The Word Righteousness.

 Every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. 

We don't live, truly live unless we live through the word of God, and this word of God is our faith in God, faith in Christ's righteousness to redeem us, as He forgives us our many sins. Righteousness truly by faith. Righteousness by the word of God. Righteousness by Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

Living with Christ's righteousness.

(Excerpt)

The righteousness of God is revealed to faith. Rom. 1:17.

Faith is complete dependence upon the word of God, expecting that word to do what the word itself says.

Is there, then, righteousness spoken by the word of God, so that people can depend completely upon that word,  that the word shall accomplish what the word says?

There is. Indeed, that is the very object of the gift of Christ. For him "God hath set forth . . . to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God." Rom. 3:25.

Seeing then that God hath set forth Christ expressly to declare, to speak, the righteousness of God, it is certain that the word of God has been spoken, upon which there can be complete dependence, expecting that word to do what that word says. In other words, there is righteousness that can be received by faith.

Wherein is this word spoken? It is spoken in the word "forgiveness." 

"He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins"; "there is forgiveness with thee."

Now what is the meaning of forgive"? The word "forgive" is composed of "for" and "give," which otherwise is give for. To forgive, therefore, is simply to give for. For the Lord to forgive sin is to give for sin. But what does the Lord give for sin? He declares "his righteousness for the remission of sins."

Therefore when the Lord forgives--gives for--sin, He gives righteousness for sin. And as the only righteousness that the Lord has is his own, it follows that the only righteousness that God gives, or can give, for sin is the righteousness of God.

This is the righteousness of God as a gift. As all men have only sinned and if they are ever clear must have forgiveness entirely free, and as the forgiveness of sin--the righteousness of God given for sin--is entirely free--this is the righteousness of God as a free gift "upon all men unto justification of life." Rom. 5:18.

Every soul, therefore, who ever asks God for forgiveness of sin, in that very thing asks God to give him righteousness for sin. Every soul who asks God for forgiveness asks it solely upon the word of God, which speaks forgiveness. And faith is entire dependence upon the word for what the word speaks. Thus righteousness is altogether of faith.

"Every one that asketh receiveth." 

You have asked the Lord many a time to forgive your sins; that is, you have asked him to give for your sin. But when you ask the Lord to give for your sin, in that you ask him to give the only thing that He does or can give for sin, which is righteousness. That is what it is to ask forgiveness of the Lord.

And He does forgive--He does give for--your sins when you ask Him. He says He does, and He does. "He is faithful"--that is, He will never fail--"and just to forgive us our sins." And the only thing He gives for sins is His righteousness.

Then why not thank Him for the righteousness that He freely gives for your sins when you ask Him to?

Do you not see that righteousness by faith is just as plain and simple as the asking God for forgiveness of sin?  Indeed, it is just that.

To believe that righteousness is given for your sin, when you ask forgiveness, and thankfully to receive that righteousness as the gift of God--this is what it is to exercise faith.

Yet how true it is that "we suffer much trouble and grief because of our unbelief and of our ignorance of how to exercise faith."

"Hast thou faith?" Have the faith of God. "Here are they that keep . . . the faith of Jesus."

March 14, 1899 A.T. Jones Excerpt

Living By the Word, Living By Faith.

 (Excerpt)

"The just shall live by faith."

Who are the just?--They are only those who are of faith, because men are justified only by faith.

For though we all "have sinned and come short of the glory of God," yet we are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."

For "to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness."

"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Those who are of faith and those alone are the just in the earth.

Now faith is entire dependence on the word of God, that that word shall accomplish what that word says. "It shall accomplish that which I please." Isa. 55:11.

To be justified by faith, then, is to be justified by entire dependence upon the word of God. The just are those who are of the word of God. This is how men become just.

Men must not only become just by faith--by dependence upon the word of God--but being just, we must live by faith. The just man lives in precisely the same way and by precisely the same thing that he becomes just.

