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As we know from the Scriptures and other inspired materials, the message that our Father has sent to humanity may be identified as three connected concepts. These three concepts have been expressed by His Church in many different ways down through the years. We have seen it as a “path to holiness,” which the Scriptures reveal as justification, sanctification, and glorification. We have called it the “stages of conversion,” these being repentance, faith, and baptism. We have called it the “everlasting Gospel,” which is delivered by Three Angels’ Messages recorded in Revelation 14. We have called it the “Keys to the Kingdom,” which summarizes those three messages as victory over sin, purity of faith and doctrine, and unity of the Body of Christ.
These are all different ways of saying the same thing. Yah has us recognizing our sinfulness and resolutely turning from it. That is the first step that each of these expressions requires. Next, we receive the gifts of the Spirit, and therefore reveal the Fruit of the Spirit, resulting in a sanctifying, purifying faith that guides our thoughts, and words, and actions. Finally, we have a natural coming-together of those who share the same Holy Spirit of Yahweh, first on earth through baptism, fellowship, and a united resistance to the Beast, and then a meeting together with the Messiah in the air upon His return. When we are united on earth, we are glorified in spirit, which results in the glorification of the flesh when faith meets sight.
Any message that is not this is not the message of Salvation that Yahweh has given through His servants. Any church that does not focus primarily, fully, on this, is not the true Bride. Any ministry – based on any claimed inspiration or diligent theological research – that does not result in these three principles being held before the people, is not the light of the Savior. Popularity, sentiment, the number of baptisms per year, none of these commend a Church as the Remnant. There are not many Churches; there is only One, and it is united, according to both the prophecies of the Bible, and the principles of holiness.
No human disagreements, no convictions of conscience, no emotional or doctrinal disharmony, are allowed to stand in the way of a congregation. We use that word, “congregation.” We should know what it means. It is from Latin, and many of us already know that the prefix “con” means “with,” or “together.” What many of us may not know is that the word gregis means “a flock.” It means, in practice, exactly the same thing as the word synagogue, but for believers in the New Testament the imagery of a flock of sheep is very meaningful, very impactful. A congregation is a flock that is together, led by a single Shepherd, heading in the same direction, and having a single home, or place of rest.
There are some who believe that there are many Churches, or perhaps, many fragmented parts of an invisible, worldwide Church. And certainly, for a time this was true. When we speak of the importance of baptism into a Church, and not just “into Jesus,” some who are comfortable in their present fellowship, or perhaps as solo worshippers, protest, saying, “But there are true believers in every Church, every religion.”
We don’t dispute that; in fact, we hope that to be the case so that like the original Elijah in the Old Testament, the Eli-Yah people of the last generation are also underestimating the number of faithful souls waiting to be called out of their spiritual exile. The problem, as is often the case, is the word “but.” Those who resist the call to unity will say “but” there are believers in many Churches. Both things are true; therefore, we should be saying “and,” not “but.”
By that I mean, “God is calling His people into a single, unique flock, AND there are true believers in every Church, in every religion.”
You see how this changes things. It gives us a task to accomplish, a work to do. We have brethren to seek, and to bring home. “But” allows people to be content in their division, to accept that “this is how it is supposed to be.” However, if Yah’s desire is for His people to be One, even as He and His Son are one… in fact, let’s establish that desire right here.
We read of Yahshua speaking to the Father, saying, “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on Me through their word; that they all may be one, as thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me.” (John 17:20, 21)
We’ve seen that passage before, and we know that this is the prayer, the very prayer, of the Savior, that His followers, down through the ages, in every generation, should be perfectly united in One, not some believing this thing, and others believing that. And no, we may not have theological agreement on every point of doctrine; the apostles did not. We may not have the same judgment about individual preferences, or even who is or is not a good example; the apostles did not, as we saw a couple weeks ago when looking at the dispute between Paul and Barnabas over Mark. That is not the basis of Christian unity. The question that the various Churches and independent ministries and solitary theologians ought to ask themselves is, is my desire that of Christ? Is His prayer also my Prayer? Am I earnestly seeking to come into unity with all who keep the commandments of God, and live by the faith of Jesus? This is the basis.
One of the barriers to perfection, to standing among the 144,000, is the tendency of the human mind to “settle.” It is actually a sign of the carnal man, a sign that self is not dead, when an individual believes he has done “enough” or maybe even “too much” in claiming the character of Christ.
I am not speaking of works here, or efforts of the flesh. It is a searching of the mind and character, an earnest desire to be just like the Father and Son, so that we may represent Them to the world and be an example worth emulating.
