“Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.” (Psalm 90:2, KJV.)

The knowledge of God begins with the uncreated source of life and leads to practical worship shaped by the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Who Can Measure the Eternal God?

The question of God reaches beyond the classroom into the rooms where people live, grieve, work, and pray from one day to the next. Moses opens the whole record of Scripture with the plain announcement “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1, KJV), and David answers that opening line in worship when he sings “By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth” (Psalm 33:6, KJV). Ellen G. White draws the moral meaning from this first scene when she writes “Every manifestation of creative power is an expression of infinite love” (Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 33, 1890), and in the same chapter she gives the reason behind it, “God is love. His nature, His law, is love. It ever has been; it ever will be” (Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 33, 1890). Paul presses this truth upon every conscience when he declares “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20, KJV), and the inspired pen adds that “To know God is to love Him; His character must be manifested in contrast to the character of Satan” (The Desire of Ages, p. 22, 1898). Creation therefore becomes a witness that no honest heart may dismiss, and Isaiah asks the weary exile “Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding” (Isaiah 40:28, KJV). The Desire of Ages shows where a living knowledge of God always leads when it says “When we know God as it is our privilege to know Him, our life will be a life of continual obedience” (The Desire of Ages, p. 668, 1898), and it promises the faithful seeker that “The longer we are in the heaven of bliss, the more and still more of glory will be opened to us; and the more we know of God, the more intense will be our happiness” (The Desire of Ages, p. 331, 1898). The psalmist supplies the humble reply of every believer, “Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture” (Psalm 100:3, KJV), and Jeremiah names the only glory worth seeking, “But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD” (Jeremiah 9:24, KJV). Through inspired counsel we learn that “A daily, earnest striving to know God, and Jesus Christ whom He has sent, would bring power and efficiency to the soul” (The Desire of Ages, p. 355, 1898), so we seek to know whom we worship in order that our worship may shape our lives.

God’s eternity confronts our habit of measuring everything by a beginning, a middle, and an end that we can see and record. Moses, the man of God, confesses in his ancient prayer “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God” (Psalm 90:2, KJV), and Isaiah hears the Lord Himself declare to Israel “Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God” (Isaiah 44:6, KJV). The Desire of Ages carries this eternity into the very person of the Son when it states “From the days of eternity the Lord Jesus Christ was one with the Father; He was ‘the image of God,’ the image of His greatness and majesty, ‘the outshining of His glory.’” (The Desire of Ages, p. 19, 1898), and it adds that “It was an unfolding of the principles that from eternal ages have been the foundation of God’s throne” (The Desire of Ages, p. 22, 1898). Paul lifts his doxology to the same eternal Lord, “Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen” (1 Timothy 1:17, KJV), and Moses comforts Israel near the close of his life with the promise “The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them” (Deuteronomy 33:27, KJV). The prophetic messenger reminds us that “To assure us of His immutable counsel of peace, God gave His only-begotten Son to become one of the human family, forever to retain His human nature” (The Desire of Ages, p. 25, 1898), and she adds a note of lasting comfort for the redeemed, “Through the eternal ages He is linked with us” (The Desire of Ages, p. 25, 1898). These texts do not explain how eternity works, yet they give frail people a stable place to stand, as the psalmist found in “But thou, O LORD, shalt endure for ever; and thy remembrance unto all generations” (Psalm 102:12, KJV). Our lives unfold within narrow limits, but the Lord’s life does not depend on the clock that measures ours, as He says in “For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed” (Malachi 3:6, KJV). The servant of the Lord points to the same steadfast character in “His heart, that loved and pitied, is a heart of unchangeable tenderness” (The Desire of Ages, p. 319, 1898), and she shows that this faithfulness reaches His law, “The system of types that pointed to Jesus as the Lamb of God was to be abolished at His death; but the precepts of the Decalogue are as immutable as the throne of God” (The Desire of Ages, p. 308, 1898).

The limits of human sight call for humility before the revealed God, because Scripture itself marks the boundary of what we may know. The Lord tells Israel that His thoughts stand apart from ours, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD” (Isaiah 55:8, KJV), and He measures the distance in the very next line of the prophecy, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9, KJV). Moses separates hidden things from revealed things with a clear rule, “The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law” (Deuteronomy 29:29, KJV), and The Desire of Ages warns of what happens when that rule is ignored, “Criticism and speculation concerning the Scriptures have opened the way for spiritism and theosophy—those modernized forms of ancient heathenism—to gain a foothold even in the professed churches of our Lord Jesus Christ” (The Desire of Ages, p. 258, 1898). Sr. White honors the same boundary when she writes “The nature of the Holy Spirit is a mystery” (The Acts of the Apostles, p. 52, 1911), and she explains the reason for that silence in the sentence that follows, “Men cannot explain it, because the Lord has not revealed it to them” (The Acts of the Apostles, p. 52, 1911). The Desire of Ages applies this caution to the new birth, whose wonder outruns our explanation, “Its mystery exceeds human knowledge; yet he who passes from death to life realizes that it is a divine reality” (The Desire of Ages, p. 173, 1898), and it warns every proud reader that “Human pride and self-sufficiency stand rebuked in His presence” (The Desire of Ages, p. 48, 1898). Zophar asks the question that every proud mind must face, “Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?” (Job 11:7, KJV), and Paul answers with adoration rather than complaint, “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!” (Romans 11:33, KJV). The inspired pen also reminds the seeker who wants every answer at once that “You need not to have your curiosity satisfied, but to have a new heart” (The Desire of Ages, p. 171, 1898), and that word redirects curiosity toward conversion. When a learner asks who made God, the biblical answer confesses Him as the uncreated source of all created life, “But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end” (Psalm 102:27, KJV).

Yet the God who exceeds our reach does not keep the humble at a distance, for Isaiah joins His majesty to His nearness in one sentence. The prophet records the Lord’s own words, “For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones” (Isaiah 57:15, KJV), and the inspired pen shows that Jesus sought the same spirit in a ruler He loved, “He longed to see in him a humble and contrite heart, conscious of the supreme love to be given to God, and hiding its lack in the perfection of Christ” (The Desire of Ages, p. 519, 1898). David learned the same lesson through his own failure and confession, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise” (Psalm 51:17, KJV), and he later sang a promise for every wounded worshiper, “The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit” (Psalm 34:18, KJV). The Desire of Ages explains to whom heaven’s light is given, “Not to the spiritually proud, those who claim to be rich and in need of nothing, is it revealed, but to those who are humble and contrite” (The Desire of Ages, p. 299, 1898), and it describes the condition of true greatness in the kingdom, “Self must be dethroned, pride must be humbled, if we would know the glory of the spiritual kingdom” (The Desire of Ages, p. 56, 1898). His holiness does not make Him indifferent to a broken heart, and His nearness does not make Him less holy, as “Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off” (Psalm 138:6, KJV) shows. Through inspired counsel we learn that “The worldling may pronounce this sorrow a weakness; but it is the strength which binds the penitent to the Infinite One with links that cannot be broken” (The Desire of Ages, p. 300, 1898), and the same book declares with equal force that “Repentance comes from Christ as truly as does pardon” (The Desire of Ages, p. 175, 1898). James repeats the promise for every generation of believers, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up” (James 4:10, KJV), and Peter states the rule of grace, “Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5, KJV). The prophetic messenger adds that “When the Spirit of God, with its marvelous awakening power, touches the soul, it abases human pride” (The Desire of Ages, p. 135, 1898), and that is why humility remains the doorway to every true knowledge of God.

Shame and repentance may look alike from a distance, yet Scripture treats them as two very different movements of the soul. Shame says that I must hide, but repentance brings my wrong into God’s presence, and the inspired pen is honest about the cost, “The Lord may and does forgive the repenting sinner; but though forgiven, the soul is marred” (The Desire of Ages, p. 302, 1898). Adam’s first response to sin shows the pattern of shame, “And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself” (Genesis 3:10, KJV), while David shows the pattern of repentance, “I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah” (Psalm 32:5, KJV). The Desire of Ages assures every penitent sinner that “Whatever the sin, if the soul repents and believes, the guilt is washed away in the blood of Christ; but he who rejects the work of the Holy Spirit is placing himself where repentance and faith cannot come to him” (The Desire of Ages, p. 321, 1898), and it adds a gentle promise about the God who wounds only to heal, “Then the hand that has humbled in the dust, lifts up the penitent” (The Desire of Ages, p. 104, 1898). John gives the church a firm promise for every confessing heart, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9, KJV), and Isaiah extends the same invitation to the whole nation, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isaiah 1:18, KJV). Sr. White describes the drawing power that leads sinners home, “If we do not resist this drawing, we shall be led to the foot of the cross in repentance for the sins that have crucified the Saviour” (The Desire of Ages, p. 175, 1898), and she shows its fruit in a forgiven life, “With self-sacrificing love and devotion she repaid His forgiving mercy” (The Desire of Ages, p. 462, 1898). Micah celebrates the God who delights in mercy, “Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy” (Micah 7:18, KJV), and Joel calls the people to rend their hearts rather than their garments, “And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil” (Joel 2:13, KJV). The inspired pen adds that “Freely will He pardon all who come to Him for forgiveness and restoration” (The Desire of Ages, p. 568, 1898), so in a visit after moral failure we neither excuse the act nor imply that God’s door has closed.

Scripture ties God’s power to His character, so a list of divine traits can never replace a living knowledge of who He is. David declares in one of his last psalms of praise to the King of Israel, “The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works” (Psalm 145:9, KJV), and he adds in the same song “The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works” (Psalm 145:17, KJV). Sr. White states the foundation of heaven’s order when she writes “The law of love being the foundation of the government of God, the happiness of all intelligent beings depends upon their perfect accord with its great principles of righteousness” (Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 34, 1890), and The Desire of Ages names the method of that order, “The exercise of force is contrary to the principles of God’s government; He desires only the service of love; and love cannot be commanded; it cannot be won by force or authority” (The Desire of Ages, p. 22, 1898). Moses heard the Lord proclaim His own name in words of mercy, “And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth” (Exodus 34:6, KJV), and John reduces the whole revelation to one short sentence, “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love” (1 John 4:8, KJV). The inspired pen exposes the enemy’s ancient lie when it says “Satan represents God’s law of love as a law of selfishness” (The Desire of Ages, p. 24, 1898), and it reveals the truth that answers that lie, “It will be seen that the glory shining in the face of Jesus is the glory of self-sacrificing love” (The Desire of Ages, p. 19, 1898). If we reduce sovereignty to sheer control, we may praise power without asking what it does to people, yet Ethan sang “Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face” (Psalm 89:14, KJV). Through inspired counsel we learn that “His authority rests upon goodness, mercy, and love; and the presentation of these principles is the means to be used” (The Desire of Ages, p. 759, 1898), and Paul shows the same principle at work in the believer, “Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law” (Romans 13:10, KJV). The prophetic messenger also teaches that “The great law of love revealed in Eden, proclaimed upon Sinai, and in the new covenant written in the heart, is that which binds the human worker to the will of God” (The Desire of Ages, p. 329, 1898), so His authority deserves our trust because His character is worthy of it.

Reverence can be damaged by the very examples we choose to explain it, because no created thing can serve as a model of the Godhead. Moses gave Israel the central confession of its faith, “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD” (Deuteronomy 6:4, KJV), and the Lord asked through Isaiah a question no image can answer, “To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One” (Isaiah 40:25, KJV). Water that changes form may suggest that one person merely changes roles, and the Lord still asks every teacher “To whom will ye liken me, and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be like?” (Isaiah 46:5, KJV). Sr. White warns against such human constructions when she writes “Men having fanciful views may bring together passages of Scripture and put a human construction on them, but the acceptance of these views will not strengthen the church” (The Acts of the Apostles, p. 52, 1911), and she counsels the church about such deep matters, “Regarding such mysteries, which are too deep for human understanding, silence is golden” (The Acts of the Apostles, p. 52, 1911). At the Jordan all three appear together in one scene, “And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him” (Matthew 3:16, KJV), and the Father’s voice follows at once with words of approval, “And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17, KJV). The Desire of Ages describes that moment with reverent restraint, “Notwithstanding that the sins of a guilty world were laid upon Christ, notwithstanding the humiliation of taking upon Himself our fallen nature, the voice from heaven declared Him to be the Son of the Eternal” (The Desire of Ages, p. 112, 1898), and it records how even the enemy heard heaven’s witness, “He heard the voice of Jehovah testifying to the divinity of Jesus” (The Desire of Ages, p. 116, 1898). Paul closes a letter with a blessing that names the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost together, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen” (2 Corinthians 13:14, KJV), and Sr. White adds that “Sin could be resisted and overcome only through the mighty agency of the Third Person of the Godhead, who would come with no modified energy, but in the fullness of divine power” (The Desire of Ages, p. 671, 1898). The Desire of Ages explains that “His divinity was veiled with humanity,—the invisible glory in the visible human form” (The Desire of Ages, p. 23, 1898), so we confess the one God whom Scripture reveals and refuse to turn a classroom aid into an explanation of Him.

Restraint in speculation should lead to deeper study rather than a refusal to think, and Paul prays for that very kind of wisdom. He asks that the church may receive divine light, “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him” (Ephesians 1:17, KJV), and he adds the hope that the eyes of their understanding may be opened, “The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints” (Ephesians 1:18, KJV). The Desire of Ages commends the seeker who studies in a new way, “He searched the Scriptures in a new way, not for the discussion of a theory, but in order to receive life for the soul” (The Desire of Ages, p. 175, 1898), and it rebukes those who would not test their theories by the word, “If they had honestly searched the Scriptures, bringing their theories to the test of God’s word, Jesus need not have wept over their impenitence” (The Desire of Ages, p. 241, 1898). Solomon names the starting point of all sound learning, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10, KJV), and Paul charges every teacher to handle that word with care, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15, KJV). Through inspired counsel we are told that “God has given these things to us, and His blessing will attend the reverent, prayerful study of the prophetic scriptures” (The Desire of Ages, p. 234, 1898), and the same book adds a promise for every diligent student, “The knowledge obtained by diligent searching of the Scriptures would be flashed into the memory at the right time” (The Desire of Ages, p. 355, 1898). Before teaching, I can ask whether I have read the whole passage and checked the reference, remembering “It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter” (Proverbs 25:2, KJV). The Bereans model the habit we need, “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11, KJV), and The Desire of Ages reminds us of what the Scriptures supply, “In the Sacred Writings they had a clear presentation of the character of God and the principles of His government” (The Desire of Ages, p. 188, 1898). Through inspired counsel we learn that “While the spirit is awed, the soul is invigorated by coming in contact with the Infinite through His works” (The Desire of Ages, p. 70, 1898), so the question is whether our thought remains faithful to the light God has given.

Sound study of God must finally reach practice, because knowledge that never shapes conduct leaves the heart unchanged. Jesus defines eternal life itself in personal terms, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (John 17:3, KJV), and Hosea pleads for that knowledge above every outward ritual, “For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings” (Hosea 6:6, KJV). The Desire of Ages teaches that “We cannot discern the character of God, or accept Christ by faith, unless we consent to the bringing into captivity of every thought to the obedience of Christ” (The Desire of Ages, p. 181, 1898), and it describes the soul that has truly been touched from above, “He whose heart has responded to the divine touch will be seeking for that which will increase his knowledge of God, and will refine and elevate the character” (The Desire of Ages, p. 468, 1898). Peter urges believers to keep growing in this knowledge, “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen” (2 Peter 3:18, KJV), and The Desire of Ages warns what happens when people worship their own ideas, “By contemplating and worshiping their own conceptions, the heathen had lost a knowledge of God, and had become more and more corrupt” (The Desire of Ages, p. 35, 1898). The servant of the Lord explains why this knowledge transforms the life, “The contemplation of the love of God manifested in His Son will stir the heart and arouse the powers of the soul as nothing else can” (The Desire of Ages, p. 478, 1898), and she warns the halfhearted worker that “No man can succeed in the service of God unless his whole heart is in the work and he counts all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ” (The Desire of Ages, p. 273, 1898). John gives the plain test of whether we know God at all, “And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments” (1 John 2:3, KJV), Paul counts every other gain as loss beside it, “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ” (Philippians 3:8, KJV), and Jeremiah records the Lord’s promise to a humble people, “And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart” (Jeremiah 24:7, KJV). The inspired pen adds that “The whole work of grace is one continual service of love, of self-denying, self-sacrificing effort” (The Desire of Ages, p. 677, 1898), so the study of God becomes worship when it bends the will toward Him. With that aim before us, we turn to the Father who stands as the loving source of every good and perfect gift.

Who Is the Father Who Draws Near?

The Father’s place in creation gives our lives a source beyond our own plans, for Paul joins the Father and the Son in the work on which all existence depends. The apostle writes to a divided church “But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him” (1 Corinthians 8:6, KJV), and James adds that every true blessing descends from the same Source, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (James 1:17, KJV). Sr. White describes the order of that first creation with reverent care, “The Father wrought by His Son in the creation of all heavenly beings” (Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 34, 1890), and The Desire of Ages shows the same pattern of giving, “So in the heavenly courts, in His ministry for all created beings: through the beloved Son, the Father’s life flows out to all; through the Son it returns, in praise and joyous service, a tide of love, to the great Source of all” (The Desire of Ages, p. 21, 1898). Paul distinguishes the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ while joining them in one work, and Malachi presses the same truth upon Israel, “Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers?” (Malachi 2:10, KJV). The inspired pen explains why the Father’s generous work never stops or grows tired, “And thus through Christ the circuit of beneficence is complete, representing the character of the great Giver, the law of life” (The Desire of Ages, p. 21, 1898), and it reminds every reader that “And upon all things in earth, and air, and sky, He wrote the message of the Father’s love” (The Desire of Ages, p. 20, 1898). This passage does not reduce the Father to a distant name behind Jesus, nor does it turn Christ into a creature, as John testifies, “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:3, KJV). When I pray, I do not approach a remote power that must first be persuaded to care, for Isaiah confesses “Doubtless thou art our father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not: thou, O LORD, art our father, our redeemer; thy name is from everlasting” (Isaiah 63:16, KJV) and “But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand” (Isaiah 64:8, KJV). The Desire of Ages assures us that “But the gift of Christ reveals the Father’s heart” (The Desire of Ages, p. 57, 1898), and it adds that “Our Redeemer has opened the way so that the most sinful, the most needy, the most oppressed and despised, may find access to the Father” (The Desire of Ages, p. 113, 1898), so we approach the One whose purpose the Son reveals.

The Father’s character is generous at its core, and Scripture presents Him as the great Giver whose gifts flow out to every creature. Jesus pointed to the Father’s daily care for the just and the unjust, “That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45, KJV), and Paul asked a question that silences every doubt, “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, KJV). The Desire of Ages states plainly that “Looking unto Jesus we see that it is the glory of our God to give” (The Desire of Ages, p. 21, 1898), and it adds a description of the Son’s own life of receiving and giving, “All things Christ received from God, but He took to give” (The Desire of Ages, p. 21, 1898). The enemy has worked from the beginning to hide this generosity behind a false portrait, as the inspired pen explains, “Because God is a God of justice and terrible majesty, Satan caused them to look upon Him as severe and unforgiving” (The Desire of Ages, p. 21, 1898). Sr. White traces the result of that false portrait in a short sentence of grief, “The earth was dark through misapprehension of God” (The Desire of Ages, p. 22, 1898), and Jesus answered it by revealing the Father, “And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them” (John 17:26, KJV). The psalmist knew the Father’s generosity in daily experience, “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah” (Psalm 68:19, KJV), and David added a picture of the open hand of God, “Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing” (Psalm 145:16, KJV). Through inspired counsel we learn that “Our heavenly Father has a thousand ways to provide for us, of which we know nothing” (The Desire of Ages, p. 330, 1898), and the same book notes the Father’s care for the smallest things, “The flowers of the field, the grass that carpets the earth, share the notice and care of our heavenly Father” (The Desire of Ages, p. 313, 1898). Our worship begins to change when we see the Father as the One who always gives first, as John declares in “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not” (1 John 3:1, KJV).

The Father’s greatness should make the church more humble, and it gives no leader a larger claim to control the consciences of others. Paul places the Father above all within a passage that urges unity, “One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all” (Ephesians 4:6, KJV), and Jesus warned His disciples against the spirit of rulers, “But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister” (Matthew 20:26, KJV). Sr. White states the principle of heaven’s government in a single line, “He takes no pleasure in a forced obedience; and to all He grants freedom of will, that they may render Him voluntary service” (Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 34, 1890), and The Desire of Ages warns that “While they trust to the guidance of human authority, none will come to a saving knowledge of the truth” (The Desire of Ages, p. 141, 1898). In the days of Christ the rabbis pressed their customs upon Him, yet the inspired pen records how He answered them, “They urged Him to receive the maxims and traditions that had been handed down from the ancient rabbis, but He asked for their authority in Holy Writ” (The Desire of Ages, p. 85, 1898). The same volume describes the error that every church officer must avoid, “They insisted that the traditions must be heeded, as if they were the requirements of God” (The Desire of Ages, p. 86, 1898), and Peter charges elders to lead without domination, “Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock” (1 Peter 5:3, KJV). Consider a church board that must decide how to use a shared room, where one member brings experience and strong reasons for a choice. The board should hear concerns and explain its decision, because Solomon teaches “Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety” (Proverbs 11:14, KJV) and adds “Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established” (Proverbs 15:22, KJV). The Desire of Ages honors true church order, “He who despises the authority of the church despises the authority of Christ Himself” (The Desire of Ages, p. 805, 1898), yet it also teaches that “In place of the authority of the so-called fathers of the church, God bids us accept the word of the eternal Father, the Lord of heaven and earth” (The Desire of Ages, p. 398, 1898), and Paul names the source of every family, “Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named” (Ephesians 3:15, KJV).

Some hear the name Father and remember shelter, while others remember neglect, anger, or fear, so the word does not carry the same comfort for everyone. David corrects every distorted picture with tender words, “Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him” (Psalm 103:13, KJV), and he explains the reason for that pity in the next line, “For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust” (Psalm 103:14, KJV). The Desire of Ages names the source of our confusion, “He led them to doubt the word of God, and to distrust His goodness” (The Desire of Ages, p. 21, 1898), and it shows how the enemy charged his own work upon God, “The fall of our first parents, with all the woe that has resulted, he charges upon the Creator, leading men to look upon God as the author of sin, and suffering, and death” (The Desire of Ages, p. 24, 1898). Scripture reveals God’s conduct and corrects our damaged pictures of Him, for the Lord promises a love stronger than a mother’s, “Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee” (Isaiah 49:15, KJV). Sr. White speaks to those whose earthly homes have failed them, “He has toward them an exceeding tenderness, as far surpassing what our father or mother has felt toward us in our helplessness as the divine is above the human” (The Desire of Ages, p. 327, 1898), and she adds with equal warmth that “Closer than father, mother, brother, friend, or lover is the Lord our Saviour” (The Desire of Ages, p. 327, 1898). We should allow people to speak honestly about those wounds without treating pain as unbelief, because the psalmist prayed “When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up” (Psalm 27:10, KJV). The inspired pen also writes for every wounded heart that “Since Jesus came to dwell with us, we know that God is acquainted with our trials, and sympathizes with our griefs” (The Desire of Ages, p. 24, 1898), and it draws a hopeful conclusion from that truth, “Every son and daughter of Adam may understand that our Creator is the friend of sinners” (The Desire of Ages, p. 24, 1898). God is never measured by the worst behavior of a parent who misused His name, for He says “I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love: and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws, and I laid meat unto them” (Hosea 11:4, KJV) and “The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee” (Jeremiah 31:3, KJV).

Trust in the Father does not mean that every prayer will receive the answer we first desire, yet prayer remains a real opening of the heart. Jesus invites a private and honest approach to the Father, “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly” (Matthew 6:6, KJV), and Paul applies that invitation to every anxious believer, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God” (Philippians 4:6, KJV). The Desire of Ages explains the source of every true prayer, “By the Spirit every sincere prayer is indited, and such prayer is acceptable to God” (The Desire of Ages, p. 189, 1898), and it adds an honest word about answers that are delayed, “When we pray for earthly blessings, the answer to our prayer may be delayed, or God may give us something other than we ask, but not so when we ask for deliverance from sin” (The Desire of Ages, p. 266, 1898). I can tell Him that I am afraid, disappointed, or unsure, because Peter writes to suffering believers “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you” (1 Peter 5:7, KJV). Through inspired counsel we learn that “Communion with God through prayer develops the mental and moral faculties, and the spiritual powers strengthen as we cultivate thoughts upon spiritual things” (The Desire of Ages, p. 70, 1898), and the same book warns of a quiet danger in every busy life, “So with us; by idle talk, evilspeaking, or neglect of prayer, we may in one day lose the Saviour’s presence, and it may take many days of sorrowful search to find Him, and regain the peace that we have lost” (The Desire of Ages, p. 83, 1898). We can pray with a grieving family without promising outcomes the text does not give, remembering Paul’s own experience, “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Corinthians 12:9, KJV). Jesus Himself prayed in Gethsemane with full surrender, “And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt” (Matthew 26:39, KJV), and the inspired pen describes the habit that prepared Him, “The early morning often found Him in some secluded place, meditating, searching the Scriptures, or in prayer” (The Desire of Ages, p. 89, 1898). Faith does not require a polished performance, for Sr. White writes “As Jesus rested by faith in the Father’s care, so we are to rest in the care of our Saviour” (The Desire of Ages, p. 336, 1898), so we may obey the call in “Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah” (Psalm 62:8, KJV).

The Father’s welcome creates a family, and Scripture describes believers as children brought into a household they did not build. John marvels at the hope this gift brings, “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2, KJV), and Paul tells Gentile believers what they have become, “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19, KJV). The Desire of Ages describes the same adoption in plain terms, “He receives them as members of the heavenly family; He bids them call His Father their Father” (The Desire of Ages, p. 327, 1898), and it asks a searching question of every adopted child, “Adopted into the family of God, should we not honor our Father and our kindred?” (The Desire of Ages, p. 327, 1898). The inspired pen adds that “In Christ the family of earth and the family of heaven are bound together” (The Desire of Ages, p. 25, 1898), and it shows the scope of that family when it invites believers to rejoice, “Rejoice that you are one with God, one with Christ, and with the whole family of heaven” (The Desire of Ages, p. 493, 1898). This family is not formed by birth, wealth, or rank, for John writes “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name” (John 1:12, KJV) and explains the new birth in “Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:13, KJV). Through inspired counsel we learn that “The words of Christ teach that we should regard ourselves as inseparably bound to our Father in heaven” (The Desire of Ages, p. 209, 1898), and Sr. White shows how Christ formed this family from very different people, “These were brought together, with their different faults, all with inherited and cultivated tendencies to evil; but in and through Christ they were to dwell in the family of God, learning to become one in faith, in doctrine, in spirit” (The Desire of Ages, p. 296, 1898). Such adoption carries a real responsibility, and Paul urges every child of God to follow a clear pattern, “Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children” (Ephesians 5:1, KJV). A family likeness should be seen in our manner, as Jesus taught in “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48, KJV), so the household of God may show the character of its Father.

