HAVING A PRACTICAL RELIGION WITH REASON AND EMOTION M a k i n g D e c i s i o n As a people of God to make a decision in a religious matter in this time of the end, is indeed not as easy as one might think. Especially when we are brought to face with the new things presented us from the SPIRIT OF PROPHECY. When the decision made is wrong, and then the maker would possibly be fallen into the so-called unpardonable sin against the Holy Spirit. Whereas when the decision made is right the maker will not as yet be free from the consequences of the prevailing challenges to his faith in God through the truth he has received from the message. Every decision that has been made will always be marked in the practical doing of the word: To live up the truth or not to live up the truth. Since every act of doing is basically coming from the mind of understanding and belief, then the belief that is followed by the act of doing, is called f a i t h . Thus is the faith that comes from the rational thinking. To this end the servant of the Lord has warned: “Said the angel: ‘Feeling is not faith. Faith is simply to take God at His word.’” “Many of us walk by sight, and not by faith. We believe the things that are seen, but do not appreciate the precious promises given us in God’s Word ; and yet we cannot dishonor God more decidedly than by showing that we distrust what He says, and question whether the Lord is in earnest with us or is deceiving us.”– 1 Testimonies, p. 620; 1 Selected Message, p. 350. Undeniably true, that in taking into consideration any decision that should be made, we were frequently influenced by emotion or feeling that comes from the five senses. We have been many times influenced by the things that were caught in our sight, and also by the insinuations or provocations that have entered our ears. Due to all these, however, Sister White said: “The religion of Christ is not a religion of mere emotion. You cannot depend upon your feelings for an evidence of acceptance with God, for feelings are variable. You must plant your feet on the promises of God’s Word …… and learn to live by faith. As soon as one begins to contemplate his feelings he is on the dangerous ground.” – In Heavenly Places, p. 126. “Many make a serious mistake in their religious life by keeping the attention fixed upon their feelings and thus judging of their advancement or decline. Feelings are not a safe criterion. We are not to look within for evidence of our acceptance with God. We shall find there nothing but that which will discourage us.”-- 5 Testimonies, p. 199. “We need the bread of life that comes down from heaven to give life to the soul. Study the Word of God. Do not be controlled by feeling. ….. To study it is to eat the leaves of the tree of life.”– Evangelism, p. 138. The bread of life that comes down from heaven to give life to the soul in this time of the end is the Law of God and its rules of implementations in the SPIRIT OF PROPHECY. These are the only requirement that should be met by all of us to reach the sanctified life. Since holiness is the only absolute condition for us to be sealed into the company of the 144.000 elected ones, prior to the pouring out of the Spirit of latter rain in the future, then for studying the Law and its rules of implementation in the SPIRIT OF PROPHECY, we should have been able to think rationally. This means reason (not emotion or feeling) should be taken as a dominant factor to control our thinking capacity. Despite both factors : reason or rational thinking and emotion or feeling, should be functional when making a thorough investigation into the message in the Bible and the SPIRIT OF PROPHECY, at every decision making we should depend wholly on the result of the rational thinking only. It means that whatever risk would be the outcome of the decision that has been made, we should fully trust to none other than the truth itself. Because it is the result of rational thinking, that is controlled by “reason” as the only dominant factor. F a i t h or B e l i e f It is from the Bible we know that faith is the belief that is followed by doing. Faith alone is empty. Since faith must be followed by doing, then it is inevitably clear that we must first understand what or how the doing should be carried out. And for us to understand we must first study to investigate the things we are going to take into practical doing. Thus we must first have the Bible and the SPIRIT OF PROPHECY, to study to investigate into them, to get them understood, and then have faith in them. And after that to get the faith be taken into practical doing. This is faith or belief that is taught in the Word of God. To get faith in such a way is normal, because it is the right procedure that has been taken: study ----- understand ----- believe ----- do. Meanwhile, we also have to understand that the result of the practical doing of faith must be perfect (complete) and satisfying. It means, that we have to study from (A) ---- to ---- (Z) to get the things fully understood and believed, and then to get them practiced. The result would be truly satisfactory. Sister Ellen G. White said: “When Nicodemus, a great teacher in Israel, came to Jesus, the Master laid before him the conditions of divine life, teaching him the very