King David expresses this eagerness for sanctification, saying, “Search me, O Elohim, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts, and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23, 24) It’s interesting that these two verses come right after the one that speaks of “a perfect hatred,” which we’ve also examined not too long ago. These two ideas are very tightly connected. A perfect hatred of sin means a perfect desire for holiness. It is not about rushing faster than the angel will lead us. It is not about striving with human understanding to search out flaws. That results in legalism and, when disappointed, hypocrisy. We are talking about a willingness to see when flaws are revealed, and a burning need to be cleansed of them when an imperfection is allowed to be unearthed.
We have the “mind of Christ,” which expresses the mind of the Father, when it comes to sin. And we read of His mercy and justice, how they are balanced together, in places such as this: “And Yahweh passed by before [Moses], and proclaimed, ‘Yahweh, Yahweh Elohim, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.” (Exo 34:6, 7)
This balance is one that many misunderstand. It is written that He forgives sin, because He is merciful, but He does not excuse sin, because He is just. He will “by no means clear the guilty,” because His very nature will not allow Him to permit sin to continue to exist in a universe designed for the joy and pleasure of all of His creation. It is a loving act that requires Him to be unyielding, and those who understand the difference between genuine love and sentimentality get it… they can grasp how He feels, because we are created in His image, and designed to think, and reason, in ways similar to His own.
There is a reason why victory over sin comes first in the experience of conversion. In the Christianity of the world, victory comes last, if at all, but this is a perversion of the Gospel. There must be life before there is any growth, and those who have not forsaken every known sin are dead, spiritually speaking. They cannot be sanctified before they are made just, but they are taught that over time, eventually, through some evolutionary works-based process, they will fall into line regarding the Law some time just before probation closes, or maybe only when Christ returns and they get holy flesh, glorified bodies.
This is not the teaching of the Scriptures, nor of Adventism, which is the last-day expression of the Scriptures. When Yahshua said to Nicodemus, “You must be born again,” he was speaking to a man who was an “expert” in the Bible, inasmuch as one can be without having a converted heart. And yet, Nicodemus didn’t understand. He had learned the Word of God, and probably memorized large portions of it, but He didn’t understand it – he couldn’t – because He wasn’t yet born again. Consider that, brethren, when you are tempted to feel shy about sharing your faith, or to feel intimidated by Bible experts and scholars. Understanding the Bible requires a clean heart and a right spirit – that is the only real prerequisite.
Victory over sin is the message of the first Gospel angel. Judgment comes, and we are ready. We have righteousness by faith, because everything else about salvation, every subsequent blessing, depends on that. Sanctification requires life, and freedom, which never takes place in an environment of sin. And as we are told, “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see Yahweh.” (Heb 12:14) That word “holiness” is the same word as “sanctification.” To behold Yahweh with transformed, glorified eyes, one must have sanctification, and to be sanctified one must first have justification. The Three Angels must be accepted in their order, and the presence of sin plays no part in any of these events.
But carnal people settle; they put their hand to the plow, and then pull back. They say, “It is enough,” when a challenge arises that they believe is too great for them. They accept the testimony of their senses, rather than the Testimony of Yahshua. And they comfort themselves with the idea that they have come too far to fail; and that, right there, is a terrible and deadly deception of the Enemy.
The Christian lives in peace, in love, in confidence. This is not the same thing as carelessness or self-satisfaction. CSDAs are accused, at times, of claiming to be “holy” because we say we do not commit known sin; they will cite quotations from Adventist writings, pointing out that as we draw closer to Christ, we feel even more keenly the weight of our transgressions. This is true – all of it. The Creation Seventh-day Adventist, the resident in the congregation, in the Flock That Is Together, does not commit known sins. And yet, in the process of sanctification, a formerly unknown sin may be revealed – it may become known.
This is a blessing. This is the New Moon type of blessing… that Yahweh, in His love and providence, has allowed us to see a dark spot that cannot come with us to Heaven. He has revealed a defect that would have caused our destruction in the Day that we must stand before Him without a Mediator. We rejoice in His love, even as we hate the thing that is revealed; it is a paradox, and we quickly move away from it, because we have drawn near to Christ. We see things more clearly according to His Truth, and therefore our sin, which is now revealed, appears uglier, more dangerous, than it would have at the beginning of our walk with Him. We repent, with sincerity, with sorrow that our defect may have harmed others, or caused a brother or sister to stumble. It was not done deliberately, but that does not prevent the consequences from existing, and thus our love for Yah and our hatred for sin drive the vile thing from us, not for a time, but forever, for all eternity. And then, we rise up and walk, continuing to not commit known sins.
