God’s
Prescription for Meeting Controverted Points
“If a brother differ with you
on some points of truth, do not stoop to ridicule, do not place him in a
false light, or misconstrue his words, making sport of them; do not
misinterpret his words and wrest them of their true meaning. This is not
conscientious argument. Do not present him before others as a heretic, when
you have not with him investigated his positions, taking the Scriptures text
by text in the spirit of Christ to show him what is truth. You do not
yourself really know the evidence he has for his faith, and you cannot really
clearly define your own position. Take your Bible, and in a kindly spirit
weigh every argument that he presents and show him by the Scriptures if he is
in error. When you do this without unkind feelings, you will do only that
which is your duty and the duty of every minister of Jesus Christ.”-- Letter
21, 1888. {CW 50.2}
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of Doctrine
[MORNING
TALK AT
BATTLE
CREEK, MICHIGAN, JAN. 29, 1890,
WHICH
WAS PRINTED IN THE REVIEW AND
HERALD
OF FEB. 18, 1890.]
We want
to understand the time in which we live. We do not half understand it. We do
not half take it in. My heart trembles in me when I think of what a foe we have
to meet, and how poorly we are prepared to meet him. The trials of
the children of Israel, and their attitude just before the first coming of
Christ, have been presented before me again and again to illustrate the
position of the people of God in their experience before the second coming of
Christ--how the enemy sought every occasion to take control of the minds of the
Jews, and today he is seeking to blind the minds of God's servants, that they
may not be able to discern the precious truth. {1SM 406.1}
When Christ came to our world, Satan was on the ground, and disputed
every inch of advance in His path from the manger to Calvary. Satan had accused
God of requiring self-denial of the angels, when He knew nothing of what it
meant Himself, and when He would not Himself make any self-sacrifice for
others. This was the accusation that Satan made against God in heaven; and
after the evil one was expelled from heaven, he continually charged the Lord
with exacting service which He would not render Himself. Christ came to the
world to meet these false accusations, and to reveal the Father. We cannot conceive
of the humiliation He endured in taking our nature upon Himself. Not that in
itself it was a disgrace to belong to the human race, but He was the Majesty of
heaven, the King of glory, and He humbled Himself to become a babe and suffer
the wants and woes of mortals. He humbled Himself not to the highest position,
to be a man of riches and power, but though He was rich, yet for our sake He
became poor, that we through His poverty might be made rich. He took step after
step in humiliation. He was driven from city to city; for men would not receive
the Light of the world. They were perfectly satisfied with their position. {1SM 406.2}
Christ had given precious gems of truth, but
men had bound them up in the rubbish of superstition and error. He had imparted
to them the words of life, but they did not live by every word that proceeds
out of the mouth of God. He saw that the world could not find the word of God,
for it was hidden by the traditions of men. He came to place before the world
the relative importance of heaven and earth, and put truth in its own place. Jesus alone
could reveal the truth which it was necessary men should know in order that
they might obtain salvation. He only could place it in the framework of truth,
and it was His work to free it from error and to set it before men in its
heavenly light. {1SM 407.1}
Satan was roused to oppose Him, for had he not put forth every effort
since the Fall to make light appear darkness, and darkness light? As Christ
sought to place truth before the people in its proper relation to their
salvation, Satan worked through the Jewish leaders, and inspired them with
enmity against the Redeemer of the world. They determined to do all in their
power to prevent Him from making an impression upon the people. {1SM 407.2}
O how Christ longed, how His heart burned,
to open to the priests the greater treasures of the truth! But their minds had
been cast in such a mold that it was next to an impossibility to reveal to them
the truths relating to His kingdom. The Scriptures had not been read aright. The Jews had been looking for the advent of the Messiah, but
they had thought He must come in all the glory that will attend His second
appearing. Because He did not come with all the majesty of a king, they utterly
refused Him. But it was not simply because He did not come in splendor that they refused Him. It was because He was the
embodiment of purity, and they were impure. He walked the earth a man of
spotless integrity. Such a character in the midst of degradation and evil, was
out of harmony with their desires, and He was abused and despised. His spotless
life flashed light upon the hearts of men, and discovered iniquity to them in
