“God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God. Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy: for thou renderest to every man according to his work.” Ps. 62:11, 12.
“The Lord appeared to Abraham, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God.” Gen. 17:1. I am God All-sufficient, i. e., having all power to do all good. “The invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even his everlasting power and divinity.” Rom. 1:20, R. V. The things that are made reveal the great, the eternal power of God, for “he hath made the earth by his power.” Jer. 10:12.
As God the Father is omnipotent, so also is Christ the Son. “All power,” says Jesus, “is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” Matt. 28:18. In his prayer to his Father on the night of his betrayal, Jesus said: “Thou hast given him [the Son] power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.” John 17:2.
The Holy Spirit—God’s representative in the earth—seems also to possess all power. “The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.” “By his Spirit he hath garnished the heavens.” Job 33:4; 26:13. In speaking of the work of creation, the Lord says, “The Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” Gen. 1:2. “Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God,” the gospel of Christ was fully preached in the days of the apostles. Rom. 15:19.
“The Father is all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and is invisible to mortal sight. The Son is all the fullness of the Godhead manifested. . . . The Comforter that Christ promised to send after he ascended to heaven is the Spirit in all the fullness of the Godhead, making manifest the power of divine grace to all who receive and believe in Christ as a personal Saviour. There are three living persons of the heavenly trio; in the14name of these three great powers—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—those who receive Christ by living faith are baptized, and these powers will co-operate with the obedient subjects of heaven in their efforts to live the new life in Christ.”—“Special Testimonies,” Series B, No. 7, pages 62, 63.
The Standard Dictionary defines “power” as “the property of a substance or being, spiritual or material, that is manifested in effort or action, and by virtue of which that substance or being produces or is competent to produce change, moral or physical.”
The Lord is “the mighty God.” Isa. 9:6. “Might is power unlimited by any consideration or circumstance.”—Crabb’s “Dictionary of English Synonymes.” “Ah Lord God! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched-out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee.” Jer. 32:17.
WORKERS AND CHINESE STUDYING THE MESSAGE AT CHUNG-KING, SZECHUAN, WEST CHINA
We are engaged in a desperate struggle with the powers of darkness. “We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Eph. 6:12. “Though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong-holds).” 2 Cor. 10:3, 4. The conflict is altogether an unequal one, but we can say with Jehoshaphat, “We have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.” 2 Chron. 20:12. In our extremity we remember the words of the great, the mighty God: “Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Isa. 40:28-31.
In the life on earth of the Son of God, in his conflict with the powers of darkness, we see what the power of God can do through one who is wholly surrendered to God, one who becomes an unobstructed channel for the working of that mighty power. “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.” Acts 10:38.
Preparation
“‘The prince of this world cometh,’ said Jesus, ‘and hath nothing in me.’ John 14:30. There was in him nothing that responded to Satan’s sophistry. He did not consent to sin. Not even by a thought did he yield to temptation. So it may be with us. Christ’s humanity was united with divinity; he was fitted for the conflict by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. And he came to make us partakers of the divine nature. So long as we are united to him by faith, sin has no more dominion over us. God reaches for the hand of faith in us to direct it to lay fast hold upon the divinity of Christ, that we may attain to perfection of character.”—“The Desire of Ages,” page 123.
“Ye shall receive power,” said Jesus, “after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you.” “Tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.” “Truly,” said Micah, “I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord.” Acts 1:8; Luke 24:49; Micah 3:8.
Cleansed
The Spirit of God is the source of all power needed in the conflict with sin; but he cannot dwell in an unhallowed place: hence the temple must first be cleansed from every defilement. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9. There is but one condition imposed beyond that mentioned in this scripture, and that is that we forgive others. “Forgive,” urges the Master, “if ye have aught against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.” Mark 11:25, 26. The moment these conditions are fully met and we truly believe God, that moment our sins are all forgiven and we are cleansed from all unrighteousness.
The forgiveness of sin, the healing of our spiritual maladies, is illustrated in the healing of disease by the Saviour. When the palsied man was brought to Jesus, he said unto him, “Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.” Some, however, thought he blasphemed, therefore Jesus said, “That ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. And he arose, and departed to his house.” Matt. 9:1-8.
When a woman which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment, she “was made whole from that hour.” The Saviour was seeking to teach all men that forgiveness, cleansing, spiritual healing, is instantaneous, and is granted to all who believe. Through the multitude that thronged the Saviour the woman pressed forward, saying to herself, “If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.” “In that moment she knew that she was healed. In that one touch was concentrated the faith of her life, and instantly her pain and feebleness gave place to the vigor of perfect health.” “Jesus gently said, ‘Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole.’”
“. . . It was not through the outward contact with him, but through the faith which took hold on his divine power, that the cure was wrought.”—“The Desire of Ages,” pages 344, 347.
