October 25,
1892 The Necessity of Co-operation With God.
By Mrs. E.
G. White.
"Faith, if it hath not works,
is dead, being alone." We are living in a time when we should individually
ask ourselves, "How do I stand related to God and eternity?" It
will not matter to what nation we may have belonged, or what sect we have
followed; but it will matter upon which side we have stood between good
and evil. Daily you should ask
yourself, "Am I a Christian? Am I a servant of sin, or am I
following Christ? Am I renewed in the image of Christ by his transforming
grace? Has a moral change taken place in me? Do I count all things but
loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ? Do I feel that I am
not my own, but that I have been bought with the precious blood of
Christ, and must consecrate myself to his service?" {RH, October
25, 1892 par. 1}
Let no soul risk his eternal future
upon a supposition. The Lord never designed that any one should go
blindfolded to heaven. He who sincerely desires to know, may understand
whether his steps are tending heavenward or earthward. In the living
oracles of God a description is given of the road leading heavenward, and
the road leading to perdition, and no one need be deceived as to which
one he is traveling. There is no need that one should be lost. God
willeth not the misery of any one of his creatures. It is his desire that
all men should come to repentance and to the acknowledging of the truth.
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting
life." The Lord has provided ample means for our salvation; but he
can do nothing for us without our co-operation. Paul says, "We are
laborers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's
building." {RH, October 25, 1892 par. 2}
What honor has been bestowed upon
man, in that he is privileged to come into fellowship with the Lord Jesus
Christ; for if we suffer with him, we shall also reign with him in glory.
The command is given, "Work out your own salvation with fear and
trembling;" but this encouragement is added: "For it is God
which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure."
"We, then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye
receive not the grace of God in vain. (For he saith, I have heard thee in
a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored thee:
behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of
salvation.)" A power above and outside of man is to work upon him,
that solid timbers may be brought into his character building. In the
inner sanctuary of the soul the presence of God is to abide. "And
what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple
of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in
them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people." "Know ye not that ye are the
temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God,
him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye
are." "What! know ye not that your body is the temple of the
Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your
own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body,
and in your spirit, which are God's." "For through him we both
have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Now therefore ye are no more
strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the
household of God; and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and
prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone; in whom all
the building fitly framed together groweth unto a holy temple in the
Lord; in whom ye also are builded together for a habitation of God
through the Spirit." {RH, October 25, 1892 par. 3}
Man does not build himself into a
habitation for the Spirit, but unless there is a co-operation of man's
will with God's will, the Lord can do nothing for him. The Lord is the
great Master worker, and yet the human agent must co-operate with the
divine worker, or the heavenly building cannot be completed. All the power is of God, and all the
glory is to redound to God, and yet all the responsibility rests with the
human agent; for God can do nothing without the co-operation of man.
When a man believes in Jesus as his personal Saviour, and accepts of his
righteousness by faith, he becomes a partaker of the divine nature,
having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust; and he
escapes from corruption through the indwelling of the holy Spirit.
Without divine nature, without the influence of the Spirit of God, man
cannot work out his own salvation. Said Christ, "Without me ye can
do nothing." When human effort does not combine with divine agency,
how deficient is its influence; but he who is endowed with divine
power can present Christ to the world as one who is able to save unto the
uttermost all who come unto God through him. The angels of heaven are
commissioned of the Lord God of hosts to co-operate with human agency in
lifting up the standard of the gospel in every city, village, and town,
both at home and in foreign lands. {RH, October 25, 1892 par. 4}
In every home there is missionary
work to be done; for the children in every family are to be brought up in
the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Evil propensities are to be
controlled, evil tempers subdued, and the children are to be instructed
that they are the Lord's property, bought with his own precious blood,
and that they cannot live a life of pleasure and vanity, have their own
will and carry out their own ideas, and yet be numbered among the
children of God. The children are to be instructed with kindness and
patience. They are to be taught, line upon line and precept upon precept,
the requirements of a holy God. Let the parents teach them of the love of
God in such a way that it will be a pleasant theme in the family circle,
and let the church take upon them the responsibility of feeding the lambs
as well as the sheep of the flock. Let the church take a special care of
the lambs of the flock, exerting every influence in their power to win
the love of the children, and to bind them to the truth. Ministers and
church-members should second the efforts of parents to lead the children
into safe paths. The Lord is calling for the youth; for he would make
them his helpers to do good service under his banner. {RH, October 25,
1892 par. 5}
How sad it is that many parents have
cast off their God-given responsibility to their children, and are