Anything less than this is not true repentance. Anything other than this is not true sanctification, not true growth, but a spiritual evolutionism that is falsely believed to eventually bring about progress over long, slow, cyclical changes.
Yahweh does not permit His people to be deceived by these false versions of His truth. He sends light, He sends messengers, prophets teaching repentance first, and then faith and baptism. That is the proper order, the only one that works to kill sin in the heart, and cleanse the soul of guilt.
Our Father does not let people settle on their previous victories, and say, “It is enough.” No… and it does not matter how much time, effort, and blessings He has invested in an individual, or in a group. He will by no means clear the guilty. He cannot, for love will not allow Him to unbind any sin in His new creation. Sin in just one creature, Hel’el ben Shahar, (Isa 14:12) Lucifer, plunged the universe into thousands of years of war, suffering, and death. Sin permitted in one creature is too much sin, and the heart of love knows it. When an individual, or when a Church, is rebuked for its transgression and refuses to repent, then with great sorrow, our Father will forsake His investment, and will draw His faithful remnant into a flock that will follow its Shepherd.
It is not an easy thing, even for our eternal and infinitely powerful Creator. We read of this final letting-go in the Scriptures, “Ephraim is joined to idols; let him alone.” (Hos 4:17) Later on we see the heart of Yahweh, wounded by having to execute this judgment. He says, “My people are bent to backsliding from Me; though they called them to the most High, none at all would exalt Him. How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? How shall I deliver thee, Israel? How shall I make thee as Admah? How shall I set thee as Zeboim? Mine heart is turned within Me, My repentings are kindled together. I will not execute the fierceness of Mine anger, I will not return to destroy Ephraim, for I am Elohim, and not man; the Holy One in the midst of thee, and I will not enter into the city.” (Hos 11:7-9)
I cannot read that passage without tears in my eyes, no matter how many times I see it. I want you to understand what is happening here. Yahweh is surrendering Ephraim, representing all of Israel, to the consequences of its sin. And even as He does it, He says, “How can I do this? Am I really doing this? I am Elohim – the Holy One, the Mighty One – I am the Almighty God; I can do whatever I want… how can I not have the power to save My own beloved People, to whom I have shown mercy, and kindness, and love? What can I do to turn them away from their sin? How can I spare them from the fate of Admah and Zeboim, the cities destroyed with Sodom and Gomorrah?”
But just as love will not permit our Father to excuse sin, it also will not permit Him to force the conscience of His intelligent creatures. If they choose death, if they choose darkness, He will not change their minds or their spirits contrary to their will. That would make of men slaves, forced to worship before the Throne regardless of our choices. That is even less tolerable to our Father than even the destruction of His children.
We read the tragic end, “Ephraim provoked Him to anger most bitterly; therefore shall He leave his blood upon him, and his reproach shall his Lord return unto him.” (Hos 12:14)
The God of Heaven has been painted by Satan as a narcissistic, selfish being, demanding the love and adoration of the universe. The reality is exactly the opposite. Yahweh would rather send His only begotten Son to suffer, and die for us, to give us a ray of grace in which we may repent and be saved, rather than forcing the conscience of anyone. This is why the Mark of The Beast is the last enemy of the Church. This is why the SDA Trademark Law, this result of the union of Church and state, is Satan’s crowning achievement in our generation… why attempts to control religious observances through violence or the power of human legislation are so hateful to Him: because they are a complete and total rejection of His character.
It is a deeper matter than most have yet understood, but Yahshua would rather die than force the conscience. The Father would rather destroy humanity, forsaking the investment of His creation, than force us to be His slaves, even if we thought we were free. It must be true freedom, or nothing at all, for we are an all-or-nothing people. It must be liberty, as true patriots have said, or death. Any Church that does not understand this is not one Spirit with the Father and Son; it is a mockery, a tool of the Enemy, no matter how sacred its appearance may be to human eyes.
Adam and Eve were the pinnacle of the physical creation, the very image of Yahweh in material form. And yet, when they transgressed, He cast them from the Garden. He did not do so spitefully, or in anger, but with great sorrow. And even then, despite what it cost Him, He provided us a way to be restored.
