The Just Shall Live By Faith.

(Excerpt)

PREFACE

The Epistle to the Galatians, together with its companion, the Epistle to the Romans, was the source, through the Spirit, of the Reformation of the sixteenth century, the key-note of which was, "The just shall live by faith." The reformation then begun is not yet complete, and the same watchword needs to be sounded now as then. If the people of God will become filled with the truth so vividly set forth in this epistle, both the church and the world will be stirred as profoundly as in the days of Luther. May this speedily be the case, and thus the times of restoration of all things be hastened!  6

THE GLAD TIDINGS

It is quite common, in writing upon any book in the Bible, to spend some time on an "Introduction" to the book in question-setting forth the nature of it, the circumstances under which it was written, and the probable purpose of the writer, together with many other things, partly conjectural, and partly derived from the book itself. All such statements the reader has to take on the authority of the one making them, since, not having yet studied the book, he can not judge for himself. The best way is to introduce him at once to the study of the book, and then he will, if diligent and faithful, soon learn all that it has to reveal concerning itself. We learn more of a man by talking with him than by hearing somebody talk about him. So we will proceed at once to the study of the Epistle to the Galatians, and let it speak for itself. 

Nothing can take the place of the Scriptures themselves. If all would study the Bible as prayerfully and as conscientiously as they ought, giving earnest heed to every word, and receiving it as coming directly from God, there would be no need of any other 8 religious book. Whatever is written should be for the purpose of calling people's attention more sharply to the words of Scripture; whatever substitutes any man's opinions for the Bible, so that by it people are led to rest content without any further study of the Bible itself, is worse than useless. The reader is, therefore, most earnestly urged to study, first of all, the Scripture text very diligently and carefully, so that every reference to it will be a reference to a familiar acquaintance. May God grant that this little aid to the study of the Word may make every reader better acquainted with all Scripture, which is able to make him wise unto salvation.

 01 THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST, THE REAL GOSPEL

"PAUL, an apostle (not from men, neither through man, but through Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead), and all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia: Grace to you and peace from God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us out of this present evil world, according to the will of our God and Father; to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.  "I marvel that ye are so quickly removing from Him that called you in the grace of Christ unto a different gospel; which is not another gospel; only there are some that trouble you, and would pervert the Gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach unto you any gospel other than that which we preached unto you, let him be anathema. As we have said before, so say I now again, If any man preacheth unto you any gospel other than that which ye received, let him be anathema. For am I now persuading men, or God? or am I seeking to please men? if I were still pleasing men, I should not be a servant of Christ.  "For I make known to you, brethren, as touching the Gospel which was preached by me, that it is not after man. For neither did I receive it from man, 10 nor was I taught it, but it came to me through revelation of Jesus Christ. For ye have heard of my manner of life in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and made havoc of it; and I advanced in the Jews' religion beyond many of mine own age among my countrymen, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers. But when it was the good pleasure of God, who separated me, even from my mother's womb, and called me through His grace, to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood; neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went away into Arabia; and again I returned unto Damascus.  "Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas, and tarried with him fifteen days. But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's brother. Now touching the things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I lie not. Then I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. And I was still unknown by face unto the churches of Judea which were in Christ; but they only heard say, He that once persecuted us now preacheth the faith of which he once made havoc; and they glorified God in me." Galatians 1, R.V. 

The Glad Tidings

By E. J. WAGGONER

(Excerpt-  To be continued)

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(WWN -  EXCERPT)

Special Report -- JESUS --THE MODEL MAN -- Part 1 -- This is the subject of the Sabbath School lessons for the Second Quarter of 1977. They were authored by Dr. Herbert Douglass, former associate editor of the Review, who is now president of the Carlson Mortgage and Development Company of Bismark, N. D. The focus of these lessons will be "on Jesus, God become man. . . . Over the centuries great biblical themes have become isolated from their connection with Jesus. The major reason for this misunderstanding is that Christian thinkers became confused about Jesus. The misunderstanding by Christian thinkers of Jesus' identity, origin, mission, and intercession seems automatically to warp and distort their view of every other biblical topic." (Teacher's Edition, p. 16)

In these lessons the subject of Jesus' incarnation is presented in harmony with the historic position of the church. This is the first time since the book -Bible Readings for the Home Circle - was altered in 1949 to reflect a new view on the incarnation and the sinless life of Jesus in relationship to the believer, that there has been a clear cut in-depth presentation of the human nature of Christ, and what it can mean for the believer for the church to study in the Sabbath School. It is true that Dr. Douglass authored a brief series of editorials bearing on this theme in 1972 which has been the basis for the anathema expressed by Dr. Ford and the faculty of Avondale College. The study of these lessons are to be highly recommended, not only by the regular members of the church, but also by any and all dissident groups who have discarded the regular quarterlies because of their insipid and philosophically orientated approach and content. This would be a good quarter's lessons to renew the habit of daily lesson study for every member of all Sabbath schools. We would also recommend in connection with these lessons some research to familiarize one's self with the deviations that have occurred in our teaching of the doctrine of the incarnation since 1950. This has been provided in the manuscript -An Interpretative History of the Doctrine of the Incarnation as Taught by the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Naturally, such an abrupt return to the historic teaching of the church has not gone unchallenged by the forces within the church who followed the leadership during the decades following 1950, and who have continued to accept this apostasy and compromise with truth. This Special Report will note only one reaction - the reaction of the group referred to by Dr. Douglass in a letter dated, March 11, 1975, to a church member in Australia as "the new and strange Ford-Brinsmead mateship." Other centers of apostasy in regard to the incarnation, such as Andrews University, and some of the theological departments of our Senior Colleges, have yet to be heard from. It is possible that Spectrum, the

p 2 -- journal of the Association of Adventist Forums will open its pages for the dissent which might come from these ivy towers.