its odious character. {1SM 407.3}
The
Son of God was assaulted at every step by the powers of darkness. After His
baptism He was driven of the Spirit into the wilderness, and suffered
temptation for forty days. Letters have been coming in to me, affirming that
Christ could not have had the same nature as man, for if He had, He would have
fallen under similar temptations. If He did not have man's nature, He could not
be our example. If He was not a partaker of our nature, He could not have been
tempted as man has been. If it were not possible for Him to yield to
temptation, He could not be our helper. It was a solemn reality that Christ
came to fight the battles as man, in man's behalf. His temptation and victory
tell us that humanity must copy the Pattern; man must become a partaker of the
divine nature. {1SM 408.1}
Divinity and Humanity United in Christ
In
Christ, divinity and humanity were combined. Divinity was not degraded to
humanity; divinity held its place, but humanity by being united to divinity
withstood the fiercest test of temptation in the wilderness. The prince of this
world came to Christ after His long fast, when He was an hungered, and
suggested to Him to command the stones to become bread. But the plan of God,
devised for the salvation of man, provided that Christ should know hunger, and
poverty, and every phase of man's experience. He withstood the temptation,
through the power that man may command. He laid hold on the throne of God, and
there is not a man or woman who may not have access to the same help through
faith in God. Man may become a partaker of the divine nature; not a soul lives
who may not summon the aid of Heaven in temptation and trial. Christ came to
reveal the source of His power, that man might never rely on his unaided human
capabilities. {1SM 408.2}
Those who would overcome must put to the tax every power of their being.
They must agonize on their knees before God for divine power. Christ came to be
our example, and to make known to us that we may be partakers of the divine
nature. How?--By having escaped the corruptions that are in the world through
lust. Satan did not gain the victory over Christ. He did not put his foot upon
the soul of the Redeemer. He did not touch the head though he bruised the heel.
Christ, by His own example, made it evident that man may stand in integrity.
Men may have a power to resist evil--a power that neither earth, nor death, nor
hell can master; a power that will place them where they may overcome as Christ
overcame. Divinity and humanity may be combined in them. {1SM
409.1}
It
was the work of Christ to present the truth in the framework of the gospel, and
to reveal the precepts and principles that He had given to fallen man. Every
idea He presented was His own. He needed not to borrow thoughts from any, for
He was the originator of all truth. He could present the ideas of prophets and
philosophers, and preserve His originality; for all wisdom was His; He was the
source, the fountain, of all truth. He was in advance of all, and by His
teaching He became the spiritual leader for all ages. {1SM
409.2}
It
was Christ that spoke through Melchizedek, the priest of the most high God.
Melchizedek was not Christ, but he was the voice of God in the world, the
representative of the Father. And all through the generations of the past, Christ
has spoken; Christ has led His people, and has been the light of the world.
When God chose Abraham as
410
a representative of His truth, He took him out
of his country, and away from his kindred, and set him apart. He desired to
mold him after His own model. He desired to teach him according to His own
plan. The mold of the world's teachers was not to be upon him. He was to be
taught how to command his children and his household after him, to keep the way
of the Lord, to do justice and judgment. This is the work that God would have
us do. He would have us understand how to govern our families, how to control
our children, how to command our households to keep the way of the Lord. {1SM 409.3}
John Called to a Special Work
John was called to do a special work; he was to prepare the way of the
Lord, to make straight His paths. The Lord did not send him to the school of
the prophets and rabbis. He took him away from the assemblies of men to the
desert, that he might learn of nature and nature's God. God did not desire him
to have the mold of the priests and rulers. He was called to do a special work.
The Lord gave him his message. Did he go to the priests and rulers and ask if
he might proclaim this message?--No, God put him away from them that he might
not be influenced by their spirit and teaching. He was the voice of one crying
in the wilderness, "Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the
desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain
and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the
rough places plain; and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh
shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it" (Isa.