The Father’s welcome must become visible in the welcome His people offer, especially to those who arrive tired, late, or unsure of their place. John draws the conclusion that no believer may avoid, “Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another” (1 John 4:11, KJV), and Hebrews adds a reminder about the strangers among us, “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares” (Hebrews 13:2, KJV). The Desire of Ages describes how Jesus treated despised neighbors, “He slept under their roofs, ate with them at their tables,—partaking of the food prepared and served by their hands,—taught in their streets, and treated them with the utmost kindness and courtesy” (The Desire of Ages, p. 193, 1898), and it adds a word about His steady character, “In principle firm as a rock, His life revealed the grace of unselfish courtesy” (The Desire of Ages, p. 68, 1898). Imagine a mother arriving late to a study with a tired child, expecting criticism, and finding instead a kind seat and a patient greeting. The inspired pen records the lasting effect of such kindness, “After the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, they recalled the Saviour’s look, His words, the respect and tenderness of His bearing toward these despised strangers” (The Desire of Ages, p. 193, 1898), and it explains why trust grows when it is offered first, “The offer of a kindness might have been rejected; but trust awakens trust” (The Desire of Ages, p. 183, 1898). Paul instructs the church to receive one another freely, “Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God” (Romans 15:7, KJV), and James rebukes favoritism in the assembly, “My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons” (James 2:1, KJV). Sr. White notes how Jesus shared the Father’s goodness with ordinary people, “He shared their burdens, and repeated to them the lessons He had learned from nature, of the love, the kindness, the goodness of God” (The Desire of Ages, p. 90, 1898), and she warns about what can chill a congregation, “Selfishness and cold formality have well-nigh extinguished the fire of love, and dispelled the graces that should make fragrant the character” (The Desire of Ages, p. 504, 1898). If our account of the Father is true, it will make us careful with every learner’s dignity, for “But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God” (Leviticus 19:34, KJV) and “He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment” (Deuteronomy 10:18, KJV).

The Father’s care reaches the smallest details of life, and Jesus taught His disciples to read that care in the world around them. He pointed to the birds that neither sow nor reap, “Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?” (Matthew 6:26, KJV), and He spoke of sparrows sold for a small coin, “Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father” (Matthew 10:29, KJV). The Desire of Ages explains the lesson Christ drew from these creatures, “Christ pointed to the birds flying in the heavens, to the flowers of the field, and bade His hearers consider these objects of God’s creation” (The Desire of Ages, p. 313, 1898), and it states the conclusion with simple clarity, “The little brown sparrow is watched over by Providence” (The Desire of Ages, p. 313, 1898). Jesus pressed the lesson closer still to His listeners, “But the very hairs of your head are all numbered” (Matthew 10:30, KJV), and He reminded anxious disciples of what the Father already knows, “(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things” (Matthew 6:32, KJV). The inspired pen adds a word that brings the lesson home, “Not even a sparrow falls to the ground without the Father’s notice” (The Desire of Ages, p. 356, 1898), and it explains the reason the birds still sing, “It is only through God’s protecting care that the birds are preserved to gladden us with their songs of joy” (The Desire of Ages, p. 356, 1898). Sr. White applies this care to every burdened believer, “He invites us to cast all our care upon Him; for He carries us upon His heart” (The Desire of Ages, p. 328, 1898), and she gives the reason in one striking sentence, “He cares for each one as if there were not another on the face of the earth” (The Desire of Ages, p. 480, 1898). The psalmist sees the same care in the feeding of young ravens, “He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry” (Psalm 147:9, KJV), and David urges every worried servant of God “Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass” (Psalm 37:5, KJV). A Father who notices sparrows will not overlook His children, so worry can give way to a quiet and working trust.

The Father’s love reaches its highest expression in the gift of His Son, and that gift leads us to the next part of our study. Paul writes that the gift came at the appointed hour, “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law” (Galatians 4:4, KJV), and John declares the purpose of that coming, “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him” (1 John 4:9, KJV). The Desire of Ages explains the full meaning of this gift, “He gave Him not only to bear our sins, and to die as our sacrifice; He gave Him to the fallen race” (The Desire of Ages, p. 25, 1898), and it describes the Father’s generosity toward lost humanity, “Having collected the riches of the universe, and laid open the resources of infinite power, He gives them all into the hands of Christ, and says, All these are for man” (The Desire of Ages, p. 57, 1898). The same book notes the choice that lay before the Son in heaven, “Jesus might have remained at the Father’s side” (The Desire of Ages, p. 22, 1898), and it adds what He freely chose instead, “But He chose to give back the scepter into the Father’s hands, and to step down from the throne of the universe, that He might bring light to the benighted, and life to the perishing” (The Desire of Ages, p. 22, 1898). The Father did not give reluctantly or under pressure, for John writes “The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand” (John 3:35, KJV) and records Jesus saying “For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel” (John 5:20, KJV). Sr. White writes of the gift of the Son in human nature, “This is the pledge that God will fulfill His word” (The Desire of Ages, p. 25, 1898), and she adds a summary of what the whole plan reveals, “The Omnipotent One is made known as the God of love” (The Desire of Ages, p. 26, 1898). The Father’s love and the Son’s coming cannot be set against each other, as Paul shows in “But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared” (Titus 3:4, KJV). With the Father’s gift before us, we turn to the Son who was with Him from the beginning, “(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)” (1 John 1:2, KJV).

Was the Word There Before the World?

The Son’s place in creation rests on the opening witness of John’s Gospel, which speaks of the Word before it speaks of anything that was made. John begins with three short clauses that shape all Christian teaching, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1, KJV), and he repeats the point for emphasis, “The same was in the beginning with God” (John 1:2, KJV). Selected Messages states the matter without hesitation, “Christ was God essentially, and in the highest sense” (Selected Messages, book 1, p. 247, 1958), and it continues in the very next sentence, “He was with God from all eternity, God over all, blessed forevermore” (Selected Messages, book 1, p. 247, 1958). The same page adds a careful balance of distinction and unity, “The Lord Jesus Christ, the divine Son of God, existed from eternity, a distinct person, yet one with the Father” (Selected Messages, book 1, p. 247, 1958), and The Desire of Ages describes the Son as “He was the Word of God,—God’s thought made audible” (The Desire of Ages, p. 19, 1898). E. J. Waggoner reflected on the same opening line with awe, “The Word was ‘in the beginning.’ The mind of man cannot grasp the ages that are spanned in this phrase” (E. J. Waggoner, Christ and His Righteousness, p. 11, 1890), and Micah had foretold the Ruler “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting” (Micah 5:2, KJV). Jesus Himself claimed that eternal presence before His critics, “Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58, KJV), and the inspired pen explains what His hearers understood, “The name of God, given to Moses to express the idea of the eternal presence, had been claimed as His own by this Galilean Rabbi” (The Desire of Ages, p. 469, 1898). Through inspired counsel we learn why they reacted with such fury, “Because He was, and avowed Himself to be, the Son of God, they were bent on destroying Him” (The Desire of Ages, p. 470, 1898), and John records the source of all light, “In him was life; and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4, KJV). The Word who bears the name of God in heaven, “And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God” (Revelation 19:13, KJV), must be known for who He is before we ask what He can do for us.

John distinguishes the Word from the One with whom He was, yet he also identifies the Word as God, and both claims belong in our teaching. Paul describes the Son’s standing before His humiliation, “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God” (Philippians 2:6, KJV), and Jesus prayed for the glory He had shared before the world began, “And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was” (John 17:5, KJV). The Desire of Ages explains the claim Christ made at Bethesda, “Jesus claimed equal rights with God in doing a work equally sacred, and of the same character with that which engaged the Father in heaven” (The Desire of Ages, p. 207, 1898), and it shows that His enemies grasped its meaning, “But they accused Him of blasphemy, showing that they understood Him as making this claim in the highest sense” (The Desire of Ages, p. 207, 1898). In the same chapter the inspired pen gives Christ’s own defense in direct terms, “My authority, He said, for doing the work of which you accuse Me, is that I am the Son of God, one with Him in nature, in will, and in purpose” (The Desire of Ages, p. 208, 1898), and it describes how He stood before the rulers, “He rises above humanity, throws off the guise of sin and shame, and stands revealed, the Honored of the angels, the Son of God, One with the Creator of the universe” (The Desire of Ages, p. 210, 1898). Isaiah gave the Child of promise names that belong to God alone, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6, KJV), and Thomas confessed the risen Lord with the words “And Thomas answered and said unto him, My LORD and my God” (John 20:28, KJV). Selected Messages adds a portrait of His glory before the incarnation, “He was the surpassing glory of heaven” (Selected Messages, book 1, p. 247, 1958), and it describes the honor He received, “He was the commander of the heavenly intelligences, and the adoring homage of the angels was received by Him as His right” (Selected Messages, book 1, p. 247, 1958). Paul describes the hope that sustains every believer, “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13, KJV), and he speaks of Christ in words that belong to God alone, “Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen” (Romans 9:5, KJV). To erase the distinction confuses the persons, while to weaken His divinity fails to hear what Scripture plainly says.

The supremacy of the Son gives courage against hidden fears, because no throne, power, or spiritual rank stands outside His creative claim. Paul lists the realms of His authority in sweeping terms, “For by him were all things created, 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” (Colossians 1:16, KJV), and he adds that this same Lord holds the whole creation together, “And he is before all things, and by him all things consist” (Colossians 1:17, KJV). The Desire of Ages names Christ as the Creator in plain words, “It was Christ that spread the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth” (The Desire of Ages, p. 20, 1898), and it describes the gentle detail of His work, “It was His hand that hung the worlds in space, and fashioned the flowers of the field” (The Desire of Ages, p. 20, 1898). The inspired pen also explains who truly owns this world, “The earth is God’s, and He has committed all things to His Son” (The Desire of Ages, p. 129, 1898), and it applies that ownership to the church’s life, “It declares that He who created all things in heaven and in earth, and by whom all things hold together, is the head of the church, and that by His power we are reconciled to God” (The Desire of Ages, p. 288, 1898). Paul declares that Christ sits far above every rival power, “Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come” (Ephesians 1:21, KJV), and Peter adds that angels and authorities are subject to Him, “Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him” (1 Peter 3:22, KJV). Sr. White assures the fearful believer that “Satan trembles and flees before the weakest soul who finds refuge in that mighty name” (The Desire of Ages, p. 130, 1898), and she bids us look beyond what we see, “The vast confederacy of evil is arrayed against all who would overcome; but Christ would have us look to the things which are not seen, to the armies of heaven encamped about all who love God, to deliver them” (The Desire of Ages, p. 240, 1898). We do not answer fear by feeding an interest in secret powers, but by pointing to the Lord of whom Paul writes “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come” (Romans 8:38, KJV) and “Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39, KJV). The suffering world has no rival creator who can cancel the final purpose of the One who sustains it.

Hebrews binds the Son’s glory to His saving work, so creation and redemption meet in the same divine person. The letter states that the Father made the worlds through Him, “Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds” (Hebrews 1:2, KJV), and it moves from His majesty to the cleansing of our sins, “Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Hebrews 1:3, KJV). The Desire of Ages explains how the world has always been in His hands, “The world has been committed to Christ, and through Him has come every blessing from God to the fallen race” (The Desire of Ages, p. 210, 1898), and it adds that “He was the Redeemer before as after His incarnation” (The Desire of Ages, p. 210, 1898). The same passage traces His saving work back to the first sin, “As soon as there was sin, there was a Saviour” (The Desire of Ages, p. 210, 1898), and another chapter explains why no lesser being could take His place, “The Son of God alone can bear the guilt of the world” (The Desire of Ages, p. 469, 1898). Hebrews declares that He appeared once to put away sin, “For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself” (Hebrews 9:26, KJV), and John promises that His blood “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7, KJV). Sr. White summarizes the exchange at the heart of the gospel, “Christ was treated as we deserve, that we might be treated as He deserves” (The Desire of Ages, p. 25, 1898), and she adds its legal meaning, “He was condemned for our sins, in which He had no share, that we might be justified by His righteousness, in which we had no share” (The Desire of Ages, p. 25, 1898). A person may accept every term in a statement of belief and still wonder whether pardon can reach them, so Hebrews points to “But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God” (Hebrews 10:12, KJV). His majesty does not place Him beyond our concern, for the letter urges us to hold fast to the great High Priest of “Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession” (Hebrews 4:14, KJV).

The Son’s relation to the Father never permits us to lessen the worship He receives, and Hebrews places that worship at the center of heaven. The Father commands the angels at the Son’s entrance into the world, “And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him” (Hebrews 1:6, KJV), and He addresses the Son with words of divine kingship, “But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom” (Hebrews 1:8, KJV). Sr. White describes the homage that heaven gave to Christ, “The Son of God had wrought the Father’s will in the creation of all the hosts of heaven; and to Him, as well as to God, their homage and allegiance were due” (Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 36, 1890), and she shows the spirit in which He used His power, “But in all this He would not seek power or exaltation for Himself contrary to God’s plan, but would exalt the Father’s glory and execute His purposes of beneficence and love” (Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 36, 1890). Hebrews also credits Him with laying the foundation of the earth, “And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands” (Hebrews 1:10, KJV), and Jesus Himself taught “That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him” (John 5:23, KJV). The Desire of Ages reveals how humbly that glory came among us, “In the eyes of the world He possessed no beauty that they should desire Him; yet He was the incarnate God, the light of heaven and earth” (The Desire of Ages, p. 23, 1898), and it shows where His humanity now dwells, “It is the ‘Son of man’ who shares the throne of the universe” (The Desire of Ages, p. 25, 1898). The inspired pen adds that “God has adopted human nature in the person of His Son, and has carried the same into the highest heaven” (The Desire of Ages, p. 25, 1898), and it calls Him the One who reaches both heaven and earth, “The I AM is the Daysman between God and humanity, laying His hand upon both” (The Desire of Ages, p. 25, 1898). The redeemed and the angels give Him the same praise in John’s vision, “Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing” (Revelation 5:12, KJV), and Paul foresees a universal confession, “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth” (Philippians 2:10, KJV). Let us teach what the text gives us, for the Son is worthy of reverence, righteous in His rule, and active in the making of the world.

Christ’s eternal life should bring comfort as well as settle a question of doctrine, because the life that is His is the life He gives. Jesus states the source of that life in His own words, “For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself” (John 5:26, KJV), and at the grave of Lazarus He made a claim no prophet ever made, “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live” (John 11:25, KJV). The Desire of Ages explains this claim in one memorable sentence, “In Christ is life, original, unborrowed, underived” (The Desire of Ages, p. 530, 1898), and it draws the practical conclusion, “The divinity of Christ is the believer’s assurance of eternal life” (The Desire of Ages, p. 530, 1898). The same chapter adds a summary of His claim at the tomb, “By His word and His works He declared Himself the Author of the resurrection” (The Desire of Ages, p. 530, 1898), and it describes the authority with which He spoke that day, “He who Himself was soon to die upon the cross stood with the keys of death, a conqueror of the grave, and asserted His right and power to give eternal life” (The Desire of Ages, p. 530, 1898). Jesus spoke of His own life in words no mortal could use, “No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father” (John 10:18, KJV), and John adds the witness every believer may claim, “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son” (1 John 5:11, KJV). Through inspired counsel we learn that “The dominion of evil is broken, and through faith the soul is kept from sin” (The Desire of Ages, p. 209, 1898), and Sr. White adds a promise for every open heart, “He who opens his heart to the Spirit of Christ becomes a partaker of that mighty power which shall bring forth his body from the grave” (The Desire of Ages, p. 209, 1898). The risen Lord declares to John in vision “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death” (Revelation 1:18, KJV), and John states the plain test of who possesses that life, “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life” (1 John 5:12, KJV). The One who holds life in Himself is able to keep every person who entrusts body and soul to Him.

The fullest claim about Christ should lead to humility in us rather than pride in our explanation, because His fullness leaves no room for rivals. Paul writes that all the fulness of the Godhead dwells in Him bodily, “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9, KJV), and he adds that believers are complete in Him, “And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power” (Colossians 2:10, KJV). The Desire of Ages turns our attention from every lesser image, “But turning from all lesser representations, we behold God in Jesus” (The Desire of Ages, p. 21, 1898), and it explains why His glory was veiled, “His glory was veiled, His greatness and majesty were hidden, that He might draw near to sorrowful, tempted men” (The Desire of Ages, p. 23, 1898). E. J. Waggoner made a practical point that fits this study well, “Every doctrine of the Bible is for our practical benefit, and should be studied for that purpose” (E. J. Waggoner, Christ and His Righteousness, p. 31, 1890), and the inspired pen describes what we find in Christ, “For in every doctrine of grace, every promise of joy, every deed of love, every divine attraction presented in the Saviour’s life on earth, we see ‘God with us.’” (The Desire of Ages, p. 24, 1898). John testifies to the grace that flows from this fullness, “And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace” (John 1:16, KJV), and Paul prays that believers may grasp the love of Christ, “And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God” (Ephesians 3:19, KJV). Sr. White describes the assurance that this presence brings, “‘God with us’ is the surety of our deliverance from sin, the assurance of our power to obey the law of heaven” (The Desire of Ages, p. 24, 1898), and she shows its result in the universe, “Through Christ’s redeeming work the government of God stands justified” (The Desire of Ages, p. 26, 1898). We do not need to search for a fuller revelation that leaves Him behind, since Scripture says “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever” (Hebrews 13:8, KJV) and Jesus said “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6, KJV). Through inspired counsel we learn that “Satan’s charges are refuted, and his character unveiled” (The Desire of Ages, p. 26, 1898), so a true account of Christ’s greatness will enlarge our trust and teach us to serve.

The worth of the Saviour gives the atonement its power, and Adventist pioneers saw that truth as the heart of their message. E. J. Waggoner wrote with conviction, “The fact that Christ is a part of the Godhead, possessing all the attributes of Divinity, being the equal of the Father in all respects, as Creator and Lawgiver, is the only force there is in the atonement” (E. J. Waggoner, Christ and His Righteousness, p. 40, 1890), and Paul resolved to know nothing among the Corinthians “For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2, KJV). The Desire of Ages explains why only one Being could do this work, “This work only one Being in all the universe could do” (The Desire of Ages, p. 22, 1898), and it adds the reason in the next line, “Only He who knew the height and depth of the love of God could make it known” (The Desire of Ages, p. 22, 1898). Paul guards the teacher against self-display, “For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake” (2 Corinthians 4:5, KJV), and John the Baptist set the pattern for every messenger, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30, KJV). The inspired pen describes the mercy that veiled Christ’s glory, “Had He appeared with the glory that was His with the Father before the world was, we could not have endured the light of His presence” (The Desire of Ages, p. 23, 1898), and it adds the purpose of that veil, “That we might behold it and not be destroyed, the manifestation of His glory was shrouded” (The Desire of Ages, p. 23, 1898). Sr. White explains how God has always met the weakness of human sight, “God’s glory was subdued, and His majesty veiled, that the weak vision of finite men might behold it” (The Desire of Ages, p. 23, 1898), and she warns that the rulers fell into a different pride, “They felt sufficient in themselves for all things, and realized no need of a higher wisdom to direct their acts” (The Desire of Ages, p. 208, 1898). Paul gloried only in the cross, “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world” (Galatians 6:14, KJV), and he urges every believer to share the mind of Christ, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5, KJV). A study of Christ’s divinity is finished only when it leaves the student kneeling in worship, as “O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker” (Psalm 95:6, KJV) invites.

The Son who made the world also taught from the world He made, and His method prepares us to read the poetry of wisdom with care. Hebrews explains that God spoke in many ways before He spoke by His Son, “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets” (Hebrews 1:1, KJV), and John adds that the Son alone has declared the Father, “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him” (John 1:18, KJV). The Desire of Ages describes Christ as a student of His own works, “He who had made all things studied the lessons which His own hand had written in earth and sea and sky” (The Desire of Ages, p. 70, 1898), and it explains His purpose in that study, “Continually He was seeking to draw from things seen illustrations by which to present the living oracles of God” (The Desire of Ages, p. 70, 1898). Agur asked a question that only the Son can answer, “Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son’s name, if thou canst tell?” (Proverbs 30:4, KJV), and Jesus opened the Scriptures on the road to Emmaus, “And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:27, KJV). Sr. White writes of the wide audience of this revelation, “Our little world is the lesson book of the universe” (The Desire of Ages, p. 19, 1898), and she describes the theme the angels long to explore, “God’s wonderful purpose of grace, the mystery of redeeming love, is the theme into which ‘angels desire to look,’ and it will be their study throughout endless ages” (The Desire of Ages, p. 19, 1898). Jesus invited His critics to search the Scriptures, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me” (John 5:39, KJV), and He taught that the written word testifies of Him, “And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me” (Luke 24:44, KJV), and the inspired pen notes how He used nature as well, “The birds of the air, the lilies of the field, the seed, the shepherd and the sheep,—with these objects Christ illustrated immortal truth; and ever afterward, when His hearers chanced to see these things of nature, they recalled His words” (The Desire of Ages, p. 254, 1898). The inspired pen adds that “Both the redeemed and the unfallen beings will find in the cross of Christ their science and their song” (The Desire of Ages, p. 19, 1898), so every lesson about wisdom must lead us back to the Word who is its living center.

Can Poetry Reveal the Eternal Son?

The poetry of wisdom calls for a different kind of attention than a simple historical report, because Solomon gives wisdom a voice and a speaking role. Wisdom begins her account of creation with a striking claim, “The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old” (Proverbs 8:22, KJV), and she continues with language of great antiquity, “I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was” (Proverbs 8:23, KJV). The Desire of Ages describes how Jesus Himself grew in a world shaped by wisdom, “Thus as He grew in wisdom and stature, Jesus increased in favor with God and man” (The Desire of Ages, p. 74, 1898), and it notes the depth of His understanding as a boy, “His mind was active and penetrating, with a thoughtfulness and wisdom beyond His years” (The Desire of Ages, p. 68, 1898). The poem closes its scene of creation with joy rather than strain, “Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him” (Proverbs 8:30, KJV), and another proverb states the same theme without poetry, “The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens” (Proverbs 3:19, KJV). The inspired pen explains why human wisdom often misses its source, “In their search after knowledge, they turned away from the Source of wisdom” (The Desire of Ages, p. 69, 1898), and it reveals what opens the soul to heavenly wisdom, “It is contrition and faith and love that enable the soul to receive wisdom from heaven” (The Desire of Ages, p. 139, 1898). In its immediate setting, Proverbs presents wisdom beside God’s creative work and teaches that creation is wise, ordered, and purposeful, “O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches” (Psalm 104:24, KJV). Sr. White traces every teachable spirit to its true source, “It is the fruit of wisdom that is obtained from the divine Teacher alone” (The Desire of Ages, p. 249, 1898), and she describes how Christ’s teaching tested the hearers of His day, “He never spoke that which would exalt their fancies and imaginations, nor did He praise them for their clever inventions; but deep, unprejudiced thinkers received His teaching, and found that it tested their wisdom” (The Desire of Ages, p. 254, 1898). Wisdom’s call goes out to every passerby, “Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice?” (Proverbs 8:1, KJV), so we read this poem with reverence and with careful attention to its form.

Christian readers have long applied the wisdom poem to Christ, and that application must be governed by the clear witness of the New Testament. John teaches that the world was made by the Word, “He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not” (John 1:10, KJV), and Paul calls Christ the power and wisdom of God, “But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:24, KJV). The Desire of Ages shows how Christ handled the learned men of His day, “While showing how narrow and superficial was the wisdom of the wise men, every question put before them a divine lesson, and placed truth in a new aspect” (The Desire of Ages, p. 78, 1898), and it records that “They were surprised at the knowledge and wisdom He showed in answering the rabbis” (The Desire of Ages, p. 86, 1898). Paul adds that Christ is made unto us wisdom from God, “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30, KJV), and he places every treasure of knowledge in Him, “In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3, KJV). Poetry can reveal truth without supplying a physical account of divine birth, so one phrase about being brought forth must not deny the Word’s eternal divinity. The inspired pen describes how Jesus rested during His earthly ministry, “Jesus rested upon the wisdom and strength of His heavenly Father” (The Desire of Ages, p. 123, 1898), and it applies that lesson to every believer, “So long as we surrender the will to God, and trust in His strength and wisdom, we shall be guided in safe paths, to fulfill our appointed part in His great plan” (The Desire of Ages, p. 209, 1898). Wisdom promises life to all who find her, “For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD” (Proverbs 8:35, KJV), and James invites every learner to ask for that gift, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him” (James 1:5, KJV). The prophetic messenger warns that “But the one who depends upon his own wisdom and power is separating himself from God” (The Desire of Ages, p. 209, 1898), and she shows the better way in the example of the young Jesus at the temple, “As one seeking for wisdom, He questioned these teachers in regard to the prophecies, and to events then taking place that pointed to the advent of the Messiah” (The Desire of Ages, p. 78, 1898).

The phrase about the beginning of creation has led some readers to think that Christ was God’s first creature, yet the wider context points to Him as its originator. The risen Lord speaks to the church of Laodicea with these titles, “And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God” (Revelation 3:14, KJV), and He speaks of Himself in another vision, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8, KJV). E. J. Waggoner rejected the created-being reading with an argument from Scripture, “But this view antagonizes the scripture which declares that Christ Himself created all things” (E. J. Waggoner, Christ and His Righteousness, p. 21, 1890), and the inspired pen confirms the eternal identity He claimed, “So when He came ‘in the likeness of men,’ He declared Himself the I AM” (The Desire of Ages, p. 24, 1898). The Desire of Ages gathers several prophetic titles into one sentence, “He was the Desire of all nations, the Root and the Offspring of David, and the Bright and Morning Star” (The Desire of Ages, p. 52, 1898), and it places Him at the foundation of Israel’s whole system of worship, “Christ was the cornerstone of the Jewish economy, and of the whole plan of salvation” (The Desire of Ages, p. 597, 1898). The same Lord claims the full sweep of history, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last” (Revelation 22:13, KJV), and Isaiah hears the Holy One declare “Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the first, I also am the last” (Isaiah 48:12, KJV). The inspired pen explains that the saving purpose of the Son is older than the fall, “The plan for our redemption was not an afterthought, a plan formulated after the fall of Adam” (The Desire of Ages, p. 22, 1898), and it adds a word about divine foreknowledge, “From the beginning, God and Christ knew of the apostasy of Satan, and of the fall of man through the deceptive power of the apostate” (The Desire of Ages, p. 22, 1898). Hebrews directs every runner in the race of faith to the One who began and will finish it, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2, KJV), and the Revelation closes with His promise, “And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely” (Revelation 21:6, KJV). Through inspired counsel we learn that “God did not ordain that sin should exist, but He foresaw its existence, and made provision to meet the terrible emergency” (The Desire of Ages, p. 22, 1898), so respect for a pioneer means receiving the argument that agrees with Scripture and reading him honestly.

A prophet’s vision may use the language of shaking mountains, yet its aim reaches the trust of ordinary people who feel small before the world’s powers. Habakkuk portrays the Lord’s overwhelming presence in poetic terms, “He stood, and measured the earth: he beheld, and drove asunder the nations; and the everlasting mountains were scattered, the perpetual hills did bow: his ways are everlasting” (Habakkuk 3:6, KJV), and he describes the brightness that went before Him, “And his brightness was as the light; he had horns coming out of his hand: and there was the hiding of his power” (Habakkuk 3:4, KJV). The Desire of Ages assures the believer that “The power of Omnipotence is enlisted in behalf of those who trust in God” (The Desire of Ages, p. 352, 1898), and it adds a quiet promise for the patient, “Trust in God brings holier qualities of mind, so that in patience we may possess our souls” (The Desire of Ages, p. 330, 1898). Habakkuk’s verse does not name the Son in isolation, so we should not call it a stand-alone proof of His distinct identity, as Nahum shows in “The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him” (Nahum 1:7, KJV). The inspired pen warns against “It is a great mistake to trust in human wisdom or numbers in the work of God” (The Desire of Ages, p. 370, 1898), and it describes the danger that grows with success, “As activity increases and men become successful in doing any work for God, there is danger of trusting to human plans and methods” (The Desire of Ages, p. 362, 1898). The psalmist sang in a time of upheaval, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1, KJV), and he drew a bold conclusion from that truth, “Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea” (Psalm 46:2, KJV). Sr. White describes the calm of Jesus in the storm on Galilee, “There was no trace of fear in word or look, for no fear was in His heart” (The Desire of Ages, p. 336, 1898), and she promises the same strength to every faithful worker, “All who will go to work, trusting not in what they themselves can do, but in what God can do for and through them, will certainly realize the fulfillment of His promise” (The Desire of Ages, p. 667, 1898). Sound teaching shows how passages belong together without claiming that every verse says every part of the doctrine, as “The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe” (Proverbs 18:10, KJV) shows in its own way.

