"If Any Man Sin-"

Today's Devotion Friday, May 31, 2019

"If Any Man Sin"

Today's Text If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 1 John 2:1

When we are clothed with the righteousness of Christ, we shall have no relish for sin; for Christ will be working with us. We may make mistakes, but we will hate the sin that caused the suffering of the Son of God. Messages to Young People, 338. If one who daily communes with God errs from the path, if he turns a moment from looking steadfastly unto Jesus, it is not because he sins willfully; for when he sees his mistake, he turns again, and fastens his eyes upon Jesus, and the fact that he has erred does not make him less dear to the heart of God. He knows that he has communion with the Saviour; and when reproved for his mistake in some matter of judgment, he does not walk sullenly, and complain of God, but turns the mistake into a victory. The Review and Herald, May 12, 1896. There are those who have known the pardoning love of Christ, and who really desire to be children of God, yet they realize that their character is imperfect, their life faulty, and they are ready to doubt whether their hearts have been renewed by the Holy Spirit. To such I would say, Do not draw back in despair. We shall often have to bow down and weep at the feet of Jesus because of our shortcomings and mistakes; but we are not to be discouraged. Even if we are overcome by the enemy, we are not cast off, not forsaken and rejected of God. No; Christ is at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Said the beloved John, “These things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” And do not forget the words of Christ, “The Father himself loveth you.” John 16:27. He desires to restore you to Himself, to see His own purity and holiness reflected in you. And if you will but yield yourself to Him, He that hath begun a good work in you will carry it forward to the day of Jesus Christ. Steps to Christ, 64. All sin, from the least to the greatest, may be overcome by the Holy Spirit's power. The Review and Herald, September 19, 1899. Note: In some areas phrases have been omitted by the compilers for whatever reason. I have restored them as underlined text, that the full intent of the author may be given.

My Thoughts: My friend, it is only by the indwelling of the Spirit of Christ within us that we may gain the victory over sin. How sad it is today that there are so many in the church today that have linked themselves up to a being that cannot give then the victory. By the churches adoption of the trinity, it has separated itself from the only power that can give them victory over sin. The trinity teaches that the Holy Spirit is a being unto itself, and is neither the Father nor the Son. While the Bible teaches us that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Father and the Son. This distinction is important for if the Spirit that lives within us is a separate being from the Father and the Son, then Christ is not the mediator between God and man, but another being. This contradicts the plain word of God saying "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;" (1 Timothy 2:5). The Comforter that the trinity claims is evidence of a third being of the godhead, is in fact speaking of Jesus Himself. Jesus was trying to speak plainly to His disciples about what was to come, but in their dullness of mind, they were not able to grasp the important truths that He was telling them. Therefore He began to us a parable to communicate that though He was going away, that He would be with them by His Spirit saying "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you." (John 14:18). Though He was physically to leave them, He would be with them by His Spirit. Jesus was not saying that He would send another as in different, He was saying that He would come to them in a different form. The word that the Apostle John used for Comforter was the Greek word "para-klay-tos" which can be translated as both comforter and advocate. It is used only five times in the Bible and only by John. Thus the text that says "...we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:" (1 John 2:1), what it is really saying is that we have a Comforter with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. My friend, the Comforter that was to be sent by the Father is not another being as the trinity teaches, but is the Spirit of Christ Himself. Thus His promise is fulfilled saying "...and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." (Matthew 28:20). What a comfort it is to have the one who came in the flesh, lived and toiled as we do, gained the victory over sin, here with us to comfort us and give us His victory. Yes Jesus is our comforter and mediator between God and man. God bless,

I encourage your comments: wtaitague@gmail.com or directly in the blog (Click Here)

The Only Begotten of the Father - Bill Cave Does the way in which we interpret the Scriptures alter our view of Christ? In this video Bill Cave presents the relationship of the Father and his only-begotten Son as revealed in Scripture. RESOURCES: Archive of Daily Devotions Melodies of Prayer Free Bible & Commentary Bible Study Resources The Truth About God The Final Protest Revelation1412.org

