Immanuel's Blog

2010-11-05T22:36:00.001-07:00

STEPS TO CHRIST (RECOMMENDED TO READ *****)

Our «Thank You» gift, the book Steps to Christ
Thousands have become acquainted with Jesus through this book. And it has helped many more, including those who have walked with Him for years, to know Him better. You’ll discover the steps to finding a forever friendship with Jesus. You’ll read about His love for you, repentance, faith and acceptance, growing like Him, the privilege of prayer, what to do with doubt, and how to spend your days rejoicing in your best Friend, Jesus.

Comment From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
It was first published in 1892 and has since been the most popular and widely read book by the author, printed in more than seventy languages worldwide.

Download the book - pdf (273..8 kb)
Read from web stepstochrist
Download in MP3 format

Here's quote from the book on page 9 (chapter 3)

The prayer of David after his fall, illustrates the nature of true sorrow for sin. His repentance was sincere and deep. There was no effort to palliate his guilt; no desire to escape the judgment threatened, inspired his prayer. David saw the enormity of his transgression; he saw the defilement of his soul; he loathed his sin. It was not for pardon only that he prayed, but for purity of heart...
A repentance such as this, is beyond the reach of our own power to accomplish; it is obtained only from Christ, who ascended up on high and has given gifts unto men.

Here's quote from the book on page 14 & 15

It was to redeem us that Jesus lived and suffered and died. He became "a Man of
Sorrows," that we might be made partakers of everlasting joy. God permitted His beloved Son, full of grace and truth, to come from a world of indescribable glory, to a world marred and blighted with sin, darkened with the shadow of death and the curse. He permitted Him to leave the bosom of His love, the adoration of the angels, to suffer shame, insult, humiliation, hatred, and death. "The chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed." Isaiah 53:5. Behold Him in the wilderness, in Gethsemane, upon the cross! The spotless Son of God took upon Himself the burden of sin. He who had been one with God, felt in His soul the awful separation that sin makes between God and man. This wrung from His lips the anguished cry, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" Matthew 27:46. It was the burden of sin, the sense of its terrible enormity, of its separation of the soul from God--it was this that broke the heart of the Son of God. But this great sacrifice was not made in order to create in the Father's heart a love for man, not to make Him willing to save. No, no! "God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son." John 3:16. The Father loves us, not because of the great propitiation, but He provided the propitiation because He loves us. Christ was the medium through which He could pour out His infinite love upon a fallen world. "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself." 2 Corinthians 5:19. God suffered with His Son. In the agony of Gethsemane, the death of...

THE GREAT CONTROVERSY (RECOMMENDED TO READ *****)

The Great Controversy Is the last book in the Conflict of the Ages series. It carries the story of the contr oversy between God and Satan to its ultimate and glorious conclusion. Beginning with the destruction of Jerusalem and continuing through the persecutions of Christians in the Roman Empire, the apostasy of the Dark Ages, the shining light of the Reformation, and the worldwide religious awakening of the nineteenth century, this volume traces the conflict into the future, to the Second Coming of Jesus and the glories of the earth made new. As the end draws ever closer, the vital issue of loyalty to God will become decisive. In this concluding volume, the author powerfully points out the principles involved in the impending conflict and how each person can stand firmly for God and His truth.

Comment From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Great Controversy describes the "Great Controversy theme" between Jesus and Satan, as played out over the millennia

from its start in heaven, to its final end when the world is destroyed and recreated. The author claimed to have received numerous visions from God, and then produced this book from those visions.

Originally written to help Adventists prepare for the end times before Jesus returns, later editions were more of an evangelistic tool. The first edition was published in 1858, with later editions in 1884, 1888, and 1911.

The author herself valued this book "above silver or gold",^[1] and recommended it to be circulated to all.^[2]It is one of her most significant and appreciated works, and many have converted to the Seventh-day Adventist faith through reading it.

Download the book - pdf (1.6 mb)
Download the book in Bahasa Indonesia (Kemenangan Akhir 24.4 mb)
Download in MP3 format

2010-03-05T02:58:00.001-08:00

Chapter Six
(Quoted)
Not Under the Law Often we hear this argument in an effort to be little the law of God: “Well, since we are not under the law but under grace, we do not need to keep the Ten Commandments any longer.” Is this a valid point? The Bible certainly does say that we are not under the law, but does that imply that we are free from the obligation to obey it? The text is found in Romans 6:14, 15. “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.”
How easily we could prevent confusion if we accepted exactly what the Bible says. Paul gives his own explanation of his statement. After stating that we are not under the law but under grace, he asks, “What then?” This simply means, “How are we to understand this?” Then notice his answer. In anticipation that some will construe his words to mean that you can break the law because you are under grace, he says, “Shall we sin (break the law) because we are not under the law but under grace? God forbid.” In the strongest possible language Paul states that being under grace does not give a license to break the law. Yet this is exactly what millions believe today, and they totally ignore Paul’s specific warning.

Download the book (a 30 pages small book) - pdf (516kb)
Download the book in Bahasa (will available soon)
Read the book from Amazing Facts website: English or Bahasa (translated by google)

From Sabbath to Sunday: A Historical Investigation of the Rise of Sunday Observance in Early Christianity

Order this book online--click here

How did the change come about from Saturday to Sunday in early Christianity? To find an answer to this question Dr. Samuele Bacchiocchi spent five years at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, examining the most ancient documents available.

The results of this investigation are presented in From Sabbath to Sunday, which is a translation and an adaptation of his Italian doctoral dissertation, presented at and published by the Pontifical Gregorian University Press.

The investigation establishes that the change from Saturday to Sunday began approximately one century after the death of Christ, as a result of an interplay of political, social, pagan and Christian factors. The change in the day of rest and worship was not merely a change of names or of numbers, but rather a change of meaning, authority and experience. Essentially it was a change from a Holy Day into a holiday.

From Sabbath to Sunday has the distinction of being the first book written by a non-Catholic ever to be published by a Pontifical press with the Catholic imprimatur (approval). The book has already been reprinted fourteen times in English and has been translated in several languages. Hundreds of scholars of different persuasions have praised this book as a definitive treatment of the early history of the Lord’s Day.

HOW THE SABBATH WAS CHANGED?

This is possibly one of the most disturbing religious questions among thinking Christians today. Unfortunately, the issue is not examined publicly very often for reasons shat we'll consider today. But multitudes have wondered when, how and why the change came about. But multitudes have wondered then, how and why the change came about. We have established that the bible itself speaks with absolute consistency on this subject.
Continue your reading

Catholic Church Admits They Made the Change

Asking the Pope about the Change of the Sabbath
(A Letter to the Pope, original letter download)

Thomaston, Georgia May 22, 1934

Pope Pius XI Rome, Italy

Dear Sir:

Is the accusation true, that Protestant's accuse you of? They say you changed the seventh' day Sabbath to the, so called, Christian Sunday; identical with the first day of the week. If so, when did you make the change and by what authority?

Yours truly, (Signed) J. L. Day

(Reply)

THE CATHOLIC EXTENSION MAGAZINE (The largest Catholic Magazine published in USA) 180 Wabash Avenue, Chicago, Illinois (Under the blessing of Pope Pius XI)

Dear Sir:

Regarding the change from the observance of the Jewish Sabbath to the Christian Sunday, I wish to draw your attention to the facts:

(1) That Protestants, who accept the Bible as the only rule of faith and religion, should by all means go back to the observance of the Sabbath. The fact that they do not, but on the contrary observe the Sunday, stultifies them in the eyes of every thinking man.

(2) We Catholics do not accept the Bible as the only rule of faith. Besides the Bible we have the living Church, the authority of the Church, as a rule to guide us. We say this Church, instituted by Christ, to teach and guide men through life, has the right to change the Ceremonial laws of the Old Testament and hence, we accept her change of the Sabbath to the Sunday. We frankly say, "Yes, the Church made this change, made this law, as she made many other laws, for instance, the Friday Abstinence, the unmarried priesthood, the laws concerning mixed marriages, the regulation of Catholic marriages, and a thousand other laws."

(3) We also say that of all Protestants, the Seventh-day Adventist are the only group that reason correctly and are consistent with their teachings. It is always somewhat laughable to see the Protestant Churches, in pulpit and legislature, demand the observance of Sunday, of which there is nothing in the Bible.

With best wishes, (Signed) Peter R. Tramer, Editor

Mr. James L. Day first heard the teachings of the Seventh-day Adventist Church at an evangelistic meeting in Thomaston, Georgia in 1934. Upon hearing the sermon on the change of the Sabbath he was greatly perplexed and thought the way to find out for himself the truth of the matter was to write to the Pope.

This letter was written by Mr. Day personally, upon his own initiative, to Pope Pius XI, who was then the ruling Pope of the Catholic Church. He said he waited thirty days for a reply and then received this letter from the editor of THE CATHOLIC EXTENSION, which is printed under Mr. Day's letter. The Pope had sent Mr. Day's letter to Mr. Tramer, who was editor of the Question Box of this magazine, for reply. The answer was sent under the blessing of the pope.

Luke 4:16,31 (16)"And He (Jesus) came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up: and, as his custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read. (31) Then He went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths.

Read carefully what is done by the "Little Horn"

Daniel 7:25 "And
(1) he (the little horn) shall speak great words against the most High, and
(2) shall wear out the saints of the most High, and
(3) think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time".

Please underline "change times and laws", the little horn has been changed times and laws the day of worship from Sabbath to Sunday which is not in the Scripture from Genesis to Revelation. Read carefully the History and Facts below so that we may be aware of this thing and decide whether we follow men OR Jesus Christ our.

Click below link to start read the Important Confessions by Christians Denomination

1.CATHOLIC CHURCH CONFESSIONS

2.NON-CATHOLIC & PROTESTANT CHURCH CONFESSIONS

3.THE CHRISTIAN SABBATH - ROME's CHALLENG

4.WHY ARE PROTESTANTS BOWING TO THE POPE?

5.PROTESTANTS ARE USING CATHOLIC ARGUMENTS TO TRY AND VALIDATE SUNDAY WORSHIP

6.THE TWELVE REASONS GIVEN FOR SUNDAY WORSHIP EXAMINED

7 Facts About the Seventh Day

- CONTINUE READ

The Final Events of Bible Prophecy by Amazing Facts

In a new package, The Final Events of Bible Prophecy is a gripping 43-minute documentary on last-day events. Hosted by author and evangelist Pastor Doug Batchelor, this amazing DVD leads you step by step through seven end-time "events" including signs of the end, Christ's return, the millennium, and more. Featuring stunning special effects and a rich music soundtrack, this one-of-a-kind presentation is packed with Bible references that give you a clear and straightforward look at what the Bible really has to say about the last days of earth history. An awesome resource to share in a study groups or with friends and family!

A MISSIONARY VIDEO - IF WE DON'T DO OUR PART NOW, TOMORROW IT IS MAYBE TOO LATE

^{2 Timothy 4:7,8
(7) I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
(8) Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.}

WATCHING 3ABN BROADCASTING ON YOUTUBE HERE (SUBTITLE IN BAHASA)

#1. The Ten Commandments by Jim Gilley 3ABN (Subtitle/Teks in Bahasa Indonesia) 1 of 5

#1. 1/5 What and Where Is Hell by Pr. John Carter - 3ABN (Subtitle/Teks in Bahasa Indonesia)

2009-02-26T02:49:00.000-08:00

"666 REVEALED", A VIDEO BY AMAZING FACTS - DOUG BACHELOR

Watch another Amazing Facts Video Series on Youtub or watch another Amazing Facts Video Series on Youtub embedded at this site

2009-02-13T05:44:00.001-08:00

D O W N L O A D A R E A

ELLEN GOULD WHITE - BOOKS

THE GREAT CONTROVERSY (RECOMMENDED TO READ *****)

Comment From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Great Controversy describes the "Great Controversy theme" between Jesus and Satan, as played out over the millennia

from its start in heaven, to its final end when the world is destroyed and recreated. The author claimed to have received numerous visions from God, and then produced this book from those visions.

The author herself valued this book "above silver or gold",^[1] and recommended it to be circulated to all.^[2] It is one of her most significant and appreciated works, and many have converted to the Seventh-day Adventist faith through reading it.

Download the book - pdf (1.6 mb)
Download the book in Bahasa Indonesia (Kemenangan Akhir 24.4 mb)
Listen Now (Real Player & WMP broadband)
Listen Now from Ellenwhiteaudio.org
Download in MP 3 format

DESIRE OF AGES (RECOMMENDED TO READ*****)

Is the third volume in the Conflict of the Ages series based on the gospels account of the life of Christ in Matthew, Mark Luke and John. Ellen White’s classic on the life of Jesus focuses on One who stands at the center of all human history. No one else has had such a profound influence on Planet Earth as Jesus Christ. In this book the author does not set forth the events of Jesus’ life in strict chronological order, but she presents Him as the One who can satisfy the deepest yearnings of the human heart. She presents the divine beauty of the life of the Savior, the love of God as revealed in His Son. New and glorious light flashes from many familiar passages of Scripture. Follow Jesus in these pages from His birth in Bethlehem’s stable to His death on the cross, His glorious resurrection, and triumphant return to heaven.

Download the book - pdf (1.6 mb)
Read from this web
Listen Now from Ellenwhiteaudio.org
Download in Mp3 format (442mb)

PATRIARCHS & PROPHETS (RECOMMENDED TO READ*****)

Patriarchs and Prophets Is the first volume in the Conflict of the Ages series based on the Bible account of our world's struggle between good and evil. It covers the sweeping panorama of human history from the creation of Earth to the reign of Israel’s King David. With unusual insights, the author describes the role of our planet in the cosmic conflict between right and wrong, truth and error. She describes the tragic rebellion that took place in heaven many thousands of years ago and makes plain that this ongoing conflict between Satan and God affects each person who lives on Earth. Patriarchs and Prophets shows how this conflict worked itself out in the lives of men and women in Old Testament times. It answers such questions as, Where did we come from? Where are we going? If God is all-powerful, why doesn’t He prevent the spread of evil and its tragic

Download the book - pdf (1.6 mb)
Read from this web
Listen Now from Ellenwhiteaudio.org
Download in Mp3 format (186 mb)

Christ Object Lessons pdf (0.83mb)

Prophets and Kings pdf (1.3mb)

Story of Jesus pdf (0.53mb)

The Acts of the Apostles pdf (1.1mb)

Early Writings pdf (0.47mb)

Christian Service (0.77mb)

The Adventist Home (0.1mb)

Counsels For The Church (1.5mb)

Counsels On Stewardship (0.69mb)

Ministry Of Healing

MATERIALS IN INDONESIAN LANGUAGE / BAHASA INDONESIA

2009-02-13T05:43:00.008-08:00

.
BUKU-BUKU ELLEN GOULD WHITE

SERMONS COLLECTION

To Open The Files Please Use Username: thesdalibrary Password : 21101977

BIBLE STUDY / SEMINAR BY: JOHN MARULI SITUMORANG

Asal Mula Dosa (13kb)
Firman Allah Kekal pps (119kb)
Hukum Allah Yang Kekal (31kb)
Sabbath (3.2mb)
Makanan Umat Tuhan(61kb)
Baptisan - Syarat Mutlak Hidup Bahagia (300kb

THE AMAZING FACTS

Kebenaran Hari Sabat - The Truth About The Sabbath Comic pdf (3.5mb)

MENGENAI "TANDUK KECIL" - CHICKS PUBLICATION

KEBENARAN DALAM ALQUR'AN - THE RIGHTEOUSNESS IN QUR'AN

Author: Mohammad Al Ghazoli
See excerpts from the book:
• Muhummad's third wife
• Muhammad the robber

What kind of god would send
a prophet like that?

Mohammad Al Ghazoli was raised a Muslim. But the more he read the ancient literature of Islam, the more convinced he became that Allah could not be the True God. And the more he studied the life of Muhammad, the more obvious it became that Muhammad was not God’s prophet. Then one day, someone placed a Bible in his hands and said, “Read.” Soon Ghazoli had found the True God, and forgiveness through His Son

This book isn’t just Ghazoli’s testimony. It is much more than that. It contains the facts from the literature of Islam that shows why Allah can’t possibly be the True God. It gives proof from Islam itself that whenever Muhammad wanted more wives, or riches, or when he had a problem, Gabriel was always standing by, ready to give another “verse” to exempt Muhammad from the law and morality. How convenient!

Many of the stories in the book will be unfamiliar to the Western reader, but very familiar to Muslims. It is this “inside view” of things that makes the book so powerful as a witnessing tool for Muslims. Over and over again, Ghazoli asks, “Is this the behavior of a prophet who was sent by God? What kind of god would send a prophet like that?”

The arguments contained in this book will give you powerful evidence you can show to Muslims you may try to witness to. Because it is written by a respected Arab writer, who was an advisor to the Arab league and even to Libyan ruler Qhadaffi, you can give the book to a Muslim and tell him, “Read.”

Learn about:
• The 220 contradictions in the Qur’an.
• Verses which reverse and replace prior verses. Did Allah make a mistake?
• The verses used to justify terrorism.
• Even the Qur’an admits Jesus was crucified! Then it denies it.
• Muhammad’s 23 marriages, including one to a little girl.

A note from the editor:
This book was so exciting! It held me speechless as I read. It was a storehouse of information! But more importantly, at every turn I saw Muhammad, "Gabriel" and Allah compared to our loving Saviour, Jesus Christ. You've got to experience this for yourselves!

That is why I couldn't wait to publish this book. Mohammad Al Ghazoli, former advisor to President Mu'ammar al-Qadhafi of Libya, gave permission to edit his book in understandable English... to help us Westerners understand the who, what, when and where of Islam's history, as well as why it is so important to us today....

Table of Contents
Introduction: The “I”
Chapter 1 Allah’s Messenger or Man with a Message?
Chapter 2 Muhammad’s 23 Marriages
Chapter 3 The Dictator, the King of Racism
Chapter 4 Terrorism and Intimidation in Islam
Chapter 5 Is the Qur’an God-Sent or Man-Made?
Chapter 6 Christ vs. Muhammad
Chapter 7 Christ in The Qur’an
Chapter 8 The Cross and The Crucified
Chapter 9 Was the Bible Altered?
Chapter 10 How The Qur’an Distorts The Bible
Chapter 11 Muslim Rituals
Chapter 12 Suicide Bombers and Paradise
Conclusion
Appendix A
Appendix B

Qur'an With Translate In Bahasa (application) (1.4mb)

VIDEO

2009-02-13T05:42:00.002-08:00

If Not Now, Tomorrow It Is Maybe Too Late - A Personal Ministry Video That You Must Watch

(Koleksi Video Penginjilan, Video Pelayanan Perorangan, Video Penginjilan Perorangan)

Alessandra 1/3 (14mb)

Alessandra 2/3 (14mb)

Alessandra 3/3 (12mb)

Softwares, Application, Program

2009-02-13T05:42:00.001-08:00

Free Download Bible for HP, Smartphone & PC

NEWSTART - TO INCREASE & MAINTAIN YOUR HEALTH

2009-02-13T05:41:00.004-08:00

CLICK ON THE IMAGE BELOW TO GO TO THE NEWSTART WEB PAGE

Dalam Bahasa Indonesia

2009-02-13T05:41:00.003-08:00

As Menurut kebiasaan-Nya pada hari Sabat Yesus masuk ke rumah ibadat

Lukas 4:16,31 (16)"Ia datang ke Nazaret tempat Ia dibesarkan, dan menurut kebiasaan-Nya pada hari Sabat Ia masuk ke rumah ibadat, lalu berdiri hendak membaca dari Alkitab. (31) Kemudian Yesus pergi ke Kapernaum, sebuah kota di Galilea, lalu mengajar disitu pada hari-hari Sabat.

Murid-murid setelah Yesus di salibkan (Setelah Hukum Dipalangkan?) mereka tetap ke rumah ibadat pada hari Sabat (Tetap memelihara Hukum Sabat?)

Kis 13:14 "Dari Perga mereka melanjutkan perjalanan mereka, lalu tiba di Antiokhia di Pisidia. Pada hari Sabat mereka pergi ke rumah ibadat, lalu duduk disitu (15) Setelah selesai pembacaan dari hukum Taurat dan Kitab nabi-nabi....

Kis 13:42, 44 (42)"Ketika Paulus dan Barnabas keluar, mereka diminta untuk berbicara tentang pokok itu pula pada hari Sabat berikutnya (44) Pada hari Sabat berikutnya datanglah hampir seluruh kota itu berkumpul untuk mendengar Firman Allah".

Kis 16:13 "Pada hari Sabat kami ke luar pintu gerbang kota. Kami menyusur tepi sungai dan menemukan tempat sembahyang Yahudi, yang sudah kami duga ada disitu; setelah duduk, kami berbicara kepada perempuan-perempuan yang ada berkumpul disitu".

Kis 17:2 "Seperti biasa Paulus masuk ke rumah ibadat itu. Tiga hari Sabat berturut-turut ia membicarakan dengan mereka bagian-bagian dari Kitab Suci,"

Menurut Kebiasaan-Nya, pada Hari Sabat Ia masuk ke rumah ibadat, murid-murid setelah penyaliban Yesus tetap masuk ke rumah ibadat setiap Sabbat (Mayoritas Kristen saat ini mengatakan bahwa Sepuluh Hukum, termasuk hukum keempat yaitu Hukum Sabat sudah di palangkan/di batalkan di kayu salib). Mengapa mayoritas Kristen di dunia saat ini beribadah kepada Allah pada hari Minggu yang mana tidak sesuai dengan kebiasaan Yesus?, adakah ayat di dalam Kitab Suci menyatakan bahwa Peribadatan Sabbat akan di ubah ke hari Minggu?

Baca baik-baik apa yang telah di lakukan oleh si "Tanduk Kecil"

Daniel 7:25
"Dan (1) Ia akan mengucapkan perkataan yang menentang Yang Mahatinggi, dan
(2) akan menganiaya orang-orang kudus milik Yang Mahatinggi;
(3) ia berusaha untuk mengubah waktu dan hukum, dan mereka akan diserahkan ke dalam tangannya selama satu masa dan dua masa dan setengah masa.

Garis bawahi kalimat "mengubah waktu dan hukum", si tanduk kecil telah berhasil mengubah waktu dan hukum hari beribadah Sabat di ubah ke hari Minggu yang mana tidak terdapat di dalam Kitab Suci dari Kejadian sampai Wahyu. Bacalah baik-baik Sejarah dan Fakta di bawah ini agar kita dapat memahami/menyadari akan hal ini sehingga kita dapat dengan sadar memutuskan untuk mengikuti manusia (perintah/ajaran/tradisi manusia) atau mengikuti yang Maha Tinggi Yesus Kristus Juruselamat dan Tuhan kita.

Matius 15:8,9 "(8) Bangsa ini memuliakan Aku dengan bibirnya, padahal hatinya jauh dari pada-Ku. (9) Percuma mereka beribadah kepada-Ku, sedangkan ajaran yang mereka ajarkan ialah perintah manusia."

Matius 7:21-23. "(21) Bukan setiap orang yang berseru kepada-Ku: Tuhan, Tuhan! akan masuk ke dalam Kerajaan Sorga, melainkan dia yang melakukan kehendak Bapa-Ku yang di sorga. (22) Pada hari terakhir banyak orang akan berseru kepada-Ku: Tuhan, Tuhan, bukankah kami bernubuat demi nama-Mu, dan mengusir setan demi nama-Mu, dan mengadakan banyak mujizat demi nama-Mu juga? (23) Pada waktu itulah Aku akan berterus terang kepada mereka dan berkata: Aku tidak pernah mengenal kamu! Enyahlah dari pada-Ku, kamu sekalian pembuat kejahatan!

Yohanes 14:15. "Jikalau kamu mengasihi Aku, kamu akan menuruti segala perintah-Ku.

1 Yohanes 2:3. Dan inilah tandanya, bahwa kita mengenal Allah, yaitu jikalau kita menuruti perintah-perintah-Nya.

Yakobus 2:10, 11 (10) Sebab barangsiapa menuruti seluruh hukum itu, tetapi mengabaikan satu bagian dari padanya, ia bersalah terhadap seluruhnya. (11) Sebab Ia yang mengatakan: "Jangan berzinah", Ia mengatakan juga: "Jangan membunuh". Jadi jika kamu tidak berzinah tetapi membunuh, maka kamu menjadi pelanggar hukum juga.

Click below link to start read the History & Fact

1.CATHOLIC CHURCH CONFESSIONS

2.NON-CATHOLIC & PROTESTANT CHURCH CONFESSIONS THE CHRISTIAN SABBATH - ROME's CHALLENG

3.WHY ARE PROTESTANTS BOWING TO THE POPE?

4.PROTESTANTS ARE USING CATHOLIC ARGUMENTS TO TRY AND VALIDATE SUNDAY WORSHIP

5.THE TWELVE REASONS GIVEN FOR SUNDAY WORSHIP EXAMINED

THE FINAL EVENTS SERIES

2009-02-13T05:41:00.001-08:00

Return to the Amazing Farcts Video List

AMAZING FACTS VIDEO LIST

2009-02-13T05:39:00.000-08:00

1.THE FINAL EVENTS SERIES
Click Here To Watch Complete Series (Larger Display Size)

2.THE BRIDE OF THE ANTICHRIST
Click Here To Watch Complete Series (Larger Display Size)

