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“To Abraham and his seed were the promises made…the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect” (Gal. 3:16,17).

Was the law given to put discouragement into the hearts of the people? No. Go back to Abraham, and we shall see what else was taught by the giving of the law.

There was a promise to Abraham of a righteous inheritance. God had pledged His own existence that there should be righteous men- whose righteousness should be equal to the righteousness of the law.

But here was the law in awful majesty. There could be no righteousness gotten out of it. Now put two things together: the law is so holy that no man can get any righteousness out of it; but God had sworn that there should be men who would have all the righteousness that it demands. Therefore the very giving of the law showed the people that there must be another way of getting that same righteousness.

The One who gave the law was the One who brought them out of Egypt, who swore to Abraham that he and his seed should be righteous through Christ. So there was a super abundance of grace. That is acted out every time there is a sinner converted. Before his conversion he has not realized the sinfulness of his sins. Then the law comes in and shows him how awful those sins are, but with it comes a gentle voice of Christ in whom there is grace and life.

Shall we go about mourning and sighing, saying our sins are so great that God cannot forgive? It is God who shows us our sins. By His law, He drives the sins home to our hearts and then that sins abounds in the proportion that it should. It was small in our eyes before; but He makes us see it as He sees it. No matter how great are the sins, there is grace much more than enough.

Waggoner, General Conference Bulletin, 1891, No. 9

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“Therefore brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 1:10,11)

Who are called? “For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call” (acts 2:39). The Lord calls “whosever will.”

Now what is the purpose of the God calling whosoever will to come to Him? “That in the dispensation of the fulness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ” (Eph. 1:10). We are to be gathered together in Christ according to the grace of God. Seeing this, what is our duty? “Be even more diligent to make your call and election sure.”

Everyone is called; but the purpose of God is in Christ. When we tell the Lord day by day, “Here is my heart, Lord; I have made no change in the gifts; I want you to have it,” He will bind us with cords of divine love to the altar. We are then predestined with Christ. What He has, we have. He said, “Neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand” (Jn. 10:28).

Those who are called are justified in Christ; therefore we have justification. But those who are justified are also glorified. If we can believe that, we have a wonderful amount of strength. Yes, “the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one” (Jn. 17:22).

Mark, it is past tense. The glory that God has given to Christ is our today. It is true that that glory does not yet appear, and the world knows us not, because it knew not Christ. But it is ours. Even now it appears in the form of grace. “ The Lord will give grace and glory; not good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly” (Ps. 84:11). Peter says that believing we may “rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory” (1 Pet. 1:8).

The glory is all ours and we have it now.

Waggoner, General Conference Bulletin, 1891, No. 12.

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“We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the ruler of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (Eph. 6: 12, 13)

“We have enemies to contend with” says somebody. Don’t talk about them or your trials and temptations. Talk of the power of Christ. All power has been given to Him. So when we wrestle, we will remember that it is not an even- handed battle, but we fight a fight of faith, and where sin abounded, there did grace much more abound.

Who are conquerors? Those who have gained the victory. Flesh and blood are of no account in the defense. The only power that can resist evil is the power of an endless life, and he who has the Son has that life. If I fight with my fists, I do the fighting. If I fight the fight of faith, someone else is fighting for me and I am getting the benefit.

Christ has fought hand-to-hand with Satan here on earth and triumphed. What must be the result when a battle has been fought and one side has conquered completely? Peace. “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you…Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (Jn. 14:27). We simply lay hold of the eternal life of Christ, and that is done by laying hold of His word, which is spirit and life.

The trouble is that sometimes we have some darling sin that we do not want to give up, so we are afraid that Christ will gain the victory and that sin will have to be given up. We call Christ in to help us defeat our enemy, and when He comes He finds us on the side of the enemy! But if we will give up all these things, Christ will give us something that is infinitely better.

Waggoner, General Conference Bulletin, 1891, No. 9

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“Whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified” (Rom. 8:29,30)

“did God know that Adam was going to sin, and does He know whether we’ll be saved or not?” Yes, He knows all about it. “Then how can it be that we are free?” I do not know, and it does not make any difference. I know from His word that I am free to have salvation and to have it when I want it.

God foreknew us in Christ, and we are predestined to just such a place in the earth in a state of purity as God wants us to have. How do I know I am a child of God? He loved me and He bought me, and I gave myself to Him and therefore I am His. Now I am in Christ, and it matters not what happens to me. There is not a bad thing that can come upon me, for everything that does come, God will work it out for my good. Now Satan concocts some wicked scheme against me that is calculated to destroy me. Well, God takes those very wicked schemes and out of them He brings good for me. There is not one who would think of complaining when he is having a good time. But the Christian is having a good time all the time, for all things work together for good to him. These bad things are bad when they start, designed to ruin us, yet by the time they get to us, God transforms them into good.

When we look at things this way, we can praise Him no matter what happens. The Lord “will beautify the humble with salvation” (Ps. 149:4). “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom. 8:31).

There is not a wicked person, not even the devil himself, but God just takes his wickedness as it comes and makes it work out his own eternal purpose. There is a world of comfort in the thought that this is the kind of God whom we serve.