The latest circular to come from the "strange Ford-Brinsmead mateship" is entitled, "Adventist News Service", and is also written by Ray Martin, as was the Objective Digest Report. As one reads the circular, and compares the same with the Sabbath School lessons for the Second Quarter of 1977, one wonders how much the author has imbibed the policy of the American news media in releasing "managed" news reports. ("Managed" news releases began with the Kennedy administration. It is a term for propaganda which is written to mold the thinking of the hearer or viewer into a predetermined pattern.)

This so-called "Adventist News Service" makes the following charges against what it calls "the Douglass Lesson Quarterly." It states:

1) "It [the Quarterly] presents the idea that the Second Person of the Godhead divested Himself of His divine powers and prerogatives and that, in becoming a man, He did not retain His divine nature."

2) "There is nothing said about Christ being our Substitute, Representative, and Surety, who lived and died vicariously on the sinner's behalf."

3) These lessons "advocate perfectionism and the sinful nature of Christ."

4) The theology of these lessons is "Roman Catholic and not Protestant."

Let us note these points one at a time, and see what the Lessons do teach. On Point #1, the "Adventist News Service" clarifies their objection in a postscript as follows - the question "is whether the incarnate Christ retained all the powers and prerogatives of divinity and all the essential properties of His divine nature. The Quarterly says He did not." The Quarterly reads:      When Jesus became flesh, He divested Himself of the powers of deity and became absolutely dependent upon the Father and the Holy Spirit. ... Although Jesus could have retained the same nature He had possessed throughout eternity, He "became" dependent on God as all other human beings are. (Lesson 2, Part 5.)

In support of this position, John 5:30 is quoted, and Phil. 2:6-7 is noted. And what the Quarterly states is an accurate summary of these verses. Further, the Spirit of Prophecy clearly teaches:      He humbled Himself and took mortality upon Him. As a member of the human family, He was mortal. (5BC:1127 col. 1)

While bearing human nature, Jesus was dependent upon the Omnipotent for His life. In His humanity, He laid hold of the divinity of God, and this every member of the human family has the privilege of doing. ("The Word Made Flesh" - Andreasen Collection #2)

And in direct comment on John 5:30, the servant of the Lord wrote -"He rested not in the possession of almighty power. ... That power He had laid down, and He

p 3 -- says, 'I can of Mine own self do nothing.' He trusted in the Father's might." (Desire of Ages, pp. 335-336)

On Point #2 that nothing is said "about Christ being our Substitute, Representative, etc.," one needs to note only the following from the first two lessons:      Page 18 -"Because He became truly man, we have a High Priest who is able 'to sympathize with our weaknesses.'"

Page 47 - (Teacher's Edition) Under the caption - "Meaning of the Incarnation" - it reads:      "Under the mighty impulse of His love, He took our place in the universe, and invited the Ruler of all things to treat Him as a representative of the human family." (This of course is from 7BC:924, col. 2)

Page 28 - (Teacher's Edition) The question is asked - "Why did Christ come?" In the series of answers the following are given - "To remove from man the guilt of sin." And - "To become our high priest." On the same page, the teacher is asked to have the class commit to memory, Desire of Ages, p. 25, which begins - "Christ was treated as we deserve, that we might be treated as He deserves."

Evidently the "Ford-Brinsmead mateship" is totally unaware of the breadth of the atonement. We read:       It was not alone His betrayal in the garden or His agony upon the cross that constituted the atonement. The humiliation of which His poverty formed a part was included in His great sacrifice. (Ms. 12, 1900; 6BC:1103)

Now to Point #3. The use of the expression - "the sinful nature of Christ" is a smear technique. The Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy are clear that Jesus Christ did not have a sinful nature, but that He took upon Himself "our sinful nature." Twice this emphasis is given - Medical Ministry, p. 181 and Review & Herald, Dec. 15, 1896 - besides other references which state the matter similarly as stated in the Youth's Instructor, Dec. 20,1900, which reads -"Think of Christ's humiliation. He took upon Himself fallen, suffering human nature, degraded and defiled by sin."(4BC:1147). In failing to understand the full nature of Christ as our Redeemer, the reality of the fact is mitigated that "Christ became one flesh with us in order that we might become one spirit with Him." (Desire of Ages, p, 388)

Point #4 is a charge introduced by Brinsmead's sidekick, Geoffrey Paxton, who is quoted in the "Adventist News Service" as declaring the Lesson Quarterly "contained 'heresy,' philosophical nonsense,' and that it was 'Roman Catholic and not Protestant theology.'" Anyone who has only an elementary knowledge of Catholic teaching knows that it is Catholicism which has sought to present Jesus as one who was preserved free from any taint of what is called original sin by having Mary so preserved. Variations of this theme which can be found in Evangelical sources teach that a part of the womb of Mary was sanctified by the Holy Spirit and from this sanctified humanity, Jesus received His human nature. All such variations are but a modification of the original Catholic concept. This same heresy was found in the book, Questions on Doctrine, p. 383. What the SSQuarterly for Second Quarter of 1977 is simply doing is teaching basic, historical Adventist doctrine derived from a truly Old and New Testament theology.

WEBMASTER NOTE: Inserted here is the The SS Quarterly 1977, pp. 18-19 for Apr 3 & 4:

God With Us -- LESSON 2        Sunday, April 3.

Part I -- THE WORD BECAME FLESH:

What is John's description of the magnificent open mystery of the Incarnation?

"The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us" (John 1:14). Jesus, the eternal Word, became man. This thought staggers anyone who even dimly understands what it means. Why should God do that? What kind of man did He become? Did He only appear to be a man? Did He have power over sin that is not available to all other men as they contend with sin? What difference has His coming meant to the human race?

To some extent these questions will be answered in this week's lesson as well as in the lessons to follow. To understand these questions is the greatest subject to which a person can devote his mind. "The humanity of the Son of God is everything to us. ... This is to be our study. Christ was a real man." Selected Messages, bk. 1, p. 244.

What Is Paul's description of the humanity of Jesus? Rom. 1:3.

