The Great Controversy
by Ellen G. White
Chapter 27: Modern Revivals
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Wherever the word of God has been faithfully preached, results
have followed that attested its divine origin. The Spirit of God accompanied
the message of His servants, and the word was with power. Sinners felt their
consciences quickened. The "light which lighteth every man that cometh
into the world" illumined the secret chambers of their souls, and the
hidden things of darkness were made manifest. Deep conviction took hold upon
their minds and hearts. They were convinced of sin and of righteousness and of
judgment to come. They had a sense of the righteousness of Jehovah and felt the
terror of appearing, in their guilt and uncleanness, before the Searcher of
hearts. In anguish they cried out: "Who shall deliver me from the body of
this death?" As the cross of Calvary, with its infinite sacrifice for the
sins of men, was revealed, they saw that nothing but the merits of Christ could
suffice to atone for their transgressions; this alone could reconcile man to
God. With faith and humility they accepted the Lamb of God, that taketh away
the sin of the world. Through the blood of Jesus they had "remission of
sins that are past." {GC
461.1}
These souls brought forth fruit meet for repentance. They
believed and were baptized, and rose to walk in newness of life—new
creatures in Christ Jesus; not to fashion themselves according to the former
lusts, but by the faith of the Son of [462] God to
follow in His steps, to reflect His character, and to purify themselves even as
He is pure. The things they once hated they now loved, and the things they once
loved they hated. The proud and self-assertive became meek and lowly of heart.
The vain and supercilious became serious and unobtrusive. The profane became
reverent, the drunken sober, and the profligate pure. The vain fashions of the
world were laid aside. Christians sought not the "outward adorning of
plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; but
. . . the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible,
even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of
great price." 1 Peter 3:3, 4. {GC 461.2}
Revivals brought deep heart-searching and humility. They
were characterized by solemn, earnest appeals to the sinner, by yearning
compassion for the purchase of the blood of Christ. Men and women prayed and
wrestled with God for the salvation of souls. The fruits of such revivals were
seen in souls who shrank not at self-denial and sacrifice, but rejoiced that
they were counted worthy to suffer reproach and trial for the sake of Christ.
Men beheld a transformation in the lives of those who had professed the name of
Jesus. The community was benefited by their influence. They gathered with
Christ, and sowed to the Spirit, to reap life everlasting. {GC 462.1}
It could be said of them: "Ye sorrowed to
repentance." "For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to
be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. For behold this
selfsame thing, that 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 7:9-11. {GC
462.2}
This is the result of the work of the Spirit of God. There
is no evidence of genuine repentance unless it works reformation. [463]
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 found peace
with God. Such were the effects that in former years followed seasons of
religious awakening. Judged by their fruits, they were known to be blessed of
God in the salvation of men and the uplifting of humanity. {GC 462.3}
But many of the revivals of modern times have presented a
marked contrast to those manifestations of divine grace which in earlier days
followed the labors of God's servants. It is true that a widespread interest is
kindled, many profess conversion, and there are large accessions to the
churches; nevertheless the results are not such as to warrant the belief that
there has been a corresponding increase of real spiritual life. The light which
flames up for a time soon dies out, leaving the darkness more dense than
before. {GC 463.1}
Popular revivals are too often carried by appeals to the
imagination, by exciting the emotions, by gratifying the love for what is new
and startling. Converts thus gained have little desire to listen to Bible
truth, little interest in the testimony of prophets and apostles. Unless a
religious service has something of a sensational character, it has no
attractions for them. A message which appeals to unimpassioned reason awakens
no response. The plain warnings of God's word, relating directly to their
eternal interests, are unheeded. {GC 463.2}
With every truly converted soul the relation to God and to
eternal things will be the great topic of life. But where, in the popular
churches of today, is the spirit of consecration to God? The converts do not
renounce their pride and love of the world. They are no more willing to deny
self, to take up the cross, and follow the meek and lowly Jesus, than before
their conversion. Religion has become the sport of infidels and skeptics
because so many who bear its name are ignorant of its principles. The power of godliness
has well-nigh departed from many of the churches. Picnics, church theatricals, [464]
church fairs, fine houses, personal display, have banished thoughts of God.
