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How Can I
Live Forever?
Chapter 16
The Works Of The Saved
We
have now firmly established the point that love is what commandment-keeping is
all about. This is a love that finds its roots deep down
in our hearts; it is a love that has a yearning, burning
desire to bring glory to God's name, and to bring
happiness, comfort, hope and peace to our fellow man.
`The
Lord is glorified when the great end of His law is
attained . . . [when] men love Him with
heart, mind, soul and strength, and their neighbour as
themselves.' (8T139)
This
is the love that Jesus was crucified for. This is the
love that Satan hates. This is the love that will result
in the fires of persecution being rekindled throughout
the world.
Love,
therefore, is a working, active, self-sacrificing
principle. As such, a study into the works of love would
be most beneficial at this time.
The
great truth in regard to the works of man is that while
the works of the saved will not save them, the saved
will work.
`Jesus
declares, ``I am the way, the truth, and the life.'' If
by any effort of our own we could advance one step
toward the ladder, the words of Christ would not be
true. But when we accept Christ, good works will appear
as fruitful evidence that we are in the way of life,
that Christ is our way, and that we are treading the
true path to heaven.' (1SM 368)
`Good
works can never purchase salvation, but they are an
evidence of the faith that works by love and purifies
the soul.' (DA314)
This
being the case,
the saved will not work in an effort to redeem
themselves from the curse of the law, but rather out of
gratitude to the One who has redeemed them from the curse. This point needs to be oft-repeated, for its
importance cannot be over-emphasized.
`We
do not earn salvation by obedience; for salvation is the
free gift of God, to be received by faith. But obedience
is the fruit of faith.' (SC60/61)
`While
true faith trusts wholly in Christ for salvation, it
will lead to perfect conformity to the law of God
[because] faith is manifested by works.' (6BC1073)
And
this is why James was able to offer the challenge, . . .
`Show
me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my
faith by what I do.' (James 2:18)
Thus
it is that we will never find true faith without
corresponding works of love, for . . .
`The
works show whether the faith is genuine.' (COL312)
In
short, therefore, God will determine the tenor of the faith that
saves by the quality of the works that do not save.
`We
are to be justified by faith, and judged by our works.'
(PH029.20)
`He
will reward each person according to what he has done.'
(Matthew 16:27)
`In
that day Christ does not present before men the great
work He has done for them in giving His life for their
redemption, He presents the faithful work they have done
for Him.' (DA 637)
Our
actions or works, therefore, will be the acid test that
will reveal
whether we have saving faith or not. Hence the solemn warning:
`We
hear a great deal about faith, but we need to hear a
great deal more about works. Many are deceiving their
own souls by living an easygoing, accommodating,
crossless religion.' (1SM382)
From
this we deduce that without works, no one shall be
saved by faith.
`All
your good works cannot save you; but it is nevertheless
impossible for you to be saved without good works.'
(3SM147)
And
this
is why it is so important that we understand the nature
of the works that will characterize the life of the
faithful. Yes, they will be works of love, but just what
are works of love?
The
Nature Of
Loving Obedience
Isaiah
Chapter 58 is God's prescription for a proud, lethargic,
and unfruitful Israel; it is a prescription that opens
with the words . . .
`Shout
it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a
trumpet. Declare to my people their rebellion and to the
house of Jacob their sins.' (Isaiah 58:1)
At
that time, Israel were committing certain sins that were
particularly irksome to God. In Isaiah chapter 58, God
spells out exactly what these sins were. Interestingly,
they were not the common sins of the day, such as theft,
adultery, gluttony and covetousness, but rather, they
were sins of neglect.
In
words that seem to ring of eternal frustration, God
draws a word picture of a people who have a most serious
problem. These are a people who have not discerned the
nature of the works that characterize true faith - they
had not discerned the deep spiritual nature of the law
that they professed to keep.