"Christ did not make believe take human nature; He did verily take it. He did in reality possess human nature. ... He was the son of Mary; He was of the seed of David according to human descent. He is declared to be a man, even the Man Christ Jesus. -- Selected Messages, bk. 1, p. 247.

THINK IT THROUGH -- What difference would it have made to me if Jesus had not become man, fully and truly? Do you think that it would have altered the Idea that God is mankind's friend and comforter?

God did not come halfway to earth in His attempt to redeem men and women; He did not come as a sympathetic angel, or even as a superman, impregnable to all of humanity's troubles and weaknesses. The ladder from heaven to earth reached all the way down to where sinners are. "If that ladder had failed by a single step of reaching the earth, we should have been lost. But Christ reaches us where we are. He took our nature and overcame, that we through taking His nature might overcome." The Desire of Ages, pp. 311, 312.

Since Jesus came to dwell with us, we know that God is acquainted with our trials, and sympathizes with our griefs. Every son and daughter of Adam may understand that our Creator is the friend of sinners.

FURTHER STUDY -- Selected Messages, bk. 1, pp, 246-251.

God With Us -- LESSON 2        Monday, April 4.

Part 2 - PARTOOK OF THE SAME NATURE:

How much like man did Paul say Jesus became?

"Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same nature. ... For surely it is not with angels that he Is concerned but with the descendants of Abraham. Therefore he had to be made like his brethren in every respect" (Heb. 2:14-17, RSV).

Jesus entered the human family, taking the same nature as all other "descendants of Abraham."

"Jesus accepted humanity when the race had been weakened by four thousand years of sin. Like every child of Adam He accepted the results of the working of the great law of heredity. What these results were is shown in the history of His earthly ancestors. 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. 49.

In order to come close to sinful men and women, Jesus permitted Himself to enter the human family. In order to be man's example He lived a sinless life though beset by the same temptations other human beings face.       "If we have in any sense a more trying conflict than had Christ, then He would not be able to succor us. But our Saviour took humanity, with all its liabilities." - The Desire of Ages, p. 117.

THINK IT THROUGH -- Do I make excuses for my sins, mistakes, or shortcomings by appealing to my heredity or the unfavorable conditions that I grew up with? In what danger do I place myself if I relax, believing that no one could keep the commandments except Jesus, the Son of God?

"If Christ had a special power which it is not the privilege of man to have, Satan would have made capital of this matter. The work of Christ was to take from the claims of Satan his control of man, and He could do this only in the way that He came - a man, tempted as a man, rendering the obedience of a man." - Ellen G. White Comments, SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 7, p. 930.

FURTHER STUDY -- The Desire of Ages, p. 117. END WEBMASTER NOTE. --- (1977 Apr -- Special Report -- JESUS -THE MODEL MAN -- Part 1) -

Lord, I am Thy Servant.

PRACTICAL ILLUSTRATIONS OF DELIVERANCE FROM BONDAGE.

Now let us take some illustrations of the power of faith to deliver from bondage. We will quote Luke 13:10-17:—

"And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in nowise lift up herself. And when Jesus saw her, he called her to Him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. And He laid His37 hands on her; and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the Sabbath-day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work; in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the Sabbath-day. The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the  [89]  Sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? 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? And when He had said these things, all His adversaries were ashamed; and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him."

We may pass by the carping of the hypocritical ruler, to consider the miracle. The woman was bound; we, through fear of death, have been all our life-time subject to bondage. Satan had bound the woman; Satan has also set snares for our feet, and has brought us into captivity. She could in nowise lift up herself; our iniquities have taken hold of us, so that we are not able to look up. Ps. 40:12.

Psa 40:12  For innumerable evils have compassed me about: mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head: therefore my heart faileth me. 

 With a word and a touch Jesus set the woman free from her infirmities; we have the same merciful High Priest now in the heavens, who is touched with the feeling of our infirmities, and the same word will deliver us from evil.

For what purpose were the miracles of healing recorded, which were performed by Jesus? John tells us. It was not simply to show that He can heal disease, but to show His power over sin. See Matt. 9:2-8.

Mat 9:2  And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee. 

Mat 9:3  And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth. 

Mat 9:4  And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? 

Mat 9:5  For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk? 

Mat 9:6  But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. 

Mat 9:7  And he arose, and departed to his house. 

Mat 9:8  But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.

 But John says:—

"And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name." John 20:30, 31.

So we see that they are recorded simply as object lessons of Christ's love, of His willingness to  [90]  relieve, and of His power over the works of Satan, no matter whether in the body or in the soul. One more miracle must suffice in this connection. It is the one recorded in the third chapter of Acts. I shall not quote the entire account, but ask the reader to follow it carefully with his Bible.

Peter and John saw at the gate of the temple a man over forty years old, who had been lame from his birth. He had never walked. He was begging, and Peter felt prompted by the Spirit to give him something better than silver or gold. Said he: "In the name of Jesus of Nazareth rise up and walk. And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God." Verses 6-8.

This notable miracle on one whom all had seen caused a wonderful excitement among the people; and when Peter saw their astonishment, he proceeded to tell how the wonder had been performed, saying:—

"Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk? The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified His son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, . . . and killed the Prince of Life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses. And His Name through faith in His Name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and  [91]  know; yea, the faith which is by Him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all." Verses 12-16.

Now make the application. "The man was lame from his mother's womb," unable to help himself. He would gladly have walked, but he could not. We likewise can all say, with David, "Behold, I was shapen38 in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me." Ps. 51:5. As a consequence, we are by nature so weak that we cannot do the things that we would. As each year of the man's life increased his inability to walk, by increasing the weight of his body, while his limbs grew no stronger, so the repeated practice of sin, as we grow older, strengthens its power over us. It was an utter impossibility for that man to walk; yet the Name of Christ, through faith in it, gave him perfect soundness and freedom from his infirmity. So we, through the faith which is by Him, may be made whole, and enabled to do the thing which hitherto has been impossible. For the things which are impossible with man are possible with God.39 He is the Creator. "To them that have no might He increaseth strength." One of the wonders of faith, as shown in the cases of the ancient worthies, is that they "out of weakness were made strong."