Lands and goods and worldly occupations engross the mind, and things of eternal
interest receive hardly a passing notice. {GC 463.3}
Notwithstanding the widespread declension of faith and
piety, there are true followers of Christ in these churches. Before the final
visitation of God's judgments upon the earth there will be among the people of
the Lord such a revival of primitive godliness as has not been witnessed since
apostolic times. The Spirit and power of God will be poured out upon His
children. At that time many will separate themselves from those churches in
which the love of this world has supplanted love for God and His word. Many,
both of ministers and people, will gladly accept those great truths which God
has caused to be proclaimed at this time to prepare a people for the Lord's
second coming. The enemy of souls desires to hinder this work; and before the
time for such a movement shall come, he will endeavor to prevent it by
introducing a counterfeit. In those churches which he can bring under his
deceptive power he will make it appear that God's special blessing is poured
out; there will be manifest what is thought to be great religious interest.
Multitudes will exult that God is working marvelously for them, when the work
is that of another spirit. Under a religious guise, Satan will seek to extend
his influence over the Christian world. {GC 464.1}
In many of the revivals which have occurred during the last
half century, the same influences have been at work, to a greater or less
degree, that will be manifest in the more extensive movements of the future.
There is an emotional excitement, a mingling of the true with the false, that
is well adapted to mislead. Yet none need be deceived. In the light of God's
word it is not difficult to determine the nature of these movements. Wherever
men neglect the testimony of the Bible, turning away from those plain,
soul-testing truths which require self-denial and renunciation of the world,
there we may be sure that God's blessing is not bestowed. [465] And by
the rule which Christ Himself has given, "Ye shall know them by their
fruits" (Matthew 7:16), it is evident that these movements are not the
work of the Spirit of God. {GC
464.2}
In the truths of His word, God has given to men a revelation
of Himself; and to all who accept them they are a shield against the deceptions
of Satan. It is a neglect of these truths that has opened the door to the evils
which are now becoming so widespread in the religious world. The nature and the
importance of the law of God have been, to a great extent, lost sight of. A
wrong conception of the character, the perpetuity, and the obligation of the
divine law has led to errors in relation to conversion and sanctification, and
has resulted in lowering the standard of piety in the church. Here is to be
found the secret of the lack of the Spirit and power of God in the revivals of
our time. {GC 465.1}
There are, in the various denominations, men eminent for
their piety, by whom this fact is acknowledged and deplored. Professor Edwards
A. Park, in setting forth the current religious perils, ably says: "One
source of danger is the neglect of the pulpit to enforce the divine law. In
former days the pulpit was an echo of the voice of conscience. . . .
Our most illustrious preachers gave a wonderful majesty to their discourses by
following the example of the Master, and giving prominence to the law, its
precepts, and its threatenings. They repeated the two great maxims, that the
law is a transcript of the divine perfections, and that a man who does not love
the law does not love the gospel; for the law, as well as the gospel, is a
mirror reflecting the true character of God. This peril leads to another, that
of underrating the evil of sin, the extent of it, the demerit of it. In
proportion to the rightfulness of the commandment is the wrongfulness of
disobeying it. . . . {GC 465.2}
"Affiliated to the dangers already named is the danger
of underestimating the justice of God. The tendency of the modern pulpit is to
strain out the divine justice from the divine benevolence, to sink benevolence
into a sentiment rather [466] than exalt it into a principle.
