The Signs of the Times
November 26, 1894
Variance Between Believers and Unbelievers
Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. He says, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” Christ is drawing all unto himself, but all do not respond to his drawing. If all men would respond to his drawing, there would be no variance, no discordant note in the household. If all would respond to his drawing, he would never have said: “Think not that I am come to send peace on the earth; I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.” Some respond to the drawing of Christ. The truth convicts them, and they repent, become converted, and are made the children of God. They reverence and love Jesus Christ, and surrender themselves in obedience to his will. In Christ they find the highest realization of their hopes. In him the troubled soul finds rest and peace. He stands before the repenting, pardoned soul as the complete Pattern, and they seek to be like him, acknowledging to all that they have given their hearts to him. ST November 26, 1894, par. 1
But while one member of the family gives his heart to God, the others do not. They are still under the control of the Saviour's worst enemy, and they feel annoyed and angry that there has come to be a division in their household. He who has accepted of Christ is no less dutiful than before; on the contrary, he is more kind, more faithful, more affectionate, because his nature is being purified and sanctified and ennobled by the truth. But the Master of the Christian and the master of the unbelievers are in deadly conflict. Those who love not God are at enmity with those who do love God, and they are stirred up with bitter opposition by the spirit of Satan, who keeps them from responding to the drawing of Christ. Satan deceives the soul with false pretensions. He perverts the judgment, and misleads the mind, so that the very best motives of those who believe in God are misinterpreted by unbelievers, and the disloyal are led to think that they are badly used and treated unkindly by those who have placed their trust in God. Christ is the believer's hope and consolation, the one about whom he weaves the best affections. The Christian confesses Christ in word and deed, in spirit and actions, and the enmity that is created in the unbelieving heart against the children of God is not against men simply, but against Christ. ST November 26, 1894, par. 2
Christ longs to give those who do not understand him, correct views of his character, to set them right, to take away their burden of sin and resistance, and give them rest. The divine Comforter is full of pity, sympathy, and love, and seeks to woo them to God. He seeks to direct their attention to Christ as he really is, full of mercy, compassion, and pardoning love, willing to forgive their transgression and sin, when they repent and seek him for forgiveness. But Satan interposes his hellish shadow between Christ and the soul. The sinner sees not Jesus, but fastens his gaze upon the cloud of darkness, and desires not the Lord of life and glory. He does not realize that Jesus alone can give him peace and rest, and quiet the tempest that Satan has created in the human soul, and so he does not come unto him. Under the dark cloud of impenitence, sinners are in a state of insanity. They will not listen to reason, and Jesus, their best Friend, is accounted as an enemy, and those who believe in him are also placed in the same light. Such is the power of the deceiver, who whispers his suggestions in the ear of the unbeliever, that Paul asks, “Who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth?” Truth has everything commendable in it, yet many are making the sad mistake of rejecting the truth, which would bring to them peace, rest, and salvation. The Holy Spirit comes early and often with the message of salvation to the impenitent heart, only to be rejected. ST November 26, 1894, par. 3
The conflict goes on in many homes, and those who serve Jesus are misjudged and persecuted, when their hearts are breaking with longing that their unconverted relatives and friends may be converted to the Jesus whom they see and love. They are pleading earnestly with God that their loved ones may be drawn to him, when the hearts of their relatives are bound as with iron fetters to Satan's car, and they are asking, as did Pharaoh, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice?” They cherish pride, envy, and hatred, and are continually creating contention, because some of their family love Jesus and they do not. Jesus, full of grace and truth, again and again has knocked at the door of their hearts, and has asked for admission there; but they have padlocked the door, and refused to receive him. The happiness of the members of the family who have accepted Jesus amazes and exasperates them, until, like Cain, they would raise their hand to destroy them. “The brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child.” ST November 26, 1894, par. 4
