Chap. 92 - Christ's
Blessings Universal
That was the true Light, which
lighteth every man that cometh into the world. John 1:9. {TMK 98.1}
The grace of Christ is not
confined to a few. The message of mercy and forgiveness brought from heaven
by Christ was to be heard by all. Our Saviour says, "I am the light of
the world." (John 8:12). His blessings are universal, reaching to all
nations, kindreds, tongues, and peoples. Christ came to break down every
wall of partition ... that every soul, whether Jew or Gentile, might be a
free worshiper and have access to God.... {TMK 98.2}
Through varied channels the
heavenly messengers are in active communication with every part of the
world, and when man calls upon the Lord with a true and earnest heart, God
is represented as bending from His throne above. He listens to every
yearning cry, and answers, "Here am I." He raises up the
distressed and oppressed. He bestows His blessings on the evil as well as
on the good. {TMK 98.3}
In every precept that Christ
taught, He was expounding His own life. God's holy law was magnified in
this living representative. He was the revealer of the infinite mind. He
uttered no uncertain sentiments or opinions, but pure and holy truth. . . .
He invites men to take a close view of God in Himself, in the infinite love
therein expressed. {TMK 98.4}
To know God is the most
wonderful knowledge that men can have. There is much wisdom with worldly
men, but with all their wisdom they behold not the beauty and majesty, the
justice and wisdom, the goodness and holiness, of the Creator of all
worlds. The Lord walks among men by His providences, but His stately steppings
are not heard, His presence is not discerned, His hand is not recognized.
The work of Christ's disciples is to shine as lights, making manifest to
the world the
character of God. They are to catch the increasing rays of light from
the Word of God and reflect them to men enshrouded in the darkness of
misapprehension of God. The servants of Christ must rightly represent the character of God and Christ to men. {TMK 98.5}
March 9, 1897 Christ
Represents the Beneficence of
the Law.
By Mrs. E. G. White.
"The wages of sin is
death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our
Lord." It is essential that every subject of the kingdom of God should
be obedient to the law of Jehovah, in order that his infinite glory may
have a perfect establishment. The professed followers of Christ are tested
in this life to see whether or not they will be obedient to God. Obedience
will result in happiness, and will insure the reward of eternal life.
Failure on the part of Adam on one point resulted in terrible consequences,
and sin has grown to such vast proportions that it cannot be measured. But
in the midst of rebellion and apostasy, in the midst of those who were
disloyal, impenitent, and obstinate, God looks down upon those who love him
and keep his commandments, and says, "I love them that love me,"
and will cause them to inherit substance. "I will render vengeance to
mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me." {RH, March 9, 1897
par. 1}
Christ lived in accordance
with the principles of God's moral government, and fulfilled the
specifications of the law of God. He represented the beneficence of the law
in his human life. The fact that the law is holy, just, and good is to be
testified before all nations, tongues, and peoples, to worlds unfallen, to
angels, seraphim, and cherubim. The principles of the law of God were
wrought out in the character of Jesus Christ, and he who co-operates with
Christ, becoming a partaker of the divine nature, will develop the divine
character, and become an illustration of the divine law. Christ in the
heart will bring the whole man, soul, body, and spirit into captivity to
the obedience of righteousness. Christ's true followers will be in
conformity to the mind and will and character of God, and the far-reaching principles
of the law will be demonstrated in humanity. {RH, March 9, 1897
par. 2}
Pardoning, redeeming love is
brought to view in Christ Jesus. Satan had misrepresented the character of God, and it was necessary that a
correct representation should be made to worlds unfallen, to angels, and to
men. Satan had declared that God knew nothing of self-denial, of mercy and
love, but that he was stern, exacting, and unforgiving. Satan never tested
the forgiving love of God; for he never exercised genuine repentance. His
representations of God were incorrect; he was a false witness, an accuser
of Christ, and an accuser of all those who throw off the Satanic yoke, and
come back to render willing allegiance to the God of heaven. {RH, March 9, 1897
par. 3}
Satan charged God with an
unforgiving spirit, because he would not receive on terms of favor those
who disobeyed his law and therefore misrepresented his character. But
forgiveness of sins would be of no avail unless the course of transgression
was abandoned, and the grace of Christ imparted to the sinner to renovate,
purify, and ennoble him who had fallen by iniquity. This was the only way
by which the sinner could be restored to divine favor, and trusted to come
into copartnership with Jesus Christ. But in Christ we behold the character
of the Father, and see the pitying tenderness which God exercised for
fallen man, giving his only begotten Son as a ransom for the transgressors
of the law. It is in beholding the love of God that repentance is awakened
in the sinner's heart, and an earnest desire is created to become
reconciled to God. When the transgressor becomes acquainted with God, and
experiences his love, it produces in his heart a hatred for sin and a love
for holiness. {RH, March 9,
1897 par. 4}
The more we study the
attributes of the
character of God as revealed in Christ, the more we see that
justice has been sustained in the sacrifice that met the penalty of the law,
and that mercy has been provided in the only begotten Son, who bore the
penalty of the law in the sinner's place, in order that man might have
another probation, another opportunity to be obedient to the law of God's
government, that it might be made manifest who could be trusted to become
members of the Lord's family, children of the Heavenly King. Those who are
obedient to the law of the government of God while in this brief probation,
amid all the counter-influences of Satanic agencies, will be pronounced in
heaven loyal children of the Lord of Hosts. They will be declared to be separate
from the sinful practises of the world, and to them God gives the promise,
"I will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters,
saith the Lord Almighty." {RH, March 9, 1897
par. 5}
By both creation and redemption
we are the Lord's property. We are absolutely his subjects, and amenable to
the laws of his kingdom. Let no one foster the delusion that the Lord God
of heaven and earth has no law by which to control and govern his subjects.