alphabet of conversion [from (A) --- to --- (Z)].” – 6 Testimonies, p. 154. The Bible, which was available in the time of Jesus, was still limited to only the Old Testament Scriptures. However, the conditions of divine life available up to that time were enough provided in them. Nicodemus had been instructed by Jesus to get the procedure of conversion systematically followed from A up to Z, as far as those provided him in the Bible of the Old Testament. At this time, however, not only the Old and the New Testament Scriptures are available in our midst, even the various Testimonies of Christ as well have been developed into the so-called THE SPIRIT OF PROPHECY, as prophesied in Zechariah chapter 4. Thus it is, as how Jesus had taught Nicodemus the very alphabet of conversion from A --- to --- Z in the past, even to us now through His servant Ellen G. White He said: “The work for these last days is a missionary work. Present truth, from the first letter of its alphabet to the last, means missionary effort.”– Counsels on Health, p. 300 “Ministers should present the sure word of prophecy as the foundation of the faith of Seventh-Day Adventists. The prophecies of Daniel and the Revelation should be carefully studied, and in connection with them the words, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”– Gospel Workers, p. 148. Had the ministers already provided us in writings of all the truths and the sure words of prophecies up to this day, then those words would have been made the foundation of our faith as Seventh-Day Adventists, and then the following instruction by John the Revelator would have been obeyed: ‘Blessed is he that readeth and they that heareth the words of this prophecy ……..” – Revelation 1 : 3. But now we have to strife with all the power God has given us to find all the truths and the sure words of prophecies by ourselves. The servant of the Lord further said: “It is the first and highest duty of every rational being to learn from the Scriptures what is truth, and then to walk in the light and encourage others to follow his example.”– The Great Controversy, p. 598. The more we learn from the Scriptures what truth is, the more we could walk in the light. And the more perfect our faith. But the less we learn from the Scriptures what is truth, the more darkened we are in the falsehood. And the result is, the more limited our knowledge, the more imperfect is our faith. “We must not think, ‘Well, we have all the truth, we understand the main pillars of our faith, and we may rest on this knowledge.’ The truth is an advancing truth, and we must walk in the in creasing light.”– Counsels to Writers and Editors, p. 33. It is the first and highest duty of man to learn and again from the Scriptures what is truth, because the truth that has been revealed is an advancing truth from A --- to --- Z. to reach its perfect ness in this time of the end. But how could it be with our spiritual condition, when we keep on learning and learning from the Scriptures what is truth, whereas only the same old truths presented us from time to time up to this time without any more advance to completeness? This is the reason why the servant of the Lord said: “No one should claim that he has all the light there is for God’s people. The Lord will not tolerate this. He has said, “I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it.” Even if all our leading men should refuse light and truth, that door will still remain open. The Lord will raise up men who will give the people the message for this time.” – Testimonies to Ministers, pp. 106, 107. “There is no excuse for anyone in taking the position that there is no more truth to be revealed, and that all our expositions of Scripture are without an error. The fact that certain doctrines have been held as truth for many years by our people is not a proof that our ideas are infallible. Age will not make error into truth, and truth can afford to be fair. No true doctrine will lose anything by close investigation.” – Counsels to Writers and Editors, p. 35. “New light will ever be revealed on the word of God to him who is in living connection with the Sun of Righteousness. Let no one come to the conclusion that there is no more truth to be revealed. The diligent, prayerful seeker for truth will find the precious rays of light yet to shine forth from the word of God. Many gems are yet scattered that are to be gathered together to become the property of the remnant people of God.”– Counsels on Sabbath School Work, p. 34. (1892). “The truth is an advancing truth, and we must walk in the in creasing light.”– – Counsels to Writers and Editors, p. 33. Dear Brethren! Rational thinking would produce fruits of the true and right practical doing of the word. Belief that is followed by the true and right practical doing of the word is called “faith” in the sense of the Bible. Therefore, faith is the result of rational thinking. The Just shall live by Faith “The Just shall live by Faith” is the subject of DR. Martin Luther doctrinal point of view, which was the foundation of his reform movement. And it is the doctrine that has toppled the powerful papacy of the Roman Catholic Church in 1798. After the spiritual declension began to overcome the Seventh-Day Adventists after 1880, then the doctrine of faith again was offered us through the General Conference of SDA leadership session in 1888 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. The doctrine is more known today as the message of the “Justification by Faith” by Elders Waggoner and Jones. To this end Sister White said: “Several have written to me, inquiring if the message of justification by faith is the third’s angel message, and I have answered, ‘It is the third angel’s message in verity.”