willing that strangers should bear it for them. They are willing that
others should labor for their children, and relieve them of all burden in
the matter. From the indifference of their parents, many children are
left to feel that their parents have no care for their souls. This ought
not to be so, but those who have children should so manage their domestic
and business affairs that nothing may come in between them and the
children, that would lessen the parents' influence in directing them to
Christ. You should teach your children the lesson of the love of Jesus,
that they may be pure in heart, in conduct, and conversation. Teach them
how to seek divine aid, how to give themselves unreservedly to God. {RH,
October 25, 1892 par. 6}
The Lord would work upon the hearts
of the children if the parents would but co-operate with the divine
agencies; but he will not undertake to do that which has been appointed
as your part of the work. Parents, you must awake from your death-like
slumber. The church must arise from the dead, that Christ may give her
life. {RH, October 25, 1892 par. 7}
The work of God is not divided; it
is one vast plan in which all have a part to act. God would have you
laborers together with him for the saving of your own children. The
children must not be left to themselves to become the slaves of Satan; those
who have taken the responsibility of bringing them into the world will be
held responsible to a large degree for the characters they form. In
order to do their God-given work to save their own households, parents
will have to search the Scriptures to know the ways of the Lord. They
should be much in secret prayer, that they may be holy in all manner of
conversation. Their hearts should be filled with cheerfulness and
thanksgiving, that there be no tale-bearing, no false accusation, but
only such themes of conversation as will elevate and ennoble those who
hear and take a part in it. {RH, October 25, 1892 par. 8}
Parents should work to this end,
that themselves and their children may become missionaries for God. This
means that you should be vigilant, diligent in searching and teaching the
Scriptures, pouring out your soul before God in your closet, that
you may not fail nor be discouraged. {RH, October 25, 1892 par. 9}
Children are brought into the world
without a voice in the matter, and if parents do not work faithfully to
save them for Christ, Satan will supply their neglect by his own devices,
that he may win them to rebel against God, and war against his kingdom.
Parents, unless you are workers together with God, to save the souls of
your children, they may be lost. If they are, it will be through no fault
of the Lord; for he loved your children, and has given his only begotten
Son, that they should not perish, but have everlasting life. When Jesus
was upon earth, and mothers brought their children to him, he placed his
hand upon their heads and blessed them. He would do the same today; for
he hath said, "Suffer the little children, and forbid them not, to
come unto me; for of such is the kingdom of heaven." {RH, October
25, 1892 par. 10}
The mother's work begins when her
child is a babe in her arms, and she should realize that heaven is
looking upon her with intense interest, ready to co-operate with her
efforts to rear her child for God. In view of the responsibility that
devolves upon parents, it should be carefully considered whether it is
best to bring children into the family. Has the mother sufficient
strength to care for her children? And can the father give such
advantages as will rightly mold and educate the child? How little is the
destiny of the child considered. The gratification of passion is the only
thought, and burdens are brought upon the wife and mother which undermine
her vitality, and paralyze her spiritual power. In broken health and with
discouraged spirits, she finds herself surrounded by a little flock when
she cannot care for as she should. Lacking the instruction they should
have, they grow up to dishonor God and to communicate to others the evil
of their own natures, and thus an army is raised up whom Satan manages as
he pleases. {RH, October 25, 1892 par. 11}
You cannot bring up your children as
you should without divine help; for the fallen nature of Adam always
strives for the mastery. The heart must be prepared for the principles of
truth, that they may root in the soul, and find nourishment in the life.
Parents, lay hold upon divine help, and bring no more children into the
world than those to whom you can give a training and education that will
fit them for this life and the life which is to come. Follow the example
of Abraham. The Lord said of him, "I know him, that he will command
his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of
the Lord, to do justice and judgment." Human effort alone will not
result in helping your children to perfect a character for heaven; but
with divine help a grand and holy work may be accomplished, and you may
be able to present yourselves and your children before God, saying,
"Here am I, and the children whom thou hast given me." {RH,
October 25, 1892 par. 12}
November 1, 1892 The
Necessity of Co-operation With God.
By Mrs. E. G. White.
(Concluded.)
"Ye see then how that by works
a man is justified, and not by faith only. . . . For as the body without
the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." It is
essential to have faith in Jesus, and to believe you are saved through
him; but there is danger in taking the position that many do take in
saying, "I am saved." Many have said: "You must do good
works, and you will live;" but apart from Christ no one can
do good works. Many at the present day say, "Believe, only
believe, and live." Faith and works go together, believing
and doing are blended. The Lord requires no less of the soul now,
than he required of Adam in paradise before he fell,--perfect
obedience, unblemished righteousness. The requirement of God under
the covenant of grace is just as broad as the requirement he made in
paradise,--harmony with his law, which is holy, and just, and good. The
gospel does not weaken the claims of the law; it exalts the law and makes
it honorable. Under the New Testament, no less is required than was
required under the Old Testament. Let no one take up with the delusion
so pleasant to the natural heart, that God will accept of sincerity, no
matter what may be the faith, no matter how imperfect may be the life.