The mystery Paul received concerns God’s saving purpose, not a license for private speculation, and he wrote to make that purpose plain. He prays that all may see the fellowship of the mystery hidden in God, “And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 3:9, KJV), and he tells how God made known the mystery of His will, “Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself” (Ephesians 1:9, KJV). The Desire of Ages describes the angels’ wonder at that purpose, “The angels had wondered at the glorious plan of redemption” (The Desire of Ages, p. 43, 1898), and it explains that “The principles of God’s government and the plan of redemption must be clearly defined” (The Desire of Ages, p. 34, 1898). Paul adds that the mystery hidden from ages is now made manifest, “Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints” (Colossians 1:26, KJV), and he names its center, “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27, KJV). The inspired pen declares the full reach of this saving purpose, “The plan of redemption contemplates our complete recovery from the power of Satan” (The Desire of Ages, p. 311, 1898), and it describes the moment when that purpose broke into history, “And when the fullness of the time had come, the Deity was glorified by pouring upon the world a flood of healing grace that was never to be obstructed or withdrawn till the plan of salvation should be fulfilled” (The Desire of Ages, p. 37, 1898). Biblical mystery is what God makes known in His own time, as Paul explains to the Romans, “Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began” (Romans 16:25, KJV), and to the Corinthians, “But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory” (1 Corinthians 2:7, KJV). Sr. White describes the open reach of the gospel commission, “But Christ commissioned His disciples to proclaim a faith and worship that would have in it nothing of caste or country, a faith that would be adapted to all peoples, all nations, all classes of men” (The Desire of Ages, p. 819, 1898), and she looks forward with confidence to its completion, “All the nations of the earth shall hear the gospel of His grace” (The Desire of Ages, p. 827, 1898). Our task is to make the gospel clear, not to make the teacher seem unusually informed about matters God has not explained.

Doctrinal care should leave us more ready to worship than to quarrel, and Jesus’ claim of unity with the Father calls for careful handling. He made a bold claim before His critics at the Feast of Dedication, “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30, KJV), and He later urged Philip and the others to believe it, “Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake” (John 14:11, KJV). The Desire of Ages records how He described His own authority, “In all His works of creation and providence, I co-operate with God” (The Desire of Ages, p. 208, 1898), and it shows the depth of His dependence on the Father, “But the Son of God was surrendered to the Father’s will, and dependent upon His power” (The Desire of Ages, p. 208, 1898). Jesus prayed that His people might share a unity patterned on His own, “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me” (John 17:21, KJV), and He spoke of the shared possession of the Father and the Son, “All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you” (John 16:15, KJV). The inspired pen explains how fully the Son laid aside self in His earthly mission, “So utterly was Christ emptied of self that He made no plans for Himself” (The Desire of Ages, p. 208, 1898), and it describes His daily walk with the Father, “He accepted God’s plans for Him, and day by day the Father unfolded His plans” (The Desire of Ages, p. 208, 1898). A lesson that turns every distinction into separation goes wrong, and so does a lesson that erases the personal distinction Jesus kept in “And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are” (John 17:11, KJV). Sr. White applies His example to our daily lives, “So should we depend upon God, that our lives may be the simple outworking of His will” (The Desire of Ages, p. 208, 1898), and she warns of the opposite course, “Instead of working in unison with Christ, he is fulfilling the purpose of the enemy of God and man” (The Desire of Ages, p. 209, 1898). Jesus told Philip “Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?” (John 14:9, KJV), so fidelity is measured by how well we handle the text, not by how quickly we silence the room.

Jesus taught deep truth in simple words, and His method shows how a Bible worker should present the doctrine of God. Mark records that He spoke the word as His hearers were able to bear it, “And with many such parables spake he the word unto them, as they were able to hear it” (Mark 4:33, KJV), and Matthew notes His steady use of parables, “All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them” (Matthew 13:34, KJV). The Desire of Ages describes the way Christ presented the most important truths, “He made truth beautiful by presenting it in the most direct and simple way” (The Desire of Ages, p. 253, 1898), and it adds a word about the authority that marked His teaching, “But while His teaching was simple, He spoke as one having authority” (The Desire of Ages, p. 253, 1898). Jesus thanked the Father for revealing truth to the humble, “At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes” (Matthew 11:25, KJV), and Paul spoke with the same plainness, “Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech” (2 Corinthians 3:12, KJV). The inspired pen notes the source and depth of His illustrations, “His illustrations were taken from the things of daily life, and although they were simple, they had in them a wonderful depth of meaning” (The Desire of Ages, p. 254, 1898), and it describes how His thoughtful hearers responded, “They marveled at the spiritual truth expressed in the simplest language” (The Desire of Ages, p. 254, 1898). A learner should hear the central claim in plain words, see the evidence, and have room to ask honest questions, as “So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye shall speak into the air” (1 Corinthians 14:9, KJV) urges. Sr. White adds that Christ met hardened minds with wisdom and care, “He had tact to meet the prejudiced minds, and surprise them with illustrations that won their attention” (The Desire of Ages, p. 254, 1898), and she shows how nature carried His lessons forward, “The things of nature take up the parables of our Lord, and repeat His counsels” (The Desire of Ages, p. 291, 1898). Isaiah describes the plain path of holiness, “And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein” (Isaiah 35:8, KJV), so the doctrine of God should be taught clearly enough for the humble to walk in it.

Christ did not meet error with endless argument, and His restraint gives every teacher of the Godhead a model to follow. Paul instructs every servant of the Lord about the spirit of true teaching, “And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient” (2 Timothy 2:24, KJV), and he adds the goal of gentle instruction, “In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth” (2 Timothy 2:25, KJV). The Desire of Ages observes that “But the Saviour did not meet argument with argument” (The Desire of Ages, p. 171, 1898), and it states a principle that guards every study, “Not through controversy and discussion is the soul enlightened” (The Desire of Ages, p. 175, 1898). Paul warns Timothy against strife about words that profits no one, “Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers” (2 Timothy 2:14, KJV), and he urges Titus to speak evil of no one, “To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men” (Titus 3:2, KJV). The inspired pen notes how Jesus handled the critics in His own home, “He would not enter into controversy, yet His example was a constant lesson” (The Desire of Ages, p. 89, 1898), and it records the same restraint in the wilderness, “Though Jesus recognized Satan from the beginning, He was not provoked to enter into controversy with him” (The Desire of Ages, p. 119, 1898). In a mixed group, I can state the teaching, read the evidence, and invite questions without assigning motives to the person who struggles, as “Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man” (Colossians 4:6, KJV) directs. Sr. White names the one argument no critic can answer, “Men may combat and defy our logic, they may resist our appeals; but a life of disinterested love is an argument they cannot gainsay” (The Desire of Ages, p. 141, 1898), and she reminds us where the real conflict is always fought, “But within the domain of every human heart this controversy is repeated” (The Desire of Ages, p. 116, 1898). James describes the wisdom that comes from above, “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy” (James 3:17, KJV), so we teach the doctrine of God in a spirit that reflects His character.

The wisdom and Word of God did not remain in poetry, for the eternal Son entered human history in a particular place and time. Isaiah announced the sign of a virgin’s Son, “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14, KJV), and Matthew records its fulfillment with the name Emmanuel, “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us” (Matthew 1:23, KJV). The Desire of Ages describes the scene at Bethlehem, “We marvel at the Saviour’s sacrifice in exchanging the throne of heaven for the manger, and the companionship of adoring angels for the beasts of the stall” (The Desire of Ages, p. 48, 1898), and it adds a word about the risk He accepted, “To meet a bitterer conflict and a more fearful risk, God gave His only-begotten Son, that the path of life might be made sure for our little ones” (The Desire of Ages, p. 49, 1898). Gabriel told Mary how the Holy Ghost would overshadow her, “And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35, KJV), and the angels announced the birth to shepherds, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11, KJV). The inspired pen notes where the heavenly messengers chose to appear, “To the land where the glory of God had been revealed, and the light of prophecy had shone, the angels came” (The Desire of Ages, p. 43, 1898), and it records how few in the holy city were ready, “Yet Jerusalem was not preparing to welcome her Redeemer” (The Desire of Ages, p. 43, 1898). Paul calls this event the great mystery of godliness, “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory” (1 Timothy 3:16, KJV), and John states it in simple words, “Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God” (1 John 4:2, KJV). Sr. White writes of the poverty that the Creator accepted, “The Creator of the worlds, the earth was His possession, and yet poverty marked His life experience at every step” (The Desire of Ages, p. 87, 1898), and she describes the Son’s chosen path in plain terms, “But He stepped still lower in the path of humiliation” (The Desire of Ages, p. 25, 1898). With that wonder before us, we turn to the Word made flesh and to the life He lived among us.

Did God Truly Become One of Us?

The Word’s entrance into human life brings the doctrine of God out of the realm of theory and into the sphere of human need. John states the fact in one sentence that the church has pondered for centuries, “And 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” (John 1:14, KJV), and Paul says that He took upon Himself the form of a servant, “But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:7, KJV). The Desire of Ages announces the same event in plain words, “Christ was about to visit our world, and to become incarnate” (The Desire of Ages, p. 23, 1898), and it describes how Christ made His dwelling among us, “So Christ set up His tabernacle in the midst of our human encampment” (The Desire of Ages, p. 23, 1898). The same passage explains the purpose of that dwelling, “He pitched His tent by the side of the tents of men, that He might dwell among us, and make us familiar with His divine character and life” (The Desire of Ages, p. 23, 1898), and it adds a word about the lasting bond He formed with our race, “In taking our nature, the Saviour has bound Himself to humanity by a tie that is never to be broken” (The Desire of Ages, p. 25, 1898). Hebrews shows that He took the seed of Abraham rather than the nature of angels, “For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham” (Hebrews 2:16, KJV), and John warns against any teaching that denies this coming, “For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist” (2 John 1:7, KJV). John does not say that the Word only seemed to be human, nor does he say that the Father and the Holy Spirit became incarnate. The inspired pen states the balance with precision, “By His humanity, Christ touched humanity; by His divinity, He lays hold upon the throne of God” (The Desire of Ages, p. 24, 1898), and it shows what that balance means for obedience, “As the Son of man, He gave us an example of obedience; as the Son of God, He gives us power to obey” (The Desire of Ages, p. 24, 1898). Paul adds that God sent His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh” (Romans 8:3, KJV), and Peter says He bore our sins in His own body, “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed” (1 Peter 2:24, KJV).

The eternal Son truly took humanity while remaining divine, and Hebrews explains why that union matters for every tempted believer. The letter declares that He had to be made like His brethren, “Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people” (Hebrews 2:17, KJV), and it adds that He is able to help those who are tempted, “For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted” (Hebrews 2:18, KJV). The Desire of Ages explains why He passed through our experiences, “As one of us He was to give an example of obedience” (The Desire of Ages, p. 24, 1898), and it adds that “For this He took upon Himself our nature, and passed through our experiences” (The Desire of Ages, p. 24, 1898). The same chapter states the reason for His full participation in our struggle, “If we had to bear anything which Jesus did not endure, then upon this point Satan would represent the power of God as insufficient for us” (The Desire of Ages, p. 24, 1898), and it shows the limit He placed upon His own power, “And He exercised in His own behalf no power that is not freely offered to us” (The Desire of Ages, p. 24, 1898). Hebrews describes a High Priest who can be touched with our infirmities, “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15, KJV), and it invites us to approach the throne of grace boldly, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16, KJV). The inspired pen adds that Christ understands our struggle from the inside, “He knows by experience what are the weaknesses of humanity, what are our wants, and where lies the strength of our temptations; for He was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (The Desire of Ages, p. 329, 1898), and it assures every struggling soul of His nearness, “The Saviour is by the side of His tempted and tried ones” (The Desire of Ages, p. 490, 1898). The language of the incarnation asks for reverence, because we are dealing with God’s act for our salvation and not an object we can take apart. Paul confesses that He was rich yet became poor for our sakes, “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9, KJV), and Isaiah foresaw a Man acquainted with grief, “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not” (Isaiah 53:3, KJV).

Christ’s obedience must be read within His mission rather than used to deny His divinity, because the Son speaks as the One sent by the Father. Jesus said that the Father gave Him a commandment about what to speak, “For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak” (John 12:49, KJV), and He added that this commandment is life everlasting, “And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak” (John 12:50, KJV). The Desire of Ages explains how this surrender shaped His whole life, “So fully was Jesus surrendered to the will of God that the Father alone appeared in His life” (The Desire of Ages, p. 389, 1898), and it describes the steady fortitude that marked His final hours, “Although He had taken upon Him the nature of man, He was sustained by a godlike fortitude, and departed in no particular from the will of His Father” (The Desire of Ages, p. 735, 1898). Jesus said plainly that He always did what pleased the Father, “And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him” (John 8:29, KJV), and He described His food as doing the will of the One who sent Him, “Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work” (John 4:34, KJV). The inspired pen shows the source of His strength in temptation, “As man, He met temptation, and overcame in the strength given Him from God” (The Desire of Ages, p. 24, 1898), and it adds that His life made the meaning of the law plain, “As He went about doing good, and healing all who were afflicted by Satan, He made plain to men the character of God’s law and the nature of His service” (The Desire of Ages, p. 24, 1898). His faithful reception of the Father’s word shows the unity of their saving purpose without overturning John’s opening declaration about the Word. Sr. White draws the hopeful conclusion from His example, “His life testifies that it is possible for us also to obey the law of God” (The Desire of Ages, p. 24, 1898), and she adds a word about the believer’s freedom when the will is surrendered, “When our will is swallowed up in the will of God, and we use His gifts to bless others, we shall find life’s burden light” (The Desire of Ages, p. 331, 1898). Jesus said that He came to do the will of the One who sent Him, “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me” (John 6:38, KJV), and Hebrews adds that He learned obedience by suffering, “Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered” (Hebrews 5:8, KJV).

A church may misuse the language of obedience if it applies Christ’s relation to the Father as a rule that every human superior must always be obeyed. Peter and the apostles drew the true line before the council, “Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29, KJV), and Paul told the Galatians to test even an angel by the gospel, “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:8, KJV). The Desire of Ages warns about the spirit that rejected Christ, “Jesus came by the authority of God, bearing His image, fulfilling His word, and seeking His glory; yet He was not accepted by the leaders in Israel; but when others should come, assuming the character of Christ, but actuated by their own will and seeking their own glory, they would be received” (The Desire of Ages, p. 212, 1898), and it describes a dangerous kind of religious ambition, “They would have received Jesus, had He been willing to establish a temporal dominion, to enforce what they regarded as the laws of God, and to make them the expositors of His will and the agents of His authority” (The Desire of Ages, p. 509, 1898). Human leaders remain fallible, and their instructions must be tested by God’s truth rather than accepted because of the office they hold. John urges believers to try the spirits, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1, KJV), and Paul praises the Thessalonians for receiving the word as from God, “For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe” (1 Thessalonians 2:13, KJV). The inspired pen explains how the kingdom of Christ is truly built, “Not by the decisions of courts or councils or legislative assemblies, not by the patronage of worldly great men, is the kingdom of Christ established, but by the implanting of Christ’s nature in humanity through the work of the Holy Spirit” (The Desire of Ages, p. 509, 1898), and it describes what happens when pride refuses correction, “If he had been willing to wear the yoke of Christ, he might have been among the chief of the apostles; but he hardened his heart when his defects were pointed out, and in pride and rebellion chose his own selfish ambitions, and thus unfitted himself for the work that God would have given him to do” (The Desire of Ages, p. 295, 1898). Christ’s perfect obedience calls me to surrender pride and speak faithfully, as Isaiah warns “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (Isaiah 8:20, KJV) and Jesus taught “But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:9, KJV). Through inspired counsel we learn that “Perhaps it appears that obedience to some plain requirement of God will cut off his means of support” (The Desire of Ages, p. 121, 1898), and the same book describes the cost of loyalty to Scripture, “Often those who follow in the steps of the Reformers are forced to turn away from the churches they love, in order to declare the plain teaching of the word of God” (The Desire of Ages, p. 232, 1898).

Jesus answered a disciple who wanted to see the Father by directing attention to His own words and works as a revelation of the Father. He asked Philip a searching question, “Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works” (John 14:10, KJV), and He spoke of the honor that unites the Father and the Son, “Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him” (John 13:31, KJV). The Desire of Ages explains why Christ came to dwell among us, “By coming to dwell with us, Jesus was to reveal God both to men and to angels” (The Desire of Ages, p. 19, 1898), and it states the purpose of His coming in one sentence, “It was to manifest this glory that He came to our world” (The Desire of Ages, p. 19, 1898). The same opening chapter describes the light He brought to our dark world, “To this sin-darkened earth He came to reveal the light of God’s love,—to be ‘God with us.’” (The Desire of Ages, p. 19, 1898), and it shows how heaven now speaks to us, “He had before communicated with humanity through Christ; now He communicated with humanity in Christ” (The Desire of Ages, p. 116, 1898). Paul writes that the light of the knowledge of God shines in the face of Jesus Christ, “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6, KJV), and he calls the Son the image of the invisible God, “Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature” (Colossians 1:15, KJV). The inspired pen also explains why Christ needed a human nature to reach us, “Christ took upon Himself humanity, that He might reach humanity” (The Desire of Ages, p. 296, 1898), and it adds that “Divinity needed humanity, that humanity might afford a channel of communication between God and man” (The Desire of Ages, p. 296, 1898). We must never picture Jesus as kind and the Father as reluctant to forgive, because that division damages the very revelation Christ came to give. Jesus said that He did nothing of Himself, “Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise” (John 5:19, KJV), and He told the Jews that the Father Himself had borne witness of Him, “And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape” (John 5:37, KJV).

The Father’s presence in the Son’s work does not erase the distinction between them, but it shows the deep agreement of their purpose and character. Paul writes that all things are of God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, “And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18, KJV), and John says that God sent His Son to be the Saviour of the world, “And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world” (1 John 4:14, KJV). The Desire of Ages explains the meaning of the burning bush for this question, “The burning bush, in which Christ appeared to Moses, revealed God” (The Desire of Ages, p. 23, 1898), and it describes the mercy that softened God’s glory, “The all-merciful God shrouded His glory in a most humble type, that Moses could look upon it and live” (The Desire of Ages, p. 23, 1898). Paul tells the Romans that God commends His love toward us while we were yet sinners, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8, KJV), and he asks who can stand against us when God is for us, “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31, KJV). The inspired pen shows how the enemy tried to make God seem harsh, “Therefore he misrepresented God, attributing to Him the desire for self-exaltation” (The Desire of Ages, p. 21, 1898), and it describes his deeper aim, “With his own evil characteristics he sought to invest the loving Creator” (The Desire of Ages, p. 21, 1898). In a conversation with a person who fears God, I can ask what they see in Christ’s care, truthfulness, and mercy toward the weak. Sr. White writes that the incarnation exposed the enemy’s lie, “In stooping to take upon Himself humanity, Christ revealed a character the opposite of the character of Satan” (The Desire of Ages, p. 25, 1898), and she adds a description of His deepest humiliation, “As the high priest laid aside his gorgeous pontifical robes, and officiated in the white linen dress of the common priest, so Christ took the form of a servant, and offered sacrifice, Himself the priest, Himself the victim” (The Desire of Ages, p. 25, 1898). Isaiah pictures the Lord carrying the lambs in His arms, “He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young” (Isaiah 40:11, KJV), and Hebrews says the Son shared our flesh to break the devil’s power, “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Hebrews 2:14, KJV).

The Spirit’s fullness in Christ should lead us toward dependence and humility, not toward spiritual display or claims of special authority. John says that the One sent by God speaks the words of God, “For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him” (John 3:34, KJV), and Isaiah foretold that the Spirit of the Lord would rest upon Him, “And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD” (Isaiah 11:2, KJV). The Desire of Ages explains how Christ was prepared for His conflict, “Christ’s humanity was united with divinity; He was fitted for the conflict by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit” (The Desire of Ages, p. 123, 1898), and it states the believer’s privilege in the same chapter, “So long as we are united to Him by faith, sin has no more dominion over us” (The Desire of Ages, p. 123, 1898). Jesus began His public ministry by reading Isaiah’s words about the Spirit’s anointing, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised” (Luke 4:18, KJV), and Peter later preached how God anointed Him, “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him” (Acts 10:38, KJV). The inspired pen describes how the Spirit led Him into trial, “When Jesus was led into the wilderness to be tempted, He was led by the Spirit of God” (The Desire of Ages, p. 114, 1898), and it adds a further word about that leading, “But it was the Spirit’s leading that brought Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan” (The Desire of Ages, p. 126, 1898). Spiritual authority cannot be claimed merely by speaking with force or by calling every strong impression divine, as Jeremiah warns in “The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the LORD” (Jeremiah 23:28, KJV). Sr. White describes the prayer life that kept Christ connected with heaven, “As a man He supplicated the throne of God till His humanity was charged with a heavenly current that should connect humanity with divinity” (The Desire of Ages, p. 363, 1898), and she shows the result of that connection, “Although tempted in all points like as we are, He stood before the world untainted by the evil that surrounded Him” (The Desire of Ages, p. 389, 1898). The learner’s confidence should rest in the revealed word and the character it forms, for Jesus prayed “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17, KJV).

The incarnation reaches the way we enter another person’s life, because Christ’s method of drawing near teaches us to resist a distant ministry. Luke records the purpose of His coming in one sentence, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10, KJV), and Paul calls it a saying worthy of all acceptance, “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief” (1 Timothy 1:15, KJV). Sr. White states the principle that should guide every worker, “Christ’s method alone will give true success in reaching the people” (The Ministry of Healing, p. 143, 1905), and she describes how He moved among people, “The Saviour mingled with men as one who desired their good” (The Ministry of Healing, p. 143, 1905). The same page continues with the method He followed, “He showed His sympathy for them, ministered to their needs, and won their confidence. Then He bade them, ‘Follow Me.’” (The Ministry of Healing, p. 143, 1905), and The Desire of Ages explains how He began His work of reform, “Jesus began the work of reformation by coming into close sympathy with humanity” (The Desire of Ages, p. 150, 1898). Jesus said that He came not to condemn but to save, “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:17, KJV), and Matthew records His compassion for the scattered crowds, “But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd” (Matthew 9:36, KJV). The inspired pen describes the attitude of His heart, “He drew the sympathy of all hearts by showing Himself capable of sympathizing with all” (The Desire of Ages, p. 74, 1898), and it adds a word about the trust He kept, “He would not betray the secrets they poured into His sympathizing ear” (The Desire of Ages, p. 91, 1898). Picture a member who has missed worship while caring for an ill relative, and imagine the difference a patient visit could make, “Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me” (Matthew 25:36, KJV). We need not weaken any conviction to show such care, for Paul became all things to all men, “To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22, KJV).

The practical power of the incarnation appears when believers carry its spirit into homes, hospitals, and ordinary workplaces. Sr. White writes that “There is need of coming close to the people by personal effort” (The Ministry of Healing, p. 143, 1905), and The Desire of Ages describes how Jesus spoke to the discouraged, “To such a one, discouraged, sick, tempted, and fallen, Jesus would speak words of tenderest pity, words that were needed and could be understood” (The Desire of Ages, p. 91, 1898). Paul urges believers to look not only on their own things, “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others” (Philippians 2:4, KJV), and James calls true religion a visit to the fatherless and widows, “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world” (James 1:27, KJV). The inspired pen describes the warmth of Christ’s daily life, “He spoke a word of sympathy here and a word there, as He saw men weary, yet compelled to bear heavy burdens” (The Desire of Ages, p. 90, 1898), and it shows His desire for the happiness of others, “Thus He showed His sympathy with men, and His desire to minister to their happiness” (The Desire of Ages, p. 144, 1898). Jesus washed His disciples’ feet and said that they should do as He had done, “For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you” (John 13:15, KJV), and Peter says that Christ left us an example, “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps” (1 Peter 2:21, KJV). The Desire of Ages adds an invitation to share His mission, “Christ has linked His interest with that of humanity, and He asks us to become one with Him for the saving of humanity” (The Desire of Ages, p. 504, 1898), and it describes the effect of His personal sympathy, “His strong personal sympathy helped to win hearts” (The Desire of Ages, p. 151, 1898). The incarnation does not authorize every method that seems effective, yet it does teach us to serve as He served, as Paul writes in “For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another” (Galatians 5:13, KJV) and “Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification” (Romans 15:2, KJV). With the Son’s nearness before us, we now consider the Spirit who makes His presence real.

Who Moved Upon the Face of the Waters?

The Holy Spirit appears in creation before any human voice can claim credit for the world’s life, and His presence marks the first page of Scripture. Moses describes the unformed earth and the divine presence over it, “And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:2, KJV), and the psalmist credits the same Spirit with every renewal of life, “Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth” (Psalm 104:30, KJV). The Desire of Ages explains that this work did not begin with Pentecost, “Before this the Spirit had been in the world; from the very beginning of the work of redemption He had been moving upon men’s hearts” (The Desire of Ages, p. 669, 1898), and it describes how the disciples came to feel their need of Him, “Not until they were deprived of His presence would they feel their need of the Spirit, and then He would come” (The Desire of Ages, p. 669, 1898). Elihu confessed his own existence as the Spirit’s work, “The spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life” (Job 33:4, KJV), and Job spoke of the Spirit who garnished the heavens, “By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent” (Job 26:13, KJV). The inspired pen states the gift that the Spirit represents, “The Holy Spirit was the highest of all gifts that He could solicit from His Father for the exaltation of His people” (The Desire of Ages, p. 671, 1898), and it explains why that gift was necessary, “The Spirit was to be given as a regenerating agent, and without this the sacrifice of Christ would have been of no avail” (The Desire of Ages, p. 671, 1898). The verse in Genesis does not provide every part of the New Testament teaching about the Spirit, so we read it within the whole biblical witness, as “Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord GOD, and his Spirit, hath sent me” (Isaiah 48:16, KJV) shows. Sr. White describes the Spirit as the One who completes Christ’s work in us, “It is the Spirit that makes effectual what has been wrought out by the world’s Redeemer” (The Desire of Ages, p. 671, 1898), and she adds that “It is by the Spirit that the heart is made pure” (The Desire of Ages, p. 671, 1898). Zechariah reminds every worker that success does not come by human strength or cleverness, “Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6, KJV), and that promise still steadies the church.

The Holy Spirit is a divine person, not an atmosphere in a meeting or an energy at our disposal, and that truth shapes how we pray for His help. Paul shows that the Spirit searches the deep things of God, “But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God” (1 Corinthians 2:10, KJV), and he adds that only the Spirit knows the things of God, “For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God” (1 Corinthians 2:11, KJV). Sr. White wrote of this point with unusual directness, “He must also be a divine person, else He could not search out the secrets which lie hidden in the mind of God” (Evangelism, p. 617, 1946), and she gave a second reason in the same passage, “The Holy Spirit has a personality, else He could not bear witness to our spirits and with our spirits that we are the children of God” (Evangelism, p. 617, 1946). To a group of students she said that “We need to realize that the Holy Spirit, who is as much a person as God is a person, is walking through these grounds” (Evangelism, p. 616, 1946), and The Desire of Ages describes His relation to Christ, “The Holy Spirit is Christ’s representative, but divested of the personality of humanity, and independent thereof” (The Desire of Ages, p. 669, 1898). Paul warns believers not to grieve the Holy Spirit of God, “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30, KJV), and he speaks of the Spirit’s own intercession for us, “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Romans 8:26, KJV). The inspired pen explains the Spirit’s great office in the church, “His work is to define and maintain the truth” (The Desire of Ages, p. 671, 1898), and it adds how He becomes our Comforter, “He first dwells in the heart as the Spirit of truth, and thus He becomes the Comforter” (The Desire of Ages, p. 671, 1898). A learner should therefore approach prayer for the Spirit with humility, since Isaiah records how Israel “But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them” (Isaiah 63:10, KJV). We are asking to receive and follow divine help, not seeking a force that will make our own program succeed, as Paul reminds us in “But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will” (1 Corinthians 12:11, KJV).

