The Acts of the Apostles
by Ellen G. White
Chapter 45: Written From Rome
This chapter is based on the Epistles to the Colossians and the Philippians.
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These messages, written with a power not of man but of God, contain lessons which should be studied by all and which may with profit be often repeated.
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The apostle Paul early in his Christian experience was given
special opportunities to learn the will of God concerning the followers of
Jesus. He was "caught up to the third heaven," "into paradise,
and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter."
He himself acknowledged that many "visions and revelations" had been
given him "of the Lord." His understanding of the principles of
gospel truth was equal to that of "the very chiefest apostles." 2
Corinthians 12:2, 4, 1, 11. He had a clear, full comprehension of "the
breadth, and length, and depth, and height" of "the love of Christ,
which passeth knowledge." Ephesians 3:18, 19. {AA 469.1}
Paul could not tell all that he had seen in vision; for
among his hearers were some who would have misapplied his words. But that which
was revealed to him enabled him to labor as a leader and a wise teacher, and
also molded the [470] messages that he in later years
sent to the churches. The impression that he received when in vision was ever
with him, enabling him to give a correct representation of Christian character.
By word of mouth and by letter he bore a message that ever since has brought
help and strength to the church of God. To believers today this message speaks
plainly of the dangers that will threaten the church, and the false doctrines
that they will have to meet. {AA
469.2}
The apostle's desire for those to whom he addressed his
letters of counsel and admonition was that they should "be no more
children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of
doctrine;" but that they should all come into "the unity of the
faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the
measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." He entreated those who
were followers of Jesus in heathen communities not to walk "as other
Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened,
being alienated from the life of God . . . because of the blindness
of their heart," but "circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
redeeming the time." Ephesians 4:14, 13, 17, 18; 5:15, 16. He encouraged
the believers to look forward to the time when Christ, who "loved the
church, and gave Himself for it," would "present it to Himself a
glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing"—a
church "holy and without blemish." Ephesians 5:25, 27. {AA 470.1}
These messages, written with a power not of man but of God,
contain lessons which should be studied by all and [471] which
may with profit be often repeated. In them practical godliness is outlined,
principles are laid down that should be followed in every church, and the way
that leads to life eternal is made plain. {AA 470.2}
In his letter to "the saints and faithful brethren in
Christ which are at Colosse," written while he was a prisoner in Rome,
Paul makes mention of his joy over their steadfastness in the faith, tidings of
which had been brought him by Epaphras, who, the apostle wrote, "declared
unto us your love in the Spirit. For this cause," he continued, "we
also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire
that ye might be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and
spiritual understanding; that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all
pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of
God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, unto all
patience and long-suffering with joyfulness." {AA 471.1}
Thus Paul put into words his desire for the Colossian
believers. How high the ideal that these words hold before the follower of
Christ! They show the wonderful possibilities of the Christian life and make it
plain that there is no limit to the blessings that the children of God may
receive. Constantly increasing in a knowledge of God, they may go on from
strength to strength, from height to height in Christian experience, until by
"His glorious power" they are made "meet to be partakers of the
inheritance of the saints in light." {AA 471.2}
The apostle exalted Christ before his brethren as the One [472]
by whom God had created all things and by whom He had wrought out their
redemption. He declared that the hand that sustains the worlds in space, and
holds in their orderly arrangements and tireless activity all things throughout
the universe of God, is the hand that was nailed to the cross for them.
"By Him were all things created," Paul wrote, "that are in
heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones,
or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and
for Him: and He is before all things, and by Him all things consist."