By these instances we have seen how God delivers from bondage those who trust in Him. Now let us consider the knowledge of how freedom is maintained.

We have seen that we by nature are all servants  [92]  of sin and Satan, and that as soon as we submit to Christ, we become loosed from Satan's power. Says Paul: "Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?" Rom. 6:16. So then, as soon as we become free from the bondage of sin, we become the servants of Christ. Indeed, the very act of loosing us from the power of sin, in answer to our faith, proves God's acceptance of us as His servants. We become, indeed, the bond-servants of Christ; but he who is the Lord's servant is a free man, for we are called unto liberty (Gal. 5:13), and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (2 Cor. 3:17).

And now comes the conflict again. Satan is not disposed to give up his slave so readily. He comes, armed with the lash of fierce temptation, to drive us again to his service. We know by sad experience that he is more powerful than we are, and that unaided we cannot resist him. But we dread his power, and cry for help. Then we call to mind that we are not Satan's servants any longer. We have submitted ourselves to God, and therefore He accepted us as His servants. So we can say with the Psalmist, "O Lord, truly I am Thy servant; I am Thy servant, and the son of Thine handmaid; Thou hast loosed my bonds." Ps. 116:16. But the fact that God has loosed the bonds that Satan had thrown around us—and He has done this if we believe that He has—is evidence that God will protect us, for He cares for His own, and we have the assurance that He that has begun a good work in us "will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." Phil. 1:6. And in this confidence we are strong to resist.

Again, if we have yielded ourselves to be servants of God, we are His servants, or, in other words, are instruments of righteousness in His hands. Read Rom. 6:13-16.

Rom 6:13  Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. 

Rom 6:14  For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. 

Rom 6:15  What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. 

Rom 6:16  Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? 

We are not inert, lifeless, senseless instruments, such as the agriculturist uses, which have no voice as to how they shall be used, but living, intelligent instruments, who are permitted to choose their occupation. Nevertheless, the term "instrument" signifies a tool,—something that is entirely under the control of the artisan. The difference between us and the tools of the mechanic is that we can choose who shall use us, and at what kind of service we shall be employed; but having made the choice, and yielded ourselves into the hands of the workman, we are to be as completely in his hands as is the tool that has no voice as to how it shall be used. When we yield to God, we are to be in His hands as clay in the hands of the potter, that He may do with us as He pleases. Our volition lies in choosing whether or not we will let Him work in us that which is good. 

This idea of being instruments in the hands of God is a wonderful aid to the victory of faith when it is once fully grasped. For, notice, what an instrument will do depends entirely upon the person in whose hands it is. Here, for instance, is a die. It is innocent enough in itself, yet it may be used for the basest purposes, as well as for that which is useful. If it be in the hands of a bad character, it may be used in making counterfeit coin. It certainly will not be used for any good purpose. But if it be in the hands of an upright, virtuous man, it cannot possibly do any harm. Likewise, when we were the servants of Satan, we did no good (Rom. 6:20)

Rom 6:20  For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. 

; but now that we have yielded ourselves into the hands of God, we know that there is no un-  [94]  righteousness in Him, and so an instrument in His hands cannot be used for an evil purpose. The yielding to God must be as complete as it was formerly to Satan, for the apostle says:—

"I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh; for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness." Rom. 6:19.

The whole secret of overcoming, then, lies in first wholly yielding to God, with a sincere desire to do His will; next, in knowing that in our yielding He accepts us as His servants; and then, in retaining that submission to Him, and leaving ourselves in His hands. Often victory can be gained only by repeating again and again, "O Lord, truly I am Thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of Thine handmaid; Thou hast loosed my bonds."

Psa_116:16  O LORD, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds.

40 This is simply an emphatic way of saying, "O Lord, I have yielded myself into Thy hands as an instrument of righteousness; let Thy will be done, and not the dictates of the flesh." But when we can realize the force of that scripture and feel indeed that we are servants of God, immediately will come the thought, "Well, if I am indeed an instrument in the hands of God, He cannot use me to do evil with, nor can He permit me to do evil as long as I remain in His hands. He must keep me if I am kept from evil, because I cannot keep myself. But He wants to keep me from evil, for He has shown His desire, and also His power to fulfill His desire, in giving Himself for me. Therefore I shall be kept from this evil." All these thoughts may pass through the mind instantly; and then with them must necessarily come a feeling of gladness that we shall be kept from the dreaded evil. That glad-  [95]  ness naturally finds expression in thanksgiving to God, and while we are thanking God the enemy retires with his temptation, and the peace of God fills the heart. Then we find that the joy in believing far outweighs all the joy that comes from indulgence in sin.

All this is a demonstration of Paul's words: "Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid; yea, we establish the law." Rom. 3:31. To "make void" the law is not to abolish it; for no man can abolish the law of God, yet the Psalmist says that it has been made void. Ps. 119:126. To make void the law of God is something more than to claim that it is of no consequence; it is to show by the life that it is considered of no consequence. A man makes the law of God void when he allows it to have no power in his life. In short, to make void the law of God is to break it; but the law itself remains the same whether it is kept or not. Making it void affects only the individual.

Therefore, when the apostle says that we do not make void the law of God by faith, but that, on the contrary, we establish it, he means that faith does not lead to violation of the law, but to obedience. No, we should not say that faith leads to obedience, but that faith itself obeys. Faith establishes the law in the heart. "Faith is the substance of things hoped for." If the thing hoped for be righteousness, faith establishes it. Instead of faith leading to antinomianism,

(((((Christian doubting the force of laws in Christian doctrine, the belief that Christians are not bound by established moral laws, but should rely on faith and divine grace for salvation.  Flexible concept of morality the belief that it is impossible to apply a universal moral code because it will have a different meaning for different people. )))) Dict. Definition.