The new theological prism puts asunder what God has joined together. Is the
divine law a good or an evil? It is a good. Then justice is good; for it is a
disposition to execute the law. From the habit of underrating the divine law
and justice, the extent and demerit of human disobedience, men easily slide
into the habit of underestimating the grace which has provided an atonement for
sin." Thus the gospel loses its value and importance in the minds of men,
and soon they are ready practically to cast aside the Bible itself. {GC 465.3}
Many religious teachers assert that Christ by His death
abolished the law, and men are henceforth free from its requirements. There are
some who represent it as a grievous yoke, and in contrast to the bondage of the
law they present the liberty to be enjoyed under the gospel. {GC 466.1}
But not so did prophets and apostles regard the holy law of
God. Said David: "I will walk at liberty: for I seek Thy precepts."
Psalm 119:45. The apostle James, who wrote after the death of Christ, refers to
the Decalogue as "the royal law" and "the perfect law of
liberty." James 2:8; 1:25. And the revelator, half a century after the
crucifixion, pronounces a blessing upon them "that do His commandments,
that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the
gates into the city." Revelation 22:14. {GC 466.2}
The claim that Christ by His death abolished His Father's
law is without foundation. Had it been possible for the law to be changed or
set aside, then Christ need not have died to save man from the penalty of sin.
The death of Christ, so far from abolishing the law, proves that it is
immutable. The Son of God came to "magnify the law, and make it
honorable." Isaiah 42:21. He said: "Think not that I am come to
destroy the law;" "till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle
shall in no wise pass from the law." Matthew 5:17, 18. And concerning
Himself He declares: "I delight to do Thy will, O my God: yea, Thy law is
within My heart." Psalm 40:8. [467]
{GC 466.3}
The law of God, from its very nature, is unchangeable. It is
a revelation of the will and the character of its Author. God is love, and His
law is love. Its two great principles are love to God and love to man.
"Love is the fulfilling of the law." Romans 13:10. The character of
God is righteousness and truth; such is the nature of His law. Says the
psalmist: "Thy law is the truth:" "all Thy commandments are
righteousness." Psalm 119:142, 172. And the apostle Paul declares:
"The law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good."
Romans 7:12. Such a law, being an expression of the mind and will of God, must
be as enduring as its Author. {GC 467.1}
It is the work of conversion and sanctification to reconcile
men to God by bringing them into accord with the principles of His law. In the
beginning, man was created in the image of God. He was in perfect harmony with
the nature and the law of God; the principles of righteousness were written
upon his heart. But sin alienated him from his Maker. He no longer reflected
the divine image. His heart was at war with the principles of God's law.
"The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law
of God, neither indeed can be." Romans 8:7. But "God so loved the world,
that He gave His only-begotten Son," that man might be reconciled to God.
Through the merits of Christ he can be restored to harmony with his Maker. His
heart must be renewed by divine grace; he must have a new life from above. This
change is the new birth, without which, says Jesus, "he cannot see the
kingdom of God." {GC
467.2}
The first step in reconciliation to God is the conviction of
sin. "Sin is the transgression of the law." "By the law is the
knowledge of sin." 1 John 3:4; Romans 3:20. In order to see his guilt, the
sinner must test his character by God's great standard of righteousness. It is
a mirror which shows the perfection of a righteous character and enables him to
discern the defects in his own. {GC 467.3}
The law reveals to man his sins, but it provides no remedy. [468]
While it promises life to the obedient, it declares that death is the portion
of the transgressor. The gospel of Christ alone can free him from the
condemnation or the defilement of sin. He must exercise repentance toward God,
whose law has been transgressed; and faith in Christ, his atoning sacrifice.
