HONESTY, sincerity, professions, and good deeds cannot, of themselves, save us. All esteem honesty. It has been said, “An honest man is the noblest work of God.” If honesty is used in reforming and converting a man, it is noble and praiseworthy. One who lies in a gutter may acknowledge that drunkenness brought him there, the lascivious may admit his carnal inclinations, and the murderer confess his guilt; but moral courage and the grace of God are required in order to overcome these evil propensities. The frankness and liberality of sailors is universally admired, and yet many times they degrade themselves below the state of manhood by their vicious habits.
It is not safe to trust entirely to honesty and sincerity. The heart is too deceitful. There must be a radical change in our nature, a conversion. We “must be born again.” John 3:7 If we have loved the pleasures of sin, we must love the practices of virtue. Let us not imagine that our profession will help, unless our acts correspond with it; and let not the man of science think that his learning will procure him a passport to the realms of the saved. The natural, carnal heart must feel its proneness to sin.
The following are among the signs which show whether one is a Christian or not:—
1. The christian will love to pray, especially in secret. He will not have a form of words, extolling the wisdom and holiness of God, and leaving his own case out entirely. He will tell the Lord how his own infirmities, weaknesses, and sins, have well-nigh overcome him. His prayers will be heard, and sooner or later he will know that he has direct communication with the throne of Heaven. A response from the mercy-seat in glory is sure to be given if the prayer is addressed to the Father through the Son. If the person has asked for what he needs, the Mediator is bound to answer the petition. If the check which you carry to the bank is current, the cashier is bound to pay the money on it. Ananias was to know that Saul of Tarsus was converted, by finding him among the followers of Christ, a praying man.
2. A Christian will love to study the Bible. The unconverted man may say that he does not find time for Bible reading, and does not enjoy it; that is natural. But when one realizes his need of the favor of God, and that the Bible tells him what course to pursue to obtain it, he will hunger and thirst for its hidden manna and its living waters, and will find time for its perusal. But some may say, I do not know how to cultivate a love for the Bible. If that were my case, I should ask God to help me. If one effort did not bring an answer, I should try again. When Jesus strove in prayer in the garden of Gethsemane, he went three times, repeating the same words each time. If we keep praying, God will know that we are in earnest; and if we ask in faith, we have the promise that we shall receive. If we really seek, we have the positive assurance that we shall find. If we attempt to cultivate a love for Bible study in our own strength, our efforts will be unveiling; but we can have divine help, and the grace of God to renew the heart and transform the taste.
3. A Christian will love the society of Christians. If he prefers to be in the company of wordings, he would do well to begin to examine his robe of righteousness. He certainly will find moths at work, and holes almost or entirely eaten through. He may possibly see that his garment is of the wrong kind. A robe of righteousness does not become soiled by use; but the more it is worn, the brighter it seems, and the better the texture becomes. There is no wear-out to it.
4. The Christian will overcome sin. Some who make a profession say, as Pharaoh and Saul said, “I have sinned;” and like them keep on in sin, doing the same things over and over; and they also keep on saying, “I have sinned.” Their confession gets to be such an old story that the Lord does not hear them when they make it, or if he does, it is to have it recorded against them. They have no burden on account of their sins. Such confessions are in danger of hardening the heart, so that the individual will at last be lost. Pharaoh did not try to overcome; King Saul did not try to overcome; and salvation is only for the overcomer. “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in His throne.” Rev 3:21
5. The Christian will be steadfast.A road that leads over Mount Pisgah to-day and down by the walls of Babylon to-morrow, is not a good way for the soldier of the cross to travel. How good it is to get a day’s march toward the kingdom each day! The soldier who has to go back and fight his battles over, is in great danger of defeat; for the enemy has learned his weak points. The second engagement is often the hardest. With eyes uplifted to Jesus, the Commander, the soldier can be faithful; but if he turn from the mark of the prize, success is uncertain, unbelief will come in like a flood, and he will break the ranks. God’s people are noted in the Scriptures for good discipline. All subordinate officers respect the orders of their leaders; union prevails; each is found working in his place. One in such an army is able to chase a thousand, and two to put ten thousand to flight.
It is sad to see one step out of the rank and file of the army of the Lord, and prove unfaithful. It is sad to desert when the battle is almost fought. But when unbelief comes in, and we begin to imagine that we have a hard time, a little stumbling-block will turn us out of the way. So when we discover a defect in our own character, we should go to work to overcome on that point. It will be a glorious victory to overcome the last remains of sin. Pharaoh and King Saul confessed their sins, and remained in them. The murmuring Jews did the same, and were at last destroyed, their carcasses falling in the wilderness. It is a struggle, an earnest one too, to lay all upon the altar, and be separate from the world; but the reward which awaits the faithful is full of glory, and honor, and immortality, and is ten thousand times better than the riches of kings or the praise of men.
6. If the Christian fall, he will not remain down. What a motive for courage did Paul set before the saints when he said, “Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.” Heb 12:4 It ought to be esteemed a privilege to suffer with Jesus, in order that we may reign with Him. Our great enemy has used two ways to lead men down to ruin: one, by persecution; the other, by appetite and flattery. The Saviour was exposed to both these snares, and shall we escape? Let us, if necessary, practice self-denial and fasting, that we may be armed for the conflict. Said the prophet, “Out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.”Jonah 2:2 Jonah was in a low place. He had deserted his post, gone on a sea-voyage, and had been roughly used. It is probable that as the sailors cast him overboard, they said, “There goes that miserable deserter, who has brought this great tempest upon us. That is the last of him.” But there was a little life left in Jonah. He cried unto the Lord, who heard him, and saved him from a terrible fate, that he might finish his mission.
7. The Christian will give of his substance. There is always a field of labor open to the really converted man. In the great missionary movement that was made in Galilee, when fishermen
were called to leave their occupation and become fishers of men, sacrifices must have been made. Men capable of becoming successful preachers went out and obtained an experience. They must leave home and family, and spend their time in healing the sick and preaching the gospel. Their friends and relatives very naturally had the burden of the support of the families that were left behind. Time passed, and the disciples multiplied. Many of the converts were poor, and must be helped; and plans of benevolence were instituted for the support of the poor, and to meet other expenses incident to the cause. It seems that the children of God were expected to contribute to the wants of the cause each week; for Paul wrote to his Corinthian brethren: “Upon the first day of the week, let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him.” 1Cor 16:2
“It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Act 20:35 It does us good to give. We manifest the spirit of the Master, when we help some poor soul who is suffering. We spend our time. That time is worth money. And if we stay at home and are successful in gathering in this world’s goods, what a delight to give of that as the Lord has prospered us! A Christian will use his hands, or his head, or his money, in the service of his Lord. He will be a new man, all consecrated to the Lord’s work.
Let “every one.” It seems that no one was excused among the Corinthians, and no true disciple will ever think of being excused. The one who has only a little to give, if it be given with a willing heart, often has the greatest blessing. Think of the widow with the two mites. “Verily I say unto you,” says Jesus, “that this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury.” Mark 12:43 How wonderful this expression, “More in than all !” Who, on thinking of this, would wish to withhold the small offering ? God has given us a free salvation. The poor can come; the rich are invited; and the weary can find rest to their souls.
The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald Feb. 15, 1881