God requires of his child perfect obedience. {RH, November 1, 1892 par.
1}
In order to meet the requirements of
the law, our faith must grasp the righteousness of Christ, accepting
it as our righteousness. Through union with Christ, through
acceptance of his righteousness by faith, we may be qualified to work the
works of God, to be co-laborers with Christ. If you are willing to drift
along with the current of evil, and do not co-operate with the heavenly
agencies in restraining transgression in your family, and in the
church, in order that everlasting righteousness may be brought in,
you do not have faith. Faith works by love and purifies the soul. Through
faith the holy Spirit works in the heart to create holiness therein; but
this cannot be done unless the human agent will work with Christ. We can
be fitted for heaven only through the work of the holy Spirit upon the
heart; for we must have Christ's righteousness as our credentials if we
would find access to the Father. In order that we may have the
righteousness of Christ, we need daily to be transformed by the influence
of the Spirit, to be a partaker of the divine nature. It is the work
of the holy Spirit to elevate the taste, to sanctify the heart, to
ennoble the whole man. {RH, November 1, 1892 par. 2}
Let the soul look to Jesus. "Behold
the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." No one
will be forced to look to Christ; but the voice of invitation is sounding
in yearning entreaty, "Look and live." In looking to Christ, we shall see that his love is without a
parallel, that he has taken the place of the guilty sinner, and has
imputed unto him his spotless righteousness. When the sinner sees his
Saviour dying upon the cross under the curse of sin in his stead,
beholding his pardoning love, love awakes in his heart. The sinner loves
Christ, because Christ has first loved him, and love is the fulfilling of
the law. The repenting soul realizes that God "is faithful and just
to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
The Spirit of God works in the believer's soul, enabling him to
advance from one line of obedience to another, reaching on from strength
to greater strength, from grace to grace in Christ Jesus. {RH,
November 1, 1892 par. 3}
God justly condemns all who do not
make Christ their personal Saviour; but he pardons every soul who comes
to him in faith, and enables him to work the works of God, and
through faith to be one with Christ. Jesus says of these, "I in
them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one [this unity brings perfection of
character]; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me,
and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me." The Lord has made every
provision whereby man may have full and free salvation, and be complete
in him. God designs that his children shall have the bright beams of the
Sun of righteousness, that all may have the light of truth. God has
provided salvation for the world at infinite cost, even through the gift
of his only begotten Son. The apostle asks, "He that spared not his
own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also
freely give us all things?" Then if we are not saved, the fault will
not be on the part of God, but on our part, that we have failed to
co-operate with the divine agencies. Our will has not coincided with
God's will. {RH, November 1, 1892 par. 4}
The Redeemer of the world clothed
his divinity with humanity, that he might reach humanity; for it took the
divine and the human to bring into the world the salvation that was
needed by fallen man. Divinity needed humanity that humanity might afford
a channel of communication between God and man. Man needs a power out
of and above himself to restore him to the likeness of God; but because
he needs divine aid, it does not make human activity unessential. Faith on the part of man is required;
for faith works by love and purifies the soul. Faith lays hold upon
the virtue of Christ. The Lord does not design that human power should be
paralyzed; but by co-operating with God, the power of man may be
efficient for good. God does not design that our will should be
destroyed; for it is through this very attribute that we are to
accomplish the work he would have us to do both at home and abroad. He
has given to every man his work; and every true worker sheds forth light
to the world, because he is united with God and Christ and heavenly
angels in the grand work of saving the lost. From divine association he
becomes more and more intelligent in working the works of God. In working
out what divine grace works in,
the believer becomes spiritually great. He who works according to his
intrusted ability will become a wise builder for the Master; for he is
under the apprenticeship to Christ, learning to work the works of God. He
will not shun burdens of responsibility, for he will realize that each
one must lift in the cause of God to the extent of his ability, and he
places himself under the pressure of the work; but Jesus does not leave
his willing and obedient servant to be crushed. It is not the man who
carries heavy responsibilities in the cause of God who needs your pity;
for he is faithful and true in co-operation with God; and through union
of divine and human effort, the work is made complete. It is he who shuns
responsibilities, who has no realization of the privilege to which he is
called, who is an object of pity. {RH, November 1, 1892 par. 5}
The upbuilding of the kingdom of God
is retarded or urged forward according to the unfaithfulness or fidelity
of human agencies. Unfaithfulness to the cause of Christ makes
manifest that love is lacking in the human agent. It was the love of
Christ that constrained him to come and seek and save that which was
lost. But the love of Christ does not seem to constrain those who profess
his name; for a deathlike slumber is upon the human agents, and the work
is hindered by failure of the human to co-operate with the divine. Men
may pray, "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in
heaven," but fail in acting upon this prayer in their lives. The
living Christian is one who has not left his first love, and his candlestick
is not removed out of its place. But those who do not maintain their
consecration to God are blind, and cannot see afar off, and have
forgotten that they were purged from their old sins. But though you may
be weak, erring, frail, sinful, and imperfect, the Lord holds out to you
the offer of partnership with himself, inviting you to come under divine
instruction. Uniting with Christ, you may work the works of God.