40:3-5). This is the very message that must be given to our people; we
are near the end of time, and the message is, Clear the King's highway; gather
out the stones; raise up a standard for the people. The people must be
awakened. It is no time now to cry peace and safety. We are exhorted to
"cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my
people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins" (Isa. 5:1). {1SM 410.1}
The
light of the glory of God shone upon our Representative, and this fact says to
us that the glory of God may shine upon us. With His human arm, Jesus encircled
the race, and with His divine arm He grasped the throne of the Infinite,
connecting man with God, and earth with heaven. {1SM
410.2}
The
light of the glory of God must fall upon us. We need the holy unction from on
high. However intelligent, however learned a man may be, he is not qualified to
teach unless he has a firm hold on the God of Israel. He who is connected with
Heaven will do the works of Christ. By faith in God he will have power to move
upon humanity. He will seek for the lost sheep of the house of Israel. If divine power
does not combine with human effort, I would not give a straw for all that the
greatest man could do. The Holy Spirit is wanting in our work. Nothing
frightens me more than to see the spirit of variance manifested by our
brethren. We are on dangerous ground
when we cannot meet together like Christians, and courteously examine controverted points. I feel like fleeing from the place
lest I receive the mold of those who cannot candidly investigate the doctrines
of the Bible. {1SM 411.1}
Those who cannot impartially examine the evidences of a position
that differs from theirs, are not fit to teach in any department of God's cause. What we need
is the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Without this, we are no more fitted to go
forth to the world than were the disciples after the crucifixion of their Lord.
Jesus knew their destitution, and told them to tarry in Jerusalem until they
should be endowed with power from on high. Every teacher must be a learner,
that his eyes may be anointed to see the evidences of the advancing truth of
God. The beams of the Sun of Righteousness must shine into his own heart if he
would impart light to others. {1SM 411.2}
No one is able to explain the Scriptures without the aid of the
Holy Spirit. But when you
take up the Word of God with a humble, teachable heart, the angels of God will
be by your side to impress you with evidences of the truth. When the Spirit
of God rests upon you, there will be no feeling of envy or jealousy in
examining another's position; there will be no spirit of accusation and
criticism, such as Satan inspired in the hearts of the Jewish leaders against
Christ. As Christ said to Nicodemus, so I say to you, "Ye must be
born again." "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom
of God" (John 3:7, 3). You must have the divine mold before you can
discern the sacred claims of the truth. Unless the teacher is a learner in the
school of Christ, he is not fitted to teach others. {1SM
411.3}
The Special Work of Ellen G. White
We
should come into a position where every difference will be melted away. If I
think I have light, I shall do my duty in presenting it. Suppose I consulted
others concerning the message the Lord would have me give to the people, the
door might be closed so that the light might not reach the ones to whom God had
sent it. When Jesus rode into Jerusalem, "the whole multitude of the
disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty
works that they had seen; saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name
of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest. And some of the Pharisees
from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples. And he
answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace,
the stones would immediately cry out" (Luke 19:37-40). {1SM 412.1}
The Jews tried to stop the proclamation of
the message that had been predicted in the Word of God; but prophecy must be
fulfilled. The Lord says, "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet
before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord" (Mal. 4:5). Somebody is to
come in the spirit and power of Elijah, and when he appears, men may say,
"You are too earnest, you do not interpret the Scriptures in the proper
way. Let me tell you how to teach your message." {1SM 412.2}
There are many
who cannot distinguish between the work of God and that of man. I shall tell
the truth as God gives it to me, and I say now, If you continue to find fault, to have a spirit of variance, you will
never know the truth, Jesus said to His disciples, "I have yet many
things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now" (John 16:12). They were not
in a condition to appreciate sacred and eternal things; but Jesus promised to
send the Comforter, who would teach them all things, and bring all things to
their remembrance, whatsoever He had said unto them. Brethren, we must not put
our dependence in man. "Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his
nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?" (Isa. 2:22). You must
hang your helpless souls upon Jesus. It does not become us to drink from the
fountain of the valley, when there is a fountain in the mountain. Let us leave
the lower streams; let us come to the higher springs. If there is a
point of truth that you do not understand, upon which you do not agree,
investigate, compare scripture with scripture, sink the shaft of truth down
deep into the mine of God's Word. You must lay yourselves and your opinions on
the altar of God, put away your preconceived ideas, and let the Spirit of
Heaven guide you into all truth. {1SM 412.3}
My brother
said at one time that he would not hear anything concerning the doctrine we
hold, for fear he should be convinced. He would not come to the meetings, or
listen to the discourses; but he afterward declared that he saw he was as