Faith
When our faith has grasped the promise of forgiveness, this blessed work is accomplished. “The believing sinner is pronounced innocent, while the guilt is placed on Christ. The righteousness of Christ is placed on the debtor’s account, and against his name on the balance sheet is written: Pardoned. Eternal Life.”—Mrs. E. G. White, in Review and Herald. “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Rom. 5:1.
As by faith we are cleansed from the filth and pollution of sin, so by faith, and by faith alone, we are freed from its power and dominion. Nothing that we can ever do can break the fetters of sin and set the captive free, but we can believe God.
“Thus saith the Lord, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away,15and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children.” Isa. 49:25. “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.” Isa. 61:1. “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” John 8:36.
“Saving faith is a transaction, by which those who receive Christ join themselves in covenant relation with God. Genuine faith is life. A living faith means an increase of vigor, a confiding trust, by which the soul becomes a conquering power.”—“The Desire of Ages,” page 347.
Prayer
“In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.” Ps. 138:3.
“Prayer is the breath of the soul. It is the secret of spiritual power. No other means of grace can be substituted and the health of the soul be preserved. Prayer brings the heart into immediate contact with the Wellspring of life, and strengthens the sinew and muscle of the religious experience. . . .
“It is only at the altar of God that we can kindle our tapers with divine fire. It is only the divine light that will reveal the littleness, the incompetence, of human ability, and give clear views of the perfection and purity of Christ. It is only as we behold Jesus that we desire to be like him, only as we view his righteousness that we hunger and thirst to possess it; and it is only as we ask in earnest prayer that God will grant us our heart’s desire.”
“While engaged in our daily work, we should lift the soul to heaven in prayer. These silent petitions rise like incense before the throne of grace; and the enemy is baffled. The Christian whose heart is thus stayed upon God cannot be overcome. No evil arts can destroy his peace. All the promises of God’s Word, all the power of divine grace, all the resources of Jehovah, are pledged to secure his deliverance.” “Power will come from God in answer to the prayer of faith.”—“Gospel Workers,” new edition, pages 254, 255.
Paul understood the efficacy of prayer. When writing to the Ephesian church, he said, “For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, . . . that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man.” Again he prayed that they might know “what is the exceeding greatness of his power to usward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places.” Eph. 3:14, 16; 1:19, 20.
As I contemplate this theme my heart is overwhelmed with the magnitude of God’s promises to those who believe, and who earnestly seek God for the fullness of the Spirit’s power. “Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, according as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” 2 Peter 1:2-4.
Surely we have but a twilight perception of Christ’s excellence, and yet our souls thrill with joy. We long for a fuller, deeper sense of our Saviour’s love. We are unsatisfied, but we remember the Redeemer’s promise, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” Matt. 5:6. Though we have seen but the first rays of the early dawn of his glory, we know that “as we follow on to know the Lord, we shall know that his going forth is prepared as the morning.” “The path of the righteous is as the dawning light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.” Prov. 4:18, A. R. V. “Having repented of our sins, confessed them, and found pardon, we are to continue to learn of Christ, until we come into the full noontide of a perfect gospel faith.”—“Testimonies for the Church,” Vol. VIII, page 318.
“When we are endowed with the Spirit, we take hold by faith of infinite power. There is nothing lost of that which comes from God. The Saviour of the world sends his messages to the soul, that the darkness of error may be dispelled. The work of the Spirit is immeasurably great. It is from this source that power and efficiency come to the worker for God.”—“Gospel Workers,” new edition, page 289.
The long, dark night of sin is almost gone, and the glorious morning of eternity will soon dawn. Already by faith we see its light driving back the darkness. As we near the end, the wrath of the dragon will continue to increase, and if ever we needed help from God it is in this last hour of our conflict. But we must never forget the unfailing promise, “When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.” Isa. 59:19.
The time is come for the outpouring of the Holy Ghost in the latter rain. And yet it will not do for us to think that in the ordinary course of events the rain will fall; we must pray for it. God must command the rain to fall. At this very time we should earnestly pray that God will unseal the fountain of his grace; that he will create bright clouds and give us showers of rain.
“All who consecrate soul, body, and spirit to God, will be constantly receiving a new endowment of physical and mental power. The inexhaustible supplies of heaven are at their command. Christ gives them the breath of his own Spirit, the life of his own life. The Holy Spirit puts forth its highest energies to work in heart and mind. The grace of God enlarges and multiplies their faculties, and every perfection of the divine nature comes to their assistance in the work of saving souls. Through cooperation with Christ they are complete in him, and in their human weakness they are enabled to do the deeds of Omnipotence.”—“The Desire of Ages,” page 827.
