| Author | Message | ||
| Cindy |
Hi all... I love the message of Galatians; how much it applies to us as former "Judaizers"; how we have in the past, and may still now, "fall from grace"... not trusting in Christs's all-sufficiency. "IT IS FOR FREEDOM THAT CHRIST HAS SET US FREE. STAND FIRM, THEN, AND DO NOT LET YOURSELVES BE BURDENED AGAIN BY A YOKE OF SLAVERY." Galatians 5:1 I thought you may like to read an excerpt from an old book I found in a used bookstore in April 1992 on a trip through Strasburg, Pennsylvania. Perhaps some of you have the book, "The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life" by Hannah Whitall Smith. It has been reprinted now, I notice, but my copy is one of the old ones and it was the first time I had ever seen the book... What I thought was interesting was that HWS was a contmporary of Ellen White; this book is from the 1880's. Comparing her with EGW makes me think of the requirements for either procuring, or maintaining, salvation that we as SDA's have been brought up with... From the chapter entitled "Bondage or Liberty": "We cannot shut our eyes to the sad condition of bondage in which so many of God's children pass a large part of their Christian lives. The reason of this, and the remedy for it are not difficult to find. The reason is legality and the remedy is Christ..." Discussing how the Galation believers were said to have "fallen from grace", thinking that something else beside Christ was necessary for salvation, she gives these contrasts to bring out the difference of law versus gospel: "The LAW says, this DO and thou shalt live. The GOSPEL says, LIVE and thou shalt do." "The LAW says, PAY me that thou owest. The GOSPEL says, I frankly FORGIVE thee all." "The LAW says, MAKE you a new heart and a new spirit. The GOSPEL says, A new heart will I GIVE you, and a new spirit will I put within you." "The LAW says, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. The GOSPEL says, Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that HE LOVED US and sent His son to be the propitiation for our sins." "The LAW says, CURSED is every one who continueth not in all things written in the book of the law to do them. The GOSPEL says, BLESSED is the man whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered." "The LAW says, The WAGES of sin is death. The GOSPEL says, The GIFT of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." "The LAW DEMANDS holiness. The GOSPEL GIVES holiness." "The LAW says, DO. The GOSPEL says, DONE" "The LAW EXTORTS the unwilling service of a bondman. The GOSPEL WINS the loving service of a son and freeman." "The Law makes blessings the result of OBEDIENCE. The GOSPEL makes obedience the result of BLESSINGS." "The LAW places the day of rest at the end of the week's work.The GOSPEL places it at its beginning." "The LAW says, IF. The GOSPEL says, THEREFORE." "The LAW was given for restraint of the old man. The GOSPEL was given to bring liberty to the new man." "Under the LAW, salvation was wages. Under the GOSPEL, salvation is a GIFT." "Paul tells us that the law "is our schoolmaster," not our saviour; and he empahsizes the fact that it is our schoolmaster only for the purpose of bringing us to Christ, for, after faith in Christ is come, he declares, we are no longer to be under a schoolmaster..." "Legal Christians do not deny Christ; they only seek to add something to Christ. Their idea is Christ and--something besides. Perhaps it is Christ and good works, or Christ and earnest feelings, or Christ and clear doctrines, or Christ and certain religious performances. All these are good in themselves, and good as the results or fruits of salvation; but to add anything to Christ, no matter how good it may be, as the procuring cause of salvation, is to deny His completeness, and to exalt self. Men will undergo many painful self-sacrifices rather than take the place of utter helplessness and worthlessness. A man will gladly be a Saint Simeon Stylites or even a fakir, if only it is self that does it, so that self may share the glory. And a religion of bondage always exalts self. It is what I do,--MY efforts, MY wrestlings, MY faithfulness. But a religion of liberty leaves self nothing to glory in; it is all Christ, and what HE does, and what HE is, and how wonderfully HE saves..." "HE of God is 'made unto us WISDOM, and RIGHTEOUSNESS, and SANCTIFICATION, and REDEMPTION;' and apart from HIM, we have nothing..." "Our liberty must come, therefore, from an understanding of the mind and thoughts of God towards us. What are the facts of the case? If He has called us only to the servants place, then the Christians, whose lives are lives of weary bondage, are right. But if He has called us to be children and heirs, if we are His friends, His brethen, His bride, how sadly and grievously wrong we are in being entangled under any yoke of bondage whatever, no matter how pious a yoke it may seem to be!..." "ABANDON yourseles so utterly to the Lord Jesus Christ, that He may be able to 'work in you all the good pleasure of HIS will,' and may, by the law of the Spirit of Life in Himself, deliver you from every other law that could possible enslave you..." Grace always, Cindy p.s. I think she has some good points... I see the Rest we have in Christ now as a "24/7/365" one, and not a mandated "day of rest;" but the idea for me is of RESTING FIRST, AND ALWAYS, IN CHRIST'S FINISHED WORK. | ||