Israel was Yahweh’s chosen nation, His people, the “Apple of His Eye,” (Zech 2:8) and the pride of His work among mankind. He gave them leaders like Moses, a tabernacle in which His glory would dwell, and His Law to guide them into paradise. And yet, when they would not turn their steps away from idolatry and perversion, He forsook the investment He laid upon His people, and they were taken to captivity and destruction. And even then, despite what it cost Him, He provided them a way to be restored, a way for Israel to be saved.
Through His Son, both Jews and Gentiles are permitted to enter into His covenant, to stand before His light without being consumed. And the Way, the Plan of Salvation, is bound up in those Three Angels’ Messages: Victory, Purity, and Unity, those three principles: Repentance, Faith, and Baptism into the unique and gathered-together Flock, the Body of Christ.
Seventh Day Adventists have said to us, “We understand that the union of Church and state is wrong. We understand that this Trademark Law you guys are talking about came about that way, but you are blowing it out of proportion. It can’t be the Mark of the Beast; it’s not at all what we are expecting… it’s not the way that we anticipate the prophecies of the last days will be fulfilled.” You see, they are depending on the investment. They are saying, “God did all this work, bringing about the Great Awakening, then the Great Disappointment, then all the visions of Ellen White to get us here… how can all of that be subject to our disobedience? How can all of that be conditional?”
They do not see… because they refused to repent of their corporate sin, that Yahweh has forsaken that investment, and He has raised up a people, a small people, unknown to the world for the most part, to faithfully conclude His work of redemption. The prophecies are all being fulfilled, but like the Pharisees who awaited the Messiah-King, they do not understand the means by which they are coming to pass.
And of course, people do this as individuals all the time. They say, “I gave my life to Jesus, and I have been a Christian for 30 years… what’s one sin every now and again in a life so dedicated to the Gospel? Surely, God will reward me for my service, even though I’m not where I know I should be…”
We hear this all the time, don’t we, from professional preachers, and pastors, and priests? They are relying on Yahweh’s previous investment, saying, “It may happen to others, but it will not happen to me. It may happen that way with other Churches, but surely not ours! We are the Commandment-keeping Remnant Church!”
The Scripture says to those who think this way, whether of themselves as individuals, or as a group of once-faithful Christians, “A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil, but the fool rageth, and is confident.” (Pro 14:16) This might remind you of the Parable of the Ten Virgins. (Mat 25:1-13) Five were foolish, not having the light they believed they did, and five were wise, prepared and listening for the voice of the Bridegroom.
“He that trusteth in his own heart [judgment, understanding] is a fool; but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.” (Pro 28:26)
And one from the New Testament, regarding the dependence on previous riches, whether material or spiritual: “And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.’ But Yahweh said unto him, ‘Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee; then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?’” (Luke 12:19, 20)
I invite you to spot the common theme among these verses; the People of Yahweh are not fools.
This is the experience to which we are called, one of wisdom and glory, of salvation from sin. This is what it is like to be a Creation Seventh-day Adventist, to be a saint of the Most High.
We are not going to stand in the judgment because of previous victories, or blessings once received. We cannot “store up” grace, like treasure. These are things Yahweh has given us, invested in us, to bring about the perfection of His Son’s character in a generation of saints. But the fact that we as a people, or we as individuals, have been blessed in the past, actually gives us more responsibility, greater power to overcome sin, and those whose experiences do not correspond to their blessings, those whose victories do not reflect the great mercy we have been shown… they will be weighed in the balances of Heaven, and found wanting.
It is not of works, lest any man should boast. Those who come to the Savior and place all their trust in Him – and remember, “faith” means trusting that someone speaks the truth, and will do what they promise – they will discover that they have been given righteousness by that faith as a great gift. They will experience victory over all sin, and every remaining shadow of self, through our Father’s own Power, not their own Cainite efforts. We permit, and He performs. We walk in the Spirit, and do not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.
We are a Flock, a congregation, because the Spirit of Yahweh is a uniting Spirit. The Third Angel is leading a people, who walk with Him unitedly. And so we find true Sabbath. So we follow the Shepherd to His place of rest. This is what we offer to the world, to those who are lost, and sick, and lonely. The fate of Ephraim is not to be theirs. Yahweh will never despair over them, saying, “How can I give you up? How can I let you go?”
Instead, He will wipe the tears from our eyes, even as He sees the travail of His own soul, (Isa 53:11) and we will be satisfied in one another, He in us, and us in Him, for we are made perfect in One. Praise Yahweh for His mercy, for His infinite sacrifice, so that we may behold Him in His glory, truly free, and worship Him in love.
David.