Truth
to Be Rescued From Error Click to go to our Home Page
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The
Review and Herald
October 23, 1894
Truth to Be Rescued From Error
By Mrs. E. G. White
The children of God are commanded, "As he which hath called you is holy,
so be ye holy in all manner of conversation.... And if ye call on the Father,
who without respect of persons judgeth according to
every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear."
Never was there a time when we needed more special connection with God than at
the present time; for there is a constant tendency in human nature that makes
men lean on their own understanding. Men trust in men, leaving God out of life
and character. There must
be more earnest efforts to live out the life of Christ, and the advocates of
the truth must learn not to lean upon any man or set of men. There must be repentance of sins, Christ-like meekness, and
lowliness of heart. Men must be found who have an individual experience, who
cannot be enticed from the path of right, of justice, of meekness, of
patience, of forbearance, of Christian courtesy. Men
must be found who will not manifest anything but a Christ-like spirit when
opposed by talkative, open-mouthed men who put light for darkness and darkness
for light. Men are
needed in this time who know that the evidences which
God has given are to be relied upon in the face of all the assertions that will
come from the enemies of the faith. Talk is very cheap; it is a common article
of commerce, and is much more largely dealt in than is prayer or the words that
God has spoken through his chosen apostles and prophets.
We may have faith in men who profess to be followers of Christ, only as we see
that they are meeting God's great standard of righteousness, not some ideal of
their own, but that they are actually copying the perfection of the character
of Jesus Christ.
Let not any man feel that the work of God is under his
special guardianship; but realize that it is under the control of Omniscience.
The Lord will choose men for these times who will be workers together with him.
He will choose men of
resolute minds, who will follow his guidance, and act in harmony with the great
I AM; who will be actuated by heroic
principles, and will accomplish the will of God in preventing evil and
promoting good in the world. Privations, trials, and hardships will not
discourage them; but they will stand forth as examples of undaunted devotion. It is this class that to all intents and purposes are the
defenders of the faith once delivered to the saints. In times of proving and trial, in the
day of trouble such as never was, it will be revealed who have builded their characters from material that will stand the
test. God's true workmen
will be forced to speak the truth and
unmask hypocrisy and deception in defending every portion of the word of
God. Accusation upon accusation from men of
high position will come against those who would be true to God, and they will
be compelled to stand in defense of the truth. But the servants of the Lord will be men of
opportunity, of energy and tact, and will be ready to promote the interests of
truth under every circumstance. They will not be selfish, self-important,
self-sufficient persons; they will be men who have the mind of Christ. They
will be kind, affectionate, loving, prompt, tender, yet resolute. They will be God-fearing men, and in
the face of opposition they will move forward, firm and steadfast, to defend
Bible truth. Such men will press the triumphs of the cross of Christ to the
very end of the conflict. They
will boldly, and yet in the Spirit of Christ, confront the agents of Satan who
will seek to suppress religious liberty, and they will not give place to them
for an hour.
There will be those, who,
after a feeble resistance, will yield one point of truth after another. The reason they will do this is that they
have never valued truth as they should. They have never enthroned the truth in the inner sanctuary of
the heart, and they have
not been sanctified through the truth. They will give way to the powers that be, and render obedience
to men rather than to God. But those who stand firm to the truth will answer
those who demand their surrender to the traditions of men and their compliance
with the custom of the majority, that they owe allegiance to a higher authority
than that of the State. They will declare that they cannot set aside the
Sabbath of the great Creator for a man-made institution. They will declare that as partakers of
the divine nature, they are placed in a position where the ordinances of men,
when conflicting with the commands of God, are of no force nor
value. Those who are
empowered with authority will say to them as they said to Paul, "Thou art
beside thyself;" and when persuasion and entreaty are in vain, heavier
pressure will be brought to bear, and the steadfastness of Christ's followers will be tested to the
uttermost. Every conceivable device that men and demons can invent will be
brought to bear against them to overcome them; but those who have learned how
to cling to God will not abate one jot or tittle of
truth.