guilty as if he had heard them. God had given him an opportunity to know the
truth, and He would hold him responsible for this opportunity. There are many among us who are prejudiced
against the doctrines that are now being discussed. They will not come to hear,
they will not calmly investigate, but they put forth their objections in the
dark. They are perfectly satisfied with their position. "Thou
sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and
knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and
naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be
rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy
nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest
see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and
repent" (Rev. 3:17-19). {1SM 413.1}
This scripture
applies to those who live under the sound of the message, but who will not come
to hear it. How do you know but that the
Lord is giving fresh evidences of His truth, placing it in a new setting, that
the way of the Lord may be prepared? What plans have you been laying that
new light may be infused through the ranks of God's people? What evidence
have you that God has not sent light to His children? All self-sufficiency,
egotism, and pride of opinion must be put away. We must come to the feet of Jesus, and learn
of Him who is meek and lowly of heart. Jesus did not teach His disciples as the
rabbis taught theirs. Many of the Jews came and listened as Christ revealed the
mysteries of salvation, but they came not to learn; they came to criticize, to catch Him
in some inconsistency, that they might have something with which to prejudice
the people. They were content with their knowledge, but the children of God
must know the voice of the True Shepherd. Is not this a time when it would be
highly proper to fast and pray before God? We
are in danger of variance, in danger of taking sides on a controverted
point; and should we not seek God in earnestness, with humiliation of soul,
that we may know what is truth? {1SM 413.2}
Go Under the Fig Tree
Nathanael heard John as he pointed to the Saviour and said, "Behold
the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29)!
Nathanael looked at Jesus, but he was disappointed in the appearance of the
world's Redeemer. Could He who bore the marks of toil and poverty be the
Messiah? Jesus was a worker; He had toiled with humble workingmen, and
Nathanael went away. But he did not form his opinion decidedly as to what the
character of Jesus was. He knelt down under a fig tree, inquiring of God if
indeed this man was the Messiah. While he was there, Philip came and said,
"We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write,
Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." But the word "Nazareth"
again aroused his unbelief, and he said, "Can there any good thing come
out of Nazareth?" He was full of prejudice, but Philip did not seek to
combat his prejudice; he simply said, "Come and see." When Nathanael
came into the presence of Jesus, Jesus said, "Behold an Israelite indeed,
in whom is no guile!" Nathanael was amazed. He said, "Whence knowest
thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when
thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee" (John 1:45, 46, 47, 48). {1SM 414.1}
Would it not be well for us to go under the fig tree to plead with God
as to what is truth? Would not the eye of God be upon us as it was upon
Nathanael? Nathanael believed on the Lord, and exclaimed, "Rabbi, thou art
the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel. Jesus answered and said unto him,
Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest
thou? thou shalt see greater things than these. And he saith unto him, Verily,
verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of
God ascending and descending upon the Son of man" (John 1:49-51). {1SM 415.1}
This is what we shall see if we are connected with God. God wants us to
depend upon Him, and not upon man. He desires us to have a new heart; He would
give us revealings of light from the throne of God. We should
wrestle with every difficulty, but when some controverted
point is presented, are you to go to man to find out his opinion, and then
shape your conclusions from his?--No, go to God. Tell Him what you want; take
your Bible and search as for hidden treasures. {1SM 415.2}
We Do Not Go Deep Enough
We do not go
deep enough in our search for truth. Every soul who believes present truth will
be brought where he will be required to give a reason of the hope that is in
him. The people of God will be called upon to stand before kings, princes,
rulers, and great men of the earth, and they must know that they do know what
is truth. They must be converted men and women. God can teach you more in one
moment by His Holy Spirit than you could learn from the great men of the earth. The universe
is looking upon the controversy that is going on upon the earth. At an infinite
cost, God has provided for every man an opportunity to know that which will
make him wise unto salvation. How eagerly do angels look to see who will avail
himself of this opportunity! {1SM 415.3}
When a message is presented to God's people, they should not
rise up in opposition to it; they should go to the Bible, comparing it with the
law and the testimony, and if it does not bear this test, it is not true. God wants our
minds to expand. He desires to put His grace upon us. We may have a feast of
good things every day; for God can open the whole treasure of heaven to us. We
are to be one with Christ as He is one with the Father, and the Father will
love us as He loves His Son. We may have the same help that Christ had, we may
have strength for every emergency; for God will be our front guard and our
rearward. He will shut us in on every side, and when we are brought before
rulers, before the authorities of the earth, we need not meditate beforehand of
what we shall say. God will teach us in the day of our need. Now may God help
us to come to the feet of Jesus and learn of Him, before we seek to become
teachers of others.