Thus he obtains "remission of sins that are past" and becomes a
partaker of the divine nature. He is a child of God, having received the spirit
of adoption, whereby he cries: "Abba, Father!" {GC 467.4}
Is he now free to transgress God's law? Says Paul: "Do
we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the
law." "How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer
therein?" And John declares: "This is the love of God, that we keep
His commandments: and His commandments are not grievous." Romans 3:31;
6:2; 1 John 5:3. In the new birth the heart is brought into harmony with God,
as it is brought into accord with His law. When this mighty change has taken
place in the sinner, he has passed from death unto life, from sin unto
holiness, from transgression and rebellion to obedience and loyalty. The old
life of alienation from God has ended; the new life of reconciliation, of faith
and love, has begun. Then "the righteousness of the law" will
"be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the
Spirit." Romans 8:4. And the language of the soul will be: "O how
love I Thy law! it is my meditation all the day." Psalm 119:97. {GC 468.1}
"The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the
soul." Psalm 19:7. Without the law, men have no just conception of the
purity and holiness of God or of their own guilt and uncleanness. They have no
true conviction of sin and feel no need of repentance. Not seeing their lost
condition as violators of God's law, they do not realize their need of the
atoning blood of Christ. The hope of salvation is accepted without a radical
change of heart or reformation of life. Thus superficial conversions abound,
and multitudes are joined to the church who have never been united to Christ. [469]
{GC 468.2}
Erroneous theories of sanctification, also, springing from
neglect or rejection of the divine law, have a prominent place in the religious
movements of the day. These theories are both false in doctrine and dangerous
in practical results; and the fact that they are so generally finding favor,
renders it doubly essential that all have a clear understanding of what the
Scriptures teach upon this point. {GC 469.1}
True sanctification is a Bible doctrine. The apostle Paul,
in his letter to the Thessalonian church, declares: "This is the will of
God, even your sanctification." And he prays: "The very God of peace
sanctify you wholly." 1 Thessalonians 4:3; 5:23. The Bible clearly teaches
what sanctification is and how it is to be attained. The Saviour prayed for His
disciples: "Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy word is truth." John
17:17. And Paul teaches that believers are to be "sanctified by the Holy
Ghost." Romans 15:16. What is the work of the Holy Spirit? Jesus told His
disciples: "When He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into
all truth." John 16:13. And the psalmist says: "Thy law is the
truth." By the word and the Spirit of God are opened to men the great
principles of righteousness embodied in His law. And since the law of God is
"holy, and just, and good," a transcript of the divine perfection, it
follows that a character formed by obedience to that law will be holy. Christ
is a perfect example of such a character. He says: "I have kept My
Father's commandments." "I do always those things that please
Him." John 15:10; 8:29. The followers of Christ are to become like Him—by
the grace of God to form characters in harmony with the principles of His holy
law. This is Bible sanctification. {GC 469.2}
This work can be accomplished only through faith in Christ,
by the power of the indwelling Spirit of God. Paul admonishes believers:
"Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which
worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure." Philippians
2:12, 13. The Christian will feel the promptings of sin, but he will [470]
maintain a constant warfare against it. Here is where Christ's help is needed.
Human weakness becomes united to divine strength, and faith exclaims:
"Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus
Christ." 1 Corinthians 15:57. {GC 469.3}
The Scriptures plainly show that the work of sanctification
is progressive. When in conversion the sinner finds peace with God through the
blood of the atonement, the Christian life has but just begun. Now he is to
"go on unto perfection;" to grow up "unto the measure of the
stature of the fullness of Christ." Says the apostle Paul: "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." Philippians 3:13, 14. And Peter sets
before us the steps by which Bible sanctification is to be attained: "Giving
all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to
knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
. . . If ye do these things, ye shall never fall." 2 Peter
1:5-10. {GC 470.1}
Those who experience the sanctification of the Bible will
manifest a spirit of humility. Like Moses, they have had a view of the awful
majesty of holiness, and they see their own unworthiness in contrast with the
purity and exalted perfection of the Infinite One. {GC 470.2}
The prophet Daniel was an example of true sanctification.