A
close study of Isaiah Chapter 58 will reveal that to all outward
appearances, these people are very religious. To some
they would appear to be very active, hard working
Christians. These are a people who earnestly seek God -
not just occasionally, but daily. They seem eager to
know the ways of God and they sincerely believe that
their service of Him is good and acceptable. According
to the Lord, they conduct themselves in a manner that
would give the impression that they are `a nation that
does what is right.' One gets the idea that they are
somewhat proud of the fact that they are
"commandment-keepers."
Clearly,
the uninitiated would not question their sincerity, for
they seem to be a people who are `eager for God to come
near them' (v. 2). These people fast often and they
consider themselves to be most humble. Yet they are
deeply concerned that in their opinion God does not give
them credit for what they consider to be their exalted
spiritual condition. "Why have we fasted," they say,
"and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled
ourselves, and you have not noticed?''
(v.3)
One
cannot help but to get the idea that if we spent some
time with Christians such as these, we would be somewhat
impressed. They worship on time, they "keep" the
commandments, they seem to adhere to certain health
principles, and this despite the fact that, according to them,
God appears to take their snobbish piety somewhat for
granted.
Yet
the Lord instructed Isaiah to reveal to these people
that while they were observing all the duties, the rites
and the ceremonies, and while they were faithfully
adhering to all the formalities and tenets of their
religion, they had still to come up to the starting
blocks.
`Is
this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a
man to humble himself? Is it only for bowing one's head
like a reed in order to reveal [thus revealing our superior
piety] and for
lying on sackcloth and ashes? [wallowing in our
self-imposed humility]. Is that what you call a fast, a
day acceptable to the Lord?' (v. 5)
Now
God asks Isaiah to reveal to these people the seat of their
problem, to reveal to them that `the object of the
Christian life is fruit bearing - the reproduction of
Christ's character in the believer,' and that `in the
estimation of heaven, greatness of character consists in
living for the welfare of our fellow men, in doing works
of love and mercy.' (COL67; DA613/4)
The
Lord now spells out exactly what the sins are that He
wants Isaiah to `shout aloud' and to declare unto Israel
- notice that they are not sins of commission, but sins
of omission.
"Is
not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:"
¤ To help those who are suffering under the yokes of
guilt, evil, oppression and ignorance
¤ To share your food with the hungry
¤ To provide the poor wanderer with shelter
¤ To clothe the naked (v.6, 7)
¤ To stop ignoring the needs of those closest to you
¤ To stop pointing fingers at others
¤ To stop speaking evil
of others. (v.9)
According
to the Lord, these are the works that will characterize
the lives of the faithful, these are the works that will
characterize the lives of those who are the truly
obedient - but Israel could not see this.
`They
were very punctilious in the observances of the church,
very rigorous in following their forms, but they were
destitute of vitality and religious devotion.'
(1SM386)
`The
blessings that they had received brought no blessing to
the world. All their advantages were appropriated for
their own glorification.' (8T26)
Yet
the
Lord desperately wanted His children to understand that
love is an active principle - one that yearns to spend
both time and effort in the interests of others. God
wanted them to realise that true obedience, which is
love, is not inward- but outward-looking.
`Not
in idle mourning, in mere bodily humiliation and
multitudinous sacrifices, is the true spirit of devotion
manifested, but it is shown in the surrender of self in
willing service to God and man.' (DA278)
Hence
God's frustration with a people who just could not
understand and accept that . . .
`Fasting
or prayer that is actuated by a self-justifying spirit
is an abomination in the sight of God. The solemn
assembly for worship, the round of religious ceremonies,
the external humiliation, the imposing sacrifice,
proclaim that the doer of these things regards himself
as righteous, and as entitled to heaven; but it is all a
deception. Our own works can never purchase salvation.'
(DA280)
These
people had not realized that true obedience is shown by
deeds of kindness and mercy, and by the love that leads
men and women to regard others as better than
themselves. (See LS80)
Israel
were deceived, and the reason they were deceived was
because they had failed to perceive of the deep spiritual
nature of God's law. They lived according to the letter
of the law, but not in accordance with the spirit of the
law. Obedience to them was more a matter of what they
could do in the eyes of God, rather than a matter of
what they could do for others - to the glory of God. It
never occurred to them that obedience to the law of love
is more a matter of being kind and gentle and
compassionate and patient and peaceful and
self-controlled than it is a matter of stiff fidelity to
what they perceived to be as no more than a list of
rules. (See Galatians 5:22)
Of
all the failings of Israel, perhaps the most tragic of
these was their utter failure to realise
that . . .