3. THE LAST LITTLE BIG HORN
Click Here To Watch Complete Series (Larger Display Size)

Steps to Christ

2009-02-13T05:38:00.022-08:00

Steps to Christ
By
Ellen G. White
FEW BOOKS ATTAIN A DISTRIBUTION RECKONED IN MILLIONS OR EXERT SO GREAT AN
INFLUENCE IN THE UPLIFTING OF HUMANITY AS HAS STEPS TO CHRIST. IN COUNTLESS
EDITIONS, THIS LITTLE VOLUME HAS BEEN PRINTED IN MORE THAN SEVENTY
LANGUAGES, BRINGING INSPIRATION TO HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF MEN AND
WOMEN THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, EVEN THOSE WHO DWELL IN THE REMOTE CORNERS
OF THE EARTH. FROM THE APPEARANCE OF THE FIRST EDITION IN 1892, THE PUBLISHERS
HAVE BEEN CALLED UPON TO ADD PRINTING TO PRINTING TO MEET THE IMMEDIATE
AND SUSTAINED DEMAND FROM THE READING PUBLIC. THE AUTHOR OF THIS WORK,
ELLEN G. WHITE (1827-1915), WAS A RELIGIOUS SPEAKER AND WRITER, WELL KNOWN ON
THREE CONTINENTS. BORN NEAR PORTLAND, MAINE, SHE SPENT HER EARLY LIFE IN THE
NEW ENGLAND STATES, AND THEN HER TRAVELS AND LABORS LED HER TO THE
RAPIDLY EXPANDING CENTRAL AND WESTERN AREAS OF THE UNITED STATES. THE
YEARS 1885 TO 1887 SHE DEVOTED TO WORK IN THE LEADING COUNTRIES OF EUROPE,
WHERE SHE OFTEN ADDRESSED LARGE AUDIENCES, AND CONTINUED HER WRITING.
SUBSEQUENTLY SHE SPENT NINE ACTIVE YEARS IN AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND.
FROM HER PEN HAVE COME FORTY-FIVE VOLUMES, LARGE AND SMALL, IN THE FIELDS
OF THEOLOGY, EDUCATION, HEALTH, AND THE HOME, AND PRACTICAL CHRISTIANITY,
SEVERAL WITH A DISTRIBUTION EXCEEDING THE MILLION-COPY MARK. OF THESE, STEPS
TO CHRIST IS THE MOST POPULAR AND WIDELY READ. THE TITLE OF THE BOOK TELLS ITS
MISSION. IT POINTS THE READER TO JESUS CHRIST AS THE ONLY ONE WHO IS ABLE TO
MEET THE NEEDS OF THE SOUL. IT DIRECTS THE FEET OF THE DOUBTING AND HALTING
TO THE PATHWAY OF PEACE. IT LEADS THE SEEKER AFTER RIGHTEOUSNESS AND
WHOLENESS OF CHARACTER, STEP BY STEP, ALONG THE WAY OF CHRISTIAN LIVING, TO
THAT EXPERIENCE WHERE HE CAN KNOW THE FULLNESS OF BLESSING WHICH IS FOUND
IN THE COMPLETE SURRENDER OF SELF. IT REVEALS TO HIM THE SECRET OF VICTORY AS
IT UNFOLDS IN SIMPLICITY THE SAVING GRACE AND THE KEEPING POWER OF THE GREAT
FRIEND OF ALL MANKIND.
THIS EDITION MARKS A FORWARD STEP IN STANDARDIZING THE PAGING OF THE BOOK
IN FORTHCOMING ENGLISH-LANGUAGE PRINTINGS. WITH NO CHANGE IN THE TEXT, BUT
WITH A FORMAT, SPELLING, AND CAPITALIZATION IN KEEPING WITH THE TIMES, THIS
LITTLE COMPENDIUM OF DEVOTION WILL CONTINUE ON ITS MISSION, BUT NOW IN SUCH
FORM, REGARDLESS OF THE SIZE OF THE TYPE OR PAGE, AS TO CONFORM TO THE NEW
INDEX TO THE WRITINGS OF ELLEN G. WHITE.
JACOB OF OLD, WHEN OPPRESSED WITH THE FEAR THAT HIS SIN HAD CUT HIM OFF
FROM GOD, LAY DOWN TO REST, AND "HE DREAMED, AND BEHOLD A LADDER SET UP ON
THE EARTH, AND THE TOP OF IT REACHED TO HEAVEN." THE CONNECTION BETWEEN
EARTH AND HEAVEN WAS THUS REVEALED TO HIM, AND WORDS OF COMFORT AND HOPE
WERE SPOKEN TO THE WANDERER BY HIM WHO STOOD AT THE TOP OF THE SHADOWY
STAIRS. THAT THE HEAVENLY VISION MAY BE REPEATED TO MANY AS THEY READ THIS
STORY OF THE WAY OF LIFE, IS THE SINCERE WISH OF THE PUBLISHERS, AND--
THE TRUSTEES OF THE
ELLEN G. WHITE PUBLICATIONS
FOREWORD
Table of Contents
STEPS TO CHRIST ......................................................................................................... 1
FOREWORD............................................................................................................... 1
Table of Contents ........................................................................................................ 2
Chap. 1 - God's Love for Man .................................................................................... 3
Chap. 2 - The Sinner's Need of Christ ........................................................................ 6
Chap. 3 - Repentance.................................................................................................. 8
Chap. 4 - Confession................................................................................................. 14
Chap. 5 - Consecration............................................................................................. 16
Chap. 6 - Faith and Acceptance ............................................................................... 18
Chap. 7 - The Test of Discipleship............................................................................ 21
Chap. 8 - Growing Up Into Christ............................................................................ 25
Chap. 9 - The Work and the Life............................................................................... 28
Chap. 10 - A Knowledge of God ............................................................................... 31
Chap. 11 - The Privilege of Prayer........................................................................... 34
Chap. 12 - What to Do with Doubt ........................................................................... 39
Chap. 13 - Rejoicing in the Lord .............................................................................. 42
Chap. 1 - God's Love for Man
Nature and revelation alike testify of God's love. Our Father in heaven is the source of
life, of wisdom, and of joy. Look at the wonderful and beautiful things of nature. Think
of their marvelous adaptation to the needs and happiness, not only of man, but of all
living creatures. The sunshine and the rain, that gladden and refresh the earth, the hills
and seas and plains, all speak to us of the Creator's love. It is God who supplies the daily
needs of all His creatures. In the beautiful words of the psalmist—
"The eyes of all wait upon Thee;
And Thou givest them their meat in due season.
Thou openest Thine hand,
And satisfiest the desire of every living thing."
Psalm 145:15, 16.
God made man perfectly holy and happy; and the fair earth, as it came from the
Creator's hand, bore no blight of decay or shadow of the curse. It is transgression of
God's law--the law of love--that has brought woe and death. Yet even amid the suffering
that results from sin, God's love is revealed. It is written that God cursed the ground for
man's sake. Genesis 3:17. The thorn and the thistle--the difficulties and trials that make
his life one of toil and care--were appointed for his good as a part of the training needful
in God's plan for his uplifting from the ruin and degradation that sin has wrought. The
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world, though fallen, is not all sorrow and misery. In nature itself are messages of hope
and comfort. There are flowers upon the thistles, and the thorns are covered with roses.
"God is love" is written upon every opening bud, upon every spire of springing grass.
The lovely birds making the air vocal with their happy songs, the delicately tinted flowers
in their perfection perfuming the air, the lofty trees of the forest with their rich foliage of
living green -- all testify to the tender, fatherly care of our God and to His desire to make
His children happy. The word of God reveals His character. He Himself has declared
His infinite love and pity. When Moses prayed, "Show me Thy glory," the Lord
answered, "I will make all My goodness pass before thee." Exodus 33:18, 19. This is His
glory. The Lord passed before Moses, and proclaimed, "The Lord, The Lord God,
merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping
mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin." Exodus 34:6, 7. He is
"slow to anger, and of great kindness," "because He delighteth in mercy." Jonah 4:2;
Micah 7:18. God has bound our hearts to Him by unnumbered tokens in heaven and in
earth. Through the things of nature, and the deepest and tenderest earthly ties that human
hearts can know, He has sought to reveal Himself to us. Yet these but imperfectly
represent His love. Though all these evidences have been given, the enemy of good
blinded the minds of men, so that they looked upon God with fear; they thought of
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Him as severe and unforgiving. Satan led men to conceive of God as a being whose chief
attribute is stern justice,--one who is a severe judge, a harsh, exacting creditor. He
pictured the Creator as a being who is watching with jealous eye to discern the errors and
mistakes of men, that He may visit judgments upon them. It was to remove this dark
shadow, by revealing to the world the infinite love of God, that Jesus came to live among
men. The Son of God came from heaven to make manifest the Father. "No man hath
seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath
declared Him." John 1:18. "Neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to
whomsoever the Son will reveal Him." Matthew 11:27. When one of the disciples made
the request, "Show us the Father," Jesus answered, "Have I been so long time with you,
and yet hast thou not known Me, Philip? He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father; and
how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?" John 14:8, 9. In describing His earthly
mission, Jesus said, The Lord "hath anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He
hath sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and
recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised." Luke 4:18. This
was His work. He went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed by Satan.
There were whole villages where there was not a moan of sickness in any house, for He
had passed through them and healed all their sick. His work gave evidence of His divine
anointing. Love, mercy, and compassion were revealed in every act of
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His life; His heart went out in tender sympathy to the children of men. He took man's
nature, that He might reach man's wants. The poorest and humblest were not afraid to
approach Him. Even little children were attracted to Him. They loved to climb upon His
knees and gaze into the pensive face, benignant with love. Jesus did not suppress one
word of truth, but He uttered it always in love. He exercised the greatest tact and
thoughtful, kind attention in His intercourse with the people. He was never rude, never
needlessly spoke a severe word, never gave needless pain to a sensitive soul. He did not
censure human weakness. He spoke the truth, but always in love. He denounced
hypocrisy, unbelief, and iniquity; but tears were in His voice as He uttered His scathing
rebukes. He wept over Jerusalem, the city He loved, which refused to receive Him, the
way, the truth, and the life. They had rejected Him, the Saviour, but He regarded them
with pitying tenderness. His life was one of self-denial and thoughtful care for others.
Every soul was precious in His eyes. While He ever bore Himself with divine dignity, He
bowed with the tenderest regard to every member of the family of God. In all men He
saw fallen souls whom it was His mission to save. Such is the character of Christ as
revealed in His life. This is the character of God. It is from the Father's heart that the
streams of divine compassion, manifest in Christ, flow out to the children of men. Jesus,
the tender, pitying Saviour, was God "manifest in the flesh." 1 Timothy 3:16.
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It was to redeem us that Jesus lived and suffered and died. He became "a Man of
Sorrows," that we might be made partakers of everlasting joy. God permitted His beloved
Son, full of grace and truth, to come from a world of indescribable glory, to a world
marred and blighted with sin, darkened with the shadow of death and the curse. He
permitted Him to leave the bosom of His love, the adoration of the angels, to suffer
shame, insult, humiliation, hatred, and death. "The chastisement of our peace was upon
Him; and with His stripes we are healed." Isaiah 53:5. Behold Him in the wilderness, in
Gethsemane, upon the cross! The spotless Son of God took upon Himself the burden of
sin. He who had been one with God, felt in His soul the awful separation that sin makes
between God and man. This wrung from His lips the anguished cry, "My God, My God,
why hast Thou forsaken Me?" Matthew 27:46. It was the burden of sin, the sense of its
terrible enormity, of its separation of the soul from God--it was this that broke the heart
of the Son of God. But this great sacrifice was not made in order to create in the
Father's heart a love for man, not to make Him willing to save. No, no! "God so loved the
world, that He gave His only-begotten Son." John 3:16. The Father loves us, not because
of the great propitiation, but He provided the propitiation because He loves us. Christ was
the medium through which He could pour out His infinite love upon a fallen world. "God
was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself." 2 Corinthians 5:19. God suffered with
His Son. In the agony of Gethsemane, the death of
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Calvary, the heart of Infinite Love paid the price of our redemption. Jesus said,
"Therefore doth My Father love Me, because I lay down My life, that I might take it
again." John 10:17. That is, "My Father has so loved you that He even loves Me more for
giving My life to redeem you. In becoming your Substitute and Surety, by surrendering
My life, by taking your liabilities, your transgressions, I am endeared to My Father; for
by My sacrifice, God can be just, and yet the Justifier of him who believeth in Jesus."
None but the Son of God could accomplish our redemption; for only He who was in the
bosom of the Father could declare Him. Only He who knew the height and depth of the
love of God could make it manifest. Nothing less than the infinite sacrifice made by
Christ in behalf of fallen man could express the Father's love to lost humanity. "God
so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son." He gave Him not only to live
among men, to bear their sins, and die their sacrifice. He gave Him to the fallen race.
Christ was to identify Himself with the interests and needs of humanity. He who was one
with God has linked Himself with the children of men by ties that are never to be broken.
Jesus is "not ashamed to call them brethren" (Hebrews 2:11); He is our Sacrifice, our
Advocate, our Brother, bearing our human form before the Father's throne, and through
eternal ages one with the race He has redeemed--the Son of man. And all this that man
might be uplifted from the ruin and degradation of sin that he might reflect the love of
God and share the joy of holiness.
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The price paid for our redemption, the infinite sacrifice of our heavenly Father in
giving His Son to die for us, should give us exalted conceptions of what we may become
through Christ. As the inspired apostle John beheld the height, the depth, the breadth of
the Father's love toward the perishing race, he was filled with adoration and reverence;
and, failing to find suitable language in which to express the greatness and tenderness of
this love, he called upon the world to behold it. "Behold, what manner of love the Father
hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God." 1 John 3:1. What a
value this places upon man! Through transgression the sons of man become subjects of
Satan. Through faith in the atoning sacrifice of Christ the sons of Adam may become the
sons of God. By assuming human nature, Christ elevates humanity. Fallen men are placed
where, through connection with Christ, they may indeed become worthy of the name
"sons of God." Such love is without a parallel. Children of the heavenly King!
Precious promise! Theme for the most profound meditation! The matchless love of God
for a world that did not love Him! The thought has a subduing power upon the soul and
brings the mind into captivity to the will of God. The more we study the divine character
in the light of the cross, the more we see mercy, tenderness, and forgiveness blended with
equity and justice, and the more clearly we discern innumerable evidences of a love that
is infinite and a tender pity surpassing a mother's yearning sympathy for her wayward
child.
Chap. 2 - The Sinner's Need of Christ
Man was originally endowed with noble powers and a well-balanced mind. He was
perfect in his being, and in harmony with God. His thoughts were pure, his aims holy.
But through disobedience, his powers were perverted, and selfishness took the place of
love. His nature became so weakened through transgression that it was impossible for
him, in his own strength, to resist the power of evil. He was made captive by Satan, and
would have remained so forever had not God specially interposed. It was the tempter's
purpose to thwart the divine plan in man's creation, and fill the earth with woe and
desolation. And he would point to all this evil as the result of God's work in creating man.
In his sinless state, man held joyful communion with Him "in whom are hid all the
treasures of wisdom and knowledge." Colossians 2:3. But after his sin, he could no longer
find joy in holiness, and he sought to hide from the presence of God. Such is still the
condition of the unrenewed heart. It is not in harmony with God, and finds no joy in
communion with Him. The sinner could not be happy in God's presence; he would shrink
from the companionship of holy beings. Could he be permitted to enter heaven, it would
have no joy for him. The spirit of unselfish love that reigns there --every heart responding
to the heart of Infinite Love --would touch no answering chord in his soul. His thoughts,
his interests, his motives, would be alien to
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those that actuate the sinless dwellers there. He would be a discordant note in the melody
of heaven. Heaven would be to him a place of torture; he would long to be hidden from
Him who is its light, and the center of its joy. It is no arbitrary decree on the part of God
that excludes the wicked from heaven; they are shut out by their own unfitness for its
companionship. The glory of God would be to them a consuming fire. They would
welcome destruction, that they might be hidden from the face of Him who died to redeem
them. It is impossible for us, of ourselves, to escape from the pit of sin in which we
are sunken. Our hearts are evil, and we cannot change them. "Who can bring a clean
thing out of an unclean? not one." "The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not
subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." Job 14:4; Romans 8:7. Education,
culture, the exercise of the will, human effort, all have their proper sphere, but here they
are powerless. They may produce an outward correctness of behavior, but they cannot
change the heart; they cannot purify the springs of life. There must be a power working
from within, a new life from above, before men can be changed from sin to holiness. That
power is Christ. His grace alone can quicken the lifeless faculties of the soul, and attract
it to God, to holiness. The Saviour said, "Except a man be born from above," unless he
shall receive a new heart, new desires, purposes, and motives, leading to a new life, "he
cannot see the kingdom of God." John 3:3, margin. The idea that it is necessary only to
develop the good that
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exists in man by nature, is a fatal deception. "The natural man receiveth not the things of
the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because
they are spiritually discerned." "Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again."
1 Corinthians 2:14; John 3:7. Of Christ it is written, "In Him was life; and the life was the
light of men"--the only "name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be
saved." John 1:4; Acts 4:12. It is not enough to perceive the loving-kindness of God,
to see the benevolence, the fatherly tenderness, of His character. It is not enough to
discern the wisdom and justice of His law, to see that it is founded upon the eternal
principle of love. Paul the apostle saw all this when he exclaimed, "I consent unto the law
that it is good." "The law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good." But he
added, in the bitterness of his soul-anguish and despair, "I am carnal, sold under sin."
Romans 7:16, 12, 14. He longed for the purity, the righteousness, to which in himself he
was powerless to attain, and cried out, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me
from this body of death?" Romans 7:24, margin. Such is the cry that has gone up from
burdened hearts in all lands and in all ages. To all, there is but one answer, "Behold the
Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." John 1:29. Many are the
figures by which the Spirit of God has sought to illustrate this truth, and make it plain to
souls that long to be freed from the burden of guilt. When, after his sin in deceiving Esau,
Jacob fled from his father's home, he was weighed down with a sense
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of guilt. Lonely and outcast as he was, separated from all that had made life dear, the one
thought that above all others pressed upon his soul, was the fear that his sin had cut him
off from God, that he was forsaken of Heaven. In sadness he lay down to rest on the bare
earth, around him only the lonely hills, and above, the heavens bright with stars. As he
slept, a strange light broke upon his vision; and lo, from the plain on which he lay, vast
shadowy stairs seemed to lead upward to the very gates of heaven, and upon them angels
of God were passing up and down; while from the glory above, the divine voice was
heard in a message of comfort and hope. Thus was made known to Jacob that which met
the need and longing of his soul--a Saviour. With joy and gratitude he saw revealed a
way by which he, a sinner, could be restored to communion with God. The mystic ladder
of his dream represented Jesus, the only medium of communication between God and
man. This is the same figure to which Christ referred in His conversation with
Nathanael, when He said, "Ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending
and descending upon the Son of man." John 1:51. In the apostasy, man alienated himself
from God; earth was cut off from heaven. Across the gulf that lay between, there could be
no communion. But through Christ, earth is again linked with heaven. With His own
merits, Christ has bridged the gulf which sin had made, so that the ministering angels can
hold communion with man. Christ connects fallen man in his weakness and helplessness
with the Source of infinite power.
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But in vain are men's dreams of progress, in vain all efforts for the uplifting of
humanity, if they neglect the one Source of hope and help for the fallen race. "Every
good gift and every perfect gift" (James 1:17) is from God. There is no true excellence of
character apart from Him. And the only way to God is Christ. He says, "I am the way, the
truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me." John 14:6. The heart of
God yearns over His earthly children with a love stronger than death. In giving up His
Son, He has poured out to us all heaven in one gift. The Saviour's life and death and
intercession, the ministry of angels, the pleading of the Spirit, the Father working above
and through all, the unceasing interest of heavenly beings,--all are enlisted in behalf of
man's redemption. Oh, let us contemplate the amazing sacrifice that has been made for
us! Let us try to appreciate the labor and energy that Heaven is expending to reclaim the
lost, and bring them back to the Father's house. Motives stronger, and agencies more
powerful, could never be brought into operation; the exceeding rewards for right-doing,
the enjoyment of heaven, the society of the angels, the communion and love of God and
His Son, the elevation and extension of all our powers throughout eternal ages--are these
not mighty incentives and encouragements to urge us to give the heart's loving service to
our Creator and Redeemer? And, on the other hand, the judgments of God pronounced
against sin, the inevitable retribution, the
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degradation of our character, and the final destruction, are presented in God's word to
warn us against the service of Satan. Shall we not regard the mercy of God? What
more could He do? Let us place ourselves in right relation to Him who has loved us with
amazing love. Let us avail ourselves of the means provided for us that we may be
transformed into His likeness, and be restored to fellowship with the ministering angels,
to harmony and communion with the Father and the Son.
Chap. 3 - Repentance
How shall a man be just with God? How shall the sinner be made righteous? It is only
through Christ that we can be brought into harmony with God, with holiness; but how are
we to come to Christ? Many are asking the same question as did the multitude on the Day
of Pentecost, when, convicted of sin, they cried out, "What shall we do?" The first word
of Peter's answer was, "Repent." Acts 2:37, 38. At another time, shortly after, he said,
"Repent, . . . and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out." Acts 3:19.
Repentance includes sorrow for sin and a turning away from it. We shall not renounce sin
unless we see its sinfulness; until we turn away from it in heart, there will be no real
change in the life. There are many who fail to understand the true nature of
repentance. Multitudes sorrow that they have sinned and even make an outward
reformation because they fear that their wrongdoing will bring suffering upon
themselves. But this is not repentance in the Bible sense. They lament the suffering rather
than the sin. Such was the grief of Esau when he saw that the birthright was lost to him
forever. Balaam, terrified by the angel standing in his pathway with drawn sword,
acknowledged his guilt lest he should lose his life; but there was no genuine repentance
for sin, no conversion of purpose, no abhorrence of evil. Judas Iscariot, after betraying his
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Lord, exclaimed, "I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood." Matthew
27:4. The confession was forced from his guilty soul by an awful sense of
condemnation and a fearful looking for of judgment. The consequences that were to
result to him filled him with terror, but there was no deep, heartbreaking grief in his soul,
that he had betrayed the spotless Son of God and denied the Holy One of Israel. Pharaoh,
when suffering under the judgments of God, acknowledged his sin in order to escape
further punishment, but returned to his defiance of Heaven as soon as the plagues were
stayed. These all lamented the results of sin, but did not sorrow for the sin itself. But
when the heart yields to the influence of the Spirit of God, the conscience will be
quickened, and the sinner will discern something of the depth and sacredness of God's
holy law, the foundation of His government in heaven and on earth. The "Light, which
lighteth every man that cometh into the world," illumines the secret chambers of the soul,
and the hidden things of darkness are made manifest. John 1:9. Conviction takes hold
upon the mind and heart. The sinner has a sense of the righteousness of Jehovah and feels
the terror of appearing, in his own guilt and uncleanness, before the Searcher of hearts.
He sees the love of God, the beauty of holiness, the joy of purity; he longs to be cleansed
and to be restored to communion with Heaven. The prayer of David after his fall,
illustrates the nature of true sorrow for sin. His repentance was sincere and deep. There
was no effort to palliate
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his guilt; no desire to escape the judgment threatened, inspired his prayer. David saw the
enormity of his transgression; he saw the defilement of his soul; he loathed his sin. It was
not for pardon only that he prayed, but for purity of heart. He longed for the joy of
holiness--to be restored to harmony and communion with God. This was the language of
his soul:
"Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord
imputeth not iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no guile."
Psalm 32:1, 2.
"Have mercy upon me, O God, according to
Thy loving-kindness:
According unto the multitude of Thy tender
mercies blot out my transgressions. . . .
For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my
sin is ever before me. . . .
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean:
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. . . .
Create in me a clean heart, O God;
And renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from Thy presence;
And take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation;
And uphold me with Thy free spirit. . . .
Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, Thou
God of my salvation:
And my tongue shall sing aloud of Thy
righteousness." Psalm 51:1-14. A repentance such as this, is
beyond the reach of our own power to accomplish; it is obtained only from Christ, who
ascended up on high and has given gifts unto men.
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Just here is a point on which many may err, and hence they fail of receiving the help
that Christ desires to give them. They think that they cannot come to Christ unless they
first repent, and that repentance prepares for the forgiveness of their sins. It is true that
repentance does precede the forgiveness of sins; for it is only the broken and contrite
heart that will feel the need of a Saviour. But must the sinner wait till he has repented
before he can come to Jesus? Is repentance to be made an obstacle between the sinner and
the Saviour? The Bible does not teach that the sinner must repent before he can heed
the invitation of Christ, "Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy-laden, and I will
give you rest." Matthew 11:28. It is the virtue that goes forth from Christ, that leads to
genuine repentance. Peter made the matter clear in his statement to the Israelites when he
said, "Him hath God exalted with His right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give
repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins." Acts 5:31. We can no more repent without
the Spirit of Christ to awaken the conscience than we can be pardoned without Christ.
Christ is the source of every right impulse. He is the only one that can implant in the
heart enmity against sin. Every desire for truth and purity, every conviction of our own
sinfulness, is an evidence that His Spirit is moving upon our hearts. Jesus has said, "I,
if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me." John 12:32. Christ must be
revealed to the sinner as the Saviour dying for the sins of the world; and as we behold the
Lamb of
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God upon the cross of Calvary, the mystery of redemption begins to unfold to our minds
and the goodness of God leads us to repentance. In dying for sinners, Christ manifested a
love that is incomprehensible; and as the sinner beholds this love, it softens the heart,
impresses the mind, and inspires contrition in the soul. It is true that men sometimes
become ashamed of their sinful ways, and give up some of their evil habits, before they
are conscious that they are being drawn to Christ. But whenever they make an effort to
reform, from a sincere desire to do right, it is the power of Christ that is drawing them.
An influence of which they are unconscious works upon the soul, and the conscience is
quickened, and the outward life is amended. And as Christ draws them to look upon His
cross, to behold Him whom their sins have pierced, the commandment comes home to the
conscience. The wickedness of their life, the deep-seated sin of the soul, is revealed to
them. They begin to comprehend something of the righteousness of Christ, and exclaim,
"What is sin, that it should require such a sacrifice for the redemption of its victim? Was
all this love, all this suffering, all this humiliation, demanded, that we might not perish,
but have everlasting life?" The sinner may resist this love, may refuse to be drawn to
Christ; but if he does not resist he will be drawn to Jesus; a knowledge of the plan of
salvation will lead him to the foot of the cross in repentance for his sins, which have
caused the sufferings of God's dear Son.
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The same divine mind that is working upon the things of nature is speaking to the
hearts of men and creating an inexpressible craving for something they have not. The
things of the world cannot satisfy their longing. The Spirit of God is pleading with them
to seek for those things that alone can give peace and rest--the grace of Christ, the joy of
holiness. Through influences seen and unseen, our Saviour is constantly at work to attract
the minds of men from the unsatisfying pleasures of sin to the infinite blessings that may
be theirs in Him. To all these souls, who are vainly seeking to drink from the broken
cisterns of this world, the divine message is addressed, "Let him that is athirst come. And
whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." Revelation 22:17. You who in
heart long for something better than this world can give, recognize this longing as the
voice of God to your soul. Ask Him to give you repentance, to reveal Christ to you in His
infinite love, in His perfect purity. In the Saviour's life the principles of God's law--love
to God and man--were perfectly exemplified. Benevolence, unselfish love, was the life of
His soul. It is as we behold Him, as the light from our Saviour falls upon us, that we see
the sinfulness of our own hearts. We may have flattered ourselves, as did Nicodemus,
that our life has been upright, that our moral character is correct, and think that we need
not humble the heart before God, like the common sinner: but when the light from Christ
shines into our souls, we shall see how impure we are; we shall discern the selfishness of
motive, the enmity against God, that
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has defiled every act of life. Then we shall know that our own righteousness is indeed as
filthy rags, and that the blood of Christ alone can cleanse us from the defilement of sin,
and renew our hearts in His own likeness. One ray of the glory of God, one gleam of
the purity of Christ, penetrating the soul, makes every spot of defilement painfully
distinct, and lays bare the deformity and defects of the human character. It makes
apparent the unhallowed desires, the infidelity of the heart, the impurity of the lips. The
sinner's acts of disloyalty in making void the law of God, are exposed to his sight, and his
spirit is stricken and afflicted under the searching influence of the Spirit of God. He
loathes himself as he views the pure, spotless character of Christ. When the prophet
Daniel beheld the glory surrounding the heavenly messenger that was sent unto him, he
was overwhelmed with a sense of his own weakness and imperfection. Describing the
effect of the wonderful scene, he says, "There remained no strength in me: for my
comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength." Daniel 10:8.
The soul thus touched will hate its selfishness, abhor its self-love, and will seek, through
Christ's righteousness, for the purity of heart that is in harmony with the law of God and
the character of Christ. Paul says that as "touching the righteousness which is in the
law"--as far as outward acts were concerned --he was "blameless" (Philippians 3:6); but
when the spiritual character of the law was discerned, he saw himself a sinner. Judged by
the letter of the law as
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men apply it to the outward life, he had abstained from sin; but when he looked into the
depths of its holy precepts, and saw himself as God saw him, he bowed in humiliation
and confessed his guilt. He says, "I was alive without the law once: but when the
commandment came, sin revived, and I died." Romans 7:9. When he saw the spiritual
nature of the law, sin appeared in its true hideousness, and his self-esteem was gone.
God does not regard all sins as of equal magnitude; there are degrees of guilt in His
estimation, as well as in that of man; but however trifling this or that wrong act may seem
in the eyes of men, no sin is small in the sight of God. Man's judgment is partial,
imperfect; but God estimates all things as they really are. The drunkard is despised and is
told that his sin will exclude him from heaven; while pride, selfishness, and covetousness
too often go unrebuked. But these are sins that are especially offensive to God; for they
are contrary to the benevolence of His character, to that unselfish love which is the very
atmosphere of the unfallen universe. He who falls into some of the grosser sins may feel
a sense of his shame and poverty and his need of the grace of Christ; but pride feels no
need, and so it closes the heart against Christ and the infinite blessings He came to give.
The poor publican who prayed, "God be merciful to me a sinner" (Luke 18:13), regarded
himself as a very wicked man, and others looked upon him in the same light; but he felt
his need, and with his burden of
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guilt and shame he came before God, asking for His mercy. His heart was open for the
Spirit of God to do its gracious work and set him free from the power of sin. The
Pharisee's boastful, self-righteous prayer showed that his heart was closed against the
influence of the Holy Spirit. Because of his distance from God, he had no sense of his
own defilement, in contrast with the perfection of the divine holiness. He felt no need,
and he received nothing. If you see your sinfulness, do not wait to make yourself
better. How many there are who think they are not good enough to come to Christ. Do
you expect to become better through your own efforts? "Can the Ethiopian change his
skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil."
Jeremiah 13:23. There is help for us only in God. We must not wait for stronger
persuasions, for better opportunities, or for holier tempers. We can do nothing of
ourselves. We must come to Christ just as we are. But let none deceive themselves
with the thought that God, in His great love and mercy, will yet save even the rejecters of
His grace. The exceeding sinfulness of sin can be estimated only in the light of the cross.
When men urge that God is too good to cast off the sinner, let them look to Calvary. It
was because there was no other way in which man could be saved, because without this
sacrifice it was impossible for the human race to escape from the defiling power of sin,
and be restored to communion with holy beings,--impossible for them again to become
partakers
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of spiritual life,--it was because of this that Christ took upon Himself the guilt of the
disobedient and suffered in the sinner's stead. The love and suffering and death of the Son
of God all testify to the terrible enormity of sin and declare that there is no escape from
its power, no hope of the higher life, but through the submission of the soul to Christ.
The impenitent sometimes excuse themselves by saying of professed Christians, "I am as
good as they are. They are no more self-denying, sober, or circumspect in their conduct
than I am. They love pleasure and self-indulgence as well as I do." Thus they make the
faults of others an excuse for their own neglect of duty. But the sins and defects of others
do not excuse anyone, for the Lord has not given us an erring human pattern. The spotless
Son of God has been given as our example, and those who complain of the wrong course
of professed Christians are the ones who should show better lives and nobler examples. If
they have so high a conception of what a Christian should be, is not their own sin so
much the greater? They know what is right, and yet refuse to do it. Beware of
procrastination. Do not put off the work of forsaking your sins and seeking purity of heart
through Jesus. Here is where thousands upon thousands have erred to their eternal loss. I
will not here dwell upon the shortness and uncertainty of life; but there is a terrible
danger--a danger not sufficiently understood--in delaying to yield to the pleading voice of
God's Holy Spirit, in choosing to live in sin; for such this delay really is. Sin, however
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small it may be esteemed, can be indulged in only at the peril of infinite loss. What we do
not overcome, will overcome us and work out our destruction. Adam and Eve
persuaded themselves that in so small a matter as eating of the forbidden fruit there could
not result such terrible consequences as God had declared. But this small matter was the
transgression of God's immutable and holy law, and it separated man from God and
opened the floodgates of death and untold woe upon our world. Age after age there has
gone up from our earth a continual cry of mourning, and the whole creation groaneth and
travaileth together in pain as a consequence of man's disobedience. Heaven itself has felt
the effects of his rebellion against God. Calvary stands as a memorial of the amazing
sacrifice required to atone for the transgression of the divine law. Let us not regard sin as
a trivial thing. Every act of transgression, every neglect or rejection of the grace of
Christ, is reacting upon yourself; it is hardening the heart, depraving the will, benumbing
the understanding, and not only making you less inclined to yield, but less capable of
yielding, to the tender pleading of God's Holy Spirit. Many are quieting a troubled
conscience with the thought that they can change a course of evil when they choose; that
they can trifle with the invitations of mercy, and yet be again and again impressed. They
think that after doing despite to the Spirit of grace, after casting their influence on the
side of Satan, in a moment of terrible extremity they can change their course. But this is
not so easily done. The experience,
34
the education, of a lifetime, has so thoroughly molded the character that few then desire
to receive the image of Jesus. Even one wrong trait of character, one sinful desire,
persistently cherished, will eventually neutralize all the power of the gospel. Every sinful
indulgence strengthens the soul's aversion to God. The man who manifests an infidel
hardihood, or a stolid indifference to divine truth, is but reaping the harvest of that which
he has himself sown. In all the Bible there is not a more fearful warning against trifling
with evil than the words of the wise man that the sinner "shall be holden with the cords of
his sins." Proverbs 5:22. Christ is ready to set us free from sin, but He does not force
the will; and if by persistent transgression the will itself is wholly bent on evil, and we do
not desire to be set free, if we will not accept His grace, what more can He do? We have
destroyed ourselves by our determined rejection of His love. "Behold, now is the
accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." "Today if ye will hear His voice,
harden not your hearts." 2 Corinthians 6:2; Hebrews 3:7, 8. "Man looketh on the
outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart"--the human heart, with its
conflicting emotions of joy and sorrow; the wandering, wayward heart, which is the
abode of so much impurity and deceit. 1 Samuel 16:7. He knows its motives, its very
intents and purposes. Go to Him with your soul all stained as it is. Like the psalmist,
throw its chambers open to the all-seeing eye, exclaiming, "Search me, O God, and know
my heart: try me, and know
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my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way
everlasting." Psalm 139: 23, 24. Many accept an intellectual religion, a form of
godliness, when the heart is not cleansed. Let it be your prayer, "Create in me a clean
heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." Psalm 51:10. Deal truly with your own
soul. Be as earnest, as persistent, as you would be if your mortal life were at stake. This is
a matter to be settled between God and your own soul, settled for eternity. A supposed
hope, and nothing more, will prove your ruin. Study God's word prayerfully. That
word presents before you, in the law of God and the life of Christ, the great principles of
holiness, without which "no man shall see the Lord." Hebrews 12:14. It convinces of sin;
it plainly reveals the way of salvation. Give heed to it as the voice of God speaking to
your soul. As you see the enormity of sin, as you see yourself as you really are, do not
give up to despair. It was sinners that Christ came to save. We have not to reconcile God
to us, but--O wondrous love!--God in Christ is "reconciling the world unto Himself." 2
Corinthians 5:19. He is wooing by His tender love the hearts of His erring children. No
earthly parent could be as patient with the faults and mistakes of his children, as is God
with those He seeks to save. No one could plead more tenderly with the transgressor. No
human lips ever poured out more tender entreaties to the wanderer than does He. All His
promises, His warnings, are but the breathing of unutterable love. When Satan comes
to tell you that you are a
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great sinner, look up to your Redeemer and talk of His merits. That which will help you
is to look to His light. Acknowledge your sin, but tell the enemy that "Christ Jesus came
into the world to save sinners" and that you may be saved by His matchless love. 1
Timothy 1:15. Jesus asked Simon a question in regard to two debtors. One owed his lord
a small sum, and the other owed him a very large sum; but he forgave them both, and
Christ asked Simon which debtor would love his lord most. Simon answered, "He to
whom he forgave most." Luke 7:43. We have been great sinners, but Christ died that we
might be forgiven. The merits of His sacrifice are sufficient to present to the Father in our
behalf. Those to whom He has forgiven most will love Him most, and will stand nearest
to His throne to praise Him for His great love and infinite sacrifice. It is when we most
fully comprehend the love of God that we best realize the sinfulness of sin. When we see
the length of the chain that was let down for us, when we understand something of the
infinite sacrifice that Christ has made in our behalf, the heart is melted with tenderness
and contrition.
Chap. 4 - Confession
"He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them
shall have mercy." Proverbs 28:13. The conditions of obtaining mercy of God are
simple and just and reasonable. The Lord does not require us to do some grievous thing
in order that we may have the forgiveness of sin. We need not make long and wearisome
pilgrimages, or perform painful penances, to commend our souls to the God of heaven or
to expiate our transgression; but he that confesseth and forsaketh his sin shall have
mercy. The apostle says, "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for
another, that ye may be healed." James 5:16. Confess your sins to God, who only can
forgive them, and your faults to one another. If you have given offense to your friend or
neighbor, you are to acknowledge your wrong, and it is his duty freely to forgive you.
Then you are to seek the forgiveness of God, because the brother you have wounded is
the property of God, and in injuring him you sinned against his Creator and Redeemer.
The case is brought before the only true Mediator, our great High Priest, who "was in all
points tempted like as we are, yet without sin," and who is "touched with the feeling of
our infirmities," and is able to cleanse from every stain of iniquity. Hebrews 4:15.
Those who have not humbled their souls before God in acknowledging their guilt, have
not yet
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fulfilled the first condition of acceptance. If we have not experienced that repentance
which is not to be repented of, and have not with true humiliation of soul and brokenness
of spirit confessed our sins, abhorring our iniquity, we have never truly sought for the
forgiveness of sin; and if we have never sought, we have never found the peace of God.
The only reason why we do not have remission of sins that are past is that we are not
willing to humble our hearts and comply with the conditions of the word of truth. Explicit
instruction is given concerning this matter. Confession of sin, whether public or private,
should be heartfelt and freely expressed. It is not to be urged from the sinner. It is not to
be made in a flippant and careless way, or forced from those who have no realizing sense
of the abhorrent character of sin. The confession that is the outpouring of the inmost soul
finds its way to the God of infinite pity. The psalmist says, "The Lord is nigh unto them
that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit." Psalm 34:18.
True confession is always of a specific character, and acknowledges particular sins. They
may be of such a nature as to be brought before God only; they may be wrongs that
should be confessed to individuals who have suffered injury through them; or they may
be of a public character, and should then be as publicly confessed. But all confession
should be definite and to the point, acknowledging the very sins of which you are guilty.
In the days of Samuel the Israelites wandered from God. They were suffering the
consequences of
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sin; for they had lost their faith in God, lost their discernment of His power and wisdom
to rule the nation, lost their confidence in His ability to defend and vindicate His cause.
They turned from the great Ruler of the universe and desired to be governed as were the
nations around them. Before they found peace they made this definite confession: "We
have added unto all our sins this evil, to ask us a king." 1 Samuel 12:19. The very sin of
which they were convicted had to be confessed. Their ingratitude oppressed their souls
and severed them from God. Confession will not be acceptable to God without sincere
repentance and reformation. There must be decided changes in the life; everything
offensive to God must be put away. This will be the result of genuine sorrow for sin. The
work that we have to do on our part is plainly set before us: "Wash you, make you clean;
put away the evil of your doings from before Mine eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do
well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow."
Isaiah 1:16, 17. "If the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in
the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die."
Ezekiel 33:15. Paul says, speaking of the work of repentance: "Ye sorrowed after a godly
sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what
indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what
revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter." 2
Corinthians 7:11.
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When sin has deadened the moral perceptions, the wrongdoer does not discern the
defects of his character nor realize the enormity of the evil he has committed; and unless
he yields to the convicting power of the Holy Spirit he remains in partial blindness to his
sin. His confessions are not sincere and in earnest. To every acknowledgment of his guilt
he adds an apology in excuse of his course, declaring that if it had not been for certain
circumstances he would not have done this or that for which he is reproved. After
Adam and Eve had eaten of the forbidden fruit, they were filled with a sense of shame
and terror. At first their only thought was how to excuse their sin and escape the dreaded
sentence of death. When the Lord inquired concerning their sin, Adam replied, laying the
guilt partly upon God and partly upon his companion: "The woman whom Thou gavest to
be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat." The woman put the blame upon the
serpent, saying, "The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat." Genesis 3: 12, 13. Why did
You make the serpent? Why did You suffer him to come into Eden? These were the
questions implied in her excuse for her sin, thus charging God with the responsibility of
their fall. The spirit of self-justification originated in the father of lies and has been
exhibited by all the sons and daughters of Adam. Confessions of this order are not
inspired by the divine Spirit and will not be acceptable to God. True repentance will lead
a man to bear his guilt himself and acknowledge it without deception or hypocrisy. Like
the poor publican, not lifting up so much as his eyes unto heaven, he will cry, "God be
41
merciful to me a sinner," and those who do acknowledge their guilt will be justified, for
Jesus will plead His blood in behalf of the repentant soul. The examples in God's word
of genuine repentance and humiliation reveal a spirit of confession in which there is no
excuse for sin or attempt at self-justification. Paul did not seek to shield himself; he
paints his sin in its darkest hue, not attempting to lessen his guilt. He says, "Many of the
saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when
they were put to death, I gave my voice against them. And I punished them oft in every
synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them,
I persecuted them even unto strange cities." Acts 26: 10, 11. He does not hesitate to
declare that "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief." 1
Timothy 1:15. The humble and broken heart, subdued by genuine repentance, will
appreciate something of the love of God and the cost of Calvary; and as a son confesses
to a loving father, so will the truly penitent bring all his sins before God. And it is
written, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9.
Chap. 5 - Consecration
God's promise is, "Ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with
all your heart." Jeremiah 29:13. The whole heart must be yielded to God, or the
change can never be wrought in us by which we are to be restored to His likeness. By
nature we are alienated from God. The Holy Spirit describes our condition in such words
as these: "Dead in trespasses and sins;" "the whole head is sick, and the whole heart
faint;" "no soundness in it." We are held fast in the snare of Satan, "taken captive by him
at his will." Ephesians 2:1; Isaiah 1:5, 6; 2 Timothy 2:26. God desires to heal us, to set us
free. But since this requires an entire transformation, a renewing of our whole nature, we
must yield ourselves wholly to Him. The warfare against self is the greatest battle that
was ever fought. The yielding of self, surrendering all to the will of God, requires a
struggle; but the soul must submit to God before it can be renewed in holiness. The
government of God is not, as Satan would make it appear, founded upon a blind
submission, an unreasoning control. It appeals to the intellect and the conscience. "Come
now, and let us reason together" is the Creator's invitation to the beings He has made.
Isaiah 1:18. God does not force the will of His creatures. He cannot accept an homage
that is not willingly and intelligently given. A mere forced submission would prevent all
real development of mind
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or character; it would make man a mere automaton. Such is not the purpose of the
Creator. He desires that man, the crowning work of His creative power, shall reach the
highest possible development. He sets before us the height of blessing to which He
desires to bring us through His grace. He invites us to give ourselves to Him, that He may
work His will in us. It remains for us to choose whether we will be set free from the
bondage of sin, to share the glorious liberty of the sons of God. In giving ourselves to
God, we must necessarily give up all that would separate us from Him. Hence the
Saviour says, "Whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be
My disciple." Luke 14:33. Whatever shall draw away the heart from God must be given
up. Mammon is the idol of many. The love of money, the desire for wealth, is the golden
chain that binds them to Satan. Reputation and worldly honor are worshiped by another
class. The life of selfish ease and freedom from responsibility is the idol of others. But
these slavish bands must be broken. We cannot be half the Lord's and half the world's.
We are not God's children unless we are such entirely. There are those who profess to
serve God, while they rely upon their own efforts to obey His law, to form a right
character, and secure salvation. Their hearts are not moved by any deep sense of the love
of Christ, but they seek to perform the duties of the Christian life as that which God
requires of them in order to gain heaven. Such religion is worth nothing. When Christ
dwells in the heart, the soul will
45
be so filled with His love, with the joy of communion with Him, that it will cleave to
Him; and in the contemplation of Him, self will be forgotten. Love to Christ will be the
spring of action. Those who feel the constraining love of God, do not ask how little may
be given to meet the requirements of God; they do not ask for the lowest standard, but
aim at perfect conformity to the will of their Redeemer. With earnest desire they yield all
and manifest an interest proportionate to the value of the object which they seek. A
profession of Christ without this deep love is mere talk, dry formality, and heavy
drudgery. Do you feel that it is too great a sacrifice to yield all to Christ? Ask yourself
the question, "What has Christ given for me?" The Son of God gave all--life and love and