We become just by faith; faith is entire dependence on the word of God. 

We, being just, must live by precisely the same thing by which we become just; that is, by entire dependence upon the word of God.

And this is exactly what Jesus said: Man shall live "by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."  

When Jesus said that, it is perfectly plain that He simply said, in other words, Man shall live by faith.

There is no other way truly to live than by faith, which is simply living by the word of God. Without faith, without the word of God, men only die.

Indeed, without the word of God everything only dies, for in the beginning everything came by the word of God.  The word of God is the origin and life of everything, for, "He spake, and it was."

All things animate and inanimate--sun, moon, and stars, animals and men--all are entirely dependent upon the word of God for existence. Only in the case of men God has bestowed upon them the wondrous gift of choice as to whether they will do so or not. This gift opens the door of faith. And when a man does choose to live by the word of God, which is the only means of life, faith--entire dependence upon the word of God--is the means by which he lays hold on the means of life.

Thus "the just shall live by faith," and thus "whatsoever is not of faith is sin," which is simply to say, The just must live by the word of God, and whatsoever is not of the word of God is sin.

"We cannot have a healthy Christian experience, we cannot obey the gospel unto salvation until the science of faith is better understood and until more faith is exercised."

"Hast thou faith?" Have the faith of God. Here are they that keep "the faith of Jesus."

March 7, 1899  A.T. Jones Excerpt

You Want Your Prayers Answered.

 We want our prayers heard. We are told to pray.

Php 4:6  Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 

So we pray. Then we wonder WHY our prayers are not seemingly being answered- we don't like no response- we don't like no being the answer to our prayers.  We can't comprehend why prayer after prayer seems to be getting the, no response. 

When we realize that our prayers must be prayed for GOD'S WILL to be done, we have to know that He hears, and all of His answers are for the best. 

Jas_1:6  But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.

Ask in faith. 

Faith comes by hearing.

Hearing by the word of God.

Ask according to the word of God this is asking in faith. 

Everything we pray for MUST be prayed in faith and therefore it MUST be according to God's word!

If you're praying for riches, those that exceed your basic needs, where do we find in the Word of God instruction to pray for riches to give us worldly pleasures? 

If we're praying for specific healing, and the healing doesn't come. We are told in the Word of God that  Paul prayed three times for healing for his infirmity, and he wasn't healed.  God said to Paul- 

2Co 12:8  For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. 

2Co 12:9  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. 

God knew Paul needed his strength made perfect and perchance the strength he needed was a spiritual strength over a physical healing.  God answered Paul, and Paul was not given healing.  Paul wanted God's will in his life to be done over anything else. God knew that the strength Paul would receive from his having to suffer would give Paul what He truly was asking for and Paul trusted God when he wasn't healed.  Did Paul's asking God for healing go according to God's word? Yes. But God's will supersedes all. We pray first and foremost for HIS WILL to be done. If we mean that, then we must TRUST HIS WILL is being done. Our faith, that faith we get and cultivate through the Word of God, must extend to allowing for God's will and our acceptance even when we can't comprehend.

Did Abraham have all the details - no, he had to live in God's will, trusting in God's will.

Did Moses have all the details - no, he had to live in God's will, trusting in God's will.

The list goes on and on of those whose lives were seemingly wrecked in various ways, as they lived uncertain lives filled with heartache and torturous happenstances. God did not abandon these men and women, he knew their will beyond the day to day prayers was for His will to be done in them and He answered that prayer over all others. 

Mat 6:9  After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 

Mat 6:10  Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

THY WILL BE DONE…

This is the manner we pray after and trust, and have faith in this Word of God! 

A.T. Jones- Excerpt-

Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

Therefore the word of God is the only means of faith.

Therefore, where there is no word of God there cannot be any faith.

And where the word of God is, faith is entire dependence upon that word for the accomplishment of what that word says.