"And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked
works, yet now hath He reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to
present you holy and unblamable and unreprovable in His sight." {AA 471.3}
The Son of God stooped to uplift the fallen. For this He
left the sinless worlds on high, the ninety and nine that loved Him, and came
to this earth to be "wounded for our transgressions" and
"bruised for our iniquities." Isaiah 53:5. He was in all things made
like unto His brethren. He became flesh, even as we are. He knew what it meant
to be hungry and thirsty and weary. He was sustained by food and refreshed by
sleep. He was a stranger and a sojourner on the earth—in the world,
but not of the world; tempted and tried as men and women of today are tempted
and tried, yet living a life free from sin. Tender, compassionate, sympathetic,
ever considerate of others, He represented the character of God. "The Word
was made flesh, and dwelt among us, . . . full of grace and
truth." John 1:14. [473] {AA 472.1}
Surrounded by the practices and influences of heathenism,
the Colossian believers were in danger of being drawn away from the simplicity
of the gospel, and Paul, in warning them against this, pointed them to Christ
as the only safe guide. "I would that ye knew," he wrote, "what
great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as
have not seen my face in the flesh; that their hearts might be comforted, being
knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of
understanding, to the acknowledgment of the mystery of God, and of the Father,
and of Christ; in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. {AA 473.1}
"And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with
enticing words. . . . As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the
Lord, so walk ye in Him: rooted and built up in Him, and stablished in the
faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest
any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of
men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in Him
dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in Him,
which is the head of all principality and power." {AA 473.2}
Christ had foretold that deceivers would arise, through
whose influence "iniquity" should "abound," and "the
love of many" should "wax cold." Matthew 24:12. He had warned
the disciples that the church would be in more danger from this evil than from
the persecution of her enemies. Again and again Paul warned the believers
against these false teachers. This peril, above all others, they must guard [474]
against; for by receiving false teachers, they would open the door to errors by
which the enemy would dim the spiritual perceptions and shake the confidence of
those newly come to the faith of the gospel. Christ was the standard by which
they were to test the doctrines presented. All that was not in harmony with His
teachings they were to reject. Christ crucified for sin, Christ risen from the
dead, Christ ascended on high—this was the science of salvation that
they were to learn and teach. {AA 473.3}
The warnings of the word of God regarding the perils
surrounding the Christian church belong to us today. As in the days of the
apostles men tried by tradition and philosophy to destroy faith in the
Scriptures, so today, by the pleasing sentiments of higher criticism,
evolution, spiritualism, theosophy, and pantheism, the enemy of righteousness
is seeking to lead souls into forbidden paths. To many the Bible is as a lamp
without oil, because they have turned their minds into channels of speculative
belief that bring misunderstanding and confusion. The work of higher criticism,
in dissecting, conjecturing, reconstructing, is destroying faith in the Bible
as a divine revelation. It is robbing God's word of power to control, uplift,
and inspire human lives. By spiritualism, multitudes are taught to believe that
desire is the highest law, that license is liberty, and that man is accountable
only to himself. {AA
474.1}
The follower of Christ will meet with the "enticing
words" against which the apostle warned the Colossian believers. He will
meet with spiritualistic interpretations of [475] the
Scriptures, but he is not to accept them. His voice is to be heard in clear
affirmation of the eternal truths of the Scriptures. Keeping his eyes fixed on
Christ, he is to move steadily forward in the path marked out, discarding all
ideas that are not in harmony with His teaching. The truth of God is to be the
subject for his contemplation and meditation. He is to regard the Bible as the
voice of God speaking directly to him. Thus he will find the wisdom which is
divine. {AA 474.2}
The knowledge of God as revealed in Christ is the knowledge
that all who are saved must have. This is the knowledge that works
transformation of character. Received into the life, it will re-create the soul
in the image of Christ. This is the knowledge that God invites His children to
receive, beside which all else is vanity and nothingness. {AA 475.1}
In every generation and in every land the true foundation
for character building has been the same—the principles contained in
the word of God. The only safe and sure rule is to do what God says. "The
statutes of the Lord are right," and "he that doeth these things
shall never be moved." Psalm 19:8; 15:5. It was with the word of God that
the apostles met the false theories of their day, saying, "Other
foundation can no man lay than that is laid." 1 Corinthians 3:11. {AA 475.2}
At the time of their conversion and baptism the Colossian
believers pledged themselves to put away beliefs and practices that had
hitherto been a part of their lives, and to be true to their allegiance to Christ.