suffering--for our redemption. And can it be that we, the unworthy objects of so great
love, will withhold our hearts from Him? Every moment of our lives we have been
partakers of the blessings of His grace, and for this very reason we cannot fully realize
the depths of ignorance and misery from which we have been saved. Can we look upon
Him whom our sins have pierced, and yet be willing to do despite to all His love and
sacrifice? In view of the infinite humiliation of the Lord of glory, shall we murmur
because we can enter into life only through conflict and self-abasement? The inquiry
of many a proud heart is, "Why need I go in penitence and humiliation before I can have
the assurance of my acceptance with God?" I point you to Christ. He was sinless, and,
more than this, He was the Prince of heaven; but in man's
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behalf He became sin for the race. "He was numbered with the transgressors; and He bare
the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." Isaiah 53:12. But what
do we give up, when we give all? A sin-polluted heart, for Jesus to purify, to cleanse by
His own blood, and to save by His matchless love. And yet men think it hard to give up
all! I am ashamed to hear it spoken of, ashamed to write it. God does not require us to
give up anything that it is for our best interest to retain. In all that He does, He has the
well-being of His children in view. Would that all who have not chosen Christ might
realize that He has something vastly better to offer them than they are seeking for
themselves. Man is doing the greatest injury and injustice to his own soul when he thinks
and acts contrary to the will of God. No real joy can be found in the path forbidden by
Him who knows what is best and who plans for the good of His creatures. The path of
transgression is the path of misery and destruction. It is a mistake to entertain the
thought that God is pleased to see His children suffer. All heaven is interested in the
happiness of man. Our heavenly Father does not close the avenues of joy to any of His
creatures. The divine requirements call upon us to shun those indulgences that would
bring suffering and disappointment, that would close to us the door of happiness and
heaven. The world's Redeemer accepts men as they are, with all their wants,
imperfections, and weaknesses; and He will not only cleanse from sin and grant
redemption through His blood, but
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will satisfy the heart-longing of all who consent to wear His yoke, to bear His burden. It
is His purpose to impart peace and rest to all who come to Him for the bread of life. He
requires us to perform only those duties that will lead our steps to heights of bliss to
which the disobedient can never attain. The true, joyous life of the soul is to have Christ
formed within, the hope of glory. Many are inquiring, "How am I to make the
surrender of myself to God?" You desire to give yourself to Him, but you are weak in
moral power, in slavery to doubt, and controlled by the habits of your life of sin. Your
promises and resolutions are like ropes of sand. You cannot control your thoughts, your
impulses, your affections. The knowledge of your broken promises and forfeited pledges
weakens your confidence in your own sincerity, and causes you to feel that God cannot
accept you; but you need not despair. What you need to understand is the true force of the
will. This is the governing power in the nature of man, the power of decision, or of
choice. Everything depends on the right action of the will. The power of choice God has
given to men; it is theirs to exercise. You cannot change your heart, you cannot of
yourself give to God its affections; but you can choose to serve Him. You can give Him
your will; He will then work in you to will and to do according to His good pleasure.
Thus your whole nature will be brought under the control of the Spirit of Christ; your
affections will be centered upon Him, your thoughts will be in harmony with Him.
Desires for goodness and holiness are right as
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far as they go; but if you stop here, they will avail nothing. Many will be lost while
hoping and desiring to be Christians. They do not come to the point of yielding the will to
God. They do not now choose to be Christians. Through the right exercise of the will,
an entire change may be made in your life. By yielding up your will to Christ, you ally
yourself with the power that is above all principalities and powers. You will have
strength from above to hold you steadfast, and thus through constant surrender to God
you will be enabled to live the new life, even the life of faith.
Chap. 6 - Faith and Acceptance
As your conscience has been quickened by the Holy Spirit, you have seen something
of the evil of sin, of its power, its guilt, its woe; and you look upon it with abhorrence.
You feel that sin has separated you from God, that you are in bondage to the power of
evil. The more you struggle to escape, the more you realize your helplessness. Your
motives are impure; your heart is unclean. You see that your life has been filled with
selfishness and sin. You long to be forgiven, to be cleansed, to be set free. Harmony with
God, likeness to Him--what can you do to obtain it? It is peace that you need--
Heaven's forgiveness and peace and love in the soul. Money cannot buy it, intellect
cannot procure it, wisdom cannot attain to it; you can never hope, by your own efforts, to
secure it. But God offers it to you as a gift, "without money and without price." Isaiah
55:1. It is yours if you will but reach out your hand and grasp it. The Lord says, "Though
your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson,
they shall be as wool." Isaiah 1:18. "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit
will I put within you." Ezekiel 36:26. You have confessed your sins, and in heart put
them away. You have resolved to give yourself to God. Now go to Him, and ask that He
will wash away your sins and give you a new heart. Then
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believe that He does this because He has promised. This is the lesson which Jesus taught
while He was on earth, that the gift which God promises us, we must believe we do
receive, and it is ours. Jesus healed the people of their diseases when they had faith in His
power; He helped them in the things which they could see, thus inspiring them with
confidence in Him concerning things which they could not see--leading them to believe
in His power to forgive sins. This He plainly stated in the healing of the man sick with
palsy: "That ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then
saith He to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house."
Matthew 9:6. So also John the evangelist says, speaking of the miracles of Christ, "These
are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that
believing ye might have life through His name." John 20:31. From the simple Bible
account of how Jesus healed the sick, we may learn something about how to believe in
Him for the forgiveness of sins. Let us turn to the story of the paralytic at Bethesda. The
poor sufferer was helpless; he had not used his limbs for thirty-eight years. Yet Jesus
bade him, "Rise, take up thy bed, and walk." The sick man might have said, "Lord, if
Thou wilt make me whole, I will obey Thy word." But, no, he believed Christ's word,
believed that he was made whole, and he made the effort at once; he willed to walk, and
he did walk. He acted on the word of Christ, and God gave the power. He was made
whole.
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In like manner you are a sinner. You cannot atone for your past sins; you cannot
change your heart and make yourself holy. But God promises to do all this for you
through Christ. You believe that promise. You confess your sins and give yourself to
God. You will to serve Him. Just as surely as you do this, God will fulfill His word to
you. If you believe the promise,--believe that you are forgiven and cleansed,--God
supplies the fact; you are made whole, just as Christ gave the paralytic power to walk
when the man believed that he was healed. It is so if you believe it. Do not wait to feel
that you are made whole, but say, "I believe it; it is so, not because I feel it, but because
God has promised." Jesus says, "What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe
that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." Mark 11:24. There is a condition to this
promise--that we pray according to the will of God. But it is the will of God to cleanse us
from sin, to make us His children, and to enable us to live a holy life. So we may ask for
these blessings, and believe that we receive them, and thank God that we have received
them. It is our privilege to go to Jesus and be cleansed, and to stand before the law
without shame or remorse. "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are
in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Romans 8:1.
Henceforth you are not your own; you are bought with a price. "Ye were not redeemed
with corruptible things, as silver and gold;... but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a
lamb without blemish and
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without spot." 1 Peter 1:18, 19. Through this simple act of believing God, the Holy Spirit
has begotten a new life in your heart. You are as a child born into the family of God, and
He loves you as He loves His Son. Now that you have given yourself to Jesus, do not
draw back, do not take yourself away from Him, but day by day say, "I am Christ's; I
have given myself to Him;" and ask Him to give you His Spirit and keep you by His
grace. As it is by giving yourself to God, and believing Him, that you become His child,
so you are to live in Him. The apostle says, "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus
the Lord, so walk ye in Him." Colossians 2:6. Some seem to feel that they must be on
probation, and must prove to the Lord that they are reformed, before they can claim His
blessing. But they may claim the blessing of God even now. They must have His grace,
the Spirit of Christ, to help their infirmities, or they cannot resist evil. Jesus loves to have
us come to Him just as we are, sinful, helpless, dependent. We may come with all our
weakness, our folly, our sinfulness, and fall at His feet in penitence. It is His glory to
encircle us in the arms of His love and to bind up our wounds, to cleanse us from all
impurity. Here is where thousands fail; they do not believe that Jesus pardons them
personally, individually. They do not take God at His word. It is the privilege of all who
comply with the conditions to know for themselves that pardon is freely extended for
every sin. Put away the suspicion that God's promises are not meant for you. They are for
every
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repentant transgressor. Strength and grace have been provided through Christ to be
brought by ministering angels to every believing soul. None are so sinful that they cannot
find strength, purity, and righteousness in Jesus, who died for them. He is waiting to strip
them of their garments stained and polluted with sin, and to put upon them the white
robes of righteousness; He bids them live and not die. God does not deal with us as
finite men deal with one another. His thoughts are thoughts of mercy, love, and tenderest
compassion. He says, "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his
thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our
God, for He will abundantly pardon." "I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy
transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins." Isaiah 55:7; 44:22. "I have no pleasure in the
death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye."
Ezekiel 18:32. Satan is ready to steal away the blessed assurances of God. He desires to
take every glimmer of hope and every ray of light from the soul; but you must not permit
him to do this. Do not give ear to the tempter, but say, "Jesus has died that I might live.
He loves me, and wills not that I should perish. I have a compassionate heavenly Father;
and although I have abused His love, though the blessings He has given me have been
squandered, I will arise, and go to my Father, and say, 'I have sinned against heaven, and
before Thee, and am no more worthy to be called Thy son: make me as one of Thy hired
servants.'" The parable tells you how
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the wanderer will be received: "When he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and
had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him." Luke 15:18-20. But
even this parable, tender and touching as it is, comes short of expressing the infinite
compassion of the heavenly Father. The Lord declares by His prophet, "I have loved thee
with an everlasting love: therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee." Jeremiah
31:3. While the sinner is yet far from the Father's house, wasting his substance in a
strange country, the Father's heart is yearning over him; and every longing awakened in
the soul to return to God is but the tender pleading of His Spirit, wooing, entreating,
drawing the wanderer to his Father's heart of love. With the rich promises of the Bible
before you, can you give place to doubt? Can you believe that when the poor sinner longs
to return, longs to forsake his sins, the Lord sternly withholds him from coming to His
feet in repentance? Away with such thoughts! Nothing can hurt your own soul more than
to entertain such a conception of our heavenly Father. He hates sin, but He loves the
sinner, and He gave Himself in the person of Christ, that all who would might be saved
and have eternal blessedness in the kingdom of glory. What stronger or more tender
language could have been employed than He has chosen in which to express His love
toward us? He declares, "Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have
compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee."
Isaiah 49:15. Look up, you that are doubting and trembling;
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for Jesus lives to make intercession for us. Thank God for the gift of His dear Son and
pray that He may not have died for you in vain. The Spirit invites you today. Come with
your whole heart to Jesus, and you may claim His blessing. As you read the promises,
remember they are the expression of unutterable love and pity. The great heart of Infinite
Love is drawn toward the sinner with boundless compassion. "We have redemption
through His blood, the forgiveness of sins." Ephesians 1:7. Yes, only believe that God is
your helper. He wants to restore His moral image in man. As you draw near to Him with
confession and repentance, He will draw near to you with mercy and forgiveness.
Chap. 7 - The Test of Discipleship
"If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all
things are become new." 2 Corinthians 5:17. A person may not be able to tell the exact
time or place, or trace all the chain of circumstances in the process of conversion; but this
does not prove him to be unconverted. Christ said to Nicodemus, "The wind bloweth
where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh,
and whither it goeth: so is everyone that is born of the Spirit." John 3:8. Like the wind,
which is invisible, yet the effects of which are plainly seen and felt, is the Spirit of God in
its work upon the human heart. That regenerating power, which no human eye can see,
begets a new life in the soul; it creates a new being in the image of God. While the work
of the Spirit is silent and imperceptible, its effects are manifest. If the heart has been
renewed by the Spirit of God, the life will bear witness to the fact. While we cannot do
anything to change our hearts or to bring ourselves into harmony with God; while we
must not trust at all to ourselves or our good works, our lives will reveal whether the
grace of God is dwelling within us. A change will be seen in the character, the habits, the
pursuits. The contrast will be clear and decided between what they have been and what
they are. The character is revealed, not
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by occasional good deeds and occasional misdeeds, but by the tendency of the habitual
words and acts. It is true that there may be an outward correctness of deportment
without the renewing power of Christ. The love of influence and the desire for the esteem
of others may produce a well-ordered life. Self-respect may lead us to avoid the
appearance of evil. A selfish heart may perform generous actions. By what means, then,
shall we determine whose side we are on? Who has the heart? With whom are our
thoughts? Of whom do we love to converse? Who has our warmest affections and our
best energies? If we are Christ's, our thoughts are with Him, and our sweetest thoughts
are of Him. All we have and are is consecrated to Him. We long to bear His image,
breathe His spirit, do His will, and please Him in all things. Those who become new
creatures in Christ Jesus will bring forth the fruits of the Spirit, "love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance." Galatians 5:22, 23. They
will no longer fashion themselves according to the former lusts, but by the faith of the
Son of God they will follow in His steps, reflect His character, and purify themselves
even as He is pure. The things they once hated they now love, and the things they once
loved they hate. The proud and self-assertive become meek and lowly in heart. The vain
and supercilious become serious and unobtrusive. The drunken become sober, and the
profligate pure. The vain customs and fashions of the world are laid aside. Christians will
seek not the "outward adorning," but "the hidden man of
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the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit."
1 Peter 3:3, 4. There is no evidence of genuine repentance unless it works reformation.
If he restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, confess his sins, and love God and
his fellow men, the sinner may be sure that he has passed from death unto life. When,
as erring, sinful beings, we come to Christ and become partakers of His pardoning grace,
love springs up in the heart. Every burden is light, for the yoke that Christ imposes is
easy. Duty becomes a delight, and sacrifice a pleasure. The path that before seemed
shrouded in darkness, becomes bright with beams from the Sun of Righteousness. The
loveliness of the character of Christ will be seen in His followers. It was His delight to do
the will of God. Love to God, zeal for His glory, was the controlling power in our
Saviour's life. Love beautified and ennobled all His actions. Love is of God. The
unconsecrated heart cannot originate or produce it. It is found only in the heart where
Jesus reigns. "We love, because He first loved us." 1 John 4:19, R.V. In the heart
renewed by divine grace, love is the principle of action. It modifies the character, governs
the impulses, controls the passions, subdues enmity, and ennobles the affections. This
love, cherished in the soul, sweetens the life and sheds a refining influence on all around.
There are two errors against which the children of God--particularly those who have just
come to trust in His grace--especially need to guard. The first, already dwelt upon, is that
of looking to their
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own works, trusting to anything they can do, to bring themselves into harmony with God.
He who is trying to become holy by his own works in keeping the law, is attempting an
impossibility. All that man can do without Christ is polluted with selfishness and sin. It is
the grace of Christ alone, through faith, that can make us holy. The opposite and no
less dangerous error is that belief in Christ releases men from keeping the law of God;
that since by faith alone we become partakers of the grace of Christ, our works have
nothing to do with our redemption. But notice here that obedience is not a mere
outward compliance, but the service of love. The law of God is an expression of His very
nature; it is an embodiment of the great principle of love, and hence is the foundation of
His government in heaven and earth. If our hearts are renewed in the likeness of God, if
the divine love is implanted in the soul, will not the law of God be carried out in the life?
When the principle of love is implanted in the heart, when man is renewed after the
image of Him that created him, the new-covenant promise is fulfilled, "I will put My laws
into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them." Hebrews 10:16. And if the law is
written in the heart, will it not shape the life? Obedience--the service and allegiance of
love--is the true sign of discipleship. Thus the Scripture says, "This is the love of God,
that we keep His commandments." "He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His
commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." 1 John 5:3; 2:4. Instead of releasing
man from obedience, it is faith,
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and faith only, that makes us partakers of the grace of Christ, which enables us to render
obedience. We do not earn salvation by our obedience; for salvation is the free gift of
God, to be received by faith. But obedience is the fruit of faith. "Ye know that He was
manifested to take away our sins; and in Him is no sin. Whosoever abideth in Him
sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen Him, neither known Him." 1 John 3:5, 6.
Here is the true test. If we abide in Christ, if the love of God dwells in us, our feelings,
our thoughts, our purposes, our actions, will be in harmony with the will of God as
expressed in the precepts of His holy law. "Little children, let no man deceive you: he
that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous." 1 John 3:7. Righteousness
is defined by the standard of God's holy law, as expressed in the ten precepts given on
Sinai. That so-called faith in Christ which professes to release men from the obligation
of obedience to God, is not faith, but presumption. "By grace are ye saved through faith."
But "faith, if it hath not works, is dead." Ephesians 2:8; James 2:17. Jesus said of Himself
before He came to earth, "I delight to do Thy will, O My God: yea, Thy law is within My
heart." Psalm 40:8. And just before He ascended again to heaven He declared, "I have
kept My Father's commandments, and abide in His love." John 15:10. The Scripture says,
"Hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. . . . He that
saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk even as He walked." 1 John 2:3-6.
"Because Christ also
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suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps." 1 Peter 2:21.
The condition of eternal life is now just what it always has been,--just what it was in
Paradise before the fall of our first parents,--perfect obedience to the law of God, perfect
righteousness. If eternal life were granted on any condition short of this, then the
happiness of the whole universe would be imperiled. The way would be open for sin,
with all its train of woe and misery, to be immortalized. It was possible for Adam,
before the fall, to form a righteous character by obedience to God's law. But he failed to
do this, and because of his sin our natures are fallen and we cannot make ourselves
righteous. Since we are sinful, unholy, we cannot perfectly obey the holy law. We have
no righteousness of our own with which to meet the claims of the law of God. But Christ
has made a way of escape for us. He lived on earth amid trials and temptations such as
we have to meet. He lived a sinless life. He died for us, and now He offers to take our
sins and give us His righteousness. If you give yourself to Him, and accept Him as your
Saviour, then, sinful as your life may have been, for His sake you are accounted
righteous. Christ's character stands in place of your character, and you are accepted
before God just as if you had not sinned. More than this, Christ changes the heart. He
abides in your heart by faith. You are to maintain this connection with Christ by faith and
the continual surrender of your will to Him; and so long as you do this, He will work in
you to will and to do
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according to His good pleasure. So you may say, "The life which I now live in the flesh I
live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me." Galatians
2:20. So Jesus said to His disciples, "It is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father
which speaketh in you." Matthew 10:20. Then with Christ working in you, you will
manifest the same spirit and do the same good works --works of righteousness,
obedience. So we have nothing in ourselves of which to boast. We have no ground for
self-exaltation. Our only ground of hope is in the righteousness of Christ imputed to us,
and in that wrought by His Spirit working in and through us. When we speak of faith,
there is a distinction that should be borne in mind. There is a kind of belief that is wholly
distinct from faith. The existence and power of God, the truth of His word, are facts that
even Satan and his hosts cannot at heart deny. The Bible says that "the devils also
believe, and tremble;" but this is not faith. James 2:19. Where there is not only a belief in
God's word, but a submission of the will to Him; where the heart is yielded to Him, the
affections fixed upon Him, there is faith--faith that works by love and purifies the soul.
Through this faith the heart is renewed in the image of God. And the heart that in its
unrenewed state is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be, now delights in
its holy precepts, exclaiming with the psalmist, "O how love I Thy law! it is my
meditation all the day." Psalm 119:97. And the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us,
"who
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walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Romans 8:1. There are those who have
known the pardoning love of Christ and who really desire to be children of God, yet they
realize that their character is imperfect, their life faulty, and they are ready to doubt
whether their hearts have been renewed by the Holy Spirit. To such I would say, Do not
draw back in despair. We shall often have to bow down and weep at the feet of Jesus
because of our shortcomings and mistakes, but we are not to be discouraged. Even if we
are overcome by the enemy, we are not cast off, not forsaken and rejected of God. No;
Christ is at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Said the beloved
John, "These things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an
advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." 1 John 2:1. And do not forget the
words of Christ, "The Father Himself loveth you." John 16:27. He desires to restore you
to Himself, to see His own purity and holiness reflected in you. And if you will but yield
yourself to Him, He that hath begun a good work in you will carry it forward to the day
of Jesus Christ. Pray more fervently; believe more fully. As we come to distrust our own
power, let us trust the power of our Redeemer, and we shall praise Him who is the health
of our countenance. The closer you come to Jesus, the more faulty you will appear in
your own eyes; for your vision will be clearer, and your imperfections will be seen in
broad and distinct contrast to His perfect nature. This is evidence that Satan's delusions
have lost their
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power; that the vivifying influence of the Spirit of God is arousing you. No deepseated
love for Jesus can dwell in the heart that does not realize its own sinfulness. The
soul that is transformed by the grace of Christ will admire His divine character; but if we
do not see our own moral deformity, it is unmistakable evidence that we have not had a
view of the beauty and excellence of Christ. 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.
Chap. 8 - Growing Up Into Christ
The change of heart by which we become children of God is in the Bible spoken of as
birth. Again, it is compared to the germination of the good seed sown by the
husbandman. In like manner those who are just converted to Christ are, "as new-born
babes," to "grow up" to the stature of men and women in Christ Jesus. 1 Peter 2:2;
Ephesians 4:15. Or like the good seed sown in the field, they are to grow up and bring
forth fruit. Isaiah says that they shall "be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the
Lord, that He might be glorified." Isaiah 61:3. So from natural life, illustrations are
drawn, to help us better to understand the mysterious truths of spiritual life. Not all the
wisdom and skill of man can produce life in the smallest object in nature. It is only
through the life which God Himself has imparted, that either plant or animal can live. So
it is only through the life from God that spiritual life is begotten in the hearts of men.
Unless a man is "born from above," he cannot become a partaker of the life which Christ
came to give. John 3:3, margin. As with life, so it is with growth. It is God who brings
the bud to bloom and the flower to fruit. It is by His power that the seed develops, "first
the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear." Mark 4:28. And the prophet
Hosea says of Israel, that "he shall grow as the lily." "They shall revive as the corn, and
grow as the vine." Hosea 14:5, 7. And Jesus bids us "consider the lilies how
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they grow." Luke 12:27. The plants and flowers grow not by their own care or anxiety or
effort, but by receiving that which God has furnished to minister to their life. The child
cannot, by any anxiety or power of its own, add to its stature. No more can you, by
anxiety or effort of yourself, secure spiritual growth. The plant, the child, grows by
receiving from its surroundings that which ministers to its life --air, sunshine, and food.
What these gifts of nature are to animal and plant, such is Christ to those who trust in
Him. He is their "everlasting light," "a sun and shield." Isaiah 60:19; Psalm 84:11. He
shall be as "the dew unto Israel." "He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass."
Hosea 14:5; Psalm 72:6. He is the living water, "the Bread of God . . . which cometh
down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world." John 6:33. In the matchless gift of
His Son, God has encircled the whole world with an atmosphere of grace as real as the air
which circulates around the globe. All who choose to breathe this life-giving atmosphere
will live and grow up to the stature of men and women in Christ Jesus. As the flower
turns to the sun, that the bright beams may aid in perfecting its beauty and symmetry, so
should we turn to the Sun of Righteousness, that heaven's light may shine upon us, that
our character may be developed into the likeness of Christ. Jesus teaches the same
thing when He says, "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself,
except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me. . . . Without Me ye
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can do nothing." John 15:4, 5. You are just as dependent upon Christ, in order to live a
holy life, as is the branch upon the parent stock for growth and fruitfulness. Apart from
Him you have no life. You have no power to resist temptation or to grow in grace and
holiness. Abiding in Him, you may flourish. Drawing your life from Him, you will not
wither nor be fruitless. You will be like a tree planted by the rivers of water. Many
have an idea that they must do some part of the work alone. They have trusted in Christ
for the forgiveness of sin, but now they seek by their own efforts to live aright. But every
such effort must fail. Jesus says, "Without Me ye can do nothing." Our growth in grace,
our joy, our usefulness,--all depend upon our union with Christ. It is by communion with
Him, daily, hourly,--by abiding in Him, --that we are to grow in grace. He is not only the
Author, but the Finisher of our faith. It is Christ first and last and always. He is to be with
us, not only at the beginning and the end of our course, but at every step of the way.
David says, "I have set the Lord always before me: because He is at my right hand, I shall
not be moved." Psalm 16:8. Do you ask, "How am I to abide in Christ?" In the same
way as you received Him at first. "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so
walk ye in Him." "The just shall live by faith." Colossians 2:6; Hebrews 10:38. You gave
yourself to God, to be His wholly, to serve and obey Him, and you took Christ as your
Saviour. You could not yourself atone for your sins or change your heart; but having
given
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yourself to God, you believe that He for Christ's sake did all this for you. By faith you
became Christ's, and by faith you are to grow up in Him--by giving and taking. You are
to give all,--your heart, your will, your service,--give yourself to Him to obey all His
requirements; and you must take all,--Christ, the fullness of all blessing, to abide in your
heart, to be your strength, your righteousness, your everlasting helper,--to give you power
to obey. Consecrate yourself to God in the morning; make this your very first work.
Let your prayer be, "Take me, O Lord, as wholly Thine. I lay all my plans at Thy feet.
Use me today in Thy service. Abide with me, and let all my work be wrought in Thee."
This is a daily matter. Each morning consecrate yourself to God for that day. Surrender
all your plans to Him, to be carried out or given up as His providence shall indicate. Thus
day by day you may be giving your life into the hands of God, and thus your life will be
molded more and more after the life of Christ. A life in Christ is a life of restfulness.
There may be no ecstasy of feeling, but there should be an abiding, peaceful trust. Your
hope is not in yourself; it is in Christ. Your weakness is united to His strength, your
ignorance to His wisdom, your frailty to His enduring might. So you are not to look to
yourself, not to let the mind dwell upon self, but look to Christ. Let the mind dwell upon
His love, upon the beauty, the perfection, of His character. Christ in His self-denial,
Christ in His humiliation, Christ in
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His purity and holiness, Christ in His matchless love --this is the subject for the soul's
contemplation. It is by loving Him, copying Him, depending wholly upon Him, that you
are to be transformed into His likeness. Jesus says, "Abide in Me." These words
convey the idea of rest, stability, confidence. Again He invites,"Come unto Me, . . . and I
will give you rest." Matthew 11:28. The words of the psalmist express the same thought:
"Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him." And Isaiah gives the assurance, "In
quietness and in confidence shall be your strength." Psalm 37:7; Isaiah 30:15. This rest is
not found in inactivity; for in the Saviour's invitation the promise of rest is united with
the call to labor: "Take My yoke upon you: . . . and ye shall find rest." Matthew 11:29.
The heart that rests most fully upon Christ will be most earnest and active in labor for
Him. When the mind dwells upon self, it is turned away from Christ, the source of
strength and life. Hence it is Satan's constant effort to keep the attention diverted from the
Saviour and thus prevent the union and communion of the soul with Christ. The pleasures
of the world, life's cares and perplexities and sorrows, the faults of others, or your own
faults and imperfections--to any or all of these he will seek to divert the mind. Do not be
misled by his devices. Many who are really conscientious, and who desire to live for
God, he too often leads to dwell upon their own faults and weaknesses, and thus by
separating them from Christ he hopes to
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gain the victory. We should not make self the center and indulge anxiety and fear as to
whether we shall be saved. All this turns the soul away from the Source of our strength.
Commit the keeping of your soul to God, and trust in Him. Talk and think of Jesus. Let
self be lost in Him. Put away all doubt; dismiss your fears. Say with the apostle Paul, "I
live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by
the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20.
Rest in God. He is able to keep that which you have committed to Him. If you will leave
yourself in His hands, He will bring you off more than conqueror through Him that has
loved you. When Christ took human nature upon Him, He bound humanity to Himself
by a tie of love that can never be broken by any power save the choice of man himself.
Satan will constantly present allurements to induce us to break this tie--to choose to
separate ourselves from Christ. Here is where we need to watch, to strive, to pray, that
nothing may entice us to choose another master; for we are always free to do this. But let
us keep our eyes fixed upon Christ, and He will preserve us. Looking unto Jesus, we are
safe. Nothing can pluck us out of His hand. In constantly beholding Him, we "are
changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." 2
Corinthians 3:18. It was thus that the early disciples gained their likeness to the dear
Saviour. When those disciples heard the words of Jesus, they felt their need of Him. They
sought, they found, they followed Him. They
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were with Him in the house, at the table, in the closet, in the field. They were with Him
as pupils with a teacher, daily receiving from His lips lessons of holy truth. They looked
to Him, as servants to their master, to learn their duty. Those disciples were men "subject
to like passions as we are." James 5:17. They had the same battle with sin to fight. They
needed the same grace, in order to live a holy life. Even John, the beloved disciple, the
one who most fully reflected the likeness of the Saviour, did not naturally possess that
loveliness of character. He was not only self-assertive and ambitious for honor, but
impetuous, and resentful under injuries. But as the character of the Divine One was
manifested to him, he saw his own deficiency and was humbled by the knowledge. The
strength and patience, the power and tenderness, the majesty and meekness, that he
beheld in the daily life of the Son of God, filled his soul with admiration and love. Day
by day his heart was drawn out toward Christ, until he lost sight of self in love for his
Master. His resentful, ambitious temper was yielded to the molding power of Christ. The
regenerating influence of the Holy Spirit renewed his heart. The power of the love of
Christ wrought a transformation of character. This is the sure result of union with Jesus.
When Christ abides in the heart, the whole nature is transformed. Christ's Spirit, His love,
softens the heart, subdues the soul, and raises the thoughts and desires toward God and
heaven. When Christ ascended to heaven, the sense of His presence was still with His
followers. It was a
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personal presence, full of love and light. Jesus, the Saviour, who had walked and talked
and prayed with them, who had spoken hope and comfort to their hearts, had, while the
message of peace was still upon His lips, been taken up from them into heaven, and the
tones of His voice had come back to them, as the cloud of angels received Him--"Lo, I
am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." Matthew 28:20. He had ascended to
heaven in the form of humanity. They knew that He was before the throne of God, their
Friend and Saviour still; that His sympathies were unchanged; that He was still identified
with suffering humanity. He was presenting before God the merits of His own precious
blood, showing His wounded hands and feet, in remembrance of the price He had paid
for His redeemed. They knew that He had ascended to heaven to prepare places for them,
and that He would come again and take them to Himself. As they met together after
the ascension they were eager to present their requests to the Father in the name of Jesus.
In solemn awe they bowed in prayer, repeating the assurance, "Whatsoever ye shall ask
the Father in My name, He will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in My name:
ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full." John 16:23, 24. They extended the
hand of faith higher and higher with the mighty argument, "It is Christ that died, yea
rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh
intercession for us." Romans 8:34. And Pentecost brought them the presence of the
Comforter, of whom
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Christ had said, He "shall be in you." And He had further said, "It is expedient for you
that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart,
I will send Him unto you." John 14:17; 16:7. Henceforth through the Spirit, Christ was to
abide continually in the hearts of His children. Their union with Him was closer than
when He was personally with them. The light, and love, and power of the indwelling
Christ shone out through them, so that men, beholding, "marveled; and they took
knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus." Acts 4:13. All that Christ was to
the disciples, He desires to be to His children today; for in that last prayer, with the little
band of disciples gathered about Him, He said, "Neither pray I for these alone, but for
them also which shall believe on Me through their word." John 17:20. Jesus prayed for
us, and He asked that we might be one with Him, even as He is one with the Father. What
a union is this! The Saviour has said of Himself, "The Son can do nothing of Himself;"
"the Father that dwelleth in Me, He doeth the works." John 5:19; 14:10. Then if Christ is
dwelling in our hearts, He will work in us "both to will and to do of His good pleasure."
Philippians 2:13. We shall work as He worked; we shall manifest the same spirit. And
thus, loving Him and abiding in Him, we shall "grow up into Him in all things, which is
the head, even Christ." Ephesians 4:15.
Chap. 9 - The Work and the Life
God is the source of life and light and joy to the universe. Like rays of light from the
sun, like the streams of water bursting from a living spring, blessings flow out from Him
to all His creatures. And wherever the life of God is in the hearts of men, it will flow out
to others in love and blessing. Our Saviour's joy was in the uplifting and redemption
of fallen men. For this He counted not His life dear unto Himself, but endured the cross,
despising the shame. So angels are ever engaged in working for the happiness of others.
This is their joy. That which selfish hearts would regard as humiliating service,
ministering to those who are wretched and in every way inferior in character and rank, is
the work of sinless angels. The spirit of Christ's self-sacrificing love is the spirit that
pervades heaven and is the very essence of its bliss. This is the spirit that Christ's
followers will possess, the work that they will do. When the love of Christ is
enshrined in the heart, like sweet fragrance it cannot be hidden. Its holy influence will be
felt by all with whom we come in contact. The spirit of Christ in the heart is like a spring
in the desert, flowing to refresh all and making those who are ready to perish, eager to
drink of the water of life. Love to Jesus will be manifested in a desire to work as He
worked for the blessing and uplifting of
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humanity. It will lead to love, tenderness, and sympathy toward all the creatures of our
heavenly Father's care. The Saviour's life on earth was not a life of ease and devotion
to Himself, but He toiled with persistent, earnest, untiring effort for the salvation of lost
mankind. From the manger to Calvary He followed the path of self-denial and sought not
to be released from arduous tasks, painful travels and exhausting care and labor. He said,
"The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a
ransom for many." Matthew 20:28. This was the one great object of His life. Everything
else was secondary and subservient. It was His meat and drink to do the will of God and
to finish His work. Self and self-interest had no part in His labor. So those who are the
partakers of the grace of Christ will be ready to make any sacrifice, that others for whom
He died may share the heavenly gift. They will do all they can to make the world better
for their stay in it. This spirit is the sure outgrowth of a soul truly converted. No sooner
does one come to Christ than there is born in his heart a desire to make known to others
what a precious friend he has found in Jesus; the saving and sanctifying truth cannot be
shut up in his heart. If we are clothed with the righteousness of Christ and are filled with
the joy of His indwelling Spirit, we shall not be able to hold our peace. If we have tasted
and seen that the Lord is good we shall have something to tell. Like Philip when he found
the Saviour, we shall invite others into His presence. We shall seek to present to them
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the attractions of Christ and the unseen realities of the world to come. There will be an
intensity of desire to follow in the path that Jesus trod. There will be an earnest longing
that those around us may "behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the
world." John 1:29. And the effort to bless others will react in blessings upon
ourselves. This was the purpose of God in giving us a part to act in the plan of
redemption. He has granted men the privilege of becoming partakers of the divine nature
and, in their turn, of diffusing blessings to their fellow men. This is the highest honor, the
greatest joy, that it is possible for God to bestow upon men. Those who thus become
participants in labors of love are brought nearest to their Creator. God might have
committed the message of the gospel, and all the work of loving ministry, to the heavenly
angels. He might have employed other means for accomplishing His purpose. But in His
infinite love He chose to make us co-workers with Himself, with Christ and the angels,
that we might share the blessing, the joy, the spiritual uplifting, which results from this
unselfish ministry. We are brought into sympathy with Christ through the fellowship
of His sufferings. Every act of self-sacrifice for the good of others strengthens the spirit
of beneficence in the giver's heart, allying him more closely to the Redeemer of the
world, who "was rich, yet for your sakes . . . became poor, that ye through His poverty
might be rich." 2 Corinthians 8:9. And it is only as we thus fulfill the divine
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purpose in our creation that life can be a blessing to us. If you will go to work as
Christ designs that His disciples shall, and win souls for Him, you will feel the need of a
deeper experience and a greater knowledge in divine things, and will hunger and thirst
after righteousness. You will plead with God, and your faith will be strengthened, and
your soul will drink deeper drafts at the well of salvation. Encountering opposition and
trials will drive you to the Bible and prayer. You will grow in grace and the knowledge of
Christ, and will develop a rich experience. The spirit of unselfish labor for others
gives depth, stability, and Christlike loveliness to the character, and brings peace and
happiness to its possessor. The aspirations are elevated. There is no room for sloth or
selfishness. Those who thus exercise the Christian graces will grow and will become
strong to work for God. They will have clear spiritual perceptions, a steady, growing
faith, and an increased power in prayer. The Spirit of God, moving upon their spirit, calls
forth the sacred harmonies of the soul in answer to the divine touch. Those who thus
devote themselves to unselfish effort for the good of others are most surely working out
their own salvation. The only way to grow in grace is to be disinterestedly doing the
very work which Christ has enjoined upon us--to engage, to the extent of our ability, in
helping and blessing those who need the help we can give them. Strength comes by
exercise; activity is the very condition of life. Those who endeavor to maintain Christian
life by passively accepting the blessings that come through the means of grace, and
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doing nothing for Christ, are simply trying to live by eating without working. And in the
spiritual as in the natural world, this always results in degeneration and decay. A man
who would refuse to exercise his limbs would soon lose all power to use them. Thus the
Christian who will not exercise his God-given powers not only fails to grow up into
Christ, but he loses the strength that he already had. The church of Christ is God's
appointed agency for the salvation of men. Its mission is to carry the gospel to the world.
And the obligation rests upon all Christians. Everyone, to the extent of his talent and
opportunity, is to fulfill the Saviour's commission. The love of Christ, revealed to us,
makes us debtors to all who know Him not. God has given us light, not for ourselves
alone, but to shed upon them. If the followers of Christ were awake to duty, there
would be thousands where there is one today proclaiming the gospel in heathen lands.
And all who could not personally engage in the work, would yet sustain it with their
means, their sympathy, and their prayers. And there would be far more earnest labor for
souls in Christian countries. We need not go to heathen lands, or even leave the
narrow circle of the home, if it is there that our duty lies, in order to work for Christ. We
can do this in the home circle, in the church, among those with whom we associate, and
with whom we do business. The greater part of our Saviour's life on earth was spent in
patient toil in the carpenter's shop at Nazareth. Ministering angels attended the Lord of
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life as He walked side by side with peasants and laborers, unrecognized and unhonored.
He was as faithfully fulfilling His mission while working at His humble trade as when He
healed the sick or walked upon the storm-tossed waves of Galilee. So in the humblest
duties and lowliest positions of life, we may walk and work with Jesus. The apostle
says, "Let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God." 1 Corinthians 7:24.
The businessman may conduct his business in a way that will glorify his Master because
of his fidelity. If he is a true follower of Christ he will carry his religion into everything
that is done and reveal to men the spirit of Christ. The mechanic may be a diligent and
faithful representative of Him who toiled in the lowly walks of life among the hills of
Galilee. Everyone who names the name of Christ should so work that others, by seeing
his good works, may be led to glorify their Creator and Redeemer. Many have
excused themselves from rendering their gifts to the service of Christ because others were
possessed of superior endowments and advantages. The opinion has prevailed that only
those who are especially talented are required to consecrate their abilities to the service of
God. It has come to be understood by many that talents are given to only a certain
favored class to the exclusion of others who of course are not called upon to share in the
toils or the rewards. But it is not so represented in the parable. When the master of the
house called his servants, he gave to every man his work. With a loving spirit we may
perform life's
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humblest duties "as to the Lord." Colossians 3:23. If the love of God is in the heart, it will
be manifested in the life. The sweet savor of Christ will surround us, and our influence
will elevate and bless. You are not to wait for great occasions or to expect
extraordinary abilities before you go to work for God. You need not have a thought of
what the world will think of you. If your daily life is a testimony to the purity and
sincerity of your faith, and others are convinced that you desire to benefit them, your
efforts will not be wholly lost. The humblest and poorest of the disciples of Jesus can
be a blessing to others. They may not realize that they are doing any special good, but by
their unconscious influence they may start waves of blessing that will widen and deepen,
and the blessed results they may never know until the day of final reward. They do not
feel or know that they are doing anything great. They are not required to weary
themselves with anxiety about success. They have only to go forward quietly, doing
faithfully the work that God's providence assigns, and their life will not be in vain. Their
own souls will be growing more and more into the likeness of Christ; they are workers
together with God in this life and are thus fitting for the higher work and the unshadowed
joy of the life to come.
Chap. 10 - A Knowledge of God
Many are the ways in which God is seeking to make Himself known to us and bring us
into communion with Him. Nature speaks to our senses without ceasing. The open heart
will be impressed with the love and glory of God as revealed through the works of His
hands. The listening ear can hear and understand the communications of God through the
things of nature. The green fields, the lofty trees, the buds and flowers, the passing cloud,
the falling rain, the babbling brook, the glories of the heavens, speak to our hearts, and
invite us to become acquainted with Him who made them all. Our Saviour bound up
His precious lessons with the things of nature. The trees, the birds, the flowers of the
valleys, the hills, the lakes, and the beautiful heavens, as well as the incidents and
surroundings of daily life, were all linked with the words of truth, that His lessons might
thus be often recalled to mind, even amid the busy cares of man's life of toil. God
would have His children appreciate His works and delight in the simple, quiet beauty
with which He has adorned our earthly home. He is a lover of the beautiful, and above all
that is outwardly attractive He loves beauty of character; He would have us cultivate
purity and simplicity, the quiet graces of the flowers. If we will but listen, God's
created works will teach us precious lessons of obedience and trust.
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From the stars that in their trackless courses through space follow from age to age their
appointed path, down to the minutest atom, the things of nature obey the Creator's will.
And God cares for everything and sustains everything that He has created. He who
upholds the unnumbered worlds throughout immensity, at the same time cares for the
wants of the little brown sparrow that sings its humble song without fear. When men go
forth to their daily toil, as when they engage in prayer; when they lie down at night, and
when they rise in the morning; when the rich man feasts in his palace, or when the poor
man gathers his children about the scanty board, each is tenderly watched by the
heavenly Father. No tears are shed that God does not notice. There is no smile that He
does not mark. If we would but fully believe this, all undue anxieties would be
dismissed. Our lives would not be so filled with disappointment as now; for everything,
whether great or small, would be left in the hands of God, who is not perplexed by the
multiplicity of cares, or overwhelmed by their weight. We should then enjoy a rest of
soul to which many have long been strangers. As your senses delight in the attractive
loveliness of the earth, think of the world that is to come, that shall never know the blight
of sin and death; where the face of nature will no more wear the shadow of the curse. Let
your imagination picture the home of the saved, and remember that it will be more
glorious than your brightest imagination can portray. In the varied gifts of God in nature
we see but the faintest
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gleaming of His glory. It is written, "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have
entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love
Him." 1 Corinthians 2:9. The poet and the naturalist have many things to say about
nature, but it is the Christian who enjoys the beauty of the earth with the highest
appreciation, because he recognizes his Father's handiwork and perceives His love in
flower and shrub and tree. No one can fully appreciate the significance of hill and vale,
river and sea, who does not look upon them as an expression of God's love to man.
God speaks to us through His providential workings and through the influence of His
Spirit upon the heart. In our circumstances and surroundings, in the changes daily taking
place around us, we may find precious lessons if our hearts are but open to discern them.
The psalmist, tracing the work of God's providence, says, "The earth is full of the
goodness of the Lord." "Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall
understand the loving-kindness of the Lord." Psalm 33:5; 107:43. God speaks to us in
His word. Here we have in clearer lines the revelation of His character, of His dealings
with men, and the great work of redemption. Here is open before us the history of
patriarchs and prophets and other holy men of old. They were men "subject to like