His long life was filled up with noble service for his Master. He was a man
"greatly beloved" (Daniel 10:11) of Heaven. Yet instead of claiming
to be pure and holy, this honored prophet identified himself with the really
sinful of Israel as he pleaded before God in behalf of his people: "We do
not present our supplications before Thee for our righteousness, but for Thy great
mercies." "We have sinned, we have done wickedly." He declares:
"I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my
people." And when at a later time the Son of God appeared, to give [471]
him instruction, Daniel says: "My comeliness was turned in me into
corruption, and I retained no strength." Daniel 9:18, 15, 20; 10:8. {GC 470.3}
When Job heard the voice of the Lord out of the whirlwind,
he exclaimed: "I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes." Job
42:6. It was when Isaiah saw the glory of the Lord, and heard the cherubim
crying, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts," that he cried out,
"Woe is me! for I am undone." Isaiah 6:3, 5. Paul, after he was
caught up into the third heaven and heard things which it was not possible for
a man to utter, speaks of himself as "less than the least of all
saints." 2 Corinthians 12:2-4, margin; Ephesians 3:8. It was the beloved
John, who leaned on Jesus' breast and beheld His glory, that fell as one dead
before the feet of the angel. Revelation 1:17. {GC 471.1}
There can be no self-exaltation, no boastful claim to
freedom from sin, on the part of those who walk in the shadow of Calvary's
cross. They feel that it was their sin which caused the agony that broke the
heart of the Son of God, and this thought will lead them to self-abasement.
Those who live nearest to Jesus discern most clearly the frailty and sinfulness
of humanity, and their only hope is in the merit of a crucified and risen
Saviour. {GC 471.2}
The sanctification now gaining prominence in the religious
world carries with it a spirit of self-exaltation and a disregard for the law
of God that mark it as foreign to the religion of the Bible. Its advocates
teach that sanctification is an instantaneous work, by which, through faith alone,
they attain to perfect holiness. "Only believe," say they, "and
the blessing is yours." No further effort on the part of the receiver is
supposed to be required. At the same time they deny the authority of the law of
God, urging that they are released from obligation to keep the commandments.
But is it possible for men to be holy, in accord with the will and character of
God, without coming into harmony with the principles which are an expression of
His nature and will, and which show what is well pleasing to Him? [472]
{GC 471.3}
The desire for an easy religion that requires no striving,
no self-denial, no divorce from the follies of the world, has made the doctrine
of faith, and faith only, a popular doctrine; but what saith the word of God?
Says the apostle James: "What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man
say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? . . . Wilt
thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our
father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made
perfect? . . . Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and
not by faith only." James 2:14-24. {GC 472.1}
The testimony of the word of God is against this ensnaring
doctrine of faith without works. It is not faith that claims the favor of
Heaven without complying with the conditions upon which mercy is to be granted,
it is presumption; for genuine faith has its foundation in the promises and
provisions of the Scriptures. {GC 472.2}
Let none deceive themselves with the belief that they can
become holy while willfully violating one of God's requirements. The commission
of a known sin silences the witnessing voice of the Spirit and separates the
soul from God. "Sin is the transgression of the law." And
"whosoever sinneth [transgresseth the law] hath not seen Him, neither
known Him." 1 John 3:6. Though John in his epistles dwells so fully upon
love, yet he does not hesitate to reveal the true character of that class who
claim to be sanctified while living in transgression of the law of God.
"He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar,
and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth His word, in him verily is the
love of God perfected." 1 John 2:4, 5. Here is the test of every man's
profession. We cannot accord holiness to any man without bringing him to the
measurement of God's only standard of holiness in heaven and in earth. If men
feel no weight of the moral law, if they belittle and make light of God's
precepts, if they break one of the least of [473] these
commandments, and teach men so, they shall be of no esteem in the sight of
Heaven, and we may know that their claims are without foundation. {GC 472.3}
And the claim to be without sin is, in itself, evidence that
he who makes this claim is far from holy. It is because he has no true
conception of the infinite purity and holiness of God or of what they must
become who shall be in harmony with His character; because he has no true
conception of the purity and exalted loveliness of Jesus, and the malignity and
evil of sin, that man can regard himself as holy. The greater the distance
between himself and Christ, and the more inadequate his conceptions of the
divine character and requirements, the more righteous he appears in his own
eyes. {GC 473.1}
The sanctification set forth in the Scriptures embraces the
entire being—spirit, soul, and body. Paul prayed for the
Thessalonians that their "whole spirit and soul and body be preserved
blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Thessalonians 5:23.