From all this, which is the truth, it is perfectly plain that in order for anyone to ask in faith, he must first of all be sure that he has the word of God for what he asks.

Having the word of God for what he asks, he, like David, can find it in his heart to pray with perfect confidence,  which is only in perfect faith.

He who thus prays knows that he is asking according to the will of God, for he knows that he has the plain word of God for it.

Therefore he knows that God hears him, and knowing that God hears him, he knows that he has the thing for which he has asked, because the sole basis of his hope for it is the word which has spoken it, and which is the sole basis of his asking.

The Lord tells us thus to pray, and thus he has made provision for the steady, strong, and continuous growth of faith.

Many people pray but do not know whether it is the will of the Lord that they should have what they pray for and so do not know whether they can certainly claim it; and not knowing whether they can claim it, they are all at sea as to whether their prayers are answered or not.

The Lord does not want anybody to move uncertainly. Therefore, He has given His word, which thoroughly furnishes every one unto all good works and by which are given all things that pertain unto life and godliness.

And anyone who seeks in the word of God the things which God has there provided for all and upon that specific word prays for that thing, thus asking according to the plainly expressed will of God, knows that his prayer is heard and that he has the thing for which he prayed.

So doing, the prayers will be always certain, the life will be filled with the direct gifts of God, and the faith will be sure and strong and will be ever increasing in strength.

Many pray the prayer of the disciples, "Lord, increase our faith." This is well. Yet along with this, it must never be forgotten that faith comes only by the word of God. Therefore, as certainly as your faith shall be increased, it can be only by there being in you an increase of the word of God. And the only way that there can be in you an increase of the word of God is by your harkening to that word, praying to the Lord for the thing which that word says, depending wholly upon that word for that thing and thanking him that you have received it. Then and thus that word is received by you and lives in you.

Thus while we can pray, "Lord, increase our faith," at the same time we must remember that we are to build up ourselves on our most holy faith. Jude 20.

Jud 1:20  But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,

This is how to exercise faith. Faith can be exercised only on the word of God, for where there is no word of God,  there cannot be any faith.

And "understanding how to exercise faith, this is the science of the gospel."

February 28, 1899

Dying For Faith.

 You know this verse, I know you know it--  Rom 10:17  So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. 

Our FAITH comes by the WORD OF GOD- HEARING that WORD.

The preceding verses at the beginning of the Book of Romans-

Rom 1:16  For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 

Rom 1:17  For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. 

The GOSPEL of CHRIST is the POWER of GOD UNTO SALVATION.  That's the WORD of GOD we need to hear. The gospel. We hear and we believe what we hear. There is POWER in the WORD OF GOD.

You CANNOT have faith without the word of God. We need this powerful Word. This is a Word people have DIED for! How many believe they died for nothing, but it was far from nothing. They died in FAITH and their FAITH came from the Word of God. No wonder they died for the Word, to them it was LIFE- ETERNAL LIFE THROUGH JESUS CHRIST! It wasn't just a book with empty, meaningless words. These men and women weren't and aren't still today, stupid, ignorant imbeciles, mindless and unable to think logically and rationally as so many would have us believe. These were and are blessed people who recognize the power of the Word of God! 

May WE all recognize the Power of the WORD OF GOD- FAITH!  If our faith is weak we need to delve deep into the Word of God, daily, hourly, as often as we can submerse ourselves in the life giving Word of God. If you can only manage a single verse of Scripture today to sustain your faith, then READ it, read that word of God! Those few words are filled with POWER. Just don't neglect the word of God. Pray, open your heart to God, rely upon Him to guide you to the words you need, to give you the faith you need. Seek Him and you will find Him - when you search for Him with all your heart.

Jer 29:13  And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. 

Excerpt-

'Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

Therefore the word of God is the only means of faith.

Therefore, where there is no word of God there cannot be any faith.

And where the word of God is, faith is entire dependence upon that word for the accomplishment of what that word says.