Jones, General Conference Bulletin, 1895, p.270

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“Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him. And the Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan!” (Zech. 3:1,2)

Satan could not tell the truth if he tried, and unless your sins had been forgiven, he never would bring them up, because he would be afraid that you would confess them, and they would be forgiven.

Well. Another query: “ I don’t know; perhaps it is not Satan; perhaps it must be God.” No, “It is God who justifies.” If God justifies, He cannot condemn. He shows us our sins and we confess them and give ourselves to Him, and He justifies us.

Therefore, when He justifies, who is there who can condemn? Satan. If we would only give more credence to God’s truth and less to Satan’s lies, it would be better for us. Don’t you see there is not a possible loophole left for discouragement? It is the Comforter who convicts of sin, so He comforts us in the very act of calling to our remembrance the wrongs that we have done. I will thank Him for the comfort, and when Satan brings them up again, I will praise God again.

We often hear the expression. “If I could only get inside the gates of heaven, I will be satisfied.” I’m so thankful we don’t have to just get in as if we apologize for our presence after we are there.

“An entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Pet. 1:11)

Waggoner, General Conference Bulletin, 1891, No. 9

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“We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28).

Here we have the matter of “calling,” and that causes some to be discouraged. A brother will say, “Perhaps I am not called, I’m not at all sure that I am. And therefore it doesn’t work for me.”

That matter of “calling” could be settled immediately. Who has God called? “And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come’! And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely” (Rev. 22:17).

The call is to every man and woman and child on earth. Those who hear it are to take it up and pass it along. The kindness of God is wide enough to take in every individual: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (Jn. 3:16). Those two texts are sufficient to scatter to the four winds all the theological trash that has been written to prove that God has set some few that He has called, and no others. Let no soul stay away because he thinks he’s not called. All do not come, all do not take the advice of Peter and make their calling and election sure; but that is not the fault of God.

Sometimes we get afraid of that word, “elected.” Is there any need to be afraid? No; for every individual can be a candidate, and every candidate can be elected. The free gift by grace of the justification of life comes upon all (Rom. 5:18). The moment you give up self and take Christ instead, you have everything Christ has to give. He is able to bless you “in turning every one of you from your iniquities” (Acts 3:26). Everything that is necessary for life and godliness is given to us in Christ. Therefore the soul that stands in Christ may stand as firm and secure as the Rock of Ages. Everyone is called to the fellowship of Christ if he will accept. We are elected in Him, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of His glory of His grace.

Jones, General Conference Bulletin, 1895, p. 267

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“Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Cor. 4:17,18)

Does your sight often deceive you? Sometimes you think you saw something that you did not see, and then again you saw things that when you came to look at them closely were not as they really appeared to be. But the word of God never deceives. The truth is that the only things we can depend on are the things that we cannot see. We can see the earth and we can see the heavens, but they are going to pass away.

We can say, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea” (Ps. 46:1,2). That time is coming. And there will be some people who will feel perfectly calm and trustful; but they will be those who have learned to say that all things work together for good to them who love God, who are called according to His purpose. The man who doubts God now will doubt Him then.

“Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect?” Well, there is one who will do it surely. We have his name, Satan. Here is a testimony concerning him: “The accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down” (Rev. 12:10)

But says one poor discouraged soul, “I believe all that, and I have confessed my sins, but these sins keep coming up before me all the time!” Why does Satan bring these things up? Because he is a false accuser, and if he brings these up and accuses you, then you know that you are forgiven, because he would never have brought them up if they had not been forgiven. If you are sure Satan brings them up, you ought to be one of the happiest creatures alive.

Waggoner, General Conference Bulletin, 1891, No. 12.

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Morning Meditation has replace Soul Foods

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“If God is for us, who can be against us?...Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect…Who is he who condemns?...Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?...In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Rom. 8:31-37).

Remember that Christ gave the example of defeating Satan by the word of the testimony. Every time temptation came, He said, “It is written.” So when the clouds of darkness come, and the thick darkness gathers around us, just say, “ If God is for us, who can be against us!” And God is for us as is shown in that He gave Christ to die for us and raised Him again for our justification.

Then it does not matter what comes against us, for it comes against the purpose of God, and that is as sure and firm as the Almighty can make it.

Now who is against us? Satan. Satan has tried his power with Christ, and it has proved to be nothing. “All power is given to Me in heaven and in earth,” says Christ (Matt. 28:18, KJV). If all power has been given to Christ in heaven and in earth, where is there any left for Satan?

Satan is against us. He brings pestilence, diseases, put things in our way against us. But the very things he arrays against us to our ruin God takes and makes them for us. We often sing:- Let good or ill befall, it must be good for me, Secure of having thee in all, Of having all in Thee.

But we often sing things we do not believe. Often, if you took the words from the music and put them into plain prose, there would not be any one in the congregation who would dare to say them. Let us believe them not because they’re in the hymn, but because they are Bible truth.
All things are yours, at the present time. Therefore, if people heap on us reproach and persecution, the only thing we can do is to pity them and labor for them, for they do not know the riches of inheritance.

Waggoner, General Conference Bulletin, 1895, No. 12.