Testimony for the Church — No. 33

The Character of God Revealed in Christ.

Said the Saviour: “This is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” And God declared by the prophet: “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches; but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am Jehovah, which exercise loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth; for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.” T33 265.1

No man, without divine aid, can attain to this knowledge of God. The apostle says that “the world by wisdom knew not God.” Christ “was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.” Jesus declared to his disciples, “No man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.” In that last prayer for his followers, before entering the shadows of Gethsemane, the Saviour lifted his eyes to heaven, and in pity for the ignorance of fallen men, he said, “O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee; but I have known thee.” “I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world.” T33 265.2

From the beginning it has been Satan's studied plan to cause men to forget God, that he might secure them to himself. Hence he has sought to misrepresent the character of God, to lead men to cherish a false conception of him. The Creator has been presented to their minds as clothed with the attributes of the prince of evil himself,—as arbitrary, severe, and unforgiving,—that he might be feared, shunned, and even hated by men. Satan hoped to so confuse the minds of those whom he had deceived that they would put God out of their knowledge. Then he would obliterate the divine image in man, and impress his own likeness upon the soul; he would imbue men with his own spirit, and make them captives according to his will. T33 266.1

It was by falsifying the character of God and exciting distrust of him, that Satan tempted Eve to transgress. By sin the minds of our first parents were darkened, their natures were degraded, and their conceptions of God were molded by their own narrowness and selfishness. And as men became bolder in sin, the knowledge and the love of God faded from their minds and hearts. “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God,” they “became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.” T33 266.2

At times, Satan's contest for the control of the human family appeared to be crowned with success. During the ages preceding the first advent of Christ, the world seemed almost wholly under the sway of the prince of darkness; and he ruled with a terrible power, as though through the sin of our first parents, the kingdoms of the world had become his by right. Even the covenant people, whom God had chosen to preserve in the world the knowledge of himself, had so far departed from him that they had lost all true conception of his character. T33 266.3

Christ came to reveal God to the world as a God of love, full of mercy, tenderness, and compassion. The thick darkness with which Satan had endeavored to enshroud the throne of Deity was swept away by the world's Redeemer, and the Father was again manifest to men as the light of life. T33 266.4

When Philip came to Jesus with the request, “Show us the Father, and it sufficeth us,” the Saviour answered him, “Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?” Christ declares himself to be sent into the world as a representative of the Father. In his nobility of character, in his mercy and tender pity, in his love and goodness, he stands before us as the embodiment of divine perfection, the image of the invisible God. T33 267.1

Says the apostle, “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself.” Only as we contemplate the great plan of redemption can we have a just appreciation of the character of God. The work of creation was a manifestation of his love; but the gift of God to save the guilty and ruined race, alone reveals the infinite depths of divine tenderness and compassion. “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” While the law of God is maintained, and its justice vindicated, the sinner can be pardoned. The dearest gift that Heaven itself had to bestow has been poured out, that God “might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.” By that gift, men are uplifted from the ruin and degradation of sin, to become children of God. Says Paul, “Ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.” T33 267.2

Brethren, with the beloved John I call upon you to “behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.” What love, what matchless love, that, sinners and aliens as we are, we may be brought back to God, and adopted into his family! We may address him by the endearing name, “Our Father,” which is a sign of our affection for him, and a pledge of his tender regard and relationship to us. And the Son of God, beholding the heirs of grace, “is not ashamed to call them brethren.” They have even a more sacred relationship to God than have the angels who have never fallen. T33 267.3

All the paternal love which has come down from generation to generation through the channel of human hearts, all the springs of tenderness which have opened in the souls of men, are but as a tiny rill to the boundless ocean, when compared with the infinite, exhaustless love of God. Tongue cannot utter it; pen cannot portray it. You may meditate upon it every day of your life; you may search the Scriptures diligently in order to understand it; you may summon every power and capability that God has given you, in the endeavor to comprehend the love and compassion of the heavenly Father; and yet there is an infinity beyond. You may study that love for ages; yet you can never fully comprehend the length and the breadth, the depth and the height, of the love of God in giving his Son to die for the world. Eternity itself can never fully reveal it. Yet as we study the Bible, and meditate upon the life of Christ and the plan of redemption, these great themes will open to our understanding more and more. And it will be ours to realize the blessing which Paul desired for the Ephesian church, when he prayed “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him; the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe.” T33 268.1