-
{1SM 416.1}
The Bible Our Creed
When God's Word is studied, comprehended, and obeyed, a bright light
will be reflected to the world; new truths, received and acted upon, will bind
us in strong bonds to Jesus. The Bible, and the Bible alone, is to be our
creed, the sole bond of union; all who bow to this Holy Word will be in
harmony. Our own views and ideas must not control our efforts. Man is fallible,
but God's Word is infallible. Instead of wrangling with one another, let men
exalt the Lord. Let us meet all opposition as did our Master, saying, "It
is written." Let us lift up the banner on which is inscribed, The Bible
our rule of faith and discipline.-- The Review and Herald, Dec. 15, 1885. {1SM 416.2}
Chap. 4 - Attitude to New Light
Maintaining
Truth Not to Preclude New Light.-- It is a fact that we have the truth, and we
must hold with tenacity to the positions that cannot be shaken; but we must
not look with suspicion upon any new light which God may send, and say, Really,
we cannot see that we need any more light than the old truth which we have
hitherto received, and in which we are settled. While we hold to this position, the testimony
of the True Witness applies to our cases its rebuke, "And knowest not that
thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked." Those
who feel rich and increased with goods and in need of nothing, are in a
condition of blindness as to their true condition before God, and they know it
not.--Review and Herald, August 7, 1894. {CW 33.1}
Led of God, but Not Infallible.--We must not think, "Well, we have all the truth, we
understand the main pillars of our faith, and we may rest on this
knowledge." The truth is an advancing truth, and we must walk in the
increasing light. {CW 33.2}
A brother asked, "Sister White, do you
think we must understand the truth for ourselves? Why can we not take the
truths that others have gathered together, and believe them because they have
investigated the subjects, and then we shall
be free to go on without the taxing of the powers of the mind in the
investigation of all these subjects? Do you not think that these men who have
brought out the truth in the past were inspired of God?" {CW 33.3}
I
dare not say they were not led of God, for Christ leads into all truth; but
when it comes to inspiration in the fullest sense of the word, I answer, No. I
believe that God has given them a work to do, but if they are not fully
consecrated to God at all times, they will weave self and their peculiar traits
of character into what they are doing, and will put their mold upon the work,
and fashion men in religious experience after their own pattern. It is
dangerous for us to make flesh our arm. We should lean upon the arm of Infinite
Power. God has been revealing this to us for years. We must have living faith
in our hearts and reach out for larger knowledge and more advanced
light.--Review and Herald, March 25, 1890. {CW 34.1}
Increased Light
to Shine.--A spirit of pharisaism has been coming in
upon the people who claim to believe the truth for these last days. They are
self-satisfied. They have said, "We
have the truth. There is no more light for the people of God." But we are
not safe when we take a position that we will not accept anything else than that
upon which we have settled as truth. We should take the Bible, and
investigate it closely for ourselves. We should dig in the mine of God's word
for truth. "Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright
in heart." Some have asked me if I thought there was any more light for
the people of God. Our minds
have become so narrow that we do not seem to
understand that the Lord has a mighty work to do for us. Increasing light is to
shine upon us; for "the path of the just is as the shining light, that
shineth more and more unto the perfect day."--Review and Herald, June 18, 1889. {CW 34.2}
Many Gems Yet to Be Discovered.--New
light will ever be revealed on the word of God to him who is in living
connection with the Sun of Righteousness. Let no one come to the conclusion
that there is no more truth to be revealed. The diligent, prayerful seeker for truth will
find precious rays of light yet to shine forth from the word of God. Many gems
are yet scattered that are to be gathered together to become the property of
the remnant people of God.--Counsels on Sabbath School Work, p. 34. (1892.) {CW 35.1}
Investigation of Doctrine.--There is no
excuse for anyone in taking the position that there is no more truth to be
revealed, and that all our expositions of Scripture are without an error. The
fact that certain doctrines have been held as truth for many years by our
people, is not a proof that our ideas are infallible. Age will not make error
into truth, and truth can afford to be fair. No true doctrine will lose
anything by close investigation. {CW 35.2}
We
are living in perilous times, and it does not become us to accept everything
claimed to be truth without examining it thoroughly; neither can we
afford to reject anything that bears the fruits of the Spirit of God; but we
should be teachable, meek and lowly of heart. There are those who oppose
everything that is not in accordance with their own ideas, and by so doing they
endanger their eternal interest as verily as did the Jewish nation in their
rejection of Christ. {CW 35.3}
The
Lord designs that our opinions shall be put to the test, that we may see the
necessity of closely examining the living oracles to see whether or not we are
in the faith. Many who claim to believe the truth have settled down at their
ease, saying, "I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of
nothing." --Review and Herald, December 20, 1892. {CW
36.1}
How
to Search the Scriptures.--How shall we search the Scriptures? Shall we drive
our stakes of doctrine one after another, and then try to make all Scripture
meet our established opinions? or shall we take our ideas and views to the
Scriptures, and measure our theories on every side by the Scriptures of truth?
