Seek Bible Truth at any Cost

Christ Triumphant - A Devotional by E.G. White

Seek Bible Truth at any Cost

Today's Text: For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. 1 John 5:3

The Message:      It was a great sacrifice Christ made for us in dying for us upon the cross. What are we willing to sacrifice for His love? Jesus says, "If ye love me, keep my commandments" not to select out one or two or nine, but the whole ten. All His commandments must be kept. John tells us of those who pretend to love but do not obey God's requirements. "He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous."      You may say, So you believe that all the learned world is wrong and that a poor company, greatly in the minority, looked upon as ignorant, common people, are all that will be saved? I answer, Jesus was among the lowly of the earth. He did not take His position by the side of the learned rabbis or the rulers. He was not found among the potentates of earth, but among the lowly ones. The truth was never found among the majority. It was ever found among the minority.      The angels from heaven did not come to the school of the prophets and sing their anthems over the Temple or synagogues, but they went to those who were humble enough to receive the message. They sang the glad tidings of a Saviour over Bethlehem's plains while the great, the rulers, and the honorable were left in darkness because they were perfectly satisfied with their position and felt no need of a piety greater than that which they possessed. Teachers in the schools of the prophets, the scribes and priests and rulers, were the worst persecutors of Christ. Those who made the highest pretensions to spiritual light were the very ones who slighted and rejected and crucified Christ.      Great men and women and professedly very good people may do terrible deeds in their bigotry and self-exalted position, and flatter themselves that they are doing God service. It will not do to rely upon them. Truth, Bible truth, you and I want at any cost. Like the noble Bereans we want to search the Scriptures daily with earnest prayer, to know what is truth, and then obey the truth at any cost to ourselves, without reference to prominent people or good people. If truth is in the Bible, we can find it there as well as the good and great ones of earth. God help us to be wise unto salvation is my prayer.-Letter 35b, 1877.

Commentary: My friend, as Seventh-day Adventists we take pride in the Sabbath knowing that it is the day that God has set aside for us to worship.  We guard well how we keep it and we should, but for many the Sabbath has become a god unto itself.  We reverence the day more than the God who created it.  In this sense we have become like the Jews of old.  We know that in the last days that the Sabbath will be the great dividing factor that identifies those who are Christ's and those who are not.  Many have fallen into the spiritual trap of thinking that it is that Sabbath that saves them, but this is not so. While the Sabbath is important and is certainly the seal of God it does not save us.  No amount of Sabbath keeping can, no matter how well we keep it, transforms the heart.  One of the main proof texts that we use to prove the Sabbath is found in Ezekiel 20:12 where it says "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.", but what many overlook is the fact that the Sabbath does not sanctify us, it is the LORD that sanctifies. In order for us to keep the Sabbath holy we must first be holy and to be holy we must be sanctified by the Spirit of God.  The Sabbath is the seal of the living God, but before we can be sealed we must first be sanctified and made holy.  That is the work of God through the indwelling of the Spirit of Christ.  The Scriptures tell us in 1 Peter 1:16 "...Be ye holy; for I am holy."  The one that is calling us to be holy is the One who is holy and that is the Father. My friend, the only way that we can be saved is if we are sanctified and made holy.  That work is done only through the work of the Son of God upon our hearts.  The Father sent His only begotten Son to become a man, to live a perfect life, and to die on the cross for our sins.  He did this so that we could have the opportunity to be restored back into the image of God, but unless we surrender our hearts to the working of His Spirit upon our hearts we cannot be sanctified.  Then when the final test comes and we are called to stand true to God by keeping His Sabbath day holy, unless we are already holy, we cannot receive the Seal of God. Now is the time to surrender your heart to the Lord that He may perform the work of sanctifying us so that the in keeping the Sabbath in the last days we may receive the seal of God. God bless,

Video of the Week The Parable of the Comforter - Nader Mansour In The Parable of the Comforter Nader Mansour examines this most misunderstood teaching of Christ. Is the Comforter a different person to the Father and Son? What are the implications if so? Why did Jesus even speak this parable? To many people "another comforter" is evidence that Jesus was talking about a different person to himself. Who is this other Comforter? A very eye-opening study. Presented at the New Zealand camp meeting. April 2017.