Again he writes to believers: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the
mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable unto God." Romans 12:1. In the time of ancient Israel every
offering brought as a sacrifice to God was carefully examined. If any defect
was discovered in the animal presented, it was refused; for God had commanded
that the offering be "without blemish." So Christians are bidden to
present their bodies, "a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto
God." In order to do this, all their powers must be preserved in the best
possible condition. Every practice that weakens physical or mental strength
unfits man for the service of his Creator. And will God be pleased with
anything less than the best we can offer? Said Christ: "Thou shalt love
the Lord thy God with all thy heart." Those who do love God with all the
heart will desire to give Him the best service of their life, and they will be
constantly seeking to bring every power of their being into harmony with the
laws that will promote their ability to do His will. They will not, by the
indulgence of [474] appetite or passion, enfeeble or
defile the offering which they present to their heavenly Father. {GC 473.2}
Peter says: "Abstain from fleshly lusts, which war
against the soul." 1 Peter 2:11. Every sinful gratification tends to
benumb the faculties and deaden the mental and spiritual perceptions, and the
word or the Spirit of God can make but a feeble impression upon the heart. Paul
writes to the Corinthians: "Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness
of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." 2
Corinthians 7:1. And with the fruits of the Spirit—"love, joy,
peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness"—he
classes "temperance." Galatians 5:22, 23. {GC 474.1}
Notwithstanding these inspired declarations, how many
professed Christians are enfeebling their powers in the pursuit of gain or the
worship of fashion; how many are debasing their godlike manhood by gluttony, by
wine drinking, by forbidden pleasure. And the church, instead of rebuking, too
often encourages the evil by appealing to appetite, to desire for gain or love
of pleasure, to replenish her treasury, which love for Christ is too feeble to
supply. Were Jesus to enter the churches of today and behold the feasting and
unholy traffic there conducted in the name of religion, would He not drive out
those desecrators, as He banished the money-changers from the temple? {GC 474.2}
The apostle James declares that the wisdom from above is
"first pure." Had he encountered those who take the precious name of
Jesus upon lips defiled by tobacco, those whose breath and person are contaminated
by its foul odor, and who pollute the air of heaven and force all about them to
inhale the poison—had the apostle come in contact with a practice so
opposed to the purity of the gospel, would he not have denounced it as
"earthly, sensual, devilish"? Slaves of tobacco, claiming the
blessing of entire sanctification, talk of their hope of heaven; but God's word
plainly declares that "there shall in no wise enter into it anything that
defileth." Revelation 21:27. [475] {GC 474.3}
"Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy
Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? for ye
are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your
spirit, which are God's." 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20. He whose body is the temple
of the Holy Spirit will not be enslaved by a pernicious habit. His powers
belong to Christ, who has bought him with the price of blood. His property is
the Lord's. How could he be guiltless in squandering this entrusted capital?
Professed Christians yearly expend an immense sum upon useless and pernicious
indulgences, while souls are perishing for the word of life. God is robbed in
tithes and offerings, while they consume upon the altar of destroying lust more
than they give to relieve the poor or for the support of the gospel. If all who
profess to be followers of Christ were truly sanctified, their means, instead
of being spent for needless and even hurtful indulgences, would be turned into
the Lord's treasury, and Christians would set an example of temperance,
self-denial, and self-sacrifice. Then they would be the light of the world. {GC 475.1}
The world is given up to self-indulgence. "The lust of
the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life" control the
masses of the people. But Christ's followers have a holier calling. "Come
out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the
unclean." In the light of God's word we are justified in declaring that
sanctification cannot be genuine which does not work this utter renunciation of
the sinful pursuits and gratifications of the world. {GC 475.2}
To those who comply with the conditions, "Come out from
among them, and be ye separate, . . . and touch not the
unclean," God's promise is, "I will receive you, and will be a Father
unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty."