Many who read and even teach the Bible, do not comprehend the precious truth
they are teaching or studying. {CW 36.2}
Men
entertain errors, when the truth is clearly marked out; and if they would but
bring their doctrines to the word of God, and not read the word of God in the
light of their doctrines, to prove their ideas right, they would not walk in
darkness and blindness, or cherish error. Many give the words of Scripture a
meaning that suits their own opinions, and they mislead themselves and deceive
others by their misinterpretations of God's word. {CW 36.3}
As
we take up the study of God's word, we should do so with humble hearts. All
selfishness, all love of originality, should be laid aside. Long-cherished
opinions must not be regarded as infallible. It was the unwillingness of the
Jews to give up their long-established traditions that proved their ruin. They
were determined not to see any flaw in their own opinions or in their
expositions of the Scriptures; but however long men may have entertained certain views, if they
are not clearly sustained by the written word, they should be discarded. Those who sincerely desire truth will not
be reluctant to lay open their positions for investigation and criticism, and
will not be annoyed if their opinions and ideas are crossed. This was the
spirit cherished among us forty years ago. . . . {CW 36.4}
We have many lessons to learn, and many, many
to unlearn. God and heaven alone are infallible. Those who think
that they will never have to give up a cherished view, never have occasion to
change an opinion, will be disappointed. As long as we hold to our own ideas
and opinions with determined persistency, we cannot have the unity for which
Christ prayed. {CW 37.1}
Could those who are self-sufficient see how the universe of God regards
them, could they see themselves as God sees them, they would behold such
weakness, such manifest want of wisdom, that they would cry to the Lord to be
their righteousness; they would want to hide from His sight. The apostle says,
"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." When our schemes
and our plans have been broken; when men who have depended upon our judgment
conclude the Lord would lead them to act and judge for themselves, we should
not feel like censuring, and like exercising arbitrary authority to compel them
to receive our ideas. Those who are placed in authority should constantly cultivate
self-control. . . . {CW 37.2}
Would-be Guardians of the Doctrine.--The rebuke of the Lord will be upon those who
would be guardians of the doctrine, who would bar the way that greater light
shall not come to the people. A great work is
to be done, and God sees that our leading men have need of greater light, that
they may unite harmoniously, with the messengers whom He shall send to
accomplish the work that He designs they should. The Lord has raised up
messengers and endued them with His Spirit, and has said, "Cry aloud,
spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show My people their
transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins." {CW 38.1}
Let no one run
the risk of interposing himself between the people and the message of heaven. The message of
God will come to the people; and if there were no voice among men to give it,
the very stones would cry out. I call upon every minister to seek the Lord, to
put away pride, to put away strife after supremacy, and humble the heart before
God. It is the coldness of heart, the unbelief of those who ought to have
faith, that keeps the churches in feebleness.-- Review and Herald, July 26,
1892. {CW 38.2}
A
Sign of Growth.--Whenever the
people of God are growing in grace, they will be constantly obtaining a clearer
understanding of His word. They will discern new light and beauty in its sacred
truths. This has been true in the history of the church in all ages, and
thus it will continue to the end. But as real spiritual life declines, it has ever
been the tendency to cease to advance in the knowledge of the truth. Men rest
satisfied with the light already received from God's word, and discourage any
further investigation of the Scriptures. They become conservative, and seek to
avoid discussion. {CW 38.3}
The fact that
there is no controversy or agitation among God's people, should not be regarded
as conclusive evidence that they are holding fast to sound doctrine. There is reason to fear that they may not be clearly
discriminating between truth and error. When no new questions are started by
investigation of the Scriptures, when no difference of opinion arises which
will set men to searching the Bible for themselves, to make sure that they have