From all this, which is the truth, it is perfectly plain that in order for anyone to ask in faith, he must first of all be sure that he has the word of God for what he asks.'

Sabbath Sanctification the Spiritual Infusion.

 The time has come for my weekly infusion. This infusion sustains my life. The infusion I take weekly is administered for a full 24 hours. An entire day. I have to stop all I'm doing that keeps me from receiving the infusion. I can't work, I can't go about with my typical past times. I have to alter my day to day life routine in order to get this infusion. You may think I'm lying or trying to mislead you with all this talk of infusions. I'm not reclining in a chair in a clinic setting, or a hospital, or any such thing. I'm not waiting for a bag of liquid drugs to be hooked up to an iv in my arm. I'm not battling any physical disease with this infusion, and I know several people who do this- they go to infusion clinics some go weekly, others twice a week and still others only monthly- their treatment varies for their personal life threatening ailments they are battling. I have nothing but the greatest respect for these people and all people like them- getting drug infusions can be life-saving, or life-prolonging, all very necessary as we as people struggle to keep the life we've been given. 

My weekly infusion is a SPIRITUAL infusion and it does sustain my spiritual life. My weekly infusion is a full 24 hour infusion where I have to set aside my day to day weekly routines. I have to stop what I normally would do on every other day, and instead of doing what I normally do, I have to connect to the spiritual - which is a very real world all around us. Recognizing first and foremost that my spiritual world exists by the power of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. This recognition is through faith, something every human being is given a measure of, what they do with that measure of faith they are given is completely up to them.  

Faith has me believing what I cannot see. I believe in the invisible, the untouchable. How do I know that the Spiritual realm exists when I can't see it or touch it? I know it exists because I exist because of that Spiritual force of creation.  I know it exists because to not believe it exists means this eternal longing in me for a world, a life without pain in all its many forms, is without any merit at all, and shouldn't exist at all. This longing is a desperate hope that makes me know the life we now live is not anything like the life we were created to live. We were not meant for the agonies we live with and through, and watch others live - with and through. There is an innate wrongness to ALL the agonies of life. Knowing this isn't how it was supposed to be for us makes me know that it isn't how it will always be for us. This is a temporary existence we live now. You know, and I know it, we all know that we are born and eventually we die- that is a temporary existence.

My Creator did not leave me to wonder aimlessly about all this, He gave me answers to many of my questions. He gave me every answer I need in order to know that there is an eternal existence that awaits me- even though I cannot see or touch it right now. That life I know we were truly created for, awaits us. This is faith.  The answers are plentiful and detailed and even though there are mysteries that remain. I have enough answers to give me hope.

Weekly I have the opportunity, the blessing, to be infused with Spiritual renewal. Weekly I recognize my life must be wholly submitted to God. One day in every seven I am to give my life to God for His purposes. Ceasing from self, just for one day and not ceasing from self through my own power but through the Spiritual power of God, it's through Him alone I can keep His weekly rest.

The power comes wholly from God, my part is to believe. 

I know that God told us that He's set aside a weekly Sabbath on the seventh day of the week. A day of remembrance of Him and all His wondrous glory. Creation, redemption all of it is there for us to submerge our spiritual selves into by yielding this time to recognize God. 

God's amazing creative power made His last creation week act that of creating this day of Sabbath rest. 

I need my spiritual infusion every week of my life, it is a sign between me and God.

Eze_20:12  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.

I can't sanctify myself, I can't make myself holy I do not have that power- but God can do so, God has that power.  Sabbath sanctification the spiritual infusion. I choose to let God live in my life.  All by His grace, His mercy, His love, all through Jesus Christ's sacrifice, now and forever, amen.

Spiritual Badges.

 Creationist - Sabbath.  As you read each of the following verses remember each word of God written here is filled with the creative life that God's word alone contains. There is power in the word of God. Heb 4:12  For the word of God is quick, and powerful…  

These aren't powerless words like those of mankind. 