It is Satan's constant study to keep the minds of men occupied with those things which will prevent them from obtaining the knowledge of God. He seeks to keep them dwelling upon what will darken the understanding and discourage the soul. We are in a world of sin and corruption, surrounded by influences that tend to allure or dishearten the followers of Christ. The Saviour said, “Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” Many fix their eyes upon the terrible wickedness existing around them, the apostasy and weakness on every side, and they talk of these things until their hearts are filled with sadness and doubt. They keep uppermost before the mind the masterly working of the arch-deceiver, and dwell upon the discouraging features of their experience, while they seem to lose sight of the heavenly Father's power and his matchless love. All this is as Satan would have it. It is a mistake to think of the enemy of righteousness as clothed with so great power, when we dwell so little upon the love of God and his might. We must talk of the mightiness of Christ. We are utterly powerless to rescue ourselves from the grasp of Satan; but God has appointed a way of escape. The Son of the Highest has strength to fight the battle for us; and through “Him that loved us,” we may come off “more than conquerors.” T33 268.2

There is no spiritual strength for us in constantly brooding over our weakness and backslidings, and bemoaning the power of Satan. This great truth must be established as a living principle in our minds and hearts,—the efficacy of the offering made for us; that God can and does save to the uttermost all who come unto him complying with the conditions specified in his word. Our work is to place our will on the side of God's will. Then, through the blood of the atonement, we become partakers of the divine nature; through Christ we are children of God, and we have the assurance that God loves us even as he loved his Son. We are one with Jesus. We walk where Christ leads the way; he has power to dispel the dark shadows which Satan casts across our path; and in place of darkness and discouragement, the sunlight of his glory shines into our hearts. T33 269.1

Our hope is to be constantly strengthened by the knowledge that Christ is our righteousness. Let our faith rest upon this foundation; for it will stand fast forever. Instead of dwelling upon the darkness of Satan, and fearing his power, we should open our hearts to receive light from Christ, and to let it shine forth to the world, declaring that he is above all the power of Satan; that his sustaining arm will support all who trust in him. T33 270.1

Said Jesus, “The Father himself loveth you.” If our faith is fixed upon God, through Christ, it will prove “as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the vail, whither the Forerunner is for us entered.” It is true that disappointments will come; tribulation we must expect; but we are to commit everything, great and small, to God. He does not become perplexed by the multiplicity of our grievances, nor overpowered by the weight of our burdens. His watchcare extends to every household, and encircles every individual; he is concerned in all our business and our sorrows. He marks every tear; he is touched with the feeling of our infirmities. All the afflictions and trials that befall us here are permitted, to work out his purposes of love toward us,—“that we might be partakers of his holiness,” and thus become participants in that fullness of joy which is found in his presence. T33 270.2

“The god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” But the Bible in strongest terms sets before us the importance of obtaining a knowledge of God. Says Peter, “Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord.” “His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue.” And the Scripture bids us, “Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace.” T33 270.3

God has commanded us, “Be ye holy; for I am holy;” and an inspired apostle declares that without holiness “no man shall see the Lord.” Holiness is agreement with God. By sin the image of God in man has been marred and well-nigh obliterated; it is the work of the gospel to restore that which has been lost; and we are to co-operate with the divine agency in this work. And how can we come into harmony with God, how shall we receive his likeness, unless we obtain a knowledge of him? It is this knowledge that Christ came into the world to reveal unto us. T33 271.1