God’s presence reaches the places where our plans and companions cannot follow us, and the psalmist’s words bring both warning and comfort. David asks two questions that every soul must face, “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?” (Psalm 139:7, KJV), and he answers with the heights and depths of the universe, “If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there” (Psalm 139:8, KJV). The Desire of Ages applies this presence to every lonely believer, “At all times and in all places, in all sorrows and in all afflictions, when the outlook seems dark and the future perplexing, and we feel helpless and alone, the Comforter will be sent in answer to the prayer of faith” (The Desire of Ages, p. 669, 1898), and it adds a promise that no distance can cancel, “Circumstances may separate us from every earthly friend; but no circumstance, no distance, can separate us from the heavenly Comforter” (The Desire of Ages, p. 669, 1898). David continues with the image of the morning’s wings, “If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea” (Psalm 139:9, KJV), and he concludes that even there God’s hand would lead him, “Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me” (Psalm 139:10, KJV). In this KJV passage hell renders the realm of the dead, and the line should not be used alone to settle a doctrine of final punishment. The inspired pen describes the Comforter as always near, “Wherever we are, wherever we may go, He is always at our right hand to support, sustain, uphold, and cheer” (The Desire of Ages, p. 669, 1898), and it adds that Christ stands by His people in their hardest hours, “When for the truth’s sake the believer stands at the bar of unrighteous tribunals, Christ stands by his side” (The Desire of Ages, p. 669, 1898). David knew that darkness could not hide him, “If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me” (Psalm 139:11, KJV), and he confessed that night and day are alike to God, “Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee” (Psalm 139:12, KJV). Sr. White writes that “That promise has lost none of its force” (The Desire of Ages, p. 669, 1898), and she adds that “Christ is condemned over again in the person of His disciple” (The Desire of Ages, p. 669, 1898), so no believer may suppose that sorrow has made them invisible to Him.

The central claim of the psalm is that no location escapes God’s knowing presence, and that truth sounds different to the guilty and the lonely. To the fugitive conscience it can sound alarming, as Jeremiah warns, “Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD” (Jeremiah 23:24, KJV), while to the believer it can bring comfort, as Isaiah promises, “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee” (Isaiah 43:2, KJV). The Desire of Ages describes the trial that faithful believers have faced, “He saw one brought to the scaffold, one to the cross, one to exile among the lonely rocks of the sea, others to persecution and death” (The Desire of Ages, p. 669, 1898), and it adds Christ’s promise to them, “He encouraged them with the promise that in every trial He would be with them” (The Desire of Ages, p. 669, 1898). Solomon writes that the eyes of the Lord are in every place, “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good” (Proverbs 15:3, KJV), and Hebrews adds that all things are open to His sight, “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do” (Hebrews 4:13, KJV). The inspired pen shows that Christ shares the reproach of His people, “All the reproaches that fall upon him, fall upon Christ” (The Desire of Ages, p. 669, 1898), and it adds a word of comfort for the imprisoned, “When one is incarcerated in prison walls, Christ ravishes the heart with His love” (The Desire of Ages, p. 669, 1898). Both responses belong within the psalm’s moral world, because we cannot hide our wrong from God, and He will not forget our sorrow, “Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?” (Psalm 56:8, KJV). Sr. White assures those who suffer for the truth that “The Lord knows all about His faithful servants who for His sake are lying in prison or who are banished to lonely islands” (The Desire of Ages, p. 669, 1898), and she adds a word about the life given for Him, “The life that is sacrificed for Me is preserved unto eternal glory” (The Desire of Ages, p. 669, 1898). His presence calls every one of us toward truthful dependence, and David prays in exactly that spirit, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts” (Psalm 139:23, KJV).

Jesus prepared His disciples for His departure by promising a continuing divine presence that would answer their fear of being left alone. He told them that He would pray the Father to send another Comforter, “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever” (John 14:16, KJV), and He described that Comforter as the Spirit of truth, “Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you” (John 14:17, KJV). The Desire of Ages explains why the Spirit’s coming was for their good, “Therefore it was for their interest that He should go to the Father, and send the Spirit to be His successor on earth” (The Desire of Ages, p. 669, 1898), and it states a surprising result of that arrangement, “By the Spirit the Saviour would be accessible to all” (The Desire of Ages, p. 669, 1898). Jesus added that He would not leave His disciples comfortless, “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you” (John 14:18, KJV), and He promised that the Comforter would teach them all things, “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” (John 14:26, KJV). The inspired pen notes that “Cumbered with humanity, Christ could not be in every place personally” (The Desire of Ages, p. 669, 1898), and it adds that the Spirit would bring Christ nearer than before, “In this sense He would be nearer to them than if He had not ascended on high” (The Desire of Ages, p. 669, 1898). The prayer, the giving, and the coming of another Comforter distinguish the Father, the Son, and the Spirit while revealing their united purpose, “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me” (John 15:26, KJV). Sr. White explains that the Spirit would recall Christ’s words to the disciples, “He compassionately promised that the Holy Spirit should recall these sayings to their minds” (The Desire of Ages, p. 670, 1898), and she adds a promise about what remained unsaid, “These also would be opened to them by the Spirit” (The Desire of Ages, p. 670, 1898). Jesus also said that the Spirit would guide them into all truth, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come” (John 16:13, KJV), so the promise invites us to seek guidance in truth and obedience.

The Spirit’s presence matters for workers who feel responsible for results beyond their strength, because human skill cannot produce the church’s life. Paul writes that his preaching rested on the Spirit’s power, “And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power” (1 Corinthians 2:4, KJV), and he adds that he spoke so that faith would rest on God, “That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God” (1 Corinthians 2:5, KJV). The Desire of Ages states a principle every preacher must remember, “The preaching of the word will be of no avail without the continual presence and aid of the Holy Spirit” (The Desire of Ages, p. 671, 1898), and it calls the Spirit “This is the only effectual teacher of divine truth” (The Desire of Ages, p. 671, 1898). We should plan carefully, visit faithfully, and teach clearly, yet Jesus told His disciples to wait for power from on high, “And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high” (Luke 24:49, KJV). The inspired pen warns every gifted worker that “No amount of education, no advantages, however great, can make one a channel of light without the co-operation of the Spirit of God” (The Desire of Ages, p. 671, 1898), and it uses a farming image to make the point clear, “The sowing of the gospel seed will not be a success unless the seed is quickened into life by the dew of heaven” (The Desire of Ages, p. 671, 1898). Jesus promised that the Father would give the Spirit to those who ask, “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, KJV), and Peter promised the gift to all who repent, “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38, KJV). Sr. White explains the condition that many overlook, “But like every other promise, it is given on conditions” (The Desire of Ages, p. 672, 1898), and she names those to whom the Spirit is given, “Only to those who wait humbly upon God, who watch for His guidance and grace, is the Spirit given” (The Desire of Ages, p. 672, 1898). Paul planted and Apollos watered, “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase” (1 Corinthians 3:6, KJV), so we must not identify every strong emotion or popular method with the Comforter’s work.

The Spirit’s personal divinity makes truthfulness a matter of worship, and the account of Ananias shows that hidden deception offends a divine person. Peter asked Ananias why he had lied to the Holy Ghost, “But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?” (Acts 5:3, KJV), and he concluded that Ananias had lied not unto men but unto God, “Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God” (Acts 5:4, KJV). The Desire of Ages explains why the Spirit is linked so closely with truth, “There is comfort and peace in the truth, but no real peace or comfort can be found in falsehood” (The Desire of Ages, p. 671, 1898), and it shows how the enemy gains power over the mind, “It is through false theories and traditions that Satan gains his power over the mind” (The Desire of Ages, p. 671, 1898). Paul tells believers to put away lying and speak truth with their neighbors, “Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another” (Ephesians 4:25, KJV), and he warns the Colossians not to lie to one another, “Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds” (Colossians 3:9, KJV). The inspired pen describes how the Spirit works through Scripture to correct us, “Through the Scriptures the Holy Spirit speaks to the mind, and impresses truth upon the heart” (The Desire of Ages, p. 671, 1898), and it adds that “Thus He exposes error, and expels it from the soul” (The Desire of Ages, p. 671, 1898). A worker may report a visit that never happened, or a leader may present an uncertain claim as fact, and Solomon judges both, “Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight” (Proverbs 12:22, KJV). Sr. White states the church’s duty toward such sin, “She must say about sin what God says about it” (The Desire of Ages, p. 805, 1898), and she describes the marks of those who truly belong to Christ’s kingdom, “Kindness, honesty, and fidelity would be seen in their lives” (The Desire of Ages, p. 107, 1898). We should not use the story to frighten a congregation into silence, but we must receive its moral force, as Solomon writes in “The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment” (Proverbs 12:19, KJV).

The Spirit who exposes deceit also gives assurance and leads into a new life, and His witness concerns our relation to God rather than superiority over others. Paul writes that the Spirit bears witness with our spirit, “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God” (Romans 8:16, KJV), and he adds that those led by the Spirit are the sons of God, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” (Romans 8:14, KJV). The Desire of Ages explains how the Spirit works in conversion, “By an agency as unseen as the wind, Christ is constantly working upon the heart” (The Desire of Ages, p. 172, 1898), and it describes the gradual nature of that work, “Little by little, perhaps unconsciously to the receiver, impressions are made that tend to draw the soul to Christ” (The Desire of Ages, p. 172, 1898). Jesus compared the Spirit’s work to the wind, “The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8, KJV), and Paul speaks of the Spirit of adoption by which we cry to the Father, “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15, KJV). The inspired pen adds that a believer may not know the exact time of conversion, “A person may not be able to tell the exact time or place, or to trace all the circumstances in the process of conversion; but this does not prove him to be unconverted” (The Desire of Ages, p. 172, 1898), and it describes the long wooing that lies behind it, “By many this is called sudden conversion; but it is the result of long wooing by the Spirit of God,—a patient, protracted process” (The Desire of Ages, p. 172, 1898). Assurance becomes distorted when I use it to refuse counsel or to claim that every judgment of mine must be right, as “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise” (Proverbs 12:15, KJV) warns. Sr. White states the unchanging need behind every true conversion, “This change can be brought about only by the effectual working of the Holy Spirit” (The Desire of Ages, p. 172, 1898), and she describes the change that follows, “The Christian’s life is not a modification or improvement of the old, but a transformation of nature” (The Desire of Ages, p. 172, 1898). True confidence allows me to repent, because belonging to God is a gift and not a prize, “And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father” (Galatians 4:6, KJV).

We can teach learners to seek the Spirit’s fruit in a truthful, obedient, and loving life, since His work always draws attention to Christ. Paul names the fruit of the Spirit in a single list, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith” (Galatians 5:22, KJV), and he completes that list in the next verse, “Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:23, KJV). The Desire of Ages describes how the Spirit’s work becomes visible, “So the work of the Spirit upon the soul will reveal itself in every act of him who has felt its saving power” (The Desire of Ages, p. 173, 1898), and it states its effect in plain terms, “When the Spirit of God takes possession of the heart, it transforms the life” (The Desire of Ages, p. 173, 1898). Jesus said that the Spirit would glorify Him, “He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you” (John 16:14, KJV), and Paul urges believers to walk in the Spirit, “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25, KJV). The inspired pen describes the change in the believer’s heart, “Sinful thoughts are put away, evil deeds are renounced; love, humility, and peace take the place of anger, envy, and strife” (The Desire of Ages, p. 173, 1898), and it adds a word about the joy that follows, “Joy takes the place of sadness, and the countenance reflects the light of heaven” (The Desire of Ages, p. 173, 1898). His work forms a family likeness that others can recognize, and Paul adds that where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty, “Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (2 Corinthians 3:17, KJV). Sr. White names the goal of all the Spirit’s work, “The very image of God is to be reproduced in humanity” (The Desire of Ages, p. 671, 1898), and she adds a word about the power behind that change, “Then that power which no human eye can see creates a new being in the image of God” (The Desire of Ages, p. 173, 1898). The Spirit who moved upon the waters at creation is still at work, and so we turn to the good world He helped to make, “For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast” (Psalm 33:9, KJV).

Was the World Made Very Good?

Creation’s goodness gives us a moral starting point for thinking about the world, because God’s first verdict on His work was a verdict of approval. Moses records that verdict at the close of the sixth day, “And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day” (Genesis 1:31, KJV), and he notes the same approval earlier in the account, “And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:10, KJV). The Desire of Ages describes the peace of that first world in a single line, “Peace brooded over the world; for earth was in harmony with heaven” (The Desire of Ages, p. 281, 1898), and it names the One who filled it with beauty, “It was He that filled the earth with beauty, and the air with song” (The Desire of Ages, p. 20, 1898). The psalmist declares that the heavens show the Creator’s handiwork, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork” (Psalm 19:1, KJV), and he marvels at the earth that is full of the Lord’s goodness, “He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD” (Psalm 33:5, KJV). The inspired pen admits honestly the damage that followed the fall, “Now sin has marred God’s perfect work, yet that handwriting remains” (The Desire of Ages, p. 20, 1898), and it adds a hopeful word about what still remains, “Even now all created things declare the glory of His excellence” (The Desire of Ages, p. 20, 1898). The verdict of very good belongs to the completed work of creation and is not an endorsement of every condition now found on earth, “Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions” (Ecclesiastes 7:29, KJV). Sr. White describes the generous pattern still visible in nature, “No bird that cleaves the air, no animal that moves upon the ground, but ministers to some other life” (The Desire of Ages, p. 20, 1898), and she adds that “There is no leaf of the forest, or lowly blade of grass, but has its ministry” (The Desire of Ages, p. 20, 1898). Paul confirms that every creature of God is good when received with thanks, “For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving” (1 Timothy 4:4, KJV), and that first verdict tells us plainly that evil is never the Creator’s ideal.

A child born into pain, a forest damaged by fire, or a family displaced by violence should never be told that their suffering is simply what God called very good. Paul describes a creation that groans under a burden it did not choose, “For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now” (Romans 8:22, KJV), and he adds that it waits for deliverance, “Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Romans 8:21, KJV). The Desire of Ages names the false charge that the enemy lays at God’s door, “Thus he drew men to join him in rebellion against God, and the night of woe settled down upon the world” (The Desire of Ages, p. 21, 1898), and it describes the gloom that settled on our world, “The deception of sin had reached its height” (The Desire of Ages, p. 36, 1898). Jesus said that an enemy had sown tares in the field, “He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?” (Matthew 13:28, KJV), and John says the Son came to destroy the works of the devil, “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8, KJV). The inspired pen gives a hopeful verdict on our troubled planet, “The earth itself, the very field that Satan claims as his, is to be not only ransomed but exalted” (The Desire of Ages, p. 26, 1898), and it promises an honor that no other world will share, “Our little world, under the curse of sin the one dark blot in His glorious creation, will be honored above all other worlds in the universe of God” (The Desire of Ages, p. 26, 1898). The biblical story later accounts for a world marred by sin, so we may seek healing and protection without calling ruin the Creator’s design, as “And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life” (Genesis 3:17, KJV) shows. Sr. White states the goal of redemption for all of creation, “The work of redemption will be complete” (The Desire of Ages, p. 26, 1898), and she adds a promise of grace that outruns sin, “In the place where sin abounded, God’s grace much more abounds” (The Desire of Ages, p. 26, 1898). Isaiah foresaw a time when the wolf would dwell with the lamb, “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them” (Isaiah 11:6, KJV), so our care for the world expresses its original purpose.

The seventh day is blessed and set apart in the creation account, and the Sabbath remains a weekly memorial of the Creator and a call to rest in Him. Moses records that God blessed and sanctified the seventh day, “And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made” (Genesis 2:3, KJV), and he adds that the heavens and the earth were finished, “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them” (Genesis 2:1, KJV). The Desire of Ages explains the meaning of that first rest, “He gave it to Adam as a day of rest” (The Desire of Ages, p. 281, 1898), and it states what the day was meant to show, “It was a memorial of the work of creation, and thus a sign of God’s power and His love” (The Desire of Ages, p. 281, 1898). E. J. Waggoner drew the same conclusion from Scripture, “Thus, the seventh day is the Divinely-appointed memorial of creation” (E. J. Waggoner, Christ and His Righteousness, p. 31, 1890), and the inspired pen names the Creator of the Sabbath, “All things were created by the Son of God” (The Desire of Ages, p. 281, 1898). The fourth commandment roots the Sabbath in creation, “For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it” (Exodus 20:11, KJV), and Ezekiel calls it a sign between God and His people, “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” (Ezekiel 20:12, KJV). Sr. White draws a direct line from the Sabbath to Christ, “And since the Sabbath is a memorial of the work of creation, it is a token of the love and power of Christ” (The Desire of Ages, p. 281, 1898), and she draws the conclusion that follows from His work, “Since He made all things, He made the Sabbath” (The Desire of Ages, p. 288, 1898). The meaning of the Sabbath should not be reduced to a debate about a date, since it reminds us whose hands made us, “It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed” (Exodus 31:17, KJV). Through inspired counsel we learn that “By Him it was set apart as a memorial of the work of creation” (The Desire of Ages, p. 288, 1898), and Isaiah promises that all flesh will worship before the Lord from one Sabbath to another, “And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD” (Isaiah 66:23, KJV).

The Sabbath reminds us that our worth does not arise from endless output, because I am a creature before I am a worker. Isaiah calls the Sabbath a delight and the holy of the Lord, “If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words” (Isaiah 58:13, KJV), and he promises joy to those who honor it, “Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it” (Isaiah 58:14, KJV). The Desire of Ages describes what the Sabbath does for the mind, “The Sabbath calls our thoughts to nature, and brings us into communion with the Creator” (The Desire of Ages, p. 281, 1898), and it adds a gentle picture of God’s voice in nature, “In the song of the bird, the sighing of the trees, and the music of the sea, we still may hear His voice who talked with Adam in Eden in the cool of the day” (The Desire of Ages, p. 281, 1898). Jesus invited the weary to come to Him for rest, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28, KJV), and Hebrews speaks of a rest that remains for the people of God, “There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God” (Hebrews 4:9, KJV). The inspired pen explains the comfort that nature brings, “And as we behold His power in nature we find comfort, for the word that created all things is that which speaks life to the soul” (The Desire of Ages, p. 281, 1898), and it describes the Sabbath as a day when God’s people “His people then leave their usual employment, and spend the time in meditation and worship” (The Desire of Ages, p. 207, 1898). A church that teaches the Sabbath should consider whether its habits allow people to rest, worship, learn, and care for one another, as “Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed” (Exodus 23:12, KJV) requires. Sr. White describes how true Sabbath keepers feel about the day, “To all who receive the Sabbath as a sign of Christ’s creative and redeeming power, it will be a delight” (The Desire of Ages, p. 289, 1898), and she gives the reason for their joy, “Seeing Christ in it, they delight themselves in Him” (The Desire of Ages, p. 289, 1898). David found rest in the God who leads beside still waters, “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters” (Psalm 23:2, KJV), so the sacred day should never become another measure of performance.

Jesus named the purpose of the Sabbath for human good, and He refused to let the day become a burden stripped of mercy. Mark records His words about the Sabbath being made for man, “And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath” (Mark 2:27, KJV), and he adds Christ’s claim to be Lord of the day, “Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath” (Mark 2:28, KJV). The Desire of Ages states a principle that guards every rule, “The institutions that God has established are for the benefit of mankind” (The Desire of Ages, p. 288, 1898), and it draws a surprising conclusion about the day, “Because the Sabbath was made for man, it is the Lord’s day” (The Desire of Ages, p. 288, 1898). Jesus asked whether it was lawful to do good on the Sabbath, “And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace” (Mark 3:4, KJV), and He gave His own answer in another setting, “How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days” (Matthew 12:12, KJV). The inspired pen explains how acts of mercy fit the day, “God’s holy rest day was made for man, and acts of mercy are in perfect harmony with its intent” (The Desire of Ages, p. 207, 1898), and it speaks plainly about needless suffering, “God does not desire His creatures to suffer an hour’s pain that may be relieved upon the Sabbath or any other day” (The Desire of Ages, p. 207, 1898). We do not honor the Lord of the Sabbath by making His day a burden, as the rabbis did when they forgot the mercy of “But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless” (Matthew 12:7, KJV). Sr. White describes the design of the Sabbath, “It was designed to bring men into communion with God; but when the mind was absorbed with wearisome rites, the object of the Sabbath was thwarted” (The Desire of Ages, p. 286, 1898), and she shows what it had become in the days of Christ, “In the days of Christ the Sabbath had become so perverted that its observance reflected the character of selfish and arbitrary men rather than the character of the loving heavenly Father” (The Desire of Ages, p. 283, 1898). Luke records that Jesus went to the synagogue as His custom was, “And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read” (Luke 4:16, KJV), so the memorial helps people remember the goodness and rightful claim of its Maker.

Patient instruction about the Sabbath can be firm without contempt, because Christ kept the day with faithfulness and mercy together. Luke records how Jesus healed a woman bound for eighteen years, “And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?” (Luke 13:16, KJV), and John records the healing at Bethesda, “But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work” (John 5:17, KJV). The Desire of Ages describes the false teaching of the rabbis, “The rabbis virtually represented God as giving laws which it was impossible for men to obey” (The Desire of Ages, p. 283, 1898), and it states the work Christ came to do, “It was the work of Christ to clear away these misconceptions” (The Desire of Ages, p. 283, 1898). Jesus healed on the Sabbath without breaking the law, as John later notes, “If a man on the sabbath day receive circumcision, that the law of Moses should not be broken; are ye angry at me, because I have made a man every whit whole on the sabbath day?” (John 7:23, KJV), and Luke records His question about the ox in the pit, “And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day?” (Luke 14:5, KJV). The inspired pen explains how Christ truly honored the day, “By sweeping away the senseless restrictions of the Jews, Christ honored the Sabbath, while those who complained of Him were dishonoring God’s holy day” (The Desire of Ages, p. 287, 1898), and it adds a principle for every believer, “Heaven’s work never ceases, and men should never rest from doing good” (The Desire of Ages, p. 207, 1898). We can plan needed care for the sick and welcome those who are learning how to keep the day, as “And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?” (Matthew 12:11, KJV) illustrates. Sr. White asks a pointed question about the spirit of Sabbath keeping, “Was it more righteous to have murder in the heart upon God’s holy day than love to all men, which finds expression in deeds of mercy?” (The Desire of Ages, p. 287, 1898), and she adds that “The Sabbath is not intended to be a period of useless inactivity” (The Desire of Ages, p. 207, 1898). The Sabbath that Jesus kept points forward to the day when “And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in” (Isaiah 58:12, KJV) will be fulfilled in a restored people.

Worship of the Creator asks us to take the material world seriously, and the first angel’s message gives a clear reason to reject careless harm. John hears the angel call all nations to worship the Maker, “Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters” (Revelation 14:7, KJV), and he adds that the angel carries the everlasting gospel, “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people” (Revelation 14:6, KJV). The Desire of Ages explains the reach of the Sabbath beyond Israel, “The Sabbath was not for Israel merely, but for the world” (The Desire of Ages, p. 283, 1898), and it adds that “It had been made known to man in Eden, and, like the other precepts of the Decalogue, it is of imperishable obligation” (The Desire of Ages, p. 283, 1898). Nehemiah praised the God who made heaven, earth, and seas, “Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee” (Nehemiah 9:6, KJV), and Paul preached the same God at Lystra, “And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein” (Acts 14:15, KJV). The inspired pen states how long the Sabbath will stand as a sign, “So long as the heavens and the earth endure, the Sabbath will continue as a sign of the Creator’s power” (The Desire of Ages, p. 283, 1898), and it looks forward to a coming day, “And when Eden shall bloom on earth again, God’s holy rest day will be honored by all beneath the sun” (The Desire of Ages, p. 283, 1898). Revelation’s call names heaven, earth, sea, and water as the work of the God to be worshiped, so creation and judgment belong within the everlasting gospel, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created” (Revelation 4:11, KJV). Sr. White describes what Sabbath keeping requires of the heart, “But in order to keep the Sabbath holy, men must themselves be holy” (The Desire of Ages, p. 283, 1898), and she names the only source of that holiness, “Through faith they must become partakers of the righteousness of Christ” (The Desire of Ages, p. 283, 1898). The Lord warns that He will destroy those who destroy the earth, “And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth” (Revelation 11:18, KJV), so stewardship must follow worship into our ordinary decisions.

The world belongs to God, and our care for His property expresses the basic recognition that other people depend on its gifts. David declares that the earth is the Lord’s, “The earth is the LORD’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein” (Psalm 24:1, KJV), and Asaph hears God claim every beast of the forest, “For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills” (Psalm 50:10, KJV). The Desire of Ages describes how nature gives and receives, “Every tree and shrub and leaf pours forth that element of life without which neither man nor animal could live; and man and animal, in turn, minister to the life of tree and shrub and leaf” (The Desire of Ages, p. 20, 1898), and it adds a word about the flowers of the field, “The flowers breathe fragrance and unfold their beauty in blessing to the world” (The Desire of Ages, p. 20, 1898). Moses records the charge to dress and keep the garden, “And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it” (Genesis 2:15, KJV), and Leviticus reminds Israel that the land belongs to God, “The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine; for ye are strangers and sojourners with me” (Leviticus 25:23, KJV). The inspired pen describes the generous light of the sun, “The sun sheds its light to gladden a thousand worlds” (The Desire of Ages, p. 20, 1898), and it pictures the ocean as a faithful giver, “The ocean, itself the source of all our springs and fountains, receives the streams from every land, but takes to give” (The Desire of Ages, p. 20, 1898). At church we can repair leaks, avoid needless waste, and handle shared property responsibly, because faithful stewards remember “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:2, KJV). Sr. White describes the mists that water the earth, “The mists ascending from its bosom fall in showers to water the earth, that it may bring forth and bud” (The Desire of Ages, p. 20, 1898), and she states the purpose of all the means God entrusts to us, “So God now entrusts men with means, with talents and opportunities, that they may be His agents in helping the poor and the suffering” (The Desire of Ages, p. 523, 1898). Such acts do not earn salvation or replace the proclamation of Christ, but they honor the One who made the world, “The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD’s: but the earth hath he given to the children of men” (Psalm 115:16, KJV).

Gratitude for creation remains honest only when it makes room for present grief, because we can affirm God’s goodness without explaining every disaster. Jeremiah declares that the Lord’s compassions fail not even in ruin, “It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not” (Lamentations 3:22, KJV), and David adds that the eyes of all wait upon Him, “The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season” (Psalm 145:15, KJV). The Desire of Ages describes what the Sabbath tells us about that hope, “The Sabbath points them to the works of creation as an evidence of His mighty power in redemption” (The Desire of Ages, p. 289, 1898), and it adds that “While it calls to mind the lost peace of Eden, it tells of peace restored through the Saviour” (The Desire of Ages, p. 289, 1898). Jesus warned against assigning a disaster to a particular sin, “Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?” (Luke 13:4, KJV), and He told His disciples that the blind man’s condition was not a punishment, “Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him” (John 9:3, KJV). E. J. Waggoner joined creation and redemption in a single sentence, “The power of redemption is the power of creation” (E. J. Waggoner, Christ and His Righteousness, p. 35, 1890), and Sr. White describes the union that redemption creates, “Heaven is enshrined in humanity, and humanity is enfolded in the bosom of Infinite Love” (The Desire of Ages, p. 25, 1898). Our first task beside a damaged home may be water, food, or quiet company, as Paul urges in “Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep” (Romans 12:15, KJV), for “Jesus was the fountain of healing mercy for the world; and through all those secluded years at Nazareth, His life flowed out in currents of sympathy and tenderness” (The Desire of Ages, p. 74, 1898). The inspired pen describes the earth as a field to be redeemed, “Here, where the Son of God tabernacled in humanity; where the King of glory lived and suffered and died,—here, when He shall make all things new, the tabernacle of God shall be with men, ‘and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God.’” (The Desire of Ages, p. 26, 1898), and it shows the praise of the redeemed, “And through endless ages as the redeemed walk in the light of the Lord, they will praise Him for His unspeakable Gift,— Immanuel, ‘God with us.’” (The Desire of Ages, p. 26, 1898). Creation gives us reason for gratitude, and the promise of restoration gives us reason to keep working, “And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful” (Revelation 21:5, KJV).