41 it is the only thing that is contrary to antinomianism. It matters not how much a person boasts in the law of God; if he rejects or ignores implicit faith in Christ, he is in no better state than the man who directly assails the law. The man of faith is the only one who truly honors the law of God. Without faith it is impossible to  [96]  please God (Heb. 11:6); with it, all things are possible (Mark 9:23).42

Mar 9:23  Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. 

Yes, faith does the impossible, and it is just that which God requires us to do. When Joshua said to Israel, "Ye cannot serve the Lord," he told the truth, yet it was a fact that God required them to serve Him. It is not within any man's power to do righteousness, even though he wants to (Gal. 5:17)

Gal 5:17  For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

; therefore it is a mistake to say that all God wants is for us to do the best we can. He who does no better than that will not do the works of God. No, he must do better than he can do. He must do that which only the power of God working through him can do. It is impossible for a man to walk on water, yet Peter did it when he exercised faith in Jesus.

Since all power in heaven and in earth is in the hands of Christ, and this power is at our disposal, even Christ Himself coming to dwell in the heart by faith, there is no room for finding fault with God for requiring us to do the impossible; for "the things which are impossible with men are possible with God." Luke 18:27. Therefore we may boldly say, "The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me." Heb. 13:6.

Then "who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness or peril, or sword?"—"Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us." Rom. 8:35, 37. "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 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."

Christ And His Righteousness. 

E.J. Waggoner

(Excerpt)

Sin Slaves or Redemption's Few?

BOND-SERVANTS AND FREEMEN

The power of faith in bringing victory may be shown by another line of Scripture texts, which are exceedingly practical. In the first place, let it be understood that the sinner is a slave. Christ said: "Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin." John 8:34. Paul also says, putting himself in the place of an unrenewed man, "For we know that the law is spiritual; but I am carnal, sold under sin." Rom. 7:14. A man who is sold is a slave; therefore the man who is sold under sin is the slave of sin. Peter brings to view the same fact, when, speaking of corrupt, false teachers, he says: "While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption; for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage." 2 Peter 2:19.

The prominent characteristic of the slave is that he cannot do as he pleases, but is bound to perform the will of another, no matter how irksome it may be. Paul thus proves the truth of his saying that he, as a carnal man, was the slave of sin: "For that which I do I allow not; for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I." "Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwell-  [86]  eth no good thing; for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not; but the evil which I would not, that I do." Rom. 7:15, 17-19.

The fact that sin controls, proves that a man is a slave; and although everyone that committeth sin is the bondservant of sin, the slavery becomes unendurable when the sinner has had a glimpse of freedom, and longs for it, yet cannot break the chains which bind him to sin. The impossibility for the unrenewed man to do even the good that he would like to do has been shown already from Rom. 8:7, 8 and Gal. 5:17.

How many people have in their own experience proved the truth of these scriptures. How many have resolved, and resolved again, and yet their sincerest resolutions have proved in the face of temptation as weak as water. They had no might, and they did not know what to do; and, unfortunately, their eyes were not upon God so much as upon themselves and the enemy. Their experience was one of constant struggle against sin, it is true, but of constant defeat as well.

Call you this a true Christian experience? There are some who imagine that it is. Why, then, did the apostle, in the anguish of his soul, cry out, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" Rom. 7:24. Is a true Christian experiencing a body of death so terrible that the soul is constrained to cry for deliverance? — Nay, verily.

Again, who is it that, in answer to this earnest appeal, reveals Himself35 as a deliverer? Says the apostle, "I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord." In another place he says of Christ:—

"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; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their life-time subject to bondage. Heb. 2:14, 15.

Again, Christ thus proclaims His own mission:—36

"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me; because the Lord hath anointed Me to preach good tidings unto the meek; He hath sent Me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound." Isa. 61:1.

What this bondage and captivity are has already been shown. It is the bondage of sin—the slavery of being compelled to sin, even against the will, by the power of inherited and acquired evil propensities and habits. Does Christ deliver from a true Christian experience?—No, indeed. Then the bondage of sin, of which the apostle complains in the seventh of Romans, is not the experience of a child of God, but of the servant of sin. It is to deliver men from this captivity that Christ came; not to deliver us, during this life, from warfare and struggles, but from defeat; to enable us to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might, so that we could give thanks unto the Father "who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath  [88]  translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son," through whose blood we have redemption.

How is this deliverance effected?—By the Son of God. Says Christ: "If ye continue in My word, then are ye My disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free." "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." John 8:31, 32, 36. This freedom comes to everyone that believeth; for to them that believe on His name, He gives the "power to become the sons of God." The freedom from condemnation comes to them who are in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:1); and we put on Christ by faith (Gal. 3:26, 27). It is by faith that Christ dwells in our hearts.

Christ And His Righteousness. 

E.J. Waggoner

(Excerpt)

*******

IN RETROSPECT -- IN PROSPECT -- With this issue of "Watchman, What of the Night?" we complete ten years of publication. During this period we would rather have seen changes for the better within the Church than having had to report continued apostasy and compromise with the Truth. We are cognizant of the fact that there have been others who after a decade of activity have renounced in toto their former position, and joined the ranks of the apostasy. This we do not intend to do. We see no reason to cease crying aloud and sparing not. If anything, that need is even greater today than when we began ten years ago. And so with a stronger voice in clearer tone, we intend by God's grace and in His strength to cry louder and spare less than we have during these past years. We are fully convinced in the light of certain developments within and without the Church, this coming decade will be more momentous than the past. Would to God that every member of the Church would become fully aware as to what is taking place in the midst of spiritual Israel, and with keen perception understand the real issues involved in the continued crises.

