the desert in Arabia.

As he was traveling from Jerusalem to Damascus, he was confronted by the Lord and told that he must do what he was told to do by the Lord. You remember that story. He went to Damascus and began to preach about Jesus Christ, and the people rose up against him, so he went from there into the desert of Arabia and remained there two years. During that period of time, we are told, “Jesus communed with him and established him in the faith, bestowing upon him a rich measure of wisdom and grace.” The Acts of the Apostles, 126.

We might think, at first glance, that the other apostles had an advantage over Paul in that they traveled with Jesus for three and a half years and learned so much from Him directly, but the apostle Paul was not left out. Jesus privately communed with him, because he was a very special person. With all of his training, with all of his understanding, with all of his background, the Lord knew that he could do a mighty work once he got his mind straightened out and was established in the faith.

Points of Evidence

There are certain things that we quickly discover when we start looking for evidence that the apostle Paul understood things better than the other apostles did.

  1. He understood about taking the message to the Gentiles. He went to great lengths to try to explain that to others in Romans 10 and 11, where he talked about how there is a cutting of an olive tree and a grafting in of the branch of the Gentiles, and he enlarges on that.
  2. He understood the distinction between the moral law and the ceremonial law. You may not have ever given this any thought, but through my Bible study, I once prepared a paper on the subject. I discovered, as I analyzed all of the uses of the words law, laws, commandment, and commandments in the New Testament, something that I had not realized before.

If the writings of the apostle Paul were removed from the New Testament, we would have no way of knowing that the ceremonial law had passed away. We would still be sacrificing lambs. He was the only one who dealt with that subject; the others acted like they never heard of it. None of the other Bible writers make any mention of that whatsoever. We are indebted to the apostle Paul for our understanding about the distinction between the moral law and the ceremonial law. If you compare Romans 7 and Hebrews 7 and also Colossians 2 and Ephesians 2, you will find very clearly how he laid out the two laws in comparison one with another.

The apostle Paul knew about the message to the Gentiles that the others only faintly understood. He knew about the distinction between the moral law and the ceremonial law that the others never mentioned; if they understood it, they never told us so. And he knew something else that was very, very significant, and it was a burden on his heart.

Paul knew that the typical ceremonies—the lambs and all of that, the beautiful temple, and all of those things that went on in the temple—must soon altogether cease. “He [Paul] knew that the typical ceremonies must soon altogether cease, since that which they had shadowed forth had come to pass, and the light of the gospel was shedding its glory upon the Jewish religion, giving a new significance to its ancient rites.” Sketches From the Life of Paul, 65.

You and I hear that and say, “So what?” Well, put yourself in the place of the Hebrew, the Jew who accepted Jesus Christ. There was nothing in this world so dear to him as the temple. Their temple was a marvelous building, even by modern standards. The ceremonies there were magnificent, and everything there was majestic, beautiful, and charming in every way. It was the very center of the culture of the Hebrew nation. Paul knew that that was going to be done away, and then what would happen to the faith of the Hebrew Christian?

He had to do something about that. He had to do something about that to prepare them for the awful day when the temple would be destroyed, and they would look for priests, and there would be none. They would look for sacrifices, and there would be no sacrifices. They would look for the very heart of their nation’s culture, and it would not be there. It would be gone, destroyed.

Paul had to do something about that, and in order to do that, he wrote the Book of Hebrews. We are going to look at the beginning of the Book of Hebrews, but let us introduce it with a few lines from The Desire of Ages, 36, where Ellen White addresses the temple and its ceremonies. “The very priests who ministered in the temple had lost sight of the significance of the service they performed. They had ceased to look beyond the symbol to the thing signified. In presenting the sacrificial offerings they were as actors in a play. The ordinances which God Himself had appointed were made the means of blinding the mind and hardening the heart. God could do no more for man through these channels. The whole system must be swept away.”

Paul knew that, and he had to do something about it for the benefit of those Hebrews, not Gentiles, who were deep in their love for the culture and the traditions of Israel. He had to do something about that to help them meet the crisis that was coming. To do so, he set up a series of ten comparisons in the Book of Hebrews.

Comparison One

The first comparison is a comparison of Christ with the prophets. Hebrews 1:1 says, “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets.” All right, we are going to look at the prophets for a moment, and then we are going to look at Jesus.

“Hath in these last days spoken unto us by [his] Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of [his] glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.” Verses 2, 3.

To the mind of the genuine, spiritual Hebrew, a prophet was a reverenced person, a highly honored person, a highly respected person. They had great honor and respect for the prophets, but Paul is saying, “Look at the prophets, and then look at Jesus. Jesus is ever so much greater than the prophets.” Is that not very clear?

Second Comparison

Next, he compares Jesus with the angels, beginning with verse 4. “Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.”

And then he goes into the Book of Psalms and gives a whole series of quotations from that book to reinforce his argument that Jesus is better, higher, and greater than the angels. Verses 5 and 6: “For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee?” (That is from the Psalms.) “And again,” (another quotation from the Psalms) “I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? And again,” (a third quotation) “when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.” Obviously, Jesus is greater than the angels are.

“Of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. But unto the Son [he saith], Thy throne, O God,” (he says that God is calling Jesus God) “[is] for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness [is] the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, [even] thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows: And,” (a new quotation now) “Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands.” Verses 7–10.

Surely you get the idea from these few verses. The rest of chapter 1 is filled with quotations from the Psalms, exalting Jesus Christ, addressing Jesus Christ as God, seeing Him as God, and seeing Him as sitting on the throne of God.

Look at the last verse of this first chapter in which Jesus is compared with angels. Talking about the angels, Paul said, “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” Verse 14.