Monday: The Test of Character

A Hatred of Sin

Today's Devotion Thursday, May 30, 2019

A Hatred of Sin

Today's Text Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. Hebrews 1:9

When in conversion the sinner finds peace with God through the blood of the atonement, the Christian life has but just begun. The Great Controversy, 470. The grace that Christ implants in the soul ... creates in man enmity against Satan. Without this converting grace and renewing power, man would continue the captive of Satan, a servant ever ready to do his bidding. But the new principle in the soul creates conflict where hitherto had been peace. The power which Christ imparts, enables man to resist the tyrant and usurper. Whoever is seen to abhor sin instead of loving it, whoever resists and conquers those passions that have held sway within, displays the operation of a principle wholly from above. The Signs of the Times, December 2, 1913 (The Great Controversy, 506). Conformity to the world and harmony with Christ cannot be maintained. Worldly maxims and worldly practices sap spirituality from heart and life. Conformity to the world means resemblance to the world in meeting the world's standard. But how dwelleth the love of God in the soul of him who assimilates to the world? No man can serve the world and Jesus Christ at the same time. There is an irreconcilable antagonism, between Christ and the world. The Review and Herald, January 22, 1895. How few can say: “I am dead to the world; the life I now live is by faith in the Son of God!” ... While those around us may be vain and engaged in pleasure-seeking and folly, our conversation is in heaven, whence we look for the Saviour; the soul is reaching out after God for pardon and peace, for righteousness and true holiness. Converse with God and contemplation of things above transform the soul into the likeness of Christ. Testimonies for the Church 2:145. Let your heart be softened and melted under the divine influence of the Spirit of God. You should not talk so much about yourself, for this will strengthen no one. You should not make yourself a center, and imagine that you must be constantly caring for yourself and leading others to care for you. Get your mind off from yourself into a more healthy channel. Talk of Jesus, and let self go; let it be submerged in Christ. Testimonies for the Church 2:320, 321. Note: In some areas phrases have been omitted by the compilers for whatever reason. I have restored them as underlined text, that the full intent of the author may be given.

My Thoughts: My friend, a hatred of sin is not natural to man, for the carnal heart is at enmity with the law of God. "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9). Our true problem with sin is not that we sin, but that we are sinful by nature. When Adam and Eve fell, their whole natures had changed. Where they were once holy and righteous, they had become unholy and selfish. In tempting our first parents to sin, Satan thought that he would have free reign over man, that his power over humanity would be complete. But this was not to be so, for the Son of God declared unto him saying "I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." (Genesis 3:15). Through the life of the Son of God, man was to have power to overcome sin in this world. The carnal heart would once again be brought into harmony with God. By the righteousness of the Son of man imparted to us, we are given power to resist and overcome our tendency towards evil. "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them." (Ezekiel 36:26, 27). When we accept Christ as our Savior, we are justified by the Spirit of Christ that is imputed to us. As we take hold of His righteousness, we are day by day transformed into His image. Our desires for sin begin to melt away as we embrace the righteousness of Christ. This process is a progressive one that can only be sustained as was seek after His righteousness. Fulfilling the promise "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled." (Matthew 5:6). The reason why there are so many in the church today that have not gained the victory over sin is because of their belief in God as a trinity, which teaches that the Son of God is not truly a son, but is only a metaphor that one of the god-beings has assumed for the salvation of man. This is not the God of the Bible but is a the counterfeit of Satan. By presenting God as a trinity, he has artfully supplanted One true God for one that has the form of godliness, but denies the power of God to transform the soul. "God the Son" is not the "Son of God", and as such has no power to transform the heart, thus the believer in this false god is left with a false experience of righteousness by faith. This is the experience of the Seventh-day Adventist Church today. This is why the church is in the Laodicean condition which is "wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked." (Revelation 3:17). The church is in this condition because of their forsaking of the One true God for the trinity. It has supplanted the Son of God for God the Son; a being that is not a true son of God, but is a god unto himself. As such Jesus, the true Son of God, is knocking on the door of the heart of His people saying "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." (Revelation 3:19, 20). My friend, if your experience of righteousness by faith has left you unfulfilled, it is because you are worshiping God as a trinity. It is time for you to look away from this false god unto the One true God through His Son Jesus Christ today. "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." (John 17:3). God bless,

I encourage your comments: wtaitague@gmail.com or directly in the blog (Click Here)

The Only Begotten of the Father - Bill Cave Does the way in which we interpret the Scriptures alter our view of Christ? In this video Bill Cave presents the relationship of the Father and his only-begotten Son as revealed in Scripture. RESOURCES: Archive of Daily Devotions Melodies of Prayer Free Bible & Commentary Bible Study Resources The Truth About God The Final Protest Revelation1412.org