— 1 Selected Messages, p. 372. “The time of test is just upon us, for the loud cry of the third angel has already begun in the revelation of the righteousness of Christ, the sin –pardoning Redeemer. This is the beginning of the light of the angel whose glory shall fill the whole earth.” – Review and Herald, November 22, 1892. We have found from the above two quotations, that the doctrine of “The Justification by Faith”, besides being a part of the third angel’s message, which is the Spirit of Prophecy of Sister White, it also is the beginning of the light of the angel of Revelation 18 : 1, which is the message of the Shepherd’s Rod that came in 1929 through Bro. Victor T. Houteff. What are indeed the objective and the need of the message of Justification by Faith that it should have come ahead of the message of the Shepherd’s Rod? Sister White gave us the answer in the following quotation: “The Lord in His great mercy sent a most precious message to His people through Elders Waggoner and Jones. This message was to bring more prominently before the world the uplifted Savior, the sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. It presented justification through faith in the Surety; it invited the people to receive the righteousness of Christ, which is made manifest in obedience to all the commandments of God. Many had lost sight of Jesus. They needed to have their eyes directed to His divine person, His merits, and His changeless love for the human family.”– Testimonies to Ministers, pp. 91 – 92. It means, that the message of Justification by Faith emphasizes the following, [1] Building faith upon the foundation of the Ten Commandments of the Law of God. This is to be manifested in obedience to all the commandments as stipulated in the rules of implementations of the Law provided in The SPIRIT OF PROPHECIES. . [2] Uplifting Christ the Savior, the sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. [3] Receiving of Christ’s righteousness, which is the full and complete forgiveness of sin as the result of faith, which is followed by the obedience to all the commandments of God from (A) --- to--- (Z). Attention! Solomon the prophet ever said: “For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.” – Proverbs 24 : 16. It means, that due to having faith that is based upon all the commandments of God from (A) --- to --- (Z), then whatever sin one may be implicated in, and how ever frequently he may fall , he would always be sure to rise up again. Thus is the status of the just as the people of God, who persist to maintain their existence here on earth up to their coming deliverance unto the kingdom in Palestine. Dear Brethren, had the General Conference leadership and all their ministers all over the world still have the ability to think rational, then they should have been convinced by themselves, that with so many prophecies of the Old Testament and the book of Revelation and even the parables of Jesus in the New Testament, are not as yet revealed in our midst up to this time, then there must be inevitably something wrong with their way of teaching the Bible doctrine in our midst. It will be proven by itself that the message of “Justification by Faith” presented to them by the ministers, Waggoner and Jones, in the General Conference Session of 1888 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, has not as yet been fully understood, to be taken into their practical doing. Thus despite their repeated claims of their fault in the past for having rejected the message, they still failed to manifest themselves obedient to all the commandments of God and its rules of implementations in the SPIRIT OF PROPHECY. To such a folly the servant of the Lord warned: “Faith in a lie will not have a sanctifying influence upon the life or character. No error is truth, or can be made truth by repetition, or by faith in it. Sincerity will never save a soul from the consequences of believing an error. Without sincerity there is no true religion, but sincerity in a false religion will never save a man. I may be perfectly sincere in following a wrong road, but that will not make it the right road, or bring me to the place I wished to reach. The Lord does not want us to have a blind credulity, and call that the faith that sanctifies. The truth is the principle that sanctifies, and therefore it becomes us to know what truth is. We must compare spiritual things with spiritual. We must prove all things, but hold fast only that which is good, that which bears the divine credentials, which lays before us the true motives and principles which should prompt us to action. – Letter 12, 1890.” -- 2 Selected Messages, p. 56 bible-prophecies.org
Posted on: Sat, 24 Jan 2015 08:42:23 +0000
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