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A Life-Changing
Experience
by Mrs. E. G. White
Christ has said, "Without me ye can
do nothing." The resolutions you may make in your own finite strength will be
only as ropes of sand. But if you pray in sincerity, surrendering yourself,
soul, body, and spirit, unto God, you put on the whole armor of God and open
the soul to the righteousness of Christ; and this alone--Christ's imputed
righteousness--makes you able to stand against the wiles of the devil. The work
of every soul is to resist the enemy in the power and might of the Lord Jesus
Christ, and the promise is that the devil shall flee from us. But let all
realize that they are in peril, and there is no assurance of safety except as
they comply with the conditions of the text. The Lord says, "Draw nigh to God."
How? By secret, earnest examination of your own heart; by childlike,
heart-felt, humble dependence upon God, making known your weakness to Jesus;
and by confessing your sins. Thus you may draw nigh to God, and He will draw
nigh to you. . . .
A mere profession of godliness is
worthless. It is he that abideth in Christ that is a Christian. For "every man
that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure." In every
clime, in every nation, our youth should cooperate with God. The only way a
person can be pure is to become like-minded with God. How can we know God? By
studying His Word. "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the
only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent." . . .
When you truly repent of sin, you
will not be satisfied to acknowledge simply that you are sinful, and let the
matter rest there. Do you intend to remain sinful while life shall last? Do you
mean to violate your conscience? Do you mean to do evil always? What does the
Lord say to those who have had light, and yet have failed to live in accordance
with it? "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it
is sin." "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you
up." There is a repentance of sin that needeth not to be repented of. "And
every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure."
Does this text mean that the human
agent can remove one stain of sin from his soul? No. Then what does it mean to
purify himself? It means to look upon the Lord's great moral standard of
righteousness, the holy law of God, and see that he is a sinner in the light of
that law. "Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the
transgression of the law. And ye know that he was manifested to take away our
sin; and in him is no sin." It is through faith in Jesus Christ that the truth
is accepted in the heart and the human agent is purified and cleansed. Jesus
was "wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the
chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed."
Is it possible to be healed, while
knowingly committing sin? No; it is genuine faith that says, I know that I have
committed sin, but that Jesus has pardoned my sin; and hereafter I will resist
temptation in and through His might. "Every man that hath this hope in him
[abiding in him] purifieth himself, even as he is pure." He has an abiding
principle in the soul that enables him to overcome temptation. "Whosoever
abideth in him sinneth not." God has power to keep the soul who is in Christ,
when that soul is under temptation. "Whosoever sinneth hath not seen him,
neither known him." That is, every one who is a true believer is sanctified
through the truth, in life and character. "Little children, let no man deceive
you: he that doeth [not professeth to do] righteousness is righteous, even as
he is righteous." "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; . . . because
he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children
of the devil." Now mark where the distinction is made: "Whosoever doeth not
righteousness is not of God, neither is he that loveth not his brother." "My
little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in
truth."
Unless the mind of God becomes the
mind of men, every effort of man to purify himself will be useless; for it is
impossible to elevate man except through a knowledge of God. The outward gloss
may be put on, and men may be as were the Pharisees whom Jesus describes as
"whited sepulchers," full of corruption and dead men's bones. But all the
deformity of soul is open to Him who judgeth righteously, and unless the truth
is planted in the heart, it cannot control the life. Cleansing the outside of
the cup will never make the vessel pure within. A nominal acceptance of truth
is good as far as it goes, and the ability to give a reason for our faith is a
good accomplishment; but if the truth does not go deeper than this, the soul
will never be saved. The heart must be purified from all moral defilement. "I
know also, my God, that thou triest the heart, and hast pleasure in
uprightness."
"Search me, O God, 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." We can see how necessary it is that there
should be a union of the human and the divine. All the heart is to be enlisted
in the conflict. The law of God is to be written in the heart, or the soul will
never obey the truth; for the truth of God may be no truth to one who may even
claim to believe it. Persons may profess to love the Saviour and yet make it
manifest that love does not actuate them in His service. Why is it that the
love of Christ does not wield a constraining power over the life? It is because
it has never been brought into the sanctuary of the soul; it has never been
made the principle of action. "With the heart, man believeth unto
righteousness; and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation."
Unless the truth is stamped upon the
soul, it will not be obeyed in the life. Unless every word of profession is
heart-felt, it will be but empty sound. Through neglecting to practise the
truth, it loses its power over the mind and conscience; and through love of
sin, the Word loses its light, and certain ruin follows. He who does not
practise the truth he knows, loses the love and Spirit of God. There are many
of our young men and women who will not, cannot, be witnesses for Christ unless
they have altogether a different view of what it means to be children of
God--heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. May the Lord work upon the
hearts of our youth.
Coming out to Jesus means coming out
of the world and being separate from the world. It means coming out fully on
the Lord's side, realizing that though you are in the world, you are not of it,
but are a living representative of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul says, "But I
fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so
your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ." He
beseeches the brethren, as dear children, to "walk worthy of the vocation
wherewith ye are called," "being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in
the knowledge of God." He admonishes them to walk in Christ Jesus even as they
received Him, that they may be rooted, and grounded, and built up in Him, and
established in the faith.
Originally written to a young man in
spiritual crisis, this message was published in The Youth's Instructor,
February 8, 15, and March 1, 1894.
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|  God's
Word Our Assurance
Christ
Our Righteousness A Morning Talk
Through
Faith Alone Part 1
Through
Faith Alone Part 2
What
Was Secured by the Death of Christ
Seek
Those Things Which are Above Part 1
Seek
Those Things Which are Above Part 2
Christ,
Our Loving Comforter and Restorer
Work
to Show Christ to the World
"Let
Him Take Hold of My Strength"
Ellen
G. White's Last Recorded Letter
The
Joy of Giving
A
New Year's Day Letter
Christ
Our Hope
A
Letter of Comfort and Assurance
Prevailing
Prayer
A
Prayer of Consecration
Help
for the Tempted
God
Will Provide
Christ's
Righteousness Avails
Trusting
Christ
The
Fair Flowers of Promise
How
God’s Love is Manifested, Part 1
How
God’s Love is Manifested, Part 2
"Ye
are Complete in Him," Part 1
"Ye
are Complete in Him," Part 2
"Ye
are Complete in Him," Part 3
"I
Will Give You Rest"
Working
as Christ Worked
A
Life-Changing Experience
The
Character of God Revealed in Christ
What
God Desires Us to Be
God's
Plans the Best
A
Peculiar People
God
With Us
Ask
and it shall be given you, Part 1
Ask
and it shall be given you, Part 2
The
Meaning of God's Pardoning Love, Part 1
The
Meaning of God's Pardoning Love, Part 2
The
Foundation of Our Peace
One
Thing Impossible With God
Windows
Wide Open
The
Only Foundation
Christ
Spans the Gulf of Sin, Part 1
Christ
Spans the Gulf of Sin, Part 2
Homeward
Bound
A
New Year's Day Letter
Asking
to Give
The
Mighty and Inspiring Conflict
God's
Word a Treasure House
True
Success
Little
Things
You May Trust
Him
Hearts
Filled with Thankfullnes to God
Calamities
and God’s Love; Sin, Judgment, and the Shortness of Time
Lord
is Risen
The
Sabbath
Some Thoughts
for the New Year
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