2 Corinthians 6:17, 18. It is the privilege and the duty of every Christian to
have a rich and abundant experience in the things of God. "I am the light
of [476]
the world," said Jesus. "He that followeth Me shall not walk in
darkness, but shall have the light of life." John 8:12. "The path of
the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect
day." Proverbs 4:18. Every step of faith and obedience brings the soul
into closer connection with the Light of the world, in whom there "is no
darkness at all." The bright beams of the Sun of Righteousness shine upon
the servants of God, and they are to reflect His rays. As the stars tell us
that there is a great light in heaven with whose glory they are made bright, so
Christians are to make it manifest that there is a God on the throne of the
universe whose character is worthy of praise and imitation. The graces of His
Spirit, the purity and holiness of His character, will be manifest in His
witnesses. {GC 475.3}
Paul in his letter to the Colossians sets forth the rich
blessings granted to the children of God. He says: We "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." Colossians
1:9-11. {GC 476.1}
Again he writes of his desire that the brethren at Ephesus
might come to understand the height of the Christian's privilege. He opens
before them, in the most comprehensive language, the marvelous power and
knowledge that they might possess as sons and daughters of the Most High. It
was theirs "to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner
man," to be "rooted and grounded in love," to "comprehend
with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to
know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge." But the prayer of the
apostle reaches the climax of privilege when he prays that "ye might be
filled with all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:16-19. [477] {GC 476.2}
Here are revealed the heights of attainment that we may
reach through faith in the promises of our heavenly Father, when we fulfill His
requirements. Through the merits of Christ we have access to the throne of
Infinite Power. "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. The Father gave His Spirit without measure to His Son, and we also may
partake of its fullness. Jesus says, "If ye then, being evil, know how to
give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father
give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?" Luke 11:13. "If ye shall
ask anything in My name, I will do it." "Ask, and ye shall receive,
that your joy may be full." John 14:14: 16:24. {GC 477.1}
While the Christian's life will be characterized by
humility, it should not be marked with sadness and self-depreciation. It is the
privilege of everyone so to live that God will approve and bless him. It is not
the will of our heavenly Father that we should be ever under condemnation and
darkness. There is no evidence of true humility in going with the head bowed
down and the heart filled with thoughts of self. We may go to Jesus and be
cleansed, and stand before the law without shame and 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. {GC 477.2}
Through Jesus the fallen sons of Adam become "sons of
God." "Both He that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all
of one: for which cause He is not ashamed to call them brethren." Hebrews
2:11. The Christian's life should be one of faith, of victory, and joy in God.
"Whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory
that overcometh the world, even our faith." 1 John 5:4. Truly spoke God's
servant Nehemiah: "The joy of the Lord is your strength."
Nehemiah 8:10. And Paul says: "Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say,
Rejoice." "Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give
thanks: for this [478] is the will of God in Christ
Jesus concerning you." Philippians 4:4; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. {GC 477.3}
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Such are the fruits of Bible conversion and sanctification;
and it is because the great principles of righteousness set forth in the law of
God are so indifferently regarded by the Christian world that these fruits are
so rarely witnessed. This is why there is manifest so little of that deep,
abiding work of the Spirit of God which marked revivals in former years. {GC 478.1}
It is by beholding that we become changed. And as those
sacred precepts in which God has opened to men the perfection and holiness of
His character are neglected, and the minds of the people are attracted to human
teachings and theories, what marvel that there has followed a decline of living
piety in the church. Saith the Lord: "They have forsaken Me the fountain
of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold
no water." Jeremiah 2:13. {GC 478.2}
"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of
the ungodly. . . . But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in
His law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by
the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also
shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." Psalm 1:1-3. It
is only as the law of God is restored to its rightful position that there can
be a revival of primitive faith and godliness among His professed people. "Thus
saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where
is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls."
Jeremiah 6:16. {GC 478.3}
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"Facing Life's Record"
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