Exo_31:13  Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you.

Exo 31:16  Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. 

Exo_31:17  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.

Eze_20:12  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.

Eze_20:20  And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the LORD your God.

Mat_12:8  For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.

Mat_12:11  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?

Mat_12:12  How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days

Mat_24:20  But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day

Mar_6:2  And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?

Luk_4:16  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.

The Sabbath - forever a memorial - never changed or altered in any way by Jesus except for Him revealing its true meaning- which was that the Sabbath wasn't bound by the many hundreds of rules and regulations imposed upon it by mankind and not God.

The weekly memorial is a day of worship, of renewal in the Spirit, as we set the Sabbath day aside to give glory to our CREATOR, our REDEEMER our GOD. As we purposefully cease from our work, our past times, from self-focus- we are then left to recognize we do so for a purpose. The purpose is the recognition of our powerlessness and God's all powerfulness. The purpose is God's unique ability to create and our inability. The purpose is to choose to be inactive towards self-centered pursuits so that we may ever learn of God centered life.  By ceasing from work we recognize our work unlike God's is something that must cease. We CANNOT work to save ourselves. We recognize this every Sabbath day, our works do not save us, our Creator alone saves us, just as He alone created us. Can YOU work to save yourself in any way? Only by belief, only through the work of faith- a SPIRITUAL comprehension we keep the Sabbath holy. Nothing we work at, nothing we fill our time with that is self-centered will give us any spiritual blessing- it keeps us from receiving the blessing offered.

If you were told that a special blessing was given to you on every Sabbath day, a blessing that held transforming, creating, redeeming power used upon you- not a power given to you to utilize - but a power given to the powerless as only God can give- would you do all you could to honor God on the Sabbath day as He wants us to?   If you were told all you could do was lie in bed all day long except for necessary bodily functions, in order to be given this spiritual transfusion, would you do that? IF the spiritual blessing offered to us were tangible how much more likely would we be to want to get those blessing? A spiritual badge- for your spiritual growth, something to pin to a special spiritual banner to denote the blessings you've received. 

 Is it any wonder we are told to cultivate faith- belief? We need a belief that makes the unseen - seen to our spiritual selves as reality indeed and not just thoughts of invisible uncertainties. The blessings are real though we can't see them as visible, tangible spiritual badges. Salvation is real. God is real. The Spiritual is real.  We lose so much through disbelief, through faithlessness. Without faith- it truly is IMPOSSIBLE to please God. We have to BELIEVE that HE IS.

Heb_11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

We must diligently seek God and we are given a WEEKLY scheduled day where we can be blessed with a special blessing if we but choose to seek after God in truth!

EXCERPT-

Creationist.

*

But as certainly as you are an evolutionist, your Sabbath-keeping is a fraud.

Unless you recognize the word of God day by day as a creative energy in your life, your Sabbath-keeping is a fraud, because the Sabbath is a memorial of creation. It is "a sign between me and you, that [by which] ye may know that I am the Lord your God," the Creator of all things.

In the second chapter of Ephesians, eighth to tenth verses, we read, "For by grace are ye saved through faith,  and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."

You need not expect to get any good works out of yourself. 

You have been trying. The evolutionist tries and is always trying without accomplishing it. 

Why go about trying to do good works, when you know you fail?  Listen. There will never be any good thing in you of any kind whatever from now till the world's end, except it is created there by the Creator Himself, by His word, which has in it the creative energy. Do not forget that.

Do you want to walk in good works when you go out of this house? It can be done only by being created in Jesus Christ unto those good works. 

Stop trying. 

Look to the Creator and receive His creative word. "Let the word of God dwell in you richly," then those good works will appear; you will be a Christian. 

Then, because you live with the Creator and are in the presence of the creative energy, you will have that pleasant, quiet peace and genuine strength and building up that belong to a Christian.