Is God’s Law Really a Law of Love?

God’s law describes the moral shape of life under His care, and Scripture insists that love is the heart of every commandment. Paul tells the Romans to owe no one anything except love, “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law” (Romans 13:8, KJV), and he lists the commandments that love fulfills, “For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Romans 13:9, KJV). Sr. White describes the service God has always desired, “God desires from all His creatures the service of love—service that springs from an appreciation of His character” (Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 34, 1890), and The Desire of Ages names the principle behind both tables of the law, “Both these commandments are an expression of the principle of love” (The Desire of Ages, p. 607, 1898). Jesus called love to God the first and great commandment, “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” (Matthew 22:37, KJV), and He declared that the whole law hangs on love, “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:40, KJV). The inspired pen explains why the two tables cannot be separated, “The first cannot be kept and the second broken, nor can the second be kept while the first is broken” (The Desire of Ages, p. 607, 1898), and it shows the order in which love works, “When God has His rightful place on the throne of the heart, the right place will be given to our neighbor” (The Desire of Ages, p. 607, 1898). Paul’s statement does not make love a vague feeling that excuses harm, because John writes that God’s commandments are not grievous, “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous” (1 John 5:3, KJV). Sr. White draws a sober conclusion from this unity, “And since all the commandments are summed up in love to God and man, it follows that not one precept can be broken without violating this principle” (The Desire of Ages, p. 607, 1898), and she shows how Christ taught the law as one whole, “Our Lord presents the first four and the last six commandments as a divine whole, and teaches that love to God will be shown by obedience to all His commandments” (The Desire of Ages, p. 607, 1898). Paul sums up the matter in one phrase, “For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Galatians 5:14, KJV), so life flourishes when love governs the use of our freedom.

The moral law is not a physical ingredient mixed into the earth, but an expression of the character and will of the Creator who made persons for moral relations. David declares that the law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul, “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple” (Psalm 19:7, KJV), and Paul calls the law holy, just, and good, “Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good” (Romans 7:12, KJV). The Desire of Ages explains why God gave His precepts, “God has given us His holy precepts, because He loves mankind” (The Desire of Ages, p. 308, 1898), and it adds the purpose of those precepts, “To shield us from the results of transgression, He reveals the principles of righteousness” (The Desire of Ages, p. 308, 1898). The psalmist declares that God’s law is truth, “Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth” (Psalm 119:142, KJV), and he adds that all His commandments are righteousness, “My tongue shall speak of thy word: for all thy commandments are righteousness” (Psalm 119:172, KJV). The inspired pen states that “The law is an expression of the thought of God; when received in Christ, it becomes our thought” (The Desire of Ages, p. 308, 1898), and it adds a word about the joy God intends in obedience, “God desires us to be happy, and He gave us the precepts of the law that in obeying them we might have joy” (The Desire of Ages, p. 308, 1898). This distinction helps us avoid loose claims while preserving the central point, for God said “Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy” (Leviticus 19:2, KJV). Sr. White explains why the law could not be changed, “The law reveals the attributes of God’s character, and not a jot or tittle of it could be changed to meet man in his fallen condition” (The Desire of Ages, p. 762, 1898), and she describes how Israel’s parents were to teach it, “Fathers and mothers were to instruct their children that the law of God is an expression of His character, and that as they received the principles of the law into the heart, the image of God was traced on mind and soul” (The Desire of Ages, p. 69, 1898). Moses told Israel that the commandments were given for their good, “To keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?” (Deuteronomy 10:13, KJV), so the law reflects the goodness of the One who gave it.

The law’s goodness becomes clear only when we stop treating it as a ladder to personal merit, because it reveals what is wrong while Christ provides pardon. Paul writes that by the law is the knowledge of sin, “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:20, KJV), and he admits that he would not have known lust without the command, “What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet” (Romans 7:7, KJV). The Desire of Ages explains what God revealed at Sinai, “When the law was proclaimed from Sinai, God made known to men the holiness of His character, that by contrast they might see the sinfulness of their own” (The Desire of Ages, p. 308, 1898), and it states the law’s purpose in plain words, “The law was given to convict them of sin, and reveal their need of a Saviour” (The Desire of Ages, p. 308, 1898). James compares the hearer who does not act to a man looking in a mirror, “For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass” (James 1:23, KJV), and he describes how quickly that man forgets, “For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was” (James 1:24, KJV). The inspired pen adds that the law convicts only as the Spirit applies it, “It would do this as its principles were applied to the heart by the Holy Spirit” (The Desire of Ages, p. 308, 1898), and it states what the law requires of us, “The law requires righteousness,—a righteous life, a perfect character; and this man has not to give” (The Desire of Ages, p. 762, 1898). A mirror can show a stain, but seeing the stain is not the same as being cleansed, as Paul explains in “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith” (Galatians 3:24, KJV). Sr. White admits our need without softening it at all, “He cannot meet the claims of God’s holy law” (The Desire of Ages, p. 762, 1898), and she points to Christ’s complete answer to that need, “But Christ, coming to the earth as man, lived a holy life, and developed a perfect character” (The Desire of Ages, p. 762, 1898). Paul declares that Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes, “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth” (Romans 10:4, KJV).

A learner who says that failure has closed the way to God needs two truths at once, because sin is real and God’s grace is also real. Paul writes that believers are justified freely by His grace, “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24, KJV), and he concludes that a man is justified by faith, “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law” (Romans 3:28, KJV). The Desire of Ages explains how Christ’s righteousness reaches us, “These He offers as a free gift to all who will receive them” (The Desire of Ages, p. 762, 1898), and it adds that “More than this, Christ imbues men with the attributes of God” (The Desire of Ages, p. 762, 1898). Paul says that God justifies the ungodly who believe, “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness” (Romans 4:5, KJV), and Titus adds that He saved us by His mercy, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost” (Titus 3:5, KJV). The inspired pen describes the character Christ builds in us, “He builds up the human character after the similitude of the divine character, a goodly fabric of spiritual strength and beauty” (The Desire of Ages, p. 762, 1898), and it states the result in the believer, “Thus the very righteousness of the law is fulfilled in the believer in Christ” (The Desire of Ages, p. 762, 1898). We teach obedience best when we present it within the living relation of trust that makes it possible, as “That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Romans 8:4, KJV) shows. Sr. White defines the righteousness Christ taught, “The righteousness which Christ taught is conformity of heart and life to the revealed will of God” (The Desire of Ages, p. 310, 1898), and she explains how sinners can become righteous, “Sinful men can become righteous only as they have faith in God and maintain a vital connection with Him” (The Desire of Ages, p. 310, 1898). Paul adds that we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1, KJV), so obedience grows from grace rather than replacing it.

A person may keep an outward rule for selfish reasons, but Christ asks for obedience that grows from love and joins affection to duty. He told His disciples that love keeps His commandments, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15, KJV), and He added that the one who keeps them is the one who loves Him, “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” (John 14:21, KJV). The Desire of Ages names the greatest deception of Christ’s day, “The greatest deception of the human mind in Christ’s day was that a mere assent to the truth constitutes righteousness” (The Desire of Ages, p. 309, 1898), and it adds a warning for every generation, “In all human experience a theoretical knowledge of the truth has been proved to be insufficient for the saving of the soul” (The Desire of Ages, p. 309, 1898). Jesus said that He kept His Father’s commandments and abides in His love, “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love” (John 15:10, KJV), and John defines love as walking after God’s commandments, “And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it” (2 John 1:6, KJV). The inspired pen describes those who think theology alone makes them Christians, “Many take it for granted that they are Christians, simply because they subscribe to certain theological tenets” (The Desire of Ages, p. 309, 1898), and it adds that “But they have not brought the truth into practical life” (The Desire of Ages, p. 309, 1898). I may speak warmly about honesty while hiding a fact that will embarrass me, and John calls that pattern a lie, “He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 John 2:4, KJV). Sr. White states the test of every profession of faith, “Men may profess faith in the truth; but if it does not make them sincere, kind, patient, forbearing, heavenly-minded, it is a curse to its possessors, and through their influence it is a curse to the world” (The Desire of Ages, p. 309, 1898), and she shows what actually commends the truth to others, “Our profession of faith may proclaim the theory of religion, but it is our practical piety that holds forth the word of truth” (The Desire of Ages, p. 307, 1898). John promises that whoever keeps God’s word has His love perfected in him, “But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him” (1 John 2:5, KJV), so God’s law brings our words down to the scale of daily acts.

Moral freedom does not mean that every choice produces the same result, and James calls God’s law a law of liberty for that reason. He blesses the doer who continues in the perfect law of liberty, “But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed” (James 1:25, KJV), and he adds that we will be judged by that law, “So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty” (James 2:12, KJV). The Desire of Ages describes the bondage of the one who refuses God, “Every soul that refuses to give himself to God is under the control of another power” (The Desire of Ages, p. 466, 1898), and it adds that “He may talk of freedom, but he is in the most abject slavery” (The Desire of Ages, p. 466, 1898). Jesus promised that the truth makes us free, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32, KJV), and He added that the Son makes us free indeed, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:36, KJV). The inspired pen states Christ’s mission in one line, “Christ came to break the shackles of sin-slavery from the soul” (The Desire of Ages, p. 466, 1898), and it describes the freedom found in surrender, “In the change that takes place when the soul surrenders to Christ, there is the highest sense of freedom” (The Desire of Ages, p. 466, 1898). A lie may feel like escape, yet it can bind the speaker to further deceit, and Paul warns believers against any yoke of bondage, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage” (Galatians 5:1, KJV). Sr. White explains how sin destroys liberty, “Sin can triumph only by enfeebling the mind, and destroying the liberty of the soul” (The Desire of Ages, p. 466, 1898), and she describes the dignity restored by obedience, “Subjection to God is restoration to one’s self,—to the true glory and dignity of man” (The Desire of Ages, p. 466, 1898). The psalmist found freedom in God’s precepts, “And I will walk at liberty: for I seek thy precepts” (Psalm 119:45, KJV), so obedience frees us from making every desire our ruler.

God does not force the will, and the government of heaven seeks a willing response to truth rather than an appearance of obedience produced by pressure. Joshua set the choice plainly before Israel, “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15, KJV), and Moses called heaven and earth to witness the same choice, “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19, KJV). Sr. White describes heaven’s harmony before sin, “So long as all created beings acknowledged the allegiance of love, there was perfect harmony throughout the universe of God” (Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 35, 1890), and she adds the joy of the angels in that harmony, “It was the joy of the heavenly host to fulfill the purpose of their Creator” (Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 35, 1890). Paul tells the Corinthians that God loves a cheerful giver, “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7, KJV), and the psalmist foresees a willing people in the day of God’s power, “Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth” (Psalm 110:3, KJV). The Desire of Ages states plainly how God works in saving us, “In the work of redemption there is no compulsion” (The Desire of Ages, p. 466, 1898), and it explains the freedom left to every soul, “Under the influence of the Spirit of God, man is left free to choose whom he will serve” (The Desire of Ages, p. 466, 1898). We can explain consequences and uphold church standards while respecting conscience, as Paul urges in “One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind” (Romans 14:5, KJV). The inspired pen warns of a time when men will use force in religion, “They will seek to compel the consciences of others, and in their zeal to enforce these laws they will oppress their fellow men” (The Desire of Ages, p. 763, 1898), and it states what God values, “It is the service of love that God values” (The Desire of Ages, p. 286, 1898). Elijah asked Israel how long they would halt between two opinions, “And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word” (1 Kings 18:21, KJV), so we invite decisions without coercing them.

Faith does not make the law void, and grace gives courage to do the work of repair that obedience sometimes requires. Paul asks whether faith makes the law void, “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law” (Romans 3:31, KJV), and he asks whether we should continue in sin that grace may abound, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?” (Romans 6:1, KJV). The Desire of Ages states that “Through Jesus, God’s mercy was manifested to men; but mercy does not set aside justice” (The Desire of Ages, p. 762, 1898), and it adds what God did instead of changing His law, “God did not change His law, but He sacrificed Himself, in Christ, for man’s redemption” (The Desire of Ages, p. 762, 1898). Paul answers his own question with a firm denial, “God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” (Romans 6:2, KJV), and he promises that sin shall not have dominion over those under grace, “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace” (Romans 6:14, KJV). The inspired pen explains why the law could not be abolished, “If the law of God could have been changed or abrogated, then Christ need not have suffered the consequences of our transgression” (The Desire of Ages, p. 307, 1898), and it shows how Christ’s life maintained the law, “The Saviour’s life of obedience maintained the claims of the law; it proved that the law could be kept in humanity, and showed the excellence of character that obedience would develop” (The Desire of Ages, p. 308, 1898). A person seeking to become truthful may need to correct a record and accept its consequences, as Zacchaeus did in “And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold” (Luke 19:8, KJV). Sr. White describes believers who neglect reconciliation, “Many are zealous in religious services, while between them and their brethren are unhappy differences which they might reconcile” (The Desire of Ages, p. 310, 1898), and she states God’s requirement, “God requires them to do all in their power to restore harmony” (The Desire of Ages, p. 310, 1898). Jesus told worshipers to be reconciled to a brother before offering a gift, “Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift” (Matthew 5:24, KJV), so grace does not erase repair but gives strength to do it.

The law of God stands at the center of the great controversy, and its permanence prepares us to understand how rebellion first began. Jesus said that He did not come to destroy the law, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil” (Matthew 5:17, KJV), and He added that not one jot or tittle would pass from it, “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled” (Matthew 5:18, KJV). The Desire of Ages affirms the endurance of the law beyond the heavens, “Though they may pass away, the divine precepts shall endure” (The Desire of Ages, p. 308, 1898), and it identifies the One who gave the law, “Christ Himself had given both the moral and the ceremonial law” (The Desire of Ages, p. 307, 1898). The psalmist declares that all God’s commandments are sure, “The works of his hands are verity and judgment; all his commandments are sure” (Psalm 111:7, KJV), and he adds that they stand fast forever, “They stand fast for ever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness” (Psalm 111:8, KJV). The inspired pen exposes the enemy’s strategy, “He needs not to assail the whole law; if he can lead men to disregard one precept, his purpose is gained” (The Desire of Ages, p. 763, 1898), and it traces the conflict back to its start, “The warfare against God’s law, which was begun in heaven, will be continued until the end of time” (The Desire of Ages, p. 763, 1898). Revelation describes the dragon’s war against those who keep God’s commandments, “And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 12:17, KJV), and it describes the patient saints, “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus” (Revelation 14:12, KJV). Sr. White states the choice that will face the whole world, “All will be called to choose between the law of God and the laws of men” (The Desire of Ages, p. 763, 1898), and she gives the final outcome of that conflict, “God will vindicate His law and deliver His people” (The Desire of Ages, p. 763, 1898). With the law’s goodness before us, we can now ask how a perfect creature could turn against it.

How Did Pride Enter a Perfect Heaven?

The biblical account of evil requires us to distinguish a good creation from the wrong that later entered it, and Ezekiel’s oracle draws that line with care. The prophet addresses a being who was perfect from the day of creation, “Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee” (Ezekiel 28:15, KJV), and he names the cause of that being’s fall, “Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee” (Ezekiel 28:17, KJV). Sr. White introduces the whole story with a statement of purpose, “The history of the great conflict between good and evil, from the time it first began in heaven to the final overthrow of rebellion and the total eradication of sin, is also a demonstration of God’s unchanging love” (Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 33, 1890), and she describes how the trouble began, “Little by little Lucifer came to indulge the desire for self-exaltation” (Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 35, 1890). Ezekiel’s oracle directly addresses the king of Tyrus, yet it also uses imagery that Adventist interpretation reads as the background of Satan’s fall, “Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire” (Ezekiel 28:14, KJV). The Desire of Ages states the breach in a single sentence, “In heaven itself this law was broken” (The Desire of Ages, p. 21, 1898), and it identifies the one who broke heaven’s law, “Lucifer, the covering cherub, desired to be first in heaven” (The Desire of Ages, p. 21, 1898). Perfection at creation does not make a later choice of evil God’s act, as the next verse of the oracle shows, “By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire” (Ezekiel 28:16, KJV). The inspired pen explains how great Lucifer’s privilege had been, “Lucifer in heaven had sinned in the light of God’s glory” (The Desire of Ages, p. 761, 1898), and it describes the choice he made with open eyes, “Understanding the character of God, knowing His goodness, Satan chose to follow his own selfish, independent will” (The Desire of Ages, p. 761, 1898). Moses declares that God’s work is perfect, “He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he” (Deuteronomy 32:4, KJV), and the psalmist adds that the Lord is upright, “To shew that the LORD is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him” (Psalm 92:15, KJV), so we never charge Him with evil.

Rebellion’s desire for greatness can appear in forms that look religious, and Isaiah’s taunt pictures that desire in its full ambition. The prophet hears the proud boast of a heart set on rising higher, “For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north” (Isaiah 14:13, KJV), and he records its final and fatal claim, “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High” (Isaiah 14:14, KJV). The Desire of Ages explains what Lucifer sought from heavenly beings, “He sought to gain control of heavenly beings, to draw them away from their Creator, and to win their homage to himself” (The Desire of Ages, p. 21, 1898), and it shows the difference between his desire and true likeness to God, “Had Lucifer really desired to be like the Most High, he would never have deserted his appointed place in heaven; for the spirit of the Most High is manifested in unselfish ministry” (The Desire of Ages, p. 435, 1898). Isaiah’s immediate taunt concerns the king of Babylon, yet it also pictures the proud ascent of the first rebel, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!” (Isaiah 14:12, KJV). The inspired pen states the root of Satan’s sin in heaven, “It was in seeking to exalt himself above the Son of God that Satan had sinned in heaven” (The Desire of Ages, p. 129, 1898), and it adds a sharp summary, “Lucifer desired God’s power, but not His character” (The Desire of Ages, p. 435, 1898). Solomon warns that pride goes before destruction, “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18, KJV), and James adds that God resists the proud, “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble” (James 4:6, KJV). Sr. White explains how false religions grow from the same root, “They originate in man’s desire to exalt himself above God, but they result in degrading man below the brute” (The Desire of Ages, p. 286, 1898), and she shows how that desire spreads, “Because he who is seeking his own glory appeals to the desire for self-exaltation in others” (The Desire of Ages, p. 212, 1898). Paul warns that a new convert may fall into the condemnation of the devil through pride, “Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil” (1 Timothy 3:6, KJV), so we must examine our own hearts first.

The application of this story should begin with the spirit of self-exaltation in us, not with a search for people to label as Lucifer. I can display the same tendency when I must win every discussion or resent another person’s useful work, as Paul warns in “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves” (Philippians 2:3, KJV). The Desire of Ages describes the ordinance that cures this spirit, “The ordinance preceding the Lord’s Supper is to clear away these misunderstandings, to bring man out of his selfishness, down from his stilts of self-exaltation, to the humility of heart that will lead him to serve his brother” (The Desire of Ages, p. 650, 1898), and it adds a word about honest self-knowledge, “He had no reason to boast over his fellows, for through unbelief and self-exaltation he had very nearly lost his life” (The Desire of Ages, p. 381, 1898). Jesus warned His disciples against seeking the highest seats, “For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted” (Luke 14:11, KJV), and He placed a child in their midst as a lesson, “Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:4, KJV). The inspired pen describes the danger of praise in God’s work, “The one thus unduly honored is tempted to cherish self-confidence” (The Desire of Ages, p. 182, 1898), and it shows how Christ treated rank and office, “He possessed a dignity and individuality wholly distinct from earthly pride and assumption; He did not strive for worldly greatness, and in even the lowliest position He was content” (The Desire of Ages, p. 87, 1898). We can display the same spirit when an office becomes more important than the people it exists to serve, as “I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not” (3 John 1:9, KJV) shows. Sr. White describes the Pharisees who measured holiness by ceremony, “They measured their holiness by the multitude of their ceremonies, while their hearts were filled with pride and hypocrisy” (The Desire of Ages, p. 29, 1898), and she adds a word about their pride, “Now pride and envy closed the door against the light” (The Desire of Ages, p. 62, 1898). Paul asks what we have that we did not receive, “For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?” (1 Corinthians 4:7, KJV), and he warns against high thoughts of self, “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith” (Romans 12:3, KJV), so this study must humble the teacher first.

The language of heavenly war can stir curiosity, but Revelation directs our attention toward the deceiver’s defeat and Christ’s final victory. John records the war that broke out in heaven itself, “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels” (Revelation 12:7, KJV), and he states its outcome for the rebels, “And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven” (Revelation 12:8, KJV). The Desire of Ages explains what the angels did not yet understand, “The angels did not even then understand all that was involved in the great controversy” (The Desire of Ages, p. 761, 1898), and it adds that “The principles at stake were to be more fully revealed” (The Desire of Ages, p. 761, 1898). John names the dragon as that old serpent called the Devil and Satan, “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him” (Revelation 12:9, KJV), and he describes how the saints overcame him, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death” (Revelation 12:11, KJV). The inspired pen explains why Satan was not destroyed at once, “And for the sake of man, Satan’s existence must be continued” (The Desire of Ages, p. 761, 1898), and it gives the reason, “Man as well as angels must see the contrast between the Prince of light and the prince of darkness” (The Desire of Ages, p. 761, 1898). The passage does not provide a full diary of heaven’s conflict, so we should not fill that silence with invented scenes, as Paul warns in “Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind” (Colossians 2:18, KJV). Sr. White describes the effect of the cross on Satan’s standing, “His administration was laid open before the unfallen angels and before the heavenly universe” (The Desire of Ages, p. 761, 1898), and she adds a final verdict on his place, “The last link of sympathy between Satan and the heavenly world was broken” (The Desire of Ages, p. 761, 1898). Jesus saw Satan fall as lightning from heaven, “And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven” (Luke 10:18, KJV), and the great controversy explains our world as the field of a real moral struggle.

The story of the great controversy should strengthen allegiance to Christ, but it should not make every church disagreement appear to be a direct battle with Satan. Paul reminds believers that our real struggle is not against flesh and blood, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12, KJV), and Peter urges watchfulness against the adversary, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8, KJV). The Desire of Ages records what Satan charged against God’s law, “In the opening of the great controversy, Satan had declared that the law of God could not be obeyed, that justice was inconsistent with mercy, and that, should the law be broken, it would be impossible for the sinner to be pardoned” (The Desire of Ages, p. 761, 1898), and it adds his argument against mercy, “Every sin must meet its punishment, urged Satan; and if God should remit the punishment of sin, He would not be a God of truth and justice” (The Desire of Ages, p. 761, 1898). People can be mistaken, tired, frightened, or poorly informed, and Paul urges gentleness toward those overtaken in a fault, “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted” (Galatians 6:1, KJV). The inspired pen describes how Satan rejoiced at sin, “When men broke the law of God, and defied His will, Satan exulted” (The Desire of Ages, p. 761, 1898), and it records his claim that man could not be forgiven, “It was proved, he declared, that the law could not be obeyed; man could not be forgiven” (The Desire of Ages, p. 761, 1898). Careful discernment is more faithful than dramatic accusation, as Jesus warned in “Judge not, that ye be not judged” (Matthew 7:1, KJV) and James in “Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge” (James 4:11, KJV). Sr. White shows the difference between man and Satan, “But even as a sinner, man was in a different position from that of Satan” (The Desire of Ages, p. 761, 1898), and she gives the reason for our hope, “But man was deceived; his mind was darkened by Satan’s sophistry” (The Desire of Ages, p. 761, 1898). Paul urges the Corinthians to judge nothing before the time, “Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God” (1 Corinthians 4:5, KJV), so we leave final verdicts to the Lord.

God’s knowledge of evil does not make Him its moral author, and James draws a clear line against blaming God for temptation. He writes that God tempts no man, “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man” (James 1:13, KJV), and he explains where temptation actually begins, “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed” (James 1:14, KJV). The Desire of Ages names the temptations that overcame our first parents, “These were the temptations that overcame Adam and Eve, and that so readily overcome us” (The Desire of Ages, p. 116, 1898), and it warns that we are tempted in the same way, “We are tempted to distrust God, to question His love” (The Desire of Ages, p. 120, 1898). James traces the path from desire to sin to death, “Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death” (James 1:15, KJV), and Paul promises that God provides a way to escape, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13, KJV). The inspired pen explains how the enemy uses our weakness, “Christ knew that the enemy would come to every human being, to take advantage of hereditary weakness, and by his false insinuations to ensnare all whose trust is not in God” (The Desire of Ages, p. 122, 1898), and it states that the tempter is no excuse for sin, “The tempter’s agency is not to be accounted an excuse for one wrong act” (The Desire of Ages, p. 311, 1898). Divine testing and the temptation to sin must be distinguished, for a test reveals trust while temptation seeks to turn us from good, “And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no” (Deuteronomy 8:2, KJV). Sr. White describes how Satan rejoices at our excuses, “Satan is jubilant when he hears the professed followers of Christ making excuses for their deformity of character” (The Desire of Ages, p. 311, 1898), and she offers hope to every believer, “A holy temper, a Christlike life, is accessible to every repenting, believing child of God” (The Desire of Ages, p. 311, 1898). Peter declares that the Lord knows how to deliver the godly, “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished” (2 Peter 2:9, KJV), so we affirm God’s help without calling the wrong act good.

We should never tell an abused person that God required the abuser to act wickedly so that a lesson could be learned. Habakkuk confesses that God is of purer eyes than to behold evil, “Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he?” (Habakkuk 1:13, KJV), and Job’s friend Elihu says God will not do wickedly, “Yea, surely God will not do wickedly, neither will the Almighty pervert judgment” (Job 34:12, KJV). The Desire of Ages shows how Jesus responded to suffering, “Divinity sorrowing over and soothing the ills of suffering humanity!” (The Desire of Ages, p. 269, 1898), and it describes what He saw as He looked ahead, “Looking down the years to come, He saw the suffering and sorrow, tears and death, that were to be the lot of men” (The Desire of Ages, p. 534, 1898). We can affirm God’s ability to bring help and restoration without calling the wrong act good or necessary, as Joseph told his brothers, “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive” (Genesis 50:20, KJV). The inspired pen explains how hardship can refine, “Temptation, poverty, adversity, is the very discipline needed to develop purity and firmness” (The Desire of Ages, p. 72, 1898), and it shows Christ’s own response to temptation, “Jesus did not presume on God’s promises by going unbidden into temptation, neither did He give up to despondency when temptation came upon Him” (The Desire of Ages, p. 126, 1898). Jesus warned that woe comes to the one through whom offenses come, “Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!” (Matthew 18:7, KJV), and Paul says God works all things for good to those who love Him, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28, KJV). Sr. White states that Christ came with the possibility of yielding, “He took the nature of man, with the possibility of yielding to temptation” (The Desire of Ages, p. 117, 1898), and she describes His sinless example, “He came with such a heredity to share our sorrows and temptations, and to give us the example of a sinless life” (The Desire of Ages, p. 48, 1898). Isaiah warns against those who call evil good, “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20, KJV), and we must hold that line in pastoral care.

