Focus on Jesus PERFECT OBEDIENCE POSSIBLE
Bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. 2 Cor. 10:5.
There ought to be a solution somewhere to the dilemma concerning obedience, and victory, and perfection, and the other questions being discussed in the church today. Even the theologians don't agree on Paul. Theologians and church historians don't agree on Luther. Greek scholars disagree on the Greek. And the people who use the Spirit of Prophecy statements at random, one here and one there, come up with opposite conclusions. But since "no other light ever has shone or ever will shine so clearly upon fallen man as that which emanated from the teaching and example of Jesus" (The Desire of Ages, p. 220), let us turn to the teachings of Jesus to find out whether He had anything to say about these issues. If you study carefully the four Gospels, along with the inspired commentary of the life of Christ, in context, you will find simple answers to some of the current questions. Here are a few excerpts taken from Scripture and the inspired commentary on the point of victory and overcoming:
Not even by a thought did Jesus yield to temptation--so it may be with us. Jesus had no advantage over us in overcoming. There are no commandments which
cannot be obeyed by all. We can obey as Jesus did. Jesus' mission was to bring us back to obedience. The law can be perfectly obeyed by every child of Adam,
through grace. You must be perfect. Perfect righteousness we can attain; God will accomplish this for us. Jesus' life in you will produce the same as in Him.
Satan is the one who tells us we cannot remedy our defects. Those who have no relationship with Christ do not believe in power to overcome. The object of the
Christian life is the reproduction of Christ's character. The character of Christ is to be perfectly reproduced in His people.
There are far too many of these statements to be ignored. You cannot dodge these premises and still face the truth that has long been truth in our church. While it is true that Jesus was God, and divine as well as human; and that we are only human, we can still do as Jesus did through His power. We will never be as Jesus was. But this has nothing to do with the fact that power is available, through the Holy Spirit, to live as He lived.
Bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. 2 Cor. 10:5.
There ought to be a solution somewhere to the dilemma concerning obedience, and victory, and perfection, and the other questions being discussed in the church today. Even the theologians don't agree on Paul. Theologians and church historians don't agree on Luther. Greek scholars disagree on the Greek. And the people who use the Spirit of Prophecy statements at random, one here and one there, come up with opposite conclusions. But since "no other light ever has shone or ever will shine so clearly upon fallen man as that which emanated from the teaching and example of Jesus" (The Desire of Ages, p. 220), let us turn to the teachings of Jesus to find out whether He had anything to say about these issues. If you study carefully the four Gospels, along with the inspired commentary of the life of Christ, in context, you will find simple answers to some of the current questions. Here are a few excerpts taken from Scripture and the inspired commentary on the point of victory and overcoming:
Not even by a thought did Jesus yield to temptation--so it may be with us. Jesus had no advantage over us in overcoming. There are no commandments which
cannot be obeyed by all. We can obey as Jesus did. Jesus' mission was to bring us back to obedience. The law can be perfectly obeyed by every child of Adam,
through grace. You must be perfect. Perfect righteousness we can attain; God will accomplish this for us. Jesus' life in you will produce the same as in Him.
Satan is the one who tells us we cannot remedy our defects. Those who have no relationship with Christ do not believe in power to overcome. The object of the
Christian life is the reproduction of Christ's character. The character of Christ is to be perfectly reproduced in His people.
There are far too many of these statements to be ignored. You cannot dodge these premises and still face the truth that has long been truth in our church. While it is true that Jesus was God, and divine as well as human; and that we are only human, we can still do as Jesus did through His power. We will never be as Jesus was. But this has nothing to do with the fact that power is available, through the Holy Spirit, to live as He lived.
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