When He tells you that "we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them," then recognize the Creator, recognize only the good works that are created in you, paying no attention whatever to any work that is not crated there, because there is nothing good but what is created by the Lord.

Now you are created new in Christ Jesus. He says so. Thank Him that it is so. What! Will you be an evolutionist on that verse? That is the present tense, "We are his workmanship." We are created in Christ Jesus unto good works. Are you? The word is spoken. It is the creative word. How much time are you going to allow between that word of God and your being created new? Of the creation in the beginning, you said that any man who allows even a minute to pass between the word and the thing is an evolutionist. What are you now as to this word of God, which creates men in Christ Jesus unto good works? Are you an evolutionist here? Come, let us all be creationists.

Do you not see that in this way it will not require a long, tedious wearing process to be made ready to meet the Lord in glory? So many people are looking at themselves. They know that, in the nature of things it must take them an exceedingly long time to get fully ready to meet Him. If it is done by evolution, it will never be done. But when it is done by creation, it will be both surely and quickly done. That word I have before referred to is the word everyone here may take to himself. "While so many are hovering about the mystery of faith and godliness,  they could solve the matter by proclaiming abroad [by telling it out], 'Jesus Christ is my portion forever.'"

Do you see how much we have been evolutionists? shall we quit? Come now, let us be creationists and be done with it. Let us be Sabbath-keepers truly. Let us believe the Lord. He speaks forgiveness. He speaks a clean heart.  He speaks holiness; He creates it. Let Him create it in you. Stop being an evolutionist and let that creative word work for you, let that creative energy work in you, that which the word pronounces, and before you leave this house, God can get you ready to meet Him. Indeed, in that very thing you do meet Him. And when you have thus met Him and do thus meet Him every day, are you not then ready to meet Him? Do you believe that? You believe He made the worlds when He spoke, that light came by His word when He spoke, and that the leper was "immediately" cleansed when he spoke, but with yourself you think considerable time must elapse between the time when the word is spoken and the fact is accomplished. O, why will you be an evolutionist? Creation,  creation--that is the thing.

You and I are to call people to the supper; we are to say to all people, "Come, for all things are now ready." How can I call to a man that all things are now ready, when I myself am not ready? It is a falsehood to start with. My words will not reach him. They are but an empty sound. But O, when there is in that call the creative energy of the word that has made us ready, that has cleansed us from sin, that has created us unto good works, that holds us as the sun is held in the course which God has marked out--then when we go forth and say to the world lying in wickedness, "Come, for all things are now ready," they will hear. They will hear in the call the tones of the voice of the Good Shepherd, and will be cheered to come to Him for creative energy for themselves, to make them new creatures and prepare them for the supper to which they have been called.

This is where we are in this world's history. God's mark is being set upon the people. But remember, He will never set His mark upon one who is not cleansed from every defilement. God will not set His seal to something that is not true, that is not good. Would you ask Him to set His seal to righteousness that is altogether unrighteousness? You would not have the face to do that. You know that He is too righteous to do such a thing.  Then He must cleanse you so that He can put His seal to His own work. He cannot put His seal to your work. His seal belongs only to a document which He Himself has approved. Let Him write His character upon your heart and then He can set His seal there. He can write His seal of approval upon your heart, only when His creative word has accomplished its purpose in your heart.

You can see in what a Presence we are; you can see in a measure how long it would take half to exhaust such a subject as this. But, brethren, when we do stop, let us stop in the presence of creation. Let us be no more evolutionists. Let not a moment pass between the word of God spoken to you and the accomplishment of the thing in you. Thus, living in the presence of creation, walking with the Creator, upheld by creative power,  inspired by the creative energy--why, with a people such as that, God can move the world in a little while.