In his letter, Paul reminded them of this, and entreated them not to forget
that in order [476] to keep their pledge they must
put forth constant effort against the evils that would seek for mastery over
them. "If ye then be risen with Christ," he said, "seek those
things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your
affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and
your life is hid with Christ in God." {AA 475.3}
"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. Through the power of Christ, men and women have broken the chains of
sinful habit. They have renounced selfishness. The profane have become
reverent, the drunken sober, the profligate pure. Souls that have borne the
likeness of Satan have become transformed into the image of God. This change is
in itself the miracle of miracles. A change wrought by the Word, it is one of
the deepest mysteries of the Word. We cannot understand it; we can only
believe, as declared by the Scriptures, it is "Christ in you, the hope of
glory." {AA 476.1}
When the Spirit of God controls mind and heart, the
converted soul breaks forth into a new song; for he realizes that in his experience
the promise of God has been fulfilled, that his transgression has been
forgiven, his sin covered. He has exercised repentance toward God for the
violation of the divine law, and faith toward Christ, who died for man's
justification. "Being justified by faith," he has "peace with
God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Romans 5:1. {AA 476.2}
But because this experience is his, the Christian is not [477]
therefore to fold his hands, content with that which has been accomplished for
him. He who has determined to enter the spiritual kingdom will find that all
the powers and passions of unregenerate nature, backed by the forces of the
kingdom of darkness, are arrayed against him. Each day he must renew his
consecration, each day do battle with evil. Old habits, hereditary tendencies
to wrong, will strive for the mastery, and against these he is to be ever on
guard, striving in Christ's strength for victory. {AA 476.3}
"Mortify therefore your members which are upon the
earth," Paul wrote to the Colossians; "in the which ye also walked
sometime, when ye lived in them. But now ye also put off all these: anger,
wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
. . . Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels
of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering; forbearing
one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any:
even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on
charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in
your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye
thankful." {AA 477.1}
The letter to the Colossians is filled with lessons of
highest value to all who are engaged in the service of Christ, lessons that show
the singleness of purpose and the loftiness of aim which will be seen in the
life of him who rightly represents the Saviour. Renouncing all that would
hinder him from making progress in the upward way or that would [478]
turn the feet of another from the narrow path, the believer will reveal in his
daily life mercy, kindness, humility, meekness, forbearance, and the love of
Christ. {AA 477.2}
The power of a higher, purer, nobler life is our great need.
The world has too much of our thought, and the kingdom of heaven too little. {AA 478.1}
In his efforts to reach God's ideal for him, the Christian
is to despair of nothing. Moral and spiritual perfection, through the grace and
power of Christ, is promised to all. Jesus is the source of power, the fountain
of life. He brings us to His word, and from the tree of life presents to us
leaves for the healing of sin-sick souls. He leads us to the throne of God, and
puts into our mouth a prayer through which we are brought into close contact
with Himself. In our behalf He sets in operation the all-powerful agencies of
heaven. At every step we touch His living power. {AA 478.2}
God fixes no limit to the advancement of those who desire to
be "filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual
understanding." Through prayer, through watchfulness, through growth in
knowledge and understanding, they are to be "strengthened with all might,
according to His glorious power." Thus they are prepared to work for
others. It is the Saviour's purpose that human beings, purified and sanctified,
shall be His helping hand. For this great privilege let us give thanks to Him
who "hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in
light: who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us
into the kingdom of His dear Son." [479] {AA 478.3}
Paul's letter to the Philippians, like the one to the
Colossians, was written while he was a prisoner at Rome. The church at Philippi
had sent gifts to Paul by the hand of Epaphroditus, whom Paul calls "my
brother, and companion in labor, and fellow soldier, but your messenger, and he
that ministered to my wants." While in Rome, Epaphroditus was sick,
"nigh unto death: but God had mercy on him," Paul wrote, "and
not on him only, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow."
Hearing of the sickness of Epaphroditus, the believers at Philippi were filled
with anxiety regarding him, and he decided to return to them. "He longed
after you all," Paul wrote, "and was full of heaviness, because that
ye had heard that he had been sick. . . . I sent him therefore the
more carefully, that, when ye see him again, ye may rejoice, and that I may be
the less sorrowful. Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness; and
hold such in reputation: because for the work of Christ he was nigh unto death,
not regarding his life, to supply your lack of service toward me." {AA 479.1}
By Epaphroditus, Paul sent the Philippian believers a
letter, in which he thanked them for their gifts to him. Of all the churches, that
of Philippi had been the most liberal in supplying Paul's wants. "Now ye
Philippians know also," the apostle said in his letter, "that in the
beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated
with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only. For even in
Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity. Not because I desire a
gift: but I desire [480] fruit that may abound to your
account. But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus
the things which were sent from you, an odor of a sweet smell, a sacrifice
acceptable, well-pleasing to God." {AA 479.2}
"Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and
from the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,
always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, for your
fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; being confident of this
very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until
the day of Jesus Christ: even as it is meet for me to think this of you all,
because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the
defense and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace. For
God is my record, how greatly I long after you all. . . . And this I
pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all
judgment; that ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere
and without offense till the day of Christ; being filled with the fruits of righteousness,
which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God." {AA 480.1}
The grace of God sustained Paul in his imprisonment,
enabling him to rejoice in tribulation. With faith and assurance he wrote to
his Philippian brethren that his imprisonment had resulted in the furtherance
of the gospel. "I would ye should understand, brethren," he declared,
"that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the
furtherance of the gospel; so that my bonds with Christ are manifest in all the
palace, and in all other places; and [481] many
of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold
to speak the word without fear." {AA 480.2}
There is a lesson for us in this experience of Paul's, for
it reveals God's way of working. The Lord can bring victory out of that which
may seem to us discomfiture and defeat. We are in danger of forgetting God, of
looking at the things which are seen, instead of beholding by the eye of faith
the things which are unseen. When misfortune or calamity comes, we are ready to
charge God with neglect or cruelty. If He sees fit to cut off our usefulness in
some line, we mourn, not stopping to think that thus God may be working for our
good. We need to learn that chastisement is a part of His great plan and that
under the rod of affliction the Christian may sometimes do more for the Master
than when engaged in active service. {AA 481.1}
As their example in the Christian life, Paul pointed the
Philippians to Christ, who, "being in the form of God, thought it not
robbery to be equal with God: but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon
Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found
in a fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even
the death of the cross." {AA 481.2}
"Wherefore, my beloved," he continued, "as ye
have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my
absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God
which worketh in you both to will and to do His good pleasure. Do all things
without murmurings and disputings: that ye may be blameless [482]
and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and
perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; holding forth the
word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in
vain, neither labored in vain." {AA 481.3}
These words were recorded for the help of every striving
soul. Paul holds up the standard of perfection and shows how it may be reached.