We are dependent upon God for everything we enjoy. The food which we eat,
the clothing we wear, the atmosphere we breathe, the life we enjoy from day
to day, are received from God. We are under obligation to be governed by
his will, to acknowledge him as our supreme ruler. We are under obligation
to coincide with all his plans and designs. As all our blessings come from
God, we are under the highest obligation to render gratitude to him for his
mercies, his goodness and benevolence, and to manifest this gratitude by
returning to him his own in gifts and offerings, ever cherishing a sense of
our dependence upon him. {RH, March 9, 1897
par. 6}
Those who have a knowledge
of God in Christ Jesus are under obligation to perform his expressed will
in doing his commandments, which are a transcript of his character. We are
under a debt of gratitude to God for the revelation of his love in Christ
Jesus; and as intelligent human agents, we are to reveal to the world the
manner of character that will result from obedience to every specification
of the law of God's government. In perfect obedience to his holy will, we
are to manifest adoration, love, cheerfulness, and praise, and thus honor
and glorify God. It is in this way alone that man may reveal the character of God
in Christ to the world, and make manifest to men that happiness, peace,
assurance, and grace come from obedience to the law of God. Thus glory
redounds to God in good and righteous actions through harmony with the laws
of Jehovah's government. {RH, March 9, 1897
par. 7}
It was positively necessary
that man should know his Heavenly Father, and discern his paternal
attributes of character; for in becoming acquainted with God, men may
become partakers of the same virtues and the same glory. In the prayer of
Christ for his disciples, the truth embodied is of the deepest significance
and interest to all his followers. "These words spake Jesus, and
lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify
thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: as thou hast given him power
over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast
given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only
true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." To render acceptable
service to God, it is essential that we should know God, to whom we belong,
in order that we may be thankful and obedient, contemplating and adoring
him for his wonderful love to men. We could not rejoice in and praise a
being of whom we had no certain knowledge; but God has sent Christ to the
world to make manifest his paternal character. {RH, March 9, 1897
par. 8}
It is our privilege to know
God experimentally, and in true knowledge of God is life eternal. The only
begotten Son of God was God's gift to the world, in whose character was
revealed the character of him who gave the law to men and angels. He came
to proclaim the fact, "The Lord our God is one Lord," and him
only shalt thou serve. He came to make it manifest that, "Every good
gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father
of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."
That which proceeds from the mind of God is perfect, and needs not to be
taken back, corrected, or altered in the least. We may ascribe all perfection
to God. He holds in his hand the existence of every human being, and
upholds all things by the word of his power. {RH, March 9, 1897
par. 9}
Unless men shall know God as
Christ has revealed him, they will never form a character after the divine similitude,
and will therefore never see God. It is a matter for astonishment among the
angels in heaven, that any who have once known God should become careless,
should permit their minds to be absorbed in any temporal pursuit, and allow
their attention to be diverted from the God of heaven, so that they
wantonly and willingly forget their Maker, and substitute for him other
lords and other gods. The day has come when there are lords many and gods
many, and Satan has purposed to interpose himself between God and the human
soul, so that men shall not give homage to God in keeping his law. Satan
has wrapped about him garments of angelic brightness, and he comes to men
as an angel of light. He causes the guilty soul to see things in a
perverted way, so that he hates that which he should love, and loves that
which he should hate and despise. God is so misrepresented to him that he
cares not to retain the true and living Father in his knowledge, but turns
to the worship of false gods. He knows not that the love of God is without
a parallel, yet Christ has revealed that love to a fallen world. John calls
upon the world to behold the wondrous love of God, saying, "Behold,
what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be
called the sons of God; therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew
him not." {RH, March 9,
1897 par. 10}
Jesus said, "Marvel
not, my brethren, if the world hate you." It is not a surprising thing
that the world misunderstand and misinterpret the children of God, since
they know not God. As the world treated the world's Redeemer, so will they
treat his followers. Jesus said: "If the world hate you, ye know that
it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would
love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you
out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I
have said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have
persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying,
they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for
my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me." {RH, March 9, 1897
par. 11}
If the world knew the
principles of the laws of God's government, if they obeyed his
commandments, they would discern the character of God in the law, and would no longer be
at enmity with God. But turning from the law of God, men have no means of
discerning his character, and the attributes of the character of Satan are cherished
and cultivated. After Jesus told his disciples what manner of treatment
they might expect from the world, he said, "These things have I spoken
unto you, that ye should not be offended." That is, in receiving
persecution from the hands of the world, they were not to feel that God was
dealing with them unjustly, in permitting them to be thus treated. Jesus
continued: "They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time
cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service."