The test in Eden was meaningful because the human response mattered, and God’s command came within a generous provision. Moses records that Adam might eat freely of every tree but one, “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat” (Genesis 2:16, KJV), and he records the prohibition and its warning, “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Genesis 2:17, KJV). The Desire of Ages describes what faith would have done for our first parents, “Faith would have led our first parents to trust the love of God, and to obey His commands” (The Desire of Ages, p. 126, 1898), and it describes Adam’s high position, “He was surrounded with the glories of Eden, and was in daily communion with heavenly beings” (The Desire of Ages, p. 117, 1898). The serpent flatly contradicted the word of God to Eve, “And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die” (Genesis 3:4, KJV), and he promised what God had never offered, “For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5, KJV). The inspired pen describes the first sanctuary of the human family, “It was under the trees of Eden that the first dwellers on earth had chosen their sanctuary” (The Desire of Ages, p. 290, 1898), and it notes how Satan claimed what Adam lost, “Satan’s dominion was that wrested from Adam, but Adam was the vicegerent of the Creator” (The Desire of Ages, p. 129, 1898). We should avoid describing the test as a game designed to make failure likely, for Paul explains its result, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12, KJV). Sr. White explains why Christ had to stand where Adam stood, “Then He could not have been placed in Adam’s position; He could not have gained the victory that Adam failed to gain” (The Desire of Ages, p. 117, 1898), and she promises the recovery of what was lost, “The dominion that Adam had lost through sin would be recovered” (The Desire of Ages, p. 114, 1898). Paul adds that by one man’s obedience many shall be made righteous, “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous” (Romans 5:19, KJV), so Eden’s failure is answered by Christ’s faithfulness.

Rebellion finally destroys itself, and the end of the great controversy shows that God’s judgments are the harvest of chosen character rather than arbitrary power. The Desire of Ages describes the final judgment without any hint of cruelty, “This is not an act of arbitrary power on the part of God” (The Desire of Ages, p. 764, 1898), and it names the true cause of the sinner’s ruin, “The rejecters of His mercy reap that which they have sown” (The Desire of Ages, p. 764, 1898). Paul warns that whatever a man sows he will reap, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Galatians 6:7, KJV), and he adds that sowing to the flesh brings corruption, “For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting” (Galatians 6:8, KJV). The inspired pen explains how sin cuts the sinner off from life, “God is the fountain of life; and when one chooses the service of sin, he separates from God, and thus cuts himself off from life” (The Desire of Ages, p. 764, 1898), and it describes why God allows time for character to develop, “God gives them existence for a time that they may develop their character and reveal their principles” (The Desire of Ages, p. 764, 1898). Moses called the Lord a consuming fire, “For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God” (Deuteronomy 4:24, KJV), and Malachi foresaw the day that will burn as an oven, “For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch” (Malachi 4:1, KJV). Sr. White explains why the angels needed time to understand, “Had Satan and his host then been left to reap the full result of their sin, they would have perished; but it would not have been apparent to heavenly beings that this was the inevitable result of sin” (The Desire of Ages, p. 764, 1898), and she describes the doubt that would have remained, “A doubt of God’s goodness would have remained in their minds as evil seed, to produce its deadly fruit of sin and woe” (The Desire of Ages, p. 764, 1898). Nahum promises that affliction shall not rise up the second time, “What do ye imagine against the LORD? he will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time” (Nahum 1:9, KJV), and Ezekiel foresees the end of the proud cherub, “All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more” (Ezekiel 28:19, KJV). The same freedom that made rebellion possible also gives humanity its dignity, and to that dignity we now turn.

What Makes a Human Being Precious?

Human dignity begins with God’s creative act before it can be earned through achievement or status, and Genesis grounds that dignity in the divine image. God said, Let us make man in our image, “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth” (Genesis 1:26, KJV), and Moses records the fulfillment of that purpose, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them” (Genesis 1:27, KJV). Sr. White describes the restoration that redemption seeks, “To restore in man the image of his Maker, to bring him back to the perfection in which he was created, to promote the development of body, mind, and soul, that the divine purpose in his creation might be realized—this was to be the work of redemption” (Education, pp. 15, 16, 1903), and The Desire of Ages names Christ’s purpose in coming, “Christ came that He might re-create the image of God in man; and whoever turns men away from Christ is turning them away from the source of true development; he is defrauding them of the hope and purpose and glory of life” (The Desire of Ages, p. 478, 1898). The text speaks of male and female within the divine image and gives humanity a shared commission, “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth” (Genesis 1:28, KJV), and Genesis repeats that truth later, “This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him” (Genesis 5:1, KJV). The inspired pen shows how Christ valued every person, “He passed by no human being as worthless, but sought to apply the saving remedy to every soul” (The Desire of Ages, p. 91, 1898), and it describes the high view He gave His hearers of themselves, “He taught all to look upon themselves as endowed with precious talents, which if rightly employed would secure for them eternal riches” (The Desire of Ages, p. 91, 1898). This worth does not belong to a class, a nationality, a level of ability, or a religious group, as Paul preached at Athens, “And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation” (Acts 17:26, KJV). Sr. White writes that “Through the value of the sacrifice made for them, they are of value in the Lord’s sight” (The Desire of Ages, p. 667, 1898), and she warns against the spirit that ranks people by wealth, “Those who have a true conception of the teaching of His life will never feel that a distinction must be made between classes, that the rich are to be honored above the worthy poor” (The Desire of Ages, p. 73, 1898). Job asks whether the same God did not fashion master and servant alike, “Did not he that made me in the womb make him? and did not one fashion us in the womb?” (Job 31:15, KJV), so we recognize the dignity that our Creator has already given to every person.

The person who reads slowly is not less worthy than the fluent speaker, and Christ’s ministry shows a deliberate regard for people others overlooked. A child, a migrant, an older member, and an unfamiliar visitor each deserve patient regard, as Moses taught in “Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the LORD” (Leviticus 19:32, KJV). The Desire of Ages records how Jesus valued the gift of a poor widow, “Her heart went with her gift; its value was estimated, not by the worth of the coin, but by the love to God and the interest in His work that had prompted the deed” (The Desire of Ages, p. 615, 1898), and it describes what He found precious in Mary’s offering, “The desire that Mary had to do this service for her Lord was of more value to Christ than all the precious ointment in the world, because it expressed her appreciation of the world’s Redeemer” (The Desire of Ages, p. 564, 1898). Jesus warned against despising one of the little ones, “Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 18:10, KJV), and James rebukes favor shown to the rich man in fine clothing, “For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment” (James 2:2, KJV). The inspired pen explains how the gospel regards every life, “The gospel places a high value upon humanity as the purchase of the blood of Christ, and it teaches a tender regard for the wants and woes of man” (The Desire of Ages, p. 286, 1898), and it warns what false religion does to people, “Every false religion teaches its adherents to be careless of human needs, sufferings, and rights” (The Desire of Ages, p. 286, 1898). We do not give people dignity by welcoming them, for Peter learned that God shows no partiality, “Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34, KJV). Sr. White describes how Christ honored the humble worker, “He knew by experience their cares and hardships, and He could comfort and encourage all humble workers” (The Desire of Ages, p. 73, 1898), and she adds that heaven still cares for ordinary people, “Humanity is still as much the object of heaven’s solicitude as when common men of common occupations met angels at noonday, and talked with the heavenly messengers in the vineyards and the fields” (The Desire of Ages, p. 48, 1898). Solomon notes that the rich and poor meet together before their Maker, “The rich and poor meet together: the LORD is the maker of them all” (Proverbs 22:2, KJV), and James calls the poor rich in faith, “Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?” (James 2:5, KJV).

The high calling of humanity stands beside a humble account of our dependence, because the human being becomes a living soul through God’s life-giving act. Moses describes the formation of the first man, “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” (Genesis 2:7, KJV), and Solomon describes the return of dust and breath at death, “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it” (Ecclesiastes 12:7, KJV). The Desire of Ages explains how Christ spoke of death, “Christ represents death as a sleep to His believing children” (The Desire of Ages, p. 527, 1898), and it describes death for the believer, “To the Christian, death is but a sleep, a moment of silence and darkness” (The Desire of Ages, p. 787, 1898). Within Adventist teaching, this passage supports a unified view of the person rather than an inherently immortal soul, as Solomon writes in “For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten” (Ecclesiastes 9:5, KJV). The inspired pen shows Christ’s authority over death, “Christ had now fully made manifest His control of death and the grave” (The Desire of Ages, p. 537, 1898), and it describes His gift of life, “The life that He laid down in humanity, He takes up again, and gives to humanity” (The Desire of Ages, p. 786, 1898). Paul writes that God alone has immortality, “Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen” (1 Timothy 6:16, KJV), and he promises that in Christ all shall be made alive, “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22, KJV). Sr. White describes those raised at Christ’s resurrection, “I have brought them from the grave as the first fruits of My power, to be with Me where I am, nevermore to see death or experience sorrow” (The Desire of Ages, p. 786, 1898), and she shows their place in His triumph, “They ascended with Him as trophies of His victory over death and the grave” (The Desire of Ages, p. 786, 1898). Daniel foresees many that sleep in the dust awaking, “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt” (Daniel 12:2, KJV), so our hope rests on the God who gives and restores life.

The breath of life should not be confused with a piece of divine substance, because I receive life from God and am not God. Paul told the Athenians that in God we live, move, and have our being, “For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring” (Acts 17:28, KJV), and Job confesses that God holds the breath of all mankind, “In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind” (Job 12:10, KJV). The Desire of Ages explains our need of a power beyond ourselves, “Man needs a power outside of and beyond himself, to restore him to the likeness of God, and enable him to do the work of God; but this does not make the human agency unessential” (The Desire of Ages, p. 296, 1898), and it describes the human person as God’s intended dwelling place, “From eternal ages it was God’s purpose that every created being, from the bright and holy seraph to man, should be a temple for the indwelling of the Creator” (The Desire of Ages, p. 161, 1898). This distinction allows us to honor human worth without making humanity divine, as the Lord told Ezekiel’s proud king, “Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God” (Ezekiel 28:2, KJV). The inspired pen reminds every proud worker that “The work of God is not to bear the image and superscription of man” (The Desire of Ages, p. 182, 1898), and it describes the two directions a human life can take, “They have seen humanity as transfigured into the image of God, and as debased into the likeness of Satan” (The Desire of Ages, p. 429, 1898). The psalmist says that our days are as grass, “As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth” (Psalm 103:15, KJV), and Isaiah calls people grass before the Lord, “The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field” (Isaiah 40:6, KJV). Sr. White states the truth of our position before God, “Whatever our position, we are dependent upon God, who holds all destinies in His hands” (The Desire of Ages, p. 209, 1898), and she shows the safe path that follows from it, “He has appointed us our work, and has endowed us with faculties and means for that work” (The Desire of Ages, p. 209, 1898). Peter quotes the same prophet about the word that endures, “For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away” (1 Peter 1:24, KJV), so dependence is the truth of our creaturely life.

Our smallness in the universe can make us feel unimportant, yet the psalm speaks of honor given by God to creatures who seem slight beneath the sky. David considers the heavens as the work of God’s fingers, “When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained” (Psalm 8:3, KJV), and he asks what man is that God is mindful of him, “What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?” (Psalm 8:4, KJV). The Desire of Ages describes heaven’s ongoing interest in our race, “The angels of God are ascending, bearing the prayers of the needy and distressed to the Father above, and descending, bringing blessing and hope, courage, help, and life, to the children of men” (The Desire of Ages, p. 142, 1898), and it states how blessings reach us, “And it is through Christ, by the ministration of His heavenly messengers, that every blessing comes from God to us” (The Desire of Ages, p. 143, 1898). David answers his question with words of honor, “For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour” (Psalm 8:5, KJV), and he describes the dominion God gave, “Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet” (Psalm 8:6, KJV). The inspired pen describes the lessons God placed in His works, “As men should lift up their eyes to the hills of God, and behold the wonderful works of His hands, they could learn precious lessons of divine truth” (The Desire of Ages, p. 291, 1898), and it warns what greater care for a beast than for a man reveals, “Thus greater care was shown for a dumb animal than for man, who is made in the image of God” (The Desire of Ages, p. 286, 1898). Dominion is a trust within God’s world, not a license to damage whatever serves our immediate wish, as Moses taught in “If a bird’s nest chance to be before thee in the way in any tree, or on the ground, whether they be young ones, or eggs, and the dam sitting upon the young, or upon the eggs, thou shalt not take the dam with the young” (Deuteronomy 22:6, KJV). Sr. White describes how household duties please God, “The approval of God rests with loving assurance upon children and youth who cheerfully take their part in the duties of the household, sharing the burdens of father and mother” (The Desire of Ages, p. 72, 1898), and she shows how Christ honored the family, “By attending this feast, Jesus honored marriage as a divine institution” (The Desire of Ages, p. 150, 1898). The psalm closes in worship, “O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!” (Psalm 8:9, KJV), so human significance becomes visible in faithful acts within our reach.

A difficult passage about man and woman must not cancel the plain creation account, and sound interpretation gives every part of the passage its place. Paul writes about worship in Corinth with language of glory and origin, “For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man” (1 Corinthians 11:7, KJV), and he qualifies it at once with mutual dependence in the Lord, “Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 11:11, KJV). The Desire of Ages records how Christ spoke with a Samaritan woman whom others despised, “He was faint and weary; yet He did not neglect the opportunity of speaking to one woman, though she was a stranger, an alien from Israel, and living in open sin” (The Desire of Ages, p. 194, 1898), and it notes that “The plain statement made by Christ to this woman could not have been made to the self-righteous Jews” (The Desire of Ages, p. 190, 1898). Paul adds that the man is also by the woman, but all things are of God, “For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things of God” (1 Corinthians 11:12, KJV), and he declares that in Christ there is neither male nor female, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28, KJV). The inspired pen describes how faith sprang up in her heart, “As the woman heard these words, faith sprang up in her heart” (The Desire of Ages, p. 190, 1898), and it records the joy of Christ in her awakening, “As His words to the woman had aroused her conscience, Jesus rejoiced” (The Desire of Ages, p. 190, 1898). Paul’s passage does not teach that women lack God’s image, and Peter calls husbands and wives heirs together of the grace of life, “Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered” (1 Peter 3:7, KJV). Sr. White notes the response of the woman to Christ’s words, “As the woman talked with Jesus, she was impressed with His words” (The Desire of Ages, p. 189, 1898), and she records the disciples’ surprise, “When the disciples returned from their errand, they were surprised to find their Master speaking with the woman” (The Desire of Ages, p. 190, 1898). Paul urges husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the church, “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it” (Ephesians 5:25, KJV), so no clause may be used to bless contempt or abuse.

Whatever questions arise about church order, shared created worth remains clear, and the church must never use one fragment of Scripture as a weapon. Paul urges believers to submit to one another in the fear of God, “Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God” (Ephesians 5:21, KJV), and he describes marriage as a picture of Christ’s love, “So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself” (Ephesians 5:28, KJV). The Desire of Ages describes the tenderness of Christ toward His mother at the cross, “On the cross, in His last act of tenderness toward His mother, Jesus again addressed her in the same way, as He committed her to the care of His best-loved disciple” (The Desire of Ages, p. 146, 1898), and it adds that “Both at the marriage feast and upon the cross, the love expressed in tone and look and manner interpreted His words” (The Desire of Ages, p. 146, 1898). Proverbs praises the woman who opens her mouth with wisdom, “She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness” (Proverbs 31:26, KJV), and Luke records the women who ministered to Christ from their substance, “And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance” (Luke 8:3, KJV). The inspired pen shows how Christ honored marriage, “A Jewish marriage was an impressive occasion, and its joy was not displeasing to the Son of man” (The Desire of Ages, p. 150, 1898), and it states the meaning of His presence at Cana, “The gift of Christ to the marriage feast was a symbol” (The Desire of Ages, p. 148, 1898). A learner should not use one clause to excuse the refusal to hear a woman’s concern, since Paul commends Phoebe to the church, “I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea” (Romans 16:1, KJV). Sr. White describes the influence of a mother’s care, “She looked upon the associations of the home, and the mother’s tender watchcare over her children, as of vital importance in the formation of character” (The Desire of Ages, p. 90, 1898), and she shows how Christ treated those who served Him, “At the marriage feast she meets Him, the same tender, dutiful son” (The Desire of Ages, p. 145, 1898). Paul calls the church to honor all, “Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king” (1 Peter 2:17, KJV), and that rule leaves no room for contempt in any home or congregation.

Our original calling points toward the restoration that Christ seeks to accomplish, because grace works toward the renewal of what sin has harmed. Paul writes that anyone in Christ is a new creature, “Therefore 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, KJV), and he urges believers to put on the new man created in righteousness, “And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Ephesians 4:24, KJV). The Desire of Ages describes the work of grace in the disciple, “By the transforming agency of His grace, the image of God is reproduced in the disciple; he becomes a new creature” (The Desire of Ages, p. 391, 1898), and it promises the final result, “The defaced image of God will be restored in humanity, and a family of believing saints will finally inherit the heavenly home” (The Desire of Ages, p. 625, 1898). Paul states God’s purpose that believers be conformed to the image of His Son, “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren” (Romans 8:29, KJV), and he urges the Colossians to be renewed in knowledge, “And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him” (Colossians 3:10, KJV). The inspired pen gives the evidence of that renewal, “Where this oneness exists, it is evidence that the image of God is being restored in humanity, that a new principle of life has been implanted” (The Desire of Ages, p. 678, 1898), and it describes the Christ who displayed God’s image perfectly, “He spoke of God, not as an avenging judge, but as a tender father, and He revealed the image of God as mirrored in Himself” (The Desire of Ages, p. 204, 1898). Human value does not disappear when sin damages character, and Philippians promises that He will change our vile body, “Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself” (Philippians 3:21, KJV). Sr. White describes the enemy’s attempt to deface that image, “Satan was exulting that he had succeeded in debasing the image of God in humanity” (The Desire of Ages, p. 37, 1898), and she names one of his methods, “Through sensual indulgence, Satan seeks to blot from the soul every trace of likeness to God” (The Desire of Ages, p. 122, 1898). Peter speaks of becoming partakers of the divine nature, “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:4, KJV), so restoration of the image is the goal of the whole plan.

We can hold dignity and accountability together, because a person who has injured another remains a human being who must still face the truth. Jude tells the church to save some with compassion and pull them out of the fire, “And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh” (Jude 1:23, KJV), and Paul commands the church to put away a wicked person, “But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person” (1 Corinthians 5:13, KJV). The Desire of Ages states the church’s duty toward those who fall, “Toward those who fall into sin, the church has a duty, to warn, to instruct, and if possible to restore” (The Desire of Ages, p. 805, 1898), and it adds a word about sin that persists, “In choosing to sin, they disown Christ; the church must show that she does not sanction their deeds, or she herself dishonors her Lord” (The Desire of Ages, p. 805, 1898). Jesus outlined a careful process for dealing with a brother who sins, “Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother” (Matthew 18:15, KJV), and He added the steps that follow, “But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established” (Matthew 18:16, KJV). The inspired pen describes the tender work of the shepherds, “Let the shepherds have a tender care for the flock of the Lord’s pasture” (The Desire of Ages, p. 806, 1898), and it urges them to speak of mercy, “Let them speak to the erring of the forgiving mercy of the Saviour” (The Desire of Ages, p. 806, 1898). Restoration cannot be built on concealment, so the wrongdoer must face the truth while the vulnerable receive protection, as “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy” (Proverbs 28:13, KJV) teaches. Sr. White describes the welcome due to the repentant, “Let the repentance of the sinner be accepted by the church with grateful hearts” (The Desire of Ages, p. 806, 1898), and she names the only ground of their pardon, “Remission of sins can be obtained only through the merits of Christ” (The Desire of Ages, p. 806, 1898). Paul reminds us that God’s kindness leads to repentance, “Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?” (Romans 2:4, KJV), and that kindness is the setting for all that we now say about God’s love.

Can Love Pardon and Still Demand Truth?

God’s love is seen first in His initiative toward people who cannot repair their own estrangement, and the cross displays that initiative in full. John writes that love began with God and not with us, “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10, KJV), and Paul says that God is rich in mercy because of His great love, “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us” (Ephesians 2:4, KJV). The Desire of Ages explains what the cross declares about God’s heart, “It declares that while God’s hatred of sin is as strong as death, His love for the sinner is stronger than death” (The Desire of Ages, p. 57, 1898), and it describes the contest that met at Calvary, “At the cross of Calvary, love and selfishness stood face to face” (The Desire of Ages, p. 57, 1898). Paul writes that God made us alive together with Christ even when we were dead in sins, “Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)” (Ephesians 2:5, KJV), and Titus adds that grace has appeared to all men, “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men” (Titus 2:11, KJV). The inspired pen describes the glory that rested on Christ, “The glory that rested upon Christ is a pledge of the love of God for us” (The Desire of Ages, p. 113, 1898), and it shows what God wanted Israel to learn from every sacrifice, “God desired to teach them that from His own love comes the gift which reconciles them to Himself” (The Desire of Ages, p. 112, 1898). Creation, the Son’s coming, and the Spirit’s renewal are related acts within one saving purpose, as Paul states in “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love” (Ephesians 1:4, KJV). Sr. White describes the love that flowed through Christ’s whole life, “During every hour of Christ’s sojourn upon the earth, the love of God was flowing from Him in irrepressible streams” (The Desire of Ages, p. 677, 1898), and she shows what it means for His people, “With the golden chain of His matchless love Christ has bound them to the throne of God” (The Desire of Ages, p. 679, 1898). Jeremiah heard the Lord speak of wayward Ephraim as a dear son whom He would surely pity, “Is Ephraim my dear son? is he a pleasant child? for since I spake against him, I do earnestly remember him still: therefore my bowels are troubled for him; I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the LORD” (Jeremiah 31:20, KJV), so the love that made us also seeks us in our need.

Divine love must define itself rather than borrow every meaning we give that word, because it shows itself in justice as well as in mercy. The psalmist declares that mercy and truth are met together, “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other” (Psalm 85:10, KJV), and he adds that truth springs from the earth while righteousness looks down from heaven, “Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven” (Psalm 85:11, KJV). The Desire of Ages states that “God’s love has been expressed in His justice no less than in His mercy” (The Desire of Ages, p. 762, 1898), and it adds that justice is the foundation of His throne, “Justice is the foundation of His throne, and the fruit of His love” (The Desire of Ages, p. 762, 1898). Paul declares that God set forth Christ to declare His righteousness, “Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God” (Romans 3:25, KJV), and he adds that God is both just and the justifier, “To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus” (Romans 3:26, KJV). The inspired pen exposes the enemy’s deepest purpose in the conflict, “It had been Satan’s purpose to divorce mercy from truth and justice” (The Desire of Ages, p. 762, 1898), and it describes the argument he pressed, “He sought to prove that the righteousness of God’s law is an enemy to peace” (The Desire of Ages, p. 762, 1898). God does not make peace by saying that cruelty, deceit, or betrayal never mattered, for Moses heard Him say “Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation” (Exodus 34:7, KJV). Sr. White shows how Christ answered that argument, “But Christ shows that in God’s plan they are indissolubly joined together; the one cannot exist without the other” (The Desire of Ages, p. 762, 1898), and she states what His life and death proved, “By His life and His death, Christ proved that God’s justice did not destroy His mercy, but that sin could be forgiven, and that the law is righteous, and can be perfectly obeyed” (The Desire of Ages, p. 762, 1898). The psalmist sings that righteousness and judgment are the habitation of God’s throne, “Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne” (Psalm 97:2, KJV), so we never set His love against His justice.

Reconciliation addresses a real breach, and in Christ God acts to restore sinners without turning evil into good. Paul writes that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself, “To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:19, KJV), and he begs his readers to be reconciled to God, “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:20, KJV). The Desire of Ages describes the struggle by which reconciliation was obtained, “We witness the struggle by which our reconciliation with God was obtained” (The Desire of Ages, p. 661, 1898), and it states the open invitation that follows, “All who will, may be reconciled to God, and receive everlasting life” (The Desire of Ages, p. 821, 1898). Paul adds that Christ was made sin for us that we might be made righteous in Him, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:21, KJV), and he tells the Romans that we were reconciled while enemies, “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life” (Romans 5:10, KJV). The inspired pen describes the grace that brings peace, “His grace, that reconciles the soul to God, quiets the strife of human passion, and in His love the heart is at rest” (The Desire of Ages, p. 336, 1898), and it warns of the danger of resisting that grace, “So long as one does this, he can find no hope or pardon, and he will finally lose all desire to be reconciled to God” (The Desire of Ages, p. 324, 1898). Love can both pardon and call for change, as Paul wrote to the Colossians about being reconciled, “And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled” (Colossians 1:21, KJV). Sr. White speaks of the probationary time given to each generation, “In every age there is given to men their day of light and privilege, a probationary time in which they may become reconciled to God” (The Desire of Ages, p. 587, 1898), and she describes the moment when the Son could not see the Father’s face, “But now with the terrible weight of guilt He bears, He cannot see the Father’s reconciling face” (The Desire of Ages, p. 753, 1898). Paul states the final goal of all this reconciling work in “In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight” (Colossians 1:22, KJV), so pardon always leads toward holiness.

A parent who forgives a child still teaches truthfulness, and a church that welcomes a returning member still protects those whom that person harmed. Jesus told Peter to forgive without limit, “Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:22, KJV), and He also told His disciples to rebuke a brother who sins, “Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him” (Luke 17:3, KJV). The Desire of Ages counsels believers about the first step toward peace, “Do not wait for him to make the first effort for reconciliation” (The Desire of Ages, p. 440, 1898), and it describes the preparation for the Lord’s Supper, “The self-examination, the confession of sin, the reconciling of differences, has all been done” (The Desire of Ages, p. 659, 1898). Paul urges believers to forgive as God for Christ’s sake forgave them, “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32, KJV), and he tells the Colossians to bear with one another, “Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye” (Colossians 3:13, KJV). The inspired pen describes the believer who feels righteous indignation without reviling, “So the Christian who lives in harmony with God, possessing the sweet attributes of love and mercy, will feel a righteous indignation against sin; but he will not be roused by passion to revile those who revile him” (The Desire of Ages, p. 619, 1898), and it describes what pure love does in the soul, “The pure element of love will expand the soul, giving it a capacity for higher attainments, for increased knowledge of heavenly things, so that it will not rest short of the fullness” (The Desire of Ages, p. 302, 1898). Love seeks the person’s actual good, which may require confession, restraint, restitution, and patient growth, as “Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful” (Proverbs 27:6, KJV) teaches. Sr. White states the hope that lies in knowing God’s love, “For him there was hope in a knowledge of God’s love” (The Desire of Ages, p. 761, 1898), and she explains how that knowledge draws sinners home, “By beholding His character he might be drawn back to God” (The Desire of Ages, p. 761, 1898). Hebrews says that the Lord chastens those He loves, “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth” (Hebrews 12:6, KJV), so care and moral seriousness belong together.

The command to love one another follows from what God has done, and it is not an optional extra for naturally warm people. John says that everyone who loves is born of God, “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God” (1 John 4:7, KJV), and he adds that God’s love is perfected in those who love one another, “No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us” (1 John 4:12, KJV). The Desire of Ages explains how love spreads from one heart to another, “Love for Christ was awakening in the ruler’s heart; for love begets love” (The Desire of Ages, p. 519, 1898), and it asks what accounts for the love Christ has shown us, “Christ loves the heavenly beings that surround His throne; but what shall account for the great love wherewith He has loved us?” (The Desire of Ages, p. 327, 1898). Jesus gave His disciples a new commandment, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another” (John 13:34, KJV), and He said that all men would know them by their love, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:35, KJV). The inspired pen warns about profession without love, “But if the salt has lost its savor; if there is only a profession of godliness, without the love of Christ, there is no power for good” (The Desire of Ages, p. 439, 1898), and it describes what must reappear in every worker, “The self-sacrifice, the sympathy, the love, manifested in the life of Christ are to reappear in the life of the worker for God” (The Desire of Ages, p. 417, 1898). I can begin with one act within reach: hear a concern without interrupting, correct a false impression, or keep a neglected promise, “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?” (1 John 4:20, KJV). Sr. White shows the source of all true love toward others, “The love of God in the heart is the only spring of love toward our neighbor” (The Desire of Ages, p. 505, 1898), and she gives a sobering test of our love for God, “For the spirit we manifest toward our brethren declares what is our spirit toward God” (The Desire of Ages, p. 505, 1898). John concludes that the one who loves God must love his brother also, “And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also” (1 John 4:21, KJV), so love becomes visible when repair can begin.