Now we need to jump down to Hebrews 2:5, because he puts in one verse there about angels: “For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak.” But God has put in subjection the world to come to Jesus. Jesus is greater than the prophets. Jesus is even greater than the angels.

Godliness

The apostle Paul, besides being teacher of Christology, teacher of theology, was also a preacher of practical godliness. That is recommended to us in the Spirit of Prophecy. In between his ten comparisons that we are going to look at, he puts passages dealing with practical godliness. It is a little bit of the same idea as the apostle Peter. In 11 Peter 3, he is talking about the Second Coming of Christ and the destruction of the earth and the fire that will cleanse the earth, and then he says, in verse 11, “In view of all these things, what manner of persons ought we to be?” He gives inference to the practical godliness aspect.

So we are going to pass by Hebrews 2:1–4, where Paul is talking about practical godliness. It is wonderful, and it is good, but that is not the study of this article.

As We Are

Beginning with Hebrews 2:6, Paul does something that is very interesting to me, and carries it all the way through the end of the chapter. He has just started exalting Jesus Christ, higher and higher—higher than the prophets, higher than the angels—but then a sudden thought occurs to him. “But do not forget, He is my brother; He is your brother; He is just like we are. He is not so high that we cannot get to Him.”

Paul fills the rest of chapter 2 with that, and he tells us that Jesus took on the flesh and blood of the children of Abraham. “For verily he took not on [him the nature of] angels; but he took on [him] the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto [his] brethren.” Verses 16, 17.

Third Comparison

In Hebrews 3, Paul moves on to his third comparison. Jesus is greater than Moses. What name, other than Abraham, was so revered in Israel as much as the name of Moses, the great lawgiver, the great leader, the great establisher of the nation in the days of the covenant at Sinai?

“Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses [was faithful] in all his house.” Hebrews 3:1, 2. Remember that in the Bible the word house is often used where you and I would use the word family. So, you see, we find that to be true here, as you will see shortly. Substitute family for house as you read the following verses.

“For this [man],” that is, Jesus, “was counted worthy of more glory than Moses inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house. For every house is builded by some [man]; but he that built all things [is] God. And Moses verily [was] faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.” Verses 3–6.

So here we have Christ as greater than the prophets. Christ is greater than the angels. Christ is greater than Moses. I think it should be clear to us now what Paul is trying to do. When everything is swept away and everything is gone, Jesus Christ is still going to be there.

Hebrews 3:7–5:3 all deals again with practical godliness, urging upon us the kind of godly life we should live in view of the things that Paul is laying before us.

Fourth Comparison

And now we come to Hebrews 5:4 where Paul tells us that Christ is greater than Aaron: “And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as [was] Aaron. So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee. As he saith also in another [place], Thou [art] a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.” Verses 4–6.

This Melchisedec theme will come back all the way through chapter 7. Intermittently, Paul throws it back and back. Christ is like Melchisedec, not like Aaron, but like Melchisedec. As he offers his evidence here, you read in verse 6, “a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.” Verses 7–10 continue: “Who in the days of his flesh,” speaking of Jesus, “when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.”

Paul argues presently that Melchisedec is one who has no record of where he came from or where he went or anything about him. He picks up on that. Now, we hear people today asking, “Who was Melchisedec? Whose son was he? From where did he come?” And we do not have any good answer for that, even in our time.

Paul picks up on that, seeing Melchisedec as a symbol of Jesus Christ who did not come from a lineage that we know a lot about, but is of a higher order of the priesthood. So, he says, now, that Christ, in this fourth comparison, is greater than Aaron, the founder of the Levitical priesthood.

And then practical godliness is presented again, beginning with Hebrews 5:11 and continuing through chapter 6:1. We cannot pass this last verse without at least reading it, because it is loaded with meaning. “Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ,” (Paul is going to come back to the doctrine of Christ) “let us go on unto perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God.”

Do you know what I see in that? If you have the right doctrine of Jesus Christ, you will have the right doctrine of perfection. If you have a wrong doctrine of Jesus Christ, you will have a wrong doctrine of perfection, and we see that all about us.

Transition to Abraham

The practical godliness theme continues through chapter 6, until we come to the last verse, verse 20, and then Paul returns to Melchisedec. “Whither the forerunner is for us entered, [even] Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.”

Paul enlarges on this, and there is a transition, you see. He has been talking about Christ being greater than Aaron because He is like Melchisedec, and then he enlarges on the Melchisedec theme by bringing Abraham into the picture. Watch carefully as we go to chapter 7. “For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all . . .” Verses 1, 2, first part.

And then Paul talks about Melchisedec, which means “king of righteousness.” That is given in verse 2, and in verse 3, he mentions that we have no genealogy for Melchisedec, so he compares that to the Son of God.

In verse 4, he returns to his basic argument that Abraham is not as high as Melchisedec, because Abraham paid tithes to Melchisedec: “Now consider how great this man [was], unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils. And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham: But he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises.” Verses 4–6.

Now notice the line in verse 7: “And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better.”

Paul is saying that Christ is greater than the prophets. Christ is greater than the angels. Christ is greater than Aaron. Christ is greater than Abraham, and his reasoning is presented there.

To be continued . . .

Dr. Ralph Larson has completed forty years of services to the Seventh-day Adventist Church, as pastor, evangelist, departmental secretary, and college and seminary teacher. His last assignment before retiring was chairman of the Church and Ministry Department of the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary Far East. His graduate degrees were earned from Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan, and Andover-Newton Theological Seminary in Boston, Massachusetts. He now lives in Cherry Valley, California. His evangelistic sermons have resulted in more than five thousand persons being baptized into the Seventh-day Adventist Church.