Why is it that men reach this state of deception? Why is it they walk so
contrary to all the laws of God? Jesus answers: "And these things will
they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me." {RH, March 9, 1897
par. 12}
Turning away from the law of
God, trampling the commandments under their feet, men cannot know God; for
the law of God is a transcript of his character. Failing to understand the
law of God, they also fail to know the human agent who discerns the
attributes of the character of God revealed in his law. This is why men are filled with
prejudice against the truth of God, why they are inspired with the spirit
of the great adversary of God and of his children. This is why they bear
false reports, fabricating lies, and loving the lies that are prepared for
their using. This is why they make such decided efforts to turn away the
people from the law of God; for they have not seen him, neither known him.
-
{RH, March 9, 1897 par. 13}
Chap. 221 - Reveals God's
Character
The Lord, The
Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness
and truth. Ex. 34:6. {AG 229.1}
All the light of the past,
all the light which shines in the present and reaches forth into the
future, as revealed in the Word of God, is for every soul who will receive
it. The glory of this light, which is the very glory of the character of
Christ, is to be manifested in the individual Christian, in the family, in
the church, in the ministry of the Word, and in every institution
established by God's people. All these the Lord designs shall be symbols of
what can be done for the world. They are to be types of the saving power of
the truths of the gospel. . . . {AG 229.2}
By beholding the goodness,
the mercy, the justice, and the love of God revealed in the church, the
world is to have a representation of His character. . . . {AG 229.3}
In order to manifest the character of God . . . we must become personally
acquainted with God. If we have fellowship with God, we are His ministers,
though we may never preach to a congregation. We are workers together with
God in presenting the perfection of His character in humanity. {AG 229.4}
God has enjoined the duty
upon His human agents to communicate the character of God, testifying to His grace, His
wisdom, and His benevolence, by manifesting His refined, tender, merciful
love. . . . {AG 229.5}
Our work is to restore the
moral image of God in man through the abundant grace given us of God by
Jesus Christ. . . . Oh, how much we need to know Jesus and our heavenly
Father that we may represent Him in character! {AG 229.6}
The soul that is transformed
by the grace of Christ will admire His divine character. . . . The less we
see to esteem in ourselves, the more we shall see to esteem in the infinite
purity and loveliness of our Saviour. A view of our sinfulness drives us to
Him who can pardon; and when the soul, realizing its helplessness, reaches
out after Christ, He will reveal Himself in power. The more our sense of
need drives us to Him and to the Word of God, the more exalted views we
shall have of His character, and the more fully we shall reflect His image.
{AG
229.7}
Chap. 340 - Only One
Reminder of Sin
Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth:
much more the wicked and the sinner. Prov. 11:31.
The wicked receive their recompense in the earth. Proverbs
11:31. They "shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them
up, saith the Lord of hosts." Malachi 4:1. Some are destroyed as in a
moment, while others suffer many days. All are punished "according to
their deeds." The sins of the righteous having been transferred to
Satan, he is made to suffer not only for his own rebellion, but for all the
sins which he has caused God's people to commit. His punishment is to be
far greater than that of those whom he has deceived. After all have
perished who fell by his deceptions, he is still to live and suffer on. In
the cleansing flames the wicked are at last destroyed, root and branch--Satan
the root, his followers the branches. {Mar
348.1}
Satan and all who have
joined him in rebellion will be cut off. . . . Then "the wicked shall
not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be
"; "they shall be as though they had not been." Ps. 37:10;
Obadiah 16. {Mar 348.2}
The justice of God is satisfied, and the saints and
all the angelic host say with a loud voice, Amen. {Mar 348.3}
While the earth is wrapped
in the fire of God's vengeance, the righteous abide safely in the Holy
City. Upon those that had part in the first resurrection, the second death
has no power. (Rev. 20:6.) While God is to the wicked a consuming fire, He
is to His people both a sun and a shield. (Ps. 84:11.) {Mar 348.4}
The fire that consumes the
wicked purifies the earth. Every trace of the curse is swept away. No
eternally burning hell will keep before the ransomed the fearful
consequences of sin. {Mar 348.5}
One reminder alone remains:
our Redeemer will ever bear the marks of His crucifixion. . . . {Mar 348.6}
All that was lost by sin has
been restored. . . . God's original purpose in the creation of the earth is
fulfilled as it is made the eternal abode of the redeemed. "The
righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever." Psalm
37:29. {Mar 348.7}
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