Love becomes visible when truth can be spoken and repair can begin without contempt, and the church must make faults safe to face. Paul urges believers to speak the truth in love, “But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ” (Ephesians 4:15, KJV), and he describes the patience and kindness of love, “Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up” (1 Corinthians 13:4, KJV). The Desire of Ages explains the purpose of the communion service, “Christ has instituted this service that it may speak to our senses of the love of God that has been expressed in our behalf” (The Desire of Ages, p. 660, 1898), and it describes how Christ watches for gratitude in the heart, “As the mother watches for the smile of recognition from her little child, which tells of the dawning of intelligence, so does Christ watch for the expression of grateful love, which shows that spiritual life is begun in the soul” (The Desire of Ages, p. 191, 1898). Paul adds that love does not seek its own and thinks no evil, “Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil” (1 Corinthians 13:5, KJV), and that it rejoices in the truth, “Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth” (1 Corinthians 13:6, KJV). The inspired pen describes the spirit of the Pharisees, “In order to supply the place of that which they had lost, the priests and rabbis multiplied requirements of their own; and the more rigid they grew, the less of the love of God was manifested” (The Desire of Ages, p. 29, 1898), and it shows the peace of those who walk with Christ, “He who walks in the way of God’s commandments is walking in company with Christ, and in His love the heart is at rest” (The Desire of Ages, p. 331, 1898). This is not an effort to prove that our church has no faults, but a response to grace that lets us face them, “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (James 5:16, KJV). Sr. White describes how Christ’s life showed the meaning of the law, “His character reveals the true significance of the law, and shows what is meant by loving our neighbor as ourselves” (The Desire of Ages, p. 505, 1898), and she adds that God’s children witness to that law, “And when the children of God manifest mercy, kindness, and love toward all men, they also are witnessing to the character of the statutes of heaven” (The Desire of Ages, p. 505, 1898). Peter urges believers to have fervent love, “And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8, KJV), so truth spoken in love becomes the means of healing.

Christ’s saving work reaches beyond the moment when a person first believes, because the living Saviour continues His ministry for His people. Hebrews says that He ever lives to make intercession, “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25, KJV), and that He entered heaven itself to appear before God for us, “For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us” (Hebrews 9:24, KJV). The Desire of Ages describes His work as High Priest, “As a consecrated high priest He intercedes for His people” (The Desire of Ages, p. 680, 1898), and it explains His ministry in the sanctuary above, “While Jesus ministers in the sanctuary above, He is still by His Spirit the minister of the church on earth” (The Desire of Ages, p. 166, 1898). John calls Him our Advocate with the Father, “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” (1 John 2:1, KJV), and Paul says He is at God’s right hand interceding for us, “Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us” (Romans 8:34, KJV). The inspired pen adds that Christ is still present with His church, “While He delegates His power to inferior ministers, His energizing presence is still with His church” (The Desire of Ages, p. 166, 1898), and it describes the comfort of His unseen priestly work, “Though the ministration was to be removed from the earthly to the heavenly temple; though the sanctuary and our great high priest would be invisible to human sight, yet the disciples were to suffer no loss thereby” (The Desire of Ages, p. 166, 1898). This subject deserves its own careful study, and Hebrews urges us to hold fast our confession, “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)” (Hebrews 10:23, KJV). Sr. White states the value of even the simplest prayer, “It may not be fluently expressed; but if the heart is in it, it will ascend to the sanctuary where Jesus ministers, and He will present it to the Father without one awkward, stammering word, beautiful and fragrant with the incense of His own perfection” (The Desire of Ages, p. 667, 1898), and she shows how the Saviour bound His people to God, “By sin, earth was cut off from heaven, and alienated from its communion; but Jesus has connected it again with the sphere of glory” (The Desire of Ages, p. 113, 1898). Paul names one Mediator between God and men, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5, KJV), so our failures direct us to a living Advocate.

We should not picture the Son pleading against the Father’s unwilling heart, for His ministry expresses their united saving purpose. Jesus told His disciples that He would not pray the Father for them as though the Father were reluctant, “At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you” (John 16:26, KJV), and He added the reason, “For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God” (John 16:27, KJV). The Desire of Ages shows how Jesus spoke of His Father, “In becoming your substitute and surety, by surrendering My life, by taking your liabilities, your transgressions, I am endeared to My Father” (The Desire of Ages, p. 483, 1898), and it describes the Father’s witness to the Son, “Direct from the throne issue the beams of His glory” (The Desire of Ages, p. 112, 1898). Paul writes that He was delivered for our offences and raised for our justification, “Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification” (Romans 4:25, KJV), and that we are saved from wrath through Him, “Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him” (Romans 5:9, KJV). The inspired pen describes the grief of the Father at the cross, “The heart of the human father yearns over his son” (The Desire of Ages, p. 49, 1898), and it adds the meaning of His gift, “He was shown that in giving His only-begotten Son to save sinners from eternal ruin, God was making a greater and more wonderful sacrifice than ever man could make” (The Desire of Ages, p. 469, 1898). When my failures trouble me, I am directed toward a living Advocate rather than toward a cycle of self-punishment, as “But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared” (Psalm 130:4, KJV) promises. Sr. White writes of the enemy’s defeated purpose, “It was Satan’s purpose to bring about an eternal separation between God and man; but in Christ we become more closely united to God than if we had never fallen” (The Desire of Ages, p. 25, 1898), and she explains why Abraham’s hardest test was given, “This terrible ordeal was imposed upon Abraham that he might see the day of Christ, and realize the great love of God for the world, so great that to raise it from its degradation, He gave His only-begotten Son to a most shameful death” (The Desire of Ages, p. 468, 1898). Paul says that nothing shall separate us from God’s love in Christ, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” (Romans 8:35, KJV), so trust in Him makes repentance more honest, not less urgent.

The depth of divine love tells us what kind of church response will fit the gospel, and a ministry of care cannot be reduced to recruiting for attendance figures. John urges believers to love in deed and in truth, “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18, KJV), and he asks how God’s love can dwell in one who shuts up his compassion, “But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?” (1 John 3:17, KJV). The Desire of Ages describes the duty of every believer toward the suffering, “We are to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and comfort the suffering and afflicted” (The Desire of Ages, p. 350, 1898), and it adds a promise for those who serve, “This promise is to all who labor in Christ’s stead for His afflicted and suffering ones” (The Desire of Ages, p. 641, 1898). Jesus said that service to the least is service to Him, “And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me” (Matthew 25:40, KJV), and Paul urges the Galatians to do good to all men, “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10, KJV). The inspired pen describes how Jesus helped and comforted His disciples, “He had quieted their fears, delivered them from danger, relieved their sufferings, comforted their grief, and with patience and tenderness had taught them, till their hearts seemed linked with His, and in the ardor of their love they longed to be nearest to Him in His kingdom” (The Desire of Ages, p. 548, 1898), and it shows what His miracles revealed, “The miracles of Christ for the afflicted and suffering were wrought by the power of God through the ministration of the angels” (The Desire of Ages, p. 143, 1898). If a family receives food, our concern should not end when they decline a study, for love respects a hearer’s freedom, “But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil” (Luke 6:35, KJV). Sr. White states a principle that also guards our own methods, “The tempter can never compel us to do evil” (The Desire of Ages, p. 125, 1898), and she explains the limit of the tempter’s power, “But while Satan can solicit, he cannot compel to sin” (The Desire of Ages, p. 125, 1898). Paul says that love never fails, “Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away” (1 Corinthians 13:8, KJV), so our faithfulness is measured by truth and care rather than by quick public decisions.

What Does the Creator Ask of Me?

My first responsibility toward God is to receive His claim on the whole life, because the doctrine of God is meant to shape every hour. Paul urges believers by the mercies of God to present their bodies as a living sacrifice, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1, KJV), and he adds that we are bought with a price, “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:20, KJV). The Desire of Ages names the call that marked Christ’s whole life, “From the manger to the cross, the life of Jesus was a call to self-surrender, and to fellowship in suffering” (The Desire of Ages, p. 57, 1898), and it explains why many hold back from that call, “They do not make a complete surrender to Him; for they shrink from the consequences that such a surrender may involve” (The Desire of Ages, p. 330, 1898). E. J. Waggoner warned against a merely theoretical faith, “It is not merely as a beautiful theory, a mere dogma, that we should consider Christ as God and Creator” (E. J. Waggoner, Christ and His Righteousness, p. 31, 1890), and Paul tells the Corinthians to do all things to the glory of God, “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31, KJV). The inspired pen describes the usefulness of a consecrated life, “There is no limit to the usefulness of one who, by putting self aside, makes room for the working of the Holy Spirit upon his heart, and lives a life wholly consecrated to God” (The Desire of Ages, p. 250, 1898), and it states who are acknowledged as God’s children, “Only those who will become co-workers with Christ, only those who will say, Lord, all I have and all I am is Thine, will be acknowledged as sons and daughters of God” (The Desire of Ages, p. 523, 1898). I cannot confess that Christ made and redeemed me while reserving a hidden room where His truth may not enter, as “My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways” (Proverbs 23:26, KJV) shows. Sr. White states that “All who are consecrated to God will be channels of light” (The Desire of Ages, p. 141, 1898), and she shows how faith grows when we dwell on His sacrifice, “As we thus dwell upon His great sacrifice for us, our confidence in Him will be more constant, our love will be quickened, and we shall be more deeply imbued with His spirit” (The Desire of Ages, p. 83, 1898). Moses told Israel to love the Lord with all the heart, “And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might” (Deuteronomy 6:5, KJV), and Joshua urged them to serve Him in sincerity, “Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD” (Joshua 24:14, KJV).

Surrender becomes practical through habits that give truth room to work, and Micah names the requirements that shape those habits. The prophet asks what the Lord requires of us, “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” (Micah 6:8, KJV), and David speaks of prayer evening, morning, and noon, “Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice” (Psalm 55:17, KJV). The Desire of Ages explains that the Lord teaches each of us our duty, “The Lord will teach us our duty just as willingly as He will teach somebody else” (The Desire of Ages, p. 668, 1898), and it describes the person who feels his need most deeply, “He who feels most deeply his need of divine aid will plead for it; and the Holy Spirit will give unto him glimpses of Jesus that will strengthen and uplift the soul” (The Desire of Ages, p. 436, 1898). Paul urges believers to pray without ceasing, “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17, KJV), and Jesus taught that men ought always to pray and not faint, “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint” (Luke 18:1, KJV). The inspired pen explains the right spirit in which to ask, “We should not present our petitions to God to prove whether He will fulfill His word, but because He will fulfill it; not to prove that He loves us, but because He loves us” (The Desire of Ages, p. 125, 1898), and it describes the patience required to live faith at home and work, “It requires much patience and spirituality to bring Bible religion into the home life and into the workshop, to bear the strain of worldly business, and yet keep the eye single to the glory of God” (The Desire of Ages, p. 73, 1898). A morning prayer can name the day’s actual duties, such as courage for a hard conversation and patience with a slow learner, “My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up” (Psalm 5:3, KJV). Sr. White describes what the Spirit gives to those who receive Him, “It will give us a willing obedience to all His requirements” (The Desire of Ages, p. 189, 1898), and she describes the response of a man who believed Christ’s word, “Without question he sets his will to obey the command of Christ, and all his muscles respond to his will” (The Desire of Ages, p. 202, 1898). Paul urges the Colossians to continue in prayer with thanksgiving, “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving” (Colossians 4:2, KJV), so we bring every duty to God before we meet it.

Renewal requires honesty before the Creator, because I may hide a habit from others but I cannot hide it from Him. David prays for a clean heart, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10, KJV), and he asks God not to take His Holy Spirit from him, “Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me” (Psalm 51:11, KJV). The Desire of Ages explains why outward reform is not enough, “No human invention can find a remedy for the sinning soul” (The Desire of Ages, p. 172, 1898), and it states the principle that governs all change, “The fountain of the heart must be purified before the streams can become pure” (The Desire of Ages, p. 172, 1898). Ezekiel records God’s promise of a new heart and a new spirit, “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26, KJV), and he adds the result of that gift, “And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them” (Ezekiel 36:27, KJV). The inspired pen warns against a merely legal religion, “There is no safety for one who has merely a legal religion, a form of godliness” (The Desire of Ages, p. 172, 1898), and it describes the death to self that renewal requires, “There is a death to self and sin, and a new life altogether” (The Desire of Ages, p. 172, 1898). David also asks God to restore the joy of salvation and uphold him with His free spirit, “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit” (Psalm 51:12, KJV). Sr. White warns the man who seeks heaven by his own works, “He who is trying to reach heaven by his own works in keeping the law is attempting an impossibility” (The Desire of Ages, p. 172, 1898), and she describes Nicodemus and his pride in good works, “He was a strict Pharisee, and prided himself on his good works” (The Desire of Ages, p. 171, 1898). Paul urges believers to be renewed in the spirit of their mind, “And be renewed in the spirit of your mind” (Ephesians 4:23, KJV), so God’s creative work in us gives responsibility a new ground in hope.

God’s creative work in me does not make responsibility disappear, because grace calls for concrete steps of repair and obedience. If I have been dishonest, I can correct the falsehood, as Jesus declared salvation to Zacchaeus after his restitution, “And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham” (Luke 19:9, KJV), and Paul calls for fruit worthy of repentance, “But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance” (Acts 26:20, KJV). The Desire of Ages states that “The expulsion of sin is the act of the soul itself” (The Desire of Ages, p. 466, 1898), and it explains where the power for that act comes from, “True, we have no power to free ourselves from Satan’s control; but when we desire to be set free from sin, and in our great need cry out for a power out of and above ourselves, the powers of the soul are imbued with the divine energy of the Holy Spirit, and they obey the dictates of the will in fulfilling the will of God” (The Desire of Ages, p. 466, 1898). John the Baptist told the people to bring forth fruits worthy of repentance, “Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance” (Matthew 3:8, KJV), and Jesus told a healed man to sin no more, “Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee” (John 5:14, KJV). The inspired pen describes the honest faith of the publicans, “The publicans were denounced and cursed by the Pharisees as infidels; but they showed by their faith and works that they were going into the kingdom of heaven before those self-righteous men who had been given great light, but whose works did not correspond to their profession of godliness” (The Desire of Ages, p. 595, 1898), and it states the place of good works in salvation, “Good works can never purchase salvation, but they are an evidence of the faith that acts by love and purifies the soul” (The Desire of Ages, p. 314, 1898). If I have cultivated resentment, I can stop feeding it and seek wise help, as Paul urges in “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice” (Ephesians 4:31, KJV). Sr. White shows how Jesus taught the need of good works, “Jesus had shown the people their great deficiency, and had taught the necessity of good works, declaring that the tree is known by its fruits” (The Desire of Ages, p. 606, 1898), and she gives the simple test of every life, “Not by its name, but by its fruit, is the value of a tree determined” (The Desire of Ages, p. 107, 1898). Isaiah calls Israel to cease to do evil and learn to do well, “Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil” (Isaiah 1:16, KJV), so repentance becomes visible in changed conduct.

Good works must remain the fruit of grace rather than the price of belonging, and Paul’s order of thought preserves that truth. He writes that we are saved by grace through faith, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8, KJV), and he adds that salvation is not of works lest anyone boast, “Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:9, KJV). The Desire of Ages identifies the principle behind every false religion, “The principle that man can save himself by his own works lay at the foundation of every heathen religion; it had now become the principle of the Jewish religion” (The Desire of Ages, p. 35, 1898), and it shows how the Pharisees linked blessing to merit, “They connected it with their own merit because of their good works” (The Desire of Ages, p. 278, 1898). Paul concludes that we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10, KJV), and Titus says those who believe should maintain good works, “This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men” (Titus 3:8, KJV). The inspired pen describes Christ’s own works, “His wonderful works were all for the good of others” (The Desire of Ages, p. 119, 1898), and it explains why the disciples could trust His deeds, “Their faith might safely rest on the evidence given in Christ’s works, works that no man, of himself, ever had done, or ever could do” (The Desire of Ages, p. 664, 1898). A learner should preserve this order, because comparison quietly moves the center of faith from Christ to self, as Paul warns in “For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise” (2 Corinthians 10:12, KJV). Sr. White describes where the rabbis went wrong, “The rabbis claimed to be holy through their own efforts in keeping the law; but their works had divorced righteousness from religion” (The Desire of Ages, p. 309, 1898), and she adds a word about the wisdom of humble believers, “Men of the highest education in the arts and sciences have learned precious lessons from Christians in humble life who were designated by the world as unlearned” (The Desire of Ages, p. 251, 1898). Paul asks where boasting is and answers that it is excluded, “Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith” (Romans 3:27, KJV), so the person secure in grace can do good without seeking superiority.

The earnest learner may build an identity around comparison, but the gospel calls every believer to measure life by Christ rather than by others. Jesus told the parable of the Pharisee who thanked God that he was not as other men, “The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican” (Luke 18:11, KJV), and of the publican who asked for mercy, “And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner” (Luke 18:13, KJV). The Desire of Ages describes how Christ treated people others despised, “The report of One who had borne Himself with kindness and courtesy toward the proscribed classes had spread far and wide” (The Desire of Ages, p. 552, 1898), and it describes the response of the poor to Him, “When they fled, the poor remained behind; and these were now looking to Jesus, whose countenance expressed His love and sympathy” (The Desire of Ages, p. 162, 1898). Paul urges every person to prove his own work, “But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another” (Galatians 6:4, KJV), and he tells the Romans to prefer one another in honor, “Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another” (Romans 12:10, KJV). The inspired pen shows how humility is exalted in God’s kingdom, “Then humility and self-sacrificing love, so little valued among men, are exalted as alone of worth” (The Desire of Ages, p. 135, 1898), and it states the measure of true usefulness, “Those who are true to their calling as messengers for God will not seek honor for themselves” (The Desire of Ages, p. 179, 1898). We need regular reminders that our best service depends on gifts we received, as Peter urges in “As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (1 Peter 4:10, KJV). Sr. White describes those who lift up Jesus, “They will lift up Jesus, and with Him humanity will be lifted up” (The Desire of Ages, p. 179, 1898), and she describes every child of God as part of a saving chain, “He who is a child of God should henceforth look upon himself as a link in the chain let down to save the world, one with Christ in His plan of mercy, going forth with Him to seek and save the lost” (The Desire of Ages, p. 417, 1898). Jesus said that the one who exalts himself will be abased, “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted” (Luke 18:14, KJV), so grace makes us grateful servants instead of proud competitors.

Divine help reaches the will itself, where many of our private struggles begin, and Paul directs us toward God at that point of conflict. He writes that God works in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure, “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13, KJV), and he urges us to work out our salvation with fear, “Wherefore, my beloved, 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” (Philippians 2:12, KJV). The Desire of Ages promises a new endowment to all who consecrate themselves, “All who consecrate soul, body, and spirit to God will be constantly receiving a new endowment of physical and mental power” (The Desire of Ages, p. 827, 1898), and it describes the supplies at their command, “The inexhaustible supplies of heaven are at their command” (The Desire of Ages, p. 827, 1898). Paul confesses that he can do all things through Christ, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13, KJV), and he is confident that God will finish the work He began, “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” (Philippians 1:6, KJV). The inspired pen describes the life Christ shares with the consecrated, “Christ gives them the breath of His own spirit, the life of His own life” (The Desire of Ages, p. 827, 1898), and it describes the Spirit’s highest energies, “The Holy Spirit puts forth its highest energies to work in heart and mind” (The Desire of Ages, p. 827, 1898). I may know the right action and still feel pulled toward another, so I ask God to reshape both desire and conduct, “Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness” (Psalm 119:36, KJV). Sr. White describes the grace that enlarges our faculties, “The grace of God enlarges and multiplies their faculties, and every perfection of the divine nature comes to their assistance in the work of saving souls” (The Desire of Ages, p. 827, 1898), and she states the result of cooperation with Christ, “Through co-operation with Christ they are complete in Him, and in their human weakness they are enabled to do the deeds of Omnipotence” (The Desire of Ages, p. 827, 1898). Paul prays that God would sanctify believers wholly, “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23, KJV), so Christian growth involves dependence, consent, and practice under grace.

We should offer struggling members support without telling them that every difficulty proves they lack faith, and we should not excuse a continuing refusal to change. Paul urges the strong to bear the infirmities of the weak, “We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves” (Romans 15:1, KJV), and he urges the Thessalonians to comfort the feebleminded and support the weak, “Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men” (1 Thessalonians 5:14, KJV). The Desire of Ages describes how much a kind word can do for the struggling, “Many, many, have fainted and become discouraged in the great struggle of life, when one word of kindly cheer would have strengthened them to overcome” (The Desire of Ages, p. 504, 1898), and it notes how Christ met His own hard days, “Yet He did not fail nor become discouraged” (The Desire of Ages, p. 89, 1898). Hebrews urges believers to lift up the hands that hang down, “Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees” (Hebrews 12:12, KJV), and Isaiah promises that God gives power to the faint, “He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength” (Isaiah 40:29, KJV). The inspired pen names one cause of discouragement among believers, “This is why discouragement so often exists among the professed followers of Christ” (The Desire of Ages, p. 83, 1898), and it exposes the enemy’s aim in every trial, “He hopes to discourage the soul, and to break our hold on God” (The Desire of Ages, p. 120, 1898). In your setting, name one recurring choice that tests your allegiance and bring it to God in prayer, as “And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:24, KJV) invites. Sr. White describes the true worker who depends on God, “The work is of God, and He will furnish means, and will send helpers, true, earnest disciples, whose hands also will be filled with food for the starving multitude” (The Desire of Ages, p. 370, 1898), and she states that heaven’s power is waiting, “The power of God awaits their demand and reception” (The Desire of Ages, p. 672, 1898). Paul urges believers to stand fast in the Lord, “Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved” (Philippians 4:1, KJV), so we seek a trustworthy companion who can help us remain faithful.

Our responsibility to God finally flows outward to our neighbor, because the love that receives grace must also show grace. John writes that we love Him because He first loved us, “We love him, because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19, KJV), and Jesus said that freely we have received and freely we should give, “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8, KJV). Sr. White describes the object of all true education, “This is the object of education, the great object of life” (Education, p. 16, 1903), and The Desire of Ages describes the joy of the angels in giving, “The angels of glory find their joy in giving,—giving love and tireless watchcare to souls that are fallen and unholy” (The Desire of Ages, p. 21, 1898). Paul urges believers to bear one another’s burdens, “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2, KJV), and he reminds the Ephesians of the Lord’s words about giving, “I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35, KJV). The inspired pen describes the gentle ministry of heavenly beings, “Heavenly beings woo the hearts of men; they bring to this dark world light from the courts above; by gentle and patient ministry they move upon the human spirit, to bring the lost into a fellowship with Christ which is even closer than they themselves can know” (The Desire of Ages, p. 21, 1898), and it states that “There is nothing, save the selfish heart of man, that lives unto itself” (The Desire of Ages, p. 20, 1898). Responsibility to God does not end at the door of the church, for James asks what faith without works can profit, “What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?” (James 2:14, KJV). Sr. White warns against a religion kept for special occasions, “It is not to be brought out occasionally for our own benefit, and then to be carefully laid aside again” (The Desire of Ages, p. 306, 1898), and she shows how true religion appears in daily life, “It is to sanctify the daily life, to manifest itself in every business transaction and in all our social relations” (The Desire of Ages, p. 306, 1898). Paul urges the Romans to share with saints in need and practice hospitality, “Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality” (Romans 12:13, KJV), and that service brings us to our responsibility toward our neighbor.

Who Bears the Image Beside Me?

My responsibility toward my neighbor begins with recognizing a person whom God made and seeks to restore, and love cannot remain a claim about how I feel. John measures love by the One who laid down His life for us, “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 John 3:16, KJV), and Jesus gave the golden rule as a summary of the law and the prophets, “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets” (Matthew 7:12, KJV). The Desire of Ages defines our neighbor in the widest possible terms, “Christ has shown that our neighbor does not mean merely one of the church or faith to which we belong” (The Desire of Ages, p. 503, 1898), and it removes every human barrier from that definition, “It has no reference to race, color, or class distinction” (The Desire of Ages, p. 503, 1898). Jesus answered the lawyer’s question with the story of a man who fell among thieves, “And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead” (Luke 10:30, KJV), and He ended with a command, “And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise” (Luke 10:37, KJV). The inspired pen states plainly whom we must count as neighbors, “Our neighbor is every person who needs our help” (The Desire of Ages, p. 503, 1898), and it widens the circle further still, “Our neighbor is everyone who is the property of God” (The Desire of Ages, p. 503, 1898). I must speak truth, refuse contempt, protect the vulnerable, and give practical help according to real need and my ability, as “Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it” (Proverbs 3:27, KJV) directs. Sr. White states the standard that marks God’s children, “Doing, and not saying merely, is expected of the children of God” (The Desire of Ages, p. 504, 1898), and she warns that profession without self-sacrifice is empty, “Unless there is practical self-sacrifice for the good of others, in the family circle, in the neighborhood, in the church, and wherever we may be, then whatever our profession, we are not Christians” (The Desire of Ages, p. 504, 1898). Leviticus commands Israel to love the neighbor and the stranger, “Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD” (Leviticus 19:18, KJV), so belief should change the way I use power, words, money, and time.

Our speech often reveals the first gap between worship and love, and James makes the contradiction plain between praising God and wounding those who bear His likeness. He writes that with the tongue we bless God and curse men made in His likeness, “Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God” (James 3:9, KJV), and he concludes that these things ought not so to be, “Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be” (James 3:10, KJV). The Desire of Ages names the quiet ways people deny Christ, “Men may deny Christ by evilspeaking, by foolish talking, by words that are untruthful or unkind” (The Desire of Ages, p. 357, 1898), and it describes the power of a kind word, “Speak words of faith and courage that will be as a healing balsam to the bruised and wounded one” (The Desire of Ages, p. 504, 1898). Paul forbids corrupt communication, “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers” (Ephesians 4:29, KJV), and Solomon says that a soft answer turns away wrath, “A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger” (Proverbs 15:1, KJV). The inspired pen describes the first words of Christ’s great sermon, “Christ’s first words to the people on the mount were words of blessing” (The Desire of Ages, p. 299, 1898), and it shows how He comforted the humble, “He would speak to the humble woman words of comfort that would be to her a wellspring of joy,—words that would be a blessing to His followers to the close of time” (The Desire of Ages, p. 344, 1898). In a congregation the damage may come through a joke, a whispered suspicion, or a remark that leaves someone ashamed, as Solomon warns in “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof” (Proverbs 18:21, KJV). Sr. White describes the message of hope Christ’s words carried, “In the words spoken to those gathered about Him, He was speaking also to these other souls the very words that would come to them as a message of hope in trial, of comfort in sorrow, and heavenly light in darkness” (The Desire of Ages, p. 245, 1898), and she adds a rule for every encounter with pain, “Never should we pass by one suffering soul without seeking to impart to him of the comfort wherewith we are comforted of God” (The Desire of Ages, p. 504, 1898). James urges every believer to be swift to hear and slow to speak, “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath” (James 1:19, KJV), so reverence for the Creator restrains contempt for His creatures.