Tragically, missionary activities, programs, evangelistic crusades, and social functions are being promoted as diversionary tactics by the leadership of the Church so as to keep the laity absorbed in "church chores" that the real issues will not come through to them. These things to express it in other language - have become a facade to cover a tragic crack developing within the Church edifice. The crevices as they begin to appear are daubed with untempered mortar. Well did God say to Ezekiel:       0 Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes of the deserts. Ye have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the Lord. . . Because, even because they have seduced my people saying, Peace; and there is no peace; and one built up a wall, and lo, others daubed it with untempered mortar: Say unto them which daub it with untempered mortar, that it shall fall: ... So I will break down the wall that ye have daubed with untempered mortar, and bring it down to the ground, so that the foundation thereof shall be discovered, and it shall fall, and ye shall be consumed in the midst thereof: and ye shall know that I am the Lord. Thus will I accomplish my wrath upon the wall, and upon them that have daubed it with untempered mortar, and will say unto you, The wall is no more, neither they that daubed it; To wit, the prophets of Israel which prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and which see visions of peace for her, and there is no peace, saith the Lord God. (Eze. 13:4-5, 10-11a, 14-16)

In the light of what is happening within the Church - and I mean the Seventh-day

p·2 -- Adventist Church - there will need to be some real soul-searching among those who plan to be numbered among the triumphant Remnant. There are questions that we have been sidestepping, or giving only academic answers, which will have to be confronted. First and foremost is the question - "What is the Church?" - or better still - "WHO are the Church?" - "WHO constitute the body of Christ?" And if we have the courage to confront this and other equally vital questions, there will follow some very agonizing reappraisals.

We cannot dismiss this assumption of such a confrontation as merely ethereal thinking. We are being forced into this reappraisal. There is coming from the Zenith Press a book by Brinsmead's sidekick, the Babylonian, Geoffrey J. Paxton, entitled, The Shaking of Adventism. Two quotes from this book as given in the advertising brochure should at least arouse some of the sleeping saints. Paxton states:      The 1970's is the period when, for the first time, two consistent streams of thought on the gospel emerge in Adventism. One stream carries the Christological gains of the 1950's [The heresies of the book, Questions on Doctrine] and the soteriological gains of the 1960's to their logical end. The other stream retreats from these gains into pre-1950 Adventism. This division brings Adventism to the threshold of an unprecedented shaking. 

The 1970's is a period of two distinct theologies in the Adventist Church. These two theologies have never stood in the relationship to each other that they do in the present period. Each stands purified of elements which logically belonged to the other, and each is now competing for the devotion of church members. Thus, this decade is a time of unprecedented polarization.

Now let us face the facts - Pre-1950 Adventism, and Post-1950 Adventism cannot exist in the same organization side by side as a singular Truth. One is Truth, and the other is Apostasy. The determination of which is which and the action called for as a result of such a decision will be exceedingly painful for two cannot walk together unless they be agreed. (Amos 3:3) Either we deny our spiritual heritage, or we will hold firm to the faith committed to our trust. And that Faith confesses that God did indeed raise up a Movement in 1844 consistent with His purposes toward men as revealed in the final atonement of Jesus Christ in the second Apartment of the Heavenly Sanctuary. Further that Faith confesses that God will bring that Movement to a triumphant conclusion through a revelation of a people who will stand without fault in His presence. (Rev. 14:5)

The determination of which is Truth and which is Error between Pre-1950 Adventism and Post-1950 Adventism will be an individual decision. We have been told - "THE FAITH OF INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH WILL BE TESTED AS THOUGH THERE WAS NOT ANOTHER PERSON IN THE WORLD." (Ms. la, 1890) It was God, who through Ezekiel declared:       Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord. (Eze. 14:14)

And God repeated it a second time - adding - "they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness." (Verse 20)

p 3 -- As we look forward to the next Decade hopefully it will never be completed, but that the Lord should come - we do not plan, nor will we seek to develop a new ecclesiastical body. We will seek only to provide that Truth upon which all must make their individual decision. We do know on the basis of the Inspired Testimony that during the years just before us, the work of the Third Angel will be intensified as "the binding, sealing" of the Remnant moves forward. (Early Writings, p. 89) His work is "to select the wheat from the tares [not the tares from the wheat], and seal, or bind, the wheat for the heavenly garner." (Ibid., p. 118) we are not left in doubt as to what the Third Angel will use to bind the wheat, and what the bundles will look like. The Third Angel will prepare a people "firmly united, bound together by the truth, in bundles, or companies." (Ibid., p. 88) we promise before God to Whom we shall given an account in the Day of Judgment that during this Decade we shall seek to work in the closest cooperation with the Third Angel. We shall seek to present Truth - both positive and negative - which the Holy Spirit may use to bind in companies God's true people for the Heavenly Garner.

MODERN PSYCHOLOGY -- The Los Angeles Times (April 2, 1977) reported "the teaching of psychology that people should be 'nonjudgmental' toward others has resulted in heresies thriving within the churches." This situation should not have occurred within the Seventh-day Adventist Church, because we were warned against this working of the enemy through the science of psychology. We read:         If Satan should make an open, bold attack upon Christianity, it would bring the Christian in distress and agony at the feet of his Redeemer, and the strong and mighty Deliverer would affright the bold adversary away. But Satan, transformed into an angel of light, works upon the mind to allure from the only safe and right path. The sciences of phrenology, psychology, and mesmerism have been the channel through which Satan has come more directly to this generation, and wrought with that power which was to characterize his work near the close of probation. (Messages to Young People, p. 57)

Well did the servant of the Lord also state - "The position that it is of no consequence what men believe, is one of Satan's most successful deceptions." (Great Controversy, p. 520) When you combine these two deceptions - "that people should be 'nonjudgmental" and "it is of no consequence what men believe" - the door is open to "all deceivableness of unrighteousness" because "the love of the truth" is not "received." (II Thess. 2:10)

There might be some who would consider the psychology that would teach people to be nonjudgmental to be a Christian psychology because Jesus stated in the Sermon on the Mount - "Judge not that ye be not judged." (Matt. 7:1) However, to apply this text so that truth can be adulterated, and those who promote heresy be as acceptable as the ones who maintain the Truth is to miss the whole force of New Testament teaching. Paul wrote to Titus - "A man that is an heretick after the

p 4 -- first and second admonition reject." (Titus 3:10) John the beloved setting "the doctrine of Christ" as a criterion specified - "If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: for he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds." (II John 10-11) And in the book of Revelation, the Church of Ephesus was commended, when in their first love they "tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and ... found them liars." (Rev. 2:2)

But what have we done in the light of all this counsel and admonition? we have not only tolerated heresy being taught from the pulpits of the Church, and through its publications, but we have continued to support with the sacred tithe those who have so openly and blatantly taught and written this heresy; while those who have sought to uphold the historic faith in harmony with revealed truth have either been disfranchised or demoted so that their voices have been muted.