passions as we are." James 5:17. We see how they struggled through discouragements
like our own, how they fell under temptation as we have done, and yet took heart again
and conquered through the grace of God; and, beholding, we are
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encouraged in our striving after righteousness. As we read of the precious experiences
granted them, of the light and love and blessing it was theirs to enjoy, and of the work
they wrought through the grace given them, the spirit that inspired them kindles a flame
of holy emulation in our hearts and a desire to be like them in character--like them to
walk with God. Jesus said of the Old Testament Scriptures,--and how much more is it
true of the New,--"They are they which testify of Me," the Redeemer, Him in whom our
hopes of eternal life are centered. John 5:39. Yes, the whole Bible tells of Christ. From
the first record of creation--for "without Him was not anything made that was made"--to
the closing promise, "Behold, I come quickly," we are reading of His works and listening
to His voice. John 1:3; Revelation 22:12. If you would become acquainted with the
Saviour, study the Holy Scriptures. Fill the whole heart with the words of God. They
are the living water, quenching your burning thirst. They are the living bread from
heaven. Jesus declares, "Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood,
ye have no life in you." And He explains Himself by saying, "The words that I speak unto
you, they are spirit, and they are life." John 6:53, 63. Our bodies are built up from what
we eat and drink; and as in the natural economy, so in the spiritual economy: it is what
we meditate upon that will give tone and strength to our spiritual nature. The theme of
redemption is one that the angels desire to look into; it will be the science and the song of
the redeemed throughout the ceaseless ages of
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eternity. Is it not worthy of careful thought and study now? The infinite mercy and love
of Jesus, the sacrifice made in our behalf, call for the most serious and solemn reflection.
We should dwell upon the character of our dear Redeemer and Intercessor. We should
meditate upon the mission of Him who came to save His people from their sins. As we
thus contemplate heavenly themes, our faith and love will grow stronger, and our prayers
will be more and more acceptable to God, because they will be more and more mixed
with faith and love. They will be intelligent and fervent. There will be more constant
confidence in Jesus, and a daily, living experience in His power to save to the uttermost
all that come unto God by Him. As we meditate upon the perfections of the Saviour,
we shall desire to be wholly transformed and renewed in the image of His purity. There
will be a hungering and thirsting of soul to become like Him whom we adore. The more
our thoughts are upon Christ, the more we shall speak of Him to others and represent
Him to the world. The Bible was not written for the scholar alone; on the contrary, it
was designed for the common people. The great truths necessary for salvation are made
as clear as noonday; and none will mistake and lose their way except those who follow
their own judgment instead of the plainly revealed will of God. We should not take the
testimony of any man as to what the Scriptures teach, but should study the words of God
for ourselves. If we allow others to do our thinking, we shall have crippled energies and
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contracted abilities. The noble powers of the mind may be so dwarfed by lack of exercise
on themes worthy of their concentration as to lose their ability to grasp the deep meaning
of the word of God. The mind will enlarge if it is employed in tracing out the relation of
the subjects of the Bible, comparing scripture with scripture and spiritual things with
spiritual. There is nothing more calculated to strengthen the intellect than the study of
the Scriptures. No other book is so potent to elevate the thoughts, to give vigor to the
faculties, as the broad, ennobling truths of the Bible. If God's word were studied as it
should be, men would have a breadth of mind, a nobility of character, and a stability of
purpose rarely seen in these times. But there is but little benefit derived from a hasty
reading of the Scriptures. One may read the whole Bible through and yet fail to see its
beauty or comprehend its deep and hidden meaning. One passage studied until its
significance is clear to the mind and its relation to the plan of salvation is evident, is of
more value than the perusal of many chapters with no definite purpose in view and no
positive instruction gained. Keep your Bible with you. As you have opportunity, read it;
fix the texts in your memory. Even while you are walking the streets you may read a
passage and meditate upon it, thus fixing it in the mind. We cannot obtain wisdom
without earnest attention and prayerful study. Some portions of Scripture are indeed too
plain to be misunderstood, but there are others whose meaning does not lie on the surface
to be seen at a glance. Scripture must be
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compared with scripture. There must be careful research and prayerful reflection. And
such study will be richly repaid. As the miner discovers veins of precious metal
concealed beneath the surface of the earth, so will he who perseveringly searches the
word of God as for hid treasure find truths of the greatest value, which are concealed
from the view of the careless seeker. The words of inspiration, pondered in the heart, will
be as streams flowing from the fountain of life. Never should the Bible be studied
without prayer. Before opening its pages we should ask for the enlightenment of the Holy
Spirit, and it will be given. When Nathanael came to Jesus, the Saviour exclaimed,
"Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!" Nathanael said, "Whence knowest
Thou me?" Jesus answered, "Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig
tree, I saw thee." John 1:47, 48. And Jesus will see us also in the secret places of prayer if
we will seek Him for light that we may know what is truth. Angels from the world of
light will be with those who in humility of heart seek for divine guidance. The Holy
Spirit exalts and glorifies the Saviour. It is His office to present Christ, the purity of His
righteousness, and the great salvation that we have through Him. Jesus says, "He shall
receive of Mine, and shall show it unto you." John 16:14. The Spirit of truth is the only
effectual teacher of divine truth. How must God esteem the human race, since He gave
His Son to die for them and appoints His Spirit to be man's teacher and continual guide!
Chap. 11 - The Privilege of Prayer
Through nature and revelation, through His providence, and by the influence of His
Spirit, God speaks to us. But these are not enough; we need also to pour out our hearts to
Him. In order to have spiritual life and energy, we must have actual intercourse with our
heavenly Father. Our minds may be drawn out toward Him; we may meditate upon His
works, His mercies, His blessings; but this is not, in the fullest sense, communing with
Him. In order to commune with God, we must have something to say to Him concerning
our actual life. Prayer is the opening of the heart to God as to a friend. Not that it is
necessary in order to make known to God what we are, but in order to enable us to
receive Him. Prayer does not bring God down to us, but brings us up to Him. When
Jesus was upon the earth, He taught His disciples how to pray. He directed them to
present their daily needs before God, and to cast all their care upon Him. And the
assurance He gave them that their petitions should be heard, is assurance also to us.
Jesus Himself, while He dwelt among men, was often in prayer. Our Saviour identified
Himself with our needs and weakness, in that He became a suppliant, a petitioner,
seeking from His Father fresh supplies of strength, that He might come forth braced for
duty and trial. He is our example in all things. He is a brother in our infirmities, "in all
points tempted like as we are;" but as the sinless one His
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nature recoiled from evil; He endured struggles and torture of soul in a world of sin. His
humanity made prayer a necessity and a privilege. He found comfort and joy in
communion with His Father. And if the Saviour of men, the Son of God, felt the need of
prayer, how much more should feeble, sinful mortals feel the necessity of fervent,
constant prayer. Our heavenly Father waits to bestow upon us the fullness of His
blessing. It is our privilege to drink largely at the fountain of boundless love. What a
wonder it is that we pray so little! God is ready and willing to hear the sincere prayer of
the humblest of His children, and yet there is much manifest reluctance on our part to
make known our wants to God. What can the angels of heaven think of poor helpless
human beings, who are subject to temptation, when God's heart of infinite love yearns
toward them, ready to give them more than they can ask or think, and yet they pray so
little and have so little faith? The angels love to bow before God; they love to be near
Him. They regard communion with God as their highest joy; and yet the children of
earth, who need so much the help that God only can give, seem satisfied to walk without
the light of His Spirit, the companionship of His presence. The darkness of the evil
one encloses those who neglect to pray. The whispered temptations of the enemy entice
them to sin; and it is all because they do not make use of the privileges that God has
given them in the divine appointment of prayer. Why should the sons and daughters of
God be reluctant to pray, when prayer is the key in the hand of faith to unlock heaven's
storehouse, where are treasured
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the boundless resources of Omnipotence? Without unceasing prayer and diligent
watching we are in danger of growing careless and of deviating from the right path. The
adversary seeks continually to obstruct the way to the mercy seat, that we may not by
earnest supplication and faith obtain grace and power to resist temptation. There are
certain conditions upon which we may expect that God will hear and answer our prayers.
One of the first of these is that we feel our need of help from Him. He has promised, "I
will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground." Isaiah 44:3.
Those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, who long after God, may be sure that
they will be filled. The heart must be open to the Spirit's influence, or God's blessing
cannot be received. Our great need is itself an argument and pleads most eloquently in
our behalf. But the Lord is to be sought unto to do these things for us. He says, "Ask, and
it shall be given you." And "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?" Matthew 7:7; Romans
8:32. If we regard iniquity in our hearts, if we cling to any known sin, the Lord will
not hear us; but the prayer of the penitent, contrite soul is always accepted. When all
known wrongs are righted, we may believe that God will answer our petitions. Our own
merit will never commend us to the favor of God; it is the worthiness of Jesus that will
save us, His blood that will cleanse us; yet we have a work to do in complying with the
conditions of acceptance.
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Another element of prevailing prayer is faith. "He that cometh to God must believe
that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." Hebrews 11:6.
Jesus said to His disciples, "What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye
receive them, and ye shall have them." Mark 11:24. Do we take Him at His word? The
assurance is broad and unlimited, and He is faithful who has promised. When we do not
receive the very things we asked for, at the time we ask, we are still to believe that the
Lord hears and that He will answer our prayers. We are so erring and short-sighted that
we sometimes ask for things that would not be a blessing to us, and our heavenly Father
in love answers our prayers by giving us that which will be for our highest good--that
which we ourselves would desire if with vision divinely enlightened we could see all
things as they really are. When our prayers seem not to be answered, we are to cling to
the promise; for the time of answering will surely come, and we shall receive the blessing
we need most. But to claim that prayer will always be answered in the very way and for
the particular thing that we desire, is presumption. God is too wise to err, and too good to
withhold any good thing from them that walk uprightly. Then do not fear to trust Him,
even though you do not see the immediate answer to your prayers. Rely upon His sure
promise, "Ask, and it shall be given you." If we take counsel with our doubts and
fears, or try to solve everything that we cannot see clearly, before we have faith,
perplexities will only increase
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and deepen. But if we come to God, feeling helpless and dependent, as we really are, and
in humble, trusting faith make known our wants to Him whose knowledge is infinite, who
sees everything in creation, and who governs everything by His will and word, He can
and will attend to our cry, and will let light shine into our hearts. Through sincere prayer
we are brought into connection with the mind of the Infinite. We may have no remarkable
evidence at the time that the face of our Redeemer is bending over us in compassion and
love, but this is even so. We may not feel His visible touch, but His hand is upon us in
love and pitying tenderness. When we come to ask mercy and blessing from God we
should have a spirit of love and forgiveness in our own hearts. How can we pray,
"Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors," and yet indulge an unforgiving spirit?
Matthew 6:12. If we expect our own prayers to be heard we must forgive others in the
same manner and to the same extent as we hope to be forgiven. Perseverance in prayer
has been made a condition of receiving. We must pray always if we would grow in faith
and experience. We are to be "instant in prayer," to "continue in prayer, and watch in the
same with thanksgiving." Romans 12:12; Colossians 4:2. Peter exhorts believers to be
"sober, and watch unto prayer." 1 Peter 4:7. Paul directs, "In everything by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." Philippians
4:6. "But ye, beloved," says Jude, "praying in the Holy Ghost, keep yourselves in the love
of God." Jude 20, 21.
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Unceasing prayer is the unbroken union of the soul with God, so that life from God flows
into our life; and from our life, purity and holiness flow back to God. There is
necessity for diligence in prayer; let nothing hinder you. Make every effort to keep open
the communion between Jesus and your own soul. Seek every opportunity to go where
prayer is wont to be made. Those who are really seeking for communion with God will
be seen in the prayer meeting, faithful to do their duty and earnest and anxious to reap all
the benefits they can gain. They will improve every opportunity of placing themselves
where they can receive the rays of light from heaven. We should pray in the family
circle, and above all we must not neglect secret prayer, for this is the life of the soul. It is
impossible for the soul to flourish while prayer is neglected. Family or public prayer
alone is not sufficient. In solitude let the soul be laid open to the inspecting eye of God.
Secret prayer is to be heard only by the prayer-hearing God. No curious ear is to receive
the burden of such petitions. In secret prayer the soul is free from surrounding influences,
free from excitement. Calmly, yet fervently, will it reach out after God. Sweet and
abiding will be the influence emanating from Him who seeth in secret, whose ear is open
to hear the prayer arising from the heart. By calm, simple faith the soul holds communion
with God and gathers to itself rays of divine light to strengthen and sustain it in the
conflict with Satan. God is our tower of strength. Pray in your closet, and as you go
about your daily labor let your heart be often uplifted to God.
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It was thus that Enoch walked with God. These silent prayers rise like precious incense
before the throne of grace. Satan cannot overcome him whose heart is thus stayed upon
God. There is no time or place in which it is inappropriate to offer up a petition to
God. There is nothing that can prevent us from lifting up our hearts in the spirit of earnest
prayer. In the crowds of the street, in the midst of a business engagement, we may send
up a petition to God and plead for divine guidance, as did Nehemiah when he made his
request before King Artaxerxes. A closet of communion may be found wherever we are.
We should have the door of the heart open continually and our invitation going up that
Jesus may come and abide as a heavenly guest in the soul. Although there may be a
tainted, corrupted atmosphere around us, we need not breathe its miasma, but may live in
the pure air of heaven. We may close every door to impure imaginings and unholy
thoughts by lifting the soul into the presence of God through sincere prayer. Those whose
hearts are open to receive the support and blessing of God will walk in a holier
atmosphere than that of earth and will have constant communion with heaven. We
need to have more distinct views of Jesus and a fuller comprehension of the value of
eternal realities. The beauty of holiness is to fill the hearts of God's children; and that this
may be accomplished, we should seek for divine disclosures of heavenly things. Let
the soul be drawn out and upward, that God may grant us a breath of the heavenly
atmosphere. We may keep so near to God that in every unexpected
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trial our thoughts will turn to Him as naturally as the flower turns to the sun. Keep
your wants, your joys, your sorrows, your cares, and your fears before God. You cannot
burden Him; you cannot weary Him. He who numbers the hairs of your head is not
indifferent to the wants of His children. "The Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy."
James 5:11. His heart of love is touched by our sorrows and even by our utterances of
them. Take to Him everything that perplexes the mind. Nothing is too great for Him to
bear, for He holds up worlds, He rules over all the affairs of the universe. Nothing that in
any way concerns our peace is too small for Him to notice. There is no chapter in our
experience too dark for Him to read; there is no perplexity too difficult for Him to
unravel. No calamity can befall the least of His children, no anxiety harass the soul, no
joy cheer, no sincere prayer escape the lips, of which our heavenly Father is unobservant,
or in which He takes no immediate interest. "He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth
up their wounds." Psalm 147:3. The relations between God and each soul are as distinct
and full as though there were not another soul upon the earth to share His watchcare, not
another soul for whom He gave His beloved Son. Jesus said, "Ye shall ask in My
name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you: for the Father Himself
loveth you." "I have chosen you: . . . that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in My
name, He may give it you." John 16:26, 27; 15:16. But to pray in the name of Jesus is
something more than a mere mention of that name at the beginning
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and the ending of a prayer. It is to pray in the mind and spirit of Jesus, while we believe
His promises, rely upon His grace, and work His works. God does not mean that any
of us should become hermits or monks and retire from the world in order to devote
ourselves to acts of worship. The life must be like Christ's life--between the mountain and
the multitude. He who does nothing but pray will soon cease to pray, or his prayers will
become a formal routine. When men take themselves out of social life, away from the
sphere of Christian duty and cross bearing; when they cease to work earnestly for the
Master, who worked earnestly for them, they lose the subject matter of prayer and have
no incentive to devotion. Their prayers become personal and selfish. They cannot pray in
regard to the wants of humanity or the upbuilding of Christ's kingdom, pleading for
strength wherewith to work. We sustain a loss when we neglect the privilege of
associating together to strengthen and encourage one another in the service of God. The
truths of His word lose their vividness and importance in our minds. Our hearts cease to
be enlightened and aroused by their sanctifying influence, and we decline in spirituality.
In our association as Christians we lose much by lack of sympathy with one another. He
who shuts himself up to himself is not filling the position that God designed he should.
The proper cultivation of the social elements in our nature brings us into sympathy with
others and is a means of development and strength to us in the service of God. If
Christians would associate together, speaking to each other of the love of God and of the
precious
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truths of redemption, their own hearts would be refreshed and they would refresh one
another. We may be daily learning more of our heavenly Father, gaining a fresh
experience of His grace; then we shall desire to speak of His love; and as we do this, our
own hearts will be warmed and encouraged. If we thought and talked more of Jesus, and
less of self, we should have far more of His presence. If we would but think of God as
often as we have evidence of His care for us we should keep Him ever in our thoughts
and should delight to talk of Him and to praise Him. We talk of temporal things because
we have an interest in them. We talk of our friends because we love them; our joys and
our sorrows are bound up with them. Yet we have infinitely greater reason to love God
than to love our earthly friends; it should be the most natural thing in the world to make
Him first in all our thoughts, to talk of His goodness and tell of His power. The rich gifts
He has bestowed upon us were not intended to absorb our thoughts and love so much that
we should have nothing to give to God; they are constantly to remind us of Him and to
bind us in bonds of love and gratitude to our heavenly Benefactor. We dwell too near the
lowlands of earth. Let us raise our eyes to the open door of the sanctuary above, where
the light of the glory of God shines in the face of Christ, who "is able also to save them to
the uttermost that come unto God by Him." Hebrews 7:25. We need to praise God
more "for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men." Psalm
107:8. Our devotional exercises should not
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consist wholly in asking and receiving. Let us not be always thinking of our wants and
never of the benefits we receive. We do not pray any too much, but we are too sparing of
giving thanks. We are the constant recipients of God's mercies, and yet how little
gratitude we express, how little we praise Him for what He has done for us. Anciently
the Lord bade Israel, when they met together for His service, "Ye shall eat before the
Lord your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your
households, wherein the Lord thy God hath blessed thee." Deuteronomy 12:7. That which
is done for the glory of God should be done with cheerfulness, with songs of praise and
thanksgiving, not with sadness and gloom. Our God is a tender, merciful Father. His
service should not be looked upon as a heart-saddening, distressing exercise. It should be
a pleasure to worship the Lord and to take part in His work. God would not have His
children, for whom so great salvation has been provided, act as if He were a hard,
exacting taskmaster. He is their best friend; and when they worship Him, He expects to
be with them, to bless and comfort them, filling their hearts with joy and love. The Lord
desires His children to take comfort in His service and to find more pleasure than
hardship in His work. He desires that those who come to worship Him shall carry away
with them precious thoughts of His care and love, that they may be cheered in all the
employments of daily life, that they may have grace to deal honestly and faithfully in all
things. We must gather about the cross. Christ and Him
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crucified should be the theme of contemplation, of conversation, and of our most joyful
emotion. We should keep in our thoughts every blessing we receive from God, and when
we realize His great love we should be willing to trust everything to the hand that was
nailed to the cross for us. The soul may ascend nearer heaven on the wings of praise.
God is worshiped with song and music in the courts above, and as we express our
gratitude we are approximating to the worship of the heavenly hosts. "Whoso offereth
praise glorifieth" God. Psalm 50:23. Let us with reverent joy come before our Creator,
with "thanksgiving, and the voice of melody." Isaiah 51:3.
Chap. 12 - What to Do with Doubt
Many, especially those who are young in the Christian life, are at times troubled with
the suggestions of skepticism. There are in the Bible many things which they cannot
explain, or even understand, and Satan employs these to shake their faith in the Scriptures
as a revelation from God. They ask, "How shall I know the right way? If the Bible is
indeed the word of God, how can I be freed from these doubts and perplexities?" God
never asks us to believe, without giving sufficient evidence upon which to base our faith.
His existence, His character, the truthfulness of His word, are all established by testimony
that appeals to our reason; and this testimony is abundant. Yet God has never removed
the possibility of doubt. Our faith must rest upon evidence, not demonstration. Those who
wish to doubt will have opportunity; while those who really desire to know the truth will
find plenty of evidence on which to rest their faith. It is impossible for finite minds
fully to comprehend the character or the works of the Infinite One. To the keenest
intellect, the most highly educated mind, that holy Being must ever remain clothed in
mystery. "Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto
perfection? It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell; what canst thou
know?" Job 11:7, 8.
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The apostle Paul exclaims, "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and
knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!"
Romans 11:33. But though "clouds and darkness are round about Him," "righteousness
and judgment are the foundation of His throne." Psalm 97:2, R.V. We can so far
comprehend His dealings with us, and the motives by which He is actuated, that we may
discern boundless love and mercy united to infinite power. We can understand as much
of His purposes as it is for our good to know; and beyond this we must still trust the hand
that is omnipotent, the heart that is full of love. The word of God, like the character of
its divine Author, presents mysteries that can never be fully comprehended by finite
beings. The entrance of sin into the world, the incarnation of Christ, regeneration, the
resurrection, and many other subjects presented in the Bible, are mysteries too deep for
the human mind to explain, or even fully to comprehend. But we have no reason to doubt
God's word because we cannot understand the mysteries of His providence. In the natural
world we are constantly surrounded with mysteries that we cannot fathom. The very
humblest forms of life present a problem that the wisest of philosophers is powerless to
explain. Everywhere are wonders beyond our ken. Should we then be surprised to find
that in the spiritual world also there are mysteries that we cannot fathom? The difficulty
lies solely in the weakness and narrowness of the human mind. God has given us in the
Scriptures sufficient evidence of their divine character, and we are not to
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doubt His word because we cannot understand all the mysteries of His providence.
The apostle Peter says that there are in Scripture "things hard to be understood, which
they that are unlearned and unstable wrest . . . unto their own destruction." 2 Peter 3:16.
The difficulties of Scripture have been urged by skeptics as an argument against the
Bible; but so far from this, they constitute a strong evidence of its divine inspiration. If it
contained no account of God but that which we could easily comprehend; if His greatness
and majesty could be grasped by finite minds, then the Bible would not bear the
unmistakable credentials of divine authority. The very grandeur and mystery of the
themes presented should inspire faith in it as the word of God. The Bible unfolds truth
with a simplicity and a perfect adaptation to the needs and longings of the human heart,
that has astonished and charmed the most highly cultivated minds, while it enables the
humblest and uncultured to discern the way of salvation. And yet these simply stated
truths lay hold upon subjects so elevated, so far-reaching, so infinitely beyond the power
of human comprehension, that we can accept them only because God has declared them.
Thus the plan of redemption is laid open to us, so that every soul may see the steps he is
to take in repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ, in order to be
saved in God's appointed way; yet beneath these truths, so easily understood, lie
mysteries that are the hiding of His glory--mysteries that overpower the mind in its
research, yet inspire the sincere seeker for truth with reverence and faith. The more
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he searches the Bible, the deeper is his conviction that it is the word of the living God,
and human reason bows before the majesty of divine revelation. To acknowledge that
we cannot fully comprehend the great truths of the Bible is only to admit that the finite
mind is inadequate to grasp the infinite; that man, with his limited, human knowledge,
cannot understand the purposes of Omniscience. Because they cannot fathom all its
mysteries, the skeptic and the infidel reject God's word; and not all who profess to
believe the Bible are free from danger on this point. The apostle says, "Take heed,
brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living
God." Hebrews 3:12. It is right to study closely the teachings of the Bible and to search
into "the deep things of God" so far as they are revealed in Scripture. 1 Corinthians 2:10.
While "the secret things belong unto the Lord our God," "those things which are revealed
belong unto us." Deuteronomy 29:29. But it is Satan's work to pervert the investigative
powers of the mind. A certain pride is mingled with the consideration of Bible truth, so
that men feel impatient and defeated if they cannot explain every portion of Scripture to
their satisfaction. It is too humiliating to them to acknowledge that they do not
understand the inspired words. They are unwilling to wait patiently until God shall see fit
to reveal the truth to them. They feel that their unaided human wisdom is sufficient to
enable them to comprehend the Scripture, and failing to do this, they virtually deny its
authority. It is true that many theories and doctrines popularly supposed to be derived
from the Bible have no foundation in its teaching, and indeed are
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contrary to the whole tenor of inspiration. These things have been a cause of doubt and
perplexity to many minds. They are not, however, chargeable to God's word, but to man's
perversion of it. If it were possible for created beings to attain to a full understanding
of God and His works, then, having reached this point, there would be for them no further
discovery of truth, no growth in knowledge, no further development of mind or heart.
God would no longer be supreme; and man, having reached the limit of knowledge and
attainment, would cease to advance. Let us thank God that it is not so. God is infinite; in
Him are "all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." Colossians 2:3. And to all eternity
men may be ever searching, ever learning, and yet never exhaust the treasures of His
wisdom, His goodness, and His power. God intends that even in this life the truths of
His word shall be ever unfolding to His people. There is only one way in which this
knowledge can be obtained. We can attain to an understanding of God's word only
through the illumination of that Spirit by which the word was given. "The things of God
knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God;" "for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep
things of God." 1 Corinthians 2:11, 10. And the Saviour's promise to His followers was,
"When He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth. . . . For He shall
receive of Mine, and shall show it unto you." John 16:13, 14. God desires man to
exercise his reasoning powers; and the study of the Bible will strengthen and elevate the
mind as no other study can. Yet we are to beware
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of deifying reason, which is subject to the weakness and infirmity of humanity. If we
would not have the Scriptures clouded to our understanding, so that the plainest truths
shall not be comprehended, we must have the simplicity and faith of a little child, ready
to learn, and beseeching the aid of the Holy Spirit. A sense of the power and wisdom of
God, and of our inability to comprehend His greatness, should inspire us with humility,
and we should open His word, as we would enter His presence, with holy awe. When we
come to the Bible, reason must acknowledge an authority superior to itself, and heart and
intellect must bow to the great I AM. There are many things apparently difficult or
obscure, which God will make plain and simple to those who thus seek an understanding
of them. But without the guidance of the Holy Spirit we shall be continually liable to
wrest the Scriptures or to misinterpret them. There is much reading of the Bible that is
without profit and in many cases a positive injury. When the word of God is opened
without reverence and without prayer; when the thoughts and affections are not fixed
upon God, or in harmony with His will, the mind is clouded with doubts; and in the very
study of the Bible, skepticism strengthens. The enemy takes control of the thoughts, and
he suggests interpretations that are not correct. Whenever men are not in word and deed
seeking to be in harmony with God, then, however learned they may be, they are liable to
err in their understanding of Scripture, and it is not safe to trust to their explanations.
Those who look to the Scriptures to find discrepancies, have not spiritual
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insight. With distorted vision they will see many causes for doubt and unbelief in things
that are really plain and simple. Disguise it as they may, the real cause of doubt and
skepticism, in most cases, is the love of sin. The teachings and restrictions of God's word
are not welcome to the proud, sin-loving heart, and those who are unwilling to obey its
requirements are ready to doubt its authority. In order to arrive at truth, we must have a
sincere desire to know the truth and a willingness of heart to obey it. And all who come
in this spirit to the study of the Bible will find abundant evidence that it is God's word,
and they may gain an understanding of its truths that will make them wise unto salvation.
Christ has said, "If any man willeth to do His will, he shall know of the teaching." John
7:17, R.V. Instead of questioning and caviling concerning that which you do not
understand, give heed to the light that already shines upon you, and you will receive
greater light. By the grace of Christ, perform every duty that has been made plain to your
understanding, and you will be enabled to understand and perform those of which you are
now in doubt. There is an evidence that is open to all,--the most highly educated, and
the most illiterate,--the evidence of experience. God invites us to prove for ourselves the
reality of His word, the truth of His promises. He bids us "taste and see that the Lord is
good." Psalm 34:8. Instead of depending upon the word of another, we are to taste for
ourselves. He declares, "Ask, and ye shall receive." John 16:24. His promises will be
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fulfilled. They have never failed; they never can fail. And as we draw near to Jesus, and
rejoice in the fullness of His love, our doubt and darkness will disappear in the light of
His presence. The apostle Paul says that God "hath delivered us from the power of
darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son." Colossians 1:13. And
everyone who has passed from death unto life is able to "set to his seal that God is true."
John 3:33. He can testify, "I needed help, and I found it in Jesus. Every want was
supplied, the hunger of my soul was satisfied; and now the Bible is to me the revelation
of Jesus Christ. Do you ask why I believe in Jesus? Because He is to me a divine Saviour.
Why do I believe the Bible? Because I have found it to be the voice of God to my soul."
We may have the witness in ourselves that the Bible is true, that Christ is the Son of God.
We know that we are not following cunningly devised fables. Peter exhorts his
brethren to "grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." 2
Peter 3:18. When 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. "The path of the righteous is as the light of dawn, that shineth more
and more unto the perfect day." Proverbs 4:18, R.V., margin. By faith we may look to
the hereafter and grasp the pledge of God for a growth of intellect, the
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human faculties uniting with the divine, and every power of the soul being brought into
direct contact with the Source of light. We may rejoice that all which has perplexed us in
the providences of God will then be made plain, things hard to be understood will then
find an explanation; and where our finite minds discovered only confusion and broken
purposes, we shall see the most perfect and beautiful harmony. "Now we see through a
glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also
I am known." 1 Corinthians 13:12.
Chap. 13 - Rejoicing in the Lord
The children of God are called to be representatives of Christ, showing forth the
goodness and mercy of the Lord. As Jesus has revealed to us the true character of the
Father, so we are to reveal Christ to a world that does not know His tender, pitying love.
"As Thou hast sent Me into the world," said Jesus, "even so have I also sent them into the
world." "I in them, and Thou in Me; . . . that the world may know that Thou hast sent
Me." John 17: 18, 23. The apostle Paul says to the disciples of Jesus, "Ye are manifestly
declared to be the epistle of Christ," "known and read of all men." 2 Corinthians 3:3, 2. In
every one of His children, Jesus sends a letter to the world. If you are Christ's follower,
He sends in you a letter to the family, the village, the street, where you live. Jesus,
dwelling in you, desires to speak to the hearts of those who are not acquainted with Him.
Perhaps they do not read the Bible, or do not hear the voice that speaks to them in its
pages; they do not see the love of God through His works. But if you are a true
representative of Jesus, it may be that through you they will be led to understand
something of His goodness and be won to love and serve Him. Christians are set as
light bearers on the way to heaven. They are to reflect to the world the light shining upon
them from Christ. Their life and character should be such that through them others will
get a right conception of Christ and of His service.
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If we do represent Christ, we shall make His service appear attractive, as it really is.
Christians who gather up gloom and sadness to their souls, and murmur and complain,
are giving to others a false representation of God and the Christian life. They give the
impression that God is not pleased to have His children happy, and in this they bear false
witness against our heavenly Father. Satan is exultant when he can lead the children of
God into unbelief and despondency. He delights to see us mistrusting God, doubting His
willingness and power to save us. He loves to have us feel that the Lord will do us harm
by His providences. It is the work of Satan to represent the Lord as lacking in compassion
and pity. He misstates the truth in regard to Him. He fills the imagination with false ideas
concerning God; and instead of dwelling upon the truth in regard to our heavenly Father,
we too often fix our minds upon the misrepresentations of Satan and dishonor God by
distrusting Him and murmuring against Him. Satan ever seeks to make the religious life
one of gloom. He desires it to appear toilsome and difficult; and when the Christian
presents in his own life this view of religion, he is, through his unbelief, seconding the
falsehood of Satan. Many, walking along the path of life, dwell upon their mistakes
and failures and disappointments, and their hearts are filled with grief and
discouragement. While I was in Europe, a sister who had been doing this, and who was in
deep distress, wrote to me, asking for some word of encouragement. The night after I had
read her letter I dreamed that I was in a garden, and one who seemed to be the owner of
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the garden was conducting me through its paths. I was gathering the flowers and enjoying
their fragrance, when this sister, who had been walking by my side, called my attention to
some unsightly briers that were impeding her way. There she was mourning and grieving.
She was not walking in the pathway, following the guide, but was walking among the
briers and thorns. "Oh," she mourned, "is it not a pity that this beautiful garden is spoiled
with thorns?" Then the guide said, "Let the thorns alone, for they will only wound you.
Gather the roses, the lilies, and the pinks." Have there not been some bright spots in
your experience? Have you not had some precious seasons when your heart throbbed
with joy in response to the Spirit of God? When you look back into the chapters of your
life experience do you not find some pleasant pages? Are not God's promises, like the
fragrant flowers, growing beside your path on every hand? Will you not let their beauty
and sweetness fill your heart with joy? The briers and thorns will only wound and
grieve you; and if you gather only these things, and present them to others, are you not,
besides slighting the goodness of God yourself, preventing those around you from
walking in the path of life? It is not wise to gather together all the unpleasant
recollections of a past life,--its iniquities and disappointments,--to talk over them and
mourn over them until we are overwhelmed with discouragement. A discouraged soul is
filled with darkness, shutting out the light of God from his own soul and casting a
shadow upon the pathway of others.
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Thank God for the bright pictures which He has presented to us. Let us group together
the blessed assurances of His love, that we may look upon them continually: The Son of
God leaving His Father's throne, clothing His divinity with humanity, that He might
rescue man from the power of Satan; His triumph in our behalf, opening heaven to men,
revealing to human vision the presence chamber where the Deity unveils His glory; the
fallen race uplifted from the pit of ruin into which sin had plunged it, and brought again
into connection with the infinite God, and having endured the divine test through faith in
our Redeemer, clothed in the righteousness of Christ, and exalted to His throne--these are
the pictures which God would have us contemplate. When we seem to doubt God's
love and distrust His promises we dishonor Him and grieve His Holy Spirit. How would a
mother feel if her children were constantly complaining of her, just as though she did not
mean them well, when her whole life's effort had been to forward their interests and to
give them comfort? Suppose they should doubt her love; it would break her heart. How
would any parent feel to be thus treated by his children? And how can our heavenly
Father regard us when we distrust His love, which has led Him to give His only-begotten
Son that we might have life? The apostle writes, "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?"
Romans 8:32. And yet how many, by their actions, if not in word, are saying, "The Lord
does
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not mean this for me. Perhaps He loves others, but He does not love me." All this is
harming your own soul; for every word of doubt you utter is inviting Satan's temptations;
it is strengthening in you the tendency to doubt, and it is grieving from you the
ministering angels. When Satan tempts you, breathe not a word of doubt or darkness. If
you choose to open the door to his suggestions, your mind will be filled with distrust and
rebellious questioning. If you talk out your feelings, every doubt you express not only
reacts upon yourself, but it is a seed that will germinate and bear fruit in the life of others,
and it may be impossible to counteract the influence of your words. You yourself may be
able to recover from the season of temptation and from the snare of Satan, but others who
have been swayed by your influence may not be able to escape from the unbelief you
have suggested. How important that we speak only those things that will give spiritual
strength and life! Angels are listening to hear what kind of report you are bearing to
the world about your heavenly Master. Let your conversation be of Him who liveth to
make intercession for you before the Father. When you take the hand of a friend, let
praise to God be on your lips and in your heart. This will attract his thoughts to Jesus.
All have trials; griefs hard to bear, temptations hard to resist. Do not tell your troubles to
your fellow mortals, but carry everything to God in prayer. Make it a rule never to utter
one word of doubt or discouragement. You can do much to brighten the
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life of others and strengthen their efforts, by words of hope and holy cheer. There is
many a brave soul sorely pressed by temptation, almost ready to faint in the conflict with
self and with the powers of evil. Do not discourage such a one in his hard struggle. Cheer
him with brave, hopeful words that shall urge him on his way. Thus the light of Christ
may shine from you. "None of us liveth to himself." Romans 14:7. By our unconscious
influence others may be encouraged and strengthened, or they may be discouraged, and
repelled from Christ and the truth. There are many who have an erroneous idea of the
life and character of Christ. They think that He was devoid of warmth and sunniness, that
He was stern, severe, and joyless. In many cases the whole religious experience is
colored by these gloomy views. It is often said that Jesus wept, but that He was never
known to smile. Our Saviour was indeed a Man of Sorrows, and acquainted with grief,
for He opened His heart to all the woes of men. But though His life was self-denying and
shadowed with pain and care, His spirit was not crushed. His countenance did not wear
an expression of grief and repining, but ever one of peaceful serenity. His heart was a
wellspring of life, and wherever He went He carried rest and peace, joy and gladness.
Our Saviour was deeply serious and intensely in earnest, but never gloomy or morose.
The life of those who imitate Him will be full of earnest purpose; they will have a deep
sense of personal responsibility. Levity will be repressed; there will be no
121
boisterous merriment, no rude jesting; but the religion of Jesus gives peace like a river. It
does not quench the light of joy; it does not restrain cheerfulness nor cloud the sunny,
smiling face. Christ came not to be ministered unto but to minister; and when His love
reigns in the heart, we shall follow His example. If we keep uppermost in our minds
the unkind and unjust acts of others we shall find it impossible to love them as Christ has
loved us; but if our thoughts dwell upon the wondrous love and pity of Christ for us, the
same spirit will flow out to others. We should love and respect one another,
notwithstanding the faults and imperfections that we cannot help seeing. Humility and
self-distrust should be cultivated, and a patient tenderness with the faults of others. This
will kill out all narrowing selfishness and make us large-hearted and generous. The
psalmist says, "Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily
thou shalt be fed." Psalm 37:3. "Trust in the Lord." Each day has its burdens, its cares and
perplexities; and when we meet how ready we are to talk of our difficulties and trials. So
many borrowed troubles intrude, so many fears are indulged, such a weight of anxiety is
expressed, that one might suppose we had no pitying, loving Saviour ready to hear all our
requests and to be to us a present help in every time of need. Some are always fearing,
and borrowing trouble. Every day they are surrounded with the tokens of God's love;
every day they are enjoying the bounties of His providence; but they overlook these
present
122
blessings. Their minds are continually dwelling upon something disagreeable which they
fear may come; or some difficulty may really exist which, though small, blinds their eyes
to the many things that demand gratitude. The difficulties they encounter, instead of
driving them to God, the only source of their help, separate them from Him because they
awaken unrest and repining. Do we well to be thus unbelieving? Why should we be
ungrateful and distrustful? Jesus is our friend; all heaven is interested in our welfare. We
should not allow the perplexities and worries of everyday life to fret the mind and cloud
the brow. If we do we shall always have something to vex and annoy. We should not
indulge a solicitude that only frets and wears us, but does not help us to bear trials.
You may be perplexed in business; your prospects may grow darker and darker, and you
may be threatened with loss; but do not become discouraged; cast your care upon God,
and remain calm and cheerful. Pray for wisdom to manage your affairs with discretion,
and thus prevent loss and disaster. Do all you can on your part to bring about favorable
results. Jesus has promised His aid, but not apart from our effort. When, relying upon our
Helper, you have done all you can, accept the result cheerfully. It is not the will of
God that His people should be weighed down with care. But our Lord does not deceive
us. He does not say to us, "Do not fear; there are no dangers in your path." He knows
there are trials and dangers, and He deals with us plainly. He does not propose to take His
people out of a world of sin and evil, but He points them to a never-failing
123
refuge. His prayer for His disciples was, "I pray not that Thou shouldest take them out of
the world, but that Thou shouldest keep them from the evil." "In the world," He says, "ye
shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." John 17:15,
16:33. In His Sermon on the Mount, Christ taught His disciples precious lessons in
regard to the necessity of trusting in God. These lessons were designed to encourage the
children of God through all ages, and they have come down to our time full of instruction
and comfort. The Saviour pointed His followers to the birds of the air as they warbled
their carols of praise, unencumbered with thoughts of care, for "they sow not, neither do
they reap." And yet the great Father provides for their needs. The Saviour asks, "Are ye
not much better than they?" Matthew 6:26. The great Provider for man and beast opens
His hand and supplies all His creatures. The birds of the air are not beneath His notice.
He does not drop the food into their bills, but He makes provision for their needs. They
must gather the grains He has scattered for them. They must prepare the material for their
little nests. They must feed their young. They go forth singing to their labor, for "your
heavenly Father feedeth them." And "are ye not much better than they?" Are not you, as
intelligent, spiritual worshipers, of more value than the birds of the air? Will not the
Author of our being, the Preserver of our life, the One who formed us in His own divine
image, provide for our necessities if we but trust in Him? Christ pointed His disciples
to the flowers of the
124
field, growing in rich profusion and glowing in the simple beauty which the heavenly
Father had given them, as an expression of His love to man. He said, "Consider the lilies
of the field, how they grow." The beauty and simplicity of these natural flowers far
outrival the splendor of Solomon. The most gorgeous attire produced by the skill of art
cannot bear comparison with the natural grace and radiant beauty of the flowers of God's
creation. Jesus asks, "If God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and
tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall He not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?"
Matthew 6: 28, 30. If God, the divine Artist, gives to the simple flowers that perish in a
day their delicate and varied colors, how much greater care will He have for those who
are created in His own image? This lesson of Christ's is a rebuke to the anxious thought,
the perplexity and doubt, of the faithless heart. The Lord would have all His sons and
daughters happy, peaceful, and obedient. Jesus says, "My peace I give unto you: not as
the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."
"These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy
might be full." John 14:27; 15:11. Happiness that is sought from selfish motives,
outside of the path of duty, is ill-balanced, fitful, and transitory; it passes away, and the
soul is filled with loneliness and sorrow; but there is joy and satisfaction in the service of
God; the Christian is not left to walk in uncertain paths; he is not left to vain regrets and
disappointments. If we do not have the
125
pleasures of this life we may still be joyful in looking to the life beyond. But even here
Christians may have the joy of communion with Christ; they may have the light of His
love, the perpetual comfort of His presence. Every step in life may bring us closer to
Jesus, may give us a deeper experience of His love, and may bring us one step nearer to
the blessed home of peace. Then let us not cast away our confidence, but have firm
assurance, firmer than ever before. "Hitherto hath the Lord helped us," and He will help
us to the end. 1 Samuel 7:12. Let us look to the monumental pillars, reminders of what
the Lord has done to comfort us and to save us from the hand of the destroyer. Let us
keep fresh in our memory all the tender mercies that God has shown us,--the tears He has
wiped away, the pains He has soothed, the anxieties removed, the fears dispelled, the
wants supplied, the blessings bestowed,--thus strengthening ourselves for all that is
before us through the remainder of our pilgrimage. We cannot but look forward to
new perplexities in the coming conflict, but we may look on what is past as well as on
what is to come, and say, "Hitherto hath the Lord helped us." "As thy days, so shall thy
strength be." Deuteronomy 33:25. The trial will not exceed the strength that shall be
given us to bear it. Then let us take up our work just where we find it, believing that
whatever may come, strength proportionate to the trial will be given. And by and by
the gates of heaven will be thrown open to admit God's children, and from the lips of the
King of glory the benediction will fall on their
126
ears like richest music, "Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for
you from the foundation of the world." Matthew 25:34. Then the redeemed will be
welcomed to the home that Jesus is preparing for them. There their companions will not
be the vile of earth, liars, idolaters, the impure, and unbelieving; but they will associate
with those who have overcome Satan and through divine grace have formed perfect
characters. Every sinful tendency, every imperfection, that afflicts them here has been
removed by the blood of Christ, and the excellence and brightness of His glory, far
exceeding the brightness of the sun, is imparted to them. And the moral beauty, the
perfection of His character, shines through them, in worth far exceeding this outward
splendor. They are without fault before the great white throne, sharing the dignity and the
privileges of the angels. In view of the glorious inheritance that may be his, "what
shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" Matthew 16:26. He may be poor, yet he
possesses in himself a wealth and dignity that the world could never bestow. The soul
redeemed and cleansed from sin, with all its noble powers dedicated to the service of
God, is of surpassing worth; and there is joy in heaven in the presence of God and the
holy angels over one soul redeemed, a joy that is expressed in songs of holy triumph.