If at the beginning you thought this was a queer subject for such an occasion as today [it was the closing service of the week of prayer] you can now see that it is a strictly present truth. There are only the two ways.  There is no halfway ground. Every man and woman in the world is either a creationist or an evolutionist.  Evolution is infidelity; it is death. Creation is Christianity; it is life. Choose Creation, Christianity, and Life, that you may live. Let us be creationists only and creationists forever. And let all the people say, Amen.

Excerpt- A.T. Jones February 21, 1899

Creationist or Evolutionist?

 

Excerpt-

'Now these were the people upon whom Jesus looked when He made this statement about faith in Israel. Here was a man who was a Roman, who had grown up among the people who were Jews, and who set at naught the teachings of Jesus. That centurion had been around where Jesus was, and seen him talking, had heard His words and had seen the effect of them, until he himself said, Whatever that man speaks is so; when He says a thing, it is done. Now I am going to have the advantage of it. So he went to Jesus and said what is written. Jesus knew perfectly well that the man had his mind upon the power of His word to do that thing, and He replied, Very well, I will come and heal your servant. O no, my Lord, you do not need to come. You see this man was testing the matter to see whether or not there was any power in the word. Therefore he said, "Speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed." Jesus replied, "As thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed." When that word went forth, "so be it done unto thee," how long before their man was healed? Twenty years? No. Didn't he have to go through many ups and downs before he was certainly healed? Honest, now? No,  no! When the word was spoken, the word did the thing that was spoken, and it did it at once.

Another day Jesus was walking along and a leper some distance from Him saw and recognized Him. He, too, had got hold of the blessed truth of the creative energy of the word of God. He said to Jesus, "If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean." Jesus stopped and said, "I will; be thou clean. And as soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed." Mark 1:41, 42. We are not allowed to put a moment of time between speaking of the word and the accomplished fact: "Immediately" the leper was cleansed.

Now you see that the word of God at the beginning of creation had in it the creative energy to produce that thing which the word pronounced. you see that when Jesus came into the world to show men the way of life, to save them from their sins, He demonstrated, over and over again, here and there and everywhere, to all people and for all time, that that same word of God has that same creative energy in it yet; so that when that word is spoken, the creative energy is there to produce the thing.

Now are you an evolutionist or are you a creationist?

That word speaks to you. You have read it; you profess to believe it. You believe in creation, as against the other evolutionists; now will you believe in creation as against yourself? Will you put yourself upon that platform today where you will allow nothing to come between you and the creative energy of that word--no period of time whatever?

Jesus said to a certain person, "Thy sins are forgiven." How long before it was so? There was no length of time whatever between the word "forgiven" and the thing. That same word, "Thy sins are forgiven," is spoken to you today. 

Why do you let any time pass between this word, which is spoken to you and the accomplishment of the thing? You said a while ago that anybody who let a minute, or even a second, pass between the speaking of the word of God and the production of the thing is an evolutionist. Very good; that is so. Stick to it. Now I ask you,  Why is it that when He speaks forgiveness to you, you let whole days pass before forgiveness gets to you,  before it is true in you? 

You said the other man is an evolutionist. What are you, I want to know? 

Are you going to stop being evolutionists and become creationists?

This day will be one of special importance to many here, because it is a time when many will decide this question one way or the other. If you go out of this house an evolutionist, you are in danger. It is to you a matter of life or death just now. You said that evolution is infidelity and that is so; therefore, if you go out of this house an evolutionist, where do you stand? What is your choice? And if you go out of this house without the forgiveness of sins, you are an evolutionist, because you allow time to pass between the speaking of the word and the accomplishment of the fact.

From what I have read, you see that whoever lets any time pass between the word spoken and the thing done, is an evolutionist. The word of God to you is, Man, "thy sins are forgiven thee." Woman, "thy sins are forgiven thee." 

[Elder Corliss: "Didn't it say, Thy sins shall be forgiven?"] No, sir. "Thy sins are forgiven thee"--present tense, with an emphasis. "Thy sins are forgiven." I thank God this is so, because the creative energy is in that word "forgiven" to take away all sin and create the man a new creature. I believe in creation. 