the truth, there will be many now, as in ancient times, who will hold to
tradition, and worship they know not what. {CW 39.1}
I
have been shown that many who profess to have a knowledge of present truth,
know not what they believe. They do not understand the evidences of their
faith. They have no just appreciation of the work for the present time. When
the time of trial shall come, there are men now preaching to others, who will
find, upon examining the positions they hold, that there are many things for
which they can give no satisfactory reason. Until thus tested, they knew not their great ignorance. {CW 39.2}
And
there are many in the church who take it for granted that they understand what
they believe, but, until controversy arises, they do not know their own
weakness. When separated from those of like faith, and compelled to stand
singly and alone to their belief, they will be surprised to see how confused
are their ideas of what they had accepted as truth. Certain it is that there
has been among us a departure from the living God, and a turning to men,
putting human wisdom in place of divine. {CW 39.3}
God will arouse
His people; if other means fail, heresies will come in among them, which will
sift them, separating the chaff from the wheat. The Lord calls upon all who believe His word
to awake out of sleep. Precious light has come, appropriate for this time. It
is Bible truth, showing the perils that are right upon us. This light
should lead us to a diligent study of the Scriptures, and a most critical
examination of the positions which we hold. {CW 40.1}
God would have
all the bearings and positions of truth thoroughly and perseveringly searched,
with prayer and fasting. Believers are not to rest in suppositions and
ill-defined ideas of what constitutes truth. Their faith must be firmly founded
upon the word of God, so that when the testing time shall come, and they are
brought before councils to answer for their faith, they may be able to give a
reason for the hope that is in them, with meekness and fear. {CW 40.2}
Agitate,
agitate, agitate! The subjects which we present to the world must be to us a
living reality. It is important that in defending the doctrines which we
consider fundamental articles of faith, we should never allow ourselves to
employ arguments that are not wholly sound. These may avail to silence an opposer, but they do not honor the truth. We should present
sound arguments, that will not only silence our opponents, but will bear the
closest and most searching scrutiny. . . .
{CW 40.3}
Continual Search for Greater Light.--Whatever
may be man's intellectual advancement, let him not for a moment think that
there is no need of thorough and continuous searching of the Scriptures for
greater light. As a people, we are called individually to be students of
prophecy. We must watch with earnestness that we may
discern any ray of light which God shall present to us. We are to catch the
first gleamings of truth; and through prayerful study, clearer light may be
obtained, which can be brought before others. {CW 41.1}
When God's people are at ease, and satisfied with their present
enlightenment, we may be sure that He will not favor them. It is His will that
they should be ever moving forward, to receive the increased and ever-increasing
light which is shining for them. {CW 41.2}
The present
attitude of the church is not pleasing to God. There has come in a
self-confidence that has led them to feel no necessity for more truth and
greater light. We are living at a time when Satan is at work on the right hand
and on the left, before and behind us; and yet as a people we are asleep. God
wills that a voice shall be heard arousing His people to action.--Gospel
Workers, pp. 297-300. (1915.) {CW 41.3}
Right Spirit Essential.--Brethren, we must
sink the shaft deep in the mine of truth. You may question matters with
yourselves and with one another, if you only do it in the right spirit; but too
often self is large, and as soon as investigation begins, an unchristian spirit
is manifested. This is just what Satan delights in, but we should come with a
humble heart to know for ourselves what is truth. {CW 41.4}
The time is
coming when we shall be separated and scattered, and each one of us will have
to stand without the privilege of communion with those of like precious faith;
and how can you stand unless God is by your side, and you know that He is
leading and guiding you? Whenever we come to investigate Bible truth, the Master of
assemblies is with us. The Lord does not leave the ship one moment to be
steered by ignorant pilots. We may receive our orders from the Captain of our
salvation.--Review and Herald, March 25, 1890. {CW
42.1}