"Without me," said Christ, "ye can do nothing." {RH,
November 1, 1892 par. 6}
We are to work the works of Christ,
to learn the lesson he presented to his disciples, and reflect his
character to the world. Isaiah says, "Thy righteousness shall go
before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rearward." This is
the righteousness of Christ which goes before us, and the glory of the
Lord is to be our rearward. Ye churches of the living God, study this
promise, and consider how your lack of faith, of spirituality, of
divine power, is hindering the coming of the kingdom of God. Were
everyone of you living missionaries, the gospel would be speedily
proclaimed in all countries, to all peoples, nations, and tongues. This
is the work that must be done before Christ shall come in power and great
glory. I call upon the church to pray earnestly that you may understand
your responsibilities. Are you individually laborers together with God?
If not, why not? When do you mean to do your God-appointed work? God is
working, the agencies of heaven are at work that the prayer may be
fulfilled, "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in
heaven." Man is the agent through whom God works for man, and yet
how few have given themselves unreservedly to work the works of God. Man
can accomplish nothing without Jesus, and yet it is so arranged in the plan
of salvation, that its great object cannot be consummated without human
co-operation. Our work may appear small and unimportant, and yet we are
laborers together with God. Jesus has given us every temporal and
spiritual blessing; he died to make propitiation for our sins and to
reconcile us to God. He has sent forth light and truth, that we should
walk in the beams of the Sun of righteousness, and not in the sparks of
our own kindling. {RH, November 1, 1892 par. 7}
"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. Beloved, now
are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but
we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see
him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth
himself, even as he is pure." He who hath this hope in him
learns from the Scriptures that he must be a worker together with God.
There can be no such thing as a slothful Christian. "For the grace
of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us
that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly,
righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope
and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and
purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works."
{RH, November 1, 1892 par. 8}
Those who are waiting to behold a
magical change in their characters, without a determined effort on their
part, will be disappointed. With our limited powers we are to be as
holy in our sphere as God is holy in his sphere. To the extent of our
ability we are to make manifest the truth and love and excellence of the
divine character, and for this reason we must draw from the living
fountain. As the wax takes the impression of the seal, so the soul is to
take the impression of the Spirit of God, and retain the moral image of
Christ. We are to become partakers of the divine nature, realizing in
our experience the vigor and perfection of spiritual life. {RH,
November 1, 1892 par. 9}
We are to look unto Jesus, and by
beholding him, we are to become changed. "This is life eternal, that
they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast
sent." "He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of
the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from
heaven is above all. . . . For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words
of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him. The Father
loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand. He that
believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the
Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." {RH,
November 1, 1892 par. 10}
Jesus "came unto his own, and
his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he
power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his
name." Of these the Saviour says, "The Father himself loveth
you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from
God." "O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I
have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. And I have
declared unto them thy name, and will declare it; that the love wherewith
thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them." {RH, November 1,
1892 par. 11}
Christ came to reveal to the
world the knowledge of the character of God, of which the world was
destitute. This knowledge was the chief treasure which he
committed to his disciples to be communicated to men. The truth of
God had been hidden beneath a mass of tradition and error. The
sacrificial offerings which had been instituted to teach men concerning
the vicarious atonement of Christ, to teach them that without the
shedding of blood there is no remission of sins, had become to them a
stumbling-block. All that was spiritual and holy was perverted to their
darkened understanding. They were blinded by pride and prejudice so that
they could not see to the end of that which was abolished. Jesus came to
change the order of things that then existed, and reveal to them the
character of the Father. He drew aside the veil which concealed his glory
from the eyes of mortals, and made manifest to the world the only true
and living God, whom to know aright is life eternal. {RH, November 1,
1892 par. 12}
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