Obedience by Faith HOPE FOR THE WEAKEST
Who through faith...out of weakness were made strong. Heb. 11:33, 34.
One time I was talking to the husband of one of my church members. He was an alcoholic. Looking at me through bleary eyes, he said, "I admire the Seventh-day Adventists. It takes a strong person to be a Seventh-day Adventist." Do you agree with that? Or is it possible for a weak person to be a Seventh-day Adventist, as well?
For too long, religion has catered to the strong-willed people. We have tended to attract that kind of members to the church. At any time that Jesus as our only hope of salvation, and our only power for obedience, is not emphasized as the dominant theme, it is inevitable that we are going to end up with some sort of do-it-yourself system.
When we realize that God wants us to surrender ourselves to Him, to give up on ourselves and on the idea that we can ever produce genuine obedience, we begin to understand what Paul meant when he said, "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me" (Gal. 2:20, R.S.V.). Through the power of an indwelling Christ, the weakest person in the world, as well as the strongest, is assured of victory.
It was the strong-willed people who crucified Jesus when He was here. They were threatened by His acceptance of weak people. They didn't want to hear about surrendering themselves, giving up their will, their power of choice, to God. A group of them attended Matthew's feast one day, and The Desire of Ages, page 280, describes their response to Jesus' teachings. When they discovered that there was no way of weaving themselves into the plan of salvation, they rejected it. There are thousands of people who want a religion that allows them in some way to weave themselves into the picture. They want to earn a part of their way themselves. And when they discover that there's nothing they can do but fall at Jesus' feet in humility and admit that they cannot produce anything of value apart from Him, this becomes too heavy a cross to bear.
It is crucifying to admit that we cannot overcome sin, that we cannot obey, that we cannot produce righteousness, but that Jesus must do all of this for us. But it is only in taking up the cross daily that we follow Him.
Who through faith...out of weakness were made strong. Heb. 11:33, 34.
One time I was talking to the husband of one of my church members. He was an alcoholic. Looking at me through bleary eyes, he said, "I admire the Seventh-day Adventists. It takes a strong person to be a Seventh-day Adventist." Do you agree with that? Or is it possible for a weak person to be a Seventh-day Adventist, as well?
For too long, religion has catered to the strong-willed people. We have tended to attract that kind of members to the church. At any time that Jesus as our only hope of salvation, and our only power for obedience, is not emphasized as the dominant theme, it is inevitable that we are going to end up with some sort of do-it-yourself system.
When we realize that God wants us to surrender ourselves to Him, to give up on ourselves and on the idea that we can ever produce genuine obedience, we begin to understand what Paul meant when he said, "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me" (Gal. 2:20, R.S.V.). Through the power of an indwelling Christ, the weakest person in the world, as well as the strongest, is assured of victory.
It was the strong-willed people who crucified Jesus when He was here. They were threatened by His acceptance of weak people. They didn't want to hear about surrendering themselves, giving up their will, their power of choice, to God. A group of them attended Matthew's feast one day, and The Desire of Ages, page 280, describes their response to Jesus' teachings. When they discovered that there was no way of weaving themselves into the plan of salvation, they rejected it. There are thousands of people who want a religion that allows them in some way to weave themselves into the picture. They want to earn a part of their way themselves. And when they discover that there's nothing they can do but fall at Jesus' feet in humility and admit that they cannot produce anything of value apart from Him, this becomes too heavy a cross to bear.
It is crucifying to admit that we cannot overcome sin, that we cannot obey, that we cannot produce righteousness, but that Jesus must do all of this for us. But it is only in taking up the cross daily that we follow Him.
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