The meager views which so many have had of the exalted character and office of Christ have narrowed their religious experience, and have greatly hindered their progress in the divine life. Personal religion among us as a people is at a low ebb. There is much form, much machinery, much tongue religion; but something deeper and more solid must be brought into our religious experience. With all our facilities, our publishing houses, our schools, our sanitariums, and many, many other advantages, we ought to be far in advance of our present position. It is the work of the Christian in this life to represent Christ to the world, in life and character unfolding the blessed Jesus. If God has given us light, it is that we may reveal it to others. But in comparison with the light we have received, and the opportunities and privileges granted us to reach the hearts of the people, the results of our work thus far have been far too small. God designs that the truth which he has brought to our understanding shall produce more fruit than has yet been revealed. But when our minds are filled with gloom and sadness, dwelling upon the darkness and evil around us, how can we represent Christ to the world? How can our testimony have power to win souls? What we need is to know God and the power of his love, as revealed in Christ, by an experimental knowledge. We must search the Scriptures diligently, prayerfully; our understanding must be quickened by the Holy Spirit, and our hearts must be uplifted to God in faith and hope and continual praise. T33 271.2

Through the merits of Christ, through his righteousness, which by faith is imputed unto us, we are to attain to the perfection of Christian character. Our daily and hourly work is set forth in the words of the apostle, “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.” While doing this, our minds become clearer, and our faith stronger, and our hope is confirmed; we are so engrossed with the view of his purity and loveliness, and the sacrifice he has made to bring us into agreement with God, that we have no disposition to speak of doubts and discouragements. T33 272.1

The manifestation of God's love, his mercy and his goodness, and the work of the Holy Spirit upon the heart to enlighten and renew it, place us, through faith, in so close connection with Christ, that, having a clear conception of his character, we are able to discern the masterly deceptions of Satan. Looking unto Jesus, and trusting in his merits, we appropriate the blessings of light, of peace, of joy in the Holy Ghost. And in view of the great things which Christ has done for us, we are ready to exclaim, “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God!” T33 272.2

Brethren and sisters, it is by beholding that we become changed. By dwelling upon the love of God and our Saviour, by contemplating the perfection of the divine character, and claiming the righteousness of Christ as ours by faith, we are to be transformed into the same image. Then let us not gather together all the unpleasant pictures,—the iniquities and corruptions and disappointments, the evidences of Satan's power,—to hang in the halls of our memory, to talk over and mourn over, until our souls are filled with discouragement. A discouraged soul is a body of darkness, not only failing himself to receive the light of God, but shutting it away from others. Satan loves to see the effect of the pictures of his triumphs, making human beings faithless and disheartened. T33 272.3

There are, thank God, brighter and more cheering pictures which the Lord has presented to us. Let us group together the blessed assurances of his love as precious treasures, that we may look upon them continually. The Son of God leaving his Father's throne, clothing his divinity with humanity, that he might rescue man from the power of Satan; his triumph in our behalf, opening heaven to man, revealing to human vision the presence-chamber where Deity unveils his glory; the fallen race uplifted from the pit of ruin into connection had plunged them, and brought again into connection with the infinite God, and, having endured the divine test through faith in our Redeemer, clothed in the righteousness of Christ and exalted to his throne, these are the pictures with which God bids us gladden the chambers of the soul. And “while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen,” we shall prove it true that “our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” T33 273.1

In heaven, God is all in all. There, holiness reigns supreme; there is nothing to mar the perfect harmony with God. If we are indeed journeying thither, the spirit of heaven will dwell in our hearts here. But if we find no pleasure now in the contemplation of heavenly things; if we have no interest in seeking the knowledge of God, no delight in beholding the character of Christ; if holiness has no attractions for us,—then we may be sure that our hope of heaven is vain. Perfect conformity to the will of God is the high aim to be constantly before the Christian. He will love to talk of God, of Jesus, of the home of bliss and purity which Christ has prepared for them that love him. The contemplation of these themes, when the soul feasts upon the blessed assurances of God, the apostle represents as tasting “the powers of the world to come.” T33 273.2

Just before us is the closing struggle of the great controversy, when with “all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness,” Satan is to work to misrepresent the character of God, that he may “seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.” If there was ever a people in need of constantly increasing light from heaven, it is the people that, in this time of peril, God has called to be the depositaries of his holy law, and to vindicate his character before the world. Those to whom has been committed a trust so sacred must be spiritualized, elevated, vitalized, by the truths they profess to believe. Never did the church more somely need, and never was God more solicitous that she should enjoy, the experience described in Paul's letter to the Colossians when he wrote, We “do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God.” T33 273.3

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