Do you? Do you believe in the creative energy that is in the word "forgiven" spoken to you? Or are you an evolutionist and do you say, I cannot see how that can be, because I am so bad? I have been trying to do right, but I have made many failures. I have had many ups and downs and have been down a good many more times than up. If that is what you say, you are an evolutionist, for that is evolution.

Many people have been longing and longing for a clean heart. They say, "I believe in the forgiveness of sin and all that and I would take it all, if I was sure that I could hold out, but there is so much evil in my heart and so many things to overcome that I do not have any confidence." But there stands the word, "Create in me a clean heart." 

A clean heart comes by creation and by no other means; and that creation is wrought by the word of God. For He says, "A new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you." 

Are you a creationist now or are you an evolutionist? Will you go out of this house with an evil heart or with a new heart created by the word of God, which has in it creative energy to produce a new heart? It speaks to you a new heart. To every one it speaks just that way, and if you allow a moment to pass between the speaking of the word and the new heart, you are an evolutionist. When you allow any time to pass between the word spoken and the fulfillment of that thing in your experience, then you are an evolutionist.

There are those in this house who have said, Yes, I want it. I am going to have it. I believe the word will accomplish it, but they have lengthened out the time until the next meeting and on and on, passing over years,  and so they are just this much evolutionists.

"While so many are hovering about the mystery of faith and godliness, they could have solved the matter by proclaiming [speaking abroad, telling it out], "I know that Jesus Christ is my portion forever." 

The power to produce this is in the word of God, and when this is accepted, the creative energy is there producing the thing that is spoken. So you can settle the whole matter of the mystery of faith and godliness by proclaiming that you know that Christ is your portion forever.

There is a mystery in how God can be manifest in such sinful flesh as yours. But, mind you, the question is not now about the mystery; the question is, Is there such a thing as creation? Is there such a thing as a Creator, who can create in you a clean heart? Or is the whole thing simply evolution? 

Just now and among Seventh-day Adventists, the question from this day until the end of the world must be, Do you believe in the Creator? And when you believe in the Creator, how is it that He creates? Of course you say, it is by the word of God. Very good. Now does He create things for you by His word? Are you a creationist for the other evolutionists and then an evolutionist for the other creationists? How is it?

Another thing. The word says, "Be ye clean." He said, back yonder, "Let there be light, and there was light." He said to the leper, "Be thou clean," and "immediately" he was clean. He says now to you, "Be ye clean," and what now? Every one of you--what do you say? [Voice: "It is so."] 

Then for your soul's sake put yourself upon that creative word. Recognize the creative energy in the word of God which comes to you in the Bible, for this word of God in the Bible is the same here to you today that it was when it spoke into space the worlds on high and brought light out of darkness and cleansing to the leper. That word spoken to you today, if received, creates you new in Christ Jesus. 

That word, spoken in the dark waste and voice space of your heart, if received, produces there the light of God; that word spoken today to you afflicted with the leprosy of sin, if received, immediately cleanses you. Let it. Let it.

How shall I be clean? By the creative energy of that word, "Be ye clean." Therefore it is written, "Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you." John 15:3. 

Are you? Will you from this moment be a creationist? Or will you go on being an evolutionist?

See what a blessed thing this is. When you read the word, receive the word, and think upon the word, what is it to you all the time? O, it is creation! 

The creative energy is in you producing the things which the word speaks,  and you are living in the very presence of the power of creation. 

Creation is going on in your life. God is creating in you righteousness, holiness, truth, faithfulness--every good and gracious thing.

And when this is so, your Sabbath-keeping will amount to something, because the Sabbath is a memorial of creation--the sign that He who observes it knows the Creator and is acquainted with the process of creation.

To be continued…

Excerpt- A.T. Jones February 21, 1899