The Great Controversy - Listen Now

2009-02-13T05:38:00.021-08:00

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Listen to ALL (continuous play through all chapter files)
Preface
Introduction
Chapter 1 "The Destruction of Jerusalem"
Chapter 2 "Persecution in the First Centuries"
Chapter 3 "An Era of Spiritual Darkness"
Chapter 4 "The Waldenses"
Chapter 5 "John Wycliffe"
Chapter 6 "Huss and Jerome"
Chapter 7 "Luther's Separation From Rome"
Chapter 8 "Luther Before the Diet"
Chapter 9 "The Swiss Reformer"
Chapter 10 "Progress of Reform in Germany"
Chapter 11 "Protest of the Princes"
Chapter 12 "The French Reformation"
Chapter 13 "The Netherlands and Scandinavia"
Chapter 14 "Later English Reformers"
Chapter 15 "The Bible and the French Revolution"
Chapter 16 "The Pilgrim Fathers"
Chapter 17 "Heralds of the Morning"
Chapter 18 "An American Reformer"
Chapter 19 "Light Through Darkness"
Chapter 20 "A Great Religious Awakening"
Chapter 21 "A Warning Rejected"
Chapter 22 "Prophecies Fulfilled"
Chapter 23 "What Is the Sanctuary?"
Chapter 24 "In the Holy of Holies"
Chapter 25 "God's Law Immutable"
Chapter 26 "A Work of Reform"
Chapter 27 "Modern Revivals"
Chapter 28 "Facing Life's Record"
Chapter 29 "The Origin of Evil"
Chapter 30 "Enmity Between Man and Satan"
Chapter 31 "Agency of Evil Spirits"
Chapter 32 "Snares of Satan"
Chapter 33 "The First Great Deception"
Chapter 34 "Can Our Dead Speak to Us?"
Chapter 35 "Liberty of Conscience Threatened"
Chapter 36 "The Impending Conflict"
Chapter 37 "The Scriptures a Safeguard"
Chapter 38 "The Final Warning"
Chapter 39 "The Time of Trouble"
Chapter 40 "God's People Delivered"
Chapter 41 "Desolation of the Earth"
Chapter 42 "The Controversy Ended"

Download The Great Controversy In MP3

2009-02-13T05:38:00.019-08:00

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1: The Destruction of Jerusalem

Chapter 2: Persecution in the First Centuries

Chapter 3: An Era of Spiritual Darkness

Chapter 4: The Waldenses

Chapter 5: John Wycliffe

Chapter 6: Huss and Jerome

Chapter 7: Luther's Separation From Rome

Chapter 8: Luther Before the Diet

Chapter 9: The Swiss Reformer

Chapter 10: Progress of Reform in Germany

Chapter 11: Protest of the Princes

Chapter 12: The French Reformation

Chapter 13: The Netherlands and Scandinavia

Chapter 14: Later English Reformers

Chapter 15: The Bible and the French Revolution

Chapter 16: The Pilgrim Fathers

Chapter 17: Heralds of the Morning

Chapter 18: An American Reformer

Chapter 19: Light Through Darkness

Chapter 20: A Great Religious Awakening

Chapter 21: A Warning Rejected

Chapter 22: Prophecies Fulfilled

Chapter 23: What is the Sanctuary?