I can refuse to pass along a claim I have not checked, and the church can correct a false statement with the same reach it first received. Moses commanded Israel not to raise a false report, “Thou shalt not raise a false report: put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness” (Exodus 23:1, KJV), and Solomon warns that a talebearer reveals secrets, “A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter” (Proverbs 11:13, KJV). The Desire of Ages describes how Judas spread complaints, “Instead of waiting to hear what Christ would say of the matter, he began to whisper his complaints to those near him, throwing reproach upon Christ for suffering such waste” (The Desire of Ages, p. 559, 1898), and it shows how the Sanhedrin accepted words without testing them, “With the exception of a few who dared not speak their minds, the Sanhedrin received the words of Caiaphas as the words of God” (The Desire of Ages, p. 541, 1898). Paul tells Titus to warn believers against foolish questions and contentions, “But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain” (Titus 3:9, KJV), and Solomon notes that where there is no talebearer strife ceases, “Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth” (Proverbs 26:20, KJV). The inspired pen describes the honest scribe who acknowledged truth, “He had gained a broader view of the principles underlying the sacred precepts” (The Desire of Ages, p. 607, 1898), and it describes those who fall into evil surmisings, “They are compelled to feel the poverty that narrows life, and are often tempted to become envious, jealous, and full of evil surmisings” (The Desire of Ages, p. 639, 1898). Before speaking, I can ask whether my words are true, necessary, fair, and directed toward a useful good, as Paul lists in “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” (Philippians 4:8, KJV). Sr. White states God’s purpose in His messengers, “God does not send messengers to flatter the sinner” (The Desire of Ages, p. 104, 1898), and she reminds us whom every Christian is called to represent, “Many who profess His name have lost sight of the fact that Christians are to represent Christ” (The Desire of Ages, p. 504, 1898). Zechariah urges every man to speak the truth to his neighbor, “These are the things that ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates” (Zechariah 8:16, KJV), so disagreement must never deny another person’s worth.

Words matter, but burdens also require shared effort, and organized care gives the church’s language about family a visible form. Paul urges believers to comfort and build up one another, “Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do” (1 Thessalonians 5:11, KJV), and Luke shows the early church sharing according to need, “And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need” (Acts 2:45, KJV). The Desire of Ages describes the Samaritan’s practical care, “He took off his own garment with which to cover him” (The Desire of Ages, p. 503, 1898), and it shows how he spent his own supplies on a stranger, “The oil and wine provided for his own journey he used to heal and refresh the wounded man” (The Desire of Ages, p. 503, 1898). Jesus said that a cup of cold water given in His name would not lose its reward, “And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward” (Matthew 10:42, KJV), and Isaiah calls God’s people to deal bread to the hungry, “Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?” (Isaiah 58:7, KJV). The inspired pen describes the Samaritan’s patience on the road, “He lifted him on his own beast, and moved slowly along with even pace, so that the stranger might not be jarred, and made to suffer increased pain” (The Desire of Ages, p. 503, 1898), and it records his care through the night, “He brought him to an inn, and cared for him through the night, watching him tenderly” (The Desire of Ages, p. 503, 1898). A member caring for a sick parent may need transport or a meal more than another reminder to be strong, as “But if any widow have children or nephews, let them learn first to shew piety at home, and to requite their parents: for that is good and acceptable before God” (1 Timothy 5:4, KJV) suggests. Sr. White states what the Samaritan’s deed proved, “The Samaritan had obeyed the dictates of a kind and loving heart, and in this had proved himself a doer of the law” (The Desire of Ages, p. 504, 1898), and she shows where we will find Christ’s footprints, “We shall find His footprints beside the sickbed, in the hovels of poverty, in the crowded alleys of the great city, and in every place where there are human hearts in need of consolation” (The Desire of Ages, p. 640, 1898). Paul urges the Hebrews to remember those in bonds and adversity, “Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body” (Hebrews 13:3, KJV), so we identify the task, ask who can help, and follow through.

We should ask rather than assume what would serve, and we must respect privacy rather than turn a person’s need into a public story. Jesus taught that alms should be given in secret, “But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth” (Matthew 6:3, KJV), and He promised that the Father who sees in secret will reward, “That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly” (Matthew 6:4, KJV). The Desire of Ages describes a helper who asked no questions about the stranger’s background, “He did not question whether the stranger was a Jew or a Gentile” (The Desire of Ages, p. 503, 1898), and it describes how the rich often fail the poor, “They do not put themselves in the poor man’s place” (The Desire of Ages, p. 639, 1898). Solomon writes that whoever covers a transgression seeks love, “He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends” (Proverbs 17:9, KJV), and Peter urges hospitality without grudging, “Use hospitality one to another without grudging” (1 Peter 4:9, KJV). The inspired pen describes how the poor are made to feel shame, “Those who themselves have not endured the pressure of want too often treat the poor in a contemptuous way, and make them feel that they are looked upon as paupers” (The Desire of Ages, p. 639, 1898), and it shows Christ’s identification with them, “But Christ beholds it all, and He says, It was I who was hungry and thirsty” (The Desire of Ages, p. 639, 1898). Care can be organized without becoming cold, and it also protects helpers from promises they cannot keep, as “But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil” (Matthew 5:37, KJV) warns. Sr. White asks how we would want others to treat us in their place, “Were our condition and theirs to be reversed, what would we desire them to do for us?” (The Desire of Ages, p. 640, 1898), and she states our obligation, “All this, so far as lies in our power, we are under the most solemn obligation to do for them” (The Desire of Ages, p. 640, 1898). Paul tells the Thessalonians to study to be quiet and do their own business, “And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you” (1 Thessalonians 4:11, KJV), so love serves with discretion.

Love of neighbor includes a clear refusal to use pressure as a substitute for conviction, and the manner of our answer belongs to our witness. Peter urges believers to give a reason for their hope with meekness and fear, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15, KJV), and Paul urges lowliness, meekness, and patient forbearance, “With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love” (Ephesians 4:2, KJV). The Desire of Ages describes the spirit of kindness found even among the heathen, “Through the influence of the divine Spirit they have been a blessing to those about them” (The Desire of Ages, p. 638, 1898), and it explains how God regards such people, “Their works are evidence that the Holy Spirit has touched their hearts, and they are recognized as the children of God” (The Desire of Ages, p. 638, 1898). Paul tells believers to follow what is good toward all, “See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men” (1 Thessalonians 5:15, KJV), and he urges believers to walk in wisdom toward outsiders, “Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time” (Colossians 4:5, KJV). The inspired pen describes God’s impartial care for every soul, “God is no respecter of persons, and He has an equal care for all the souls He has created” (The Desire of Ages, p. 639, 1898), and it insists that Christ’s love has no favored class, “But not to any class is Christ’s love restricted” (The Desire of Ages, p. 638, 1898). In a Bible study with people from different faiths, we can state the Christian claim plainly and allow them to question it, as “And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures” (Acts 17:2, KJV) shows. Sr. White describes Christ’s love for the erring, “The fallen, the erring, and the sinful, Christ’s love embraces; and every deed of kindness done to uplift a fallen soul, every act of mercy, is accepted as done to Him” (The Desire of Ages, p. 638, 1898), and she states the place of believers in the human family, “They are a part of the great web of humanity; and Heaven looks upon them as brothers to sinners as well as to saints” (The Desire of Ages, p. 638, 1898). In Thessalonica Paul reasoned openly that Christ had to suffer and rise again, “Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ” (Acts 17:3, KJV), so we seek a willing response to truth.

Within the church we can uphold doctrinal and moral standards through fair and accountable processes, because respect for conscience does not abolish those standards. Paul teaches that whatever is not of faith is sin, “And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin” (Romans 14:23, KJV), and he warns against judging another’s servant, “Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand” (Romans 14:4, KJV). The Desire of Ages warns against passing judgment on others, “Christ here gives no liberty for any man to pass judgment upon others” (The Desire of Ages, p. 805, 1898), and it describes the church’s responsibility for its members, “But on the church in its organized capacity He places a responsibility for the individual members” (The Desire of Ages, p. 805, 1898). Paul tells the Corinthians that all things should be done decently and in order, “Let all things be done decently and in order” (1 Corinthians 14:40, KJV), and James warns against becoming judges with evil thoughts, “Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?” (James 2:4, KJV). The inspired pen tells the church to declare what God has said about sin, “Declare what God has said in regard to lying, Sabbathbreaking, stealing, idolatry, and every other evil” (The Desire of Ages, p. 805, 1898), and it states how the church must deal with sin, “She must deal with it as God directs, and her action is ratified in heaven” (The Desire of Ages, p. 805, 1898). Respect for conscience governs the means by which we teach and apply standards, as Paul showed in “But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God” (2 Corinthians 4:2, KJV). Sr. White states the limit of church authority, “To no man, to no body of men, is given power to free the soul from guilt” (The Desire of Ages, p. 806, 1898), and she explains what the apostles could and could not do, “Christ charged His disciples to preach the remission of sins in His name among all nations; but they themselves were not empowered to remove one stain of sin” (The Desire of Ages, p. 806, 1898). Paul warns the Galatians against thinking themselves to be something, “For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself” (Galatians 6:3, KJV), so forced religious speech never replaces the allegiance God desires.

Our circle of responsibility reaches the shared world on which our neighbors depend, and Scripture extends mercy even to the creatures in our care. Solomon writes that a righteous man regards the life of his beast, “A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel” (Proverbs 12:10, KJV), and Moses forbade muzzling the ox that treads the corn, “Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn” (Deuteronomy 25:4, KJV). The Desire of Ages describes the law’s concern for animals, “The merciful provisions of the law extended even to the lower animals, which cannot express in words their want and suffering” (The Desire of Ages, p. 500, 1898), and it records that Jesus sought to relieve suffering, “But He could not be persuaded to change His habits of contemplating the works of God and seeking to alleviate the suffering of men or even of dumb animals” (The Desire of Ages, p. 90, 1898). Jonah learned that God cared for the many cattle of Nineveh, “And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?” (Jonah 4:11, KJV), and Jesus said that not one sparrow is forgotten before God, “Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?” (Luke 12:6, KJV). The inspired pen asks how much more the priest should have pitied the wounded man, “How much more should their hearts have been moved with pity for him than for a beast of burden!” (The Desire of Ages, p. 500, 1898), and it describes heaven’s readiness to relieve suffering, “The angels of heaven look upon the distress of God’s family upon the earth, and they are prepared to co-operate with men in relieving oppression and suffering” (The Desire of Ages, p. 500, 1898). We can extend the principle through careful treatment of animals, responsible disposal of waste, and protection of common spaces, as “If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and wouldest forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him” (Exodus 23:5, KJV) teaches. Sr. White describes what heaven watched for on the Jericho road, “All heaven watched to see if the hearts of these men would be touched with pity for human woe” (The Desire of Ages, p. 500, 1898), and she explains why the priest and the Levite failed, “Trained in the school of national bigotry, they had become selfish, narrow, and exclusive” (The Desire of Ages, p. 500, 1898). Paul urges believers to learn to maintain good works for necessary uses, “And let ours also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful” (Titus 3:14, KJV), so mercy reaches every creature in our care.

We should avoid inflated claims that one small action will solve a large problem, yet we can still act faithfully within our reach. Jesus praised the servant who was faithful in very little, “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much” (Luke 16:10, KJV), and Paul urges believers not to be weary in well doing, “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not” (Galatians 6:9, KJV). The Desire of Ages describes the reward of those who minister to others, “Those who minister to others will be ministered unto by the Chief Shepherd” (The Desire of Ages, p. 641, 1898), and it adds that “They themselves will drink of the living water, and will be satisfied” (The Desire of Ages, p. 641, 1898). Zechariah warns against despising the day of small things, “For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth” (Zechariah 4:10, KJV), and Solomon urges us to cast our bread upon the waters, “Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days” (Ecclesiastes 11:1, KJV). The inspired pen calls love to man the earthly sign of a heavenly love, “Love to man is the earthward manifestation of the love of God” (The Desire of Ages, p. 641, 1898), and it gives the reason Christ became one with us, “It was to implant this love, to make us children of one family, that the King of glory became one with us” (The Desire of Ages, p. 641, 1898). If your class wants an application, choose a real need nearby, confirm what would help, and serve without seeking moral status, as “Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 6:1, KJV) warns. Sr. White describes how the Father values unselfish workers, “The Father from His throne numbers the unselfish workers among His most precious treasures” (The Desire of Ages, p. 639, 1898), and she explains how such service prepares us for heaven, “We are fitted for heaven; for we have heaven in our hearts” (The Desire of Ages, p. 641, 1898). Hebrews urges believers not to forget to do good and to share, “But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased” (Hebrews 13:16, KJV), and that faithful service prepares us for the final restoration of God’s image.

Will the Image Be Restored at Last?

The aim of knowing God is a life increasingly shaped by the One we behold, and Paul’s picture joins attention, transformation, and the Spirit’s work. He writes that we are changed into the same image from glory to glory, “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the LORD” (2 Corinthians 3:18, KJV), and he warns that the god of this world blinds minds to that light, “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (2 Corinthians 4:4, KJV). The Desire of Ages states the law of this change, “It is by beholding His love, by dwelling upon it, by drinking it in, that we are to become partakers of His nature” (The Desire of Ages, p. 389, 1898), and it records what happened to the first disciples, “By beholding Christ, they became transformed in character” (The Desire of Ages, p. 296, 1898). Paul urges believers to set their affection on things above, “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians 3:2, KJV), and Hebrews urges us to consider Him who endured such hostility, “For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds” (Hebrews 12:3, KJV). The inspired pen describes John’s transformation, “John had by nature the faults and weaknesses common to humanity, but the touch of divine love had transformed him” (The Desire of Ages, p. 179, 1898), and it shows what happens to the weak character, “The weak, vacillating character becomes changed to one of strength and steadfastness” (The Desire of Ages, p. 251, 1898). We should not treat this as an instant process that removes every struggle after a moving lesson, for Paul presses toward the mark, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14, KJV). Sr. White warns about dwelling on the faults of others, “A knowledge of the faults of Christians will be only a cause of stumbling to the unbelieving world; and by dwelling upon these things, we ourselves can receive only harm; for it is by beholding that we become changed” (The Desire of Ages, p. 441, 1898), and she describes the evidence of the Spirit’s power, “So the followers of Christ will give evidence of the transforming power of the Holy Spirit” (The Desire of Ages, p. 107, 1898). John promises that whoever has this hope purifies himself, “And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure” (1 John 3:3, KJV), so the measure is whether our character reflects God’s truth and love.

I can notice where grace is teaching me to listen, admit fault, keep a promise, or act with courage, and we can look for the same growth in our shared life. Paul prays that love may abound more and more in knowledge, “And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment” (Philippians 1:9, KJV), and Peter lists the graces that believers must add to faith, “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge” (2 Peter 1:5, KJV). The Desire of Ages explains how God trains those who endure discipline, “If men will endure the necessary discipline, without complaining or fainting by the way, God will teach them hour by hour, and day by day” (The Desire of Ages, p. 250, 1898), and it states how God places His signet on men, “He places His own signet upon men, not by their rank, not by their wealth, not by their intellectual greatness, but by their oneness with Christ” (The Desire of Ages, p. 437, 1898). Peter continues his list with knowledge, temperance, and patience, “And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness” (2 Peter 1:6, KJV), and he promises fruitfulness to those who grow, “For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:8, KJV). The inspired pen states that “The lives of these men, the characters they developed, and the mighty work that God wrought through them, are a testimony to what He will do for all who are teachable and obedient” (The Desire of Ages, p. 250, 1898), and it warns of the quiet ways believers can deny Christ, “They may deny Him by conforming to the world, by uncourteous behavior, by the love of their own opinions, by justifying self, by cherishing doubt, borrowing trouble, and dwelling in darkness” (The Desire of Ages, p. 357, 1898). The measure is not how impressive our language about God becomes, but whether our lives bear His likeness, as Jesus taught in “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them” (Matthew 7:20, KJV). Sr. White describes the fragrance of a life trained by God, “The life will breathe out fragrance, and will reveal a divine power that will reach men’s hearts” (The Desire of Ages, p. 363, 1898), and she describes the glory of the disciples after Christ’s ascension, “Their faces were aglow with a happiness not born of earth” (The Desire of Ages, p. 832, 1898). Paul says that we are His epistle known and read of all men, “Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men” (2 Corinthians 3:2, KJV), which is why this article has moved repeatedly from doctrine into ordinary decisions.

A transformed life changes the way we teach the next lesson, and Christ’s commission connects teaching with obedience to His commands. He sent His disciples to teach all nations and baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 28:19, KJV), and He added a command and a promise, “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Matthew 28:20, KJV). The Desire of Ages describes the setting of that commission, “Standing but a step from His heavenly throne, Christ gave the commission to His disciples” (The Desire of Ages, p. 818, 1898), and it states the role of the disciples, “The disciples were to be colaborers with their Redeemer in the work of saving the world” (The Desire of Ages, p. 818, 1898). Mark records the command to preach the gospel to every creature, “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15, KJV), and Luke records the promise of power from the Holy Ghost, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8, KJV). The inspired pen states how far the commission reaches across time, “It includes all believers in Christ to the end of time” (The Desire of Ages, p. 822, 1898), and it warns against a common mistake in the church, “It is a fatal mistake to suppose that the work of saving souls depends alone on the ordained minister” (The Desire of Ages, p. 822, 1898). The church is sent with a message and a manner of life, so we prepare the learner for informed discipleship rather than rushing toward a ceremony, “For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?” (Luke 14:28, KJV). Sr. White explains who is ordained to this work, “All who receive the life of Christ are ordained to work for the salvation of their fellow men” (The Desire of Ages, p. 822, 1898), and she records Christ’s pledge to His faithful workers, “Labor in faith and confidence, for the time will never come when I will forsake you” (The Desire of Ages, p. 822, 1898). Luke records how those who gladly received Peter’s word were baptized, “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls” (Acts 2:41, KJV), and the promise of Christ’s presence gives workers courage to teach patiently.

We are responsible for faithfulness, but the hearer must respond freely to God’s call, and patient teaching respects that freedom. Paul writes that he planted and Apollos watered, but God gave the increase, “So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase” (1 Corinthians 3:7, KJV), and he urges Timothy to preach the word in season and out of season, “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:2, KJV). The Desire of Ages explains where the work must begin, “So every one of Christ’s workers is to begin where he is” (The Desire of Ages, p. 822, 1898), and it reminds us of needs that may lie very close to home, “In our own families may be souls hungry for sympathy, starving for the bread of life” (The Desire of Ages, p. 822, 1898). Ask what the learner understands about God, what remains unclear, and what changes they see the gospel calling them to make, as Philip asked in “And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?” (Acts 8:30, KJV). The inspired pen urges us to do faithfully the work nearest us, “Let us do faithfully the work that is nearest” (The Desire of Ages, p. 822, 1898), and it explains how God multiplies small efforts, “God often uses the simplest means to accomplish the greatest results” (The Desire of Ages, p. 822, 1898). Their questions can guide the next study without becoming a reason to weaken the truth, as Paul reasoned with the Jews in “And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks” (Acts 18:4, KJV). Sr. White describes the humblest worker’s influence, “The humblest worker, moved by the Holy Spirit, will touch invisible chords, whose vibrations will ring to the ends of the earth, and make melody through eternal ages” (The Desire of Ages, p. 822, 1898), and she states Christ’s provision for success, “So long as they obeyed His word, and worked in connection with Him, they could not fail” (The Desire of Ages, p. 822, 1898). Isaiah promises that God’s word will not return void, “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11, KJV), and Paul assures the Corinthians that their labor is not in vain, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58, KJV).

A completed study can feel like an arrival, yet faithful understanding remains open to correction by Scripture, because the renewed mind learns to test what is good. Paul urges believers to be transformed by the renewing of the mind, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:2, KJV), and he tells the Thessalonians to prove all things, “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21, KJV). The Desire of Ages records Christ’s parting counsel about the Scriptures, “Search the Scriptures more diligently, and you will see that in all these things the specifications of prophecy concerning Me have been fulfilled” (The Desire of Ages, p. 820, 1898), and it describes how He opened the Scriptures again, “Again He opened to them the Scriptures, showing that all He had passed through had been ordained in heaven, in the councils between the Father and Himself” (The Desire of Ages, p. 820, 1898). For a learner, this includes correcting a wrong verse number, distinguishing poetry from direct statement, and admitting when a source cannot be verified, “Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: but he that hateth reproof is brutish” (Proverbs 12:1, KJV). The inspired pen states what must replace human speculation in the pulpit, “Instead of man’s speculations, let the word of God be preached” (The Desire of Ages, p. 827, 1898), and it calls believers to lay aside their quarrels, “Let Christians put away their dissensions, and give themselves to God for the saving of the lost” (The Desire of Ages, p. 827, 1898). We do not honor the truth by hiding mistakes, for Solomon says the path of the just shines more and more, “But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day” (Proverbs 4:18, KJV). Sr. White describes the readiness of the early believers, “Before the day of Pentecost they met together, and put away all differences” (The Desire of Ages, p. 827, 1898), and she shows the result, “Then it was that the Holy Spirit was poured out, and thousands were converted in a day” (The Desire of Ages, p. 827, 1898). Paul urges Timothy to continue in the things he has learned, “But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them” (2 Timothy 3:14, KJV), and to hold fast the form of sound words, “Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 1:13, KJV).

The final hope of the biblical story reaches beyond our present work of repair, because the Lord promises to remove the conditions that now wound His creation. John hears that God shall wipe away all tears, “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away” (Revelation 21:4, KJV), and he sees a new heaven and a new earth, “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea” (Revelation 21:1, KJV). The Desire of Ages describes heaven’s welcome to the risen Saviour, “All heaven was waiting to welcome the Saviour to the celestial courts” (The Desire of Ages, p. 833, 1898), and it records the covenant behind our redemption, “Before the foundations of the earth were laid, the Father and the Son had united in a covenant to redeem man if he should be overcome by Satan” (The Desire of Ages, p. 834, 1898). John hears the voice from the throne announce that the tabernacle of God is with men, “And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God” (Revelation 21:3, KJV), and he sees the river of the water of life, “And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb” (Revelation 22:1, KJV). The inspired pen describes the scene before the Father, “The voice of God is heard proclaiming that justice is satisfied” (The Desire of Ages, p. 834, 1898), and it describes the redeemed declared justified, “Before the heavenly angels and the representatives of unfallen worlds, they are declared justified” (The Desire of Ages, p. 834, 1898). The promise does not ask the grieving person to pretend that loss is small, as Isaiah shows in “He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it” (Isaiah 25:8, KJV). Sr. White describes the union of heaven and earth, “The family of heaven and the family of earth are one” (The Desire of Ages, p. 835, 1898), and she adds a word that sustains every believer, “For us our Lord ascended, and for us He lives” (The Desire of Ages, p. 835, 1898). Isaiah promises that the ransomed shall return with songs, “And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away” (Isaiah 35:10, KJV), and that sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

We can hold that hope while doing today’s necessary work of comforting, protecting, teaching, and serving, because the final restoration is God’s act. Peter writes that we look for new heavens and a new earth, “Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness” (2 Peter 3:13, KJV), and Paul says that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared, “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18, KJV). The Desire of Ages describes the disciples after the ascension, “The disciples no longer had any distrust of the future” (The Desire of Ages, p. 833, 1898), and it states the reason for their confidence, “They knew that Jesus was in heaven, and that His sympathies were with them still” (The Desire of Ages, p. 833, 1898). Paul comforts the Thessalonians about those who sleep in Jesus, “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13, KJV), and he describes the Lord’s return, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first” (1 Thessalonians 4:16, KJV). The inspired pen records the angels’ promise of His return, “And the angels had assured them that the very One whom they had seen go up into heaven, would come again even as He had ascended” (The Desire of Ages, p. 832, 1898), and it describes the gladness that this promise gave, “Well might the disciples rejoice in the hope of their Lord’s return” (The Desire of Ages, p. 832, 1898). The Lord’s final restoration is not an achievement we can produce through church efficiency, for Jesus said that He will come again, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:3, KJV). Sr. White describes the tenderness of Christ’s last words to His disciples, “He upbraided them not for their faults and failures; words of the deepest tenderness were the last that fell upon their ears from the lips of their Lord” (The Desire of Ages, p. 830, 1898), and she pictures His ascension, “With hands outstretched in blessing, and as if in assurance of His protecting care, He slowly ascended from among them, drawn heavenward by a power stronger than any earthly attraction” (The Desire of Ages, p. 830, 1898). Paul urges believers to comfort one another with these words, “Wherefore comfort one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:18, KJV), so hope grows stronger when it is joined to care for those who still weep.

The question of God finally leads us from explanation into fellowship and faithful service, and Scripture closes with the promise of seeing His face. John writes that His servants shall see His face, “And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads” (Revelation 22:4, KJV), and he adds that there shall be no night there, “And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 22:5, KJV). The Desire of Ages describes the joy of recognition in that day, “In the face radiant with the light shining from the face of Jesus, we shall recognize the lineaments of those we love” (The Desire of Ages, p. 804, 1898), and it describes the disciples’ certainty that they had a Friend at God’s throne, “They knew that they had a friend at the throne of God, and they were eager to present their requests to the Father in the name of Jesus” (The Desire of Ages, p. 833, 1898). Paul writes that now we see through a glass darkly but then face to face, “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known” (1 Corinthians 13:12, KJV), and David says he will be satisfied when he awakes in God’s likeness, “As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness” (Psalm 17:15, KJV). The inspired pen describes the joy that filled heaven, “Songs of triumph mingle with the music from angel harps, till heaven seems to overflow with joy and praise” (The Desire of Ages, p. 835, 1898), and it shows the Father’s joy over repentance, “He approaches the Father, with whom there is joy over one sinner that repents; who rejoices over one with singing” (The Desire of Ages, p. 834, 1898). This article has presented the Father as the loving source, the Son as eternal Creator and Redeemer, and the Holy Spirit as the divine person who renews us, “For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father” (Ephesians 2:18, KJV). Sr. White describes the assembled universe at Christ’s triumph, “They are eager to celebrate His triumph and to glorify their King” (The Desire of Ages, p. 834, 1898), and she shows heaven’s acknowledgment of the Prince of life, “With joy unutterable, rulers and principalities and powers acknowledge the supremacy of the Prince of life” (The Desire of Ages, p. 834, 1898). Jude closes his letter with praise to the only wise God, “To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen” (Jude 1:25, KJV), and our study closes with the same worship.

Creation gives us dignity and responsibility, God’s law gives love a moral form, and redemption calls us toward a restored likeness in every part of life. Peter calls believers a chosen generation who show forth the praises of God, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light” (1 Peter 2:9, KJV), and Paul urges the Philippians to shine as lights in the world, “That ye may be blameless 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” (Philippians 2:15, KJV). The Desire of Ages shows how a small field of labor reached the world, “Christ’s work when upon earth appeared to be confined to a narrow field, but multitudes from all lands heard His message” (The Desire of Ages, p. 822, 1898), and it describes the triumphs still ahead for His people, “Though Satan works to hinder this purpose, yet through the blood shed for the world there are triumphs to be achieved that will bring glory to God and the Lamb” (The Desire of Ages, p. 827, 1898). Micah foresees the nations walking in the Lord’s paths, “And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem” (Micah 4:2, KJV), and Habakkuk foresees the earth filled with the knowledge of God’s glory, “For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14, KJV). The inspired pen states the Saviour’s longing for the world, “The Saviour longs to manifest His grace and stamp His character on the whole world” (The Desire of Ages, p. 827, 1898), and it explains why He claims every soul as His own, “It is His purchased possession, and He desires to make men free, and pure, and holy” (The Desire of Ages, p. 827, 1898). I must ask whether the God we confess is becoming more visible in our worship, homes, decisions, and care for one another, as “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16, KJV) urges. Sr. White states the purpose of the church on earth, “Christ designs that heaven’s order, heaven’s plan of government, heaven’s divine harmony, shall be represented in His church on earth” (The Desire of Ages, p. 680, 1898), and she describes the one church that the gospel gathers, “All who believe are to be gathered into one church” (The Desire of Ages, p. 821, 1898). Paul’s closing prayer asks the Lord of peace to give His people peace always, “Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all” (2 Thessalonians 3:16, KJV), and the humble may rest in that blessing.

“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” (John 17:3, KJV.)

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SELF-REFLECTION

How can I, in my personal devotional life, delve deeper into these truths about the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, allowing them to shape my character and priorities?

How can we adapt these themes to be understandable and relevant to diverse audiences, from seasoned church members to new seekers or those from different faith traditions, without compromising theological accuracy?

What are the most common misconceptions about the Godhead in my community, and how can I gently but effectively correct them using Scripture and the writings of Sr. White?

In what practical ways can our local congregations and individual members become more vibrant beacons of truth and hope, living out the reality of knowing the God who creates, loves, judges, and saves?