Many take offense when we openly through the "thought paper" name names. To state plainly what Dr. Heppenstall is teaching from the pulpits of the Seventh-day Adventist Church is rank heresy, and to tell the laity that those responsible for the heretical book - Questions on Doctrine - R. Allan Anderson, T. E. Unruh, and others, although retired, are still being supported from the sacred tithe, is considered "low" journalism. To call attention to the fact that Elder R. H. Pierson in his self-styled capacity as "first minister" of the Church placed his imprimatur on the book - Movement of Destiny - a book containing heresy and misrepresentation, is considered improper by those who wish to sit comfortably in the pew and continue their devotion to human leadership, right or wrong. These, perhaps unwittingly, are enamored by the devil's psychology that one should be "nonjudgmental."

To be strictly honest - such a course is not pleasant. We confess that when we are taken to task for such forthright presentations, or receive suggestions that if we would tone down our "crying aloud" large amounts of money would flow into the Foundation, we must turn again, and as we have often done over the years, reread the counsel found in Prophets and Kings, pp. 140-142. From these paragraphs note a few of these thoughts:       The Lord's messengers should not complain that their efforts are without fruit, until they repent of their love of approbation, and their desire to please men, which leads them to suppress truth. 

Those ministers who are men-pleasers, who cry, Peace, peace, when God has not spoken peace, might well humble their hearts before God, asking pardon for their insincerity and their lack of moral courage. It is not from love for their neighbor that they smooth down the message entrusted to them, but because they are self-indulgent and ease-loving. True love seeks first the honor of God and the salvation of souls. Those who have this love will not evade the truth to save themselves from the unpleasant results of plain speaking. When souls are in peril, God's ministers will not consider self, but will speak the word given them to speak, refusing to excuse or palliate evil.(p. 141)

Are souls imperiled by false doctrine? Then, what should be our duty when we see heresies being taught and palmed off for present truth? To us the answers are clear and our duty plain.

p 5 -- ANOTHER FIRST FOR THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH IN 1977 -- Religious New Service reports that the Pope urged the Conference of Secretaries of World Confessional Families composed of Anglican, Protestant, Orthodox, Old Catholic, and other Christian bodies to unceasing pursuit of the goal of "full unity in Christ and in the Church" despite "all obstacles." Dr. B. B. Beach, secretary of this conference, who is also Secretary of the Northern Europe West Africa Division of the Church, "noted the audience with the Pope marked the first time in history that the Seventh-day Adventist Church, through an official representative, had met with the Roman pontiff." (May 19, 1977)

A letter from Robert Welsh of the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches reveals the relationship between the Conference of Secretaries of World Confessional Families, and the WCC through its commission, and how Dr. Beach is paid for his work for the conference of which he is secretary. Mr. Welsh writes:             With regard to Dr. Beach, he is Secretary of the Annual Conference of Secretaries of World Confessional Families. Faith and Order relates to that conference in a consultative manner. Dr. Beach is neither paid for his services by Faith and Order nor by the World Confessional Families, but rather provides his service as the secretary to their annual meeting as a part of his position as the Secretary of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Northern Europe. (Letter dated, April 1, 1975)

Does not this "first" for the Church reflect the practical outworking of the dogmatic assertion found in the legal reply brief filed by the attorneys for the Church in the Civil Case of EEOC vs. PPPA in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California when it was affirmed:       Although it is true that there was a period in the life of the Seventh-day Adventist Church when the denomination took a distinctly anti-Roman Catholic viewpoint, and the term "hierarchy" was used in a pejorative sense to refer to the papal form of church governance, that attitude on the Church's part was nothing more than a manifestation of widespread antipopery among the conservative protestant denominations in the early part of this century and the latter part of the last, and which has now been consigned to the historical trash heap so far as the Seventh-day Adventist Church is concerned. (p. 4, Footnote #2, No 84, Case #74-2025 CBR)

Need more be said or written?

A TRANSITION OF CONCEPT -- In the first issue of The Signs of the Times(June 4, 1874) of which James White was Editor, an editorial listed the "Fundamental Principles" taught by Seventh-day Adventists. This statement was prefaced with a comment that while the list of

p 6 -- beliefs were not presented with creedal authority, nevertheless it was "a brief statement of what is, and has been, with great unanimity, held by them." Number 13 on the list is of particular interest in the light of what is taking place in our attitude and relationship to the Papacy. It read:      13. That, as the man of sin, the papacy has thought to change times and laws (the law of God, Daniel 7:25), and has misled almost all Christendom in regard to the fourth commandment; we find a prophecy of a reform in this respect to be wrought among believers just before the coming of Christ. (Isa. 56:1-2; 1 Peter 1:5; Rev. 14:12, etc.)

This same position - word for word - was found in another list authored by Uriah Smith (Review & Herald, August 22, 1912). One paragraph which prefaced this list contained the sentence - "The following propositions may be taken as a summary of the principle features of their [Seventh-day Adventist's] religious faith, and upon which there is, so far as is known, entire unanimity throughout the body." (p. 4). Thus up to 1912, at least, there was no question as to the position of the Church in regard to the Papacy. It was "the man of sin" of Bible prophecy! No one in the Church, be he an official, or a lay person would have sought an audience with "the man of sin," or would he have found fellowship with spiritual Babylon on any level whether in a local ministerial association, or as a member of a commission of the World Council of Churches. And to even suggest that an official of the Church, paid by the sacred tithe could serve as Secretary of one of "Babylon's" Annual Conferences would have been rejected outright as a betrayal of the faith.