Chapter 24: In the Holy of Holies

Chapter 25: God's Law Immutable

Chapter 26: A Work of Reform

Chapter 27: Modern Revivals

Chapter 28: Facing Life's Record

Chapter 29; The Origin of Evil

Chapter 30: Enmity Between Man and Satan

Chapter 31: Agency of Evil Spirits

Chapter 32: Snares of Satan

Chapter 33: The First Great Deception

Chapter 34: Can Our Dead Speak to Us?

Chapter 35: Liberty of Conscience Threatened

Chapter 36: The Impending Conflict

Chapter 37: The Scriptures a Safeguard

Chapter 38: The Final Warning

Chapter 39: The Time of Trouble

Chapter 40: God's People Delivered

Chapter 41; Desolation of the Earth

Chapter 42: The Controversy Ended

The Bride of AntiChrist Video Series by Amazing Facts

2009-02-13T05:38:00.017-08:00

JOINING THE EMAIL MINISTRY

2009-02-13T05:38:00.015-08:00

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Why should we join the e-mail Ministry?
Jesus said in Matthew 24:14 "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come."

Who will preach the gospel?
The answer is "You" and "Me"

How to preach and share the gospel around the world?
E-mail is one of the best tool. Email is cheap beacuse of its power to reach many people around the world.
It has unlimited coverage crossing through nations, races, languages, religion, cultures and etc...
It is even able to reach people in conflict areas or places that are hard to be reached.

Can you imagine when someone in North Korea receive your email, He/She reads it, then His/Her life is touched.
I believe that He/She will share this Gospel to His/Her family and to the people around Him/Her.

What should i write?
You don't need to write your email by yourself. Below is our sample letter to share the gospel at no charge.

Just copy the content between the red line below, paste it on your email, then email it to all your friends.

Note: You may do some editing to make the email content better but do not lost the main message.

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Above of all, please surrender your heart and your life to Jesus first and pray for this Ministry. Pray also when you are sending your emails so that someone's life is touched.

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"Get Tomorrow's News Today & Understand The Future"

Email Content:
Copy then paste the content between the red lines. Please include the e_M banner at the bottom

God Bless You

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Comment From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Great Controversy describes the "Great Controversy theme" between Jesus and Satan, as played out over the millennia from its start in heaven, to its final end when the world is destroyed and recreated. The author claimed to have received numerous visions from God, and then produced this book from those visions.

The author herself valued this book "above silver or gold",^[1] and recommended it to be circulated to all.^[2] It is one of her most significant and appreciated works, and many have converted to the Seventh-day Adventist faith through reading it.

GET TOMORROW'S NEWS TODAY!
Understand the Future! Go Behind the Headlines! Read Some of Tomorrow's News Today! As you understand the Bible and its prophecies you will have greater peace of mind! You will understand God's special message for you! Through these pages God will speak to your heart directly. God is using this great prophtic book to speak to "every nation, trive, language and people." Revelation 14:6.

SEARCHING?
Several years ago I, the designer of this web site, was searching for meaning to life. A person, I'll always be indebted to, introduced me to The Great Controversy. I read it and could not put it down. Through The Great Controversy I found a peace, joy, and security that I never dreamed possible! It has the same charm to me now, several years later that it had when I first read it from cover to cover. Through this powerful book God has opened up the entire Bible to my delight! God's Holy Spirit has led me on a journey that took me from this great masterpiece on Bible prophecy and led me to study and understand God's Word. God has given me a love for Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world and a desire to help others find the joy and comfort of understanding the future and knowing the one who holds the future in His hands. This book is like a humble little acorn that contains a mighty oak tree. Plant the acorn and get the 150 foot tall oak tree. Looking at an acorn you would never imagine that it contains a mighty oak tree within its little shell. Looking at the cover of The Great Controversy you would never dream of the joy you'll find in knowing the exciting future that is waiting for you. This joy is available to everyone who seeks to understand God's great plans as described in His great Bible prophecies.

Excerpts from the author
E.G. White, the author writes, "The Great Controversy should be very widely circulated. It contains the story of the past, the present, and the future. In its outline of the closing scenes of this earth's history, it bears a powerful testimony in behalf of the truth. I am more anxious to see a wide circulation for this book than for any others I have written; for in The Great Controversy , the last message of warning to the world is given more distinctly than in any of my other books".-- Colporteur Ministry, page 127
The Great Controversy is worth more than silver or gold!
E.G. White writes, "The book The Great Controversy I appreciate above silver or gold, and I greatly desire that it shall come before the people. While writing the manuscript of The Great Controversy, I was often conscious of the presence of the angels of God." Ibid 128.
"The results of the circulation of The Great Controversy are not to be judged by what now appears. By reading it, some souls will be aroused, and will have courage to unite themselves at once with those who keep the commandments of God. But a much larger number who read it will not take their position until they see the very events taking place that are foretold in it. The fulfillment of some of the predictions will inspire faith that others also will come to pass, and when the earth is lightened with the glory of the Lord, in the closing work, many souls will take their position on the commandments of God as the result of this agency. Colporteur Ministry, page 128.

TESTIMONIALS
Gary Caulley's Experience - Gary is a painting contractor from Ohio who says: "When I step out in faith selling and giving out The Great Controversy I'm always amazed at the words God gives me to say." Gary and I pray together almost every day. He takes a Great Controversy with him wherever he goes. He was in Wal-Mart yesterday and prayed that God would use him to find someone who needed the book. His wife Susie chose the self service check out lane. No one was there. In a moment a woman came to the spot that oversees the self service lanes. Gary went up to her handed her a book and said. "I believe the Lord wants me to give you this." She looked at him and said "How did you know? I've been looking for something like this for a while now."
Gary says "I am actually a shy man but I've been claiming God's promise from Matthew 7:7 'Ask and it shall be given you.' I am amazed at the words God is giving me to speak to others. I recently talked to some men and women I work with on the job about The Great Controversy and they eagerly asked me for copies."
"It is really exciting to know that God is actually using me and speaking through me just like He said He would do. I believe Christ called John and his brother James, common, ordinary fishermen, to lead His church. I believe God called Peter and his brother Andrew, common ordinary fishermen, to the great work of soul winning. And I believe God is calling ordinary men and women like you and me today to warn the world and prepare the world for the soon return of Jesus Christ. I used to use the excuse "Lord I am just a painter. I'm glad you have great preachers to warn and prepare the world for soon coming of Jesus." But now I realize that the "great preachers" can not reach many of the people that I can reach. It is common ordinary people Jesus has always called to work with Him and I am so thankful He has called me and is using me to help others prepare for a life in heaven and on the earth made new. Many of those I help prepare for eternal life will be my closest friends throughout eternity.
I believe God is calling you. Jesus said 'GO and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.'" Matthew 28:19, 20. This is one of Christ's commandments that He expects everyone to obey. I invite you to join with us in taking the book The Great Controversy to relatives, to people in your work place, to people in the gas stations and stores, and post offices and anywhere and everywhere that you go each day."

Glen Walker's Experience - Glen takes a copy of The Great Controversy and Prophecy Made Easy with him wherever he goes. The Great Controversy was the book that originally made the Bible and its prophecies understandable when he first read it at the age of seventeen. Glen wrote Prophecy Made Easy, not to compete with The Great Controversy, but to help those who need to understand The Great Controversy message in Easy English.
Glen says, "Jesus has been so kind to me. I carry God's books with me wherever I go and sell them everywhere."
I've been driving a tractor-trailor recently and had the opportunity to talk with many truckers all across the United States about Jesus. I'm also a registered respiratory therapist. I've had interesting experiences sharing God's books where ever I am and whatever I'm doing.
One night I met a police officer. I was on the way home from the hospital where I worked. I didn't realize that I was driving a few miles per hour over the speed limit. It was midnight when he stopped me. He wrote me a warning ticket to slow down and I thanked him and handed him a copy of Prophecy Made Easy. "Officer," I said "here is a book I wrote called 'Prophecy Made Easy'. The first chapter contains 50 prophecies from the Old Testament prophets that were fulfilled in the Life of Jesus Christ."
"Micah the prophet foretold in Micah 5:2 the exact town Jesus would be born in, Bethlehem, 700 years in advance. David, the prophet, foretold the crucifixion of Christ 1,000 years in advance in Psalm 22:16. And Daniel, the prophet, foretold the exact year the Christ would be baptized and the exact year He would be crucified 500 years in advance. There are 50 prophecies just like those in the first chapter of Prophecy Made Easy. Then from Chapter 2 to 32 you may read what God has revealed about the past, present, and future in the great prophecies of the Bible, especially the last book of the Bible, Revelation. Would you like a copy of the book?" I asked.
"How much is it?" He replied.
I said, "Only $12.99"
"'Yes I'll take one."' He said as he got out his wallet and paid me for the book.
God sold the book and I believe it is a seed that will grow in his heart and that it will help him and his family successfully prepare for heaven. I believe God speaks through His own words that are quoted over 1,000 times in that book. I believe that the book will help him find answers to many of his most difficult questions. That book points to Jesus as the answer and says, "Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." John 1:29.
That night I failed. And that night God succeeded.

Another Experience - Another time I was coming home from another hospital about midnight and stopped at a gas station. A man just drove in as I was leaving. I showed him Prophecy Made Easy and spoke briefly about it.
He said, "No, I already have it. I bought it from you about a week ago at this same time."
I said, "Oh that is wonderful. Then you will enjoy this companion volume, The Great Controversy."
He said "yes" and now has both.
Selling a book to another individual takes time. You have to be willing to hear the word "no." Thank them and try again with another person. God will lead you to someone, somewhere who is "looking to heaven, longing for light, on the verge of the kingdom, waiting to be gathered in." I have sold books in tire stores waiting for an alignment or to buy new tires. I've sold them in grocery stores waiting in the check out line, in post offices and everywhere and anywhere I go each day.
There will be thousands saved in heaven by this very simple approach. They will get the book and read and reread the book and take Bible courses offered in the book and share it with loved ones. In the final moments of earth's history they will see the very events that the books have foretold coming to pass and thousands and tens of thousands will be ultimately saved forever.

"Scatter them like the leaves of autumn."

Download another great books for free;
Steps to Christ
The Desire of Ages
Patriarchs & Prophets

Dear my brother and sister,

If you are blessed after reading the books above, would you please forward this email to as many people as possible through your email or CLICK HERE. Jesus said in Matthew 24:14 "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come."

When you are doing this you will be joining the e-mail ministry to share the Everlasting Gospel and to bring people to Jesus, to prepare them and yourself for His Second Coming.

God Bless You

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I LOVE YOU JESUS

2009-02-13T05:38:00.013-08:00

Yohanes 3:16 Karena begitu besar kasih Allah akan dunia ini, sehingga Ia telah mengaruniakan Anak-Nya yang tunggal, supaya setiap orang yang percaya kepada-Nya tidak binasa, melainkan beroleh hidup yang kekal.

Merupakan jantung pekabaran Alkitab
Bahwa Allah sangat mengasihi dunia (manusia berdosa)
Sehingga Ia telah mengaruniakan Anak-Nya Yesus Kristus
Barangsiapa PERCAYA kepada-Nya akan beroleh hidup yang kekal

Doktrin Alkitab bahwa keselamatan didapat dari Beriman bahwa Yesus yang adalah Anak Allah, telah menjelma menjadi Manusia, mati, dan dibangkitkan pada hari ketiga dan saat ini sedang berada di dalam kerajaan sorga untuk menyediakan tempat bagi umat-Nya yang percaya kepada-Nya dan percaya bahwa Ia akan datang kembali dengan segala kemuliaan-Nya untuk menjemput umatnya masuk kedalam kerajaan sorga

Keselamatan tidak diperoleh dari perbuatan baik dan kebajikan, tetapi seratus persen karena "Kasih Karunia Allah" kepada manusai berdosa

Yohanes 14:6 Kata Yesus kepadanya: "Akulah jalan dan kebenaran dan hidup. Tidak ada seorangpun yang datang kepada Bapa, kalau tidak melalui Aku.

Yesus Kristus adalah satu-satunya oknum yang melalui Dia kita dapat datang kepada Bapa dan memperoleh kehidupan yang kekal

Orang Kristen adalah orang yang percaya kepada Yesus Kristus yaitu Yesus Kristus adalah Anak Allah yang telah mati di kayu salib untuk menebus dosa umat manusia

Orang Kristen adalah orang yang menuruti Firman Tuhan dan percaya bahwa Firman Tuhan itu Kekal adanya

Orang Kristen adalah orang yang menuruti teladan Tuhan Yesus selama Tuhan Yesus melayani di atas dunia

Tetapi apakah benar demikian? Pada kenyataannya banyak orang Kristen yang mengaku Kristen sejati yang berkata;

Firman Tuhan itu Kekal dan Tuhan tidak pernah berubah, dahulu sekarang dan selama-lamanya, tetapi juga berkata bahwa "Kesepuluh Firman" yang di tulis oleh jari tangan Allah sudah di batalkan di kayu salib

Orang Kristen juga berkata saya Kristen karena menuruti segala teladan Yesus Kristus tetapi hari peribadatannya hari pertama (Hari Minggu/Sunday) sementara Tuhan Yesus beribadah pada setiap hari ketujuh yaitu hari Sabat/Sabtu (Lukas 4:16)

Lukas 4:16 Ia datang ke Nazaret tempat Ia dibesarkan, dan menurut kebiasaan-Nya pada hari Sabat Ia masuk ke rumah ibadat, lalu berdiri hendak membaca dari Alkitab.

Orang Kristen adalah orang yang mengaku mengenal Allah, Rasul Yohanes berkata dalam
1 Yohanes 2:3 Dan inilah tandanya, bahwa kita mengenal Allah, yaitu jikalau kita menuruti perintah-perintah-Nya.

Dalam Matius
Matius 24: (37) Jawab Yesus kepadanya: "Kasihilah Tuhan, Allahmu, dengan segenap hatimu dan dengan segenap jiwamu dan dengan segenap akal budimu.
(38) Itulah hukum yang terutama dan yang pertama.
(39) Dan hukum yang kedua, yang sama dengan itu, ialah: Kasihilah sesamamu manusia seperti dirimu sendiri.

AMARAN TIGA MALAIKAT WAHYU 14:6-

2009-02-13T05:38:00.011-08:00

Dear Brother and Sister,

Sebelum melanjutkan membaca, mari kita berdoa dahulu kepada Tuhan Yesus, kita minta diberikan hikmat, kerendahan hati untuk mau menurut akan Firman Tuhan

Kitab Daniel dan Wahyu adalah dua kitab yang khusus diperuntukkan untuk umat manusia yang hidup pada akhir zaman yaitu zaman kita sekarang ini karena Allah sendiri mengatakan kepada Daniel untuk memeteraikan kitab tersebut karena pada akhir zaman banyak orang akan menyelidikinya dan pengetahuan akan bertambah (Daniel 12:4). Itulah sebabnya bagi kita yang hidup pada akhir zaman ini dibawah tuntunan Roh Kudus apabila kita mempelajari kitab Daniel dan Wahyu dengan kerendahan dan kejujuran hati maka Roh Kudus akan menyingkapkan artinya bagi kita. Kitab Daniel dan Wahyu akan menerangkan kepada kita akan; Amaran Tuhan untuk kita yang hidup di akhir zaman, tentang siapakah antikristus itu, manakah gereja Tuhan yang benar dan gereja percabulan, tentang Kedatangan Yesus yang kedua kali, tentang pengadilan Allah, Yerusalem baru dan hal-hal lainnya yang sangat penting bagi orang Kristen yang sedang menantikan kedatangan Yesus yang kedua kali

Saat ini marilah kita mempelajari khusus amaran Tuhan dalam Wahyu 14 karena amaran ini sungguh teramat sangat penting agar kita dapat menyadari apakah kita sedang berdiri di pihak Kebenaran atau pihak yang melawan kebenaran

WAHYU 14:
(6) Dan aku melihat seorang malaikat lain terbang di tengah-tengah langit dan padanya ada Injil yang kekal untuk diberitakannya kepada mereka yang diam di atas bumi dan kepada semua bangsa dan suku dan bahasa dan kaum,
(7) dan ia berseru dengan suara nyaring: "Takutlah akan Allah dan muliakanlah Dia, karena telah tiba saat penghakiman-Nya, dan sembahlah Dia yang telah menjadikan langit dan bumi dan laut dan semua mata air."
(8) Dan seorang malaikat lain, malaikat kedua, menyusul dia dan berkata: "Sudah rubuh, sudah rubuh Babel, kota besar itu, yang telah memabukkan segala bangsa dengan anggur hawa nafsu cabulnya."
(9) Dan seorang malaikat lain, malaikat ketiga, menyusul mereka, dan berkata dengan suara nyaring: "Jikalau seorang menyembah binatang dan patungnya itu, dan menerima tanda pada dahinya atau pada tangannya,
(10) maka ia akan minum dari anggur murka Allah, yang disediakan tanpa campuran dalam cawan murka-Nya; dan ia akan disiksa dengan api dan belerang di depan mata malaikat-malaikat kudus dan di depan mata Anak Domba.

Pekabaran Tiga Malaikat;
Pekabaran Malaikat Pertama;
(6) Dan aku melihat seorang malaikat lain terbang di tengah-tengah langit dan padanya ada Injil yang kekal untuk diberitakannya kepada mereka yang diam di atas bumi dan kepada semua bangsa dan suku dan bahasa dan kaum,
(7) dan ia berseru dengan suara nyaring: "Takutlah akan Allah dan muliakanlah Dia, karena telah tiba saat penghakiman-Nya, dan sembahlah Dia yang telah menjadikan langit dan bumi dan laut dan semua mata air."

Dibawakan oleh Malaikat pertama, untuk semua manusia, pekabarannya adalah Injil yang kekal yang isinya "Takutlah akan Allah dan muliakanlah Dia, karena telah tiba saat penghakiman-Nya, dan sembahlah Dia yang telah menjadikan langit dan bumi dan laut dan semua mata air."

Amaran Takut akan Allah artinya kita harus menuruti segala perintah-perintah dan hukum-hukum Nya
Yohanes 14:15 Jikalau kamu mengasihi Aku, kamu akan menuruti segala perintah-Ku.
1 Yohanes 2:3 Dan inilah tandanya, bahwa kita mengenal Allah, yaitu jikalau kita menuruti perintah-perintah-Nya.
(4) Barangsiapa berkata: aku mengenal Dia, tetapi ia tidak menuruti perintah-Nya, ia adalah seorang pendusta dan didalamnya tidak ada kebenaran
1 Yohanes 2:4 Barangsiapa berkata: Aku mengenal Dia, tetapi ia tidak menuruti perintah-Nya, ia adalah seorang pendusta dan di dalamnya tidak ada kebenaran.
1 Yohanes 5:3 Sebab inilah kasih kepada Allah, yaitu, bahwa kita menuruti perintah-perintah-Nya. Perintah-perintah-Nya itu tidak berat,

Amaran Sembahlah Dia yang telah menjadikan langit dan bumi dan laut dan semua mata air artinya kita harus menyembah Allah pencipta.
Allah dalam hikmat-Nya tidak membuat monumen penciptaan dalam bentuk patung raksasa yang berada di sebuah gunung dimana semua umat manusia harus pergi kesitu kemudian menyembah Allah pencipta dengan menyembah patung raksasa tsb dan berbagai macam monumen lainnya, tetapi Allah membuat monumen penciptaan dalam bentuk suatu hari peribadatan mingguan.
Kejadian 2:2 Ketika Allah pada hari ketujuh telah menyelesaikan pekerjaan yang dibuat-Nya itu, berhentilah Ia pada hari ketujuh dari segala pekerjaan yang telah dibuat-Nya itu.
(3) Lalu Allah memberkati hari ketujuh itu dan menguduskannya, karena pada hari itulah Ia berhenti dari segala pekerjaan penciptaan yang telah dibuat-Nya itu.
Apakah Tuhan berhenti pada hari ke-tujuh karena Dia lelah setelah melakukan penciptaan selama enam hari? tentu saja tidak tetapi pada hari ke-tujuh Allah menguduskan hari itu untuk menusia yang akan di ciptakan-Nya agar manusia dapat merasakan perhentian dari segala pekerjaan dan menyembah-Nya sang Khalik pencipta.
Karena hari Sabat di lembagakan Allah sejak saat penciptaan dunia, berarti hari sabat sudah ada jauh sebelum bangsa Israel ada (sebelum Yakub ada) yaitu sejak penciptaan, dengan demikian hari Sabat jelas bukan merupakan sabat orang Yahudi karena Sabat sudah ada sebelum orang Israel ada dan Alkitab dengan jelas mengatakan bahwa Sabat adalah Sabat Tuhan Allah
Keluaran 20:10 (10) tetapi hari ketujuh adalah hari Sabat TUHAN, Allahmu;...
Hari sabat diadakan untuk manusia bukan untuk orang Yahudi
Markus 2:27 Lalu kata Yesus kepada mereka: "Hari Sabat diadakan untuk manusia dan bukan manusia untuk hari Sabat,
(28) jadi Anak Manusia adalah juga Tuhan atas hari Sabat."

Tuhan Yesus ketika berada di dunia menguduskan hari Sabat
Lukas 4:16 Ia datang ke Nazaret tempat Ia dibesarkan, dan menurut kebiasaan-Nya pada hari Sabat Ia masuk ke rumah ibadat, lalu berdiri hendak membaca dari Alkitab.

Para Rasul pasca penyaliban tetap beribadah pada hari sabat (setelah penyaliban Sepuluh Hukum dan hukum ke-4 yaitu hukum Sabat sudah di palangkan?)
Dari Perga mereka melanjutkan perjalanan mereka, lalu tiba di Antiokhia di Pisidia. Pada hari Kisah Para Rasul 13:14 Sabat mereka pergi ke rumah ibadat, lalu duduk di situ.
Kisah Para Rasul 13:42 Ketika Paulus dan Barnabas keluar, mereka diminta untuk berbicara tentang pokok itu pula pada hari Sabat berikutnya.
Kisah Para Rasul 13:44 Pada hari Sabat berikutnya datanglah hampir seluruh kota itu berkumpul untuk mendengar firman Allah.
Kisah Para Rasul 16:13 Pada hari Sabat kami ke luar pintu gerbang kota. Kami menyusur tepi sungai dan menemukan tempat sembahyang Yahudi, yang sudah kami duga ada di situ; setelah duduk, kami berbicara kepada perempuan-perempuan yang ada berkumpul di situ.
Kisah Para Rasul 17:2 Seperti biasa Paulus masuk ke rumah ibadat itu. Tiga hari Sabat berturut-turut ia membicarakan dengan mereka bagian-bagian dari Kitab Suci.
Kisah Para Rasul 18:4 Dan setiap hari Sabat Paulus berbicara dalam rumah ibadat dan berusaha meyakinkan orang-orang Yahudi dan orang-orang Yunani.

Pertanyaan:
Kalau Penyucian Sabat telah ditetapkan oleh Allah sendiri sejak penciptaan dunia,
Kalau Hari Sabat sudah ada 2000 tahun sebelum orang Israel ada,
Kalau hari Sabat merupakan perintah/hukum Allah yang di tulis oleh jari tangan Allah sendiri (keluaran 20:8-11),
Kalau Firman Allah itu kekal sampai selama-lamanya dan Allah itu tidak pernah berubah,
Kalau Tuhan Yesus sendiri menyucikan hari Sabat dan para Rasul tetap beribadah pada hari sabat pasca penyaliban,
Kalau menurut Yesaya 58:13,14 mulut Tuhan sendiri mengatakan akan janji berkat atas setiap orang yang menguduskan hari Sabat
Kalau menurut Yesaya 66:23 & 24 menyatakan bahwa umat manusia akan terus menyembah Tuhan pada setiap Sabat hingga di dalam langit dan bumi yang baru (Yerusalem baru),

Mengapa mayoritas Kristen saat ini bukannya beribadah kepada Allah pencipta pada hari Sabat hari ke-tujuh tetapi beribadah pada hari pertama dalam minggu yaitu hari minggu yang mana tidak pernah di perintahkan oleh Allah dari kitab Kejadian sampai kitab Wahyu?
Apakah Tuhan tidak mengetahui bahwa iblis, lucifer si ular tua, pembinasa manusia sejak mulanya akan menyerang hukum Allah yaitu hukum ke-empat dengan mengubah hari peribadatan dari Sabat hari ke-tujuh ke hari Minggu hari pertama dalam minggu?

Oh, tentu saja Allah mengetahui akan hal ini, itulah sebabnya Kesepuluh Firman hukum ke-empat dimulai dengan kata "Ingatlah dan kuduskanlah hari Sabat" karena Allah tau bahwa manusia akan lupa dan karena iblis akan membuat manusia untuk melupakan hukum ini dengan mengubah hukum peribadatan hari sabat

Daniel 7:25 Ia (si tanduk kecil) akan mengucapkan perkataan yang menentang Yang Mahatinggi, dan akan menganiaya orang-orang kudus milik Yang Mahatinggi; ia berusaha untuk mengubah waktu dan hukum, dan mereka akan diserahkan ke dalam tangannya selama satu masa dan dua masa dan setengah masa.

Sangat jelas Alkitab dalam buku Daniel telah mengamarkan bahwa si tanduk kecil (antikirstus) akan melakukan 3 hal yang semuanya telah di genapi termasuk mengubah waktu dan hukum

Mari kita melihat bukti-bukti dan pengakuan dari si tanduk kecil sendiri mengenai perubahan waktu peribadatan dari Sabat hari ke-tujuh ke hari Minggu hari pertama dalam minggu:

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Isi dokumen di atas;

Letter to the pope:

Thomaston. GeorgiaMay 22, 1934

Pope Plus XIRome, Italy

Dear Sir: Is the accusation true that Protestants accuse you of? They say you changed the seventh day Sabbath to the so-called Christain Sunday ¡V identical with the first day of the week. If so, when did you make the change, and by what authority?
Yours very truly,J. L. Day (Signature)

Reply:

THE CATHOLIC EXTENSION MAGAZINEThe largest Catholic Magazine Published in the U.S.A.180 Wabash Avenue, Chicago, Illinois(Under the Blessings of Pope Plus XI)

Dear Sir: Regarding the change from the observance of the Jewish Sabbath to the Christian Sunday, I wish to draw your attention to the facts:

(1) That Protestants, who accept the Bible as the only rule of faith and religion, should by all means go back to the observance of the Sabbath. The fact that they do not, but on the contrary observe the Sunday, stultifies them in the eyes of every thinking man.

(2) We Catholics do not accept the Bible as the only rule of faith. Besides the Bible we have the living Church, the authority of the Church, as a rule to guide us. We say, this Church, instituted by Christ, to teach and guide man through life, has the right to change the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament and hence, we accept her change of the Sabbath to the Sunday. We frankly say, ¡§Yes, the Church made this change, made this law, as she made many other laws; for instance, the Friday Abstinence, the unmarried priesthood, the laws concerning mixed marriages, the regulation of Catholic marriages, and a thousand other laws.¡¨

(3) We also say that of all Protestants, the Seventh-day Adventists are the only group that reason correctly and are consistent with their teachings. It is always somewhat laughable to see the Protestant Churches, in pulpil and legislature, demand the observance of Sunday, of which there is nothing in the Bible.

With best wishes,Peter R. Tramer. Editor

*Untuk membaca puluhan bukti pengakuan silahkan baca bagian "Supplement" pada bagian paling bawah postingan ini

Amaran 1

Matius 15:9 Percuma mereka beribadah kepada-Ku, sedangkan ajaran yang mereka ajarkan ialah perintah manusia."

Matius 7:21-23
(21) Bukan setiap orang yang berseru kepada-Ku: Tuhan, Tuhan! akan masuk ke dalam Kerajaan Sorga, melainkan dia yang melakukan kehendak Bapa-Ku yang di sorga.
(22) Pada hari terakhir banyak orang akan berseru kepada-Ku: Tuhan, Tuhan, bukankah kami bernubuat demi nama-Mu, dan mengusir setan demi nama-Mu, dan mengadakan banyak mujizat demi nama-Mu juga?
(23) Pada waktu itulah Aku akan berterus terang kepada mereka dan berkata: Aku tidak pernah mengenal kamu! Enyahlah dari pada-Ku, kamu sekalian pembuat kejahatan!"

Kedua ayat di atas diperuntukkan oleh orang Kristen yang mengaku beribadah kepada Tuhan Yesus tetapi bukan dengan jalan yang benar seperti yang di minta oleh Tuhan Yesus melainkan menurut ajaran dan tradisi manusia

Ingat cerita nenek moyang kita, kakak beradik Kain dan Habel, dimana Kain membunuh Habel karena persembahan terbaik Kain tidak di terima Allah sedangkan persembahan terbaik Habel di terima oleh Allah?
Memang benar Kain mempersembahkan hasil terbaik dari hasil tanah sebagai korban persembahan kepada Tuhan, tetapi Tuhan tidak mengindahkannya melainkan menerima persembahan Habel yaitu anak sulung kambing-dombanya

Apakah perbedaan dari kedua persembahan Kain dan Habel sehingga Tuhan tidak menerima persembahan terbaik hasil tanah nya Kain?

Perbedaannya adalah Kain beribadah dengan cara terbaik tetapi bukan dengan cara yang benar
sedangkan Habel beribadah dengan cara yang terbaik dan dengan cara yang benar karena persembahan Korban bakaran yang diminta oleh Tuhan menuntut adanya penumpahan darah dari anak sulung kambing atau domba karena upacara ini merujuk kepada Yesus Kristus sebagai domba yang akan di sembelih dengan cara di salibkan

Jadi, betapa sangat berbahaya nya bila kita menyembah Tuhan dengan menggunakan logika kita daripada mengikuti Firman Tuhan

Mayoritas umat Kristen saat ini gantinya menyembah Tuhan pada hari Sabat tetapi menyembah Tuhan pada hari Minggu dengan argumen bahwa hari minggu adalah hari kemenangan dimana Yesus telah di bangkitkan
Padahal sangat jelas bahwa tidak pernah kitab suci menyatakan bahwa Tuhan pernah memerintahkan bahwa hari penyembahan telah di pindahkan dari hari Sabat hari ke-tujuh ke hari Minggu hari pertama dalam minggu, melainkan Tuhan telah mengamarkan bahwa Setan akan berusaha mengubah hari perbaktian ini dan bukti-bukti tertulis menyatakan bahwa Roma Katolik atas kuasa gereja telah melakukan perubahan tersebut, bahkan mereka berkata kalau Protestan yang menyatakan berpegang kepada kitab suci Alkitab harus lah kembali kepada peribadatan Sabat.

Amaran 2

Wahyu 13:15 Dan kepadanya diberikan kuasa untuk memberikan nyawa kepada patung binatang itu, sehingga patung binatang itu berbicara juga, dan bertindak begitu rupa, sehingga semua orang, yang tidak menyembah patung binatang itu, dibunuh.

Binatang ke-dua dalam Wahyu pasal 13 adalah binatang yang keluar dari dalam bumi.
USA adalah sebuah negara yang keluar dari sebuah benua yang sangat besar yaitu sebuah tanah permai, USA akan menerima kuasa dari si tanduk kecil atau binatang pertama yang keluar dari dalam laut yaitu Roma Katolik (Wahyu 13:1, Wahyu 13:12). Adapun kuasa yang di terima oleh USA dari Roma Katolik adalah dalam bentuk bantuan keuangan, kuasa keagamaan dan kuasa politik akan berjabat tangan dan kuasa politik yaitu USA atas kuasa dari Roma Katolik akan mengeluarkan sebuah UU kelabu yang dikenal dengan nama "Sunday Law atau UU Hari Minggu" yang akan di paksakan kepada seluruh manusia dimana peribadatan Hari Minggu ini adalah untuk menghormati kekuasaan Kepausan (peribadatan hari minggu adalah ciptaan Kepausan)
Jadi, tanpa kita sadari dengan menyucikan hari Minggu berarti kita sedang menyembah si antikristus, tanduk kecil, naga besar, ular tua atau iblis

Mari kita kembali ke amaran Malaikat Kedua dalam
Wahyu 14:8;
Dan seorang malaikat lain, malaikat kedua, menyusul dia dan berkata: "Sudah rubuh, sudah rubuh Babel, kota besar itu, yang telah memabukkan segala bangsa dengan anggur hawa nafsu cabulnya."