The fact that times of trouble and persecution are before the people of God
must not deter them in the least from proclaiming the truth. They are to
proclaim the truth because it is truth. Gems of thought are to be
gathered up and redeemed from their companionship with error; for by their
misplacement in the association of error, the Author of truth has been
dishonored. The
precious gems of the righteousness of Christ, and truths of divine origin, are
to be carefully searched out and placed in their proper setting, to shine with
heavenly brilliancy amid the moral darkness of the world. Let the bright jewels of truth which God
gave to man, to adorn and exalt his name, be carefully rescued from the rubbish
of error, where they have been claimed by those who have been transgressors of
the law, and have served the purposes of the great deceiver on account of their
connection with error. Let
the gems of divine light be reset in the framework of the gospel. Let nothing be lost of the precious
light that comes from the throne of God. It has been misapplied, and cast aside as worthless; but it is heaven-sent, and each gem is
to become the property of God's people and find its true position in the
framework of truth. Precious jewels of light are to be
collected, and by the aid of the Holy Spirit they are to be fitted into the
gospel system. God has
poured his Spirit upon his servants, and qualified them to use their ability
and talent in revealing truth to those who sit in darkness; but the very ability
God has given by which to reveal truth to others, men, perverting their
talents, employ to deceive; for they use their gifts as did Satan when he
deceived the angels of heaven, and exalt self, causing their God-given
abilities to administer to their own glory. These become confused by error,
their minds are darkened by the enemy, and the truths which God imparted to
them are buried by them in a mass of error, or basely perverted to serve the
cause of evil. But these heaven-given rays of light are not to be lost to the
world. These truths are to be as a lamp unto our feet, and as a light unto our
path. It is these gems that will give attractiveness to the gospel plan, and
they are to shine as stars amid the moral darkness of the world.
Jesus has said, "Gather
up the fragments, ... that nothing be lost." Many have seen no further meaning in
this than the gathering up of the fragments after the feeding of the five
thousand; but in all the teachings of Jesus spiritual applications are to be
made. When he said, "Gather up the fragments," it was as if he bade
them mark all his teachings, gather
up every fragment of truth, and of the light which he has given, to let nothing
be lost. Open up the truth
to others and let every fragment have its place. In dignity and simplicity
speak that which your Master has spoken to you, and present that which he has
taught you by his daily walk and conversation. Hold up his life and example to
those with whom you associate. He has filled every position, from the humblest
to the most exalted, with acceptance to the Father, and you are to gather up
the fragments of his words and works, that nothing be lost. As you advance
heavenward, make use of every common, every-day habit and custom to illustrate
truth, and in every calling, however menial, live out the life of Christ. In
this way you will be to men a continual revelation of what Christ would have
men be in your position.
The great plan of human redemption is as yet but faintly understood, because
men do not place themselves in the divine channel of light. There is too much
following of men, and limiting the light by men's opinions and traditions. The
wonderful truth of God is to be sought out by every mind, and the results of
many minds are to be brought together from many sources as God's hereditary
trust, and the divine power will work in such a way that true harmony will
exist. In the revelation of Christ to the world the necessity of men will be
met, and the work of God will move forward with beautiful harmony, as truth is
disclosed to the world. Through
careful study, through prayerful meditation, men will be enabled to place the
truth before men in simplicity, so that the humblest minds can comprehend it,
can receive it, and become elevated through its sanctifying influence, if they
will but appropriate it, and practice its principles in their daily lives.
Through all ages God has spoken and worked by human instrumentalities. God has
given to men their faculties, and he expects them to use them and by use to
improve their abilities. They
are to employ these faculties in rescuing truth from the rubbish of error
where it has been made to serve the cause of the great adversary. The gems of truth are imperishable, and the Lord would have them
gathered up and placed in their proper relation, that they may embellish and
adorn the doctrine of Christ our Saviour. Truth is to be communicated from one human agent to another and
to be molded into the life and character of those who receive it, in order that
glory may redound to God. Truth
that has found its proper setting, flashes brilliant rays of divine light into
darkened minds, and meets the wants and necessities of the minds and hearts of
fallen men who could not be reached by any other agency. It is by living out the truth in human
life that souls are to be reached. As the Son of God in human form was perfect in his life, so he
requires that his followers shall be perfect in their lives. He was made in all things like unto his
brethren. He hungered, he thirsted, he was weary, he slept, he wept, and yet he
was the blameless Son of God, he was God in the flesh. He was tempted in all
points like as we are, yet without sin, and we have not a high-priest that
cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities. He knows how to succor
those that are tempted. In living out the truth of God, man is continually
assured that supernatural help will be granted to him, and that while he
retains his human nature, yet through an unseen agency he receives the impress
of the divine nature through the truth as it is in Jesus.
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