"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."
The record of every
life is written
in the books of
heaven. Every sin
that has been committed
is there registered.
Every regret for
sin, every tear
of repentance, every
confession of guilt,
and the forsaking
of every darling
sin, is also recorded.
When the judgment
shall sit and the
books are opened,
every case will
have to stand the
test of the law
of God. God has
a law by which he
governs intelligences
both in heaven and
in earth. Jehovah
is the supreme Governor
of nations, and
no greater or more
fatal deception
could take hold
on human minds than
that which leads
men to declare that
the law of God has
been abolished.
Were this so there
could be no judgment;
for there would
be no rule by which
character could
be tested, and actions
weighed. But we
read that the judgment
is to sit, and that
the books are to
be opened, and that
every man is to
be rewarded according
as his works have
been. If God has
no moral standard
by which to measure
character, there
can be no judgment,
no reward.
But, according to
the unerring word
of God, every man
will be judged and
rewarded according
as his works have
been, and we are
admonished to so
speak and to so
do as "they that
shall be judged
by the law of liberty."
When sin has been
repented of, confessed,
and forsaken, then
pardon is written
against the sinner's
name; but his sins
are not blotted
out until after
the investigative
judgment. No finite
being can tell how
his case stands
in the sight of
Him whose eyes are
like a flame of
fire, who says:
"I know thy works.
. . . I counsel
thee to buy of me
gold tried in the
fire, that thou
mayest be rich;
and white raiment,
that thou mayest
be clothed, and
that the shame of
thy nakedness do
not appear; and
anoint thine eyes
with eye salve,
that thou mayest
see. As many as
I love, I rebuke
and chasten; be
zealous therefore,
and repent."
Those who presume
to think that the
law of God has been
done away, and that
it no longer exists,
have set up an imperfect
standard of their
own. Measuring themselves
by their own finite
standard, they pronounce
themselves pure
and perfect. Satan
has just such a
standard, by which
he declares that
he is righteous;
but these false
standards cannot
compare with God's
unerring standard
of righteousness.
No one who has an
appreciation of
the verity of the
law of God will
claim an exalted
character for himself.
Our true position,
and the only one
in which there is
any safety, is that
of repentance and
confession of sins
before God. Feeling
that we are sinners,
we shall have faith
in our Lord Jesus
Christ, who alone
is able to pardon
transgression, and
impute unto us righteousness.
When the times of
refreshing shall
come from the presence
of the Lord, then
the sins of the
repentant soul who
received the grace
of Christ and has
overcome through
the blood of the
Lamb, will be removed
from the records
of heaven, and will
be placed upon Satan,
the scapegoat, the
originator of sin,
and be remembered
no more against
him forever. The
sins of the overcomers
will be blotted
out of the books
of record, but their
names will be retained
on the book of life.
The True Witness
says, "He that overcometh,
the same shall be
clothed in white
raiment; and I will
not blot out his
name out of the
book of life, but
I will confess his
name before my Father,
and before his angels."
When the conflict
of life is ended,
when the armor is
laid off at the
feet of Jesus, when
the saints of God
are glorified, then
and then only will
it be safe to claim
that we are saved
and sinless. True
sanctification will
not lead any human
being to pronounce
himself holy, sinless,
and perfect. Let
the Lord proclaim
the truth of your
character.
John declares, "If
we say that we have
not sinned, we make
him a liar, and
his word is not
in us." But we are
to accept the precious
promise that, "if
we confess our sins,
he is faithful and
just to forgive
us our sins, and
to cleanse us from
all unrighteousness."
We shall make manifest
by our works as
to whether or not
we have personal
faith in Christ
as our Saviour;
for it is by the
righteousness of
Christ that we are
sanctified. We are
day by day to study
the lessons of Christ,
and grow up into
him in all things.
If we follow on
to know the Lord,
we shall know that
his goings forth
are prepared as
the morning. He
is perfecting Christian
character after
the divine model,
is growing in faith,
in influence and
power, and this
work will progress
in his character
until faith is lost
in sight, and grace
in glory. The righteousness
of Christ is imputed
to the obedient
soul, and the peace
of Christ is an
abiding principle
in the heart.
"My little children,
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." There
is no quality in
law to save the
transgressor of
the law. The law
can condemn, but
it cannot pardon,
therefore the transgressor
would have been
left to perish in
his wretchedness
if a plan had not
been devised for
his salvation. Jesus
Christ alone was
able to save fallen
man. He became man's
surety and substitute.
He became man's
advocate to plead
his case before
the Father. It was
for our sake that
he condescended
to become man. "The
Word was made flesh,
and dwelt among
us (and we beheld
his glory, the glory
as of the only begotten
of the Father),
full of grace and
truth." Christ became
the comfort and
hope of the fallen
race. Our Saviour
is the Son of man
as well as the Son
of God. He took
humanity upon him,
and presented a
model for humanity
in his pure and
perfect character.
"He did no sin,
neither was guile
found in his mouth."
His life was as
complete as a pattern,
as his death was
complete as a sacrifice.
He was tempted in
all points like
as we are, therefore
he knows how to
succor those that
are tempted.
It should be to
us a cause of continual
gratitude and rejoicing
that Jesus knows
our weakness and
is acquainted with
our temptations.
We are too much
in the habit of
thinking that the
Son of God was a
being so entirely
exalted above us
that it is an impossibility
for him to enter
into our trials
and temptations,
and that he can
have no sympathy
with us in our weakness
and frailties. This
is because we do
not take in the
fact of his oneness
with humanity. He
took upon him the
likeness of sinful
flesh, and was made
in all points like
unto his brethren,
that he might be
a merciful and faithful
high priest in things
pertaining to God.
He has engaged himself
to save every son
and daughter of
Adam who will consent
to be saved in God's
appointed way.
While we are admonished
to obedience, we
are not to think
that we can merit
salvation by our
good works. Salvation
is the free gift
of God, and it is
to be received by
faith. It is provided
for the repentant
soul by Christ through
the great plan of
redemption. But
the proof of our
love to him, the
evidence of our
faith, will be found
in our obedience
to God's holy law.
Our Saviour says,
"He that hath my
commandments, and
keepeth them, he
it is that loveth
me; and he that
loveth me shall
be loved of my Father,
and I will love
him, and will manifest
myself to him."
Christ enjoins upon
us the keeping of
the commandments
because he knows
that in keeping
them there is great
reward, the revealing
of a character after
the divine similitude.
We must not dishonor
God by unbelief
in Christ as our
Mediator; for he
is fully able to
save unto the uttermost
all that come unto
God by him. "And
he is the propitiation
for our sins; and
not for ours only,
but also for the
sins of the whole
world. And hereby
we know that we
know him, if we
keep his commandments."
Christ made it possible
for fallen man to
keep the commandments
of God, for he will
lift from the degradation
of sin every fallen
soul who will lay
hold of the promises
of God by faith,
and comply with
the conditions of
salvation. The humanity
of Christ is a marvel
to the heavenly
angels who are with
him in the heavenly
courts, and know
the infinite price
he paid for the
redemption of man.
They marvel at his
grace given to the
fallen race, so
that, by becoming
partakers of the
divine nature, they
may keep the law
of Jehovah. These
wonderful mysteries
angels desire to
look into.
The Signs of
the Times
May 16, 1895
Preparing For Eternity
©1999-2024
All Rights Reserved
Home
Books
Our Beliefs
Site Search
Links
Videos
Contact Us