Amaran ini sesungguhnya menyatakan kepada kita bahwa cara peribadatan Kekristenan saat ini sudah dicemarkan oleh peribadatan kekafiran menjadi seperti Babel tetapi jangan khawatir karena dalam pekabaran Malaikat kedua ini menyatakan bahwa sesungguhnya system keagamaan yang menurut kepada adat istiadat manusia dan telah menyesatkan banyak orang ini sesungguhnya telah di taklukkan oleh Anak Domba yang telah di sembelih itu, janji kemenangan sudah diberikan kepada umat-umat pilihan Tuhan

Amaran Malaikat Ketiga dalam
Wahyu 14:9,10 (9) Dan seorang malaikat lain, malaikat ketiga, menyusul mereka, dan berkata dengan suara nyaring: "Jikalau seorang menyembah binatang dan patungnya itu, dan menerima tanda pada dahinya atau pada tangannya,
(10) maka ia akan minum dari anggur murka Allah, yang disediakan tanpa campuran dalam cawan murka-Nya; dan ia akan disiksa dengan api dan belerang di depan mata malaikat-malaikat kudus dan di depan mata Anak Domba.

pekabaran malaikat ketiga mengamarkan barang siapa menyembah binatang pertama dan patungnya itu yaitu menyembah kepausan dan menerima Sunday Law dengan menyucikan hari minggu akan mendapatkan hukuman siksaan dengan api dan belerang.

Mayoritas vs Minoritas

Kalau memang hari Sabat adalah hari peribadatan yang benar kepada Tuhan, kenapa hanya sedikit saja umat Tuhan yang memelihara hari Sabat?

Ingat berapa Tahun Nuh mengamarkan dunia pada saat itu tentang akan adanya air bah untuk membinasakan dunia saat itu karena sudah teramat sangat jahat karena jahatnya Tuhan sampai menyesal telah menciptakan manusia, berapa banyakkah umat Tuhan yang tidak binasa? hanyalah Nuh, istri dan anak-anaknya yang selamat

Ingat berapa banyak umat Tuhan yang selamat ketika kota Sodom dan Gomora di binasakan Tuhan? hanya Lot dan kedua anak nya

Ingat berapa banyak umat Tuhan yang tidak menyembah patung emas buatan Nebukadnezar? hanya Sadrakh, Mesakh dan Abednego

Ingat berapa banyak umat Tuhan yang tetap menyembah Allah ketika larangan beribadah dikeluarkan oleh raja Darius sebagai UU media persia? hanya Daniel

Dan masih banyak contoh lainnya dalam Alkitab

Marilah kita kembali ke buku Wahyu; adakah kelompok kecil/minoritas pada akhir zaman yang dinyatakan Tuhan akan tetap beridiri teguh memegang teguh Injil Yesus dan Hukum Allah?

Wahyu 12:17 Maka marahlah naga itu kepada perempuan itu, lalu pergi memerangi keturunannya yang lain, yang menuruti hukum-hukum Allah dan memiliki kesaksian Yesus.

Wahyu 14:12 Yang penting di sini ialah ketekunan orang-orang kudus, yang menuruti perintah Allah dan iman kepada Yesus.

Sekali lagi Allah memiliki sekelompok umat pilihan yang akan melewati penganiayaan besar yang dilakukan oleh iblis, naga, ular tua lewat kaki tangannya si tanduk kecil (antikrist)

Maukah anda saat ini untuk keluar dari cara peribadatan babel yaitu cara peribadatan yang telah di masuki oleh paham adat istiadat dan tradisi manusia?

Maukah anda bergabung dengan kelompok umat Allah yang Menuruti Perintah Allah dan Beriman Kepada Yesus? yang mana kelompok ini akan melewati suatu serangan hebat dari naga besar, iblis, si ular tua dan akhirnya akan mendapatkan perhentian yang kekal bersama Anak Domba yang sudah menang?
Wahyu 14: (12) Yang penting di sini ialah ketekunan orang-orang kudus, yang menuruti perintah Allah dan iman kepada Yesus.
(13) Dan aku mendengar suara dari sorga berkata: Tuliskan: "Berbahagialah orang-orang mati yang mati dalam Tuhan, sejak sekarang ini." "Sungguh," kata Roh, "supaya mereka boleh beristirahat dari jerih lelah mereka, karena segala perbuatan mereka menyertai mereka."

Di bawah ini anda akan mendapati hampir seratus bukti pengakuan dari berbagai lembaga agama termasuk dari Roma Katolik sendiri yang menyatakan bahwa
1. TIDAK ADA SATU PUN AYAT DALAM ALKITAB YANG MENYATAKAN TUHAN TELAH MENGUBAH HARI PENYEMBAHAN DARI HARI KETUJUH SABAT KE HARI MINGGU
2. ROMA KATOLIK BERULANG-ULANG KALI SECARA TEGAS MENYATAKAN BAHWA ATAS KUASA GEREJA, ROMA KATOLIK TELAH MENGUBAH HARI PERIBADATAN DARI SABAT KE MINGGU
3. PENGAKUAN DARI BERBAGAI NON-KATOLIK DAN PROTESTAN SEHUBUNGAN DENGAN HARI SABAT TELAH DI UBAH KE HARI MINGGU
DLL

Selamat menyelidiki Alkitab anda, doa saya kiranya Tuhan Yesus Memberkati

Christovel

*SUPPLEMENT

1. The Twelve Reasons Given For Sunday Worship Examined
2. Catholic Church Confessions
3. Non-catholic & Protestant Church Confessions
4. The Christian Sabbath - Rome's Challenge
5. Why Are Protestants Bowing To The Pope?
6. Protestants Are Using Catholic Arguments To Try & Validate Sunday Worship

The Twelve Reasons Given for Sunday Worship Examined

We will be examining the twelve main reasons Christians give to show why the day to worship God, in this New Covenant period, has been changed from Saturday to Sunday. As this is such an important matter to clearly understand, we encourage each one to pause before you read further and to pray for God to send you His Holy Spirit so that you can be led and guided into all truth (see James 1:5; Psalms 119:130; John 14:26, 16:30).

Sunday, the first day of the week, is heralded today as the "Christian Sabbath". But it has not always been so! Since ancient times, Sunday has been a day in which pagans, witches, shamans, and other occult and spiritualistic peoples worshipped the sun, hence the name--Sun-day. It was not a day to worship the God of heaven, but to worship the god of this earth--Lucifer or Satan or the devil, and can be traced all the way back to ancient Babylon and Nimrod.
As the first day of the week is almost universally observed by Christians today instead of the seventh day Sabbath of creation which the Creator required that we must remember to keep holy (see Genesis 2:2-3; Exodus 20:8-11), the question needs to be asked: When was this change made? The Roman Catholic Church states:
"Perhaps the boldest thing, the most revolutionary change the Church ever did, happened in the first century. The holy day, the Sabbath, was changed from Saturday to Sunday. 'The day of the Lord' was chosen, not from any direction noted in the Scriptures, but from the Church's sense of its own power....People who think that the Scriptures should be the sole authority, should logically...keep Saturday holy." St. Catherine Church Sentinel, Algonac, Michigan, May 21, 1995.

"Some theologians have held that God likewise directly determined the Sunday as the day of worship in the New Law, that He Himself has explicitly substituted the Sunday for the Sabbath. But this theory is now entirely abandoned. It is now commonly held that God simply gave His Church the power to set aside whatever day or days she would deem suitable as Holy Days. The Church chose Sunday, the first day of the week, and in the course of time added other days as holy days." John Laux, A Course in Religion for Catholic High Schools and Academies, 1936 edition, vol. 1, p. 51.

"The Catholic church for over one thousand years before the existence of a Protestant, by virtue of her divine mission, changed the day from Saturday to Sunday....The Protestant World at its birth found the Christian Sabbath too strongly entrenched to run counter to its existence; it was therefore placed under the necessity of acquiescing in the arrangement, thus implying the (Catholic) Church's right to change the day, for over three hundred years. The Christian Sabbath is therefore to this day, the acknowledged offspring of the Catholic Church as spouse of the Holy Ghost, without a word of remonstrance from the Protestant World." James Cardinal Gibbons in the Catholic Mirror, September 23, 1893.

"Question - Which is the Sabbath day?
"Answer - Saturday is the Sabbath day.
"Question - Why do we observe Sunday instead of Saturday?
"Answer - We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church...transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday." Peter Geiermann, C.S.S.R., The Convert's Catechism of Catholic Doctrine, p. 50, 3rd edition, 1957.

So we find that the Roman Catholic Church has changed God's Sabbath day to Sunday. But on whose power or authority was God's Sabbath of the fourth commandment changed from Saturday to Sunday? Roman Catholicism proudly declares:
"The authority of the church could therefore not be bound to the authority of the Scriptures, because the Church had changed...the Sabbath into Sunday, not by command of Christ, but by its own authority." Canon and Tradition, p. 263.

"Is Saturday the seventh day according to the Bible and the Ten Commandments? I answer yes. Is Sunday the first day of the week and did the Church change the seventh day - Saturday - for Sunday, the first day? I answer yes. Did Christ change the day'? I answer no!"
"Faithfully yours, J. Card. Gibbons." James Cardinal Gibbons, Archbishop of Baltimore, Md. (1877-1921), in a signed letter.

"From this we may understand how great is the authority of the church in interpreting or explaining to us the commandments of God - an authority which is acknowledged by the universal practice of the whole Christian world, even of those sects which profess to take the holy Scriptures as their sole rule of faith, since they observe as the day of rest not the seventh day of the week demanded by the Bible, but the first day. Which we know is to be kept holy, only from the tradition and teaching of the Catholic church." Henry Gibson, Catechism Made Easy, # 2, 9th edition, vol. 1, p. 341-342.

"For example, nowhere in the Bible do we find that Christ or the Apostles ordered that the Sabbath be changed from Saturday to Sunday. We have the commandment of God given to Moses to keep holy the Sabbath day, that is the 7th day of the week, Saturday. Today most Christians keep Sunday because it has been revealed to us by the [Roman Catholic] church outside the Bible." Catholic Virginian, October 3, 1947, p. 9, article "To Tell You the Truth."

"Written by the finger of God on two tables of stone, this Divine code (ten commandments) was received from the Almighty by Moses amid the thunders of Mount Sinai...Christ resumed these Commandments in the double precept of charity--love of God and of the neighbour; He proclaimed them as binding under the New Law in Matthew 19 and in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5)....The (Catholic) Church, on the other hand, after changing the day of rest from the Jewish Sabbath, or seventh day of the week, to the first, made the Third Commandment refer to Sunday as the day to be kept holy as the Lord's Day." The Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. 4, "The Ten Commandments", 1908 edition by Robert Appleton Company; and 1999 On-line edition by Kevin Knight, URL: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04153a.htm), Imprimatur, John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York.

"...Had she not such power, she could not a done that in which all modern religionists agree with her; -she could not have substituted the observance of Sunday the first day of the week, for the observance of Saturday the seventh day of the week, a change for which there is no Scriptural authority." Stephen Keenan, A Doctrinal Catechism On the Obedience Due to the Church, 3rd edition, Chapter 2, p. 174 (Imprimatur, John Cardinal McCloskey, Archbishop of New York).

Since the Roman Catholic Church claims her own power and authority to change the worship day of God from Saturday-the seventh-day of the week to Sunday-the first day, and not the power and authority of God as found in His Scriptures, then Sunday is purely and only a worship day created by the Roman Catholic Church and not God! And the Catholic Church is not afraid to admit this!
"Is not every Christian obliged to sanctify Sunday and to abstain on that day from unnecessary servile work? Is not the observance of this law among the most prominent of our sacred duties? But you may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you will not find a single line authorizing the sanctification of Sunday. The Scriptures enforce the religious observance of Saturday, a day which we never sanctify." James Cardinal Gibbons, The Faith of Our Fathers (1917 edition), p. 72-73 (16th Edition, p 111; 88th Edition, p. 89).

"They [the Protestants] deem it their duty to keep the Sunday holy. Why? Because the Catholic Church tells them to do so. They have no other reason....The observance of Sunday thus comes to be an ecclesiastical law entirely distinct from the divine law of Sabbath observance....The author of the Sunday law...is the Catholic Church." Ecclesiastical Review, February, 1914.

"The Sunday...is purely a creation of the Catholic Church." American Catholic Quarterly Review, January, 1883.

"Sunday...is the law of the Catholic Church alone..." American Sentinel (Catholic), June, 1893.

"Sunday is a Catholic institution and its claim to observance can be defended only on Catholic principles....From beginning to end of Scripture there is not a single passage that warrants the transfer of weekly public worship from the last day of the week to the first." Catholic Press, Sydney, Australia, August, 1990.

Now members of the Catholic Church have been taught to recognize the authority of the Pope and their church as being greater than the authority of God, and thereby feel perfectly satisfied in observing the commandment of Rome in keeping holy the first day of the week. But Christians from other denominations deny the authority of the church of Rome. Yet they continue to worship on Sunday--a day for which the Catholic church alone claims authority to make holy. Thus, whether or not Christians will admit it, by continuing to worship on Sunday they are obeying the commandment of the Roman Catholic Church and its Pope and not the commandment of God!
"It is well to remind the Presbyterians, Baptists, Methodists, and all other Christians, that the Bible does not support them anywhere in their observance of Sunday. Sunday is an institution of the Roman Catholic Church, and those who observe the day observe a commandment of the Catholic Church." Priest Brady, in an address reported in The News, Elizabeth, New Jersey, March 18, 1903.

By obeying the commandment of Rome and not of God, Sunday-keeping Christians are really bowing down and paying homage to the Pope of Catholicism, and not to the God of heaven--and Rome clearly understands this!
"It was the Catholic church...which has transferred this rest to Sunday in remembrance of the resurrection of our Lord. Therefore the observance of Sunday by the Protestants is an homage they pay, in spite of themselves, to the authority of the Catholic church." Monsignor Louis Segur, Plain Talk About the Protestantism of Today, p. 213.

"Protestants...accept Sunday rather than Saturday as the day for public worship after the Catholic Church made the change...In observing the Sunday, they are accepting the authority of the spokesman for the church, the Pope." Our Sunday Visitor, February 5, 1950.

"I have repeatedly offered $1,000 to anyone who can prove to me from the Bible alone that I am bound to keep Sunday holy. There is no such law in the Bible. It is a law of the holy Catholic Church alone. The Bible says, 'Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.' The Catholic Church says: 'No. By my divine power I abolish the Sabbath day and command you to keep holy the first day of the week.' And lo! The entire civilized world bows down in a reverent obedience to the command of the holy Catholic Church." father T. Enright, C.S.S.R. of the Redemptoral College, Kansas City, in a lecture at Hartford, Kansas, February 18, 1884, printed in History of the Sabbath, p. 802.

Most Christians are honestly trying to serve and worship God to the best of their knowledge and ability, and are ignorant of this dilemma. Yet when confronted with the truth regarding Sunday worship being only a commandment of Rome and not of God, many attempt to justify the change from Saturday to Sunday upon Biblical reasons. But not a single text clearly states that God has changed His Sabbath to the first day of the week! How then, can they dare to exalt the first day of the week above the Sabbath of the Lord, and yet claim to be serving and worshipping God and not the Pope? And whether they realize it or not, the great majority of their arguments in trying to validate Sunday worship originated from Catholic sources! (For proof of this see Catholic Arguments).

There are several reasons urged for the observance of the first day of the week, instead of the Sabbath of the Bible, and we will examine the twelve most common beliefs.

First Reason:

"Redemption is greater than creation; therefore, we ought to keep the day of Christ's resurrection instead of the ancient Sabbath of the Lord."

Where has God said this? It is no where to be found in God's word. What right then, has any man to make such an assertion and then to base the change of the Sabbath upon it? God never required men to keep any day as a memorial of redemption. But He did command us to keep holy the seventh day Sabbath as a memorial of creation thereby recognizing God as our Creator.
If however, it were a duty to observe one day of the week for this reason, most certainly the crucifixion day presents the strongest claims. It is not said that we have redemption through Christ's resurrection, but it is said that we have redemption through the shedding of His blood (see Revelation 5:9; Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14; Hebrews 9:12,15). The wonder of the act of Jehovah in giving His beloved and only begotten Son to die for a race of rebels was a spectacle of redeeming love on which the universe might gaze in wonder throughout all eternity. Who could wonder that the sun was veiled in darkness and that all nature trembled at the sight! Friday, the crucifixion day, therefore, has far greater claims than the day of the resurrection; but God has not enjoined the observance of either.
If we would commemorate redemption, there is no necessity of robbing the Lord's rest day of its holiness in order to do it. For God has provided us with memorials for this event (see 1 Corinthians 11:23-26).

Second Reason:

"The disciples met on the day of our Lord's resurrection to commemorate that event, and the Saviour sanctioned this meeting by uniting with them (See John 20:19)."

Even were this true, it would not prove that the Sabbath of the Lord has been changed. For several days the disciples did not believe that their Lord had been raised from the dead, but were assembled for the purpose of eating a common meal and to seclude themselves from the Jews (see Mark 16:12-14; John 20:19). So the disciples were not commemorating the resurrection of the Saviour, and it is equally evident that they had not the slightest idea of a change of the Sabbath. They kept the Sabbath, according to the commandment, and resumed their labor on the first day of the week (see Luke 23:55-56, 24:1).

Third Reason:

"`After eight days,' Jesus met with His disciples again (see John 20:26). This must have been the first day of the week, which is thereby proved to be the Christian Sabbath."

Who can be certain that "after eight days" means just a week? A literal construction of the language would lead one to conclude that this was upon the ninth day "after eight days" were passed.
But even if "after eight days" means only a literal week, how does this prove that Sunday has become the "Christian Sabbath" when there is not a particle of evidence that either Christ or His apostles ever rested on that day? There is no such term as Christian Sabbath found in the Bible. The only weekly Sabbath named in the Bible is called the Sabbath of the Lord--the seventh day (see Genesis 2:2-3).
It should not be very remarkable that Christ should find His disciples together, inasmuch as they had one common abode (see Acts 1:13).

Fourth Reason:

"The Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples on the day of Pentecost, which was the first day of the week. Therefore, the first day of the week should be observed instead of the Sabbath of the Lord (see Acts 2:1-2)."

Admitting that the day of Pentecost occurred upon the first day of the week, it remains to be proven that this day thereby became the Sabbath. It was the feast of Pentecost, and not the first day of the week, that God designed to honor.
The day of Pentecost is distinctly named, but the day of the week on which it occurred is passed by in silence. It was not the design of Heaven to honor the first day of the week, but to mark the anti-type of the feast of Pentecost.
The slaying of the paschal lamb on the fourteenth day of the first month had met its anti-type in the death of the Lamb of God on that day (see Exodus 12; John 19; 1 Corinthians 5:7). The offering of the firstfruits on the sixteenth day of the first month had met its anti-type in the resurrection of our Lord on that day, the firstfruits of them that slept (see Leviticus 23; 1 Corinthians 15:20-23; Acts 1:1-2). And the outpouring of the Holy Ghost on Pentecost fulfilled the type of the feast of Pentecost. It was not the day in which these events occurred that was of importance, but that these ancient symbolic ceremonies and services were meeting their fulfillment in type.
God spoke nothing in this place respecting the day in which these events occurred, and thus no proof exists for a change in the time of God's Sabbath. "Add thou not unto His words, lest He reprove thee, and thou be found a liar" Proverbs 30:6.

Fifth Reason:

"Paul once broke bread upon the first day of the week. Hence this day was observed as the Christian Sabbath (see Acts 20:7)."

At one period the Apostolic church at Jerusalem broke bread every day (see Acts 2:42-46). If a single instance of breaking bread at Troas upon the first day of the week constituted it the Sabbath, would not the continued practice of the Apostolic church at Jerusalem in breaking bread on other days be sufficient to make these days a Sabbath also?
Why try to grasp at a single instance in which an evening meeting was held on Sunday, and then try to vainly prove that the Sabbath has been changed, while overlooking the fact that this same apostle Paul preached every seventh day Sabbath, not only to the Jews, but also to the Gentiles? (See Acts 13:14,42,44, 16:13, 17:2, 18:4.)

Sixth Reason:

"We are to find our rest in Jesus, and Jesus declared Himself to be the Lord of the Sabbath. Thus the seventh-day of the week is no longer to be kept Holy, because Jesus is our Sabbath Rest (see Matthew 12:8; Matthew 11:28-30)!

While it is true that all are to find rest in Jesus (rest from all their cares, burdens, anxieties, sins, etc.), and while it is also true that Jesus declared Himself to be the Lord of the Sabbath day, yet it is not correct to therefore conclude that Jesus is the Sabbath day Himself!
The Queen of England is not England herself, but only the sovereign over it. In like manner, Jesus is not the Sabbath day Himself, but only the Sovereign or Lord over it. So as we find our rest in Jesus, we must not neglect to also rest from our labors upon His weekly Sabbath day. And since Jesus is still today the Lord of all His followers, then there is still a Sabbath day which He is Lord of and which all of His followers are to be observing today! And what day of the week is this Sabbath day of God in this New Covenant period?
"For he (God) spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works....There remaineth therefore a rest (a keeping of the Sabbath) to the people of God. (NOTE: this word for "rest" in Greek is "sabbatismos" and literally translates Sabbath keeping--see Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, Greek word #4520.) For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief." Hebrews 4:4,9-11.

Thus Paul clearly declares that there is indeed a Sabbath day which all of God's followers are to observe in this New Covenant period, and this day of the week is the same day which God made holy at creation--the seventh-day or Saturday! Let us heed Paul's counsel and avoid falling from God's grace because of unbelief by not keeping His Sabbath day of rest!

Seventh Reason:

"Paul commanded the church at Corinth to take up a public collection on the first day of the week; therefore, this must have been a day of public worship and consequently is the Christian Sabbath (see 1 Corinthians 16:2)."

Paul, however, does not say: "Place your alms in the church treasury on the first day of the week;" but says: "Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store."
The apostle simply told each of the Corinthian brethren to lay up at home some portion of his weekly gains on the first day or the beginning of the week before they had a chance to spend it all up. In following Paul's advice, they would be putting God and His cause first in their financial affairs, instead of at the end of the week after all their money had been depleted.
The whole question turns upon the meaning of the expression, "by him." Two Latin versions, the Vulgate and that of Castellio render the phrase, "apud se,"--"with one's self, at home." A similar rendering is given in numerous other versions.
The text, therefore, does not prove that the Corinthian church was assembled for public worship on Sunday; but, on the contrary, it does prove that each must be at his own home where he could examine his worldly affairs and lay by himself in store at the beginning of each week as God had prospered him. If each one would do thus, when the apostle should come, their bounty would be ready and each would be able to present to him what they had gathered.

Eighth Reason:

"No one really knows when the original seventh day of the week falls on. So each person needs to decide which day of the week they will keep sacred to God as His Sabbath, and Sunday is as good as any other day!"

Yet there has been no time lost since creation took place all the way up to the present time. So the same seven day weekly cycle established at creation is the same seven day weekly cycle we continue to observe today even though the names of the days of the week have been changed depending on the calendar used!
When the calendar was changed from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar back in the sixteenth century, it was discovered that the Julian calendar was off 10 days from the actual solar year. But the same weekly seven day cycle was not altered even though 10 days were added to the Gregorian calendar. Thursday, October 4, 1582 in the Julian calendar, was immediately followed by Friday, October 15, 1582 in the Gregorian calendar--thus keeping the continuity of the Sunday to Saturday weekly cycle! But even though some will not believe the fact that there has been no time lost since creation, God does indeed show all of His people what day of the week today is the seventh-day of the week--the true Sabbath worship day of God!
When Christ was on this earth, being the Lord of the Sabbath, He definitely knew which day of the week was the ancient seventh-day Sabbath of creation to worship God on. But since we use a different calendar today than what Christ used, which day of the week in our modern calendar does this seventh-day Sabbath fall upon? The Bible plainly and clearly shows to all who will see, in the events surrounding the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, exactly which day of the week today is God's holy Sabbath.
The Bible records that Christ was crucified on the sixth day of the week, or the preparation day--the day before the Sabbath was to occur (see Mark 15:42; Luke 23:54; John 19:31, 42; Matthew 27:62), He was resurrected on the first day of the week, or the day after the Sabbath had passed (see Matthew 28:1-8; Mark 16:1-10; Luke 24:1-8; John 20:1), thus showing that Christ was resting in the tomb during the seventh day Sabbath. It is plain knowledge that Christ arose from the tomb on Sunday morning--which many refer to as Easter (see Acts 12:4). With this knowledge of truth, it then becomes easy to determine exactly which days of the week in our modern calendar correspond with the days of the week anciently.
As Christ arose on the day we call Sunday today, this day corresponds to the first day of the week anciently--or the day after the Sabbath had passed. Then the day we call Saturday in our modern calendar, corresponds to the seventh day of the week anciently, and the day we call Friday in our modern calendar, corresponds to the sixth day of the week anciently--or the preparation day before the Sabbath occurs! Thus all who desire to follow and serve God with their whole heart, mind, soul, and strength, out of love for what He has done and is continuing to do for them, will see that the seventh day Sabbath of God today is Saturday--the day after Friday, and the day before Sunday! This then plainly shows us that the Sabbath day of God has not changed its seventh place in the weekly cycle since it was made holy at creation, and it never will!
God's Sabbath was established in Eden before sin had entered the world as the seventh-day of creation week (see Genesis 2:2-3). God re-established the same seventh-day Sabbath after sin had entered the world for all His chosen people to observe and worship Him on, after the Exodus from Egypt--some 2500 years later (see Exodus 20:8-11). The very same seventh-day Sabbath was observed by Christ and His disciples--some 1500 years afterwards. The very same seventh-day Sabbath was still to be observed by all of God's people some 33 years after the death of Christ in the New Covenant period (see Hebrews 4:4-11). And did you realize, that this very same seventh-day Sabbath will continue to be observed after Christ comes again and the earth is made new? (see Isaiah 66:22-23). This is because the seventh-day Sabbath is a memorial of creation, and will forever point directly to God as our Creator! You can no more change this seventh-day Sabbath to another day of the week than you can change the day of your birth to another day! Thus the seventh-day or Saturday--the Sabbath worship day of God, will never change, but will always remain the Sabbath day to worship God on throughout eternity!
May God grant us His Spirit of grace and the strength to serve and worship Him on His chosen Sabbath day of Saturday, and not on Sunday or on any other day of the week. Thus in doing so, we will show that we serve and worship the true God of creation, and not any other so-called god!

Ninth Reason:

"We are to worship God every day, not just one day a week. So there is no need to keep only one day a week as a Sabbath day to God."

While it is true that Christians are to worship and serve God every moment of each day, yet it is impossible that they can keep each day of the week as a Sabbath day holy to God! God clearly states:
"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it." Exodus 20:8-11.

There are several points which this statement and command of God shows the above belief to be in error.
First: God commanded all His followers to observe His Sabbath by not working upon this day of worship. So if one would try to keep each day of the week as a Sabbath worship day to God, then neither they, nor any other person connected with them, could do any work in seeking to earn a living throughout each day of each week! If the average person would try to follow this plan, they would soon be destitute and starve to death! So obviously, it is incorrect to believe that we are to keep each day as a Sabbath worship day to God.
Second: God commanded all of His followers to work six days of each week, but to only keep the seventh-day Sabbath of each week as a special sacred worship day with no work to be done! Thus if one tries to keep each day of the week as a Sabbath worship day to God, thereby refusing to work on six days of the week as God commanded, then they would be directly going against the will of the God whom they profess to serve. This also clearly shows that Sunday, along with the other 5 days of the week, are nothing more than common work days with no sanctity whatsoever, while Saturday is the only day of the week God declares to be holy!
Third: God clearly stated that only the seventh-day of each week was to be held sacred as His Sabbath worship day, not any other day of the week: not the first, or second, or third, etc., but only the seventh day! Hence for any follower of God to keep any other day of the week as a Sabbath worship day to God, would be going directly against the command and will of the God whom they profess to serve!

Tenth Reason:

"The Sabbath was part of the Old Covenant Ceremonial laws; thus was nailed to the cross when Christ died, and Sunday has taken its place in this New Covenant period (see Colossians 2:14-17)."

As was already noted, the seventh-day Sabbath was given to God's people at creation. This means that the Sabbath was in existence before sin entered the world, and thus before the sacrificial and ceremonial laws were instituted. Thus the weekly Sabbath of God could not be part of the ceremonial laws, and so could not have been nailed to the cross along with these sacrificial laws.
Since many have trouble differentiating between the ceremonial laws written by Moses, and the Moral Law of 10 commandments spoken by God, let us examine the clear differences between the two.
The ceremonial law is termed "the law of a carnal commandment" (Hebrews 7:16); and the moral Law of God, it is affirmed, "We know that the law is spiritual." Romans 7:14. The one is a law of which "there was made of necessity a change" Hebrews 7:12. The moral is that Law of which Christ says, "Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." Matthew 5:18.
The ceremonial law was a "shadow of good things to come" (Hebrews 10:1), and was only imposed "until the time of reformation" Hebrews 9:10. But the other was a moral code, of which it is said by John, "Whosever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law." 1 John 3:4. The one is a yoke not able to be borne (see Acts 15:10); the other is that "law of liberty" by which we shall be judged (see James 2:8-12).
The ceremonial is that law which Christ "abolished in His flesh" (see Ephesians 2:15); the moral is that Law which He did not come to destroy (see Matthew 5:17). The one is termed "the handwriting of ordinances" "which was contrary to us," which was nailed to the cross and taken out of the way by the death of Christ (see Colossians 2:14); the other is that Law which He came to magnify and make honorable (see Isaiah 42:21) and which James affirms is "the royal law" which is a sin to transgress (see James 2:8-12). The one was a temporary law which was disannulled "for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof" (see Hebrews 7:18); the other is an eternal unchanging Law which cannot be made void: "Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law." Romans 3:31.
The ceremonial law is that law which was the middle wall of partition between Jews and Gentiles (see Ephesians 2:14); the other is that Law, the work of which even the Gentiles are said to have written in their hearts (see Romans 2:14-15). The one is the law of commandments contained in ordinances (see Ephesians 2:15); the moral Law is the commandments of God, which it is the duty of all mankind to keep (see Ecclesiastes 12:13).
This great moral Law of 10 commandments is brought to view by the message of the third angel (see Revelation 14:9-12). This is the Law which the remnant of the seed of the woman were keeping when the dragon made war upon them (see Revelation 12:17). This moral Law will insure, to all those who keep them, the right to enter into heaven and to eat of the tree of life (see Revelation 22:14).
Surely, these two laws should not be confounded. The moral Law was magnified, made honorable, established, and is holy, just, spiritual, good, and royal; while the other was carnal, shadowy, burdensome, and was abolished, broken down, taken out of the way, nailed to the cross, changed, and disannulled on account of the weakness and unprofitableness thereof.
It is true that the precepts of the moral Law are variously interspersed throughout the books of Moses and mingled with the precepts of the ceremonial law. But this can in no way cause them to be included as part of this ceremonial law and also done away with. The moral Law is as eternal as God, while the ceremonial law was only in force until Christ died on the cross. Those who rightly divide the word of truth will never confound these essentially different laws, nor will they apply to God's royal Law the language employed respecting the handwriting of ordinances.
That the Ten Commandments are a perfect code of themselves, appears from several facts: God spoke them with His own voice; and it is said, "he added no more" (see Deuteronomy 5:22), thus showing that He had given a complete Law. He wrote them alone on two tables of stone with His own finger, another proof that this was a complete moral code (see Deuteronomy 9:9-11). He caused these alone to be placed under the mercy seat in the second apartment of the sanctuary (see Exodus 30:6; Hebrews 9:4-5), an evident proof that this was the Law that made an atonement necessary because it had been broken. And God expressly calls what He thus wrote on the tables of stone, a Law and commandments (see Exodus 24:12).
Both laws had Sabbaths, yet there were clear differences between them. The seventh-day Sabbath originated in Eden before sin as part of God's immutable Law, and always occurred on the seventh day which we today call Saturday. While the feast day sabbaths originated after sin as part of the ceremonial law, and could take place on any day of the week. The seventh-day Sabbath was written on stone by God's own finger. While the feast day sabbaths were written on cloth, or paper, or skin, by Moses' finger. The seventh-day Sabbath, along with the 9 other commandments, was placed in the ark directly underneath the mercy seat with God's glory and presence above (see Exodus 30:6, 40:20,34), signifying that they were to be enforced permanently and were unchanging. While the feast day sabbaths were placed in the side of the ark (see Deuteronomy 31:26), signifying that they were to be enforced only temporarily until their purpose was accomplished. On the seventh-day Sabbath no cooking was to be done, but all food was to be prepared and cooked on the sixth day or the preparation day (see Exodus 16:23). While on the feast day sabbaths you could prepare and cook your food (see Exodus 12:14-16). And on the seventh-day Sabbath, no work could be done--not even sticks were to be gathered for the preparation of food (see Numbers 15:32-36). While on the feast day sabbaths work could be done in gathering various tree branches (during the feasts of tabernacles) in order to build booths for shelters (see Leviticus 23:34-40).
So there is a clear difference between God's unchanging fourth commandment of the moral Law to keep holy the seventh-day Sabbath, and the temporary types and shadowy feast day sabbaths of the ceremonial law. The seventh-day Sabbath was "made for man" before he had fallen in sin; hence it could not be a type or shadow pointing forward to Christ's death and, hence, could not have been nailed to the cross, but continues pointing backward to the beginning of this earth's history and to the Creator of us all. But the feast day sabbaths, as well as all the other types of the Jewish economy, came into existence after man had fallen and needed a Saviour; hence they were a shadow pointing forward to redemption and were indeed nailed to the cross (see Colossians 2:14).
Paul even states that God's people are to continue keeping the Sabbath of the moral Law after Christ's death, but nowhere does he state that we need to keep the sabbaths of the ceremonial law! (see Hebrews 4:4-11).
It should be plain to all who wish to see that the doing away with the handwriting of ordinances of the ceremonial law leaves in full force every precept of the royal Law, and also that the law of shadows pointing forward to the death of Christ expired when that event occurred. The breaking of the moral Law was that which caused the Saviour to lay down His life to save you and me from sin. Thus the continued and unchanging sacredness of the 10 commandments, including the fourth commandment of the seventh-day Sabbath, may be judged by the fact that God gave His only Son to take its curse upon Himself and to die for our breaking of it.