Friday: "If Any Man Sin"

Sanctification the Work of a Lifetime

Today's Devotion Wednesday, May 29, 2019

Sanctification the Work of a Lifetime

Today's Text And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. John 17:19

The righteousness by which we are justified is imputed; the righteousness by which we are sanctified is imparted. The first is our title to heaven, the second is our fitness for heaven. Messages to Young People, 35. Many commit the error of trying to define minutely the fine points of distinction between justification and sanctification. Into the definitions of these two terms they often bring their own ideas and speculations. Why try to be more minute than is Inspiration on the vital question of righteousness by faith? SDA Bible Commentary 6:1072. As the penitent sinner, contrite before God, discerns Christ's atonement in his behalf, and accepts this atonement as his only hope in this life and the future life, his sins are pardoned. This is justification by faith. SDA Bible Commentary 6:1070. Sanctification is not the work of a moment, an hour, a day, but of a lifetime. It is not gained by a happy flight of feeling, but is the result of constantly dying to sin, and constantly living for Christ. Wrongs cannot be righted nor reformations wrought in the character by feeble, intermittent efforts. It is only by long, persevering effort, sore discipline, and stern conflict, that we shall overcome. The Acts of the Apostles, 560. It [sanctification] is not merely a theory, an emotion, or a form of words, but a living, active principle, entering into the everyday life. It requires that our habits of eating, drinking, and dressing be such as to secure the preservation of physical, mental, and moral health, that we may present to the Lord our bodies—not an offering corrupted by wrong habits but—“a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God.” Counsels on Diet and Foods, 165. The Scriptures are the great agency in the transformation of character. Christ prayed, “Sanctify them through Thy truth; Thy word is truth.” John 17:17. If studied and obeyed, the Word of God works in the heart, subduing every unholy attribute. Christ's Object Lessons, 100. There is no such thing as instantaneous sanctification. True sanctification is a daily work, continuing as long as life shall last. The Sanctified Life, 10. Note: In some areas phrases have been omitted by the compilers for whatever reason. I have restored them as underlined text, that the full intent of the author may be given.

My Thoughts: My friend, there is an important distinction to be made between justification and sanctification; to be saved by grace is justification; the transformation of heart through the indwelling of the Spirit of Christ is sanctification. The sinner that accepts Christ as their Savior is justified; the sanctifying work of Christ to renew the image of God in us is the work of the entire life. The great battle that we have to fight is the battle against self. In and of ourselves we cannot overcome sin, but through the indwelling of Jesus within our hearts, we may resist and be victorious. "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded." (James 4:7, 8). In this text are the keys to victory over sin. Many have resisted temptation just to succumb to it somewhere down the line, but this need not be our experience. The first key is to submit ourselves unto God. This submission is a total surrender of our wills to the will of God. It is the broken and contrite heart that grieves for their sins that crucified the Son of God. When we come to this realization and conviction of soul we will truly surrender our lives to God. The second key is to draw nigh unto God. As we lay aside the sinful pleasures of this world that corrupt the mind, body and soul, and take up the things of Christ, we are taking upon ourselves the mind of God. "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:" (Philippians 2:5). As we guard well the avenues of our souls from the influences of the world, we are taking upon ourselves the mind of Christ. As we thus resist the devil in this way, we are guaranteed the victory over sin. "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20). My Friend we are to fight many battles against self, and there will be times when we fail, but take comfort that we have the promise of the Comforter. "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:" (1 John 2:1). Sanctification is the work of a lifetime, but once we have accepted Christ as our Savior, it is His responsibility to accomplish the work of sanctification, for He is "... the author and finisher of our faith," (Hebrews 12:2). God bless,

I encourage your comments: wtaitague@gmail.com or directly in the blog (Click Here)

The Only Begotten of the Father - Bill Cave Does the way in which we interpret the Scriptures alter our view of Christ? In this video Bill Cave presents the relationship of the Father and his only-begotten Son as revealed in Scripture. RESOURCES: Archive of Daily Devotions Melodies of Prayer Free Bible & Commentary Bible Study Resources The Truth About God The Final Protest Revelation1412.org

Thursday: A Hatred of Sin