| Max |
Oops, posted message in wrong thread. Here's the post in the right thread: Well quoted, Cindy, Now contrast that with this from E.G. White: "We are never to rest in a satisfied condition, and cease to make advancement, saying, "I am saved." When this idea is entertained, the MOTIVES for watchfulness, for prayer, for earnest endeavor to press onward to higher attainments, CEASE to exist. No sanctified tongue will be found uttering these words till Christ shall come." --Ellen G. White, Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, June 17, 1890, paragraph 8. Article Title: The Truth as It Is in Jesus Notice what the motives are for good works. They're not to EXPRESS GRATITUDE for having been saved by Christ Jesus, but to EARN A TICKET to heaven. Seventh-day Sadventism! Max of the Cross | ||
| Patti |
Cindy, What a wonderful passage you posted! It was just beautiful. So glad it was written by a woman, also! I had a remarkable experience over the Christmas weekend. I heard one of the most moving sermons I have ever heard in my life. It was presented by a woman, wife of another minister, mother of two. It is good to see God using women (not to exclude men, of course) to spread the Gospel of His perfect, complete and unrepeatable saving act for all who will trust in Him. Thank you for all of your posts. You are a continual blessing to me. Still trusting in His infinite mercy (grace) alone, Patti | ||
| Max |
Yes, it is good to see women acting in response to grace, spreading the gospel, an ongoing action, fruit of the Spirit. | ||
| Allenette |
Hmmm.....what would religion be, without women to soften up the consequences of their offspring? Always wondered about that.... seeing as how God is always portrayed as masculine, as well as Satan too. Nice to see a gentle counterpart in there, eventually :-) Those poor angels, no genitalia whatsoever GGGG | ||
| Max |
Allenette, Always good to have your stimulating comments on line. Is God masculine? On the one hand, one could truthfully say, God is neither masculine nor feminine. On the other hand one could with equal truth say God is both masculine and feminine. Remember that though God is light and in him is no darkness at all, yet he is clothed with ìthick darknessî and his thoughts and ways are higher than ours even as the heavens are higher than the earth. God is a great mystery. We simply cannot put him under our microscopes or telescopes or in our test tubes. So "God is always portrayed as masculine," huh? How about this text? NIV Numbers 23:19ÝîGod is not a man....î Or this one? NIV Isaiah 66:12-13 "For this is what the Lord says: 'I will extend peace to her [people of Jerusalem] like a river, and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream; you will nurse and be carried on her arm and dandled on her knees. As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem." Or this? KJV John 4:24 "God is a spirit, and they who worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." Max of the Cross | ||
| Max |
Allenette, Here are more texts, New Testament ones, that picture God is absolutely and unmistakeably feminine. NIV 1 Corinthians 3:2ÝI gave you [God's] milk. Paul was talking about breastfeeding from God's breasts, not formula from Maternity Hospital or carton milk from Safeway. NIV Hebrews 5:12,13ÝYou need milk, not solid food!ÝAnyone who lives on milk, being still an infant. NIV 1 Peter 2:2ÝLike newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation. Max of the Cross | ||
| Max |
Allenette, More textual images that picture God as unmistakeably Female, Mother and Nurse. NIV Numbers 11:11-12. ^^[Moses] asked the Lord [or Lady], "why have you brought this trouble on your servant? What have I done to displease you that you put the burden of all these people on me? Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth? Why do you tell me to carry them in my arms, as a nurse carries an infant...?^^ The NIV text note for this passage reads: "The implication is that the Lord [or Lady] conceived the people of Israel, that [S]he was their nurse and that their promises were [Hers]." |