Eleventh Reason:

"The Sabbath was only given for the Jewish people at Mount Sinai, and was replaced in the Gospel Dispensation with Sunday (see Exodus 20:8-11)."

First of all, the Seventh-day Sabbath was given by God before the Jewish people were born!
"And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made." Genesis 2:2-3.
Also, when God led His people out of Egypt, and fed them manna in the desert, they were told to gather each morning enough manna for that day only, and any unused portion became wormy and stank. But on the sixth day, or Friday, they were to "prepare that which they bring in and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily....And they laid it up until morning...and it did not stink...So the people rested on the seventh day." Exodus 16:5, 24, 30. This plainly shows that the people of God had a knowledge of His Seventh-day Sabbath even before the law was given on Mount Sinai!
So God's seventh-day Sabbath was clearly in existence before Judah, before Jacob, before Abraham, and even before the flood. Hence for over 2000 years before the first Jew walked the earth, the Sabbath was in existence! Thus the Sabbath of God was not a Jewish institution and could not pass away when the Gospel Dispensation arrived!

Twelfth Reason:

"John was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, which is then declared to be the first day of the week (see Revelation 1:10)."

But we ask: On what basis can it be assumed that this proves the point it is alleged to prove? This text, it is true, furnishes direct proof that there is a day in the gospel dispensation which the Lord claims as His; but is there one text in the Bible which testifies that the first day of the week is the Lord's day? There is not a single one.
Yet, there is indeed a record that God claimed a certain day as His and reserved it to Himself as His Sabbath. "And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it; because that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made" Genesis 2:3.
"For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works....There remaineth therefore a rest (the keeping of the Sabbath) to the people of God" Hebrews 4:4, 9.
"If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honor him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it." Isaiah 58:13-14. (see also Exodus 16:23, 20:10; Mark 2:28).
Then the seventh day is the true rest day which God reserved to Himself when He gave to man the other six, and this day He calls His holy day. This is the day which the New Testament declares the Son of man to be Lord of. There is but one day that the Bible designates as the Lord's day, and it is none other than the Sabbath of the fourth commandment--Saturday.
At Mount Sinai God Himself came down and proclaimed His holy law--the ten commandments. The fourth commandment, dealing with God's Sabbath day, is at the very heart or central part of this law.
"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work...For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it." Exodus 20:8-11.

Notice that God began this commandment with the word "Remember". This is because God knew that there would be an attempt to mislead people into forgetting to keep holy the seventh day as God's Sabbath. But more than this.
The Sabbath commandment contains the three things necessary to make the law of a King valid. It contains the NAME of the lawgiver--Lord; His official POSITION--Creator; and His DOMINION--heaven and earth. These three things are necessary in any royal seal of a King. Thus the seventh day Sabbath contains the seal of God which He has put in His law to make it valid. For those who keep this seventh day Sabbath holy unto God, will God place His seal in their foreheads (see Revelation 7:3), because the Sabbath is a distinguishing sign to all the world that we love and serve God and not man! So says God Himself:
"Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify them....And hollow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the Lord your God." Ezekiel 20:12, 20.

Since the seventh-day Sabbath contains the seal of God, and is the distinguishing sign between God and His people, then what does the Bible call the first day of the week or Sunday, which is the day made holy by Rome?
"And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name." Revelation 13:16-17.

History shows conclusively that the Roman Catholic church is this Beast power listed in Revelation 13:1-10, as well as the Little Horn power of Daniel 7 (see Appendix A). This Little Horn power was prophesied to think to change God's law (see Daniel 7:25)! So what is this mark of Roman Catholicism or the Beast? As the seal and sign of God is the keeping holy of His seventh-day Sabbath, then the mark of the Beast must be the keeping holy of Sunday after you know that it is not God's worship day! And Rome plainly admits this!
"Sunday is our mark of authority...the church is above the Bible, and this transference of Sabbath observance is proof of that fact." Catholic Record of London, Ontario, Canada, September 1, 1923.

"Of course the Catholic Church claims that the change (from Saturday Sabbath to Sunday worship) was her act....And the act is a mark of her ecclesiastical authority in religious things." H.F. Thomas, Chancellor of Cardinal Gibbons.

Therefore, any Christian who knowingly continues to worship on Sunday--the first day, while they know that the Bible Sabbath of the Lord is on Saturday--the seventh day, thereby show that they love a follow a lie of man, instead of loving and following the truth of God! They also show that they are content to serve, worship, and bow down to the authority of the Pope of Catholicism, and not to the Lord God of the Bible. Thus they are in grave danger of receiving the mark of the Beast and being lost, instead of receiving the seal of the living God and gaining everlasting life! And why will they be lost? Because they are following a commandment of the Roman Catholic church, and not the commandment of God; they are following the word of men founded in tradition, and not the word of God founded in the Scriptures! And Rome clearly understands this.
The Roman Catholic church blatantly challenges all Bible believing Christians to either give up Sunday, go back to the Bible alone as their authority and thereby keep the seventh-day or Saturday holy, or give up the Bible alone as their sole foundation for doctrinal truth, and come fully back their mother Roman Catholic Church!
"Sunday is founded, not of scripture, but on tradition, and is distinctly a Catholic institution. As there is no scripture for the transfer of the day of rest from the last to the first day of the week, Protestants ought to keep their Sabbath on Saturday and thus leave Catholics in full possession of Sunday." Catholic Record, September 17, 1893.

"Regarding the change from the observance of the Jewish Sabbath to the Christian Sunday, I wish to draw your attention to the facts:
"1) That Protestants, who accept the Bible as the only rule of faith and religion, should by all means go back to the observance of the Sabbath. The fact that they do not, but on the contrary observe the Sunday, stultifies them in the eyes of every thinking man.
"2) We Catholics do not accept the Bible as the only rule of faith. Besides the Bible we have the living Church, the authority of the Church, as a rule to guide us. We say, this Church, instituted by Christ to teach and guide man through life, has the right to change the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament and hence, we accept her change of the Sabbath to Sunday. We frankly say, yes, the Church made this change, made this law, as she made many other laws, for instance, the Friday abstinence, the unmarried priesthood, the laws concerning mixed marriages, the regulation of Catholic marriages and a thousand other laws....
"It is always somewhat laughable, to see the Protestant churches, in pulpit and legislation, demand the observance of Sunday, of which there is nothing in their Bible." Peter R. Kraemer, Catholic Church Extension Magazine, USA (1975),Chicago, Illinois, "Under the blessing of the Pope Pius XI"

"The arguments...are firmly grounded on the word of God, and having been closely studied with the Bible in hand, leave no escape for the conscientious Protestant except the abandonment of Sunday worship and the return to Saturday, commanded by their teacher, the Bible, or, unwilling to abandon the tradition of the Catholic Church, which enjoins the keeping of Sunday, and which they have accepted in direct opposition to their teacher, the Bible, consistently accept her (the Catholic Church) in all her teachings. Reason and common sense demand the acceptance of one or the other of these alternatives: either Protestantism and the keeping holy of Saturday, or Catholicism and the keeping holy of Sunday. Compromise is impossible." James Cardinal Gibbons, in Catholic Mirror, December 23, 1893.

Now the question is for you to settle: Do you want to be a candidate to receive the mark of Catholicism by following the lie of worshipping on Sunday--the first day of the week and lose eternal life? Or do you want to be a candidate to receive the seal and sign of God by following the truth and worshipping only on Saturday--the seventh-day Sabbath and gain everlasting life through Jesus Christ? This great solemn decision is now up to you to make, and praise God that you have such a choice!

But when all the reasoning, theories, and excuses for keeping Sunday holy instead of the Sabbath of the Bible are thoroughly examined, the following Scriptures plainly declare what God's people are to do in this great controversy:
"We ought to obey God rather than men." Acts 5:29.

"Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie." Revelation 22:14-15.

"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil." Ecclesiastes 12:13-14.

May God help us with the grace, strength, and courage to keep His commandments thereby showing our allegiance solely to God's authority in serving and worshiping only Him. May God help us not to follow a lie, nor to give our allegiance and service to the authority of any church, nor to the Pope, nor to any other man, in the place of God.

APPENDIX A

THE BEAST and LITTLE HORN

The Beast power of Revelation 13:1-10 has intrigued Christians for hundreds of years. There have been many speculations as to what it is, it’s nature, and the time when it appears. This concern is well placed, for the Bible gives a most powerful warning about this Beast power. But speculation is not necessary.
In Bible prophecy, political powers are frequently represented by animals, or “Beasts”. This practice is not limited to Bible times, for we still use animal symbols to represent countries today. But the appearance of this particular Beast is different from any animal we know and seems to be made up of several different beasts put together into one. Thus we are unable to call it by the name of any particular beast, such as a lion or a bear; and so it has commonly become known as the Beast, or the Leopard-like Beast, or the composite Beast.
This Beast is of such interest because it demands worship in opposition to God. And it is against this false system of worship, along with those who form a part of it, that God’s wrath, unmingled with mercy, is to be poured out!
"And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brinstone..." Revelation 14:9-10.

In looking at the verses which pertain to this Beast power, we notice that there are many characteristics or clues that help to identify who it represents. As we examine each of these points, it should become increasingly clear who this Beast power must be.
“And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshiped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshiped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Revelation 13:1-8.

Many people are looking for a diabolical power that will force it’s way into the political arena, compelling Christians to abandon their faith by setting up a nonreligious government of force. We need to notice, however, that there is worship connected with this power. Verse 8 states that all of the people on earth will worship it, except for those whose names are in the Lamb’s book of life. And it is only those whose names are written in that book of life who will be saved! Jesus spoke very plainly when He stated that “strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” Matthew 7:14.
A little later in that same sermon Jesus made another profound statement: “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then I will profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Matthew 7:21-23.
From these verses we conclude that the overwhelming majority of Christians will not be ready to meet Christ when He returns. According to the prophecy, all of these will be found worshiping this Beast power. This fact must tell us something about the nature of this Beast; for if this power professed to be anti-Christian, as so many expect, very few in the Christian world would be found worshiping it.
The next point to notice is that this Beast has the body of a leopard, and in Daniel 7:6 the Greek nation was represented by a leopard (please write for our tract on The Rise and Fall of Empires). Few people realize how completely the pagan philosophy of Greece captured the world, and it also played a significant role in the formation of thought in the church.
Several Greek philosophers are famous for the impact they had on human thought. During the middle ages, when the Bible was outlawed, men looked to Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates for light. As one may expect, their paganistic philosophy greatly permeated religious thinking, helping to shape many of the concepts that became a part of Christian belief, but for which there was no Biblical support.
For instance; Plato believed in the immortality of the soul. In his understanding, heroes and notable persons went immediately to mansions and places of reward, while the common people went down to the infernal regions to receive punishment for sinful pollutions until they had been cleansed. Here we see the religious belief of the elevation of the saints to heaven at death, and also the doctrine of purgatory.
Plato also believed in the concept of separating the body from the soul. He believed this was achieved by afflicting the body, by depravation, and by separation from society. Thus was laid the groundwork for the later emergence of the belief for monasticism and penances.
Another point to notice is that this Beast came up out of the waters of the sea. According to Revelation 17:15, waters represent “peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.” So what this text is stating is that when this Beast power emerged, it arose from an area which was densely populated--such as Europe, and not from the wilderness--or an area which was sparsely populated.
It is important to understand that this Beast power was also prophesied to continue for 42 months, or three and a half years of prophetic time. Using the Jewish calendar of 30 days for each month, 42 months or 3 1/2 years would mean 1260 prophetic days. In Bible prophecy, each day of prophetic time would equal one year of literal time (see Numbers 14:34; Ezekiel 4:6). Thus we understand that this Beast would rule for 1260 prophetic days or 1260 literal years.

The Little Horn

In Daniel 7, this same Beast power is likened to a Little Horn or kingdom which uproots and destroys three horns or kingdoms, and then speaks great blasphemous words against God (see Daniel 7:8, 20-25). This power was to rule “until a time and times and the dividing of time” Daniel 7:25. A “time” represents one year in Bible prophecy. So this Little Horn power was to rule for a time--or 1 year, times--or 2 more years, and the dividing of time--or half of a year. This would total three and a half years, or again 42 months or 1260 prophetic days or literal years. Thus the prophecies of the Beast and the Little Horn power are referring to this same religious power.
While both these prophecies indicate that the power identified was to reign for 1260 literal years, when did this time period begin? Another significant point which helps us to establish the time for the emergence of this power, is that it was to be given it’s seat, it’s authority, and it’s power, by the dragon.
While this dragon refers to Satan (see Revelation 12:9), it more specifically refers to the ancient pagan Roman Empire which Satan used to try and kill the man child--or Christ--as soon as He was born (see Matthew 2:1-18; Revelation 12:2-5). The seat of the old Roman Empire was the city of Rome itself. And as the date for the fall of the Roman Empire was A.D. 476, it is clear that this Beast power could not be firmly established with it’s seat and authority until after this time.

Then, who could this Beast power be? When the Roman Empire fell, it’s kingdom was divided into 10 nation-states. And what was the religious power which arose out of the ruins of pagan Rome? Claiming the titles and the authority of her Emperor predecessors, the Roman Catholic Church gradually sought to extend her power over these 10 nation-states of Europe. Soon the heads of these states received their crown and ruled more or less subject to Roman Catholic authority. While some might contend that the papacy is primarily a religious power, we have to understand that it is also a political power which sends and receives ambassadors and functions as a political state.
As the Roman Catholic church gradually gained more power and control over these 10 nation-states of Europe, it became evident that all but three of these nations (the Heruli, Vandals, and Ostrogoths) were in favor of, or yielded to, the Catholic religion and authority. Therefore the Catholic church made war against these three nations, and uprooted them in succession (the Heruli in 493, the Vandals in 534, and the Ostrogoths in 538)--exactly as the Bible predicted of this Little Horn-Beast power! Thus 538 would be the starting point for the Beast’s rule.
It was also shown that at the end of this Beast’s 1260 year reign, it’s power was to be removed, and it would received a wound that appeared to be a death blow. Yet this wound would be healed, and this same power would again exercise authority over the kings of the earth.
Beginning with the date of 538, the Catholic church ruled for exactly 1260 years, and then received it’s deadly wound in the year 1798. The armies of Napoleon were marching across Europe, destroying monarchy and the church. French general Berthier, went down to Rome and took pope Pious VI prisoner and returned him to France to live out his remaining days in exile. Thus the Catholic church was, for a period of time, without a visible head to rule. This was definitely a death blow or a deadly wound to the church, because without a visible head or pope, the Catholic Church was dead! It had ruled for 1260 years, and now it was powerless--just as prophecy declared.
Many believed that the church had come to an end and would never again figure significantly in world affairs. For many years this picture remained unchanged, but in 1929, Cardinal Gasparri and Benito Mussolini signed the concordat which restored temporal powers to the papacy. Once again the Vatican began to function as she had before.
No one can question that since that time the papacy has regained much of the prestige lost two centuries ago. In the 1950’s, when Harry Truman attempted to appoint an official ambassador to the Vatican, there arose such a protest that it was not possible for him to follow through. But thirty years later, when President Reagan tried to accomplish the same thing, he met with little opposition.
Another remarkable point is that this Beast had the feet of a bear. The bear in Daniel 7:5 represents the empire of the Medes and Persians, and they had a method of government peculiarly their own. When the king of the Medes and Persians spoke law, he was considered to be infallible. Once given, it was not possible to change the law (see Daniel 6:8,12,15.) This finds its counterpart in the doctrine of the infallibility of the pope when he speaks ex-cathedra, and defines points of law or doctrine.
Also, on the head of the Beast was the name of blasphemy. The Biblical concept of blasphemy is found in Mark 2. The rulers of the Jewish people accused Jesus of blasphemy for presuming to forgive sins, a prerogative belonging to God alone (see verses 5-7). This authority the Catholic Church also claims to have.

The final point to note, is that the prophecy declares that this Beast power would make war with the saints of God. No one with any knowledge of history can deny that this description, without question, fits the Roman Catholic church. It is conservatively estimated that the Church of Rome caused over fifty million people to be put to death throughout it’s 1260 year reign. Why were these people murdered? Because they followed Bible truth and their conscience--even when it differed with the established teaching and authority of the Church. Thus it is clear that the Beast of Revelation 13:1-10 and the Little Horn of Daniel 7, unmistakably refers to the Roman Catholic church!
While it is true that religious tolerance is more widespread today than in the past, Bible prophecy points to the fact that this will not always be the case. This deadly wound was to be completely healed, and soon the Catholic church will re-gain her lost power. Then, along with those Protestant churches which are united with and who image her, they will revive the persecutions of the past against those who refuse to accept and abide under their authority in religious belief and practice--choosing instead to follow Bible truth and their conscience (see Revelation 13:15-17).
We understand that God did not give these Biblical prophecies as an indictment against individuals, but rather against apostate religious systems. God has sent His people these prophetic warnings so that they might not innocently become involved in this apostasy of Rome or in any of the churches of apostate Protestantism which are united with her.
In Revelation 18, God refers to these same apostate systems of religion as Babylon. In these last days we find that, just as God called Lot out of wicked Sodom before its destruction, so He sends a call to His people today to “Come out of her, my people”: to separate from all these religious systems of apostasy, “that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues” Revelation 18:4.
God clearly warns His people not to be united with apostate churches or with unbelievers, but to remain separate from them all. If they should continue to remain members in or united with these, they will not be clean in God’s sight, He will not consider them as His sons and daughters, and they will lose eternal life (see 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; Isaiah 52:11; Micah 2:10).

It is because of God's great love for those who are still connected with these religious systems of apostasy; the many who sincerely love Him with all of their heart, that He warns them to escape from the real danger they are in. In loving kindness and tender mercy God calls His people out of all the churches, so that they might avoid being destroyed along with Babylon, and instead become connected with Christ and His kingdom of righteousness, and thus to gain everlasting life.
"Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity...My people, go ye out of the midst of her, and deliver ye every man his soul from the fierce anger of the Lord." Jeremiah 51:6, 45.

7 Facts About the Seventh Day

2009-02-13T05:38:00.009-08:00

7 Facts About the Seventh Day

Adapted from Why God Said Remember by Joe Crews.

Part of Satan’s strategy to destroy humanity’s trust in God has been to attack His claim as the Creator. Obviously, the theory of evolution is part of this deceptive and soul-destroying effort. With its amoral humanistic emphasis, Darwin’s doctrine has turned millions into religious skeptics and enshrouded in darkness their need for the Savior.

Yet while many Christians rightly denounce this unscientific belief, ironically, many are still falling into the devil’s trap of denying God’s sovereignty over the earth. That trap is the ages-long effort to twist and destroy the observance of the seventh-day Sabbath.

Through Satan’s false information and man’s trust in traditions over the sure word of Scripture, millions of Christians have been led to discount or even reject the importance of observing the Sabbath. “The seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord: … in it thou shalt not do any work” (Exodus 20:10). No one disagrees with the clear meaning of this text, yet millions are finding ways not to follow it.

Why? The general Bible ignorance of the church and the clever arguments of Satan have created a climate of prejudice against the holiness of the seventh day in favor of the observance of Sunday. So in the interest of promoting God’s law over the theories of men, let’s take a moment to rediscover some amazing facts about the seventh-day Sabbath.

Fact #1: The Seventh-day Sabbath Establishes God’s Sovereignty 
Why does Satan hate the Sabbath so much? Because the Sabbath identifies the true God and His claim of ultimate sovereignty.

God certainly anticipated the controversy over the Genesis account of Creation. He knew that after the fall of man, there would be doubts about His claims of manufacturing all the staggering mass of matter by merely commanding it to exist.

To safeguard His sovereignty, He established a mark that denoted His absolute right to rule as Lord. He chose to memorialize His display of creative power by setting aside the seventh day of the Creation week as a holy day of rest and remembering.

God wrote these words: “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work. … For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is: … wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it” (Exodus 20:8–11).

Once a week, as the earth rotates on its axis, the Sabbath reminder travels around the earth reaching every man, woman, and child with the message of an instant creation and the one who did the creating.

Why did God say remember? Because to forget the true Sabbath is to forget the true Creator.

Does it really matter that much? See “The One Unimportant Commandment?” below.

Fact #2: The Seventh-day Sabbath Was Made for Everyone
A multitude of Christians call God’s fourth commandment the “Jewish Sabbath.” But nowhere is this expression found in the Bible. The seventh day is called “the sabbath of the Lord,” and it is never called “the sabbath of the Jew” (Exodus 20:10).

Luke, a Gentile writer of the New Testament, often refers to things that were particularly Jewish. He writes of the “nation of the Jews,” “the people of the Jews,” “the land of the Jews,” and the “synagogue of the Jews” (Acts 10:22; 12:11; 10:39; 14:1). But he never refers to the “sabbath of the Jews,” although he mentions the Sabbath repeatedly.

Christ also taught that “the sabbath was made for man” (Mark 2:27). Adam and Eve were the only two people who existed when God actually established the Sabbath. There were no Jews in the world until 2,000 years later, so it was never meant just for the Jews. Jesus uses the term “man” in the generic sense, referring to all mankind. The same word is used in connection with the institution of marriage that was also introduced at creation. Certainly no Christian can believe that marriage was made only for the Jews.

Fact #3: It’s Not About Just Keeping Any Day
Every word of God’s Ten Commandments was written by His own hand in stone. Every word is serious and meaningful. No line in them is ambiguous or mysterious. Sinners and Christians, educated and uneducated, are not confused about the words “seventh day.” So why do they discount those words if every other word in the commandments is considered to be ironclad?

Satan wants the world to accept Sunday as the day he has chosen for worship, but any day will do for him so long as it means we’re breaking God’s command.

Genesis describes the origin of the Sabbath like this: “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made. … And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made” (Genesis 2:1–3).

Which day did God bless and sanctify? The seventh day. How was it to be kept holy? By resting. Could any of the other six be kept holy? No. Why? Because God commanded not to rest those days but to work. Does God’s blessing make a difference? Of course. Parents pray for God to bless their children because they believe it makes a difference. The seventh day is different from all the other days because it has God’s blessing.

Has God ever given man the privilege of choosing his own day of rest? No. In fact, God confirms in the Bible that the Sabbath is a matter settled and sealed by His own divine power. Read Exodus 16. For 40 years, God worked three miracles every week to show Israel which day was holy: (1) No manna fell on the seventh day; (2) they could not keep manna overnight without spoilage; (3) but when they kept manna over the Sabbath, it remained sweet and fresh!

But some Israelites had the same idea as many Christians have today. They felt that any day in seven would be okay to keep holy: “It came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none.” What happened? “And the Lord said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws?” (Exodus 16:27, 28).

God met them and accused them of breaking His law by going forth to work on the seventh day. Would God say the same thing to those who break the Sabbath today? Yes. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

But why the seventh day, exactly? See “Why the Seventh Day?” below.

Fact #4: We Know the True Seventh Day
Some reject the seventh-day Sabbath over the belief that we cannot know which day it falls on today, so picking any day should be okay. But this is fallacy. Here are four proofs that identify the true Sabbath.

1: According to Scripture, Christ died on Friday and rose on Sunday, the first day of the week. Practically all churches acknowledge this by observing Easter Sunday and Good Friday. “This man went unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid. And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on. The women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid. And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment” (Luke 23:52–56).

This is clear evidence that Jesus died the day before the Sabbath! The day of His death was a “preparation day” because it was the time to get ready for the Sabbath. Notice, then, that the women rested over the Sabbath “according to the commandment.” The commandment says, “The seventh day is the Sabbath,” so we know they were resting on Saturday. The very next verse says, “Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared. … And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre” (Luke 24:1, 2).

2: The calendar has not been changed so as to confuse the days of the week. Just as we know that Jesus and His followers observed the same day as Moses, we can be positive that our seventh day is the same day Jesus observed. Pope Gregory XIII did make a calendar change in 1582, but it did not interfere with the weekly cycle. What did Gregory do to the calendar? He changed Friday, October 5, 1582, to be Friday, October 15, 1582. He did not affect the weekly cycle of days.

3: The Jews have observed the seventh day from the time of Abraham, and they still keep it today. An entire nation of people, all around the world, continue to observe a Sabbath they have known for more than 4,000 years.

4: Over 100 languages on earth use the word “Sabbath” for Saturday. For example, the Spanish word for Saturday is “Sabado,” meaning Sabbath. What does this prove? It proves that when those languages originated long ago, Saturday was recognized as the Sabbath day and was incorporated into the very name of the day.

Fact #5: The Sabbath Is Not a Memorial of Deliverance Out of Egypt 
This is a belief taken and twisted out of the Old Testament: “The seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou. And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day” (Deuteronomy 5:14, 15).

Some people suggest this means that God gave the Sabbath as a memorial of the Exodus from Egypt. But the Genesis story of the making of the Sabbath (Genesis 2:1–3) and the wording of the fourth commandment by God (Exodus 20:11) reveals the seventh-day Sabbath as a memorial of creation.

The key to understanding these two verses rests in the word “servant.” God said, “Remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt.” And in the sentence before, He reminds them “that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou.” In other words, their experience in Egypt as servants would remind them to deal justly with their servants by giving them Sabbath rest.

It was not unusual for God to harken back to the Egyptian deliverance as an incentive to obey other commandments. In Deuteronomy 24:17, 18, the Bible says, “Thou shalt not pervert the judgment of the stranger, nor of the fatherless; nor take a widow’s raiment to pledge. … Thou wast a bondman in Egypt, and the Lord thy God redeemed thee thence: therefore I command thee to do this thing.”

Neither the command to be just nor to keep the Sabbath was given to memorialize the Exodus, but God told them that His goodness in bringing them out of captivity constituted a strong reason for them to deal kindly with their servants on the Sabbath and treating justly the strangers and widows.

In the same way, God spoke to them in Leviticus 11:45, “I am the Lord that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt … ye shall therefore be holy.” No one would insist that holiness did not exist before the Exodus or that it would be ever afterwards limited only to the Jews!

Fact #6: The Sabbath Is Not Meant to Memorialize the Resurrection 
It is true that Jesus rose on a Sunday. It is one of the pivotal moments in the history of the world.

But nowhere does the Bible hint that we should keep Sunday holy. Many other wonderful events occurred on certain days of the week, but we have no command to keep them holy either.

There is, of course, a memorial of the resurrection commanded in the Bible, but it is not to determine a new day of worship. Paul wrote: “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4). Baptism is the memorial of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. However, the Sabbath is a memorial of creation.

Still have a question about this? See “The Upper Room” below.

Fact #7: The Sabbath Will Be Celebrated for Eternity
The Sabbath is an arbitrary arrangement of God that serves a powerful purpose. It is His claim — His seal — over the world and all human life. It is also a sign of the redemption He offers to every single one of us.

Surely this is why God will preserve Sabbathkeeping throughout eternity. That’s right! “For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord” (Isaiah 66:22, 23).

The Sabbath is so precious to God that He will have His people observe it throughout all time in the beautiful new earth to come. If it is so precious to Him, should it not be precious to us? If we are going to keep it through all eternity, why not keep it now as our pledge of obedience to Him?

Trust and Obey: There Is No Other Way 
It is easy to understand why the devil has waged a continuing, desperate battle against the seventh-day Sabbath. He has worked through the pride of tradition, misinformation, and religious bigotry to destroy the sanctity of God’s special sign of authority — the Sabbath.

But with these Sabbath facts in hand, may God grant every Christian the courage to honor the Sabbath commandment as His special test of our love and loyalty.

It might be a duty to keep the seventh-day holy. But it should not be a burden. In an age of false gods and spirituality, of atheistic evolution, and the stubborn traditions of men, the world needs the Sabbath more than ever. It is more than just a test of our loyalty to the Creator. It is more than just a sign of our sanctification through His power. It is His promise of a lasting, eternal gift of restoration.

More Interesting Facts!

The One Unimportant Commandment? 
God made it very clear that, regardless of feelings, those who abuse the Sabbath are guilty of breaking His law. James explains that it is a sin to break even one of the Ten Commandments: “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law” (James 2:10, 11).

Most of the commandments begin with the same words: ‘‘Thou shalt not.’’ But the fourth commandment is introduced with the word “Remember.” Why? Because God was commanding them to call something to memory that already existed but had been forgotten.

Why the Seventh Day? 
Why did God bless the seventh day as a day of worship? Because He had just created the world in six days. It was a memorial to the birth of the world, a reason to remember that mighty act.

So could the Sabbath memorial be changed? No. Because it points backward to an accomplished fact. For instance, July 4 is Independence Day in the United States. Can it be changed? No. Because the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776. Your birthday cannot be changed either. It is a memorial of your birth, which happened on a set day. History would have to run through again to change your birthday, to change Independence Day, or to change the Sabbath day. We can call another day Independence Day, and we can call another day the Sabbath, but that does not make it so.

The Upper Room 
Those who believe that Sunday worship honors the resurrection of Jesus often cite the upper room meeting of the disciples on the same day that He rose from the grave. They argue that this gathering was meant to celebrate His resurrection. But the Bible record of the event reveals another set of circumstances.

Luke writes that even though the disciples were confronted with the eyewitness story of Mary, they “believed not. After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country. And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them. Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen” (Mark 16:11–14).

Obviously, none of those upper room disciples believed that He was raised from the dead, so they could not have been joyously celebrating the resurrection. John explains their reason for being together with these words: “The doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews” (John 20:19).