`No-one
can live the law of God without ministering to others.'
(DA584)
`Had
they [Israel] kept the law of God, they would have done
the same unselfish work that Christ did.' (DA583)
Ultimately
`they brought ruin upon
themselves by refusing to minister to others.' (DA583)
Clearly,
even though they devoted much energy to their religion,
their works were not the works of genuine faith. They
were working to improve their own spiritual standing
before God, and before their fellow man, but they did
not understand that the works of man are filthy rags and
that our own righteousness is worth `less than
nothingness.' (FW 24). Thus they tried to establish
a righteousness of their own. They worked, but because
of their pride, their motives were self-centered rather
than God-centered. They understood that faith and works
are inseparable, but they failed to understand the
nature of the works of faith.
`Where
faith is, good works appear. [Now notice the nature of
these works . . .] The sick are visited,
the poor are cared for, the fatherless and the widows
are not neglected, the naked are clothed, the destitute
are fed.' (1SM398)
If
God were to address us today on this same matter, we
might hear Him remind us that . . .
`Christians
are to represent Christ [and that] unless there is
practical self-sacrifice for the good of others, in the
family circle, in the neighborhood, in the church, and
wherever we may be, then whatever our profession, we are
not Christians.' (DA504)
Thus
we realise that . . .
`The
love of God is something more than a mere negation; it
is a positive and active principle, a living spring,
ever flowing to bless others.' (MB58)
As
such, all who are walking in the footsteps of the Master
will know that . . .
`The
completeness of Christian character is attained when the
impulse to help and bless others springs constantly from
within.' (COL384)
In
the light of the above, it is interesting to note that
at the end of time there will be but two classes of
people. Said Jesus . . .
`When
the Son of Man comes, shall he find faith on earth?'
(Luke 18:8)
Ultimately,
therefore, the faith that Jesus will be looking for when
He comes again will be a living, active faith - it will
be a faith that will thrive on helping others. This is
the faith that will identify us as sheep.
Then . . .
`When
the Son of Man comes in his glory . . . he will separate
the people one from another as a shepherd separates the
sheep from the goats.' (Matthew 25:31, 32)
At that time the Lord will look down upon but two kinds
of people - sheep and goats. The goats will be those who
cared for themselves, while, according to Jesus, the
sheep will be those who cared for Him in the person
of His suffering and needy children.
¤ I was hungry and you gave me something to eat,
¤ I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink,
¤ I was a stranger and you invited me in,
¤ I needed clothes and you clothed me,
¤ I was sick and you looked after me,
¤ I was in prison and you came to visit me. (Matthew
25:35, 36)
`When the
nations are gathered before Him, there will be but two
classes, and their eternal destiny
will be determined by what they have done or have
neglected to do for Him in the person of the poor and
the suffering.' (DA637)
These
then are the works of love that God is seeking to bring
into our hearts - works that consist in active, unselfish efforts on behalf of
others. These are the fruits of the faith that saves.
These are the works that bring glory to God and that
will bring the mission of His church to finality. This,
therefore, is what true commandment- keeping is all about.
`The
last rays of merciful light, the last message of mercy
to be given to the world, is a revelation of His
character of love. The children of God are to manifest
His glory [character]. In their own life and character
they are to reveal what the grace of God has done for
them.' (COL415-416)
`Through
His servants, God designs that the sick, the
unfortunate, those possessed of evil spirits, shall hear
His voice. Through His human agencies He desires to be a
Comforter such as the world knows not.' (DA351)
`In
the night of spiritual darkness God's glory is to shine
forth through His church in lifting up the bowed down
and comforting those that mourn.' (COL417)
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