Come now to the present. Look at the Year Book (1977) under "Fundamental Beliefs of Seventh-day Adventists", or in the Church Manual under the same title, or in Questions on Doctrine, (pp. 11-18), and you will d(?) no mention of the Papacy as "the man of sin." This has been deleted. Does this explain why we can state in a legal brief that this teaching "has now been consigned to the historical trash heap so far as the Seventh-day Adventist Church is concerned"? (See above article, last reference.)

A NEW BOOK -- From the Pontifical Gregorian University Press in Rome comes a book - From Sabbath to Sunday - written by Dr. Samuele Bacchiocchi, assistant professor of religion at Andrews University. This book is based on Dr. Bacchiocchi's "research for the Ph. D. degree, which he earned" at the Pontifical Gregorian University in 1974. This university is "known throughout the world as the alma mater of popes, cardinals, and bishops." (The Voice of Prophecy News, Nov., 1977, p. 4)

"The book was published with the Roman Catholic imprimatur, and is prefaced by a distinguished Jesuit scholar, Father Vincenzo Monachino, chairman of the church history department at the Pontifical Gregorian University and director of Dr. Bacchiocchi's dissertation. Father Monachino writes, 'It is a work that recommends itself because of its rich content, the rigorous scientific method, and the vast horizon with which it has been conceived and executed.'" (Ibid.)

p 7 -- Have the Jesuits been converted? Was it merely coincidental that the "first non-Catholic accepted as a regular student in the 425 history of the Pontifical Gregorian University" happened to be a "Seventh-day Adventist" in profession? Is it accidental that his dissertation was on the Sabbath question, and accepted with Jesuit approbation? How is it that one moves immediately from his classes at Rome to a chair of religion at Andrews? Is Rome indeed taking a new look at the Sabbath and thus planning to join in its proclamation to enlighten the whole earth with the knowledge of the glory of God's truth?

Perhaps it might be well if we would just take our Great Controversy from the shelf and reread again some of its warnings. For example:      The defenders of the papacy declare that the church has been maligned; and the Protestant world are inclined to accept the statement. Many urge that it is unjust to judge the church of today by the abominations and absurdities that marked her reign during the centuries of ignorance and darkness. They excuse her horrible cruelty as the result of the barbarism of the times, and plead that the influence of modern civilization has changed her sentiments. 

Have these persons forgotten the claim of infallibility put forth for eight hundred years by this haughty power? So far from being relinquished, this claim was affirmed in the nineteenth century with greater positiveness than ever before. As Rome asserts that the church "never erred; nor will it, according to the Scriptures, ever err," how can she renounce the principles which governed her course in past ages? (pp. 563-64)

Is Rome now planning to renounce her change of the Sabbath which is and has been "a mark of her ecclesiastical power and authority in religious matters"? Or rather can we see in all of this what was written for our admonition:       The first triumphs of the Reformation past, Rome summoned new forces, hoping to accomplish its destruction. At this time, the order of the Jesuits was created, the most cruel, unscrupulous, and powerful of all the champions of popery. Cut off from earthly ties and human interests, dead to the claims of natural affection, reason and conscience wholly silenced, they knew no rule, no tie, but that of their order, and no duty but to extend its power. The gospel of Christ had enabled its adherents to meet danger and endure suffering, undismayed by cold, hunger, toil, and poverty, to uphold the banner of truth in face of the rack, the dungeon, and the stake. To combat these forces, Jesuitism inspired its followers with a fanaticism that enabled them to endure like dangers, and to oppose to the power of truth all the weapons of deception. There was no crime too great for them to commit, no deception too base for them to practice, no disguise to difficult for them to assume. Vowed to perpetual poverty and humility, it was their studied aim to secure wealth and power, to be devoted to the overthrow of Protestantism, and the re-establishment of the papal supremacy. (Great Controversy, p. 234)

It is "a fundamental principle of the order that the end justifies the means." (Ibid, P. 235) Jesus said - "Judge not according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment." (John 7:24.)

p 8 -- ANOTHER ITEM OF INTEREST FROM THE VOICE OF PROPHECY NEWS -- Under a photocopy of a picture presented to Dr. Billy Graham at the close of his recent Hungarian Crusade, this explanation is found:      Billy Graham says he was "moved to tears" when this painting, "The Miraculous Catch," was presented to him during his recent visit to Hungary. Painted by an undisclosed artist, the work was described as "a Hungarian national treasure." It depicts the incident recorded in Luke 5:1-11. The painting was presented to Graham by Sandor Palotay. Himself a Seventh-day Adventist, Palotay is president of the Council of Free Churches in Hungary, an alliance of small denominations that sponsored Graham's week-long visit. According to Palotay, the 12,000 to 15,000 people who gathered to hear the well known American evangelist preach at Tahai, a rural community 30 miles west of Budapest, were the largest crowd to gather for a Protestant service in the predominantly Roman Catholic country since before World War II. During his visit to Hungary, Graham called at the headquarters of the nation's Ecumenical Council of Churches, where he met Reformed Bishop Tibor Bartha, chairman of the council, and Lutheran Bishop Zoltan Kaldy. He also met with Jewish leaders in Budapest and visited with Roman Catholic Bishop Jozsef Cserhati. (p. 5)

Need we wait for the storm to break in all of its fury before we determine which way the wind is blowing? Are not the words of the angel to Lot apropos - "Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed." (Gen. 19:17) And the words of Jesus, how full of meaning - "Remember Lot's wife." (Luke 17:32). 

DEC 1977 "Watchman, What of the Night? " Thought Paper.  Adventist Laymen's Foundation.  (Excerpt)