"Work out your own salvation," he says, "for it is God which
worketh in you." {AA
482.1}
The work of gaining salvation is one of copartnership, a
joint operation. There is to be co-operation between God and the repentant
sinner. This is necessary for the formation of right principles in the
character. Man is to make earnest efforts to overcome that which hinders him
from attaining to perfection. But he is wholly dependent upon God for success.
Human effort of itself is not sufficient. Without the aid of divine power it
avails nothing. God works and man works. Resistance of temptation must come
from man, who must draw his power from God. On the one side there is infinite
wisdom, compassion, and power; on the other, weakness, sinfulness, absolute
helplessness. {AA 482.2}
God wishes us to have the mastery over ourselves. But He
cannot help us without our consent and co-operation. The divine Spirit works
through the powers and faculties given to man. Of ourselves, we are not able to
bring the purposes and desires and inclinations into harmony with the will of
God; but if we are "willing to be made willing," the Saviour will
accomplish this for us, "Casting down imaginations, [483] and
every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and
bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." 2
Corinthians 10:5. {AA
482.3}
He who would build up a strong, symmetrical character, he
who would be a well-balanced Christian, must give all and do all for Christ;
for the Redeemer will not accept divided service. Daily he must learn the
meaning of self-surrender. He must study the word of God, learning its meaning
and obeying its precepts. Thus he may reach the standard of Christian
excellence. Day by day God works with him, perfecting the character that is to
stand in the time of final test. And day by day the believer is working out
before men and angels a sublime experiment, showing what the gospel can do for
fallen human beings. {AA
483.1}
"I count not myself to have apprehended," Paul
wrote; "but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind,
and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark
for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." {AA 483.2}
Paul did many things. From the time that he gave his
allegiance to Christ, his life was filled with untiring service. From city to
city, from country to country, he journeyed, telling the story of the cross,
winning converts to the gospel, and establishing churches. For these churches
he had a constant care, and he wrote many letters of instruction to them. At
times he worked at his trade to earn his daily bread. But in all the busy
activities of his life, Paul never lost sight of one great purpose—to
press toward the prize [484] of his calling. One aim he kept
steadfastly before him—to be faithful to the One who at the gate of
Damascus had revealed Himself to him. From this aim nothing had power to turn
him aside. To exalt the cross of Calvary—this was the all-absorbing
motive that inspired his words and acts. {AA 483.3}
The great purpose that constrained Paul to press forward in
the face of hardship and difficulty should lead every Christian worker to
consecrate himself wholly to God's service. Worldly attractions will be
presented to draw his attentions from the Saviour, but he is to press on toward
the goal, showing to the world, to angels, and to men that the hope of seeing
the face of God is worth all the effort and sacrifice that the attainment of
this hope demands. {AA
484.1}
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Though he was a prisoner, Paul was not discouraged. Instead,
a note of triumph rings through the letters that he wrote from Rome to the
churches. "Rejoice in the Lord alway," he wrote to the Philippians,
"and again I say, Rejoice. . . . Be careful for nothing; but in
everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be
made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding,
shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren,
whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are
just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever
things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise,
think on these things." {AA
484.2}
"My God shall supply all your need according to His
riches in glory by Christ Jesus. . . . The grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ be with you all." {AA 484.3}
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