Christ, the Sun of Righteousness, came to shed his bright beams into every home. To those who receive the light of life, it is as a savor of life unto life, but those who reject it, find it a savor of death unto death. Whatever we do, and wherever we may be, we are God's property, and we can never cease to be responsible to him. He has given us faculties, privileges, and opportunities, and he holds us responsible for the use to which we put his intrusted gifts. If we take this responsibility, and meet the requirements of God as we should, we shall be constituted the light of the world, because Christ is formed within, the hope of glory. ST November 26, 1894, par. 5
Jesus says: “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it; and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.” The words that Christ addressed to his disciples were addressed to us as well as to them. We have presented before us the unwearied conflict that we must wage on this earth as long as time shall last. We can place no person before Christ in our affections. If a person who has been convicted by the Spirit of God smothers his convictions, and continues to trample underfoot the commandments of the Lord, and rejects the truth of God simply because he sees it will bring disunion into the family relations, he shows that he loves the peace that is not of Christ, but of the world. He prefers to be in harmony with the world rather than to be in unity with Christ. But to have the peace of Christ it is necessary to place Christ and his service first. Those who yield their convictions of truth to please father or mother, sister, or brother, husband or wife or children, prove themselves unworthy of Christ. They do not estimate his excellency. They view him not as the Son of God, whom the Father gave for the sins of the world, in order that they might not perish, but have everlasting life; and therefore they shun the cross. But there is a cross to be lifted by everyone who by faith accepts a crucified and risen Saviour. ST November 26, 1894, par. 6
He who is truly penitent does not forget his past sins, and grow careless about them as soon as he has obtained forgiveness. On the contrary, the clearer the evidence he has of divine favor, the more he sees to regret in his past life of sin. He loathes, abhors, and condemns himself, and is more and more astonished that he should have continued in rebellion so long. He renews his repentance toward God, while he grasps more decidedly the hand of Jesus Christ, and finds that repentance is a daily, continued exercise, lasting until mortality is swallowed up of life. He who thus repents, appreciates the righteousness of Christ as above silver and gold, above every earthly tie and affection. ST November 26, 1894, par. 7
No soul can take an advance step in the path cast up for the ransomed of the Lord to walk in, without obtaining fresh supplies from the Fountain of grace and truth. Where enmity exists between man and Satan, it is an enmity that has been put there by the Lord Jesus Christ; for fallen men and fallen angels are naturally in harmony. Both stand on the same platform, and are nourished by the same atmosphere. Both are evil through apostasy from God. The enmity that exists in the natural heart is made manifest when a soul leaves the ranks of apostasy and joins the army of the Lord Jesus Christ. When a soul is truly converted to God, it will be made manifest that evil men are in league with evil angels, in a desperate companionship. ST November 26, 1894, par. 8
The announcement that there should be enmity between Satan and the seed of the woman was very unwelcome to the prince of evil; for it was the promise of a Redeemer. Satan thought to induce men, as he had angels, to stand on his side, and join in rebellion against God; and, with men as his allies, he planned to control the earth, and wage war against the King of heaven. ST November 26, 1894, par. 9
Whenever a soul falls in love with Jesus, every other affection is placed in subservience to this pure, refining principle of heavenly love. Pride, passion, and ambition, which have held sway over the natural heart, are surrendered to Jesus Christ. With Paul, the converted soul can say: “But what things were gain to me those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord; for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ.” ST November 26, 1894, par. 10
The world's Redeemer was scorned as a deceiver, hunted down as a malefactor; and shall those who become the servants of Christ expect to be treated any better than was their Lord? If they work the works of Christ, friends and relatives will rise up against them. They will persecute, forsake, and betray them. Let the believer not become discouraged because of the things he must suffer. Let his only anxiety be that hatred be kindled against him for no other reason than that of faithfulness in the discharge of his duty for Christ's sake. The true child of God will say, I know I have to do with God, who trieth the heart, and hath pleasure in uprightness. I will set the Lord ever before me, and follow in the footsteps of Jesus. ST November 26, 1894, par. 11